Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-04-16
What's
New?
By
Edudrd ].
Duck,
Assistant
Director,
National
Auto-Lite
DiUsion
By

The large automobile manu-
facturers and the parts manu-
facturers who were so vocal in
the holy crusade to wreck price
control after the war, are now
finding that their pigeons have
come home to roost.
1t is only fair that they now
face the cold and brutal fact
that the automobile worker
needs Csc of the requested
wage increase simply to re-
store his purchasing power to
the June, 1946 level.
Where is that paradise on
earth we were promised when
the manufacturers and dis
tributors were freed of govern
mental red tape?
The tremendous increase of
goods and services failed to
materialiZe. So did the savings
which were to result from this
expan sion of production
through the magic device of
free competition. The substan.
tial price decreases never cam
into being, and as yet the per
ennial all-day sucker, the con
sumer, has not seen that new
era of abundance and wealth
which he was promised.
There are three avenues of
approach to the problem of
the wage Garner. He must
vote regularly and wisely.
He must bargain for an ade-
quate wage and security. He
must organize his buying
power by joining and partici-
pating in the consumer CO.
operative movement.
In last Sundays radio de-
bate, which CHS carried over
very few of its stations, UAW
President Walter p. Reuther
told Ohio's Senator Taft that
competition in America is
largely a myth. 1t just doesn't
exist. This being true, the
statement that competition
will balance prices is a false
hood.
PROFITS
While corporate profits
reached an all-time record
high of 20 billion dollars dur
ing 1947, with net of more
than II billions after taxes,
it is only fair that part of
this excessive sum be given
back to the American people
as Reuther suggested, in the
form of price cuts or in a
well deserved wage increase.
Certainly labor would pre-
fer the price cut to the wage
increase. AS Reuther stated,
we want TO go forward with
the community, not at the
expense of the community.
In an era of excessive prof
its for the manufacturers, we
are certainly not out of line
if we ask for a share in the
increased earnings after the
promised price cuts have
failed to become fact. Prom
ises and more promises will
not do. Meat and potatoes,
coats and shoes, radios and
refrigeratorS cannot be
bought with sweet assurances.
Taft and his big business
friends have done an expert
job of sabotaging the wage
earner's purchasing power.
Wasn't it they who shouted
Had Enough?" two years
ago7
TAFT TEACHES
We thought we had ''had
enough perhaps, but shuckS,
we hadn't seen any thing yet
at that time. 1t remained for
Senator Taft to teach us a bit
ter lesson, aided and abetted
by his congressional collea-
CUES and corporation lobby
lists.
1t can truly be stated that
the average person is a very
patient animal. He will take a
lot OF punishment before he
complains, and still lot more
before he will do any thing
about it. But as Cicero told
Cataline, our patience has
,een abused.
Be- d e $ mentioning the
scandalous housing situation,
Reuther had one more inn
portant remark to make. The
veteran, he stated, didn't
fight the war so he could
'ome home to something less
han he had before. He hoped
% find a greater, more abun-
liant America, with an oppor-
unity for improved living. In
stead of solving the problems
If food, housing, and bread
and butter affairs for the vet
ran and the workingman,
Congress, he added, has been
ioing nothing but figuring
ways and means of giving
money to those who already
lave more money than they
reed, while completely neg
Getting those who need in