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Show 1 ( - ,in WASHINGTON !By Walter Shead I WNU Comipondml I I WNU Washington Bureau. 1616 Aye St.. N. W. 'Little People' Protest Crippling of OPA TEMBERS of congress are now reaping a whirlwind of mail trom constituents condemning action ac-tion of the house in passage of the 3ill crippling OPA so badly that it cannot survive. Members of the tenate now considering the measure ire receiving mail in a ratio of ibout 25 to 1 urging that body to Eorrect the house action, and to extend ex-tend OPA another year without crippling amendments. Probably the most bitter denuncl-fction denuncl-fction of the house action comes from the "Army Times," national weekly aewspaper for the United States army, giving congress something to hink about. For this paper gives Ihe stand of the fifteen million resuming re-suming veterans on this important Issue of continued government control con-trol of prices and critical materials. The "Army Times says: "Afraid lo dare public wrath by voting tgainst such postwar necessities as emergency housing for veterans, extension of the dralt act and continuation con-tinuation of price coMtrol, the members mem-bers of the bouse have adopted a pattern of cutting the heart out of the laws and leaving only a skeleton ind a tombstone bearing the original origi-nal name. Then after destroying Ihe effectiveness of the laws, they pote a resounding 'aye' ostensibly to provide emergency housing, extension ex-tension of the draft and continuation continu-ation of price control. "Actually, however, most of those congressmen voted against veter-ins veter-ins housing, against extension of the draft and -against continuation of price control. Nevertheless, on the record they can go before the electorate this fall and insist that Ihey voted on such legislation. "They are hypocrites at heart." Inflationary Danger The newspaper further warned that extension of the OPA price control con-trol for at least another year is the only way in which this country can bypass a wild inflationary period and that end of price control now "would make a mockery of the pay raise now pending for the armed services; it would devalue terminal leave pay for enlisted men, decrease de-crease the value of mustering-oul pay, void the worth of a possible early bonus and engulf the civilian wages of newly returned veterans." Accusing both Democrats and Re. publicans, "Army Times" placed the major blame on the GOP which, It said, "is seeking to capitalize on the petty discomforts which all ol us suffered during four years oi OPA control." "It is a vicious and stupid attempt at-tempt to gain power at the cost oi the little people . . . the guys whe make up America . . . the workers, the veterans, the masses. We've all railed at OPA," the editorial says, "we've cussed it for everything." Still, in the long run, it would be hard to find an American family of low or moderate means thai wouldn't vote to continue price con trol if the vote was theirs. "Unfortunately, however, they delegated their vote to a bunch ol Job-seeking politicians who now prove themselves to be representatives, representa-tives, not of the people, but of power-conscious political machines and mercenary and selfish interests." And this reporter would like to point out that during consideration ol the full employment bill certain senators led by Senator Taft of Ohio declared it to be the policy of the government that they could nol guarantee anybody anything in the economic field, particularly employment. employ-ment. Protect Dealers They were very careful, however, to place in the OPA bill an amendment amend-ment which guarantees to manufacturers manufac-turers and dealers a profit on eacb item of manufacture and prohibits the OPA from requiring wholesalers wholesal-ers and retailers from absorbing part of the higher costs. If government as a matter of policy pol-icy cannot guarantee jobs for workers work-ers then how can it guarantee profits for industry? It may be that the Benate will eliminate these two features fea-tures of the OPA bill as it passed the house, although opposition tc OPA in both house and senate would like to see the bill so loaded dowr with inequities and so impossible of administration that the President would be forced to veto the measure meas-ure . . . then they could pass the onus on to him as they have done in the draft extension bill. Many business men are now becoming be-coming alarmed at the inflationary features of the house OPA bill. Thej foresee disruptions of their budgeti for operations. Their buying pricei getting out of hand and their wage costs unstable. As a result of thii j chaos they see a continued shortage j on commodities instead of full pro-i pro-i duction, as flambouyantly predicted i by the National Association of Man-I Man-I ufacturers. The N. A. M. is flatly contradicted by Frank Rathje, president pres-ident of the American Bankers' as sociation. He does not believe high er prices would boost production. |