The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1942-10-15
ECONOMIC H1GHL1GHTs

II 9E-s
ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTs f
The new anti-inflation bill, which
was passed with relatively grea
speed by Congress and put into eff.
feet by Presidential directive or
Oct. 4, is one more important linl
in the long chain of "total war
legislation. Such a bill would bt
unthinkable except in time of great
crisis. Ut gives the government al.
most imitless economic control ovel
the individuals and industries Of
the nation. But there was little OPP
position to it. Economists of all
schools have agreed that initiation
is the direct internal danger we face
and that tough laws and tough
administration of the laws is abso-
lutely vital. H..
The bill, as passed, does not go
as far as many economists believe
it should. 1t is frankly a compro-
mise measure. The labor bloc and
the farm bloc in the House and
Senate got a good part of what
they wanted. Farm prices, for in
stance, are to be stabilized at the
high level obtaining on Sept. IS.
All existing parity" provisions are
to be observed. Wages also are to
be stabilized at the high level of
Sept. Is, and they are not to be
reduced below the highest point
reached between Jan. / and Sept.
Is. 1T is further provided that the
War Labor Board can raise wages
If it finds that necessary to correct
gross Embellishments" It is Ger
tain that some labor groups will
make efforts to gain wage increases
under this clause of the statute.
The law places no restrictions on
salaries below $4,000 a year. How
ever, it forbids increase in salaries
above that amount unless approved
by the Director of Economic Stabil-
ization or unless the salaried work
er in question has been advanced to
a more difficult and responsible
position. 1t is considered possible
that this clause may be used to re-
strict salaries to maximum of
$4,000. after taxes. The Director
has the power to order a corpora
ton to eliminate all salary in ex-
cess of $4,000 paid to an individual
in making its income tax returns,
and in computing .cost-plus govern
ment contracts.
1t is easier to pass a law of this
kind than to vigorously enforce it.
And so one big unanswered ques-
ton is just what effect the law will
have on the formidable and grow
ing ''black market" in this country.
People with money in their pockets
and a desire for scarce goods will
offer higher than ceiling prices
and sellers will be found to bootleg
the goods, law or no law. The POI
Icing job, as result. will be diff
ficult one. One clause in the bill
provides that it shall he enforced
by any and all departments of the
government, using any and all laws
and powers of the United States. I'M
short, the measure is an all-inclusive
one, and Congress put teeth in it.
Within the next few months, it'll
seems certain that a number of 9TH
er unprecedented laws will be passed.
The most important of the pro-
jected measures is the total mobil-
ization bill. The draft is depriving
industry and agriculture of sorely
needed workers.. Also, workers, at
tracted by the high wages paid byl
war industry, have left the farms
in droves - and the agricultural
labor situation is extremely serious
as result. The total mobilization
plan emissions making it impossible
for any man to change his job
without permission from the War
ManpoWer Commission. It would
prevent industries from competing
against each other for workers. 1t
would force millions of people who
are now not working, or who are
employed in "non-essential" under
takmgs, to go to work in war plants