Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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\ THE NEWBERRY SUN, NEWBERRY, S. C. id WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS- Critics Attack New Farm Program As Urging Unprecedented Controls; Extension Seen for Marshall Plan Happy Birthday! (EDITOR’S NOTE: When opinion! are expressed In these colnmns. they are those a Western Newspaper Union’s news analysts and not necessarily ol this newspaper.) FARM PROGRAM: Pros & Cons President Truman’s sweeping new farm program met with mixed response on Capitol Hill. Critics claimed it would carry the nation closer to socialism and would em power the government with un precedented farm controls and powers. PROPONENTS of the measure contended that consumers would be benefited because retail food prices would be allowed to seek their own level. No matter which school of thought was correct, it was inescapable that the program would use taxpayers’ dollars to guarantee farmers an in come equal to that of a recent 10- year period. Some opposition to the plan termed it as one that might be so expensive that it would push the U. S. treasury toward bankruptcy and would thoroughly regiment the farmer. CHARLES F. BRANNAN, secre tary of agriculture, conceded that "imponderables” such as weather and improved farm techniques made it impossible now to esti mate the cost of the program. He said of the program that it probably would mean a heavy drain on consumers’ dollars. He added that the government plans soon to undertake a costly new program to keep up the price of pork. If this program is ap proved. Brannan said, farmers would sell their pork for whatever it would bring. The government- meaning the public—then would pay the farmer the difference be tween the support price and the price the farmer actually received REPRESENTATIVE Anderson (R. Minn.) was not impressed He estimated the total government out lay under the program might run as high as 10 billion dollars a year When it is remembered the goV' emment has no money except that which it gets from the people in taxes, objective observers were wondering who, if anyone, could benefit by the program, since farmer and consumer alike would be paying out added funds to fi nance it. OLD AGE: No Elixir Impending old age affects many people in many ways. But to all who stand on its threshold, it is a topic of prime consideration. Of ll.te. science, medicine and the psychiatrists all have been con cerned with the subject and appar ently little loath to be heard upon it. LATEST to ponder the problem of how one should approach old age and what may be expected in this period of life was a conference of 800 physicians from all over the nation. These physicians were all agreed that one of the biggest problems lacing the medical profession in the problems of old age is making those added years healthy, happy and useful. Throughout the conference the warning was sounded again and again that something must be done to give men and women not only long life, but a healthy, happy and useful old age. THE SIMPLE and sad fact is that man’s life has been extended beyond his present capacity to en joy it as a useful citizen, the medi cal authorities agreed. For in pro longing life, science also prolonged suffering and misery—all the chronic illnesses and disabilities which plague mankind in the declin ing years Dr. Chauncey Leake, of the Uni versity of Texas, said that young people as early as in high school should be taught how to grow old— that is, how to cultivate hobbies and intellectual curiosity and how to develop a systematic regimen for physical and mental hygiene. He declared the country should have an “old-age program" similar to the child-care program. HE ALSO URGED increased re search on drugs which may help the aged by preventing the dis orders to which old people are sub ject. But, coming out by the same door wherein he went, he warned that all hope for an "elixir of life” must be dismissed—that there is no "miracle drug” to restore youth to the aged. Wherein he delivered himself of a truism well known even as Ponce de Leon was searching for the fountain of eternal youth. "CORNY" PROPOSAL In the spring when care and and strife are most easily for gotten and put aside, the expres sion here of Pandora, Phila delphia zoo’s precocious chimpanzee seems to epitomize the carefree abandon of spring. But Pandora is happy for another reason — she’s celebrating her second birthday on her gift bi cycle, and is she having fun! MARSHALL PLAN: To Be Continued Europe appeared certain of con tinued receipt of Marshall plan aid for another 15 months. An enthusiastic house of repre sentatives. shouting down or beat ing off every attempt to reduce the proposed appropriation figure, ap proved the gift bill by a vote of 354 to 18. EVERY AMENDMENT which would have reduced the fund, or delayed action in order to study Europe's real needs, was brushed off by the majority. The bill, as approved by the house, was for 200 million dollars less than the bill which was voted by the senate. The upper chamber passed a measure appropriating 5.58 billion dollars. The house bill called for 5.38 billion. The house measure would author ize continued U. S. aid until July 1. 1950, subject to possible latei cuts by the senate and house ap propriations committees. It pro vided 272 million dollars to encour age American private business to invest in recovery projects abroad Such investments would be guar anteed against loss by confiscation of property overseas. FINAL VOTE on the house bill came after Majority Leader John W. McCormack (D.. Mass.) pleaded against a GOP-led economy drive with a warning that the "world is looking either to Washington or the Kremlin.” On the passage vote, 125 Repub licans joined 229 Democrats in favor of the bill. Rep. John M. Vorys (R., Ohio) backed an amendment to cut off 380 million dollars from the ap propriations. which was defeated Vorys, saying he favored the Mar shall plan and the North Atlantic pact, nevertheless warned that "we have to keep strong here at home . . . if we are to help out abroad." Vorys offered an amendment of his own to term what he called the "give-away” of American billions It, too. was defeated. SACRIFICE: Love of Mate If the name of vanity truly is "woman" then the sacrifice made by a Chicago woman for her hus band must rank among the “no greater love” examples which are contained in the record. MRS. JOAN BIERDZ, 20, had a husband who was striken with can cer. The disease had ravaged his face to a point where an adult told him that he "looked like the vlllian of Frankenstein.” Mr. Bierdz was a patient in the Bronx, N.Y., veter ans’ hospital. He had written his wife that his face "caused com ment" when he attended a movie, and that he would never go out again. - After receiving the letter from her 26-year-old husband. Mrs Bierdz slashed both her arms. She was arraigned in a Chicago court on a charge of disorderly conduct SHE TOLD the judge: “I did it because I wanted people to look at me. instead of him . . . my hus band has been told by VA doctors he can live only a year at most.” British Shudder at Hominy Grits Plan It was doubtful if the majority of Americans would work up any vast regret at the plight of Englishmen who faced the horrible possibility of having to eat American-provided hominy grits. For, most Americans would real ize that there are thousands of needy poor right here in the South in our own United States to whom heminy grits is a staple item of diet, and who would face actual want without them. The situation was that congress might require 15 per cent of all corn shipped under the European recovery plan to take the form of cornmea) or hominy grits. England was reported aghast at the report. The explosive reaction was: "Now the yanks expect us to eat the ruddy stuff.” DEFENSE: Excesses Seen What could the people believe about America’s defense needs? Were the taxpayers being taken for a "ride” by a cynical, contemptu ous coterie of military brass hats who were using world tension to set up an artificial basis for huge grabs from appropriation funds? THOSE APPEARED to be fair questions—and here’s why: Robert Patterson, former secre tary of war said: "It is no exag geration to say that the cost in duplication, competition and dis jointed effort directly traceable to the two-headed (army-navy) sys tern ran into billions and billions. Much of the public debt is due to that division of authority and re sponsibility between the war de partment and the navy depart ment.” But what has that to do with de fense appropriations? Herbert Hoover — appointed to head up a survey committee to streamline government and cut costs—said that the army, navy and air force are padding their money requests to congress by millions of dollars. * He also accused them of “start ling” waste and extravagance. THE FORMER PRESIDENT, ap pearing before the senate armed forces committee, declared: "Ap plications in the military budget for hundreds of millions of dollars to retool industry should be exam ined with the greatest skepticism." Hoover told the committee that what the department of national defense needs is a good bookkeep ing system. “At the present time,” he said, “nobody can tell the cost of any particular function in the armed services.” In submitting a report. Hoover observed that the federal govern ment now has about 27 billion dol lars worth of personal property, and said: “We might be able to live on our fat for awhile if we had it cata logued and knew where it was.” ALLIANCE: Things Humming The administration was really moving on the north atlantic de fense alliance. President Truman had urged the senate to take early action on the treaty in order to help western Europe ward off "brutality and aggression” by pledging U. S. par ticipation in the pact. SUCH ACTION, he said, "would be a long step on the road to peace.” Thus, as he began his fifth year as President of the United States, Harry Truman pointed up anew his conviction that a lasting world peace is an obtainable goal. “This treaty,” he said, “makes clear the determination of the peo ple of the United States and of our neighbors in the North Atlantic community to do their utmost to maintain peace with justice and to take such action as they may deem necessary if the peace is broken." WALLGREN: He's Willing Like the weak, but insistent jang ling of a run-down alarm on a bed side clock, Mon C. Wallgren was still talking about what might have been. A VISITOR to the White House- where he did not talk with Mr. Truman, the former Washington governor and close friend of the President, said he is “still avail able” for the chairmanship of the National Securities Resources Board. Wallgren’s nomination to that post by President Truman was tabled by a senate committee. Bing at Bat Bing Crosby, whose varied ac tivities include the vice-presiden cy of the Pittsburgh Pirates, looks like anything but a crooner as he takes a turn at bat. Bing headed up a coast-to-coast radio progcanc “welcome back, baseball.” PARKING: Now Automatic There appeared some hope tor relief in the nation’s parking di lemma. In Boston. William A Braun had invented an automatic parking device where a customer's car could be parked in a mechani cal storage garage. Boston city offi cials were showing interest in the proposition. Braun said at such a garage human hands would not touch the automobiles. EASTER BONNET . . . Margaret Truman’s Easter bonnet didn’t have any bird on it, but this is how it would have looked to a bird if he had happened to be around. Like any other American girl, she got a big bang out of a becoming bonnet. HEADLESS ROOSTER . . . Mrs. Martha Green's remarkable rooster, to whom decapitation didn’t matter very mnch, is shown putting away a tidy breakfast of egg yolk and warm milk. This is rather interesting when one stops to realize that the rooster has been without a head for several days. Mrs. Green was the most surprised shopper in Los Angeles when the beheaded bird sbe had bought at a meat market started squawking as soon as she got it home. “HAIR-RAISING” PROSPECTS . . . Model Pam Shard displays one of the futuristic hair-dos that have I invaded the New York style I scene. They’re creations of a . Dali-like hair Stylist whose trade I name is Mark. Wires, lacquers, ; multi-colored switches and top- knots are all utilized. JINX “HOPE” AMONG McLEAN GEMS SHOWN HERE . . . Jill Ciraido and Grace Flynt are shown here admiring the McLean jewel collection at the establishment of Harry Winston, international Jewel dealer of New York. Winston acquired the gems of the late Evalyn Walsh McLean for “more than a million dollars.” UNITED KIR POLITICAL FACES . . . This be longs to British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin who is shown con centrating on some official papers with the aid of a protruding tongue. The picture was taken at a United Nat'ons f-e-cral assembly meeting in New York. LIKE A PAGE OUT OF THE PAST . . . Take a look at the faces giving this umpire a bad time. It’s possible you may be seeing them again this season, wearing the same sneers but different uniforms. This picture, taken in 1937, shows two members of the original St. Louis Cardinals “Gas House Gang.” Manager Frankie Frisch (left) and shortstop Leo Durocher staging a verbal battle at the plate during a tight game. The boys are back together again, only Durocher is man ager of the New York Giants and Frisch is one of his coaches. LADY ENGINEER . . . Phyllis "Sandy” Evans, junior in the Drexel institute college of engi neering, studies a vibration ta chometer. She has been elected first president of the society of women engineers. EVENTS MATCH-UP WITH NAME . . . Seldom have the events in a person’s life so happily matched up with a name as has happened in the case of little Mary Happy Heitman, shown here. The 3H-year old miss is both “merry” and “happy” since a major film studio has of fered her a long-term contract and a judge has approved It. She will earn from $100 to $1,000 a week over a seven-year period. She is tbs daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Heitman, of Los Angeles. SIGNS LAW . . . President Tru man signs legislation giving the federal government’s consent to the five-state upper Colorado river compact. Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and Colorado are signatories to the pact. Depression Possible T HERE’S BEEN a lot of petty bickering between the Pres ident’s council of economic advis- | ers, but there’s one unpleasant fact they all agree on. They foresee def inite depression in 1950 or 1961— unless steps are taken to bead it off. The counciL it will be recalled, was created by congress in 1946 to advise the White House on how to ward off depression. And although the three members differ on a lot of things, they feel that depression can be stopped—though only by the concerted cooperation of the admin istration, congress, business, farm, ers and labor. To understand the back ground of the economic coun cil’s vitally important business diagnosis, it should be re called that for the past 10# years American economy has been riding a roller-coaster of ups and downs, inflation and deflation, of booms and busts. In the past 50 years these ups and downs have become more severe—so severe that the polit- buro in Moscow is known to have based its global strategy on the theory that one more economic depression would wreck the entire American system. History’s Greatest Boom Since V-J day most Americans have been enjoying the greatest wave of prosperity in history—for two reasons: 1. The public’s un satisfied demand for goods they could not buy during the war: 2. The cold war, which has caused the government to pour billions into the world’s economic stream. However, the council estimates that the long pent-up demand for automobiles, refrigerators and oth er consumers’ goods is now just about filled, while the vast expendi tures in Europe in another year will begin to taper off, so that de pression will come in 1950-51. Another factor is the psych ological effect of swiftly rising prices followed by dropping prices. If OPA and inflation controls bad not been thrown overboard by congress and prices had not shot up so high, business dislocation might not be so bad now. For, while falling prices at the moment may be healthy, yet a lot of business—especially small busi ness—always gets hurt by falling prices. And the psychological ef fect of falling prices encourages depression; for people, waiting for lower prices, don’t buy. President’s Advisers The three members of the Pres ident’s council of economic advis ers are: Chairman Dr. Edwin Nourse, a New Yorker, long-time member of the Brookings Institute, and gen erally considered the most con- 1 servative counselor. Leon Keyserling, a native of South Carolina, former secretary to Senator Wagner, who has had 1 a long experience in the govern- i ment, chiefly in the U. S. housing authority. A liberal, Keyserling 1 frequently disagrees with more ] conservative chairman Nourse. John D. Clark, a native of Color ado and former economics profes sor at the University of Nebraska and the University of Denver. Clark usually lines up with liberal Keyserling. However, the council has composed its differences to recommend a program to Pres ident Truman which it regards as absolutely essential t o block depression. While all three agree. Dr. Nourse con siders the voluntary phase of the program more important, but Keyserling and Clark, though not disagreeing, would place more emphasis on the government phase. The program which Nourse con siders most important is: Farmers—Convince farmers to grow bigger crops and accept somewhit lower support prices, thereby reducing the consumers’ food bill, but continuing a reason able return for farmers. Business—Sell businessmen on lower profits per item, thereby get ting greater volume and continued reasonable profits. Labor—Persuade labor leaders not to seek wage increases that will throw the economy out of gear. Government Remedies The Clark-Keyserling group, whi e agreeing with the above, gravely doubts the government’s ability to "persuade” business, farmers and labor. Therefore, they put more emphasis on hard-and- fast government incentives which world prop up the economy regard less of persuasion. They recom mend: Increased social security bene fits to take care of unemployed and the aged. Present old-age pensions are woefully low and unemployment benefits last only a brief interval after unemployment starts. Rutting Gold to Work I COULD NOT, if I wished, writ* of the monetary situation In this country in the terms of an econo mist, which I am not. But I do know some of the fundamentals and I like to think I have enough I "horse sense” to understand them. We have been, and are. fearful of an uncontrolled inflation, or a severe depression, and we have a' certain degree of inflation now. Inflation can produce depression, with printing press money as tha fundamental cause of both. Our printing press money, all the cur rency we have aside from a lim ited amount of silver certificates, has no tangible value. The foun-j dation, if any, on which it is is sued is a liability, not an asset. It is guaranteed by nothing loss than our national indebtedness. We can-, not turn it into the national treas ury, and receive for it anything ex cept other money of the same kind,, and of no tangible value, either. If the printing presses con tinue to turn out an ever-in creasing volume of such money it will inevitably lead to what Germany and other European j countries experienced follow ing the close of World War I and what we get will be oo- - casioned by the same causes—< too much worthless money. The money of Germany, at that time, had nothing back of it re sembling a stable, tangible value, and for which their paper marks could be exchanged. Because of that condition their money became valueless for anything except for paying debts. Those who were forced to accept those printing press marks in payment of a debt could buy nothing with it, for it had no purchasing power, it had no tangible value. In Germany such valueless currency produced uncontrolled inflation. The after- math of that inflation was depres sion, and the rise of Hitler. When the government needs mon ey, or credit, it can, and does, force the banks to buy government bonds. With these bonds—a gov ernment indebtedness— as security the banks can, and do, issue bank notes. Such bank notes represent quite the largest part of our na tional currency. It is the same as printing press money. By the simple expedient ef buying bonds as they are of fered—by paying par for thorn, but paying for them with more and more printing press money—the government has maintained the price of its bonds. As in Germany, the printing press currency will pay debts, but it will not buy a dol lar’s worth of commodities for one dollar of printing press cur rency! It is a simple method of temporarily maiiitainlnp a par price for government bonds, but it cannot be con tinued Indefinitely, as it ooutd not be in Germany and other European countries. In 1932 congress enacted the legislation that started us on the road laid with printing press mon ey. That road took us off the gold standard; it repudiated our prom ise to pay off'our indebtedness in good money; it repudiated our promise to redeem our outstanding currency in gold on demand; it opened the doors for inflation. That same legislation changed the price of gold from $23 an ounce to $32, and to maintain that price we agreed to buy all the gold of fered at that price. As a result, we have two-thirds of all the mon etary gold of the world stored in government vaults, but not working. To close the doors on infla tion, we should put that gold back on the Job; we should get back on a gold basis for our currency, not at the old price of $23 an ounce, but at a price somewhere from $35 to $40 an ounce. That would stabilise prices at about what they now are; it would maintain onr wage scales at about their pres ent price; we could pay off our government indebtedness on approximately the sams basis as the debt was con tracted. Most important of all, our re turn to the gold standard would stop the ceaseless flow of printing press money, and it would stop the wild spending spree in which congress has indulged. That is what we need most and what wv need first. • • • Joe Doak is a civil service em ployee of the government, the head of a small department in one of the many bureaus. He wanted a raise. The only way he could get one was to increase the number of employees in his small depart ment. He had nothing for them to do, but he got the raise he wanted by adding 10 clerks to the payroQ. In the government service you get more for inefficiency and waste than for efficiency and saving. That condition is created by a law that congress could change if it would. . i • -M ■