Evening star., 1946-04-02
Congress Urged
To Guarantee
Liberal 0PA
Retailers Ask Law
To Hold Recent
Price Increases

tISC Iu(ISOSSS
Congress was asked today by
spokesman for the Nations mer-
chants to guarantee ''in black and
white" the Office of Price Admin
istration's liberalized policy in rails
ing prices to stimulate production.
Calling for legislation giving as
surance that the OPA's impressive"
recent price ceiling increases are
not merely shotgun conversion
caused by the approaching con-
gressional vote on extension of OPA's
life, David R. Craig, research di-
rector of the American Retailers
Federation. told the groups an
nual meeting at the Hotel Statler
the index of wholesale prices may
have to rise as much as 1872 per
cent if full production is to be
achieved
Retail merchants say the index
of wholesale prices will probably
have to rise certainly by IS per cent,
perhaps by 1872 per cent, if the
blockade against greater produc-
tom is to be lifted" Mr.. Craig as
serted. This is a stiff increase, but
it is not too high price to pay for
the liberation 1t is not so high as
the increase we would be sure to get
if we were to drive the OPA off the
cliff and it is not SO high as the in
crease we are destined to get if we
keep on restricting production"
Most Retailers Favor OPA.
He said most retailers want the
OPA to maintain control of prices
until it is safer to drop them than
it is now, but they want Congress to
amend the organic law under which
OPA operates. The amendments re-
tailers want are the ones which will
remove obstacles to production
wherever and whenever these OBJ
stacles stem from ceiling prices"
The federation, representing some
500 large and small stores and
chains, last night voted unanimous
Endorsement of a six-point program
of strike control legislation after
hearing from President Truman that
the country is on the threshold OF
an era which will see the highest
standards of living this Nation has
ever dreamed of"
| The federation took the strike
control stand after Senator Bail,
Republican, of Minnesota outlined a
series of amendments he said he
and other Republicans would offer
on the floor to a bill drafted by the
Senate Labor Committee setting up
a mediation board.
! Ball Follows Revised Case Bill.
Senator Balls proposals followed
the line of the touchdown Case
labor disputes bill, including a ban
f, on strikes and lockouts for a 60-day
cooling off period" outlawing of
secondary boycotts and strike vio-
lince, making unions liable in Fed
eral courts for contract violations.
providing presidential fact-hnding
boards for strikes against public
utilities, exempting employers from
dealing with supervisors unions and
making unions liable to civil suits
for contract violation.
The coming era of prosperity,
President Truman's message said,
means good returns for business,
for workers and for farmers. That
is our goal but to reach that goal
we cannot now relax our vigil
against the inhationary forces
which threaten the stability of our
y economy
If We fail" the President wrote,
I'VE will never pass the threshold
of that bright future toward which
we all look ahead"
Bowles Sees End of Task.
The Presidents message followed
an address by Sterilization Direc-
tor Chester BoWleS, who told the
federation that by mid-1947 "the
great bulk of our price control task
will have been completed" in argu-
ing for extended price ceilings The
end of price control in 1947, he said,
depends upon continuing the Office
of Price Administration and food
subsidies and keeping down parity
prices.
Representative Crawford, Repub-
lican, of Michigan told the group
there will be no end of price control
if the OPA is kept in being as long
as there is excess buying power and
high employment and wages. He
said House Republicans would seek
to amend the Price Control Exten-
sion Act to require that food be re-
leased from price control whenever
the Secretary Of Agriculture finds
there is no acute excess of demand
over supply, and to assure that con-
sumner goods be relieved of ceilings
whenever the Civilian Production
Administration makes similar find
ing.
Secretary of Commerce Wallace
said in speech that the Govern
ment must not. and it need not. try
to get full employment by means OF
a controlled economy"
Il recognize fully that if we want
people to produce we must give them
reasons and incentives to produce
and adequate rewards for their
achievements, Mr.. Wallace asserted.
Ss~LlL ns.l.l fnn NJ