Evening star., 1946-06-23
OPA
CONTINUED From First Page.)

appropriation bills also are still in
the legislative mill, but the pres
sure to get them all to the Presi-
dents desk by July l, the start Of
the new fiscal year, has been re-
lieved. Congress recently wrote
into the Third Urgent Deficiency
bill a blanket saving clause, under
which any Government bureau
could continue to incur ordinary
operating expenses if its appropria-
ton is caught in the jam for few
days beyond June 80.
Congressional decisions also may
come this week on: Cd Domestic
control of atomic energy; CD Presi-
dent Truman's proposed reorganiza-
ton of Federal agencies, and 90
new labor legislation. Scheduled
action on the British loan bill has
been postponed a week.
Among the features Of the price
control bill agreed upon yesterday
were:
Ceiling prices for producers, man
ufacturers and professors must re-
fleet prices of the base period, Octo-
Der l to Is, l941, plus the average
increase since then in unit cost OF
an article throughout the industry.
Equal Increases in Prices. :,
2. Any increase granted to the pro-
ducer, manufacturer or professor
after passage of the new bill must
be accompanied by an increase "of
at least an equivalent dollar amount
in maximum prices applicable to
any other sellers Of such product"
8. The so-called maximum average
price rule Of OPA, which was de-
signed to encourage a steady how Of
low-priced clothing, would be abol-
ished.
4. A provision against requiring
wholesalers and retailers of recon-
version items, such as automobiles
and household appliances to take
less than the established peacetime
markups and discounts.
Textile Price Formula.
5. A special pricing formula for
cotton and woolen textiles that must
reflect the cost of the cotton or wool,
a weighted average of mill CONVEX
sion costs and a reasonable profit
based on the 1889 to 194l period.
The conferees, however, knocked out
a per. cent increase in ceilings pro-
posed by the Senate as an incentive
for mills to reach a certain stepped
up production goal.
6. A provision that if a commodity
was not under price control by April
/, ls46, it could not be subjected to
control.
7. A pernlissive, rather than a
mandatory authorization for the
Secretary of Agriculture to allocate
livestock and poultry feed to farm
ing areas in this country which face
an emergency shortage Of such feed.
Gives Priority to Measure.
Senator Barkley said every effort
will be made to complete the bill
Monday night. Representative VOL
colt, Republican of Michigan, said
he did not think any other pending
business "transcends" the price con-
troll bill in Importance this week.
The general decontrol policy
adopted by the conferees requires
OPA to decontrol by December 81,
1946, all non-agricultural commod-
tiles mot important in relation to
business costs or living costs"
As to other non-agricultural pro-
ducts, the price administrator is di-
rected to lift controls whenever the
supply exceeds or is in approximate
balance with the demand, including
appropriate inventory requirements. :"
This takes the place of a House
formula for decontrol when supply
reached the level OF l941.
Anderson to Determine Shortages.
In the case Of farm commodities,
which would cover food. the decon-
troll policy agreed upon vests in
Secretary Anderson the RESPONSE
h;l{fx, of cart{Sviy,0 IN the nrire ad .