Evening star., 1946-09-16

VIC dpPcaae ulCll HIiSSld Is SlTOng enough
to threaten us, or will we back them
down now while they are unwilling to
risk actual war?
COMBAT INFANTRYMAN.
Icebox Footnote to History
To the Editor of The Star:
Now that the Yugoslav situation has
eased off and the State Department
has got Tito to agree to pay cash on
the barrel, there is a. matter that 1
wish to bring to your attention. Accord
ing to your paper, we have been sending
to Tlto's country some millions of dollars
worth of things, not only food for the
starving Yugoslavs, but also all sorts
OF articles to rehabilitate them. Some
OF our leading men say that America
cannot be prosperous unless the rest
OF the world is prosperous. So if we
really owe it to ourselves to see that
the rest of the world grows prosperous,
why not begin on Yugoslavs? But while
L want to be as generous as any one
else. l also feel that there is some
danger of going too far in supporting
the Yugoslavs land others in the style
to which they probably have not been
accustomed:
Item-Iceboxes. 1t seems that we are
sending over there quite lot of large
and expensive iceboxes Min says that
a friend OF hers has been reading
book about Yugoslavia called BLACK
Lamb and that the Yugoslavs seem
to need about everything that we have;
so perhaps iceboxes should be on their
list, and the larger, economy package
might be cheaper in the long run. Still
Min and I would like Just "teensie-
weensie" icebox for ourselves-just a ~
one.
While the Yugoslav crisis was acutest,
we had a domestic crisis. The icebox
that. came with the house we bought
last year went fuzzy one night-iust
like that. The serviceman said (s350
that the box must be at least Is years
old; it had the unit" on the outside.
Repairs would cost as much as it was
worth. But for $40 he might be able
within few months to get new unit"
which he would install for only. the
labor cost.
Min, however, thought that it would
be much nicer to have a new icebox.
The papers were full of advertisements
OF the latest and most improved models.
But, when we started to get down to
business. the beautiful Job" in the vim
dow was not for sale. Deliveries were
secondary strikes" material
shortages" "bottlenecks," etc. No one
mentioned the Yugoslavs We did not
require the "de luxe" model SO WARMLY
recommended; just the ordinary sl89 80
would do. But "no"-the answer everv-
where was the same. Finally Min found
such a nice man who only wanted a
500 deposit to put our name on" his
waiting list. She accepted with alacrity.
Now so far we had not given a thought
as to how we were going to get along
from the date Of the Yugoslav and our
domestic crisis to the promised date of
delivery, November S. So we dispatched
Junior to the "packaged ice" station.
where you put Is cents in the slot and
Is cents worth of ice pops out. He came
back In an hour Or SO. Not having To-
Gated taxi, he had carried the ice
three blocks on his shoulder and the
rest OF the way on the back platform
OF one OF those old Mount Pleasant
streetcars.
At any rate, we had the ice-thanks
TO American initiative, that "go-getted-
ness" that has made America the great
est country on earth. I felt thankful
that we were able both to ease the
burdens of the Yugoslavs and at the
same time to look after ourselves. It
gave me quite a glow.
I. G. WATERS.