Financial Picture Bright for G.I. Students in France
Herb Penny .writer of the fol
lowing “letter from France,” is
an ex-Emerald workers who has
been studying this year at the
University of Grenoble. He left
Paris shortly after writing this
letter, and is expected to arrive
in New York Friday.
By HEBB PENNY
PARIS, April 4—Spring in Paris
is traditionally a lovely time and
the season is disappointing no one
this year, but there is really little
change from the last few months,
which have been an extremely mild
winter. Although anyone, like my
self, who has to watch his budget
rather closely, can note that food
prices here have risen sharply since
the first of the year, still, reports
in the press give great promise
that there will be a good harvest
this year, which may ease the food
situation as much as Marshall plan
aid.
Harvest time is still some months
off, however, so the largest stories
in the papers recently have con
cerned the government’s anti-in
flation program. Among the meas
ures taken the most important for
foreigners was the devaluation of
the franc, from 119 to the dollar
to roughly 300. Although it is true
that most foreigners were circum
venting the legal rate, everyone I
meet now changes his money at the
bank. The American Express office
here is an extremely busy place
today.
GIs Rich
American ex-GIs, soon to be get
ting 75 U.S. dollars per month, will
have an income of about 23,000
francs, which is more than double
the basic French salary. Thus,
while not living in the lap of lux
ury, the vets are able to live on
their subsistence checks, in con
trast, perhaps, to Stateside condi
tions. As a word of warning, how
ever, to vets rushing to buy a tick
et to France, I must add that, ii
spite of their income, vets here
must conform to post-war French
living standards, which are hardly
comparable to the States.
On a trip to Marseille and Nice
I have had a chance to see the
southern invasion region, parts of
which, especially Marseille and
Toulon, were badly hit and still
show effects of bombing. I was in
formed that Marseille was in a
mess for a long time with large
sections of the town completely
bombed out. It is much improved
now and life seems to go on very
normally there.
British Missed
Nice, strictly a resort town, has
had a bad time this winter chiefly
because of British travel restric
tions which struck a heavy blow
to European resort areas in gen
eral. The largest percentage of
visitors to Nice have always been
British and, with the recent easing
A LETTER FROM FRANCE
of the travel restrictions, the tour
ist trade in Nice is looking forward
to a much better season this year.
Reports from America indicate
that the possibility of war is a
burning topic there. I must con
fess that it is not the overwhelm
ing subject of discussion here. If
any subject can be said to predom
inate, it would be the increase in
prices, which in January and Feb
ruary were truly astronomical.
Many food items are up from 100
to 300 per cent. On some items the
government’s anti-inflation pro
gram has had some effect. For ex
ample I noted that on January 1
eggs and 15 franc apiece and at
the end of February 37 to 40 francs,
whereas today the price is 17 to
20 francs. But on the majority of
items there has as yet been little
appreciable reduction, and the
French housewives whom I have
met have been extremely vocifer
ous m their complaints against the
cost of living.
Although I sometimes hear the
possibility of war mentioned, es
pecially after the Chechoslovakian
coup, which was one of the few
items in foreign affairs which could
be said to have received wide at
tention in the French press, such
talk is generally on a philosophical :
plane. One Frenchman, for exam
ple, whom I spoke with in the little
town of LaRoche seemed to feel
that the world would be destroyed
anyway, if not from natural causes
'then by “les hommes-memes.”
Such pessimism is not an unusual
here, where the possibility of war
is so unthinkable in the present
misery as to meet with utter dis
pair when the subject arises.
Italian Election
Another topic of conversation
here is the coming election in Italy,
(Please turn to page three)
Get With It
Friday is registration day. Observers estimate that there
are still some 500 eligible voters on the campus who have
not yet registered to vote in the May primaries. That they
have not registered is not owing to any lack of opportunity,
for registration booths have been open in the Co-op since early
in the term.
Deadline is April 20. That’s Tuesday. The campus Young
Republican group has designated Friday as “registration day,”
and workers will be in the co-op all day Friday to sign up
• potential voters. You don’t have to register GOP.
If all the eligible voters actually register, and then if even
some of them actually vote, the University of Oregon will
wield more power next May than many a small Oregon town.
The issues are large ones, well worth the attention of any
student. There is the presidential primary, the choice of a
candidate for governor, one senator, new congressmen, the
question of liquor across the bar, Lane county's proposed
“county manager plan,” and the millrace issue. That's a lot
of decision, and students should put in their two-bits worth,
to use a favorite cliche.
But you can't vote unless you register. So get with it.
Readers Want'Super Cup'
A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
To the Editor
We have many awards, ranging from recognition of outstanding
freshman to cups to houses for participation in various events.
Yet, there is no award to a house or living organization that is
outstanding in its all-round contribution during the year. A scholar
ship is awarded, it is true, to the house with the best GPA, but grades
are not everything.
With this in mind, we believe that trophies awarded to the men’s
and women’s living organizations which have contributed the most
to the University during the year needed. Such awards are pre
sented at other universities and the decisions of a faculty judging
committee are based on scholarship, activities, social, and athletic
achievement.
There is little question that such awards would be the “top”
trophies on the campus. Living organizations would be shooting at
them every year.
Admittedly, the setting up of such awards has its problems. A
faculty committee would have to be appointed, requirements drawn up
on a point basis for judging, and a fair judgment made of the houses
contributing the most to the University.
The trophies should be open to all living organizations, with two
trophies awarded, one to the outstanding women’s living organization
and another to the outstanding men’s group.
If accepted, the rules and desired requirements for achievement
would be known to every house and in attempting to reach the level
of attainment that would put them in competition for the trophy,
each house would in its own way automatically improve its members,
itself, and the University.
Bob Chapman
A1 Pietschman
Clinging Vines Return to Campus
Everybody knows. It's not what the ealendar says. It's the ivy
that brings spring to the University of Oregon.
Linked with tradition, the vine-covered walls of greying buildings
on both the old and new campus always prove winter is gone.
Men strolling over the campus Tuesday found one of these walls
wth the first really green—not sickly pale, but genuinely green ivy.
Today it may be water-soaked, but it is still there.
It's on the south side of Fenton hall. Why the ivy greened first
for the law students?—nobody knows.
Initiations Sandbagged Glee
By FRED YOUNG
L nfortunate situation arose when many initiations kept
freshman from attending their own class dance—insuring
the debt suffered by the freshman class, and illustrating a
general lack of interest in school dances. The oversight or un
cooperative attitude displayed might be will
ingly interpreted as a tendency to bite the
feeding hand.
An informal poll conducted among several
of those good enough to attend the school’s
dances had interesting results. Freddie Keller
was placed along with Dick Jurgen’s ork as
the best music on the campus so far this
year. Strangely, you could hire Keller for
half a day if you give him the price Jurgens
receives for an evening.
m huic, mat mucn ot tveiier s tine music is
penned by Milt Kleeb recent of arranging for Boyd Raeburn.
Mrs. Kleeb, singing with F. K., topped the poll as the year’s
prettiest vocalist. Dave Clark, ex-Bobby Sherwood trombone,
was handling jazz soloes, and Rosey Rosenlund, ex-xMtie
Shaw, led the reeds. Keller’s music was a great reward for
the ambitious.
\ ictoi and Columbia have been virtually dormant the last
month with little music of note being issued.
Capitol features Benny Goodman pianoman Kiel Powell
highlighting spots of Black Magic. ' Also, a new idea is
King Nat Cole singing "Nature Boy” and "Lost April” with
Frank DeVol’s modern orchestral backing. Predicted to be a
great seller.
Probably the record that has arrived possessing the most
music lately is Charlie Barnett’s new Apollo release of "Deep
1 uipie and Jubilee Jump. Picturesque Purple is pleasingly
performed although both sides bog under Charlie’s soprano
and alto. "Jump” is an original tune that does it nicely, as
Clark Terry’s facile trumpet deftly lifts the record from the
familiar category.
Columnist Awards Scallions
By LARRY LAU
Herein, we’d like to present our annual Scallion Award, to
the person who’s done the most to create dissension and
hysteria in the United States the first three months of the
year. The winnah!
A man who has taken it upon himself to nag, berate, deride,
ridicule, sneer, ancl occasionally (because
lie s big-hearted) advise, the president, the
state department, the congress, the army,
navy, and air forces, the atomic energy com
mission and the nation’s press on almost
every conceivable subject.
A man with millions of readers and listen
ers who prattles continually about the re
sponsibilities of the press, radio and movies,
and who consistently fails to practice what
1. 1 A • 1
iiv- -rv.u ua-^iiiiuci who serves ms —™
facts so heavily syruped with emotion the result is often an
unpalatable hash. A man who is at his best a Uroadwav
gossip monger, not as an international oracle.
A man who has a tremendous effect upon public opinion.
A man guilty of adding to the hysteria that may sweep us
into a third world war. A ham actor wearing a journalist’s
sheepskin. The Scallion Award to you, Walter Winchell. Take
your skin balm and go home!
Side Patter
By SALLIE l'lMMENS
The campus thought spring had
arrived . . . ’cause of the longer
skirts and the shorter hair. How
ever, this low, overhanging mist
has the more
eynieal students
in doubt. But
the tradition of
spring term pin
plantings and
engagements is
not to be halted
by weather haz
ards.
-— Alter a long
courtship of Sunday suppers at the
Spee house, Theta Ann “Birdseed”
Burgess, a senior wheel, has an
nounced her engagement to Sig Ep
Bob Heestand. The news was re
vealed as the Thetas munched on
cookies the other night and found
paper hearts inside the cookies.
KKG Marge “Moo” Oowlin came
down to the campus to tell the girls
about her engagement to SAE Bob
“Soup” Campbell. Delta Zeta Doro
thy Thorsen has set the date with
Levy Angest of Eugene, Alfa Gam
Nancylou Stevens is featuring a
sparkler from Sig Ep Bud Smith,
and Delta Zeta Phyl Feiring is en
gaged to Bob Pulfer.
Sigma Chi Joe Bennett, president
of the Midget Club is still having
his Friday afternoon beer (at the
Side, of course . . of course) with
AOPi Bobbie Fulmer who is now
wearing Tom Cowley’s Theta Chi
pin.
A1 Zurfluech, president of Phi
Kappa Sigma, or tha-Skull house,
has set a June date (with Barbara
Beals, grad of Kansas U, who is
now working as admissions clerk
in the registrar’s rbffice. This
marked the first engagement an
nouncement in the new Skull house.
Over the vacation AOPi pledge
Dolores Stenerson took the sword
and shield of Phi Delt Jim Howard;
Delta Zeta Mariann Battey has Bob
Zeller’s Sig Ep pin, a,nd Alfa Gam
Jackie Weise is wearing the white
nross of Willamette Sigma Chi
Dale Broder. DG Mfery Sherman
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