The Bismarck Tribune Newspaper, August 19, 1936, Page 4

The Bismarck Tribune . __ An Independent Newspaper THE STATE'S OLDEST NEWSPAPER (Established 1873) : State, City and County Official Newspaper ——— E Published by The Bismarck Tribune Company, Bismarck, N. D., and \ entered at the postoffice at Bismarck as secona ciass mail matter. t Mrs. Stella I. Mann < President and Publisher Archie O. Johnson Kenneth W. Simons x Vice Pres. and Gen'l. Manager Sec'y-Treas, and Editor Subscription Rates Payable in Advance by carrier, per year .......... by mail per year (in Bismarck) by mail per year (in state outs! by mail outside of North Dakota eekly by mail in state, per year . ‘Weekly by mail outside of North Dako’ ‘Weekly by mail in Canada, per year Member of Audit Bureau of Circulation Se ee 2 Member of The Associated Press news All Take a Look at War It is 69 years since the last major battle was fought on American soil and this nation breathed a sigh of relief from the horrors of a civil holocaust. Our men have fought on the frontier and twice abroad since then but no section of our settled area has felt the blight which war brings within the last two generations, As a result, America knows about war only by hearsay. Many of our men have first-hand knowledge by reason of service in Cuba, the Philippines and more recently in France, but to the civilian population war is something to hear about or to read about. One result of this is to make them indifferent to war. They cannot envision the misery, the bloodshed and the universal hardship which comes to all in a war-torn land. But a glance at Spain today gives one a pretty good idea if he adds to it just a dash of imagination. Within the week this newspaper published the picture of a little girl, huddled forlornly in the doorway of a Spanish house. It gripped the heart because it reduced to personal terms the tragedy which conflict brings. Separated from her parents— they might easily have been dead—this little girl was truly an orphan of the storm which is shaking the nation. To get a further picture of what modern war is we need only take note of the way innocent persons, political hostages, are being slaughtered by both sides in Spain. Hundreds have been shot down without mercy by soldiers on both sides of the dispute, not because they did anything but simply because their ideas of national policy caused them to give moral support to one side or the other. . Spain, fortunately, has no really big guns. Her warships are antiques and in a military sense she is somewhat a back- ward nation. Yet that has not prevented the destruction of thousands of noncombatants as warships and field guns shell Spanish cities. If Spain were armed as is France, England, Germany or Italy the method of operation would be the same. The only difference would be in the size of the holocaust. America need not become indignant at these events or at the alleged use of poison gas. If either side has this weapon at . its command we may be sure it is being used as effectively as possible. Put in the same position, America probably would do the same thing. This “bestiality” mentioned by the official newspaper for the Vatican in Tuesday’s dispatches, is an inevitable result of war. It doesn’t mean that the Spaniards involved are any the less loving sons and fathers but simply that they have been caught up in a whirlwind which suppresses the best and brings out the worst in their natures. War does that in almost any instance. Particularly is this true of modern war, fought with the latest scientific devices which place cities hundreds of miles behind the lines in the front-line trenches; which make a soldier of the man in the street and which make of women and children, living quietly -in their homes, potential candidates for war casualty lists. Man boasts of his civilization but the veneer is pretty thin when it is scratched by the cataclysmic forces which lead na- tions to the brink of destruction. It is very important that we remember these things as Europe apparently draws closer daily to the “overt act” which always marks the beginning of international conflict, as Mus- solini pounds his tom-tom and the diplomats of other nations are obviously afflicted with the jitters. It might be just as well, too, if America were to give solemn thanks for the oceans which separate us from the rest of the world and if we were to utter a prayer that God will give us the wit to make the best possible use of them. Behind the Scenes Washington Story of ‘Labor Shertage’ Is Thorn in New Deal's Side ... WPA Workers Are Backed in Refusing Jobs Uniess Wage Is Fair’ .. . Complaints of Chiseling Are Probed. By RODNEY DUTCHER (Tribune Washington Correspondent) Washington, Aug. 19.—Wide circu- lation of the story that there's a labor shortage and that private employers can’t get workers because citizens who otherwise would be available prefer to remain on WPA rolls is giv- ing the New Deal propagandists more concern than any other phase of the Republican attack on administration relief policies. Vigorous attempts to knock down that story, which has popped up in 18! nearly every section of the country, “|have been unsuccessful. WPA of- ficials expect it will be resounding in their ears with increasing force as the campaign goes on. The records available in Washing- ton—though of course the experience of the individual reader may conflict with this— indicate that complaints as to inability to get workers off WPA rolls have come almost entirely from those who sought labor at low wages, long we or both. * % Fight for Fair Wages The significant thing about the whole story, which neither side stresses, is that the United States government is standing firmly behind men and women who refuse to leave WPA rolls. to accept wages which bi Graal Officials consider less than ‘Thus, in @ sense, the New Deal is setting minimum wage standards for private industries. WPA surveys have shown that only three out of every hundred relief workers charged with refusing private jobs had re- fused “unjustifiably,” and the chief Teason for the “justifiable” refusals was low wages. Whether the governnient has any business making such decisions de- pends on your theories as to what responsibilities government should assume, Meanwhile, to the cry of some em- Ployers that recovery is being hin- dered by their inability to get workers WPA officials reply: “You can’t get recovery on 15 cents an hour!” ** 8 Average Is $52.50 Monthly The average WPA wage is 47 cents an hour, which means $52.50 a month, the average hours per workers per month being 112. In Clackamas county, Ore., officials laid off 200 workers to force them to take berry-picking or lumbering jobs. The Civic Council of the county protested to Senator Charles Mc- Nary, Republican leader in the sen- ate, that the berry-pickers received an average of only 50 cents a day and that wood-cutters being paid $2 a cord could cut but two-thirds of a cord a day. McNary asked WPA Administrator Harry Hopkins for action. After an investigation, the 200 workers were replaced on the rolls. Considerable publicity has been given charges by a lumber operator near Malone, N. Y¥., who asked for permission to bring in 250 Canadians to peel pulpwood for him for three months. This man said he couldn’t get WPA workers, Reports Bad Conditions WPA insists it investigates all such complaints. The Rev. Father Francis J. Haas of its labor relations section went to Malone to get the facts. Father Haas reported that he found 18 non-relief lumbermen had gone to this man’s camp. Some had returned the first day and all had quit within five days. He says he also found: No limita- tion on hours, but working days of 12 to 14 hours plus an hour going to the job and another hour returning. Piecework rates which gave workers from $1 to $1.50 @ day after deduc- tions, Requirements by the employer of at least a year’s experience. “At fair wages and hours, there's no labor shortage there,” reports Father Haas. se * Pay on Starvation Level Other complaints have come from people in Utah who wanted to get strawberry pickers from WPA to work for 60 cents a day; from a real estate man in New York who wanted skilled carpenters, painters, electricians, and others to work for him at $80 a War yet may be avoided in Europe but we had better decide now what we will do in the event the booming of guns in Spain spreads to a wider and more important front. Not So Far Ahead America likes to think of itself as the most progressive nation on the globe. We boast of the high proportion of tele- phones, automobiles and other conveniences in proportion to our population, challenge the world to rival us. But every now and then we hear of what is going on in some other part of the world and wonder if we are so far ahead after all. : When it comes to conservation of our natural resources we - are far behind nearly every nation in Europe. During the last few years the Scandinavian nations have clearly maintained a standard of living which is higher than that enjoyed by many . of our people. ‘ And in New Zealand, English outpost “way down under” ; the equator, two-thirds of the farms are served with electric * power from central stations. Even in remote sheep-raising » ¥egions electric power is common and much of the sheep-shear- ‘ ing is done by electricity. In the dairying regions nearly every farmer has electrical conveniences and the number of house- hold appliances sold in proportion to the population would put the American record to shame. ‘ This is nothing to worry the United States. We still are the most highly industrialized nation in the worid and probabiy will continue to be. Our standard of living still is higher than that for most of the rest of the world. We have more con- and greater. distribution of luxuries than any other nation. But OF I: ability, too, and our pride in these achievementa shouldn’t make us too ‘well sa d. People in other parts of the world have month, as against prevailing wages of up to $12 a day; and from a dress manufacturer in Lynn, Mass., who in- labor if the work eee WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19, 1936 Looking at the Campaign (Copyright, 1936, by David Lawrence) Butte, Mont. Aug. 19.— As we stopped near here, I chatted with the brakeman, asking him how he was going to vote this year. “Landon,” he replied promptly. “And who is going to carry Mon- tana?” I inquired. “Roosevelt,” he said without hesi- tation, “How do you account for it?” was my next question. a “This state is full of ‘Reds’ and the ‘Reds’ are for Roosevelt.” “Who do you think.is going to be elected?” I asked him. “Roosevelt,” he replied, “and I'll tell you why. These Republicans have .been asleep at the switch for three years—they haven’t been put- ting up a fight.” What the brakeman said happens to coincide with what so many people active in politics said in this vicinity that I thought it might be interesting to reproduce his exact comment. Among people who follow public af- fairs rather closely I found also a tendency to worry about the effects of the election itself. For purely campaign reasons, it might be thought, the defense of Mr. Roosevelt is sharp among his supporters and opposition comment is bitter among business men and merchants. But there is genuine concern too about what federal policy is to be toward these western states irrespective of who is elected. ‘There is, for instance, quite a con- troversy going on as to the use of public funds. Criticism is heard that the New Deal spent a good deal of money hereabouts and has very little te show for it. What is the use, it is asked, of spending $25,000,000 to feed people and not give them permanent Jobs? Also, one group that is inter- ested in a proper water policy for the state of Montana points to the fact that the federal government, over a period of years, has spent $20,000,000 for seed, and yet the same amount. spent in water development would have meant a permanent aid and Protection against douth, especially in eastern Montana. This state has plenty of water. But the drive here is to conserve it and us it properly. It is not a question for Montana alone but for federal and state cooperation in this whole region. It seems regrettable that both Republican and Democratic ad- ministrations have been permitted to fumble with conservation in this western country and have not worked out better plans for the worthwhile use of land with adequate watering facilities. I agked some of the exponents of this idea if they expected the eastern people to pay taxes for these experi- ments, and what benefit the eastern folks would derive. The answer given me was.that these water projects would be self-reimbursing because water rights would be a direct charge upon the settlers, I was surprised to find so much complaint about the New Deal’s fail- ure to understand western problems. I had supposed that money was being poured into this western area to everybody's satisfaction. It turns out that there are many sources of com- | 38 Mister. 40 Distress wages. (Copyright, 1936, NEA Service, Inc.) BIT OF HUMOR NOW AND THEN 18 RELISHED BY THE BEST OF MEN ~~ signal. 41 To bathe. 42 Fibber. 44 Prophet. ber of the The nervous pas- senger approached the captain ‘And the old lady was very much relieved. Mrs. Jobneon (learning to drive)— Henry, that little mirror up there U. §. House P| ot tt al oe Be 39 Heavy string. 2 Enlarges. 49 He is a mem- A Ek al el Ze Zee 4988 JER alla ane 488 a € ane wi oe a ae A Legislator HORIZONTAL Answer to Previous Puzzle = 18 Child's nap- ‘American ELTIZABEN MINT ec) ,, <i" ues le 19 He is of lawmaker. [C/O[DIEISMEPIRIOWIEICITIONR ©“ ihe House. (3 Part of lock. (CIRIEJARBPIOIETTRNGIOINIEL 09 Biooksuck- 14To depart LIETAR P| aan ae ing insect. UIC By 21 Juni ieee nae AIVIEMMSIOIL 23 He is 2 — 5 2 : Ge 4 3 © by. profession 7 ORIAIT! PL). {7 To side-slip. ip] 25 Equable. 18 To fetch. 26 Tr ction. 19 Senior. aot 27 Mischievous. 20 To graze. IBIOIL IO} 29 Part of leg. 21 Demons. IOIUIEIEIN| 32 To wait VERTICAL 3 Gibbon, 4 Pound. 5 Questioned. 6 Girl. 7To proffer. 8 Morindin dye. 9 Parts of type. 10 To enclose. 11 Sea eagle. 12 Constellation, 46 42 Sheltered | place. 43 Insect. 44 Silkworm. “David Lawrence Plaint about the nature of the proj- ects, ; As for the WPA, the argument heard is that the prevailing wi scale idea, when based as it is wages in building trades and gives a WPA worker month and he need work seven days out of the month. g F i dss § i é i i Re i wi ; i 1 i # 4 tt r i 5 i A “Ss oe : § ' a rf f : u i FL q i i i : Fy ' : # : [ it ye r THe fee iat i ae i eft: gF & Hl at alt i aye eis s F ih E get i g Personal Health| By William Brady, M. D. —— . Dr. Brady will uuswer questions erty and Ya tak but et mag ra uEFR, igtay tities aio ve wosbmpaaicd yt ey care of The stam self-addressed envelope. han average has not that Tt ave beeno bs WARY, but, after all, I've been master of ceremonies at a number of blessed events and, hard boiled though one be and inured to throes and all that, one cannot help observing the most awe-inspiring ec sieve it te not, T was not hardbolled, cold-blooded nor unsympathetic or was 5 it aay arty oats 0F pesction, On the contrary, I was a pushover for the deadbeats for miles around. That is, for all but one, and that one mad, threatened to have my license revoked, when I refused to rush to aid at the last minute a second time, having warned him casion that it would be quite useless to attempt to work the me again, The dodge was to‘wait until the arrival of thi and then summon the unsuspecting doctor to render first ald in an emer- gency—a woman dying. Still, even if a doctor feels justified to the ordinary D. B, who seeks his services, it is a different & miracle is concerned. -And even if the woman spiracy to beat the doctor, there is always one innocen| cerned, and the doctor simply can’t leave the Surely the baby can’t help it if one or both parents are dishonest. say dishonest—not poor, out of work, stranded, supported by the kindness of relatives, but just plain dishonest. The instance above illustrates what I’m talking about. Had that wily bird come to the doctor six months, aix weeks, even-six hours in advance to engage his service, there would have been no hitch at all. 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