Milford chronicle., 1946-05-03


Many an old Navy hand feels that when
"the fleets in and Il tide of battlcjacketS in
stead of blue Jackets overseas caps instead
of iaunty flat hats begins to roll down the
street, Something about sailor will be
gone.
WITH THE GRIM EXPERIENCE of war
fresh in everyone's mind the first thought
when strong railroads" are mentioned is
national defense. The war could have been
disaStrOuSly heightened by failure of rail
transportation. But this country needs
strong railroads in peace as well as war-a
fact that is not sufficiently appreciated. And
it needs them for more than mere carriers
1t needs them as taxpayers and iob-givers
few railroad tax statistics bring home
with shock the dependence of the cOmmun-
ity upon the railroad as a source of taX-in-
come-let alone Jobs. The school taxes paid
by the railroads enable more than a million
children to 90 to school. In many rural areas
they constitute half of a the school funds.
They have paid billions Of tax dollars to gov
crnment IN recent years toward the SupDOrt
OF public health, public safety. national de-
tense, maintenance of the courts, and all
other government activities and services.
What is meant by strong railroads? The
real strength Of railroad lies i'm its man
agement, its earning ability. the efficiency of
It's personnel Any one of the hundreds of
thousands Of investors who own securities in
Americas prlVate y-Operated railroad system
Will tell YOU that. These elements of railroad
strength cannot be acquired overnight They
must be built up through years of service un-
der circumstances that encourage the desire
to serve.
IT tins country wants strong railroads in
the future, public agencies representing the
l31.OOOOOO people having the most at stake
IN the railroads must make sure that cond-
uOnS over which the railroads have no con-
trol-competltlon, taxation, regulation are
adjusted so as to treat all forms of trans
portatlon alike and fairly. Intelligent public
policy is the foundation upon which private
ownership can build for the benefit of the
whole country.
ABATEMENT AND CONCERN is felt
throughout the world at the spectacle of end
less confusion beSetting the United States.
People are appalled, at the exhibition of =
grant who cannot pull himself together even
to take care of his own needs
Ihe reasons for this cOuntryS confusion
are collection of little acts that add up to a
mighty destructive force. These little acts
are beng committed from one end of thc
country to the other by any army of public
servants who knowingly or unknOwinplv nm
defmme the source OF our nations greatest
StlenGth-the enterprise of individual citi-
ZenS. They promote gandiOSe publiclv-fnan-
ced schemes in direct competition with the
efforts OF private citizens. The gigantic taX-
flnanccd and taX-eXempt public power pro-
gram is typical Constant hauling and pull
ing between private enterprise and Dublic
enterprise in this field is damaging to the
country beyond all calculation, because plain
~ evident is basic struggle between two
phlloSophIeS-the philosophy of private en-
telprSe upon which this country was found
ed, and the philosophy of socialism. From
electric power the spirit of conflict secps
through countless activities with an inSid-
louS enervating effect
until this basic conflict is resolved one
way or the other America will continue to
be confused giant, increasingly unable to
supply his own needs.
ESTIMATES or TIE COST of a COM
prchcnSlVe system of compulsory social Sc
curlty In this country are staggering, rang
ing as high as 25 per cent of the income of
every ganfuy employed person. That these
estimates may not be far wrong, is indicated
NN EnglandS experiments with social secur-
lty. bill has been submitted to the House
0f Commons which includes provisions SINH
lar to those set forth in the Wagner Bill
the American version Of "all out" compul-
sorry social security
According to the New York Times, ut
has been calculated that with the new bill.
and on the assumption that not more than
; per cent of the employable population will
be unemployed on the average the British
government will be taking about 81 per cent
OF the gross income Of individuals in com
pulSOrY contributions for social security and
other forms of social services"
Tho t1nnin ,,.,,.4 &C 4l...-.a