On Capitol Hill
Action Expected Today On Excise Tax Slash
Washington—(U.P.)—Congress was expected to complete action today on a bill chopping federal excise taxes a billion dollars a year. which President*
The measure, which President Eisenhower is expected to approve, should lower by Thursday or soon thereafter prices on household appliances, jewelry, furs, cosmetics, theatre tickets, luggage, telephone and telegraph tolls, travel tickets, and several other items.
The bill would also continue excise taxes at their present levels on automobiles, gasoline, liquor, beer wine, and cigarettes. Under present law, taxes on these items would drop automatically on April 1.
The compromise bill, drafted by a House-Senate conference committee yesterday, was scheduled to come up in the House first. Senate action was expected later in the day.
Although the administration had opposed all excise tax cuts, Mr. Eisenhower was expected to sign the measure into law. While the items to be cut will cost the Treasury just under a billion dollars a year, the tax loss would be $1,077,000,000 if the automatic April 1 tax cuts should take effect.
The House originally had voted to cut excise levies $10,120,000 a year and the senate $1,019,000,000. The major difference in the two bills was a Senate provision to slash from 10 to 5 per cent the present excise tax on home appliances such as refrigerators and ranges. The House conferences agreed to accept the provision which would cost the Treasury about $85,000,000 a year. Other Congressional developments pre-
Housing—Mr. Eisenhower's public housing program was expected to be knocked out of the independent agencies appropriation bill when it comes up for House approval this afternoon. The Senate brought to the floor under a parliamentary situation in which the objection of any one House member would eliminate the public housing provision because it is a legislative "rider." Under the same situation, TVA supporters were certain to knock out two "crippling amendments" which they oppose.
Wire-tapping—The House Judiciary committee may come up today with a decision on the request of Attorney General Herbert Brownell Jr. for authority to use wiretap evidence under certain circumstances in the prosecution of subversives. Some committee Democrats think a federal court order should be required before such evidence could be used. Brownell wants the attorney general to have the authority to decide.
Taft-Hartley-The House Labor committee, nearing the end of its section-by-section revision of the Taft-Hartley labor law, took up three of the President's proposals for changing the law. One would require employers to file non-Communist offdrafts as if official documents present
Statehood — Senate opposition to Alaskan - Hawaii statehood appeared to be collapsing, and backers of legislation to bring the territories into the union predicted passage later in the week. Supporters claimed at least 55 votes for the bill. George A. Smathers (D-Fla.), a leading statehood foe, indicated he was ready to bring the weeks-long debate to an end and vote on the issue Thursday.
Bacteriology GrouptoMeet
The Missouri Valley branch of the Society of American Bacteriologists will hold its annual meeting here Friday and Saturday.
Dr. Roger Reid, head of the microbiology branch in the office of Naval research, Washington, D.C., will be the Friday dinner speaker. Dr. Reid who taught at Johns Hopkins University before entering government service, is responsible for administering research in bacteriology and related sciences in microbiology conducted by American scientists for the Navy,
for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. All meetings will be in the Memorial Union.
Scientific sessions with a number of research reports are scheduled
Dr. Theodore G. Meteail described the bacteriologist's mission as the recognition and identification of microbes and viruses that cause disease in man and the study of how these organisms produce disease. A direct result of these studies has been the introduction of anti-biotics such as penicillin, aureomycin, and chloramycetin.
Fine! No Fine
Concord, N.H. — (U.P.)— Richard P. Sonderegger was arraigned for driving through a stop sign. He told the court he didn't stop because street lights in the area were off. Police verified this, Judge Donald G. Matson accepted Sonderegger's plea of guilty and placed the case on file. Normally, a fine of $3 would have been levied. Sonderegger went to the police chief's office and left $3, for the boys' club operated by police.
Sheep Suits
Abilene, Kan- (U.P.)—The wandering of his sheep Don Fullerton $230. Robert L. Schell sued Fullerton for damages to his sand truck in an accident that resulted, he said, when he swerved the vehicle to avoid striking the meandering sheep.
Biology Society To Hold Banquet
Phi Sigma, national honorary biological society, will hold a spring banquet and initiation in the Kansas room of the Union tomorrow.
Dr. Michael Furcolow of the US Public Health service, University Medical center, will be the speaker. His topic will be "Histoplasmosis."
New officers to be installed are Wendell Showalter, assistant instructor of botany, president; Leland Keller, assistant instructor of anatomy, vice president; Richard Frederickson, assistant instructor of biology, treasurer; Maria Danguilan, bacteriology department, secretary, and Jacqueline Sinks, anatomy department, editor.
To be initiated are John Eugene Findley and Stanley Robbish of the bacteriology department; Diana Barbara Amos, Earle Albright Cross Jr. Wilford J. Hanson, and Carl William Rettenmeyer of the entomology department; William Brinigar, John Durden, Gilbert Koff, Robert Leib, Phillip Rosenberg, Homer Scarborough, James Short, and Gilbert Emick of the School of Pharmacy, and Walter Clarke Biggs, Eleanor Dodge, Lawrence Fairbanks, Charles Fugler, John Legler, Robert L. Packard, Harold Swanson, and Alvin Wiens of the zoology department.
Good Foothold
New Haven, Conn. — (U.P.)— Still working for a hardware manufacturer after 75 years service, Robert Shelton, 90, explained, "I don't believe in retirement so long as you can stand on your feet."
Tuesday, March 30, 1954 University Daily Kansan
Around the World
Israeli Troops Blamed For Slaying 9 Arabs
By UNITED PRESS
The mixed armistice commission, boycotted by its Israeli delegates, blamed Israeli regular troops today for the slaughter of nine arabs in a raid on the Jordanian village of Nahalin.
U. S. Lt. Cmdr. E. R. Hutchinson, imartial chairman of the commission, had warned in advance that the groups' decision would be final, whether the Israelis ended their boycott or not.
The two Jordanian delegates met with Hutchinson in an emergency session and studied in detail the attack on the town which is only six miles north of Bethlehem.
Israel walked out of the commission last week when it failed to blame Jordan for the killing of 11 Jews in the Negev desert. Hutchinson abstained from voting and the meeting had ended without any decision being made.
Other foreign developments.
At the conclusion of the session, a Jordan spokesman said the commission had found Israel guilty of a serious violation of the truce that ended open warfare in the Holy Land in 1948.
Cairo—President Mohammed Naguib would have been removed from office in Egypt's latest crisis had not the visiting King Saud of Saudi Arabia intervened in his behalf, a member of the revolutionary council said.
Tokyo—The March 26 explosion of another hydrogen device gave
the Japanese a new case of jitters. They were nervously awaiting word from their mid-Pacific tuna fleet whether it had been contaminated by radioactive fallouts.
Berlin—East German Communists announced they no longer would permit western military missions to operate in the Soviet zone of East Germany which technically has been granted its sovereignty by Russia.
Paris—Gen. Alfred M. Gruenther, supreme NATO commander, has warned that the West could defeat Russia in hydrogen warfare, even though the Soviets made a sneak attack.
Hanoi—Communist forces besieging the French fortress of Dien Bien Phu in Indo-China were报组 regrouping north of their gun positions. It was believed the rainy season may begin two weeks ahead of schedule, forcing the Reds to make their all-out bid soon.
Tokyo-An American general who has returned from Indo-China reported that French union forces could defeat the Communists within a year if they open an offensive now and if Red China stays out of the war.