Milford chronicle., 1947-10-10

it has been possible to deliver. And, by COM
parison with American coal miners, the Brit I
ish miner has very poor wages and working
conditions.
No one knows what the solution will be
in England-the politicians are the bosses,
and private enterprise and individual incen-
tive has been destroyed. But every American
can make up his mind that socialization of
any basic industry should not be tolerated in
the United States. Honest cooperation be-
tween capital labor, and government in any
field, will make free enterprise work infinite
ly better than socialism.
&>S@&G
THE ATTITUDE of a great many peo-
pie toward the problem of imitation is not
helpful. They dodge the facts involved. Most
people cannot build homes. Their ability tol
buy many of the better foods is diminishing.
Basic manufacturing industries are con-
fronted with costs which every businessman
knows threaten to shove prices to the point
of Gripping mass production The distribu-
tion industry, also dependent upon high vol
ume movement of goods, is up against SINH
lar situation Intelligent farmers are aware
that disaster is the inevitable consequence of
endlessly riSking prices. Union leaders with
a grain of sense under their hats will admit,
privately if not publicly, that race between
wages and prices, if continued long enough,
will make paupers of American workmen.
Tragic is the attitude of many of our
public officials who, while waging political
sham battle against imitation, are fully aware
that the solvency of the Federal government
and the integrity of the dollar itself are at
stake. All of us from the President down are
observing the result of initiation and depre-
ciated money, in country after country, from
China to England Desperate people in such
countries have submitted to ruthless dicta-
torships which are destroying their liber-
ties. They are losing spiritual and moral
values in futile scramble for a false secur-
ity, the like of which the world has never
seen.
1t is almost unbelievable that in the face
of this situation, leading citizens, in and out
of public life in the United States, can for a
moment play politics with imitation, or utter
single word which they do not believe to
be based upon sound reasOning-yet it is
being done daily.
FOR MORE THAN so YEARS, the Wis
consin State Federation of Labor carried a
plank in it's platform advocating public own
ership of utilities. Now that plank has been
dropped The reason, according to the Du.
luth Herald, is that actual bargaining ex-
perience has led the chiefs of some of the
larger unions to the conclusion that labor
can get more generous contracts from pri
vate employers and corporations than from
government agencies"
These labor leaders also have learned
from simple observation of affairs abroad
that government ownership of industry
means the death of the free labor movemen
and of strong unions. No one can Strik
against the government. No one can chal
lenge the decisions of the government. Their
can be no redress from injustice when all
powerful officials dominate labor's source o
livelihood.
Worst of all, when government takes owe
business, it is almost impossible to get gov
ernment out of business. A revolution or
complete collapse of the government in pow
er is necessary. Even then, the TRANSITION
back of a free enterprise system is Difficult
and costly Socialism exhausts the energie
of country and dissipates it's capital.
places a premium on mediocrity and dis
courages initiative. 1t makes for sheer
like people, conditioned to blindly followin
leaders, After period of years of that, tn
, people lose the ability to manage their ow
affairs.
The Wisconsin State Federation of LIZ
Dor has learned that free labor and free Ell
terprise are one. 1t is to be congratulate
for admitting it.
s THE APPROACH OF WINTER bring
an increase in many fire hazards, particular
: ly in homes where heating and electric;
:. equipment will soon be working at capacit
e And this winter we will learn whether I'll
t American people are capable of meeting tt
e challenge of destroyer that has been Sc
: ting ruinous record after ruinous record.
o That challenge has been clearly presente
n to every individual-and to every commul
+ ity, no matter how small. The President
: conference on fire safety, which was held la
n May, developed splendid, all-inclusive pr
gram for combating fire. But that progra
will be worthless without aggressive publ
/ support.
IS One of the principal community duties
IT to enact fire prevention ordinances that a
II up to date-and then to enforce them. Tho