Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-11-28

This is Thanksgiving Day as this is
written.
We are truly thankful for the American
way of life of which Thanksgiving Day is a
distinctive example On Thanksgiving Day
we are shamefuIly wasteful-we over -eat,
we consume large amounts of precious
sugar which is not good for us; we make
ourselves uncomfortable for the sheer joy
of breaking the rules against over-indul-
gence. Even in war time the American GUS
tom is upheld; in the jungles Of the Far
East, in the desert sands of Africa, in the
SHOWS of Alaska and acknowledgements
American soldiers are found there is a big
Thanksgiving turkey dinner and every SOL
der and every sailor will eat two ordinary
dinners and end up with no room for that
big slice of indigestible mince pie-but eat
it, anyway
We are wondering whether Thanksgiving
customs will survive the New Order. but
meantime we are thankful that we we're
born in time to enjoy the shameful Ameri-
can way of life.
We had occasion to borrow some money
recently, to be used in our modest contri-
button to the war effort. We were able to
borrow that money thanks to the American
way Of life 1t did not require influence with
a commisar or deserving office-holder The
thing that made that loan possible was a
royalty income that will pay off the loan,
come what will If the writer passes on be-
fore the loan is repaid, the royalty income
viii care for it. If the business venture fails.
that will not change the status of the loan.
There are several score of oil operators who
are producing oil for this royalty fund each
month. Enough of them are going to keep
these royalties earning more than the
amount of the payments.
When a man passes the half-century
mark, it is very reassuring to have a royalty
estate built up 1t is not a rich over night"
proposition. 1t is merely the systematic
acquiring of royalty properties which
eventually pay small amounts each month
Together they provide an income that pro-
vides the greatest social security" possible
in the world We are thankful that we have
lived when such things are possible We do
not believe that such things will be possible
much longer Whether we like it or not we
are in the New Order. The recent elections
notwithstanding, we have the New Order
here to stay.
The day is past when the individual will
be accorded opportunity for investment The
corporation plan of financing is as extinct
as the herds of wild buffalo which once
grazed the plains OF the Sweetgrass Arch.
If there is any who at first thought doubts
this, let him answer this question:
How many opportunities have you had in
the past 10 years to buy stock in promising
legitimate enterprise"
It is true that the wild promoters Of the
Pat Mari type are fortunately. It is
true that the wolves have been driven out Of
the forest But the fact is that the men
who burned the forest to get rid of the
wolves, did so, because they liked the fire.
The wolves provided the incentive The
wolves are gone; also the green forest out
of which we formerly built financial
security.
The public financing that has been done
in the last decade has BEEN for the most
part, the sale of low-interest bonds to re-
place high interest bonds. Now we have
gone another STEP We see giant corpora
lions paying off their bonds and money for
expansion is borrowed from the government.
This is a part of the plan. The forest will
never be allowed to grow green again be-
cause the wolves would certainly come back.
Public participation in the financing OF
successful ventures in manufacturing, in the
extractive industries and even in utilities
is ended Anyone who doubts this statement
is merely wishing and not thinking.
The greatest number Of people who might
object are the people who would like to
work hard and save so that they can put
their money to work for them so that they
will be able to relax little when they get
the kids through college. Those days are
gone In the future the man with new
invention will not have to share his good