Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1943-06-11
Preparedness
For What?
BY E. p. Robal
B. S. OF A.

When | was youngster, some
time ago, | joined the only orr
ganization | had belonged to un-
til the CIO United Auto Workers
sprang into being in response to
an urgent need. This organiza-
ton wore brown uniforms, took
long marches through the coun-
try, occasionally engaged in
semi-military drills and continu-
ally stresse preparedness.
Sounds subversive, eh, what?
This organization went by the
name of the Boy Scouts of
America and its official slogan
was and still remains BE Pre-
pared" We turned out a pretty
good bunch of lads. Some became
bankers, lawyers, preachers, in
dustrialists, ETC., but the major
ity of them became factory
workers, farmers and producers
of necessities. You know, guys
like you and |. And | know
bunch of them became policy
forming members of the Toledo
Chamber of Commerce.
How do | know? Well, the
other day in a moment of weak
ness picked up our daily news
paper and read an article which
outlined in some detail a sort of
good deed" thought up COM
pletely by the active and agile
brains of the Knights of the
Chamber. The keynote was pre-
paredness. Preparedness for
WPA.
FUTURE WPA
1t seems that these good bust
nessmen (and | do mean good
businessmen are expending
great deal of energy in our be-
half. They have laid complete
plans which, if all goes well, will
assure Toledo of its fair share
of WPA expenditures after the
war. Toledo workers who get
laid off in the new depression,
which the Chamber sees as forth
coming, will, in this WPA ITO
pia, be assured that their eff
forts (at SIS per- will be ex-
pended to beautify and increase
the utilitarian value of our noble
city. Nothing idealistic about
these boys! Good solid realism.
Now, while I'd like to see To-
ledo have a new railroad station,
good transportation system and
fine new dog pound (Which the
Chamber forgot to mention), l
still think that these things may
be accomplished (and more, too),
if we place our national economy
on sound basis at the end of
this brawl, and if people like the
members of the Chamber of
Commerce will do little push
ing instead of jealousy guarding
their position in the drivers seat
of stalled vehicle. Furthermore.
if money is appropriated for
these above stated purposes
while millions of Americans are
out of work, ragged and hungry,
I'm going to be one of the first
to sqauwk like hell. And | hope
can hear your voice uplifted in
indignant wrath.
"SOCIALISTIC" GAINS
Meanwhile, | am still naive
enough to believe that we work.
ing people, if we can consolidate
our own scattered forces, stand
a good chance of extending
democracy and making what the
Chamber terms as "socialistic"
gains.
A prominent member of the
Toledo Chamber in negotiations
occasionally uses the phrase
The Company prefers to be it's
own Santa Claus" This little
present of blueprint for a fu-
ture WPA is not we'll received
by workers who can remember
the past and read the signs of
the future.
Well, | started this little ar
ticle with the intention of prov
ing to you that the Knights of
the Chamber were Boy Scouts. |
am not sure that have succeed
ed. 1t all depends on your opin-
ion of the Boy Scouts.
As an afterthought, l like the
symbolism of the initials B. S. To
some they signify Boy Scouts;
to others, Bachelor of Science.
What do they mean to you?