Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1936-11-06

ONE of the laws enacted by the
last Congress which is certainly
going to come in for strong at
tempts to clarity it and make it
more workable is the Social Secur-
ity Act. There is little disagreement
in principle with the purposes of
the Social Security Act, but there
is a very general feeling, among
Democrats and Republicans alike,
that in its present form it is cumb-
ersome, burdensome and unduly
complicated in its methods of sd-
ministration. Even its most ardent
advocates are now predicting that
unless it is modified it will fall of
its own weight and that the pen
sions which it is intended to pro-
vide will be lost unless drastic re-
visions are made in the law.
There is also a strong feeling
that it should be extended in its
application to cover large groups
of workers who do not now come
under is provisions. In the present
set-up neither farmers, sailors, do
mestic servants, persons employed
by charitable and other non-profit
making organizations nor those en-
ployed by any Federal, state or
municipal government or their in
strumentalities is subject to either
the tax on payrolls or the future
benefits of the Act. The Treasury
Department has ruled that all banks
which are the members of the Fed
eral Deposit Insurance Corporation
are instrumentalities of the govern
ment and that therefore no bank
employees come under the benefits
of the Social Security Act.
A matter which is giving the
State Department nor concern
than is publicly admitted is the
question of how to reconcile the
announced intention of Great Brit
ain to place large orders for mill
tary aircraft with American manu.
facturers, with the neutrality laws
passed by the last Congress. Great
Britain is not ye, at war, but is
preparing to meet Germany in the
air. Of this there is no question on
either side of the Atlantic. Ger
many has been building military
planes on a mass-production basis.
There are at least two German air
crate factories each Of which is
espzbie Of Produe;ns rnose~plares
annually than all American airplane
factories combined. But while Ger
many is industriously rearming on
a Ford basis, Great Britain in its
%leisurely way has been building
planes on a Rolls-Royce basis.
Now the British air ministry and
the Cabinet have become alarmed
at their inferiority in the air. They
have lately placed an order for 700
bombing planes to be built at the
Canadian plant Of one of the
American airplane companies, and
have intimated that they are ready
to buy several thousand planes.
from other American companies.
Two of the largest American air
plane factories are not just now
90 busy to take on large orders
for planes. But these and most of
the others have been building mill
tary planes to United States Gov
eminent specifications.
The question arises whether it
would be a breach of the neutrality
laws to permit these companies to
build the same kind of planes for
Great Britain or to utilize any of
the devices which our army and
navy have taken part in developing,
if they build planes to British spe-
c~ifications. 1t is understood here
that several very large orders for
military planes have been REFERRED
to the State Department by the
manufacturers who want to accept
them, but who want to be sure that
they are within their legal rights.
In the meantime, the British
Government and some of the
British airplane manufacturers have
purchased licenses under American
patents for numerous airplane parts
and equipment, so that even it
Britain's replaning program is car,
ried out entirely on British soil,
there will be a large financial re-
turn to the American airplane man
ufacturers who own these patents.
Also it is possible, in case the State
Department should hold that it
would be improper for American
even for a nation which is not at
war, hat more of these factories
will establish Canadian branches. !