The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1945-08-24
Work Is The Key To Our Future

The Pascagoula area enters the long awaited postwar
period in better shape that the South as a whole is likely to
e ,perience, for in many other areas a great part of the high
level employment situation was directly tied in with war
tine projects, and was therefore directly subject to can
cclations and cut-backs. Aircraft factories and chemical
plants and %shipyards throughout the region have already be-
gun layoffs. Cities like New Orleans and Mobile have been
affected to some degree, and the first job-applicants from
tlese regions have already begun to appear at the Pascagoula
United States Employment office. In time of war, the need
Of a plant for 1000 extra workers is the kind of story that
goes begging in newspaper offices. But now, that the war.
CT eated manpower shortage it at an end, and the period of
ctt-backs is beginning all over the country, the stable Pas
CT goula employment picture, and the ingalls, Shipyard call
for workers to fill its peacetime contracts, becomes big news
in surrounding areas. One sees the Pascagoula situation
prominently mentioned in many dispatches in the incoming
newspapers.
Along with other Pascagoula institutions, we are very
happy about our situation. But we think that no one here
should yield to empty-headed optimism about our own cir
clmstances,s or indulge in unwarranted pessimism about the
postwar employment picture as a whole. Let us try to look
at the whole thing with real wisdom, and to consider our
own circumstances from the long view.
There are two observations that we should like to make:
FH5 risEst is to bring to mind the fact that what the
rest of the country is going through or will be going
through, by way of reconversion unemployment. is almost
next five or six years is concerned. We are not the pro-
phets to step up and announce that there will never be
another depression. and that the cost of this war will
never catch up with us as the cost of the last war did
in 1928 and following. But we do say that most of the
leading economists of all points of view seem to agree
that such a national depression almost certainly will not
catch us for the next five or six years. There exists in
this country a tremendous backlog of consumer needs for
things that have been off the market. and there also
exist accumulated purchasing power. These two factors
cannot help overcome the temporary reConVersion unem-
ploYment in a matter of months. and the real threat
to our economy in the near future is from a wild post
war boom and initiation rather than from a depression.
As to what will or can happen ten years from now. we
do not know. and very likely neither do tn economists.
The second observation we would like to make is that
any kind of overconfidenee ON our part is foolish, as over
confidence is in any circumstances. We enter the postwar
era in better shape than most of our neighboring commun-
ities-but let us fight hard to see that we stay in good shape.
The golden flood of war expenditures from Washington has
stopped, and indirectly it is going to affect us along with the
whole nation. There is a lesson in this that the wise bust
ness people OF Pascagoula will learn quickly. Now that re-
stricttons are off travelling, and freedom of movement has
been restored; now that gasoline is available without cou-
pons and tires will soon be coming back on the market, thou
sands of consumers of this area will once more be able to
go shopping in Mobile and Biloxi and New Orleans if they
SO desire. This IS all the more reason why our own business
life should wake up to the sense of postwar competition, and
make every effort commensurate with good business practice
TO keep our business and our customers and our income at
home, where it continues to change hands to the benefit of
all. A general shortening up of our store fronts and bust
ness establishments would be an outward sign that we are
aware of this. The day is almost here when people once
more can get what they want where they want to get it.
That is a challenge to all of us in Pascagoula and a great
argument against oVerconfidence.