INFLATION: Low Pressure Area

Bulky OPAdministrator Leon Henderson dislikes patronage. Balky Congress dislikes Henderson and loves patronage. Around that low-pressure area last week still blew the tempest over price control.

Leon Henderson had asked the purse-proud Budget Bureau for $210 million to up his staff of 7,300 to 90,000 price cops and helpers. This was whacked down to $161 million, enough for 66,000 legmen.

At rough & tumble hearings, Henderson said he had to have the cash for 1943, that he intended to get it, and wanted 2,736 plain & fancy lawyers, 1,800 specialists, 600 economists. He would have no truck with voluntary price-watchers.

But the House Appropriations Committee subcommittee was on its ear now. It whacked some more. Tough old John Taber of New York took up his snickersnee, whacked $130 millions off with one slash. But the auction settled down at $95 million; then the full committee sliced it to $75,000,000 before the bill went to the House floor. Fighters Taber and Oklahoma’s Jed Johnson, veteran Henderson-haters, vowed to carry on, fight right to the House floor. Their goal: to see to it that Henderson got by on what was finally approved, to make him use volunteer price watchers.

What hurts Congress are Henderson’s non-political appointments. Yet Congressmen are infuriated at hints that they want to get their hands on the fat jobs. Stormed Jed Johnson: “These patronage stories sound very much like Henderson propaganda for the purpose of bailing him out with the public and making him appear as a martyr. The present Price Administrator apparently enjoys his role as he poses as a bully and a bluffer, a self-inflated bureaucrat who evidently envisions himself as a dictator.”

Other sores and boils: Democrats say Henderson should consult them at least about appointments in their States. Others call him arbitrary, short-tempered, resent his keeping them waiting on the phone.They feel he diabolically planted gasoline X cards on them, shrewdly guessing at the kickbacks to come.

Henderson pulled his hat down over his ears, flipped up his coat around his neck, plowed on through the heavy weather.