| Show ij Dark Spectre of Inflation r 1 i. i Rises to Haunt Congress I j J i t i It Strenuous Nail Nail- Nail Biting Biting Marks Senators 2 fi Representatives Worried Over Much I Debated Subsidy Question r By News Analyst and Commentator c 7 r Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C Unless I miss my guess badly as thee theae lines appear In hi print a number number number num num- ber of senators and representatives will be going through one of the most nervous nail biting periods they have ever experienced When the bill passed the house with such an overwhelming overwhelm overwhelm- ing lag majority majority enough enough If the vote held to pass it over the Presidents President's veto veto veto-a a lot of congressmen were beginning beginning beginning be be- ginning to worry They were wondering wondering won won- i dering If U the measure really does A become law will the ghost which the President has conjured up really walk In Inflation is that ghost Nobody wants ln inflation Memories are long enough to remember remember remember re re- re- re member how short the long green shrank after the last war Suppose there came to pass what all the highbrows highbrows highbrows high high- brows and the low brows were predicting predicting pre pre- dieting would that if 11 you lifted Jilted the lid l e it might blow just a of off members of congress had begun to ask themselves The memory of the boys selling seIling apples the memory of mortgages foreclosing the memory of Mister have j got yOu got dime began to stir many in-many a dormant corner Strange Phenomenon It was a strange but not an Unaccustomed unaccustomed unaccustomed un un- accustomed phenomenon The phenomenon phenomenon phenomenon phe phe- of the congressman torn between what the particular group which dominated his constituency I wanted and what he felt honestly 4 and sincerely was the best thing for tor them in hi the long run That doubt began to stir It was an interesting thing to pass through the halls of the Capitol and of the House and Ill I Senate Office buildings and talk to these men You could almost see seethe the spectre rising behind them The spectre of inflation pointing its finger finger fin fin- ger at them Whenever you run nm into someone whose business it is to feel the pulse of congress you get the same reaction reaction reaction tion I have just pictured Members i of congress are worried They dont don't want to be blamed for inflation r And that is why now at this moment moment mo mo- ment when the fate tate of the Commodity Commod Commod- ity Credit corporation which nearly everybody wants would seem to be sealed by the triumph of the antiC anti- anti C subsidy provision such fate may not 1 q be so certain L When this subsidy fight started I t wrote in this column that the administration administration administration ad ad- ministration realized it had one of the hardest fights it ever had ahead That there seemed to be absolutely no compromise in sight The other day a man wise in inthe r the ways of congress and beholden to no party and so far tar as I know knowin in the years I have known him never never nev nev- er a proponent of any measure his business is to be neutral said to tome tome tome me Wait and see somebody like likeS S Senator Taft Talt will come out with a compromise Well I have waited and perhaps by the time you read this you will also have read that somebody like Senator Taft TaU has produced the compromise If not the administrations administration's so- so called hold the line policy will bite the dustIr dust r Ir See how the congress has struck I S. S at almost every brick In that wall Treasury Department The treasury said you must tax the spending money out of the pockets pockets pock pock- ets or you'll have inflation The congress congress congress con con- gress passed a tax bill that would raise about a fifth filth of what the administration administration administration ad ad- ministration said was necessary This disregard of treasury's advice was was due only in part to a lack of respect for Secretary tax theories And everybody blames the President for that He doesn't have bave to keep in his cabinet cabinet cab cab- inet met even if he was a good neighbor up there on the Hudson But congress congress con con- gress wouldn't have taken anyone's advice on that subject The congress threatened to stop the appropriation and authorization for the Office of ot Price tion It managed to consider bi bito bill to take away OPA's OPAs powers bit by bit to maintain the ceiling on coal I II ti and on oil Jt These are just a few tew of the thc many efforts to shake loose the war ro- ro oJ Congress has reflected l t honestly enough the feeling of the theTO I T O ii people As the Allies march nearer to victory the restraints of regulation regula regular tion and regimentation chafe more and more But down deep in hi the hearts of many a lawmaker today is the realization realization reali real that whether the administration tion lion has been right or wrong in the way it has done things it was right when it said that inflation had to be avoided And that is why today unless I miss my guess or unless some Danid Daniel Daniel Dan Dan- id iel comes to judgment who can discover discover dis dis- i cover a better salve than subsidies the administration will win vin at least leasta a partial victory in the battle which will be staged in hi the days just ahead S S S Railroads Plan For Future Traffic There is one thing we are all Interested interested interested in In- In Getting from where we weare weare weare are to somewhere else and getting back again I Naturally we want to do it as cheaply as possible Today in hi Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington there is going on the preparation preparation preparation tion for one of the greatest transportation transportation tation battles in history The airlines sir air lines believe that the war has virtually virtually virtually virtu virtu- I ally made the skies their garden All AU they have to do is to spade it When peace comes and the various restrictions restrictions restrictions re re- re- re are lifted lilted the people will spread their wings and fly The other day the executives of the leading railways got together They thought and thought And this Is what came out of the hopper 1 Reductions in passenger fares both coach and Pullman immediately immediately immedi immedi- following the warWe warWe warWe war We shall have to reduce rates after the war and do it quickly and thoroughly one executive said Any dawdling and hemming and ha hawing wing will only result in our emptying emptying empty empty- ing our trains again and In the loss of the highly desirable public relations relations relations rela rela- and advertising value that an Immediate and voluntary slash would bring 2 Widespread Introduction of lightweight streamlined coaches and Pullmans with old cars being scrapped forever 3 Greater use of modern merchandising merchandising merchandising mer mer- techniques including larger appropriations for institutional institution institution- al and product advertising 4 Greater consideration to the comfort and convenience of the passenger passenger passenger pas pas- described frankly as a radical radical radical rad rad- ical departure by one executive Passengers Passenger's Interest The railways have been too prone to subject the passengers passenger's interest interest interest in in- terest to the whims of mechanical and operating offices and to the requirements requirements requirements re re- re- re of mail and express schedules he commented 5 Simplification of rate structures structures structures tures by establishing a common base basera ra rate e for tor the whole country and simplification simplification sim sim- of accounting methods 6 Restrictive union rules which will nullify as airlines grow larger much of their prewar personalized service sales appeal So long as there were only about passenger-carrying passenger planes in the country carrying about 20 passengers passengers passengers gers each the personalized service created a tremendous sales appeal When the airways go after mass passenger traffic they will find this type of of selling i impossible possible said another an art other executive 7 Restoration of passenger service service service ice at many points We have denuded our ur railway of ot passenger service at many points and we are thoroughly ashamed of ot having done so one official said 8 Greater comfort and better service on all carriers from local coach all trains to the extra fare trains 9 Speeding up of passenger schedules by such means as continuing continuing continuing con con- to take out curves reducing stops and improving head end operations operations op op- mail and express loading loading load load- ing big and unloading After that pronouncement the railway executives stepped forth and l d announced in stentorian tones that they were not afraid of competition from the skyways Fine says the humble traveler we dont don't care whether its it's airways or railways so long as we get where we want to go and get back economically economically eco ceo and comfortably We will |
