The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-06-25

only, and then only through
his column.
whom | knew in Edinburgh many
years ago somewhat to the fol-
lowing effect.
an the city Of Edinburgh, which
comprises nearly a million souls,
every morning there is left on
every doorstep one bottle or two
bottles of milk. The household may
need three bottles Of milk, and if
that is the case, three bottles Of
milk are left on the doorstep.
This intricate arrangement has
been made possible by the develop
ment Of capitalism. doubt wheth-
er or not an entirely Soeialistic
government could deliver exactly
the precise number of bottles Of
milk.on the proper doorstep5 as re-
quired by the citizens of Edin-
burgh every morning, Saturday
and Sunday included, every day
in the year"
There's a Change Due
The quotation indicates to my
conservative mind that when the
emergency is all over it is most I'M
likely that the distribution of food
will be left in the hands of the
bureaucrats. They have not shown
any conspicuous knack in conduct
ing an overall paternal manage
ment of the distribution of food,
nor adjusting food prices to the
pocketbook level of the average
American family.
Undoubtedly part Of the confu-
sion is due to the fact that Ameri-
cans are unaccustomed to working
on a point ration system. And
that is a good augury for the fu-
ture. But the way in which one
commodity is advertised as very
scarce one week and then the next
week is so plentiful that its ration
point value must be reduced in or
der to use up the surplus must
drive a Socialistic-minded Har-
ward bureaucrat nuts. Again l am
encouraged because it shows that
the law of supply and demand still
works no matter how much they
attempt to caulk up the holes in
the dam, and l like to live in a
world of law and order.
Another less economical spec
tacle, and one which l think in
wolves a mistake, is the result Of
putting a time limit on when a
certain ration stamp can be used.
The American housewife who is
naturally thrifty soul finds her
self Saturday with a whole page
of stamps which will be useless
Monday. So she proceeds to mar
ket, buys a number Of things she
does not Immediately need and
with the help Of others like her,
cleans out all the grocery stores
and markets, so that even the cock
reaches are feeling a depression.
No Malnutrition
On the whole from the stand
point Of nutritionist, in spite Of
the fluctuating announcements, |
cannot see that anyone is really
suffering from malnutrition, and
in many cases there is evidence
that changes Of dietary habits are
beneficial.
l do not believe from the study
Of such authoritative surveys as l
have been able to obtain that the
diversion of food to civilian pop
ulations of other lands threatens
TO impose any deficiencies on the
American people. The severest
criticism of the Surplus Commo-
dities Corporation which | have
read concludes that at one time the
corporation had stored enough
food to supply a full months ra-
ton of AZ points for half a million
people. And that is not serious,
because the stores were not perish
able and will be used somewhere,
sometime.
Still and all, during an Admins
tration based upon Jefersonian
principles, we can recall with sat
isfaction for postwar purposes the
words Of the Great Decentralizer
that: IF it were left to Washing
ton to tell US when to pillow and
plant and reap, we would all
starve."