davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
SCHOOLING FOR VALLEY
PEACE OFFICERS

No doctor or lawyer, no public accoun-
tant, no newspaper reporter, no member
of many professions or trades, can quail
fy to hold his job without lengthy school
ihg or one kind or another. Yet law en-
forcement officials, whose work is as
specialized in its own way as that of
any professional man, often are expect
ed to discharge their duties intelligently
and well without an ounce of training
Too often law enforcement jobs have
become political plums handed out re-
gardless of qualifications to men who
voted right, or worked for the right
candidate during an election. 1t is little
wonder that, on the whole, law enforce
ment work has not attained the high
state of efficiency that should be de-
manded of it.
Imperial county has been fortunate
i'm this regard. It's federal officers, MAX
ing up large part of its law enforce
ment machine, are selected according to
a merit system Its sheriff has gained
the reputation justly, of choosing depu-
ties because of their qualifications, not
because of politics. Most of its police
chiefs are engaged consclentiously in
trying to build up the efficiency of their
departments through employment of
able, intelligent officers.
No community could be better adapt
ed, and none should be more receptive
than this one to such a program as that
which will begin next week, when peace
officers from every department attend
a training school sponsored by the state
department of education and the bureau
of industrial education. The valley has
a sound basis upon which to build
trained crime-fighting force. So, more
than most communities, the valley
should welcome the police officers
training school as an institution which
will add immeasurably to its protection
against crime.
The service any officer is able to rem
der his community depends to large
extent upon his training. That is why
the federal bureau of investigation has
gained reputation for great efficiency.
It's men are trained to the nth degree.
There is more to the job of being a
peace officer than carrying a gun, wear
ing a badge and arrestng people, There
are methods of investigation unknown
to the average man, there are details of
evidence which must not be overlooked
if a criminal is to be convicted in court,
there is requirement for close observa-
tion, constant watchfulness, and strict
physical training
These things and others can be taught,
but the average officer never learns
them unless they are placed before him
in rigid course of training.
Such course is that which will be-
gin here next week, and for it the entire
community, as we'll as the officers them
selves, should be grateful.
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
YOU CAN'T BLAME POLAND

Poland, hesitating at the prospect of
aligping itself with England, France
and Russia on a common front sworn
to oppose continued conquests by Nazi
Germany, cannot be blamed.
Poland remembers Czechoslovakia.
The Czechs depended upon England
and France. They had, in fact, obtained
from those nations a guarantee of their
frontiers. Anyone who reads the papers
knows what that guarantee was worth.
The Poles, remembering Czechoslova-
kia, are hesitant to arouse Germany's
official wrath unless they have down
right official agreement that military
aid will be forthcoming if the Nazis
send troops into Poland. And, remem-
bering the Czechs, most people can SYM
pathiZe with Poland
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24

again by the fact that there is
nothing new under the sun. For
example, the French and English
settlers divided this tiny island be-
tween them 300 years ago. The
boundary line started on the vest
ern edge Of a certain tree. AS this
tree grew and spread out, the Eng
lish kept moving the boundary line
until they claimed $50 house which
had originally been French. The
French were indignant. So they
loaded their old shot guns and op-
ened fire. And a war started Just
as wars are waged in Europe today
over possession of a few villages
Do you think that Roosevelt's s
idea of plOwing under crops in Or
der to raise prices is something
new? II 50, You arc wrong; for in
1889 precisely 300 years ago, the
French and English governors of
st. Kits had all the tobacco plants
in the islands destroyed and pro-
hibited the planting of tobacco for
10 months in order to raise the
price Of tobacco in London.
DO You imagine that the build
ing OF roads and dams and public
works to care for the unemployed
is something new? If so, you are
wrong: The old Romans were try
ing that selfsame stunt twenty CEN
turies ago
Does cutting the gold content of
the dollar in order to make it easier
to repay debts sound ultra modern?
Well, Mark Anthony reduced all
the debts in Rome by IS per cent
nineteen hundred years ago.
DO you imagine that the high
price OF living is a modern prob
lem? II 50. you are wrong. Old
King Sargon who reigned in Baby
lon thousands of years before the
birth Of Christ left a message on
a clay tablet declaring he was 60
ing to bring down the high cost
of living
DO you sometimes feel that the
world is going to the dogs because
OF corruption, graft and politics?
Well, twenty centuries ago some
of the politicians in Rome were
actually auctioning off public Of
fices to the highest bidders.
When you read about the Japa-
rese dropping bombs on helpless
Chinese women and babies, do you
feel that the world is growing more
cruel? Two thousands years ago
the emperor Nero Illuminated a
garden party one night by actually
burning human beings at the stake,
as justification the reason
that they had committed the ter
fible crime Of worshiping Jesus in
stead OF the old Roman gods,
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24

WASHINGTON. - You know
about foreign treaties, of course,
and about ambassadors and secre-
taries of state and such. But did
you ever hear of skippets?
Skippets are gadgets which once
upon a time dressed up foreign
treaties in rare dignity. They are
out of date now, but the National
Archives building here still has a
collection of them, and they are
charming little doodads.
A skippet is a metal box for the
protection of wax government
seal. 1t is made Of either gold or
silver. 1t looks somewhat like a
chafing dish minus its legs, and it
is attached to a treaty by a flossy
cord. The box contains the wax
and the lid has the seal embossed
on it's under side. Fill the box
press the lid on, and you have the
seal imprinted on the wax.
An ingenious shipper down south
recently achieved the unhcard of
by finding a commercial use fer
out-of date navy destroyers. When
destroyers become totally obsolete
the navy sells them, usually for
junk. This man bought a couple
the Warden and Whipple-and
made them into banana boats; has
them in service on a run between
Cuba and Jacksonville, Fla.
Navy Department: folks say
there's really no reason why the
boats wouldn't make good car
riers, although they never heard
of it being done before. The maga-
zine space, a good part of the
crew space and much of the fuel
space (on a short run like the
Cuba jacksonville could be used
for cargo. they point out And the
shipper would have one of the
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Famous Sayings
BY ROGER BABSON

PALM BEACH, Fla, March "a.
Profit margins of many companies
are very good. In view of the sharp
increase in wages and taxes in re-
cent years, many people will be as
tonished to discover how good
profit margins are when first quar-
ter reports are printed. This, OF
course, is not true of all companies.
In some concerns, margins are
about as low as they have ever
been, but these are special situa-
tions. In this connection, readers
may recall that one-third of all
companies lost money even in 1929!
The reasons for improved profit
margins arc two-fold. First is the
gain in industrial efficiency through
the wider use of labor-saving ma
chinery and processes. 1t is csti-
mated that the output of goods for
one man in one hour has jumped
IL per cent since the end of 1885.
ut has gone up more than so per
cent in Is years. Higher wages
and union activities have spurred
managements into combing every
possibility where they could IN
stall a new machine or new pro-
cess to save on labor costs. Insofar
as union activities and higher
wages have caused this, the unions
have only hurt their less efficient
workers.
Raw Materials Cheap
Second major reason for better
profit margins is a lower cost fol
raw materials. The following fig
ures show this clearly:
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Editorials and Comment
FRIDAY MARCH %, 1899
AN INDUSTRY
TO BE PROTECTED
[ AIameda IlmeS-Starl J


"Save California's tourist trade by
saving the California landscape" was
the theme of an open meeting held re-
Gently by the Monterey chamber. Dis
cussion of Senator Tickle's bill to elimi-
nate rural outdoor advertising was the
theme Mrs Ralph A. Reynolds of San
Francisco, chairman of the California
roadside council. was the principal
speaker.
Mrs Reynolds stated that the tourist
trade by conservative estimates, ranks as
fourth in CaliforniaS industries, and
chat some estimates consider it second.
Adjacent states, notably Oregon and
Washington, are working on legislation
to protect the safety and beauty of their
highways Many other states have re-
Gently established travel bureaus to lure
the tourist This is a competition Cali
fornia cannot afford to ignore. If this
state is not equally farsighted, she may
find her tourist trade falling off in ia
Vor of those states which realize that
the natural roadside landscape has
commercial value.
Mr.. S. f B. Morse, prominent busi-
ness man, we'll known also in San Fran
cisco, who took part in the discussion,
stated that he believed CalifOrnia'S
as an industry, and should be protected
at all costs. There is no doubt in my
mind" said Mr.. Moore, that billboards
along the rural highways are damaging
CALIFORNIA; S reputation as tourist mec-
ca. Many of us business men advertise
on these billboards because our COM
petitors do, but if the billboards were
removed from the rural highway we
should all be glad.
The element of safety was discussed
at length. Mr.. John E. Beaumont of
Pacific Grove, who has been active in
Monterey county planning, called atten-
tion to the fact that a car travelling at
the usual speed covers 40 feet in one
second. Even momentary distraction
of the drivers attention cannot fail to
be dangerous under such conditions"
said Mr.. Beaumont. why should the
state allow the highways to be lined
with structures specifically designed to
divert the attention of the motorist from
his driving?'
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
RELIEF FOR MIGRANTS
MAY BE FORTHCOMING
lHanford SentineD

tT1dHIOrQ SeHIlnel)
Advices from Washington indicate
that the forthcoming report of the WPA
chief to the President on national relief
will touch particularly on the Califor-
MIA migrant conditions as result of ur-
gent demands that have been made for
federal aid to take care of the depen-
dent influx to California from other
states.
These demands have been made by the
governor and legislature as well as civic
and other bodies urging relief by federal
ALLEGATIONS sufficient to take care of the
unwished newcomers who, for the most
part with women and children, have no
work and scant or no means of support
other than relief. The California delega-
ton i'll congress has also placed the prob
lem in all of its phases before the presi-
dent and WPA administrator.
The agitation has been long-lived. 1t
began two years ago or more and gradu-
ally has been worked up to an acute sit
uatiOn, because of the poverty and even
conditions b or ering on starvations
among some of the migrants. The load
has been too heavy for the state to carry
and, while the government has helped
some, the time has come when it must
do more for the relief of the suffering
here. SO serious is the problem that
President Roosevelt directed a survey
Of the California situation TO the end
that it be relieved
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Willis Thornton's Editorial Or
States Riqhts. PRIVILEGES and Duties

The problem of states rights is
back again.
1t complicated the relations OF
the colonies before the revolution
1t almost lost the revolutionary
war. 1t caused the failure of the
confederation. 1t split the country
once. And it is still with us, in
still another guise, in 1889.
Purely political questions OF
states rights have been largely
solved and put behind us. But in
a world whose eyes focus on eco
nomic rather than political mat
ters. states rights is back with a
new set of problems.
The Constitution plainly meant
the country to be one economic
unit. Until recently no one ques-
toned the advantages of "the
largest free trade area in the
world" On that we built our pros
perity, our strong world position.
Today we are tearing it down
The gradually rising trade bar
riers which are cropping up be-
tween states will be tellingly re-
vealed to the National Conference
on Interstate Barriers when il
meets in Chicago, April ST., keenly
alive to the menace.
And at the very time of this
break-apart comes a proposal that
would centralize and unity a diff
ferent field. Senator Capper has
introduced a bill (Which would re-
quire a prior constitutional amend
mcnD to give to the federal gov
crnment the right to make uni
form marriage, divorce. and child
care laws for the entire country
At the moment when states are
getting around the Constitution
. by setting up what amount to tar
ifs and which deeply affect the
business of other states, it is pro-
posed that they give up power to
regulate personal phases of their
citizens lives which only slightly
affect people of other states, and
turn this power over to uniform
national regulation.
This is a strange approach to
states rights in 1899. National
economic unity and uniformity
is a source of strength and a bene-
fit to all 1t would seem proper
field for national regulation only
Yet the states are busily engaged
in tearing it down with oppressive
truck regulations, port-of = entry
laws, oleomargarine, liquor, and
farm products regulations, use
taxes, and other laws that could
easily Balkanize what had been a
mighty nation.
Yet at the same time it is pro-
posed that they surrender their
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24

These lower costs are particular
ly important in the baking, food,
copper fabricating, tire and SINH
lar businesses.
One particularly important in
dustry which is experiencing ex-
cellent profit margins to the sur
prise of most investors is steel.
Many people felt that with the ad-
vance in costs of labor since 1886
the industry would have to operate
at 80 per cent of capacity or better
to show a profit. Fourth quarter
reports Of the big steel organizations
show that they can still make
money at "a much lower rate OF
operations. Their prices, which
marched smartly higher in 1886 and
1887, have come down only part
way, while their material costs
have dropped and their big new
plants have cut the labor cost per
ton of rolled steel.
Finished Prices Have Held
Finished prices of steel, motor
cars, bread shirts, etc, have been
marked down II per cent according
to the Department of Labor's IN
dex. Why, with the cost of max
ing products less, have these fin
ished prices not tilted downward
more sharply? Well, one reason is
that wage rates have absorbed
some Of the savings. Another rea-
son is that taxes have galloped up
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Babson Says Profit Margin Good
But Taxes Sop Up Most Savings

to new al1-time highs Higher wage
rates may represent an increase IN
national purchasing power; but
higher taxes represent a dangerous
trend. Taxes do not add to the
nations purchasing power or stan
dard of living in the same pro-
norton as do wages because most
taxes are used for non-productiye
purposes.
Before business was regulated
when there was free competition
among induStries-the saving III
production costs was passed along
to the consumer A prime example
of this principle is Henry Ford and
the motor industry. Year after
year Ford turned out better and
better cars at a lower and lower
price-due to his inceased efficien-
cy in production. Other motor MAX
ers had TO follow suit. Wages were
increased investors received bigger
dividends; and consumers had bet
ter cars and more money to spend
on other goods and services.
Taxes Sopping Up Economics
This is a crude pattern of the
progress in all industries that has
given the United States the greatest
material wealth of any civilization
in any age. Now, what is happen
ing? The savings in the cost OF
production are no longer being
passed along to the consumer. In
stead, they are being sopped up by
taxes. Some of the Presidents
princes of Privilege" would add
that they are being absorbed by
labor, too, especially where eff
cheney is being hamstrung by la
Dor rules. Hence, retail prices now
tend to go up even with producing
costs going down. The politicians
are spending SO much money that
they are sponging up the benefits
of increased productive efficiency
which formerly went to the con-
sumer.
What does this mean? Unless
this trend is stopped, it means that
the American standard of living OF
September, 1929 or even March.
1887 may represent the all-time
high for the nation. OF course GER
tain individuals, certain companies
and certain investors Will forge
ahead as they always have But
the nation as a whole has already
seen the peak of Americas living
spenders and Wasters are driven to
cover I may sound like an old
line Republican when I say this
but it is just as true as day fol-
lows night.
Capitalism Sound System
Capitalism is the soundest eceno-
mic system the world has thus tar
had; but many of the things that
have been done by some capitalists
have been very bad The capitals
tic system is still sound and is
still producing good profits. More
over, profit margins should con-
tinue good this year. Consequent
ly, after this latest European trou
Bile clears away, stock prices and
dividends should be considerably
better. We all are learning as We
are getting older This even applies
to congressman!
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24

rights to make their highly-per-
sonal marriage and divorce laws
conform to local usage and culture,
and to subject them to national
uniform regulation. 1t is hard to
see how one states laws on this
subject greatly affect the peoples
of other states. That seems to make
it a natural field for state legis-
lation.
1t looks very much as though
we were approaching both these
states rights problems wrong side
to.
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24

island of st.
christopher, OF
st. Kits, as 1t
is usually call
ed. st. Kits is
a tiny dot on
the map about
800 miles east
of Cuba.
l read the his
tory of st. Kits
last night. I've
been impressed
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Dale
Carnegie

This column is being written on
board the Canadian National
Steamship Lady Hawkins, buf-
feting the waves of the Carib-
bean Sea We have lust left the
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Grab Bag
One Minute Test

Onc-Minutc Test
l. OF what is quicksand COM
posed?
2. Under what right can a gov
eminent seize private property
with compensation to the owner)
for public use?
3. What is the population of the
United States?
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Words of Wisdom

Two things, we'll considered
would prevent many quarrels; first,
to have it well ascertained whether
we are not disputing about terms
rather than things; and secondly,
to examine whether that on which
we differ is worth contending about
Cotton.
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Thoughts for the Day

The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor; let
them be taken in the devices that they have imagined
Psalms 10.2.
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Today's Horoscope

Those who are today celebrating
their birthdays should rejoice at the
prospect of the year now beginning
for them, it brings them great
progress, faithful work in the past
being rewarded. Gain comes to
them through a military man.
Courageous, enterprising, determin-
ed and forceful will be the very
desirable qualities inherent in the
baby born today. Great powers of
concentration will be his or hers.
and boys will succeed in the navy
or army.
One-Minute Test Answers
l. 1t is a mixture of fine sand
and water.
2. The right of eminent domain.
3, BY 1896 estimate, l28.429 900
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24

An elevator in the capitol stop
ped at the House floor the other
day Three OF four congressman
got out; half a dozen newspaper
men stayed on board to ride up
TO The press gallery. One of the
departing congressman was Charles
Clifford of Massachusetts. Taking a
leisurely backward glance as he
stepped out he remarked thought
fully: Here is where the scribes
stay on-and the pharisees de-
part"
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24
Bruce Cation in WASHINGTON
Dissects the News

speediest freighters ever seen.
Quite number Of high officials
here like to collect cartoons in
which they are lampooned. Secrc-
tary Hopkins has lot of them
ornamenting the walls of his den
at home. SO has Senator Borah
Senator Nye puts his in his office
And Secretary Ickes hangs them
in his bathroom.
There is a private elevator in
the Labor Department building,
reserved for the exclusive use of
the secretary; but Miss Perkins,
who figures such a device is alto
gether too flosSy for an earthly
use, has never been in it. Nobody
has ever used it since the building
was built, in fact, as far as Labor
Department people knoW-cXcept
Secretary Of Commerce Hopkins.
It seems Hopkins came over to
the Labor Department once and
got into the private elevator by
mistake. It decanted him into an
ante-room of Miss Perkins office
and he didn't know where he was
until clerk discovered him and
explained things.
Imperial Valley press., 1939-03-24

speediest freighters ever seen.
Evening star., 1939-10-23
Kings Grapes for Charity

King George has ordered that all
the grapes grown on the 50O-year-
old vine at Cumberland Lodge.
Windsor Great Park, be sent to
charitable institutions and evacuated
children.
Evening star., 1939-10-23
Winning Contract
By THE FOUR ACES.
BOOK SHARING
eisrAS
Nj1lAloS

(David Bruce Burnstone. Merwin D.
Msier, Oswald Jacoby, Howard Schen-
ken, worlds leading team-of-four in
ventors Of the system that has beaten
every other system in existence)
Evening star., 1939-10-23
TwizzIer Answer

The candles had burned for three
and three-fourths hours. At that
time there was one-sixteenth Of
tho four-hour candle left and one
fourth or four -sixteenths Of the
dve-hour candle lsft.