anaheim-gazette 1947-12-11

WHO TOLD YOU Do you With prices high and skyrocketing slavery and starvation destroying public getting? The truth? No! Instead of the unvarnished truth a tough problems at home and abr coated remedies designed to sou FAIRY TALE No.1 FAIRY TALE No. 1 "60,000,000 American workers can each produce less and each get more." The truth is that we are going to be able to wear and eat and enjoy only what we produce. As the English are discovering, it doesn't matter how many controls you have or how you "organize the scarcity and equalize the misery"—it's still scarcity and misery till more goods are produced. FAIRY TALE No. 2 "We don't all have to pay for the war—a few rich people can do it." During the war we shot away most of the highest production in our history. We ate up, used up, and wore out practically all the rest. Each one of us has already stood part of the cost. Each one of us is definitely poorer as a result. Yet there's more ahead for each still to bear. All the money of the remaining rich people couldn't begin to pay the bill. FAIRY TALE No. 3 "Improved methods cause fewer jobs." The truth is that every important invention has multiplied jobs—not by "Improved methods cause fewer jobs." The truth is that every important invention has multiplied jobs—not by thousands, but usually by hundreds of thousands. Sure, the end of horse-shoes and buggy-whips temporarily put some people out of work making those things, but the workers were absorbed hundreds of times over in the auto industry that replaced buggy, harness, and horse-shoe making. Bathtubs, radios, telephones, and movies were brought within the reach of all through constantly improved methods that enabled a man's pay to cover more and more of such things. "Produce more...put off buying probably get no one elected to office. Why not have a look at these And fortunately this way out can D YOU THESE FAIRY TALES do you still believe any of the and skyrocketing higher here at home—with evasion destroying half the world—what is the invarnished truth about what it takes to solve at home and abroad, we hear only sugar-designed to sound good to the American public, which is presumed to be too dull courage to understand and face the facts. Practically all of us in this country have been—and many to high school. Yet every surmits that the vast majority still believe the following economic fairy tales—despite everything going on here and abroad pro a look at these fairy tales one by one and see if you still believe any of FAIRY TALE No. 4 FAIRY TALE No. 6 "Increasing everybody's wage, including yours, by 10¢ or 15¢ or 25¢ or 50¢ will help you live better." The truth is—as the 18½c and 15c increases of the last two years have shown—that prices go up enough almost immediately to cancel out completely the buying power of any nation-wide wage increases. But more important, all the arguments about these increases and the accompanying work stoppages cut down total production. This meant higher prices on what was produced, tough times for old people living on their savings—and less goods to divide up and enjoy. "A little inflation won't get you in any trouble." The truth is it's easier to encourage a national wage increase and other inflationary measures than it is to let people have the truth and then all "A little inflation won't get you in any trouble." The truth is it's easier to encourage a national wage increase and other inflationary measures than it is to let people have the truth and then all together face the sensible remedy indicated by the facts. For a while people here have enjoyed having $2.00 instead of $1.00. But we are slowly realizing that, too often, the $2.00 now is buying less than $1.00 did before the value of money was diluted. In France, this process has put prices up 8 times over what they were pre-war,—and hasn't added anything to the goods the French people need. In China, this process has put prices up hundreds of times what they were pre-war. out buying scarce goods!" This is a hard doctrine. It is probably unselected to office. But this is your country, and not anybody else's. You have look at these things we've got to do and see if maybe the hard way out is way out can still continue to give us all the most wonderful life ever GENERAL ELECTRIC Thursday, December 11, 1947 FAIRY TALES? of them? need to be too dull or too lacking in and face the facts. is country have been to grade school ool. Yet every survey of the public majority still believes one or more of fairy tales — despite the fact that e and abroad proves them untrue. believe any of them. FAIRY TALE No. 6 "Promoting class war is the best way to get what you want." The truth is that the very best way not to produce or get what we want is for all of us to spend all our time fighting among ourselves and preventing each other from getting very much done. Great effort has been put on making us believe our classless society is old-fashioned, even wrong, despite the physical comforts and the spiritual well-being it has produced to make us the envy of the world now and for 150 years before. Men with ideas and perseverance, men who can successfully spread those ideas over the efforts of others to make those efforts more effective,—those men are leaders and managers. Men with the sense and character and courage to live within their means and to save something, pretty much regardless of income,—those men are the investors who back management's ideas with the equipment that "lengthens men's arms." A too-common idea—imported from abroad—is to group these leaders and savers into one small class as very undesirable characters who should be destroyed in the interests of the other class which is made up of all the rest of the population. If you eliminate these leaders and savers—by regulation or other method of destroying incentive to do good for others—watch progress come to a standstill here, as it has wherever this has been tried elsewhere. MAYBE THE TRUTH ISN'T POPULAR MAYBE FAITHFUL WORK SHOULDN'T BE MENTIONED, BUT... 1. We have got to produce more, both through manage- MAYBE THE TRUTH ISN'T POPULAR MAYBE FAITHFUL WORK SHOULDN'T BE MENTIONED, BUT... 1. We have got to produce more, both through management supplying rapidly improved equipment and methods and through workers faithfully exercising skill, care and effort. 2. We have got to put off buying scarce goods now wherever we can. This will enable us and others to enjoy more sensible prices on all we do buy, and will enable us to buy more later with our savings. is probably unattractive. It would else's. You have to make the decision way out isn't the only way out? perful life ever conceived by man.