The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-05-15
(By Staff Writer)
ACTTVTTV CROWS

is the signal for burst of new ac-
tivity on the part of some group
of government workers. This
week the Office of Production
Management and the house COM
mittee in charge of planning a tax
program are striving to formulate
plans to conform with the views
on their job as recently expressed
by Mr.. Roosevelt.
To the OPM the President said,
in effect: You have been doing a
good job but it isn't enough. You
must comb the country for idle
machines and see that all of them
are put to work. You must also
plan to get all machines working
"a hours day, seven days a
week, regardless of the cost of
achieving this goal.
The OPM, under a terrific strain
already, is now working fever
ishly to reach the three objec-
tives outlined by the President:
l. To get pool Of all useful or
potential machine tools whether
in large or medium-sized factor
les or in small garage in Hyde
Park, N. Y.
2. To use them where they are
or move them where they can be
employed.
3. To see if it is not possible
to get the men to, man them on
a 68-hour-a-Week basis with time
out only for necessary repairs to
the machines.
Defense spending in April to-
tailed $761 ,O01 1888, which was
new high, but which is not con-
sidered fast enough spending to
keep our defense production on
schedule. By July it is expected
that expenditures and production
will be doubled.
No Rich Richer
To the committee planning tax
es the President said: Il hope
YOUR committee, with the help OF
the treasury, will formulate tax
bill which will convince the coun-
try that national defense pro-
gram intended to protect our de-
mocracy is not going to make the
rich richer and the poor poorer"
It is expected frona now on that
each tax proposal will be consld-
cred in the light of that state
ment by the President. This
would stop any consideration OF
tax on necessities, and would pro-
badly place the brunt of revenue
production on middle and high in
comes, with the poor still exempt
from income tax or subject to
only a very small tax.
Although the President makes
clear, understandable statements
on what he wants done about pro-
duction, taxes and defense meas
ures, his statements onstWar. poll
cy are subject to varying inter-
pretations. Congressman and gov
eminent officials are still debat-
ing just what was behind his
statement, in his recent talk de-
dicating Woodrow. Wilson's birth
place, when he spoke of our sim
pie faith in the freedom Of de-
mocracy. in the world and said:
ut is the. kind of faith fol, which
we have fought before, for the ex-
istence Of which we are ever rea-
dy to fight again" -
Various interpretations have
been put en- that statement. but
the general opinion here Isl that
it was made to get the presentre-
action of the people toward war
Just another of the trial ballons
tossed out by both the President
and his cabinet members in re-
cent weeks. - .-s
Seeks Public Opinion
It is believed here that the
President wants to convoy ships
to Britain and~that he favors 9TH
er steps which might get us clos
er to war, but he doesn't want to
overstep public opinion in taking
the initiative in any more OF this
kind. He is therefore believed to
be throwing out statements for
public discussion in order to keep
close tabs on the shifts of public
opinion. "
Talk of amendments to the Sc
lective service act has subsidized
and it is expected now that new
regulations, which can be put
through without congressional &C.
ton, will come first. The most
outstanding change will be to de-
fer indefinitely the CONSUMPTION
of men over rs years old.
Studies of the men already in
Quoted show that less than 10 per
cent are over 80 years of age.
Because the older men have fami-
ly ties, are not in as good physi-
cal condition, and are found by
officers to be more difficult to
train, most army leaders would
prefer to confine the training, for