The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-06-25

| AB1&MNFMN
 well, maybe not laws in the strictly Harvard law school sense of the word-but or- ders which are the equivalents of laws, and If you think they're not laws, Mister, just try getting funny with a few of them and see how fast they can put you in jail, fine you by the century or grand, take away your hoarded stockpiles and in general put you temporarily but completely out of business till you've made amends and promised to be good.
 The average two-year term of Congress, during the last couple of decades, has ground out from 800 to 1000 laws per biennium. This is considered as frightful enough ac- complishment by the average Citi- zen, though 1t makes business good for the lawyer fraternity and fright. ems many otherwise normal par ents into sending their progeny to law schools instead of exposing them to useful trades like bricklay- ing or truck driving.
 The nine young dentists of the Supreme Court kick few of these congressional laws in the face from time to time, thereby removing their teeth, but by and large the laws that Congress passes are good, legal, quid pro quo, sine qua non, per SC, duces tecum, ipso facto laws. Once passed, they usually stay passed. NO SLOW MOTION
 But there's nothing slow motion about the way those orders 90 roll- ing along at WIPE. When an order is about to get born at the war agencies, the chief of the industry branch usually calls in his priorities expert, and they figure out what they have to do. They call in rep- resentatiyes of the industry affected, and discuss 1t with them. No one is ever 100 per cent satisfied. but pretty soon a formula is worked out which causes the least inconveni- ence.
 Then the WIPE lawyers draft the order in good whereas style. When drafted, the order goes to Clear ance Committee of Army, Navy and WIPE brass hats which sits four or five hours a day and okays or rec rejects. If okay, the order is pub- lished, and that's all there is to 1t. People = meaning those inanimate things called corporations-who may get hurt by these orders can appeal back to WIPE and maybe get relief. But there Is no place where peo- pie or a corporation can 30 and say, Hey, you can't do that to mel"
 The authority to issue these or ders Is all based on a law or an executive order which is based on law, giving the WIPE or any of It's agencies the right to hand down these decrees.
 In the two years since June 30, 1940, that WIPE and its OPM, SPAB and NDAC predecessors have been functioning, there have been issued between 1000 and l5oo of these directives, rules. orders amendments, interpretations, defini- tions, repeals and explanations. No one knows exactly how many there have been. The serial numbers don't mean anything, for lot of orders that get written are never approved. The explanations don't change the original orders they ex- plain, though the interpretations and the amendments do. The number of these orders now in effect Is well over 500. This nun. Der may be tapering of now, for most of the basic work Is done and from here on 1t will be largely a matter of amendments.
 LOTS-AND ALL LEGAL
 At the top of the heap are four WIPE directives to other agencies, though some of these directives have many parts. The first directive, telling OPA to set up rationing, has supplements from A to H.
 Next in importance are the II general rules on priorities, setting up the system.
 M" orders, creating industry wide controls over materials, num- Der l43.
 "P" orders, giving limited blanket ratings for materials entering into production of key war objects, num- Der 62.
 "E" orders giving production pref erence to equipment especially need- ed for war, number only four.
 IL" orders, setting limits on pro- duction of materials, 103. ] Suspension orders, issued against 1 Nolators of regulations, 47. Maximum price regulations, not counting the hundreds of items cov- cred by the general maximum price regulation, 155.
 And they're all perfectly legal, friends, they're all perfectly legal.