THE NEWBERRY SUN. NEWBERRY. S. C.
Washington Di&estj
Abolish Post Exchanges?
Oh! Perish the Thought
By BAUKHAGE
Sews Analyst and Commentator,
WASHINTON.—Members of a sub-committee of the
armed services committee of congress have recently com
pleted a highly interesting tour of investigation. It was or
dered because of a spirited controversy now going on in
Washington.
I can't help mentioning the subject because its background is made
up of some ancient vivid memories—memories of the day when, as a
lonely recruit in an ill-fitting uniform and sagging wrap-leggings, I wan
dered into an army post-exchange for the first time, more than three
decades ago.
Bankhage
As I looked around the dreary set
ting my loneliness was not alleviat
ed. I was at that moment yearning
ler the corner drugstore back home.
1 can hardly reconcile that men
tal pichre with the one of Corporal
Roberts, shown on
this page, as he
reaches for his
milkshake prof
fered by a plump
and friendly dam
sel! The smile she
is passing out with
the drink would
have meant far
more to me that
day than the smile
on the face of the
general. Now don’t
think I’m preju
diced against gen
erals, as a class.
(Some of my best
friends are generals). But I must
say that what I missed most in the
gloomy PX of my rookie experience
was woft the gleam of a general's
stars.
Since that sad day, I have vis-
' lied many army post exchanges
and some ships’ service stores
(the navy equivalent), and I was
a little startled when I heard
Just recently that they were be
ing threatened with abolition.
Of course there are two sides to
every story. I’ll try to forget per
sonal prejudice in favor of any
thing that gives the armed services
a break, and present both sides.
One side is represented by private
businessmen. They charge that the
exchanges which sell the soldier
and his family a lot of things at
reduced prices is "big business”
subsidized by the government, com
peting with "little business” run by
private enterprise.
The exchanges take in abont
$138 million gross annually. Ac
cording to a recent analysis,
quoted by the “Army Times” (a
non-official but approved news
paper for servicemen) the aver
age soldier spends $24 a month
in the PX.
Three-fourths of this $24 goes, ac
cording to the analysis, for “tobac
co, food at fountain, cafeteria and
snack bar, for uniforms and insig
nia, and for candy end bottled
drinks.” The remaining one-fourth
goes for all other purchases, includ
ing the “special orders” which
many merchants object to, "al
though special orders constitute less
than 3 per cent of the exchange
business.”
This 25 per cent of the total sales
of the exchanges (or 40 million dol
lars) is only a tiny fraction of the
billions spent by the American peo
ple every year in private stores on
jewelry, watches, radios, cosmetics,
toilet goods, and semi-durable house
furnishings which come under the
head of the “all other purchases”
bought in the exchange.
The Army Times points out that
the PX competition is chiefly with
the stores in the immediate vicinity
•f army posts. But would those
business people rather have no post
(here at all? The soldier spends
plenty off post. Enough, anyway,
to have the congressman very anx
ious and very active in trying to
obtain or hold army and navy in
stallations^within his constituency.
Looking' at the other side of the
picture, it is true that some serv
icemen and ex-servicemen have tak-
I think the returning congress
men will verify this. •
The army and navy don’t say so,
but it is no pleasure to them i to
have to take on the burden of a
business simply to offer advantages
to servicemen and women and their
farnilies which make life easier and
cheaper. Ask any post exchange
officer how much of a headache an
inventory is. He would far rather
be inspecting foot-lockers or stand
ing reveille.
The biggest gripe the retailers
have against the post exchanges
arfd ships’ service stores is the fact
that such stores don’t have to pay
(or charge for) excise taxes. In
fact the retailers have demanded
that/the department of justice look
into thb legality of the situation.
How the department decides has
nothing to do with the army and
navy—that is, it will be a matter for
the civilian branch in this respect:
If the justice department says it’s
OK by them, the merchants prob
ably will carry their lament to the
congress. Then the congress which
makes the tax laws and is elected
by the people who pay those taxes
and also the people whose sons and
daughters are in the armed'forces,
will decide the matter.
And there is also this to be re
membered: true, the exchange does
have the excise tax-exempt priv
ilege, but otherwise it must meet
many if not most of the expenses
any retailer has to meet. The ex-
New off-duty hangont for Fort
Ord, Calif., soldiers was opened
recently when soda fountain No.
10 was put into operation officially
by Maj. Gen. Jens A. Doe (left),
the commanding general. Lois
Kuykindali serves first milk shake
to Cpl. James B. Roberts.
change manager has help to pay
and insure, has maintenance, super
vision and accounting costs along
with a host of other expenses faced
by any merchant—costs and bur
dens which seldom occur to the av
erage consumer.
The exchanges also have to
make a “profit”—not a profit to
them, but a 6 per cent figure
which the law demands they
must clear over all expenses
and turn into welfare funds.
Their , "mark-ups” are, of
course, less than those of the
merchant.
The Army Times puts the argu
ment this way:
“Out of these markups, the ex
changes run themselves and pay
the 6 per cent to welfare. That is,
the GI buying in an exchange pays
enough over costs to return to him
self over 70 per cent of the expense
of a multitude of off duty activities
—music, service clubs, day rooms,
hobby shops, soldier shows, library
service, athletic facilities and equip
ment, and the like.
"The theaters ante under 10 per
cent of the welfare requirement; the
taxpayers put up just about 15 per
cent of the vitally necessary welfare
and recreation bill.”
If the exchanges didn’t turn in
that 6 per cent profit, the taxpayer
would have to provide the welfare
items mentioned above. Or the GI
of today would have even less diver
sion to brighten the barren sur
roundings of camp or post than did
this lonely rookie when he walked
into the decidedly limited institu
tion which the regular army post
provided where your correspondent
began his none-too-brilliant but nev
ertheless unforgettable army ca.
Sgt. Walter W. Wynhoff and
Capt. C. A. Cubbler look over a
counter that Wynhoff built for the
34th general hospital at Seoul,
Korea, during his off-duty time.
en advantage of the exchanges.
They have made purchases for re
sale and bought for friends who had
no service connections. Also retired
personnel have made purchases
when they no longer legally should
exercise the privilege.
Restrictions have been tight
ened up, however, and every ef
fort is being made to defeat the
serviceman who is trying to cut
off his own nose to spite his face
when be violates regulations.
Much of man’s cussedness stems
from poor food habits which un
dermine mental poise and sociabil
ity, says a paper read at the Ameri
can Chemical society. Maybe it’s
time for the bride to take those
jokes about her cooking seriously.
A letter ts the American Machin
ist says that when an executive
dates an employee he should never
discuss it with other employees.
Maybe the less discussing she does
the better, too.
Hens which drink from stagnant
pools lay off-flavor eggs, says the
Canadian Farm News. And even
their best friends won’t tell them!
NOBEL PRIZE ... Dr.. Paul
Mueller of Switzerland was
awarded the 1948 Nobel prize in
physiology for his discovery in
1939 of the insecticide known as
DDT which saved the lives of
many refugees.
HAIR-RAISER ... Mrs. John
ny Olsen of Chicago, Hi., made
a vow in 1932 that she would not
cut her hair as long as a Demo
crat sat in the White House.
Now, scissors or no scissors,
she’ll have to wait another four
years.
ARMY BRASS ... Lfeut. Gen.
J. Lawton Collins has been ap
pointed to the newly created of
fice of army vice chief-of-staff.
HA will take some of the admin
istrative load off the shoulders
of Chief-of-staff Gen. Omar
Bradley.
^ -\
INHERITANCE ... Pasquale
(Pat) larossi of Camden, N. J v
grins lavishly about the “$200,-
000” soaped on the mirror of
his barber shop. He helped a
down-and-out stranger 44 years
ago, and when the man died last
month he left the bulk of his
estate to Pat.
ONCE AROUND . . . Mrs. Mor-
row-Tait of Cambridge, Eng
land, strides from the cockpit of
her little single-engine plane at
Haneda air field, Tokyo. She and
her navigator, Michael Town
send, are flying around the
world.
NOT FUNNY TO HOGAN ... On the rostrum, Austin Hogan, president
of New York local 100 of the Transport Workers Union, tells 600 rebel
lious bus strikers to return to work, while, because of an odd camera
angle, the cherubic face of Michael Quill, TWU international president.
Is reflected on the side of the speaker’s stand. Quill, who is obviously
enjoying Hogan’s discomfiture, was accused of "selling out” in the
recent New York bus drivers strike.
LOOKS LIKE A SAND BURR . ’. . Joan White, a senior in Hallahan
girls’ high school in Philadelphia, got her hair-do all stood up when she
submitted to a scientific experiment at the Franklin institute. And all
she did was place her hand gently on a model of a Van deGraff gener
ator. This widget, however, builds up high charges of static electricity.
Miss White got a charge of 150,000 volts, every one of them strictly
harmless—iu a hair-raising sort of way.
MAN-TO-MAN TALK . . . "Got a liberty pass, sailor?" And little
Richard Davidson, 4, of New York, who can get tough, too, answers
"Who wants to know?” He looks skyward toward Shore Patrolman
Arthur Davis and glares right back. It was an amusing interlude as
thousands of Navy Day visitors trod the historic decks of the battle>
ship Missouri, on which the Japanese surrender was signed.
a
BIG WIGS AT PARLIAMENT . . . Garbed in the traditional robes and
wigs of their office and encrusted with many medals, British judges
leave the parliament building in London after the colorful opening ses
sion during which the king wore his crown and parliamentary robes for
the first time in ten years. Bepresentatives from distant parts of the
empire also are shown leaving the famed hails.
The Bernadette Plan
TNSIDE story of the origin of the
•■■Bemadotte plan now has leaked
out.
The Bemadotte plan was devel
oped at a highly secret meeting on
the island of Rhodes just before
Bemadotte was killed. Present were
only four people—Sir John Trout-
beck, British ambassador to Egypt;
Robert McClintock, U. S. state de
partment official; Count Bemadotte
and Dr. Ralph Bunche, Bemadotte’s
deputy.
The British ambassador bluntly
announced he had instructions from
Foreign Minister Bevin not to sup
port any plan unless it provided for
handing over the potentially wealthy
Negev area to the Arabs.
Previously, the United Nations
had awarded the Negev to Israel,
and largely because of this. State
Department Representative Mc
Clintock refused to accept the
Bevin proposal. McClintock de
scribed it as similar to the Grady-
Morrisson plan for the partition of
the Holy Land which the United
States had flatly rejected. Coldly,
Sir John Troutbeck replied that
there would be no agreement on
Palestine unless, the Arabs got the
Negev. Result of this basic dis
agreement was that Bemadotte and
Bunche had to mediate not between
the Jews and the Arabs, but rather
between the Americans and the
British.
Finally, McClintock agreed to
cable Washington the text of the
British proposals.
Significantly the Bemadotte
plan never was discussed by the
mediators with either the Israeli
government or the Arabs. It
came directly from Bevin as the
British price for the acceptance
of any plan for settlement in
the Holy Land.
When McClintock got word back
from Washington that the state de
partment favored Bevin’s proposal
regarding the Negev, he was
amazed. However, that’s how the so-
called Bemadotte plan was bom.
• • •
Economic Forecast
Crystal-balling is a favorite in
door sport in Washington, not only
with newspaper columnists, but
with government economists. How
ever, while a columnist must pub
licly climb out on a limb when he
predicts the future, economists fre
quently can keep their forecasts
secret.
Right now, super-prediction dh the
nation's economic outlook for the
next six years is reposing in a top-
secret file at the agriculture depart
ment. Prepared by the bureau of
agricultural economics, the forecast
deals chiefly with the years 1950
through 1954. Based on the assump
tion there will be no war, here’s
the gist of the economic forecast.
DEPRESSION—There will be no
major depression in the next six
years and no runaway inflation.
NATIONAL INCOME—Barring an
unforseen sharp decline in employ
ment during the 1950-’54 period,
money available for consumer
spending may average as high as
in 1948, with purchasing power 10
per cent greater, due to lower
prices. Net farm income may drop
15 per cent, however, due to lower
prices and continued high produc
tion costs.
PRICES — A drop in consumer
prices will average 10 per cent frdm
1948 on, during the five-year period,
but the retail price level still will
be more than 50 per cent above pre
war years. If unemployment (now
about 1,900,000) reaches 9,000,000 at
any stage, retail prices may drop
20 per cent below the 1948 level.
EMPLOYMENT — Unemployment
could reach 9,000,000 but is not
likely to go over 6,000,000. However,
full employment (60,000,000) is a
"distinct possibility’'’ during some
and perhaps all years from 1950-
’54. If productivity per worker con
tinues at its present rate, total na
tional production by 1952 will be 8
per cent greater than 1948.
✓ • • •
Red Tape Over Air
Veterans going into the air-freight
business are still snarled in red
tape, can’t get government certifica
tion from the civil aeronautics
board. In formal hearing*, the
board has been lined up almost
solidly behind the big airlines which
are opposing the veterans.
One CAB member, Harold A.
Jones, was so eloquent in express
ing the big airlines’ point of view
that the grateful American airlines
counsel, Dan Gribbon, injudicious
ly let slip this remark in front of
every° ne:
“Mr. Jones, I don’t think
yon could have put your com
pany’s policy into better
words."
Jones coughed nervously, colored
with embarrassment.
NOTE — The air force has an-
icunced the urgent need for building
up an air-cargo fleet. Yet usually
astute Seth Richardson, counsel for
Northwest airlines, testified: "This
whole proceeding is inopportune.
There may be need for an air
freight industry five or 10 years
from now, but not now."
ELEPHANTS ARE AVAILABLE
In the hour of inflation comes
the news that elephants — are
cheap. Pachyderm prices have been
slashed. You can get an elephant
at a bargain and you won’t have to
wait your turn on the list. What’s
more, you won’t have to turn in the
old one.
Ceremonial Indian elephants are
down as low as $60. (Good condi
tion, low mileage and without the
need of an overhaul job!)
It is due to the maharajah situa
tion which is all bad. For centuries
an Indian maharajah sat on the top
tier of those men who made a spe
cialty of sitting pretty. No curtail
ment could touch him. He had his
own principality and carried a
spare; he boasted a palace for
every occasion and an elephant for
every mood.
Of all his trappings the
pachyderm was close to a num
ber one spot. A maharajah was
known by the elephants he kept.
It took hay, but the expression
“that ain’t hay” never applied
to a rajah’s money. A rajah
sever seems to start with one
elephant and work up. He was
born with a» big supply. And
those elephants had to be good.
There wCre rigid tests and the
minute an elephant showed wear
and tear he was through. No deteri
orations were stood for. You never
heard of a reconditioned Jumbo.
•___
But the new order in India has
changed all that. The mahara
jah business is in worse than a
slump. It is busted wide open.
Cheap as a secondhand ele
phant is, you can get a brand
new maharajah for less, and
with time payments.
•
The best of them are scrimping
to make both ends meet and the
problem is not made any simpler
by the fact there is an elephant at
each end. In the past it has been
traditional that a maharajah has
been able to charge off the upkeep
of his elephants to the state, billing
his country for all the hay, hide
polish and incidentals. But with
India’s freedom and the growing
revolution this has been discon
tinued without notice. The Gaekwar
of Baroda used to get 10 million
dollars a year from the state, pay
able in advance, but now he, too,
may have to go to work, and not
in an elephant howdah.
•_ *
Maharajahs have been forced
to dispose of their palaces and
drop their retinues of servants
dancing girls. Some of them
are without visible means of
support. Here and there you
can find one who would give
anything for a nice little
quonset hut with just room
enough to hang his elephant
memories.
•
Throughout the world of rajahs
there rings the command, "Take
them there elephants out and un
load ’em for what they will bring!”
There are few left who are not
complaining, “Things are not what
they used to be. I am using the old
Jumbo this year.”
• • •
A man paid $2,600 for a paint
ing by Ike Eisenhower the other
day. He liked the way the Gen
eral attacked a subject, struck
such firm decisive strokes and
achieved his goal with firmness.
• • •
John L. Lewis now gets $50,000 a
year which is almost enough for
him to live on without biting any
body.
• * •
Vanishing Americanisms
“Is there anything I can do?
Pm not busy at the moment?”
“This job is all right, but there’s
not enough action in it.”
“Let’s try to mcke a cocktail
that will really be fit for the guests
to drink,”
“This house is too small for
us.”
“I got this new limousine on
the spur of the moment.”
“Never mind looking at the
menu prices; order what you
wont.” *
“I’ve saved up t25; that will
cover all my presents this Christ
mas.”
• • •
Bob Sheriffs reports the following
movie sign:
A FRIEND WILL CALL TONIGHT,
ALSO
THE ASSASSIN.
• * *
Through a new electronics device
the entire script of "Gone With the
Wind” was transcribed the other
day in a little over two minutes.
This means that with a little more
work the text of a complete speech
by Molotov or Vishinsky may bs
transcribed in a matter of nine or
ten hours.
• * •
“Neither the new draftees nor
their instructors will use pro
fanity.”—Army announcement.
Wanna bet?
CLASSIFIED
D E P A R T M ENT
BUSINESS St INVEST. OPPOK.
DRY - GOODS — 8TOBE FOR S/VLK
Good Northwest Georgia Town. •
Good Payrolls and Trading Area.
W. M. CUMMINGS - Roekmart, Georgia
EARN EXTRA MONET OR BE OWN BOSS'
Many earning lav;e incomes; Smrplifted
e-s — V,A T1 r->11 ortnn/T HlliluinK
FOR SALE . ™
Class A open-air theatre in ctty of 25,000
population. 250-car capacity, spac« for 82
tt» ir * T? a n cr-irt—
WANTED—DOCTOR to locate in Tunnel
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of about 600 people with good srurround-
ing territory, located on U. S. Highway
41, about 8 miles from Dalton and the
same distance from Ringgold. A home
for a doctor could be bought reasonably.
M. H. GRIFFIN
Tunnel Hill - - GenrgU.
21-ROOM HOTEL and restaurant: fully
equipped; south of Daytona Beach, Fla.
300 feet on U. S. 1. $39,(M0. One-half cash.
OAK HILL HOTEL - Oak HIM. Fla.
FARMS AND RANCHES
CANADIAN FARMS—Writ# m fer FUME IN
FORMATION on farm aettlement opportunltlea.
Fertile aolU. Rettonably priced. B. C. Beeworth
Canadian Pacific Railway, Union Elation. Bt
Paul. Mina.
FOR SALE—1500 acre farm in Middle
Georgia. Six miles southwest of Hawkins-
ville, one-half in cultivation, one-half in
pasture and Umber-fenced.
WILBUR SLADE - HawkinsvMfe, Ga.
HAY, GRAIN, FEED fB
FOR SALE
Unlimited amount of this year’s baled pea
nut hay. We deliver in five ton and ten
ton lots. SLADE SEED * FEED GO.. OZ
Phone 95, Hawkinsville, Georgia.
HELP WANTED—MEN
SALESMEN—REPRESENT LaSalle, Ex
tension University in. this territory- Must
be 30 to 45 years old with sales personal
ity and car. Write HUNTON TAYLOR,
218 Massey, Birmingham, Alabama.
MISCELLANEOUS
/
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lead and oil, outside
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or wash off. $2.25 gal. in 5-gal. cans. Sample«
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t PIECE SENSATION! 10-year Guaranteed
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FOR SUCCESS Join E.C.C.C. Profitable. alM
other benefits. Gold Seal Credentials $1.50.
STELLA MYERS
2010U Bread St. - Chattanooga. Ten
WANTED TO BUY
Squirrel Hnnters—Ship dried Grey or Tax
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each, plus postage. Herter’s, Waseca, Mlaa»
A Safe, Sound Investment—
Buy U. S. Savings Bonds 1
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WNU—7
46—48