The Coolidge examiner., 1941-10-10

Similarly down the line: foods are
up % per cent: hides and leather
up 13 per cent; textiles up 90 per
cent; building materials up IL per
cent.
1.-The public is amply aware of
what is happening. The housewife
knows that pork chops which were
20 cents~a pound in January were
80 in February. 81 in April. 32 in
May. 35 in June. 81 in July. 3S In
August and Al at the moment, a
total rise of 40 per cent in those
nine months.
THE housewife knows that eggs
have risen more than a third since
January, that coffee Is up about
one-fourth in the same period, and
that sugar and flour are up al
most fifth in the same period
respectively"
Mr.. Morgenthau, as well as 9th
er government officials who have
testified on the subject, all poirk
out that we can prevent initiation
because we know the causes OF II.
but that we can't do 1t with half
way steps.
The whole cause of initiation
they point out Is that the income
of the consuming public is increas-
ing while the amount OF goods
available to the consumer Is de-
creasing. The answer then must
be to increase the amount of goods
available to the public, or to keep
the spendable income Of the peo-
pie from rising, or to freeze prices.
Mr.. Morgenthau and Mr.. Nelson
both oppose fixing wages at this
time but agree that prices should
be controlled and that excess in
come of the people should be in
vested in the government, either
by the purchase Of defense stamps
and bonds or by taxation.
Mr.. Morgenthau favors 100 per
cent tax bill on all profits of cor
porations over 6 per cent, because
he believes this would prevent
profiteering and at the same time
eliminate the efforts by labor to
get wage increases in order to
share in corporation profits. II the
profits were elimited, labor could
not seek increases on those
grounds.
Mr.. Nelson opposes this plan,
however, on the grounds that pri
vate enterprise has to have pro
FIT incentive to make it work and
that small corporations would SUI
fer.
The Brookings institution. which
has made a study of the situation
points out that farm prices anC
wage increases have been the
chief reasons for the increase, cos
of living and that the administra
tion's proposed price control bill
wouldn't control these primary
costs of initiation. 1t says thai
stabilization of farm prices anC
wages is necessary to prevent In
flation. One of this organization
suggestions is that the govern
ment bring about reduction or foot
prices by putting on the marke
some of the excess food supplie
which it has.
Aside from the high-price scare
the chief subject of debate here !
the revision or elimination or tn
neutrality act in order to permi
the United States to arm its mer
chant ships and to send its SHIPS
to any ports in the world. 1t i
believed by many congressman, II
cluding many who originally vote'
for this measure, that the act ha
outlived it's usefulness and intel
feres with the Presidents polio
of insisting that Americas right t
freedom of the seas be preserved
Practically certain that thi
measure is to be eliminated, tn
maritime commission is alread
going ahead with plans to arr
merchant ships and has urged tn
speeding up of production of tn
ships.
The isolationists in congress ar
fighting the repeal of this act, de
claring that its repeal will inca