The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-07-19
Decontrol Compromise
 Offered OPA Conferees
Will Restore Ceilings If Prices Soar
 House Delegates
 BoIk on Senote's
 Lid-Iiftine Plan Bulletin

Washington, July 19-UP)- Congressional OPA conferees again failed to break their ma jor deadlock today when House members rejected a Senate com- promise to exempt foods and oth- CT specific items from price con- trol but to allow restoration of the ceilings if found necessary.
 Sen. Robert A. Taft, (R.-OD, said House conferees were stand ing firm on the demand that the bill be freed of. provisions to ban ceilings on meat, poultry. dairy products, wheat, tobacco and petroleum.
 They said they would not stand for any decontrols," Taft told newsmen after futile morning session by the Senate and House conferees.
 Washington, July l9 - UP)-Conferees on the OPA bill receive a compromise plan today for exempting foods from price controls.
 The program will be sub- mitted by three Senators ap- pointed to work out a way of ending the conferees' four day deadlock over the decon- trol issue. The plan may seek to ban controls on specific items, but provide for restoration of ceilings if prices go too high.
 House conferees so far have re- fused to accept provisions In the Senate approved OPA bill which would keep price ceilings of meat, poultry and dairy products, wheat, tobacco and petroleum.
 Explain Restoration
 The establishment of price ceilings would be done by decon- trol board already provided for in the Senate bill. Under the present legislation, however, the board would have only authority to re- move ceilings when supply reaches demand.
 We would merely be expanding the jurisdiction of the board" Sen. G. L. Radcliffe (D.-MdD, said.
 Radcliffe said that while mo one was committed to it." the proposal probably will be brought up today at the 14-man conference commit- tee ..so that we can have something concrete to work with" Should the conferees reject the suggestion, both sides are expected | to give up their efforts to draft compromise bill. They then would return to the House and Senate for further instruction. That action would delay settlement of the price problem until next week at least. Unwilling for Compromise
 Sen. Kenneth Wherry, (R. .-Neb), l, author of the meat, poultry and dairy price decontrol plan, called the stalemated conference "a good thing if it would force the House to vote on each proposed exemp- ton. He expressed unWillingneSS to go along with any compromise until House sentiment has been tested.
 In it's simple measure to extend the old OPA law until July 20, the House side-stepped the question of decontrolling specific items. When the Senate bill reached the House on Tuesday, it voted to send the measure directly to conference.
 Yesterdays unproductive confer- ence session broke up in disunity when the Senate members flatly re- fused to strike out the decontrol provisions or an amendment which would allow OPA discretionary pow CTS over price increases for manu- facturers and producers.
 Republican Senators held that price increase to manufacturers and producers should be mandatory. They wanted OPA stripped of any discretionary authority over the price boosts.