The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1937-06-10

when there is nationwide cry for
a balanced budget for the federal
government. It is a sum that, if the
budget of the federal government
otherwise were balanced, would be
sufficient to brighten thousands of
holders of United States bonds and,
it must be added, the spending orgy
of the last five years has placed the
greatest number Of such bonds in
the hands of individuals ever to be
attained in the history of our nation.
It would seem then that the farm
leaders ought to take into consid-
Grafton the status Of the federal
government financial affairs if
they want to develop a program
that will live. I have heard from
many students of agricultural prob
lens that the remedy for farm con-
ditions is not an expensive new sys-
tenn of farm subsidies. They assert
that it will be impossible for Uncle
Sam to continue annual payments
to some three million or more farm
ers and they are convinced, further,
that most farmers themselves OBJ
jected to being placed in the cate
CORY of relief clients. An argument
is also advanced that more and
more farmers believe federal poll
cies that cause money to be handed
out free to farmers will, in the end,
destroy the independence of agri-
culture. However that may be and
however the majority of the farm
ers feel about receiving money gra-
tbs from the government at Wash
ington, it cannot be said that agri-
culture is being placed on a sound
footing by politicians and political
farm leaders whose sole objective
is to loot the treasury. Farmers
would not permit it to happen to
the governments of their states or
their counties but a considerable
number of them apparently have
been persuaded that the govern
ment at Washington is something
else.
The Department of Commerce
which has supervision of airplane
-, traffic has an
Ar Fltofs nounced that it
Out of Races will not permit
American pilots to
participate in an air race that was
proposed for this summer. The race
was to have taken place from New
York to Paris, but the Department
of Commerce has vetoed the plan
unequivocally because it considers
the race as nothing more than a
stunt.
It may occur to some that such a
ruling by the Department of Com
merce constitutes an interference
with private business beyond rea-
son. cannot share that view. The
experts have been unable to find in
this proposed race any possibility
of benefit for aviation nor any ex-
Fermentation that would lead to
more scientific flying. 1t has taken
the position that there is too great
a danger involved, for those pilots
who are foolhardy enough to under
take the three thousand two hun
dred mile flight across the ocean.
It's position is further fortified with
the argument that if any of the
pilots should lose their lives in that
type of aviation, it will cause many
thousands of persons to lose faith in
the airplane as means of trans
portation. In short, the department
thinks that there are only disad-
vantages and no advantages in the
prospect.
While many persons may disagree
with the position the department has
taken, it is heartening to those of
us who like to see private business
encouraged, to know that respon-
sible federal agency charged with
supervision of a private industry is
again functioning as it was intended
to do. For several years, the De-
partment of Commerce, with par
ticular respect to it's aviation di-
vision, has been in a state of tur-
MOL. There were wide differences
of opinion and in consequence little
in the way of permanent develop
ment was sponsored from Washing
ton for the aviation industry. With
the department action in the New
York to Paris race, one cannot help
seeing the promise at least of an
affirmative policy in the Depart
ment of Commerce. -. :.
In criticizing the government s: in.
activity, no observer would be fair
unless he also called ettention to the
frailties and the: failures OF: the in
dustry itself. It is TRUE that Some
of the larger lines lately have made
sensational improvements in the
equipment they use in the air and
in the operations part of flying.
It is true that larger and better
planes have been built and are
building. But it is likewise true
that a number of airlines have
adopted penurious, penny pinching
policies and have refused to re-
place worn out and obsolete planes
because they did not want to invest
additional money. Until the air in
dustry awakens to the necessity for
spending money and until the De-
partment of Commerce becomes a
smooth functioning supervisory
agent, the air travel of this country
will not even approach the limit of
its capacity.
g Western Newspaper Union.