Evening star., 1946-09-26
Meat
Continued From First Page.

Dare meat counters mounting IN IN
tensity, top Democratic party chiefs
assembled here for a meeting that
seemed certain to take note of the
whole situation.
The Army showed no disposition
to await possible action by any other
branch of the Government.
Reporting that its visible sup
ply of meat is less than a months
requirement" the Army last night
served priority papers on all pack
ers operating under Federal in
spection, ordering them to set aside
Is per cent of their total output
for the armed services, the War
Shipping Administration and vet
erans' hospitals.
Army Uncertain of Goal.
While reminding that punitive
action" awaits those who violate
the set-aside order, the Army
announcement left unanswered
whether its goal of so 900 900 pounds
Of meat month could be achieved.
Meat slaughter is descending to
the vanishing point" it declared.
The political storm broke in ear
nest yesterday after Mr.. Mccormack
demanded the 60-day suspension of
controls.
Mr.. Reece, branding Mr.. Nc
Cormack's action as cheap politics."
noted in a statement that the 60-day
period proposed would carry the sus-
pension just past the November S
elections.
Declaring the Massachusetts, DEM
ocrat is trying ito kid the voters"
Mr.. Reece added that If the admin
istration had listened to Republican
advice during the last session of
Congress, such chicanery as Mr.. Nc
Cormack now proposes would be
unnecessary"
Led Fight for Controls.
Mr.. Reece called the control sys-
tenn unavoidable.
MIR. Mccormack was a prime
battler for the administration
during the long House fight over
extending, and then reviving, OPA.
Since then administration en-
phasis has been on the necessity of
keeping controls over food and other
scarce items.
Secretary of Agriculture Ander-
son, who, in radio speech from
Albuquerque Tuesday night, said he
considered present price ceilings
high enough to give farmers fair
return on their meat, promised last
night he will act promptly on any
formal petition to remove controls.
But" he added, 'ff one of the
requirements for decontrol is a
showing that the commodity is not
in short supply, such a finding
might be difficult to justify, as the
present outcry for more meat would
indicate"
Under the price control law, only
OPA advisory committees may Pc
tition for decontrol-a step now be-
ing arranged by Chairman Roscoe
I. Haynie OF the Beef Industry
Committee.
Taking note of Mr.. Mccormack IS
call for a 60-day suspension of cell
ings, Mr.. Haynie told a reporter
such action would not bring or
derly marketing or production"
THE only solution to the present
meat shortages" he added, "is COM
plete and permanent decontrol."
On Capitol Hill Senator ODaniel,
Democrat, Of Texas, long a bitter
foe Of OPA, agreed with Mr.. Haynie,
telling a reporter: II don't think
controls should be suspended for go
or 30 days or any other length of
time. They should be abolished.
"The only reason these New Deal
ers want them suspended for 60
days is to get by the elections,
Senator O'Daniel continued. II pre-
fer that these New Dealers go hun
CRY and get defeated"
Senator Ferguson, Republican, o.
Michigan also said he favored ar
indefinite suspension, adding: "I1
q situation developed making resto.
ration Of controls advisable, 1t coule
be done. But it would invite specu.
decontrol would last for only som'
specific time"
Wants Six-Week Supply.
In explaining the reasons for it
action, the Army said that in ordel
to keep its pipeline overseas filled Il
is necessary to have approximate.
six weeks supply in reserve"
Since April, the statement said
this has been impossible" because
I'm May and June growers held bacl
their cattle from the stockyard
waiting for the removal Of price con
trolls on June 80, creating shortage
During July and August, thu
months free Of controls, prices frs
shot up beyond the limits prescribed
In the quartermaster budget and NJ
meat was procured until prices
lepsled on late in July.
Then the quartermaster coult