Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-09-14
BowIes Lays Blame
For Price Spiral on
COP. 'RuthIessness

The upward swing of food prices
toward all-time peaks brought
charge yesterday by Chester Bowles,
former OPA head and economic
sterilization director that Republi
can 'ruthlessness and irresponsi
bility" have caused our present
crazy prices
His comment heightened the con-
troversy as to the responsibility and
remedy for the rising cost of living.
1t came while Senator Ives, Republi-
can, of New York. and Paul Porter,
last chief of OPA, were voicing APP
prehension that the cost of living
spiral might lead to bust"
At the same time Senator Taft,
Republican, of Ohio, declared at
Santa Cruz, Calf, that President
Truman could help bring prices
down by more effective use Of export
control powers.
MI. BowleS, in a statement at
Essex, Conn.,, replied to a comment
by Senator Baldwin, Republican, of
Connecticut, urging Mr.. Truman to
propose some practical solutions"
and asserting that the Democrats
were doing substantially nothing
about the high cost of living"
Says COP Killed OPA.
mo public issue in the last 10
years has been drawn more clearly
along party lines Mr.. Bowles said,
land on no public issue in the last
10 years has the Republican Party
been so Scandalously callous of the
public interest. Effective price con-
troll was killed by the Republican
Party, representing the National As
ISOLATION of Manufacturers and
other pressure groups, in June, 1916.
To-day the high cost of living
baby rests squarely in the lap of the
Republican Party and it's little Won
der that the COP Is squirming over
the prospects. There is little doubt
but that their ruthlesness and
responsibility on this issue of
prices will cost them the election of
1948.'
Locally Washington Shoppers re-
portedly showed signs of resisting
higher meat and butter prices by
buying more poultry, seafood and
margarine But a more concerted
move was under way in Maryland
to mobilize housewives for an organ
lied fight on skyrocketing food costs.
Representatives of two large chain
stores in the District said they saw
no evidence of q buyers strike"
here in recent days. They said they
noted some shopping around by
housewives in search of lower priced
meats.
Margarine Sales Increase,
The recent increase of 2 cents in
the retail butter price has resulted
in more sales of margarine, although
this has not yet affected the COM
paratively low-price range from 80
to 81 cents in the margarine in
Washington, they reported. The
current retail butter range of 81 to
"a cents here was still below the
81 maximum reported in some Balti-
more and New York stores. Butter
reached $1.02 q pound in some Buff
falo IN. " stores yesterday.
A suggested buyers strike" Or
gained in Baltimore by the Amer
leans for Democratic Action, re-
ceived support yesterday from Mrs.
Roy D. Whitlock, State chairman of
the Maryland Federation of Wom-
ems Clubs. She announced in
,Catonsville, Md, that heads of other
women's organizations were invited
to meeting this week to discuss
price resistance methods.
Mrs. Whitlock said corporations
already has been promised by Mrs.
C. j. Kern of Denton. Md, presi-
dent of the Associated Women of
the Maryland Farm Bureau, and
Mrs. Duane L. Peterson of Balti-
more, president of the Women's
Civic League. Their campaign, she
said, is directed particularly against
butter, egg and meat prices.
Ives Sounds Warning.
Declaring that price controls are
out" Senator Flanders. Republican,
of Vermont, declared: We've got to
find some other way to meet the
price-increase problem.
In the opinion of Senator Ives,
Congress will be forced to take
some action" unless wild Specula-
ton in grains and other foods is
curbed.
He said he did not think all the
features of a general depression"
are present, but he warned that
booming living costs might cause
the bottom to drop out as it did in
1929 and 192O-21"
Mr.. Porter declared in an inter-
view at Atlanta, Ga, that he be-
lieved it was too late for Congress
to do much about high prices now.
He added that the country would
be lucky IF we don't have a bust"
Urges Export Revision.
A suggestion concerning the Gov
ernment's export program came
yesterday from John H. Mcmillan,
jr., president of Cargill Inc, of
Minneapolis, one of the country's
largest grain merchandising firms
He urged that the Government con-
slider revising its grain export pro-
gram. He noted that the national
production of wheat, barley, rye and
grain sorghum would fall 100000
long tons below 1916. This figure,
he recalled, exceeded the country's
entire grain exports in 1887.
AS a by-product of the food price
increase, the American Business
Mems Research Foundation reported
in Chicago that sales of alcoholic