The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-16

8@Se@ the radio and the
other media o.
communication in this free speech
country had not. yet trickled dowr
to the bottom. This Is important
because Of this war is to be won al
home In the manner best suited Il
q democracy, 1t behooves everyone
who does understand these reasons
to make himself into a one-nlan
propaganda agency to explain what
the war effort Is all about to the
people who don't understand 1t.
Things that have to be explained
range all the way from trivialities
like why you have trouble buying a
spool of silk thread, up through
economic theories on price fixing or
the relation of wages to the cost
of living. People are willing to make
sacrifices, the investigators discov-
cred, but people still want to know
why. It's the why that needs to be
emphasized.
Silk thread Is scarce for civilians
because silk thread Is stronger than
cotton thread, and the strongest
thread available is needed to sew up
parachutes and smokeless powder
| bags.
UNSOLD
SHORTAGES ....
There Is a shortage OF bottle
corks because cork is needed for
life preservers, for gaSketS in tank
and plane motors, for the under
decking Of mosquito torpedo boats.
There Is national daylight saw
ings because there is a power
shortage. That Is known in gen.
eral way, but the average family
can't understand how getting up
by electric light saves current.
What hasn't been explained is
that getting up by electric light
diSturbeS the load on the power
plant, enabling the family at home
to eat supper by daylight, when
the second shift In the war plants
is placing additional burden on
generators.
The need for food rationing was
found to be woefully misunder-
stood. The loss Of the Philippines
has not been interpreted adequate
ly in terms Of loss Of a million tons
Of sugar supply. The defense of
Pearl Harbor has not been spelled
out in terms Of so per cent cut in
the sugar supply from Hawaii. Too
many people still think the sugar
shortage is phony.
The evils of boarding are sadly
underestimated. There Is still too
much Of the swell, I'm gonna get
mine, anyway" spirit and not
enough appreciation Of the need
for sacrifice at home.
NO
MIRACLES
The rubber shortage was found To
be the best understood, but there
is still too much belief that this Is
going to be solved, somehow. There
has been too much over-reliance on
statements that inventors will crash
through with some gadget to take
the place Of tires, and too much be-
lief that guayrule or synthetic rub
Der production, in some mysterious
manner, will be developed overnight.
The basic fact that there is not
one pound Of rubber for new civil
ian tires in 1913 has not been driven
home.
Gas shortage and gas rationing
Is not yet national problem, but
in those areas where 1t is felt,
there Is no understanding as to
how the problem Of transportation
is to be met. Too many people
are waiting for someone to come
around and tell them how men
are to get to work, how children
are to get to school, how women
are to do their marketing with
store delivery systems curtailed.
Every item which has gone up
in price seems TO have raised the
question of, Who's getting the
increase?" Farmer, middleman,
manufacturer are all suspected,
though the charges of all-out-
proflteering have been few. Clothes
and rent increases also are ques-
toned.
The result of this roundup Of
worries Is going to mean that the
war at home must be better sold,
and sold with more emphasis on
the why's and wherefores of every
ordered variation from the life as
usual" pattern. n