Detroit evening times., 1946-01-01
BEHIND
NEWS
BY Paul
MaIIon

a continued sellers market and
a high-level free flow OF money.
The only thing / know for
sure about it is that always in
the past, when the great busi-
ness prophets unani nous y
agreed on the future, il seldom
turned out their way.
When Mr.. Hoover was
elected, all were sure there
would be two cars in every
garage and two chickens in
every pot; yet within his presi-
Dental span we were at the
depths of all time.
MIR. ROOSEVELT, we all
4'l thought, at first, would
surely cure the depression. but
il never got cured. Then later
we all thought it would never
get cured, during the latter part
of the Roosevelt regime, and
along came the war and pushed
us so high out of 1T we cannot
yet see the ground through the
economic stratoSphere.
Thereafter, during the war,
the great prophets all agreed
there would be a terrific crash
at the end, with great unem-
ployment. Now here we are at
the end, without Christ m a S
sales much higher than last
year during the war, with more
jobs untaken than men unem-
ployed. And we are now think
ing of a higher plane ahead
unanimously as usual.
/ wonder.
Let us look at the facts we
have, atom by atom, and be-
hind the atoms They say there
will be higher prices" Prices
generally are based on the
availability of goods.
When there are shortages, any
amount can be charged for
goods, and collected from the
people, if they have money as
they do now.
But in the next year ahead
we are planning to get back 10
our peacetine mass production.
We have more machines and
men than ever before. War has
developed manufacturing short
cuts for production.
AS production brings goods TO
the market. competition will be
restored. This means not only
competition in quality but in
price.
TT is quite clear then that the
Il expectations of expanding
production ahead will work
against higher prices. Indeed.
this will work gradually as pro-
duction SWells in the latter
months of the year toward
lower prices.
But the unions are wangling
great-unprecedentedly large
wage increases from industry.
and this development, coupled
with the announced intention of
the government to maintain a
high price level, will surely
force prices higher, they say.
Yes, certainly this would
seem to force an increase of the
price of union-made goods. On
the other hand. people have
grown, during the war, to be
satisfied with patches, with old
things, with repaired machines.
If only the unions get these
tremendous wage increases, and
the rest of us must plod along
on our same salaries in the face
of higher prices for union-made
goods, the common foresight of
the business prophets may not
prove true.
THERE has been every other
Il kind of strike in this coun-
try. except buyers strike. The
conditions being created may
force one.
There, I believe the human
! e m n I will determine the
course of business for 1916. We
know the economic factors. We
do not know how the people
will react to them.
Ave know the shortages OF
goods will not be completely
cured next year, but a plentiful
supply will be restored in many
lines. Union wages will be up,
but how many others?
The administration wants
h j gh prices, but how can it
move them higher than now in
the face of the coming restora-
tion of competition?
viii people pay the prices
asked? Will labor's human
leadership of the administration
accomplish its purposes, and TO
what degree?
With a congressional election
ahead, how far will the spend
ing fauce of imitation be
turned still further?
These are matters no human
can possibly now know.
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