Evening star., 1948-04-19
Three.Point Defense Program

To the Editor of The Star:
It would seem that Congress has chronic
case of Billy Mitchellitis We need an adequate
air force, but large volume of obsolete planes
10 years hence will avail us nothing.
Better to push more lasting detectives:
Subsidization of underground construction
of plants and mills to manufacture aircraft and
other vital machines and commodities.
g. Immediate construction of every possible
hydroelectric plant in an effort to save our
resources and cut the transportation burden In
wartime.
g. Enactment Of UNIT with provision that
mustered-out reserves be grouped In cells geo.
graphically arranged and in small units each
with q small arms arsenal so that the loss OF
some or all Of our cities would still leave an
organized fighting force, and one that could
be activated quickly. EDWIN c. AUSTIN
Communist Objectives Already Won?
To the Editor Of The Star:
The Communist theory advocates distribu-
ton to the individual in proportion to his need
rather than in proportion to his contribution
to the productive process. Few even among the
thoughtful realize how far two now generally
accepted principles, ie., pay based on time
worked and taxation based on ability to pay,
have taken the United States toward this
Communist goal.
With the passing Of piece work, the worker
now draws pay proportionate to the time spent
at his desk or bench. Categories OF work with
higher or lower rates of pay still exist, but the
rate for each category is largely hxed. Yet
every employer knows how wide is the vari-
ance in the quantity and quality Of work pro-
duced by individuals in the same pay bracket
He knows that the average determines the
wage; that each bracket includes individuals
who receive less and others who receive more
than their due-if their due is measured by
their productivity.
Communism opposes even the existence OF
such categories. But the advantage of higher
earning category is in no small degree offset
by the graduated income tax and other direct
taxes based on ability to pay. The low Garner
paws little In direct taxes; the higher Garner
paws up to 80 per cent of his income. These
taxes 90 to defray the cost of Government
in all of its phases, from which for the most
part all citizens benefit equally. The man with
10 children in public school pays no more in
school taxes than his neighbor with no chill
dren. The owner Of an old building represent
ing a high fire risk pays proportionally no
more toward the cost of the city fire depart
ment than the owner Of fireproofed building
Recipients Of the benefit Of public hospitals
and other eleemosynary institutions are usually
confined to indigents who contribute little to
their cost.
It would be absurd to deny that the prof1t
motive is still the handspring OF economic en-
deavor in the United States. But wider
recognition Of how largely the benefits OF that
endeavor are already distributed according to
individual need might well console a large
group of sincere people-namely, those who,
although sympathetic with the ultimate Com
munist goal, believe it should be approached
progressively and not by upheaval; and who,
because they suspect the motives and deplore
the tactics of today's declared Communists, re-
coil from making common cause with them
HARRY STARK.