Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1921-08-09
EDITO RIAL.

since the war, by sinking them. H
says that Congress should share tn
responsibility with him, but that if
refuses he may sink them on his ow
responsibility,
At first blush, the Lasker propose
rlay seem extremely radical. But tn
more ore analyses the modern shi
situation, the more horse sense Their
seems to be in the proposal.
Those ships cost the American tax
payers between $25O,0oo,OOO an,
$500, 100000.
Their construction was one of tn,
great mistakes of the war.
81 1t was undedaEep at "a time whel
Everybody was more OF less panic
#sricken beclpse it looke& as though
German submarines wer&%going tc
win the war
"Ships, more> ships AID yet moro
ships" was the. @a$chword of Amer
lea and her allies.
Contracts for hundreds of them
were let at outrageous prices. Fol
the most part they were never pun
into commission. The few that were,
were failure from every standpoint,
so far as helping to win the war was
concerned.
Now the Shipping Board has these
hundreds of ships ON its hands, and
there is absolutely no use for them.
Many of them are unseaworthy be-
cause they were built of green tim
Der. The best of them cannot com
pete with the lowest type of steel
ship. And the steel ship market is
glutted to the extent of millions of
tons.
1t is costing about million DOB
lars year for watchmen and care
takers to look after these wooden
ships
If they were sunk this would be
saved.
Private business doesn't hesitate to
junk obsolescent machinery.
It would go bankrupt if it did.
Why should the government hest
tate to do the same thing?
$50
R0GER w. BABSON, writing in
Forbes Magazine, gives the fol.
lowing as his ten reasons for optin-
ism:
I'D The great mass of people in
this country still have their Liberty
bonds. 1t is true that corporations
and many small holders have sole
theirs. The great bulk of wage work
ers, however, still retain theirs anC
they will not cease buying merchan
disc so long as they hold Liberty
bonds.
90 Prohibition is a great factor
for prosperity, the Importance OF
which Is not fully realized. Previou.
to July, 1919, about $3,000,00O, 900
year was being spent by people d
this country for drink. About 20 pc
cent of this money has gone into tn,
savings banks-but the balance ha
gone into building homes, buyins
notwithstanding the standard O.
living.
"(3) The Federal Reserve Sys
tenn is working well. 1t is popular :,
criticize the Federal Reserve Board
but such criticism is usually directed
against their good acts rather tina
against their lax ones.
(4) Advertising has become
great economic factor for the produc
ing and steadying of business. TIL
old form of advertising which wa
largely of the luxury type has bee
replaced by new, productive form.
500 Though our foreign trad
has greatly grown during the pas
five years, it is no greater proportio
of our total trade than it ever wa
If we lost all our export trade toda,
it would reduce our total business OF
ly about 5 per cent.
"l6) Standardization in manufaj
turing is rapidly increasing, but gree
improvement can still be made. TIL
Ford system can be applied to a gre:
many commodities other than aut,
mobiles.
"(7) The seasonable fuctuatior
in industry and commerce are bein
gradually ironed out Part of ii
loss through seasonable manufactu
ing and purchasing is being elimina
ed By concerns taking on differel
lines. Thus, the coal merchant is 8
ing into the ice business and Vi,
versa
"t8l Taxation will surely be r
eaeed. Not only will the governme
reduce expenditures; bat our .sysfe
~