Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 17, Number 48, DeMotte, Jasper County, 24 October 1947 — Behind The Scenes In American Business [ARTICLE]

Behind The Scenes In American Business

by Reynolds Knight

New York, Oct. 20 Putting one little word after another: whatever became of the recession? Early this year it was the fashion among economists to pre- j diet a severe setback to business. The deepest part of the depres- 1 sion, it was agreed, would come in October, or just about now. But; never has the U. S. been bursting with such prosperity. So the University of lowa’s College of Commerce takes a learned, professorial look at the situation. The recession, it says, has come and gone. There were a few declines in prices and the usual expected slackening of industrial production. But the boom, says the Hawkeye economists, has found its second wind.,Of course, some time a recession will occur, the university pundits believe. The danger point ? when high prices expand bank credit to its legal limits—then, you can look for the turning point. This point of view’ has at least one thing to recommend it. It is in accord with experience. Histo; y proves that the bubble bursts only after everyone has decided that the beautiful bubble is. a permanent fixture.

Meanwhile A good thumbnail sketch of what modern technology is doing to step up the speeds and accuracy of industrial machines, comes from William L. Batt, president of SKF Industries, Inc., who sees more efficient pi'oduction methods answering many of the world’s most pressing economic problems. “Vast new r horizons of speeds and accuracy, which industrial research has made possible by development of more - versatile metals, more efficient- lubricants and batter types of anti-friction bearings,! not only mean record speeds for machinery but also more goods; for more people at lower costs,’’ Batt says. Pointing out that modern technology has lifted the curtain on a world in which machines can run at speeds without wearing out, the SKF president states I that new developments mean that many standard machine tools can ; now' operate accurately at speeds j ranging from 50,000 to 75,000 revolutions per minute in everyday' shop practice. He compares this \Vith average speeds of only 20,- j 000 to 30,0000 from some 15 to 20 years ago. Things T > ('<'me Not satisfied with electric blankets, they're now going to warm us. with elec-trically-heated sheets .... You can now clean both sides of Venetian blind _slays with a new blind cleaning doorhickey. It works by use of two rubber sponges anchored to a spring tension handle. . . New devices continue to help the hard-of-hearing: there’s a new instrument to test hearing-aid bat-

teries. It’s makers an' stressing its value as a gift . . . Still another hearing device of a new type uses the war-developed proximity fuse. The new product is about cigaret package size . . . Are your clothes badly wrinkled? Monsanto Chemical has just announced a metei to measure the amount of wrinkle resistance of any price of cloth. At the press conference announcing the device, no one suggested it was just a new wrinkle. Fuel Shortage? With the construction program finally geared to man-size proportions, the demand for’ automatic heating control equipment is mounting to new peaks. Householders are heeding warnings that fuel may be hard to get in some sections of the country because of the shortage of transportation facilities. These mechanical watch-1 dogs- can save from 10 to* 30 per cent an fuel consumption; depending on the construction of a house. ATT housing surveys have shown that prospective home owners prefer central heating with automatic controls, according to

a study by the Binneapolis-Honey-well Regulator Company. Most of those who responded to questionnaires indicated a preference for equipment which provides complete freedom from manual operation and comfort-giving features such as afforded by Moduflow, the new’ developed system which regulates the flow’ of heat from the heating plant so it always is exactly equal to the loss throughout the house. This tends to prevent air from forming in warm and cool layers in rooms, eliminating cold floors and hot ceilings. Bits O’Business Despite the introduction of many new types of fabrics, cotton seems able to hold its own. The export business in cotton (meaning purchases by non-cotton producing countries from those who grow’ it) was slightly higher in the last twelve months than in the year preceding. Our own exports were off slightly, but both Egypt and Bra-

zil reported substantial increases in amounts sold to other than domestic markets .... The British sense of humor is still keen, even in austerity. England is laughing at a cartoon that would find approval with many an American housewife. It shows an English housewife hailing her recumbent spouse. Says she: “Mrs. Seven Day Week is calling Mr. Day Week. Dinner is ready!” Officials in the labor government, however, fail to see anything funny in such observations. They are sure the way to prosperity lies in working fewer hours, but as yet have not carried the idea to its logical conclusion: if five days’ work produce more than seven days, then two days should product more than five. Mr. and Mrs. James Griffin of Goodland spent the week-end at the homo of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Porter, who were former residents of Rensselaer.