Evening star., 1946-07-02
.0PA Employees Urged
By Porter 10 Stick
To Battle Stations

!
last night asked the Nations OPA
employees, price board members and
volunteers to stick to their battle
stations" and said he was convinced
Congress would appropriate funds
to pay OPA's $4,000 employees their
salaries pending settlement of the
price control issue.
The OPA administrator went on
the air after he and Chester BoWles,
who resigned Friday as stabilization
director, told 5000 employees of the
Washington Office they hoped Con-
gress would pass legislation meeting
the specifications laid down by Pres
ident Truman when he vetoed the
price bill Saturday.
Reporting that job attendance
was 100 per cent throughout the
country yesterday, Mr.. Porter added
that he hoped the Senate would
pass resolution this week contin-
uing OPA pending enactment of
permanent legislation, but this may
not come to pass"
Agency Preserved.
He pointed out that the President
has signed an executive order pre-
serving the official status of the
agency and commented:
I'VE are in about the same posi-
ton, actually, as several other war
agencies which have not yet re-
ceived their appropriations for the
fiscal year which began today.
I'm this crisis, I know that your
anxiety is not for your own jobs
but for your agency's job" Mr.. Por-
ter continued. Il know that you
are all anxious to see that job sue
cessfully finished. And I know what
bitter disappointment you would
feel to see your work of more than
four years swept away by a torrent
Of higher and higher prices and
rents on the eve of final victory
over the forces of inflation'
Washington employees of the OPA
jammed the hot cafeteria shortly
after 4:30 pm. yesterday, perched
on tables and applauded vigorously
for their present and former chiefs
Mr.. Bowles declared: "If you ever
want any vindication for what you
have been working for, you got it
today. You have saved the Ameri-
can people tens and tens of billions
Of dollars. Your work will assure
lasting peace that is possible only
among united people"
Much to Be Done.
Mr.. Porter asserted that he would
never give the order to abandon
ship" and emphasized that there is
much work still to be done.
Expressing concern that some
buyers and sellers seem to have
acted on the assumption that sugar
rationing was over, he announced
that OPA will continue to admin
lister and enforce it.
The question of continuing slaugh-
ter controls over nonfederally in
spected slaughterers now is under
review, he reported. The Agricul-
ture Department already has lifted
the controls on federally inspected
slaughterers. Mr.. Porter noted they
were imposed to halt black market
operations of newcomers to the
business and to force meat back into
legitimate channels.
Work to Continue.
OPA's pricing staff will continue
to work on applications for changes
in prices, although no orders will
be issued unless Congress acts, hi
revealed.
Actions will be pressed against
black marketeers who violated reg
ulationS prior to midnight Sunday
he asserted. The OPA administra-
tor also advised his employees to in
form the public of local laws
throughout the country making il
illegal to evict a tenant or to in
crease rents without 80 days notices
Mr.. Porter warned the worker.
against joining any organized boy
colt against buying and said thai
issue now is placed squarely before
the American people. He coun.
seled his colleagues to stay away
from "any kind Of extra -curriculal
activities that might be miscon.
strued."
Jokingly, he said that, sitting or
bench in Lafayette Park in the
next war, he would advise that
price-control legislation be con-
tinued for two years after the enc
of that war, but that the President
by executive order, might end i,
earlier.
| production record, as far as Chem