The Potters Herald

On the Capital's Cuff
By TRAVIS K. HEDRICK

HAIL PRICE CONTROL!

Washington (FP)—Weakened by four weeks of blood-letting and badly intimidated by the shrill roars of congressional critics who were stage acting for the National Association of Manufacturers, the cadaverous OPA celebrated its reincarnation July 26 with an orgy of price increases.

This was no new act for OPA. Even in its dying moments a month previously it had broken out in a rash of orders permitting scores of manufacturers to mulct a helpless public.

But the patched up law signed by President Truman appears to be so bad that OPA won't even pretend to be boss of U. S. prices.

In the final days of its previous life, OPA directed price rises by the wholesale lot in an effort to convince Congress that it wasn't a bad boy. That demonstration cost U. S. consumers about 25 per cent in increased living costs.

Before engaging in an all out demonstration of what the revived, but scared OPA did as it rose from the tomb, it is proper to concede that it issued its proper order on rent control and shoved the lid back on—to the figure we all paid last June 30.

An OPA also directed the landlords to hand back anything they may have squeezed out of us tenants in the way of security deposits when they thought the sky was the limit. If your landlord coughs up that dough by August 26, he won't be tagged as an OPA law violator.

But to return to the business of what OPA is doing now to our pocketbooks—

Coal prices were lifted 8c per ton July 26 because OPA doesn't want your coal dealer to fork over that sum for higher freight rates.

Alarm clocks, electrical and mechanical, as well as the desk types and the usual family size wall clock, were removed from OPA control, along with television sets for home use and snap fasteners for the wife's dresses.

An 8 per cent boost in shoe prices at retail was cheered by the footwear trade. It covers only the lower priced lines, with OPA explaining that it means just 2.4 per cent more in the general level because most of us buy the more costly types. OPA avers that the cheaper lines involve only 30 per cent of all U. S. shoe production.

That new oil burner you've been thinking about will be 5.5 per cent higher than you figured last week because of another OPA ruling. Domestic oil burners now are 15 per cent above the levels of October 1941.

Rubber heels, if you're interested, will be a nickel more than last week—making them 65c per pair attached for what OPA calls the top grade in brown—and 60c for the average or standard types.

Waterproof rubber footwear (rubbers and galoshes) will be up 10 per cent because of OPA's reaction to the new law. All gold and gold-filled sterling silver fountain pens and mechanical pencils were taken from under OPA ceilings. The sky is the limit if you must have one.

The cheaper lines of razor blades for your Gillette or Gem razor will be higher up to a maximum of 15 per cent if the manufacturer says he needs more dough for his product. The same is true for mechanical pencils in the lower price brackets, for bowls, reflectors and shades in the illuminating glassware line.

Just in case you are still interested, the boost applies also to stepladders, Stillson pipe wrenches and oilers.

Packaged cement makers can charge an extra 5c per barrel now, while a cotton rug will be found to be from 3.5 to 7 per cent higher than they were when OPA last set a figure.

Another interesting order provides that rentals on decontrolled consumer durable goods are decontrolled. So if you've been renting a good power lawn mower, organ or musical instrument, the tariff is going up considerably.

Among the other items OPA granted increases are wooden agricultural containers, kraft wrapping paper, certain obsolete gaskets, packings and oil seals.

Altogether, OPA issued well over 100 orders and none of the items involved are going to be as cheap as they were a month ago.

It's a dandy price control law.