Milford chronicle., 1946-04-05

THE PRESENT SOFT COAL STRIKE
has got the workers as we'll as the produc-
erS, worried.
There was time when there was no sub
stitute for coal except freWOOd. But that DAY
has passed and as the price OF coal rises, COM
petitors such as fuel oil, gas and electnclty,
take over an increasing proportion OF the
heating load
The more this process is speeded up, the
fewer Jobs there will be in coal mines. Inc
leaders of labor in the coal industry can, from
now on, very easily create unemployment In
stead of more employment.
This is not theory, but hard, cold TACT
which any person can figure out for himself
No matter how powerful labor union may
be, he cannot force the consuming public to
pay more for product than it has to pay
for substitute
The way to get higher wages in coal min
ing, as in any other industry, is to help IN
crease production per man, thereby increas-
ing earnings from which the highest wages
can be paid.
If union officials wish to render their mem
bers real service, let them cooperate with
producers along these lines, instead OF caus-
ing such suffering and loss in wages as the
nation has witnessed in the General Motors
strike Many workers will never recover the
losses forced on them by that example of
forced work stoppage.
THE MASS MEETINGS and protest pa
rades by disgruntled soldiers, which few
weeks ago caused concern among the leaders
in our nation are not new in military history.
In other wars, and in the armies of other ma
tions, they have gone by the name of mutiny
The same ugly word, slightly qualified, has
been used concerning demonstrations by Am
ercan soldiers in Manila, India and Europe,
who were claiming the right to go home fol-
lowing the closing of hostilities. Responsible
officers say that these disturbances were moth
ing like mutlny, nor even INSTRUMENTATION.
They may be considered a natural cOnSe-
quence under the circumstances, of the Am
erican way of building and managing an army.
1t was the general policy not to impose mar
tinet type of discipline nor to suppress the
individuality and responsibility of the man IN
uniform. He was treated as a free man. A
free man is likely to have ideas and opinions
and strong urge to express them. 1t was a
part of military policy to permit considerable
freedom of the enlisted man to speak his
mind, especially in such publications as
"Yank" and the STARS and Stripes" Gripes
were freely aired and grievances published in
their pages. This was a safety valve, in some
degree, for surplus steam which might have
found more undesirable outlets. 1t fOunC
them in the demonstrations overseas. They
were deplorabe, and they did indicate a breal
down of discipline and morale But they were
far removed from mutiny.
fSSo@&&
MRS. SMITH AND MISS SMITH, Mrs
Jones and Miss Jones-and every other Mrs
and Miss in America soon may be able to ge
the things they want, at prices they want t.
pay.
Gone may be the days of not being abl
to buy what they need because the thing
simply aren't made.
And of having to take a can or packag
or a pair of something they don't want-an
can't use-sO as to get what they order.
And sometimes having to whisper wha
they Want-and pay twice what it's wort
when it's brought out from under tn
counter.
And of trying to mend, patch, and men
again the ragged old things that still have
be held together somehow-because goot
new things can't be bought, except perhar
at robbers prices in the black market
Congress is getting ready to decide O
either keeping the OPA way of fixing price
which manufacturers say has driven a hos
of products out of the market, or getting ri
of that system and letting manufacture
compete freely in meeting customers wisht
and in giving them what they want,
prices the customers think are fair.
The American woman is said to do 49,
of the nations retail buying If she contro
prices, and keeps them fair, production
merchandise will step up-fast.
6&SeS>
HOW FAR has the Federal Governmel
retrenched in its acclaimed reconversion-t
peace-budget balancing savings? The go
ernment increased it's leased space in off
buildings throughout the nation for wa
time activities from 68277, ,527 squpare fe
in May 1941, to 277,807,773 feet in Augu
1915. Since the close of hostilities total
only 4,O21,7O5 feet has been relinquished
January 21st of this year, official fgur
show. That's a recOnversion-to-peace-b budg
balancing saving of 2.5 per cent At tn
rate we may expect at least thirty more yea
of spending without thought of budget b