Show CONGRESS VS CONSUMER I 1 christian science monitor on several occasions this newspaper has urged president roosevelt and his aides to stand more firmly against the pressure groups including strikers who abo have attacked the barricades raised against inflation today we feel that the weakest spot on the home front is congress for in its current actions congress is not merely failing to defend the anti inflation line it is actively attempting to breach that line lets look at the record the ways and means committee of the house has rejected the treas plan for in new taxes to draw off surplus buying power and has substituted a proposal which will collect a mere 2 the house and senate are both now expected to pass the rider on the commodity credit corporation bill which would bar payment of subsidies to prevent price rises which according to OPA administrator bowles will wili cost americans in 1944 the senate is preparing to override economic stabilizer vinson on the question of railway wages and call for an increase of eight cents an hour for the non operating unions the smith investigating committee in the house has attacked OPA as too harsh in its measures to curb black markets and recommends changes in procedure which would make in of price ceilings more difficult now fairness demands that we recognize mitigating circumstance circum sta nee the Treas tax program dodged the need for taxing lower incomes where most of the new money is some opponents of subsidies are sincerely concerned about abuses to which such payments are open and others do not believe they will vent inflation many advocates of the pay rise fore railway workers argue that it is in line with the purpose of the stabilization act to correct gross inequities and will promote the war effort the smith committee has rightly pointed to mistakes in OPA methods d and is concerned about the dangers of bureaucratic tyranny but however good the reasons for any one congressional move impartial observers declare the total effect is clearly and dangerously inflationary we would not attempt to say that administrative officials are the only patriots or that they possess a monopoly on wisdom or courage when it come to stopping inflation but there is increasing evidence that members of Cor congress gress are more open to the pressures of special interest blocks which demand price or wage increases the administration has often been too responsive to farmers or labor pressures but it must be said that in recent months the president hos by his anti inflation stand alienated liena ted most of his farm support and is now facing open threats of labor to vote republican at this moment the administration deserves the support of citizens in its fight however faulty a inflation and congress deserves a warning from every consumer that he knows that a 10 per cent increase in prices is many times as burdensome as a 10 per cent increase in taxes and may open the door to devastating inflation |