The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-06-11
IdI!lI''|Ia
TWO FRONTS
IN PRESENT WAR

They are the battle front and the
home. front. Those on the battle
front-the youth of the nation, our
sons and friends and relatives-give
unstinted support and obedience
to their leaders, to those who plan
and direct. They give to the last
degree, to the sacrifice of life itself
when life is called for.
We on the home front must, and
will, give all support and obedience
to the leaders we have chosen to
direct and plan for us. We must,
and will, accept every sacrifice, pay
any price, that may be demanded.
We must do these things in order
to provide those on the battle front
with equipment they must have if
they are to defeat the enemy.
We will do our part and do it
cheerfully. We will do it even more
cheerfully if we know there is no
favoritism being shown to any group
or class, that all share in equal pro-
portion in the price to be paid.
We will do without those things it is
necessary we do without that our
soldiers and sailors may be sup
piled with the equipment, food and
clothing they need, but we want
all to make proportionate sacrifice.
The farmer will work longer hours
that the food supply may be con-
tinued for those on the battle front,
for those of us on the home front
and for our Allies. He will do that
without expectation of increased
gain because of his extra efforts,
but he would wish that others en-
gagged in supplying the fighting
forces might also be working long
er hours, putting forth greater effort,
without the expectation of greater
gain.
The farmer will accept a strict
limitation on the price of his labor
as represented by the price he re-
ceives for his product. He will do
that to preserve this America we
love, to prevent that monster-in-
fation-from destroying us from
within. He will do that even more
cheerfully if he knows the men who
build ships and planes and tanks
and guns are also accepting imi-
tation on the price paid for their
labor. The farmer hopes there will
be no favoritism shown to the man
in the munitions factory or to the
man who owns and operates that
factory, but that all will pay pro-
portionately.
The farmer is an American. The
man who works in the factory is an
American. The man who owns and
operates the factory is an Amer
lean. All have the same element of
interest in defeating the enemy. All
will suffer in proportionate measure
should the enemy win, or share pro-
portionately in the victory when we
have won. The farmer hopes that
all may pay proportionately of the
price that must be paid for victory.
The farmer hopes for a compare
lively simple law that would ration
all commodities, each receiving an
equal share of what can be pro-
duced for use of those on the home
front. He would like price to be
fixed on all commodities and serv-
ices, that the producers of some
articles or services might not be
permitted to unduly profit while 9TH
ers could not, and that to include
the price paid for work.
He would like all to share proper
tionately in the longer hours and the
greater effort, such as he is giving.
He would ask that the man in the
factory work 48 hours at the price
per hour he has been paid for 40
hours, as being somewhere in line
with the longer hours the farmer
must work, with no extra compen-
Sation.
These are things the farmer would
like as being just to all, as means
of avoiding favoritism to one group
or one class.
IF "STANDARDIZING" WAGES
means further increases in wages
during war times; if maintaining the
40 hour week means payment at
time and one-half for all hours over
40 in munitions plants during war
times, the public, and especially peo-
! pie of rural communities, will not
take kindly to the proposition. They
are against any surrender to labor
racketeers. And rural America
elects more than so per cent of the
members of the house of represen-
tatives.
BING! BINGl BING! Go the tires
on the highways and each "bing''
means another car out of commits
sion. The tires that blow out are
usually those on cars going at an
excessive rate of speed, and it is just
as well that the speed-heedless driv-
ers should have to walk. Let us
hope they cannot thumb" a ride.
RAILROADING
IN WAR OF 1918
ONE DAY EARLY IN 1918, I at
tended a press conference of Rail
| road Administrator McAdoo, who
was running the railroads after the
government had taken them over.
To illustrate the efficiency with
which the roads were being operat.
ed, he told Of laying few yards OF
track that made possible the switch.
ing of cars from one trunk line to
another, saving a haul of several
miles between certain points.
! That little story was impressive
/ have remembered it. But
have also remembered that the
speed of fast trains was radically
reduced; that many trains on com.