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Show Local OPA Not To Blame Says W. Leo Knell Editor's Note: The following article ar-ticle is submitted by W. Leo Knell of Newcastle and Cedar City in response re-sponse to an article published In the December 20th issue of the Record setting forth the OPA's stand on local lo-cal cafe price controls: .... .... i .c .. First let me say that I do not "blame" the local OPA for OPA I rules and regulations. Personally they have been fine In the granting of needs as requested. Obviously they are dictated to by "higher authority" which eventually can bt, traced to Washington, D. C. The policy behind OPA regulations regula-tions may be sound, but I disagree that they have always been for "the protection of the public". II their 'policies, at the inception of OPA, had been applied uniformily and universally, covering all Items of trade and exchange, then perhaps per-haps we could say the public ha1 been protected. As it was, celling prices were placed on some Items, while others went free. Later on ceilings were placed on these articles, ar-ticles, with some of these not being enforced at all. Take for instance used cars they were let go until they sold for considerably above the original purchase price when new. Then ceilings were placed on them at a high level. Labor wages were frozen as of a certain date, but wages continued to rise, the freezing of them wasn't enforced You were told that was up to you. But others were bidding high for labor because of inflated government contracts, and were paying more, so you had to fall In line or else cease to operate. OPA or the government does not pro-i pro-i vldes a floor on their price controls. Hardware, furniture and parts dealers will tell you that many of their items have been allowed ad-vancs ad-vancs of a full 200 percent and over. Everyone knows of the large advance In price of slices end clothing, toys and what not, and the quality is nothing compered to what If used to be. Prices of grocery gro-cery Items and fresh produce Items have been removed resulting In some Instances in a rise in prle?. In the Cafe business there has been Increases In labor, prices of foods, prices of equipment and supplies, sup-plies, and yet operator of cafei, at least In this area, have been unable un-able to get any Increase of price on their menus, even on prices filed years ago. OPA's statement with regards to cafes reads thus: "If. however, an operator can show that a price lie has filed Is not high enough to permit him a reasonable profit on the item, he may file an appeal for permission to raise his price and If the Prlce Panel and the District or Regional office thinks it Is justified, jus-tified, it MAY be granted." Several operators, with .whom I have talked state they have started to make such application,-, but by the time they had gone part way, they had become so cluttored up! with rules and regulations, the producing pro-ducing of affidavits, the dlgginj back into past oale history for mbftantlating records and figures, chat they had become so betuclciled and disgusted they decided to not go on an additional reaso.i they give was, "it wouldn't have done us any good anyway". OPA apparently fears that tuj cafe operators would exploit the public but surely not more thun operators of other businesses. The government administrations are perhaps the greatest exploiters of tho public: Witness the awarding award-ing of plus-cost contracts, the soliciting so-liciting of bond purchases to "get the boys home to the glorious rest, and welcome that awaits them," then turn around and Immediately grant, almost insist on the acceptance accept-ance of 4Vi billion more on top of 25 billion lend-lease to our great ally, Great Brltlan, with no assurance as-surance of ever getting those dol lars back; Then the Government's I policy of building expensive plants, j buildings, hospitals, etc., the a- j bandonlng of them and the erec- ! tlon of more at greater cost to the i public for example the proposed abandoning of the Bushnell Hospital and the erection of a new one at Salt Lake. Yet a returned veleran can't get any material, can't even ?et any help under the so-called G. I. Bill of Rights to build i decent , home for he and his family. Our Government smacks of socialism social-ism and Communism; the OPA smacks of Socialism and Communism. Com-munism. There are few clean cat American principles left untarnished untarnish-ed by diabolic Old World 'isms. I would rather spend one Cry in America where there Is still a semblance of a free press, free speech and1 freedom In one's religion convictions, where one may st:ll call his soul his own, than I would a lifetime under much vaunted dictator dic-tator controlled 'isms of Europe. W. LEO KNELL |
