The Omaha guide., 1946-01-05
ESllN9WNlW1:&y
President Maintains
New Deal Policies
Year-End Check Shows Some Change OF
Faces but Not of Any Principles; FDR
Intimates Remain in High Posts.
BY BAUKHAGE
Netos Analyst and Commentator.

departure from the administrative
status quo so far as fundamentals
go, and that was the appointment Of
John w. Snyder as chief OF the Of
fee Of war mobilization and recon
version. Snyder was a friend and
military buddy of the President for
a quarter OF a century. But Wash
ington hears that the OWMR direc-
tor is being sidetracked. that the
President is taking counsel with
Secretary vinson on subjects that
rightly fall into Snyder's bailiwick
and that a resignation has been Of
fered-
There is nothing in the Truman
appointments to indicate whether
the President is turning to the right
or the left of center-using FDR as
center" Mr.. Truman is franker
than most public figures and COM
mentators = he says he frankly
doesn't know what center" is.
imagines he's about the same as
his late chief.
Opinion is growing in the capital
that the government is "reconvert-
ing" too rapidly and that the force
of speed without direction will have
harmful results.
Except for a few g~eneralized
thrusts, the White House has shown
no disposition to come to grips with
the wage-price dilemma, hasn't at
tempted to develop a comprehensive
program to eliminate the element of
chance. and, in the opinion of crit
ical congressman, is simply trusting
that things somehow will work out
all right in the end If left to their
w devices.
There is a striking example Of the
haphazard system which has been
followed, and that is the retention
of OPA while permitting the Ma
tional War Labor board to go vir-
tually out Of existence. WLB exer-
cised a fair degree Of control over
wage and salary levels, and with
wages the largest single item of
production costs, there is today no
agency effectively operating in that
field. Both management and labor
agree the Presidents radioed
speech on the subject clarified al
most nothing. The result has been to
cut the ground from beneath OPA in
its efforts to maintain price ceilings.
Another example is the Wal Pro-
duction board. which was permitted
to go out of existence on Novem-
Der 8. Odds and ends fell to the
newly created Civilian Production
administration, but there is today no
raw materials ALLEGATION plan and
efforts are being made to create out
Of export licensing a means by
which domestic industry might have
its needs fulfilled. The theory is
that refusal of export licenses for
needed civilian materials will back
those commodities onto the market
here. But its effort upon restora-
ton of foreign trade is making con-
gress unhappy.
There stil are agencies in Wash
ington winding up" the business of
World War 1, and it seems entirely
possible that history will repeat aft
er World War II is officially over.
That day will be fixed by President
Truman unless he tarries too long
and congress steps in to do the job.
Dissolution of the Office of War In
formation may supply an insight
into what happens when bureaus
which came into existence since
Pearl Harbor cease to exist. Ex-
cept for changes in the top positions
and ~discarding of the domestic
branch, which always was a minor
part Of the operation, Owl seems to
be a very live corpse.
Blanketed into the state depart
ment may be upwards Of 5000 owl
payrollers. They will continue, and
expand, a worldwide plan Of infor-
nation dedicated to the purpose Of
teaching other nations more about
this country, its people, their aSpira.
tons, their accomplishments. About
1000 more have gone into the bu-
reau of the budget to continue their
present assignment, which is publ
cation of the United States govern
ment manual. Closing of the do
nestle branch actually affected few
er than 200 jobs in Washington.
Larger, actually. than Owls for
eign branch will be the information
al Office of the state department, for
it will include also the public rela-
tons section of the office of CO.
ordinator Of Inter-American affairs.
which beams its material to points
south Of the Rio Grande and which
heretofore fu~nctioned independently
of owl.
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