The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1943-11-26
POST WAR PLANNING-POWER,
MANPOWER POWER POLITICS

In proceeding chapters we have re
marked upon the increasing develop
ment and use of electrical energy,
without dwelling however upon the
increasing use, or more efficient util-
ization of this and other sources of
power. 1t is hardly necessary to de-
vote time and space to an enumera-
ton of more efficient methods de-
veloped (by the urge of war neces-
sity) for the more efficient utilization
of these sources of power 1t is suf-
ficient to say that so numerous and
great have been these developments
that the close of the war will find
the Allied nations, especially the USA
and the USSR with vast supplies of
efficient mass production power as
well as an extraordinary supply of
skilled and semi-skilled man land
woman) power.
That the period of reconstruction
Immediately following the war will re-
quire the full utilization of this store
of power no one will deny, but that
the period required for reconstruction
will be as long as our prophets of
Free Enterprise" estimate, or that
there will be great and long con-
tinued demand for American goods is
open to serious question. In that con-
nection it might be mentioned that
at the time of the destruction of the
Dnieper dam to prevent its utilization
hxrf Nozfc hn dah
plosion had hardly ceased falling be-
fore Russian engineers had begun
making plans for its repair and re-
construction. A nation or people
which displays that spirit without
the urge of profit as an incentive)
will not assume or long remain in the
role of "helpless victim" requiring aid
from America or anyone else.
Although American thigh priests of
capitalism" in the hope of establish
ing Hitlerian dictatorship over la
Dor under the deceptive title of "regi-
mentation" have through their news
mediums kept up a dolefull wall of
Tabor shortage" it is highly doubt
full if such thing actually exists |
Indeed, it is an almost generally ac-
cepted fact that many industries, in
anticipation of a "labor shortage"
which exists only in their imagina- |
ton, are in reality boarding" labor |
by employing many unnecessary |
workers or are doing so because of |
the "cost-plus" contracts which place
a premium on unnecessary expense. |
Another instance of the Capitalist |
filters" which reminds one of the |
small boy who frightened himself into |
fits with bugaboo of his own Gre
alton.
In the "manpower" field both the
allied and fascist nations have great
ly increased their supply of skilled
and semi-skilled labor, the allied ma
tons by the voluntary enlistment of
women and training of young or other
labor, the fascist nations by
forcible enlistment of slave labor in |
occupied territories. But regardless |
of the method used, whether volun-
tary or forced, the world labor sup
ply will have a marked effect upon
economic and labor matters during
the period of postwar conversion.
Cognizant of these factors in the
economic process leaders of the CAPT
talist nations have for months been
scurrying frantically around and
about" talking much about postwar
planning but apparently accomplish
ing little. Efforts of capitalist rug
ged individualists" to plan construc-
ton programs which will provide con-
tinuous and protracted employment
for this vast supply of human labor
bump with "sickening thudp against
the stone wall of incontrovertable
fact that with this vast supply of ami
mate and inanimate energy we can
accomplish more in less than half the
time required before war emergency
accelerated the speed of production.
We may safely anticipate pre-fabri-
Gated houses erected over night, ma
chine paved highways at the rate of
Twelve to thirty miles per day, air
freight reducing delivery
time by 60 to 20 percent, automobiles
at the rate of one per min
lite, each mass-production unit reduc-