Evening star., 1945-09-06
78>OOO-Word 7run7onMessoqe
Is Second Longest in History

i0sII0HVlSSSuSC
est in History
/ This message went to the first
session of the Fifty-seventh Con-
gress.
| A veteran member of the Wash
ington newspaper corps, Mr. Ross
said he did not recall any mes
sages which exceeded those two in
length.
He said great many persons
! had helped Mr. Truman on the
message but that the Chief Exec
utive had very large hand in
its preparation and worked on ii
very hard"
need for them disappears. The need
to control few critical materials
which the war has caused to be in
short supply will continue for some
time until adequate supplies are
again available. Foremost among
these materials are tin and crude
rubber.
Must Prevent HOarding.
1t will also be necessary for some
period TO prevent the boarding of
items now badly needed and in
great demand for the civilian econ
omy. Many critical shortages can
be avoided by the extension of gen.
oh
prevent the accumulation of un-
reasonably large stocks in the hands
Of few. This will speed the re-
conversion program and will also
greatly assist in avoiding imitation
of the price structure.
The extension of one further type
OF control should have consideration
at this time. In the national in
terest, this Government has made
and should continue to make agree
ments for securing our fair share
of materials from certain foreign
sources and also agreements for
supplying various materials and
products aboard. The Government
should have authority to assure the
carrying out of such commitments.
These production and inventory
controls, as we'll as the ALLEGATIONS
of food, set-asides of commodities
and rationing among consumers
have been set up under the Second
War Powers Act
Most of the provisions of this
act expire on December 81, 1945.
l am convinced that an orderly
transition to a peacetime economy
Will require the use of some of these
controls after the first of the wear.
I request the Congress, therefore
to extend the provisions of the
Second War Powers Act, either in its
present form or with appropriate
limitations, preserving the powers
necessary to achieve the detectives
I have outlined
The Congress has my definite as
surance that none of these war
powers will be exercised by the ex-
ecutlve branch of the Government
unless they are deemed essential
to the attainment of the objective
of an orderly stabilized reconversion,
The Congress should, of course, If it
extends the statute. reserve the right
to terminate 1t by legislation at any
time 1t deems necessary.
Congress Should Decide.
I hope that the Congress will not
! delay the extension of this au-
thority. Delay would retard recon-
version by creating uncertainty on
the part of business as to whether
necessary controls will be retained
or not. Businessmen, in planning for
next years activities, will be assisted
greatly by knowing in advance
whether or not the Government is
going to keep a firm hand at the
brakes to prevent imitation.
The termination of the wartime
food subsidies, for which a total of
sl,798. 100000 has been authorized
for the current year, is one of the
important problems in reconversion
Agencies dealing directly with this
problem are now meeting jointly to
determine in what order and AT
what time these food subsidies ma;
be eliminated without an undue els.
turbance to farm income or living
costs.
Subsidies for purposes other than
food are also being reviewed by the
agencies concerned, who are collect
ing the necessary data for an orderly
liquidation at the earliest date COM
patible with the stabilization pro-
gram.
Those subsidies which were de-
signed originally to stimulate in
creased production should not be
removed at time or in a manner tc
incite imitation and upset our econ
omy.
have directed that early reports
be made on this important problem
4. War Powers
I should like to bring to the atten.
tion of Congress the legal difficulties
that will arise unless care is taken in
the drafting of legislation terminal.
ing wartime controls and wartime
| agencies.
have asked the Attorney General
to prepare report on the principa.
statutes that confer wartime powers
and on the various wartime agen-
cies, with particular reference to the
circumstances under which each
terminates.
A copy of this memorandum is at
tached for the information of the
Congress- 1t is an able and compre-
hensive summary of the applicable
laws.
Your attention is particularly
called to the statement in the opin-
ion of the Attorney General to the
effect that the broad basis of gov
ernmental power on which the ex-
listing emergency and wartime stat
utes rest has not been terminated
by the unconditional surrender OF
our enemies.
Certain of the wartime statutes
which have been made effective "ir
time of war" during the present
war;" or "for the duration of the
war" continue to be effective until a
formal state of peace has been re-
stored, or until some earlier termi-
nation date is made applicable by
appropriate governmental action