Milford chronicle., 1960-04-29

The impact of this is felt in all kinds of
spending To begin with, obviously, the mar
ket for everyday necessities broadens as the
families grow and increase Homes, educa-
ton, utility service, and personal care costs
naturally rise. At the same time, the appe-
tite for Injuries grows, too. An example are
the boating and travelling boons. So the
strain on the domestic budget grows steadily
heavier.
The long-term influence of all this is of
very great concern to industries including
those which stand to gain and those which
stand to lose. U. S. News quotes motor
company economist as pointing out that the
family that is going into debt this year for a
trip to Europe is unlikely to go into debt for
new car Also" This is one of the reasons
why new car Sales though good haven't
measured up to the more optimistic industry
estimates. People seem to be keeping their
cars longer. And the same thing is true of
various other expensive items, such as house
hold appliances.
Neurological changes achieved by indus
try are having their influence on buying
trends. New production methods, for in
stance, are making substantial cuts in the
cost of such items as cabin cruisers and
swimming pools. And the steady lengthen-
ing of vacation periods has an obvious effect
in the stimulation of travel-as does the sale
of tickets on the installment plan
Another important factor is the expand
ing role of the teen-agers in the economy. In
the next 10 years, youngsters in the 1919
age bracket are expected to increase in num-
Der by some 38 per cent, as against 20 per
cent for the population as whole. And the
wants and demands of young people vary
markedly from those of their elders.
Look for still sharper gains in home buy
ing, sports, travel and recreation, as the wave
of youngsters moves toward maturity and
then produces its inevitable wave of mar
riages.
Thus, the basic shifts showing up in peo-
pies wants will help to determine how fast
many industries grow in the years ahead. It
now seems a good bet that the population
explosion" will not turn out to be uniform
blessing to all businesses.
N&o<&%
THE JOB DECLINE
The Department of Labor announced in
Washington recently that March was a dis
appointing month, as far as employment and
unemployment was concerned. The blame.
was placed on the weather.
The weather in March of 1860 was worse
than in any other March since 1871, accord
ing to the Labor Department. AS result,
it is said, employment fell and unemployment
rose.
The pattern for March is usually just
the opposite
March employment totals 64,267, 900.
This was a decline from February, instead
of the normal increase. The decline was
253,000
Unemployment totaled 4,2O6.OOO in
March, and was up by 100000. Usually there
is decline of almost 100000 in unemploy-
ment in the month of March.
Administration officials still expect the
economy to experience pickup in the next
month or two, and indeed automobile sales
in recent weeks have indicated they are right.
On the other hand, some people say that
spring business will not be as good as had
been expected, and point to the March en-
ployment and unemployment figures as an
indication that economic expansion through
out 1860 will be a slow, and that stability
will be a noticeable factor to contend with,
in some periods of the year.
The vast majority of economists, how
ever, see good business for the United States
in 1860 and well into 1861 From purely
political viewpoint, few observers can see the
Republicans allowing business to slacken in
an election year.
Leaving political considerations out of
the picture, tax collections and the volume of
business are sure indicators that times are
good, and that the economy is in a healthy
state at this time, and likely to continue in a
healthy state throughout the rest of the year
and into 1861. The main question seems to
be how fast the economy will expand, and
not whether we are headed for good times or
bad, in the immediate future.
N%@N&
NIXON'S TIMING
Vice President Nixon is reported, au-
thoritatively, not to be worried about the re-
suits of the latest public opinion polls.
AS the reader probably knows, the latest
polls show that Nixon has dropped behind
Senator John Kennedy, Massachusetts Dem
ocrat, by fifty-three to forty-seven percent
edge. This is change from last year, when
Nixon-for the first time-pulled ahead of
Kennedy.
In the poll Immediately prior to the Wis
consin primary election, Nixon and Kennedy
were running ffty-ffty. The latest poll
shows that Kennedy's popularity has in
creased. Nixon is said to believe that the
primary battles, in which Kennedy is fight
ing other Democrats, have given the Massa-