Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-07-30
Adjournment to Give
Agencies Wide Powers
Experiments With Price Controls
Likely in Next Few Months
By Davfd Laurence

BY Dana Laurence
Ever since the war began In 1888, our
national legislature has been in almost
continuous session, so the adjournment
this week of the Seventy ninth Congress
will introduce an unusual period-a
five-month moratorium on legislation.
So far as business is concerned, how
ever, 1t will be the beginning OF an era
of regulation wherein executive agen-
cies and boards, being free from an
overnight check by the legislative
branch of the Government, will have
sweeping powers.
Thus, there has been little said in
the open about the biggest control
which the administration is planning
to exercise, allegedly against imitation
the control OF inventories and the al
location of materials. Many people have
forgotten that the President, under his
war powers, can still ration certain
goods that are short and otherwise ex-
ercise controls which can have power
full effect on price-fixing. With Congress
absent, the executive agencies will be
able to try many an experiment with
controls.
Board Is Good Beginning.
There is satisfaction in Washington
with the price decontrol boards per-
sonnet of three top executives. The feel
ing is that these-Messrs. Thompson,
Mead and Bell-will do an impartial
Job and will faithfully carry out the
mandate of Congress to dispense with
price controls wherever possible. 1t Ger
tainly is not packed" jury and in
this respect President Truman has kept
his promise and deserves commentator.
1t Is a good beginning on the task of
administering one Of the most COM
plicated laws Congress ever passed.
The present Congress will not rank
high in the esteem of historians. For
it failed to pass many measure of
far greater importance than the ones
it did pass. Much legislation will be
lost in the shuttle this week which might
have had better consideration. Politics
and postwar confusion have made the
job of Congress difficult one, but it
cannot be overlooked that this Congress
did pass the British loan agreement,
did authorize participation in the United
Nations and did present a united front
of both political parties on foreign
policy.
The Seventy ninth Congress spent
good deal more money than the country
realizes, and much of it was wastefully
spent as consequence of the demands
Of pressure groups, particularly some Of
the alleged spokesman for veterans. The
President is talking about drive for
economy, but it should have started
with the present session.
Extra Session Promise.
Mr. Truman has promised to call
Congress back into extra session If any
emergency develops. Politically 1t would
have been far better for him If he could
have agreed with the leaders In Con-
! 'gress to arrange a recess instead of an
adjournment with the Speaker of the
House of Representatives or the Presi-
dent pro TEN of the Senate having
/ power to call the Congress back into
special session. An equivalent arrange
ment has been used in the last several
years so as to retain for Congress its
own right to take the initiative in
calling the members back to Washing
ton.
Once an adjournment" for a session
is taken. only the President can bring
Congress here for an extra session. One
nf $1,~
was the desire of certain special groups
to kill pending legislation once and for
all In this session and to compel the
sponsors to go through all the trouble
Of committee consideration and voting
in either or both of the two houses next
year, whereas, If Congress had recessed,
/ the legislation would have remained
alive and subject to further action this
| year in the event that both houses
desired to come back to continue the
regular session after the November
elections.
AS matters stand now, the President
will have the spotlight for the remainder
! OF the year unhampered by any congress
/ sional resolutions. committee investiga-
/ tons or accusatory speeches. The Ma
ton will have no means of getting legis-
lative redress on any problems that
might arise until next January when
the Eightieth Congress is to convene in
regular session.
/ The tendency will be to hold the Chief
/ Executive responsible for any price
/ gyrations because he has promised to
call Congress back if the cost OF living
rises too far above the workers capacity
to pay. 1t would have been better If he
had arranged 1t so that equal respon-
sibility for remedying the situation on
prices would have been placed upon the
existing Congress, which does not 60
out of Office till next January.