The Freeman 1972 - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

I Visit aManagedSocietyORIEN JOHNSONI HAD HEARD of a Iittle town inCalifornia wh'ich was creditedwith being an example of efficientgovernment, and one which did anadmirable job of providing for theneeds of its citizens. I determinedto go there some time and see formyself if these things were true,and if so, to bring back some ideasthat might prove helpful to citizensof other communities.This small town of Tarnal, witha population of about 2,000 people,was established in 1852 on theshore of beautiful San FranciscoBay, just 20 miles north of theCity of San Francisco. In the earlydays the chief industry was themanufacture of gunny sacks andother rough cordage productsmade of jute. In April, 1951, adisastrous fire burned the hugemill to the ground at an estimatedMr. Johnson, of Mountain View, California,i$a counselor in public relations and fund raising.loss of $3,000,000 which left 1,000men without a job. Gradually otherindustries were begun. A mattressfactory, a cotton textile mill, alarge laundry, a detergent plant, aclothing factory, a large furniturefactory and several other industriesnow provide most of the employableresidents with jobs.An official publication describedsome of the services provided forresidents of this unusual communitywhich made me even moreanxious to visit the place and totalk to someone who might be enjoyingthese benefits.I read that three-fourths of theresidents are presently engaged insome aspect of·education in a'freeschool system beginning with elementarygradeson through juniorcollege level. Half of the studentsattend classes in the evenings. Inaddition to teaching skills and vocationaltraining, tbe ,instructors