Fraternity-Testvériség, 1952 (30. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1952-03-01 / 3. szám
10 TESTVÉRISÉG m&ímh re&Hraraftfl IN PLAIN AMERICAN A monthly page conducted by Edmund Vasvary ARE WE NEARER to World War III now than we were before? Nobody can answer this grave question, with the probable exception of the few dozens of Soviet rulers. It is evident however that our national economy is already feeling the terrible impact of the things to come. The economic dislocation is nowhere so evident as in Detroit, Mich., where the number of unemployed is already over 100,000. The reason for this sad fact is — according to people who ought to know — that the Government took away the material from factories much sooner before they were able to convert a certain part of their facilities to produce other civilian goods. The situation in unquestionably a very definite challenge to the genius of American efficiency. The solving or muddling up this grave problem will reveal either the inherent and indestructible vitality and adaptability of our economic life, or those weaknesses which will hasten its destruction if not remedied in time. WE PROUDLY ANNOUNCE a new record in the histroy of our Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. In Jan. 1952 it happened for the first time that one month’s collection from the branches sent in to the Home Office was over one hundred thousand dollars. The amount for this month was $104,235.16. In fact this amount was actually $2000.00 larger, but this latter amunt reached us after the bank closing and could not be included in the monthly total. Sixteen years ago when our new Home office started in Washington, D. C. the collection for the same month, that is Jan. 1936 amounted to $20,350.42. UNEMPLOYED COMPENSATION helps the needy families but it is generally considered inadequate. There are bills presented now to both houses of Congress which aim at a 50% Federal contribution on top of state payments. These bills emphasize the emergency basis and governors of states would specify the “critical defense unemployment areas.” There is a possibility beyond these temporary measures for a “cost-of-living” revision of amounts. Such legislation is always slow, but it is a good sign that the legislators are already discussing the possibilities in this direction. FORTY YEARS AGO a small Hungarian publication started out on its way, the “St. Louis és Vidéke”. Now, after four long decades this worthy pioneer of our Hungarian community life celebrates its anniversary, characteristically to its editor and publisher, Kálmán Káldor silently and without fanfare. There are a few persons among us who know what it means nowadays to publish a Hungarian paper in a “frontier” community like St. Louis is for us, but none of them has a deeper knowledge as Kálmán Káldor. As he says the net income from his paper would not be enough to pay for his cigars, — if fortunately his doctor would not have forbidden smoking for him long ago. As medical science progresses, doctors are becoming more and more useful individuals. In this particular case our American- Hungarian life should be grateful to this unnamed savant because — as it seems — his energetic prohibition of the weed makes the uninterrupted publication of the “St. Louis és Vidéke” possible, which in turn means that he is instrumental in prolonging the life of one of the best edited and most valuable Hungarian weeklies. Being well aware of the enthusiasm and still youthful energy of Kálmán Káldor we are convinced that he with his beloved weekly will stay with us for a long time yet. We simply don’t dare to visualize our American-Hungarian life without them. OUR MANY COAL MINER MEMBERS surely follow with keen interest the developments in the fight for the federal safety laws in coal mines. Closely following the terrible West Frankfort, 111. disaster, where 119 lives were lost, a similar catastrophy near Greenburg, Pa. (Car- pentertown) took a toll of six miners’ lives. The two tragedies had many lamentable features in common. Officials of the Bureau of Mines testified before the Senate Labor subcommittee that at the Illinois mine several and repeated violations of the safety code were called to the company’s attention, to no avail. Sadly enough, official testimony exists that Government inspectors found such violations three times at Carpentertown, and had so informed the company. It is a deplorable comment on our democracy that protection of human lives must fight such a tough and slow uphill battle in order to
