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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1963)
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD. OREGON Christmas By ERNEST SAKLER United Press International ROME (UPI) - Italian econ omic experts are looking suspi ciously at Santa Claus. They fear his gifts to Italy this year may include serious inflation. As every year, millions of Italian workers are getting hun dreds of millions dollars in "13th month" payments in mid-December. They are likely to spend most of the money at once in Christmas shopping, thing. This year, with Italian economy dangerously unsettled by months of rising prices, This was never a healthy trade deficits and political un certainty, the "13th month" pay ments could be the last drop. They will add a wave of an estimated 500 billion lire ($800 million) to a currency circula tion that had reached 3,312 bil lion ($5.3 billion) by the end of September. A great deal of the additional money is likely to be spent within 15 days on Christmas dinners, Christmas presents and such items as washing machines or cars which Kalians desired but could not afford during the year. Crisis A Paradox The crisis is a paradoxical one. According to production and employment statistics, it just ought not to be there. The physical side of Italian economy is or looks as sound as ever. Industrial production in September was a record 2.45 times the 1953 level. Two and a half million new jobs have been created over the past 10 years, and unemployment has gone down from a chronic two mil lion after the war to half a million or little over one mil lion according to whose statis tics you take. The reality is probably somewhere in between. National income went up 6.1 per cent in 1962 and an esti mated five per cent in 1963. In vestment increased 7.7 per cent last year and probably will grow another eight per cent by the end of 1963.. But wages and prices have been going up in a slow but steady spiral. Hundreds of bil lions of lire (hundreds of mil lions of dollars) have migrated to Swiss banks for "safekeep ing." The foreign trade balance was one trillion lire ($1.6 bil- . . . i Bob Lewis :t o St ....a, .St St St St St St St St St '? St St m Invites You To Bring Your Imported Car in to . . . STEVENS Auto Sales for the Finest in Service Specialist in: Volkswagens, Renault, Mercedes and All Imported Cars 1 All Work Guaranteed ' Reasonable Prices ' Expert Lubrication HMOIHHHHO!0ii hopping UNE, .MEDFORD, OREGON WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 11183 g jj Threatens Italian Loire ROME SUPERMARKET This 1963 photo shows Italian shoppers picking out frozen chicken and other meats in a Rome super market. With people expected to spend year- end bonuses on Christmas shopping, Italian economic experts fear inflation may reach Italy when Santa Claus does. (UPI) lion) in the red in the first eight months of this year. The reasons for the mounting crisis are to a good extent psy chological and political the electrical nationalization de creed by the center-left govern ment of Premier Aminlore Fan fani last year, followed by Communist election gains, a long power vacuum and pros pects of a new center-left gov ernment. Economic Reason But there is also a strictly economic reason which could be described in the words of U.S. Agriculture Secretary Orville L. Freeman when he discussed the problems of developing nations in an address to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) here recently. Freeman noted that incomes in rapidly developing nations are growing faster than domes tic food production, creating ex cess demand. "If the need for food result ing from this demand is not met, millions of dollars or pur chasing power will flow against inadequate food supplies and bring about price inflation," he said. Although Freeman probably did not have Italy in mind at all when he spoke, his words seemed strikingly fitting for this country. Low Stnndai il Italy, for all its "economic miracle" and t h e industrial boom of the north, is a develop- are little better than those of the masses of Asia and Africa. When Fanfani set up his So cialist supported government last year, what he had in mind was long-range planning to re duce differences between the "Two Italics" of the rich and the poor, and a degree of aus terity. The man in the street took the center-left to mean some thing totally different a better living now. Union after union went on a wave of strikes which the Socialist-backed government found hard to oppose. The re sult, quite against the govern ment's wishes, was a massive wage increase of about eight per cent, far higher than the increase in national income. Buy More Food The living standards of the Italian workers being what they are, a good share of the new purchasing power went into food. Domestic food production proved insufficient and prices went up, with a poor crop and an inefficient and costly distri bution system making matters worse. In the first eight months of this year, wholesale price rose 4.9 per cent over the same period of 1962 and retail prices increased 7.4 per cent. Food imports went up steep ly, while at the same time the higher cost of labor made Itali an exports less competitive. The result was a gap of one trillion lire ($1.6 billion) in the trade ing nation. Its average living balance and of 4R1 billion lire standard is still far below that of Northern European nations and people in some parts of the south still live in conditions that ($770 million) in the balance of payments in the first eight months of this year. The total balance of payments deficit for 1963 is expected to reach one billion dollars. In this climate, mixed with political uncertainty, the lire could get into trouble. Governor Reveals Education Advisors SALEM (UPI) -Ten mem bers of the newly created ad visory council on federal as sistance to higher education have been announced by the governor's office. Appointed were William E. Walsh, Coos Bay, chairman of the Board of Higher Education; Dr. Roy E. Lieuallen,- Eugene, chancellor of higher education. Dr. Leon P. Minea, superin tendent of public instruction, Sa lem; Travis Cross, Salem, the governor's press secretary; Eu gene H. Fisher, Oakland, chair man of the Board of Education. S. E. Brogoitti, Helix; Charles R. Holloway Jr., Portland; Dr. John P. Howard, Portland; Dr. G. Herbert Smith, Salem, and T. E. Bolger, Portland. All were appointed effective Monday, and will serve at the pleasure of the governor. LOS ANGELES (UPI) - The first "foreign" promotion effort of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce was aimed at Alas ka in 1897 when the chamber sent up literature inviting newly rich miners to come to Los Ang eles to retire. Parties, Church, Dinners Are Features of Holiday Observance By DONALD JOHNSTON United Press International UNITED NATIONS, N. Y. (UPI) United Nations diplo mats thousands of miles from home tend to celebrate Christ mas in much the same man ner as their Americans friends. The usual practice of U. N. delegates who observe the holi day is to hold small parties in their mission headquarters, at tend church, and then enjoy family dinners in the apart ments or houses they rent while assigned to. New York. Some, like the Scandinavians, uphold old traditions which they observe in their native lands. The Russians ignore Christmas and concentrate on New Year's. The non - Christians from the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Asia, of course, do not recognize Chirstmas. The Christmas New Year's period Iraditionally is a "let down" for U. N. diplomats. The three-month General Assembly session ends a few days before Dec 25 and then there is a mass exodus across the oceans by temporary delgales. Only the small permanent staffs of the 11 U. N. member states re main in the United States. Tiled Delegates "Generally speaking, the dele gates are tired out from the final weeks of the Assembly ses sion and prefer to spend a quiet holiday away from inter national problems," explains a member of the delegates' hos pitality committee. Diplomats from Ghana, Nig eria and the Congo, which have biggest delegations among the sub - Sahara African nations, have no special events. They may go to church and then gather for small parties in their mission offices or homes. The same is true for Europ ean countries like Portugal and Ireland, and for the Philippines, one of the few Christian na tions in Asia. Latin Americans, who arc predominantly Roman Catholic, generally depart after the As sembly concludes to celebrate at home. With some of the bigger pow ers, such as Britain and France the holiday festivities are held by the Consuls-General in New York rather than the U, N. missions. The French Consul General Invites members of the French community to enjoy a Christmas tree and presents for children. The Scandinavians, for whom Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year, observe "Lucia" on Dec. 13 as they do at home. The Swedish delegation, for example, joins with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce and In formation Service in New York for a "Queen of Light" cere mony to which their employes and families are invited. The ceremony begins at 8 a.m. with a procession led by the queen wearing a crown of burning candles. After the procession, there is a serving of cotfee and spiced wine, and general gaiety. On Christmas eve, the Scan dinavians enjoy intimate fam ily gatherings with presents and special dinners of ham and fish. Early Christmas morning Uiey go to church. The Communist delegations, -which are the only ones with most members living together in individual Manhattan build ings, have their public holiday celebrations Jan. 1 in mis sion headquarters when they -welcome the New Year. In the case of the Russians, particu larly, this is in accordance with custom in the Soviet Union. RICE EATERS SACRAMENTO (UPI) - Bice supplies the major food for more than 60 per cent of the world's population, according to ', the University of California Con sumer Marketing Information -service. FIRE SALE For That Holiday Fire LOG ENDS DRY-RED FIR-SPLIT 16" Oak-Laurel Standard Heating Oils VALLEY FUEL GO. PHONE 773-1576 r'ffllm Lutherans Discuss Marriage Problems Lutheran .32 NEW YORK (UPI) - Work on a statement concering Mar-1 riage and Family has been , started by the Board of Social Ministry of the year-old Luth em Church in America and may become the official church position. Acting as consultants on the statement will be two Lutheran theological professors, Dr. Mar tin J. Heinecken of Philadelphia Lutheran Theological Seminary, and Dr. Arnold E. Carlson of the Lutheran School of Teolo gy, Rock Island, 111. They will assist the staff of the 21-member board in pre paring the statement. Delinquency Controlled In Problem District CLEVELAND (UPI)-A grant of $1 million has been awarded to Cleveland's Community Ac tion for Youth for the first year of a three-year demonstration project to prevent and control delinquency in the city's multi problem Hough neighborhood. Another $1 million is being contributed by local groups in funds and services. The first $1 million was awarded under the Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act. Avon's After-Christmas See our selection of hats, housemakers, balloons, fav ors, etc., for your New Year's celebration! We rent party glasses (wine, cham pagne, high ball, etc.) for your holiday get-to-gethers. mm pric CASH IN ON BIG SAVINGS During This Great Once-a-Year PRICE SALE OF CHRISTMAS ALL STYROFOAM NOVELTIES Now Going at . . . Cards Christmas Gift Wrap Christmas Ribbon & Tie-Cns All Christmas Decor. Candles All Christmas Paperware (Napkins, Plates, Cups, Coasters, Etc.) Sale starts tomorrow - Your Big Opportunity to stock-up for next Christmas at Great Savings! AVAN'S GREETING CARDS GIFTS CANDLES VAN DUYN'S DELICIOUS CANDIES In Medford Shopping Center Phone 779-1377 This week end is B.M.I. Home Service Center's Annual Floor Clearance Sale! Over 100 Appliances to choose from and all Drastically Reduced to Sell Immediately . . . 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