Evening star., 1946-06-23
Conferees Give
Food Controls
To Anderson
Congress Faces Final
Week in Extending
! OPA and Druft Laws
By J. A. O'Leory

%SAAS2 GOO lOSCS UllC
cal week of it's current session
as it struggles to extend in modi-
fed form both the price control
and draft laws before they ex-
pire next Sunday night.
Fourteen Representatives and Sen
ators designated to perfect the OPA
bill agreed yesterday to let Secre-
tary of Agriculture, Anderson super
wise future price control over food
ard other agricultural commodities
They left four of the most vital
points in the bill unsettled, however,
until they meet again at 8 o'clock
tomorrow night. These are:
/. Whether to end all price con-
trolls July on meat, poultry, dairy
products, tobacco and petroleum, as
advocated by the Senate.
Decontrol Board Issue.
q Whether to establish the SEN
ate's proposed three-man Decontrol
Board, with power, to override eth
'er the price administrator on lifting
coHtrols from nonagricultural arti-
cles, or the Secretary of Agriculture
on farm commodities.
3. How long to continue Govern
ment subsidy payments, which have
been used to keep down retail prices.
The House voted to end meat sub
sides June 30, and all others by
December 81 The Senate allowed
a s1,110000.000 subsidy fund, with
food subsidies limited to next
May I.
4. How long to keep OPA alive.
The House voted for nine-month
extension, the Senate for a year.
OPA Power Curtailed.
The amendments already accepted
sharply curtail the price admin
istrator's power by laying down new
profit formulas for the manufac-
turer, wholesaler and retailer, and
yard-sticks for determining when
an article shall be freed from con-
troll
Whether President Truman signs
or vetoes the measure. however, may
depend on what the conferees do
tomorrow night on the major issues
still up in the air.
The fight over OPA is regarded
as most significant politically. Pub
lie interest has reached a near
fever pitch and terrific pressure is
being put on both key members of
Congress and the President regard
ing the outcome.
Truman Veto Expected.
Mr.. Truman has expressed disap-
proval of the legislation as it now
stands, and many observers expect
him to veto the final version.
If this occurs, some lawmakers
said, the public will blame the Pres
ident for killing the agency. Others
ccntended, however, that by vetoing
the bill, Mr.. Truman could pass
the buck" back to Congress.
Nearly all of the legislators
agreed, however, that regardless of
what happens it will have potert
effect on the political future of the
President and his administration.
Barkley Refuses Comment.
Senate Majority Leader Barkley
refused to speculate last night as to
whether Mr.. Truman will sign or
veto the bill, saying he had no in
formation on the subject. 1t was
obvious, however, that if the bill
reaches the White House late in the
week-as it probably willard is
vetoed, congressional leaders would
face a difficult task in trying to rush
through before Sunday a resolution
to keep the agency alive, without
encountering renewed fight over
restrictive amendments.
Conferees have completed a com.
promise draft bill, extending selec-
tive service until March 81, with the
age limits fixed at 10 to As, but that
also faces one more hurdle when 1t
goes before the House for final ap-
proval, probably Tuesday.
Although House members who
wanted all tenn-agers exempt will
fight against inducing 19-year-olds.
the extension of selective service is
much more certain now than is the
future of OPA. For that reason, the
price control conference report may
be taken up in the House Tuesday
ahead OF the draft, if remaining diff
terences are settled Monday night.
Nearly a dozen important annual