The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-10

VelOpmentS by Richards V. Gilbert, economic ad- wiser to OPA Administrator Chester BowleS.
 While admitting frankly that no one at this time could set 8 definite schedule for postwar relaxation of specific price and rationing controls, this summary by Dick Gilbert Is the first statement by a government of ficial in answer to what is perhaps the second most frequent question asked by the American people to- day. First question is, of course, When will the war end?" Second is, When will we be rid of OPA ration points and ceiling prices?"
 IMPORTANCE NOW
 RECOGNIZED
 Economist Gilberts predictions !, if they may be called that, were made recently in the course of 8 talk before the Marketing Confer ence of the American Management Association in New York. No one paid much attention to it at the timeA Text was prepared at the last minute, and there was delay in getting it cleared through the Off, flee of War Information in Wash ington, with the result that copies were not made available until after the speech had been delivered. It was considered old news and just another speech by that time, but to- 10yN{n1 nf &INic tollv nr hniV1n grabbed up and studied carefully as one of the most significant utter ances on postwar problems yet to be made. These estimates will un- questionably have an important bearing on congressional considera- ton of renewal of the price control and stabilization acts in 1942, both of which expire June 30.
 PresuppoSing the end of the war in Europe first, Gilbert bases his es- inmates on the following deductions:
 Food price and rationing control cannot end before the first full harvest of the first full planting in Europe. If the war ends this sum- mer, and all of Europe can blow and plant in the fall and spring of 1944-45, harvesting this full crop in the fall of 1945, the need for U. s. price and rationing control would disappear at that time.
 EUROPE'S NEEDS TO INCREASE
 Gilbert points out that today only one item of clothing-Shoes-is un- der rationing. End of the war will see European requirements for clothes and textiles increase sharply as territories are liberated, but let up in U. s. government requirements for the armed services would permit immediate larger production for civilians, and within a matter Of months, with easier manpower sup ply, production will snap back to the peak levels of 1942.
 Tn the field of consumer durable goods, Gilbert sees present modified tions of the war program reducing pressure on basic raw materials and the release of manufacturing facil- ities. Manpower shortage now pre- vents full utilization of materials, but be asserts that the speed with which many of the smaller durable goods items will reappear this year may be surprising to most people. This reconversion will really take hold with the end of the war in Europe, he believes, and within six months after that the country will be in relatively full production of consumer durables, while by the time the Japanese war ends the country will not only have recon verted for the production of cars. refrigerators, washing machines and a host of other items, but that these things will have been in full produc- tion at peak rates for quite some time, with the pressure on prices sharply reduced.