The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-06

DAYBOOK
BY JACK STINNETT

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.-Answering the mail
orders:
R. de G., New Orleans, La.-It is no trick
at all to put you in touch with Edward Bruce,
head of the section of fine arts, Public Build
ings Administration, 18th and D streets, South
west, Washington, D. c., but I'm sorry to re-
port that the deadline already has passed on
the water color competition for paintings for
the government leprosarium at Carville, La.
IT you, or any other artists, wish to get on
the fine arts section mailing lists for future
competitions, I believe a brief letter, setting
forth your qualifications, would do the job.
In connection with this particular competi-
ton, there are some facts in which you may
be interested. The fine arts section received
the staggering total of almost 10000 water
colors and every state, several insular pos
sessions and the territories were all represent
ed. Not only were there works by well known
artists, whose paintings sell for far more than
the $50 apiece offered in this instance, but the
submitted paintings ran the whole gamut down
to painfully sophomore daubs. ..
49,
AS you may remember, the competition pro.
vided for the purchase of 300 water colors at
$50 each, or a total outlay of So, 900. But here's
the trlpper: MI. Bruce estimates that the total
cost to the artists of packing, insuring and
mailing in the paintings, plus the cost of get
ting the rejected ones back COD. will amount
to something like $40, 900!
1 don't like to be Mr.. Gloom about any pro.
fesslon, but that seems to me a simple lesson
in practical economics that should be an ele-
mentary course in every art school. When it
costs artists nearly $40, 000-not counting their
labor-to absorb a $4,000 market, there's some
thing radically wrong The fine
arts section sees this as an example of mag
nificent spirit on the part of American artists
and don't disagree with that a bit, but gam
bling against more than four-to-one odds is a
good deal more like playing the ponies than
merchandising a salable product.
F. L., Gainesville, Ga.-Undoubtedly more
vital defense matters have overshadowed the
defense training work of the Civilian Conser-
walton Corps, but just because you haven't
read or heard much about it lately, don't
think that the CCC isn't making strides along
this line. When billions are being spent on
new and old factories and hundreds of thou
sands OF men are marching into camp to form
our greatest peaceti1ne army, it's not easy to
make exciting copy or startling conversation
ABOUT a going project that is gradually keying
It's aims and routine to national defense.
II you want a few facts and figures, I can
pass along some recent by Director
James j. McEntee that certainly ought to be
eye-openers to those who think the C-boys
are the forgotten men of national defense.
Mr.. McEntee says, for example, that 10000
drivers of trucks, tractors. and other automo-
tive equipment and Is, 900 mechanics now are
being turned out by the CCC yearly. Another
$4,000 get training in road construction, 5000
in blasting, and $500 in bridge building. About
5000 cooks and bakers reach a qualified de-
gree of proficiency each year.
To list the figures on carpenters, masons,
plumbers, electricians, radio operators, sur
veyors, d~raftsmen, welders, and other trades
necessary to industrial defense would be only
to prolong this item. Just how efficient all
these c graduates are l don't know, but
Mr.. McEntee also has a list as long as your
arm of the men and boys who have been taken
into defense industries, the Army and Navy in
the last six months. Just one example is that
on Jan. IS, 300 more CCC boys will report to
the United States Maritime Commission, bring.
ing to a total Of 1,400 the C-men who have
been accepted by the commission for sea
training. Nine to ten months more and these
boys will be full-fledged seamen. l