The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-12-29
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

THE prospect we face at this holiday season
Il is not too engaging or reassuring. 1t will
! take more than slight squirt in the business
index to obscure the fact of around 100000
unemployed men and women and more persons
on the relief rolls than at any other time in the
history of the nation-some 20000,000
Yet all of this is quite unnecessary. If we
produced what we could with our present agri-
cultural resources, raw materials, industrial
equipment and man power, every day might al
most literally be Christmas. This fact is we'll
brought out by DR.. Walter N. Polakov in the
New Republic in an article on Potential
Plenty" He here reviews some of the major
findings of the important National Survey of
Potential Product Capacity.
Even in the supposedly fat years of 1925
the average American was living on what was,
by scientific and liberal standards, an "emer.
gency Diet In that year We were short some
SO, 000 100000 pounds of milk and consumed only
half as much fruit poultry, lean meats and
other items of diet as the country should have
beer eating. We either went unfed or used rela-
lively inadequate substitutes for this deficiency.
Likewise, with clothing, we used by no means
as much as even the most modest standards of
consumption would dictate In 1929 the men
and boys Of this country bought on the average
only one suit every other year, an overcoat once
in six years, and only three shirts year. Sim
ilarly, with American women, they purchased on
the average three dresses a year. a coat every
two and a half years, and one suit every four
years. With respect to shoes, American men,
women and children bought on the average
three pairs in five wears Such representative
figures as these are enough to indicate how far
our actual consumption fell short of the reason
able needs Of our people.
TINE situation with respect to our housing is
l. equally deplorable I'VE live in tenements
that defy all laws of decency and sanitation,
and rent remodeIed apartments after the
buildings have been abandoned as unfit by their
original owners" Yet we replace our obsolete
and unhealthy dwellings in prosperity years
only at ne rate of IS per cent, thus implying
that the average home is to be fit for habita-
ton for 10 years,
Are these things necessary? Must Americans
be denied their reasonable needs because we are
unable to produce what we require? The answer
is a ringing negative. DR.. POlakov points out
that I'VE can turn out 100000 mems suits in
stead of $4,000 600; 81 100000 overcoats instead
Of 9000000 396000000 shirts instead of 49,
000000 AS for women'S wear, we could manu-
facJure 100000 coats instead of % 100000 and
532000000 dresses and frocks instead of 206,-
000,000 Concerning hosiery, our productive ca
pacity is well in excess of one billion pairs We
can manufacture 530O00O0O pairs of shoes
whereas we did make only 36OOOOOOO"
The situation with respect to housing is Just
as optimistic that with respect to clothing if |
we put our existing plant to work Our cement |
mills can turn out 374 per cent more building |
material than in 1929; our window glass plants |
76 per cent more, and our structural steel out |
put could be increased IT'S per cent. This would !
enable us to build 1,555,O00 new homes each
year.
LIKEWISE, our agricultural resources, if |
4 properly planned overhauled and readjust- |
ed could enable every American to enjoy a lib |
eral diet, while at the same time producing a |
sufficient income to the farmers so that this
large class in our population could buy the man
ufactured goods they need.
The record with respect to necessary human
services is today no more alluring with one bed
out Of every five vacant in our hospitals only
half the people who need hospital attention can
get in even for the use of charity wards With
respect to education, highly expert and reason |
able authorities have estimated the total desir- !
aole educational budget of the country at
SllOO0OOOOOO. But in 1929 we spent only S2,723- |
100000 for education Since then we have fired !
teachers right and left and cut our educational
budgets in scandalous fashion.
Such cold, but eloquent, facts as these con-
Stltute more Of a challenge to the profit system |
than a truckload of radical propaganda. No
economic system, capitalistic or Communistic,
can be justified if it fails to feed cIothe shelter
hea! and educate the people when it has the
equipment and resources to do so.