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The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, February 01, 1946, Image 3

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SENATOR WHEELER, the Isolationist
AND WORLD TRADE
n.
Senator Wheeler in his speeches ex
pressed some of the phoniest of the
phony ideas currently beng expressed
regarding our loans to Britain.
The senator is still an Isolationist
at heart. Isolationism has been out of
date for quite some time but it has
become completely antiquated in the
atomic age!
It isn't easy to maintain peace as
we well know and it is absolutely es
sential that we enter into close colla
boration and co-operation with other
countries, if we expect to have any
chance for success. Unless we can
solve our economic problems we shall
not succeed in maintaining the peace
of the world merely by setting up a
world political organization.
World stability depends on full em
ployment in the United States and
complete co-operation of the United
States in the development of interna
tional economic organizations de
signed for a NEW WORLD ORDER
If we disregard entirely the moral
obligation we owe to our British neigh
their terrible sacrifices diiring the
war, and Just consider the hard eco
nomic tacts we find that Britain needs
our dollars in order to get goods.
Britain is never more than six
weeks from starvation in war or peace
and she is sadly lacking in raw mate
rials which we can supply. Britain
is far more dependent on imports than
any of the other nations in question,
and will have far greater difficulty
in balancing her international pay
ments. Britain is in a tough spot and
anyone who ceres to study the situ
ation will find that we need to give
Britain special consideration on loans.
If we help to finance Britain's im
ports, she will buy more from us; this
will increase employment here and
American . consumers will also have
more.
It is true that we might achieve the
same result without sending anything
of value abroad if the money were
spent at home instead of being sent
to foreigners—provided our economy
were so adjusted as to be completely
efficient as a self-contained unit. It
Just so happens however, that we
have actual or potential surpluses of
some kinds of goods and shortages
of others. We shall get full employ
ment more quickly and maintain it
more steadily if we help Britain,
Prance, China and Russia get on their
feet once more.
We didn't pull any chestnuts out
of the fire for Britain by aiding her
in the First World War nor in the
Second World War. We aided Britain
because we knew that if Britain was
conquered—we would follow. We
helped Britain, and Russia, to save
our own necks!
Britain doesn't want charity from us
but she does want and need our help
and economic co-operation. The Brit
ish do not expect American business
men out of generosity to efface them
selves from world commerce in order
that the British may survive. The
British want us to have full employ
ment and .prosperity because she
knows that unless we do, Britain will
not. The financial power and indus
trial productivity of the United States
has the greatest influence on world
CO-OPERATIVE
PRINTERS
»
FOR
Montana Co-operatives
Labor Organizations
and the Farmers Union
CHECK YOUR NEEDS
And Place Your Orders Early for
Letterheads — Envelopes
Invoices — Statements
Checks — Receipts
Wheat Storage Tickets
Grain Checks
Order Blanks
Tank Wagon Books
Salesbooks
Circular Letters
Annual Statements
Notices of Meetings
Posters — Dance Tickets
Filing Cards and Etc.
V

4
•J
4
r
WE ARE EQUIPPED TO FILL ALL YOUR
PRINTING NEEDS
r
We Employ Union Workers and
Use Union Made Paper
— 4
Co-operatively yours
EDUCATIONAL CO-OPERATIVE PUBLISHING CO,
Box 838
Helena, Montana
prosperity. The world simply cannot
go on having periodic booms and de
pressions it we expect to end wars.
After the last war we let things
take their course. We had a sharp
inflation and deflation. We lent mon
ey abroad recklessly to Increase our
exports, and Insisted on payment of
war debts, while at the same time we
raised tariffs against imports. We
made it practically impossible for our
allies to pay their war debts. What
did we gain by following that policy?
We got the greatest depression the
world has ever seen. World War II,
practically all the gold in the world
BURIED at Fort Knox and the great
est of costs to us—a million war cas
ualties.
The countries of Europe together
with Russia and China need capital
for development. If international loans
are managed and controlled so as to
insure a reasonable stable flow of
capital and if the funds are Invested
in productive projects, they will prob
ably all be repaid.
The wild speculation of the twen
ties and thirties, the loans made
abroad on ridiculous projects so that
our American loan agencies could
reap the huge bonuses and the sale of
such securities'to unsuspecting people
here in America (mostly small in
vestors) could have only the result
it did—complete collapse.
One of the main reasons for oppo
sition to loans to Britain is the new
Labor government. Our big business
men hate the thought of subsidizing
the Labor government in its* plan to
socialize industry. Overlooking of
course, this Labor government was
the choice of the British people in a
free election.
The old theories, beliefs and con
ventions which made up "sound" orth
odox political economy before the First
World War were already obsolete in
1914 and did a lot of harm in the
postwar period.
We should know better now, even
politicians. If we mess up our domes
tis and international policies this time,
ignorance is no excuse. One thing we
are going to learn—we must import
as much as we export. We can only
do this if we have full employment
jind prosperity at home. The question
of imports and exports is one of the
most serious economic questions of
our times. The classical economist
and the practical businessmen do not
see eye to eye on this—at least they
haven't in the past. However, if
businessmen and wage earners and
the farmer find good markets for their
products and Jobs are available for
all who want them, Imports need not
be feared.
Artificial stimulation of exports
clearly tends to drive the foreign pro
ducer out of business. While Ameri
can exports and American employment
may rise as a result of such opera
tions, foreign employment tends to
decline. Our prosperity is won at
the expense of the foreign producers
and foreign workers. It is a policy
by which we make "beggars" of other
countries.
These policies lead to economic war
fare. Other nations retaliate in kind.
The economic strife, as offensive tac
tics are met by retaliation, more and
VOTE f» -pHPùrK «HVE
CÖMM 4 N
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ROLL EMPLOy ME*4T
wAfrP iwcacASt
J-75 f MINIMUM WAS-P
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TWO CORPORATIONS AND
RECONVERSION
by now, for the most part, has learned
By BRUCE SMITH, Butte
The current wave of hysteria pro
moted by the reactionary daily press
for the purpose of creating public sen
timent against Organized Labor is
not a new development, though per
haps somewhat more virulent than
previous attempts to enslave the
Workers and leave them at the mercy
of profit-made corporations, who give
not a damn for reconversion, for the
welfare of the American public, nor
for any of the proclaimed freedoms
which their miserable mouthpieces
proclaim only to violate.
Unfortunately, tor the time being
at least, members of the congress
who at other times have shown some
decent regard for the rights of the
Workers, have proclaimed their inten
tions to Join with others whose an
tipathy to those who toil is well known
and pass legislation which is foreign
to American ideals and which have
no place in the statutes of a nation
which has Just concluded two success
ful wars to establish the Atlantic
Charter and the Four Freedoms.
The same old moth-eaten charges
have been resurrected and paraded
before the public which has been
fooled and misled before but which
more destroys world trade. Interna
tional collaboration can be developed
so as to minimize economic warfare
and to promote full employment, world
prosperity and world trade.
The propaganda coming from our
radio commentators, politicians and
the "free" press is daily adding to the
confusion. The layman has a tremen
dous task confronting him. He must
study all the difficult problems facing
us because it is the average American
who must cast his vote either for or
against legislation that will give us
a better world, or complete chaos.
Senator Wheeler's record on pro
gressive legislation is not good. We
cannot afford to keep men in con
gress who have not realized that this
is one world. We cannot have men
in congress who are not sold on atom
ic energy.
If all of us would just stop to think
that a wrong decision on our part now,
may cost the life of an American boy
War HI, I believe we would be a lit
tle more careful about the decisions
we make.
Our motto up to now seems to have
been: "To heck with lives, save the
business!"
I believe John Bonner would be an
excellent choice to succeed Senator
Wheeler. He has all the necessary
qualifications and in addition is a
war veteran. It is going to be hard
to beat a war veteran in the coming
elections. The "Company" would find
it rather difficult to "smear" a war
veteran. Mr. Erickson is also a good
choice. The straw vote, to avoid too
many on the ticket is an excellent
idea.
January 24, 1946,
Billings, Montana.
CATHERINE LAVELLE.
Campaign Vs —
(Continued from Pnjçe One)
to the amount of business it trans
acted in order to obtain the smallest
possible bond covering its operations.
On Point No. 1 the commission has
been making slow headway. Under
the Minnesota co-op law, GTA claims
exemption from the ban on Joint sell
er-buyer operations and this stand has
been upheld by various Minnesota at
torneys general. Unable to shake
this defense, independent grain com
panies, intervening in the case in an
effort to bring GTA a cropper, now
have come up with the argument that
GTA is not a true co-operative, hence
presumably is not entitled to any im
munities co-ops may enjoy under the
state laws. Is GTA a Co-op?
In currently buying over 75 per cent
of the grain consigned to It, say the
independents, GTA is not functioning
as a true co-operative. As a farm
marketing co-op, GTA's primary func
tion presumably would be to act as
sales agent for its members. In an
swer to this GTA could attribute its
heavy buying to the large crop and
to ceiling prices, which level out
prices to all classes of buyers. With
its "profits" (a word usually not ac
ceptable fo co-ops) limited by ceil
ings, GTA implied that it had to make
money for members when and where
it could—even if this involved dealing
on the open market.
To charge No. 2—That of obtain
ing a smaller bond than its opera
tions warranted—GTA replied that in
applying for bond it had merely fol
lowed practices common to all grain
commission merchants. In this con
nection, GTA made one telling point—
the co-op was the only commission
merchant whose books had been
checked,
GTA will now have a respite in
which to prepare briefs before the
hearings open again in March.
by bitter experience to discount the
propaganda output of newspapers
whose only purpose is to add more
dollars to swollen profits which are
the accumulation of and derived
from the blood and sweat of
Americans who served in the Armed
Services and the War Factories.
We refer to thé oft-repeated charge
that Communists and adherents to a
foreign power (Moscow) are respon
sible for the wave of strikes which
have taken place and those which have
been forecast to take place under ex
isting statutes.
And we do not hesitate to charge
that all the soapboxers of whatever
creed or ism are Ineffectual, powerless
and puney in comparison with the
efforts of profit-greedy corporations to
circumvent the American system of
free enterprise.
We need only refer to the record
of two corporations—the General Mo
tors (duPont) and the Anaconda Cop
per Mining company and its many
subsidiaries—to illustrate the subtle
and insidious undermining of the
American standard of living which is
taking place in defiance of the rights
of the Workers and also in defiance
of the efforts of the United States
government.
When the president of the United
States was endeavoring to promote
reconversion to a peacetime economy
by the appointment of fact-finding
todies, the General Motors corpora
tion said NO in advance of the efforts
to find a solution—they were free to
disregard the government, the Ameri
can Public and the Workers Involved
—and said so in disrespectful langu
age and disdainful disregard of the
American Public.
And what of the record of the Ana
conda Copper Mining company and its
subsidiaries? It is a record of bloody
dominance; a shameless and fraudu
lent record—a record which endan
gered the lives of both the Armed
Forces and the Workers.
To demands of those who labor, no
matter how reasonable, the answer of
the Anaconda Copper Minirig com
pany is always NO!
No amount of money contributed to
the creation of recreation
no amount of money contributed to
the building of a non-profit hospital,
will obscure or cover up the record
of a company which disregards the
real interests of any community in
which it operates by contemptuously
refusing to share its profits with those
who produce the wealth.
Power Lobby—
(Continued from Pagre One)
ness and maintain their monopolies.
But California and Eastern interests
are also Jealous of the low power
rates of the Northwest and the con
sequent gravitation of industries to
Oregon and Washington. Boulder
dam and Shasta capnot equal the
Bonneville and Grand Coulee rates—
the lowest in the world.
The $17.50 per kilowatt year rate
was evolved by J. D. Ross when he
was administrator of Bonneville, and
is adequate. There is no reason for
raising it other than for the benefit
of private companies and other parts
of the nation which are not so favor
ably situated. Under that rate Bon
neville and Grand Coulee have proved
not only practicable but profitable—
maintain themselves, pay their amor
tization obligations, meet all expenses
and make sufficient profit to keep on
growing.
Cheap public power is the one ad
vantage which the Northwest holds
over other parts of the nation. We
have 40 per cent of the nation's hydro
electric capacity. Its continued pos
session is a matter of life and death
to the Northwest. It should not be
taken from us to fatten Eastern para
sites. We will keep it and grow, or
lose it and stagnate.—(Capital Press.)
NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS
Please check the expiration date on
the address slip on your paper and
send in your renewals early to avoid
missing an issue.
Legal Advertising
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
Estate of COSTANTINO CABOARA, de
ceased.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by the
undersigned, administrator of the
estate of Costantino Caboara, deceased,
to the creditors of and all persons hav
ing claims against the said deceased,
to exhibit them with the necessary
vouchers, within four months after the
first publication of his notice, to the
said Walter G. Samson, administrator
at Law Offices of Anderson and Brooke,
Courthouse. Helena, Montana, the same
being the place for the transaction of
the business of said estate in the Coun
ty of Lewis and Clark.
WALTER G. SAMSON.
Administrator of the Estate of
Costantino Caboara, Deceased,
Dated January 25, 1946.
FORREST H. ANDERSON and
ROBERT C. BROOKE. Attorneys
for Estate, Helena, Montana.
Publ. Jan. 25. Feb. 1. 8, 16, 1946
Thirty Years
(Continued from Page One)
sota Railroad and Warehouse commis
sion by Its own expert reveals no such
evidence. All charges by hide-out
firms in the private grain business and
by the Railroad and Warehouse Com
missioner Ray P. Chase, who sat as
complainant, prosecutor and Judge In
the hearing, were thoroughly discred
ited. Even Chase back-tracked after
the drum-head hearing.
The state of Minnesota's expert
witness, L. R. Bitney, statistician for
the Railroad and Warehouse commis
sion, gave GTA a clean bill of health
on its business operations.
But the hide-out firms in the pri
vate grain business pay publicity writ
ers to say otherwise. Assistant At
torney General George T. Simpson of
Minnesota is quoted as saying that
"actions of FUGTA in buying, for its
own account, grain consigned to it
for sale 'constitute a penal offense
under the laws of Minnesota',"
Mr. Simpson is a lawyer. But lay
men have, a right to doubt his know
ledge of legal lore and to question
■what went against Simpson's grain,
so to speak. Mr. Simpson's boss.
Minnesota s Attorney General J. A.
A. Burnquist ruled to the contrary.
He tossed out Commissioner Chase's
first complaint, when it was made be
fore he was elected to the Railroad
and Warehouse commission in 1914,
In so ruling. Burnquist was sustained
by three previous Minnesota attorn
ey's general and a former governor of
Minnesota, as well as the statutes of
the state of Minnesota covering co
operative business operations.
Defeated on this front these hidden
firms in the private grain business pay
others to say that "facts CALCULAT
ED to prove that FUGTA is not a
true co-operative were brought out in
questions by Roger L. Dell of Fergus
Falls, counsel for three independent
grain companies of Western Minne
sota, which intervened in the case."
The facts are to the contrary. They
fail to disclose that hide-out firms in
the private grain business scoured the
state to find a spokesman for them,
They fail to mention that the three
intervening Independent grain com
panies are customers of the private
grain trade, of which Ben C. McCabe,
the president of the so-called National
Tax Equality association and a bitter
foe of GTA and other co-operatives,
also Is a prominent member.
Let's examine the record. Three
days of testimony reveal that Dell
failed miserably to show that GTA
is not a true co-operative.
The St. Paul Dispatch for January
8, declared: "The Farmers Union
Grain Terminal association won anoth
er point before the State Railroad
and Warehouse commission when
counsel for the association smashed
another attempt to show interests of
stockholders were not properly pro
tected."
The hide-out firms in the private
grain business failed to mention that.
Instead they paid someone to say that
"the state commission charges that
FUGTA supplied false and misleading
information in its application in order
to keep surety bonds, which all com
mission merchants must furnish, at
the lowest possible amounts."
What are the facts? Take the tes
timony of the Railroad and Ware
house's own expert witness, L. R.
Bitney, who examined the financial
records of GTA supported the informa
tion on the bond applications. Bitney
admitted that no other grain firm's
application had been subject to such
examination as had been given GTA.
Given access to all financial books he
said that GTA's records were complete
as far as he had examined them, and
that they had been audited every year
by a firm of certified public account
antg
What does the Railroad and Ware
house commission think? Commis
sioner Ray P. Chase, who brought the
complaint, admitted to reporters of
the Minneapolis Times after the hear
ing that GTA had made its applica
tions in exactly the same form and
fashion as all other grain firms. The
same paper quoted him as saying that
"the testimony at the hearing dis
closed that the state commission fol
lowed a practice of allowing every li
censed commission firm to post a $25,
000 bond, the minimum under the
state law. irrespective of the size of
operations."
These hidden-firms in the private
grain business who have never paid a
penny's profit back to the farmers
are concerned as to how GTA runs
its co-operative business. In its paid
for propaganda these hidden-firms la
ment that in the last six GTA
has "distributed only $640,329 in cash
to member-patrons, while retaining
$5,352,938 from earnings as working
capital."
Here is a fact to remember: this
$630,329 is exactly $630,329 MORE
than the grain farmers ever got back
from all the private grain firms that
have ever been in business. The
$5,352,938 in operating capital is re
tained on vote of farmers themselves
at their annual meetings, to build and
expand their co-operative operations.
These hide-out firms in the private
grain business want to fool the public
into believing that it is a financial
crime for GTA to pay "its patronage
dividends in preferred stock which
now draws no interest and cannot be
retired except by a vote of directors."
The facts: The practice of not pay
ing interest on stock is carried out
to fully meet the requirements of the
federal government so that GTA can
qualify without question as a true co
operative. Stockholders and not di
rectors determine how and when their
stock is retired. They also set the
policy. Any person who is serious
about making an honest statement
knows this.
Expert Witness Bitney, himself, ad
mitted that:
FARMERS WHO MARKET THEIR
GRAIN THROUGH GTA "STILL GET
MORE MONEY THAN IF THEY
WERE DEALING WITH PRIVATE
CONCERNS."
These hidden firms in the private
t—
Hon. Pifflin' Piddlin' Pipsqueak
Discusses Plans of Hon. Sec. Ickes
Your,reporter found the eminent jurist from Butte
in a state of agitation when he called on him at his hotel
suite in this city last evening. Uusually urbane and un
perturbed, even when confronted with some asinine re
mark about the MVA by our great and good governor,
the Hon. P. P. last evening was in what is delicately called
j a tizzy. And all on account of Hon. Harold Ickes. "Look,"
said he, "look here what this fellow Ickes says: power
projects to go in wherever power can be developed. What
the hell? We thought we had that program stopped when
killed your MVA bill. Well, at least we made it take
the count for this session of congress. But now comes
Ickes and wants to develop power and Strauss wants to
develop power but, still, we can see that the prices are
held up. None of your TVA prices up this way, young
man. But what if you fellows and the bureau got togeth
. er?" The distinguished gentleman from Butte turned pale,
j the match he had struck to light his long black cigar
I flickered out as he stared out into the dark and stormy
j night. "Hell," he muttered, "hell and damnation, they
j might."
I
we
I
!
grafn business avoided printing this
i
statemen t
wltneg8 B ltney also said that care
fu , examlnation of GTA's financial
recor( j s revealed assets on May 31,1
1945i were more than $1,500,000 in ex
ceg8 Qf those requlred to CÜVer Uabl j.
meg both current and deferred , IIe
might have added , as a matter of
fact that in additlon to thig the farm
erg own a jj Dieir terminal and country
elevators too.
These hide-out firms in the private
grain business are trying to whip up
the old lie that "Purchases by FUGTA
of grain consigned to it, for sale on
the open market on commission, vlo
late the state law of Minnesota as
we ll as the rules of the Minneapolis
anc j Duluth grain markets."
This is a deliberate lie. The state
law is clear on this point. Five pre
vious rulings prove that. They were
made by four Minnesota attorney's
general and a former governor of Mln
nesota. The rule of the Minneapolis
and Duluth grain markets is clear,
The matter was disposed of by the
board of directors of the Minneapolis
chamber of commerce in the case of
Farmers National Grain corporation
* n 1936.
These hide-out grain firms become
indignant when GTA cuts into the
profits of the private grain business
and earns more for its farmer-mem
bers. They object to GTA complying
with the OPA celling regulations "af
ter purchasing such grain for its own
account, (by adding) elevation and
merchandising charges to the original
commission charge, thereby increasing
the FUGTA margin of profit, on wheat
tor example, to four cents a bushel,
as compared with the charge of 1 %
cents a bushel allowed to private com
mission merchants by Grain Exchange
rules and the OPA ceiling regula
t,on8 -"
Tll e facts. Grain firms, both private
and co-operative can under OPA regu
lat ions charge no more than 2% cents
tor taking grain into terminal eleva
tors and loading it out for reshipment.
Most private grain commission firms
do not handle grain. They cannot
,in der OPA regulations charge this
cents. But they sell it to other
giain firms who have terminal eleva
^° These
" ^ cents markup, in compliance with
OPA regulations,
Would these hide-out firms In the
ivate grain business deny the farm
era cents, under the OPA
re 8Ulation, in order that only private
glain firms could profit from the trans
,
5 na oral arguments will be
leard ln Marcb , after the state of
Minnesota and intervenors file written
briefs,
Here is what the fight is a11 about -
1® fbe farmer who owns the land
an( l machinery and raises the grain to
be forced to limit his operations to
LARGEST MUTUAL IN THE STATE
j^crita na Fa rmcrs Union
xSSLsSt

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Dependable
Co-operative
PETER BOKMA, Secretary
WHEN YOU BUY CO-OP
YOU ALSO BUILD
jarmcrs Union Central ê^dianae
* ' INCORPORATED
Wholesale Farm Supply Co-operative
GENERAL OFFICE: SO. ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA
L & S M WORKERS
|
& CARPENTERS TO
HOLD CONVENTION
Monday, February 4. will mark an
other important step in the direction
of mutual co-operation between Car
penters and Lumber and Sawmill
Workers Unions in Montana. At that
date, the 30th annual convention of
the Montana State Council of Carpen
ters will be held at Missoula, Mon
tana. simultaneously with the 12th
semi-annual convention of the Mon
tana District Council, Lumber and
Sawmill Workers.
Most Lumber and Sawmill Workers
Local Unions In Montana have been
affiliated with the State Council of
Carpenters for several years and have
customarily sent delegates to the Car
penters convention and the two or
ganizations have historically func
tioned in close co-operation with each
other.
The move to hold the dual conven
tion began a year ago at the 29th
convention of the State Council of
Carpenters at Anaconda, when it was
decided to hold this year's Carpenters
conclave in a location which would be
convenient for the Lumber and Saw
mill Workers Unions. The Montana
District Council of Lumber and Saw
mill Workers took the next step by
advancing its regular date of its con
vention a month, in order to hold it
at the same time as the Carpenters.
The two organizations will convene
in separate rooms at the Missoula
Union Hall, holding Joint meetings as
desired.
Carpenter's meetings will be pre
sided over by President Richard Don
ovan of Local 112, Butte. The secre
tary of the Montana State Council
of Carpenters is E. A. Barnette of Lo
cal 88, Anaconda,
convention is sponsored by Local 28,
Missoula,
The Lumber and Sawmill Workers'
The Carpenters
business sessions will be presided
over by President Sherman Brock of
Local 3038, Bonner, which local is
sponsoring the Sawmill Workers con
( Conti:
eel
I'UKf F(
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the land? Or has he a right under
a free enterprise economy in a de
mocracy to engage in the distribution
of commodities that he himself pro
duces? Stripped of all superficial le
gal verbiage, that is all that is in
volved in the case now before the
Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse
commission.
The hidden firms in the private
grain business say that the farmer
does not have this right.
Farmers Union Grain Terminal as
sociation says that the farmer does
have the right.

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