The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-04


 ever slapped on the American peo- pie and their free economy. If 1t works, the economic and political kickback will be terrific.
 The patriotic duty of every citi- zen-consumer retailer, wholesaler, manufacturer or producer - is to make every possible effort to see that 1t does work. This Is the su- preme test of whether a democracy can prevent runaway imitation, re- frain from chiseling and cheating, bootlegging and black market mer- chandising.
 If this price control fails-even in the face of a belief that 1t cannot succeed SO long as all farm prices and all wages are not included in the freezing orders-then there are but two alternatives. The first would be to include farm prices and wages. The second would be to give up. But the correct mental ap- preach to this question today, If you will permit a little sermon on the mounting cost of living from this department, is to do your darn edest to make the new general price control work.
 NEIGHBORS TO ENFORCE
 Enough columns of type, enough words have been spilled to leave ev- eryone a little confused as to what this overall price ceiling plan will do, and how 1t will do 1t. That uncertainty should disappear as the plan is given careful study.
 Reducing the order to its low est common denominator, the ulti- mate consumer, Administrator Hen- derson does not foresee any vast army of government officials or even housewives called upon to police the ceilings imposed, which are the highest prices paid in March. In- stead, enforcement will come large ly through committees of neigh bors," much like the local draft boards.
 These committees officially will be called War Price and Ration ing Boards. They will be volun- teer help, after the pattern of the local boards that have carried out the automobile and tire rationing programs. They may have govern ment paid clerical help later, but not immediately. Their functions will be to receive and file state ments of prices and then to eXer- else ordinary administrative judg- ment on the conduct of their ne:ghborS and their neighborhood stores.
 Henderson also pays tribute to the part the retail merchants have played in supporting the 120 specific price schedules which the Office of Price Administration has issued thus far. Retailers have done their part in making the wholesalers observe the maximumS previously imposed, and for that reason the Office of Price Administration an- ticipates no great problem in polio ing or enforcing the ceilings im- posed on retail stores.
 FIVE BIG DATES
 Effective immediately, every seller is ordered to preserve for inspection his records and his books to show maximum prices charged in March,
 On May II, these maximum March prices become the future maximums for wholesalers, pro- ducers and manufacturers.
 On May IS, maximum March prices become the future maXimums for retailers, and every item sold must bear tag or shelf mark show ing this ceiling price.
 By June 1, every dealer in cost of living commodities must file with the local War Price and Rationing Board a list of all his maximum prices, and thereafter on the first of every month file list of prices on commodities newly offered for sale within the preceding month.
 By July 1, every seller of goods or services must prepare and keep for inspection his prices on every commodity or service offered for sale. and all his customary allow anees and discounts.
 Those are the important dates to remember.
 Every retailer and wholesaler is automatically licensed to do busi- ness by this new order, and every new store will be automatically li- eensed. Stores which donot abide by the price regulations may have their licenses taken away by court aetion-iB other words, get put out of buslnegg-foF as long as a year and be fined s5O00 plus a years inc pFisonment. That's the worst that can happen.