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Show It's Yoitfi business! It is false, despite Communist propaganda, that "the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer" poor-er" under our free economy. The facts are brought out in a study by Rev. Edward A. Keller, C.S.C., director, Bureau of Economic Eco-nomic Research, University of Notre Dame. In 1917, Father Keller reports in "The National Income and Its Dis-: Dis-: tribution," Americans with a personal per-sonal annual income of $25,000 or more got seven percent of the nation's na-tion's entire income after taxes. In the latest year for which complete com-plete figures are available, 1944, they got only one percent. Their dollar income almost $9 billion in 1928, was less than $2 billion in 1944. Where Money Goes ... Father Keller also tells where that money goes. Americans making mak-ing under $5,000 a year, he says, have greatly improved their position. posi-tion. In 1917 they received 87 percent per-cent of total personal income. In 1944 they got 90 percent. The dollar figures are still more impressive. The group under $5,- i 000 received $47 billion in 1917 and $140 billion in 1944 a gain of $93 billion in one generation. Corporate Dividends Down . . . In 17 years, 1929 to 1946, Father Keller finds, national income rose 93 percent, but corporate dividends divi-dends went down 14 percent. . '-'Taking our economy as a whole," Father Keller reported, "the main item of cost of production produc-tion of all goods arid services is labor cost while the cost for the use of tools is a relatively minor cost." |