Milford chronicle., 1947-09-12
GEORGE Y. oRMsBY, the London CORE

".
spondent of the Wall Street Journal, recently
wrote that naturalization of industry is not
ssprovine the utopia the workers imagined IT
would be. but merely the changing from
private boss to state boss" He cites an IN
stance where an ex-directOr of a natiOnaized
coal mine met one of his former workers and
asked him how he liked the new regime. Not
so good" said the miner. Il thought was
going to be where you were, but I've only got
a new boss
A good many million people must feel
similar disillusionment with the super-state.
tt is one thing to work for a private boss, and
q very different thing to work For state
boss. The private boss can be controlled by
law and public opinion. He can be forced to
arbitrate with his employees and give them
higher wages and better working conditions
and other benefits to which they may BE en-
titled. The government and the unions are
always ready to pounce on him it he steps out
of line.
The state boss, on the other hand, is a
bird of another feather. When government
becomes a mass-employer, it determines its
own employment policies. The right to strike
must be directly or indirectly abrOgated. The
decisions of the government must be hna4,
and the worker who feels he is unjuStly treat
ed has no redress. The heads of government
invariably become more and more sensitive to
criticism, and move in one way or another to
silence it. Every phase of the national life is
entangled in red-tape, and the freedom of the
individual is inevitably limited 1t is a no
table fact that even England is now seriously
considering what amounts, in principle, to
labor draft to force reluctant workers to ac-
5 cept employment in the coal mines
The super-state can have only one end
and that is total dictatorship. Most of Eu-
rope is a miserable example of that truth to-
day. To trade the private boss for the state
boss is to risk trading freedom for slavery.
$500
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL has an
nounced that his department will investigate
alleged price-boosting conspiracies in certain
commodity fields. But if hopeful consumers
expect that this will result in major price
drops they are due for disiIlusionment.
It is perfectly possible that the Attorney
General will find instances of monopoly and
illegal price-fxing. But, according to those
who know most about the situation, they will
be isolated and minor. The vast majority of
prices are determined by competition
means that they are an honest reflection of
tOdays manufacturing and distributing costs.
Every major item of expense which must be
borne by the factories which make our goods
and the retailers who sell them is at an all
time peak.
The roots of high prices thus go deep into
the entire American economy. They are
found in record wages which have been ac-
cOmpanied by decline in production per
man hour. They are found in the inflationary
effect of great government spending, and in
the burden of taxation. They are found ir
heavy buying of goods for Europe, which in
some instances causes demand to exceed sup
ply. They are found too, in the desire of al
segments of the population to get larger re
turns for less effort and service
1t is the Attorney Generals duty to fine
and prosecute whatever monopolies may ex
ist. But deliberate combinations in re
straint of trade" are rare exceptions in thu
intensively competitive America of today
and they can have but small effect on prices
EARLY FALL is THE time for prepar
ing homes for winter-with especial atten
tiOn paid to the elimination of fire hazards
One of the major causes of home fires i
defective heating units, ranging all the wa,
from oil stoves to central heating systems
Even the best of appliances become worn
Flues and chimneys become filled with SCOT
During the war; it was often impossible t
adequately maintain heating plants due t
shortages of parts and labor. There are sti
shortages, but not as severe as in the imme
diate past. The money spent will pay TIRE
mendous dividends in safety and security.
Faulty electric wiring is still major dc
stroyer of homes Important repairs shoul
be made by qualified electrician. Fraye
cords should be replaced. Then, when you
electrical equipment is subjected to the heaN
lest use it will safely carry the load.
Lastly, during the pleasant weathe
homeowners should carry on rigorous can
paign to rid their property of junk. Thol
sands of fires have originated in attics an
cellars and closets filed with old clothes, flu
niture, magazines, etc. Many fires have n
suited from improper storage of paint gas,
line and other infammables. A clean and O
derly house offers fire few opportunities.