Evening star., 1943-04-02

tAAC NOAS1CoS AdSb July III COIIlpuIuAe
parity, benefits must be included.
Under the original Emergency
Price Control Act the administrator
was forbidden to establish maximum
prices which would reflect less than
ITO per cent of parity to producers
Under the Sterilization Act of Oc-
tober 2, 1912, the Congress author
lied the administrator to establish
prices which will reflect to producers
of agricultural commodities the par
ity price for such commodity or the
highest price received by such pro-
ducers for such commodity between
January l, 1912, and September Is
1912, whichever is the higher. Par
ity," one would assume, bears the
same meaning in both acts.
The meaning Of parity" under
the original Emergency Price Con-
troll Act had been established by
administrative Interpretation. Fur
thermore, the price administrator
construction had been upheld by
the Attorney General prior to the
Introduction of the act Of October
2, 1912. This administrative ruling
authorized the price administrator
to include parity, allotment and soil
conservation payments received by
the producers of agricultural prod
ucts in determining whether prices
reflected ITO per cent of parity to
the producers. The Congress was
advised of this Interpretation before
1t passed the act of October 2, 1912
(see page 81, hearings before Senate
Banking and Currency Committee
S. j., Res. 16l, Seventy-seventh Con-
gress, second session..
Amendment Was Offered.
When the act OF October 2, 1912
was under consideration in the
House OF Representatives an amend
ment was offered similar to the bill
which is now submitted to me which
would have excluded any deduction
for parity or soil conservation pay
ments in computing parity. This
amendment was rejected eighty
eighth Congressional Record, page
1922.
1t cannot, therefore, be fairly said
that'1 ignored either the law or the
legislative intent of the Congress
when I directed, in my executive
order No. $3.50 Of october 3, 1912,
that appropriate deductions for
Government payments should be
made in computing parity prices.
I have referred to the legislative
history only because of some of
the criticisms of my action. I know
that some members of the Congress
differ with my Interpretation of the
law. I credit them with sincerity.
I ask that they credit me with equal
sincerity.
Talks on Merits Of Plan.
Let us consider the merits of the
proposal.
The act of October 2, 1912, di-
rects the President to issue a gen.
eral order stabilizing prices, wages
and salaries, which affect the cost
OF living; and, except as otherwise
provided in this act, this stabiliza-
ton shall be on the basis of the
levels which existed on September
Is, 1912. 1t is impossible to control
the cost Of living unless all of its
vital elements are stabilized.
The time has come when all of
us-farmefs, workers, managers and
investors-must realize that we
cannot improve our living stand
ards In period Of total war. On
the contrary, we must. all cut our
standards of living for the dura-
tion:' We must adopt simple war
time standards. II we do, none of
us need want for the real necessi-
ties of life. We can all have enough
If we do not try to get too much.
We can only make sure that the
present balance does not change
materially for the worse; and that
those on the lower rungs of the
economic ladder are not ground
down below the margin Of existence.
Further we cannot 20 during the