Housing Bill Suffers
Rough Going in Congress
Taft Breaks With Conservatives in Backing
Administration Measure; Long-Range
Building Policy Asked.
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WNV Service, 1816 Eye street, N.W.,
Washington, D. C.
WASHINGTON, D. C. ? It is fuUy
expected that what is left of the
plan for settling America's number
one problem ? the problem of find
ing a home?will be cut up by con
gress and pasted together in some
new, strange shape by now. If it is
still in the works when you read
these lines there is a possibility that
what Anally emerges from the hop
per will be more what the patient
planners wanted and less like what
the various pressure groups wanted.
The interesting thing to me about
the debate on this measure in the
beginning was this: although the ad
ministration features of the bill went
squarely against the conservative
grain of our conservatively in
grained congresses, it had one
champion who usually sits as far
away as he can possibly edge from
anything of even a pale pink hue.
I refer to Sen. Robert Taft, Re
publican of Ohio. What Mr. Taft
says never falls on deaf ears in the
senate even if the ears are doubting
ones and sprout from the heads of
those cruelly affronted members
once referred to as "the sans of wild
jackasses." Vox Taft to the conserv
ative is his master's VOX.
The two key features to the ad
ministration bill were the subsidy,
which would grease the way for
quick construction of the lower
priced type of homes, and the price
ceiling which would make it cheaper
to live in a house than re-sell for
proAt. That is, the present owner
of a house could sell his property
for any price he could get without
restriction, but owner number two
would have to re-sell it for what he
paid (plus, of course, reasonable
cost for improvements).
These two conditions may have
been good or bad. Whether they
were or not they were opposed for
two main reasons: Arst, because
they were considered "government
interference" and therefore radical,
and second, because powerful lob
bies, the proAts of whose principals
would have been curtailed, put all
the pressure they could on congress.
In spite of the feeling that the
spirit of the housing bills was "lib
eral," if you prefer that word to
"leftish" or "New Dealish," Senator
Taft supported it. He had made a
careful study of housing and come
to the mature conclusion that the
administration idea, as embraced in
the bills introduced by Senator Wag
ner in the senate and Representa
tive Patman in the house, was as
nearly the right sort of legislation
as could be obtained. The CIO took
the same view.
Now when viewpoints as different
as these two arrive at agreement,
the simple citizen is inclined to
think that their joint approval Is
pretty sound sponsorship.
Labor Wanta
Planned Action
The CIO has printed a very busi
nesslike booklet on the subject in
which we are reminded that we
have always had a housing short
age because our cities just grew like
Topsy, that the shortage is steadily
growing and that estimates show
that by the end of this year almost
three and a half million families
will be homeless unless they are
taken in by relatives or double up
with others?as the President sug
gested they will have to do mean
while.
The reason that we always had a
housing shortage, according to the
CIO, is because we never had a
housing policy. We have a public
school, educational policy; a police
protection policy; a war and navy
policy. " As a result, we have a
pretty good school system, our police
give us reasonable protection to
life and property; we have never
lost a war nor suffered invasion.
But we can't have roofs over our
heads.
That is what the current housing
legislation is supposed to provide.
One more factor may be Injected
into this controversy which could af
fect it materially; the veteran, chief
sufferer from homeleasness, is as yet
unorganized. Once organized, he
could out-pressure the other pressure
groups.
? ? ?
Since I heard forthright speeches
of Senator Vandenberg and Secre
tary of State Byrnes which sounded
? sharp warning to Russia that the
United State* wa* ready to carry
out it* international obligation* and
use force to check aggression, the
following sentence ha* been before
me: "... the American people,
now in the height of their might and
majesty, are no longer a sovereign
nation."
That sentence is from Nathaniel
Peffer's book, "America's Place in
the World" which the Saturday Re
view of Literature calls a "stubborn
ly and trenchant discussion." I
agree with that description of the
book and believe that what Peffer
says is true and that it is vital (or
Americans to understand why it is
true.
PeSer says that we have lost our
Independence and our autonomy "in
that which matters most in the life
of the nation?peace or war." And
then he shows with his "stubborn
realism" how this has come about,
how in the beginning (before 1776)
America "had no control over its
own destiny because it was so
weak, now because it is so strong."
And he shows clearly and con
vincingly that, no matter how
anxious we may be to stay out of
foreign broils, any major war in Eu
rope or Asia will Eventually involve
the United States. Our sincere but
romantically futile dream of splen
did isolation is forever broken.
Must Lose Lit*
To Gain It
Many thinkers have pondered
over this question. In tracing Amer
ica's international affairs, this au
thoritative and provocative writer
traces our course through the great
crises whose milestones are marked
with the dates 1776, 1787, 1861 and
1941. 1917 was the warning that was
not heeded. We were drawn into a
war then, not of our own making,
but we did nothing to shape world
affairs which followed and which,
inexorably, drew us for the second
time into a world conflict in which
we had no direct concern.
It may seem a far cry. from dip
lomatic intrigue and the vicissitudes
of human hatreds, organized mur
der and lust, to the world of the
spirit but I could not help thinking
as I considered the efforts I wit
nessed at Nuernberg of a certain
text in the Bible; the words of Jesus
as recorded in the gospel of St.
Mark (XVIII:35), "For whosoever
shall save his life shall lose it; but
whosoever shall lose his life for my
sake and the gospel's, the same shall
save it."
a am wcu aware vx uic iati ui?v
the devil may quota the Scriptures
with the best of us but I do not
think one has to be charged with
Mephistophelian tactics when one
traces a parallel between the loss of
our nation's sovereignty in the sense
in which Mr. Peffer expounds it and
the loss of our spiritual life in the
New Testament sense.
It is needless to iterate here that
the principles upon which this na
tion was founded derive directly
from the Christian philosophy. How
ever, we have never fully lived up
to that philosophy since we still feel
it necessary to indulge in that high
ly unchristian procedure which I
once heard the late Lloyd George de
scribe as "organized savagery"?
war. War has always been justified
as a measure of defense?defense
of our citizens, our territory, our
sovereignty.
We have now lost our sovereignty
in that we must be willing to die to
save it Let me replace the word
"life" with the word "sovereignty"
in the rest p' the Biblical text,
which would then read: "Whosoever
(and that means a nation as well
as a person) shall lose his sovereign
ty for my sake and the gospel's, the
same shall save it" Until America
and all the nations are willing to
sacrifice their sovereignty to a high
er, world organization, whose tenets
are four-square with the gospel's in
proscripting war, we can never
hope to win back a sovereignty in
accord with the Christian principles
which are the foundation of our na
tion.
? ? ?
A former American military gov
ernment man says our state depart
ment and Britain and France are
keeping Russia from searching Nazi
assets in foreign countries. It seems
strange that if Russia has been
alighted in any way we haven't
heard about it in a loud voice before
now.
BARBS . ? . by Baukhage
The term "collective bargaining"
waa Brat used in London in 18B1 by
Beatrice Webb and waa promptly
popularised in this country by Sam
uel Gompers of the AFL, aaya a
20th Century fund survey.
? ? ?
Plastics from bituminous coal are
now being made into linoleum for
floor coverings. Wonder if they'll be
to "striking" designs
People who deal In black mar
kets support the Bill of Rights per
haps, but not the Bill of Responsibili
ties.
? ? ?
I lunched with Marshal Montgom
ery and he showed me his necktie.
What do the colors mean, I asked.
He replied: Red for blood, brown
for mud and green for the fields at
Normandy after the breakthrough.
v_
BOWLING CONQUERED BT WOUNDED V?T8 ... For thousands of war wounded, the Red Croos
Initials Is s badge of merer. They |ire their services and provide facilities to aid while away tedious
boors of hospitalisation. Here aided by Mrs. Lucille Carey, Mrs. Marian Lee and Capt. L. J. Sheaffer,
are left to right, 8ft. Paal Jackson, 8ft. Robert Abajlan and Pvt. Georfe Rodrifnes, who are riven a
chance to continue their bow liny in Los Angeles alley. Reports indicate that many of the wounded have be
come expert bowlers, which also aided in - their rapid recovery.
' ?. ^ *** I
FAMOUS FIGHTING FAMILY REUNITED . . . The famous t{htta( family of Mr. and Mrs. Leon
Ostler, Chelsea, Mass., are together for the first time since Pearl Harbor, with the exception of the
oldest son, Pfc. Charles, 32, who was killed in action in Italy. The group around their father and mother
includes twins, Roland and Robert, twins Richard and Lawrence, George, Donald, Arthur, Howard, Leon
and sister Marilyn at piano.
I =
EGYPTIAN STUDENTS RIOT IN CAIRO . . . With demands that ft*
British lesve Egypt, students and sympathisers take possession of part
of the city ot Cairo nlflmiil opposition from police. The rioters ter
rorised the capital, many flres were started and considerable damage
resulted. Similar riots later broke out in Alexandria, site of a great
British naval base. While the riots did not have government backing,
little effort was made to prevent or control the demonstrations against
the British government.
THIRTY MILLIONS IN GOLD THEIR GOAL . . . Irwin A. Williamson,
(?Bed explorer, is shows, left, with Capt. Edward Eriksen, as they
planned expedltioa to recover a repatcd |M,W,M la (old from the
caned Spanish galleon "Saata Rosa," which has heen ea the sea's
hottest since 17d?. Williamson discovered location in 1M1 and hronght
op the ship's hen. Location Is tomewhoi o a* the coast at Caha.
PAH 18 OBJECTS . . . Against
Franco executions of 1* anti-Fas
eists. This mass demonstration
was held in Paris demanding an
immediate break with France.
HIGH . PRICED SPARKPLUGS
. . . Ha raid Newhonser, left, pitch
er, ud Hank Greeaberg, star
stagger ef the Detroit Tigers,
shews together taring training at
Lakeland, Fta. Their combined
sa laries are said to exeeed glee,MA
News^x
By PaUlMal!^^^^
Released by Western Newspaper Vnkm.
COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
OPERATION COSTLY
WASHINGTON. ? The degenera
tion of the superior American effi
ciency in business into something
like Europe before the dictators?
where trains did not run on time,
telephone service was whimsical and
telegraph messages and airmail
might be expected to arrive two or
three days late?was observed pain
fully by me in my trip down through
the southeastern states.
The railroads are not yet a
monopoly in this country, per
haps the people are getting
from them as good servioe as
the deficiency of materials and
men will permit?or a reason
able approximation in general
thereof. However, telephone
service is a monopoly. If tho
eltlxen cannot get service on one
line, he cannot walk across tho
street and try another. The com
pany has a monopoly of tho
business; the workers have a
monopoly of the work with their
anions. This imposes upon them
a public responsibility beyond
other businesses and other
workers, to perform their public
service efficiently.
I am not now considering the
strike threat issue. I have not in
vestigated merits or demerits of op
posing contentions. Yet your house
may burn to the ground causing you
great and needless loss, if fire calls
are not handled promptly because
of strike, negligence, inefficiency or
any other reason. Deaths may be
caused by delays of a few moments
in ambulances, operations or blood
transfusions. Robbers may make
good escapes. All the property as
well as the very life of the citizen
rest heavily upon the efficiency of
this single means of swift communi
cation between people. No company
and no group of workers have the
right to cause damage and death
among the people as a whole for
any reason, whether just or unjust.
To do so is a violation of every na
tural law of man and common de
cency. With the right of monopoly
in business and/or work (closed
I shop) goes a public responsibility
| which cannot be ignored or avoided
' for any human purpose.
MONOPOLY DOES NOT
IMPROVE VITAL SERVICE
I was forced to muse upon these
serious considerations of vital (in
alienable?) rights, by my minor ex
periences of trying to handle my
comparatively unimportant busi
ness through telephone, telegraph
and airmail while away from my
office for a few weeks. I found the
telephone and airmail wholly unde
pendable. The airmail, of course, is
a government monopoly and ineffi
ciency is to be expected from past
experience. But I found that airmail
special delivery letters, mailed at
the same time each day at the same
point of origin, would arrive at their
destination on schedule only one
time out of three. The other two
times, the mail would be from one
to two days late. I understood then
why so many newspapers were com
plaining about late arrival of mail
copy. The post office has plainly
failed to recover yet from the war.
Telephoning became an idle
out interesting amusement.
Each occasion furnished some
thing novel. Out of 10 calls to
Washington, I eventually got
three throngh. One was prompt.
The other resulted from an hour
of effort to get a supervisor,
who put it through for me, after
my original call and the opera
tor's promise to "call yon back
in 20 minutes." Both had become
lost so deeply that no one
around the exchange had heard
of tt. The third call in the after
noon was completed the follow
ing morning. The others never
got throngh for reasons which
are not reportable authoritative
ly by me, but I was told a varie
ty of things: "There will be a de
lay of 30 to 40 minutes," or "your
line is busy," and then a few
seconds later: "It does not an
swer." I could never Ond out
why It could be busy and then
in a few seconds did not an- -
swer. I soon found out complain
ing accomplished nothing. Elec
trical noises would erupt in the
phone and deafen my ear if 1
even suggested such a thing to
myself. The only way you could
get a supervisor was to work
through a friendly operator on a
private switchboard who could
make Just as loud noises as the
telephone monopoly.
The sending of a telegram I found
to be less of an adventure, and
could be done in less than a day. In
fact, I have only one complaint
against the telegraph monopoly
(they apparently gave my telegram
to the wrong party on the phone).
I will say telegraph service is at
least better than when the Postal
vacated the field.
But what of the people who deal
in important figures of money,
men or perishable materials? This
.is a big nation dealing daily in big
matters. What of the national labor
leaders trying to call off strikes?
HCIMMLD
HI NU.il
j- ^
To keep uncooked meet in a re
frigerator, place it in a dry dish
with a loose-fitting lid; cooked
meat should be covered tightly to
prevent drying.
?e?
Prepared mustard and finely
chopped sour pickles added to
highly seasoned mayonnaise
makes a perfect spread for frank
furters and hamburgers.
?e?
Don't paint over whitewash.
Wash off the whitewash with clear
water and paint only after wall has
dried thoroughly.
Gone are the day* of gloomy
kitchens. Use color to make your
kitchen a bright and cheerful
place to work. Before you select a
color scheme, remember that
light-colored, smooth surfaces re
flect light. Dark, rough ones ab
sorb light. If the kitchen is sunny,
use cool colors such as blue, blue
green, green, or blue violet. If it
is dark and gloomy, it needs the
warmth of yellow, yellow-green,
orange, yellow - peach, tan or
cream.
???
The easiest war to season a
plain hot vegetable in addition to
salt aqd pepper is to add meat
drippings or melted fat. Add just
before serving.
?e?
On hand-knit or crocheted
gloves, leave three or four inches
of yarn on the inside of each fin
ger. Catch this lightly in place
on the wrong side. When gloves
begin to show wear, thread end
can be used for mending.
?e?
When boiling rice, add a tea
spoon of lemon juice to a quart of
water. It will make the rice white
and the grains will be separated
when it is boiled.
Pelicans Cooperate When
On a Fishing Expedition
v
The most amazing example of
cooperation in the animal world
is the fishing expedition of the pel
ican, says Collier's.
Upon finding a well-stocked bay
or lake, a flock of these birds form
a large half circle in the water
facing the shore and then, moving
a few feet apart, "fish" the nar
rowing area as thoroughly as men
with a seine.
fMany doctors recommend good*
tasting Scott's Emulsion bo
cause it's rich in natural AAD
Vitamins and energy-building
oil children need for proper
growth, strong hones, sound
teeth, sturdy bodies. Helps buHd
up resistance to rxAde too if diet
is AAD deficient. Boy 8cott's
today! AD druggists.
t-iiihiniii
IB? J//-VIOITABLI .
? Wm^ LAXATTVI
? J mi o?it u Miens
pyi?i*i*ii>!
COLD PREPARATIONS
liquid ?Tattoo?Sahro ?Way Drops
He HtkSod millions far jmma.
Camion. Um only ? Aroctod
PASw in nATwi?r>v tmo> 9~mm Mm
WNTJ?4 12?46
For Yon To Feel Well
14 hours mry day. T day* srery
??k, bit* stopping. the kidneys flltar
wast* mattar from the blood.
If mora pooplo were aware of boo tba
kidneys must constantly femora eur
plua fluid, exeaaa adds and other pasta
mattar that cannot star in tba Mood
without injury to health, there would
be better understanding of why the
whole ayitam ia upoet whan kidnaya fal
to function properly.
Burning, scanty or too frequent urine
Hon aometimaa warns that something
la wrong. You may suffer nagging back
ache. headaches, dtsslnaaa. rheumatic
be using a medicine recommended the
country near. Dean's stimulate tba (amo
tion of the kidneys and help them to
flush out poisunowa waste from the
blood. They contain nothing bararfuL
Oat Dean's today. Una with snafliimtu
At all drug sterna.