The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1944-10-20
Honorable w. M.
.Colmer Speaks
To Rotary Club

Addressing members of the
Club on Post War Economy and
Planning" Congressman Bill Col
mer was guest speaker at the
regular meeting of the Moss Point
Rotary Thursday.
AS a member of the Post War
Economy and Planning Commit
tee of Congress, Mr.. Colmer pre-
scented an idea of the detectives,
accomplishments, and problems
before this committee. He stated
that the main objective of this
committee is to make recommen-
dations to Congress for .softening
the blow that is coming with the
termination of the war"
Mr.. Colmer referred to the sit
uation at the end of the last war
when this country attempted to
reconvert to peace economy
without any assistance from the
government" When the boys
came home, he continued, "veter-
ans were selling apples in urban
districts and walking dusty roads
in rural communities" the boys
were seeking employment which
in the majority of cases they were
unable to locate.
Mr.. Colmer informed the Ro-
tarians that when the committee
of which he is a member, went
to work at the task of post war
planning" it wanted a staff of
"hard headed business men" not
only economists. In visiting sever
al of the large war industries he
said that he experienced the
miracle of production that the
u. S. had accomplished in spite
of the fralities common to human
nature" such as strikes, he illus
trated.
In discussing plans for a post
war period, I'VE tend to become
optimistic" he cautioned, and
there is danger in taking a COM
placent attitude about the war be-
ing won."
''The first thing we have to do
is win the war;" he continued,
land that is a duty which we
should not let post war planning
or anything else interfere with"
He went further stating the many
dangers and crises we must yet
face in the war, saying that in
my own opinion this will most
likely be a five year war"
In discussing the problems fac
ing the committee and its aims,
the Congressman said, "the first
thing we want done after the
war is to see the government put
out of busieness and to give en-
ployment to the people"
"Post war employment is one
of, if not our greatest problem"
he declared. Illustrating his point
with statistics he quoted figures
showing that there were 54,-
100000 employable people in this
country at the beginning of the
war, and 100000 are in the
service and now the number of
employable people has reached
81, 000, 000." He explained the in
crease due to the many women
and youth that have Joined the
ranks of the employed and most
of the women in industry want to
keep their jobs after the peace
treaties has been signed"
Our fighting men expect to
come back to jobs" he said, land
they do not expect to pay tribute
to get these jobs and shouldn't be
expected to-" He explained that
when they return they want to
live under the existing order they
left behind"
Private enterprise is the an
swer to this situation and it must
be encouraged" In offering sug-
gestions as 10 how this might be
done, he said, taxes must be
reduced on business, and some
of the RECOMMENDATION removed
In closing the Congressman re-
ferred to a saying which was COM
mon some time ago, "it can't hap
pen here"
1T an happen here,
he declared, but we who be-
lieve in private enterprise must
see to it that it doesn't happen
here"