Evening star., 1942-04-29
Appeal for Support

little from an international stand
point to the picture already given the
country of the administrators plan
for preventing a disastrous rise in
the cost of living. Essentially, the
President sought to demonstrate the
need for the seven-point program he
is putting into effect, to defend its
efficacy as a counter r-inlationary
measure and to enlist public support
for his proposals.
Stressing the indisputable fact that
each Of his seven points is dependent
on the others If the effort to hold
living costs in line is to succeed, the
President stated the substance of his
appeal as follows: Some people are
already taking the position that
every one of the seven points is cor
rect except the one point which steps
on their individual toes. A few seem
willing to approve self-denial - on
the part of their neighbors. The only
effective course of action is simul-
taneous attack or all of the factors
which increase the cost OF living, in
one comprehensive, all-embracing
program covering prices, profits,
wages, taxes and debts"
There can be no valid dissent from
this statement OF the case, but there
is room for difference of opinion as
to whether the Presidents program
meets his own conditions.
Undoubtedly a serious effort Is
being made to deal with prices,
profits and debts. But, as the PreSi-
dent himself says, this cannot be
successful unless the other factors
wages and taxes-are treated with
equal effectiveness. In some quarters
1t is felt-and no doubt in all sin
cerity-that the program is made
quate with respect to these matters.
1t Is felt that wages cannot be held
down without legislative action or
some specific directive to the War
Labor Board, and that the tax pro-
gram is deficient because it is not
aimed directly at siphoning of excess
earnings in the lower brackets. This
excess purchasing power, it is feared,
will break through any price ceiling
that may be imposed.
There is no reason to assume at
this time, however, that the critics
are right and the President wrong
on these points. In his talk last
night Mr.. Roosevelt said unequiv-
ocally to those who work for wages:
you will have to forgo higher wages
for your particular job for the dura-
ton of the war" That is definite
and specific, and excludes the quail
fications in his message to Congress
which seemed to point the way to
considerable wage advances. Fur
thermore, the test of the Presidents
stand on the wage question should
not be long in coming, for there are
now pending before the War Labor
Board wage disputes which should
determine whether further action is
needed on this point.
In the matter of taxes, there can be
little doubt that the Presidents pro-
gram will not reach the billions of
excess dollars which will find their
way into the hands of lower salaried
workers, and it seems evident that
1t is not intended to do so. And it is
equally obvious that this is poten-
tial source of danger Presumably,
however, the President hopes that
this money, instead of entering into
a competitive buyers market, will be
used to purchase War bonds and to
pay off debts. If time shows that
this hope is not we'll founded, further
action can be taken and the President
has promised to take it,
With these considerations in mind,
there Is every reason to expect the
fullest cooperation from the public.
Without that cooperation this pro-
gram cannot succeed. Nor could any
other program that might be devised.
The real hope of economic salvation
lies in the prospect that the people
will recognize that this is true and
that-in their own Interestingly
will support the Government as
Fundamentally in this undertaking
as they are supporting the direct
prosecution of the war itself.