The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1943-12-16
News ~,
Behind
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N(- 80
BE- PAU, MALLoN

w EAVLA AALL>1-x
r,.n,nsged Economy
-. Confusion AplentY
'.w4sH1NGTON - The peculiar
~. a what can happen to plenty
!: ~. managed or mismanaged econ
= NV : 8. such as the government has
49, .S;,rtaken in the war Qeading to
.hcrtaees at the dinner table when
~ reasonable plenty exists on the
s,-ms, can best be illustrated by
THAT is happening in hogs.
lately, hogs have been rushed
"a hacking houses so fast that ex-
rsrts term the condition '.panicky."
~ rren lirht weight pigs and young
sovs have been pushed to market
i an alarming rate. There are
several reasons.
The shortage of feed, the diff
,ultv and cost of farm labor prac-
ticaily forced the farmer to sell
more than he otherwise would.
Under these conditions, he could
.m expected to do nothing else.
Yet this plentiful supply is not
al going on to the consumers
ether in the army or out Of it.
Storage figures in, the packing
trade Indicate large quantities Of
meats are being held back under
government direction under a pol
icy similar to that which has also
caused the holding back Of stocks
Of butter.
Presum bly,, the government
wants to accumulate supplies for
the future when the natural reac-
ton to the current panicky pack
ine business will result in short
ages Of supply.
Only a portion Of the plenty.
thsrsiofs. Is reaching the public.
al svsn this portion. as every
eessnse knows. seems 10 b large.
I'D a inferior grade and quality.
h bsst cuts just do not seem TO
b availabls.
Some Of the supply, no doubt, is
ning into the varicolored markets.
: There are many other phases Of
handling between farmer and con-
sumner. In all the various phases
Of this management, plenty is dis
sipsted before it reaches your eye,
or even the grocery store.
oths4 Products Also
Precisely the same conditions
are true of beef, and the same re-
suits are evident in dairy products,
though brought about by an almost
opposite situation.
There, a good common grade
milk cow can bring over 5000 in
the present market against SIS to
SIS before the war, because Of the
restricted price of butter and milk,
and the shortages and costs of both
feed and labor. Pure-bred cows
are bringing enormous prices,
varying from 500 to 81, 900.
These cows are being bought up
by dairymen looking to the future
with an idea of breeding. Yet
shortages prevail in all the varied
products. Mt lever seems to come
out even.
II any human set out to create a
shortage in a time of plenty, he
would have encountered far more
olfhculty in accomplishing it than
tne managed economy has been
aole to do while striving in the op-
posite direction.
ins sstup was supposed 70 pro.
s,ds Us all with a fair share Of
.haa Is left after army needs. but Il
mas run contrary TO human nature
ana natural laws and has wound
y rather mangled economy.
ssfialnlY no one will contend Il
aas provided equal distribution.
10 me it proves, at least, that
managed economies are impossible.
Conversion Of Industry
viii b Difficult 5s 4s-z
peacetime business conversion
WIN be as difficult as the CONVEX
slOn OF indutrial plants to war. The
problem of every individual plant
n WIN differ in SINE resepct. Best
plelure OF the situation has been
pr.e : by Chrysler's president,
(. I. Keller.
y. ne showed the George commit
aoa mat Chrysler has converted 49,
w. W. OF its 10000 tools to war work
=. u ,today has 1927 tools owned
MN, me government. These tools
nla ~ nave to be cleared from the
m n,s,H before Chrysler can start to
uSas e automobiles again. Then
a T, 70 do about the tools? :.
lucy cannot all ba co,,x,orfoc n