The Lincoln Times

SENATOR SAM ERVIN SAYS

WASHINGTON-I have always enjoyed the opportunity of attending the meetings of the North Carolina Press Association. I am glad that Senator Albert Gore, my colleague in the Senate from Tennessee, was invited to speak at one of the sessions of the press meeting this year. He is a young man who has served in the Congress with distinction.

THE BUDGET

The natural reaction to even the slightest mention of the word budget is to associate it immediately with the most dry of dry discussions. Nevertheless, the budget of our Federal government is far-reaching and touches the life of all of us. It is a monstrous collection of figures, larger than a mail order catalog, containing 1179 pages, virtually defying the wisdom of the ages to decipher it. If in some far distant age an archaeologist should come upon the detailed version of the current budget, he would be awed by its size, dumbfounded by its portent. The budget is something we have to live with and study in careful detail. No single Senator ever gets a study made in detail, but the committees break it down into many parts and go over it with a fine tooth comb.

CAN IT BE BALANCED

Not since 1951 has the Federal budget been in balance. There is much hope that it can be accomplished again. But I note that balancing the budget is dependent upon several factors and one that possibly has not been called to your attention is that it will take a postal rate increase. Congress will now start hearings on the budget. It is reasonable to assume now that there will be general agreement on most recommended items. I am glad that there is an increase in the budget for national defense, but I am disappointed that the administration has seen fit to recommend increased figures for foreign economic aid. Technical aid and military aid to our friends around the world I am for, but direct dollar aid has failed to serve the purpose for which it is intended and this will require a new approach to stop the encroachment of communist colonialism. I hope that the budget can be balanced. I will support any reasonable effort to do this, but I do not think a false hope should be dangled before the electorate for political advantage.

GAS ON GAS

If a gallery visitor should remain as a guest of the Senate for a day during the extended debate on the natural gas bill, he would probably detect that verbiage has not been scarce on either side of the debate. This is one of the great debates that takes place in the Senate. While going on, it gives us time to spend longer hours in committee action. I have not reached any final conclusion on how I will vote on this bill. It is so complicated that I feel it very important to get all the evidence before reaching the final decision. I hope that we can avoid night sessions. It may require weeks before the bill is finally disposed of. It has already passed the House by a very narrow margin.