Evening star., 1942-07-03
QUESTIONABLE Aimed
Al Questionnaires
Gets Big Hand
Business Chiefs Glad
To Report on Costs
And Lost Time
Ey the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
A Government QUESTIONABLE aimed
at reducing the number of Govern
ment questionnaires brought an en-
thuSiaStic response from American
businessmen. Senator Murray Dem
ocrat, of Montana reported today.
Mr.. Murray. chairman of the Sem
ate's special committee to study the
problems of small business, reported
that 10000 letters we're sent out to
firms over the Nation asking how
much of their time was taken up
filling out Government reports.
I'VE got replies from almost all
the 100000" he said, "and there
wasn't single complaint about fill
ing out this particular questionnalre.
This time they had found one they
didn't mind answering.
"One large rubber company said 1t
cost 100000 year to answer QueS-
tions propounded by various govern
mental agencies. But the cost IN
dollars wasn't the worst OF it. They
said it took their most important
officials an average of an hour each
per day to fill out the reports"
He cited the case Of a MaSSa-
chusetts businessman who said one
of his three Office employees spent all
his time making out Government
returns and reports.
Mr.. Murray is the author OF a bill
to coordinate all Federal reporting
services and eliminate duplicate ana
overlapping requests for lnforma-
ton. Under his proposal the director
of the budget would correlate such
requests and try to make single
QUESTIONABLE do the work OF three
or four.
Bed Firms Restricted.
Manufacturers of beds, springs
and mattresses were notified by the
WPB today that they could use
during July no more than % per
cent of their average monthly con-
sumption of iron and steel IN the
year ended June 80, l941.
The restriction applies equally to
all manufacturers. Under the orig
inal limitation order. which would
have expired June 80 without the
new extension. curtailments had
been graded according to the size
OF the manufacturer.
Export Prices Revised.
The Office Of Price Adminlstra-
ton has ruled that merchant eX-
porters may use their domestic sales
@Nyt
Formerly they were required to
use a price formula based on the
cost of acquisition of the commodity
plus the average premium charged
in the export trade in the last SIX
months of 1910. or in the period
March 1-April IS, 1912, whichever
was lower.
The new pricing provision issued
yesterday permits the alternative
choice of charging the same ceiling
which would apply to a domestic
purchaser. However. the export
premium cannot be added if this
ceiling is used Export expenses
such as ocean freight, War-risk in
surance and the like may be added
to the ceiling price, whether the
price is commuted under the orlgl-
nal or the new method.
Differentials Restored.
The OPA also restored price dlf-
ferentials formerly prevailing be-
tween superstandard newsprlnt
paper, for rotogravure printing and
standard newsprint.
Under the new regulation not
more than $3.50 ton additional can
be charged for the super grade, ano
then only when the paper is to be
used for rotogravure printing.
The newsprint price ceiling orlgl-
nally was for prices of superstandarc
at standard levels, pending OPA
studies of uses and production costs
although It had always sold at
higher figure. Superstandard il
being used in increasing qnantitle'
to replace other more expensive
newsprint papers for pictorial
magazine and book sections ane
Sunday supplements.
1t is supplied to American news
papers ana puDuSnerS py Salldoiol
manufacturers. Today's amend
ment fixes a price which OPA sale
reflected the price paid for thi'
quality paper between october lis
194l. The amendment is effective
July 8.
More Time Allowed.
Vegetable Gamers will have unit
July IS to file reports showing thell
maximum prices on 35 differen
canned vegetables. Previously thu
Gamers had been instructed to fix
the reports by July l.
The canned vegetable price orde
did not become effective until Ma.
25, OPA said in explaining the de
ferment, and the task of compiling
prices under the formula require