Nebraska Newspapers

    The Omaha Guide
A Weekly Newspaper
Published Every Saturday at 2420 Grant Street, Omaha, Nobaaaka
Phone HArnay 0800-0801
Entered as Second Class Matter March 16, 1827 at the Post Office
at Omaha, Nebraska, under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879.
C. C. GALLOWAY — — —-- --Publisher
MASON DEVEREAUX, JR. — — Gen. Manager - Acting Editor
All News Copy of Churches and all Organizations must be in our
office not later than 1:00 p. m. Monday for current issue AU
Advertising Copy, not later than Wednesday noon, preceding date
of issue, to insure publication.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES IN OMAHA
ONE YEAR--- 54.00
... ....$2.50
THREE MONTHS .....-. 51.50
ONE MONTH ......50c
SUBSCRIPTION RATE OUT-OF-TOWN
ONE YEAR . 54.50
I Back To School
Once aBain he eld schoolhouse bell will ring and boys and girls
throughout the nation will go rippting merrily back to school.
It will be a great day for most of them after a throp month’s
vacation filled with picnics, sightseeing trips, parties, outings and
generally having loads t>f fun, it will be/ a change
To others it will be looking forward and toward the future
where they will plan and prepare for a better America through edu
cation. These boys and girls will carry on the traditions of the true
democratic printijJles sonobly set down in the Constitution, Declara
tion of Independence, Gettysburg Address^ etc., by our forefathers.
They wiH see that discrimina tion as to1 (freed, color, or racial^iden
tity wift be forever erased from our nation’s history. OOn these
small shoulders will fall great responsibiities and Brave probems con
fronting the American people of this great nation.
Yes, ba*k to school they go, to learn to prepare for a better way
t» live in order that they might be ready when the time comes to
lake their place in the American way of life, A life that opens its
doors of opportunity to all according to his or her given ability and
desire to contribute something to mankind everywhere. A way of
that will help to build a greater, stronger and saner America. A
way of life that will make democracy riing forever throughout t!»:
land and abroad.
These boys and girl swill be preparing for all of this and more,
yet many are too young yet to realize it. As they Brow in strength,
wisdom and vision their once little infant minds will grasp the great
problems confronting our nation, and they will take up the banner
of Democraek and carry it to a victorious conclusion.
__ i
Li. ' Labor Day
» - '
Labor Day, 1947, will have a significance that goes far beyond
the picnics and the parades and the windy speeches that mark all ^
national holidays. j ,
American labor has come to a crossroad. On tKe one hand, it;
has achieved enormous economic and political power, and wages and
working conditions unequalled throughout the world. On the other
hand, as a result of certain grave abuses o£ that power, it has incur
red the distrust of millions of Americans wfiOi aije not “anti-labor”
but are “anti-racketeer.” -
The Taft-Hartley measure marks the first decisive attempt to cor
rect these abuses. But a law is not enough. Tabor could evade and
perhaps circumvent for a time the clear intent of Congress. It
could continue to hamper prodcction and disrupt the smooth function
ing of our economic machine. It could continue to reduce the pres
tige of this country abroad and its security at home. Should it do
that, it would eventually bring down the wrath of the people upon
its head, and invite a really touBh law that would drastically limit
its rights and privileges. ) \
If labor will cooperate with industry and the government te
clean its own house and to contribute its full, measure to the produc
tion of goods and services, it will earn and rec?eive the respuct and
confidence of the country. It is a good sign that some leading labor
leaders have recently said that workers productivity should be in
creased. One reason for today's high prices lies in the fact that ous
put per man hour has gone down ejen as wages have goneup. Labor's
basic interest lies in “real wages, ’ which means wages measured in
the light of purchasing power, not merely the number of dollars in
the pay envelope. Labor Day will be a memorable date if it marks
the start of a voluntary effort to resolve labor-manaBement differ
ences through honest collective action, and to stabilize the American
economic system.
What The Consumer Wants
At various times polls have been made of consumer needs, desire5
and eccentricities. And the answers show why there is plenty of
room for all all kinds of stores, from independents to chains, and
from gigantic department stores to little specialty shops.
One segment of the consuming public is primarily interested in
certain trade-marked brands, and buys only in stores which carry
those it favors. *
Still another segment places service high on the list of its re
quirements, It wants delivery of good to the home, the charge ac
count privilege, a very liberal policy in exchanges, etc., and it is will
ing to pay the added costs that these and other services entail.
Under the free competitive system—which is the American sys
tem—there is a store to meet every demand. Every kind and char
acter of consumer commodity is stocked, and a long list of bronds is
offered. If one store can’t meet some buyer’s standards, another
store down the street will. And every merchant who keeps up with
the times will get his share of the business. American retailing
is geared to serve the varying wishes of the 140,000,000 Americaift
who patronize it.
In June there was a 13 per cent decline in American export trade.
This reflected a decline in foreign Hbying power due to depletion
ef dollar credits—not a decline in foreign desire and need for U. S.
goods.
HoweTpr. tf>» drcp had relatively little effect on industry—tire
domestic market i6 still able to absorb all we dan produce.
The Offering 7
“This one is far -
more becomuo!
I,
i
THAT’S YOUR BUSINESS
Profits spark our economy. Yet
Prom Much current discussion of
profits, on* would think they bur
den our economy, and that it
would be better if all business o
perated constantly at the break
even point.
MUCH OF THE current discus
sign of profits has been of over-all
aggregate profits, without regard
to volume °f Sales. Such discuss
ion is bound to give a distorted
TO A CONSIDERABLE extent,
profits represent accruals of physi
cal assests. A large part of profits
in 1946 was d*e to increases in
inventories and higher prices of
inventories.
STOCKHOLDERS HAVE not
benefited much from dividend pay
ments in the past five years, be
cause corporations have had to
retain an unusually large portion
of profits fdr captial needs. In
1946, only 44 per cent of corporate
rofits were paid out in dividends.
Since 1942 dividend payments
ranged from. 43 to 53 per cent of
profits.
IP WE CONSIDER aggregate ,
profits it is fair t<5 consider aggre
ate wages,. Wages in manufactur
ing increased from $9,390-million
in 1939 to $25,016 in 1946—an in
crease of 166 per cent. During the
same period, aggregate profits of
manufacturing corporations in
creased from $2,941-million to $6,
338-million—an increase of 115
per cent.
AS”A MATTER of fact, profit
rates in 1946 (5.0 per cent) were
slightly lower than in 1939 (5.1
per cent.)
HUMAN RELATIONS
A Midwestem manufacturer
sent personal letters asking em
ployees on his payroll five years
or more, what they think of the
company, its management and
supervision, and their own future
prospects.
Replies showed 65 per cent be
lieve they have done better in
their present jobs than their could
have done elsewhere. The average
has been on the job 8.75 years,
has had five advancements, and
i, now gets $1.59 per hour, compared
with 59 cents less than nine years
ago.
Can Racial Preju
Be Stamped Ow
By BLANCHE
What is- prejudice ? The diction
ary says prejudice is an injury
due to some judgment or action
BLANCHE ALICE RICH
of another, as in disregard of a
persons rights.
Because prejudice has poisoned
human relations since th dawn of
civilization, skeptics maintain
that it is human nature to be pre
judiced, and that human nature
is unchangeable. Others, disagree
ing, point out that society is ad
, vancing steadily to higher levels
of development. There are many
I things we as citizens can do.
j First of all we must shed our
own prejudices. We must teach
1 children and their parents so they
| won’t fed the slow poison to their
, children—we can have peace only
' if there is trust among people.
Sermons in every church should
aim to stamp out intolerance.
Radio talks, and magazine arti
cles will help to make the public
think about the problem, and may
be their chi|&ren will have differ
ent ideas*
Racial and religious prejudice
can and must be stamped out.
People were not born with pre
judices—they acquired them as
a result of their environment.
One time a man was walking
by a layce and ne saw some little
| ducks by the shore. He went to
THE BIG ONE GOT AWAY! By COLLIER
ittwiip ■ ■■—i ■ mii i 11!■ !■! ■ i ■■■■!! ■ _
dice
?
ALICE RICH
them and picked one up and fond
led it. He put it down and started
to walk^away when the Mother
duck discovered him. She hurrid
ly swan to her brood and made
a big fuss and shooed them away
from the shore. When the man
walked back again later, as soon
as the little ducklings saw him
coming they began swimming a
way from the shore. They were
frightened of the man. They had
not been frightened until the
Mother duck had put the instinct
of fear in them.
It is the same way in children.
They are not bom with it. To dis.
cover the origin of prejudice in
the life of a person, we must be
gin at the beginning. Psycholo
gists have studied Negro bias in
white children living both In the
North and in the South. Their
most striking finding was thaft
little children do not have pre
judices. Three and four year olds
make no distinction between Ne
gro and white playmates.
Yet the “race’ prejudice does
emerg.e but gradually. The child
observes very carefully what his
parents and other adults do. The
child soon sees discrimination all
around him. His parents never in.
vites Negroes to the house as they
do their white friends. If Negroes
are around they are usually ser
vants or hired hands.
The child eventually thinks this
must be the way to treat Negroes.
The prejudice is clearly not in
stinctive because children are not
bom with it, and takes a long
time to develop it, often resisting
very strongly.
Research has shown that child,
ren of parents who treat Negroes
as equals do not develop a bias.
Prejudice comes from contact
with prejudice. It does not come
into being out of thin air. But
who does start the predice?
It has Jpeen demonstrated that
Negro prejudice in America was
created and kept alive by the
people who had the most to gain,
by it—the Southern land owners,
who werp latter joined by indus
trial and business interests. They |
controlled, and still do, the press
and other means of communica
tion. Any motion picture which
defends thp rigths of the Negroes
or of the white sharecroppers can
not be shown in any Southern
commiunity. The system of educa
tion is controlled in the same way.
Thg landowners and business
The landowners and business
men feel that by making the
people believe that the Negro is
inferior, and that by keeping him
in an inferior position they can
bavp a constant source of cheap
labor.
Prejudice exists because some
group who has the power to put
it into effect, gains bv it. Once
the preiudice has caught on it is
easy to keep alive, and passed
down from father to son. Money,
as well as power, is usually what
the group behind gains.
Negroes have had only eighty
vears of freedom as a group.
Stating with almost nothing by
the way of property, education or
organization, they have made
historic strides toward overtaking
whites as a group, and individual
Negroes have managed to attain
some status as lawyers, physici
ans, ministers and porperty own
ers. which helps to spur the others
on; but none can really escape
the discrimination.
A LABOR PROGRAM
AGAINST INTOLERANCE ]
By John W. Gibson
Assistant Secr«tary of Labor
“The Commission holds to the
faith that if people are exposed to
the inner truth of the life of a j
particular group, they will gradu
ally build up respect for and un
derstanding of it.’’
The above quotation is taken;
from the recent report of the dis. j
tinguished Commission on Free- j
dom of the Press headed by Rob
ert M. Hutchins, Chancellor, Uni. I
versity of Chicago. In the Com
mission report it applied, of
course, to the factual, and repre
sentative portrayals of social and
ethnic groups. But even out of
context this particular staement
has pertinent application to the
problems and responsibilities of
the labor movement in connection
with religious and racial tolerance
We have spoken a lot of gener
alities about racial prejudices
and religious intolerance in the
labor movement; some brave
words have been uttered; count
less resolutions have been passed;
here and there some progress has
been made On cannot help but
wonder, however, how much, in
terms of the practical, work-a-day
world of the trade union member,
it all means.
A Negro member of the UAW,
telling his story in the April 1947
issue of Ammunition, organ fo the
educational department of that
union, thinks that workers, when
they go into the plant, “bring
their prejudices with them.'1 Bui,
he adds, "in our union they learn.’’
In his shop, he felt, the program
of the fair practices committee
was taking hold, "down in the
“hearts of men c.n<I women.”
Is this a widespread or even
fairly frequent experience ? I
doubt it. The organized labor
movement currently constitutes
about 16 per cent of the adult pop
ulation and it is reasonable to as
sume that it carries within it a
replica of he pattern of think
ing which characterizes the popu
lation as a whole. If this is true
then we do indeed bring our pre
judices with us not only into our
plants but into our stores, offices
school rooms, and other places of
work. And the resolutions, while
they indicate the fundamental de
cency and progressivism of labo*
movement cannot alone fulfill
their objective.
We must implement the resolu
tions with a painstaking and
workable program. We start with
one advantage: the character of
unions themselves. While union
members may be subject to the
many racial and religious preju
dices of the general adult popu
lation, they are the most highly
organized and most enduring seg
ment of the population: they
meet regularly, they are banded
together for a common objective
and purpose, they too have the
benefit of well-established means
of communication.
I suggest only thq broad out
lines of a program which is flex
ible enough to be adaptable to
local needs. I start with the pre
mise that an effort to combat
and eventually to eradicate racial
and religious prejudice in the
labor movement must be a part
of the general program for work
ers’ education. Workers’ educa- j
tion classes which present, objec I
tively and accurately, interesting
lectures on the following general
subjets should be developed in
every locality:
1. The contributions of various
religious and racial groups to the
American community and to the
labor movement itself.
2. The orgin and development
of the races of mankind.
3. The origin and development
of religions and religious groups.
4. A frank discussion of myths
and slanders connected with racial
and religious groups.
Such lectures could be followed
up with talks by religious and
racial leaders of the community
talks which would be built around
the economic and social problems
of the particular group. Granted
the reasonable success of such a
program, its scope could be ex.
panded. The labor movement of
the community officially should
help initiate and participate in
similar programs for the locality
as a whole, through such organiz
ed groups as parent-teacher as
sociations and adult education
classes.
Looking at tne articles in this
series in previous issues of LA
BOR REPORTS, X find a com
mon thread of agreement: intol
erance in general is a threat to
labor; intolerance on the part of
labor itself is a movement toward
self-destruction. I-abor must dim
inish the discrepance between
their resolutions and their actions
against intolerance. The mighty
organized will of the free Ameri
can trade union movement, which
in the past has been harnessed to
countless sociaj and economic re
| forms must again take the lead.
The Russitns Wouldn't
> GetR
By GEORGE S.BEHSOK %
f BwUrnt at HaJtBg Coflf
—... —..m
j
WE TALK of those Russians be
ing difficult to understand. Rut
there aoe some things our totali
tarian neighbors would never be
able to understand about us. They
just wouldn’t get it. The way
we hrgued and fussed over the
labor bill Congress just Phased,
for example. Then when the bill
became law, we all settled down
to see if we can abide by it. This
is what we call majority me,
through the elected representa
tives of the people.
In our kind 6f set-up, people
are given credit for being able to
think for themsfelves. Facts are
easy tto get hold of. Viewpoints
may be freely expressed. We
make up our minds, and our rep
resentatives at the sent of gov
ernment try to carry out our
wishes. Things do not go l\ke
this in the totalitarian eountnes.
Such questions would no^er be
placed before $hg people in the
first place. Regardless of every
thing else the will of the dictator
wcTuld prevail.
Controversial 0T GAN1ZED LA
Legislation liOR, in its atti- *
, tutie toward the
Taft - Hartley Bill, has demon
strated the manner in which the
•'people’s mandate" is accepted in
a land where laws, are determined
by the will of the majority, but
where all minorities are respect
ed. The bill was the most con
troversial legislation to come up
In years. Much feeling was de
veloped.^ Lobbying ’was. every,
where;
Yet, when the tabor bill be
came law over the President’s
veto, and when the President bad i
stated that he’d sincerely en
force it and not sabotage the taw,
the top leader3,of labor affirmed
there wotdd be no general pro*
test strikes. Rightly, th?y de-\
dared they would test it\ in the
courts, where taws should be test
ed. If the legislation is in error;
time will tt.ll. In the true Amer
ican tradition of fairness and
justice, we are awaiting the prov
ing and testing of the new law.
How About NOW I WOULD
Economics? like to say that the
, - whole nation’s
economy is the direct .result of
this sort of thing. We may not
like the decision of the majority,
but we go along and make it
work. We bank on the majority
beingVight. We are willing to
S;t the majority, through our
lected representatives, write the
laws. Most historians agree this
is the best kind of government
that civilization has yet devel
oped.
Economics used to be a big
word. Now, nearly everybody un
derstands it to mean the way we
use opr resources and consume
our wealth. This includes pro
duction, buying, and selling. It
includes the activities of labor
and of management. Traditional
ly, in, this country, we Lave al
lowed our economy to remain free
.of artificial barriers Which would !
hamper its natural lavra, like that j
of/ supply and. demand, for -in-'
stance.
The important thing: free trad
ing and bfaying and selling (that
is, an economy which freely be
longs to the people), works best
when we have a truly represen-]
tative government. They go hand
„ in hand: Tyrants and dictators
never let these things go free. A1
restricted economy «nd a non-;
representative government, ymfil!
find, are always part and parcel
of the totalitarian method. 'This
method nyver pays high wages.,
In America we have a great land.*
We ppy the highest wages men’
ever earned. Let’s kebp it that
way! And free! \
The Veteran Asks...
Q. Will the Veterans Admin- |
stration guarantee a loan
made to me by my uncle, who
is a non-supervised lender?
A. Yes, but made by non-sup
ervised lenders require prior ap
proval of the Veterans Adminis
tration. Your uncle should submit
the propsal to the local VA re
gional office for approval.
Q. I wanted to file applies
tion for a disability pension
full amount?
A. This is a matter to be set
when I was discharged from
the service, but passed up my
chance because I was afraid
it wdLld delay my discharge.
Can I still apply?
for a disability at any time. Visit
the nearest Veterans Administra
tion office where a contact repre
sentative will assist you in filing
an application.
Q. I want to get a fZ. I. loan
guarantee for the purchase of
a home. Will I be required to
put up any of my own money,
or can I get a loan for the
full amount ?
A. This is a matter bewteen
you and the agency which loans
you the money. The Veterans Ad
ministration does not require you
you to put up any money in order
to obtain the loan guarantee, but
the lender may. Lenders often re
quire down payments in cases
where the veteran wishes to bor
row an unusually large amount
of money.
As in the past, it will be a mani
festation of the development and
growth of the movement — true
growth which comes from a stirr
ing of the roots. And that is why,
in discussing the fight against in
tolerance. I stress local activity
so heavily.
Q. My National Service Life
Insurance term polity lapsed
after I was discharged fropi
the aervifx. How can I rein
state it ?
A. You may reinstate the pol
icy by certifying that you are in
as good health as at the time the
policy lapsed, and by paying two
monthly premiums. This simple
method of reinstating term insur
ant will be in effect until Dec.31.
1947, irrespective of the date of
lapse. Beginning next year it may
be used only within 3 months of
the lapse date. You may obtain
a reinstatement form at any Vet
erans Administration Office.
Q. How long after discharge
from the service may a vet
eran claim readjustment al
lowances? I understand that
the allowances stop when the
veteran has received all he
isentitled to. but how much
time does he have in which to
collest his allowances?
A. Readjustment allowances
(jobless pay) are availabde to an
eligible veteran only for two years
after the end of the war. which
became official on July 26, 1947,
or from date of discharge, which,
ever is later, and no allowances
will be paid for any week five
yars from July 25. 1947. f
Q. I have been attending col
lege under the G. I. Bill. May
I transfer from one college to
another without losing my
rights to educat'onal benefits?
A. Yes. Under the regulations
of the Veterans Administration, a
veteran mav change his school,
but he must have approval of the
Veterans Administration, in ad
vance.
Fishing and Hunting Area
Sun Valley Idaho, borders op a
iiur',inp a>~d fishing area as large
9' t» of Connecticut.
THE POCKETBOOK OF KNOWLEDGE <jj|| By PILGRIM ♦
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jc 2,836,db.O BUSINESSES IN * IN "ME 8MONTHS*
THE U. SuJEMPLOVINS FEWER AFTER V-J PR/, *
/THAN IOCTPERSONSEACH.PROVIDE STRIKES,WPRflSEP
'JOBS FOR A THIRD OF ALL - 372 O
_ \fcA6E EARNERS MONTH
n.-- —--« ;
HE WEIGHT OF
SLOOP 15 ONE
EIGHTH OF THE
[ WHOLE BOP)/ v .
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Area WALL WOLPS?
FOR ELECTRIC
shaver -aiRM5.rr
OFF AMP ON,
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