The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-08-23

Nl aAaG 0GANgA AAaaAal most. Haven
 been bombed or
 shot at. Suppose
 HADem I shouldn't have
 any kick coming Best money ever made. Average around 90 cents an hour. which is S36 Tor % hours. plus eight hours overtime at time and a half which Is sl0l8O. Yes. ss6I8o a week. which see by the papers is about aver. age for the whole country.
 The first thing that happens. l lose that overtime suppose. That means ! get along on s36 again. and with food prices higher than they were before the war.
 With the war over, I suppose there won't be any more War Bond drives so m have the four bucks they've been taking out Of my pay every week for that. And maybe lower taxes.
 "ff this plant where I'm working has to close down a while for this reconversion. 20 on state unem- ployment compensation, which will average around si3 a week, they tell me. If it lasts long. I'll have to sell some Of the War Bonds I've got. to get by. But I sure would like to hang on 10 the few hundred bucks I've got saved aow-just in case, THEY'LL HAVE TO MAKE PLACES FOR SOLDIERS
 T run my chances. sticking around here. If this plant don't open up full tilt. may have to take a job that doesn't pay quite as high a rate. They'll have to make places for the soldiers. first. Probably can't expect that everybody will keep on having top jobs like they do now. Or it may be a couple of years be- fore they get going flill blast. But I sure will hate to take a cut.
 T can go back to the sticks where come from. where it don't cost as much tO live. But the jobs don't pay as much back there. either Even the good jobs.
 "T might get another job here. There should be plenty of things opening mp again that have been closed down by war. Building ought to be on the boom. if I could get into it. Maybe a filling station job. or a garage. or selling vacuum ciean- ers-wlen they get any autos or sweeDers made to sell.
 Maybe don't get any job at all Join the army of the unemployed again. No WPA left to go to now. So what7"
 BROTHER. ITS A
 ECOHOAGBC RIDDLE
 This purely imaginary monologue isn't intended to be any sob soliloauy oyer the plight of the poor working man, but a statement on the prols- leTns confronting Congress and the postwar planners in Washington. boiled right down to the flndsment- als Of an individual case which is what all these things are reduced to eventually.
 A good bit Of what you have been reading or skipping-on Senator Georeeis recoDyersi0n bill now be- fore Congress. on Donald Neison's relaxation of War Production Board controls oyer eiyilian production. on Paul v. McNutt's latest War Man. power Commission regnlations-caD be found in the case Of the hypothe- teal Joe Doalses. quoted above.
 So. the musings Of the aforenen- tioned DOakeS spell an economic riddle.
 Payments in wages to the AIneri- can labor force today are around siO0.0 0.000 600 900 a year. With the end Of the war. even granting that wage rates are not reduced one cent, cur tailment Of overtime. loss Of bonuses and incentive pay, shifts from high wage to low wage industries. the dropping from the labor force Of some millions Of war g0T'keFs-all these will mean a reduction in total national take-bope pay Of ei5O0o,- 000le GOO to e30O00. 100000 2 year. They'll have q definite effect on price levels.
 The riddle is how to keep from going back to 1889 or stgli earlier levels of national income, wage pay. Inents. production, employment and unemployment.
 Politicians in 0T TuDDIDg for Of- flee msy well note the end resulting effects Of al these things on the MT. J0e DOakeses Of this country, who gill be casting a lot Of votes tbis fall.