The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1944-04-07
COST OF LIVING
BY j. Il. Jones

government statistics has increased
more than 40 per cent in most of the
Eastern cities. Retail foOd-cost in
creases are below the average. The
United States Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics says that the average increase
es were greater in the first World
War than at the present time.
One peculiar slant relating def
nitely to the problem is the tremen-
dous increase in wages and salaries.
An interesting phase of the situation
is found in the growth of indepen-
dent labor unions that have upset the
efforts of the ALL and the CLIO to
rule union labor, largely because
those Independents are not following
along with their big brothers, or with
the White House.
When the New Deal was young the
70-year-old ALL was the only nation
wide organization of labor. Then the
CLIO started and the United Mine
Workers increased its powers. The
independent unions now claim 5,00O,-
900 members. These new groups
have stirred up major political com
plications largely because they are
not under President Roosevelt's con-
troll. The Independents are said to
have voted as they pleased" in the
last three elections. Thus the inf1u-
ence of the Administration isn't as
Effective as in the early years before
the war, at the time John l.. Lewis
was unchecked when he pulled off the
sit-down strikes in the automobile
plants in the Detroit district.
Unemployment Service"
The Farmers Union is critical of
the recommendation of the Baruch
report and asserts that it offers
nothing for the farmers, or for the
Nations workers, but merely prom
ises an employment service that aims
to bring about a speedy withdrawal
of the government from wartime
business while assisting in the res
toration of private enterprise.
The War Production Board has is
sued series of slight revisions of
about so restrictive orders. few
months ago there was big scarcity
of metal, including steel, aluminium
and copper, all of which are more
plentiful at this time.
elm general, our trend has been
down the line of the Truman recon-
mendations, provided that civilian
wants can be met without using la
Dor, plants or materials. needed for
war production" said recent state
ment from the War Production
Board.
Americas Most Valued Possession
The war effort would not get very
ing practically 1907 of all steel. 1t
supplies 65b of the mechanical en-
ergy required to run the machines
that make the guns, tanks, and
planes, and other arms and war
equipment. 1t supplies the power for
)4% of the nations locomotives. 1t
provides in whole or in part, the ba-
sic materials for all high explosives,
and the four most important war
chemicals. Eighty-five per cent of all
war plastics require processed btu
minous coal as base. In addition to
this, Al % of the homes inn the Uni
ted States depend on coal for heat.
The annual value of bituminous coal
mined in this country exceeds the
value of all metallic minerals COM
bined.
The coal industry represents one
Of the key natural resources of
America. The men who built it ana
the men who are presently engaged
in operating it have always believed
in the superiority of individual en-
terprise. In spite of handicaps, they
are producing more coal than ever
before in the history of this or any
other nation By record perform
ance they are endeavoring to speed
the day of victory and prove that a
system of government which permits
free enterprise to flourish and ex-
pand, is this country's most valued
possession.