Evening star., 1941-09-19
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
Bernard M. Baruch. World War
head of the War Industries Board,
told Congress today legislation which
would put ceiling over the entire
price structure was the greatest
single necessity of our present crisis
and would save 30 per cent or more
of all appropriations"
Testifying before the House Bank
ing Committee, which is considering
the administration price control
bill, Mr.. Baruch said that while he
was strongly in favor of that
measures objective, he regarded 1t
as "piecemeal"
The white-haired financier took
sharp issue with the members of
the committee on several points,
chiefly in that he favored a single
administrator for any price control
law enacted and in contending that
the ceiling for farm prices should
go to the parity level and no
higher"
Under the terms of the bill, no
farm price could be fixed below ITO
per cent of the parity price. Parity
prices are on a level designed to
give the farmers the same purchas-
ing power. in terms Of non-farm
products. they had in l909-l4
Initiation Danger Seen.
Early in his remarks, Mr.. Baruch
said solemnly that with pay rolls
soaring and shortages developing,
more money bidding for the goods,
the danger of an inf1atlonary price
rise is imminent He added:
If it is not taken firmly in hand
in time. it may get beyond the
possibility OF control
Noting that the new Supply Pri-
critics and ALLEGATIONS Board already
had begun consideration of steps
to take the fat" off the economic
body, Mr.. Baruch said the fat can
be taken off all business, but the
skeleton and vital organs must
remain"
In taking the fat off industry"
he said, it is vital that the ration
ing principal be adhered to. If some
industry must suffer temporary de-
privation, all producers in that in
dustry should bear the burden pro-
portionately."
Il don't believe in piecemeal price
fixing" Mr.. Baruch said Il think
you have first to put ceiling over
the whole price structure, includ-
ing wages, rent and farm prices up
10 the parity level-and no higher
and then to adjust separate price
schedules upward separately, if
necessary, where justice or govern
mental policy so require.
Opposes Competitive Price.
Il don't believe that you can treat
price control as separate effort.
II must be intimately tied up and
moved in step with all other war
controls, wage and rent controls,
priorities. conservation, comman-
deering, war trade, war finance and
so forth"
In advocating a single admin
istrator for the proposed law, Mr..
Baruch differed with legislators who
have been advocating a board of
several members to do the job Some
of them privately had based their
support of such plan on their
opposition to Leon Henderson. head
of the Office of Price Control, who
is regarded as the most likely choice
of the President to be price admin
iStrator.
Mr.. Henderson. who has been the
only previous witness heard by the
committee since its hearing started
August 4, sat in the audience behind
Mr.. Baruch after telling the latter,
Il am going to enjoy this"
Mr.. Baruch declared that under
conditions of war production there
should be no such thing as a COM
petitive price and added that there
was more business than all the
producers in the Nation could pos
sibly handle.
1T is unthinkable, he went on,
that the Government for the peo-
pie should become the victims of
what the traffic will bear or run
away markets, or that essential
goods can be withheld by profiteers
and spectators who believe they
can command higher prices later"
Except for the human slaughter
and manning, Mr.. Baruch said, in
g. DpT~-