Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-09-26
Price Control
Plan Called
Gold Brick
Why Leave Out Wages,
Rents, johnson Asks
BY HUGH :. JOHNSON

~ iNta W wv iti NNi'A VI POI IVY
Indeed it is going to be sold
gold brick if the bill doesn't put
ceiling over all prices.
Wages and food are the prin-
-eiifelle- elements -ef-tfre- rost-off
all things. Rising prices follow
rising costs as night follows day
II should be apparent to a
high school sophomore that you
cannot stop price advances,
especially in The cost OF living
if you do not control the rise
in the elements of cost.
THE country understands the
Il reasons for il and demands
legislative action TO prevent run
away prices.
The opposition 10 stopping
runawayS in all prices centers /.
on an assertion that il is too
difficult TO administer. Yet the
advocates of the bill want power
TO administer piecemeal vir-
-tHaify- att prices except rents.
wages and food. -------.-
They want 10 do that sep
arately in each field If and only
if they decide 10 do H.
There will be many more
cases 10 administer, and il viii
affect 100000 people lust as
-flirarTtNT- 7yYy-Ft,f TIiNssoTYI0zr NAV
AS. on the overall ceiling plan.
and. as 10 difficulty of admins
tration. the two cases simply do
not compare
On THE overall method YOU
~ establish one general rule
for all prices the level as of
certain date everywhere Both
buyers and sellers know what
that was. There cant be much
dispute about facts. Then you
have 10 deal only with the eX-
ception. where changed condi-
lions or changed policies have
created special necessity 10
change a particular price up
ward or downward
But, under plecemeal price
fixing OF each price group
severally, you have 10 deal with
millions Of separate cases. While
YOU are dealing with each regu-
lated group the unregulated
groups continue their advance
and all are elements of cost
-tahd pffcet of THE regulated
groups.
1t is a ridiculous impossibility.
You must adjust again, con-
tlnuous1y upward.
1t is like a great lion opposing
a swarm Of loeuSts. He roars at
them, catches a few in his mouth
and bats down few with his
paw but 10 times as many stick
in his name and a million tunes
as many soar \over his help
less head.
II is like trying 10 poke smoke
down a rathole with brad-a~l
or 10 pick fleaS off a dog while
wearing boxing gloves.
DARN parity is not an in
Il flexible price 1t goes up in
direct ratio with prices which
the farmer has 10 pay,
The principle Of tying wage
increases TO increases In the
cost of living is exactly the
same sort of thing. If farmers
and workers are assured of this
they have no right 10 insist on
more-certainly not 10 an abSo-
lutte freedom TO them alone TO
increase prices.
The case will simply not bear
argument. and that for overall
price control is devastating.
Devastating. yes all but for
one thing. The mid-term con-
greSSional elections are APP
preaching.
Mr.. Henderson. as an uDcon-
Vincing advocate of piecemeal
price fixing, has minated in his
testimony that he is taking
orders from higher up
Some members Of the House
banking and currency commit
tee have made it equally clear
in their hearings that their
judgments are Swayed by similar
considerations.
THIS weak-kneed complaccncy
Il may go down in history as
the crime of 1871"
If initiation. meaning uncon-
scionably high costs OF living, is
not controlled now which -
lust about the last chance no
future generations are going to
arise TO call these gentlemen
blessed.
We are told continuously on
the one hand that this isn't a
political war. News dispatches
must convince us, on the other
that that is exactly what II is.
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