Henderson daily dispatch., 1940-12-31
Babson Sees 1o4l As Best
Year In Nations History
Continued from Page One)

I dictate this column, amounts to
$500. 100000.
Dividends are popping like fire
crackers. Dividend record sheets
show tremendous expansion in dis
OurSementS, equal to the balmy days
OF 1929. 1t is we'll enough to talk
ABOUT the explosives which are being
manufactured by the du Pont and
other poWder-producing plants; but
surely some Of the statistical eX-
ploSiveS on my desk should be the
basis Of some real fireworks in 194l.
| emphasize this so strongly because
the defense program has hardly
started. Recent Army and NAVY
monthly expenditures have been only
about 80 percent of what they will
be during l94l. Construction is lust
/ starting on so many of the plants
which are necessary to produce hun
dred> OF thousands of needed items
and materials. that statistcians esti
mate 1t will be the fall of 194l, at
least before we get fully under way.
1t is estimated that it cost Ger
many twenty billion dollars to arm.
During the five years she was en-
gagged in this, she paid her workers
Twenty-Five cents per hour. If we
must pay our workers three to four
times this. you see what it will cost
this country to duplicate the German
war machine. A year from now it
will be time enough to discuss 1912,
1913, and 1914: but as far as 1941
goes, nothing can stop us,-not even
peace talk if it should come in the
fall of 1911. The world is entering
a new enthusiastically, economical
ly, and socially. It is hard for us
older men to become reconciled to
these changes: but every day there
are 1000 funerals. The undertakes
are bringing back prosperity.
HGmebuilding Will Continue.
During World War I, the building
Of homes was restricted. Contractors
were not allowed the necessary c.
nent. bricks, lumber and nails for
building homes. World War II, how
ever, is an entirely different war. The
building Of hundred-t housand-d
lar alrplane does not take much ma
terial. but rather labor, skill, and
time. 1t is true that we must enter
i Shipbuilding program--both OF
naval vessels and merchant ships
but otherwise, there is nothing to in
terfere with home building l, there
there. forecast that residence con-
Suuction in 1941 will show an in
crease Of nearly 20 percent over 1910.
Presumably, it will cost a little
more to build home in 1941 than
il has in the past few years; but there
IS reasonable available supply Of
building materials. Besides, masons,
carpenters, plumbers, and painters
are primarily interested in their
years income rather than their hour
~ wage Therefore, if they can be
sure of finding work every day they
should be content with present
wages. Another thing: During World
War |, there were no such available
funds as there are today. It was then
impossible to borrow government
money for the building of homes. All
the conditions are entirely different
now. Hence, I disagree with those
who say that BODYBUILDING will be
shut off in 1941.
What About Congress?
1941 Will witness a different Con-
greSs than has ever been seen be-
| lore. This is very rash statement;
| but you wait until the year is over.
( II will be neither 4 brave Congress
nor a rubber-Stamp Congress. 1t will
be a paralyzed Congress. 1t just will
| not know what to do, or WIFI not to
Go, except to spend money. 1t will
want to help Great Britain, and yet
sees so much havoc ahead for both
Great Britain and Europe that it will
dread getting into the mess. Certain
iy Congress will be in no mood to
vote for declaring war against Ger
many, Japan, or any other nation. It
| will be beWildered and afraid to
fish, cut bait, or go ashore"
The new Congress is a conservative
body, although it is Democratic. 1t
not only breads war for its own sake,
but believes that if we enter World
War II, we really will end up with
a dictator. This, moreover, is not
merely third term" campaign talk.
There is a latent dread of this among
the labor and farming elements as
we'll as businessmen. All groups are
beginning to see that special legisla-
tion-starting with protective" tar
ifs fifty years ago-has led from
one thing to another until the cure is
worse than the disease. They wonder
if the answer may not be to wipe
all out and start over again.
Cost of Living.
Perhaps the most important figures
for readers to watch in l941 are those
on the cost Of living. During World
War I, the cost of living increased
greatly; but the prices of farm pro-
ducts went up with the prices of
manufactured goods. Since then,
however, the prices of farm products
have fallen 60 percent while the
prices of manufactured products
dropped only 80 percent. Prices may
increase slightly more during 194l,
but need not do so if no group kicks
over the applicant.
We are now asked to supply only
Great Britain with food and goods;
while during World War I, we had
to supply France, Italy, Russia, japan
and other nations in addition. The
,irD1,,a- which ENGLAND needs most