Page Two t jjE BATTALION, College Station (Aggieland), Texas, Tuesday, April 15, 1947
Unanswered...
Five out of the six “questions” asked by the VSA in
their mass meeting were answered soon afterward by Pres
ident Gilchrist. The only one left unanswered, or answered
only by inference, was that involving the Exchange store and
the profits made on this supposedly non-profit organization.
Mr. Gilchrist explained where the profit went to, but
he failed to state why the excessive profit accumulated in the
first place. Surely, all profits go to the student benefits, but
by a rather devious route.
Out of the $54,000 net profit for 1945-46, “$18,004.64
(representing one third) was retained by the store for opera
tion.” But why was this ever declared as net profit in the
first place Is not a reserve set up to cover contingent opera
tional expenses?
$3,864.21 was set up to pay a 10 per cent dividend to
students on sales slips signed and deposited,” according to
Mr. Gilchrist’s answer. The Battalion maintains its oft-
stated position that “student profit-sharing’ is unfair, in
equitable, and bad business procedure. How many of, you
have received dividends on your purchases at the exchange
store? And look at the generosity of the dividend declared
—$3,864.21 out of $54,000 in profits, or approximately 1%
of the net sales.
“$8,036.26 was transferred to a fund for student recrea
tion,” the answer continues. A worthy cause, certainly, but
after administrative expenses have sucked the life out of the
sum, how much is left for the student?
“$24,108.81 was transferred to the Union Building op
erating fund,” the report goes on to say. So far, there is lit
tle prospect that the Union Building will be completed while
any of us are still in school.
Not doubt about it; the Union Building will need opera
ting funds when it is completed. But we would rather give
voluntarily then, from the substantial salaries we hope to be
earning, than to have it taken, willy-nilly, during our school
days.
In conclusion, the statement is made, “This is consid
ered a good business operation.” We have no argument to
make with this contention. It is true, this is a good, solid,
American profit-making business operation.
But how the administration can reconcile a $54,000 net
profit and its own statement that the Exchange Store is like
wise a non-profit organization is beyond us. Can you do it?
Too Many Spokeesmen....
The A. & M. faculty seems bewildered by the number of
spokesmen who are willing to state publicly the “attitude of
the faculty as a whole.”
So far, there have been two statements, on opposite
sides of the fence. Dr. F. B. Clark in his famous Dallas
speech, announced that a majority of the faculty was sym
pathetic to the veterans and cadets in their fight against the
administration. Who gave Dr. Clark authority to speak for
the rest of the faculty? Kilroy, it seems.
To counteract the Clark statement, Dr. Arne A. Jak-
kula and some friends drew up a form letter which was
passed around various departments for signature. This pro
cedure enraged many of the faculty to the point where an
other campus explosion was momentarily expected.
Dr. Jakkula is not a member of the faculty now, but an
administrative officer. No doubt he had forgotten that
change of status, but the faculty remembered. By what
authority did he circulate the letter to the faculty ?
Danger was averted by a statement from Dr. Jakkula
that the petition was not prepared by the administration and
that no pressure was being used to make professors sign
against their will. But the sour taste remains.
There is only one way that the opinion of the faculty on
current difficulties of the college can be found. Let AAUP
or the academic council call a meeting, at which secret bal
lots can be cast. Let the tallying be done by outsiders, who
have no reason to distort the count. Let the questions be
fairly expressed, and not of the “have you stopped beating
your wife” category.
Unless some such proper poll of the faculty is made, let
there be no more “spokesmen.”
Who Salted the Doughnuts?
Those imaginative food-fixers in Good Housekeeping,
Home and Garden, etc., etc., who are forever whipping up
tasty little combinations of this and that, such as onion and
peanut butter sandwiches, olive and molasses hors d’oevres,
ought to scout A. & M. for its possibilities as a new culinary
experiment station.
Why?
Well, the DOUGHNUTS at the Aggieland Inn Monday
morning were salted! All of them! Thoroughly! So salty
that even the saltiest Naval Reservists on the campus could
not swallow them.
However, this event has deeper significance to A. & M.
Consider all those lean and hungry, fat and filled, customers
who hang over the white counter once, twice, thrice daily to
feed their bodies and souls on that physico-spiritual institu
tion of Sinkers-and-Jo, and you will begin to get some idea
of the mass frustration that was piled up on the 14th day of
April, 1947 on the A. & M. campus. And Blue Monday on
top of that!
I expect some new wave of discontent to spread over
the campus—some new focal point of agitation to arise—
or maybe just a revitalized form of the old nervousness, now
that this mainstay-cure for ragged nerves and ruffled psy
ches, this bulwark against the slings and arrows of the out
rageous, that all A. & M. seems for the present to be heir to,
now that this panacea has been jerked away so suddenly—
even for one day. Yes, look for repercussions. Look for a
sociological reaction in the backwash. Watch for it!
Now let us consider the causes of this unhappy salting.
What could they be? If it had been just two weeks ago—
April Fool’s Day—we could have sincerely congratulated the
bakers for putting over a good one on us. The possibility
that the doughnut makers had a large week end, resulting in
this casualty to humanity, loomed before us; but upon inter
viewing the sugar-sprinkling union member, we found him
to be a family man who spent a quiet week-end at home.
There remains only one explanation, and that is easy
and obvious. That is, unseen and demonic forces were at
work .... invisible powers bringing to bear their influence
to work against us.
Since President Gilchrist has been blamed for every
thing else wrong with this school, we are CERTAIN that he
is the culprit. However, before we charge him with this
dastardly act, we are going to interview him and ascertain
the FACTS a procedure which other accusers might well
follow.
“WE’RE FROM CALIFORNIA, SARGE!”
Count yourself fortunate if, when caught speeding, you can look
the cop straight m the eye and say that you’re a Californian. You
may even get a medal.
Municipal Judge J. J. Quillan, Portland, Oregon, recently sus
pended such a speeding fine when he learned that Lee Walker
charged with traveling 39 miles an hour in a 25-mile zone, was a
former Californian. Said Judge Quillan, “You are the first Californian
in this court in the past two months who was going less than 50 miles
an hour”. “I would almost say you were deserving of a medal”.
Cutting Taxes . . .
How It Will
Affect You!
By A. D. Bruce, Jr.
The tax cutting pattern approv
ed by the House is likely to be
changed again in the Senate. Tax
reductions almost surely will ap
ply only to income received after
July—not as the House proposes,
to income for the whole of 1947.
However, this much is becoming
clear—taxes, when they are cut,
will be cut more on a percentage
basis, for persons earning small in
comes than for those earning med
ium and large incomes. Persons
in the highest income brackets will
get less of a percentage cut than
those in the middle and upper-mid
dle brackets. On a dollar basis,
largest savings will go to higher
income people. The idea, this, will
be to provide new incentive at
high income levels to earn more
money and to invest savings.
The new plan is a modification
of the original offered by Repre
sentative Knutson, calling for a
20 per cent tax reduction across
the board. Briefly, the new bill
provides:
A 35% cut for taxable incomes
of $1,000 or less (after deductions).
A 30 to 20% cut for taxable in
comes from $1,000 to $1,395.
A 20% cut for taxable incomes
from $1,395 to $302,395.
A 20 to 10.5% cut for taxable
incomes above $302,395.
The Senate Finance Committee
may reduce the percentage cuts at
all levels to reduce the revenue
loss. The reason for this may be
clarified by noting the effects
as listed below:
‘ lowestYncome groups—
Those with net incomes of $1,000
or less—make up 14% of the tax
payers. They would get 2.8% of
the total savings under the House
bill.
LOWER-MIDDLE INCOME
GROUPS—Those with net incomes
from $1,000 to $5,000—(comprise
82% of all income tax payers. These
groups would get 58.2% of the en
tire tax cut proposed by the bill.
These two groups, then, with net
incomes of $5,000 or less, make up
96% o fall income tax payers. They
pay well over half the total amount
the Government collects in personal
taxes, and the House bill would
give them 61% of the total tax re
ductions.
UPPER-MIDDLE INCOME
GROUPS—from $5,000 to $100,000
of net income—include less than
4% of the total number of taxpay
ers. They now pay more than 37%
of the total revenue from personal
income taxes, and the House bill
would give them less than a third
of the total tax cut.
HIGHEST INCOME GROUPS—
those above $100,00—make up only
about 9,000 taxpayers, who are
good for $1 out of every $13 col
lected in personal income taxes.
These people would get 6% of the
total tax saving under the House
bill.
Breaks for the little taxpayer
must keep within relatively n a r-
now limits if there is to be any
room for cuts at higher income
levels.
A veto of the tax-reduction bill
becomes a real responsibility. Pres
ident Truman holds that any bud
get surplus now in sight should
be used to reduce debt, not to cut
taxes. Furthermore, he feels that,
if a tax bill is passed, it should
provide cuts heavily in favor of
the little taxpayer.
Taxpayers, thus, cannot yet
count on the cuts provided in this
bill. The Senate now gets a crack
at it. Mr. Truman then may veto
it. And it is doubtful whether Re
publicans in Congress could find
enough votes to override a veto.
Second Regular Army
Group Ordered Here
A second group of 17 regular ar
my officers has been ordered to
A&M for a year’s postgraduate
engineering training, Dr. S. R.
Wright, head of the civil engineer
ing department, announced today.
The incoming contingent will be
gin classes June 9, soon after the
departure of a pioneer group of
17 Corps of Engineers officers,
who will receive Master of Science
degrees at the spring commence
ment exercises.
Dr. Wright indicated that the
Office of the Chief of Engineers
has expressed approval of the in
tensive course in soil mechanics
and hydraulic engineering offered
the initial group since last June.
: Letters to the Editor :
VOTE OF CONFIDENCE AND
APPRECIATION
Dear Editor:
I came to Aggieland in the early
thirties, graduated from this in
stitution after the normal course
of time, and have been here most of
the time since. Because of my years
spent here as an Aggie and a facul
ty member, my deep love for A&M
College, my interest in the all-
around development of Aggies,
and the fact that I am a veteran
(that seems to make one eligible
to express one’s thoughts) I feel
that I am fully qualified to express
my unsolicited opinion on the fit
ness of the administration of A.
& M.
The year and a half since re
turning to work for the college
has been the most enjoyable I’vq
ever spent. At no time has there
been any intimation of intimida
tion concerning my freedom of
speech or actions by anyone, and
I know of no faculty member who
has ever been under any duress
of any kind.
One of the big talking points of
the people opposing the adminis
tration is that they are not satis
fied. Frankly, I’m not satisfied.
In fact, I’m not satisfied with any
thing and hope I never am. I won
der if those 90% of veterans are
satisfied with anything. Frankly,
again, I hope not. Satisfaction
stops progress!
The present administration has
done an admirable job in housing
married vet couples. All one has
to do to realize this is to try to
buy a stove or refrigerator, try to
build a house, or go to the campus
of any other college in the area.
Naturally, there are many disap
pointed house hunters, but that is
a nation-wide condition.
The fact that the Veteran Stu
dent’s Association’s unfortunate
meeting was based on the six ques
tions which President Gilchrist so
easily answered shows the stupid
ity of the whole position taken by
the association. This stupidity was
crowned only by the expression of
“confidence” in the Board of Dir
ectors, two of whom have just been
appointed, and each of whom is
an outstanding citizen of Texas and
highly successful business or pro
fessional men, and by a statement
made by one vet that they had
“better watch the legislature, too.”
Incidentally, the majority of these
men are ex-Aggies who love this
school as you and I do.
As for the Corps of Cadets, I
hope we never lose them or the
Aggie way of life. I don’t like the
way the Corps is being run now—
who does? But, I certainly would
not have sent my son into many of
the “outfits” on the campus the
way they were run by the Aggies
during the first semester of the
year. Let us hope that the good
traditions can be restored and the
bad removed. I don’t say that haz
ing caused 48% of the “Fish” to
go home. No one else says that.
However, the attrition rate for all
the colleges and universities of
Texas the first semester was 11%,
and I quote from an Associated
Press survey article datelined in
Dallas. It is reasonable to assume
then that the Aggie way of life
(1946-47 version) ran off approxi
mately 48% minus 11%, or about
37% of the Freshmen class. Even
the most died-in-the-wool-Aggie
(and I consider myself just that)
must admit that something was
wrong with the Corps and its meth
od of handling Fish.
But, all this is past. Please, men,
let’s all admit our mistakes in
judgement, work to get Aggieland
like it should be, and that is a
job for the student body and the
faculty, not only the administra
tion. Stop this terrible publicity
we are getting for the school; work
for the amendment to get $5,000,-
000 fund for buildings; rebuild the
size, spirit and excellence of the
pre-war corps; and all relax and
enjoy life again.
The A&M College of Texas has
an enviable record and reputation.
Times have changed. Let’s keep
A&M abreast of the trends, keep
our good traditions, but dispense
with our bad ones (many of these
old traditions were entirely new
to me upon my return to the
campus after the war.)
NAME WITHHELD
BY REQUEST
PS: I would gladly have told
all the above and much, much more
to the Veteran’s Association, but
faculty members were barred from
participation.
(Editor’s Note: The author’s
name was withheld by request
so critics would not say writer
was trying to win favor. How
ever, he brought the letter down
to the Batt office in person.)
Tjfee Battalion
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of
Texas and the City of College Station, is published tri-weekly and circulated on
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons.
Member
Associated Colle6*cite Press
Entered as second-class matter at Post Office at College Station, (Aggieland),
Texas, under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1870.
Subscription rate 4.00 per school year. Advertising rates on requeet.
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service, Inc., at New York City
Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Hen
ick
Bindley
Charles E. Murray .
J. K. B. Nelson
David M. Seligman
Paul Martin
Corps Editor
Veteran Editor
—Tuesday Associate Editor
-Thursday Associate Editor
-Saturday Associate Editor
Sports Editor
Goodwyn, Andy Matula, Jack Goodloe, Dick Baker, Earl Grant. Sports Writers
Wenddl McClure Advertising Manager
D^W^ Springer —_— Circulation Manager
d B. English, Franklin Cleland, William Miller, Doyle Duncan"
Ben Schrader, Wm. K. Colville, Walter Lowe, Jr., Lester
B. Gray, Jr., Carl C. Krueger, Jr., Mack T. Nolen
..Reporters
CO-EDUCATION NEEDED!
Dear Editor:
I am a foreign student and am
doing some graduate work here
at A. & M. I was a little amused
to read your editorial—“Co-Edu
cation Needed!”—in the April 10
issue of The Batt.
I entirely agree with you in
what you have said in this con
nection. Not only does A. & M.
need Co-education to solve the cur
rent problem, but also to raise its
status as a school. We who come
from distant lands are utterly dis
appointed in having made A. & M.
our choice of a school. We came
to this country not only to get a
formal education, but also to get
an experience of the American
university’s campus life, which
you’ll agree, is not complete with
out women in the school.
No wonder why A. & M. has
not been able to attract as many
foreign students as other schools
like Cornell or Wisconsin!
Sincerely,
P. M. MATHRANI
(Editor’s Note: Bravo!)
Musical Silver
Tea April 20
The annual Musical Silver
Tea, sponsored by the Wo
man’s Society of Christian
Service of the A. & M. Meth-
dist Church, will be held at the
church on Sunday, April 20, at 3
p.m., Mrs. G. E. Madeley has an
nounced.
The Musical Tea is a tradition of
the church, having been held for
approximately ten years. Origi
nally, it was given in the homes
of members; among the earliest
were those held at the homes of
F. I. Dahlberg and F. R. Brison.
Having grown in importance with
the years, the event now is an out
standing affair in the community.
Mrs. Ralph Steen, general chair
man, has made arrangements for a
program which will include Mrs.
Albert Goodman, pianist; Miss
Betty Jo Cook, reader; Miss Cyn
thia Lancaster, harpist; the A Ca-
pella Choir of Stephen F. Austin
High School, Bryan; and a string
ensemble composed of Mrs. C. H.
Groneman, Mrs. Earl Vezey, Jr.,
Tom Leland, and Louis Hauer.
ICE CREAM
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FLYiht.G„ZjiJ&SENGEBi — 5c AIBMAIL—EXPRESS
Honor Engineer Grad
To Receive Plaque
A large, handsome plaque will
be awarded the outstanding engi
neering student in the June grad
uating class, Prof. R. M. Dixon,
chairman of the senior achieve
ment award committee, has an
nounced.
The award will be based on ex
tracurricular activity as well as on
scholastic excellence, Dixon said.
The plaque, abricated in the me
chanical engineering shops, will
carry the name and achievement
history of the winner.
Magnaflux Detects Flaws
A $3,000 Magnaflux machine,
used to detect surface flaws on
castings and metal parts, has been
added to the metallography labor
atory. In use, mjetallic powder
will be sprinkled on the test part
while in a strong magnetic field,
and distribution of the powder due
to the field flux will reveal sur
face flaws.
Opens 1:00 p.m. Ph. 4-1181
TUESDAY ONLY
“LOVE LETTERS”
Starring
JENNIFER JONES
JOSEPH GOTTEN
— Also —
3 Stooges Comedy
WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY
JOHN WAYNE
CLAIRE TREVOR
“ALLEGHENY
UPRISING”
Opens 1:00 p.m. Daily
TUESDAY - WEDNESDAY
MIGHTY
HlcGURK
Dean STOCKWELLjp
THURSDAY ONLY
VIVIAN BLAINE
DENNIS O’KEEFE
PERRY COMO
CARMEN MIRANDA
\
HEDY 1
LAMARR I
star of
“DISHONORED
LADY"
A Hunt Stromberg
Production
Released thru
United Artists
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