The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-03-21

why ii is necessary to see that he's
able to get it at reasonable figures.
Doing so is the Office of Price Ad-
ministration's funeral. A whole
saler doesn't come into direct con-
tact with actual consumerdom. so
that there's nobody to dictate to
him unless some overhead author
ity. like the OPA attends to his
case. A retailer. though. gets his
hollers from right across the coun-
ter.
That is. he does IL his patronage
is principally from the distaff side
of the public that foots the bills.
Price Fixer Henderson isn't so
sure about men He rather thinks
the average gets habit OF trading
at some particular clothiers or
haberdashers heads in there when
there's something he wants and
digs up whatever he's asked for.
yowling perhaps, but handing over
the dough. Maybe retailers Of mas
culine supplies require good bit
OF supervision.
Women a Problem
Women, however, are rated as
far harder boiled. They shop
around. The place that gives 'em
the best and most on the best
financial terms catches their bust
ness. Retailers who cater TO EN-
naturally compete for it. Conse-
quently they're automatically as
moderate as they can be, except at
an outright loss. The wholesalers
that THEY buy from have to be
regulated, but, so far as concerns
any profiteering Of their own, the
ladies nip that in the bud, with
small assistance from the OPA.
There's one little consideration
that Fixer Henderson likes to call
to the fair sexs attention.
Suppose a housewife. foreseeing
q shortage OF, say, canned goods.
decides to lay in big stock Of 'em.
The probabilities are that other
housewives foresee and do the
same thing. The result is a market
shortage, due to. all these stored
up stocks. When there's a short
age it's a near-impossibility to
prevent prices from soaring. Even
II Fixer Henderson slaps an arti-
fetal ceiling over EN-, there's
bound TO be considerable bootleg
selling at fancy prices. Consumer
dom either pays EN- or goes with
out that especial stuff.
Well, the thrifty housewife, who
has laid in what she deemed an
adequate supply, finally runs shy.
Her hoard can't last forever. with
her family chewing away at it
ad libitum.
Thereupon she goes out to buy
more, and Immediately discovers
that the price has gone up like
fury, owing to a shortage that she
herself helped to create.
The moral, Fixer Henderson
warns, is. Don't hoard, or it's
pretty certain to react" It's one of
those vicious circles that We hear
so much about.
II War Lasts!
Just how price fixing is going 10
pan out in the long run, if the war
strings along indefinitely. is
problem for anyone, Leon Hender-
son probably included. To tell
purveyor of supplies that he can
charge only so much for EN- may
be made to stick. so far as his
salesmanship's concerned, but he
can quit selling. which he's likely
to do before submitting to going
broke. And then what?
There has been a price bulge al
ready Of around 20 per cent. count
ing everything. on an average.
The generality Of US haven't felt
II 50 violently yet, because ma
jority Of us have a certain amount
OF more or less permanent things
on hand. and can worry along on
EN- for the present. Illustratively
groceries have gone up, and, while
we feel the advance, they're only
one bunch Of items. But the nor
NAL guy has an accumulation Of
two or three suits Of clothes. They
viii frazzle out ultimately. and
then wen find the next outfit more
costly and minus two pairs of
pants per coat and vest. The
missis' raiment will be at higher
rating also. and the kids.