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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1946)
VAGZrOUB flat OHEGON STATESMAN. Salem, Oregon, WtdnMdoy Morning, March 17, 1148 (g)refiDtt s-aajaieisj ltd t "Wo fovor Strays V$, No Ftar Shall Aw(t From first Statesman, March Zt, 1851 THE STATESMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY CHARLES A. SPRAQUZ, Editor and Publisher j Member of the Associated Press Tb Associated Press Is exclusively entitled to the use tor publication of all news dispatches credited to It or not otberwlsa credited la this newspaper. .Vents of Inflation The characteristic of inflation is too much money in relation to supply of goods. We have had that condition ever since the government .began its big-scale wartime spending. As mora people were employed andwage checks grew fatter arid as production of civilian goods was reduced the materials for a period of inflation were at hand. To head this off price control through OPA was set up, with wages to be controlled through WLB. OPA has dealt chiefly with prices of goods and rentals. It has labored diligently and with some success to hold the price Una and prevent runaway prices on commodities. It is a mistake, however, to think that holding retail prices in rigid line may succeed in thwart ing inflation. The volatile gases find some other escape from the balloon of too much money. We witness this in the rise in prices for real state. The current real estate market is de termined not merely by the law of supply and demand for housing and commercial structures. It is also affected by the speculative frenzy. People who have accumulated money look on reel estate as "sound," and rush to invest war time profits in real property. Real estate is sound, that is, it is tangible property; but the investment at current prices may not be. This boom has, however, afforded an outlet for the accumulation of money. Another outlet was in the stock market. As In the 1820's when the commodity price level remained fairly constant, surplus cash went Into Wall street speculation, along with a big lot of credit. The collapse of 1929 was the be ginning of the cycle of deflation. Still another outlet for this excess money has been in commercialized recreation, travel to resorts, etc. The take at betting booths at race tracks has been enormous. The "easy money" of the war found an easy avenue of escape In this form of spending. It s all part of the process of the play of forces of inflation and deflation. Itjs quit im possible to protect all fools from their folly; and not all these spenders arc fools by any means. They may turn out wise investors. The idea we are getting at is that it takes more than price control to prevent the evils of in flation. - m . . j .rg Salesmanship on Way Back It is a true and humorous commentary on all of us that our yen for things material diminishes with their availability. If you don't believe it, ak the merchant who suddenly finds himself with such an abundance of once-scarce articles that he can tell his customers they can have all they want. We don't want to encourage a "run" on any thing, but this true story of a Salem business can be cited: Last week one particular home appliance arrived in quantity. It was an article which many folk had avowed would be one of their first purchases when it was available. The merchant filled his window. Sales were fairly brisk far more so than before the war. But his stock did not disappear nearly as rap idly as he had anticipated and he had a new shipment on the way. So he turned psychologist. He took all but one of the items out of his w indows, stored the rest. Business immediately perked up. The turnover of that single item became almost a race. He was busy all day replacing the one on display. It can well be imagined that the item in ques tion was tat nylon hose, a new car or the like someone may get killed in the rush when once more its possible to walk-in-walk-out with something like that. But its illustrative. Most merchants are becoming increasingly aware that the day when they'll actually have to sell their wares is fast approaching. Through Sleepingcar Service A group of eastern and western railroads have announced cross-country sleepingcar serv ice to be instituted this spring. Prodded by the ii of Chesapeake St Ohio, which in turn grew out of the- fight to purchase the Pullman com pany's sleepingcar business, the roads con cerned Announce that they will operate sleep in gears straight through from San Francisco and Los Angeles to New York and Philadelphia. Hitherto, breaks have occurred at Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans. This operation is not as simple as it sounds. St. Louis has a union terminal but Chicago does not. There are numerous depots strung round the fringe of the Chicago loop, and con siderable switching will be required to make the connection. For example, Northwestern trains whkh bring in pa&tengers from the Union Pacific enter the Northwestern station in Chi cago. Pennsylvania trains leave from the Union station several blocks away; New York Central train? leave from La Salle street station still farther off and B St O from the Dearborn street station. To provide through service on these lines a single NW train would have to pull in three separate Pullmans to be switched to these three roads. Clamoring for some of this busi ness will be the C 8c O and the Nickel Plate, the roads that started the rumpus. That would make five separate Pullmans if all were pro vided. These cars are to start from San Francisco and Los Angel's, which would double the num ber of sleepingcars going through without change. Now if Seattle and Portland are able to find a place in the sun the number is again doubled. In years of thin traffic there would - not be nearly enough passengers to fill these cars; and the connecting roads will not want to carry half-filled cars on to their destinations. Still another difficulty arises with stream lined trains. These .arg. arfjaulated units, the train operating as a whole. They cannot well be broken up. And these speedy, streamlined trains will be the most popular, leaving fewer passen gers for the regular trains carrying sleepers. On heavily traveled routes like the Over land, through sleeping car service via New York Central or Pennsylvania may be feasible But it will not be practical on roads where traffic is light and divides among several routes. Hitler's Genius When some weeks ago The Statesman char acterized Hitler as a "genius" it drew on itself editorial rebuff for allegedly heroizing j the demon of nazi Germany. The same term is used however, by Maj. H, R. Trevor-Roper of British Intelligence in a word portrait of Hitler appear ing in a recent issue of the N. Y. Times Maga zine. The author can speak -with authority; be cause he is an expert on the tnazi party j and was in charge of :the investigation into; the truth about Hitler's death. He writes: j He was a genius, of course; a revolutionary genius it is useless to deny that, for no ordi nary man could have achieved jsucb a master piece of destruction . . . But if a genius, Hitler was never a constructive genius. At the bottom of his heart, behind the meaningless phrases of peaceful intentions and the defense of west em civilization, he wished only to destroy. When he thought of himself as a great historical figure, it wasn't as any of the i great builders of civilization: it was as one of the scourges of ' mankind Alaric, Attila, Genghis Khan. A strange mixture of self-appointed German Messiah and petty I bourgois. Hitler possessed peculiar personal powers which made his clos est intimates regard him sincerely as Der Fuhrer. To quote: His eyes especially had a hynotic effect. They weren't bright; they were a dull and opaque blue tinged with gray. But they had a intensity which subdued the I beholder. One of the ablest of bis court admitted that Hitler's mere presence left him exhausted and void. Something of the fire of genius, malevolent though it was, must have glowed in those blue grey eyes. It does not glorify him to admit the power of his personality or his capacity to win and hold a faithful following. On the other side of his nature the was trivial and mean, one whose superstitious nature made him con sult astrologers, whose tastes were mediocre, whose fears of assassination became almost pathologic. His became a wasted power, an evil genius who will be remembered longest! for the woe he brought on the world. r I.. 'irrv I mlfai iii.i ral MaUm rlSmH . mm s Union Terminal j : i Tho County to Accept I Salem Bible Retirement Plan By Default Method Marion county will accept the state officers'-retirement system by the default method May 1, ac cording to County Judge Grant Murphy who indicated a tenta tive arf'cmcnt among county members had been reached Tues day. Under the law the system auto matically becomes effective if no action against it is taken by the county court by May 1. Expense for the Initial budget will be about $15,000 the Judge said, adding that it would be up to the budget com mittee to locate the funds. Although a few county employ es are not in favor of the sys tem, Judge Murphy stated, the majority of them, especially the older ones, are in favor of the re tirement program. Housing officials say there's a serious brick shortage. It would happen in an election year. But at least there's no scarcity of mud. S Behind the News By PAUL MALLON (Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc. Re production in whole or In part strictly prohibited.) WASHINGTON, March 26 The mud is getting thicker all the time. 1 ; j Up rose the dubious democrat, Commerce Secre tary Wallace, to demand ; a commission of party leaders to discard nonconformists. This added j a fresh toplayer of mire to the slippery democratic condition, in a novel and surprising way, because Wallace made such a career out of being a non conformist himself that the party would not have him again for vice-president with nooseveit, out chose Mr. Truman in his place. His proposal sounded as if the detached! tail of the party had announced Itself as the head and proposed to sever the body.' The matter got up to its knees in mud when party chairman Han negan added his j portion to I the Wallace layer by denouncing "a minority of dissident democrats." This came so soon after the Pauley fray, some interpreters thought the denunciation meant Hannegan wanted to purge the party of the supra-party force which defeated his and Truman's man for the undersecretary of nary namely the Ickes-ClO-Pepper group which lives, acts and speaks above the party, sometimes with Wallace joining ;in. j V "Paige Seeaaed Pari ef Plan These supra-democrats have uniformly b e e n "dissident," so naturally, some people thought Wal lace and Hannegan Vented to purge the; regime of these obstructionists, '; ' j j j explanation is the proper answer. " j j to khrk out of the party trie democratic majority in both houses because it has failed to enact the CIO program, which is also- a part of the Truman program, including unemployment compensation, minimum wage and such ventures. Mr. Hannegan was speaking against the southern and other demo cratic legislators who have held back this program of the Ickes-Pepper-CIO-Waiace ilk. ! j Into this mudpile, which .had been prepared; for slinging, rushed President j Truman to smooth It over. He renounced purges of the Wallace fashion, and eschewed denunciation of the Hannegan order, saying he was not in favor of disciplining bolters. Thereupon Mr.' Hannegan presented to I tha Jack son day diners the new policy of "the even hand," urged that the bogged legislation be enacted , and concluded: "That way, for dur party, lies victory in 1946." Believe CIO Less Popular This Tear This, the belabored congressmen, do not believe. No great popular demand -for these legislative Items has been evident to them. They are inclined to beHeve CIO is lest popular this year than last These democratic confusions have inspired the comment you hear frequently these days that the republicans are approaching the threshold of victory. ! ! I think the time has not yet arrived for such a final expectation. If Truman can get the economic system working by fall, the democrats will be able to strengthen their case. The pending Truman CIO legislation is of j' little genuine importance, because it does not touch the vital question; of the nation's economic welfare this year. The .question is: Can Truman get the country joing? 'And from the answer which events will furnish to that question in the next eight months, tbeelection result will berawn, ir.,. Literary Guidcpost j. By W. O. Rosen SCIENCE,' LIBERTY AND PEACE, by AlSeas UU (Harper; SO. Huxley calls science on the carpet in this thin book and gives it a talking-to that Is not so prejudiced as might be ex pected from an accuser who holds somewhat exotic spiritual convictions. . "The progressive decline of liberty and the progressive cen tralization of power" have par alleled the advances of science, which hi charges, obsequiously serves capitalism or the state. He wants it to serve the people who, , he says, grow more and more; helpless before dominant minorities. From laboratory and test tube he asks, not atomic bombs, but primarily food for DIP I HOODS ffrrnrrmt starving If that millions. sounds like Utopia, It's a lot more sensible than World War III. j THE BEAB THAT WASN'T, bjr rrmsk fashlat (Duttoa; 1-I. A bear, waking up in spring to find a facory built around his cave, is jalmotit persuaded, that he's a workman, not a bear. Only the return of winter and heavy snow convinces him he's a bear, and even that does not convince the humans. Though there are still almost 10 months to go, this could easily be the best cartoon book of 1948. THE SINGLE PILGRIM, by Mary , Roland Crow.ll; S2.M. 1 When Stephanie Thome's fi ance is reported missing in ac tion, ishel steps out in despair and has herself one wild time. Result, syphilis. Then fiance comes home, and she has to ad mit defection and infection. The theme deserves treatment ... as the disease does; after all, the 19th century had its pallid, wasted heroines who coughed to death. But this is pretty much claptrap, j THE GREAT DIVORCE, by C. S. Uwli ( Mac oti lias; gl.sa). Here's my report on this fan tasy: l Characters: dead souls. Scene I: a sort of "Celestial Omnibus." Scene II:; the threshold of Heaven, a tough place where souls, mujh like auto on a test ing ground, are tried out. Moral: you can't! ! compromise, it's all GRIN (Continued from page 1) by diversion of the milk to pow der a higher return can be made to producers. If the latter Is the motive! it does not show the dairymen up In a very good light. For when they enter the business of providing fresh milk to customers they assume a cer tain obligation to maintain ser vice, a moral obligation only, to be sure, but hardly one to be treated lightly. Again, it is recalled that in the 1930s when prices for fac tory milk were very low, pro ducers for the fresh milk trade resisted price cuts to bring their product Into its normal relation to factory milk.- To resist pric ing in : relation to the general market: then a9ki now to Jump out of fresh milk production because of a better return from factory; processing Is inconsist ent, to say the least. The producers In their adver tisements and statements have made only general references to increased costs as a basis for higher ; prices. Presumably this data was available to OPA ex aminers and was reviewed by them. The following are the facts as I have dug them up, using Portland prices. The fluid milk price to pro ducers on Jan. 1, 1941 was 58c per lb. butter fat; on Jan. 1, 1943, 87c; Jan. 1. 1946, 95c; un der new OPA ruling $1.01. In addition, there is a government subsidy of 17 Vic per lb. butter fat on four per cent milk. This subsidy: in former years was re duced during the season of good pasture; Portland feed prices were: Alfalfa hay, 1941, $19.50; 1943 46. $35 to $38. Mixed grains 1941, $37 a ton for 20 per cent protein; 1946; $97.50 for 14 per cent protein. Farm labor costs about three times what it did in 1941. Milk prices, then, including subsidy, are 200 per rent of 1941; feeds are up about Uie same amount; labor another 100 per cent. There are other factors, however, which enter into the price problem: (1) now all the producers' milk is in de mand at top prices, In 1941 and earlier years a certain portion was surplus which brought much lower prices. (2) Other Items of cost have not shown the markup of feed and labor, items such as gasoline, taxes, Interest, insurance. There it still another stand ard of comparison. In January, 1941, the price of butterfat for creamery production was 28 'ic per lb. Now it is 56c. The dif ference between fresh milk and factory milk in 1941 was 27c a lb. Now it Is 45c a pound Granted that the current price for butterfat for butter produc tion is too low, still many dairy men are getting by at that level, and the position of the producer of fluid milk is relatively very much better. It appears to be true that powdered milk will bring the producer a better return now than for fresh milk. The conv parison is about $1.11 per lb butterfat and $1.01 for fluid milk. If the matter were purely one of business one would con elude that the diversion was en tirely logical. But in view of the consideration which consumers have given producers through the years, with the protection of special legislation, it does seem as though they might sac rifice the extra profit and stay with the customers who have stood by them. black or all white. Heaven is closed forever to the man with even a 'mote in his eye. Kffect: painful.' Remarks: you'd never believe ; the author of "The Screwtape Letters" wrote this dull and lead-footed book. kND BEAR IT By Lichty mm i r so." k j m i r v - r " 'ti fj? it.? I l i Air..' fj .- 1!N Oca Tim. !. -And after these atom bomb trials In May. Admiral, I suppese the Navy will let yea outr , Cannery Signs New Contract, 15-Cent Raise A contract calling for a 15-cents per hour wage increase was signed Tuesday by the Kingwood Can ning Co., north Portland road, and the Cannery Workers local No. 670, E. S. Benjamin, union secre tary announced. Besides the straight wage boost for atTworkers the agreement also provides for vacation privileges. overtime rates, holiday overtime pay, a 5 -cents per hour night shift differential and call and standby time. The call and standby time phrase of the contract, a recent inovation in union agreements. means that when workers are called to the cannery to work they are guaranteed a minimum pay, even If they don't work that day, Benjamin said. Because the Kingwood plant in tends to can a type of product which includes meat, the contract also included Butcher workmen. This phase of the agreement was signed by H. C. Barker, of the Butcher Workmen local No. 280. Lee I. Thomas, general mana ger of the cannery, signed both contracts for the employer with Barker and Benjamin. Academy Buys Building Site Purchase of a tract of approxi mately 40 acres of land as build ing site for the Salem Bible aca demy and college was announced Tuesday by L. L Hughes, field manager of finances for the aca demy which opened last fall in West Salem. The land, which includes the Thomas T. Crozer and adjoining properties purchased from Elbert and sons, is on the Dallas high way approximately 14 miles from the Salem city center. It ex tends from the pavement to the hill on the north and Is a beau tiful elevated building site, Hughes said. Offering high school work this year, the interdenominational Christian school is to expand to include seventh and eighth grades next year and eventually to offer junior college (two years of col lege) work, Hughes said. Plans call for a one-story build ing consisting of at least 12 class rooms, administrative offices and auditorium, constructed so that additions may be made later as funds permit. " AVC Planning 'Charter Rally9 Thursday Eve. A charter rally open to all vet erans of World war II and their families will be staged at 6 p. m. Thursday In Waller hall on the Willamette campus by Salem chapter, American Veterans com mittee. Aims and history of the organ ization will be explained briefly by local members, following which addresses will be made by Charles A. Sprague, former gov ernor, and Dr. Charles Durden, local Baptist minister. Vance MarDowell. temporary chairman of the new local group, said Tuesday that the AVC pro gram in Salem calls for an active part In civic advancement activ ities, forums and public meetings. citywide polls and other events consistent with the AVC slogan. Citizens First, Veterans Second." Oregon Snap Bean Canning Forecast Good Steadily increasing per capita consumption of canned snap beans In the United States forecast an era of stability for the snap bean canning industry In Oregon, E. H. Bell, vice-president of American Can company, said today. " In 1940-41, last normal prewar crop year, Americans ate 2JX pounds ' of , snap beans, canned weight, per capita as against l.S pounds In 1936-37, or an increase of almost a pound, Mr. Bell said. The can company official said that the snap bean canning in dustry in Oregon, which started in a small way, has shown a sound and steady development which is becoming more impor tant each year with the opening of new canneries. Single Stocks $how Strength I NEW YORK, March 26.-(yP- Individual stocks exhibited strength In today's market al though numerous leaders backed Into losing territory. Many customers cashed profits on the idea that the recovery of about 70 per cent of the February slump had served as more than a normal technical correction. The division of the UNO security com mittee over Iran chilled enthusi asts to some extent and the threat of a walkout of 400,000 soft coal workers this weekend was a cau tionary factor. Final quotations were well mix ed. Transfers of 1,440,000 shares compared with 1,640,000 the day before. The Associated Press 60-stock composite was off .1 of a point at 77.8, first dip since March 19. Late Rally in Grain Brings Slight Increase CHICAGO. March 26. A late rally today carried active grain futures more than a cent above yesterday's close, but last minute profit cashing cut the ad' vance to fractions above yester day's finish at the belL The rally came after a dull day, on reports of export demand for oats and strength of oats at Min ne'a polls. During the greater part of the day most traders were inclined to wait out official information on on what is going on in Washing ton. Trading in wheat was confined to some outright sales In deferred months and some spreading In the iviay ana juiy contracts, ixooa rains were reported from the win ter wheat country. At the close wheat and corn were unchanged at ceilings, $1.83 'i and $1.2114. Oats were un changed to higher than yester day's close. May 83. Rye was 4 to H higher, May $2.17 U-Vfc. Bar ley was unchanged at ceiling, IL26KL Now York Stock Quotations By the Asserts ted Press NXW YORK. Al Chcm St Dy American Can . Am Pow St Lt . Am Tel it Tel ... Anaconda Atchison Bendix Avla Betn Storl Boeing Air Canadian Pac Calif Pack Cane J. I Chryaler Com with Sou .. Cons. Edison .... Cutis. Vultea .... Cont Ins . Crown Zel Curtiaa Wr. Douglas Air .... Oupont Du Ne March 26 (AP) Today's 202 (Gen Electric . SS'i Gn. Foods Gen Motor 191 ! Goodyear Tl 47'i'Gt North pfd 104', lnt Harvest . S3 jlnt Paper pfd KM'alKennecott WjjLon Bell A - 4S',a;Mayta 20 Miami Copper 4.1'VMont Ward 140 I Nash Kelvin ,; Nat Dairy 34'SiNY Central 28, North Am Co 58 Northern Pac closing quotations: 47i! Penney J C 521,.! Radio Corp ..... 7JViRayonier . 70 I Reynold Met . . MVilSafeway 80 V Sears Roebuck lis . S4" . 33 , 13. Sinclair Oil 80. Pacific Stan Brands SUn Oil Cal .. Stew-Warner SmtStudcbakcr 3SiPac Am Finn . S'.'Pac cas Eire . -1S4 IP. T T ..lW',i'Pn American 4l 21 90 11 45 147 Sua. Mining Union Oil Un. Pacific Un. Airlines Un. Aircraft U. S. Steel Warner Bros West 13 Mil 5 22! Woolworth 55 19 '' 35 29'i - 43 ...v.- !. eo 4. 4S 23 31 !', SM. 164 45 Jl 37, 34'! Law School Adds Four to Faculty m Because enrollment at the Wit lamette university college of law has been doubled this semester, four new members have been add ed to the law faculty, it was an nounced Tuesday by Ray Smith, acting dean of the law school. Offering courses in abstract and conveyancing is Urliit S. Page; classes in conflict of law are being taught by Williard II. WirU; teach ing bankruptcy is William Lin foot; and instructor in common law pleading is Charles It. Heltzel. Oth er members of the faculty are Dean Smith, Prof. Roy M. Lock- enour and Robert DoArmond. 4 New Bridsreg 7 Planned on Road Proposed road changes on coun ty road 944, south of Marion, call for construction of four new brid ges and general road improve ment according to County Engin eer I led da Swart, County Com missioners Roy Rice and Jim Smith and County Bridge Fore man Ted Kuenzi who reviewed the project Tuesday. The area affected by the new road conditions is a heavy pro duce section of the SanUara bot tom which sends considerable de liveries of beans, carrots and oth er produce over the road. STEVEIIS Ilaadaciiiriiig Jewelers Levcly mountings el varl as designs te eakaaee the b e a t y ef year diastemas. Available la platinise er ia geld. Dlametsd rings deaad sad cheeked regardless ef where purchased. Wltbevt charge. Extended Payments 113 Cears Street j