The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-25

you to fiN your coal bin now, how
 to buy work clothes, how to con-
 serve furnace oil and gasoline and
 how to buy health when you buy | food,
 CD will try to spread its messages
 through newspapers and magazines,
 by radio and newsreel, to anyone interested enough to pay atten- ton. It will spread information on
 average prices on consumer eom- modities, keep tab on the cost oi
 living, watch supplies and short- ages. determine how much Is too
 much. If you have not been con-
 sumer conscious before, you will be exposed to 1t now.
 It will all be done in the inter- eStS of national defense, fellow citi- 9ens, which in these days is rapid- ly assuming the role of dictating
 how much you shall pay for and what goes into the ice box or auto.
 mobile you may not be able to
 buy,
 When OPACS was set up, tho Cunsomer 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 eo-starring auth ority as associate administrator to leading man Leon Henderson, new alent has been brought in for feat- ured roles in the key divisions, an organization table has been worked out for q cast of l80 people, half of whom will get more than $2600 a year, and everybody is happy, Watch 'eM grow,
 SCOTSMAN WATCHES PRICES
 Scoteh-born John M, Cassels, who was formerly head of the Stephens College, Columbia, Mo, consumer education movement, sits tn as as- Sistant administrator to Miss El. liott. Under hiM are sections to plan policy study standards, handle PubAAGAty WAN A0M WAtAA NSAsNAAVta
 Some of tho problems that lie ahead of the consumer division will best Illustrate how 1t will work,
 As national income goes up and wages increase, consumers are ex- peeted to demand now things, or more of tho same. Under an emer- genoy economy, with production facilities transferred to defense, sup- plies of some commodities will he limited. One of the immediate jobs Is to see what effect tho shortage of ships or the diversion of ship. ping from old trade routes will have on the supplies of things American shoppers buy.
 TRY TO KEEP UP QUALITY
 Joe Nicholson, former purchasing agent for tho city of Milwaukee, has been borrowed by tho consum- CT division to head up what may become ono of It's most important activities, tho maintenance of quail ity in consumer goods during the defense economy, With administra- ton pressure to keep prices down, and with tho number of styles and models being reduced to make way for defense production, consumer experts believe there may he some effort to oheapen tho product while keeping the price at its former lev el,
 Any general moves in that dir ection will be battled by the con- Sumer division. The antitrust dlvi- sion of the Justice department has indicated 1t will consider conspir- acies for the reduction of quality standards as violations of tho anti- trust law, and in restraint of trade,
 The consumer division will have no power In itself to fix prices, It will participate with the price divi- son of OPACS in that work. No maximum price schedules have as yet been set on ultimate consumer goods, though the OPACS orders putting ceilings on hides and cot- ton yarn had their effect in at- tempting to hold down prices of shoes and cotton goods.
 What the whole consumer move- ment Is aimed at Is the mairten- ance of the American standard of living during the defense effort, ct a minimum increase in cost to the consumer.
 WASHINGTON PRICE NOTES
 Bureau of Labor Statistics has built up the most accurate of all systems for reporting on living costs. .. Its latest figures show all liv- ing costs, rising since the end of l940, are now 2.2 per cent higher than the 1885 1889 average, ,., Food, which takes up S4 per cent of the average family budget, is up less than l per cent over the 1885, S9 average but l940 prices were from to per cent below the 1935-l939 average. Clothing, which