Evening star., 1946-04-28
Taft, Austin Organize
Republicans 10 Back
Moderate 0PA Bill
BY the k:soeioted Press

Senators Taft, Republican, OF
Ohio, and Austin, Republican, OF
Vermont, took the lead yesterday
in organizing Senate Republicans
to support what they termed a
moderate" program of extending
price controls.
Senator Taft, chairman of the
Republican Steering Committee
told a reporter the Republicans
hope to enlist enough Democratic
backing to beat off what he called
irresponsible last-minute amend
ments" and put over a planned-in-
advance program which would cur
tail some OPA authority but re-
tain major anti-infiation controls
Austin declared in a separate in
tervieW that he and Senators OF
like views want to save the nee
essary controls but to provide for
relaxation of those controls as fast
as the war-to-peace timetable will
permit"
Hold Meeting This Week.
Senator Taft said Republican
members of the Banking Commit
tee will try to get together on the
draft of a program early this week
AS outlined tentatively by Sen
ator Taft, the projected Republican
program would revise House.
approved cost plus" amendment to
provide that OPA must fix price
ceilings which would give manufac-
turerS margin over cost on major
items similar to that in certain
preWar period If there was no pre-
war margin, there would be none
now The House provided that
manufacturers and distributors
must have a reasonable profit" on
all items.
Senator Taft said most Repub-
licans agree that the OPA's maxi
mum average price order, by which
it requires production of certain
proportion of low cost clothes. must
go. OPA officials have charged
this would increase clothing prices
10 per cent.
Study Liquidation Formula.
The COP group is thinking, the
Ohio Senator said, of offering q
liquidation formula under which
OPA would have to lift price CELL
ings on any product as its output
reaches l20 per cent of 194l produc-
ton.
The House made this figure 100
per cent of l94l. but Senator Taft
said less unemployment now, plus
population increases, indicate a
higher production rate is necessary.
There has been discussion within
the Steering Committee, Senator
Taft reported, of seeking to lift
controls entirely from such products
as Oil and meat. The House once
voted to take the lid off meat prices,
then reversed itself.
Senator Taft said his own incli-
nation is to taper off, rather than
to scrap Immediately. the $4,000
100000 annual subsidy program.
The House voted to knock 1t out Dy
December 81 in swiftly paced in
stdllmentS.
Expects Farm Bloc Aid.
Emphasizing that there is a lot
to be done yet to get a program in
shape, Senator Taft said he hopes
it may be found acceptable by some
Democratic farm-State Senators
who oppose extension of present
OPA controls.
Some of these latter. like Senator
Thomas, Democrat, of Oklahoma.
have said, however, they will not
be satisfied with anything less than
an end to price controls on every-
thing but rent.
The Republicans have trouble
within their own ranks, too. There
is wide division of opinion, rang
ing from the view of Senator Bush
field of South Dakota that all con-
trolls should be abolished, to the
opinion of Senator Tobey of New
Hampshire that most of the pres
ent authority should be retained.
Senator Bridges, Republican, of
New Hampshire, a member of the
Minority Steering Committee, said
ne believes most of his party COL
leagues will be willing to 60 along
with whatever is worked out by the
COP group headed by Senator Taft