The Daily Alaska empire., 1935-01-16

ianre consumption and production; to keep that balance, then to enlarge consumption to the nations full capacity to produce
 That is the essence of the New Deal
 Out of the attempts to make it work have come complications. difficulties 1nstakes. But the unity of the idea has been preserved and is continued in the Presidents message to Congress.
 As increased purchasing power is the key to increased consumption, so increased employment is the key to increased purchasing power. long way is yet to go in this primary matter of increased employment-a way beset by many pit falls It seems to us that the President sees most of those pitfalls, and plans to avoid them
 First he separates the unemployabes from the employables He would put up to the States and communities the task of caring for those who cannot work. e& 4 The test--the ernpoyables-are out of work, he says because of depression caused by national conditions: millions idle through fault of their owil If provided with work they become millions Of customers for the goods that the industry of this nation is ready to produce and sell fA.9
 eThe Federal Government" the President says, "s the only agency with sufficient power and credit to meet this situation We have assumed the task.
 But not blindly. He watches for those pitfalls.
 He distinguishes between work that is useful and work hat merely wear out autumn leaves.
 He recognizes that work making public expendi- lures should taper off reviving private employ ment ahsorbs the surplus.
 He proposes wages for this public work not so large to encourage rejection of private employ ment.
 He would select projects competing little, if at all, with private enterprise.
 He advocates projects requiring the biggest pos sibe percentage of direct labor.
 The mass effect of the program heads to that single objective-to stimulate purchasing power, to o,d aNA thereby to bring about accompany revival of private industry From such a revival would come the increase in gross volume of the nations business from which. in turn the tax bill could be paid.
 Without that revival without that increase in the nations voulme, the tax bill mounts beyond the nations ability to pay, and forced down the dangerous road of unrestricted currency imitation.
 It would be foolish to assume that the course is altogether clear. There will be Instructions The Presidents fgures-a million and half un- empoyables and three and a half million employ ables-seem small in light of most statistics.
 Also there is large question of how mil lions be set at labor on his proposed projects IL takes time to draw bueprints, and white collared workers can't easily shift from the chair to the shovel and do effective job So we thing the President has oversmplified in the intimaton that the Federal dole be dropped quickly or con- petey. Some, perhaps many, cannot be absorbed in useful public works The Federal dole for them should continue until prmed private industry re- claims them
 But despite the obstacles, we say that, in the thousands of proposals and panaceas put forth dur ing all the depression we have adequate substitute for the Presidents program.
 It is working Slowly still but distinctly visible even now, it is gaining momentum We believe we win come out of the wilderness if we follow through on this path.