Evening star., 1950-08-17
Bureaus Make Ready
To Tackle Problem Of
Home Front Controls
By Cecil HoIIond

Government agencies today
stepped up their preparations to
carry out limited economic con-
trolls expected to be granted Presi-
dent Truman in the home front
mobilization bill now being con-
sidered by the Senate.
The preparations moved along
as the Senate put of until Mon
day a vote on the bill.
The President is expected to
delegate powers granted him in
the far-reaching mobilization
measure to established Govern
ment agencies-such as the Com
merce, Agriculture, Interior and
Labor Departments-rather than
set up a new and overall body to
administer the controls.
The White House, it is under
stood, is ready to issue promptly
the necessary executive orders
delegating the authority as soon
as the bill passes Congress and is
signed into law.
Commerce to Get Bulk.
The Commerce Department is
expected to obtain the bulk and
most important initial response
I bilities under the bill. These will
include the most urgent require
ments of priorities, ALLEGATIONS and
inventory control of scarce mate
rialS needed to be channeled into
the defense effort.
Anticipating these added re-
sponsibilities, Secretary of Com
merce Sawyer already has pushed
along to an advanced stage his
departmental organization for the
work.
Commerce plans call for the
establishment of a separate Office
or division within the agency for
handling the work.
Mr.. Sawyer is said to have
chosen William Henry Harrison,
president of the International
Telephone and telegraph Co. to
head the little WPB Office" for
which a formal name has not yet
been selected.
Harrison, Sawyer Confer.
Mr.. Harrison has been in Wash
ington comforting with Secretary
Sawyer on the problems of ad-
ministering the controls and an
Office for him. or whoever is ap-
pointed to the post, is now being
prepared on the fifth floor of the
Commerce building, not far from
the Secretary's quarters.
The telephone executive would
bring to the assignment wealth
of experience gained as director
of the old War Production Board
and then, as a major general, in
charge of procurement for the
Army's Signal Corps during the
war.
Mr.. Sawyer is said to be ready
to name at once not only Mr.,
Harrison but other top figures
to administer the priorities and
ALLEGATION program "a deputy
director and a chief counsel.
\ Manly Fleischmann of Buffalo,
N. Y, who served with the old
WPB, is reported in line for the
post of chief counsel.
Orders Being Drafted.
Along with the organizational
work. Commerce officials are said
to be drafting orders that may be
required to carry out the prioritieS
and ALLEGATION of scare material
in such fields as steel and rubber.
1t is expected that a voluntary
system may be tried at first with
preparations for shifting at once
into mandatory controls if needed.
Mr.. Sawyer and other Commerce
officials have been consulting in
an advisory way with business
groups in formulating the pro-
gram. In that connection. rep
resentativeS of the rubber indus
try were called in recently for
conferences.
The new set-up within the
Commerce Department. it is
understood. will draw heavily at
first on existing Offices in carry
ing out its work. But separate