The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-08-16


Can a would-be boom be pre-
vented from booming? If not, can
1t be prevented from popping ulti-
mately? Or, if a pop is newt
able, can such prearrangements be
made as to render IL harmless?
National Price Fixer Leon Hen
derson is working overtime to keep
today's boom from attaining dan
gerous proportions. He admits that
the Internal thing is gaining on
him but he's doing his utmost to
keep it from getting beyond con-
troll utterly. 1t never has been
tried before. Hitherto booms have
been considered very gratifying
as providing plenty Of profits for
capital and coolies of employment
for labor and the popular demand
has been to Let 'em flicker" That
last experience, though, was a les
son, not far enough back to have
been forgotten.
National Production Manager
William S. Knudsen doesn't ques-
ton Icons system in principle, but
he does argue that Icons operat-
ing it so urgently as to threaten
considerable unemployment right
now, regardless Of the future.
Icons answer is that modicum
OF it today is better than a regu-
lar catastrophe of it later.
How Icons scheme will work
out finally remains to be seen. It's
never been tried before.
Carmody's Plan
Federal Works Administrator
John NJ. Carmody's Of the opinion
that we can't prevent a boom
while the war lasts or collapse
subsequently.
His notion is TO provide catch
all to scoop in unemployment and
provide it with jobs when the ex-
plosion does come and scatters II
all over the country. The catch
all's to be a S25, 100000 six
year program of public improve
peace comes and war and defense
work SINNERS down to nearly zero.
Herbert Hoover had something
Of such a plan after the 1914-1S
war and it didn't woSkfoverly well.
A lot Of employmentWas provided
but we had our depression anyway.
However, Herbert's was an
after-the-catastrophe affair. May
be it was too late then. John Car
mody's idea is anticipatory. He
has 80 state directors tinkering
with it already. Perhaps it'll serve
as the peace work cushion" he
calls it. Or perhaps not. Nobody
knows yet.
A war boom doesn't pep imme-
diately after the wars over.
At that particular juncture civil
ian needs, piled up during the con-
flict's progress, are rampant, and.
for awhile all hands are busy. 1t
was so following the 1914-1S Arm
istice. It was quite awhile before
the panic hit US. couldn't under
stand it. Herbert Hoover was
commerce secretary then. I inter-
viewed him and asked him what
had become Of the collapse we
ought TO be having. We've en-
tered he said, upon new stage
OF the world. There aren't going
to be any more hard times" And
then what-after he was In the
White House?
The other day Assistant State
Secretary Adolf A. Berle made a
cheering talk at a gathering in
Washington. After this war, he
said, the whole world will have to
be rebuilt, and what an era Of en-
ployment and prosperity that re-
construction period will be!
That Frisco Fire
Well, recall the San Francisco
earthquake and fire. Goshl> said
everybody. Think Of all the en-
ployment there'l be in that town,
building it over again!
And. for a fact, the place was
hive Of industry while re-establish-
ing itself. But few years later
lived there for a spell, and never
before had seen city so hard up
as that was.
A community doesn't toll like
sixty for matter Of generations,
piling up wealth for its benefit.
then have all its wealth burn up.