The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1945-08-24
WHAT is RECONvERsIoN?
BY j. Il. Jones

Washington, d. c., August 20-Of
course everything will change in the
coming years. But why start worry
ing! There kas been plenty Of unem-
ployment in times of peace as we'll
as in the period of rehabilitation,
reconversion and reconstruction.
The Government is not going to be
called upon to shift ten or twelve
million men from military to civilian
life, and give them all new jobs. Bas-
ing the future on the history of the
last It's years the chances are that
most who change from military uni
forms into civilian clothes will get
their own jobs-with or without the
Eelp of Government and State EN-
ployment agencies. Our men and wo-
men are not going to sit around wait
ing for directions from Washington
about jobs. There are more than one
hundred groups of leading manufac-
turing industries in our country, and
they will be happy to hang out signs,
Help Wanted"
All of the war production factories
and institutions are raring to go,
right now and begin the production
of civilian goods for American GUS
toners. There are very few shops,
stores, hotels, restaurants-or any
kind of a small business in large
cities and small cities that have been
able to employ enough persons to
carry on their affairs in normal
| manner.
There's lots of housekeeping to
be done; tremendous amount of re-
pairs to be made-and for a time
there is going to be jobs for those
who go after them.
Well have to admit that this pros
porous era Immediately after the war
may not continue over a term of
years. And then again, we may get
| back to norma" hold it!
The Boys Are Coming Home Again
disqualification is under way, and
| members of the country's armed for
ces are landing on their American
homeland. Another great movement
homeward will follow from the Pa
cific.
And if the world peace is perma-
nent, the probabilities are that such
a peace will owe more to tie atomic
bomb than to agreements among ma
| lions.
The bomb puts all the old concepts
of war into the discard. On the other
hand, the force of the atomic bomb
is such a mystery that the collapse
of Japan will serve as warning to
what we may hope will be a more
civilized world.
Official Controls
Gasoline and oil led the race in
| breaking away from rationing, when
military needs for gas dropped AZ
| percent. There are a lot of people
who have watched the wheels go
round in Washington, and who now
| believe that if we had only about
one-fourth as much Government con-
troll of human affairs that it would
be good thing for the country.
The States, counties and cities
have kept pace with the Federal Gov
eminent with their own control
| boards" in late years
Local communities would get
along much better if they turned all
their citizens loose-even cutting out
schemes to control crops, food, and
the natural ways of living ones own
| life.
In the olden days local affairs were
handled by local communities, with
very little help from the public trea-
sury-because most people made
their own living in their own way
and took care of themselves. They
could do it again.
Bringing Home The Bread and Bacon
The men who know their onions
and statistics are sure that the farms
of tie country are delivering the
goods" The results show that in
1943, each farm fed six more per-
sons than it did in 1919-and the
record was boosted in 1914, and
again in 1945.
Apparently agriculture has devel-
oped into a good business, and it is
keeping in close step with Industrial
ization in large cities.
AS our population increased and
industrial progress raced through
the Nation, the farmers faced the
challenge of producing the basic
food ingredients for bread, butter,
bacon, etc.; but luckily 35S,523
farm tractors were made and deliv-
cred in 1941. Those tractors are used
in operating plows, rakes, harrows
and other implements.
1t is easy to understand that mo-
tive power kas been harnessed to
meet the needs of the farmer, not
only in farm production, but also to
make it possible for him to get his
grains and fruits to market on time,