After you've got your discharge and button,you'll find things back home have changedsome. Your family and friends and neighborshave had to make some changes because ofthe war, and some of the changes are beingcontinued until we shift back into peacetimegear safely.

Two of the things you'll meet are price andrent control. They are for your own protec-tion —so you won't be stung when you buy acar, or a suit of clothes, when you rent a houseor apartment, when you buy food, and some otherthings. It will pay you to know about them.

This leaflet is written to tell you whatthe score is. Read it and keep it, andsave yourself money and extra trouble.

"TIT blue plate's $295 fer discharged sojers-that leaves ya $5 fer th' s t reet car . . . "

Go-carts to guns, and back again

en the Axis socked us, factories werenostly making peacetime things — baby car-

riages, refrigerators, automobiles and theother products which make our country themost comfortable in the world. Suddenly wehad to stop it all and turn to making things tohelp men win wars — tanks, planes, shells,ships, uniforms, food, all the rest. Manage-ment, workers, farmers, housewives and theGovernment came through, and did it. You'veseen the shoes and tires and thousands of otherthings it took to run an Army and a Navy. Ittook a lot of groceries too.

The shooting is over now, thanks to the Ameri-can fighting man and his allies. But it's goingto take time to reconvert all the way frombomber plants to baby carriage factories andbuilding projects operating at full speed. Youcan't do it just by pushing a button.

B A N G E R O U S D O U G HWhen there are ten buyers for every sirloin

steak (as there have been during these pastfew yeanD, prices are sure to be bid up. That's

B|

why rationing and price and rent controls werestarted — to spread out the homefront supplyon a fair and. square basis, and keep down thecost al livingTTf the government had let pricesgo their dizzy way ̂ without controls, many aserviceman's wife and- kids, living, on^sn allot-ment, would have had to eat Jess and wearpoorer clothing. To avoid that, th^eedling pricelid was put on just about everything. Ration-ing has been lifted now on everything exceptsugar, but price and rent controls still coverthe necessities of living.

you re going to need civviesClothe* have ceiling prices. On low andmedium priced suits, shirts and underwear,manufacturers place official OPA ceiling pricetags showing top legal retail price. Look forthese tags. On higher priced garments, thereare ceiling prices, too. You'll find them on tagsor on posters near the goods on sale.

want to buy a radio?

Manufacturers put official OPA retail ceilingprice tags on washing machines, refrigerators,vacuum cleaners, plumbing equipment, radios,and similar goods. These tags tell exactly whatthe top legal prices are. Be sure to look forthem when you're ready to buy. These goodsare coming from the factories rapidly, sodon't rob your savings and your pay envelopeby paying over-ceiling prices to get your radioa little sooner.

do you need a car?

Used cars have ceiling prices. You can see anofficial OPA list of these top legal prices for allmakes and models of used cars at your localQPA Price Control Board or at your dealer's.

Know the ceiling price and don't paymore for phony "extras".

When you buy a car be sure you get a"certificate of transfer". This shows youthe ceiling price. Compare it with the price youpay. Report any overcharge to your OPA Price

"Of course, the s teer ing wheel cos ts $750,taut we knock of f f i f ty bucks for ex-so ld iers . . . "

Control Board. Wherever anyone is chargingtoo much for a car the OPA wants to know, soit can be stopped and your money refunded.

Here's another important thing about used carprice ceilings. There are two kinds.

First/ there is an [ "As Is" [ ceiling price. Thisis the highest that can be charged by an indi-vidual or by a dealer for any car sold in "as is"condition.

Second, there is a ceiling price for guaran-teed, or I "warranted"] used cars. This is ahigher price, and may be charged only bydealers who have been authorized to do so bythe OPA. Such dealers must have a shop inwhich to make the repairs necessary to live upto their guarantee, and must keep the car ingood operating condition for 30 days or 1,000miles, whichever comes first.

JVe w cars ore going to be scarce for a while,but they will all have ceiling prices. If you geta chance to buy one, check your dealer or yourlocal OPA Price Control Board for the ceilingprice. A few sharpers may offer to get you one.

for a hundred bucks on the side, but don'tbe a sucker and pay over the legal price.

building or buying a house'

Maybe you want to buy a house. The expertssay we need ten million or more new homes.They also say three million veterans will bewanting homes of their own by the end of 1946.Some of them will want to buy, others to rent.

U. S. manpower has been tied up for yearsmaking war goods, and there haven't beenmen or material to build houses. With fewavailable houses and millions of customers,the danger of building costs going sky-high isgreat. If that happened, your GI housing loanand your savings wouldn't even build a pieceof a house.

That's why OPA put ceiling prices on all build-ing materials. The prices of the most importantmaterials are shown on official OPA lists instores and at local Price Control Boards. Besure and look them over if you plan to buildor repair. Many contractors' services also have

ceiling prices, and you can get a list of themat your Price Control Board. Be sure and seethem before you start to build or repair.

OPA can't put ceiling prices on finished houses,so before you buy a house, Stop, Look andListen. Don't get caught with a fancy mortgageon a house that a few years from now may notbe worth nearly what you paid for it. Consult areputable appraiser and be guided by howmuch your bank will lend you on the place.

if you're rentinga house or apartmentThe OPA controls rents in most cities andtowns. Rent ceilings have been set on rooms inhotels and rooming houses, and on houses andapartments. The top legal rent is usually thesame as it was on the date on which rents werefrozen in that community.

When you rent an apartment or a house yourlandlord must show you a registration state-ment which gives the ceiling rent. If you rent aroom in a hotel or rooming house, check the

ceiling rate posted in the room. Don't paymore than the rent on the registration state-ment or the rent posted.

If anyone tries to collect a side payment fromyou or make you rent or buy some junky fur-niture in order to rent a place, tell the nearestOPA office. And remember, you can't bethrown out for refusing to pay more than thelegal ceiling rent. If you're paying more, or ifyou're threatened with eviction for any reason,report to the nearest OPA Area Rent Office.They'll get you straightened out. You shouldbe able to find the address in the phone book— or your local OPA Price Control Board candirect you.

going into business?Before you make any business commitmentsthat will tie up your money, — be sure toget all the price ceiling information about thebusiness, and if it requires the use of sugar,better get the facts on that, loo. You can findout from the Veteran's Relations Advisor atyour nearest OPA Regional or District Office.

1920 style crash avoided - SO N*

During and right after World War I, priceswent sky-high. The whole country sufferedwhen people stopped buying, and the bottomfell out 18 months after the Armistice. This timethe people have done a pretty good job ofusing rationing, price and rent controls tomake sure they'd get a fair and decent shareof scarce things at fair prices.

Your own future is a little brighter, and yourWar Bonds are worth more because Americahas. so far, headed off booming prices and thecrash that always follows them. But there arestill great dangers ahead.

You can help avoid high prices, inflation, anddepression if you—and everyone else—refuseto pay or charge above ceiling prices and rents.

If you think you've been over-charged, go toyour nearest local OPA Price Control Board.

You'll find some of your neighbors there doingthe price control job, one of them probably aveteran. They'll be glad to help you. Whileyou've been away, more than 250,000 men andwomen have been working in local boards,without pay, to see that your family, andeverybody else, had a fair share at a fair price.

Besides distributing price information to retail-ers and making checks to see that prices are inline, your Price Control Board receives andinvestigates reports of overcharges. It is foryour protection. Use it.

Don't forget this.Don't get the idea that everyone is a sharpie,out to get you. Most people at home who areselling goods and services, and renting houses,are decent citizens who'd close up shop beforethey'd stick you, or anyone else. But there arealways some chiselers. You can stick yourselfby not knowing.Either way, play it smart.After you've read this book, keep it handy forfurther reference.

If yon have any questions about

prices or rationing not covered here,

be sure to talk them over with the

Veterans Relations Advisor in your

nearest OPA office. He will be glad to

go over your problems with you.

U.S. OFFICE OF PRICE ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON 25. D.C.INF-B2I28 (2-46)