The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1946-06-28

the Nation by destructive amendments
to the Price Control Extension Act,
AFL President William Green warned
the country. These amendments, he
added, if permitted to become law,
would mean complete abandonment
of price control"
Congress-" he added, 'failed to
honor the clear, emphatic and over
whelming mandate Of the people to
hold the line on the cost of living.
Congress voided it's promise of post
war prosperity and full and stable in
come to wage earners, salary earners,
farmers and businessmen alike.
"The lifting of price ceilings on a
number of commodities, as provided
for in the Senate Amendments, would
result in mounting prices with cor
responding mounting discomfort and
dissatisfaction among wage earners
of the nation.
"Surely it must be obvious to all
thinking persons that reasonable price
control must be exercised until the
nation approXimates full production.
That is the only safeguard against in
flation and inflationary prices as long
as shortages exist.
"Senate amendments rival the
amendments adopted by the House in
their complete disregard for the need
to maintain economic stability until
transition to expanded peacetime pro-
duction is achieved,
''The failure of Congress to extend
the Price Control Act for one year
without weakening amendments is
bound to bring about widespread and
disruptive industrial strife 1t will
breed strikes. 1t will foster indus
trial unrest against which economic
stability is the best and strongest
safeguard.
"The facts justify the conclusion
that in order to protect the public in
terest and preserve the basic princi-
pies of our national economy, the
President will be forced to veto the
amended Price Control Act and to in
sist on and demand the extension of
adequate price control for such a pc
riod of time as may be necessary"
Supplementing this warning to the
Nation, Mr.. Green made public the
following statement to Price Admins
traitor Paul Porter and Economic Sta
bilization Director Chester Bowles:
"The American Federation of La
Dor protests premature abandonment
of price control whether that is done
by Congress or the OPA. The current
upsurge of rising prices cannot be
checked if the Office of Price Admin
istration continues it's disregard of the
consumer interests. In recent months,
with the present Price Control Act
still in full effect, series of admin
istrative actions have brought about
wholesale relaxation and elimination
of price ceilings by the OPA, climaxed
by the order inviting a drastic rise in
restaurant prices.
"The climax was reached in the res
taurant order issued by the OPA on
June 13, inviting drastic price in
creases on meals in restaurants and
in-plant feelings establishments. This
order, secretly prepared, provides for
revision of restaurant price ceilings
in form impossible of administration
or enforcement. 1t will result in a
rapid increase in the cost of living of
all who depend on restaurants for
their meals, especially the veterans
and their families and others unable
to find homes. 1t will bring a hard
ship to millions of wage earners who
will have to meet an increase in lunch
meals supplied by the lunch rooms and
cafeterias at their places of work.
3'The OPA has been removing cell
ing prices on hundreds of food items
on the ground that the prices would
not go up to any significant extent.
Yet the upward revision of restaurant
prices specifically acknowledges the
drastic rise in the very food items on
which price ceilings had been removed.
sThe American Federation of Labor
believes that in price control admins
tration the difficult problems now con-
fronting the restaurant business must