Imperial Valley press., 1941-03-30


S. for Sap Taxpayer, reconciled
and ready to finance his country's
defense effort might be more will
ing to give till its hurts if assured
that some of the We'll get ours
back boys would be little less
rapacious
For while the country at large
has accepted the fact that every
one must make sacrifices to help
save the world for democracy
(again), congressional and admin
strative lavishness in appropriating
billions of dollars has stirred every
selfish instinct of every self-cen-
tered group which thinks itself en-
titled to government aid. So the
broad highway to victory is lined
with gimme hitchhikers ready to
grab a hold as the caravan of gov
eminent contract trucks goes by.
The whole spectacle is of course
natural. No one can forget easily
the long lean years when profits
vanished. when trade dWindled4
when layoffs stretched into unem-
ployment, when the three RS of
relief, regulation and reform were
primary education for the New
Deal. When defense spending be-
gan by billions, the inclination
was to get back part losses. and
if this meant at government ex-
pense, dandy.
FOLLOW
THE LEADER
Perhaps the first to have ex-
tensive ambitions of recovered pro-
fits were manufacturers seeking
prime contracts for war supplies,
for memories of profiteering in the
last war were still pleasant. Count
ering the prospect of these hopes,
however, was the public demand
and the administration determina-
ton that in this effort there would
be no profiteering.
In the same class were the firms
given contracts for construction of
new plants for defense production,
firms given contracts for construc-
ton of new camps and canton
ments. and the land agents who
bought acreage for new military
reservations.
Speed has been essential and
many of the contracts. instead of
being let on the competitive bid
basis, have been let on the cost
plus s-fixed-fee basis in which the
government pays all costs, regard
less of extravaganza or economy
of management, and awards the
contractor a percentage, usually 80
per cent for supervision and profit.
To just what extent there has been
regularity in the awarding or
operation of these contracts may
come out in the investigation by
Senator Harry S. Truman's COM
mittee. Washington opinion Is none
too hopeful, owing to the commit
tees limited funds and the ques-
tionable strength and ability of the
committee itself. Definitely, what
is not wanted from this committee
is liberal coating of Whitewash.
What is wanted Is thorough
probe of every rat hole.
Labor, no less eager than capi-
tai TO recoup losses, has come in
for its full share of dirty looks.
The record of even a few exor-
bitant assessments of union intia-
ton fees, of strikes in defense in
dustries, of demands for wage in
creaseS, has already resulted in
the appointment of the new Labor
Mediation Board and may result in
recommendation for new labor legi-
station from the House judiciary
Committee.
The farm bloc, seeing capital
and labor making efforts at
comeback to get theirs, has moved
in with demands for increased
parity payments from 5000 million
to s400 million to raise the prices
farmers get for the things they.
sell. And so powerful is this farm
bloc that the Senate Agriculture
Committee recently heard John
H. Bankhead Of Jasper, Ala, rec
ommend that farmers go on strike
for a year, SO as TO raise prices.
This, mind you, in a year of all
out defense effort.
Government agencies, instead of
vying to see which could cut re-
quests for appropriations most,
have actually competed TO get con-
troll of defense funds.
Every department of Federal
Security agency-the WPA, NYA,