The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-10-03

nler, such as:
 "A plan to encourage truck farm. ing is being considered by the Gov ernment of Trinidad and Tohago the Department of Commerce says.
 The plug isn't for Trinidad or To- bago but for the Department oi Commerce, in case you were uncer tain. Anyway, 1t is mailed out ir mimeographed form, with a dozen like 1t. in a weekly service of FILL. L-E-R-S, & dozen little items like that, each mentioning the Depart ment Of Commerce. Newspapers use liners of that kind to plug up the bottom of column, usually cutting out the plug. They're handy to have But is that propagandap Or Is it necessary as government expense?
 Information service releases go up in size from there, Here's one oi half-page size:
 WAR DEPARTMENT
 Bureau of Public Relations
 September Il, l94i. MEMORANDUM:
 The following is an extract from page l68, Volume II, of "Abra- ham Lincoln--the War Years" by Carl Sandburg;
 Pointing to the oetth penalty as a requisite of military organiS- ation, he (President Lincoln) in- quired; must shoot a simple minded soldier boy who deserts, while I must not touch hair of a willy agitator who induces him to desert? This Is none the less injurious when effected by getting Q father, or brother or friend into a public meeting, and there work ing upon his feelings till he is persuaded to write the soldier boy that he Is fighting in bad cause, for a wicked administration of a contemptible government, too weak to arrest and punish him If he shall desert. I think that, in such a case, to silence the agitator and save the boy Is not only con. sttiutional, but withal great mercy"
 END
 Is that propaganda? Is 1t neces- sary or justified as @ government ex. pense?
 From there, the reports go up te statistical summaries such as th( "Sex, Race, Age and Rural Resi- dence for Counties; l94o NEW HAMPSHIRE".
 SOCIAL SECURITY
 SAVES OUR NELL
 Tn the lengthier manuscripts, you get anything from @ complete mag azine article written for a bureau by his ghosting press section but appearing under the chiefs by-line clear up to a speech written by the chiefs favorite ghost speech writer There waste does come in.
 Few newspaper stories run longer than 1000 words. Speeches run from 5000 to l5,000. But there is some- thing about Q guy who makes speech that kids him into believing his words are immortal, So full texts of the most ordinary gibberish ir the world are duly duplicated al expense to the taxpayers. And fl there's anything worse than having to listen to a speech it's having tc read one. It has apparently never occurred to anyone to issue sum- maries of speeches, or highlights, al great savings of paper and time and probably with much better chance of having something on the subject printed.
 The government publicity mil doesn't stop at just magazine ar. ticles. It can produce complete radic scrpits, dramas and plays, and Il does. For instance, Rose 0. Field wa! hired by Social Security Board tC script whole series of broadcasts "Pleasantdale Folks" to dramati2t and tell people what they could gel in the way of benefits. Here is tht climax of one broadcast from which you can build up the plot:
 (Music)
 RUTH (narrating1: Doctor Henry was right. Mother had pro- vided for her children (through social security. We'll, Frank and I were married the day after the first check came to me, their guardian. had to be sure that it was true.
 Music in quietly - swell = hold on sustained nOte-then into theme-establish the hold 30 sec- Onds for local announcement. 1" Music - up and finish).
 The information departments ever grind out whoe magazines - by the score.
 Monthly Labor Review. Foreign Commerce Weekly. Federal Reserve Bulletin. Social Security Review Rural Elecertification News. Con sumers Guide.
 Take that last as an example Twenty issues a year. One hundred fifty thousand copies per issue avail able for official free distribution.
 A sample copy would be i5 pages haif pictures. A fully page of pic'