Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-18
0PA Can't Accede
To Bituminous Coal
Terms, Brown Says
Price Chief Declares
Strike or Compromise
Can't Be Tolerated
ry Tic Associated Press.

Ry Tie Associated Press.
NEW YORK. Feb. 1S.-Prentiss
M. Brown said today that the
Office of Price Administration,
which he heads. cannot accede
to the demands in the bitumi-
nous coal situation
There must be no strike and
there must be no compromise" Mr..
Brown said in one of his first public
addresses since becoming head OF
the OPA, He spoke before the
technical association of the pulp
and paper industry at the Hotel
Commodore
In an interview at the OPA re-
gional Office Mi Brown said he
was satisfied the American people
will back the Chief" in administra-
ton efforts to combat initiation.
Mr. Brown said also that the two
bills now being considered by Con-
gress which would change the
method of calculating parity pay
ments to farmers. together would
Just about wreck the price control
law"
Can't Make Adjustments.
Either one of them would do us
great injury, MI. Brown said. He
identified them as the Pace parity
amendment and the Senate bill to
eliminate Government payments in
computing parity prices
Mr. Brown said the possibility of
agriculture price change was the
foundation for pay increase de-
mands which would ruin price con-
troll.
If We break through the price
structure as it is today he said.
the wage structure will inevitably
be broken through.
We cannot stop to make adjust
ments which many think are neces-
sary to achieve economic justice
He explained that while today's
balance might not be entirely per-
feet, it was the nearest to perfect
the Nation had vet achieved
Those who oppose us in Con-
gress are very strong Mr.. Brown
said. The consumer has never been
organized. He must get behind the
President to assure a continuance of
the fight against imitation. We
must hold wages and existing prices,
If we break over on prices we'll pro-
vide ammunition for the organized
labor groups"
Fighting Black Market.
Commenting on subsidies, Mr..
Brown said they were an important
factor in the transportation of fuel
Oil and coal lin this very area" and
added; I wish Our farmer friends
would realize that parity prices are
| nothing more or less than subsidies. -
Mr.. Brown said he came to New
York to look over the regional office
and meet Chester Bowles, Connec-
| ticut district manager
/ On the subject of the black mar
ket in meat. Mr.. Brown said the
OPA was trying TO meet the situa-
| ton by several moves, The first, he
| said, was consumer rationing of
meat, and the second, and possibly
/ the most important. he declared. was
the establishing of ceiling prices on
/ live cattle.
| The OPA favors ceiling prices on
| live CATTLE" Mr. Brown said. IT
think when the farmer realizes that
an important regulation is being vio-
| lated we won't, have great deal
| more trouble with black markets in
/ meat. The farmer is a law-abioing
/ citizen, but he is not conscious now
under the existing setup that any
rule is being violated"
| Byrnes Will Be Arbier.
He said the Agriculture Depart
ment had not aSsented to ceiling
prices on live cattle, the depart
ment in this respect having equal
/ authority with the OPA.
we will have to be in agreement.
If there is any dispute we'll get
Jimmy Byrnes to settle it. That's
what he's there fora sort of UNI
! pire.'
/ Mr.. Brown said the OPA had in
! stituted more than 300 suits in
black market cases concerning meat
and was starting a drive to point
out to consumers the dangers of
buying black market meat. He
/ mentioned case in Detroit recently
where diseased pork was purchased
in the black market and resulted in
one death.
Plans Newsprint Farley.
He said the No. bad spot as far
as the meat shortage went was at
San Diego and that Boston also was
in poor shape
There was approximately as much
meat in storage now as the COR
responding period last year, he said,
but emphasized that the armed
forces, lease-lend Ex-Gov. Lehman's
new organization and. finally, the
civilian populations demand had to
be met from the supply,
Concerning newsprint. Mr.. Brown
said he was meeting with the Cana
dian price administrator Wednesday
IN Washington and had asked a
committee of three neWSpa per
representatives to meet with him
early next week. He said no recon-
mendation had come to him as yet
on the newsprint question.