Prices still unbridled,
unemployment going up
Is depression around the corner?
Has inflation reached its peak?
How secure is the job?
These questions made headlines throughout the nation
this week and created new fears in budget-broken homes.
Out of the welter ot gov
ernment reports and state
ments from business econom
ists, certain facts were undis
puted:
Skyrocketing prices have
drained away savings and cut
consumer goods purchases to
the point where retail sales are
dropping. Cutbacks in various
consumer goods industries are
reported, and a slowdown has
started in housing construction.
With workers unable to buy
back the commodities they turn
out of the factories, unemploy
ment is spreading.
Staggering cuts in prices paid
by Big Business to farmers for
corn and wheat have resulted
in the almost imperceptible drop
of only 1.5 per cent in food costs
to the consumer while other
home budget prices continue the
inflationary spiral.
Corporation profits, which
reached the all-time high of
$17,000,000,000 in 1947 are ex
pected to zoom on up to $20,
400.000.000 this year, according
to the U. S. Department of Com
merce.
Big Business and Big Brass
joined in pressuring the govern
ment for even greater war ex
penditures to bolster profits at
the further expense of consum
ers. Barron's Weekly hopefully
commented that “if an enorm
ously speeded up defense pro
gram, or warfare itself, should
come, the problem of excess
inventories would vanish com
pletely.”
No relief without control
Above all, it appeared abso
lutely definite that, in spite of
dwindling sales, no genuine
price relief can be expected
unless consumers and workers
form the biggest people's lobby
in history to force the adminis
tration to carry through cam
paign pledges for price control
and other anti-inflation meas
ures.
In spite of the tiny dips re
ported in the so-called “cost of
living index” of the IT. S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics (did you no
tice any cut in your bills last
month), living costs remained
78 per cent above pre-war aver
ages.
Important figures in the Big
Brass-Big Business coterie
which continues to run the Tru
man administration are reported
to be presuring against any
genuine price control. They cite
the old saw that “prices are
finally moving back toward
their normal level,” whatever
that is. They also warn that
business might go on a sitdown
strike, along the pattern of the
1938 ‘recession,” rather than
submit to strong controls.
Already there are strong in
dications that the great corpo
rations will cut production and
employment to keep goods
scarce rather than cut prices to
expand the market. Goods piled
up in inventories totaled some
$53,300,000,000 in September—
$7,000,000,000 more than Sep
tember of last year. Production
is down in textiles, rubber
goods, leather, radios and scores
of other commodities bought by
average citizens. But virtually
no important price cuts have
been made to stimulate buying.
The entire program of Wall
Street and government so far as
cost-of-living relief is concerned
has been based upon the theory
that controls are not necessary
because “increased production”
(lower actual wages per unit
through speed-up) and a reduc
tion in purchasing pow’er (un
employment and depression)
would bring reduction in prices.
Both increased production per
man and decreased purchasing
power have occured, but busi
ness spokesmen are jittery and
unsold goods pileup.
Shades of the Henry Wallace
declaration hat prices must be
cut and wages raised to save the
nation’s economy crept over the
headlines this week and the
fight for that program seemed
developing into the major battle
before the 81st Congress next
month.
Chicago Joint Board, ILGWU
makes secret pact; bars hike
Top officials of the AFL Inter
national Ladies Garment Work
ers union have reached a secret
agreement with the Chicago As
sociation of Dress Manufacturers
barring any general wage in
INDUSTRIALISTS CONVENE. Earl Bunting (center), managing di
rector of the National Association of Manufacturers, chats with
two speakers who addressed the NAM in New York's Waldorf
Astoria: Former Assistant Secretary of State Spruille Braden (I.)
end Economic Co-operation Administrator Paul G. Hoffman (r.).
crease for pressers this year.
This was revealed this week
when The Standard obtained a
photostatic copy of a letter sent
to employers by Abraham Heller,
director of the manufacturers
association, dated November 24.
The letter explained “it was
mutually agreed between the
Chicago Association of Dress
Manufacturers and the Chicago
Joint Board, International Ladies
Garment Workers union . . there
shall be no general demand for
increased piece rates in the
pressing craft for the 1948-49
Spring season.”
Rank and file union members
said they were told nothing of
the agreement. Union officials
had told p*essers to approach
individual employers for in
creases, the members explained.
They also explained they had ;
been told nothing of the agree- '
ment between officials and em- i
ployers requiring that any;
"pressers who desire an adjust
ment of prices must approach
their employers as soon as pos
sible and in no event later than
December 10.”
The Association advised em
ployers that "if your pressers
approach you, please get in
touch with our office.”
Morris Bialis, manager of the
Chicago Joint Board of the
union, could not be reached for
a statement.
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IT’S on again. The long
awaited proof of the plot
to undermine the planet has
been found on microfilm . . .
concealed in a hollowed-out
pumpkin. The red-goblin
grins from the mouth of a
pumpkin named Chambers,
every day is Hallowe’en, the
witch-hunt rides at night . . .
and all's right with the world.
* * *
MOVE over Beethoven. Our
own Chicago Symphony
Orchestra has offered its
leadership to Wilhelm Furt
waengler, the wayfaring Nazi.
It’s claimed that Furtwaeng
ler was “tricked” into sup
porting Hitler and conducting
the Berlin philharmonic. Of
course he was vricked! How'd
he know they were going to
lose the war?
* * *
THE new Chicago inductees
are marching into Camp
Breckenridge, Ky. Announce
ment: “There will be careful
screening of selectees with
Communist influence who are
trying to infiltrate the army.”
The kid whose uncle once
contributed a quarter to the
Epworth League (on the
Thomas committee’s subver
sive list) got his greetings
this week. “Look Ma, I’m in
filtratin’!”
No-notice evictees
see hope of return
Two southside families, evict
ee from their homes although
they claimed in court that no
city bailiff appeared to give them
eviction notices, took long steps
this week toward legal restora
tion of their homes.
Federal District Judge William
J. Campbell last Wednesday tem
porarily restrained Ira O’Neil,
landlord, from re-renting two
apartments at 453 E. 31st St.,
from which he evicted Isaac
Riley and Ruth Adams and their
families.
Judge Campbell also enjoined
City Bailiff Albert J. Horan from
evicting David Reed of 4217 S.
Calumet, who also denied hav
ing received notice of eviction
when the bailiff appeared to put
his belongings in the street.
The injunction, ODtained by
William S. Kaplan, attorney for
the U. S. Housing Expediter,
was based on the premise that
there was insufficient ground
shown according to Federal
law for the landlord to obtain the
evictions. The Expediter has no
authority to enter the question
of whether notices of eviction
had been properly served, but he
has jurisdiction over the grounds
for eviction, Mr. Kaplan ex
plained to The Standard.
The Riley family claimed that
they had offered to pay the cei
ling price of $21, but that the
landlord had refused it and de
manded $25.
The Adams family was charg
ed in the eviction with alleged
nuisance, but Judge Campbell
ruled that insufficient evidence
of nuisance had been presented.
On Dec. 10 the Expediter's
office again will appear in Dis
trict Court to ask that the Riley
and Adams families be restored
to their apartments pending a
final decree on the grounds for
eviction.
Concert-goers
to meet singer
Dorothy Maynor will be pre
sented in a concert at Orchestra
Hall Saturday, Dec. 11 and con
cert-goers will attend a reception
for the noted Negro soprano im
mediately following. Miss May
nor’s appearance in Chicago is
sponsored by DuSable Commu
nity Center for the benefit of
its youth program.
The concert artist will be hon
ored with reception at the
Woodrow Wilson Room, 116 S.
Michigan Ave., beginning a t
10:30 p. m. Invitations will be
limited to those attending t^e
concert at 8:30 p. m. The wo
men’s division of DuSable Cen
ter will act as hostesses
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