The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, August 17, 1946, Page 8

!Nfi‘ PAGEEIGHT ~—— " SATURDAY, AUGUST 17, 1946 An Open Letter To The People of Alaska: In engaging this space as a Paid Advertisement, the writer would appreciate it being fully understood that there is no desire of personal publicity, or trade publicity. In complete humility and sincerity, I believe the times demand that more than mere discussion should take place in regard to the growing evil effects of Price Regulation, at least that the public should have direct and frank knowl- edge of what is going on in the world. I have no quarrel with the personnel of the GPA and have no desire to engage in any controversies pro and con. [ believe the officials who are enforcing OPA to be sincerely trying to do a good job on a tough assignment, and I only ask that I also be regarded as sincere in exposing some of the evil effects that are an after- math of a too-prolonged a life of an office that, while there were good and suffi- cient reasons for its necessity in war time and for the duration, is today creating a situation in Industry that is far from GOOD. The Important Notice printed herewith, is ONE only of several such that I have received in the past few weeks. While the situation has been worsening in the past few months, it is only now reaching a crisis. Alaska merchants, judging by the mail-orders I have been receiving from the Interior for merchandise that cannot be had, still naively believe that such items as men's shirts, shors, pants, efc., are obtainable in any quantity simply by placing orders. Even the FREEMAN SHOE CORPORATION BELOIT, WISCONSIN IMPORTANT NOTICE As a result of the reestablishment of O.P.A. the tanneries stopped shipment of all hides on July 26, not one foot of leather having been released to the shoe industry since that date. You can’t make shoes without leather so the wheels of the shoe industry are grinding to a stop as limited supplies of leather on hand are exhausted. The tanning industry contends that it cannot buy hides and skins at the old ceiling price of 151% cents a pound, because hide dealers refuse to sell them at that low figure. During the period of decontrol, hide pri rose to 27 cents a pound and the price of leather to shoe manufacturers rose as much as 40%. The production and distribution facilities of the FREEMAN SHOE CORPORATION have been shut down for the past week, and will remain shut down until the flow of leather can be resumed to our tories. So far, O.P.A. has taken no concrete step towards the clarification of the price structure affecting hides and leather, so at this time we are unable to say how long it will be before FREEMAN SHOES will again be in production. Official ceiling prices on shoes obviously will not be definite until the tanners’ prices on leather have been fixed at a workable level, so today the manufacturer is in the unenviable position of not being able to make any shoes and being unable to determine at what prices the next shoes he makes will be delivered. These conditions make it imperative for us to withhold accept- ance of any further orders as we will require some time to manu- facture and ship the orders now on hand after production is resumed. We sincerely hope that it will be only a very short time before shoes will again be rolling out of Beloit—the realization of that hope depends entirely on developments in Washington. Just as soon as we are able to resume shipments we will notify you of the status of your pending orders, and the prospects for the booking of your further requirements. Due to these circumstances over which we have no control all shoes on orders and backorders now pending will be billed at the ceiling prices as established at the time of shipment. -To speed up the handling of orders on hand we will proceed with the shipping of shoes just as soon as production is resumed, without writing you further with regard to prices on any individual order, unless we re- ceive your instructions to the contrary in the meantime. Yours very truly, JOHN BANBURY FREEMAN SHOE CORPORATION Export Division D. A. NOONAN JUNEAU, ALASKA Aug. 15, 1946 Dear Mr. Banbury: I have just received your Freeman Corporation Bulletin— “‘IMPORT- ANT NOTICE.” I presume this has been mailed to all the Trade, including Alaska. In many ways, and by many straws in the wind, I have seen this coming. The OPA may be likened to a dam that holds back the waters of a stream, and so holds up Industry. However, OPA has not the saving grace of the dam, that in turn is converted into electric power, or plainr waterpewer, to make the wheels of Industry revolve. The OPA may have its good points in a brief emergency—but the emergency MUST BE BRIEF —and even that is debatable, and the voters, the people of America, may wake up one of these mornings and find out, like coming out of a dream, that they have sold their birthright for the proverbial mess of potage. High prices, merely as high prices, is NOT inflation, but merely the MEASURE of our prosperity. When we are prosperous people have money, and having money they BUY. When people buy there is an increase of production and needs are met. That is when Industry turns its wheels and that is when people work, and when the people WORK—they have MONEY —money to BUY—money tc BURN. The logic of it all is as simple as that. It is a circle, and the business circle, the manufacture and sale of goods, the growing and harvesting of crops, the whole fabric of Industrial ones that we can contact personally on sales’ trips, regard the salesman as a dis- penser of gloom when he attempts to explain the present shortage of goods. If the mills, factories, farms, ranches and transportation systems dry up for lack of necssities to operate, due to HIGH COSTS of raw materials and mainte- nance, what good will be the HIGHER WAGES, SHORTER HOURS and PAID VACATION PERIODS, efc., to the worker be? The answer is that there will be no wages, and a long, enforced vacation period with shrinking stomachs and tightened belts. We are all in the same boat and it may be a case of the devil take the hindmost. The Notices, Telegram and answering letter written herewith is my way of presenting the merchandise problem squarely and frankly to the people of Juneau. I have served the people of Alaska in one way or another for almost 40 years and have always found them responsive to explanation frankly and pro- perly given. Iflike the proverbial drop of water, this page will start some think- ing that will lead to a proper solution that will benefit the people of Alaska, I will feel well repaid - for if Industry slows down to any great extent, or ceases entirely for any long period, the consequences in Alaska will be calamitous, dire and catastrophic. Thanking you, Sincerely, D. A. NOONAN, Juneau, Alaska BULLETIN FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF INTERWOVEN SALESMEN July 19, 1946 It is interesting to note intents to hold March O.P.A. prices by various devices. We are now operating at a loss of somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000 per day net loss. There have been no changes in our prices since March 1942, During that four-year period, there has been considerable in- crease in prices of materials, machine replacements, general overhead and all costs. During this war period, wages have increased more than twice as much as in the 1917-20 war period, but prices have increased less than half as much in the men’s hosiery business. This cannot be kept up much longer. We are riding for some sort of a break, and what is true with us is true throughout the men’s hosiery industry, and I think throughout the whole textile industry. I am having this looked up now. The great trouble is the general wage increases throughout the country made in December, January, February and March are only just now catching up with prices, and, of course, prices will depend on costs and costs will depend upon wages. We can’t increase the costs without increasing the prices on a business that operates on an average margin of less than 3% all ways. JOHN WYCKOFF METTLER, President i TELEGRAM AUGUST 2, 1946 DAN A. NOONAN BARANOF HOTEL JUNEAU ALASKA DISCONTINUE SELLING SHOES UNTIL WE FIND OUT DEFINITELY WHAT OUR PRICES WILL BE WHICH WE EXPECT TO HAVE FOR YOU WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK. BUCKINGHAM & HECHT wheels turning, puts MONEY into CIRCULATION — and there is no “SQUARING OF THE CIRCLE!” Inflation, in an economic sense, is when any Government so debases its own currency that it becomes bankrupt and issues PRINTING-PRESS MONEY to pay its debts. The Bugieboo of Inflation with which we are threatened is not caused by HIGH PRICES for the Products of Industry, but by GOVERNMENT WASTE and EXTRAVAGANCE—and the false premise that MONEY GROWS ON TREES and can be handed out with 3 largess to people who do NOT WORK—and that Government can.create 08 {1 GOODS by fiat. % It is high time that we cease whoring after false gods and false pro- phets, Mammon, Flesh and the Devil, Karl Marx, Paul Engels, Lenin, Trot- sky and Joe Stalin, and get back in the good old-fashioned groove of hard w_ork, and a combination of grit, guts and brains. Prosperity, the full- dinner pail, two chickens in every pot and two cars in every garage—these are no mere mirage, though vote-getting slogans to politicians and their ilk. We can have Prosperity lasting Prosperity, but it will be by WORK and more Work—*The Mush! You Malemutes, Mush!” the old motto of the North Country—Alaska! There is no danger of Inflation and Printing-Press money here in the USA providing that we all work—and do a little SAVING, a little soft pedaling of the vicious Propaganda that short hours and high wages will solve all our ills. How can we even have LOW WAGES if the mills, the factories, the farms, the railroads, the steamships and all transportation come to a halt because there is no profit in Industry? Well, you answer that one—I'm tired and I'm going to bed. Good night and best regards, Sincerely, D. A. NOONAN (Paid “Advertisement) &l