Horses Show Good Sense

HELLO FOLKS — The true value of horse sense is clearly shown by the fact that the horse was afraid of the automobile during the period when pedestrians were laughing at it.

Old-timers are people who remember when women with holes in their shoes were broke instead of stylish.

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We got our car keys back! When the family was on vacation the car keys got lost at the roadside fountain near Adrian, Minn. Somebody, we don't know who, found them and send them into the Disabled American Veterans. They in turn sent them back to us, as our license number was on the key chain. — We probably won't forget to send them some money for their courtesy, next time they send our identification.

In the years that the DAV has been returning keys to the public they have returned almost 1 1/2 million keys to Americas motorists.

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So the steel strike is on and who stands to gain? Nobody. Absolutely no one. Whether the steel workers get the raise or not they still don't win. And it is for sure that the buying public has to pay more for what we buy. If we don't pay more the economy has still suffered because of loss of wages and foreign imports will continue to increase flooding our markets and that is bound to increase unemployment, and we can't have a sound economy with the people out of work.

It seems that the steel workers don't want a strike; for according to surveys taken more than 60 per cent of them are satisfied with the wages they are now getting. It seems they realize that most of the increase in wages will just add to the cost of living and what good is a wage increase if it is just more and cheaper money being handled.

There is no denying that much of the cost of a product is labor. In the line of some foods, such as milk, it is almost 100 per cent labor, and a lot of that is poorly paid. There are some high profit items in which labor is only a minor item but as a whole about 80 per cent of the cost of a product is labor. Even the profits, if they are plowed back into more production, are a form of labor. At least they create jobs.

Then there is the matter of taxes. They are mostly for labor in government services, and therefore necessary. So if labor costs go up so must taxes.

Suppose that the workers get a 15 cent hike, such as they have been used to getting the past years. If, as seems likely, that labor is 80 per cent of the cost of production then by the time everybody gets their raise, which again they must have to be fair to everyone. Then the most the steel workers can get out of the 15 cent raise will be about 2 cents. Suppose that it puts them in a higher tax bracket. That 2 cents will have melted to nothing and they may even be out dollars.

On top of that it gives the foreign goods a chance for greater competition. Any way you figure it even one day's lay-off because of a strike and the men will be behind in take-home pay.

Steel being basic, sets the pattern for all industries, so as steel goes so goes the nation, as far as wages, prices and probably the whole economy.

The only real criteria for wage increases is productivity and education is the father of that. We can have increased wages as fast as we increase productivity and then they stimulate the economy.

The sooner the steel mills get to rolling again the better for us all.


BONUS:

Edwin B. Peterson to Address Unit

LYLE, Minn. —Edwin B. Petersen, Oakland area farmer and candidate for the Legislature earlier this year spoke to the Lyle-Nevada Farm Bureau unit Wednesday.

In the business session, Delos Fran, county chairman of the quality egg program, reported on progress; Mrs. Lee Martin reported on women's committee activities; Henry Lenz, Lyle and Harold Fossey, Nevada, were named membership chairmen; and three members from each township will be named to the resolution committee.

A Pot - luck supper was served before the meeting.