Evening star., 1941-04-12

Taft Questions Right
OF President 10 Set Up
|Price Control Unit
Congress Might Just
As Well Go Home Is
Senator's Reaction

President Roosevelt's right TO es-
tablish the new Office Of Price Ad-
ministration and Civilian Supply
was questioned today by Senator
Taft, Republican, of Ohio.
Referring to the price-fxine
agency set up in an executive order
yesterday, with Leon Henderson,
Securities and Exchange commits
sioner, as its head, Senator Taft
said:
IF the President can set up
price fixing agency without congress
sional authorize ton, Congress might
just as well pack up and go home
If he can do that, he can prac-
tically run the Government by
decree"
"Act Without Authority"
The Senator declared he was "a
good deal concerned about the ten
dency of the President to act with
out authority" There is some ques-
ton, he added, whether Mr.. Roose-
welt had the right TO reach an agree
nent this week for defense of Green
land without submitting the pro-
posal to the Senate as a treaty. And
in discussing the Presidents order
creating the National Mediation
Board Senator Taft commented
that 1t reads almost like a statute;
it looks almost like legisla ton"
The new agency will operate under
the Office for Emergency Manage
ment, and will concentrate on con-
sumner protection, it was said.
Asked whether Mr.. Henderson
could enforce his decisions regarding
prices, President Roosevelt nodded
and said he could as far as the law
goes.
Selective Service Act Cited.
One of the laws cited was the sec
ton of the Selective Service Act
permitting the President to take
over defense plants, under certain
circumstances. Others were a 1917
act giving him power TO grant pref
erences or priorities in the field of
transportation and to suspend GER
tain l. c. c. rules and regulations
in an emergency, and an act passed
last fall which empowered him to
requisition articles needed for the
Army and Navy under certain cir
cumstances.
Although the new agency will en-
deavor TO prevent price rises in
commodities for civilian needs. it
was said in authoritative quarters
that no immediate action was con-
templated in such fields as food and
clothing.
Officials were said. however, TO be
watching consumer commodities
! closely and to be concerned about
recent increases in some classes of
| textiles.
Critical List" Prices Set.
Mr.. Henderson has issued several
schedules of maximum prices and
all have been on items on the Army's
so-called critical list" Informed
persons expressed belief that the
immediate attention of the new
agency would be focused likewise on
materials on that list.
Mr.. Henderson's schedules have
set maximum prices on secondhand
machine tools, scrap and secondary
aluminium. zinc, steel and iron scrap
and bituminous coal.
In addition to determining and
publishing schedules of maximum
prices, the Price Administration is
charged with preventing boarding
and with stimulating production of
articles required for civilian use in
such a manner as not to conflict
with military needs.
Sidney Hillman, associate director
of the Office of Production Manage
ment. told a press conference yes
| terday he believed labor would well
come the new effort TO control
/ prices.
Il believe labor is interested in
seeing that we have no spiral which
means devaluation of real wages -
Mr.. Hillman said.
officials were silent as TO the pow