Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 45, Number 289, Decatur, Adams County, 9 December 1947 — Page 1

KTxiV. No. 289.

FRENCH COMMUNISTS CALL OFF STRIKE

j®Bti Inflation .Sil Handed To ®jgress Today l| s k Government Be ■ given Rationing, Buying Power ington. Dec. 9 — (UP) — today handed a proposed anti-inflation would give the govern- ! |^g!p ()W er io reimpose food and i g|K a ti ll ning and to buy up entire II a t its own price. measure was drafted in reto continued requests of KB Rol)er t A. Taft, R.. 0., as to ~ Wi / .., p„. administration wantJK !t was presented to a senate k subcommittee by secre-immim-n'e \V. Averell Karri■lm appeared certain, however, will not act on such aW^K II .-]. t -i. ) n measures in this sesaßWe'P.'ie'. to rationing and croppower the bill would give ration priority and altlie first concrete measure by the administration to put KT,.-,., - the m-point anti-inflation proposed by President congressional developHouse battles over ...: amendments made leaders WT tliat tbe U 590.000.000 emert'on ‘ ig ' l aid bil * could be I )as " nightfall as they had hoped. WR house foreign affairs c.ommitto preserve the stop-gap from restrictive amendThe administration said would keep the req.iiron grain trading at 33 if congress gives it authori commodity exchanges. | Mehl, chief of the commodity authority, told the house committee he would leave iii.iigins right there until there i-.idetice of speculative influOil Maritime commissioner Mellen told a senate comsubcommittee that ‘ presthe source of which he did identify, has been brought on imvernment to persuade it to r. S. oil tankers to foreign imsi its had told the subcomEngland’s fuel shortage to lack of tankers to carry SB in coastwise trade to that area. - Edward E. Brown, Chihanker, said a proposal by Marriner S. Eccles of the reserve board would “tend the socialization of bankEccles would require banks establish special reserves up to of their demand deposits B 1 10 percent of their time or deposits. ■ervice Disrupted ■ s Phone Cable Cut number of places, including the jail and several homes in area "'etc without telephone late - vester <lay and today a ditching machine used in work for installing a gas line severed a cable. Beber Funeral Rites Jhursday Afternoon ■ l '" neral services will be held “ r9(ia y afternoon for Robert R. e| . former Decatur business "as killed Sunday night 4 traffic accident near Ligonier. ®h £‘ CeS WiU be beld at 2 P m. . ay at tbe First Methodist Kl t ' With Dr M - O. Lester of- i HL,.. ng ' Buria ' '>« in the DeKniovk en \ etery ' The body wiu be ■ |Knni P trom tbe Zwi ck funeral 0 *' le home of the mother i ■orthg arion Reb er, 316 t ■L.,I e end c °nd street where . ■'clock i? ay eall after 7:30 1 i, o r> lß even *ng. Pallbearers 1 ■''tel p ,° bert Cole, Glen Adler, 1 ■arles R t nkamp ’ Carl Gerber ’ 9 B ker and Fred Fuelling. ! 9 Z — 0 9 . WEATHER 9 ture, rißln 0 tempera- 1 9 9

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Meredith Nicholson In Critical Condition Indianapolis, Dec. 9 —(UP)—. Meredith Nicholson, noted author, spent his 81st birthday today in Methodist hospital. Hospital officials said he was in critical condition but declined to disclose the nature of his illness. They said he was "slightly improved” since he was admitted to the hospital Dec. 6. — 0 President To Give Marshall Plan Message Expect Estimate Os 16 Billions In Recovery Plan Washington, Dec. 9 — (UP) — President Truman was reported ready today to present congress an estimate of $16,000,000,000 for the four-year Marshall plan for European recovery. His Marshall plan message, expected to reach congress Thursday, reportedly will urge an initial appropriation of something less than $7,500,000,000 for the first 15 months of operation. Mr. Truman began putting finishing touches on his message soon after returning from his Florida vacation. Administration sources who reported the $16,000 - 000,0C0 figure said Mr. Truman realized it would be futile to present congress with any program from which the “maximum water had not been wrung.” Previous estimates on the Marshall plan had ranged to $20,000,000,000. The president's decision to refrain from asking for more than a 15-month first installment also was made with consideration to congressional sentiment. Sen. Walter F. George, %D., Ga., and other prominent senators of both partieg have said repeatedly that congress would shy away from long-range commitments. They contend congress must have a chance to observe initial operation of the program before being asked to put up more money. Informed sources said one point in the president’s Marshall plan message still was unsettled. This, involved administrative machinery. A strong group in congress favors setting up a semi-inde-pendent government corporation to handle the job. Secretary of state George C. Marshall, however, has cautioned against anything that would weaken his department’s role in foreign policy. Meanwhile, the senate appropriations committee was consider- . ing a plan intended to ' relieve i American taxpayers of some of 1 the burden of the long-range aid > program. Under the plan, funds 1 would be raised through a system of government-insured bond sales. ' The bonds would be offered to < banks and other private investors 1 (Turn --o-o :t. Cniumn 7) James V. Hendricks < * Dies This Morning I Funeral Services Thursday Afternoon ’ James V. Hendricks, 78, retired ' farmer, died at 7:45 o'clock this ( morning at his home in Monroe, 1 where he had resided for the past * 19 years. Death was caused by £ complications. J He was born in Adams county April 20. 1869, a son of John and 8 Margaret Hendricks, and was a c lifelong resident of the county. Surviving are his wife, formerly £ Bertha Lobenstein; two sons, Lewis W. and O. O. Hendricks, and r a daughter, Mrs. Harry Kessler, all of Fort Wayne: two brothers, 8 Archie and Albert Hendricks, both c of Monroe; six grandchildren and J five great-grandchildren. One brother is deceased. Funeral services will be held at 2:30 o’clock Thursday afternoon at ° the Lobenstein funeral home in Monroe, with the Rev. Russell Persons officiating. Burial will be in the Ray cemetery, west of Monroe. Friends may call at the funeral _ home after 2 p.m. Wednesday. ©

Russia Insists On Agreement On Reparations Prerequisite For Economic Unity Os German Territory London, Dec. 9 —(UP) — Soviet Foreign Minister V. M. Molotov insisted today upon a big four reparations agreement on Germany as a prerequisite to the economic unification of that country. The council of foreign ministers plugged away at economic proposals for Germany for three hours without reaching any substantial agreement. Molotov agreed to accept a British proposal that restriction of movement between the German zones should be abolished. But he insisted on including a Soviet proposal which would make that freedom contingent on the establishment of central German agencies plus a big four decision on procedure for German fulfillment of reparations obligations. A slight compromise by Molotov dissolved fears that the big four conference of foreign ministers might have to quit even before it came to grips with fundamental problems of the proposed German peace treaty. While Mo’otov restated his demand for $10,000,000,000 in reparations from Germany yesterday, he abandoned his previous stand that agreement on reparations must be a condition for economic unity. At the beginning of the third week of the conference, there was still a lot of pessimism about the possibilities of agreement. But there also was considerable hope —where there was none ’24 hours ago — that the ministers could j come to grips on sonje of the major German problems. The credit for finally pinning Molotov down and getting him to be specific goes to secretary of state George C. Marshall, who has repeatedly insisted that Molotov state the current Soviet views on reparations and submit a working (Turn To Page 8, Column S) 0 _ Printers, Newspaper Dispute Up To NLRB Charge Union With Refusal To Bargain Indianapolis Dec. 9.— (UP) — A dispute between the printers, union and an association representing about 800 of the nation’s newspapers brought the Taft-Hartley law up for a major test today. Officials of the International Typographical union were summoned to a national labor relations board hearing of charges that the union had refused to bargain in good faith with the newspapers. The hearing opens today and may continue for several weeks. The regional office of the NLRB at Cincinnati issued the complaint against the union as a result of charges made by the American Newspaper Publishers Association. The complaint grew out of the union’s policy of refusing to sign new contracts and insisting upon working only under “condition of employment” to be posted by the union. By declining to sign contracts the union hoped to get around the ban on the closed shop provided by the TaftlHartle’y law. The Inland Press Association, an organization of more than 400 dailies in 20 states, asked permission yesterday to intervene in the case and add its complaint against the ITU to that of the American Newspaper Publishers Association. The Inland group charged the union with refusing to negotiate contracts with 50 members. The petition to intervene was signed by William F. Canfield, Association secretary, and presented to the NLRB's Cincinnati office by the organization’s attorney, Gerard D. Reilly. If permitted to intervene, the Inland Association’s complaints would be heard along with the ANPA complaints at the hearings (Turn To Page 2, Column 4)

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, December 9, 1947

Stern Meeting Os Balkan Chiefs

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NO JOVIAL SALUTATION features the greeting of Prime Minister Dinnyes Lajos (center) of Hungary and Dr. Petre Groza. Romanian premier, as the two meet in Bucharest, Romania.

Robert Lane Heads , Decatur C. Os C. Elected President For Ensuing Year * —_ i Robert Lane, proprietor of I Lane’s shoe store, was elected president of the Decatur Chamber of 1 Commerce for 1948, succeeding Robert J. Holthouse, at the annual ( election of officers held Monday 1 night in the Chamber rooms in the library building. Carl Gerber, proprietor of Ger- I . ber’s meat market, was elected vice president, taking the place of C. I. I Finlayson, and Herman H. Krueck- I eberg, cashier of the First State Bank, was named treasurer, to succeed Kenneth Runyon. All terms j are for one year. R. W. Pruden, full-time secretary, serves under contract for a year at a time. Mr. Pruden will continue in this capacity, having 1 succeeded Paul McFaul, Decatur's 1 first full-time Chamber secretary, 1 who resigned the post last April. 1 All of the newly elected officers ' will assume their duties at the annual meeting of the full member- * ship of the Chamber, to be held * next month in connection with the annual dinner. 1 At that time, Mr. Lane will out- 1 line plans for the year and will f name committees in charge of the 1 various activities sponsored by the 1 Chamber. The new officers were 1 named by the 12 directors of the s Chamber, who were elected by the ( entire membership a week ago. 0 ( Break Is Forecast ■ In Cold Wednesday ■ Below Freezing In J Major Part Os 11. S. ‘ By United Press 1 Street corner Santa Clauses in s northern states hunched themselves against tne icy winter blasts f today and decided they must act- £ ually be at their North Pole homes. ' Sub-freezing temperatures pre- ¥ vailed over most of the nation as far south as Texas, and at Bemid- 8 ji, Minn., the mercury plunged to ' a 27 degrees belo.w zero. The most intense cold was cen- e tered over Minnesota, North Da- 1 kota, lowa and Wisconsin with 1 Rochester. Minn., reporting 20 be- ’ low; Wilmar, Minn., 19 below; Pembine. N. D., 19 below; La 1 Crosse, Wis., 15 below’, Fargo, N. D.. 12 below, Minneapolis, 11 below and Mason City, la., five below. The Chicago weather bureau said that clear skies and an unbroken e snow blanket ranging from two to J 1 17 inches in depth have contributed 1 to the low temperatures. The cold weather extended I throughout the middle west and j eastward over the north Atlantic coast states. Moderate winter temperatures , prevailed over the western states and the only place in the nation , where the w’eather really was plea- r sant w’as in the Florida peninsula and the south Atlantic coast states, t the weather bureau said. e Scattered light snow fell in the j Turn To Page 2, Column 7) 1

Truman Concludes Florida Vacation Washington, Dec. 9 —(UP ) — President Truman settled down to workaday routine today after his Florida vacation. He tackled a pile of paper work and accumulated appointments, and prepared for tonight’s white house | press reception. A few hours after his return yesterday, the president took Mrs. Truman to see comedian Bobby Clark in his version of Victor Herbert’s "Sweethearts.” 0 Italy Communists Postpone Strike General Strike In Rome Is Postponed Rome, Dec. 9 —(UP) — The Communist - controlled chamber of labor today postponed for at least'24 hours a general strike scheduled to begin in Rome at midnight tonight. The labor organization’s decision to delay the strike eased tension that had been mounting hourly. The Communist-controlled chamber of labor promised the midnight walkout unless the government grants Christmas bonuses for the unemployed, starts a gigantic public works program, and punishes police and government officials responsible for police action against Communist demonstrators. Premier Alcide De Gasperi, a Christian Democrat, regarded the ultimatum as another Communist attempt to unseat his government. De Gasperi was studying the ultimatum, but had not scheduled meetings with the cabinet, or labor representatives. A spokesman for the chamber of labor said the strike was set and that, “we are waiting for word from the premier." “Our demands are firm and our ultimatum is clear, ’ the labor spokesman said. A general strike would paralyze this city of 1,500,000 inhabitants, and close the newspapers which vigorously support the De Gasperi government. The new crisis came as a partisan congress convened in Rome heard a suggestion that an international partisan army be established. This was regarded as possibly the first step toward organizing a military arm for the new nine-na-tion cominform. The partisan army was proposed by Gen. Sidor Kovpak, vice president of the Soviet Ukraine. New violence flared at the small town of Vittorio, Sicily, where police using tear gas scattered workers who left a chamber of labor meeting and attacked rightist party headquarters. blame New Teacher At Pleasant Mills Miss Frances Lemley, of Cambridge City, has been signed as a new member of the Pleasant Mills high school faculty. Miss Lemley, received her bachelor of science degree atsßall State Teacher's college this fall, is licensed to teach home economics and commercial- subjects. She is making her home In Decatur. e

Paralyzing Strikes Are Cancelled, Workers Are Ordered To Resume Jobs

Indiana Property Taxes At New High Real Estate Taxes At Record Figures Indianapolis, Dec. 9 —(UP) — The Indiana Taxpayers Association said today that the Indiana property tax bill to be paid in 1948 will jump more than $28,000,000 to a record $171,135,914. Albert H. Cole, association president. said the Hoosier tax total was more than $20,000,000 higher than it was in 1930, the previous high year, “when the people rebeled and demanded relief." Figures supplied by the tax group show an increase for each of Indiana’s 92 counties, ranging from a low of 4.2 percent in Allen to a high increase in Fayette county of 59.6 percent. The statewide average over the 1947 tax gross is 20.4 percent. | Cole explained the factors behind the record 1948 real estate taxes. Schools, higher teacher pay Big Increase Here Property taxes payable in Adams county next year total $904,558.27, a boost of $194,647.47 over this year's tax bill of $709,910.80, a survey made by the Indiana taxpayers association reveals. The percentage of increase in this county is given at 27.4. and other education incidentals accounted for the biggest share of the increase according to tire taxpayers' organization head. The 63 percent increase in Hoosier school teachers salaries added some $23,000,000 to the state-wide budget. Cole said state funds would account for $10,000,000 of this, leaving $23,000,000 to be raised by local taxing units. A $3,000,000 boost was accounted for by a state school board order relative to school relief funds. State school bus regulations require higher expenditures. “County governmental operations call for $4,000,000 more; township poor relief, $1,000,000, and cumulative school building funds, $1,200,000,” Cole said. He added that “city governments will take about $2,000,000 more, and miscellaneous funds acount for $1,700,000 additional.” High as the tax bill now stands, after approval by municipal, coun(Turn To Page 4 Column 6) — o Cpl. Barnfhouse Services Friday War Dead Returned For Burial Friday Funeral services for Cpl. Robert Barnthouse, son of Mrs. Otto Gase, | of this city, who was killed in j action in Belgium January 21.1 1945, will be held Friday after-1 noon. A short service for the family will be held at the Thoma funeral home in Bluffton at 2 p.m. Friday, followed by graveside services at the Elm Grove cemetery, with Limberlost Post 6236, Veterans of Foreign Wars of this city, in charge of the military rites. The body will arrive in Decatur on the Erie railroad at 8:17 p.m. Wednesday and will be taken to Bluffton by the Thoma funeral home. The VFW color guard will meet the body here and provide an escort to Bluffton. Cpl. Barnthouse’s service “buddies" will act as pallbearers, with members of the local VFW post as honorary pallbearers. The body of Cpl. Barnthouse arrived in the United States two weeks ago with those of other war dead, buried in Belgium. He entered army service in October. 1941, and went overseas in June. 1942. Surviving, besides the mother and stepfather, Mrs. and Mrs. Otto Gase of this city, is a sister Mrs. David Scott, also of this city. ® I

Arabs Suffer 70 Killed In Jewish Attack Sensationally Heavy Arab Casualties In Counter-Attacks Jerusalem, Dec. 9 — (UP) British authorities reported today that the Jewish hagana defense army killed 70 Arabs and wounded 100 others in a counter-attack last night in the blood-soaked battleground between Tel Aviv and Jaffa. The sensationally heavy Arab casualties nearly doubled the death toll in the communal fighting which broke out after the United Nations voted 10 days ago to partition Palestine. British sources said modern arms were carried by several hundred Arabs whjt> attacked the Salame quarter of Tel Aviv. Jews in Tel Aviv were panick-struck as the Arabs set fire to three huts, the British reported, but hagana rushed up reinforceemnts in taxi cabs, buses. automobiles and trucks, and drove the Arabs back. The battle also took the lives of 12 Jews and three Britons. A new outbreak of violence today killed six Jews and one Briton. raising the Palestine death to'l to 175. In the last 24 hours, 97 persons met violent death. The bodies of three Jews were found in the Tel Aviv-Jaffa area today, and members of the Jewish underground threw flaming gasoline on a British truck, killing one Briton, and touching off a shooting fray that killed two Jews and wounded 20 pedestrians. Jews, Arabs or Britons were being slain at the rate of one every 15 minutes. In Cairo, representatives of seven Arab countries went into the second day of conferences ready to discuss whether they should declare war against any UN force which attempts to enforce the partition of Palestine. Some Arab sources argued that submitting to the partition plan would be worse than fighting and losing to a superior armed force. The spokesmen for Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Yemen were meeting in private, without even secretaries. The league was adding up the men and funds each country could contribute to “liberate” Palestine. I Reliable sources said the pre-! miers attending the meetings had Turn Tn Q Pnlnmn R) o Ask Henry Wallace Head Third Parly Seen Jarring Blow To Truman Prospect Washington, Dec. 9.— (UP)— President Truman’s 1948 .election prospects took a jarring sock to the jaw this week. The Communist newspaper. Daily Worker, reported that the Chicago Progressive party formally had invited Henry A. Wallace to become a third party candidate for president. That is bad news for Mr. Truman. The Progressive party is the first organized political organization to ask Wallace to run. The party was created this year. It shell-schocked Democratic and Republican machines in Chicago by polling 313.000 votes for one of its candidates last month in a Chicago judicial election in which slightly mere than 700.000 votes were cast altogether. The party had a slate of 21 independent candidates and 113,000 Cook countians << (Turn To Page 2. Column 7)

Price Four Cents

Russia Breaks Off Trade Negotiations With France, Orders Group Leave Moscow Paris. Dec. 9.—(UP)—Communist labor leaders called off the paralyzing French strikes tonight soon after Russia had severed trade negotiations with France and ordered out of Moscow a French repatriation mission. Bowing to a government ultimatum, the general confederation of labor (CGT) ordered workers of all trades to return to work tomorrow throughout France. Capitulating to the stern demands of premier Robert Schuman’s government—demands marked by the beginning of mobilization of 240,000 troops to enforce them*the confederation called a halt to the disastrous strike wave that brought France to the brink of civil war. The decisive break in the national crisis was heralded by drastic Soviet moves of reprisal against France. The Russian embassy handed the government a note announcing that plans for the reception of a French trade delegation in Moscow were being cancelled, and a repatriation mission already there was being ejected summarily. While the Russian counter-blast was attributed by the Soviets to French action against Russian nationals in this country, it appeared to be no coincidence that it was loosed while the fate of the Com munist campaign against the gov ernment was teetering in the b*'. ance, at least for this round of the fight. The government had made its final offer to the fewer than 1,000,- ! 000 workers still idle of the 2,001).000 who had 'been on strike. They could accept it by tomorrow, or else. A cabinet minister warned them that 240,000 troops soon would be ready •for action against saboteurs and Communist riot squads. Shortly before 7 p.m. (1 p.m. EST) the CGT leaders issued the capitulation order to the strikers. The surprise move came as Schuman was mustering forces and plans to crush finally the national stoppage of three weeks. Foreign office sources said that after action against Soviet citizens in France, the government asked Moscow to replace its repatriation commission of military representatives with a civilian commission. The Russians stalled and then refused. informants said. This morning the French foreign office made it known that the Soviet repatriation commission would be forced to leave France tonight. The Russians then called a press conference and announced they were withdrawing their mission. Meanwhile Moscow was announcing its decisions on the trade and repatriation delegations. The actions were announced in a note delivered by Soviet deputy foreign minister F. T. Gousev to the French embassy in Moscow, and released here by the Soviet embassy. Moscow hinged its reprisal on the ouster of 19 Soviet leaders I from France and the closing of camp Beauregard, Russian repatriation camp outside Paris, where French raiders reported that they found illegal arms caches. Moscow rejected France’s complaints of “subversive activity" in the camp as “foul slander” and said the French action was “hostile and contrary to the spirit of alliance and mutual assistance” between the countries. 03 SHOPPINHAYSJEFT) . ')