Evening star., 1943-07-03
Brown Predicts End
OF Price Control #
0PA Funds Are Cut

Price Administrator Brown yes
terday warned Senate leaders that
should Congress adopt the confer
ence report on the OPA appropria-
ton bill, with its restrictive amend
ments, it would "hamstring" the
agency and leave no chance for
price control to continue"
He objected specifically to the con-
fereeS action in pairing the agency
appropriation to $l55.000.000, pro-
hibition of the use of funds for pro-
mitigation or enforcement OF orders
requiring Standardization of certain
commodities, and the amendment
requiring price officials to have had
previous business experience in each
commodity upon which the official
works.
Reduction of the total appropria-
ton s22 100000 will cut OPA's funds
far below the rate at which it is
now operating, Mr.. Brown said, and
refusal of more money for enforce
ment will make impossible the hiring
of needed enforcement officers.
Standardization Curb Hit.
In letter TO Majority Leader
Barkley the administrator struck out
particularly at the amendment pro-
hibiting Standardization. He said
it will breakdown our dollars and
cents ceilings on meat and many
other articles. 1t will not be pos
sible to enforce scores of ceilings
now accepted by the trade and Gus
toners"
A price spokesman pointed out
that meat ceilings are based on
standard cuts and grades, without
which uniform or understandable
pricing would be impossible. He
added that 1t would also break down
control over prices of butter, lumber,
iron and steel scrap used by steel
mills, potatoes, citrus fruits and
many other things. All of these
items are controlled by dollars and
cents regulations attached to grades
The enforcement program by
reason Of the limitation on amount
I am told by my enforcement people,
will break down." Mr.. Brown wrote
regarding the proposed denial of
funds to hire more inspectors He
pointed out that OPA has $500 in
vestigators to cover all price, rent
and rationing regulations in the
country-an average Of less than
one to a county. In his budget he
had asked for funds to hire 1900
additional inspectors.
Loss of Personnel Feared.
Mr. Brown also asked that OPA
be permitted to buy commodities
from suspected violators to obtain
evidence for prosecution, authority
approved by the Senate, but re-
moved by the conferees.
The amendment requiring previ-
GUS business experience In each
commodity upon which the official
works will destroy price control"
he wrote, adding that it would re-
quire dismissal of a large part of
the existing price personnel and
would make it impossible in most in
stances to recruit any other per-
sonnel.
The action barring standards, he
said, would stop all enforcement ac-
tivities on 265 price regulations and
las a practical matter the regula-
tions might as well be null and
void"
Mr.. Brown said that a large part
of his staff would be unable to quail
ify under the previous experience
amendment, although they may
have had extensive business expert
ence." He said he planned Ito
bring in some top flight business ex-
ecutives. Some cannot qualify un-
der this amendment"
He pointed out that business ex-
perience "in a related industry field
is not experience in price control.
Price control operates in unknown
and uncharted waters. Experience
is lacking. Data are often made
quate. What is done to one in
dustry affects many others. Policy
cannot be established by industry.
1t must be established for the
Nation"