Milford chronicle., 1949-09-30
WHERE ARE WE AT?

If there is any Democracy left our people
are outraged by 100000 employees who laid
down their tools and quit their jobs in the
steel industry. Besides, 100000 United Mine
Workers went out on strikes, and 26,424
workers were laid off by the railroads. At the
same time $4,000 workers gave notice of a
strike in Ford Automobile plants. Railroads
have announced lay-offs in maintenance shops
for operating trains in the coal fields. The
Pennsylvania Railroad laid off $4,000 en-
ployees and 10000 were marked to lose
their jobs. Just how idle strikers can expect
to force employers to put up money for We'll
fare and Pensions has not been explained.
Our American industrial system is being
broken down. 1t is easy to understand that
prosperous organizations, including steel,
mine owners, newspaper publishers, rail-
roads, and hundreds of industries will not be
able-even if they want to-to remain IN
business. The steel industry has indicated
that it may closeup shop. AS long as the
Government of the United States shows more
interest in politics than it does in millions and
millions of jobs we're in pretty bad way.
Think that over! Of course we were forced
into the last war and we won it for the Rus
slams and all their gang We won it for all
America including Canada. Bless that old
girl for the way she is struggling to help
England out of the hole. How lot of poll
ticians, including the President of the United
States, can believe in and support the new
tangled pension plan" is beyond under
standing. Everybody wants their neighbor
to be well paid, but no one has proved that
this pension plan has any valid claim in big
or small business. 1t violates the recognized
American system under which we all live.
The pension plan should be maintained for
people who were dragged into crazy Euro
pean wars. The United States has always
recognized the pension plan for war veterans
and that's right! But it isn't all right for
thousands and millions of members of labor
unions to horn in on the pension system
<GEoNS
DIVIDING THE MONEY
Those who believe that the owners OF
industry get the lions share of the money
taken in-and a great many people appar
emily hold to this misconception - shoulc
read some of the corporation reports which
are required by law and are published eacf
year. An internationally known company
which manufactures locomotives, diesel en-
gines, drilling equipment, and other heavy
products, is typical of it's field. Here is how
it Jared during the first six months OF l949
1t took in nearly $80,000,000 from the sal'
of it's products 1t paid out more than S52,
100000 for materials and services purchased
from other concerns. It's next biggest lten
of operating expense was labor. Wages, sal
aries, and other employee costs came to NOR
than S21 100000. Depreclation-whlch SIM
ply means wear and obsOlescence OF machln
erv and other facilities-accounted for
trife over S1,000,000 and a substantial SUI
was retained in the business tofprovide ade
ouate operating capital. Federal and stat
income taxes called for $2,060,000. Finally
cash dividends of just under S2,OOO,OO0 wer
paid to the stockholders whose money bull
the company In other words, governmen
through taxes, got more than the owners
and labor got ten times as much.
~SoSS
WHEN THE FORESTS BURN
One match, one smouldering cigarett
butt one spark from camp fire, can be tn
cause of the destruction of thousands c
acres Of timber that it took Nature centurle
to create. And when the forests burn, tn
cruelest of deaths comes to the wildlife ths
, live in their shelter. This year the countr
: has witnessed number of very serious fol
est fires The hazard does not end with tt
summer months. There has been UNUSUAL
, dry weather. Trees and woodlands will
ripe for destruction by fire for some tin
to come. There seems to be a, rather wild
spread idea that most forest fires are startt
by natural causes beyond the ability of ms
to prevent or control. That is not true Son
fires, of course are set by lightning, but a
+ thorities are agreed that nine out of ten a
! due entirely to human carelessness Wi
: matches, cigarettes or camp fires. Annual
/ they cause direct losses running into maj
/ millions of dollars and equally serious inc
o rect losses in the destruction of our dwin
|. ling forest reserves. The human factor,
) fact, is responsible for almost all fires, VIII
O ther they take place in forest, in hon
:. or in factory. Carelessness, ignorance. i
Q difference to rudimentary precautions-the
: are fires friends. When we replace the
i with care and Watchfulness. fire will