The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-09-09
HIGH COSTS OF SOCIALISM

HIGH GUSTS Of SOSiHLiS"
The so-called high costs of living PROB
lem is beginning to trouble this country
again. The talk about it has an old ana
familiar sound but that does not MINIMIZE
the realities of the problem for millions OF
people. To them it is a reality. However
the public should not overlook the TACT
that the political leadership of the country
is chiefly responsible for the conditions
which are rapidly developing. Half-baked
theories of amateur economists account Tor
much of the crooked and dangerous trends
of the present. These gents in numerous
cases are either connected with the CEN
trail government in official capacity or
have the ear of the national administra-
ton.
One of the pet schemes Of the admins
tration is the Wagner Housing or Stun
Clearance Act. 1t is propagandized as a
scheme to provide low cost housing for the
poor. ..
There is little possibility that the scheme
will develop anything to the advantage OF
the class of people it is designed to aid;
and government meddling and messing in
construction and building trades will GER
tainly add to the general costs of construc-
ton and will play large part in pushing
up the already high costs of building
throughout the country.
The American Builder, leading consery-
atiye trade paper in construction lines, has
this to say of the high costs Of Socialism
as it is being developed and promoted in
the United States:
"The Wagner Housing Act passed at the recent
session of congress assumes that many persons live
in city slums because they are unable to pay
enough rent to have good homes. Therefore, it
provides for the use by government of the taxpay-
ers' money in paying large part of the cost of
providing such persons better homes. ..'.
"Slum tenements are to be torn down and new
buildings erected. Apartments in these new build
ings are to be rented below cost. The difference
between the rentals paid and the total cost of pro-
yiding the buildings will be borne by the taxpay-
ers; and the cost borne by the taxpayers may be
as much or more than the rentals paid by the
tenants .. ...' .r ,.. ..s..
"The widespread experiment contemplated in
providing some of the people with homes largely
or mainly at the expense of the rest Of the people
raises some important questions. 1855,
why are there in this country of great natural
resources people who assumed to be unable to
provide themselves with decent homes? Is it be-
cause their incomes are small or because it costs
so much to build and maintain housing-or both?
"lf it is because their incomes are so small, why
not adopt governmental and business policies to
help increase their incomes? What policy is bet
ter adapted to increasing all incomes, including
fhaSrS k.a, tbat ur,A
produetion-the source Of all incomes? What pol
isy is better adapted to restricting construction,
production and all incomes than that of reducing
hours of work and restricting the amount of work
each worker may do in an hour? Yet our govern
menes that are going to use the taxpayers money
to help provide these people with housing are do
ing nothing to increase private construction and
production and much to restrict them.
"If the inability of these people to provide them
selves with decent homes is due to high costs of
erecting and owning buildings to what are high
costs in general mainly due if not to high costs
of labor in particular? Labor costs could be re-
duced without reducing labor's earnings by reduc.
ing hourly wages and having labor work more
hours per day, week or year. But government is
encouraging labor to demand higher hourly wages
and shorter hours of yqrk--beth tending to in.
crease building costs and rentals.
Another natural question is--why is it as
sumed in, Washington, D, c., that minority Of
persons should permanently have help in paying
their rent, while the great majority should pay
their own rent and help the minority pay theirs
If the majority should permanently help pay the
rent of the minority, why should not the majority
also permanently help buy clothing and groceries
for the minority? =,
what have the provident majority of the peo
pie done, besides being provident, for which they
should be punished by being required to- help pro
vide perhaps better housing for the minority thai