The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-09-28
LOOK UNDER THE SURFACE


doodods and oewqows and what do you tind' txoct'
". The buck is posed to the President.
The Senate version, which comes closer to having
teeth. would stabilize poy at the Sept. IS level AT
thot time pay scales had risen so much above those
Of AUGUST 1882 that buying power was up more tnon
IS Der cent The Senate proposes to peg it there
Both Senate and House bills specifically give the
President the power to make adjustments whenever,
in his opinion, inequities exist or the prosecution or
the war will be aided by such changes
This Of course removes all onus from Congress,
md pIoces an enormous burden upon on oreody
oveworked President 1t makes Of the ostens'ble
wage peg q futile gesture.
Moreover, both bills fix the ceiling upon the prices
of farm products at above parity. But PorIty IS
mercurio. 1t changes almost hour by hour as the
prices Of the formers purchases change. And the
cost of what the formers buy is controlled by wage
scales.
By his power to adjust wages the President is
aiven complete authority to manipulate both wages
and farm produce prices.
Therefore, although the committees have given
the appearance Of accepting their Legislative burden,
and fixno standards for the bottle against nfo-
ton in foot they have tossed the hot pototo to the
President
There is much disagreement as to the formuloe
which should be applied to establish these ceilings.
Some want them high some want them low. Per-
hops woee-eorners should get 43 per cent more buy.
ing power now-when there is little to be bought
than they got in 1929, when industrial plant
was booming on civilian production Let's woive
that for the moment
The important thing is that Congress is obdicot.
he is
ing the nasty task up to the President
Mr. Roosevelt may wontsthe power, or may not.
Surely he would appear to have enoue work to do,
as Conmonder-in.Chief Of our armed forces and un-
Official chairman Of the board Of directors Of the
United Nations, without this chore. Even that is
imnoteroI.
Policy, we repeot is Congress- province. 1t is to
make national policy that we pay 53l representa-
tves and 90 senators, provide them with excellent
working quarters and ample stoffs.
EXPANDING THE LEGION
The American Legion wants it's Congressional
charter revised to permit the fighting Of this
war to become members.
There is hozord which pehhops is not the bus
iness Of Congress- Addition of, say, $500 600 to
10000 who eligible oIreody to Legion MEM
bership could create the most powerful pressure
CIVILIAN ESSENTIALS
As the pinch grows tighter and Washington gets
tougher, it is than important to understand
what Army-NoW-WPB officials mean when they
speak Of Essential civilian requirements
"CWiIion requirements" obviously include every
thing thot is not military naval "Cvilion require
ments" includes the transportation which is vital
to armies and novies the utilities without
which war could not be prosecuted; the industries
that manufacture and munitions; and oI-
furniture, hair tonic, curling rons poper weights
and house paint.
So whenever Washington mentions Essential ci-
viIiop requirements" that first word essential is the
key word And essential now has just one really i'm
portont definition: Thot which contributes moterioI-
y TO the prosecution of the war.