Show Released by Western Newspaper Union WHATEVER ER HAPPENED TO OUR M 1 DAY DAYBILL HI BILL JONES had a good Job especially for a young man On graduation from college with ith an en en- engineering engineering engineering degree he had found em em- employment employment with a large construction concern He seemed to have an as- as future Then came the draft law and Bill tI was listed as lA Uncle Sam said he was to go Into the army The pay would be 50 a month with clothes and food The hours would be what- what whatever whatever whatever ever Part of the toe of ot each week we k 1 9 might be called for There would be no overtime He would be on the Job every day and hour unless imless an army doctor pronounced him ill m. He would go where he was tol told to go and do what he was told to do Bill did not object To d defend fend the country when called upon was a at 1 t 1 responsibility of citizenship He Ho gave g ve f T up a Job paying a week we k anc and I cheerfully accepted the one at 50 a month Bill Brown too had a Job as a mechanic in a plant making air air- airplanes planes It was a good Job as meas meas- measured measured measured by standards of that time lime pay pay- paying paying payIng ing 35 a week of 48 hours As the making of airplanes was an nn essen essen- essential essential essential industry Bill was listed as and told to stay where he was Be Be- Because Because Because cause of federal laws to stay on the Job he was forced to join a union 1 and the plant could work only 40 hours a week The he e other hours I of each week were at his disposal to todo todo todo do with as he pleased He did not have to produce a doctors doctor's so say-so should he fail fall to show up for a por pore portion portion tion of the prescribed 40 hours The union he be had been forced to Join demanded that Bill be paid 50 a week and later that it be again increased to 60 Then the government government govern govern- ment decreed that as as' a war emer emer- emergency emergency gency he must work 48 hours a week but that he must be paid time and anet one halt for the extra eight hours It added up to 72 a week approximately a month in Bills Bill's pay envelope Both Bills are citizens of the Unit Unit- United United ed cd States Both owe to the nation the same obligations of ot citizenship While Bill Jones was losing a leg legin eg egin in the battle of Tunisia Bill Brown 4 by direction of his union bosses was out on strike carrying a banner In Ina ina a picket line demanding another in increase in- in increase increase i crease in pay which the government I saw to it that th he received Had the once advertised M bill become a law both Bills would have been drafted The one oneto oneto oneto to wear uniform a-uniform a a at 50 a month the other to overalls wear at the 35 a week he he was then receiving and with as many hours work as might be demanded That M uM bill had it become a law would have drafted dr the plant as well as as Bill Brown the worker There would have been no excessive price for the product of the plant and no profits It would seem the discarded and forgotten M uM bill would have provided a real democracy democracy democracy racy of wartime It would have meant meant an abut war on n the part of everybody but those thos who seek votes voles were afraid of what it might do o at the polls OTHER FELLOWS FELLOWS' INCOME INCOME IS UP VP IN WARTIME IE W THE DEPARTMENT OF COM COM- COMMERCE COMMERCE MERCE MER E tells teUs us the average indi indi- individual vidual vidua income was per per cent higher in 1942 1042 than in 1941 and per cent higher than in liz 1939 1039 The figures fig res make us feel rich and are undoubtedly correct but it is hard to find the individual who will vIll admit they apply to him It was the other fellow who vho received the extra mon mon- ey By states the highest Increase was In Nevada amounting to per cent as between 1941 and 42 The lowest was In New Hampshire where it was but 86 per cent In Inthe Inthe the central farming states it ranged between 16 8 per cent In Illinois to In Iowa with a general average In those states of Utah topped all agricultural states with The government is taking a consid consid- considerable considerable considerable erable portion of the increase as additional income taxes That with witha a greater cost of living does not leave most of us with any extra spending money S S WRITING SERVICEMEN THE POSTMAN brought a letter from rom an old old friend It did not contain much that was news but what a vast amount of pleasure those Cew tew lines produced When we on the home front can derive so much enjoyment from a letter we can realize what the receipt of even a afew afew few lines from home means to one of our boys on a a. a far-away far battle battlefront front S CONGRESS HAS APPROPRIATED ED FOR WAR purposes more than II twice as much money as has been spent or for which orders have been I placed Should the war end soon I the American taxpayer would not bemoan the fact tact that some of those billions were not used S IF IF BECAUSE of their war expert expert- once e ce the manufacturers produce for foi forus us us one halt the new or improved I I gadgets ts they promise there will be in beno no n. problem about postwar employ ment m It I u |