Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1943-04-01

ban redevelopment. One is tempted
to paraphrase Winston Churchill and
say that "never were so many doing
so little about SO much" But that
would be unfair to the serious and
truly significant work that is being
done by both governmental and pri-
vate agencies to plan for the coming
peace. Of the total number, how
ever, not more than 40 agencies at
the most are doing really funda-
mental, systematic and constructive
work.
Analysis of the activities of these
agencies shows eight areas of domes-
tic postwar planning. First, they
are making plans for rehabilitation,
including release of men from the
armed forces; and from war en-
ployment; the use of war plant and
war-developed areas; the use of sur
plus property; and the relaxation of
wartime economic controls. Second,
they are making plans with private
enterprise, for the encouragement of
private initiative; for government
aids and controls; and for the location
of industrial production. Third, they
are formulating plans for public &C
tivity, including improvements in
physical facilities Durham develop
ment, rural public works, conserva-
ton of natural resources, develop
ment of energy resources, of river
basins and Transportation and the
development of service activities
(health, nutrition and medical care,
education, recreation and cultural
activities). Fourth, they are making
plans for social security against loss
of normal sources of income from
unemployment, old age, sickness and
accident, ETC., and to improve low
levels of income from gainful en-
ployment. Fifth, they are studying
population and manpower problems
with view to maximizing the pro-
ductive usefulness of the nations
human resources. Sixth, they are
making plans for financing and fiscal
policy, involving taxation, public ex-
penditureS, and intergovernmental
fiscal relations. Seventh, they are
planning for regional, state and local
participation. And eighth, plans for
effective administration.
In the search for full employment
and social security in better post
war America, some five separate APP
proaches can be distinguished. There
are the private workers, the public
workers, the fiscal planners, the So
cial planners and the production
planners. These five approaches are
not thought of by their protagonists
as alternatives, but as complimentary
measures to be taken in a synchro-
niZed and co-ordinated attack on the
domestic problems this country will
face after the war. s...
The private workers place chief
emphasis upon the restoration of free
private enterprise after the war, sup
plemented by various forms of public
aid; subsidies, tax concessions, mar
ket guarantees and the like. They
point out that an immense amount
of retooling and reconversion of plant
and equipment will be necessary
when peace comes and they believe
that this will make a major contri-
button to postwar employment.
David c. Prince has called this the
private work reserve" and has esti-
mated that it will require new cap
ital investment of $23 billions This
approach is being taken by the De-
partment of Commerce and the Com
mittee for Economic Development.
The public workers believe that
it will be necessary to supplement
this private work reserve with a pub
lie work reserve at all levels of gov
eminent, prepared in advance and
held in readiness to cushion a post
war letdown. Public works may not
be needed to provide jobs for all dur
ing postwar boom, but they may
be needed during the rehabilitation
period Immediately after the war and
later on during the "long haul" This
approach is being taken by the Ma
tional Resources Planning Board and
the Federal Works Agency.
The fiscal planners place chief re-
lance upon tax reforms, rationaliza-
ton of ntergovernmental fiscal rela-
tons, and government investment
program. This program aims to slim
ulate consumer demand and create
full use of resources by means of
large-scale public investments in GER
tain strategic areas of the economy:
The rebuilding of our cities, public
and private housing projects, the in
tegration and modernization of our
transportation system, and the de-
velopment of regional resources and
multiple-purpose river valley pro-
jects on the model of the IVA. The
arch-priest of this school is Alvin
Hansen of Harvard and the Federal
Reserve board.
The social planners call for the
expansion of the social security pro-
gram to cover groups not now COW
u 49,,