Evening star., 1962-04-17
LETTERS TO THE STAR
Some Questions, Lots of Answers on Steel

CrlDuClOnS attributable TO Dig
business for the progress and
welfare of our country.
The responsibility of one
to the other does not end
with the corporations obli-
cation to the Government.
The Government should also
consider the reverse. Let's not
destroy the incentive that
made big business big and
successful. We need the
giant size corporations to
keep our employment at a
high level, to compete inter-
nationally, and lat, let us
not forget that big corpora
tions played a vital role in
the victory of World War II.
Herbert SOmmers.
Governments are presumed
to be impersonal. We take
pride in saying that ours is q
Government of laws, not of
men," Yet all the correspond
ents attributed anger, with
various qualifying adjectives,
to the President in his steel
news conference. and anger
can only be personal. Are we
coming around again to Louis
XIV's attitude that II am the
state?"
For 80 years a tiny hand
full" of labor leaders have
been acting in flagrant dis
regard Of the public inter-
est, with no reproof from
any administration. Why the
double standard? The Presi-
dent spoke of the award to
labor which broke the line, as
being within the rise in pro-
ductivity. But any such rise
comes about through the use
Of better tools and processes,
which can only be provided by
either an infusion Of new
capital or the application of
retained profits and reserves.
Is it the position Of the ad-
minstration that all the bene-
fits arising from better tools
of production must be award
ed to labor? If so. why? We
have been told that modern
ization Of plant will improve
the competitive position Of
the industry in international
trade through reduction Of
costs. How does this happen
if such reductions are mere
ly added to the wage bill, as
has occurred this year with
administration blessing?
And what Of the future Of
the steel industry? Will it
be permitted, later on, to
raise prices more discreetly
on selected items, while Gov
ernment looks the other way?
Failing that, a direct subsidy
from the Treasury? Or con-
demned to a slow decline
from anemia, until nationali-
zation seems the only way
out? C. Glenn Whitlock.
=
Now we can add a Black
Friday the 18th to the in
famous Black Thursday of
1929.
Big government, by threat
and intimidation, has now
achieved the goal of the
ultra-liberals to control
business by subjecting it to
government approved higher
labor costs (fringe benefits
also cost m money and
throwing its full force into
keeping business from
making a fair return on its
investment.
We can probably expect
that shortly a new arm will
be created on the government
octapus to rule on the daily
price changes Of a tube Of
toothpaste in drug stores. a
can of peas in food stores,
and a jar of paste in dime
stores. The increased taxes
to support this agency to
keep prices down will, of
course, be more expensive
than the increased prices
would have been, but the
liberals won't care about that.
1t is a sad day for the
country when its leader puts
his reelection and personal
power in a place above the
basic principles upon which
that country was founded
free enterprise.
Allen T. Pattison.
y kA
I want to say, to the pub
lie, God Bless Our President.
Mr.. Kennedy is a man who
really loves the people of
this great United States.
The fight which he has
started against the unfair
ness Of the steel companies,
must be backed by every
hard working American.
Rev. GaywOod s. Mcclure
Shop Steward of the United
Steel Workers Of America No.
1909. Member, Of the Baptist
Minister'S Conference of Bal
timore and Vicinity.