The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-10-05
SMALL CUTS IN
 PRICES ARE DUE
Few FOOdstuffs to Show Decline; New Economic
 Controls GO Into Effect
BY ARTHUR F. DEGREvE limited Press Staff COrrespOndent)

Limited Press Staff COrreSpOndent)
 Washington, Oct. 5 - .UP) Fl Housewives may expect small cuts soon in some basic food prices, not ably butter and cheese, government ofncials said today as they imposed the first of c series of new economic controls which will regulate the lives ad habits of civilians for the duration.
 Wages and salaries will be stabil ized. Profits are to be controlled. Food prices will be begged. No indi- vidual will be permitted to earn more than $25, 1000 a year after taxes. Rents are to be controlled and security of tenure assured.
 This tremendous operation was ordered over the week end by Pres 1dent Roosevelt, with the approval ana consent of congress, and ottl- cials moved swiftly to:
 Set 60-day emergency price ceil- ings over virtually all goods items hitherto exempt from control. These are effective today.
 Extend the entire continental United States rent controls now in force in 396 defense-rental areas. Opa Administrator Leon Henderson will sign the orders today.
 Former Supreme Court Justice James F. ByrneS, who was selected by President Roosevelt to be director of the new office of economic stabil- lzation-OES-wil set up offices to- day in the White House.
 T plan to get down to work in- mediately," he said.
 War Labor Board Chairman Will liam H. Davis anticipated some i'm plementation of the agency's wage determination policy, based on the Little Steel' formula, in carrying out the new wage stabilization edict.
 Deputy OPA Administrator J. G. Balbraith said conferences would be begun immediately with members of industries affected by the expan- sion of price controls to their pro- ducts. He will confer with citrus in- dustry spokesmen today.
 The hitherto exempt products brought under price tops are butter, lcheese, evaporated and condensed milk, eggs, poultry, flour, dry on- ions, potatoes, fresh and canned citrus fruits, juices, dry edible beans, cornmeal and mutton. Authorities said no wholesale downward revision in prices of all or most of these products may be expected. They said reductions which would become effective when permRnent ceilings are established, probably would be limited to butter. cheese, evaporated and condensed milk
 But. the same officials pointed out, housewives have the assurance that the prices of 90 per cent of their food budget now have been begged and the rising cost of liv- ing braked. They said that there may be an upward revision in some prices from time to time, but that increases would not be general.
 "A housewife should suspect every price increase-and report 1t to proper authorities, one official, who declined the use of his name, said.
 Henderson's rent control program, announced yesterday, emphasized the severity of the new economic program, The new order will stabil- ize rents of all dwelling units at the level of March, 1942. That llevel has been in force in all but go defense-rental areas, where the 194l level was used as yardstick, since June 1.
 Henderson also disclosed that he will place sharp restrictions over the sale of dwelling units for the dura- ton. He said present regulations would be amended to limit future property transactions to bona tide sales.
 There is in presently controlled rent areas, he said, a growing prac- fice of owners forcing tenants tc purchaset he premises-in many cases at exorbitant prices. This practice. he said, is designed to avoid lie effect of rent control and to col feet from the existing tenant or a new occupant monthly installmentS 9r excess of maximum rents.
 Oficiais said complaints have come from Mobile, Ala. Philadel- paia, Portland, Ore, Detroit, anc other cities having serious housing problems. :, ,
 .sThis practice must cease" Hen sgerson declared.