Evening star., 1942-07-24
President Faces
Demand for
Congress Members
Plan Opposed by
Green and Murroy

Demands from some members
Of Congress for new legislation
to freeze wages as we'll as all
prices faced President Roosevelt
today as he attempted to work
out the most efficient method for
quick action to prevent collapse
of his anti-inflation program.
At the same time, leaders OF or
ganized labor were insisting that
he forego any outright freezing Of
wages while enforcing stringent
regulations to maintain effective
price ceilings on foods and other
necessities of life"
The President told a press confer
ence this morning that he had no
news AS yet on prospective action to
reinforce the program to control the
cost Of living. st
William Green, AFL president, and
Philip Murray, CIO president, said
they received the impression in .
White House conference yesterday
that Mr.. Roosevelt reacted favorably
to their proposal that any further
move to stabilize wages be handled
through Government machinery al
ready set up to deal with wartime
labor problems, without any inter-
ference with the collective bargain
ing principle by other agencies.
"Puttering" Assailed.
In the Senate. meanwhile Senator
O,Mahoney, Democrat, of wyoming
called for all Americans ITO stand
together to defend their country by
freezing all prices, all costs, all
profits, all wages" Until that is
done, he said, I'VE are puttering
around in vain endeavors to forget
the crisis in which we are"
Senator George, Democrat, Of
Georgia also urged more general
plan of price and wage control, and
declared that unless such a policy
is adopted no one can predict VIC
tory In the war.
Senator OMahoney said he was
depressed by published reports that
congressional leaders had advised
the President that any effort to re-
inforce the program to control the
high cost Of living through addi-
tional legislation would encounter
difficulty and delay.
Senate Majority Leader Barkley
told the Senate he believed Con-
gress must enact new legislation
giving the President additional au-
thority to prevent imitation. He
had said after conferring with Mr..
Roosevelt Wednesday that deci-
sion on whether the President
should send special message to
Congress on the subject was being
held up pending study Of what
steps the Chief Executive might
take under his existing war powers.
Green and Murray Agree.
Mr.. Green and Mr.. Murray, Lead
ers Of the two rival factions Of
organized labor, appeared in entire
agreement on the wage stabiliza-
ton question when they talked to-
gether with newspapermen on leav-
ing the White House yesterday.
I'VE. urged that the wage policy
agreed upon when the War Labor
Board was set up be carried through
without interference and without
change" Mr.. Green declared.
Both he and Mr.. Murray en-
phasized that any step to reinforce
the Presidents wage stabilization
policy should be worked out through
the established procedure.
They said they had discussed with
Mr.. Roosevelt other phases Of the
anti-inf1ation program and had ex-
pressed sympathy with his efforts to
control the cost Of living.
Confer for Nearly Hour.
The labor leaders headed half q
dozen representatives Of the two
labor organizations comprising the
Combined Labor War Board which
conferred for nearly an hour with
the President after he had received.
at an earlier meeting with both
labor and management represents
tives, a pledge Of "wholehearted CO.
operation for uninterrupted war pro-
duction."
Mr.. Murray said organized labor
insisted that effective ceilings" be
maintained on foods and other
necessities OF life." but that the dis
cussion did not go into the question
OF additional direct control Of farm
prices.
Mr.. Green voiced resentment" at
any interference by Leon Hender-
sons ONCE of Price Administra-
ton in the wage stabilization pic
ture. He said OPA interference In
on wages in the West
Coast aircraft industry already had
(See STERILIZATION, Page A-3J