The people's voice. [volume], April 06, 1962, Page Page Two, Image 2

About The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
Editorial . .
#
Dave Newman
Tuesday of this week Sen. Dave Newman of Powell County
passed away, a victim of cancer. Only 56, Dave had been strick
en toward the end of the 1961 Legislative session.
Dave, one of the gentlest, most conscientious men it has |
been my good fortune to know in my more than 16 years with
the VOICE, developed an outlook on life after he learned what
his affliction wa? which was a combination of courage and
equanimity at its very finest. {
Sometime ago he dropped in for a short visit. I asked his
state of health. He was hopeful he'd be around for the 1963 1
session, but, said he, "I'm living and enjoying every minute of
every day . . . they are so very precious . . As he talked,
he had a wheeze and noticeable difficulty in breathing, but
though he was suffering physically, his spirit was of the best.
There is a deep object lesson for all of us in the philosophical
outlook of Dave Newman, who, though doomed, loved life so
very dearly he had no time to waste in morosely looking for
ward to the end —HLB
attention to serious journalistic shortcomings of the Capital
City daily newspaper. This we find distasteful, since continued
Hoaxing Via Headlines
From time to time it has been our unpleasant task to call
irresponsibility by a part of the press lays open to question how
responsible are other members of the journalistic fraternity in
providing accurate information to the general public.
Hoaxing by headline, is an old but not necessarily honor
able tradition of the press. Certainly, it is not condoned in re
sponsible news circles, for, by the very nature of headlines, the
principal point of a story is emphasized. And, to many readers,
the principal point put over in a headline is all the further
they read, and they draw their conclusions accordingly.
The headline in question in the Helena daily was a two- |
line, five-column page 1 banner Sunday which said :
That headline, while true, did not correctly impart the ma- 1
jority opinion of the state PTA . . . did find many people
jumping to an erroneous conclusion that the state PTA had
gone ön record in favor of a sales tax. How the PTA felt, and
what should have been imparted in that screaming head, was
. , . ,, , , ... . r,
found in the very first paragraph of the story which said; J
STATE SALES TAX PROPOSED
AT MONTANA PTA MEETING
"The Montana Congress of Parent Teachers Association climaxed
its heated convention here Saturday with resolutions AGAINST a state
.i_ , ,... ... , ,,, . , . , .
ting the Sunday edition to bed an oversight occurred in cor
reeling the headline to suit late Saturday afternoon PTA
action on the sales tax. But in view of other reports, and in
view of the fact the INDEPENDENT RECORD has made no
sales tax and FOR increased state income tax, provided the increased
revenue be used foi the schools only.'
(PV emphasis).
There is, of course, the possibility that in the rush of put
move to publicly correct the misleading headline in the days
since Sunday, I pm inclined to discount the error factor.
»
*
Thfs brings us to the "other reports". Two weeks ago Gpv.
Tim Babcock, speaking in Missoula, launched a sales tax ini
tiative "trial balloon". Since then, we have had several reports
which we consider reliable that the Republican-State Chamber
of Commerce coalition is having, or has had drafted, a sales
tax initiative proposal ; is raising money for a high-powered
campaign to bamboozle the electorate, and will, within the
next several weeks, launch an extensive effort to secure the
necessary signatures to put the measure on the 1962 fall ballot.
Obviously, the time is ripe for such an initiative. The 1961
Legislature and the Republican state administration set the
stage for gaining resigned public acceptance of the sales tax
via the Nutter-Babcock "retrenchment" program. Since then
the "brainwashing" campaign has been in full swing. The theme
is "the sales tax is the ONLY way we can raise enough money
for the schools, the university system, etc. . .
line" has but one aim .... to sell
»
This GOP C.ofC.
•.
you a "bill of goods" ... to stampede you into supporting
the most iniquitous type of taxation ever devised to shift
the cost of government from wealth and the well-to-do on
to those least able to pay.
♦
*
*
Starting next week and in future issues the VOICE by way of
displays and further editorial comment, will definitely prove
that the sales tax IS NOT "the only way'* to raise the needed
revenue; that there are various alternatives which are far more
equitable and are based on the ability to pay. We suggest you
consider well these alternatives.—HLB
In Answer to Montana American Legion 'Brass'
The free co-operative organization, which is of man's own making, as
an institution will safeguard both material and social efficiency. Co-opera
tives constitute an indispensable means for an agrarian reform, economically
and socially sound. The purpose of rural workers' co-operatives does not
consist in producing greater riches nor in better techniques of production,
but rather in making their members masters and arbiters of their own eco
nomic and social destiny through the full development of their God-given
faculties and abilities.—Fifth International Catholic Congress on Rural
Life Problems, Caracas, Venezuela, September 14-19, 1961
Exposed
KANSAS CITY—(PAI)— A» of
ficer of the Traniport Service Em
ployee'« Union recalled the very
first union grievance he handled.
A newly-hired Pullman porter had
been suspended for three weeks
without pay.
Investigation disclosed that the
n »ght rounds, found a red lantern
hanging from one of the lower
berths. He called the
train conductor, making his late
book,"
han * a red lantern when the
end of the ,I ~ I ~ r " «pos
new porter
and demanded an explanation.
"It says right here in the rule
said the porter, "always
rear
• •
A Montanan's . .
WASHINGTON NOTEBOOK
By VIC REINEMER, Exec. Secy, to Sen. Lee Metcalf
FLATHEAD COUNTY
RETRAINING PROGRAM
The Area Redevelopment Act ap
proved last year has already sparked
local efforts to develop overall eco
nomic plans in a number of Montana
communities. This by itself, without
I federal loans, grants or technical as
| sistance, will prove valuable to those
communities. Last week one of the
first counties in Die nation to qualify
under the act, Flathead, moved into
the next phase of the program.
I gram to train 95 persons in six
trad f s in KalispeJl The occupations,
L n n um in foUoJ^ ° f
ARA announced a $50,000 pro
Auto mechanic, 15 (8 weeks);
stenographer, 20 (16); rodman-engi
neering aide, 15 (16) ; lumber grader,
15 (8); fishing lure assembler, 15
(8); logging equipment mechanic,
15 (10).
Training will be conducted in the
Guaîd^AiSo^ b°v The^lte^Voca
tional Education Department, with
the lumber graders going to nearby
■'a w ™dls for P art of training.
EducatJ o n and Welfare De
partment furnished $19,926 to the
state vocational agency, for instruc
tional cost. Labor Department allo
cated $31,030 to the state agencies
for payment of training subsistence
benefits. Average payment a trainee
is $29 a week.
This is the second training project
approved for Montana under ARA.
The first one went to Butte. Fros
pec ts for employment after training
I are considered good on the basis of
surv *ys of occupational needs in the
area ' p u ers ?? s interested in the pro
gram should check with the employ
ment office in Kalispell.
TIMBER INVENTORY ASSISTED
ARA also announced last week ap
proval of a $65,000 technical assist
ance project for an inventory of tim
ber resources, economic analysis, and
preparation of a plan for management
of timber operations on the Flathead
Indian Reservation, which includes
parts of Missoula, Flathead, Lake and
Sanders counties.
The basic inventory will be done
by a private forestry consulting con
cern, to be chosen by competitive
bids. Bureau of Indian Affairs will
draw up the management plan. For
est Service Northwest Range and Ex
periment Station, Portland, will make
the economic analysis.
Last inventory on the reservation
was 25 years ago. Preliminary study
shows that cutting can be acceler
ated substantially. The Flathead trib
al council foresees about 60 per cent
expansion in employment and pay
rolls from an expanded timber oper
ation.
RESEAL PROGRAM
EXPLAINED
In answer to the Montana Sena
THE PEOPLE'S VOICE
Published weekly by The People's
Voice Publishing Co., at 1206 Lockey
Street, Helena, Montana.
HARRY L. BILLINGS, Editor
GRETCHEN G. BILLINGS,
Associate Editor
Entered as Second Class Matter De
cember 7, 1939, at the Post Office at
Helena, Montana, under the Act of
March 3. 1S79.
Subscription Price: 15.00 » Year
>« Commercial Advertising except
from Co-operatl> e Business Institu
tion«« accepted. Rate« ea application
—
WHA T DO YOU THINK?
By GRETCHEN G. BILLINGS
During the short sojourn of Sena
tor Barry Goldwater in Missoula last
week he submitted to two question
periods. One was a televised press
conference and the other was at the
conclusion of his "lecture".
Questions were on much the same
subjects. His answers were more glib
than deep.
Western Montanans interested in
the forest industry were told Con
gress . had to pay more attention to
industry spokesmen and their pro
tors' request for an explanation of
policy on reseal of farm-stored wheat,
Deputy Undersecretary of Agricul
ture Charles Murphy wrote as fol
lows;
Our basic concept of price sup
port programs does not envision con
tinued over-production of grains or
the continued large expenditures for
storage in any position. Reseal pro
grams were first developed as emerg
ency measures to meet a shortage
of storage space. Farmers were en
couraged to extend their farm stor
age loans for only one year, thus
delaying delivery for our conven
ience, but also permitting them to
earn storage payments for that extra
year of holding grain on the farm.
*.
"The failure of the programs (since
1952) to keep production in line led
to a large buildup of stocks. Reseal
programs were extended for longer
periods as surpluses mounted. This
unfortunately caused reseal programs
to be regarded as a continuing source
of income by some of our producers.
Referring specifically to Montana
wheat, we had in storage there as of
March 9;
» •
Owned by CCC In—
Country Warehouses 16,005,00 bu.
Terminal Warehouses 2,382,000 bu.
Bin Sites
(about 1/5 of this grain is spring
644,000 bu.
wheat, the remainder is hard red
winter wheat)
Owned by Producers Under Loan
and Reseal
1957 crop
1958 crop
1959 crop
1960 crop
1961 crop
"From the standpoint of our na
tional responsibility, we had under
reseal January 31 from the previous
crops of corn, wheat, grain sorghum,
barley and oats almost 503 million
bushels. Under our announced posi
tion on resealing some of the more
recent crops, nearly 402 million bush
els are eligible for further reseal.
Approximately 200 million bushels
were resealed from the I960 crop.
If producers reseal from 1961 crop
grain approximately the same amount
as a year ago, we will then have
quantities of grain under reseal on
the farms at the end of this summer
equal to about 600 million bushels.
This appears to us to be substantial
evidence that we do not favor ter
minal or other warehouse space at
the expense of producers.
With the current high level of ex
port demand for United States feed
grains and wheat, it is most desirable
to get more of the older stocks in a
position for merchandising. There
799,000 bu.
2,895,069 bu.
3,720,343 bu.
3,679,566 bu.
3,302,446 bu
. .
are many points in Montana from
which wheat can be moved to Pacific
port positions for export and there
is a steady demand for Montana
wheat for milling on the West Coast.
We cannot be certain as to the de
tails of our future sales—there are
too many factors involved. We are
certain, however, that our stocks are
much lower in Montana and the Pa
cific Northwest in relation to de
mand than is the case in the Minne
apolis and Kansas City market
areas . .
• *
PEOPLE'S VOICE Voting
Record Booklets Are Now
Available. 30c a copy;
20 for $5.00.
Box 838, Helena
posed program. He said we have "too
much forest service'', and he won
dered how the Indians got along
without the Forest Service , . . they
had fires,
On communism he said it is an
internal, not an external threat, be
cause "Khrushchev will never go to
war, why should he when he is win
ning" . . • "we must be firm but
not belligerent", and if you want to
see communism at its worst you are
invited to Arizona to witness the
debacle on the Hopi Indian reserva
tion.
Medical care for the aged he was
for, but not by government, just the
same as federal aid to education,
which he accompanied by the 20th
Century conservative's answer to all
social problems like taking care of
ourselves, some tax incentives, etc.,
etc., etc.
While he deplored President Ken
nedy's "lack of understanding" of
the business world, Goldwater showed
an abysmal lack of understanding of
anyone to whom a "tax incentive" is
meaningless, or of people who cry
out because they can not take care
of both their old and young people.
He did not worry about the right
wing extremists because they are not
in power. He worries about the left
wing, inside breaking up the furni
ture.
Goldwater felt sorry for Mon
tana's senior senator, Mike Mans
field. who "at heart is a conservative,
but unfortunately he is riding on the
frontier train and he doesn't look
very comfortable there".
Any successful Republican candi
date for a Governorship will be in
the race for the Republican nomina
tion for the presidency in 1964, he
said. He claimed he had no political
ambitions as far as the Presidential
nomination is concerned. The facts
of political life are that this is not
the time for any candidate to "stick
his neck on the block". If Goldwater
is receiving the crowds everywhere
that he received in Missoula it must
be making an impression on him,
and other Republicans, too.
READERS' FORUM
•y fy 1 n
George A, DU1T
Whoa!! Mr. Burr, back
The heart of your letter to the Voice
is; Why not accept general advertising
to make ends meet? Farther along (ns
the religious song goes)
your own question by stating a 'truism'
that the press is controlled by the big
corporations. What you don't seem to
understand is that advertising is the
controlling factor. Any paper dependent
on advertising is going to cater to tne
views of big business that spend the
most money for space in it's columns.
A paper representing the average per
son (or as you put it "the great un
washed") would get little advertising
and the pressure would constantly be
to slant the facts making the hash
more palatable to corporations in hope
of getting more of their long green.
Yes, the circulation of the Voice is
small* (good things usually come in
small packages) but every thing has a
beginning. If it's information can keep
even si few of us alert and thinking
and talking a bit, isn't It better than
sticking one's head in the sand ostrich
style?
The effects of the Voice cam perhaps
be measured by the bitter insinuations
of such groups as the Sidney VFW
worshippers of the God Birch that there
are eighty communists in Richland
County. This figure, eighty, corres
pond« closely to the copies of the Voice
mailed comity wide. If we readers are
just telling each other %vhat we al
ready know, would the lackeys of the
up a ways.
you answer
V ar-fare State take the trouble to
even notice our paper?
As for
pan-handling, our editors
have always stated the situation and
left it to the readers to 'let their con
science be their guide'.
The national
awards Harry and
(••retchen have been honored with apeak
for their intelligence whatever they
profess.
In closing let
me« state that I am
one who dtx>s care about keeping the
Voice in print. Sincerely—
LEW is MURRAY, Savage.
P.S. '» our subscription renewal would
be a very modest outlay for juart
of the inimitable letters of
good friend, Hobart McKean.
one
my very
h or the information of our readeis.
are pleased to report our circula
tion has
this past
we
gone up over a thousand
year, and each week for
some months now we've been adding
20 to 40 new readers. Thank you for
J °«r rf on ^ < * enc ® and loyal suppoit.
—HIjB
There should be as little merit
in loving a woman for her beauty,
a man for his prosperity, both
being subject to change.—POPE.
.1 S