Imperial Valley press., 1941-06-29

on. about Miss Harriet Elliott's
Consumer Division in Leon He1-
derson's Office OF Price Admin
stration and Civilian Supply. The
CD will be pitching at you, for
YOU to catch or duck as your
conscience and reflexes may die
tate. more information of the type
shown in its consumer prices bulle-
tin which now goes out twice
month to some 5000 women's clubs,
trade unions and similar organiza-
tions. It tells you TO fill your coal
bin now, how to buy work clothes.
how TO conserve furnace oil and
gasoline and how to buy food.
CD will try to spread its mes
sages through newspapers and
magazines. bv radio and newsreel,
to anyone interested enough to pay
attention. 1t will spread informa-
tion on average prices on consumer
commodities. keep tab on the cost
OF living watch supplies and short
..ges. determine how much is too
much. If you have not been con-
sumer conscious before, you will
be exposed to It now.
1t will all DE done in the interests
of naional defense. fellow citizens,
which in these days is rapidly as
Slming the role of debating now
much you shall pay for and what
Io hnxy at,tnnOnhi1n
you may not be able to buy
When OPACS was set up, the
Consumer Division was provided
for, but the bigger job of getting
price administration machinery
running crowded Miss Elliott'S
work into the wings.
Now, however, the bill has been
completely worked over. The actors
have been switched around. Miss
Elliott retains her co-starrng au-
thority as associate administrator to
Leading man Leon Henderson, new
talent has been brought in for fea-
tured roles in the key divisions, an
organization table has been worked
out for a cost of 180 people. nall
of whom will get more than S26OO
year. and everybody is happy.
Watch 'em grow.
Scotch born John M Cassels, who
was formerly head of the Stephens
College. Columbia, Mo, consumer
education movement, sits in as as
sstant administrator to Miss Ell
liott. Under him are sections to
plan policy, study standards, ham
die publicity and deal with con-
sumers.
Some of the problems that lie
ahead of the consumer division will
best illustrate how it will work.
AS national income goes up and
wages increase. consumers are eX-
pected to demand new things, or
more of the same Under an emer-
gency economy, with production
facilities transferred to defense,
supplies of some commodities will
De lIilllOtu. OIlt Vi lllc ulIlllcCidtt
Jobs is to see what effect the
shortage of ships or the diversion
Of shipping from old trade routes
will have on the supplies of things
American shoppers buy.
TRY TO KEEP
UP QUALITY
Joe Nicholson, former purchas-
ing agent for the city OF Milwau-
kee, has been borrowed by the
consumer division to head up what
may become one of its most i'm
portant activities, the maintenance
of quality in consumer goods dur
ing the defense economy. With ad-
ministration pressure to keep prices
down, and with the number of
styles and models being reduced to
make way for defense production.
consumer experts believe there may
be some effort to cheaper the pro-
duct while keeping the price at
its former level.
Any general moves in that di-
rection will be battled by the con-
sumner division. The antitrust di-
vision of the Justice Department
has indicated it will consider con-