Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1950-10-06
Who And Whof
Causes Infection?

IL leveled against our unions by the
Times. Vice President Gosser - in an
open letter to the editor of this sheet
pointed out that initiation, high prices are
caused by the employers the mer-
chants and not by the working people and
their demands for higher wages.
The editor of the Times now takes oc-
casion to answer Vice President Gosser.
He does this in his usual way by over
looking the o b viou and by parrottlng
f~alsehoods, although much to our sur
prise - in somewhat tempered language.
Vice President Gosser pointed out that
the sudden jump in prices began with the
outbreak of conflict in Korea. He further
pointed out that wage increases did not
come until after the Korean situation de-
veloped. Surely these statements are plain
and simple enough and easily checked.
But not for the earne d editor of the
Times.
"Mr. Gosser's reasoning" declares the
editor of the Times, sis specious. To begin
with, the price increases set in long be-
fore the war in Korea started. The retail
cost of food began to increase in Febru-
airy.
WELL, THIS Just isn't so. The facts
are and surely our memory is not so
short as to forget this - that food costs
according to government figures were hit
ting new lows about January and Febru-
airy. Based on the Bureau of Labor Stats
tics figures, for example, General Motors
workers - and Doehler-Jarvis workers
right here in Toledo - took q two cents
per hour cut In their wages in accordance
with the drop In the cost of living.
This wage cut in case the Times
does not remember went into effect on
March 9th.
But even more important than this Is
the fact that prices stayed almost station
ary for the next three months since wages
for GIN. and Doehler-Jarvis workers were
not increased even in June. This Is ex-
planned by the fact that the BIS. figures
did not show an increase that amounted to
even one point in the cost of living index.
NOR CAN WE forget" that during
this same period especially the first
three months of this year - Toledo was
beset by serious unemployment problems.
So much so that many people began to
insist that Toledo classed as a distress
area" insofar as employment to alleviate
our unemployment problem.
These are facts that the editor of the
Times should be well aware of. And
perhaps he is, but it suits his fancy to
take a crack" at Vice President Gosser
and to accuse the unions and the workers
for the rise in the cost Of living.
NOR SHOULD this great editor forget
the little problem of corporation profits"
Surely he knows that profits for the first
six months of 1850 has surpassed all pre-
vious records in this respect. But if he
does not remember" this little fact, here
are a few figures for him to chew over:
According TO the National City Bank
of New York the net income of leading
corporations for the first six months of
1850 as ompared with the first six
months of 1949 - after taxes - were ST.
SCI, 1881 and s2,O21, 1886 respectively. This
is a neat little Jump of 27%o. Not bad at
all, is IL, sir?
IL is even more interesting that the
estimated net profit for all corporations
for 1850 amounts TO the fantastic sum of
S23.5 billion as against the eually incredi-
BILE $40 billion for 1949.
OF COURSE, we could go on and point
HOAN ~ PAtN@o "a III Sd. ny iNdPo diid
sounds following the outbreak of war in
Korea. But we presum e that even the
editor Of the Times will not deny that
fact. However, from these little simple
facts we can see that prices went up
not In February as the Times would like
to have us believe, but much latter - be-
cause the employers and merchants raised
them to "gouge" the public. That in addi-
tion to the immoral price hikes, these
same employers and Big Business gen.
orally were racking in unprecedented
profits.
That on top Of it all the Congress, con-
trolled by h reactionary Republicans
and the equally reactionary Dixiecrats,
liked income taxes but failed to provide
for an excess profits tax law.
Is 1t any wonder that workers are
fighting for and in many cases, sue
~cessfully so - higher wages? AS it is, as
every worker so well knows and as the
editor of the Times ought to know, wages
fare far behin d the cost of living and
profits.
These are the facts whether MIR. Editor
OF the Times likes it or not.