The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-05-13
OPA Spokesman Assures
Protection to Consumer
HousehoIders TO Poy No More Thon
Maximum Price Chorsed in March

MIR. Macomb County Consum-
er was definitely assured of pro-
lection against profiteering in
cost-of-living commodities and
other saleabie items last night
when j. Kennedy, of the Detroit
field office of the Office of
Price Administration laid down
the law about price ceilings for
the benefit of merchants at
Mount Clemens high school.
Generally speaking, consumers
will pay not more for any given
article than the maximum price
charged for same as of March,
1912, with the exception of such
items as were included in ami
verSary, clearance of other sales
during March.
In the latter event Kennedy
pointed out, the price-control
cars would not expect retailers
to sell goods from now on at a
price that was below a normal
going price or even below a cost
price. Other than that prices Of
most commodities will not be
in excess Of what they were in
March Of this year.
PLANS REVEALED
That the office Of price con-
troll is definitely out to see that
there is no maneuVerlng by
merchants, individually or as a
group, to jockey prices above a
reasonable ceiling through
false or ambiguous listing of
March price schedules was de-
finitely demonstrated by the re-
preventative of that office.
Merchants must have records
on hand for inspection by the Of
flee of price control that defin-
itely show upon what basis they
arrived at the ceiling price that
they have set upon any article
offered for sale in their place of
business. In general they must
be able TO show mark-up and
mark down records, invoices,
sales books, or duplicate sales
slips to prove that their ceiling
price on any article was what it
sold for in March.
If articles offered for sale in
March were not sold, then the
price at which they were Of
fered for sale becomes the CELL
ing price, except IN the cases of
special or bargain sales as noted
above. If articles are TO be sold
on and after May 10 that were
not stocked in March, then the
highest price charged by d COM
petItor for those articles may be
used as the determining factor
in setting a price ceiling for the
sale Of such commodities.
FAIR PRICE
If no records are available in
regard to the prices charged for
specific articles during March
or other special factors enter IN,
the Office of Price Control will
insist upon the use of fair and
equitable basis by the mechant
IN arriving at his ceiling price
on the March base, it was indi-
Gated.
Without definitely commit
ting himself or the price control
administration, Kennedy told
merchants that it was probable
that in setting a ceiling upon
summer and ta.l goods they may
be permitted TO use last year 5
prices as Of the summer and fall
period as a base.
They were expressly warned
by the speaker, however, that
they are to avoid attempting TO
use April and May prices OF
commodities this year as the bas-
is for establishing ceiling prices
IN the absence OF March records
covering sale-and-dellveTy or Of
fering prices on those commodl-
| ties.
MUST BE LISTED
Beyond that, ali ceiling prices
on cost-of-.iving commodities
must not only be listed in book
or upon plaCards In plain view
in the store, but where practi-
cable they must be plainly mark
ed on each item or upon racks,
bins, or tables where an array Of
the same general type of COM
modify is displayed for sale,
and each article upon which a
ceiling price is listed must be
readily identifiable by the con-
sumner as that upon which that
ceiling price has been establish
ed.
CUSTOMERS RIGHTS
Any customer in any store
may demand TO be shown the
ceiling price of any given cost
of-living commodity at any time
with the merchant being held
responsible for providing such
information at any time that 1t
is demanded.
Under the head of coSt-of-liv-
ing commodities the general
subdivisions are clothing for
men, women, boys, girls and in
fants; food and household sun
! dries. household furniture, an