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s *m THE NEWBERRY SUN FRIDAY, SEPTEMBEft^i4, 1951 1218 College Street NEWBERRY, S. C. PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY By ARMFIELD BROTHERS Entered as second-class matter December 6, 1937, at the Postoffice at Newberry, South Carolina, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: In S. C., |1.50 per year in advance outside S. C., $2.00 per year in advance. Comments On Men And Things . . . Real Cost Of Food Compared With Wages Below Level Of 1929-1939 What is a dollar, worth? That is discussed among bankers and economists and public speakers. Most of us don’t worry about the gold content of the dollar; we know that beefsteak is so high that we stand on a ladder to see it; and we remember that some years ago, not many years, beef steak could be bought for one- third of today’s price. That is not the fault of the market which sells the beef; that steer or “beef” on the foot on the farm or ranch sells . at a skyrocketing price. Nor does that mean that the farmer or rancher is waxing rich; he may be handling more money, but what remains in his hands won’t buy much.. We are, all, dancing around and around. In this era of high wages and high prices there is more money floating around, but the condition of each man may be like that of a fine gentleman I knew in Beau fort some years ago—when a dol lar was a dollar and would buy four pounds of Beaufort steak; when men were men and lived in the wide, open spaces—and all that. The gentleman of Beaufort was the top citizen and a fine Chrisitan gentleman. Many visit ors to Beaufort asked “Is Mr. X very wealthy? The reply was us ually this: “He isn’t so wealthy but he handles a lot of money.” That’s our condition; we handle a lot of money because it takes a lot of money to buy anything. We ‘“handle it” but it won’t stick; at least what re mains won’t be very much. This condition, as you know, is called INFLATION. I read a number of commercial and financial reports, business papers and corporation returns, and it is quite common to find a business concern doing more bu siness and making less money. Many a large corporation reports 20 per cent more sales and 20 per cent less profits. Like my Beau fort friend, they handle a lot of money, but it won’t stick. Some of the writers and ex perts tell us that a dollar is worth only a part of what it used to be worth, or example, 54 cents generally, as compared with what it would buy in 1940. In buying food it is worth 44 cents; 77 cents in paying rent; but if you buy material to equip a home the dollar is worth just 46 cents; when you buy clothing, or coal, the dollar is 50 cents; but the dol lar of today is worth 65 cents when you buy ice. The learned man who gave us all this infor mation tells us that the house that cost $4,400 in 1940 has taken wings and now is $10,000. Turning to Mrs. Annie King’s Standard and Review of Aiken, I find that she has something to say about the cost of high living as well as the high cost of liv ing. Says Mrs. King: “One of the common beliefs to day is that the cost of food is sky-high, and is completely out of line in the light of the prices of past times. So it will come as a surprise to most people to learn that the ‘real cost’—the amount of time workers must spend to buy given quantities of food—is lower than it used to be. As proof of this, take a typical ‘market basket’ of foods contain ing bread, round steak and pork chops, butter, flour, coffee, and so on. According to U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average in dustrial worker would have had to work 438 minutes to buy the basket in 1929, 275 minutes in 1939 and 274 minutes in June of last year. In April of this year, by contrast, he could buy it with 264 minutes of work. It is notable that the ‘real cost’ of food , in terms of wages is substantially lower than in 1929 and 1939 which were periods of severe depress ion of agriculture, with resulting drops in prices. In short, the worker can buy more food with his labor than be fore. I’ve held back a shock for you. The United Press sent from Min neapolis a news release under the date of August 27, which says: “Gas and electric rates are about what they were before the war. The Government’s Consumer in dex of prices shows the* com bined gas-and-electricity item as costing one per cent less than it did in 1940, making your 1951 dollar worth $1.01—one dollar and one cent. This I found in The News and Courier of August 28. If my very able friend. Editor T. R. Waring, does not know that “‘The Courier” carried this item he must acquire the habit of read ing his good paper every morn ing. So the dollar is not only a dol lar, but a dollar and one cent when you buy gas and electric ity! That means that it must be two or three dollars if we think of steak, or the American favor ite— ham and eggs. As I write this I have The State and The News and Courier on my table* and am impressed by the statement of Mr. S. C. McMeekin and Mr. E. L. God- shalk of The South Carolina Elec tric and Gas Company that the increase in rates asked by the Company will still leave the rate lower than it was in 1939. I was so impressed by that that I asked to see the figures and was really surprised to observe the result. Our Public Service Com mission recently granted the big bus companies another increase— this time about 20 per cent on the tickets I have bought. Since this makes the third or fourth increase in my bus fares within about five years I am convinced that the Public Service Commis sion is looking into all the facts Iso that the Utilities (Buses, Rail- | roads, Telephones, Telegraph and Power companies) will not be forced to operate at a loss. All other business fixes it own prices. These regulated companies are controlled by Public Commissions which have not hesitated to de mand lower rates in years gone by; so, perhaps, turn-about is fair play, as we used to say. Of course if I don’t want to pay the increased rates on the buses “It PAYS to Get Started RIGHT! Yes, it certainly pays to get started right by putting away a fixed amount of your income every week in a savings account against the time when your income may lessen. You can go around with a smile on your face because you won't have any worries about your saving account, and too you will know that a savings account here is always liquid, always safe, and insured by the govern ment. South Carolina National Bank John T. Norris, Mgr. Joe L. Keitt, Asst. Mgr. Gigi Perreau, the 10-year-old who has taken over the Shirley Temple- Margaret O'Brien crown as juvenile queen of the movies, is what actors call a natural "fast study." Not only does she learn her roles fast, well and easily, but she's a natural mimic, as Virginia Field found when she strutted her stuff in a bathing-suit for Universal-International’s "Week end With Father." Gigi will be seen with Miss Field, Van Heflin and Patricia Neal in that one. I can drive my car. The only draw-back there, is that something has happened to the price of gasoline, tires, oils, grease—and all that. Don’t over look that the car that sells for $1600, stripped like a lad in a bathing suit, may have sold for $800 years ago. Cars, gasoline, tires grease and oil do not re quire permission of fi Public Service Commission to “go up”— they just rise, like the leaven in the three measures of meal, the Good Book tells about. Is there such a thing as “War- prosperity”? Well, people think so; at least we "handle more mon ey,” don’t we? I’ve just seen h statement by one of the experts. Here’s what he says: “Our whole experience shows that much that is said and be lieved on the subject of ‘excess profits from war orders’ is pure fiction—and no segment of our economy realizes this better than business itself. .Records show that business generally, including the so-called war industries, enjoys wider profit margins in peace time than it can ever expect to make in wartime or emergency rearmament. During 1941 to 1945, inclusive, the average profit on sales of all manufacturing operations publish ing reports was 4.3 per cent; in 1936-40 the comparable figure was 6.6 per cent; and in 1946-50 it was 7.0 per-cent. What no doubt gives many peo ple an illusion of profit and pros perity in time of war and heavy rearmament is the inflation that goes along with it. They should remember that sooner or later the penalty of fiscal, monetary, political and social disorder and disruption of production, price and trade relationships has at be paid. In *,1914 a man earning $80,000, kept after Federal income taxes, 96 cents of his top bracket dol lar. In 1948 he could keep only 26 cents. And under the bill now before congress he may keep on ly 5.5 cents. There is no profit in war. Tom Lindler of Georgia is up- in-arms frequently. In fact there is occasion for someone to speak in loud tonds and in emphatic words. Our friend ’'Lindler has something to talk about when he proves that the Government which loves us so tenderly has flim-flammed us much of the time. This country needs more Tom Lindlers. Our late Senator Tillman once spoke at length in the Senate and seemed to be rambling. A senator who prod ded our famour “Pitchfork Ben’” asked, “Would the senator please tell the senate what he is talking about?” To which Mr. Tillman replied in a harsh voice, “I am discussing the general cussed ness of the situation.” Well, Tom Lindler gets down to cases. He tells us that our government compelled all American citizens to “turn in” their gold and pafd $20 an ounce for it, while the same government paid foreigner? $35 for it. And Mr. Lindler has been telling us for some months that our government put a ceil ing price of 45 cents on Ameri can cotton while foreign cotton was belling for much more in world markets, in world competi tion. was nearly 52 cents a pound, or 14.70 cents above the price of our cotton on that day, and six cents above# the ceiling price clamped down on American cot ton by our government. The report was sent to me by a leading Southern cotton man ufacturer. I think our government is so busy meddling with the affairs of Europe and Asia that it hasn’t time to consider America. We are all upset about the oil problem in Iran and what may happen to Britian; and we finance with bil lions all sorts of regimes all over the world; and our tea cup and spoon specialists are gravely concerned about so much poverty in the world that they are blind to what is under their feet. Some measure of con sideration we owe the people of other countries, but charity is an individual quality, not the prov ince of governments spending the income of their own taxpayers. We have been talked and press- agented, and ballyhooed and ca joled, admonished, warned, and terrified into an attitude of ac ceptance of m6st of the fantastic imagining of theorists who think of America as the fabulous land which, under their guidance, shall lead the peoples of all nations and climes into #the Promised Land; and that then they shall be the leaders of men in all this world Utopia. We have not yet made ’Of our own country the Garden of Eden; we have far to go, although we have made great progress.* We are fast becoming gross mater ialists; we think of America as the great nation of billions and the power of billions. Look at little Scotland: she sjands for sturdy qualities, for spiritual leadership, for solid attainments. She is respected everywhere; she has developed a world leadership built on character. We need a fresh bap tism of consecration, a renewing of the forces within, emphasizing the enduring ideals of our found ers and repudiating the blatant presumption of mere dollar-power. There is a point at which even justice does injury.—Shakespeare. A man who neglects his duty as a citizen is not entitled to his rights as a citizen.—Tiorio. Radio Woman I have before me a report from Paine, Webber, Jackson and Cur tis, Cotton men of New York, Boston and Chicago, showing that on August 17 Brazalian cotton Helen Sioussat, right. Director of Talks for the CBS Radio Network, receives an award from Alice M. Chadwick, presi dent of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, as “the outstanding woman of 1951 in Radio and TV.” Award, for distinguished service, was one of the first two ever given by the organization. :: •'>. YES—YOU CAN TALK YOUR.FAT AWAY SAYS HE! Want to loose weight? All you have to do is talk your fat away. Louis T. Freed, writing in Coro net, announces that “-group psy chotherapy” is achieving miracul ous results among the Mr. and Mrs. Five-by-Fives of the nation. Group psychotherapy, says Freed’s article: TALK YOUR FAT AWAY,, is basically nothing more than putting to work the adage: “Misery loves company.” “People who have a problem in common get together and freely discuss it without fear of mock ery,” says Freed, “In doing so, they are stimulated to compete with each other in accomplish ing a common objective, while each individual develops a feel ing of mutual understanding and support.” obesity, therefore, is often a phy- chological problem, why not try to cure it through “group psycho therapy?” “The only way to lick a prob lem is to be equal to it—not be eating your way through it,” says Dr. Chapman. “Whatever it is that may be bothering you, talk it out with others who have sim ilar problems. Don’t try to digest it in the stomach instead of the mind!” HARPE TO FT. AJCKSON Second Lt. Nathaniel Harpe, son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Harpe, 225 Werts Avenue, New berry, S. C., has been assigned to Company “I”, 61st Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry (Golden Arrow) Infantry Division, gar risoned at Fort Jackson. He has served a sixty-day tour of duty at port Bragg, N. C., be fore reporting at Fort Jackson. Flowers and Gifts for All Occasions CARTER’S Day Phone 719 — Night 6212 AVOID NEXT WINTER’S UNCERTAINTIES The talk-your-fat-away technique in other words, works something like Alcoholics Anonymous. For example: Mrs. X lost 40 pounds as a result of her “heart to heart talks.” She had. them with insurance executive Y, who lost 34 pounds and stenographer Z, who eventually lost 28, and with 47 other fat people—men and women in equal despair of fruitless efforts to slim down. Together these 50 people consti tuted a “class” or “group psycho therapy for weight control.” In 16 weeks the “class” lost a total of 1,200 pounds! Meeting only once a week for an hour a day, its 50 “students” literally talked themselves into becoming health ier and happier individuals. The idea ot using group psychotherapy in weight reduc tion is the brain child of Dr. Al bert J. Chapman, former chief of the Division of Chronic Disease, U. S. Public Health Service. His interest in the matter was arous ed by a mountain of evidence proving that fat people are more susceptible to disease than those of normal girth. One of the most interesting finds was the fact that fat peo ple contrary to popular belief, are neither characteristically hap py nor lazy. At least 90 per cent of the ones interviewed were found to be active, hard working, ambitious, intelligent — and un happy. > V ,\ V cm •jTv BUY COAL NOW -ettbe lowest price it will be all year! - V?PATSY COAL ai ■ jif* Processed and refined. Impurities are removed. Patsy is purified! You get pure, dean-burning coaL Order today! FARMERS Ice & Dr. Chapman became convinced that whatever was bothering fat people the “irritant was being messaged to the stomach in the form of a craving for food.” Since Company Geo. W. 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