The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-12-23

rcd.
 The latest thing that has these Dixie gentlemen up in arms is Hen. derson's order of December IS put ting a ceiling on the prices of ami. nal and vegetable fats and oils-- excluding butter, finished products like shortening and salad oils and the essential oils" of the cosmetic and drug trade. There are 1900 of these fats and oils but the most important aro lard tallow and cot- tonseed oil. It Is this last one, cot tonseed oil, that nrouses the south ern senators.
 HenderSon'S original order froEe the ceiling prices on fats and oils as of November %, At that time, cot. tonseed oil was quoted at i2.E cents q pound. On December l2, tho day the order was issued the price was 1865 cents Q pound. The Henderson order cut the price by i.i6 cents, and that's when the fight began.
 Here was Henderson trying to get on effective price control bill through tho senate to replace an ineffective measure passed by the house. For Henderson to Alienate tho affections of these cotton state senators might jeopNrdlze the whole price control program.
 With good price control leglSla- ton in effect, the country can fight tho war with Q minimum of infla. ton, Without the legislation, the sky is the limit fios only on war costs, but on living costs and taxes AS well,
 HENDERSON GRABS
 PRICE SPIRAL
 With characteristic courage. Hon. derson Issued his ceiling order under such authority NS he now has be- cause his ofile0 of Price AdminiS- tr0tion felt the situation was get. ting out of hand He also announced that price schedules were being pre-. pared on Q wide variety of textiles, which would impose as ceilings the prices in effect on December 0, This will Do another retroactive order which will probably Insult the eot- ton bloc again.
 Other farm quarters are trying to spike price control legislation. one of the provisions of the House Price Control bill now before tho Senate Is that 1t will permit the prices on farm products to go up to il0 per cent Of partly, that hard.to.deflne ideal which iS the ratio of the things farmers sell to the things farmers buy, based on the prices which wore In effect from 1909 to 1914, and today.
 Senator Thomas is of the opin. ion that this i00e.l4 base period | doesn't permit the prices of cotton to go high enough, and, as . one- man subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, he has held hearings to put over the idon that tho base period should be changed In ieio-i090, This would mako tho parity price of wheat Si,4a Q bushei, Instead of the present par- lty price of Si,20 buShoi, and raise the parity price of cotton to 200 cents Q pound insteAd of the present i7.7 cents e pound If tho ii0 per- cent of parity ceilings were applied on these figures, the price Of wheat could go Co 9ib9 and the price Of cotton to g cents,
 SHOCKED AND
 AST0UNDED"
 I'd oNeRl, more formally known ns Edward Asbury ONeal IT, pres. ldent of tho American Farm Bureau Federation and claiming to repre-. sent two million farm people in 70 states and unquestionably the most powerful farm lobby In Washington, Is against the Thomas proposals, O'Noals reason is that while a changing of the base period would raise tho parity and maximum prices of wheat and corn, it would lower the price of beef and c few other farm products, and that would wreck tho stock men, The Farm Bureau organization believes the present parity formula will give tho largest number of farmers tho greatest benefits.
 O'Neal was, however, shocked and astounded" when Henderson proposed limiting the ceiling prices on farm products to 100 per cent of parity, instead Of no per cent AS the house bill provides. To this remark Henderson cracked back that he, too, was shocked and astounded when the JRps bombed Pearl Har' bor."