ABERDEEN, S. D. (Crane & Ordway Co.), R. A. Hodgson, Mgr.. 324 Railroad Avenue, S. E. ALBANY, N. Y., E. T. Rowe, Mgr. ATLANTA, GA., E. H. Thompson, Mgr.. ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. (Crane Exhibit Rooms), J. W. Misener, Mgr.. BALTIMORE, MD., H. W. Seymour, Mgr.. North Broadway ..31 Garnett Street 1105-1107 Board Walk ...626 W. Pratt Street BILLINGS, MONT. (Crane & Ordway Co.), G. H. Downs, Mgr., 30th Street and First Avenue South BIRMINGHAM, ALA., J. G. Johns, Mgr. BOSTON, MASS., J. E. Slattery, Mgr.. BRIDGEPORT, CONN., H. Hounslea, Mgr. City Store. BROOKLYN, N. Y., T. H. Dawson, Jr., Mgr. BUFFALO, N. Y., F. W. Zander, Mgr.. CAMDEN, N. J., G. W. Smith, Mgr. .2 South 20th Street 48 W. First St. (South Boston) .302 John Street 249 Willoughby Street 81 Broadway .134 Federal Street CHICAGO (City Sales Dept.), C. E. Barrows, Mgr., G. B. Sawyer, Office Mgr. CINCINNATI, OHIO, George J. Jones, Mgr. DES MOINES, IOWA, M. M. Mitchell, Mgr. DETROIT, MICH., J. A. Roe, Mgr... DULUTH, MINN. (Crane & Ordway Co.), P. R. Mork, Mgr. 156 North Jefferson Street ....824 Broadway .600 E. Fourth Street 1440 Walnut Street .150 Randolph Street .8 E. Michigan Street 636 Northern Pacific Avenue 56 Ellsworth Avenue GREAT FALLS, MONT. (Crane & Ordway Co.), C. S. O'Brien, Mgr., Great Northern Ry. Yards HARTFORD, CONN., E. H. Ellis, Jr., Mgr.. 115 Front Street .333 W. Market Street 1328 W. Twelfth Street . 1324 Grand Avenue 521 West Jackson Avenue .400 E. Second Street .321 E. Third Street .254 Court Avenue NEW YORK, N. Y., F. L. Bridgman, Mgr., Cable Adress, Cranecoy-New NEW YORK, N. Y. (Crane Exhibit Rooms), Frederick Stanley, Mgr. OAKLAND, CAL., J. W. Hottes, Mgr... OGDEN, UTAH, T. J. Thomas, Mgr.. OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA., F. E. Georgia, Mgr. PHILADELPHIA, PA., M. D. Robinson, Mgr. POCATELLO, IDAHO, F. M. Conely, Mgr. PORTLAND, ORE., F. A. Nitchy, Mgr.. READING, PA., Wm. Gibb, Jr., Mgr. ROCHESTER, N. Y., P. L. Sowersby, Mgr. ROCKFORD, ILL., E. M. Faul, Mgr. SACRAMENTO, CAL., S. S. Day, Mgr. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, L. B. Hampton, Mgr. 400 Third Avenue, North .302 Commercial Street .86 Mechanic Street York 494 Cherry Street 2000 Park Avenue .23 W. 44th Street .346 Ninth Street 20th Street and Wall Avenue .221 W. First Street .323 South 10th Street 121 Marion Street 245 Master Street 1st Avenue and Putnam Street .160 14th Street, North .212 South Eighth Street 200 South Avenue .636 Race Street 1227 Front Street 307 W. Second South SAN FRANCISCO, CAL., C. W. Weld, Mgr., Cable Address, Cranecoy-San Francisco SAVANNAH, GA., L. E. Merritt, Mgr. [Continuation of Address List on next page] 301 Brannan Street 423 West Bay Street 419 Second Avenue, South 223 Jackson Street .126 South Post Street SPRINGFIELD, MASS., R. E. Wall, Mgr. ST. LOUIS, MO., E. H. Boehnken, Mgr.. 62 Hampden Street .30 South 16th Street ST. PAUL, MINN. (Crane & Ordway Co.), L. P. Ordway, Vice-Pres. and Treas. ST. PAUL, MINN. (Up-town Show Room) TERRE HAUTE, IND., E. W. Miller, Mgr. WASHINGTON, D. C., C. P. L. Moran, Mgr.. WATERTOWN, S. D. Crane & Ordway Co.), Clyde Avery, Mgr.. WINONA, MINN. Crane & Ordway Co.), A. W. Doerer, Mgr. ABERDEEN, WASH., C. G. Middlestate. DENVER, COLO.. A. B. Stiles.. MOBLE. ALA., J. M. Shackleford. PITTSBURGH, FA, T. K. McKnight. SCITTE BEND, DO. W.F. Keefe SPRINGFIELD, ILL., H. B. Strickland. .283 East Fifth Street 55 W. Fourth Street .209 South West Street 1209 South A Street 209 Ninth Street .623 East Third Street .1221 Eye Street, N. W. 141 Dakota Avenue .135 N. Water Street 78 West Second Street .408 South Eighth Street .Room 35, 10 Downer Place .402 Boston Building 9 Furniture Exchange Building .212 Central Building .502 Hill Building 815 Frisco Building Lipscomb and Magnolia Streets Stahlman Building 509 Liberty Building 612 Maison Blanche Annex 118 Brook Avenue .630 Oliver Building 505 Fidelity Building 208 Corby-Forsee Building 418 Bearinger Building 257 South First Street P. O. Address, Box 247) 414 Merchants Building WASHINGTON, D. C., E. L. Wilson, Government Department 201 J. M. S. Building 602 E. Capitol Avenue 718 Mills Building 1221 Eye Street SANITARY GOODS ASSEMBLING DEPARTMENT TALLITION, F. L. F. W Melanyre. Mgr 46 Escher Street CRANE EXPORT CORPORATION NEW YORK. J. T.. E. R. Wolcott. Secy., Cable Address, Cranexpoco-New York A RAICHIO OFFICE, J. W. Morton, Mgr., Cable Address, Cranexpoco-San Francisco maria Murphy. V. P.. Cable Address, Cranexpoco-Paris. CRANE LIMITED MSTEAL WE Head Office and Works. E. C. Townsend, 24 V. P., male escos Craneiit-Montreal 19-25 West 44th Street 301 Brannan Street No. 36 Ave. de l'Opéra 1280 St. Patrick Street 11th Ave. & Fifth Street, West New Roy Building BRANCH HOUSES-WAREHOUSES Z. E. Doherty, Mgr.. TRONT SNT. C. & Towel. Mgr. VOER 3 CTE. McCreery, Mgr KJ.. E. M. Agnew, Mgr. ALL. I 3. Agnes Mir 6. Crane Bennett Ltd. J. E. Bennett, Managing Director, ukia wars Brices-Londen 358 Frank Street 88 Terauley Street 540 Beatty Street 93 Lombard Street .1408 Broad Street 45-51 Leman Street 11 McNab Street, South Canadian Bank of Commerce Bldg. 16-22 Atkinson Street, Deansgate ZW. James Walace, Agent, Cable Address Chanelit Sydney 4 O'Connell Street THE VALVE WORLD PUBLISHED BY CRANE CO., CHICAGO VOL XVIII CHICAGO, FEBRUARY, 1921 IS A TAX ON SALES PRACTICABLE? has been noted in dispatches from Washington to the newspapers that certain of the lawmakers and business men who have appeared before the Ways and Means Committee of the House to give their views on revising our tax laws, have objected to the proposed Tax on Sales plan because they did not consider it practical. In view of the fact that a somewhat similar plan has been working most satisfactorily both in Canada and France, objection to trying it here on the ground of impracticability would seem to be based upon one of two presumptions: I. We are of a higher intelligence than the people of France and Canada, more intricately organized, more economically and politically complex. 2. We are of a lower intelligence than the people of France and Canada, more primitive, less advanced economically and politically. To favor the first presumption, even though we really believed it, would be most impolite and undiplomatic; and to lean toward the second would be rather a severe strain on our national self-esteem. Common sense would suggest a third presumption: Intellectually, economically, politically, and socially, we of the United States are about on the same level as those of France and Canada. Therefore any experiment, economic or fiscal, working satisfactorily in France or Canada could be made to work satisfactorily here. At least this is how the question looks to a man whose gray matter has not become short-circuited. IT LEGISLATION AND BUSINESS [T is an axiom of political economy that "rates of profit cannot be rendered permanently unequal in any other manner than by oppressive legislation." Liberally analyzed this axiom means that legislation which temporarily renders rates of profit unequal-which generally means unjust-oppresses one part of the people in order to favor another part. We cannot pass laws to hold up artificially the price of one commodity or product without making all other commodities and products pay the difference between the artificial high price and the natural lower price. Thus such laws are oppressive and dangerous. No.2 It may be said, broadly, that any legislative act which suspends or hoids in check the full and free operation of the natural laws governing business, in the long run is an oppressive, unwise and hurtful act. This is as true of laws intended to affect the business of a community or a nation as of laws intended to affect international busiLiens How shortsighted," says one of our clearest writers on political economy, "is that national selfishness which desires to limit and restrict the intercourse between nations; since it is for the interest of each nation to improve, to the utmost, its own advantages, and to procure, by exchange with other nations, those productions for the creation of which it possesses, by nature, inferior facilities. While not ignoring the fact that emergencies will arise sorely tempting lawmakers-through pressure from their constituents— to venture into the extremely dangerous realm of class or special or sectional legislation, it is wise for us to keep in mind that the land least governed is governed best, and that the business least regulated by either restrictive or permissive special laws is the most likely to be prosperous and beneficial for all members of the community or nation or world. THER DUTY, RIGHT AND PRIVILEGE HERE has been, is, and still will be much talk about "rights and "privileges," but not so much talk about "duties" and "obligations." Some of this talk has been, and continues to be, reasonable and wise, but by far the great bulk of it has been loose, irrational and most distinctly unwise. In determining what are our rights and privileges and duties and obligations as citizens of this republic, most of us go at the matter from the wrong end of the line. We first try to find out what are our rights and privileges, leaving till some future day the consideration of our duties and obligations. The immigrant who lands on our shores is not here many hours until some one-and usually one of his own tongue has informed him in glowing terms that he is now the direct and immediate heir to certain "natural and inalienable" rights. Among them may be mentioned the right to happiness, the right to a living, the right to his full share of the "good things of life," the right to organize so that he may get a job, and the right to strike on that job for any reason or for no reason at all. Later, perhaps, after he has been here long enough to secure the right to vote, he may hear a few vague remarks about the duties and obligations which are supposed to go before his rights and privileges, but often by that time he has come to feel himself so strongly entrenched in his rights and privileges that he does not deem it essential to pay any attention to his duties and obligations. Our methods of teaching citizenship to the alien have been, and still are in large part, on the cart-before-the-horse order. Whether or not we have "natural" rights and privileges, there can be no question that we do have natural and fundamental duties and obligations, and any method of teaching citizenship that does not first of all make these clear and insist upon their observance, preaches rights and privileges on a very shaky and unsubstantial foundation, or on no foundation at all. Let us be concerned about our duties and obligations as citizens and about discharging them faithfully, and our rights and privileges will come to us automatically and will abide with us, because of the firm foundation we have builded for them. THO A MILLION NEW VOTES AGAINST COMMUNISM "HOSE who have studied the matter closely tell us that a million new homes are needed now in the United States simply to meet the demand, not to provide a surplus. The home is the greatest stabilizer known. It stands as a bulwark against radicalism, no matter in what guise it may appear. The man who owns a home or the land on which to build a home, or even who has through his industry and thrift acquired an equity in a home, will not be an advocate of communism-unless he is mentally unbalanced. And the fact that he has a home or is striving to get one argues against an abnormal mentality. If the people of the United States should do their full duty this year and build the urgently needed new homes, the end of the year would see one million new votes against communism, or any other “ism” running counter to the approved rules and regulations of our democracy. Just as a land-owning peasantry in Russia eventually will banish communism from that country, so a land-owning and home-owning citizenry in the United States will keep communism from getting a foothold in this country. Thus we have a double incentive toward homebuilding: We need the homes to live in, and we need them as permanent, substantial votes against radicalism of all sorts. In its insane efforts to "conquer the world" Bolshevism will find its Waterloo wherever it encounters a home-building, home-owning people. IN ANOTHER CO-OPERATIVE FAILURE one of our western cities a year or so ago organized labor established a co-operative store. It started out well stocked and well financed, and with the best of surface indications for success. 43 |