Evening star., 1946-07-14
.0PA Showdown
Is Postponed
Until tuesday
House Republicans
Push for Approval
Of Senate Measure
By the Assotio.ed Press

With strong Republican back
ing, drive got under way in the
House yesterday to send a re-
vised price control bill to Presi-
dent Truman as the Senate
passed it early yesterday morn
ing.
However, an informal but binding
"gentlemen's agreement" to defer
the showdown until Tuesday gave
Administration leaders a long week
end to organize a fight for removal
OF Senate-voted decontrols on ma
jor food items.
The agreement, made by Demo-
cratic and Republican leaders to
protect many members who will be
absent tomorrow, nullifeG the House
Rules Committees speedy action in
recommending that the controver.
sial bill be sent Immediately to Sem
ate and House conferees for ad-
justment of differences.
Another Week End Without OPA.
/ That situation left the country
without national price or rent con-
trolls for another week end. They
went off July when OPA legally
! lapsed.
/ After President Truman had ve-
toed on June % previous OPA ex-
tension bill on the grounds 1t was
"unworkable." the House had voted
a 20-day, full-authority extension
of OPA.
/ But the Senate, after a week of
debate, finally passed a bill which
exempted major food items, among
other things, from any further fed
eral price control.
! Senator Taft, Republican, of Ohio
said Yesterday the Senates 62 to Is
vote for the modified price control
bill was notice to the President
that Congress does not like the
courageous methods of the OPA"
+ When he vetoed the previous OPA
bill, Mr.. Truman had singled out
Senator Taft for special criticism,
contending that an amendment
sponsored by the Ohio Senator
would have helped manufacturers
reap "a bonanza"
Calls Methods Outrageous.
, Senator Taft said in statement
that he interpreted the Senate's
action yesterday as meaning that II
the President refuses to improve the
outrageous methods of the OPA,
: then there is no choice but to re-
move from control those products in
which the OPA has made the most
miserable failure
> Senator Taft asserted that in
creases in food prices since OPA
died do little more than reflect
consumers subsidies which the
OPA was paying"
These subsidies always fool the
people" he said Whatever was
not paid in prices was paid in taxes"
The House Rules Committee made
It's recommendation al special aft
ernoon session, proposing that the
Senate bill be sent to conference for
adjustment of differences. 1t took
that course after it became appar-
ent that the measure could not be
sent to conference by unanimous
consent Of the House.
Showdown Due Tuesday.
The. showdown Tuesday will be on
motion to revise the Rules Com
mittee recommendation and send the
bill to the President instead of to
| conference. That can be accom-
/ plished if ma jority of the member
ship votes to concur in the Senate
bill. which technically is an amend
ment to a House measure extending
the ole price control law until July
20.
I Representative Halleck. Republi-
-, can, of Indiana, said he believed the
bill as passed by the Senate lis just
about AS good a bill as you can get
from the Senate He based that
opinion. he told the Rules Commit