WPB Chief Holds Out For Some Civilian Goods
LOS ANGELES, July 11 (U.P.) — The job America faces is to bomb Berlin and Tokyo to the ground—pulverize them—before acting on post-war problems, Vice-chairman Maury Maverick of the War Production Board said today in a speech prepared for delivery at Town Hall.
"And when Tokyo is level with the ground," Maverick emphasized, "then let's bomb Yokohama to pieces. And when Berlin is beaten to a pulp, let's take Hamburg and Munich.
"And so on until our enemies have learned a lesson they will never forget. Let's win this war and win it right.
"And we as civilians will do our part, make any necessary sacrifice. But we would really be double-crossing our boys if we did not prepare for the future now. If we can have some civilian production without hurting the war effort, we should do so."
Maverick said immediate steps are necessary to preserve free enterprise and little business.
Little Business Hit
A half-million little businesses have disappeared since the start of war, he said. Little business is the foundation of American life.
"After the war we must not only bring back these 500,000, but an additional 500,000 if this country is to go ahead.
"The bigs have gotten bigger and the littles have gotten littler. Small business has not improved its business proportionately.
"The big business groups of the East should not be allowed to hold out on the Nation as a whole and hold up reconversion, and hold down the West."
The smaller war plants corporation, he emphasized, is not against big business, because there must be both large and small businesses.
He advocated vigorous and unrelenting prosecution of all antitrust and monopoly laws and said small manufacturers should receive war contracts whenever possible and should be permitted to get into civilian production if it doesn't interfere with the war effort.
Small business should have the benefit of incentive taxation, providing lower rates for small or new enterprises, he proposed in a nine-point program.
Disposal of large war plants would be simplified by "the multiple-rental plan," he said, setting the plants up so many concerns could use the facilities, having common power, buildings, sanitary and cafeteria facilities.
Otherwise, he said, the large plants might be closed entirely.
Cartels and monopolies, many of them made without "any thought of the welfare of the Nation," must be broken, he added.
Maverick also opposed the "grandfather clause," which provides that a concern can produce a certain article only if it was in production by that firm before the war. "It would completely upset our economy," he said. Likewise held bad was the Cherokee strip policy, piling up surpluses to be ready for a head start on civilian production, he said.
Postwar conversion must be gradual, Maverick added. Production must be resumed evenly, and surpluses must be distributed through normal channels, with lots small enough for small business to participate.
Free enterprise cannot carry the entire load of reconversion, he said.
"It is nonsense to say that constructive public improvements are harmful to free enterprise.
"We must have sanitary sewer systems, airports, hospital facilities, roads, and many other essentials for good living.
"Southern California must have irrigation systems, flood control, power dams and many other improvements."
LOS ANGELES, July 11 (U.P.) — The job America faces is to bomb Berlin and Tokyo to the ground—pulverize them—before acting on post-war problems, Vice-chairman Maury Maverick of the War Production Board said today in a speech prepared for delivery at Town Hall.
"And when Tokyo is level with the ground," Maverick emphasized, "then let's bomb Yokohama to pieces. And when Berlin is beaten to a pulp, let's take Hamburg and Munich.
"And so on until our enemies have learned a lesson they will never forget. Let's win this war and win it right.
"And we as civilians will do our part, make any necessary sacrifice. But we would really be double-crossing our boys if we did not prepare for the future now. If we can have some civilian production without hurting the war effort, we should do so."
Maverick said immediate steps are necessary to preserve free enterprise and little business.
Little Business Hit
A half-million little businesses have disappeared since the start of war, he said. Little business is the foundation of American life.
"After the war we must not only bring back these 500,000, but an additional 500,000 if this country is to go ahead.
"The bigs have gotten bigger and the littles have gotten littler. Small business has not improved its business proportionately.
"The big business groups of the East should not be allowed to hold out on the Nation as a whole and hold up reconversion, and hold down the West."
The smaller war plants corporation, he emphasized, is not against big business, because there must be both large and small businesses.
He advocated vigorous and unrelenting prosecution of all antitrust and monopoly laws and said small manufacturers should receive war contracts whenever possible and should be permitted to get into civilian production if it doesn't interfere with the war effort.
Small business should have the benefit of incentive taxation, providing lower rates for small or new enterprises, he proposed in a nine-point program.
Disposal of large war plants would be simplified by "the multiple-rental plan," he said, setting the plants up so many concerns could use the facilities, having common power, buildings, sanitary and cafeteria facilities.
Otherwise, he said, the large plants might be closed entirely.
Cartels and monopolies, many of them made without "any thought of the welfare of the Nation," must be broken, he added.
Maverick also opposed the "grandfather clause," which provides that a concern can produce a certain article only if it was in production by that firm before the war. "It would completely upset our economy," he said. Likewise held bad was the Cherokee strip policy, piling up surpluses to be ready for a head start on civilian production, he said.
Postwar conversion must be gradual, Maverick added. Production must be resumed evenly, and surpluses must be distributed through normal channels, with lots small enough for small business to participate.
Free enterprise cannot carry the entire load of reconversion, he said.
"It is nonsense to say that constructive public improvements are harmful to free enterprise.
"We must have sanitary sewer systems, airports, hospital facilities, roads, and many other essentials for good living.
"Southern California must have irrigation systems, flood control, power dams and many other improvements."
Berkeley Daily Gazette, Tuesday Evening, July 11, 1944, p. 7
No comments:
Post a Comment