Evening star., 1942-01-08
Divided Control
Proposal Hit
In Messages
Two Proposed Changes
Seen as Target of
Presidents Attack
Earlier Story on Page A-10

earlier Story on rage A-l)
BY the Associated Press.
President Roosevelt asked the
Senate today to vest broad war
time price controls in single
responsible individual"
In messages to Majority Leader
Barkley and Senator Brown, Demo-
crat. of Michigan. floor manager
for the pending price control meas
ure, the Chief Executive said:
II am somewhat disturbed by re-
ports that a board has been sug-
gested as a substitute for a single
individual I am also disturbed at
the suggestion that control over
agricultural commodities be sep
arated from all other articles and
vested in the Department of Agri-
culture"
The unusual presidential message
on a pending legislative measure
was seen as an administration effort
TO defeat two proposed amendments,
one by the potent Senate farm bloc,
led by Senator Bankhead, Demo-
crat, of Alabama. to give the Sec
retary of Agriculture a veto power
on all farm price ceilings. and a
second by Senator Taft. Republi-
can, of Ohio, asking that price
fixing powers be placed in board
of five members.
Opposes Division of Control.
Il strongly hope that no division
of control will be made" the Pres
ident wrote. The whole price struc-
ture is linked together"
Senator Taft. meanwhile, urged
enactment of a stringent price con-
troll bill. telling the Senate this
country must prepare for war lasting
at least five years
If there is no control of prices.
they might increase by as much as
400 per cent over what they were
before the emergency began, and
even with the enactment Of an ef-
fective bill, they are likely to con-
tinue their upward trend. he said
IF we can possibly hold the in
crease in prices to 10 per cent year
we will have done good job" the
Ohio Senator declared.
In reply to questions by Senator
Lee, Democrat, of Oklahoma, Sen
ator Taft said he thought it would
be a mistake for the price admins
traitor. now Leon Henderson, to make
any attempt at present to fix ceilings
on cotton, wheat, corn and other
agricultural products of which sur
pluseS exist
Senator Vandenberg. Republican OF
Michigan, interrupted to saw he be-
lieved it was necessary for the Sem
ate to restore to the bill a House
approved provision barring at
tempts by the price administrator to
bring about changes in business
practices while fixing prices. The
Senate Banking Committee had
eliminated this section from the bill
Other Changes Held Possible.
Senator Taft pointed out that the
committee had specified in the
measure that the price administra.
tor could not fix prices based on
such low costs that advertising
would be eliminated. However, Sen
ator Taft said the way was left open
for the administrator to force dozens
of other changes in business meth
DDS, adding:
Mr.. Henderson has got a lot of
ideas about how business practices
ought to be changed"
Without objection, the Senate
approved amendments offered by
Senator Downey, Democrat, of
California exempting motion pic
lures and other theatrical opera
tions from the price control meas
ure.
Senator Brown, said there was no
intent by the price administrator to
regulate these and no testimony had
been taken about them. He accept
ed the DoWney amendments for the
Banking Committee which drafted
the Senate bill.