Evening star., 1946-04-25
Senator Says House
Revision Of 0PA Was
Bipartisan Effort
By J. A. O'Leorv

the House was the result of a BIZ
partisan effort, Senator Millikin,
Republican, of Colorado con-
tended today as he took issue
with James B. Carey, secretary
of the CIO, who urged the Sem
ate Banking Committee to ex-
tend the law for one year with
out weakening price control.
Today's session was enlivened by
a running fire of repartee between
Senator Millikin and Mr.. Carey,
touched off when the witness quoted
two House Republicans as refer
ring to OPA as IAN economic
narcotic"
The Senator suggested that in
asking for extension without amend
ment, Mr.. Carey preferred fiction.
The CIO secretary retorted. I'VE
prefer to maintain price control -
Too Many Democrats.
When Senator Millikin told Mr..
Carey there were good many
Democrats in the House who felt
like the two Republican members
who were quoted, the witness re-
piled:
Too many Democrats try to do a
job on OPA, and its too bad there
are so many Republicans of the same
ilk.'
Mr. Carey added, however, that
more Democrats than Republicans
supported OPA in the House.
That's because there are more
Democrats than Republicans in the
House, unfortunately" Senator
Millikin replied. The Senator told
Mr.. Carey he will vote to continue
OPA again, but with some restrictive
amendments.
The two clashed again when the
C1O official called attention to the
newspaper advertising campaign of
the National Association of Manu-
facturerS for relaxation of price
controls. Mr. Carey said the CIO
does not have funds available for
the same kind of campaign IN de-
fense of OPA and complained that
supporters of price control do not
have the same access to newspapers
and radio chains.
Senator Millikin said he has stud
led CIO publicity material and
thinks it is without par"
You are past masters at it. and
I think you do superb job" Sena-
tor Millikin added.
In his prepared statement. Mr.
Carey denied that the wage in
| creaSeS granted workers since VI
day have been large enough to
justify the price increases being
sought by industry. Declaring that
the production level in the country
is up to S15O,O0O, 100000 a year, he
added that on this basis it is "a
simple problem in mental arith-
metic to discern that the wage in
creases amount to precisely "a of
per cent"
MI. Carey also asserted that the
CIO Cost of Living Committee. by
following price control carefully
has seen the agency weakened as
effectively by administrative inhibi-
tions within the OPA as by amend
mentS to the law"
Earlier Senator TaSt, Republican,
of Ohio expressed the opinion to re-
porters that OPA is losing out on
efforts to retain one of it's practices
the maximum average price regu-
lation. 1t was designed to increase
the production of lower cost clothes.
Exhibit of Dresses.
Mrs. James A. Reed, widow of the
Missouri Senator and now head of
the Donnelly Garment Co. in KAN
sas City, dealt what Senator Taft
termed the killing blow to this regu-
lation.
Mrs. Reed, in a spirited appear
ance before the committee yester-
day-backed with an exhibit of
scarce cotton dresses which made
women spectators gasp-testifed
This regulation has been in ef-
feet for II months supposedly to
increase the supply of low-priced
dresses. Actually it decreases their
supply.
Under the maximum average
price regulation I am not permitted
to sell as many S695 to S14.95 dresses
as l could produce because I can
not obtain sufficient material for
s2.95 to s4.95 dresses to average out
against the S695 to s14.95 dresses. -
She added that never in 30 years
has she seen in the stores "as poor
quality, badly made dresses at as
high prices as there are today"
Senator Hickenlooper, Republican
of Iowa told a reporter he thought
Mrs. Reed has thoroughly demon
strated 1.-The economic unreasonable
ness" of the regulation"
Chairman Wagner would not pre-
dict the verdict on the regulation
when the committee gets down 10
recommending details of legislation
He added that, I guess she did make