Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1946-08-08
| Might Be
Wrong--But
By
p. G. STROMBERG

in a period the complete reverse
of the depression years. With
nearly everyone today having
money to buy almost anything
he or she wants there are so
many items not available. In the
depression years
Prosperity, all items were
But Lack OF a AVAILABLE in
COntentment abundance but
people lacked
the money with which to buy. 81
that in a period of what some
consider the greatest era of
prosperity in the country's his
tory there is still lack of con-
tentment. Most of those who
want homes can't buy them.
Those who do find purchasable
properties or can build must pay
a price double or more of the
pre-war value. Many want auto
n mobiles and automobiles are sim
ply not available. Many necessi-
ties of life are scarce and prices
have scared. Smaller luxuries
are becoming available but
scarcity has delayed delivery and
added to discontentment. In
short, people are beginning to
realize that money, desirable as
it is, is far short of what they
really want most. IL represents
what they would like to satisfy
in the way of desires but serves
only to add to thEir discomfort
when they find that what they
desire can not be had.
So in an effort to understand
present day conditions we run
face to face with new thoughts
and reactions.
: Many There are many
Express Fear who do not hest
Of Future tate to express
fear of the fu-
ture as a result of the unprece-
dented prosperity. And there
are those who contend that there
is no reason why the wave of
l prosperity should not continue.
81 Perhaps neither school of
Thought is entirely right but that
kite sailing into the breeze will
never return to the ground is
impossible, and it is just as i'm
possible to assume that once our
people are able to satisfy their
normal and artificial desires for
manufactured products, the PEN
dulum will begin to swing back
toward normal conditions which
can only mean a falling off of
retail sales with it's consequent
effect on orders placed with
manufacturers. This, of course,
can not have any other effect
than to reduce incomes even if
only to decrease or eliminate
overtime pay. And we, there
fore, come into the regular cycle
when the working man, as the
retail purchaser, has his pur-
chasing power reduced.
1t is reported that we at
present have close to sixty mil
lion people employed; industry's
output is more than half above
the pre-war fig
so Million ure; individual
People mes are
Employed double pre-war
figures; fewer
farmers are taking in twice the
pre-war farm incomes; retail
sales are more than double pre-
war totals; the money supply is
three times pre-war level, and
so on.
The old question of money and
Its actual value returns to
plague us. Few men dare to go
on record. We are pioneering.
Civilization has never seen a
people 80 blessed as we in
America. We cannot afford a
honeymoon of wild initiation. On
tne other hand the national in
come must be maintained at a
nigh level if we are to avoid a
obstructive depression. There is
solution and we might we'll
hope that history will record our
generation as being wise enough
TO ride the rough wave of pres
ent day uncertainty.