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Burlington Atomic Energy Week, 1946-1950
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Letters From Readers Burlington Observes Atomic Energy Week To the Editor: As noted in one of your recent editorials, Oct, 25 to Nov. 1, has been proclaimed Atomic Energy Week in Burlington. This is one of the first attempts in the country to wake up an entire community to the imperatives of our atomic age. Suddenly, we have a man-made conscience with the loudest small voice in the history of man. The mushrooms at Los Alamos, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Bikini are like giant sky writings of the Golden Rule as a reminder to all men that they must live in amity or die in atomy. These are not sermonized platitudes for a month of Saturdays or a week of meetings. They are facts as stubborn as a bullet, as awe-inspiring as an earthquake, and as damaging as an atomic bomb. They require translation in every minute action of a man's day. We have to orient our entire lives around the quest for peace. Every social, political and economic act of every individual must be in part determined by its contribution towards peace.And every act counts from the way we teach our children, run our business, treat our neighbor (regardless of geographic location), partake of our responsibilities for government in a democracy (vote and write our representatives that is), all the way up to and including the way we think and act toward the Russians--and we've got to learn to live with them, or not live. Can we learn that in an atomic energy week? Well, we had better. We can no longer just live and let live. We must let live to live. - Robert M. Eckhouse, 405 Barett st., Burlinton, Ia. Questions a Story On Federal Salaries To the Editor: In The Des Moines Register of Oct. 19, there appeared an article on page one of the general news section bearing an AP release mark entitled “Many Benefit By Inflation, Facts Reveal”. A statement was made in this article that “Among the more fortunate of the white collar workers were government employees, whose salaries the increased 74per cent.” It is not known on what information this article was based, but it would seem to be a gross misrepresentation in view of conditions in the Rock (These letters are from Des Moines Register readers. The views expressed may differ widely from The Register’s own views. Letters must be addressed to the editor, not to third persons, and they will be shortened if lack of space requires. You must give your name and address, and they will be published with your letter. Contributors are limited to not more than one letter a month. Poetry and verse are NOT accepted. Letters and their contents become the property of this newspaper and CANNOT BE RETURNED. Letters for publication should be addressed to the Open Forum Editor, Des Moines Register, Des Moines 4, Iowa.) Island Illinois Engineer District, which is believed to be typical of all government installations. The only pay increases since 1939 for government salaried employees have been small in amounts, the first one in 1945 being based on a sliding scale of 20 per cent for the first $1,200 of salary, 10 per cent of the amount in excess of $1,200 up to $4,600, and 5 per cent of the amount in excess of $4,600. The second pay increase in 1946 with a flat 14 per cent. Figured on an average salary in 1939 of $1,800, the first increase would have amounted to $300, and the second increase $294, bringing the total salary up from $1,800 in 1939 to $2,394 in 1947. This represents a percentage increase of actually 33 per cent, quite a bit short of the 74 per cent reported by the article in question. The increase in 1945 was the first general increase in government salaries in many years and came almost four years after the beginning of World War II, whereas most employees in private industry received general increases long before this time. While the need for general overhauling of the classification system is recognized by President Truman, a pay increase for government employees is long overdue to partly offset the increased cost of living and to attract capable help to the government service. Publication of false information such as that contained in the AP release mentioned is a gross injustice and very harmful to those concerned. It is hoped that a retraction of the statement can be made in view of the information contained in the second paragraph of this letter.—Lee F. Kellams, President, Local No. 446, National Federation of Federal Employees, Rock Island, Ill. EDITOR’S NOTE: We assume that the Associated Press writer was talking about all government salaries— federal, state, and local—throughout the nation, not federal alone. The study seems to us to have been based on careful and exhaustive research, and the figures probably accurate. DM Reg Oct 27 '47
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Letters From Readers Burlington Observes Atomic Energy Week To the Editor: As noted in one of your recent editorials, Oct, 25 to Nov. 1, has been proclaimed Atomic Energy Week in Burlington. This is one of the first attempts in the country to wake up an entire community to the imperatives of our atomic age. Suddenly, we have a man-made conscience with the loudest small voice in the history of man. The mushrooms at Los Alamos, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Bikini are like giant sky writings of the Golden Rule as a reminder to all men that they must live in amity or die in atomy. These are not sermonized platitudes for a month of Saturdays or a week of meetings. They are facts as stubborn as a bullet, as awe-inspiring as an earthquake, and as damaging as an atomic bomb. They require translation in every minute action of a man's day. We have to orient our entire lives around the quest for peace. Every social, political and economic act of every individual must be in part determined by its contribution towards peace.And every act counts from the way we teach our children, run our business, treat our neighbor (regardless of geographic location), partake of our responsibilities for government in a democracy (vote and write our representatives that is), all the way up to and including the way we think and act toward the Russians--and we've got to learn to live with them, or not live. Can we learn that in an atomic energy week? Well, we had better. We can no longer just live and let live. We must let live to live. - Robert M. Eckhouse, 405 Barett st., Burlinton, Ia. Questions a Story On Federal Salaries To the Editor: In The Des Moines Register of Oct. 19, there appeared an article on page one of the general news section bearing an AP release mark entitled “Many Benefit By Inflation, Facts Reveal”. A statement was made in this article that “Among the more fortunate of the white collar workers were government employees, whose salaries the increased 74per cent.” It is not known on what information this article was based, but it would seem to be a gross misrepresentation in view of conditions in the Rock (These letters are from Des Moines Register readers. The views expressed may differ widely from The Register’s own views. Letters must be addressed to the editor, not to third persons, and they will be shortened if lack of space requires. You must give your name and address, and they will be published with your letter. Contributors are limited to not more than one letter a month. Poetry and verse are NOT accepted. Letters and their contents become the property of this newspaper and CANNOT BE RETURNED. Letters for publication should be addressed to the Open Forum Editor, Des Moines Register, Des Moines 4, Iowa.) Island Illinois Engineer District, which is believed to be typical of all government installations. The only pay increases since 1939 for government salaried employees have been small in amounts, the first one in 1945 being based on a sliding scale of 20 per cent for the first $1,200 of salary, 10 per cent of the amount in excess of $1,200 up to $4,600, and 5 per cent of the amount in excess of $4,600. The second pay increase in 1946 with a flat 14 per cent. Figured on an average salary in 1939 of $1,800, the first increase would have amounted to $300, and the second increase $294, bringing the total salary up from $1,800 in 1939 to $2,394 in 1947. This represents a percentage increase of actually 33 per cent, quite a bit short of the 74 per cent reported by the article in question. The increase in 1945 was the first general increase in government salaries in many years and came almost four years after the beginning of World War II, whereas most employees in private industry received general increases long before this time. While the need for general overhauling of the classification system is recognized by President Truman, a pay increase for government employees is long overdue to partly offset the increased cost of living and to attract capable help to the government service. Publication of false information such as that contained in the AP release mentioned is a gross injustice and very harmful to those concerned. It is hoped that a retraction of the statement can be made in view of the information contained in the second paragraph of this letter.—Lee F. Kellams, President, Local No. 446, National Federation of Federal Employees, Rock Island, Ill. EDITOR’S NOTE: We assume that the Associated Press writer was talking about all government salaries— federal, state, and local—throughout the nation, not federal alone. The study seems to us to have been based on careful and exhaustive research, and the figures probably accurate. DM Reg Oct 27 '47
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