The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-03-14
BowIes Hits .reedyDFy Goods Heads
 Association BOSSes
 Reckless LohhylstS
 Save Ex.OPA Ohlef
SaYs EX.OPA Ohlot

BY FRERERICK c. OTnMAN United Press Staff Correspondent Washington, March i4-(Up)-one of the folding chairs, handsomely made and carefully vanished, bore nn OpA ceiling price tag of Sa20, I sat in that one,
 The riekety chair, roughly bolted together, unpainted and spllntery, had an OPA price of e2,b0. Mat, Benjamin II. Namm, head of one of Brooklyn's biggest department stores and president of the Na- tiional Dry Goods Association, sat gingerly In that one,
 Portable Store
 Surrounding us ia a congress- ional committee was the aSsocla- tlon's portable dry goods store, with Q stock of everything from pink paiNies to lawnmowers to baby dresses. These displays were designed to show Congress that the oPA was ruining Americas store keepers, The OpA retorted that the horrid examples were phoneys; the dry goods men said they weren't,
 Chester Bowles, who used to head the OPA until he stepped up Q notch in the governmental hier- archy, charged that the association chieftains were irresponsible, reck- less, greedy lobbyists,
 Are you . greedy lobbyist, Mat. or Namm?" I asked,
 ouch" the Major said, He pulled silver of wood from his choco- late-colored pants,
 You've got to be careful with this new merchandise" he said,
 But are you Q greedy lobhSistS' insisted,
 T am e citizen first" he said, tugging at another splinter, "Nno @ merchant second and I guess then am Q lobbyist, ell right That Is, I am e lobbyist if O man petitionlng his Congress to correc; injustice Is lobbyist, But I am not Q greedy lobbyist"
 The Major said our chairs were Q first class example of what ouch-he was talking about, Mine the good one (you know mel, was out of production because the man. ufacturer insisted he could not Sel! 1t any longer for $40,
 "So the OpA lets him 90 out oi business" Maj. Namm said, "But another new manufacturer coTne' along to make this chair of minC (durn), You'd think he could have scrapped off the splintres, and the OPA gives him 0 price of $2,50 fol something not as good as the chaii the old-eStablished man wants tC make, but can't"
 The Major said that OPA pric' ing policies alone were responsible for the bare shelves in his store and in every other shop in tho country.
 Tt is just incredible that today seven months after the war ended stocks of merchandise are at low CT ebb than when the fighting wal at its height" he said. And that isn't all. One of the worst things is the way this system has taker away the dignity of American mar and woman"
 The Major jumped. Another splinter. I must say he did not lool dignified.
 T don't mean that" he said, q am talking about the folks wht use to come into a store with head ! up and & smile on their faces t buy what they wanted, Now they must beg for merchandise, anC connive, and get to know the righ clerk, and sneak out from unde' the counter.
 ''The merchant has lost his dig nity, too. We have got to get dowI on our knees and plead with tn manufacturer for the privilege o buying merchandise we wish we diC not have to sell"
 Two of the Majors models, on wearing a pre-OPA house dreS which was pink and pretty. an' the other clad in an OPA numbe which fitted her only in spots strolled in. These ladies bore pric tags, but the tags (Othman. vol dope) turned out to be the price of their frocks. Perfect examples, the Major said.
 They looked perfect to me, too one blonde; the other brunette.