The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-05-02

! GU can JuuBe the nation Dy sta
tistics only. Feelings are as potent
as figures. Hence. | spend a great
deal OF time travelling throughout
the country, talking with people
IN all walks of life. | travel In day
| coaches as well as in Pullmans and
airplanes. | talk with small town
officials and bankers as well as
those OF large cities. Here is
what | now learn from them:
Defense and Cost of Living
Without question. aside from the
: effects of certain strikes in manu-
featuring centers, the program of
production for defense purposes
is reaching present capacity limits
The construction OF new production
facilities, however, will enable the
volume of business to expand enor-
mously in months to come. Bust:
ness activity as a whole already
exceeds that OF 1929 by some
eight per cent and the rise IS by
no means reaching a limit. Mayors
and other municipal officials in
many cities outside the normal
defense areas are renewing their
efforts to attract labor supplying
industries in an attempt TO reduce
relief loads. This is a common
dable effort and should receive en-
enlargement and help from Wash
ington.
The greatly increased business
activity in most sections of the
haI tol
loans 25 per cent, carloadings 80
per cent, and pushed up weekly
payrolls. In spite of this, and
some lacking up of rentals, food,
and clothing prices, the cost of
living is up a bare two per cent
over last year. My readers need
not yet be concerned over rising
prices. The administration is
watching the picture closely and
will do everything possible to
keep living costs down. Labor
leaders as yet cannot give 'in-
creased living costs" as an honest
excuse for wage raises.
Individual Spending
The winter resort business in
this year, while California suf-
fered as a result of consistent
rains. Many men accustomed to
a month or two off during the
winter were this year chained TO
their desks in defense work. The
Southwest resort areas-notably in
Arizona-had the best winter for
many years. The same rains which
hurt California brought out the
desert flowers, tempered the eli
mate. and kept down the dust.
What is "one mans poison is an
other mans meat" The resort
areas of the Northwest, Colorado.
New England, and New York may
benefit greatly from an active
tourist season this coming sum-
mer. This should also be true
Of Canadian resorts.
Thus far, people are spending
freely. This is especially true of
workers. Many have a steady
job for the first time in years.
The rich are spending because
they believe their wealth may be
confiscated: while the poorer al
ways spend all they get. We of
the middle class think we need
so many necessities, plus the lux
uries of a new car, radio, etc, that
we are putting out cash faster
than we are taking it in. This is
witnessed by mounting installmert
sales. Little thought is being
given by anyone. anywhere, to the
coming rainy day.
General Impressions
The unemployment situation has
markedly improved throughout the
Middlewest, but relief loads there
are still relatively high. This is
in contrast to most other sec
tions of the country. Emotionally.
the population of our East and
West coasts seem geared to a notch
or two higher than that OF the
great middle agricultural areas.
Farmers are still more concerned
about the weather. crop POSSIBLE
tiles, and farm aid than they are
about aid to Britain or World War
II. Pig headedness and poor mar
keting conditions, with which |
sympathize, still prevent them
from making a decent living.
Bankers and businessmen feel
much the same the country over.
They are heartily in favor of our
preparedness program. Though
they know that it will penalize
their business, bankers are in fav-
or of raising the excess reserve re-
quirements OF the Federal Reserve
Banks. They fear initiation more
than anything else This is IN
spite of the fact that they con-
tract to only take in and pay out
dollars, regardless OF what the
dollar is worth.
DnAnh nn1nr nrn rrnl1 ahnad of