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electric power. It would be done, but why should you abdicate? If you abdicate and force us to take over this, what's to hinder the government from taking over other sick industries? There are other industries also sick, though not as sick as you are. Why wouldn't it be somebody else's idea?”

I said, “Also look at this. You're tax payers as well as coal operators. What about utilizing your taxes to buy out the textile industry, giving the textile owners a fair price and then having the government operate that? What about the steel industry? That's pretty sick.”

“Well, they're coming back.”

I said, “I don't know if they're coming back or not. It's a pretty sick industry. As you know, they lose money if they don't produce up to forty-seven per cent and they aren't producing anything over thirty per cent in the best steel mills today. Suppose we take your tax payers' money to give them a fair price? You wouldn't want industry crowded out without a fair price. Then what would you do for occupation?”

“Well,” said one of them, “we thought perhaps the government would employ us.”

“Yes, employ you at an annual salary and take all of the responsibility off you to make the mine pay, letting the government worry about that. Is that the way you would