Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1942-05-06
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

| EA2S&S&&SM "a MI
WASHINGTON. May 6. - The
! big question or l., new general
maximum price schedule announc-
ed by Price Administrator Leon
Henderson is. will it work?"
The obvious answer is, ITS got
to work." even without ceilings on
wages and farm products. which
/ the farner-labor government now
running these United States re-
fuses to plaster on the lath-like
| skeleton of the countryS wartime
economic structure.
There will be heartbreaks.
confusion and fights in and
out of court, getting the price
control machinery set up. This
is unquestionably the most
drastic order ever slapped on
the American people ard their
| free economy. ii il works. ev-
verifying will be almost dandy.
If it doesn't work, the eco
nonic and political kickback
will be terrific.
The patriotic duty of eyer% cltl-
zen - consumer, retailer, whole
| saler. manufacturer or producer
is to make every possible effort to
see that it does work. This is the
supreme test of whether democ-
racy can prevent runaway initiation,
refrain from chiseling and cheat
ing. bcotlegging and black market
merchandising
If this price control fails-even
in the face Of a belief that it can
not succeed so long as all farm
| prices and all wages are not in
Guided in the freezing orders-then
there are but two alternatives. The
first would DE to include farm
| prices and wages. The second would
! be to give up But the correct
( mental approach to this question
today. if Eou will permit a little
sermon on the mounting cost of
living from this department, is to
do your darnedest to make the new
general price control work.
NEIGHBORS TO ENFORCE
Enough columns of type, enough
words have been spilled to leave
| everyone a little confused as to
what this overall price ceiling
plan will do, and how it will do it.
That uncertainty should disappear
as the Plan is given careful study
Reducing the order to its
lowest common denominator,
I'll 10
istrator Henderson does not
fOrsee any vast army of gov
eminent officials or even
housewives called upon to police
the ceilings imposed, which are
the highest prices paid in
March. Instead, enforcement
will come largely through "com-
mittees of neighbors", much
like the local draft boards.
These committees officially will
| be called War Frice and Rationing
Boards. They will be volunteer help,
after the pattern of the local
| boards that have carried out the
! automobile and tire, rationing pro-
grams. They may have government
!
Immediately Their functions will
be to receive and file statements
| of prices and then to exercise ord
mary administrative judgment on
the conduct of their neighbors and
their neighborhood stores.
Henderson also paws a tribute
to the part the retail merchants
have played in supporting the 100
specific price schedules which the
| Office of Price Administration has
! issued thus far Retailers have
done their rart in MAXI g the
wholesalers observe the maximumS
previously imposed, and for that
reason the Office of Price Admin
istration anticipates no great prob
lem in policing or enforcing the
! filings imposed or retail stores.
FIVE BIG DATES
Effective Immediately, every SELL
er is ordered to preserve for in
Spaction his records and his books
to show maximum prices charged
in March.
On Nav IL, these maximum
March prices become the future
maXimums for wholesalers, pro-
ducers and manufacturers.
On May Is, maximum March
prices become the future maxi
NUNS for retailers, and every
item sold must hear tag or
shelf mark showing this ceiling
price.
By June L, every dealer in cost.
Cf-living commodities must filr
with the local War Price and Ra.
t'oning Board a list CT all hi,
maximum prices, and thereafter or
the first of ever month file lis
Of prices on commodities newly of.
fered fer sale within the preceding
month.
By July l, every seller of
goods or services must pre-
pare and keep for inspection his
prices on every commodity or
\ service offered for sale, and all
his customary allowances and
discounts.
These are the important date,
to remember.
Every retailer and wholesaler i,
automatically licensed to do bust.
ness by this new order. and ever,
new store will be automatically H.
censed. Stores which do not abide
bv the price regulations may have
their licenses taken away b" court
action-in other words. be put out
of business-for as long as a year
end be fined $4,000 plus a years
Imprisonment. That's the worst
! that can h2DpPD