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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (April 10, 1949)
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The Record Although the records show some 30 bills enacted since Congress convened last January 3, only a few rate major classification. The others are non-controversial or minor. New laws include continuance of the anti-inflation program through voluntary controls, rent control ex tension, raising the President's salary, emergency relief to the snow-bound west, continuance of export controls, authorization of a nationwide radar network and financial aid for Pales tine refugees of Arab-Jewish fighting. But the record of major accomplish ment stops there. Docket Is Heavy Still kicking around are these big bills, most of them on the Truman program: Repeal of the Taft-Hartley labor act cleared by committees and waiting both Senate and House. ac tion. Raising existing minimum wage levels, approved by the House labor committee. Veterans pension, rejected by the House, but now back again in revised form. Standby price control and inflation-curb powers for the President, no committee action taken. Tax increases, nothing lone and nothing4 in sight at present. Federal aid to education, approved in committee, awaiting Senate action. Extension of reciprocal trade, passed by the House, Senate hearing. Oleomargarine tax repeal, passed by the House. The House is well ahead of its nor mal past schedules on money bills but the Senate still is engulfed in a pileup from the three-weeks filibuster on civil rights. Aerial Raising the Umbrella The Air Force has ordered 38 more B-35 long range bombers and five more B-47 high speed jet bombers. It cancelled an order for 44 B-54 four engine bombers, diverting the funds to the new orders. The B-38, built by Consolidated Vultee, is powered with six conventional-type engines and is designed for a 10,000-mile range. The B-47, a light bomber, holds the transcontinen tal speed record. Powered with four Jets, the -B-47 is rated at over 500 miles an hour, with an action radius of more than 800 miles. Along with the shift in orders, the Air Force announced the strength of its four heavy bomber groups of B 36s and two long-range reconnais sance groups of B-29s will be in creased from 18 to 30 planes for each group. It said the extra planes will step up capabilities of the groups with little change required in the number of personnel. At Long Beach, CalLL, Douglas Air craft Co. is reported building new cargo plane with "clam-shell"' doors. It can carry two full-size city buses and such items as 155-millimeter field pieces. The plane has a gross weight loaded of 175,000 pounds and can carry a payload of 50,000 pounds. Earlier in the week, the world's ' largest commercial airliner made its first Atlantic hop, crossing from Gan der, Newfoundland, to Shannon, Eire, In six hours and 45 minutes. The huge Boeing stratocruiser, operated by Pan !. American World Airways, can carry ' 73 passengers. Sidelights Postal authorities are checking anonymous letters describing the teachers profession as "an old maid factory," which have been sent to women students, in teachers colleges from coast to coast. In Union, la., a cow with a wood en leg is one of the highest milk producers in the blooded Brown Swiss herd of Howard Martin. The cow fell and broke her leg two years ago. Veterinarians, trying to save her un born calf, fashioned an artificial leg. She goes to pasture with the other cows and grazes in cornfields in the fall In New York City, two riding academy horses were killed in a head on crash on a bridle path, injuring their riders. In Chicago, Jacob Walker's car stalled in traffic. He got out to push and his wife moved behind the wheel. As Walker pushed, the motor started and the car rammed a parked vehicle Police gave his wife a ticket for driv 'Ife log without license. MU It if tits RtrvxS AP HrwBlmturtii fife W(6)Rfl,D) Tfinei1 Wftm&f ;I ica . ?' it il L3 H r, f5i; ffi rsn if El to js ti, 9 i m cr mom HISTORIC 'MOMENT President Truman (center background) watches as the 12 foreign ministers affix their signatures to the North Atlantic Pact. The signers by number are (I) Ernest Bevin, Britain; (2) Halvard M. Lange, Norway; (3) Joseph Bech, Luxembourg; (4) Bjarni Benediktsson, Iceland; (5) GustavRasmussen, Denmark; (6) Paul-Hemi Spaak, PACT: A Shield Against Aggression for the Free World IN A very literal sense, the United States became the diplomatic center of the world last week. It will remain that until the an swers are in on two very vital questions. In Washington, the Senate soon is to open hearings on the newly sijped North Atlantic pact. Unless the Senate ratines it by a two thirds vote, the treaty is little more than a scrap of paper a fact recognized on both sides of the Iron . vunain. ; In New York, where the United Na tions General Assembly is in session, the question is how far will the So viet Union press its campaign against the defensive alliance. Verbal hostil ity was anticipated. It may even hasten ratification of the pact by the 12 signatory powers. Drafters Most Approve The treaty cannot become effective until it has been ratified by all seven of the original drafters the U. S., Canada, Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The alliance includes, however, these Ave other signatory countries: Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Iceland and Italy. Dates Monday, April 11 National Sunday School Week starts. Tuesday, April 12 Anniversary (fourth), death of Franklin D. Roosevelt Wednesday, April 11 Eclipse of the moon. Thursday, April 14 Pan-American Day. Maundy (Holy) Thursday. Passover (first day). Friday, April 15 Good Friday. Son day, April 17 Easter. Paraguayan elections. In Short ... Signed: By Israel and Trans-Jordan, a one-year armistice, virtually ending the Palestine war. Saved: By Americans during 1948, according to the Securities and Ex change Commission, $4,900,000,000 in "liquid savings" bank accounts, gov ernment bonds and insurance. Estimated; By Sen. Millard Tydings (D-Md), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, that the cold war is costing the United States at least 10 billion dollars a year. Shipped: By Britain, jet airplane engines to Russia until late in 1947 when "(further requests were turned down. TWO Emm Car wet Chrimtion Stiff mmniim "WHEN'S THAT PLUMBER COMING?" ' Hi ii m upo '1wvjPwaawOTMMBBWaWfBT 1 But Soviet reaction may pass be yond the stage of verbal hostility. In the past fortnight there have been disquieting indications. Russia began exerting pressure on two little nations who are not in the security fold Iran and Finland. The Kremlin charges that Iran has become an out post of western militarism and there have been border clashes between the Red Army and Iranian troops in Azer baijan province. In his speech just prior to the signing ceremony in Washington, the President saluted the new alliance as a bulwark for the free world and a shield against aggression. He de nied Russian charges that the treaty is directed against the Soviet Union GOVERNMENT: Let the People Speak Hundreds of prominent U. S. pri vate citizens have banded together to fight for sweeping changes in the or ganization and operation of the fed eral government The committee is headed by Dr. Robert L. Johnson, president of Tem ple University. Johnson said he ac ceptea the chairmanship at the per sonal request of former President Herbert Hoover, whose commission has submitted to Congress recom mendations for changes in federal government Twin Goals The committee has a two-fold goal: To cut federal spending seven to ten million dollars a day. To streamline government organi zation to the needs of a nation today, not a half century ago. The committee, said Dr. Johnson, is essentially educational not a super lobby. "We do not want" he said, "the rec ommendations of the Hoover commis sion to gather dust on the desks of Congress. The people want these changes and this committee has been formed to present the picture to all the people." Nonpartisan Group Dr. Johnson said the committee of citizens is nonpartisan and includes about 600 top level industrial, labor, political, educational and journalistic leaders. It may be expanded to 5,000. "Almost everyone in the federal VIEWS OF CONGRESS PRESSURE and reiterated that all western coun tries stijl hope for United Nations agreement on an international force to preserve world peace. PRESIDENT TRUMAN "An Historic Milestone' For Efficiency " government wants to reorganize it said Dr. (Johnson, "but they want to make the changes in someone else's department." He said there had been and would continue; to be efforts to sabotage the Hoover Commission ideas. Axes Poised Last week in Washington, both House and Senate started grinding legislative axes. The House passed a bill granting the President broad powers to re vamp the Executive Department But the House also inserted a provision by which the houses jointly could veto any Presidential proposal they didn't like. The Senate version is a little tough er. The I Senate Executive Expendi tures Committee wrote a bill in which either branch of Congress could turn thumbs down on a Presidential re organization move. Statistics Love & Marriage American marriages have slumped during the past two years, the gov ernment' reports, and divorces as well. The Public Health Service estimates there were 415,000 divorces last year, compared with some 474,000 in 1947, and 610,000 in the peak year of 1946. But there were only 1,815,000 mar riages in 1948, compared with 1,991, 878 the previous year and more than 2,000,0001 in 1946. COOKE f I f. Belgium; (7) Dean Acheson, United States; (8) Lester Shuman, France; (10) Count Carlo Sforza, Italy; (11) (12) Jose Caeiro da Malta, Portugal. In the rear are nations. Signatures of the diplomats on the historic "But our efforts to establish this force have been blocked by one of the major powers," the President said. "We shall do as much as we can. Every bit that we do will add to the strength of the fabric of peace throughout the world." Military Aid Program One of the major issues to be dis cussed by the Senate Foreign Rela tions Committee is American mili tary aid to European members. The State Department says the arms project is essential if the treaty is to have any effect. It has been estimated that the arms outlay may run between one and one and a half billion dollars. Many experts believe, however, that actual military supplies will be limited to whatever American joint chiefs of staff declare to be surplus. Pledge VJS. Support At the opening session of the United Nations forum at Flushing Meadow, Secretary of State Dean Acheson pledged that the United Quotes Charles F. Kettering, General Motors research director and national cancer drive chairman: "We know that among us alive today are six million Americans marked for cancer death but who need not die who can be saved with present (medical) techniques." Jiri Hronek, Czech delegate to the recent "World Peace" con ference in New York: "I wouldn't live in this country even if in vited. Czechoslovakia has a bet ter and more genuine democ racy." Canada Look to the North The armed forces of Canada and the United States are exchanging offi cers to work on mutual defense prob lems. Signatures of the two nations last week on the North Atlantic pact join ing them with 10 other countries in a defensive alliance against aggression, actually is a reaffirmation of a mu tual nine-year-old defense treaty Canada and the U. S. set up a Joint Defense Board in 1940. The Canadian-U. S. agreement, like the new North Atlantic pact, men tions no names of possible aggressor nations. Attention is focused, how ever, on- the north and its polar wastes and the North Atlantic and the North Pacific. Exchange Is Small The National Military Establish ment in Washington says that the number of officers exchanged between the two countries varies from time to time but the group is comparatively small. These officers, most of whom work at military headquarters in Washing ton or Ottawa, apparently are in ad dition to technical groups. These, comprising both officers and enlisted men, work in the field on such proj ects as testing equipment setting up weather and radar stations on the northern rim of the continent Canada's ground forces are small, probably about 25,000, but uniquely fitted to defend the vast frontier. In stead of attempting to stretch her force in a thin line across the far north, Canada seeks to man strong points and patrol areas of less stra tegic importance. The United States and Canada are looking toward development of a ra dar network across the north to warn of approach of enemy aircraft The weather stations already in operation provide a start ft. Jjxj B. Pearson, Canada; (9) Robert Dirk Stikker, the Netherlands; ambassadors of the Atlantic Pact document appear at the right. States and other North Atlantic pact signers were solidly behind the U.N. The Assembly president, Herbert V. Evatt, Australian foreign minister, lectured the five great powers on the need for cooperation among them. He said present world difficulties were not caused by the U.N. but by big power disagreement. Russians Are Grim The Russian delegation, headed by Andrei A. Gromyko, the Soviet Union's new deputy foreign minister, did not applaud. One Russian said later that it was "the same old speech." In his Boston address, Winston Churchill charged that only Amer ica's possession of the atom bomb had kept Russia from outright aggres sion. If the A-bomb were not solely in U.S. hands, declared Britain's wartime leader, all western Europe would now be within the Communist sphere and London would be reeling under Soviet bombardment. Libel Victory for Victor A French court has ruled that Vic tor Kravchenko, expatriate Russian author of "I Chose Freedom was libelled in the pro-communist news paper Let Lettret Francaiset. The court ordered Claude Morgan editor and publisher, to pay costs of the eight weeks' trial, "estimated at $18,000, fined him $300, and awarded Kravchenko $150 damages. It also ordered Morgan to print the court decision on his front page. The fine is significant because the court thus ruled he also had com mitted an offense against the state. The defense said it would appeal the decision. The court ruled Krav chenko was the true author of the books and upheld his story that life in Russia is pretty grim. Articles in the French newspaper had declared Krav chenko not intelligent enough to write the book himself and that, any way, it was not a true picture of life in Russia. WHITE HOUSE: Hollow Shell A Congressional committee 20 strong scrutinized the vacant and decrepit White House last week from top to bottom. Interior walls of the 133-year-old mansion of the Presidents had been stripped to show the damage and wear of decades. The great rooms, without their graceful furniture and tapestries, were gaunt and bare. The sag of century-old beams was re vealed by cracked plaster. All varia tion from plumb was plainly marked. Even more revealing were slipshod repairs. Main support timbers had been pierced repeatedly for pipe and wire conduits when plumbing and electricity were installed. Engineers showed Congressmen how therand staircase is insecurely sup I l-Urc1 - -n-rr-. ' ry j - - N1 - 1 " " - ;! . ; . -)!' Business !j Is Good! BUSINESS and industry ended the first quarter of 1949! with a few postwar adjustment icars, but otherwise in fine fettle, r ! Demand for goods and- services showed improvement after 'a small but persistent decline. Prices of commodities and industrial materials appear in an area of stabilization after several months of downward adjust- ments. lj ! Unemployment has reversed its trend after reaching the highest peak in several years. An increase in gov ernment spending for armament more than offsets a drop in private spend-in- - ii A new Marshall plan appear! cer tain to replace the old one. This type of spending has been a powerful prop in keeping the national economy In high gear during the past year.!; Job Rights L Service ! The Labor Department corrects In a report an erroneous impression that men entering the armed service have to be drafted to have any rights to their old jobs. i Men who enlist or reservists viho go back on active duty still retain certain re-employment rights under the Selective Service Act, the federal agency says. J 1 The Bureau of Labor Statistics has prepared an "Occupational Outlook Handbook" which surveys national employment , opportunities in 454 pages. It says, or instance, that it may be pretty hard during the next few years to get a job as an airplane, pilot, an airline hostess, a newspaper re porter, a detective, or a dlesel me chanic, ii j Annual Survey On the other hand, the book says, , the outlook is much brighter for pro spective bricklayers, doctors, auto me chanics, librarians, stenographers and foundry workers. The book which will be revised an nually, surveys 288 general occupa tions. It is for use by veterans' ad -visory and guidance officers add has been adopted for official use in all other government agencies which givo counseling service. f j Bombs Wcrrtifrd Saboteur? A Berlin bomb expert has revealed that hundreds of bombs dropped by American planes on the German capi tal during the war failed to explode, apparently because they had been sabotaged in U.S. war plants, f The engineer is Werner Stephan, it, now a civilian bomb demolition ex pert. He estimates it will take at least 50 years to dig up alTthe unexploded bombs beneath the ruined buildings. Stephan says he personally haj found 125 American duds that showed evidence of sabotage. j When the dud bombs first were found, at the height of the lAllied. bombing attacks in 1944, Stephan said he made a special report to the Reich security police. He said he was told Germany had plenty of friends over seas. Stephan claims two types of bombs were sabotaged. One carried an M10) fuse and the other an Ml 24 fuse, i 'The Ml 03s lacked a central jaw like part, obviously left out deliber ately," said Stephan "In its: place was a meaningless wire that ap parently got past the inspectors, but it was impossible for these bombs ever to go off." Maji Gen. W. E. Hall, chief of American intelligence in Germany, said he knew "nothing about it" but the Air Corps certainly was interested. Air Force headquarters at 1 Wies baden said one of its experts had ex ploded between 8,000 and 7,000 duds at Wright Field, Ohio. Defective fuses were found in all of them, headquar ters said, volved. but sabotage was not in- A Restoration ported-. It is this staircase which was used by hundreds of guests at jrecep; tions. ! j In January, 1948, during a formal reception in the Blue Room, President Truman noticed a chandelier Vibrat ing. Congress then appropriated $50, 000 for temporary repairs but detailed study showed the White House need ed complete rebuilding. j j Last November, the President and his family moved to the Blair House. Chairman William M. Whittington (D Miss.) of the House Public iWorkf Committee predicted Congress will move promptly to authorize $5,400, 000 to put the White House in shape. Nothing is to be done to the outer walls, but the interior will be corn- Dletelv rebuilt and restored to it original appearance.