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Show WASHINGTON neiws r,grn FROM OUR CONGRESSMAN W. K. GRANGER Wartime Growth in The United ; States A great deal has been said recently about getting back to "normal" times with the assumption assump-tion that the years 1939 and 1940 . were "normal" and that the rate of production during those' years would today satisfy the demand. A brief resume of the production produc-tion records for 1940 as compared to the first half of 1946 convinces one that Americans must recognize recog-nize that things have changed since the days before war became a major preoccupation and that ideas of going back to prewar days will need to be revised. Basically speaking, this change has been brought about by an increased population of ten million mil-lion since 1940. That means that 10,000,000 more people are to be fed, clothed,, housed and provided provid-ed with the gadgets that go a-long a-long with American civilization. This increase in population is centered in the lowest age groups and means that there will be a much larger than prewar "normal" "nor-mal" demand for all the things that are to provide for youths as they grow up. Of particular interest is the still greater increase in the number num-ber of families. It is estimated that there are now three million mnro familw unite tr ha VinoQrl in the United States than in 1940, which explains in part the almost explosive demand for new houses. Of course, along with that increased demand for new homes is the similar increased in-creased demand for all the things that go to furnish homes. Likewise the labor force of persons over 14 years of age who are working or now seeking work, has grown nearly six million. This increase, of course, means that the nation's spending power has increased in comparative figures. The currency and bank deposits in the hands of individuals individ-uals and business is vastly greater great-er than it was back in 1940. Where the. available money was $66 billion before the war, it is now above $150 billion. Industry's production rate must be held much higher than before the war if jobs are to be provided for those who want jobs and if the needs of the millions of added add-ed people are to be met. In 1940, industry produced 25 per cent above the average of 1935-39, and it was considered something of a boom year. Now, industry, with all of its troubles, is turning turn-ing out goods at a rate nearly 70 per cent above 1935-39 levels, and that level of operations will continue to rise sharply in the next few months. |
