Milford chronicle., 1956-04-27
SHARE THE COSTS FAIRLY


ing a facility, any raise in taxes should at
tempt to charge the user in proportion to his
use of the highway and in proportion to the
additional cost that might be required by
his particular demands.
Last February, burton NJ Behling, econ
omist of the Association of American Rail-
roads appeared before a House Committee as
representative of the railroad industry-an
industry incidentally, which operates thou
sands of heavy trucks in addition to the
trains. DR.. Behling pointed out that federal
highway aid has grown great from small be-
ginnings. The time has come he said, to put
the financing of such OUTLAWS on a sound and
definite basis that will not impair the fiscal
outlook of the federal government; will
place the costs of federal highway aid on
highway users rather than general taxpay-
ers; and will collect equitable payments from
different classes of motor vehicle operators
on the basis of their relative highway use
and cost responsibilities.
These principles are all-important today,
in the light of a pending federal road pro-
gram of almost incredible scope and cost
1t is not question of penalizing or favor
ing any road user 1t is, instead, matter
of sharing the costs fairly among the differ
ent categories of users.
<&x@@G~
BUDGET SURPLUS
The joint economic committee of Con-
gress has given the nation some good news
tempered with warning. The good news is
that the federal government is likely to wind
up the fiscal year June 80 with tWo-billion-
dollar budget surplus. The warning is that
we must deal with infiationary pressures
present in our economy.
The committee staff reported that govern
ment spending this year will be about bill
lion dollars higher than President Eisen-
hover estimated last January. But receipts
are expected to top estimates by three bill
lions, which will give the budget the antici-
pated surplus.
Actually, the warning phase of the COM
mittee statement was double-barreled 1t
said that taxes should not be cut this year
despite the surplus, because such cuts would
free more money for spending and thus ir-
crease the danger of imitation. AS long as
business booms, it would keep some re-
straints on infationary forces. But it also
cautioned against the hazards of the Fed
eral Reserves present restrictive money and
credit policies. 1t urged tax cuts and easing
OF credit whenever infationary forces sub
side
All this is good advice. 1t should be kept
in mind lest the nation become over-exuber-
ant at the news that budget surplus is in
the offing.
SELLING AND THE FARMER.
President Shuman of the American Farm
Bureau Federation recently had this to say
"Too many farmers have assumed that, since
everyone must eat, we would always have a
market. Politicians have followed the same
false reasoning in adopting legislation to
fix the prices of farm products without re
gard to supply or the demand of consumers.
The near tragic result is that we have already
lost large part of our market to substitute
and synthetic products"
Mr.. Shumans solution is simple: Better,
more intensive selling and promotion of farm
products. Thousands of . /. people," ne
states, 'do not eat enough of the protective
foods-meat, milk, fruits, and vegetables y
In his opinion stepped-up promotion by far
mers, farm organizations, and other inter-
ested groups could greatly expand agricul-
lures market.
This authority would seem to be on firm
ground-and he has precedent to point to-
To take one example, number of intensive
selling campaigns have been undertaken on
behalf of various meats, with producers,
packers and retailers participating. They
have produced fine results. So have similar
campaigns on behalf of other foods
Salesmanship is all-important to the sue
cess OF American industry in every field
Agriculture needs it too.
e@E0Sx
PENALIZING AMBITION