Nebraska Newspapers

    THE OMAHA GUIDE
Published Every Saturday at 2418-20 Grant 9t.
Omaha, Nebraska
■- Phone WEbster 1517
Entered as Second Class Matter March 15, 1927,
at the Post Office at Omaha, Nebr., under
Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
’ TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION $2.00 PER YEAR
Race prejudice must go. The Fatherhood of
God and the Brotherhood of Man must prevail.
These are the only principles whil will stand
the acid test of good.
All News Copy of Chrurches and add Organi
zations must be in our office not later than
6:00 p. m. Monday for curren issue. All Adver
tising Copy or Paid Articles not later than
Wednesday noon, proceeding date of issue, to
insure publication.
EDITORIALS
GET WOOL OUT OF YOUR EYES
It is generally agreed that healthy
heavy industry is absolutely necessary j
to normal employment, normal spend
ing, normal conditions.
One of the greatest, and ordinal
iiy steadiest, heavy industries is light
and power—and yet this industry has
been one of the “poorest spenders” in
recent vears. Whv? Put it 'n one
weird—government!
In the ten year period ending in
1932, investors poured an average of
$675,000000 annually into the utility
industry. In the four years follow
ing, ‘nvestments in utilities averaged
just 33 percent of the ten year normal
—or $22,750,000!
Can it be called a coincidence that
the almost complete eesssation of util
ity investment started i?i the year
that witnessed the “inauguration of the
most vicious “utility baiting” campaign
in American h'story?
To Continue with the figures, had
utility investment between 1933 and
1936, inclus've, been made at the nor
mal level- the total for the four years
would have been $2,702,00000,. The to'
tal invested in that time was $91,000,
000. This leaves an accumulated defi
cit of the normal as against the actual'
of $2,611,000,000. That deficit is of
course much greater now—the same
trend obtained in 1937, for which com
plete statistics are not yet available.
It is estimated, by government au
thority- that he “ndusry should spend
about $7500,000,000 of new money for
construction in the next five y£ars~
which would mean the creation of 1,
275,000 useful jobs. What a tremendous
potential sso;urcce of wealth, employ
ment, opportunity and ..purchasing
power ex'sts here—damced up because
of a government policy of competition
and intimidation that is socially, econ
om'cally and morally indefensible, un
less a socialistic government is desired.
It’s time the people got the political*
wdol out of the'r eyes—and saw the
utility situation in its true persjective
PROGRESS BEFORE PUNISH
MENT
r -—n-w
Speaking from the bench of his
traff'c court recently, a New York
magistrate read a formal statement:
"We have reached-” he said, “the peak
safety that can be accomplished by the
punishment of the motorist.”
Specifically his complaints were
aga‘nst certain inadequacies and in
efficiencies in the physical and tech
nical iiystem for controlling today’s
mamoth traffic volume—in the street
system itself, ‘n traffic signals, signs
and other control devises, and the con
fuing lack of uniformity among such
devices.
The magistrate’s remarks hit a
situat'on which is fundamental to the
whole motor traffic pro'lem: The fail
ure to provide the motorist with streets
and highways made^ as safe as pops!
ble, but at the same time demanding
from h'm an optimum of caution in
his driving. T6©sjnuch emphasis has
been placed on the carelessness of the
driver and ontT'-fcnough on the care
lessness which allows removable phy
sical hazards to remain in the street
and h'ghway pattern.
Industry, the .National Conserva
tion Bureau reminds j.is, long ago this
lesson. Efforts to dragoon the working
man into avoiding accidents, ‘ndustri
al management learned, were futile un
til he was first provided with safe
worktog conditions an dequipment.
Just trying couldn’t safeguard a work
er in a hazardous environment That
management recognized and acted up
on this principle is the fundamental
1 reason why accidents have been halved
dur’ng the past 20 years.
If the driver is given facilities
from which basic hazard has been re
moved to the greatest possible regree,
and f1 he is governed by intelligent
traffic laws intelligently enforced- the
major responsibility for traffic acci
devolves upon him. Then we shall mak(
real headway n'ot only in br'nging mo
tor traffic under control but in great
ly facilitating traffic.
-O
STOP FIRES BY BUILDING
A BRIGHT FUTURE
One of the most encouraging an
guries for the future of agriculture
lies 'n the loyalty with which farmers
have supported their farm cooperative
marketing associations.
This movement shows a steady
growth in membership 'jifiuence and
results. T" i rad b e kasn t at - ..vs been
smooth. Farm c. — rps ha c i .t alwayr
been an'-: to a b price for
their members’ poduce ,or to solve vex
atious production and distribution pro
blems But they have worked hard and
efficiently—and their members have
'acked them up.
A movement with a history like
th's cannot help but have a bright fu
ture. Political experiments have been
tried tnd discarded, current poblems
change, new problems arise—but year
in and year out the farm carketing co
operatives carry fcm the'r work, and
always on the same economic philoso
phy—efficient production, efficient
distr'bution.
---—
THE POLITICAL SPONGE
On June 11, the New York stock
market had the lowest trading* session
in 2 Oyears. A veriety of excuses can
be advanced for this, but you can’t
laugh off the fact that the continuous
drive against Amer'can business, capi
tal an (learnings by vote seeking poli
ticians has had its deadly effect in beat
'ng industry to its knees, discouraging
he investor and raising public debt
and texes to the danger point.
Organized politics is the worst
monopoly that the consumer- the lab
orer an dthe ‘nvestor face today. It
confiscates the savings of productive
enterprise; it destroys regular jobs for
political patronage, and it produces no
new capital—'t simply absorbs like a
sponge the savings of the nation
-O
BEST FRIENDS
It isn’t fun to be thrifty wnen
you’re young. It’s more pleasant to
spend ten dollars for amusements than
to put it in a bank or a life insurance
policv. When you grow old it becomes
a different story.
Tens of thousands of men now in
dire want, once had gotod jobs, sub
stantial incomes, and even fortunes.
They had “fun” then. They’re paying
the piper now. They can look forward
to spending their declining years as
wards of public or private charitable
agencies, remembering with bitterness
what might have been.
Every man owes it to himself, to
bis dependents and to the society in
which he lives to prepare for the exi
gencies of the future. Life insurance
and similar instruments of thrift are
the best friends the average has.
, SAFELY
From Washi ngton and state capi
tals come reports of government loans
for building projects. Whether these
are for large-scale housing, individual
dwellings or industry, mohey and
trouble will be saved ‘n later years if
1 sound rules of construction are follow
ed Many a building fire has been pre
vented while the plans were on the
drafting board.
More important still, otne sure way
to reduce the great loss of l'fe from
fire is to build safely.
In dwellings, such features as
firestops in walls, and ceilings of ce
ment on metal lath in cellars, serve
to retard the spread of flames. A fre
resistive roof, roper chimney construc
tion and correct installation of heating
plants, all help to prevent fires.
In factories and mercant'le build
ings it is imperative that stairways
and elevator shafts be enclosed and
firewallk be installed to separate the
various sections of structures. This
will prevent flames spreading upward
from floor to floor or sweeping later
ally through larrge areas. Openings in
firewalls should be equipped with fire
doors. In order to res'st flames com
ing from adjacent buildings, windows
should be wired glass in metal frames.
Probably there will always be ac
cidental ign'tion fires- but the horrible
toll of human life taken by fires annu
ally, can be curtailed to a large extent
when buiding are constructed proper
ly. Then occupants will have a chance
to escape before the fire spreads.
Adequate munc'pa] building codes
help bring about safer condition. Hun
dred of such ordinances are modeled
after the Recommended Building Code
of the National Board of Fire Under
writers.
•-O-—
FARM COOPERATION WITH
OPPRESSION
It ‘s in times such as the present,
with the country deep in depression,
that the agricultural marketing co
operatives make some of their finest
contributions to the welfare of agri
culture.
With markets thining and prices
declining, the need for business-like
cooperation in producing, handling and
selling the products of the farm be
comes steadily greater. And while
cooperatives cannot keep prices at de
sired levels, or force the sonsumer to
use more goods than he can buy, they
can and do exert measure of control
over the problem that prevents ruin
ous waste and loss.
It‘s not an accident that the mem
bership rolls of the better coopera
tives rise in bad times as well as good.
In many cases ‘t takes an economic up
heaval ti awaken farmers to the value
of cooperation. •
USE MORE MILK!
At the request of producers, a
nationwide drive for moving huge
quantities }of surpfuis dairy products
has been strated. The open'ng gun of
the drive sounded on June 9, and it will
run a month.
The 200000 stores cooperating in
this great voluntary effort to avert an
agricultural crisis make up a v'rtual
“Who’s Who” of American merchan
dising. They include 3000 drug stores,
3,000 chain stores variety stores, near
ly 40,000 chajn stores, and 153.000 in
dependent stores. It is believed that
practically every community in the
United States will be reached in the
drive. According to Charles w. Hol
man of the National Cooperative Milk
Producer’s Federation, “Never before
has there been such a large aggrega
tion of distributing outlets eoncentra
ted upon a program of serv'c-e to dairy
farmers.”
The figures afford ample proof of
the need for such a campaign. In the
tvpical month of April, production of
the principal manufactured dairy pro
ductss was nearly 12 per cent above a
year ago, and more than 12 per cent
above the five year average. Consump
t'on has been below normal. The result
is a constantly rising surplus which
must be disposed of by the creation of
unusually large consumer demand if
the nation’s dairy farmers are to be
saved ru'nous losses.
The benefits from this campaign’ if
it is successful—and all precendent in
the consumer producer campaigns
initiated by the chain stores two years
ago indicates that it will be—are be
yond calulation. The cjesire of con
sumers to buy and use greater quanti
ties of healthful dairy products, at a
fair price will he stimulated. Increas
ed income will go to farmers in every
state, and will be felt in higher farm
purchasing power. This will be especi
ally benebicial to the smaller communi
ties of the land. These are just a few
of the splendid results of retailer
cooperation with agricultural produ
cers.
NEED OF FREE ECONOMY
Probablv no better example exists
of the need lor economy free of polit
ical or government interference than
that furnished by the modem low-cost
retail store. These stores are typ'cal
of Ameican business energy. They came
ino existence in answer to a nation
wride cbnsumer demand for greater
efficiency and loWer pr’ces in the field
of retail distribution They remain in
business solely because they continue
to meet demand. If when they cease;
to meet it some other form of enter 1
prise will supersede them. That is thw j
way af a free ectJnmy and it is the
reason why a free econmv must be
kept alive in this country.
A free econmy's the surest guar
! antee of steady progress. As long as
it exists, the lazy and unresburcefui
will have tough sledding. Abuses are
promptly punished, for the very obvi
ous cause that once they may become
Mr. and Mrs. Consumer shift their pa
tronage to a more honest competitor.
Dur’ng recent years there has
been an unprecented attack on chain
stores. Countless efforts have been
made to drive them into ’’ankruptcy
through punitive taxation and regula
tion. Basically these attacks are noth
ing but attempts to cr'ppe the present
system of a free economy. ThSir net
result is to restrict competition and
shelter the ineficient, to say noth'ng of;
tending to destroy a generation of j
merchandising progress. Instead of:
wiping out 'maginary monopoly, puni
tive attacks on chain stores actually
faster it because anything which ham
pers the functioning of a free economy
creates a cond'tion that breeds true
monopoly. When consumers are forced
to patronize a certain type of esta
blishment because the concern of their
preference has been wiped out by law,
what remains but a monopoly?
—O-w—•
STRAIGHT THINKING ABOUT
THE RAIDROADS
The Association of American Rad
roads has issued a compelling booklet
entitled “Straight Thinking About the
Radroads.” It shows the seriousness of
the railroad problems today, with car
loadings running 30 per cent below last
year, and with railrolad pofits at the
vanishing, |po'nt.
The booklet does more than paint
a dismal picture—it makes a number
of concrete suggestions toward solving
a problem in wh'ch eveiy American
worker and industry has a tremendous
stake. Some of these suggestions are:
1. The rule for establishing rail
road rates should be changed to the
extent that the 1‘nes are guarantee
rates will bring a fair return upon in
vestment.
2. Railroad revenues must be in
creased, especially 'n periods of normal
business* so that the industry must
store up “some fat as a cushion against
' famine.”
3. Of equal importance is the ne
cessity for reducting railroad expen
ses. Costs of operat'on within the con
trol of the industry have been cut to
the bone. The next essential steps are
a reasonable reduction in wages and a
revision of the present wasteful rules
and working conditions appl'cable to
the train service crafts.
4. Pre arranged, artificial and in
elast’c plans for forcing railroads con
solidations should be abandoned. Con
solidations shafuld be effected by
agreeed of all concerned, rather than
by legislative flat, and with careful
consideration of the r'ghts of workers
and the welfare of communities served
by rail.
There are many other points, but
these are four of the most important.
It is diff'cult to see how they can be
justly opposed. Wage boosts, socia:
security taxes and higher materia1
costs have added almost $300,,000,00?
a year to railway operating expense 1
On top of that, a request for a reason
able rate boost was granted only in
part, and the tremendous slump 'n
general business has been still another
blow. Drastic action is necessary if the
ra'lroad industry is to keep going—and
is to continue to provide America with
that remarkably high and iri>praving
standard of service we need and
expect
Calvin9s
Digest
By Floyd Calvin
(Ustcd by EDITOR &
PUBISHER
A. A. Schomburg
The Negro York Negro has ad
ded another brilliant star to his.
shining crown of achievement with
the passing of Mr. Arthur A
Schomburg. Note especially he ir
not Dr. Schomburg, nor Res
Schomburg, but plain Mr. Schont
burg. It was pleasing to see that
the New York daily newspapers,
giving generous headlines an#
news spare to the story of his lat*
career, referred to him as "Mr
Arthur Alonzo Schomburg.” We
think it a unigue mark of distinc
tion when a Negro can live such
a life outside professional circles
that at his death his story is to'd
to the general public under thi
simple yet dignified titile of “Mis
ter.”
A. A. Schomburg was collect*
of literature on the Negro. Year
by year he added to his store*
through sheer love rf the work,
ur.tilfinally the collection was pur
chased by the Carneg'e Founda
tion for 10,000 and presented l*
the New York Public Library. The
Collection is housed in the l.‘15tk
Street (Harlem) Branch of the
Public Library, and is popularly
known as the Schomburg Collee
ton.
Through hiB love of broha or
the Negro—a hobby—Mr. Schom
burg built his own monument, fa
will last as long as the Collect**
lasts; the Collection will last m
lonjr as the New York Pub!-* li
brary will last as long as the City
lasts.
In any evaluation of the Negrr
in New York, we hope that oar
real iiulividpals pf achievme*fag
like Arthur Schomburg will far
named first, and the Negro » Hmwr
York wb) have nothing to Jam
by comparison.
School Progress
In spite of the doldrums in eco
nomic*, we are dvhghWd to *"**
instances of substantial progieai
in the fields of edwott'en. .Stocsr
College and B*rthtti#e Colego a»
nounce their rise tram the Janier
to the Senior College level
West Virginia State announce*
that members of the regular
teacehing staff of Ohio State Uni
versity wUI give courses daring
five of the nine weeks of summe*
school,
Virginia State College ann u>
ces: ‘Old Virginia Hall has gone,
demolished in the college’s marck
of progress, and on its site th*
graduates saw three new buildings,
modem in every respect, nearing
completion). New Science, admimv
trs.tion, and library buildings wil
provide the best facilities e'er for
the college’s work."
And from Pennsylvania come*
this announcement which toucher
the emotions and stirs the pride:
"After serving as secretary of thi
Board of Trustees of Downingtowj
Industrial School for 33 year*
John C. Asbury announced bis re
tirement at the school’s commence
ment erereises on June 9. He hit
served on the Board ever sine*
tho founding- of the school in 1994
It is probable that Mr. Asbury**
son, David Asbury, a rising young
Philadelphia attorney, will suc
ceed to his father’s position."
And at Tuskegee we hear that.
"Ben Biggers and Emory Jame*
chief and second cook, respectively
of Grandma's Kitchen, Miami, Fl*.
feeding 2,700 guests dully, ban*
signed up for their thrd .iiwnat
summer short course in commer
cial dietetics, which is runsning
from June 10 through Auguest
'I he Baptism
Baptizing little Rae Pace Alex
ander in Philadelphia recently.
Bishcp R. R. Wright, Jr., remark
ed: “In these days, when won**
do not have have children, it it
indeed a fine thing to note thdd
tho best blood of our race is pro
pagating and that these people ■art
bringing their ch ldren into1 tbr
church for baptism. The baptism
of Rae Pace Alexander gives pro
miso and encouragement that the
educated women of our race art
assuming their responsibility el
developing family life, the basiB
of the success of any race of pea
ple.
Tho mother of little Rae holds
tho Ph. I), degree from the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania and tha
LI,. B. degree from the University
of Pennsylvanit haw School, anE
s Assistnat Solicitor of the City
if Philadelphia, while her father
bolds the LL. B. from Harvand,
ho.s qualified as one of Phila
delphia’s Most Successful Mem
inder 40, The maternal gradt
rmndfather of little Rae warn
Bishop Benjamin Tucker Trainee
md her maternal great uncle war
the great artist who lived in Pans
Henry Ossawa. Tanner.
TO Alj/.SUFtS(’RIRER3 -
We are compelled to announce a
charge of Five cents, on all ac
counts that receive their paper is
the mail—When .subscribers more
and do not notify us of their nrm
address before moving.
Thanks—Mr. A. B. Mr Caw,
Cire^Mgr., WR 151T