Evening star., 1941-07-03

~
# ~ with the au-
ssS ~ thority of one
''''''''''''' '''''''- -''''1 who had picked
MeLemore' oranges in Bab-
son Park, Fla, during the winter.
took a most unusual viewpoint.
He saw no return to a gold stand
ard, he explained to his fellow CO.
signers, or even to pewter, bronze
or lead standard. His theory was
that the world would go on a JUNK
standard
None of us had ever heard of
junk standard so We asked him to
be our guest at free lunch counter
across the street and tell US the
details.
This is the general idea:
When nations spend billions Of
dollars in building war material
they are cinch to have billions
of dollars worth of junk when peace
comes. No one has ever devised a
means Of converting implements of
war into useful peacetime commod-
tiles. No one has ever had a great
deal of trouble beating plowshares
into swords, but try to give that
the OIL vice versa and you're
stumped. When the shooting is
over this time countries will be
nothing but super Junk yards with
useless material scattered all over
the face of the earth.
Take the tanks alone. What are
the nations which are building
them at such a terrific rate going
to do with the left-overs? They
can't very we'll be used for agri-
culture because the average farmer
isn't sufficiently adept to SOW seeds
through a machine gun slit or do
his reaping through pistol spon-
son. Tanks are bit too bulky 70:
book ends and to turn them into
pleasure cars would soon result in
the viping out of the citizens left
after the war. Heaven forbid that
tanks ever be placed in the hands OF
taXicab drivers.
What about the airplanes. flame
throwers. magnetic mines, and IA
inch guns? Can you imagine a man
buying a 45O-mile per hour plane
from the Government to use for
family picnics, or a 14-inch gun for
duck shooting? And how would
YOU like to visit a home where you
were told that if you got cold in the
night to reach out and turn on the
f1ame-throwing device
It is obvious that very little Of
the stuff We are building now as
fast as We know how, will be of any
use in peacetime. But it Will rep
resent, as it ruSts in mountainous
heaps, major share of the worlds
wealth. So, according to the free
lunch economist, in time 1t will be
looked upon as the standard Of
wealth.
The countries with the most Junk
will be the richest because they
will have sunk the most money
into it. You won't hear any more
about gold or silver and paper cur
rency will be issued against the vast
stores of useless material.
Instead of reading as 1t does nov
a one dollar bill will have this on
it.
Junk certificate. This certifeS
that there is on deposit IN the
Treasury of the United States OF
America one dollar in junk pay
able to the bearer on demand"
Fort Knox will certainly have to
be enlarged. Junk Is not so com
pact as gold, and the underground
vaults in Kentucky where bullion is
now stored will have TO spread
through two or three States.
A new type miser will spring UP.
He will hoard old spare parts and,
instead of dripping coins through
his fingers will wander about In the
dead of night caressing his anti
aircraft guns. gloating over his rolls
of barbed wire, and chuckIing as he
counts his barrage balloons.
Wills of the rich will have q new
wording.
TO my eldest son." they will
read, 81 bequeath five rusty trench
mortars, and to my faithful chauf-
feur leave gas mask for each
year of service"
Knowing as little as / do about
economics am not qualified to
pass on the junk standard theory.
Perhaps my friend is Just visionary
and a dreamer who thinks he has
the answer to one of the worlds
future problems.
On the other hand, maybe 1t is
all Just bunch of junk.
Distributed by McNausht Syndicate, fnc.)