Wisconsin School for the Deaf - Tattler Yearbook (Delavan, WI)

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OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEM By Curtis Reddings Although 1 am not a student of Economies. I should like to write on this interesting and important subject that deals with our nation's present plan of government in regard to business. employers, employees and banking. In America there are both large and small business establishments. Manufacturing, whole sale distributing and brokerage are some of our big businesses, Smaller business, such as retailing, i» us prosperous as the larger business house, but on a smaller scale. American business i- not affected by stock market crashes, with the exception of those which have their cupital in stocks. These enterprises depend on the value of the stocks. The buying and selling of stocks for profit is c ry foolish und usually results in financial disaster. The one that is always hardest hit is the small speculator who loses all his savings in one full swoop when the value of his stocks decreases only two or three points. There are however certain reputable stocks which have no connection with the stock market, stocks of sound business enterprises which have no fluctuation? in value, but grow with the business, American Business has spread to foreign countries and there in the language of the country in which they are, are branches of our Standard Oil Co., Ford Motor Car Co., and other well-known makes of motor cam. Even Russia will loon have our machines. The Ford Company is going to build a huge factory with Russian money and start mass production of cars. Another company is going to do the same with tractors. An American contracting company is planning to build a dam which will be the lurgest in the world for supplying electric power to a large part of Russia. The Germane evidently consider our Wright Whirlwind airplane motors better than the German motors, for recently they installed twelve of them in place of the original twelve on the famous flying boot, the huge Dornicr I). 0. X., in order to give it an additional nix hundred horsepower in its trans-Atlantic flight. However, foreign business has invaded the United States too. One example 1.- the Shell Gasoline Company which in a British company and Shell filling station)} are almost os numerous a Standard Oil stations. There are many other foreign business interests represented in our country, not only by establishing distribution, but by importation. By far the majority of products find u market in this country ns the needs of a population of nearly three hundred million people nre great. Fortunately, we have enough to supply them and n surplus, for sale in foreign countries. Our manufactured products are assured to be in a steady demand for a long time. Then there is the question of our natural product . There have been few fears and doubts expressed as to how much longer our crude oil and coal deposits will lust at the present enormous rate of consumption and wantage. All fears may now te pul at rest as the United States government has conducted an exhaustive survey of oil and coal land and has reported that there are billions of gallons of oil and tons und eoul left. Enough, in fact, to last for the next fifty thousand years. Despite all the evidence of general prosperity and good government, there is one condition existing that persists in causing trouble and for which a remedy must be found. This is unemployment. This Lh more pronounced in winter than in summer because of the absence of many of the occupations of the summer. The men unlaid off for the winter and are forced to find other work. Many of them fail to do so. Employment of unnaturalized aliens was a condition that kept many American born men out of work. Cities employed imigrunt- without troubling to investigate and see if they were naturalized. However, when this fuel came to light, cities hastened to correct their mistakes. Most of them acted thoughtfully and justly, by giving aliens a reasonable time in which to obtain their naturalization papers. Then if they failed to do so, the city was forced to dismiss them. One large mid-western city however threw all of Its three hundred or more aliens out of employment and put on Americans in their place. In-us-much us the poor uliens were not to blnme for being hired, this was very c ruel. Communists or radicals at work among the laborers, especially the unemployed, causa some

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position ut $300 n month. In 1870 he recicved hi first money for invention $40,000. He made ■tock ticker , opened a hop in Newark and improved the typewriter, heside the moto-graph, nutonmtic telegraph, diplex, duplex and quadruple instrument . In 1876 he discovered the principals which later became known a wireless telegraphy. The next year he moved from Newark to a laboratory at Menlo Park. New Jersey, where he Invented u telephone transmitter, which made telephony a commercial urt. This invention included the microphone, which made radio possible. About this time he wu abo bringing forth the phonograph. In October 21, 1870, he invented the incandescent electric lamp which is one of the greatest benefit to mankind. The first electric motor was made during that year too and it i till in operation uml i in the Edison Historical Collection. He established the first incandescent lamp factory at Menlo Park, New Jersey in 1880. Three years later he made the first three-wire central station for electric lighting. Between 1880 and 1887 he took out about one hundred patents for different things. He invented a system of wireless telegraphy between moving trains, station and train moving. Also • o o o on ships. In 1887 he moved to his present laboratory at West Orange. New Jersey. In 1801 he invented the motion picture camera ol o these year were spent on the great iron ore concentrating enterprise in which Edison did some brilliant engineering work. One of the greatest inventions at this time was improvements on the X-Ray. Another benefit to mankind was Portland cement. In 1U07 he introduced the Universal electric motor, he also worked on the disc phonograph. Then in 1912 he introduced the talking motion picture. In 1914 he contrived to make carbolic ucid and Benxol instead of getting them from Germany. This plant could turn out a ton u day. About this time he started on the rubber industries of America. Fur dyeing was another help to us as at this time we got ninny of our dyes from Germany but ns she was having war Edison had the idea we would be better off if we could make all these things ourselves. During the war days Edison made special inventions for the United States Government which enabled us to help win the war. These ure too numerous to mention. He has obtained more than one thousand one hundred and fifty patents and is still vigorous at the age of eighty-three. • o o 0 A PHILOSOPHER’S MEDITATIONS It's not what you want but what you get that counts. A picture is worth ten thousand words. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. But don’t play too much as it win make you an idle fellow out of work. If you can dream and not make dreams your master, you are a better man than 1. Prohibition b a funny thing. There are more speakeasies today than there were saloons in olden times. At the same time, you are more apt to be poisoned today than before prohibition was enforced. The reason many good salesmen go wrong is because they take no for an answer. Whether you are a salesman or not, don’t do that. Stick to your guns till you get what you set out after. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Too many will bring him in a short time.

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ttnuhlr when they cajole the laborers to strike. t'(immuni»t. are paid by representative of the Russimi government which is working against not only the United States, but England. France nnd other foreign countries. If the Russians had their way, there would he huge revolutions in all countries which differed from them, and Russia could then easily be a world ruler. Unemployment serves as u barometer to the •tate of financial conditions existing at the time. For instance, when the “Help Wanted” advertisements are numerous and a large demand for help is shown, that is indicative of Itood business. On the other hand, when the “Help Wanted” items urc few there in unemployment and the times are hard. Then you see a long list of Fituntion Wanted. The subject of chain stores and their effect on the community is much discussed now. Despite their dislike for them, people continue to patronize them and the stores stay, Chain stores grew from small chains of only two or three stores to (rrcut chains of a thousand or more. Small grocery chains by some reliable dealer ’ o o 0 ‘ 1st Scot: •Til bet ye n two pence I can stay under water lonirer than ye.” 2nd Scot: “All right. The next morning the police were still hunting for the bodies. An American officer was drilling a Russian regiment. He sneezed and three men answered, “Here. Question: “I suppose you've been through Algebra? Mark: Yes, but I went through at night and couldn't see the place. “I helieve this school is haunted. Why? They are always talking about the school spirit. Science teacher: Name a liquid that won’t freeze. who hM» been asked by his patrons to extend his service is all-right, but coast to coast chains or other large concerns are a menace to the community. They pay no taxes in that town nor even in that state, hut send all their proceeds to the center of the system. They ap the resources of the community. A city should prevent a chain store from building a branch in the city. Patronize only your home grocers, hardware dealers, dry goods stores, etc. What is higher in price is worth twice as much in quality. I have conceived of a different plan by which the government controls all industries, hanks, in fact, everything. The individual would have no money whatever, but would work in one of the government's business enterprises nit the time. In return, all the men or women too, would be furnished with a home, clothes and every necessity and luxury of the time. However, what obstacles might arise I do not know. In closing I might say that our present system will be satisfactory if such conditions ns unemployment, race prejudice, and jealousy, both between individuals and countries, might be eliminated. O Q O Student: “Hot water.” Lady Passenger: “Does thl car stop at the President Hotel? Conductor: No ma’am— wc leave it in the sheds at night. Prof: “Name six wild animals found in Africa. Beta: “Two lions nnd four tigers. Physics teacher (after lecture) “Are there any questions? Student: “Yes. sir. How do you calculate the horsepower of a donkey engine? The talking pictures have a never ending possibility, hut we shudder to think of « slow motion film of a man stuttering.