BE SURE TO VOTE
BE SURE TO VOTE TUESDAY, Nov. 4th, is election day in every state in the United States except Maine, where the regular elections have already been held. Senators, congressmen, governors, and other...
...10 per cent below the power trust's regular rates...
...Recently, in unemployment conferences and among economists and business leaders, the subject has come in for considerable discussion...
...And, in addition, it will result in more jobs for workers and, as has been pointed out by leading economists, tend to stabilize industry and business...
...The increasing use of the machine in industry is a powerful argument for reduction of working hours if overproduction is to be avoided...
...Be sure to play your part in it, and VOTE...
...Immediately the power trust took steps to defeat the purpose of the publicly owned plant and to drive it out of business, if possible...
...There the matter stands, and in the meantime the publicly owned Crisp county plant continues to supply its consumers with light and power at...
...And now comes the news that at it's convention the American Federation came out flatly for the five-day week and adopted a policy that will also lead to a reduction of hours per week...
...The most effective means at hand was a cut-lhroat attempt af, price cutting...
...And, of course, the private power interests of the state, dominated by the Electric Bond and Share company, continue to do all in their power to discredit the Crisp county public plant that dared to buck the big utilities of Georgia...
...In others, the Old Guard of both parties is facing disaster at the hands of Progressives who are being given the enthusiastic support of the people...
...Senators, congressmen, governors, and other state officers are to be chosen to carry on the duties of government for periods of two, four, and six years...
...In the coming election of November 4th such an opportunity presents itself...
...The majority of employers still look upon the injured or partly crippled workman as more or less of a burden and feel that they would not be...
...It is highly necessary that the men charged with the duties of government should be the sort that will serve the interests of all the people and not those of any favored or privileged class...
...In its efforts to propose effective measures for unemployment relief, the American Federation of Labor has taken a step in the right direction by advocating the five-day week schedule and a shorter number of hours per week...
...employers themselves when they refuse to employ these men...
...Hearings were held, and about the first of October the injunction was made permanent, pending an investigation of whether the Crisp county cut in prices by the power trust was discriminatory against other parts of the state...
...Of course, much of this increase has been coincident with the rapid growth of the country, but a considerable portion, too, has come from the multiplicity of activities which are performed by the various governmental bodies today...
...And if also shows the vicious moans that, the power interests will use against those who dare lo contest their right to control and dominate the utility situation...
...His brain is a little more alert as he knows he is...
...He realizes he has a handicap and in order to hold his job he has to do a lot more than the able-bodied fellow...
...THE INJURED WORKER PKOGRESSrVE-MTNDED employers with humanitarian attitudes toward lh"ir workmen are doing a great deal these days toward ?olv»njr the quest ion of industrial accident...
...Unfortunately, such often is not the case, and a selfish few by deceiving the people have been successful in seizing the reins of government and utilizing its power for the benefit of themselves and the interests they represent...
...SUCH discrimination in many cases is most unjust, and really operates against the...
...Fifteen years ago, he said, one-fourteenth of the national income was used for the purposes of government, while today approximately one-seventh of our national income is devoted to public expenditure...
...Immediately the people of other parts of Georgia demanded similar treatment...
...able to do a fair day's work., Men who have lost an eye, or fingers, for instance, are refused employment because they are considered less able and efficient than other workmen...
...ALL ALONG the line the private power interests put up a stiff and expensive opposition...
...Here is what Joseph A. Parks, a member of the board, has to say about the efficiency of these men as employes: "The rehabilitated man is a better workman, if anything, than he was before his injury...
...Their efforts, however, failed...
...Of all the cures for unemployment that have been advanced, the shorter week seems to be the most practical at hand...
...United States senators, congressmen, governors, state officers, state senators, assemblymen, and other officers arc to be elected in every stale in the Union...
...Only last August was it completed, and a gala celebration held to mark the beginning of its operation...
...issues for which they stand...
...CRISP COUNTY'S FIGHT ASTRIKING example of the lengths to which the power trust of this country will go in its efforts to smash successful publicly owned and operated electric utilities is furnished by the situation down in Crisp county, Georgia...
...With the rapid industrialization that is taking place in this country, the number of industrial accidents continues to increase in spite of all measures that have been taken to prevent them...
...It has been tried and found advantageous to both employer and employee...
...No matter how confident the vote...
...Crisp county voted a $1,250,000 bond issue three years ago and built a hydroelectric plant capable of generating 50 million kilowatt hours yearly...
...This, of course, was an important and a daring step, for it meant that the little Georgia county must defy the huge Georgia power interests which were controlled by the huge Electric Bond and Share company of New York, with its hundreds of millions of assets...
...is the right side will win, he must take nothing for granted,—he must play his part in supporting the candidates of his choice...
...There are countless tasks that they can perform effectively and efficiently, and they are not deserving of the discrimination that is being shown against them...
...When we contemplate the colossal expenditure of public funds that is taking place under the present highly organized and widely varied governmental agencies today, the need for efficient and trustworthy administrators becomes even more important...
...It will be a splendid opportunity for the public to place the administration of the costly and important functions of government in capable, trustworthy hands, and to repudiate those who have used their public offices to support interests foreign to the welfare of all the people...
...Employers who have given injured employes an opportunity to work say that they were never sorry that they had done so and that these men earned the wages paid them...
...The state public service commission was called upon to rule upon the matter and the power interests now thoroughly frightened at what they had done, secured an injunction to prevent other reductions...
...Next Tuesday will be a big day in the history of this nation...
...In some states the reactionaries have apparently so intrenched themselves that they shall be hard to defeat, although many surprises are predicted...
...In the state of Massachusetts the industrial accident board has.made a special study of the problem and has made every effort to secure a place for injured workers in industry...
...Safety device?, hit generally in u.-<-:, • -ompensation insurance k; reaching a high stage of development in many states, and many employers are active supporters of schools and institutions for the training of disabled workers, But there still remains much to be done in the way of assisting rehabilitated workmen to find jobs...
...IMPORTANCE OF GOOD GOVERNMENT APROMINENT official in a national manufacturer's association recently pointed out the increasing cost of government in rather effective language...
...Every effort was made by propaganda and other means to dissuade voters of the county from undertaking the project, which the power trust feared would become an example to other counties of the benefits of public ownership...
...In many states, the voters are faced with the necessity of choosing between two philosophies of government in the selection of the various candidates,—they must decide which shall rule, wealth or man,—Big Business or the rights of the people,—Progressives or reactionaries...
...This year probably more than ever before, hide-bound party lines are being broken down and candidates chosen on the basis of merit and on the...
...In these contests, if good government is to be maintained and if the will of the people is to be expressed, it is the duty of ^ach and-pvery citizen to vote...
...FORTUNATELY, however, through the instrumentality of the ballot, the people are able to repudiate those who have been false to them, and replace in their stead men who can be depended upon to serve the public welfare...
...Except in extreme cases, there is little reason why rehabilitated workmen should not be given a chance to maintain themselves...
...Several years ago that county, the population of which is largely composed of farmers, working men, and small business men, voted to own and operate its own electric generating and distributing plant...
...THE experience of this little Georgia county with its own public utility shows how successful public ownership and operation can be and what can be accomplished in the way of acquiring and constructing a public plant under tremendous difficulties and opposition...
...The result of keeping such workers from jobs is that they will continue to receive compensation payments, which go toward increasing the insurance rates which the employer must pay, whereas if they were given a chance to earn their own livelihood these rates could be reduced and industry given the benefit of their services...
...WHETHER or not the gentleman's figures are absolutely accurate doesn't matter—they serve to illustrate the very obvious fact that the costs of government have mounted to tremendous figures, and are increasing steadily year by year...
...13,000,000,000 annually, or more than $40,000,000 each working day is being expended by the various federal, state, and local institutions of government and the figure is increasing at the rate of half a billion a year, he said...
...Crisp county did it, however, and although an amendment to the state's constitution was necessary before it could go ahead with the construction of its plant, it has become the first county in the country to own and operate its own electric utility...
...THE FIVE DAY WEEK FOR several months The Progressive has from time to time published letters from prominent manufacturers who have found the five-day week both practical and beneficial in industry...
...The power trust reduced its rates in Crisp county 35 per cent, believing that the county owned plant would be unable to meet, such price reductions...
...Crisp county's success and courage should be the objects of admiration and commendation everywhere, and other communities, faced with what seems insurmountable different ios in their electric utility problems, ought to profit by the splendid achievements of that community...
...They have expended public funds where they would best serve their own purposes and have withheld them where they would best benefit the public interest, and passed legislation thai, robs the poor and enriches the rich...
...physically handicapped and he is giving his job a little more thought than he did before...
Vol. 1 • November 1930 • No. 48
