Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-10-15
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
Peeler

Te0ler
THE profession of economics
= has produced in the last few
years more quacks than phre-
nology, astrology and psy-
chiatry combined, with hordes
of hookkeepers and common
StatiSticlans cribbing theories
and fantasies from one another
and stirring patches of factors
and figures into Supplying
muddles.
Thus. for example, we have
learned, against our better
sense, that IL is possible TO tap
the till and swipe the current
receipts of the Social Security
fund, Squander the money on
election year. make work and
relief projects in peacetime.
keeping things in balance by
dropping in IOUs and meeting
demands on the vanished funds
with future current receipts.
Thus, also we learn that the
way 10 avoid imitation is TO
stack up innationary conditions
as kids prepare an election
night bonfire, pour on kerosene,
light the match, and then call
the firemen.
THE source of initiation is
l. identified as the dangerous
money The margin between
the living scale aha-the actual
wage of the war worker. whose
income is paid out Of taxes.
The provisions which created
this discrepancy and the dan
gerouS- money we're deliher-
ately adopted in time OF peace
and depression as a means OF
spreading d relatively small
amount of private employment
among the largest possible
number OF people
An employer was required TO
pay premium wages 10 workers
for hours in excess of 40 per
week. To avoid this extra cost
he would arrange 10 employ
additional workers at normal
rates.
When the war program began
and the danger Of initiation was
foreSeen. the Roosevelt admins
tration quickly moved 10 avert
initiation by controlling prices
through means which were, in
part at least, plainly confisca-
tory.
Wages. Of course. are the
greatest factor IN all prices,
but IL was thought better 10 pay
initiation wages. and having
squandered money by the bill
lion. 10 Try 10 get some OF II
back by individual taxation.
LIVERY proposal 10 abolish
IL ume-and-one-hslf and dou-
ble-timc was deity shrugged off
and. although there was work
enough now 10 give every avail
able hand As much as he or she
could stand. this dangerous
money was deliberately set IN
motion and. as II was spread
around. prices began 10 spin out
of control
Union leaders and bosses
share the guilt for setting this
trap for the workers under their
command. for II was essential
TO their politics 10 delude them.
The taxation plan has faltered
as the workers, one guess ahead
of the treasury discovered that
there wasn't Jail room enough
in the entire republic 10 accom-
modate dclinquents by the mill
lion who had always thought OF
the income tax as Sock-the-
rich device
The next experiment was the
checkoff. or victory Withholding
tax. and now tho treasury is
proposing 10 abolish that and
thereby exempt altogether from
income tax billions of dollars OF
dangerous money
TT Is too late now 10 change,
L for the government is com
mittcd both economically and
politically 10 the extravagant
wage scale. a reduction at this
late date would throw wages
and prices painfully out Of fix
in too many areas and. more
over, would create dangerous
resentment among people who
are drawing out of the war In
dustrics higher pay than they
ever got before and enjoying
an illusion of prosperity.
The time for honesty and
courage was when the infla-
ton began and the best that
can be done now ~ a series
of patChy measures which may
somehow stand off the worst
consequences.