Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1952-01-18
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= GEORGE & BENSON
\ Hssiltsf--Nsslixy college
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An Enterprise Story

@ASSo~M ~ 0AtSl PRISE - q SUI OES
and dynamic principle. 1t continues
to work " wonders despite the
many ways we have hedged it
about. The sorry plight of our time
Is that We have found such a fine
vsy Of life. proved that it works
20 well, then cared so little to pro-
tsct and j cherish 1t. Yes, a lot OF
~ pay1dest-rate lip service to free
enterprise.
But when It's time for the crucial
tsss. what happense We let the
politicians (who ought to become
ssatssmen when slected) spread the
dsath-web OF bureaucracy far and
wide. We seem to agree that gov
ernEasnt oan do it-oh, just almost
snything-so much betterl We tax
industry aand incomes until capital
= too scared to have any enter
prise left. In short. we back en-
ssrpriss right up 10 the precipice,
and seem not TO realize what we
havs done.
ss,sss Lives
! have said that free enterprise
still works Us wonders. One of the
most sn,axing examples of free
dean Of business enterprise has been
working miracles right before our
eyos DOW for FIVE years, and we
have sarcely noticed it. One of the
natlon's top science writer's, ]. D.
Rstoli6. has outlined the miracle
story Of penicillin manufacture in
the January issue Of Nations Bush
nsss." Ratcaif says this great med
ieins Is now the biggest selling item
IN tho drug trade. saving $4,000
lives yearly from pneumonia alone.
Just . few short years ago pen
icillin was made in laboratory TASKS
and sold for q fancy price. But.
then, American industry tackled the
job ee producing penicillin. At first
the quoted market price was $40
Per 100. 600 units. but today a dol
Ar's worth Of penicillin will rout
dreaded pneumonia.
Courage and Vision
Now did al this happen? Well, It
took enterprise and lots of it. Pen
icillin manufacture was pretty
much . guessing game-at first. It
took courage to invest and to PLAN
Ascending to Ratclif, one small
company in the chemical industry
had this courage and vision.
It seems that a man named John
L. Smith, president Of Charles
Pfioer & Company, Brooklyn. gets
the main honors for penicillin man
ufacturs. Smith was an immigrant
to this country at tho age of two
years, and worked his way up to
IN education in chemistry. After he
became president of that small
drm, specialists in microbes and
fermentation processes, Smith heard
Of psnicillin. Then Smith took a
chance. made possible by Americas
system 1t enterprise.
A Real Test
This man Smith made plans to
spend ~ million dollars for a giant
new penicillin plant. That was big
money. for his company was do
ing only about twice that amount
Of business annually. Besides. SCI
snce was not certain about what
peaicillia could do. But Smith had
seen it save lives, and he intended
to produce 1t. He did, in watts as
large as tank cars. The demand
was great. Then others began to
make it. Still, the Pfizer company's
sales jumped to 50 million dollars
. year. s.The country had it's prec-
ious per6cillin.
This is'a grand success story. But
Il is not.n new one. The same kind
q story mas been repeated count
less times in the building Of Amer
lea. Freedom Of enterprise has
helped make our land into land of
plenty. 1t would be well if we should
vest eysfy bill in Congress. every
nsttSaal policy. with the question:
viii Il encourage. or will it hinder.
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