Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-09-27
Whcf About Production

Whdf ABOUT PRODUCTION
With the federal government claim
ing that more than 6O,OO0,OOO persons are
gainfully employed in this country lex
Guiding Henry A. Wallace), and with peo-
ple everywhere crying for cars, retrlger-
ators, houses, electrical equipment OF all
kinds, nails, screws, hardware and
whole host of other commodities, we are
faced with paradox.
In reflecting upon the past, we can re-
member another paradox, the one which
began in 1929 and only ended when we
prepared for war. The difference was
that we had so many cars that people
walked, so many refrigerators that what
food the people had spoiled. We had so
much food that people went hungry.
Yes, it was a great paradox. The fat
engineer sat in the White House and told
us that Industry was essentially sound"
while people had no homes and houses
stood empty. Bumper crops raised by
hopeless farmers stood in the grain ele-
vators and people stood in countless soup
lines begging for nOurishment.
Strange, isn't it, how the pendulum
swings? First in one direction and then
to the other extreme. In 1898 HaplesS
Herbert and the economists" told us 1t
was Over-prOduction and under-consump-
ton. Now, it appears to be under-prOduc-
ton and over-consumptiOn.
"Appears to be" are the precise words
for by now il must appear obvious to
everyone that the situation as it relates
to production and consumption is being
controlled by those interests who are able
to release or restrain the flow of COM
modities in this country.
Does anyone think that the lack of
automobiles is due to strikes or involves
labor? OF course not. Cars will not be
plentiful as long as the autOmOtive in
dustry can collect profits guaranteed by
the government. And what is true of cars
Is true of farm equipment, nuts and bolts,
screws and nails and similar industrial
products.
Does anyone think that the lack of
meat is due to a real scarcity of livestock?
OF course they don't. They think as we
all think that the people who control the
livestock market are holding their prod
ucts for higher prices.
And these are the people who dislike
and sneer whenever the proposition of a
planned economy is mentioned. At the
same time, they constantly plan how they
can extract the last penny from our trOus-
ers without giving us too much in return.
This ridiculous and highly unsatisfac-
tory situation is not the desire of the
American people. 1t is the criminal action
of a small group of ant-sOcial, greedy and
determined men in their grasping after
more and more profits.
We have heard and read much about
the responsibility of labor to the COM
munity and the nation. During the war
labor was urged TO "dO its part" and labor
did its part, but what about the respOn-
sibility of those who control the wealth,
real and potential, of the nation?
Anyone who knows the history of
American industry and the robber barons
who created and perpetuated the organ
ized assault upon the lives and pocket
books of the American people must rea-
liZe now that our situation has altered but
little. This situation, whether we believe
ii or not, came about primarily because the
people were not concerned with politics,
the process by which the forces in control
of the nation retained their control.
Prospects for changing the economic
situation as ii applies to production and
distribution of the things we need and
must have are not good There are still
too many people who shy away from po-
litical action. Only the people can change
the course of events. They can do il by
registering now and voting in November
They can do it by rubbing out Ramey,
Hildebrand and Cramer
REGISTER NOW AND VOTE IN
NOVEMBER.