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    "title": "Ford Newsletter, Apr.-June 1955",
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    "ocrText": "This document scanned from Box D1 of the Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE April 7, 1955\nFor ten years the Yalta Conference has been denounced by many as a\n\"capitulation\" to Russia. Others have defended the decisions by President Roose-\nvelt, Churchill, and Stalin on the basis that Mr. Roosevelt made what appeared\nin 1945 to be a fair compromise. Unfortunately F. D. R. assumed Soviet\nRussia would live up to the agreements made. In the last ten days the publication\nof Yalta Papers has reopened the entire controversy.\nA copy of the published Yalta Papers was delivered to my office as it\nwas to all members of the Congress. It is a massive two-volume edition comprising\n829 pages. At this point I haven't read every word of every page, but I have\nstudied the documents, read reams of comments by authorities on the subject.\nMy own views can be summarized as follows:\nThe decision to make the Yalta Papers public was entirely proper because\nthe American public has the right to know what actually transpired at this\nmeeting. Any and all previous secret deals between diplomats should be made\nknown. The last Congress, by providing the funds, for the publication of the\nYalta Papers, expressed the view that the public was entitled to the record\nof this conference, good or bad. The release of those papers will not jeopardize\nour relations with foreign countries. Even if it does, saving the \"face\"\nof a diplomat is less important than saving the life of an American G. I.\nIt has been claimed that there is nothing in the Yalta Papers to indicate\nthat Alger Hiss advocated pro-Communist positions. It is interesting to note\nthat at no time in his career did Hiss publicly take decidedly pro-Communist\npositions, despite the fact that we all know he was convicted of lying when\nhe said he did not turn government documents over to an espionage agent. It is\nalso to be recalled that Whittaker Chambers testified that men like Hiss in the\nSoviet apparatus were strictly prohibited from publicly taking a pro-Communist\nline.\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - page 2\nThe important question concerning Hiss is not whether he took a pro-Communist\nposition, but what documents he had access to. On Galley 91 of the Yalta Papers\nit states:\n\"\nAll memoranda for the President on topics to be discussed at the\nMeeting of the Big Three should be in the hands of Mr. Alger Hiss not later than\nMonday, January 15\nIf\nIn other words, Hiss had access to the secret briefing papers which were\nused by our side during the Conference. If he was an espionage agent at that\ntime, this vital information was made available to the Communists. At a conference\ntable a negotiator can have no greater advantage than to know what moves his\nopponents are going to make.\nI agree with President Eisenhower's statement that we should look to the\nfuture rather than the past, but in order to prepare us for any new international\nconferences we must be fully aware of the long record of Communist duplicity\nand double talk.in order to avoid the mistakes of the past.\nABOUT THE PRESIDENT\nPresident Eisenhower pointed up an important fact during the recent tax\nstruggle in Congress when he said: \"In the past two years, the cost of living\nhas varied less than one half of one per cent. From 1939 to 1953, the dollar\nwent from 100 cents to 53 cents. It is that kind of thing that must be stopped.\nA free economy is based on a stable dollar, which is more important to all low-\nincome groups than it is to rich peiple.\"\nPresident Eisenhower's pastor, the Rev. Edward L. R. Elson, recently\nrose to the defense of our Chief Executive in the wake of a low-level, below-the-\nbelt barrage of insinuations and accusations against the President. Rev. Elson's\nremarks came in answer to a speech made by West Virginia's Senator Matthew Neely\naccusing the President of \"hypocracy\" in making capital out of his church\nattendance. The Pastor said in part, \"The religious life of the President is so\ntransparently sincere as to be self-validating.\"\nVISITORS\nMr. Floyd A. Thornton, Mr. William A. Van Zytveld, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Carpenter,\nPvt. James Monsma, Mr. and Mrs. James Lanting, and Mr. Benjamin J. Woznick, all\nof Grand Rapids. Mr. George Copeland add Mr. Pail Winchester of Holland; Dr. and\nMrs. Ralph Hager and family of Hudsonville, Mr. Alvin F. Reister, Mr. Walter Reister,\nand Miss Nancy Miller of Sparta.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE April 14, 1955\nOfficial legislative business halted from April 4th to 13th as Congress\ntook its annual Easter recess. For your Congressman this meant that the usual\nlegislative activities such as committee meetings and sessions of Congress gave\nway to the pleasant informality of the tourist season, and with it an opportunity\nto catch up on correspondence and make some advanced excursions into legislation\nscheduled to come up soon, Spending a full day at the office, I was fortunate\nenough to have the opportunity to chat with many folks from home who were vaca-\ntioning in Washington and dropped by to see their Congressman. On Tuesday I met\nthe Senior class of Rockford High School on their annual jaunt to the Capitol.\nLater I met a group of young people from the Fountain Street Baptist Church of\nGrand Rapids.\nIt seems that the tempo of the last half of this session of Congress will\ngain momentum. But this is not to mean Congress has not already kept busy. For\ninstance, five of the dozen appropriations bills which have gone through committee\nhave passed the House. They now await Senate action. These are important measures\nbecause they allocate the spending of public funds and have great influence in\ndetermining governmental policy.\nCongress has passed pay increase bills for its own members, the judiciary\nand for career personal in the armed forces. Two other pay bills, for postal\nemployees and civilian government employees, still await action but approval is\nexpected shortly. Your Congressman voted in favor of the President's foreign\ntrade program which to date has met some rough going in the Senate Finance Com-\nmittee. I also voted to extend the Selective Service Act for four additional years.\nStill in the mill are 5,400 House bills of which I introduced sixteen.\nSome of the more controversial measures we may hear more about are the highway\nand education programs, health reinsurance and farm supports. Last year's flexible\nfarm price support legislation has not yet had a try-out because its first\napplicability is to this year's crops. The House Agriculture Committee has, however,\napproved a bill, which is bound for sharp debate, for a return to 90 per cent on\nbasic crops.\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - Page 2\nOn the 46 days the House has been in session since January 5th your\nCongressman has answered 33 of the 34 roll call votes. I missed one when ful-\nfilling a speech commitment in Michigan.\nOne of the five appropriations bills the House passed is the agriculture\napprepriations bill for fiscal 1956. This bill allocates $800 million for our\nprice support program along with an additional $30 million for agricultural\nresearch. Although this latter figure only represents 10 per cent of that spent\nfor price supports, it seems more than likely that proper reaearch can eventually\naid in the solution of some of the current ills of agriculture by helping the\nfarmer adjust to changing times and relieving growing surpluses.\nRecently I came across examples of how these funds earmarked for research\nwill be used for finding new ways to use common farm products. For instance,\napple growers in and around Sparta will be interested to learn that a method\nhas been developed for producing a concentrated apple juice with the aroma, flavor\nand taste of fresh apple cider. McIntosh apples are considered especially fine\nfor producing this new full-flavored juice.\nOats can be an excellent crop replacement for wheat. Consequently, work\nis being done to produce new varieties of oats with the aim of finding more\nattractive feeding outlets and uses, New demands for rice will follow newly\ndiscovered ways of providing it in a flaky form which may make it more attractive\nto housewives. A new form of dehydrated potatoes, potato flakes by name, which\nmake delicious fluffy mashed potatoes as quickly as you can mix with hot water\nhas been devised. This added convenience and ease of preparation will make\nhousewives, restaurants, armed forces and public institutions more desirous of\nusing potatoes, hence help reduce any market surpluses.\nA new tomato powder has been added to the growing family of fruit-juice\npowders. This powder can be converted into tomato juice when mixed with water,\neven ice water. The poweer is equally good for tomato pastes or purees and other\nrecipies\nWe should all recognize the value of this research to find new and\nbetter ways of using our farm products and farmer initiative. So in answer to\nthe question, can we develop new uses for farm products, especially those in\nsurplus? The only answer is a growing yes.\nYOU R WASHINGTON REVIEW - page 3\nRECENT VISITORS\nMr. and Mrs. Stan Coates, Suzanne Frost, Adrian W. Verspoor and Anne,\nWayne, and Carl, Dr. H. J. Walkotten, Robert A. Winter, Timothy C. Richard, Mr.\nand Mrs. F. N. Searl and Fred M., Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bergsma and family, Vicki,\nCarol, Judy, Alice Littlefield, Mrs. Frederick Vogt and Charlotte and Fred,\nBlake Beaudrias, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Krucke and Rosemary, all from Grand Rapids;\nMr. and Mrs. Randall C. Bosch, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Dalman and family, Junia,\nJohn, Jane and Jeaney, Mr. and Mrs. John DeWilde of Holland; Mr. and Mrs. Jay\nPoel of Grand Haven.\nROCKFORD HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR CLASS\nCHAPERONES - Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Fox and Mr. and Mrs. Stanley McBride\nSTUDENTS: Carroll Graves; Charlene Pfeiffer; James Padden Vredenburg;\nStophen Manzee; Paul Coykendall; Vincent Richard Otterbasher; Janet Cooper;\nDill Oldenkamp; Sally Wright; Judy Johnson; Carole Birman; Donna Anderson;\nDarline Dagley: Susie Beintum; Barb May; Sharon Bye; Judy Berinan; Louis\nWood; Karen Fosbury; Marcella Gedritis; Robert Gedritis; Marian Mardin;\nGloria Zarback; Norma Ryan; Elizabeth Gedritis; Hal Spinner; R. K. Spriggel;\nNovia Muir; Frank Hoekstra; Gerald Hoekstra; Barbara Wilson; Kent Graves;\nJack Randall; Joyce Powell; Dudley Alden Cox; Sue Baribean;\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE April 21, 1955\nThe House Appropriations Committee is presently considering a combined\nbudget totalling approximately $35 billion for the Army, Navy, and Air Force in\nfiscal 1956. Another phase of our national security tied just as closely with\nour national objectives as the military is the United State Information Agency\nwhich was allocated $80.5 million for its work in the coming fiscal year.\nThese funds will be used by the Information Agency for continuing to\ncontact people in the free world as well as those persona living behind the\n\"Iron Curtain\" to disprove the false claims of communism and to stimulate the\ncaptive peoples to associate their hopes and aspirations with our own in the common\ncause for freedom. This crusade for truth is designed to replace the theoretical\nand deceptive picture painted by communist propagandists. (Incidentally, the\nKremlin spends at least $1.5 billion on propaganda annually.) To do this the U.S.\nInformation Agency including the Voice of America calls upon victims of communist\nrule to give eye-witness accounts of communist brutality and duplicity. These\naccounts are broadcast abroad on both sides of the Iron Curtain and widely dis-\ntributed throughout the world via pamphlets in many languages.\nThe source of much of this information beamed abroad is the hearings of\na select committee established by the 83rd Congress to study communism. This\ninformation which exposes communism for what it actually is may be found in any\nof the Information Agency's 600 libraries maintained in foreign countries, in\nreports issued by the Agency, or heard over the Voice of America.\nSeveral distinct results are traceable to the work done by the United\nStates Information Agency in outselling and exposing communism on both sides of\nthe \"Iron Curtain.\" During the last two years Communist Party membership in\nFrance and Italy has decreased by about one-third. Also, evidence strongly in-\ndicates that recent agricultural slowdowns in communist countries may be traced\nin considerable measure to dissatisfaction sown by the Information Agency.\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - page 2\nTwo bills, both passed by the Senate and awaiting House action, would\nstrengthen and extend the coverage of our laws which deal with obscene literature.\nThese bills are a result of a report by the Senate subcommittee which\ninv@stigated juvenile delinquency. The subcommittee found that the nationwide\ntraffic in obscene matter is increasing year by year and that a large part of that\ntraffic is being channeled into the hands of children. The subcommittee re-\ncommended implementation of the present law to completely prohibit use of the\nmail for carrying obscene matter. By only applying to specific classes of litera-\nture the subcommittee discovered that there was a loophole in the law which ex--\nploitators were using to their advantage to sell such material harmful to juveniles.\nS. 599 extends the law to make carrying obscene matter in interstate or\nforeign commerce by any private conveyence unlawful. As the present law stands\nit is only ilegal to transport such literature by common carrier or through the\nmail. S. 600 is designed to avoid legal loopholes in the postal laws by sub-\nstituting general words for the special classes now in the criminal code. This\nbroader legislation will enable enforcement officers to more easily crack down\non the transportation of obscene literature.\nYour Congressman is in complete agreement with the intent of this legis-\nlation and will actively support it in the House.\nYour Congressman attended the opening day baseball game in Washington and\nwatched \"Ike\" pull out at the opportune moment from Washington's point of view\nhis famous good luck \"rabbits foot.\" The President, a real baseball fan, ob-\nviously enjoyed an afternoon of relaxation from the difficult international problems\nand decisions which he faces each and every day.\nRecent visitors to Washington included the following:\nMarijane Barr, Sheila McGee, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas De Fouw, Jim and Tom\nPantlind, George C. Thomson, Mrs. Beatrice Annia, all of Grand Rapids; and\nCaptain Robert F. Soule of Spring Lake.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE April 28, 1955\nStimulated by anti-administration charges, a black cloud of skepticism\nand controversy hung over the Dixon-Yates contract which was blown into into a\ncampaign issue last November. It was often repeated that should the American\nvoter change the political mainspring of Congress, his reward would be a thorough\nre-examination of this contract between the AEC and the Mississippi Valley\nGenerating Company with proper action taken in the public interest.\nLast November the Congress did change hands and today, nearly four months\nafter taking office, these same anti-administration forces who so eagerly\npounced upon and viciously condemned Dixon-Yates have been with few exceptions\nconspicuously inactive and silent. Why have these politically inspired attacks\nand insinuations ceased and a strange long silence pervaded the anti-administration\nforces? It is because the myths and misconceptions about Dixon-Yates have given\nway to the facts which reveal the contract for what it actually is--a soundly\nnegotiated contract serving the public interest.\nFor instance, one charge leveled against the Dixon-Yates contract was\nthat it violated the spirit of competitive bidding. Yet it followed the same\nprocedure used by the previous administration in negotiating AEC contracts\nwith two private utility companies--Electric Energy Inc., and the Ohio Valley\nE\nlectric Corporation. The reason why previous administrations established this\nprecedent is because the power business is operated in areas allocated by state-\ncontrolled franchise. The utilities represented by Dixon-Yates are the only\nones serving the area near Memphis, Tennessee. The alternative would have been\nan initial outlay of $107 million in federal tax money to contruct a government-\nowned and operated plant.\nThe contract does not assure Dixon-Yates any guaranteed profit. Esti-\nmates place the maximum return to Dison-Yates on their over-all investment at less\nthan four per cent. The private companies here are taking the major risks.\nThey do not have the taxpayer's dollar behind them in the event their judgment\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - page 2\nis wrong. And, in addition, savings from efficient management and lower costs are\npassed along to the taxpayer and the consumer.\nEverything concerning the Dixon-Yates contract has been periodically\nreleased for the public record. Nothing is hidden. The administration conducted\nnegotiations for this contract in the same manner that previous administrations\ndid for similar AEC contracts and incidentally at a greater saving in dollars to\nthe federal treasury.\nThese and other facts, once brought out into the open, prove that the\nEisenhower Administration selected the soundest and most efficient method for\nsatisfying the growing demands for electricity in the Tennessee Valley, including\nthe natural defense requirements of the Atomic Energy Commission. Anti-administration\ncharges against the Dixon-Yates contract have evaporated and the facts prove beyond\na shadow of a doubt that opponents have no better alternatives to offer the country\nthan the one already selected.\nHollis Baker of our own 5th District is now in Tokyo as one of four\nAmerican representatives at the First International Trade Fair in Japan. Mr. Baker\nwas sent to Tokyo by the Office of International Trade Fairs which is a new division\nof the Department of Commerce.\nAlthough the U. S. has a larger volume of world trade than any other\nnation, until recently we have neglected to take advantage of this age-old and time-\nhonored fair custom to display American products and sell the world on the quality\nof our wares made by our skilled Yankee workers. The Communists have been using\nthese fairs in Europe and Asia for some time as a propaganda vehicle and now the\nJ. 3. is taking advantage of an opportunity to beat them at their own game. American\nparticipation in these fairs should definitely help to increase the volume of our\nforeign trade. This is another forward step by President Eisenhower to aid and\nassist American labor and industry.\nI have on hand a number of most informative government publications for\nfree distribution. There is a publication entitled \"Infant Care,\" a booklet on\n\"How Our Laws are Made,\" and some excellent cookbooks called \"Family Fare. If you\ncare to have any of these, drop me a line specifying which ones you wish.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE May 5, 1955\nBesides current legislative matters, your Congressman's attention has\nrecently focused on three important questions. Large quantities of mail from\nhome have helped direct my thoughts to the distribution of surplus foods stored\nby our government as well as the proposed world calendar reform. Also, many\nWashington conversations are flowing in the wake of the Bandung Conference which\nended on April 24th at Bandung, Indonesia.\nThe Bandung Conference, between 29 nations of the African-Asian block\ncommenced on April 18th amidst great speculation that the week-long talks would\nresult in condemnations of the West and of our Asian policy while serving as a\npropaganda sounding board for the Reds. What actually occured was a favorable\nresponse by many of these nations to the United States' Far Eastern policy.\nGreat pro-Western support emerged from countries in the African-Asian block\nwhere it had not been expected. And the firm stand taken by our nation in this\nsection of the world has given these smaller countries the moral courage to\nstand up and be counted among free nations opposed to colonialism of any kind.\nAt the very beginning of the Conference an anti-communist indictment\nwas sparked by Iraq whose delegate reviewed communist aggression in Europe and\nAsia denouncing it as a \"subversive religion,\" and a \"new form of colonalism\nmuch deadlier than the old.\"\nThese and other statements originating at Bandung offer vivid demon-\nstrations that the free democratic spirit, so avidly and effectively expressed\nin U. S. foreign policy, has actively sparked the aspirations of the leaders in\nthese nations. Also, the Bandung Conference bears convincing evidence that the\ntechnical and economic assistance we have provided to these countries has brought\nrewards to the Western world by helping us to win new friendships and raise our\nhopes for peace.\nClosely allied with this assistance are the steps being taken by the\nUnited States to distribute the huge stores of surplus foods at home and abroad.\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - page 2\nBut instead of using an impersonal government-to-government approach in\nthe distribution of huge farm surpluses, the United States donates the food which\nis distributed by American relief agencies. In all, 43 countries have received\nfree food donated by our government through 17 American Relief Agencies. The\nfood packages clearly indicate that they are from American citizens to the people\nin a particular country. This people-to-people approach can be highly commended\nbecause it promotes friendships directly between people, bypassing the impersonal\nprotocol of governments.\nNot all food donated by our Government goes abroad. Since July 1, 1954\nover 392 million pounds have gone to school children and to 4,000,000 needy and\ninstitutionalized Americans. During that same 10 months, 457 million pounds of\nsurplus commodities have been sent to 43 countries. Goods shipped abroad through\nthese private relief agencies include butter, cheese, dried milk, cottonseed oil,\nshortening, and butter oil.\nMany churches and other organizations in the Fifth District have shown\ninterest in this food distribution. If your group should be interested in\nthis project, you may write to the Church World Services, Inc., 215 Fourth Avenue,\nNew York 3, New York.\nI have received numerous letters in opposition tc the proposed world\ncalendar change. I am in complete agreement with the opinions expressed in these\nletters and I will oppose any calendar change.\nThe Department of State advises me that the United Nations may set up\na study group on calendar reform. Secretary John Foster Dulles and our repre-\nsentatives at the U. N. are not in favor of this action and the United States\nwill officially cppose setting up this U.N. study group on calendar reform. I\nhave also been informed that our State Department will hold to that position\nuntil there is Congressional authorization for the calendar study. From my ob-\nservations it seems that Congress is in no mood to tamper with the calendar.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE May 12, 1955\nAgriculture contributes a large share to the prosperity of our entire\ncountry. When hard times are felt among the 145,000 farm families in Michigan,\nit doesn't take long for city manufacturers of such things as cars, washing\nmachines and many other consumer producers to feel the economic squeeze through\nthe loss in purchasing power of these valued customers.\nRepublicans and Democrats, both recognizing this, have chosen different\ncourses in hopes of steering the best route for our large and productive agri-\ncultural industry. H. R. 12 provided the latest battlefield. This bill, which\nwas passed by the House of Representatives last week, nullifies the present farm\nlegislation and rigid price supports for the six basic commodities which are:\npeanuts, tobacco, corn, wheat, cotton, and rice.\nI, with most other Republicans, oppose H.R. 12. In 1954 Congress voted\ncut the rigid price support program which had been operating for many years. The\nflexible support plan passed last year provided that this new program begin with\nthe 1955 harvest which is still some months away. During a period of rigid price\nsupports from 1947 to 1954 net farm incomes have dropped by 25 per cent. In other\nwords, 90 per cent of parity does not guarantee stability in farm income. Should\nH.R. 12 become law we would still be laboring under this same uneconomic, ex-\npensive program leaving the flexible system totally untested.\nI feel that our experience with the rigid price supports plan has proved\nthat it is totally impractical. Not only has it failed to stop farm incomes from\ndeclining but huge surpluses have resulted with the high storage costs they impose.\nThe storage ccst to the federal treasury on these surpluses is one million dollars\neach day cr $365 million annually. We have in storage $7.5 billion worth of farm\ncommodities, all the result cf high price supports.\nQuota controls and restrictions accempany rigid supports and these deprive\nthe Armer of much of his freedom and independence. And in violation of the free\nFORD\ncompetitive spirit, rigid supports offer no solution whatsoever to the adjustment\nLIBRAR\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - Page 2\nof production to consumer demand. Moreover, large corporate farmers reap the\ngreatest benefits from rigid supports leaving the smaller family-type farmers\nout in the cold.\nMichigan farmers, especially, should realize that only 13 per cent cf\ntheir cash receipts come from the six basic crops which would receive 90 per cent\nparity under H. R. 12. Of the total cash receipts of Michigan farms, 53 per cent\ncomes from crcps which are entirely withcut support such as meat animals, poultry,\nand eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other miscellaneous items.\nIt is interesting to note that during consideration of H.R. 12 every\nDemocrat from Michigan voted for amendments to support peanut prices at 90 per\ncent of parity and every Democrat from Michigan on the House Floor vcted against\nan amendment which would give 90 per cent price supports for dairy products.\nTherefore, Michigan Democrats supported southern peanut growers but wouldn't\ngive the same consideration to Michigan milk producers.\nThe peanut price support program supported by Michigan Democrat Congress-\nmen has cost the American taxpayer $116 million in direct losses. In addition,\nunder this price support program the price of peanuts to Michigan consumers has\nincreased by at least 50 per cent. So according to Democrat action, peanuts\nand tobacco are more basic than dairy products which account for 46 per cent of\nMichigan's agricultural income.\nSOME COMPARISONS:\nAn hour's take home pay of 30 years ago would buy five and one-half\nlcaves cf bread or three and one-half quarts of milk or one dozen oranges. Today's\ntake home pay for an hour's labor will buy fcr you 10 lcaves of bread or seven\nquarts cf milk or three dozen oranges. This can be partially explained by\nimproved farming methods which 30 years ago restricted each farm worker's pro-\nduction to enough food for himself and seven other people. Now he produces enough\nfor himself and 18 others.\nOne of the little \"fringe\" duties of a Congressman is to answer requests\nfor American flags which have flown over the Capitol Building in Washington. Any\nperson or organization wishing a 5 X 8 foot \"Old Glory\" with a certificate to the\nfact that it has flown over the Capitol Building should send me $6.50 to pay for\nit and I will see that one is promptly forwarded.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE May 19, 1955\nThis past week the House of Reprosentatives approved the forthcoming\nfiscal year budget for the Army, Navy and Air Force. It amounted to the whopping\ntotal of $31.5 billion which incidentally is considerably more than half of the\nwhole federal budget for the 12 month period beginning July 1st.\nIn effect the House concurred in the judgment of the President on\nhow much money should be spent on the national defense program. Reductions\ntotaling $744 million were recommended by my committee plus the cancellation\nof a $1.6 billion in working capital funds. All of the savings, and they are\nsubstantial, were recommended by the committee after three long months of daily\nhearings. The printed testimony of numerous witnesses embraced 5,100 pages and\na large part of the testimony was \"off the record\" for security reasons and\ntherefore nct printed.\nThe statement has been made that cur top military leaders did not support\nthe President's military budget. This accusation is not true. Admiral Radford,\nChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, categcrically endorsed \"Ike's\" program as\ndid General Twining of the Air Force, Admiral Carney of the Navy and General\nShepherd of the Marines. Only General Ridgeway of the Army had reservations\nabcut the adequacy of this multi-billion dollar appropriation.\nIt must be remembered that our national defense program places the\naccent on a powerful air striking force with the newest and most potent weapons\nplus a bid build-up in our continental defense. During the next twelve months\nthe United States will be spending substantially greater sums than ever before\nfor defense against enemy air attack.\nSome Democrats have objected because Ike recommended a cutback of\n77,000 men for the Army. Even with this minor reduction, the Army will have over\na million men on activo duty which is abcut twice the number available at the\ntime former President Truman ordered cur GIs to defend South Korea.\nThe Army cutback is justified because the combat efficiency of the\nactive duty forces has been greatly increased since 1953. No longer under Ike's\nprogram is the Army encumbered with too many non-combat scldiers. In 1956 the\nLIBRARY\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - page 2\nratio of cembat troops to total forces will be the best in the history of the\nNation.\nFurthermore, and this is important, the firepower of the Army has\nincreased cver 80 per cent in the past 10 years and prospects for the future,\nbecause of new technological developments are far more promising. The record\nalso shows that our Army nowadays is infinitely more mobile than ever before and\nthe ability to move rapidly is most important in modern warfare. The helicoptor\nis the newest element in Army plans for a fast moving outfit. In any atomic\nwar good communications equipment will be a necessity. Since the end of World\nWar II the Army has developed equipment SC it can communicate twice as far\nwithout any increase in weight. Or it might be put this way. The Army can\ncommunicate the same distance with equipment weighing half as much. Yes,\nbecause of better firepower, mobility, and communications the number of GIs\nin the Army can be legitimately reduced.\nAlso in the next year the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve\nforces will be expanded in numbers and effectiveness. General Ridgeway went\non record endorsing the greater potency of the reserve forces which are an\nintegral part of national defense.\nFor the past five years Uncle Sam has spent about $10 billion in\nmilitary aid for our allies so that the total military strength of the anti-\ncommunist forces throughout the world would be stronger. This vast investment\nin U. S. dollars was predicated on the basis that as our allies got stronger\nthe ground forces of the United States could be reduced. In the next year\nthis plan will bring real dividends. South Korea will have over 20 divisions\nor a military strength of about 500,000, practically all financed by the U. S.\nThe new German and Japanese military forces of about 600,000 average will be\na reality shortly and again Uncle Sam has provided most of the guns, tanks, and\nammunition. With the new anti-communist forces recruited from the \"Free World,\"\nthe reduction in our Army appears completely justified.\nOne fails to see how the Democrats can substantiate spending an\nadditional $500 million in one year for 75,000 more U. S. Army troops which would\nrequire dcubling the monthly draft call from 10,000 to about 20,000. Yes, I'll\nstick with Ike's military judgment and his recommendations on how much money\nwe need for a strong national defense program!\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE May 26, 1955\nDespite the better atmosphere for world peace let no one underestimate\nthe need for our nation to remain militarily powerful. Our military tools must\nbe ready and yet ever subject to reappraisal if we are to keep pace with those\nwho are attempting to stack world power against us. This past week the House\nconsidered the National Reserve Plan, which concerns an important aspect of our\nnational defense, that of building the maximum military strength through the\nmost effective reserve organizations.\nAs the National Reserve Plan was reported out of committee it would\nprovide for a 2,900,000 \"reserve force to accompany the regular military estab-\nlishment with personnel totalling 2,850,000.\nMany persons have the misconception that the National Reserve Plan is\nidentical to UMT. The National Reserve Plan is not UMT nor is it intended to\nfulfill the same functions as Universal Military Training. Representative Dewey\nShort of Missouri, an outspoken opponent of such legislation stated during debate\non the House floor, \"This present bill is not UMT, granted. \"\nOne major difference is that this reserve plan has none of the compulsary\nfeatures of a Europeanized UMT program. The new reserve plan simply recognizes\nthe need for a trained pool of manpower to back up the regular armed forces in\ncase of an emergency. No youth would be forced to enter any particular reserve\nprogram against his will. In fact, if anything, this proposed legislation widens\nthe scope of individual choice by providing several alternatives to the present\ntwo-year draft.\nIn the National Reserve Plan, the six-month trainees receive training as\nmembers of the armed forces and then revert to civilian-reservist status for\na seven and one-half year period. This would involve weekly drills and yearly\ntwo-week concentrated training periods. Furthermore the proposal offers several\nalternatives to fit special individual cases such as for young men who live in\nremote areas some distance from an organized reserve unit.\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - Page 2\nShould a young man not wish to fulfill his military obligation in this\nmanner he may chose to enlist for a regular hitch in any branch of the armed\nforces. Or he may take the selective service route for two years of active duty\nas a draftee.\nIt is unfortunate that our young men are faced with problems such as\nthese. Although I have always doubted the advisability of the European type UMT\nlegislation, I do favor the provisions of the National Reserve Plan, It seems\nto offer the best solution to a difficult and costly problem involving our\nnational security. By allowing each young man to make his own choice as to\nseveral alternatives, he is thereby able to select that plan which will mean the\nleast disruption to his life. And still the National Reserve Plan guarantees a\nstrong standing force which provides a manpower pool of men reasonably ready,\ntrained and callable.\nI earnestly hope that this plan does not have to become a permanent\nelement in our national way of life. However, we must maintain an adequate national\ndefense in light of present world conditions. Right now we seem to be at a very\nmeaningful point in world relations with A strian freedom a reality, a big power\nconference in the making and the fruitful rewards we hope will materialize from\nHarold Stassen's work as newly appointed \"Secretary of Peace. But to make peace\na reality we must work toward it from a position of strength of which the National\nReserve Plan is a crucial part.\nSince this issue has not been fully resolved in the Congress, if you have\nany specific questions about this National Reserve Plan and the many complications\nconcerned, I would be happy to answer them.\nLast week I was on the short end of a 218-170 House vote which once again\nsmothered any chance of statchood for Alaska or Hawaii in the 84th Congress.\nBeneath the surface of the pro and con statements on this question, I\nbelieve two facts are essentially responsible for holding up favorable action\non statehood for these territories. For one thing, the Southern voting block in\nCongress fears that these new states might, not only send an oriental representative\nto Washington, but will eventually produce new strength for civil rights legislation\nwhich Southerners so violently oppose. Scondly, representatives from the more\npopulace states such as New York fear that their relative voting strength, par-\nticularly in the Senate will be diminished should these lightly populated areas\nbe admitted.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFOR RELEASE June 2, 1955\nAt this time each year, high school and college graduating seniors begin\nto cast their conquering glances about a new world opening up before them.\nThese new graduates are entering this new era of their lives in a period\nof national prosperity and the most peaceful world conditions probably enjoyed\nin their entire lives. The career prospects for the class of 1955 are excellent\nand are of supreme importance to the future of our nation in the race for\ntechnological superiority. In a recent address Secretery of Labor Mitchell\npointed out that one of the most challenging problems of our day \"is the urgent\nneed to raise the level of the skills of the American work force.\" To the\ngraduating seniors this means that there are not only growing job opportunities\nin the field of technology and the skilled trades, but also great service may\nbe rendered to our country by preparing for such work.\nPresident Eisenhower was on hand last week to greet the Annual Meeting\nof the President's Committee on Employment of the Physically Handicapped. The\nprinciple objective of this meeting made up of persons from throughout the country\nwas \"to create a climate for the handicapped to find employment.\" The President\nhas indicated a lively interest in this problem.\nI was privileged to attend portions of this conference and to gain some\ninsight into the problems of the large group of potentially productive\nAmericans who unfortunately have some physical handicap. The committee, which\nhas its offices within the Department of Labor, is composed of volunteer citizen\ngroups representing segments of our society which may have some impact on finding\ngainful employment for this group of persons. These may include people from\nindustry, labor, education and government.\nSecretary of Health, Education, and Welfare Oveta Culp Hobby has emphasized that\nany distribution plan for the anti-polio serum must embrace the principle that\nthe \"safety of the vaccine be the paramount consideration.\" All of us will agree\nwith that point of view for the health of our children is vital.\nYOUR WASHINGTON REVIEW - Page 2\nMrs. Hobby also emphasized that the vaccine must be distributed on an\nequitable basis among the states and individuals within the state. She stresses\nthat children should be able to receive the vaccine regardless of the ability\nof their parents to pay for it and that the distribution system be as practical,\nfast, and effective as possible. It is my earnest hope that politics do not\nenter into the distribution of this crucial Salk vaccine because if it does\nour young children will be the ones to suffer.\nOn May 3rd I was one of three members of the House whose pro-Eisenhower\nvoting record stood at 100 per cent on 19 domestic and foreign issues upon which\nthere was a roll call and the President had taken a stand. However, my pro-Ike\nbatting average has dropped a bit since the time of this tally. Very recently\nI voted in favor of statehood for Alaska and Hawaii although President Eisenhower\nonly favored admission of Hawaii. In 1953-1954 sessions of the Congress your\nCongressman supported Ike's legislative program 92 per cent on the Congressional\nscorecard.\nIN A SENTENCE OR TWO --\nIn response to a large quantity of mail, I have stated that I do not\nconsider the Harris Bill a proper solution to the natural gas problem in Michigan\nI now have my quota of a pamphlet entitled \"Our American Government\"\navailable for free distribution upon request. This pamphlet offers a series\nof 291 informative questions and answers about the operation of the government\nAmerican citizens who were prisoners of war for any time after December 7,\n1941 are now eligible for prisoner of war benefits. All claims must be filed\non or before August 31, 1955.\nVISITORS: David Noorthoek, Mrs. Harry Bowles, Dorothy S. Blake, Dr. and Mrs.\nLeonard Greenway, Mr. Ben Vink, Patricia Liddle, Martha H. Russell, Mr. and\nMrs. John P. Houk, Mr. and Mrs. John Young, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hoekstra, Dr.\nand Mrs. W. J. Cary, Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Crawford, Mr. Dred S. Madison,\nMr. and Mrs. Joe Vander Vennen, Mr. John Salatka, Charles, A. Meconis, Catherine\nHoogenboom, Mr.' and Mrs. Raymond DeBree all of Grand Rapids; Joan Martinka,\nAnne Lisor, Frank Drabezyk, Jr., C. W. Walton of Grand Haven, Mr. and Mrs. Avery\nBaker of Holland, Mr. and Mrs. Wayne-VaDeAnenaam of Zeeland.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nOTTAWA\n5\nCongressman\nJERRY FORD\nFor Release June 9, 1955\nAt long last it appears as though a postal pay bill has been introduced in the\nCongress which wipes away the inequities of previous legislation opposed by the Admin-\nistration. Last week the Senate passed this new bill which provides for an 8.1 per\ncent pay increase by a vote of 78 to 0, and I earnestly hope that by the time this\nis read a similar bill will have passed the House.\nUntil a few days ago political manuvering dominated sound judgment on pay increase\nlegislation for postal employees. Your Congressman in the past ten months on several\noccasions has voted for pay bills that would have given well deserved raises, but he\nwould not support legislation which could not become law because of discriminatory\nprovisions. Now a substantial bill has administration support. It not only gives a\nfair raise but does so with an equitable re-classification system.\nI will wholeheartedly support this bill which makes the pay raise retroactive to\nMarch 1st. I will also vote for a similar pay increase bill for all other federal\nemployees and this should be on the statute books within the next several weeks.\nLast week the United States Supreme Court implemented its ruling on school inte-\ngration made on May 17, 1954. Last year's decision declared that racial segregation\nin public schools is unconstitutional. On the basis of our democratic principles and\nChristian faith, the court could do nothing else. This recent court ruling recognizes\nthat because the transition from segregation to integration in public schools involves\ndifferent local conditions, the process should be progressive but yet gradual enough\nto meet local situations. I approved of last year's decision, and I believe the\ncourt has taken a sound position in its latest order.\nThe reaction from Southern Democrats to the integration plan presented by the\nSupreme Court has carried the spirit of stern opposition. A late outburst came from\nSenator Eastland, Democrat of Mississippi, who is second ranking member of the Senate\nJudiciary Committee. In his statement on the floor of the United States Senate,\nMr. Eastland said -\n\"I know that southern people will not surrender their dual school system\nand their racial heritage at the command of this crowd of racial politic-\nians in judicial robes.\"\nThis attitude toward our highest court on the part of a member of a coordinate\nbranch of our government is more dangerous, I fear, than the opposition to integration\nitself.\nFormer President Truman recently paid President Eisenhower one of the finest\ntributes that has come Ike's way. In the TV program \"Family Reunion,\" Mr. Truman\nsaid according to a newspaper story that the \"world is approaching a peace settlement\nand the end of the cold war.\" This, he pointed out \"appeared to be the most important\ndevelopment in world affairs since he left the White House.\" We agree 100 per cent.\nAs Secretary Dulles stated in his latest report to the nation, \"We are going to\nprevail (because) we have been standing for good, sound, moral principle - - with\nfirmness, determination, with strength in the right.\"\nABOUT PROSPERITY -\nThe average weekly earnings in all manufacturing plants is up $8.90 today over the\naverage wage in April 1952, which means an increase of 13.7 per cent. According to\nthe Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings have risen 21 cents, or an\nincrease of 12.12 per cent over April 1952. In this same three year period the con-\nsumer price index, which represents the cost of living, rose only 1.1 per cent. More-\nover, the cost of living index remained constant from December 1954 through March 1955,\nand dropped one-tenth of a point in April. Economic stability has been achieved.\nIn addition, the index on home construction rose 57 per cent between April 1952\nand the present; this means 57 per cent more homes are being built today than were in\nApril three years ago. Today more people are gainfully employed than ever before in\nour nation's history. This current total of 61,685,000 represents an increase of\n2.5 per cent in three years. We are in a period of an economically-sound prosperity\nwithout war or a huge governmental public works program.\nI was most fortunate to be able to spend the Memorial Day weekend home in Michigan,\nand to have the opportunity of speaking in Grand Haven on Memorial Day. - Something\nadditional was added to my trip back to Washington when I carried along a little six\nmonth old Golden Retriever puppy for my boys, Mike who is five and Jack now age 3.\nBoys and pup have taken to each other very well and Jack and Mike have named\ntheir new friend, Brown Sugar.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFor Release June 16, 1955\nIt was gratifying to learn last week that the Senate passed a bill which\nextends the Small Business Administration for an additional two years. Soon the House\nwill consider similar legislation which is designed to serve the Nation's small\nbusinesses. The Small Business Administration set up under President Eisenhower has\nbeen in existence about two years. It is a 100 per cent service agency with no\nregulatory duties whatsoever.\nThe agency has four major programs which by serving small firms bring greater\nbenefits to the economy as a whole. The first concerns the loan program including\ncounseling and help in obtaining credit, preferably from private lenders. In fact,\nto be eligible for help a small business wishing a loan must first be refused by two\nbanks. A second aspect of this financial assistance includes disaster loans for\nsmall businesses in need of help. Further aid to small firms comes by way of help\nin obtaining a fair share of government contracts and assistance in solving manage-\nment and production problems.\nIn less than two years as an independent agency, the SBA has negotiated a total\nof 863 business loans, of which 8 were made in Kent and Ottawa counties. The total\namount loaned was $41,996,811. It has also approved 1146 applications for disaster\nloans amounting to about $7,000,000. In addition to this the Small Business Admin-\nistration has received over 130,000 inquiries from small business men who wish advice,\ninformation and counseling.\n********\nAnnually Republicans and Democrats from the Congress don big league uniforms\nand play a baseball game in Washington's American League stadium for the benefit of\nunderprivileged children who attend a summer camp. Proceeds from the game provide\nfine recreational opportunities for kids who otherwise would never get to a summer\ncamp.\nThis year a Republican landslide snowed under the Democrat politicians by a\nscore of 12 to 4. In the 5 inning clash which was G.O.P. all the way, your Congress-\nman played first base, and with the help of the official scorer registered a hit and\nno errors. My main contribution was getting on base twice and scoring two of the\ndozen G.O.P. runs. It was a Republican youth (?) victory over the creaking Democrat\nLIBRARY\noldsters.\nWhile more and more wage-earners are now paying social security taxes, and no\none likes taxes, it is worthy to note that more and more of our relatives, neighbors\nand friends are drawing social security benefits. As of December 31, 1954,\n$1,026,708 was being added to the purchasing power of the residents of Kent and Ottawa\ncounties each month through payments to beneficiaries of social security. A total of\n19,544 persons inthe two counties were collecting old-age and survivor insurance\n(social security) at that date. This represents an increase of 2,484 beneficiaries\nover the previous year.\nOf this number, 10,772 old-age benefits were paid from the social security taxes\ncollected from the gainfully employed. 2,525 children received payments as survivors,\nand 597 were drawing benefits as mothers of minor children. In fact at the present\ntime nine out of every 10 mothers and children in the Nation are assured of monthly\npayment under social security if the insured breadwinner of the family passes on.\nInteresting -\nMy work on the Appropriations Committee has shifted from the Army Subcommittee\nhearings to those of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Appropriations. For the\nnext month I will be attending daily hearings on the Mutual Security and Foreign Aid\nbill. General Grunther, head of Allied Forces in Europe, appeared before the commit-\ntee in a closed session last week where he outlined the latest military plans for the\nanti-communist forces of Europe\nOn June 2, I made the Commencement Address before\nthe graduation class at the Fort Belvoir Command Management School. On June 17th,\nI will give the graduation speech before the third class to graduate from the Fort Lee\nArmy Supply Management Course.\nAt each of these occasions my main purpose is to explain to these young officers\nhow Congress and the military can cooperate to do a better job with a more satisfying\nrelationship existing between the military and the legislature.\nA bill passed by the House on June 7th takes full advantage of the new dies\nbeing prepared for the Treasury Department which will increase the capacity and the\nefficiency of the presses used by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The new dies\nwill include as a matter of law the inscription \"In God We Trust\" which shall there-\nafter appear on all U. S. coins and currency.\nI. have just received a number of pamphlets prepared by the Marine Corps called\n\"How to Respect and Display Our Flag.\" If you would like to have a copy of this\ninteresting little booklet, drop me a line. It is interesting to note that there are\nonly three places in the country where the U.S. Flag is flown 24 hours a day, 365\ndays a year. Above the east and west entrances to the Capitol and over Francis Scott\nKey's grave at Frederick, Maryland.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFor release June 23, 1955\nOn June 9th General Alfred M. Gruenther, United States Supreme Allied Commander\nin Europe, stated, \"I am satisfied that our long-range air power is better and more\neffective than the comparable Soviet military organization. I believe that the edge\nwhich we have now will remain with us for some time into the future if we determine\nthat it should be that way. \"\nAs a member of the Department of Defense Appropriations Subcommittee the finan-\ncing of our national defense is of special day-to-day concern to me. My job on this\ncommittee is to help determine the funds made available to our military establishment,\nOur committee recommended $14,401,904,000 for the Air Force for the next fiscal\nyear which is nearly one-third more than the amount appropriated for the current year.\nThis sum includes an additional $141,930,000 for the area of research and development,\nthis being one of the more important phases for a continuing strong Air Force.\nToday our Air Force is comprised of 121 wings with 22,427 planes. We also have\na large number of powerful guided missles of various designs which remain classified\nas top secret. To maintain this force there are currently 970,000 personnel on active\nduty. By June of next year the number will reach 975,000. Two years from now we will\nhave 137 wings with better quality all the way around, probably 1,000,000 men and much\ngreater missle striking power.\nIt is clear that our Air Force's build-up program over the next two years will\noccur against a backdrop which clearly recognizes realities of the world's balance of\npower and has as its purpose the preservation of peace.\nClearly aware of the great benefits which our country can derive from TVA,\nPresident Eisenhower said recently in his weekly news conference that \"we will never\nwreck the Tennessee Valley Authority.\" When TVA was undertaken over 20 years ago, its\nprimary purpose was to tame the rough Tennessee River by stopping floods and making\nthe river navigable. Now, as we all are keenly aware, TVA has become an important\nsymbol in the struggle to determine whether the government, with its taxing power,\nor private industry, which pays taxes, will continue to construct additional power\nprojects where private capital is available.\nA House Subcommittee on Appropriations brought the TVA struggle back in the\nlimelight when subcommittee Democrats failed to approve the money for Uncle Sam to\ncarry through on his contract with private industry for a steam power plant, and\nassigned six and one-half million dollars to begin construction of a government owned\nsteam plant at Fulton, Tennessee with an ultimate total cost of over $100 million\nfrom the federal treasury.\nIf the government takes over the responsibility of expanding the steam power\nplants for TVA, it will mean more taxes from persons living in Michigan and the other\nstates whose power and resource developments are not subsidized by Uncle Sam. Three\ntimes already the Congress has refused to approve this steam plant at Fulton, Tennessee.\nAnd if the government were to continue to appropriate money to build generators for\nTVA, each year, on the present rate of repayment, the cost over 40 years would be\n$1.6 billion to the residents of Michigan, and about $9 million on a per capita basis\nto the people of Kent and Ottawa counties based on the 1950 census.\nAnd what would we receive in return? Nothing but the satisfaction of helping to\nfoot the power bill for one particular region of the Nation. For instance, in 1954\nTVA had a load, exclusive of AEC demands, of 3,879,000 kw. Of this total, over\n700,000 kw were used by home owners to heat their houses. Nearly 1,000,000 kw were\nsold that year to industrial plants. This is subsidized power, inexpensively sold and\nhaving the effect of attracting Northern industry to this Southern region. We are\ntaxed to heat the homes of others with electricity, and to encourage our own tax-paying\nindustry to move south. TVA needed help 20 years ago when it was in its infancy, but\nit is high time TVA, the people in the area and their industry be weaned. They should\nbe prepared in the future to stand on their own feet without further subsidy from tax-\npayers in Michigan and elsewhere.\nCONGRESSIONAL ACTIVITY\nFrom January 5th to May 31st the current session of Congress has accumulated the\nfollowing statistics. The House has met on 74 days and the Senate 65 days. This has\nadded up to a total of 312 hours and one minute of time in session for the Senate,\nwhile in 74 days the House has been in session a total of 258 hours and 59 minutes.\nOut of this combined activity both Houses have filled 6,228 pages of proceedings,\nenacted 48 public laws into being, 62 private laws and made 78 roll call votes.\nYour Washington Review\nKENT\nCongressman\nOTTAWA\n5\nJERRY FORD\nFor release June 30, 1955\nOften called \"the most unique and poweful legislative institution\nin America\" a Conference Committee of the Congress forms a vital link\nin the chain of events leading up to the passage of legislation into law.\nDuring the coming week I'll again have the opportunity of partici-\npating in the actual operation of a Conference Committee. Designated\nmembers of the House and Senate will meet to compromise their versions\nof the controversial Department of Defense Appropriations bill which\neach chamber passed in a somewhat different form. I was appointed\nwith 16 other Members of the House by Speaker Sam Rayburn while Vice\nPresident Dick Nixon, who presides over the Senate, also selected a\nbipartisan group from that body to represent their views in ironing\nout the differences in this specific apprqriation bill. The majority\nparty always has a majority of the conferees from the respective Houses\nof the Congress.\nThese meetings of a Conference Committee have often been compared\nto collective bargaining sessions and to top-level, international diplo-\nmatic parleys. House and Senate conferees are each trying to win con-\ncessions for their particular point of view. The Conference Committee\nusually works in an informal manner behind closed doors attracting\nlittle publicity and attention. No minutes are kept of the committee\nproceedings, and discussions are kept confidential to prevent outside\npressures from playing a part in the final decision. Its hard to tell\njust how long we may have to meet in our Conference Committee. Several\nyears ago I was a member of a conference that was in session most of a\n24 hour period. Deadlocks on many occasions have delayed final legis-\nlative action for weeks. Other times agreement and compromise may come\nin a matter of minutes.\nThe conferees are strictly limited in their consideration to\nmatters of disagreement, either language or dollar amounts, between the\ntwo Houses. When the difference involves a figure or an amount, the\nconferees may not increase the greater nor decrease the smaller figure.\nPage 2\nThe final figure within the upper and lower limit must be acceptable to\nboth Houses of the Congress.\nAlthough the conferees from the Senate and House meet together,\neach group votes separately. In our case, for instance, a majority of\nmembers appointed by the Speaker can bind the group for the House of Repre-\nsentatives,\nWhen agreement has been achieved, a conference report is submitted\nto each House of Congress. Conference reports may be brought up for\npassage at practically any time the House is in session. Debate on the\nmeasure is limited to one hour, and the report must be accepted or\nrejected in its entirety. If the conference report is rejected by either\nthe House or Senate as a whole, the process must be started anew. Inci-\ndentally, most conference reports are usually concurred in by a majority\nof the House and Senate.\nWith about 50 per cent of the Army's $7.5 billion budget for fiscal\n1956 earmarked as pay for personnel, it is interesting to note how the\nArmy makes use of the men upon whom the money is spent. At the present\ntime 71.9 per cent of the Army's manpower is deployed in its operation\nforces. The operating forces of the Army are those whose primary mission\nis to participate in combat or directly support fighting units. Training\nforces receive 11.5 per cent of the manpower, logistics and administration\n7.9 per cent, transients and patients make up 4 per cent, and special\nactivities draw the remaining 4.7 per cent.\n*******\nINTERESTING TO NOTE\nAt 108 years of age Albert Voolson, of Duluth, Minnesota, is the\nlast surviving member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Recently a bill\nwas favorably reported out of committee which would provide funds to pay\nfor hospitalization and medical expenses incurred by Mr. Woolson during\nhis recent illness and any subsequent illness he may suffer.\nCongress is currently studying possible plans which could remedy\nour Nation's diminishing underground water supply. To counteract increas-\ning demands upon the water level, a plan to tap the ocean's salt water\nand apply saline treatment to make it practical for everyday use is under\nconsideration."
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