Evening star., 1947-03-31
Congress Due 10 Act
On Saving Part Of
Expiring War Powers
By the Assoeioted Press

expiring Wd POWERS
| By the Assoeioted Press
President Truman loses at
midnight the biggest single
grant of. power handed over to
the White House during the war
the unlimited authority to ra-
ton and parcel out scarce ma
terials.
However, Congress was set to
stamp its final approval during the
day on two measures salvaging a
vestige of the Second War Powers
Act. The bulk of that measure dies
at midnight, along with the six
and-one-half year old draft law.
The new bills, already approved by
Senate and House conferees, were
due for prompt presidential sigma
ture once they reach the White
House. They provide:
An extension until October 81 of
sugar rationing and price control
with the Agriculture Department
taking over both chores from OPA.
Emergency extension, until June
80 only, of ALLEGATION programs over
tin, antimony, railroad freight cars,
tractors built for export, manila and
agave cordage and fiber, the drug
streptomycin, and cinchona (qui-
nine), bark; plus limited controls in
foreign trade.
Authority Will Cease.
On signing them, the President
will abandon his authority to place
any other materials under priorities,
ration1ng or ALLEGATION, even in the
event of a new national crisis aris-
ing from strikes, disasters or a re-
vived threat of war.
Control over rubber, uranium ore,
housing materials, exports, and con-
struction-an formerly dependent
on the Second War Powers Act
already have been preserved under
separate postwar legislation.
Other programs, all administered
by the Civil Production Admins.
tration, will die at midnight. They
include: 49,
Inventory controls, which prohibit
the boarding and Withholding of
such things as washing machines
and other scarce consumer goods;
the ALLEGATION of steel and resins:
the export quotas imposed on the
manufacture of automobiles: tex
tile regulations; and few other
minor orders which '5are all that
remain of the TOO industrial con-
trolls invoked during the war.
Coal Strike Feared.
With his mind obviously on the
possibility Of new coal strike, Mr..
Truman two months ago asked that
his full ALLEGATION powers under
the act be extended on condition
that they would be used only in
event of q national emergency
which we do not now foresee."
But Congress, bent on freeing the
economy from all regulations,
scarcely paid this proposal the
compliment of debate.
In addition to the death of most
of the ALLEGATION programs, these
other shifts will occur at midnight:
l. The Government purchase Of
natural rubber will end. In elimi-
mating the Reconstruction Finance
Corp. as the sole purchaser of for
eign supplies, however, Congress ex-
tended domestic controls over the
use of both natural and synthetic
rubber for one year. In the mean
time, it expects to draft a national
rubber policy to insure the main
tenance of the synthetic rubber in
dustry for national security, prob
ably by making mandatory the use
of certain amount Of synthetic
in most rubber goods. -
2. Emergency powers over truck
lines and water carriers will be
Withdrawn from the Interstate
Commerce Commission and the
Office of Defense Transportation.
These were last used during the
winter soft coal strike. Railroads
will continue subject to freight en-
bargoes and curtailment of opera
tions If these again prove necessary.
Creedon Gets New Powers.
8. Housing Expediter Frank r.
Creedon will take over from CPA
the ALLEGATION of critically scarce
building materials to channel them
into housing. He will also enforce
residential building regulations and
the limitation on commercial build
ling.
4. The control of uranium mate
rials will pass from CPA to the
Atomic Control Commission.
S. One lingering war agency, the
Solid Fuels Administration, will pass
lout of existence.
j 6. Four inactive provisions of the
Second War Powers Act will expire
but with virtually no effect. They
Igoverned among other things, the
disposal of property confiscated in
wartime and the activities of dollar