Milford chronicle., 1957-11-15
TOBACCO AND CHILDREN

The American cancer Society is cOnSld-
ering a program which would educate school
children on the merits and demerits of smOk-
ing. The idea would be to adopt a program
which would bring the facts about smoking
to children in their schOorOOmS.
Since there is no longer much doubt,
among reasonable persons, that smoking and
lung cancer are connected (the exact rela-
tionship may not be understood but there is
a definite connection) a number of officials
in the American Cancer Society feel that it
is the society's duty to bring the truth to
children to enable them to decide for them
selves on the question of smoking.
In other words, it is felt that the huge
sales and advertising campaigns of the Gig
arctic companies might not fully explain the
other side of the picture, so to speak, or the
opinions of those doctors and medical organ
izations which now feel that heavy, chain
smoking is very risky habit from the health
standpoint.
We think the American Cancer Society
could perform service by presenting the
facts as they were offered to the American
public by the u. S. Public Health Service re-
Gently. While the Public Health Service did
not tell any American what to do 1t did
admit that scientific research and study in
recent years had reached the stage of accom-
plishment where there was no longer much
doubt that there was some sort of connection
between lung cancer and heavy cigarette
smoking.
School children should get this informa-
tion from reliable sources, as part of their
general education, so that they will have the
facts enabling them to make the best decis-
ion possible for their future.
1SS@&&
$3,OOO,OOO,OOO WORTH OF SHIPS
AS most of us know, the government pro-
videS what are known as construction-differ
ential subsidies to steamship companies SerV-
ing this country's vital foreign trade. And
the reason for this long-estabished policy is
both simple and compelling. Due in large
part to wage differences, it costs great deal
more to build ships in American yards than
in foreign yards. So the payments are neces-
sary in order to keep our yards alive.
Too often, when there is talk about ship
ping subsidies, the thought is that govern
ment pays the whole bill. That isn't correct
at all. For instance, in the case OF modern
freighter costing SO million, the government
payment is in the neighborhood of S4 million,
leaving the remaining Sc million to be paid
by the operator-whch is the price he would
have paid to build his ship in foreign yard.
On top of this, if taxes returned to the gov
ernment from shipyards, their employees and
their subcontractOrs are considered, the dlt-
ferential subsidy is reduced by 1856 per cent,
and becomes about ST. million instead OF S4
million.
Over the next 10 to Is years some 800
American merchant ships will have to be re-
placed, at an estimated cost of more than So
billion. The operators will pay more than
half of that. And these operators, it should
be noted, are in a different position from
other industrialists who do not have to COM
pletely replace their facilities every 20 years.
The United States cannot afford to be at the
mercy of foreign yards for its ship cOnstruc-
ton.