Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-24
InfIa+ionary
Price Trend
Due This Fall
Retail Inventories Face
Government Control
BY PAUL MALLON

are -ttsHft rttduSc
Leon Henderson's sieve like
price control measures have
stopped price inflation-but
wait.
All economists agreed long
ago that the generalized Hen
derson measures would stop
prices at first. because we had
SURPRISES of practically every
thing, or at least enough to go
around.
But they also agreed the in
flationary trend Of prices would
be resumed as scarcities devel-
oped. This, they now calculate,
is likely to get started this COM
ing fall or winter. Current
cheering is therefore premature.
Until ScarcitieS develop, no
upward pressure ordinarily IS
felt against prices, unless some
artificial pressure is created by
hoarders attempting to stock
up. This time, even that pres
sure evaporated a few weeks.
back under interesting circum-
stances.
A CERTAIN retail trade news
"A paper carried a story that
the War Production Board was
considering a plan to requisition
retail inventories. II seems some
of the larger merchandise stores
as well as chain food, drug and
clothing stores had been over
stocking.
The story scared all retail in
terests so much that Donald
Nelson -had-te- issue denial
that seizure of stocks was con-
templated.
Apparently what happened
was that WPB economic adviser
Ernest Upper had prepared a
report on inventories and their
relations to prices, pointing to-
ward stronger government con-
trolls.
News of this report leaked to
the trade paper. Subsequent de-
mails Gained the retailers, but
the stocking-up stopped.
MR.. ROOSEVELT must have
4'A a bigger mousetrap, be-
cause the statesmen of the
world are certainly beating a
path to the White House door
Churchill. Molotov, Queen Will
hemina, King Peter, King George
III, all risking their lives to cross
the ocean within the last two
weeks.
Here earlier were T. V.
Soong, the Chinese foreign
minister; the Australian Foreign
Minister Evatt (now visiting
home); Prime Minister of Po-
land-in-Exile Sikorsky, and even
Princess Martha of Norway.
The official story is that most
of these came because they
wan ted something mostly
positions on Allied councils or
lend-lease aid, or merely to pre-
sent their cases. Any possibility
that they have been talking
postwar problems or signing
anything with Mr.. Roosevelt
along that line has been thor
oughly denied.
The last inferential denial was
made in the Harry Hopkins
speech. MIR. Hopkins said
Churchill had but one business
here-"the offensive strategy of
the war" The joint Churchill
Roosevelt statement was also an
inferential denial.
NEW YORK New Dealers in
~ the government are talking
of getting the American Labor
Party, the Young Democrats
and the Willkie Republicans into
a convention about a week be-
fore the coming gubernatorial
conventions. They want to throw
down TO both the Democrats
and Republicans a threat against
the nominations of either Dewey
or Bennett, whom they consider
TO be "isolationists."
If these two are to be the
Republican and Democratic can
didates. they want TO nominate
an independent or plump for
Dewey in order 10 wreck the
Democratic machine.
Mr.. Benefits candidacy they
attribute TO promise which Jim
Farley made 10 him in bygone
days. Jim. they say wants TO
control the delegation 10 the
presidential nominating conven-
ton in 1914, and they are out to
give him a licking.
It's strange how liberalism
changes. Only few months
ago a liberal in New York or
anywhere, was one who was
against the international bank
crS. Now TO be a liberal. one
must be on that side or for that
same theory.
THE Japs are viciously holding
u us back on shipment of food,
chocolate and cigarets 10 our
imprisoned soldiers who fought
the battle of Bataan and the
Philippines.
The San Francisco Press Club
Is undertaking leadership for
I'll l.. Z. l.