Vagabond Editorials

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That looks good. I honestly doubted that the remodeling act would develop greatness. I just as honestly believe that the new building effort WILL. If it DOESN'T you can really write it into your hat band that we are in a building jam. ***

If money owners won't loan at 5l/o on Government guaranteed mortgages-then they just won't loan at all to private entet'prise. And, if builders won't build under such auspicious conditions-then they iust won't build. I think they will this time-both of 'em.

Oh yes, I'm one of those guys that signed his trade code; signed it for both my papers. And I'm living up to it and will continue to do so until I see fit to repudiate that signature'

,F * {<

I don't claim I did it enthusiastically. I don't pretend that I did it even graciously. I'm like my friend George Zirnmerman, of 'Waco, Texas. He says he didn't believe in codes as an even partially intelligent method of promoting recovery, but when we got them-not to be a rule-or-ruin man-he accepted the situation and went along to get dl the good possible out of them. t**

I signed the periodical publishers' code with the same thought. I don't like it said that just because they won't play my way, I won't play. That code signing violated many of the fundamental beliefs that I hold and shall always hold with regard to my rights as a citizen. But I signed it for the reasons stated; and I'm living up to it' t**

I didn't even have the satisfaction that a lumber friend of mine had a year ago. He said to me, "I'm going to Washington and help make that code." I said, "I thought you objected to having a code?" He said, "I do, but we have no choice in the matter, so the way I feel about it is' if we HAVE to have a monkey on our backs let's be sure it's OUR OWN monkeY."

**rF

I didn't have that satisfaction. I just signed the one they handed me. And the burden of the scream f am now emitting is that a lot of the boys in my line of business either didn't sign the code-or didn't read it.

*!F*

The chief criticism I have of conditions surrounding business of late is the apparent fact that the square-shooter seems to be penalized and the free-booter gets the gravy.

That and the.fact that if a man tries to keep up with the innumerable new rules of business he doesn't have time to do anything else. So his business suffers from his inattention.

***

One of the keenest men I know told me recently that he woke up one day and discovered that he was giving the major part of his time and attention to learning the new rules of business, and neglecting his business fundamentals, such as getting business, delivering the goods, and collecting the money. His natural hustling methods had been supplanted by the effort to learn and apply the new rules. He decided that he had evidently come to a branch in the road and had taken the wrong highway. So he just turned right-about-face and went back to work like he used to work.

It continues to be afnn""fa tJ-.tu the things we see about us, make sense. So .rnany people are spending so much money so freely, while so many others are living on charity; so many lines of business are getting along fine, while so many others are tottering; that it just doesn't make sense. I can show you places where desirable houses and apartments are at a premium and rents are high; yet you can't borrow money to build. That doesn't look reasonable, does it? Hundreds of such lop-sided contrasts can easily be drawn of the present situation. It looks to me, as I have said for some time in this column, that this country is all ready to get well, just needs some additional incentive that apparently hasn't shown up yet. f can't help believing that if we would just announce a sound money policy, quit trying to reverse the laws of nature, send the Brain Trust and Secretary Wallace home, and define Section 7a in such a way as to remove the fright its recent interpretations have given all employers-things would happen in a hurry.

Lumbermenfs Post Meet Nov. 13

Lumbermen's Post No. 4O3, American Legion, will hold their next regular meeting at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday evening, November 13, 1934 at the Rosslyn Hotel, Los Angeles. The SERA negro quartette will give a half-hour entertainment program and they are reported to be a "riot."

Lumbermen can purchase their tickets for the U.C.L.A.St. Marys' football game to be held at the Los Angeles coliseum on Armistice Day from T. L. Stearns, Hayward Lumber & Investment Company, Los Angeles; he has tickets on the fifty-yard line for the game.