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Show BYRNES AND MOLOTOV CLASH OVER "FREE PRESS" The clash between Secretary of State Byrnes and Soviet Foreign For-eign Minister Molotov ended in the giving and taking of a dare, which brings into focus the widely wide-ly different services that at 3 performed per-formed by the newspapers of this country and the Soviet Union. When Mr. Byrnes concluded his statement, in reply to the criticism of his position by the representative of the Soviet Union, Un-ion, he added. "I challenge him to secure or permit publication in the Soviet Union of the statement state-ment I have now made." Replying, Mr. Molotov declared, declar-ed, "We accept the challenge that was extended by the American representative. Let him give us his text. We will publish it and we will leave Soviet readers free lo read and judge the situation." sit-uation." Thereafter, Mr. Molotov gave a few words on the question of the freedom of the press, calling attention to books in this country coun-try which tell of "press trusts that exist in the United States" and that call "the tune for the overwhelming majority of the newspapers." He asked, "Has anybody heard of the monopoly control by two or three, bosses? Perhaps you know the l.rue bosses bos-ses of the American press." Mr. Molotov's idea of the American press as a whole is based upon a small modicum of truth, but its rests essentially upon up-on the fact that the newspapers of this country, being somewhat capitalistic themselves, tend to support the economic position of the capitalistic system. Obviously, Obvious-ly, in Communist Russia, there is no room for such freedom. The Soviet Union "considers it necessary to aid the press so it can obtain an unequalled impartiality im-partiality and objectivity." This is polite language for saying that the Soviet Government uses the press as an agency of propaganda propagan-da to sustain the government in power. While the great majority of the newspapers of the United States are undoubtedly free from the influence exerted by other people's peo-ple's money, there can be little doubt of the fact that the larger newspapers of the land represent one phase of big business. As it takes millions of dollars to establish es-tablish a modern daily in a metropolitan met-ropolitan city, it requires no argument ar-gument to demonstrate that the freedom of the press, for that particular city, is largely in the hands of those possessing suffi-cent suffi-cent money to establish a newspaper. news-paper. This does not mean, however, that freedom of the press is an empty phrase. In every large city, as in every small hamlet, anybody can publish any kind of publication. In the publication the editor, or those who write for it, can express any kind of opinion. This, as we understand the situation, is not the case in Russia. PROSPERITY PREDICTION IS ENCOURAGING. BUT John D. Small, Civilian Production Pro-duction Administrator, says this country can reach "a period of prosperity such as we have never nev-er known" and that despite predictions pre-dictions of a boom and bust "we will get through if everybody us es restraint and common sense." Obviously, everybody will not use restraint and common sense because this condition has never obtained in this country, or any other country in the world. The restraint that Mr. Small seems to think may be necessary must be supplied by government controls con-trols and regulations and if not so instigated will not exist. While it is clear that prices are now higher than during many past years, this docs not mean, of necessity, that there will not be prosperity. The ability abil-ity of consumers to buy, whether wheth-er prices are high or low, will govern the economic cycle and as long as buying power turns money into the commercial stream there will be chance for prolonged good times. What will happen if. for any reason, producers become overstocked over-stocked and lay-off employees, cutting down payrolls and thus buying power, is not hard to figure out. The present demand for almost all goods far exceeds the supply. Consequently, manufacturers manu-facturers are accelerating production pro-duction and we presume that they will, when they reach their peaks, be turning out goods faster fast-er than the normal annual demand. de-mand. At some point in the future a surplus of goods will begin to accumulate. That will be the danger period. The first signs of unemployment will cause pessimism pes-simism to replace optimism, which means that buying will automatically - slacken. When consumers hold back their money, mon-ey, goods' do not move and it will not take long for manufacturers manufac-turers to have enough in inventories inven-tories to slacken production. There is a chance, of course, that demand from foreign countries coun-tries may help provide an expanding ex-panding market for our products. If this proves substantial there is an excellent prospect for continued con-tinued "good business' but if we are to have a foreign demand, we must be willing to accept some foreign goods and services. The' foreigners can only pay us in this manner for what they want to buy. INCOME TAX EVADERS PAY TO ESCAPE PENALTIES The head of the Treasury, Secretary Sec-retary John W. Snyder, says that the drive against black markets and other wartime tax evaders has apparently frightened some of them into voluntarily reporting report-ing delinquencies. He. reported delinquencies totalling to-talling $170,000,000, including one item of $2,000,000, voluntarily voluntar-ily paid in to the Treasury, and explained that, in accordance with custom, there will be no criminal prosecution of taxpayers taxpay-ers who voluntarily "remember" and report their mistakes'. While most Americans make it a practice to give an honest income tax return, there is a small minority which deliberately deliberate-ly evades the payment of this tax. Every taxpayer should be interested in any method that will assist the delinquents to make their proper contribution to the government. In fact, we are of the opinion tha the Treasury Trea-sury should provide a system of rewards for individuals who discover dis-cover and report delinquencies in the payment of income taxes. |