Eastern Connecticut news., 1946-10-26

worker who desires to work?
 YES x NO--- !. Do you consider 1t the duty of government to protect private property in the form of tools of production from trespass and dam age at the hands of anyone?
 YES x NO--- Q. Do you conside rit the duty of government to place the same force of law behind labor-union con- tracts that 1t places behind other legal contracts?
 YES x NO--- 9. You you consider 1t the duty of government to break up labor union monopoly as well as business monopoly?
 YES x NO 10. Do you consider 1t the duty of government to protect the adult worker in his Constitutional right to bargain either individually or collectively and to work for whom ever he pleases at any time on any mutually satisfactory terms?
 YES x NO- Mrs. Chase c. Woodhouse's an- swer is as follows:
 October IT, 1946
 New London, Conn. MT. Allen w. Fucker, President Tool Owners Union
 1902 Massachusetts Avenue Lexington, Massachusetts
 Dear MT. Rucker:
 have received your question naire requesting an indication ot my position on the "ten principles affecting the interests of the fifty million thrifty Americans who own the nations tools of produc- tion."
 The very obvious answer to all of the questions is, of course, Yes" In so answering them, am not, however, in any sense endorsing what I believe is your basic idea that the policy of the Roosevelt Ad- ministration in working for the prosperity and well-being of all the people is destroying the Amer ican System of democratic econ- omy and that our only hope of preserving this system is 8 return to the policy of laissez-faire.
 It seems to me that the time has come when we must cease shout ing names - communists, bureau crats, reactionary, fascist-at one another and begin working togeth- CT as we did during the war-la- bor and management, agriculture and industry-to achieve and main- tain the high level of capacity pro- duction so necessary for security at home and peace abroad. We can- not even hope for peace if this na- ton as the great democratic lead CT in International Cooperation is staggered with unemployment and depressed, poorly functioning economy.
 I appreciate your concern for the fifty million real owners" of the tools of production. I too, am con- cerned with their well-being and deplore any shrinkage in plant ca- pacity which has occurred since 1880. But, we must remember that from 1882 until 1940 we were in the throes of recovering from the most devastating and far reaching economic depression ever experi- epced by our American System. A depression which started and gained momentum during Repub- lican administration. The steel in- dustry, for example, during the early depression was producing only some 189o of capacity. With such conditions, I do not think we could very realistically expect plant expansion.
 You ask From where is the money coming to replace |. tools?" Personal holdings of bank deposits, currency, and govern ment securities totaled at the end of 1945, some 13O billion dollars, an increase of 90 billion dollars over 1889. From January 1887, to June 1940, investments in construction, machinery and equipment totaled 39.6 billion dollars; from July 1940 to December, 1943, such invest ments totaled 86.5 billion dollars. The presentarate of investment is three times as high as in 1889.