The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1944-02-25
. BEHIND THE SCENES
IN WASHINGTON .

tween 1880 and l93S-you III
have to make this denim to sell
at cost. That will enable the
overall manufacturers to turn
out work clothes that will sell
at no advance in ceiling price,
and thus We'll be able TO keep
down the cost of living. This is
the contract, and please sign
here"
"YOU CAN'T DO
THIS TO Me-.
President Joe Doakes of the
Joe Doakes Mfg. Co. staggers
slightly, then RECEIVERS, rares
back in his chair and says, II
amt interested. Why should
give up the manufacture of
chintzes for which there is good
demand and nice price, just
to make denims on which the
price is not so nice and the prof
its nil? Besides, you can't do
this to me. It's free country,
operating under the law of sup
ply and demand and a free en-
terprise system, and / don't have
to do anything I don't want to.
OF course, il you put the price
up on these denims, that might
be different. But what you are
proposing is revolutionary state
socialism or fascism."
Here Mr.. Government smiles
kindly. Things are different
now, Joe. There's war on and
we can do this to you--or don't
you know about Economic Stab
ilization Director Fred M. Vim
sons directive of Nov. IS, l943,
as amended and restated Jan. 80,
1944?"
Never heard of it," says Joe.
ITS very interesting says
MIR. Government, land you
should broaden your reading.
Then the man sets out patiently
to explain. In order to assure
adequate production of essential
civilian goods, the War Produc-
ton Board is directed to make
plans for the manufacture OF
sufficient quantities TO make up
the shortages, subject to Office
of Price Administration approx
al of the price to prevent infla-
ton. There exists patriotic
responsibility on the part of all
manufacturers of consumers
goods TO produce unitarian
durable products at cost which
the average consumer is able
to pay" wrote Judge Vinson
Therefore, he ordered that ex.
cessive profits should be pre-.
vented in such manufacture, and
he. ruled that where profits OF
any manufacturer were less
than double his 1869 average
he could make 2 per cent on this
new business, while if his profits
were now more than double the
1869 profit, he'd have tc
make the goods at cost.
BUSINESSMEN IN UPROAR
This order caused more ruck-
us than anything the Office OF
Economic Sterilization has done
Businessmen came stOrming
down to see Judge Vinson &c
know if this was to be govern.
ment policy on all civilian goods
production during reconversior
and in the postwar period. Die
hot that Judge Vinson had &c
it apply to flatirons and horse
collars? The pressure got sc
suck back part of his order, by
saying it was to apply only tc
textiles - work clothes, work
gloves and stuff life that.
WPB textile industry adviser:
are dead set against the direct.
i've, saying it is no way to &c,
production. Their argument i:
that OPA should roll back the
prices on chintzes and other I'm.
essential fancy weave fabrics, SC
as to make their production UNI
profitable. Then raise the price
on denims and work clothes ano
infants wear fabrics so as tc
encourage their production ano
relieve the shortages that way
OES and OPA say nothing doinR
and there, for the moment, the
fight is drawn.