WIDE POWERS SOUGHT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26641, 11 December 1947, Page 7

WIDE POWERS SOUGHT

LEGISLATION BEFORE SENATE AMERICAN ANTI-INFLATION MEASURES Rec. 8 p.m. WASHINGTON, Dec. 9. The first piece of legislation detailing President Truman’s anti-inflation programme, which is in the form of a Bill which would give the Government powers to ration food and buy entire crops, and broad priority and allocation powers over scarce mdus-. trial materials, was submitted to the Senate Judiciary Sub-committee today by the Secretary of Commerce, Mr Averell Harriman. Specific allocation powers were asked over iron, steel, grain, rice, dried beans, peas, fats, oils, margarine, soap, livestock poultry, and milk. . The Bill also would authorise Mr Truman, after public hearings, to allocate other materials if he found shortages affecting industrial production, the cost of living, national defence and the foreign policy. The .proposed powers would remain in force until March, 1950. Mr Harriman told the sub-com-mittee. however, that the Administration did not intend to use the priority and allocation powers on a scale ap-. proaching the war-time basis. The Bill was drafted in response to continuous Republican requests as to just what the Administration wanted. It appears certain, however, that Congress will not act on the measures this session. The Republicans viewed it as a case of asking “too much, too late” and proceeded with their own plans to enact legislation next week which would extend . export controls as the qnly compulsory measure. The Republican programme, as tentatively outlined, would seek to halt the price spiral .through other voluntary measures rather. , than through . “.stand-by authority ” requested by Mr Truman.