The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-09-17

Edison than $50 general
officers, but at that time there was
one general for every 1900 men
while today there is one general for
every 6400.
Your government sometimes finds
strange ways to do things, as you
may have heard. In one department
they put out a telephone directory
which, through some strange mix
up that will happen In the best reg
ulated plants, came back from the
government printing office with
hundreds Of wrong numbers The
type had been hopelessly pied and
the errors simply hadn't been
caught. The printing office was in
terrible jam anyway, being over
loaded with work, and besides, the
books had already been distributed.
Somebody then came UP with the
bright idea Of changing all the
numbers to fit the typographical err
rors in the directory and that's
what they did.
XMAS TREES
The Christmas tree supply situa-
ton for this year doesn't lock any
too good. There's shortage Of cars
to move the usual supply from the
Canadian woods, and a shortage Of
cutters in the woods to chop 'em
down, all ak wielders being needed
to cut timber and pulp wood for
paper making and other essential
industries. Christmas trees aren't
considered essential. Smaller COM
munities may not have much
trouble If there is a local supply or
nursery stock. One way to beat the
rap Is to plant a small tree in your
yard now, then figure on digging
1t up--if 1t doesn't die on you and
the ground isn't frozen too hard
the night you're ready to start trim.
ming.
One Of the arguments that still
RACES In the Army Transport SER
vice Is whether there should be mil.
itary bands on hand to play when
troops arrive at the pier to 60
aboard ship for overseas. For time
there were no bands. Everything
was done in dead seriousness. Now
there's q band to play for every
troop unit as 1t arrives on the pier,
mixing military marches with hot
licks. Some officers still think It's a
phony gesture and ought to be dis
continued. The time for the bands
to play, they argue, Is when the boys
get back.
NO INCENTIVES
With industry advisory commit
tees and labor management COM
nittees and incentive payment
plans and increased efficiency plans
being urged upon all civilian war
plants to increase production, Tru-
man Committee investigators have
discovered that in every naval ap-
preparation bill since 1915 there has
been an absolute ban on using q
stop watch to time any government
employe on any Job, or clock the
movements Of any employee while
engaged on any Job. Furthermore,
1t Is forbidden to pay any bonus,
premium or cash reward to any en-
ploye, above his regular wages, ex-
cept for suggestions resulting in i'm.
provements in the operation Of gov
eminent plant. These restrictions
apply, of course, to all work done In
government Navy yards.
Shortly before the Brookings In
stitution issued Its report praising
Canada's control Of living costs as
better than controls in the United
States and Great Britain, Donald
Gordon, chairman of Canada's war;
time prices board, made a speech in
Toronto In which he sang the blues.
Pressure on the price ceilings is
rapidly becoming insupportables, Z"
said Gordon. Labor is militant and
demanding wage adjustments all
along the line. Food prices are
creeping steadily upwards. Black
markets are commencing to develop.
The pressures are real pressures,
and If the dam breaks, God help u.s.
Just like the United States.