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Show FORGING AHEAD. Production in the United States in the year 1928 broke all records according ac-cording 'to the annual report of the Secretary of Commerce, made public recently. Secretary Whiting declared that the country had entered the new year with broader stability and wider markets mar-kets than ever before in its history. "The year 1928, on the whole," he said, "was the year of the greatest production and trade in American history his-tory in spite of low activity in some branches of industry at its beginning. Final and official returns reaching the Department of Commerce from leading trade and industries show that the year marked a continuance of the longest period of general business stability sta-bility ever witnessed in the United States." Factory employment and payrolls, which had declined in 1927, showed a slow improvement in the early part of 1928 and rose rapidly in the second sec-ond half of the year. These are some of the things for which the people of the United States have cause to be thankful. The conditions con-ditions which we have enjoyed in an economic way during the past few years have been due to certain sound principals which have come to be characterized the world over as the American idea. These principles are based on the theory that high wages with lower production costs through a larger output, the high wages furnishing fur-nishing the market for the larger output out-put spells progress and prosperity. The theory is directly contrary to the low wage theory of chesp production which has held sway in Europe, but that the American theory will work is showed by the results. The big market has been protected by the American Am-erican theory of tariff which holds that the American wage earner should be protected from cheaper wages and cheaper standards of living in Europe. Eu-rope. And our economic progress has been steady and orderly because we have devoted our attention as a gov ernment not in an attempt to mind the business of the world, and to settle set-tle other nations' problems through world diplomacy, but to attend strictly strict-ly to pur own business. It will be seen therefore, that our success has been based as much on the principal of failure to make mistakes as to constructive con-structive methods. Working for America, Am-erica, protecting the American market, mar-ket, and attending strictly to our own business seems to have been a pretty good program so far as our progress and -prosperity are concerned. There seems to be no danger just now that the program will be changed during the next decade, unless the American people lose all sense of proportion, which they are not apt to do. |