Evening star., 1943-05-30
VIA Officials Show
No Desire 10 Assume
Food Rationing Task
Davis Still Non-Committo|
On Jenkins Bill to Strip
OPA Of Authority
BY MALCOLM LAMBORNE. Jr,

~ 3NAAAASoAAYA u l..
War Food Administration Of
flcials, in whose hands the
knotty problems of food ration
ing and pricing would be placed
should the Jenkins bill become
law, show no eagerness to take
over the task now assigned to
the Office of Price Administra-
ton, check with VIA officials
disclosed last night.
Food Administrator Chester c..
Davis remains non n-committal on
the measure, proposed by Repre-
sentative Jenkins, Republican. of
Ohio, and his friends admit they
have failed to draw him out on the
subject one way or another.
Led by Mr.. Jenkins, 43 members
OF the House. comprising the Repub-
lican Food Study Committee, last
night urged the House Banking
Committee to begin hearings on the
bill which would transfer OPA food
functions to the Agriculture Depart
ment.
See Abolition of OPA.
Sponsors of the measure say its
passage may lead to the abolition
Of OPA. While authority over food
ratlonlng and prices would be trans
ferred to Secretary of Agriculture
Wickard, VIA officials would be
expected to handle the job of ad-
mlnlSterlng the program.
Representative Patman. Democrat.
of Texas, has served notice he will
seek to amend a pending bill to
extend the life of the Commodity
Credit Corp. and boost it's borrowing
authority by 81 900 100000. He would
turn control of food problems over
to the VIA and in effect wipe out
the OPA as it now exists.
Some VIA officials point out that
their agency is not equipped either
in personnel or machinery at pres
ent TO take over the job, though
VIA officials are we'll aware of its
magnitude.
Still others predict that the ad-
mlnistration, in the face of mount
ing opposition to OPA, may act be-
fore the Jenkins bill leaves COM
mittee and orders drastic revisions
of the agency-including that of
food rationlng and pricing. James
F. Byrnes, War Mobilization Di-
rector, may play an important role
in this connection, some observers
believe.
Mr.. jenkins said last night that
most of our food difficulties are
traceable directly to divided control
in handling problems related to pro-
duction, distribution and prices.
1T is clear to us that control must
be centralized and we feel that such
control properly belongs in the De-
partment Of Agriculture and in the
Secretary, who is cabinet member"
he said.
Calls Agency Complete Failure
Asserting that OPA has been "a
complete failure" Mr.. Jenkins add
ed, The situation is such that we
cannot, in the interest of the public
welfare, further delay legislative &C
ton He pointed out that at pres
ent ten Federal agencies now have
direct or indirect control over food.
Howard Wayne Clarke. president
Of the National Food Brokers Asso-
clatlon also is supporting the Jen-
klns bill, He said his association
was very much in favor of any,
thing that would straighten out the
present muddle'' The organiza-
tons members handle about three
flfths of all civilian processed food
and they are we'll informed on food
problems and food prices, Mr..
Clarke said.
We have been flooded with pro-
tests over OPA trying to make an
impossible price program work" Mr..
Clarke declared, adding that his Or
ganlzatlon was prepared to submit
Its experiences and counsel to Mr..
Davis, should he desire them