Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 21 September 1942 — Page 10

Po Editor, in U, 8. Service g: E WALTER LECKRONE. Business Manager Editor a sCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

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Give: Hoh and the People wa Find Their own Way :

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER wi 1043

SECURITY AFTER THE WAR THERE i is much talk these days about winning the peace. That is as it should be. If we win the war only to lose the peace—as we did last time—then the cycle of destruction will continue. The world cannot stand that, and neither can America. 1 But the trouble with most plans for the poktwar world is that they are paved with little more than good intentions. A They are long on emotional fervor and the crusade to force our ways on others, but short or realism.

Alliance, NEA . and Audit Bu feau of Cireulsions. he

An exception is Louis Johnson's speech to the Amer-

jean Legion national convention in Kansas City yesterday. It is idealism of a hard-boiled variety, the enlightened self- _ ishness which is so much more enduring than an emotional jag as a basis for reform. ‘Mr. Johnson stressed two essential factors: After describing the increased vulnerability of the United States in an aviation-dominated world, and the neces- | sity of the United States maintaining an adequate air fleet, “he added: « “This does not mean that we may not be willing to use this air fleet as part of an international police force. . . . I think it is entirely probable that we shall want to join in arrangements with other peace-loving countries so that this force is available to stamp out any possible outbreak of war anywhere, before it gets to the p8int where wat ‘again washes into our own harbors and cities.” © But he finds this international military force not enough in itself. “We shall also have to handle our ecoomic resources so that no country ih the world has any great motive to start on a mad career of aggression. This, to my mind, is as much a military necessity as the posses“sion of tools of war.” That ecénomic reform is essential to peace——the removal of trade barriers, and of financial and rawmaterial ‘monopolies, which cause world depression and conflict—is what a few statesmen like Cordell Hull have been saying for a long time. The problem, of course, is to get politicians in this and other countries to accept a peace on this international economic basis, instead of creating more economic nationalisms and chaos as in the past post-war period. ~The issue is not so much a matter of good intentions versus bad, ‘but—as Mr. J Shmson says—of intelligence versus stupidity.

FACT STILL NOT FACED EASURED against past performances, the" ‘banking . committees of congress have done well in drafting new anti-ipflationl bills,’ They have worked rapidly. : They have resisted the more unreasonable demands of the farm and labor blocs. They have shown some understanding of the responsibility that rests on congress. ' «But what they propose, measured against what will have to be done if wartime price inflation is actually to be stopped, is very little. President Roosevelt stated a cold, hard, inescapable fact when he said last April: “Our standard of hving will have to come down.” . ~~ The committee bills now before house and senate do not face this Tact squarely. Both imply that so far as two large and powerful groups—organized labor and agriculture—are concerned, the standard of living will have to stay up.

2 8 2» 5 8 » . HE house bill would require and the senate bill would permit the president to use the war labor board’s “little

steel” formula for stabilizing wages, how he might use it |

being left almost entirely up to him. That would mean, for unions strong enough to get them, wage boosts to cover past increases in the cost of living and perhaps—as Mr. Green of the A. F. of L. interprets the formula—to cover future increases. Either .bill would, in effect, guarantee parity prices for farm commodities, and neither would be likely to lower, far, the super-parity prices attained in many cases under the present law. But parity is a movable standard. If industrial wages go up, parity goes up. Therefore, farm prices go up. Therefore the price of food goes up. The cost of living goes up and, according fo Mr. Green, who is sure he understands what the president has in mind, wages go up. ~~ Our general standard of living will have to come down ply because we must produce huge quantities of war ; aterials and can’t, at the same time, produce all the civilian ! we're used to having. If the living standards of ory nized labor and agriculture stay up, the standards of her less favored groups will have to come down all the ore. Those who maintain or increase their buying power a scarcity market will bid up. prices and further de‘crease the buying power of the rest of the people. . © Until congress—and Mr. Roosevelt and the country— e the full implications of the unpleasant fact stated by : president in April, none of us, including. farmers and ers of organized labor, has any real hope. of ‘escapthe Yetrible jeonseqiences of runaway price inflation. .

DR , PRECIOUS THAN GOLD : 5: A [HE stocks of rubber which are on hand have thus be-

~ come almost more precious than the country's gold re- | that

és,” says a report by an industrial engineering firm. “Why the “almost”? Rubber Chief Jeffers went all way— ‘every motorist is now the custodian of a mamore precious than gold”—and he didn’t overdraw it In the truest sense rubber has become far more n gold—or silver. So has steel. So has scrap |

So Hae nickel, biting Sof

re Norman E Tseacs

‘much criticism of our draft boards going on in Indianapolis. Some persons have started to write “letters to the editor,” com- © plaining that So-and-So who has only a wife who claims to be an ~ invalid, but isn’t, has a 3-A classi- \ fication while Thus-and-So with a ~ wife and child has been inducted. And certain other gentlemen around town (who ought to know

{ ester) have been going here and there, telling the|

latest tale about the iniquitics of various draft boards. I'm not inclined of the draft boards. It is true that some of our boards have "been a little irritable at times, that they have made mistakes, and that they have been bull-headed on occasion, But the truth is that on the whole they have done a crackerjack job and they're not one-tenth to blame for all the confusion that exists,

You Can Thank Brother Hershey

IT REALLY ALL°®hoils down to our eminent Hoosier, Gen. Hershey, and his reluctance to, make simple things simple. I've seen the record. Gen. Hershey on one day has issued a statement to the press that married men will not be taken in the draft “at this particu-

boards all over the eountry on the necessity of filling their quotas. And in this order is the very plain instruction to draft boards that in order to fill the quotas they must use their own judgment on dependency cases. Well, what is a draft board to do? what Cien. Hershey tells the newspapers? Or follow what Cien. Hershey says in his orders to them? That is just about all this thing boils down to— one thing for public consumption, another for the roul job of geting the men,

Y ou Can Figure It Out

THE DRAFT BO. S are trying to do the best they can with whdt they have, Obviously, they are bound to make errors. Who wouldn't? There just aren't. enough able-bodied single men to fil the quotas. Our brave and noble congress is ducking the 18 and 19-year-old draft until after election. Well, after election theyll get into it, but everyone knows it will take a couple of months after that to get any such draft into operation. What happens in the meantime is as plain as it.can be. Married men are being inducted and are going to be inducted. And if the supply’ of married men with only wives runs out, you can bet your bottom dollar we're Shen going into married men with children. Put yourself in the draft board chairman’s place. And then you figure it out.

| Westbrook Pegler did not write a column today. |

The New Planes By Major Al Williams

NEW YORK, Sept. 21.—As the pressure grows for more planes, especially cargo carriers, we can be’ sure there will be more and more talk about building improved, entirely new types of aircraft instead of improving existing types. The automobiles on our highways were yearly models. Seldom has 4 major automobile manufacturer attempted such radical innovations in motor or chassis as to warrant the designation of a new type of motor car in the last 30 years. Each new, yearly version of the major makes of cars is rightly tagged “the latest model,” : The motor car industry would have gone broke long before now if it hadn’t recognized the jmpossibility of “bringing out absolutely new types each year. The same principle applies to the aircraft industry, there are those even in high places who fail to acknowledge this distinction between “type” and “model” of plane or engine.

It's a Big Problem A NEW TYPE of car, plane or engine must have

extensive road or air test work. Any radical new

departure in engineéring must be demonstrated and proved. It isn’t safe to adopt an idea, make extensive changes of plant, factory machinery and service organizations in the field, until you are certain the idea isn’t a dud. The best planes we have today are all later imodels of the same types which were tried under actual conditions and at first found wanting. Where a new type seems sound and its defects (and there are always more than a few) can be remedied, the changes are made and the resulting plane or engine is called the latest model. It’s a hig problem to draw a sharp line between proved and experimental projects. It always involves a struggle between the executive and research or engineering leaders. The executive group must think of profit and loss, and must decide what is experimental and what is ready for mass

‘production. and distribution. If that decision: were

left for researchers and engineers to make, business, as we know it, would go on the rocks while they withheld production and sought: for perfection.

Editor's Note: The views expressed by columnists in this . mewspaper are their own. They are not necessarily those of The, Indianapolis Times.

So They Say—

I most definitely do not regard the threat of invasion of the United Kingdom as over.—Lieut.-Gen. Anirew G. L. McNaughton, commander-in-chief of Canadian forces, . $ * E J = Stories of Japanese atrocities are not just talk; but for me to relate specific incidents would endanger lives of thousancis of more Americans still in Shanghai and hoping to get home. Other travelers who returned With 6 ia ie far wore than 1 ean safely all. Miss Mary E. Walther, missionary to China. ® lory are over. ‘If I'm here Roosevelt's representative, it is - because 130,000,000 are all behind the Whe. prosjden; to beat the Germans.— Wendell Willkie,

‘e * . .

In industiv Tabor should: eliminate the tacketeer so

we and the peoples of our allied countries are fighting to preserve fundamental principles of life and Unersy~oJudge Charles J. McNamee, ©Ohio Jurist.

. » *

takes care of the neighbor's children so that their parents may werk in defense jobs is the unsung hero

civilian. detense, ‘w . Ce 26 wil Bander 45 incite protitiod au tial

TRAE 15 BRET too |. |

to step forth as the defender |

lar time.” and simultaneously sent orders to draft |

: ‘The Hoosier Forum I wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

» v “YOU ARE KIND WHO COULD NOT POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND” By Mrs, Grace Newby, 617 W. 30th st. To John W. Blair, 1019 E. Ohio st.: The taint of sarcasm to your article in Thursday's Times proves you to be the kind who could not possibly understand “what I was trying to talk about” in Monday's Times even if you had not confessed it. I trust no one will convenience him or herself or waste théir time and postage to try to interpret for you—and impose further upon your patience, » ” 2.

“THEY HAVE Sanein TO RATION IN WRONG PLACE!”

(Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies: excluded. « Make your letters short, so all can have a chance. Letters must be signed)

of these beer trucks that come here every day and haul us on them. I believe the workingman is a poor place to start to conserve. If

-|the working mane didn’t cunserve

every way possible he couldn’t live, he would go hungry. But they will

probably build barracks that maybe will cost from $500,000 to $1,000,000 to house a few working men (I mean at Allison’s) when $6000 worth of bus would do the trick. We have a bus here but it’s filled up. Why wasn’t the franchise given to someone who had enough busses? It all looks to me like they have started

By Charles Herron, Shelbyville” . «+ I read the article about tire rationing and they used Shelbyville for an example. I haven't lived here long but I like it here, They, go on to say that those of us who work in Indianapolis: must move closer to our work or, find work at home.

‘war work here in Shelbyville?

there will be an end fo disturbance and strife |

; The woman who mends her husband's pants and |

defense James M, Landis, director. of [1

Why do they ery “save, save, save,” to the public when there is so much wasted? There are about 30 factories here in Shelbyville that are idle and they are still building factories in Indianapolis. Why hasn't some of these people that are so quick to jump all over the little man get on some of these that never did a day’s work/ in their life and make them get some of this

There is just as good shipping facilities here as any place. They converted the auto factories. Why can't furniture factories be changed over? I believe I can answer this. When the furniture business was good these so-called patriots a; their fortune by paying ‘starvation wages. Now they sit back and say, “well, I've got mine, I guess I don't want any part of this war.” That's why the men: of Shelbyville have to go to other cities to work. Most of these men own their homes so‘why should they move to ndianapolis and pay that high rent? There are enough men from Shelbyville that work at Allison’s that they could ‘put on a special train to haul them to work or better than that, they could take about 20

wages.

in the wrong place to ration. This probably will never even be read but I've got it off my chest anyway.

» » ” . “PRESIDENT NOT THE MAN TO REGULATE PRICES OR WAGES”

By James R. Meitzler, Attica

President Roosevelt has asked congress to give him authority to stabilize the cost of living “includ-

ing the price of all farm com-|

modities.” Then says he “I will stabilize wages.” The public has seen how his various boards have stabilized Boards composed one-third employer representation, one-third union labor and one-third union labor government. Their formula, wages to raise as the cost of living rises in like percentage. For example, if the cost of living goes up 15 per cent the $12 a week man gets an increase of $1.80, the $120 a week man $18. No wage so high it must be reduced, always an increase, never a cut. The public has seen how ‘he

stabilized ' grain prices. Selling |

125,000,000 bushels of wheat at 85 per cent of corn parity thus forcing

Side a oe

down and keeping down the price of all grains 15 per cent or more below parity prices. Nothing said about the farmers’ rising cost of living, Also there is that other board, on which the farmer has no representation, which sets prices en grain without any regard to the

{cost of production or of living, thé

Chicago Board of Trade. The president is not g fit person to regulate prices or wages. Never having operated a business, cost of

. |production means nothing to him.

He has neither business sense or experience. - Even if he were cap-

unions to be fair or to appoint an impartial regulator of prices and wages. ; And even though he was both competent and just he has more important work to do than regulate prices, wages and cost of living. His business .as commander-in-chief of America's armed forces is to win the war. Congress should go farther than Roosevelt has commanded them and take the entire job off’ the president’s hands. Legislate for effective and just control of wages and prices and appoint the administrator to do the work. Then and then only would all parties concerned have a chance for a square deal.

. » » » = “ONE SUGGESTION ON HOW TO IMPROVE SERVICE” By I. N. H.,, Indianapolis May I make a few constructive suggestions as to-do with street railway service and traffic conditions? - The duty of the street railway company is to move as many people within a given . period of time as may be possible. If the service was one-tenth as good as the efforts of. the publicity manager, we would indeed - have real transportation. The only suggestion for betterment of service in the newspapers has been suggestions that the public do this, that, and the other, but I have seen practically no mention or constructive suggestions that the railways do much of anything. When there are a number of people waiting to board a car, due fo the fact that all have to enter through a very narrow passageway and then do business with a cashier, somewhat similar to a one-armed lunch counter, it is common fo have the traffic signals change -two to three and four times before a dozen people enter the car. It is my suggestion that opposite the rear door two or more seats be removed and an employee of the company be there to collect fares, which would allow 12 or 15 people to enter almost in the same time that one enters

- {at present and the car to proceed at

once. This would allow two cars to do. the work of at least three as

handled at present. Another obvious detriment is the

e

able, he is. too- partial to the labor:

ly aps

ie By Wiliam Philip Simms

rh

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21.—For ways that are dark and tricks that are vain, according to Bret Harte, the heathen Chinese is peculiar. But Bret Harte did not know the heathen Japanese very well, espee cially in wartime Manila. ‘Otherwise his story might have been different. : For example: As between two perfectly loyal Filipinos, both ine tensely anti-axis, you probably would see no difference. But the Japs saw plenty after their occupation of the Philippines, and acted , accordingly. Jogauim (Mike) Elizalde, resident commissioner here for the Philippine commonwealth, luckily was in Washington, for the Japs sentenced him to death in absentia. But President Manuel L. Quezon, also abe sent (with the Americans in Corregidor), was not even mentioned at the court-martial. The reason was that President Quezon is a popular idol, a ones man institution in the islands, a cross between George Washington, Simon Bolivar and Seigneur de Bayard, and the Japs were afraid to touch him with a 10-foot pole.

The 'Good' and the 'Bad'

COMMISSIONER ELIZALDE was condemned to death as a “pernicious” foreigner; his’ family having remained ‘Spanish through several generations in the

Quezon’s name was when they attempted to rouse the Filipinos by broadcasting the canard that Gen, Douge las MacArthur had had him shot—a story which Mr, Quezon himself thoroughly enjoys telling. ’ Among Manila’s Chinese colony also the sheep were hurriedly separated from the goats. The “good”

.| Chinese were those known to be friendly to Wang

Ching-wei, head of Japan's puppet regime at Nanking. The “bad” ones were those loyal to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek’s government at Chungking. Some 50 of the Chungking Chinese were rounded up. Twenty were lined up and shot forthwith, including the Chinese consul general. - The remaining 50 ‘were interned for possible use as hostages.

| They Look ‘at the Record’

INCIDENTALLY THE HOSTAGE system is very much in vogue in the Philippines. The Japanese practice is to round up the leading citizens in each ‘community and execute a number of them for any serious offense committed hy the citizenry—like kille

1 ing or attempting to kill a Jap soldier. - There is no

bluffing about it. The executions are ‘as automatic as they are perfunctory. One of the tests used by the Japs to separate the sheep. from the goats among Filipino leaders might

When in doubt, they “look at the record.” If the Filipino has been a consistent advocate of total and immediate independence, he is put among the sheep—especially if his advocacy has particularly been ardent. Those who favored some less drastic solution not only found themselves among the goats but facing a somewhat uncertain future. On the whole, however, the conquerors seem to be trying to get on with the natives. It is quite apparent that they intend to stay in the islands. They have already begun to bring in colonists to settle on large agricultural tracts, especially where rice can be grown easily. Thus, while the firing squad or some lesser but

out for infringements against Jap rule, the invaders seem to be seeking » avoid arousing too much ree sentment.

Peter Edson is on vacation.

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

AC ING TO TIME maga= zine, the British press points out that Britain now has a million and a half fewer babies and a million and a half more pet dogs

This year will set a new high for the American birth rate, but’ sociologists warn that we must expect a sharp decline in the near future. When we get into the war up to our necks, fewer babies will be born. Some alarmists even contend that the white race in general is approaching death—and so. we get the other side of the birth control argument, which it would be foolish to ignore. . It is a Jact that poverty seems to breed profilio people. China, India and Japan are examples. Hue man life has less ‘value there than in countries like our own where a high standard of living for every one. is a national goal and where education is synonomous with the good life.

It's a Complex Question .

THE WHOLE QUESTION is complicated because it depends so much upon the traditions, creeds and economic doctrines of a nation. Without, taking all those factors into consideration it cannot be intelligently discussed. Yet it is interesting to note that the increase of. pet dogs in England accompanies a decrease of babies, We'll just kid ourselves if we deny a similar parallel in the United States. People need living things to, love. When babies are lacking, dogs are the next best pet, and because it would be impossible or ime proper for a very large number. .of to have thes former, the latter fill' a ‘tremendous emotional needa Argument as to whether a Ee character can be judged by bis affection for pets has nothiifg to with the real facts. Stated plainly, they ‘show while a woman may love her dog mo less when a | is handy, she certainly gives it less uttention, The: average man will react precisely the same. WAY. a I still believe that a sane and. progressive na should have more baby hows: hag dog shows;

Questions and Answers

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau will answet question of fact or information, nog: ‘involving Stes o£ search.” Write your question , sign nime and inclose & three-cent postage wap. Medical or tsi cannot be given. Address The Times Washington . Buress, 1013 Thirtesith 8%. + Wiiingiod, D.C) ds LS)

Q-What are the dates of adoption of se g

| Carta, the

Compact, the stitution, the Virginia Sonsitution, and | of Confederation? =

islands. But the sole use the Japs made of President

have been borrowed from Al Smith of New York,

nevertheless drastic punishment is ruthlessly dealt °

than at the time of the Boer war,

k

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