Evening star., 1949-02-16


$145 for furnished apartment for which
he now is getting sos.
A HARRIED HOMEMAKER
Alcohol From Potatoes
To the Editor of The Star:
was in Washington last week and in
your issue of February 8, noticed an edi-
torial entitled For Less Potato Waste" 1t
has always seemed to me to be the height
of folly to grow potatoes and then to destroy
them as the Government is doing just to
hold up the price, especially when they
can furnish substantial amount of alco-
hol. It's high time that we had alcohol
engines in operation.
Why should the farmers up in the Aroo-
stock County. Maine, pay for oil shipped
from Texas or some other faraway place
when they have plenty of potatoes, from
which they could make alcohol to use for
that work. The time Is coming when our
oil supply will be greatly reduced AS a
matter of fact, it is being reduced right
now. A. D. T. LIBBY.
Differs With Mr.. Stokes on Pensions
To the Editor of The Star:
Your columnist Tom Stokes in his article
in Fridays Star, Veterans Pension Bogey,"
seems much perturbed for fear a veterans
pension will be authorized by Congress. He
states: Our Government has been most
generous to veterans Of both World
Wars" also 1T Is ventured that vet
Grams prefer to be regarded as citizens, rather
than political stooges, and due respect for
them demands they be treated on that basis"
Let's look at the facts. Mr.. Stokes COM
ments regarding the treatment of World
War II veterans may be true, but they apply
in no way to the treatment of World War
veterans. They have been the forgotten men.
From personal knowledge, the writer can
say that neither he nor any of his friends
who served many months with him in the
AEF in World War I ever received anything
except small cash bonus some Is years ago,
although that war has been terminated for
more than 30 years.
AS to the second part of Mr.. Stokes
statement; that veterans prefer to be re-
garded as citizens rather than political
stooges, etc. 1t might be of interest to
know how he deduces the idea that an ex
soldier who accepts pension in his declining
years when few doors of employment are
open to him ceases to be a self-reSpecting
citizen. Also, If Mr.. Stokes would apply the
same reasoning to Spanish American War
veterans and to Civil War veterans and their
widows who not only have received pensions
for many years but have had their pensions
increased to follow the high living costs
Regarding Representative Rankin and his
efforts: There should be more like him.
He, as usual, Is working hard in a worthy
cause and should receive the support Of all
fairminded people. F. D. NASH.
Teachers Wage Increase Small
To the Editor Of The Star:
The same old false rumors about past
fabulous pay increases for Washington pub
lie school teachers seem to be circulating.
This time. however. brand new canard
has gotten loose. It is that our teachers
have received an 81 per cent increase
since the war
This story contains about spoonful Of
truth and a gallon of falsehood. Before
l943 the teachers who started in the ele-
mentary schools got $1,4o0 year; those
who started in the same positions now get
$2500 year. If some hypothetical teacher
had started in 1941. had quit after a year
and had reentered after July. 1947, he would
thus have gotten an increase of over 80
per cent.
As matter of fact, no group OF teachers
in our city actually has gotten such raise
The following examples are typical OF the
general situation. Some high school teach
ers who got $4,000 year before the war.
now are getting $4,150 a year which is an
increase Of approximately 80 per cent Many
instructors in secondary schools who got
$4,000 annually seven years ago, now are
getting $4,000 year, an increase of little
more than 40 per cent. Full professors in
the Teachers Colleges, who used to get
$4,000 a year. now may some day get $4,000
a year. an increase of 33b per cent. None
of them have gotten that salary yet; but
If they live and teach long enough they will.
Then, some people still repeat the old
story that the teachers got $500 raise two
years ago. That one apparently has nine
lives. Intelligent readers probably are tired
of being told that former $3.50 increase
was made permanent and hundred or so
dollars added to it.
Still. such misleading statements are being
used to justly the denial Of much needed
pay increase for Washington teachers.
DON B. GOODLOE,
Legislative Representative. Local ~, Amer
lean Federation Of Teachers.
Hunting a House
To the Editor of The Star:
I have lived in the six-room house rent