The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-08-24
LOOKING
AAEAD
y GEORGE S. BENSON
! presideAf--HardiNg college
! Searrg. Arkahsas
Dead Wood

In my early 20's / had frequent
dealings with a small but old and
reputable manufacturing corpora
ton. One day 1 lunched with gray
haired employee, the superintend-
ent, who was quite unhappy. They
had lost their biggest contract. The
lost customer was young and
thrifty retail firm whose needs had
finally grown too large for the old
manufacturer to supply.
Price had been consideration,
of course. My companion admit
ted that several competitors could
quote lower price and make a
profit when his plant could not. 1t
was on account Of the modern, high
speed equipment which the competi-
tors used. Naturally I asked why
the old house couldn't install bet
ter machinery. The superintendent
simply wagged his head and said,
"dead wood"
Unused Hands
sOur big boss is the chairman"
he explained. Ellis brother is pres
ident of the company. Each of them
has son who is vice-president. The
secretary and the treasurer are both
sons-in-law. l don't see any of them
twice a year but they draw salaries
as big as mine. We can't buy new
equipment. Sometimes we are hard
put to pay for current materials
promptly"
This was Is years ago when lot
of ranting (not altogether unjusti-
fied) was heard about the "idle
rich" But the tables have turned.
Americas threat now is "idle poor. "
This is more dangerous because the
poor are more numerous. Idle hands
can ride any business to the ground
because they retard production. In
different workers are no less guilty
than pampered payrollers.
Public Enemies
I was much impressed by an arti-
Gle in the Houston Press few weeks
ago, written by returned service
man. He had started to work in an
office soon after he was discharged
and, six weeks later, penned his con-
tempt for civilian workers, men and
women. They Systematically fritter
away 500 of their working time, he
charged. They can do it because of
the scarcity of workers.
There is an imported, alien doc
trine that capitalists will make too
much profit for the good of the pub
lie unless workers retard production
some way. 1t is venomous. Nation
al enemies at whom American SOL
diers are thrusting bayonets today
are relatively harmless. They are
much less liable to do humanity per-
manent harm than the slick sabo-
teurs who plant a philosophy of idle
ness in the minds of honest workers.
Work and Live
Americas unique place among
world. powers, the singularly high
standard of living among American
workers and farmers, our national
income and our national safety, de-
pend on work. Ability and willing
ness to make things well and make
them fast have put the United States
on top of the world. It is the secret
of American prosperity, but in a
startling degree our people are being
led away from the idea.
The world soon will be market
: for manufactured goods, market
of millions of people in poverty. If
America fails to supply their needs,
quickly and at price possible with
efficient production) then cheap
labor countries will take the BUSH
ness. Dead wood can cheat Uncle
Sam out of world trade and leave
us to stew again in our own over
supply, with low wages and poor lSS''
ing conditions which we don't vast
and which aren't necessary.