Evening star., 1941-11-30
By GOULD LINCOLN

position.
Chairman George of the Senate
Finance Committee, declared yester-
day that if any price control law is
enacted it should be IAN effective
law" one that takes into conSidera-
tion all factors that go into the
costs of production. including wages.
Joining Senator George in criti-
cizing the legislation. Minority
Leader McNary called the admins
tration's bill "toothless and tim
orous"
In one of his rare public state
ments on legislation, Senator Nc
Nary asserted that price fixing must
be accompanied by elimination OF
waste" in the defense program and
by reduction in non-detense ex-
penditures.
Would Combat Waste.
7 am afraid the measure passed
by the House is toothless and tim
orous." Senator McNary continued.
Il am certain no price fixing bill
will be effective until We remove
| fragrant waste in defense expendi-
lures. decrease non-defenSe expendl-
lures and improve the pattern OF
| our defense and domestic program.
The Senate is charged with the
duty of passing a more effective
| measure. one at least that has some
practical means OF enforcement and
that has regard for the neglected
and other forgotten consumer
Senator McNary indicated his OBJ
jections to the measure centered on
the elimination by the House Of
proposed licensing provisions by
which price orders would be en-
forced
Senator George. while not advo-
eating the adoption of the overall
price ceiling plan as put forward by
Bernard Baruch, head of the War
Industries Board in the World War.
said that he believed price control
should be extended to cover all COM
modities rather than be merely
selective as is the House measure.
Opposes Power for One Man.
The Georgia Senator commented
which inserted a provision for the
appointment of board of five with
power to review and alter decisions
of the price administrator provided
for in the bill He said that he be.-
lieved 1t would be utterly :unwise to-
place in the hands of any one man
the power to fix prices, without an
agency of review.
The Senate Banking Committee,
to which the House bill will be re-
ferred. may not begin consideration
of the measure for a week or two or
even longer. Senator Glass of Vir-
ginia. acting chairman of the COM
mittee in the absence Of Senator
Wagner. has not indicated when he
will issue a call for the committee
to meet to consider this bill. II was
not expected that any decision
would be taken in the matter until
after Majority Leader Barklev re-
turns TO Washington, probably We'd
nesday or Thursday.
Unless the administration gets
strongly back of the price control
measure and insists on early con-
sideration, the bill may be allowed
TO iinger The Banking Committee
has had before it since August
the administrations price control
bill, when it was introduced by
Senator Glass. although it is we'll
understood that the Virginia Sena-
tor believes the bill should be
changed drastically if it is to be
enacted. Senator Glass and other
leaders in the upper house deter
mined that no move would be made
with regard to the measure until
the House had acted.
Delay Until January Seen.
Senator George said he did not
believe price control legislation
would come before the Senate until
January or later. This was the
general opinion expressed by Sena-
tors yesterday.
Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio
has a substitute for the administra-
ton bill already introduced and
before the Banking Committee, of
which he is a member His substi-
tute provides for Board of Infla-
ton Control" composed of five men,
bers, to be appointed by the Presi-
dent and confirmed by the Senate.
The board, in turn, would appoint
a price administrator, who would
be the executive officer of the board.
But the board itself would fix prices.
subject to review by special United
States court. The administration
bill gives to the President and
through him, to the price admins
traitor the power to fix prices, sub
ject to review by board.
In the opinion of Senator Taft,
measure providing for selective price
control is the most feasible plan and
likely to prove effective. He does
not believe that wages can be con-
trolled BY price control act, and
he favors dealing with the labor
situation through separate legisla-
ton, rather than trying to meet the
rising costs of labor through the
price control bill.
II have favored some form of Sc
lective price control" Senator Taft
said. Such a law, he added, would
make it possible to prevent run
away price imitation.
Agricultural Prices.
One feature of the House bill,
which, in Senator Taft's opinion,
should be materially changed, is that
dealing with agricultural prices. It
will be impossible to deal with infla-
tionary prices if farm prices are
permitted to 60 very high, he con-
tinued.
His substitute bill prohibits the
establishment of any maximum
price for an agricultural commodity
below the parity price" as deter
mined by the Secretary Of Agricul-
ture. or below the market price pre-
vailing for such commodity on July
20, 1941.
The House bill, on the other hand,
Senator Taft said, would permit
farm prices to rise to 100 or more
of parity price Since prices of food
stuffs materially affect the cost Of
living, they affect the costs Of all
products.