Evening star., 1934-02-06

To the Editor of The Star:
Prof. Carvers article in The Sun
day Star of February 4, 1884, is so full
of obvious misstatements and errors
that it is surprising that your ordi-
narily reliable paper would publish it.
AS an example, he states that when
the time comes that the majority of
wage earners are on the local, State
or Federal Government pay rolls that
will land us in an extreme form OF
state socialism, which will be bad
even for those on the Government
pay rolls because there will be nobody
to tax to pay the deficits resulting
from Government mismanagement."
This is an amazing statement to come
from one purporting to be an expert
on economics. 1t implies in the first
place that Government employees pay
no taxes I wonder if the professor
realizes that it is more difficult for
the Government employe to evade
taxation than any other. Take the
income tax. for example. The Gov
ernment can, from its own records.
tell exactly how much income any of
its employees has received. Evasion is
impossible. Would the same were true
of all private industry.
The writer has for several years
been employed by the Government,
but he has never been aware that any
favoritism has been shown him by
the tax collectors. He has paid taxes
on real property owned by him in his
native State of Michigan: he has paid
heavy income taxes during the years
when Morgan, Virgins and others OF
their ilk were paying none whatever;
he has paid five different kinds Of
automobile taxes, personal property
taxes and the ever-present indirect
levies
Secondly. that statement quoted as
sumes that all Government business
is mismanaged. Shades of Kreuger,
insult and Virgins! One need but
give cursory attention to a single in
dustry, the private power industry,
to understand that public ownership
could not possibly have done a worse
job of mismanagement. When one
thinks of the billions stolen from the
people by our power industry leaders
through the sale of worthless or in
fated "securities" and exorbitant rates,
the implication that Government own
ership could have done worse job is
disgusting to any fair minded person.
There are hundreds of publicly y-oWned
power plants in operation right on
this North American Continent to-
day which are rendering efficient
service at rates far below what the
power trust charges. Even then, many
of them make a profit sufficient to
obviate all local taxes.
Greed, inefficiency and dishonesty
are bad wherever found and are not
condoned because committed under
the guise of private initiative" I
would like ito remind the professor
that the real test of any job is social
service; and that useful work, eff
GENTLY performed by an individual is
of equal economic value whether per-
ment.
All that the Government needs, to
own and operate any industry or
service is honest. conscientious en-
ploye5 who have the welfare of their
business at heart. Does private in
dustry need less? My own observa-
tions agree with Time, which on page
Al of the issue of February 5. 1884,
says. 1.-the Port of New York Au-
thority) has thoroughly scotched the
notion that public business cannot be
run with the profitable efficiency of
private business" Indeed. it seems