Show Round Merry By Drew Pearson and Robert S. S Allen WASHINGTON WASHINGTON Only Only insiders know it but the government is preparing drastic price controls controls con con- i if the present upward trend continues They fear a runaway price situation which would hit the pocketbooks of the great mass miss massof massof of consumers consumerS' And the last thing the administration adminis nation wants right now is a hot living cost potato on its hands Three plans of attack are under consideration tion lion 1 I. Use of the priorities control now vested in the office of production management under the supervision of Edward R. R Jr to deprive price gougers of their supplies thus forcing them either to go out of business or bring their prices into line 2 Use of the draft industry law to compel compel com corn pel price gouging concerns to sell to the government government govern govern- ment meat at a fixed figure also to freeze prices in industries where quotations persist in getting getting getting get get- ting out of line with what are considered fair levels 3 Imposition of a price ceiling on all aU com corn commodities commodities and on every step in the ind industrial process from ra raw materials to retailer The last was the recommendation tion of Bernard Bernard Ber Ber- nard Baruch based on his experience as head of the 1917 18 war industries board In private conferences with Roosevelt and defense chiefs Baruch emphasized that the one big price lesson learned in World war I was that way half-way control control con con- measures s were vere worse than none at all You must either stabilize every price or stabilize no price he declared If you impose controls only at one point you leave the door wide open for a worse breakaway somewhere else eIse The only effective defense is total defense de de- de and the only effective price control is total control Action on Defense Housing Housing for tor civilian defense workers one of of I the most muddled phases of the defense program now looks as 1 if it is going goin somewhere thanks to the quiet intervention of Mrs Roosevelt and Frederic A. A Delano Delan uncle of the president and chairman of the national resources planning board Both exerted their influence through F D DR R himself The first lady told him of shocking housing conditions among defense workers which she had seen in several cities and warned that there would be serious consequences conse conse- unless something was done quickly Delano urged Roosevelt to get behind the C CI I Os O's plan for prefabricated homes The C CIO I 0 has been urging this for months as the solution to the housing log jam log and and getting nowhere with defense moguls The C CIO I 0 asserts that prefabricated units can be produced by thousands each month and that after the emergency is over they could uld easily and cheaply be moved to other areas areas where housing was needed Impressed by the reports of his w wife e and uncle the president got busy He ordered the various housing agencies to report to him weekly weekly week week- ly regarding progress approved the purchase of several thousand trailers for emergency homes in the worst areas and gave the go-ahead go signal for a scale large-scale trial of prefabricated houses Gerrymandering Gerrymandering- in Prospect In several states which went Republican l last st November but failed tailed to ou oust all of the Democratic Demo Remo- cratic congressmen the the- loc local l G GO GOP 0 P legislatures are now planning to accomplish by gerrymandering gerrymandering dering dening what they failed to do with the ballot ballotIn In the redistricting required by the 1940 census they are arc out to oust the remaining Democrats Unfortunately this involves some of the most useful members of the house who because because because be be- be- be cause of their outstanding records are difficult to beat beati at th polls Here are are some of th the Democratic congressmen wh who are arc on the spot because their states tates have lost one or more congressional congressional congressional con con- gressional seats John M. M Jack Houston of the F Fifth th district of Kansas hard working member of the appropriations committee and foe of big insurance companies In reducing Kansas congressional districts from seven to six G GOP 0 P bosses in the legislature plan to torpedo Houstons Houston's since he heIs heIs heIs Is the states state's only Democratic representative and one ne of the most popular figures it has sent to congress in years William Jacobsen of the Iowa Second district dis dis- who was elected to succeed his father the late Representative Bernhard Jacobsen in hi 1936 A leading light on the naval affairs committee committee committee com com- Jacobsen has proved himself invincible in elections so the G 0 O P controlled Iowa legislature legislature legislature legis legis- lature hopes to eliminate his district Republicans haven't shown their hand yet ret et etin in the Massachusetts redistricting but inside word is that the legislature which they control will attempt to sandbag either Joseph Casey of the Third district or Arthur Healey of the Eighth probably Eighth probably the latter when latter when it eliminates eliminates nates one of the states state's 11 congressional districts Both rank among the ablest of house members mem mem- bers Healey having been elected ted to the ways and andt means committee highest in the house while Casey has shone on the appropriations and Dies committees Distributed ted by United Feature Syndi Syndicate te 1 |