that the 3 plants in California, the package plants, stand idle in accordance with the law for a period of 3 years. Mr. DOYLE. Well, of course that might be the practical result, unless another measure was promptly provided so that that sale could be consummated promptly and not have to wait The CHAIRMAN. Oh, yes. Congress could act. But as far as the law is concerned today, when the Congress adopts your resolution, then it says these plants have not been sold and therefore the law is that they having failed to be disposed of by the Congress-some of them having been disposed of-they stand idle for 3 years. Mr. DOYLE. Well, I would say this, Mr. Chairman. I want to repeat it. Granting that it may be a matter of inconvenience The CHAIRMAN. A matter of what? Mr. DOYLE. Granting that it may result in inconvenience I mean if my resolution is considered sound and is adopted and therefore there is no sale of these three plants, if that be the result, then, as you say, Congress could promptly act so that there would be a disposal. The CHAIRMAN. I don't know whether Congress could or not. Passing laws is no everyday business. Mr. DOYLE. Well, but it doesn't take us very long to pass some laws in the public interest. I have seen it done in a very few minutes, as a matter of fact, under your guidance on the floor of the House. [Laughter.] It is a well-known fact that it doesn't take very long for some bills from this committee under the guidance our our distinguished chairman to clear the floor, and by unanimous votes, and sometimes with only one vote against them. But I want to repeat, Mr. Chairman-and I do it very sincerely and earnestly that I don't think inconvenience, I don't think that any measure of inconvenience nor any measure of losing money justifies moving in contravention of an established law, if that be the case. The CHAIRMAN. Well Mr.DOYLE. In other words, I think this: If we lose several million dollars and if we suffer inconvenience, it is better to lose the money and it is better to have the inconvenience and the delay than it is to go contrary to an established principle of law established by public law. The CHAIRMAN. I am merely pointing out what would happen if the Congress adopts your resolution; that these plants stand in standby condition. Then the small-business people will have less GR-S than they would have if they were in operation. Mr. DOYLE. For a temporary period only. The CHAIRMAN. Well, as far as the law is concerned, for 3 years. That is not temporary, the way I think. Now, thank you, very much, Mr. Doyle. Now, members of the committee, I tried to conduct an orderly, intelligent hearing on this matter. We have to reach a decision on it. Under the rules of the House, and under the law, we have to report back within 10 days. Now, 10 days will be up on Saturday. And the 25th is the deadline. So I am going to ask the committee to vote tomorrow morning on both of these resolutions. Under the law, both have to be voted on. The one cannot be disposed of without the other, but there must be a rollcall vote on both of these resolutions. Wait 1 minute. And I have agreed to set this down on the floor of the House, and being privileged, I will call these two resolutions up on Tuesday morning at 12 o'clock. Mr. MILLER. Mr. Chairman The CHAIRMAN. Everybody be here tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. And send out notices to all the members. If they are out of town, send them telegrams. Send out notices that we are going to have a vote on these two resolutions tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. Mr. MILLER. Mr. Chairman. The CHAIRMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. MILLER. We will have opportunity to argue these resolutions among ourselves tomorrow morning? The CHAIRMAN. Oh, yes, of course. Mr. BLANDFORD. Mr. Chairman, I ask permission to file a telegram received from George J. Burger, National Federation of Independent Business. The CHAIRMAN. Put it in the record. (The telegram is as follows:) Hon. CARL VINSON, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee, Room 313, Old House Office Building: In lieu of appearance before your committee now considering the disposal of Government-owned synthetic rubber plants, will you kindly read this statement into the record of the hearing and have it made a part of the permanent record? The National Federation of Independent Business on direct nationwide vote of its members time and again is committed to support all action to get the Government out of business in competition with private industry. However, with respect to this particular action the Government operation has never been in competition with private industry namely in the overall production of synthetic rubber. The Government only moved in during the critical days of World War II, and through the action of the Government established definitely the productive satisfactory use of synthetic rubber. We believe in view of this that the Congress should move very cautiously from a national security standpoint before releasing these plants to private industry. We again repeat the Congress should move very cautiously. The writer has been an independent member of the rubber industry for close to 50 years and is well acquainted with the actions of certain big interests in that industry to monopolize all segments of that industry. The Congress should be very careful of no squeeze play taking place which would bring about no real competition in the sale of synthetic versus crude rubber. If this should happen the public would be the victim of unfair practices. Who is going to control the distribution of synthetic rubber should the plants be sold to private industry to see that small factors in that industry will, at all times, get their equal share of synthetic rubber at the same price as the larger factors in the industry? Small business is concerned, and rightfully so, as to whether so-called cartels or international price fixing on crude rubber will be utilized by private industry if they should become owners of the Government plants. This could happen unless proper safeguards are initiated by congressional action. Due to the splendid results obtained through the Government owned and operated synthetic rubber plants, the Government should continue its control of synthetic rubber insofar as research and development is concerned so that all factors in the industry may have the advantage of any progress made in these developments. This would be a very definite protection to the Nation as a whole and to small factors in the rubber industry. Our first interest is national security, and secondly, for small business of this Nation. GEORGE J. BURGER, Vice President, National Federation of Independent Business, 740 Washington Building, Washington, D. C. The CHAIRMAN. We will meet in open session. (Whereupon, at 4:20 p. m., the committee adjourned until Wednesday, March 16, 1955, at 10 a. m.) SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON H. R. 2107 TO AMEND THE NATIONAL DEFENSE FACILITIES ACT OF 1950 TO PROVIDE FOR ADDI-` TIONAL FACILITIES NECESSARY FOR THE ADMINISTRATION AND TRAINING OF UNITS OF THE RESERVE COMPONENTS OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE UNITED STATES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE No. 1, Washington, D. C., Friday, April 15, 1955. The subcommittee met at 10:05 a. m., the Honorable Overton Brooks, chairman of the subcommittee, presiding. Mr. BROOKS. The subcommittee will please come to order. I want to say to members of the subcommittee, I think we ought to have a rollcall sometime during the course of the morning to show who is present. It might delay our starting. Yesterday, upon my return from the quorum call, Chairman Vinson told me of the need of taking up at once for consideration, H. R. 2107 which had previously been assigned to this subcommittee, and the very urgent need of having hearings completed and a bill reported out of committee, if it is desired to report, to the full committee by Monday. That, of course, puts us in a difficult spot of getting through these hearings as quickly as possible. I think it is a very important bill that should be given great and most careful attention. Since that is the case, it is necessary to get it through by Monday and I suggest that at the end of the hearing this morning, we have a little meeting, just 2 or 3 minutes, to see what additional hearings we think are necessary, and then we will arrange to have those hearings. Perhaps Saturday morning. If the need is such, that would have to be the case. (H. R. 2107 follows:) [H. R. 2107, 84th Cong., 1st sess.] A BILL To amend the National Defense Facilities Act of 1950 to provide for additional facilities necessary for the administration and training of units of the Reserve components of the Armed Forces of the United States, and for other purposes Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 3 of the National Defense Facilities Act of 1950 (64 Stat. 830) is amended by deleting "in an amount not to exceed $250,000,000 over a period of the next five fiscal years" and by inserting in lieu thereof "in such amounts as may be appropriated from time to time". Mr. BROOKS. The first witness we have this morning is Mr. Roger Fulling, Director of Construction, Department of Defense. Mr. Fulling are you here? Mr. FULLING. Yes, sir. 55066-55-No. 12-1 STATEMENT OF ROGER W, FULLING DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUC- Mr. BROOKS. Do you have a statement to make on this? Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I am substituting this morning for Assistant Secretary of Defense, Franklin G. Floete. Mr. Floete is out of the city on official business, visiting military establishments in the State of Texas, and did not receive advice of this meeting in in sufficient time to be here. We are appearing before your committee, today, in support of H. R. 2107, a bill to amend the National Defense Facilities Act of 1950, to provide for additional facilities necessary for the administration and training of units of the reserve components of the Armed Forces of the United States. The National Defense Facilities Act of 1950, enacted as Public Law 783, 81st Congress, authorized the appropriation of Federal funds in the amount of $250 million over a period of the succeeding 5 fiscal years, for the acquisition, construction and expansion of facilities for the 7 Reserve components. While the time limit imposed by the present law would include the fiscal year 1956, insufficient dollar authorization remains to cover the requirements of the program for that fiscal year. Through fiscal year 1955, appropriations to Department of Defense agencies under the authority of the act have reached a total of $235 million. Thus, but $15 million of authorization remains unfunded against a total budgeted requirement for fiscal year 1956 exceeding $100 million. Chart No. 1, attached to the copies of this statement which have been distributed to the committee, indicates this situation graphically. (Two charts follow:) |