Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1942-05-10
CAPITAL TALKS
by
Peter
Edison

WASHINGTON. May 9. - That
segment OF the population which
has believed the fake hue and cry
that the investigation OF Father
Coughlin'S Social Justice represent
ed a threat against all freedom
of the press might take into con-
Sideration some of the other false
rumors that have been spread By
like yermin. One lie that has been
whispered by such people and has
been traced directly to the women
in the Social Justice crowd is that
the moves to establish womsn'S
auxiliaries for the Army and Navy
were nothing more than yelled
white slave recruiting drives to pro-
cure women for the soldiers and
sailors of the armed services. If
there is any suppression of civil
liberties in Squelching people who
spread stuff like this. bring on Hit
leriSm.
Lit. Gen. Brehon Somervell,
commander of the Service of
Supply, and his experts say it's
impossible TO make any accu-
rate calculations of how many
workers are needed behind the
lines to keep one soldier in the
field. There have been unOffi-
cial estimates running from
three to Is. The top figure is
obviously ridiculous, for on that
basis an army of 10 million
men would need $50 million
workers in reserve, and the
total population of the country
including babies, is only $50
million.
In the first World War, just be-
fore the armiStice, the A. E. F.
had about two million men, SO
per cent of whom were in the Ser
vice of Supply This being a me-
chanized or gadget war, the supply
problem is more complicated. and
the ratio may be higher. But the
effort is being made to keep that
ratio is low as possible.
If you want a rough guess of how
you'll be fixed at the end of this
year or a year later, here's one
official economic guess from the
Henderson staff: BY the end OF
1912 the standard of living will be
down to what it was in 1885. A
year later. it will be back to the
level of 1892
LEAKY NIAGARA
Big Washington news has way
OF leaking out long before 1t is Oh
ficially announced. A lot of it does
not leak down the gully. but the
trickles indicate what's coming.
That was particularly true on the
recently announced General Max
imum Price Regulation. The leaks
on this schedule were so frequent
and so many that Dexter Keezer,
administrator of the Consumers dl-
vision. dubbed it The Niagara OF
Leaks"
The War Labor Board,
which is supposed to settle the
labor controversies that can't
be conciliated, is up to its neck.
The board has had about 125
cases referred to it for settle
ment. some 25 of them being
inherited from the reorganized
National Defense Mediation
Board. The board has settled
only 30 odd cases.
Price Administrator Leon Hen
derson every now and then has to
get into what he calls a lecture
on economics to explains some of
the background for his anti-infla-
tionary moves. "A lot of people.
he says, have had to take courses
in Henderson I or Henderson II. y
BATTLE IN BOLIVIA
If the Board of Economic War
fare were of a mind to do so, 1t
might issue communicates, just as
the Army and Navy do, telling of
battles fought on the fields of in
ternational big business.
For instance, here is one of
the engagements for which the
economic warrior StrategiStS
might have to map battle lines
soon: Argentina, unable TO get
her usual rubber supplies from
the United States, has been
sending rubber buyers into Be-
Iivia to scout for native crude
rubber, in competition with
us. buyers.
To beat the Argentinos, several
attacks might be made First, Ar
gentina might be guaranteed a GER
tain percentage of her normal
manufactured rubber imports from
the U. S. Or, U. S. buyers might
make a deal to buy all the rubber
Bolivia can produce. thus freezing
Argentina out of the market. Or
long-term contracts must be Of
fered Bolivian producers by U. S
buyers, at prices higher than Ar
gentina can pay and with bonuSe.
for amounts delivered over contract
uuota8 TO encourage production
and make the Argentine buyers
work more difficult.
See History of Economic War lol
Survival, yet to be written, as II
how it all comes out. and thou
sand other battles just like it onl3