Evening star., 1947-09-04
The Political Mil
High Prices and Housing
Seen Issues Facing 6. 0. P.
Republican Members of Congress
Must Act to Keep Seats
By Gould Lincoln

MUST ACC 10 NeSp SSaU
By Gould Lincoln
High prices and housing-particularly for
war veterans-loom as the two major issues
which the Republican Congress must do some
thing about in its next session. If 1t wishes
to continue in power after the 1s4S elections.
These are issues which are vitally interesting
to the people from coast to coast-and up to
the present little. beyond a lot of converse
tion, has been done about them. They have,
indeed, been treated very like the weather.
Warnings to the COP high command re-
garding this failure have come from two fresh
man Republican senator-Baldwn of Con-
necticut and Mccarthy Of Wisconsin. The
Democrats, Of course, have been throwing
prices and lack Of housing up to the Republic
cans for months.
AS first step-and 1t seems to the man in
the street belated ne-Republican-d -domi-
mated congressional committees are now getting
to work on both high prices and housing.
Senator Baldwin, months ago, proposed joint
congressional committee to investigate the
cause of high prices and to make recommended
tions for lowering them. It took the Repub-
lican leadership long time to get around to
acting on his and other proposals regarding
prices.
People Want Results.
Just what can be done about high prices Is
something yet to be determined. More abun-
dant production is, Of course. one sure way Of
dealing with the question But 1t is impos-
sibls to legislate production into being. A
thorough ventilation however, OF high prices
and how they came about-with much attend
ing publcity-s Q practical way Of doing
something. One Of the obvious reasons for
shortages Of goods Of all kinds Is the vast
amount which is being shipped to other parts
Of the world-to aid the war stricken. 1t
seems impossible to deny this aid.
Excuses are not what the American people
are interested in just now. They want results.
The Democrats have been bowling about hgn
prices for q long time-ever since a coalition
Of Republicans and Democrats in the last
Congress Cbefore the present Republican Con-
gress came into being) declined to continue the
Once Of Price Control in all its pristine powers.
But the Democrats while they denounce the
Republicans for allowing the OPA to die have
not yet produced any tangible program for con-
trolling prices. Even they have not yet pro-
posed that the OPA be revived. with all its
powers Of fixing prices, and the attendant black
market operations. which would be sure to
follow.
LdDOT Is AdEu Dy llBn PlCeS-DuJ no IDOT6
50 than the so-called white-collar class, and
certainly not as much as those who are forced
to live on fixed annuities or incomes. But labor
and for this the Republicans cannot be
blanchard its large increases in wages after
tho war ended started the imitation spiral.
Labor was encouraged, II 1t needed encourage
ment, in this course by the Democratic ad-
ministration, with both President Truman and
h fhns, oforv ~ A
Wallace, declaring that wages could be in
creased without necessarily increasing prices.
All this began and went forward when the
OPA was still in full force and effect Strikes
for higher wages helped to maintain shortages
in the goods the people wanted. And 1t was
soon evident that prices had to increase with
wages. -e.- So. $50
Others Shortdghted.
Shortsighted manufacturers and other pro-
ducers should have their full share, intent on
getting big profits, which they did.
It Is over these issues among others that the
moro liberal Republicans in and out Of Con-
gress are going to the mat with the more con-
servative, Old Guard Republicans. Obviously.
however, the coming session Of Congress must
bestir itself-and the betting Is that the Re-
publicans, who are now at home getting first
hand complaints from their constituents, will
do their best to convince the voters they have
their interests at heart