Evening star., 1961-04-14
BY DAVID s. BRODER
Star staff Writer

Lawmakers and bureaucratS
are pausing long enough in
their headlong flight to save
the farmer, aid the unemployed,
Succor small business, review
the depressed areas and close
the dollar gap to remember that
the customer is always right.
SO far as is known, the White
House has sent out no order
declaring the shopper an OBJ
ject Of governmental concern,
but many a politician is siding
UP to consumers with an eX-
preston that says, 81 care"
Recent Activities
In recent days, for example !:
Secretary Of Agriculture Free
man has promised that "the
voice of the consumer will be
heard in the formulation Of any
program dealing with farm
commodities prodiced in this
country"
Attorney General Kennedy
has announced . grand jury
in New York is investigating
administered prices in the pro-
cessed meat industry, includ-
ing the adequacy Of the number
Of kosher delicatessens in New
York City.
The Federal Trade Commits
sion has begun an investiga-
ton of various highly-adver-
tised pain-killers to see, moi
just which reaches the blood
stream first, but whether any
of them do what they claim
Rival groups of Republican
and Democratic Senators have
introduced legislation to create
a Select Committee on Con-
sumer Problems and an exist
ing subcommittee has an
nounced plans for an inquiry
into "the shoddy, the shabby
the meretricious, the deceitful
and misleading practices of the
marketplace."
Signs of Awakening
Summing it all up, Senator
Maurine Neuberger, Democrat
of Oregon, said there are sign!
of awakening" in many part!
of the government to the need.
of consumers.
Mrs. Neuberger is the heaC
of a 15-man Senate contingent
backing a move to create {
special consumers study com.
mittee. Senator Javits, Repub
lican of New York, heads 6
four man Republican grouI
sponsoring another bill with
the same object.
To Study Market Practices
While their proposals arr
hanging fire in the Senate
Rules Committee, Senator Hart
Democrat of Michigan, has an
nounced plans for June hear
ings on misleading marketing
practices by a Senate anti
trust subcommittee he heads
Focus of this study will b
the packaging and labelling
practices that confront super
market shoppers with a con
fusing array of Economy,
Giant" Super Economy" an,
Family Size" packages an,
make it impossible for anyon
but a mathematician to figur
how much he's getting for hi
money.
The Agriculture Department
is moving into a somewha
similar field with public hear
ings in cities across the countr
later this month on the amour
of added moisture that shoul
be permitted in smoked ham
and other pork products.
The Department issued a.
order last December setting /
per cent as the maximum, bu
consumer groups protested thi
was too high and Secretar
Freeman ordered the questio
reopened in March.
Consumer Representative
Also in the agriculture fielC
the new farm bill Presider
Kennedy is scheduled to sen
to Congress next week will re
quire at least one consumer re
preventative to sit on the pan,
of advisors that help the See
retary of Agriculture draft fl
ture programs for various farl
commodities.
There may even be a cor
Tlmer counsel in the Whit
House itself, as President Ker
nedy promised during the can
paign, though problems {
fitting such an officer into tt
administrative network hay
prevented a decision.
But the interest is there, ar
1t may even be, as Senate
Hart contended in a speec