The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-15

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the long fight over fitness Of Rexford
Guy Tugwell to be Puerto Ricos
governor.
The federal government took over
this island supply business shortly
after Pearl Karbor, when the ship
ping situation got tough and the
submarine situation got worse. The
business men say the submarine
menace Is now licked and shipping
Is easier, therefore food supply
should be returned to private hands
Congressman Bells committee
recommends the same thing. The
first time 1t made this recommenda-
ton, which was last fall, nothing
happened.
The answer of the Department OF
Of Interior to these demands is,
broadly, that shipping and the MAIN
land food supply are not yet ade-
quate to permit return of the BUSH
ness to normal trade channels.
HEAT IS GENERATED
At this point In the argument,
things begin to get hot.
1.-THE importers and brokers Of
Puerto Rico failed once in their
task Of keeping adequate food for
the people of the island" w. B,
Thoron, head Of the Department Of
Territories and Island Possessions,
told the Bell Committee. II do not
blame them for that failure" he
went on to say, because the war
conditions probably prevented them
from doing it. We cannot, however,
afford to take any risk that Puerto
Ricans shall again face starvation
as they did in the fall Of 1912"
Nonsense" say the importers, in
effect. 1.-THE only reason the civil
ian food supply system broke down
is because the government imposed
controls which made 1t impossible
for anyone to do business. They
put ceiling prices on Goldfish lower
than the cost Of importation. They
arbitrarily moved shipping to the
island from New York to the Gulf
ports" And SO forth and so forth.
Satisfaction with the operation
Of the program is expressed by
practically everyone" says Mr.. Tho
ron, with the exception of small
group of importers, brokers and
middlemen who rebelled because
they could not do business as
usual
To this, Filipo de Hostos, repre-
sentatives of the importers who
came to Washington to testify be-
fore the Bell Committee, replies that
the governmental sale of foodstuffs
has been evolved with the precon-
ceived idea that foodstuffs should
be brought under the control OF po-
litical agencies for the sake Of at
tanning complete specialization of all
business. He adds that the govern
ment should get out of the grocery
business-and stay out!
THORON CLAIMS
1T AMT so
"It is our purpose to get out OF
the business, as we have been do
ing, just as fast as conditions war
rant" counters Mr.. Thoron. And
he brands as ridiculous the attri-
button that the government got into
the business for nefarious motives.
If all this sounds of only remote
interest to people from Maine to
California, the point is missed. The
! United States stands on the thresh-
old of new adventures in territorial
administration. If this great ma
ton can't properly administer the
territories it now has. keeping the
citizens more or less contented, how
can it be expected to take on adj
ditional white mems burdens when
the war Is over?
In the Puerto Rico mess, it is
entirely consistent to see how the
businessmen might all be pirates
and at the same time see how the
government could be headed by a
man possessed of the not uncom-
mon faculty of being able to make
everybody mad. Such men just
don't make good administrators.