Milford chronicle., 1947-01-24
FRIDAY, JANUARY "a, 1947
THE PROBLEM OF BETTER public

health is not matter which can be simply
and quickly solved by the passage of law.
1t is long range problem, whose ultimate
solution lies largely in the medical labora-
tories.
Certainly, no country has made more
significant progress in this direction than
ours. Diseases which once were frequently
fatal, such as smallpox, are now treated
almost as simply as the measles. In 40 years
the death rate from tuberculosis has been re-
duced rs per cent The discovery and appli-
cation of new healing elements, such as peni
cilin and the Sulfa group, have almost COM
pletey prevented the Once-dread danger of
fatal infection, and are nearly totally effect
i've in preventing septicemia and gangrene
when proper treatment is applied in time.
So it goes, down the long list of past
killers which are no longer lethal. These
are few of the achievements of free medi-
cine-preciSely as our achievements in the
economic sphere are those of free industry.
There are sound grounds for believing
that governmental domination of medicine
would slow, and in some cases stop, this fine
progress Bureaucracy is always static. 1t
is deadening to the imagination to the am
bition. The doctor whose career depended
upon political favoritism would not look
ahead.
This does not mean that government
should not assist the INDECENT to receive bet
ter medical care. A bill sponsored by Sen
ator Taft, which would achieve that and also
place the responsibility in local hands where
1t belongs, seems the best answer yet pro-
posed to that problem. But government
should no. dominate OF regiment the practice
OF the healing arts.
~1o&>>
ACCORDING TO A RECENT release
by General Motors the production of auto
mobiles was brought down to low levels by
708 far-reaching strikes among its suppliers.
In order to make an automobile the
manufacturers have to reach out into prac-
tically every State in the Union for basic
materials necessary to finish the vehicle and
make the wheels go around. While the auto
industry does not operate coal mines it ap-
pears that the 17-day coal strike made fam
Gus by John l. Lewis battle with the United
States Government, brought automobile
production down to so low level that in the
present month of January results in output
will fall below the rate achieved in the last
three months of 1916.
1t takes abundant supplies of steel, pig
iron, lead, copper, zinc, cotton, iron, lumber,
rubber, leather, upholstery, paints, varnish-
es, lacquers, sheet metal, electrical equip
ment, aluminium and other materials, to
make motor vehicles-therefOre it is easy to
understand that the suppliers strikes affect
ed production as badly as though their own
workers had wandered off on new rampage
The biggest element of cost in the manu-
facture of automobiles is wages. Even auto
mobile companies can't raise wages and sell
their goods at a price that does not make
any profit. But while the industry itself has
suffered. don't overlook the fact that the
suppliers in 28 States also suffered.
NSo%E
IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING the
abrupt termination of the coal strike, prac-
tically every newspaper and columnist in the
country had something to say about the
struggle. There was unprecedented unani-
nifty of opinion that the coal miners AFRO
giant, public-be-damned leadership had been
roundly defeated, and that Congress must
take immediate action to curb labor excesses.
This point of view was shared by papers
of all political and economic views, published
in every section of the nation. The Chicago
Tribune said, "The people expect their new
Congress to write new labor laws" The
Kansas City Times said, "This nation can
not trust its security to domineering individ-
uas =" The New Orleans Times -Picayune
said, Public necessity requires there must
be no recurrence of strikes against the ma
tlon's safety :" The New York Herald
tribune said, Revision of the Wagner Act
is indicated, also legislation to make unions
amenabe within reason to the antitrust laws
and subject to suit as legal entities for breach
of contract" The extreme 1eft-wing New
York Daily Worker urged miners to "take
hold of their union and reinstitute demo-
cratic control in it,
So it went, throughout the land. This
was the voice of the American press, speak
ing on behalf of an angry and outraged
people. 1t was not, for the most part, a
punitive voice. 1t did not cry out for labor ;
blood. 1t did reaffrm the fact that the pub
llc interest is paramount to all other inter-
ests. 1t did state that no man, no group of
men, is above the law. Those are the truths
that must be reflected in coming labor legis-
latiOn