The Wilmington morning star. [volume], March 17, 1946, SECTION-A, Page 12-A, Image 12

About The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990

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CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
The days dragged by. Ede got
up on the third day and went
about her business, which consist
ed mostly of sitting with an un
read book in her hands. Jenny
could not arouse her interest, nor
Gram, nor even Steve. Mary Hath
away did, though, coming to the
house, saying, ‘‘Nonsense, of
course you’ll see me, I’ve come to
take you for a drive.” She was
brisk, pretty, and entirely practi
cal. Sympathetic without running
over at the mouth, as Gram ex
pressed it. She bore Ede off, and
brought her back again after a
drive and a high tea at the Hatha
way house. Ede returned looking
rested, or at least a little less
strained, her color was beUer and
Gram said grudgingly, “Maybe
I’ve misjudged that young lady.
She seems to have sense.”
She had more than sense, she
had influence. . .Justice and his
father had very higher-up connec
tions. The telephone and telegraph
wires were hot, and there were
ways and means of finding out. So
the Hathaways found out, for Ede
Dick Ainslee had been wounded in
the shoulder and the thigh. The
wounds were not serious, the new
drugs precluded infection. Eventu
ally he would be brought to a hos
pital, probably on the West Coast.
Ede was very grateful. She told
Jenny and Gram so, over and
over. She said, the evening Mary
telephoned her the information, “I
wonder — ’’she looked at them ap
pealingly—“would you mind very
much if I went out to Dick’s moth
er?”
Gram drew a sharp little breath
and Ede took her cool old hand.
She said, “I know. Buc she’s alone,
Gram. . .out there, waiting. She
hasn’t anyone. She wrote me,”
said Ede, flushing a little because
she had not shared the letter with
Gram and Jenny, “and asked me
if I would consider it. She has
that little apartment in San Fran
cisco and a room for me. We
could wait there togeather and then
if Dick is sent to the West Coast. .
Don’t you see?” she asked.
Gram nodded. She said, “I see.”
She rose stiffly from the straight
chair in the living room. She add
ed, “If you want t ogo, you should.
And it sounds sensible to me, Ede.
Of course you take a chance on
his not being sent there, but mean
time it would|comfort Mrs. Ainslee
to have you to help her over the
waiting.” She smiled, her blue
eyes kind. She said, “You do as
you think best, dear.”
When she had left the room,- Ede
looked at Jenny.
“She hates having me go,” she
said miserably.
“Naturally,? said Jenny, “we’ll
both hate it, but it does make
sense.”
Ede said restlessly, “It makes
more than that. I-I can’t take it
here, Jenny. Keep remembering
. . I—”
“Don’t talk about it,” Jenny
said quickly. .
"I have to, I won’t again. Just
this once. You see at first, well,
after last spring I was so resent
fnl_ of everyone and everything.
You, mostly. I believed a lot of
things. But lately I’ve been think
ing. You’re such a — a goof, Jen,
getting yourself into silly situations
because you thought you could help
me. It’s clear enough now. Then I
got so I didn’t mind seeing”-^
was hard for her to say his name
—“Justice, after a while. It was
as if none of that time had ever
been. But after I learned about
Dick, it was hard again. I’ve even
hated being grateful to him. I’ve
been glad he’s been away this past
week and I needn’t him when
I had to go up to the Hathaways’.
I could just tell Mary to thank
him for me. So,” she said, “if I
go away. . .You .understand, don’t
you?”
“I understand.” Jenny leaned
forward from her corner of the
couch. “Ede, for heaven’s sake
don’t tell Dick anything,” she ad
vised.
Ede grew very white. She said,
“I’ve been thinking about it, every
day. Whether I should.”
Jenny s-M, “He’s had a bad
time. He has to get well without
anything to trouble him. He can’t
if you tell him. You’ll want to, per
haps,” Jenny said painfully, “it
might make you feel better. But it
won’t help him. Can’t you start
again from here?” she asked. “If
anyone has to suffer, it had( better
be you,” she said, loiy, “and not
Dick.”
“Honestly. . .’’began Ede.
“You didn’t think about that be
fore,” said Jenny, “did you? It
isn’t going to help now. Dick has a
right to come back to the sort of
life he’s been dreaming about and
the wife he remembers. The wife
he believed in. . .”
Ede said after a while, “I don’t
know what will happen. Maybe
he’ll go back to war. . .as an in
structor here or something. I could
follow him. Maybe he’ll get a med
ical discharge and go back to civil
ian life. He’ll want to stay out in
California, that’s his home.”
“All the better,” said Jenny
cheerfull.
Ede said, "All right, I won’t tell
him. But is it all right, Jenny. Is
it?”
Jenny said, “I don’t know, Ede.
I can’t seem to think about it that
way, whether it’s right or wrong,
ethically. Only what’s right for
JL/lUiS..
The short time before Ede left
for the Coast was crowded. The in
vestigation into the circumstances
of the Barnacle fire was concluded,
the holding company, which rwned
md leased the various buildings
was heavily fined and, despite all
the lawyers could do, the manager
of the Barnacle was recommended
for trial for criminal negligence.
Justice Hathaway came home
from New York and Washington.
Production was n ot slackening
with Allied victories in the various
theaters of war. He brought with
him future plans and pressing
present business. Jenny, working
late one evening, was not aware of
the time until lie came in and
stood at her desk and looked down
at her.
“Call it a day,” he suggested.
Jenny looked at her clock, star
tled. She straightened up and
sighed. “Golly, I didn’t know the
time. I’ve a kink in my back at
that, and feel a little wilted,” she
admitted.
He said, ‘‘I have to stay, but you
cut along home.” He gave her a
little pat on the shoulder. He add
ed uneasily, “I hear Ede’s going
out to the coast. Mary told me at
breakfast.”
eft ** coirl .Tftnnv 5sllP
hadn’t mentioned it to him. It
wasn’t his business.
When she reached home Gram
had a cold supper waiting. It was
still very warm, as it often is
around Labor Day. Ede had had
supper and gone out to say good
by to some of her friends in town.
Jenny, with a tray on the back
porch, grinned at Gram. She said,
“I’m sorry I didn’t phone, Gram.
I clean forgot.”
“That’s all right,” said Gram,
smoothing her apron. She added,
“Ede seems a little more cheer
ful, doesn’t she? I suppose it’s—
well, doing something. Packing,
planning. Getting ready to move.
Anything’s better than inaction
and waiting.”
Jenny said, ‘1 guess so. Gram,
don’t look so sad. You’ve got me.”
Gram said, “I wasn’t being sad
for myself. I’m glad Ede’s going.’
She added after a moment, “She’s
too used to us, Jenny. And there’s
nothing for her here. Mrs. Ains
lee, now, that will be different.
She’s Dick’s mother. She can talk
to Ede about Dick, what he was
like when he was a baby and a
little boy and a young man grow
ing up. And Ede will have to think
of her. She’ll even feel a little re
sponsible for her. Mrs. Air.slee
isn’t young, she hasn’t been very
well, and she's alone except for
a servant in that apartment. Ede
can take over, run the house, do
things for her. She can’t here,”
said Gram stoutly. “I run things,
your’e busy and self reliant. She
needs to be taken out of herself.
She’s selfish,” said Gram, “she al
ways has been. Maybe we’ve
spoiled her.”
Jenny said, “Well have to do a
bit of budgeting, darling.”
There was that factor to be con
sidered. Ede had forgotten it, ap
parently. Jenny didn’t.
“We’U manage,” said Gram,
“just the two of us. I’ll miss her
ration book, though,” she said un
Even if Ede remembered and
offered t<? send money home from
the money Dick sent her, Gram
wouldn’t take it, thought Jenny.
And she had occasion to think
about it again later.
She was upstairs, wearing a
very scant prewar robe of faded
silk when Justice Hathaway’s car
stopped at the door and Gram
went out to see who was calling.
Jenny heard them talking in the
hall and Gram called, “Jenny, Mr.
Hathaway wants to speak to you.”
Jenny said, startled, “Half a
minute,” flew into the nearest gar
ments, scrambled into a dress and
dashed downstairs, her hair stand,
ing around her head in thick, just
brushed curls. Justice looked up
at her, smiling. He said, “I’m sor
ry, Jenny, I’ve got to ’0 back to
the office. I just had a call from
Washington and there’s something
I need in the files. . .'Also I’ve
got to get a letter out—I can’t dis
cuss the matter over the phone
or even wire. I’ll drive to Wortham
and meet the express with it.”
Jenny asked, “You want me to
go with you?”
He said, “I wish I could say no.
Buut s no one else I cant
But there’s no one else I can trust
with this.”
She said, “Okay,” briefly.
Gram said comfortably, “Run
along, Jenny.”
But her eyes, watching them go
down the steps together, were
troubled.
(To Be Continued)
FEBRUARY I
You are home from the wars. You fought
for your country and now you want the
things that every American wants—a job
and a good home.
You should have that home. You are en
titled to it, but there just aren’t enough
homes to go around. Maybe you’re wonder
ing why somebody doesn’t do something.
• What we have to say to you isn’t going to
be easy. Nor is it going to be easy for you
' to take. We believe, however, that you would
rather have it “straight” than to be kidded.
So here it is, straight from the shoulder:
There is no way by which the building
business, the government, the President,
the Congress of the United States or
anyone else, can provide this year all
the homes you and the other people of
this country want. No amount of money
appropriated by Congress can do it.
Several hundred thousand homes are go
ing to be built, of course. Maybe you’ll be
one of the lucky ones to get one. The build
ing industry, working with the government,
will do everything in its power to supply
veterans’ needs first. Even so, a lot of you
boys are going to be disappointed.
“But why?” you ask. “Why can’t we
build a million homes this year?” “Let’s
get the assembly lines going again, prefab
ricate them, use the wartime airplane plants.
Whatever you need to do, let’s do it. But
let’s build homes quick 1”
We wish it were that easy. We already
have a lot of prefabricating plants making
homes and they’re no better off than any
other home builder because they too can’t
get toilet bowls, bathtubs, lumber, etc.
If you do hot get your new home this
year, it will be for the same reason that
a lot of you will not be able to buy a re
frigerator, or an automobile, or nylon
hose, or white shirts, or a suit of
clothes. There aren’t enough materials
coming out of the factories.
Remenfiber, the manufacturers of building
materials and equipment went through the
same war that the automobile people did.
For 31/2 years, while you were fighting on
the shooting front, the building industry
along with other industries was working
with might and main to build and maintain
the huge war plant on the home front. We
found out with automobiles, nylons and re
frigerators, it takes time to reconvert. The
building industry was not allowed to start
reconversion until after the Japanese war
was over. We’ve had our share of strikes
and labor troubles too.
The war ended in August but home build
ing restrictions were not lifted until October
15, 1945, less than four months ago. Yet
home builders did their part; in the first 60
days they started over 125,000 homes. Many
of them are not completed yet because we
can’t get materials, equipment and labor
enough. Yes, the builders did their part, but
they couldn’t compete with the military.
Don’t let anybody tell you we fell down on
the job. Good as you were as a fighting man,
the best in the world, even the Japs had you
tied down until you got the materials.
But once you got the stuff, Germans,
Japs and nobody else could stop you.
Same way with the building industry.
Gradually we’re clearing away the. bot
tlenecks giving home builders the green
light. Gradually we’re getting more
and more stuff every day, and more and
more homes are being completed, more
and more are being |tarted. By the end
of this year we’ll be going at a million-a
year clip, and you’ll have your home.,
We in the building industry foresaw that
this crisis would happen. We urged the gov
ernment long before the end of the war to
let us get our plants and plans in shape.'We
knew you would want a home when you got
back. The government said “No!”.
Well, m^ybe that was all right. You were
fighting a tough war and you needed the
stuff. But it meant the building industry
could not be ready for you when you got
home. We’ll see that you get a home faster
than anybody else can get it for you.
But what you and we should really be
afraid of is that amateur tampering With so
complex a thing as the building business,
may prolong the home shortage unneces
sarily. This could easily happen if, instead
of putting all our agencies on breaking the
real bottleneck, we allow ourselves to be
stampeded into impractical vi'sionary
schemes to produce houses by the million!
when there won’t be materials and equip
ment enough to produce more than half that
many this year, unless obstacles are remov
ed.
Some of the ideas that are being advo
cated by well meaning men are so dan
gerous that they might upset our entire
economy for years to come and delay
home building indefinitely.
You don’t want this to happen because it
would hurt you and all the rest of the people
of the United States, and it wouldn’t get you
the home you want.
You can help prevent it if you will remem
ber that housing, like a lot of other things,
is a war casualty, and that only common
sense and an all-out attack on the real bot
tlenecks will cure it.
.What are the bottlenecks?
We’ve already mentioned a shortage of
materials. But much of this shortage is due
to OPA. We’re not suggesting that all price
control be removed. We are suggesting that
OPA stop standing in the way of production
of more materials and equipment. We are
suggesting that OPA stop thinking in terms
of war, “reconvert,” and start thinking in
terms of peace and production.
One of the most serious shortages we have
is in sanitaryware, plumbing supplies, radia
tors and the like. OPA for some time has
had dozens of applications for price adjust
ment in this industry alone. They haven’t
done anything at all about them. In the
meantime, manufacturers cannot get labor,
because they can’t afford to pay enough.
You’ve heard about the lumber shortage.
Lumber mills are producing Jots of lumber
but not much of the kind that’s used in
homes. Why not? Largely because OPA is
still operating on a wartime basis, allowing
higher prices on non-home lumber and on
lumber for export. These are just two of
many examples.
Kignt there is bottleneck No. l
Bottleneck No. 2 is labor in the field. As
you know ,the boys were slow in coming back
and those that did, often went on other than
home-building jobs. We’ve done something
about that by giving home builders priorities
on materials for veterans’ homes. This will
| mean less general construction and so more
labor will be available to build homes.
Wfiew theie two bottlenecks—
Production and labor—are -
cleared away, homes will go up
fast.
When we read daily about the unhappi.
ness of thousands of veterans who can’t find
a home of their own, our emotions are apt to
run away with us. The President says then
are 5,000,000 homes needed immediately
Wilson Wyatt, our new housing chief, savi
2,500,000. Thoughtful studies by economist!
of the Producers Council (manufacturers)
put the figure at about 850,000.
No one really knows what’s correct. But
just five years ago the building industry
could find customers for only 450,000 homes.
Is it reasonable to suppose we desperately
need 5 million?
It is important to the welfare of the peopl*
of the whole nation that you and we do some
very straight thinking on this problem.
There are 6,000,000 people dependent od
the buiiding industry for a living. Perhaps
you are one of them, or your brother, your
father, your uncle. It is the second largest
industry in the country. Let’s be very care
ful how we monkey with the machinery that
makes it run, lest our monkey wrench slip
and we find we’ve wrecked the machinery
that provides, jobs for 6,000,000 people.
That wouldn’t do you any
good.
Suppose we set up assembly lines all over
the country to produce houses by the million.
It wouldn’t help you NOW because the real
bottleneck isn’t home building capacity, it’s
materials and equipment. And there is every
assurance that, if we did produce millions
of homes in this way, they would not be the
kind of homes you want, and that they would
cost more. There is this fact, however:
Hundreds of thousands of carpenters,
brick-layers, plumbers, electricians and
other workmen, all of whom now earn
their living building homes, would not
have jobs. In the meantime, thousands
of other workmen would have to be re
cruited from the already scarce ranks of
labor in this country, trained and taught
new skills and new techniques to build
house panels in government factories.
Maybe you’ve forgotten how long it took'
to work out assembly line techniques for
airplanes and tanks, and that was in
wartime when nobody cared how much
it cost and how much sacrifice It entail
ed. It would take years to build a new
giant industry to produce the millions of
factory-made homes everyone so glibly .
talks about.
In the meantime, we have ready at
hand, anxious to get going, a home
building industry capable of producing
a million -— yes, a million-and-a-half—*
homes a year. We built 937,000 in one
year, as far back as 1925, and did five <
billion dollars of other building besides.
The labor and materials that went into
this five billion dollars of non-residen*
tial building was the equivalent of an
other 900,000 homes.
You don’t have to wait for a new
industry to be created from scratch.
You don’t have to risk wrecking our exist
ing economy while waiting for a new type
of industry.
You won’t have to live in a “housing ,
project” which is not the American ideal ot
a home.
The building industry, working with th*
government, is clearing away the wartimi
bottlenecks as fast as possible. By Fall ve
can be building at a million-homes-a-yeai
pace, or better.
You’ll have your new honteo* |
fast as you’ll have your newcar>
Reprinted From Feb.
“Practical Builder.
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