Milford chronicle., 1960-12-02
TOUGH ON SOLDIERS

TOUGH ON SOLDIERS
The administration, down to specifics in
its battle to curb the gold outflow, has pro-
posed as a partial solution limiting the
amount of dollars spent by Americans over
seas. This is not intended as curb on
tourism. The proposal would prohibit fam
lilies of military personnel from living over
seas with the troops.
Heretofore, these families, buying food
and household supplies in foreign lands,
contributed to our trade imbalance to the
extent of several hundred million dollars an
nually. In the days when our export trade
was briSker, such an amount could easily be
counterbaanced. Now the story is differ
ent as all overseas expenditures represent
potential drain on our gold supply.
But the Pentagon has warned that re-
strictions of this kind could have an ad-
verse effect on the morale of military per-
sonnel. For in addition to the obvious ad-
vantages of having ones family living in
the Immediate vicinity, living costs are less
in those locales than in the United States
no mean consideration for many heads of
households who also happen to be soldiers.
The Treasury Department is not to be
too harshly treated for its efforts in right
ing the balance of trade, but the measure
now proposed might be considered penny
have to look forward to an. indefinite stay
overseas. Anything that jeopardizes their
ability to perform this thankless task must
be avoided.
THE WATER SQUEEZE
Few Americans give the matter much
thought but the supply of water in the Uni
ted State is limited and consumption is
steadily increasing - as our population
A c,xI4 l. 49,
ty years the water pinch will be quite no.
ticeabe.
Thirty years ago the United States con-
sumed about ninety billion gallons of water
a day. Today consumption has risen to
more than three hundred billion gallons a
day.
The estimate is that by 1875 the United
States will be consuming better than four
hundred and fifty billion gallons day. This
is very close to the supply available, and
does not leave enough of reserve to guar
antee good distribution or emergency sup
plies.
Since it is estimated that there is not
available more than about five hundred bill
lion gallons day, the approach of the prob
lem is easily seen. And if dry year or
1857, the problem could become serious in
many areas of the country quicker than ex-
pected.
The government is moving into the field
carefully. A salt-wate conversion plant
will be built at Freeport, Texas, and another
on the east coast The main problem is to
get the cost of producing this water down
to fifty cents a thousand gallons or below.
Unless the cost can be maintained at a low
figure, water users in the United States
might find themselves paying premium for
fresh water in another ten or fifteen years.
II HARM-NOT HELP
A great many sincere people, motivated
by admirable humanitarian considerations,
favor increasing the federal minimum wage,
and extending the wage-hour law to work
ers who are, and always have been exempt.
But these actions, in all likelihood, would
severely hurt those they are supposed to
help.
The publication Economics Intelligence
covers the case clearly in these words: For
tunately for the unemployed and the mar
ignal workers, the last Congress did not in
crease the legal minimum wage. When
the unemployment rate is up, raising the
minimum wage may be a severe blow to
many workers, particularly the young and
new workers without skill, the marginal
worker and Negroes. -.
"And, since higher wage at the mimi
mum always involves an upward wage push
on wages above the minimum, the disem-
ployment effects of raising the minimum
would extend to many workers earning
more than the minimum. This is particu-
larly true in period like 1860 when jobs
are not superabundant."
There is only one way in which the un-
skilled can earn higher pay without bring
ing about the dislocations Economic Intelli-
gence discusses, and without setting new in
fationary forces loose That is by learning
the sxills that will make them more produc-
tive and more valuable to the employer. 1t
can't be done just by writing or rewriting
an arbitrary law.