The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-04-09

OIEhdIN AVIS "a ! ~ "a
realize what a
iolt an abrup,ly-arriyed-at peace
can give 10 a nations trade and
industry following a spell OF strife
on a sizeable scale. Folk who are
old enough to rememb Der about II
will recall that the slump wasn't
immediate that time There was
mild little depression but It was
brief. Then the boom started and
we thought il was prosperity Fol-
lowing its collapse all experts
promptly began figuring intensive
ly upon schemes TO get us back to
normalcy. as President Harding
expressed it. Once in the soup,
though, it's a now recognized i'm
possibly to get out except by a
long, painful swim.
The economic sharks idea now
Is to keep US from getting in again
at all, as sequel to todsy's world
rumpus.
Another Program
Among other agencies, our Ma
tional Resources Planning Board,
one Of President Roosevelts execu-
tive set-ups under Frederic A. De-
lanos Craftsmanship, with Charles
w. Eliot as director, is just out
with program it believes will en-
able u. TO navigate our next tu-
reenful Of postwar soup success
fully, without going overheard and
getting scalded and more than half
drowned.
For one thing, the NRPB sub
mits that our transportation IA
cilities are practically obsolete
railroads. highways, waterway
equipment and especially aviation,
for peacetime usage. Not, indeed,
that aviation's obsolete, but it's al
most wholly undeveloped. The
NRPB reckons that its futures
possibilities are greater than the
autos were in the days when the
surface gasoline wagon was young.
Our terminals are clear out OF
date, too. according to NRPB;
they've got to be reconstructed
from the ground up.
Furthermore, our cities need TO
be largely rebuilt, eliminating
slums.
President Hoover, a couple Of
decades ago, recommended a public
building schedule, not necessarily
for immediate adoption, but to have
on tap, ready for utilization on
short notice, to sop up unemploy-
ment in any economic emergency,
and maybe il was a good notion,
but II hadn't been doped out in suf-
hcient detail to put into prompt
effect at that juncture. It's true
that, under Herbert's auspices,
Uncle Sam slapped up government
edifices at a tremendous rate in
Washington, but it was too local an
activity TO meet so fierce a situa-
ton. NRPB proposes to be loaded
for bear before the lightning starts
to strike.
Therell be a drawback, TO be
sure Our war debt will be so enor-
nous that the government Il
squirm at piling on still more for
reconstruction, but, "Phooey!" says
NRPB, in effect. This is some
thing that's got to be attended TO,
no matter what it costs"
Demand, But
And look. adds the board, at how
civilian demand will have piled up
by the wars end; supplying that'll
require all the labor in sight. I sd-
nit that this argument doesn't ap-
peal to me personally. don't doubt
that therell be the demand, but
there was the last time also. What
goods a demand II the would-be
customers can't foot the bill?
NRPB makes another remark
that doesn't register, so far as I'm
concerned. It points out that wen
have TO scrabble like fury TO feed
starving Europe. That's a cinch,
DuI u cqHdliJ q Nll4|H tlldt hLdif -
ing Europe won't be able TO pay it.
NRPB furnishes another hint,
though, that's thought-inspiring
though the thought isn't altogether
pleasant.
Don't let's, urges NRPB, de-
mobilize our armed forces too fast,
and don't let's discontinue war pro-
duction too fast. Wen gum our in
dustries II we DO.
II sounds logical.
Maybe We not only shan't HAVE