Show ft P o d y fT a ti Throttling of Small Business oX Can Kill KW Democratic System By News Analyst and Corn Commentator WASHINGTON V Over Over in England where the majority voted to accept socialism because they felt the year old capitalistic experiment ex- ex had been a failure they are finding that you cant can't vote yourself into a a. prosperity any more than you can vote yourself into mor morality it There are still a lot Jot of Britons who think they have been voted out of the frying pan into the fire Prime Minister Clement Attlee in a recent report to the Labor party admitted that conversion into socialist democracy democracy democracy racy was a long hard task longer than they had imagined We Ve are engaged in a great venture venture venture ven ven- ture Attlee said We arc are trying to 10 build a great free socialist democracy He warned that a society so- so c ety changed by r 2 u n d demos democratic e m 0 c r a t ti i c methods is apt to J 1 lose the habits Ii of d democracy a m y I If he meant f v suppose b by Y that that socialism so so- cia Ii s m had to it if 9 come by evolution evolution evolution tion which is an anji ji ancient axiom of 1 the more conservative conser votive vat 1 V e socialists Communists s say a y w tit it can cm come only by revolution Attlee also said that socialism was a way of life not life not an economic theory That will be questioned by some people He added that socialism socialism socialism social social- ism demanded a higher standard of citizenship than does capitalism Some people will quarrel with that too Many will say that it isn't that capitalism doesn't demand a higher standard of citizenship but simply that capitalism or any other known system for that matter matter matter mat mat- ter doesn't always get it Capitalism fails when it does fail not because there is anything anything anything any any- thing wrong with free enterprise or competition but because sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times the standard of morality or standard of citizenship if you will running the system bogs down Then free enterprise is shackled and competition destroyed The trust anti-trust laws were passed to io punish people who tried to check free enterprise by killing g compe compe- tion Those laws wouldn't be needed government intervention wouldn't be needed if the standard of morality morality mor mor- alit of citizenship were high enough among the people who control control control con con- enterprise Long before the war and increasingly so when shortages began to appear later big business began crowding small business out of existence Because of war war conditions and the powerful influence of big business business business busi busi- ness the small buyer couldn't com com- pete He wasn't able to get the raw materials Small business is the keystone of capitalism According to the Committee Committee Committee Com Com- on Economic Development 98 per cent of the business units in this country employ 50 people or 1 1 Th 1 b V h wain a units unite Hc nf of IC ess ose ss course course arent aren't limited to manufacturing manufacturing manufacturing turing firms they firms they include the roadside roadside roadside road road- side hotdog stand the one woman hand laundry the tea room and the country store as well as the business business business busi busi- ness men producing manufactured Items on a small scale If this 98 per cent of a capitalistic capitalistic capitalistic capi capi- country's business isn't prosperous capitalism cant can't suc suc- In fact you cant can't have capitalism when big industrial groups monopolize business any anymore anymore anymore more than you can have it when the state monopolizes business What is happening to small business business business busi busi- ness today It cant can't compete Big business is making big profits paying paying paying pay pay- ing big wages regardless of whether the take-home take pay of the workers is equal to cover high prices or not Small business cant can't afford to pay the big wages and the small town merchant is not making making making mak mak- ing sales and profits pr because the consumers in his company haven't L 3 the uie un money Y to iu spend Sl A recent issue of the Kiplinger magazine made a survey of conditions conditions conditions condi condi- in small towns as reported in ina ina ina a thousand letters from small businessmen businessmen busi busi- teachers preachers doctors doctors doctors doc doc- tors lawyers housewives workingmen working- working men and working women in those towns The net of the survey was that there was vas a definite letdown in business after January of this year and that the people surveyed surveyed surveyed sur sur- believed that there is a further letdown in p pro prospect r o s p pee e c t. t There is evidence of reduced consuming consuming con con- 1 suming power which is the first r r sign of a depression A sign that the wealth of the nation is getting out of the buyers' buyers hands Now that's a pretty gloomy picture picture pic pie ture and not wholly subscribed to toby toby by commerce department people here They will tell you that business business busi busi- ness everywhere large and small showed a tendency to level off after January of this year that there was wasa a definite weakening in the first quarter of the year But they believe believe believe be be- lieve that was a temporary trend that its it's over now that business will I reverse itself and that the general trend is now upward again I They make no differentiation bel between between be- be l tween large and small ma businesses in their prognostications and studies and they feel that the trend for all business now is up But 1 listen sten to what the people surveyed sur sur- by Kiplinger say A food wholesaler in Iowa Bread sales are extremely high also flour sales ore arc good and the sale of rolled oats is good as people apparently are filling up on these nutritious foods in preference to more expensive expense e items A baker in Ohio We are selling fewer cakes and pies Women are doing more sewing at home with clothing prices so high An Illinois businessman said The local high school decided to have havea a night school on sewing The first registration was women Young Young- woman in Wisconsin Im not the only working working- girl in inthis inthis inthis this community who doesn't have havethe havethe havethe the new look Illinois farm woman We planned to buy some new furniture but the price is too high I am making slipcovers Even electrical items dreamed of by housewives as an war the necessity are not selling well Said an In Iowa de dealer ler The edge is definitely definitely definitely off on hard goods such as refrigerators w was washers a s h her e r s radios stoves etc Prices too high A traveling ng salesman covering the small towns finds the going tough I cover New York state and I am working twice as hard for half the business Many little signs of hard times were reported by Kiplinger's sur sur- vey Examples A Texas housewife I 1 am feeding feeding feeding feed feed- ing tramps for the first time since before the war A deacon Collections are off at our church A loan Joan company man More borrowing from small loan com com- A village cob cobbler bier My shoe repair business is good As the Kiplinger magazine puts it The folks in the small towns are harder up Their incomes haven't gone up as much as the prices they pay In other words according to the survey the wealth is getting out of the hands of the consumer And whether this survey surveyor or the com com- corn 1 In coerce ne department Un 11 s optimistic Ul prediction prediction pre pre- l diction are more nearly correct congress abolished the small business business business busi busi- ness section this much at least can be said You can redistribute the wealth by the socialistic intervention of government That kills capitalism Or you can redistribute it by permitting permitting permitting per per- full and free competition competition- competition on the part of the producers producers pro pro- of raw materials competition pro pro-I tion on the part of labor an expensive expensive expensive ex ex- pensive item competition on the part of processors Industrial or labor monopoly as I said before will kill capitalism in the end as effectively as the Communist with his little red hatchet Even Russians Get Re-oriented Re This item was passed along to me meby meby meby by a friend A high officer in one of the armies which fought against Russia was visiting this country and told this story Recently in in Berlin he was entertaining entertaining enter enter- a high Russian officer stationed stationed stationed sta sta- there It was a farewell t r rr r n. n th tits R D. D cr l r rr r rrt rt d t l h h r f r e par pal Lt y as a eta LII a ahad an LlUU u nii is wi w ic had been ordered to return to Mos Mos- cow The host remarked that it was nice that the Russian could take his wife back from the rigors of occupation life in n Germany The Russi Russian n had dined well and perhaps was indiscreet Anyway he confessed that he was anything but pleased that he was dreading the period he and his wife must pass in the camp Then he be explained that every Russian before he e was allowed to return to the Soviet Union had to pass through a education re-education center and be indoctrinated with just what he should say to his bis friends and relatives I repeat this item because it comes to me in a direct intimate manner not a part of or any organized organized organized or or- propaganda th r jr rIts rIt's Its It's as hard to reach an agreement agree agreement ment with 16 lawyers haggling over every word in a labor controversy as it is to get into heaven 16 theologians haggling over ho how many angels can stand on the head hea of a pin phi Good pastures save grain says say department of agriculture Yes and around about foreclosing time good food grain will save pastures |