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

De pOOTGTs lQOs DuAt ilC oNbSNi
we're too rich and comfortable.
That is what has made us so soft
he remarked.
II was a cheering speech, In
way. A lot of folk have been as
serting that Wen be left in terri
BILE shape if the Axis aggregation
wins. It is glad tidings TO hear
that well be better off even so.
Some people still doubt it, but it is
the virtually unanimous verdict
that Wen be poorer alright.
Leon Henderson. boss economist
in the governments defensive set
up. by implication agrees with
Philosopher Durant that we'll
benefit BY being poorer, at least
for a SPELL and then a frightful
slump when the emergency passes,
prices subside and the boom busts.
Furthermore, the encouraging
prediction is made that Leon will
get his wish-our buying capacity
certainly will be reduced when
Treasury Secretary Morgenthau's
new schedule of income taxes
takes effect.
Fewer Automobiles
There's another note Of cheer
(for pedestrians) in the news that
auto manufacturers have promised
to trim their output of civilians
motor cars by 20 per cent in order
to concentrate upon production Of
military supplies.
Some pessimists, to be sure,
forecast that the remaining so per
cent will scorch correspondingly
faster than they do now. How
ever. it should mean bulge in the
value of existing cars. That'll be
a boon to today's owners-and, of
course, they're uest, rpa!oritv Of
our population.
It isn't so pleasant to learn that
the cost of war, or preparation for
1t, is two or three times as high
now as in the 1914-191S period.
Not that prices are greatly higher,
but there are so many more newly
invented and greatly improved
gadgets to be provided-not little
bits Of gadgets, but perfectly enor-
nous ones, like tanks and planes,
as large as an old-time battleship.
Our experts, though, are doing
their utmost to economic. For
instance, the cases Of the provision
Of cantonment facilities at two Of
Washington's neighboring army
posts-Forts Belvoir and Meade.
II originally was estimated that
$4,000 would cover the Belvoir
expenditure and the other day the
house of representatives military
committee was notified that, due
to the army authorities penny
pinching, the item actually is being
held down to S14,000,000. Fort
Meade's a more ambitious canton
ment. That was scheduled to cost
S8,5o0,o00 But there, too, the
clamps were exercised so rigor-
ously that the military affairs COM
mittee's advised that S22, 100000
will cover the bill.
May Cost More
OF course, the work isn't quite
finished. The S14,oooO0O and s22,-
100000 budgets are only estimates,
like the Initial 100000 and
ss,5o0,0 900 guesses. When the JOBS
are done the totals may run trifie
higher than S14,0Oo,o0o and $22,-
100000 apiece.
Yet it goes to show how tight
waddedly those army engineers are
handling their appropriations.
Changing the subject, few
days ago Clark Porteus, a Mem
phis newspaperman, hit Washing
ton, not as newspaperman but as
manager Of the nationwide ur
Of the Maid Of Cotton.
But 1t was as newspaperman
that he wrote a story in one Of the
Washington dailies expressing his
establishment at the secrecy sur
rounding selective service informa-
ton for the press" in the capital.
Who Porteus tackled for his de-
sired dope is too deep for me. It's
a fact that there's considerable de-
partmental and bureaucratic Sc
crecy in Washington, which think
is overdone and don't like. But Sc
lective service? Oh, my! That out
fit is simply bursting for publicity.
It's their policy. They positively