Milford chronicle., 1951-06-08
WE NEED NO SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE
SESSION

SESSION
Reports from the meeting of the Della
ware school teachers at Dover on Monday
night indicate that the teaching fraternity
will urge Governor Carvel to call a special
session of the General Assembly to pass
their desired salary raises. We 5eiieve that
the teachers are ill-advised in making such
a demand. The members of the General
Assembly have just completed five months
stay at the Legislative Building in Dover.
Certainly they had the time to give the re-
quested legislation careful scrutiny. That
the bills were not brought out of committee
would seem to an experienced legislative
observer to indicate that the majority
thought of the members was against the
measures.
Immediately following the adjournment
of the Legislature we heard threats on the
part Of some of the leaders among the
teachers of reprisal against both the Re-
publican and Democratic parties. This is
just plain foolish and can lead only to
the injury of the teachers in the long run.
AS a pressure group the teachers are just
about "nil." A large percentage of the edu-
Gators do not reside in Delaware, and for
that reason have no vote in the general cleo
tiOns. There is very considerable cross
section of residents of our State who feel
that the teachers as group have been amply
~
benefits. If those advocating drastic action
on the part of the teachers will get out
among the Wage-earners, the taxpayers and
the property owners in all sections of Della
ware they will find that there is a very strong
undercurrent against the program which
they are advocating. This statement we
make after having sounded out many citi-
zens of unquestiOnable friendship to the
schools of Delaware also to the teach
ers as a group.
We have no fight with Delaware school
teachers, but we do believe that there is a
limit to which the State can Obligate itself
financially to them or any other group. Make
no mistake about it, it will take millions of
dollars annually to finance such program
as that advocated by the educators. Della
ware is small State, its finances are limited,
and any permanent commitment to the teach
ers at this time could play havoc with the
SOlvency of the State in the future. In pri-
Vate business if an employee demands more
than the business can pay there is but one
alteTnative-let the Individual seek other
fields to explore. Delaware teachers will
have to be told that the same applies to our
little State Certainly any who leave for
greener pastures" can be replaced in some
manner. New applicants may not have all
of the degrees or friIls of the present teach
ers-but they may be better teachers at that.
This problem will have to be met eventually.
We see no reason why the present is not
just as good time as any for the show
down.
HOW MANY BUSINESS FAILURES?
How many businesses fail in this country
each year? What are the causes of CONNER
cial failures? In what sections of the cOun-
try do the failure rates run highest? What
types of business account for the largest
number Of failures?
These and related questions are answer
ed in a comprehensive booklet, called "Sur-
vival Qualities of American Business, which
has just been issued by Dun & Bradstreet,
the organization which collects and complies
all manner of financial and statistical infor-
nation covering businesses of every char
aeter and size.
The study observes, Zone of the real in-
dicatOrs of the business vitality of the ma
ton has been the relatively small number
of failures that have occurred throughout
the country. The fact that since 1900 an
average of only 7S out of every 10000 con-
Germs in business fail to make a 90 of it each
year may seem surprising to some, especially
since many men enter business each year
with little or no previous business expert
ellce. Yet the great majority of them are
able to survive in our highly competitive
economy"
In 1916, the failure rate touched its all
time low leVel-four concerns out of each
10000 went to the wall Since then the rate
has risen, reaching 81 per 10000 in 1850.
However, it is sill substantially below the
pre-war rate-in 1910, for instance it was
6S per 10000. AS might be guessed, the
worst rate recorded WSs in 1932-154 out Of
each 10000.