Milford chronicle., 1949-10-28


creased Wages-Which the pension cOntri-
buttons undeniably are-and let the plan go
by the board. Unfortunately, in all the non
cOntributOty payroll collections there is the
idea that the employer fOOts the bill. Ele-
mentaTy economics should teach those who
adhere to such ideas that wages come out of
production, not fund of capital, and that
pensions are similarly derived.
eff any employer is able to maintain a
nOn-cOntributOry pension plan, he should be
able to pay in wages the amount of the plan
that would have gone toward the pension and
let each employer provide for his own future.
If the employer is unable to operate under a
non-cOntributOry pension plan he can only
be forced out Of business.
"This brings up the Oncezhighly tOuted
cost of living basis for wage increases which
Walter Reuther so gleefully hailed when liv-
ing costs were rising, and, perfOrce, had to
abide by when prices fell.
"The cost of living has nothing whatsO-
ever to do with the determination of wages
A business can pay out no more than it can
earn, and man can take no more in wages
than he earns, and wages, however much we
may decry the bitter truth, are paid out of
production and only by producing can we be
rewarded. Even in England the Socialists
are facing this economic fact of life. And
they don't like it; being promised the world
and not having had it delivered. We do not
join in the popular pastime of belaboring the
Labor movement, holding it hOlely respOn-
slble for the conditions of the country. We
do believe, however, that naturalization and
soclallzatlon in England have not tended 10
ease matters any but rather to intensity them.
Even the Socialists confess so much when
they ask for continuing austerity, less use
OF free" medical services, and, by various
devices, seek to restrict the freedom of move
ment Of the working force.
The school of thought which holds that
working people can be rewarded with more
than they can earn has its root in Karl Marx
In all the recent manifestations of statism,
the idea of something for nothing was what
captured the popular imagination and en-
able leaders" to ride to power. Not until we
dlsabuSe ourselves of any such irratiOnality
can we get back on an even keel and think
straight.
In the meantime, you'll hear every sort
OF appeal, especially at election time to sell
fshnesS and cupidity and the promise of di-
rect gain by one segment of the population
at the expense of another will be worked to
a fare-the-well with both major parties out
promising the other. The honest man, on the
other hand, will be Unheeded or dismissed as
a reactlonary-One who believes in keeping
what ne earns and paying the bills on time
or one of those nameless selfish interests
which serves politicians so conveniently as
whipping boy.''
Certainly the above comment by a labor
leader and publisher makes sense. It is the
kind Of reasoning that can bring better un-
derStanding on the part of labor of the prob
lens facing management. More talk of this
kind is needed.
HS1OSS
MORE FIRE PREVENTION WEEKS
This years observance of Fire Prevention
Week ran from October 9Th to the 18th. It
will be tragic if the lessons learned during
the week are Immediately forgotten. Care
less Individual habits are responsible for all
but small minority of fires. Fire prevention
must be practiced for 50 weeks of the year
not just for one. During the first eight
months Of 1949, our fire waste tOtaled nearly
S450,000,000 This marked decline as com
pared with the same period last year, but
most OF the drop was probably due to slightly
lower commodity and construction costs. Our
tire record is the worst in the world, and it
cannot adequately be measured in mere fnan-
clal terms. 1t can be seen in the death and
manning and Disagreement of thousands
upon thousands of human beings annually.
many OF them children-in the destruction
OF great forests and other invaluable natural
TeSOuIceS-ln lost JOBS, IN piles OF ashes that
once were homes, in ruined factories. What
makes this all the more disgraceful is that
most fires can be so easily prevented. The ma
lOr causes of fire are "little things"-care-
lessneSS with matches and cigarettes. run
down stoves and heating systems, improperly
stored paints and solvents and other such
iniammables, Out-of-repair electrical equip
ment, and so on down the list. A little
thought, little effort, could eliminate most
OF these hazards. 1t, as individuals, we make
every week a fire prevention week, we will
win the war against this great destroyer.
NSONG
FUZZY THINKING
In report on the affairs in the National
Capital an outstanding authority makes the
bold assertion that: "The pension plan is
getting the country all tangled up, unbalanc.
ed, in state of mind that suggests that il