Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-01
Roosevelt,
King Farley
Encouraging
Coming Price Meeting
Will Hold interest
BY GEN. HUGH S. JOHNSON

IT is encouraging TO learn that
L the President and Mr.. Mac
kenzie King are to confer in an
attempt to coordinate our price
control syste m with that Of
Canada.
OF course, as yet we have no
statutory price control system
and Cana d a has the overall
flexible ceiling that we ought to
have and would have II IL were
not for several small and politi-
cally powerful groups in Wash
ington.
II we get what is threatening
us-runaway price inflation-it
would have a tendency TO pull
Canadian prices up or. II her
ceiling holds them down. the ten
dency would be TO restrict her
buying power here.
A suggestion has been laugh
ingly made that this need not be
serious because we could just
"lease-lend" her stuff THAT is,
give il to herr and then she
couldn't very well kick because
she wouldn't be hurt.
Only Uncle Sam and his nieces
and nephews would be hurt but
they are used to that. 90
A LII this raises the question
"A on the price element In
lease-lend shipments to other
countries, notably to Britain.
Without any runaway initiation
at all, il costs us much more TO
build ships and guns than it
costs her.
There are no recent figures
available. but studies made
when the maritime commission
was getting ready to substitute
the difference between American
and foreign shipbuilding costs
indicated that il cost us more
than double shipbuilding costs
abroad. and the difference must
be even greater now.
This isn't true of everything.
but it Is OF cannon and some
types Of airplanes.
OF course. we have gotten rid
Of the silly fool dollar mark"
and you are apt to he called a
traitor" il you suggest that all
these transactions should AT
least be scrutinized TO see that
American interests are not en-
tirely forgotten.
II would be nice 10 know
what happens TO lease-lend food
now including tobacco. We
didn't have exactly lease-lend
in 1918. But we established
credits for Britain TO buy our
stuff. shipped IL on open account
at the same prices charged our
government and our civilian
population, and IL was never
paid for.
There isn't much difference
between that and lease-lend.
DUT the British took cotton.
- foodstuffs and tobacco. at
least, and resold them to their
own civilian populations. thus
reimbursing their government
and sometimes making a profit.
When they came TO sell stuff
TO us. they were not so particu-
lar about making the prices the
same as those at which they
were bought. .r
We had to get pretty rough
about IL on several occasions.
Finally, in every case that saw,
the price situation was pretty
fairly worked out. but OF course
their reimbursements for food,
cotton and tobacco never were.
All these transactions are now
SO shrouded in mystery and gen.
eraliZed statements that il is
hard 10 know what is going on,
but II the past is any guide 10
the present. Uncle Sam isn't get
ting much in his Christmas
stocking.
OF course. I realize what an
old boat rocker l am even to be
talking about these subjects of
price disparities and transfer of
goods. but the figures about
which future disputes may arise
will run into uncounted billions.
hope some one has laid
ground for the case of the United
not now-but when the day of
the great settlement arrives.
But I'll bet nobody has.
Distributed nv King Features synd.. Inc.