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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUNDAY, AUGUST 6, 1944

CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

TEXT OF MAYOR F. H. LA GUARDIA'S SUNDAY BROADCAST TO THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK FROM HIS OFFICE AT CITY HALL, AUGUST 6, 1944, BROADCAST OVER WNYC AT 1:00 P .M. AS FOLLOWS:

Patience and Fortitude.


WAR PRODUCTION

The days seem longer now because the time for ultimate victory in Europe is shorter. But again I want to appeal to you. There must be no let down. Let down is noticeable. Appeals have come to Washington to all to work harder now because a great deal depends upon the production here at home. General Brehon Somervell, who has the responsibility of war production, made a very strong statement yesterday. He said: "What we need is a realization that when we say we've got to have certain equipment, the need is a real one. We are entitled to that faith. When we tell the factory worker that his plant will have to deliver two shells instead of one, he should realize that the only reason we say it is that we need the shells. "When a gunner at the front sends a message back to the ammunition dump that unless he gets more ammunition, his gun quits firing in an hour, his report isn't questioned," the General emphasized. "It's the same with us here. We have more time lag. We figure in weeks or even months, while the man in action figures in days or hours, or even minutes, but the situations are essentially the same." I have told you many times that no matter what we are doing it all fits into the general war production picture. Getting out clothes for the war worker, producing food - everything goes into that. What a pity it is that such an appeal had to be made. Don't you see, when that statement is translated and when it is distorted by the Nazis how they will use that as an appeal to their people indicating that we are slowing up, when it isn't true. Yet it had to be made. We have to answer that. We all must work harder. No strike, no interruption of production of any kind is justifiable now. Our army is the best equipped, the best supplied army in the world, and it has always been. We must keep it well supplied and well equipped.


FAIR EMPLOYMENT PRACTICE DAY

Today is Fair Employment Practice Day. I have called upon the people of the City of New York to think about that - Fair Employment Practice, You know, it is a sad commentary on our progress that it was necessary for the President of the United States to form a committee to inquire into fair employment practices - that there should be no discrimination because of color or creed or national origin. That Committee was formed by the President back in 1940. It was necessary then. It has done a great deal of good work. Now there is legislation pending in Congress to make the Committee permanent. The legislation is necessary, first, because it broadens the scope of the Committee, and second, because it gives it authorization in law. It now functions under an executive order by virtue of the powers given to the President by the Constitution and by special statutes of Congress. This is rather difficult to explain because it is rather technical. Unless there is a law which authorizes expenditures of money, when the appropriation bill comes before the House, a single member can strike that appropriation from the bill by raising a point of order. Therefore, the legislation is at the mercy of every individual member of the House or at the mercy of the House Rules Committee. Last year, the appropriation for the current fiscal year was brought in under a rule. That is the worst kind of legislation, because if the rule is invoked for desirable legislation, don't you see how it can be invoked for undesirable legislation. I always fought legislation by rule. But that is the situation now, so write to your Congressman, and write to our two Senators, Senators Mead and Wagner, to do all that they can to bring this legislation to the floor of the House and the Senate, and to have it enacted before Election. I tell you, my friends, and I know Congress - I served there fourteen years - if it is not enacted before Election, its chances of enactment after Election may be very slight.


EGGS

Well, I have to talk about food again. Eggs. All I have to say is to repeat what I said last week: Please continue to buy Grade B eggs. Eggs have gone up during the last week and they are going up again next week. Just continue to buy Grade B eggs. Ask for them; they are there. In all likelihood you pay for Grade A and you may bo getting Grade B eggs, so make sure and ask for Grade B eggs.


BUTTER

Butter. The amount of butter in New York City is less than last year, but it should be borne in mind, reports the Department of Markets, to me, that last year most of this butter belonged to the Government and that now a greater percentage is privately owned. The Department of Markets says, that from their observation in retail stores and their talks with wholesalers indicate there is no shortage of butter at the present time. The easing of the situation is all the more pronounced because of a definite slackening in consumer demand. Most observers agree that the public demand for butter has diminished because of the warm weather, vacation absences and higher point values. Well, that is very good. I want to thank the consumers. The demand has decreased and that is very helpful. On the other hand, I want to say to the patrons of hotels and restaurants who have lunch in hotels and restaurants, that there is no
justification for not serving butter with lunch or during lunch hours at this time I say so advisedly after conferences with Federal authorities.


MILK AND CREAM

We are now entering the milk shortage period and the War Food Administration has issued new regulations for heavy cream. You must have the prescription of your doctor, and that prescription must be approved by the County Medical Society. I just want to say this: After very careful study on the part of the best medical authorities, there is no justification for cream for anyone on the pretext of needing it as a medicine, and remember, every quart of cream takes ten or more quarts of milk. There is no justification, and a very careful scrutiny will be made and kept concerning these prescriptions.


MEAT

Meat. I have been telling you about the rationing of meat. There is agreement finally between the War Food Administration and OPA. On August 13th there will be no rationing points required on utility grade beef. The commercial grades have been left on rationing for roasts and cuts of beef that are now under rationing. That brings us to utility. I give you the same advice, my friends - buy utility. Go right to your butcher shop and look your butcher in the eye and just say, I want meat that does not need coupons, that is not rationed. The purpose of this is to encourage the cattle men and stock raisers to send their cattle to market. I tell you frankly that as we go on, we will find that the grade will come down all of the time. Your commercial grade is practically your choice grade now, therefore, your utility grade becomes your commercial grade. Take advantage of it. There will be plenty of utility meat. I told you before, you will have to sharpen your teeth, but after all, it is far better than K rations or other rations that millions of our boys are eating. Oh yes, we send them the very best choice meat, but they cannot always get it. So I advise everyone to just ask for meat that doesn't require coupons after August 13th. I will tell you something else: watch the price of meat go down, if we all do that.


MUTTON

Now here's something I have to say that may cause a little surprise, and that is, I am going to ask all housewives and mothers to use mutton. Mutton may be an unfamiliar dish to many New Yorkers, because we do not have a regular all-year-round supply of this merchandise to acquaint them with its distinctive qualities. All cuts of mutton have high nutritional value, and when properly prepared, can be served either hot or cold in many tasty ways.

I talked this over with my wife this morning and she said, "Fiorello, you be careful when you talk about mutton, because people have not had it before and they may not like the taste, and you know, if it is not cooked properly, it may be tough, and then they will say, what is the Mayor talking about!" Well, we have to live and learn.

It was not so very long ago that mutton was a sort of a delicacy here in New York City. Oh, you remember the chop houses would advertise English mutton chop, m-m-m, you paid $1.50 and $1.65 for it and you liked it. Why, people crossed the ocean just to go to Simpsons in London and have a nice slice of boiled mutton. My wife said to me this morning, "Now don't tell them about Simpsons mutton, because this is not going to taste the same." Well, mutton is mutton, isn't it, and it does not take a great chef to boil it. All you have to do is boil it, slice it and it is very good either hot or cold.

Let me give you some of the prices, and I am now quoting, not from Government figures, but from the New York State Association of Retail Meat Dealers. Here are the prices: Logs of mutton that can be roasted or boiled are from 20 cents to 23 cents a pound. Mutton chops are from 15 cents to 33 cents a pound, and stewing cuts are from 8 cents to 11 cents a pound. I will tell you about these stewing cuts. In the first place it makes a very delightful stew. Put plenty of vegetables in it, and it is very good for the children. If you want to give the children a real treat, just make a mutton pie for them. Prepare the ordinary biscuit dough and have that for your bottom and side, cook your stew, then put your stew into the dough as you would in a pie. On top of that put two or three inches of mashed potatoes, then put that in the oven and let it brown. Will the kids eat it up? You bet they will and they will lick their platters clean. So try it. The roast, of course, requires a great deal of time in the oven. If you boil the mutton, you can also make a soup and put some barley in the soup for the children, which makes it tasty and nutritious. Then serve your mutton at the next meal cold, and you will see how they like it. There are no stamps required, and the price is as I have said before, 8 to 11 cents for stewing cuts, mutton 15 to 33 cents for mutton chops, 20 to 23 cents for roasts.


FRUIT PRICES

I have been asked why I do not give the prices of fruits. I will tell you why. They are just too high. There is no use talking about them. There is nothing we can do about it, but that is why I do not mention the price of fruit.


POTATOES

Potatoes have gone up one cent a pound. I do not think it is justified. I think the OPA is overcautious.


FISH

You remember, I think it was last week or the week before, I spoke about swimming in polluted waters. We have had many inquiries if fish taken from these waters are edible. The answer is 'yes', with the exception of oysters or clams and shell fish of any kind. They are not safe and the Department of Health has prohibited the taking of shell fish from polluted waters. But fish taken from these waters are all right. The reason is very simple. You cannot eat raw fish. You have to cook the fish, so that clears it up.


TENANTS OF 14 MARCY PLACE

I want to say to the tenants of 14 Marcy Place that I would be very glad to help them, but there is nothing I can do unless I can get their cooperation.


GAS STATION OWNERS

To the gas station owners of the Brownsville section, your report is very interesting. I would make a thorough investigation, but I need more facts. You must give me more information and I can assure you I will put an end to that practice.


NIGHT CLUB TAXES

This is interesting. A great many people have written to me about the taxes on night clubs and ask how the tax is divided between the Federal government and the City. It is very simple. Suppose you go into a night club and your check is $10. What? That high? If you get out of there with a $10. check, I do not think you have had very much but a look at the place. Anyhow, let us assume that your check is $10. Your city tax is 10 cents, but your Federal tax is $2., see? Your Federal tax is $2. on $10. and your City tax is 10 cents that is the difference. Talking about the city tax, I am pretty sure that there are no city officials, patrons of the night clubs on the cuff, if you get what I mean.


RESIDENTS NEAR IDLEWILD AIRPORT

I want to say to the families living in homes near Idlewild whose homes have been taken by the City and who have vacated, that some of the owners RESIDENTS of homes that need not be demolished at this time also have moved out. I have therefore ordered the Real Estate Department to give preference for admission to those houses to families who must vacate their houses at this time. In other words, the residents of the Idlewild section living within the area of property taken by the City have the first preference on the remaining houses, until such time as these remaining houses are demolished.


COMMERCE COMMISSIONER SLOAN RESIGNS

Four years ago I formed a Department of Commerce. At that time I asked Mr. George Sloan if he would take charge and serve for the year, and he agreed. He not only served for one year, but he has served for four years.

Now I regretfully have to announce that the demands on Mr. Sloan are such that he will not be able to continue, and will relinquish the office of Commissioner of Commerce in about six weeks. I want to take this opportunity to publicly express to Mr. George Sloan the thanks of the Mayor and of the people of the City of New York, for the great services that he has rendered to the City. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Mayor's Business Advisory Committee. When Mr. Sloan leaves in about six weeks, the office will be taken over by Mr. C. R. Beardsley, who, as you knew, is loaned to the City by the Consolidated Edison Company. Mr. Sloan has reviewed the work of the Department of Commerce and it is worth reading, because it shows the real value and services of this Department, and Mr. Sloan's contribution in particular.



INTEREST LOW ON CITY BOND ISSUE

In talking about the City, the new bond issue brought the best rates in the history of our City. The interest is 1.75 while the actual interest is 1.65 because of the premium. You remember, some eleven years ago when I took this City over, it was bankrupt, it was in hock. Short term borrowing was at the rate of 6 percent interest. Well, it took some time to clear that up and I am glad that it is cleared and your City is financially sound. How long it would take to wreck it again, I just do not know, but I will fix the time later on. It will not be wrecked under my administration.


PIN MEN FOR BOWLING ALLEYS

I again want to repeat that 147 West 42nd Street, Room 815, ia hiring hall for men looking for employment as pinmen in bowling alleys. Now you remember I want to take the boys out of the bowling alleys, and we are revoking the license of anyone violating the laws in the employment of minors. The pay is good. The address is 147 West 42nd Street, Room 815.


CHARACTER BUILDING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Yesterday, it was rather hot. It was hard working. I had a long day. In the afternoon, I had a conference with Miss Mary Dillon, the President of the Board of Education. We were talking about the activities of the schools in the coming year and we discussed at length the need of character building in our schools. That means behavior, ethics, morals, good manners. Miss Dillon has given a great deal of attention to that. An education without good manners is not worth very much to a nation, is it? As I have repeatedly said, I hope that that will be as important a part of our education as reading, writing and arithmetic. Responsibility for that, of course, is in the Superintendent of Schools.

The city provides an office of dignity and a good salary and the Legislature of the State in the last Session has given the superintendent complete powers. No official in the City has the powers over his own field as has the Superintendent of Schools. I hope to see a great improvement in the conduct, manners, behavior, code of ethics, patriotism in the children of our schools. We were discussing that at length yesterday.


NAVAL CHAPLAIN CONDEMNS LOW MORALS

This morning, I noticed a statement from Captain Joseph T. Casey, Chaplain of the 9th Naval District. Captain Casey says: "When young men on the dance floor find recreation and amusement in jitterbugging it suggests itself as mere fun. But it is a far more serious matter when our whole intellectual and moral life becomes a dance of the jitterbugs. Some 20% of our movies today are built around crimes. Magazines, books, and the stage openly flaunt obscenity, parade adultry, mock at marriage, degrade the home, and jeer at the sacredness and purity of womanhood." Continues the Captain: "The 'platform of the modern world' is love, wealth, pleasure, comfort, safety and security, with no respect for the real freedom and sacredness of the human being and no ethics beyond the standards of the barnyard." He turned to the young servicemen as the hope of the country. "We have always found", he said, "that the man who is in the uniform of the man at arms has shown himself a finer example of faith than the business man or the professional artisan. So not only our own beloved country but the world in general, is appealing to young men today, not only to win the war and save civilization but to save us from ourselves, to keep us from surrendering our own liberty and to prevent us from becoming slaves to our own senses after fighting to escape the slavery of savage barbarians and invading tyrants." That so clearly states what I have been trying to say so many times. What we want to do is, when these boys come back home so well mannered - and I am sure you have noticed it -that they will find to meet them the coming generations of our schools, also being trained in good manners, in good morals, love of God, love of country, respect for their parents, respect for their elders, and with a knowledge of the English language.


"WILSON"

The other day I played hookey. I left here about mid-day and I took the wife and children to see "Wilson." That is a moving picture. I was very interested to see it, because I had read editorials that it was only poetical propaganda. I saw the picture. Well, it is propaganda, but I think it has very useful, educational value. It brings forth the story of the League of Nations, the drama and the tragedy of Wilson's failure to have the League of Nations adopted by our country. I think it is very useful because it brings forth now, what we could not see then, the need of world cooperation for the maintenance of peace. It brings forth, also, our failure to join and its effect in weakening, if not demoralizing, the League of Nations as it was organized and, of course, destroying its original concept. Therefore, it has real educational value to point to the necessity of a world organization after this war to form and to operate together for the maintenance of peace. If that is propaganda, it is in that picture.

The picture brought back many, many memories. I am in the position to know that it was President Wilson's understanding of the League that force would be used, if accessary, to maintain peace or to curb the action of any aggressor nation. I was a member of Congress when war broke out in 1917. After the Armistice, as soon as I got out of uniform, I went back to the House. The President called a Special Session of Congress to convene in April, 1919. I was then a member of the Military Affairs Committee of the House. It was before the time of the budget system, and each committee had jurisdiction of the appropriations of its particular department. The Military Affairs Committee was considering the appropriation bill of 1919-1930. I think it was in the month of May. Secretary of War, Newton Baker, appeared before the Committee in Executive Session. The story can be told now, for it is history. He pleaded for a standing permanent army of one million men. He asked for 500,000 men under the voluntary system and 500,000 men under universal military training, as it was then called. He was very frank as was Mr. Baker's habit. He told the Committee that peace had brought its obligations, that peace has its responsibilities as well as war. We had fought a war against war, and that, in maintaining this policy, we, too, had to assume our part of the obligations of maintaining peace. He was very frank in saying that we would have to take over a mandate and also have sufficient force to join with other nations at any time in order to maintain peace to prevent war or to subdue an aggressor nation. The Committee was not only startled, it was shocked. Julius Hahn of California was Chairman of the Committee. The control had passed to the Republicans in the election of 1918.

Secretary Baker minced no words. He was clear and emphatic. I say the Committee was shocked for had we not fought a war against war? Was not the German military machine crushed? Were not the Allied Nations all in accord? Who then, said we, was to start another war? Why an army of a million men? The impact of the war was hard on the people of this country and the people of the world. The Committee rejected the suggestion of 500,000 men under universal military training. No, no more of that, said the Committee. We had drafted the young men of the country, we promised to win this war and never to have another. That was the general belief of the Committee, and that was the general belief in the country. Some of us felt that an army of 500,000 men even was too large, though the majority of the Committee were willing to go along with the President and the Administration. It was understood, for I had given notice to the Committee that I would take the fight on the floor of the House to reduce the army to 300.000 men. I did. I offered the amendment to make the reduction in the appropriations by two-fifths. The majority of the Committee supported me in my amendment on the floor. The House reduced the standing army in 1919-1920 to 500,000 men. The Senate concurred.

That was the situation at that time. After that, the following year, the army was reduced still further. The next year it was reduced again, to 165,000 men. During all of that time - I left Congress in 1932 - no appropriations were made for new weapons, new equipment or even experimental weapons - very little for that. I remember at one time that the flying officers did not have enough gas to fly the required number of hours in order to get flying pay. They would have to double up. After 1920, you will remember, the Naval Disarmament Conference was held in Washington. That was the situation at the time.

We can all see the mistake now, I have many times acknowledged it. It was the consensus of the country that we would never have another war. The rest, the fate of the League of Nations, you all know. I cannot see though, how it is claimed that the picture is only one-sided propaganda. It has educational value on both sides politically, for in addition to the lesson of failure of the great nations to act in concert following the last war, our own failure to reject the plan, there is another great lesson. That lesson is that our relations with foreign nations, the terms of peace, our participation in world affairs, the preservation and maintenance of peace, cannot be left to any one man. In our foreign relations, the lesson goes on, it is not a party matter, it is a matter of national concern. There can be no partisan participation, no partisan decision in a matter of such transcendent importance.

That was Wilson's great mistake. The lesson is there, that there must be unity in the American delegation to the peace conference, that both great parties must be represented by men who are recognized as leaders in their respective parties and who have the respect and confidence of their own parties, as well as that of the American people. This lesson is as important as the other. Yes, I think the picture has great educational value and should be soon by all Americans.

The world should know that as we approach the peace conference, that we go there as a united people. We can divide on domestic matters. We should not divide in our foreign relations. The world should know that, the other delegates from other nations at the peace conference must also know it, but they must also know that our policy is as so beautifully described by Commodore Decatur, "Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right: but our country, right or wrong."

Patience and fortitude.