The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-11-24

amendments. 1t is now admitted
| that MPR 1859 worked undue hard
ship on the small, non-proceSsing
| laughterers, of whom M. H. Magic
was one.
Just what trade practices non
processing slaughterer Maggie in
| dulged in to stay in business had
best be left to decision of the
proper, duly elected judges after
hearing evidence from all parties
concerned. Anyway, in due time
criminal proceedings were begun
against M. H. Maggie. In the U. S.
district court for the Eastern dis
trict of New York appeared attor-
neys for the government, filling
criminal information against said
Maggie for violation of MPR 1862
charging that he sold meat at prices
above the fixed ceiling price. by the
device Of accepting cash on the side.
This action Is still pending in
court.
PROTEST DENIED
Undaunted by this action, Nagle
| together with otherS-there are
about 16 of them altogether-filed
protest with the Office Of Price
Administration as permitted and
provided for in the Price Control
act, challenging the validity Of MPR
1863 and its ceiling prices because
they denied him a fair return and
were threatening to drive him out
of business.
On October 81, the day after the
Vinson directive on revised meat
subsidy payments was issued, OPA
Administrator Chester BoWles de-
MED the protest, also as provided
for in the Price Control act.
The next move is therefore up to
Maggie and his co-protestors, who
are given 80 days in which to file
an appeal with the Emergency
Court Of Appeals, set up by the
Price Control act to handle Just
such cases.
OPA really had no other choice
in the matter. It had to stick by its
guns, try to hold the line, or else
surrender completely, drop all en-
forcement proceedings and throw
the meat price situation into COM
plete disorder, with all price cell
ings removed.
At the same time, OPA counsel
saw that Its position was shaky. If
Maggie and the others should win a
protest before the Emergency Court
of Appeals, not only the meat regu-
lation but all other OPA price CELL
ings might be subject to similar at
tack.
TOUGH ASSIGNMENT
1t was In this situation that the
new Vinson direo tive of October 20
was brought fory ard. It was not
exactly brainstorm emergency
conception for OPA and VITA econ
omists had been working together
since last February, trying to devise
some formula that would perform
the miracle of relieving the distress
of the small packers, satisfying
Congress, the stockmen. the big
packers, wholesale and retail butch
ers and keeping down the cost of
living.
1t was an almost impossible as
signment right from the start. But
the device of variable subsidies,
paying $1.45 per cwt. for good grade
carcasSes and ST per cWt, for choice,
medium and lower grades; plus the
device of variable ceilings which al
low the slaughterers to average out
their profits and losses during a
months transactions; plus the ex-
ira subsidy for the non-processing
slaughtersr such as M. H. Nagle-
combined they come as close to re-
lieving the meat situation as seems
possible to do. Even VITA officials
say the Vinson order is a better
solution than they thought pos
sible. VITA is going along on the
program, though it has not openly
endorsed it. What bothers VIA
most is how it is going to carry out
the directive to allocate live cattle
to Slaughterers. That's worrying the
stockmen. too, but they're opposed
to the whole business.