Evening star., 1943-05-13
0PA Will Hire 1,400
New Investigators 10
Aid Price Roll Back
Brown Pledges Punishment
For ChiseIers in Drive
To Cut Living Costs
By tie Associated Press.

Price Administrator Brown
today disclosed plans to hire
400 more investigators to help
roll back the cost of living and
said the OPA's new subsidy pro-
gram will be strictly expert
mental
Job of the new Investigators will
be to educate unintentional violators
Of price rules and punish willful
"chiselers." .dr Brown said. Aides
have estimated that effective en-
forcement, depending mostly on
adequate personnel, could cut the
cost of living S per cent.
BY such enforcement-and care
full use of subsidies-Mr. Brown said,
OPA expects to bring down the cost
of living to the level of September
Is, 1912, and hold it there
Trial Period Planned.
He added that his recently an
nounced plan to seek 10 per cent
reduction in the retail costs of meat,
butter and coffee about June l
through subsidies was experimental
The future of subsidies in the price
picture, he indicated, will depend on
actual results of the trial next
month.
The 14O0 extra investigators.
Mr.. Brown explained will be added
to an existing force of approxi-
mately $500. Their salaries are
provided for in the next OPA budg-
ct, which has been approved by the
White House preparatory to sub
mission to Congress.
Together with volunteers from
price panels" of local ration boards,
the investigators will go from store
to store, checking compliance with
price rules. explaining how to cor
rect errors and preparing evidence
for criminal prosecution in the will
full cases.
Price Lists Are Simplified.
OPA is busy now putting out SIM
plified price lists SO that every one
store owner and housewife alike
can know what the legal prices are.
The combination of understanda-
BILE ceiling prices and vigilant en-
forcement," Mr. Brown said, should
hold the line, except in certain cases
where subsidies are required
The OPA chief said he believed
prices have been held in control
better than most people realize.
said prices of such important factors
as steel. iron, aluminium, "copper"
lead, cotton cloth, hides, gasoline
and crude oil had been held almost
without change in the last year.
Davis Statement Denied.
Meanwhile, Food Administrator
Davis was quoted by a CIO delega-
ton from New York as saying that
it was impossible to roll back food
prices as pledged by Mr. Brown. but
this later was denied by J. B. Russell,
Mr.. Davis assistant.
The delegation said this attitude
expressed by Mr.. Davis lin three
minute conference" was in sharp
contrast with what the group was
told by President Roosevelt, Eco
nomic Chief Byrnes and Mr.. Brown.
Mr.. Russell, in denying Mr.. Davis
had told the CIO group retail prices
could not be rolled back, said that
what Mr.. Davis had told them was
that the War Food Administration
intended to use all its power to re-
lieve pressure against retail food
prices at whatever level they are set
under the ho]d-the-line policy
Further, Mr.. Russell said, Mr..
Davis told them he would use the
most effective methods available in
accomplishing this objective and at
the same time maintaining maxi
mum food production"
CIO Members Take Action.
Sam Mills, secretary of the Greater
New York Congress of Industrial
Organizations, said 200 members
divided into committees called at the
White House and on other officials,
then on New York members of
Congress.
1--WE visited various Government
agencies and Congress to mobilize
support for the Presidents economic
stabilization program" Mr.. Mills ex-
planned at a press conference.
Among requests of the delegation
was that food prices to the consumer
be rolled back to the levels of Sep
tember, 1912.
Mr.. Davis, we regret to report,
expressed the opinion that it was
impossible to roll back prices to
September IS or any other appro-
pirate stabilization date" Mr.. Mills
asserted.