The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-08-31
PUBLIC OWNERSHIP WHEN?
Lobby pesden
Broadcastng Company July

american BroducaSllng COmpan.
During the war years, the world has
taken immense steps toward collective
ownership and control. The war hac
to be won. 1t could not be won by
chaotic private groups. In every ma
ton, vast governmental enterprises
were created. The United States gov
eminent has become the largest own
er of plants and private
or public-outside of the Soviet Union
| It's controls over production and prices
remain unchallenged as an essential
tool of war
Today as we debate the merit OF
scrapping government control and
ownership, the movement for extend
ing its scope is gaining ground on the
continent of Europe where national
action appears the only means of re-
storing devastated industries and cities
and unscrambling the corporations
which had merged into the Hitherto
system They are unafraid of collec-
tive action. Indeed, they possess no
alternative.
Here, the situation is vastly differ
ent. Our venture into collectivism
was taken without reference to ideol-
ogies or theories. AS a nation, we
have for many years scorned the term
Socialism" but have nevertheless
moved steadily toward extensive col
lective action. We have built great
public school system, a great public
highway syestem, a great public power
and irrigation system and have, in
thousand ways, extended the govern
ment into financing, into the granting
of social security and the control of
corporate enterprise. These fields
have more recently been supplemented
with government steel, aluminium and
chemical plants, with government
shipping lines, and with important
government investments in hundreds
of industries; total investment of
around fifteen billion dollars.
This public planning of and partici-
patton in the economic system has
despite its drawbacks, brought amaz-
ing results. Industrial production has
reached 5000 of the pre-war level
At an unprecedented pace, we have
built immense new factories and have
created capital goods. We have per-
mitted the government to absorb near
ly two-thirds of the production of the
country and yet have not lowered
the standard of living of
the people of the nation.
Most of us have had our share of
growls at the mistakes that have been
made. We have heard the petty griev-
ances of disgruntled radio commenta-
tors and of special interests which
call every government Official a bu-
and call for an abandonment
Of controls. AS nation, we are I'M
We have just continued
the OPA for another year and will
continue it as long as control is neces-
sary to insure fairer distribution of !
scarce goods. Similarly we shall con-
-inue other wartime agencies so long
as they are needed
The big question is-how long are |
hey needed? Should we immediately |
iquidate government ownership and
control and trust to our business in
.erests to supply full employment?
Should we keep our government in
yestment and even expand it?
The latter seems to me to be the |
wiser course.
The British have had during the
var, and will continue to have for
iona tirna much mona d,oet;5 oor+,1I
If production processing and distribu-
ion of foods than We In fact, all
Professors and distributors of farm
PRODUCTS were made agencies of the 4
British government. with equipment
pooled and profits very drastically
This was done by the
coalition government, controlled by
he conservative party. No one called
hat socialism, either When the war
nds, people will want jobs and con-
inuous employment. They are not
.oing to accept denial of full en-
'loyment. A conservative southern
United States senator remarked ont
ong ago: "Pm not theorist, but
fter this war we are going to have
ublic ownership of as many indus
ries as necessary to keep people en- |
,loyed, because we don't dare go back ;
o the unemployment with which we
ntered the war" That senator is l
ractical politician. He looks at the
ituation ahead of us, and remembers :
yhen the war started nearly six years '
go, with almost as many people I'M
mployed here as we have in our !
rmed forces today Pre-war Britain j
ad heavy unemployment, France {
lso. Most small European nations {
yere plagued with the same problem. {
The great technical advances of the
yar period confront us with even /
reater peril of postwar unemploy- '
lent. Little wonder that American
tatesmen in industry as we'll as in
olitical life are anxious that the {
logan of full employment" should {
OF gain firm root. They realize that |
soldiers will not willingly
ccept repetition of pre-war jobless- /
ess when our capacity to produce has i
cen so wildly demonstrated. In the t
asst, widespread unemployment has
cen cared for and the unemployed a
ept from violence by relief and by v
lie more or less useful tasks of the t
JPA. 1t was financed by interest h
caring bonds running for 40 to so t
ears. That isn't the American way
nd we all know it. A large majority 0
{ our people realized it long before b
itler's armies marched into Poland. c
Even adequate and inclusive unem- e
Lovmant insurance is for an.r Long y