davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1947-07-20

Cynthia Westcott is the
DIR. Kildare of gardening.
Thousands of sspatients'
owe their lives to her y.
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
Ho0ver's Better Job

Wheat-Saver Luckman has received ex-
cellent cooperation from most of the public,
in his campaign to squeeze out another 100
million bushels of grain for the hungry peo-
pie OF Europe.
Distillers, public eateries and many house
wives have come through with a distilling
holiday, meatless Tuesdays eggless Thurs
days. Luckman thinks he can see all the way
to his goal, and that by year-end we shall
have saved the 100 million bushels of wheat.
Time alone can tell whether he is over
optimistic. The layman, who knows only
what he sees going on around him, finds it
hard to accept that optimism at face value.
Most wheat has to be saved in the home.
Every pound of butter we eat costs more
than 13 pounds of wheat; every pound of
beef another 13 pounds. 1t takes whole
60-pound bushel to raise 61a-pound fowl.
We feel righteous when we pass up a
6-pound pork roast on Tuesday, saving about
40 pounds of wheat, but we substitute 4
pound chicken representing about 38 pounds
of wheat. We string along with Luckman,
and pass up four eggs for Thursday break
fast saving three pounds of wheat But we
stoke up on beef stew, in whish our share
of the meat represents 2s pounds of wheat
Looking backward, it seems as though
w did it more effectively in 1918 when
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
The Sales Tax

| Since Mr.. Charles NJ Johnson declared
in Wilmington during recent address that
he could see no reasonable possibility of re-
moving the general sales tax the question
is being asked, in so many words: Why not?
The answer is obvious. If the sales tax
were removed the main tax burden would
have to be placed on other taxable property
and large number of residents would bear
no part of the tax burden. 1t is foolish to
claim that as the state has sizeable sur
plus there is no need for continuing the
sales tax The surplus is not so large that
the state can depend upon it to meet the
incre asing cost of administration and essen
tial expansion of state services
Without sales tax the surplus would
vanish in short order and be succeeded by
either heavy state debts or heavier tax
load upon the comparatively small per-
centage of residents after the sales tax pay
ers, without other taxable property were
eliminated.
Because the sales tax distributes the tax
burden among all residents save for food
that goes on the family table, it is the most
equitable form of taxation yet devised. 1t
does not constitute an onerous burden upon
anybody. The purchaser of ten cent artl-
Gle bears his fair proportion of the tax bur-
den no less that the person who invests in
new automobile or household device that
saves household drudgery.
In order to keep the pace among for
ward moving states North Carolina faces
heavy expenditures There must be further
expansion of the state school system, i'm
fermentation of the state good health pro-
gram, a dozen projects, including develop
ment of the states ports, that must be under
taken and paid for out of tax revenues.
Otherwise North Carolina which is taking
such a prominent part in the nations post
war advancement. would be written off as
dead loss internally and nationally.
These expenditures very properly are the
concern of everybody the small wage earn
er no less than the capitalist And there is
mo way that everybody can participate in
them with easier financial strain than
through the sales tax.
Mr.. Johnson, who, as state treasurer, pro-
badly knows more about North Carollna's
fiscal set-up than any other individual, is
correct in saying that the sales tax must re-
main as an essential ingredient in the states
progress and soundness.
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
Star Program,

State ports with Wilmington favored
in proportion with its resources, to in
clude public terminals, tobacco stor-
age warehouses, ship repair facilities,
nearby sites for heavy industry and
35-foot Cape Fear river channel.
City auditorium large enough to
meet needs for years to come.
Development of Southeastern North
Carolina agricultural and industrial
= resources through better markets and
food processing, pulp wood production
and factories.
Emphasis on the regions recrea-
ton advantages and Improvement OF
resort accommodations.
Improvement of Southeastern North
Carolina's farm-to-market and pri-
mary roads, with. paved highway
from Topsail inlet to Bald Head is
land
Continued effort to attract more in
dustries.
Proper utilization of Bluethenthal
airport for expanding air service.
Development of Southeastern North
Carolina's health facilities, especially
in counties lacking hospitals, and in
Guiding a Negro Health center.
Encouragement of the growth OF
commercial fishing.
Consolidation of City and County
governments.
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
Take To The Road

The Thalian Society has presented many
plays excellently AS rule they have had
but one, rarely no more than two, perfor-
mances. They have deserved better than this
quick extinction.
The casts have put in weeks upon weeks
of faithful rehearsals. Yet when the curtain
has dropped on the one or two shows it was
all over. We have long believed this was not
fair either to the players or other audiences
in nearby cities which would find as much
enjoyment in attendance as the Wilmington
ians found in the home production.
At last there is developing among some
members of the Society the idea of taking
the show on the road. There is not as great
general support of the proposal as it de
deserves on the ground that the matter OF
travelling, without adequate return, would
soon consume what little money there is
on hand.
Perhaps this is not as great an obstacle as
it appears. Such cities as Whiteville, Wal
lace, Lumberton Clinton and perhaps 9TH
ers within easy reach might post reason
able guar antee and with energetic cam
paigns sell enough tickets to meet the initial
cost and pocket small profit on the venture.
The idea at least is worth exploring ex-
haustively. Certainly the Society merits road
support. And it is equally certain that a
production which required weeks to put
on deserves better than to die overnight.
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12

Herbert Hoover faced similar food con
servation problem. We gave him the Lever
Act as a weapon; but with it he utilized
degree of public cooperation much more
effective than is apparent now.
Mills were required to take more flour
out of each bushel of wheat. Bakers mad TO
mad wheat flour with substitutes in their
bread. individuals had to take corn meal
or rice or grits whenever they bought white
flour. Hotels could not serve more than two
ounces of Victory bread to any person Tor
each meal.
But Hoover went beyond these complus-
orv steps. He waged a mighty and success
full campaign against waste
The Family Economics Bureau OF the
Northwestern National Life Insurance CON-
pany says that, through the two approaches
in 1918. the use of scarce foods was cut py
% ner cent per person, and wastage-attack~
able only on voluntary basis-was reduced
bv 30 per cent This last important saving
was measured by garbage collections, winch
went down 10 per cent, and by the recovery
of grease from garbage, which was reduced
80 per cent.
Even If Luckman does save 100 bushels
of wheat this year, we are going to be en-
barrassed by the hunger of the Old Worlo
for some time to come. We are embarrassed
by the high cost of food, too. It might be
worth while to consider a 1947-48 campaign
against waste. Herbert Hoover proved it
could be done. Are we less resourceful now?
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
BY JOSEPH ALSOP

that the present appearance of
Czech prosperity is partly delu-
sive. This country was enriched
as well as looted by the Nazis.
Many new industrial plants were
built here during the war years,
and the Nazis actually increased
Czech industrial output by more
than 20 per cent. Old and new
industrial plant survived the
conflict with relatively little
damage, and large stocks of in
dustrial raw materials were al
so left behind by the defeated
Germans.
These advantages, plus huge
U.N.R.R.A. aid, plus the indus
try and ingenuity of the people.
account for the wonderfully
rapid post war revival here.
Now, however, the war time
stocks of raw materials are ex-
hausted. The national industrial
plant is beginning to suffer Sc
verely from being operated full
blast for two years with no re-
pair or replacement. And a Sc
we're dollar shortage is restrict
ing imports of vital raw ma
terials. These causes, combined
with the sudden search for hard
| currency by Czechs preparing to
fee the country, have already
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12

The ''iron curtain" has not
closed on Czechoslovakia, as
many visitors to that demo-
cratic-ninded country have tes-
titled. 1t is evident, however
from the latest Prague and Bra
tislsva dispatches, that Czecho-
slovakia is struggling in
the folds of that vast and dark
drapery cutting Europe and a
world in two.
In Czechoslovakia the COM
munists have moved less vio-
lently than in some other coun-
tries. They have not had the OBJ
vious targets which exist
in lands were arristocracy sur
wives, or where the large part
of industry could be said to be
in lands were aristocracy sur
1t apparently is not enough for
the Communists that Czechcslo-
vakia's economy is State con-
trolled. They insist that
the State be Communist controll-
ed. Prague's high-handed disso-
luton Of the Slovakian Cabinet
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12

PRAGUE, - If the growing
Communist terror succeeds in
reducing this country to the
state of any other Soviet satel-
lite, what will be the lot of the
Czechs? The most important fac
tor bearing on this vital ques-
ton is neither ethical normal,
but sternly practical. Even be-
fore attaining absolute mastery,
the Soviets have already given
proof that in their. hands, the
highly developed and specialized
Czechoslovak industrial economy
will be like an expensive an
delicate watch in the hands of
an energetic child.
This is crucial. The Soviet Or
ganization of eastern and cen
trail Europe cannot be maintain
ed forever by force alone. In
this area, more advanced than
the Soviet Union, populated by
men and women with memories
of better times, it will not al
ways be enough for the machine
to be merely strong; it must
also be productive. And Czecho-
slovakia, as the most progress
i've of all the nations within the
Soviet sphere, is likely to be-
come the first test case.
First of all, it must be noted
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
The Struggle Ahead

produced an ominous result.
Since the Marshall plan crisis,
the Czech crown has almost
halved in value on the Prague
black market. Crowns can
now be bought at the rate of
more than 200 to the dollar.
The Czech Communist prom
Use that trade with the east will
extricate the country from its
difficulties. But the most impor-
tant Czech raw materials come
from the west. The greatest ef-
forts have not increased Czech
trade with the Soviet sphere be-
yond Is per cent of the total.
And what makes the outlook all
the more grim is the experience
the Czechs have already had
with the Soviets as raiders.
At this moment, Czechoslova-
kia's favorite dumping diet is
acutely threatened by bad har-
vest. AS a reward for non-par-
ticipatoin in the Marshall plan,
the Kremlin has promised to
cover the deficit with 100000
tons of grain. A little more than
$4,000 tons of grain have been
delivered, and shipments have
ceased. The Soviets want to be
paid, and paid well for their
kindness. Furthermore, they do
not want the highly finished
products in which Czech indus
try has always specialized.
Their main demand is for 200,-
900 tons of crude cast iron pipe.
To meet the demand, the Czechs
would virtually have to dis
mantle their iron and steel in
dustry.
Nor is this fundamental unfit
ness of Czech specialized indus
try to meet crude Soviet re-
quirements the only diff
Guilty. Czech blast furnaces are
built to consume high quality
ore. The Soviets for long time
persistently offered their own
iron ore, high in sulphur con-
tent. Finally, after the most des-
perate pleas, the Czechs receiv-
ed Soviet promise of 100 cars
of Swedish ore. On arrival, the
shipment was. subjected to spot
check, passed as meeting speci-
fication, and sent to the blast
furnaces. The furnaces were in
stantly ruined. From ignorance
or fraud, the Soviet bureaucrats
had included eight tons of low
quality, high sulphur content
ore, which the spot check had
not disclosed.
Again, Soviet cotton was
promised certain number of
thousands of bales of four diff
ferent grades, suited to
the Czech textile factories. But
all bales. were. found to be of
the same grade on delivery. Or,
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
Keep 1t Up

The Star frequently noted in these columns
that the City Hall has not always used the
best judgment in arranging meter spaces at
downtown curbs and the allotment of space
for loading zones and reservations for buses.
1t has seemed that some meters were clos
er than need be with result that cars, espe-
cially the longer new models, could either
not get into the space allowed or if they
did overlap the adjoining space ahead or be-
hind. 1t has also seemed that more curb
space was given over to the use of trucks
and buses and that if these areas were con-
tracted more places for cars to park would
be available without placing handicap up
on either type of heavy vehicle.
It is with pleasure therefore, that we note
that parking space for two cars has been
provided by cutting down the bus reserva-
ton on the north side of Grace street at
is taken at other places within the meter
area fewer car drivers will have so much
trouble finding berths at the curb.
And while the City Hall is revamping its
parking program, the police are to be en-
couraged to deal severely with truck driv-
ers who occupy meter spaces while loading
zones are empty and within convenient dis
tance for deliveries and pick-ups.
This habit is too prevalent, and utterly un-
just inasmuch as car drivers are tagged if
they park in loading zone but trucks be-
side meters are passed by if the meter arrow
IS up.
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
Taft Breaks Loose Again

Senator Taft of Ohio has joined Messrs.
Stain and Mo1otov in opposing the Mar
shall plan. He is not averse to giving Europe
a handout, he told the Ohio Society upon
the occasion of its annual banquet in New
York, but resorts to vague generality by
adding that he would extend only "rea-
sonable" aid.
Who is he to determine what is reason
able aid?
We hold no brief for the Marshall plan or
the demands of the sixteen eastern Euro
pean countries seeking relief under its pro-
visions. But we cannot concsde the right to
Senator Taft to determine what is, or is not
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12

again, the Czechs hoped to sell
the Soviets plain gray goods 70
meet the need for textiles o.
the Soviet people, and to reserve
their high-quality output to get
dollars from the West. But III.
Soviets insisted on getting tn'
high-quality product, in order TO
sell it themselves for hard cur
rency which they also need
For these reasons, supplian'
delegations of Czech OIL
cials are constantly on the road
to Moscow, where they find that
Soviet Trade Commissar Mlko'
van is even less interested N
broad national foreign poAcy
tha nour own curious Secretary
of Agriculture.
For these reasons also, the FL
ture is fairly predictable. II n'
growing Communist terror
successful, Czechoslovakia's WeS
tern level of life is doomed
At llehetaoin etaoin etaoln
All the combined difflcucsS
and pressures will bring
the Czech people, now the mos, ,.
fortunate in Europe, near 10 'o'
dreadful state of the masses IN
most areas of Soviet rule rv'
us, this has a powerful meanln5'
For the present, the UNI,
ed States should make Som'
gesture some indication o.
sympathy and interest : to prov,
that Czechoslovakia has NOV
been utterly abandoned by I"
West. This will help the non.
Communist Czech leaders. EVsp
so, however, their strusg.
against the Communists VIII .
unequal. AS indicated ao0V. :.
they may we'll be defeated If n
that event, a new phrase W.. y,r
be entered. And if, in TINS ns$
phase, Czechoslovakla ezpss. s;,.
ences increasing hardship, y %nis
the efforts of the United o'a"'
provide greater and gree, a,.
er well-being for the nelgAgn ",
nations of western Europe ..,, ~.
comparison will ultimatel,y, ,,.,, p@
duce another and quite dlttert. q,
sort of cataclysm. This IS W, ",
great risk the Soviets have Il. lx1
in their European imperla,,Ys..,n, ,.,,
1t remains for us to take ao'''
tage of it.
Copyright, 7947, New YORK h''
aid Tribune Inc
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12

WASHINGTON - In the ma.
tlon-wide poll of opinion which
this column has been conduct.
ing on 20 leading foreign and
domestic issues, many of the
1900 members of Congress, gov
ernment officials, business rep
resentatives and newspaper edi-
tors wrote in extended answers.
Some of those answering the
QUESTIONABLE signed THEN
names and authorized direct
quotation. For instance:
'T think the leaders of both
parties are playing partisan
politics with the special session
ISSUE" wrote Republican Sen.
Wayne Morse of Oregon. "Right
now we need bipartisan action
in the interest of the whole
country, rather than political
jockeying."
On European aid, many
shades of doubt were revealed
by the written-in comments
One Republican senator said he
would favor a SIS billion pro-
gram, but no more. A Demo
cratic senator gave the opinion
it will take "more than $50 bill
lion" Another senator favors a
one-year program only, to see
how it works. Still another said
all aid to Europe should be
stopped-s'Soon!"
Making aid to European coun-
tries conditional on their block.
ing communism was questioned
by 40 per cent Of the senators.
stWe must not dictate form of
government to other countries, F."
wrote one. Others were of the
opinion it would not work. Sen.
Harley M. Kilgore of West Vir-
ginia wrote, "Such a course
would work to the advantage of
communism"
Members of the lower House
of Congress are particularly
outspoken on nearly all issues.
It is impossible to quote them
all in this space, but here are
a few samples:
On loans to Europe -" RAISE
the money by selling bonds to
prevent inflation,'' suggested
one congressman. On the ques-
tion of making the loans repay
able, another wrote, "Don't
make me Taught"
The Marshall Plan came in
for some biting comments from
congressman. ''What do YOU
mean by the Marshall 'Plan?'
1t hasn't a chance" cit will
fail, period. sJust bunk, ditch
|it!"
The congressman VIII O made
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
Caught In The Curtain!


is a step toward this CoIli.,,rlrs CoIais,srs
goal. The Communist hllilihired
in the Czech Cabinet eolllOrt nit.
with "special' ministers, Liner;
voted the democratic ''lsl,, 'noars
for this decision, which appss.j,, ps5oIj,
to violate the seml-au'oil0'
status of Slovakia. poran
slovakia is strongly h0'rs AZ.
Catholic. Anti Commdnlst p+ .tc
ties carrying the demosj, I, Al Al
label have been in con'lJ' ~.
Bratislava. With the uSua' dls. /;
compartment of charges o. the
loylty against ottlclaia, S,,sr On
Communists are waglng We We
This looks like a flank k.srtjes mites
on Czech democratic h+ not
What the Communists mIglis IggIacbo.
have been able to do IN ez' =, are
slovakia as a whole they slo.
we'll on the way to dolf'ss, 'ss,oyak
vakia, relying on anti sss 10
feelings among the Czec4y c.4rate'
obscure the Communist ssradu.
gy to usurp power ,.s
ally throughout the couii"'
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
Those 20 Questions
BY PETER EDSON

this last comment also thought
that, "The whole United Nations
performance is silly" that "the
United States has been sucker
long enough" that "we should
mind our own business and
that ''the world is in a state
of undeclared war right now. :"
Prices can be brought down
without reducing wages, "if we
reduce EXPORTS" answered a
Westerner. Another congress
man thought prices could be
brought down if we could ere
duce taxes and end strikes"
| Many of the newspaper edi-
tors who answered, similarly
made additional comments, but
there was much diversity in
their editorial asides.
From Mississippi came the
observation, "The Marshall
Plan is a success only if it
blocks communism" On max
ing European loans ''repay-
able" an Iowa editor wrote,
"There amt no such animal. !"
An Oklahoman says, "The
South met its reconstruction
problem after the Civil War by
pulling in its belt and working.
Europe should do likewise"
An Illinois editor said that
what this country needs is an
other P. r. Barnum, to put on
a show every time American
aid is passed out in Europe, so
the people over there will know
where their help is coming
from.
On domestic issues, a Michi-
gan editor thinks, 'Prices and
wages could have been stabil-
lied last spring if the steel and
coal operators had not been so
eager to grab off the big prof
it's"
As final commentary on
this whole enterprise of trying
to find out what very important
people are thinking on the top
issues of the day, it seems ap-
propriate to quote Rep. John M.
Vorys of Ohio. 81 always mar
vel at the nerve of those who
expect people in responsible po-
sitions to take time to answer
perplexing, momentous ques-
tions, Yes or No. so that the
pollster can sell he compiled
answers, wrote Vorys. "Since
you always know the answers
and like to point out how con-
gressmen don't know tn e an
swers, you should be able to
write a number of columns on
the tabulation Of these question
lnaires."
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12
|KeepT he Aged
Out Of Bed
BY WILLIAM A. ORRrrN

Those who care for ii.
and infirm should have ,,,s sss
tlence' Imagination and pa
sense es of humor. While the 30 s'a
old and the very youns ' very
certain characteristics iS nav
mon' treating the aged a as CON- sss
dren is never a wise tbira :. ''a'
Many elderly patients disr', fs 80
going to bed when they srs u'sllt' Tx
but once there, it is ditsna ~
to get them up. Except t''t' ~
short periods of necessars' ~ 10y
rest for specific illness 0ea
elderly patients should H. moa
ana around, if this is possiHI IS
Members of the faniJy IiJysslol' a
be too close to the aged 5a,aq may
to realize their Limitations Se'S0A,
possibilities. pos A devoted da1as sa'
ter who has stayed nono. mSugga
care for her parents mau le u
come impatient with III q o.
sician when he cannot c,,ro gaS
ditions which are the direc. '0N'
suit of aging. She NAV also II
too solicitous over her .naTo,t', so ..
welfare and put them to bed 's y.
the slightest provocation, 'SU ''
Elderly persons should \.
treated with the dignity and
spect which is due human ~
ings. Although many Of = tbsi. 0s'
requests seem unreasonsT.
they are logical from tba;,
standpoint. To treat them ,s S n
tie babies Or to approach tbsn,
in a kittenish way may be bnI
initiating to them. ""
Mucn OF the torgetfulness N
the aged is due to lack Of IN,
terest in the present. As No,
and women grow older. tbey
lose interest in current event,
because their opinions do n@
count, and they are not a psr
of things. They speak Of N,
past because they counted The,
and their remarks should be re,
ceived with consideration srj
respect.
The great need of elderly pee
pie is a well organized recre
ational program, as their day
cannot be spent in idleness
Games, diversions, and special
projects should be arranged fr
them. They brighten up when
interest is displayed in them
they require less care and an
less irritable.
Elderly persons should be en
couraged to keep clean and 10
care for themselves. Their skin
dries easily so that frequeH
bathing may cause skin im
tation. Their clothing should b
as much like the other mem
bers of the group as possible
The Wilmington morning star., 1947-11-12

reasonable amount of money for the Unit
ed States to invest in Europe's recovery
from the effects of World War II and its
escape from communism.
The more we hear of the Ohio Senator'S S
assault upon the Truman administration IN
all its ramifications the more we incline TO
hope that the republican convention may
he foolish enough to nominate him for
President, the office he covets.