Montana labor news., 1950-08-10

PROPERTY. AS WELL AS MEN, SHOULD BE MObiLIZEO
What is there so sacred about property compared 10 IN
lives 81 these young people!
Thai il the question tossed at the Senate finance committee
. few d.y, ago by Bernard Baruch. elder statesman who has
Barch told the Senators that they had had no hesitation IN
mohI;z;ne men-many Of whom will die on bathefelds and
most Of whom will suffer severe personal hardships-and ne
advised that the government should snow II o es e''a"
on modifying property. ),
In his testimony. Baruch hit squarely on a point that Is OF
great concern to every working man. !.
For unless drastic steps are taken to mobilize property an0
control prices and profits, it Is the working man, as usual.
who will suffer most from either a war or a heavy oe'ense
program.
Working mems sons will die and working mems incomes
will be ruined by initiation. while the greeoy get u"'e''
drastic steps are taken.
Already. those who control wealth in the United States are
profteering from the war scare.
Automobile have gone up in price. although the auto
makers are paying no more to their laborers n n
companies are paying no more to tneirs.
Gasoline prices have risen one to one and a half cents
in most areas, although the labor cost OF producing a gallon
Of gasoline is going down.
The tire manufacturers insist there is no shortage of rubber
but if there are plenty Of tires. they must be in hidden storage
for few are on display on the sales racks.
Groceries are going up rapidly.
The problem is to enact controls so that every citizen can
hold his own. instead of the HAYES having more and the
have nots' having less.
Baruch propose. an immediate. overall ceiling across the
entire economy. He would roll prices back to June Is levels.
freeze wages. freeze rents, levy taxes high enough to pre-
vent profiteenng and pay all defense costs.
Not only would such a program keep the home economy
shipshape. but it is the only way Of MODELLING a strength
equal to that of Russia. Baruch points Out.
Baruch told the Senators that a hundred billion dollars
actually was added to the cost of the last war because price
controls were delayed and then imposed piecemeal.
Baruch said he thought workers would approve of wage
controls if they were accompanied by a stingent tax bill which
included an excess profits tax and by genuine controls on
prices and on rents.
There are screwballs about who say thai vars r brought
on by the wealthy. SO that they can get weather., while the
poor boys die as buck private soldiers.
h - kny1Iu true h o~Iaao has aQ much IN I0oA
a. the wealthy in this conflict with totaltananism. Should
the totaitarian forces overrun the nation. it would be the
working people who would become slave laborers, while the
wealthy probably would figure out a way to get along under
any sort of government. That has been the situation in the
past when nations have fallen to invading forces.
But in the process of fighting a war or of mobilizing forces
to defend the country there is a great danger of loss of civil
rights and lowering of living standards for the working class.
While there are few people in our nation 81 greedy or 50
stupid as to deliberately provoke a war. there re millions
greedy enough to try to profit from one. once il has started.
The problem today for working people is to insist that this
mobilization program-essential as it is for all of US in all
economic classes-must be carried on in such way that the
greedy do not profit