Evening star., 1952-06-22
Stabi|izer Blasts
House Move 10
Kill PriceCurbs
81 Costs Will Look
Cheap if Controls Go,
Putnam Warns
By Froncis P. DouoIos

Economic Stabilizer Roger L.
Putnam warned yesterday that
If House action to scrap PRACTICAL
ly all price controls is allowed to
stand, today's high prices will look
like bargains.
He blamed "to-hell-with-the-
consumer" attitude in part for
House votes to remove controls.
He said the actions would tear
the guts' out of the controls pro-
gram.
Price Stabilizer Ellis Arnall
called the House bill "monstros-
ity" and forsaw soaring prices and
higher taxes if controls are re-
moved.
The chief decontrol measure for
which the House voted Friday was
an amendment to the controls bill
introduced by Representative
Tale, Republican, of Iowa.
IF it finally becomes law" Mr..
Arnall said. "it will be my recon-
mendation that we abolish the
Office of Price Sterilization en-
tirely and let the little that is
left for it to do be handled by the
defense Production Administra-
ton"
He said it was hard to believe
the House and Senate finally
would pass such a "monstrosity."
Labor Editors Hear Arnal.
Mr.. Arnall's statements came in
reply to questions after an ad-
dress before the Eastern Labor
Press Conference, now holding q
convention at the Mayf1ower
Hotel.
He remarked that Gen. Eisen-
hover and Senator Taft, the two
leading candidates for the Re-
publican presidential nomination,
have been talking about cutting
the budget. But. he added, if the
Tale amendment is passed, it will
create imitation and necessitate
higher taxes because the cost of
cannon and everything else would
go up"
He warned that the same infia.
tlonary pressures that were gen.
Grated by the Korean war still
exist.
The Tale amendment and
other proposals on which the
House voted Thursday and Fri
day are amendments to the De-
tense Production Act with it's
price, wage and rent controls. The
actions taken are subject to re-
consideration when the HOUSE
gets down to final action on the
bill. 1t will resume consideration
Of the measure Wednesday.
Calls It ''VOte For Initiation"
Mr.. Putnam, warning of higher
living costs. said:
Il left my business Gin Spring.
field, Mass.) and came down here
to administer the price and wage
controls. only because I believed
we are in a critical defense emer-
gency and these controls are
necessary to our national strength
and security. But the House, by
its actions yesterday, doesn't seem
to think there is any emergency
at all.
"A minority in control of the
House yesterday voted for higher
food prices, higher living costs,
higher defense costs. 1t voted for
imitation. The absenteeism on the
one hand and the to-hell- with
the-conSumer attitude on the
other gave us bill that is now q
monstrosity.
Imitation in America is Stains
best ally. These amendments
would weaken America in the face
of Communist danger.
LObbies Would VIM
If the Congress tears the CUTS
out of the stabilization program
and lets the cost of living run riot
as this bill would do - the
housewife will find that the high
prices she is now paying for food
and other cost-of-living items will
look like bargains compared to
what will happen. The lobbies
would win, but the people would
lose"
The Tale amendment would
take price controls from all pro-
ducts not under rationing or all
locations. None is rationed now
and only comparatively few
commodities-chiefly metals-ars
npdor ollooot;ooc