Milford chronicle., 1959-02-13
FIGHT For SURVIVAL

The Internal Revenue Service, and those
who support its position hold in effect that
the private-vs-socialized power issue is po-
litical question and not business matter.
The utilities on the other hand, point out
that they are simply fighting tax-exempt
government ompetition-which, obviously,
is the toughest, most ruthless competition of
all.
This caused the Salt Lake Tribune, in
moderate editorial to say: "Most advertising
is aimed at meeting competitor. And it is re-
garded as legitimate business expense.
why isn't advertising aimed at meeting
government competition legitimate?
Actually it may be more legitimate than
normal advertising aimed at private COM
petition. For the governments competition
in the electric power field is not always fair.
Public power projects enjoy certain financ-
ing and tax advantages unavailable to pri-
vate utilities"
Actually, the utilities must do much more
than meet competition from the govern
ment. Their fight is for survival. 1t is GER
tainly no secret that the ultimate goal of the
public power forces is total socialization of
the industry.
In that connection, something else said
by the Tribune is significant: mo one has
made any move to muzZle the advocates OF
public power Why attempt to muzzle those
who seek to present the other side?" Do the
advocates of socialization want to Danish the
rights of free speech and free expression, on
pain of heavy tax penalties?
PAYING OTHER PEOPLES BILLS
When you go into a store to buy some
article, you don't expect someone next in
line or walking down the street outside to
a part of its cost-you expect to pay the
whole bill yourself Conversely, you don't
expect to pay part of the cost of purchases
made by other people.
This simple and obvious truism governs
all the myriad transactions involving goods
and services we make In the course of life
with some exceptions.
One of those exceptions has long been
parcel post. The patrons of this service may
not know it-bEt they aren't paying the
whole bill for what they get.
Here's the story. Over 29-year period,
the reported parcel post defcit-borne by
the post office department and hence by the
taxpayers at large-came to 1,204 ,00O,O 900.
And even that does not give the complete
picture. The official reports do not include
all of the expenses that parcel post oper-
ations incur. These unreported, indirect ex-
penses have been estimated at $43 million a
year.
Under the law, parcel post, unlike other
post office services, is supposed to be self
supporting. Therefore, the Postmaster Cen
eral has asked for Interstate Commerce Com
mission permission to increase parcel post
charges, by an average of some IT per cent.
This is all to the good and comparable steps
should have been taken years back. At the
same time, there is a question if the pro-
jected increase will cover all losses, direct.
and indirect.
The point is that there's no more reason
to subsidize someone else's costs of sending
packages through the mails, than there is
to subsidize his rent or ANYTHING else.
PROTECTING RESPONSIBLE MOTORISTS
Despite the number of different laws, in
the various states, that require motorists to
carry insurance or providing stiff penalties
against those who do not, in most of the
states in the Union irresponsible motorists
are still causing heavy human and physical
damage, without having to compensate for
their acts.
Since most motorists drive through a
number of states over period of time, the
problem is almost national one. Although
the effort to require motorists to carry in
surance is supported by large and growing
number of people, the various states have
not vet come up with this solution and,
therefore, the highways are filled with ir-
responsible drivers who do not have the
financial means to compensate for the de-
struction they may at any time cause.
This is a problem which should be
solved because it can be solved. If the
various state legislatures do not vish to pass
laws requiring motorists to carry insurance,
then they should pass some sort of law which
would protect the victim of the irresponsible
motorists. There is no reason why any citi-
zen should be allowed to take to the highway
with a machine which might cause both
death and destruction, in irresponsible hands,
wien he has neither the means nor the insur-
ance to compensate for destruction which he
might cause.
5000
WHAT Do WE WANT
+, Not many of us in this rich country can
afford to buy everything we want all at once.
And what is true for us as individuals is
true for us as nation.
Many a man has spent his family into
ruin by trying to live too high. We are fast
dAir,nr hho fhirnnr To ral1n. notion