Evening star., 1946-11-08
COP. Promise 10 End
All Wartime Laws
Doubted byDemocrats
BY The Associafsd Press

More than $40 special wartime
laws would be tossed out the win
dow by the promised Republican
move to end President Truman's s
emergency powers.
But high Democratic officials
voiced skepticism today that the
new GOP-controlled Congress will
take that full step, despite the post
election forecast of Representative
Clarence Brown. Republican ma
tional campaign director.
These officials also cast doubt on
whether the whole thing could be
accomplished that simply. They
contend that the expiration Of most
but not all-of the war powers
depend variously on:
/. The termination Of the war.
2. The termination Of hostilities.
8. The termination of the emer-
gency.
And none has yet been declared
officially at an end.
Government Handicap Seen.
One top administration aide
without going into the technical
aspects Of a repeal step, told re-
porter:
'"The resolution wouldn't change
anything important, because most
Of the business and industry con-
trolls are going out anyway. But it
would knock out a lot of laws and
thereby gum up the Government
badly until new legislation was
passed"
This official said, for instance
that large amount of Treasury sill
yer would have to be moved out of
the atomic bomb plant at Oak Ridge,
Tenn, and would completely dis
rupt" the machinery there.
An inspection of the mass of
statutes which would be affected by
declaring the war, hostilities and
the emergency at an end shows that,
among other things, it would:
Require the recall of all troops
overseas except Regular Army men
within six months unless other laws
were passed.
Overseas Pay Would End.
End the tax-free shipment of Gig
|arettes to troops abroad and cut of
their extra pay.
Prevent the deportation of unde-
sirable enemy aliens and lift the ban
on prostitution near Army camps.
Slash excise taxes to prewar rates
in six months. Liquor levies, for
instance, would drop from 50 to $6
gallon, theater admissions from
20 to 10 per cent and night club
taxes from 20 to per cent. The
taxes on jewelry, furs, cosmetics
and telephone tolls also would
plummet.
Still left, however, would be the
Second War Powers Act, which ofIi-
cials insist would require separate
repeal action. This covers such
things as sugar rationing, priority
controls, the Governments pur-
chase and control of rubber, tin
and other strategic materials.
Margin Trading Affected. :
/ The restrictions on easy payments
and down payments would die with
in six months after a declaration
of peace, because the credit controls
are based on the First War Powers
Act, which expires at that time.
Wage controls, which otherwise
would run until June 30-unless the
administration ends 1t sooner-would
also terminate, as would the Gov
ernment's power to seize strike
threatened plants.
The Federal Reserve Hoard al
ready has announced it will elimi-
nate most credit controls shortly,
and the question of wage stabiliza-
ton now is under Government re-
view.
New Legislation Needed.
The administration contends that
the network of laws based on war
time or emergency authority must
be unraveled piece by piece with
new legislation written for those
which cannot be tossed overheard
at once.
Secretary of the Treasury Snyder
gave Congress that view last sum-
mer when he was reconversion. di-
rector, saying:
II am still very strongly of the
opinion that the time has not ar