Evening star., 1950-08-11
Taft Launches Fight
AGAINST Broad Control
Powers for Truman
By Cecil Holland


Ohio, today launched a fight
against granting board wage
price-rationing authority to Presi-
dent Truman in a sweeping home
front mobilization bill already
adopted by the House.
IT am not protesting against
controls in general" Senator Taft
said in a Senate speech. but I do
believe that certain types OF con-
troll can change our free economic
system into a semi socialist regi-
mented Nation. These controls
should only be granted on a clear
showing of economic emergency,
and for the duration OF the emer-
gency."
The Ohio Republican added that
there has not been, thus far, any
showing of a real economic emer-
gency to justify the control au-
thority given President Truman in
the bill passed by the House yes
terday by a vote of 383 to II. The
Senator spoke as the Senate COM
tinued its debate on the home
front mobilization bill with pre-
dictions by administration leaders
that the Senate will pass bill
very similar to the one adopted
in the House.
Would Get Free Hand.
The Se-approved measure
would give President Truman a
free hand in putting rationing and
wage price controls into effect
whenever he deemed it necessary.
The House-approved bill, as we'll
as the measure being considered
by the Senate, go far beyond what
Mr.. Truman had requested in
dealing with the threat of inf1a-
ton in the current emergency.
But the President said he would
welcome authority to impose
rationing, wage-price controls if.
no strings were attached to the
powers given him.
At a press conference yesterday
the President said the time for
use of such authority in mobiliz-
ing the country's domestic econ
omy was not yet in sight.
Provisions of Measure.
The House-approved measure
would:
l. In addition to the wage
price -rationing authority given to
the President, impose stiff pen
atty of a $4,000 fine or a year
in jail or both for boarding of
scarce commodities.
2. Authorize ALLEGATION of scarce
industrial materials and establish
priorities for defense work in in
duStry.
3. Give the President authority
to requisition materials at just
compensation and take over pri-
vate property when needed for
defense purposes.
4. Give the President discretion
ary power to regulate consumer
credit and impose real estate curbs
on new buildings and major re-
modelling starting after August 3.
5. Authorize the lending up to
50 billion to defense industries or
put Government guarantees behind
private loans for this purpose to
spur and expand defense produc-
ton.
The House bill would expire
June 80, 1851. The measure being
considered by the Senate would
allow the authority for home
front mobilization to run for two
years.
Only IL Against.
In the overwhelming House vote
for the control bill 243 Democrats
and 140 Republicans lined up to
support the bill. Against it were
IL Republicans and one American
Labor. Representative Marcan-
tonic of New York.
The wage-price-rationing con-
trolls were approved on a prelim-
mary ballot by a vote of 393 to 3
with Representatives Marcantonio,
Gwinn and Clevenger. Republi-
can of Ohio, voting against them.
Before the final House passage,
Representative Cooley. Democrat,
of North Carolina, led a success
full move to knock out a section
which would have given President
Truman authority to regulate
commodity exchange speculation
The vote was 1913 to 1874. A SIM
liar provision was eliminated from
the Senate measure by the Senate
Banking Committee.
Amendment Adopted.
Representative Wolcott. Repub-
lican. of Michigan, succeeded in
getting adoption of an amend
ment that would limit real estate
curbs to new construction and
major remodeling started after
August 3. The vote on this was 202
to 1873.
Administration leaders argued
that the Wolcott amendment
would result in rent increases by
causing values of existing dwell
lings to soar.
The bill would allow the PreSi-
dent to put wage and price con-
trolls into effect either separately
or jointly, whenever he wanted to-
Wages would be stabilized al
the levels of May 24-June "a this
year In fixing price ceilings. the
President would be required to
give due consideration to the
levels OF the same period.