Milford chronicle., 1947-05-30
WASHINGTON WEEK

sociated Press annual meeting that
in 1916 he recommended "the con-
tinuatiOn Of price control"
He further said, group saw fit
to sabotage price control and repre-
sented to the public that prices
would come down in free market"
He did not say Republicans were
responsible, but there is little doubt
whom he meant by "a group His
veto message of last June sought to
blame Republican leaders entirely.
Besides, in trying to make political
capital of high prices, very natural
ly, it is the Republican Party that
he hopes to disadvantage.
Well, let's look at the record. Re-
publicans last summer voted by
| large majority in both houses for
| bill to continue OPA for full year
With the help of Democrats, they ,
| did force the adoption of several |
| amendments to liberaliZe OPA re- !
| gulatiOnS. This was done under the
! advice of the best authorities in the
| country, who maintained that such
| liberalization was necessary if full
production was to be encouraged. |
1t was considered on all sides a
very good BILL so good, in fact, that
the Democrat leaders of House and
Senate strongly urged Mr.. Truman
to sign it.
But Mr.. Truman, stubbOrnly in
sisting upon his own way, ignored
advice of his Congressional leaders,
and vetoed the bill. Later, after a
period of no controls, Congress en-
acted a new bill, reinstating OPA
for the greater part of year.
1t was, in all respects, an inferior
bill to the one Mr.. Truman vetoed.
But this, time the President approx
ed it!
i The second bill left meat prices
without controls for a short period,
| during which a special decOntrol
: board was to consider the advisabi-
lity of restoring them. The board
did restore them, and the result was
another period of black markets
) and disappearing meat.
l But controls were left on all in
dustrial prices. The shortage of
5 meat caused such a strong anti
Administration feeling that shortly
S before election, Mr.. Truman lifted
= price ceilings on meats. After the
Republican victories, he also ended
e controls of industrial product
prices. He now blames the increase
v in these particular prices for the
T. substantial boost in living costs,
for, as industrial prices go up, he
il explained, parity prices for farmers
go up. There fore, no one can blame
y the Administration for the great in
e crease in living costs.
k Only Mr.. Truman's stubbOrnness
l. last June; his insistence upon an
extended OPA without change caus-
IS ed all the trouble. Mr.. Truman him
l. self wiped out the controls on in
# Gustrial prices, which he now
l. blames for the high cost of living.
Il oHo
;e WASHINGTON, d. C.-Again the
pack of New Deal columnists an(
l. commentators is barking at tht
L., heels of House Appropriations Com
h mittee members.
2 This time they protest the savin;
of $162,893,515 made in the suppl.
n bill for State, Justice and Com
e. merce Departments and for tn
sg Federal Judiciary. The Committe
T. reduced President Truman's bud
r get by 1850, so, naturally, the hos
s. of New Deal ballyhoOers immediate
lis ly began spouting.
s; The bally-hoo-boys are nourishet
us of course, by the bureaucrats, VIII
in daily grow more panicky as the Re
publican, Congress strikes at tn
wasteful, and, in many cases need
les departmental projects, so man
of them hangovers from the wal
Il. swollen cumberland of gOvernanc'
ST, The Republicans, they charge, ar
We curtailing essential governmer
ch functions for the sake of false ecC
"a nomy, sacrificing national securit,
pinching pennies, etc.
Ia They point, for example, to tn
Committees action in eliminatin
nd the division of Information and Gu
ture from the State Department o.
ART ganiZatiOn.
en- Mr.. Truman demanded $31 1881 2:
for this division. The Committe
les after a searching hearing, cOnclu'
ed it wasn't worth dollar. The
nj is plenty of evidence, much of
alf coming all the way from Mosco
Us (as the result of the Department
re. broadcasts to Russia), to suppO
not the committee.
80. If you are up on your home wOr
200 you will recall that this is the div
sion created to sell America to fo
W0 eign countries. 1t administers va
md led program, including shOrt-wa
Jel. broadcasts and distribution
books, magazines, pamphlets al
Try modern art, all intended to she
We how jOyously and prosperous
the Americans live. The Committee su
lilk pected, after inquiry, that the div
leir sion was not altogether too efft
tive. Some of it's Russian program
ted were enormously beamed to Sou
Six America, either through inter-d
ire. partmental mischief or blunderir
IAN, One very good reason, howev'
ore for eliminating the division entire
ersd was: it never has been authOriZ
rds hv Congress. Tt is a creation of t
Budget Bureau. without COngr(
sional authorization. 1t was Great
lDly TO serve White House purpos
'ver nothing else. Already it has CO
T.. American taXnayers a substant
Tor sum without showing any CONNIE
Red surate results. 1t has put the Unit
or States Government in competiti
[ Is with the cOuntry's free press. in I
yer, dissemination of news abroad If
ing al bottom. New Deal nrona gan
Red agency to provide jobs and powt
be which have no connection w
lar- sound government.