The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-11-19

siders appeals to invest in bonds ant
stamps, tax increases and dibbling IL
price fixing adequate controls. The,
may ameliorate the pain somewha
but they do not get at the cause o.
go far toward the cure.
Suppose instead of stirring people
up like flock of frightened chickens
in their coop with no place to fly
he had called upon them as consum
ers to organize to defend their rights
individually and as a whole. Suppose
the government gave encouragement
to the co-operatives as a first line Of
defense against profiteering, and ther
proceeded to set up machinery fol
increasing facilities for education in
the cooperative way of distributing
consumer goods. High sounding and
emotional appeals are good propagan
da technique but they furnish no eff
fective weapons to go out and dc
battle.
1t is needless to ask ourselves why
food costs have risen almost Is per-
cent since year ago or why other
vital commodities = building materi-
ais, heat and light, rents-are mount
ing higher. 1t is too obvious that
profit-getters are getting theirs while
the getting is good-and comparative
ly easy! Despite the increase in en-
ployment millions of people still go
without the protective foods milk,
butter, eggs, fruit-not because farm
prices have skyrocketed for farm
prices have not yet reached parity ex-
cept in some instances. Middlemen's
profits operating on the law of in
creasing returns push the consumer
farther and farther from the producer,
with the result that greater numbers
of people are forced to a lower living
standard.
Mr.. Morgenthau calls our country a
land flowing with milk and honey and
adds that too much of it is in the
warehouses. He is right. Too much
Of the milk and honey have been flow
ing into the warehouses of the upper
one-thfrd of our population and not
enuf out into the masses that he real
ICES, after all, make up the strength
the amount and number of defense
bonds purchased.
The government is making certain
attempts to get more food out to the
under-fed, through the food stamp
plan, the school lunch and the Surplus
Marketing Administration These
agencies have doubtless rendered val
liable assistance in combating mall
nutrition among the relief groups. But
what about the vast army of people
who have been struggling along on
their own hoping to outwit the de-
preston that overlook them after the
last war? Many of these people are
going to be forced still further to
cut down on their already inadequate
diets because of rising costs.
The defense program has laid espe-
cial emphasis upon increased food
production but so far it has taken
little cognizance of the processing and
ends. 1t is relying on
"business-as-usuap to take care of
this vastly important phase of our
national defense. And so long as it
is left to business-as-usual the first
will be now-as-usual the
margin of profit. Vested interests
which have become intrenched in the
business of processing and distribu-
ton are not going to have right
about-face and succumb to the senti-
mental appeals of emotional patriot
ism. Flag waving has it's good points
so far as the people are concerned
out to hard-headed business, business
IS business.
Yes, by far the most important
hing that has come out of our de-
ense program is the recognition that