The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-15


 open it up for attack by amend ment to correct specific abuses, and in that process anything can hap pen.
 Most severe congressional blast at price control and Stabilization has come from Congressman Howard w. Smiths Select Committee to Inves- tigate Acts of Executive Agencies Beyond the Scope of Their Author ity. In three blistering reports this committee has raked the Office of Price Administration over the coals for many of its administrative and enforcement orders on price control and rationing charging that these orders go far beyond the powers granted to OPA by Congress. These criticisms do not imply that there is anything wrong with the law, but merely specify wherein the law has been badly administered. Any at tempt to restate the law or give 1t teeth by amendment to make OPA comply more closely with congress sional wishes would, however, delay renewal and might permanently hamstring price and rationing of f1cials.
 HAGGLING OVER SUBSIDIES
 There are other stumbling blocks to renewal of the Stabilization Act.
 Chief of these is the matter of subsidies. The Pr1ident has asked for continuance of subsidies, along with new food cost law to guar antee minimum prices to farmers and to impose ceilings on prices to consumers, but Congress haggles.
 Outside of Congress, the drive of organized labor to break the Little Steel formula and obtain further wage increases constitutes a real threat not only against. the Stab iilization Act, but against the whole idea of stabilization program. Granting of any further wage in- creases in the steel, aircraft or auto industries would be an open ad- mission of a fact already realized by coal and railroad industries, that the Little Steel wage formula is now & dead duck and that the oIdOA41HdV1Ol1 R4OSA oAAA VI ONIONOA, 1942, died along with 1t.
 Price Adm inistrator Chester Bowles has not revealed to Congress that he has no chance of rolling back the cost of living to October 1942 levels, even with the use of subsidies. For a full admission that the October 1942 stabilization pro- grams has Topped, only one other thing would be necessary-a f1nd- ing by the Presidents War Labor Board Committee on the Cost of Living that the present Bureau of Labor Statistics cost of living sur- vey does not give 8 true index of present conditions that the index should be revised upwards, mad that corresponding increases in wages should be allowed. O
 CALENDAR CROWDED
 Renewal of the Stabilization Act of 1942 could not come up at worst time. The congressional calendar is crowded with other things that must perhaps be decided first. The record of this Congress on renewal legislation. as exempli- fled on eco, subsidy, social security and tax measures, has been bad. The tendency has been to delay action till the last minute, then extend authorization temporarily, pending final settlement later. Pro- crastination of this kind on Stab- iization Act renewal might well bring chaos by summer, as the the President told Congress in his message to the opening session. June is the month of the political conventions. Congress may want to adjourn before then, or if it does stay in session, 1t won't feel much like talking about stabilization.
 Next to the Selection Service Act, this Stabilization Act of October 1942 is perhaps the most important piece of legislation on the books, affecting the home front. A break down in actual stabilization-mean- ing an admission that wages and prices were no longer in balance would mean that mere renewal of the Stabilization Act of 1942 would not be enough. What would be re- quired then would be brand-new stabilization act and program which is an inflationary threat to make all 6n