Evening star., 1947-03-23
Truman Dooms
|0PA, Demands
Action on Curbs
Congress Urged to
Shift Rent, Sugar
To Other Agencies
By the Associoted Press

President Truman signed a
June 80 death warrant for the
OPA yesterday but urged Con-
gress to provide for rent and
sugar controls to be carried on
by other agencies.
A meeting of Republican Senate
leaders, however, failed to settle the
difference among them over wheth-
er the control should be continued.
and if so how.
The President approved the $l79,-
645 ,668 deficiency appropriation bill
which liquidates the catch-all Office
of Temporary Controls at mid-year
along with the OPA and the Civilian
Production Administration merged
into it.
simultaneously, Mr.. Truman
ordered all the housing controls Of
the CPA transferred on April l to
Housing Expiditer Frank R. Creedon
and fully enforced" by him.
Three Agencies Eliminated.
CPA's funds are so reduced by the
bill aSs to make it poWerless in the
construction field beyond March 81.
The measure requires various; Gov
ernment agencies to return to the
treasury S699, 100000.
In specifying the liquidation OF
OTC, the act eliminates three once
powerful agencies consolidated in the
control Office last December-OPA,
CPA and the Office of War Mobili-
zation ana Reconversion.
The President emphasized that
Congress has not decided that rent
control and sugar rationing are to
end along with the agencies under
death sentence.
"On the contrary the Congress
is now considering legislation to ex-
tend sugar rationing beyond March
81 and rent control beyond June 80,
1947," Mr.. Truman said.
His statement added that he Is
mindful of the bills effect on the
rent and sugar programs which
are so important to the welfare OF
the American people and desired
to explain their status so that the
country may be fully aware Of the
danger" in which the bill places
those programs.
Economics Ordered.
my present concern is that these
programs be continued effectively
until such time as they are no longer
necessary" he went on.
Il have already directed that the
utmost economies be made in the
administration of these programs.
but I know it is not the intent Of
the Congress to cripple rent control
and sugar rationing before the
policy of the Congress is determined
with regard to the extension of these
programs.
Accordingly, Mr. Truman an
nounced that he had requested Maj.
Gen. Philip B. Fleming. adminis-
traitor of OTC, to continue these
programs on an effective basis, with
the expectation that the Congress
will take further timely action on
rent control and sugar rationing."
He called for prompt action" by
Congress ito insure continuity" He
urged that the necessary funds be
transferred to the agencies which
take over the rationing and rent
ceiling controls. In the case Of
sugar, a bill now pending would
hand both price and ration authority
to the Agriculture Department.
Housing Program Stressed.
The deficiency bill cuts $2,400,000
from pact appropriation to CPA
and thus requires it to wind up its
major activities in support of the
veterans emergency housing pro-
gram by March 81.
These functions include the re-
naming priority controls over scarce
building materials, the $4,000, ,000-
a-Week limitation on nonresidential
construction, various ae1s to the pro-
duction of building supplies, and the
enforcement of regulations govern