Consumers Lose a Friend

Consumers--that means all of us--are losing a valuable advocate in Washington with the resignation of Stuart M. Statler from the Consumer Products Safety Commission. Statler, a New York Republican appointed to the commission six years ago by Jimmy Carter, is the senior member of the body and perhaps the only one left who speaks on the consumer’s behalf with any real vigor.

Statler minced no words in his resignation letter to President Reagan. Because of budget cuts, the commission has lost its effectiveness in spotting hazardous products as they come onto the market, he said. “As a result, more Americans will be maimed and charred and killed before we can even begin to seek solutions,” he said.

Statler recently said that he had been vilified by fellow Republicans for refusing to adhere to a rigid right-wing ideology. Specifically, Rep. Larry E. Craig (R-Ida.) and others have asked the General Accounting Office to investigate charges that Statler improperly used office resources for a personal matter. Craig said that Statler had commission lawyers research whether Statler’s wife could claim some back pay after leaving a job at the Environmental Protection Agency.

But Statler, denying the allegation, said that the real reason Craig was unhappy with him was that Statler has condemned the three-wheeled all-terrain vehicle as the most dangerous consumer product in the country today. Such vehicles are especially popular in areas like Craig’s district.

Statler said that the flap was not a factor in his decision to leave for another job. Whatever the reason, consumers, caveat emptor .