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University Daily Kansar
Thursday, Oct. 4, 1962
Senate, House to Pass Trade Expansion Act
WASHINGTON — (UPI) — Congress planned to hand President Kennedy today the unprecedented power he requested to lead Americans into a "trading partnership" with the 170 million people in Europe's Common Market countries.
The President's trade-expansion program—in substantially the form he proposed—was called up in the House for final approval. The Senate was expected to complete congressional action before nightfall.
The measure would:
- SET UP permanent new federal programs to help American workers who lose their jobs and business firms which suffer financially as a result of competition from foreign goods.
- Give Kennedy greater power than ever has been delegated to a chief executive to tear down tariff walls against foreign goods. The powers would lapse unless used within five years. Kennedy plans to use them to negotiate better access for American products in world markets, particularly the sixnation Common Market.
With final passage assured, today's votes provided an anti-climactic finish to the greatest legislative victory scored by the President since he entered the White House.
The decisive battles were fought and won by the administration forces when they managed in the House last June and in the Senate last month to beat down all crippling amendments.
THE FINAL BILL was a compromise between these somewhat differing Senate and House bills. All
further amendments were barred.
The trade program has topped Kennedy's list of "must" legislation ever since he sent it to congress last Jan. 25. Repeatedly, he has stressed that its enactment is "vital to the future of this country."
Only one significant setback marred the administration's victory. Over the President's objections the final version included a provision that would force him as soon as practicable to raise U.S. tariffs against Communist Poland and Yugoslavia to the same discriminatory levels imposed against other Communist nations.
THE LEGISLATION would allow Kennedy to reduce all U.S. tariffs by 50 per cent—and, in some cases, abolish them altogether—in exchange for trade concessions from foreign countries.
The tariff-eliminating authority would apply to items for which the United States and the Common Market jointly account for 80 percent of the free world's exports. If Britain enters the Common Market, this authority will cover a wide range of products. If not, it will be limited to aircraft and little else.
U. S. workers displaced from jobs because of imports would be entitled to seek cash subsidies equal to 65 per cent of their previous wages up to a maximum of about $61 a week.
The payments could run for 52 weeks for all such jobless persons. They would be extended to 65 weeks for persons 60 and older and run for 78 weeks for workers being retrained for new jobs.
Coming Monday!
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PRIZE WINNERS At The COACH HOUSE
Drawn by Trudy Meserve, Vice-Chairman of ASC and Jo Snyder, Secretary of ASC.
The winners and prizes are
VILLAGER DRESS—Judy Koeppe, Hashinger SHETLAND CARDIGAN—Pam Tennyson, GSP SHORTY SKIRT—Kitten Baker, GSP CORDUROY PANTS—Cynthia Thompson, Corbin GLOVES—Pat Liscum, GSP BRACELET—Mrs. Frank Dance, 902 W. 25th HANDBAG—Ann Baker, Corbin VILLAGER SHIRT—Marsha Dutton, Lewis Hall SKIRT/BLOUSE SET—Judy Stanton, Stouffer Pl.