Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-10-11
NOW MY IDEA is THIS
Daily Talks uh Thinking Phadephians Subjects They
KnOU Best

State, especially the textile lines, will dis
pute the fact that never has the prosperity
OF our country been so great, never have our
working people been kept so steadily en-
ployed, as when, under a proper protective
tariff law, goods made abroad with cheap
labor have been taxed sufficiently to enable
us to compete with them and to pay our
workers wages which allow them to live in
comfort and to lay aside something for the
proverbial rainy day and for their old age.
The emergency tariff, under which we ar.
working at present, expires on October 81
OF the current year, now only a few days
of. | greatly fear that unless this act be
re enacted. or that other legislation takes
IT'S place large cargoes Of goods, now either
on the seas or ready to he shipped will be
dumped upon our shores. under the Under
wood tariff provisions, between the hour OF
midnight on October 81 and the time when
a new act is put into force. If this happens
there Will be thrown out of work many who
are now regularly employed and who hav"
been employed for months because OF thH
provisions Of the Emergency Tariff Act.
Taxation Also Important
Taxation also plays a large part 10 the
present unemployment situation. Because Of
the high surtaXes and excess profits taxes
capital is diverted from industry and build
ing.
"Of course. revenue must be had and
never popular, But, since we must have
them. why not have such a tax as il least
noticeable, most readily colectbe and costs
the smallest amount to collect ] refer 10
the sales tax.
Such a tax Of ! per cent on all turn.
overs, II Is estimated. would produce around
81 900, ,O00,O annually, and even though il
might be 'pyramided' in u transaction, sucl.
as beef from the time 1t leaves the ranch,
passing through several hands until il
reaches the customer the total tux would
DC less than . per cent Of the selling price
at retail, less than the normal tax on in
comes, even II It be admitted that the sales
tax would be passed on to the consumer.
Such q tax (Rllowing exemptions on
income tax OF, say, $4,000 because the greater
part of this is spent in purchases and pays
Its Indirect tax, with a moderate tax on
AL incomes beyond $4,000 would meet all
the proper needs of the Government: and
with high surtaXcs abolished and excess
profits taxes abandoned, investors would
again be ready to put their money into raiI-
roads and other forms of industry and into
building homes, thus stimulating all classe.
OF work, providing jobs for labor and, by
Increasing the supply of houses reduce
rents.
Part Time Work
The part time work remedy penalties
the thrifty, who kept their positions md
worked faithfully, by asking them TO give
mp for part Of the time the places thew bn Va
earned by good work to the 'hoater' who 6ns
not tried to do his best. ANY suggestion tn
this effect must come from labor itself. thn
persons who are working fun time must
themselves offer to share their turns with
their fellow wOrkmen the employer Ger
tainly cannot make such suggestion.
There is much unemployment also whero
the will 10 work is lacking, After demobiIs
izatlon there were many thousands of sojIiars
who came originally from the farms Who
elected to remain In the cities, where thnrc
We're not enough jobs to go around. wbile
help on the farms was scarce This was the
fault Of the Government, for II should have
demoblized at the place of draft instead ~
allowing transportation Va
"A lso there are many who do NOT yor,
| TO take such employment M Is now offornd
them, During the war they were ehIo ~
| select their own jobs and practically fx their
| own rates of compensation, and tbev oro
now only beginning to realize that conditionY
| are different.
Our general situation is like tbot %
| patient who is suffering great pain, WbiIo
| 1t is all right to alleviate the pain nv T,s tn
as possible, the necessity for an opcrotio "a, az
| the unemployment case exists. The groo'
| fear is that II alienation be practicoG tt., "'
! thoroughly, the patient will not won, '1o "!
undergo the operation w