Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-03-21
By Paul sifton (LPA)

pound; milk 23c a quart;
teachers on strike because
their "salaries"-less than the
wages of industrial workers
won't keep pace with the high
and steadily rising cost of
living;
Rents going up; no ceilings
on new housing;
Millions of neWly-married
veterans and others starting
their postwar lives doubled up
with their in-laWs or strang-
ers because of a housing short
age of more than 100000
not counting the slums that
should be torn down and re-
placed;
Housing held up for lack of
materials and then high and
rising prices.
Production of automobiles
and other durable goods held
down because of lack of steel.
Steel for automobiles Is
scarce because of the demand
for steel for housing and box
cars, etc, etc, and vice versa.
Shortage of box cars cramps
movement Of materials for
production and finished goods,
including food.
Shortages are used to boost
prices "to what the market
will bear"-and new infla-
tionary spiral sets in;
LABOR
Labor Is asked to hold off
wage demands because prices
are sure to come down.
Employers are split between
those who want to make little
unions out of big ones and
and those who see advantages
In having responsible unions
to deal with on an industry
wide basis.
Congress likewise is split
between those who want to
yank the nation back to the
open-shop days of Harding,
plus the isolationist one.way
trade of the Smoot-Hawley
Tariff, and those who, how
ever timidly, feel that it is
time we started doing some
thing about learning to get
along with the abundance our
civilization can produce, here,
and throughout the world;
Confused and divided on
nearly all other domestic and
international issues the Amer
ican people stand solidly for
free enterprise" whatever
that means), and against the
tough, unyielding Russian at
titude on nearly everything
from the atomic bomb to the
makeup Of the governments
in the satellite countries.
Republican brain-trusters,
including John Foster Dulles
and Senator Vandenburg, sug-
gest that our best play in the
contest with Russia Is TO
prove by performance within
this country, that political
and economic d m cracy
works best;
The Presidents Council of
Economic Advisors, perhaps
because 1t fears amputation of
its budget if it speaks up, says
very little in the way of warn
ing and practical advice.
FEAR
So, in the wealthiest, strong
est, freest nation in the world,
with the greatest productive
plant and know-how, fear
runs from group to group,
begetting greed, hatred and
discord.
This is the house that jack
built. The price we paid was
record.breaking profits dur
ing and since the war. Prof
its still come first. Taxes must
be lower to give even greater
profit incentive to the free
enterprisers" and never mind
the slashing of social services
and public investments in
productive public works.
Maybe, before the initiation
bubble breaks, 1t would be
worthwhile for labor, veter-
ans, teachers, other profess
sional people, farmers and in
dependent business men, to
add up the performance of
free enterprise" since w Day
and propose a sensible way to
produce, distribute and con-
sumo the things 140,000,000
Americans need and want.
Short Of an emergency Peace
Production Board to see to 1t
that we get the steel, box cars,
houses, automobiles, pork
chops. and other things we
need - at prices we can pay
just the presentation of such
a plan to the American peo-
pie might do wonders For one
thing, It would take organ
lied labor off the defensive
give 1t a role Of leadership
out of the mist of fear.
where there Is no vision,
the people perish"
We won't perish in the on
coming recession" But, in
the later depression" and