Fun & Stuff

Not since 1941 has the Bawl Street Journal, a wild parody of the sober, conservative Wall Street Journal, been published by the Bond Club of New York for its annual outing. To make up for this wartime repression, the first postwar edition of the Journal last week contained some of the most merciless, heavy-handed ribbing ever of bankers, brokers and bureaucrats.

Deepest thrusts were at the Kaiser-Frazer Corp., which has sold $53 million worth of stock, has yet to mass-produce a car. Said a Bawl Street Journal ad: "See the Kaiser or Frazer before you buy! We'd like to see one ourselves some day. There's real no-driving pleasure in ordering a Kaiser-Frazer car. . . . Besides, your deposit will draw interest each January and July 1 while you wait for delivery. Kaiser, Frazer, Superman & Thurston. 'Automobiles Floated on Water.' While you wait for our cars--Take a ride in our stock!"

As usual, Editor John A. Straley, vice president of Hugh W. Long & Co., Inc., let fly at the Administration. He headlined an exclusive story: TRUMAN Is REVEALED AS REAL PURCHASER OF BROOKS BROS. (TIME, April 1).

Onetime haberdasher Truman, the story related, will take over operation of the store in 1948 ("It will be nice to get back to the old grind"). Henry Wallace will run the union suit department, Clinton Anderson the company cafeteria, Ed Pauley will take charge of the furnace, "an oil burner." Edward Stettinius will be a model in the men's ready-to-wear suit department, will be used in the store window on dull days. "It would be an ideal job for Ed," the President claimed. "He wouldn't have to open his mouth." Storytelling George Allen's job would be to take care of the men's room. "All he will have to do is now and then tell a story to the customers and keep it clean--the room, I mean."

Other items:

An explanation by Secretary of the Treasury Vinson, of why paying the public debt will be no burden to U.S. taxpayers: "You lend to yourself, borrow from yourself, you pay interest to yourself on the money you borrowed from yourself, but which you yourself still have. To pay it back, merely take it from yourself and pay it to yourself."

An Otis & Co. ad offering a new bond issue. In the underwriting syndicate: Chock-Full O'Nuts, S. Klein, Good Humor, Inc., Army & Navy Stores, Inc., Diet Smith, B. O. Plenty, and Your Friendly Socony Dealer. .

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