Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 47, Number 104, Decatur, Adams County, 3 May 1949 — Page 1

Kilno.

IORD PLANT STRIKE ORDERED WEDNESDAY

■upromisD ■labor Bill ■lijmitted ■st-Ditch Effort I Save Portion Os ■ft Repealer Bill Slington, May 3 - (UP) ~ ■istralion Democrats put a ■nation of t'>e Wagner and ■riDy acts before the house ■ n a last-ditch effort to stjl■something of their original ■lariiey repeal hill. ■ compromise bill, drafted by stategists, was inby a congressional new- ■ (rom the south. 27-year-old ■ugo S. Sinp. I)., S. Cr It ■come to a vote before the ■ quits tonight. ■inistratiou leaders wanted ■on it before the house takes ■ so-called Wood bill sponby a coalition of Republic■nd southern Democrats. The measure would repeal the ■of the Taft-Hartley act but ■ most of its provisions. ■ ne w administration mea■contained important conces- ■ to Taft-Hartley backers, inHg retention of presidential ■ictive powers to deal with na■i emergency strikes. It was ■d as a substitute for the ad■ration's original Usinsk! Khich would have repealed ■aft-Hartley law and restored ■old Wagner act with a few ■flcations. ■ other congressional develop-■ua-Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chen- ■, ret., wartime head of U. S. ■rces in China, told two con■lonai committees that |350.- ■$ of U. S. military and eco- ■ aid now can prevent the ■e ; e communists from over-j ■iog all of China. ■th priced milk—The national ■rative milk producers feder- ■ urged congress to change, ■farm support program to raise I ■ral price supports on milk. j ■station — Sen. Henry Caboti ■e. Jr.. R„ Mass., said the fed- ■ aid to education bill backed ■ his fellow-Republican Sen. ■rt A. Taft sanctions racial in schools. He asked 1 ■total of an amendment deny- ■ federal funds to states that I ■egate their public school chil-1 ■ ■irlier. chairman Brien McMaE d - Conn., of the joint con■tai atomic energy cotnmit■«aid he doubts the military ■ of the proposed arms-for-i ■pe program. Be conceded that shipment of ■ conventional type of weapons tan ks and planes—to the ■•ones of the Atlantic pact ■ boost their morale. But he questions whether such ■°t>s would be of any real ■ in a showdown. ■Mahon made it plain that he ■ not advocating the substitu- ■ 0 ntomic weapons for the ■ conventional types in the ■^ l ’ ,ri ' ,on ' a a ™s-for-Europe ■bor law — House administra r ‘Mders came up with a new la/ 0 ** 6 TaftHartl «y repealer ■ e °rt to lure some southern, I ”ay from the GOP-southern | <T«r» T. Pag, S1I) I I f* f qu/pment For | c, ys Playgrounds | Is Received Here children will soon be on ne » Playground 1 “ 411 Ci,y p,rks - Eu ia.” tlle san<tbo xes. swings. an<l ‘Udes ordered by the Decatur reckTLi^ 1! .’ lon have alrea dy k „ fron > the manufac here, and the rest LL to arrive soon. Steve rry commission chairman. £77 today. I <ajra - the commission «eth» 2 . MrTty 10 determine r *ti»2c!, 1,0 plaM t 0 re duinon ' i at Hom «- * eitrv. 0 ./^ 1 * 0 * the lUh,s ttirt said !WUIU ' wnrta ’ Mr *‘d»ua,**' WeT ’*'•**• **• *d Mrt,y eloudy ' r “h«r humid.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Seven Persons Die In West Virginia Fire Hinton, W. Va., May 3—(UP)— Seven persons, including three small children, died in a fire which destroyed a small frame home here early today. The victims were: Mrs. Anna June Deeds, 24, her two children, Drema Kay and Hazel Joyce, 6; Mr. and Mrs. James Ellison and their three months old daughter, and Homer Tincher, 30. All U. S. M Units, Marines Leave Shanghai Avoid Any Chances Os Being Embroiled In China's Warfare Shanghai, May 3. —(UP)— A U. S. Navy spokesman announced today that all American marines and heavy Naval units had left Shanghai waters for Tsingtao to avoid any chance of becoming embroiled in the Chinese civil war. The Navy spokesman also revealed that U. S. warships departed precipitately from Shanghai itself last Tuesday after being tipped i that “unfriendly forces" i presumably communists) planned to scuttle ships in the narrow Ahngpoo channel and bottle up all Western shipping. The plot was nipped in the bud, but “nevertheless it would seem that this danger still exists," thus imperiling American andother foreign ships and frieghters which | daily enter Shanghai harbor to | evacuate foreigners, the spokesman reported. The spokesman for Vice Admiral , Oscar C. Badger, U. S. commander in the Western Pacific, said that | with the departure of the big ships for the port 400 miles to the North, ] only three destroyers and a few small landing craft were left in the [ Shanghai area. i They were anchored at the mouth | of the Whangpoo, out of range of the guns at the Woosung forts were the Whangpoo flows into the Yangtze Estuary some 15 miles from ' Shanghai. i However, the spokesman insisted j I that the remaining Naval units, jadquate to evacuate some 1.600] [Americans still in Shanghai should i I that be necessary. Badger intends to maintain some I vessels here as long as he feels there might be a need for further evacuation, his spokesman said. But he pointed out that if the Woosung forts were taken by the commun- , ists, or should shift their allegiance to them, it would be difficult to (Tuva To Paa» Five* , • . Saves Wife's Life i With Can Opener Iron Lung Breaks Down Aboard Train Chicago. May 3—(UP)—A young mother was enroute to a hospital , at Ithaca. N. Y„ today after win ■ ning a race with death aboard a ,• transcontinental train. | When her iron lung broke down I aboard the train, her husband used a beer can opener to keep it goi ing for eight hours. Mrs. Shirley Palmer. 26. New 'ark, N. Y.. told how her husband saved her life in an interview here ; , .between trains. She left last night on the last leg of her journey from Lz>s AngeI les to Ithaea. where she will undergo treatment for infantile par- . alysis. I Mrs. Palmer, her husband. Robert, 31, and a nurse. Margaret Aylward, 38, were aboard the streamliner City of Los Angeles when the portable respirator failed at I-ara mie, Wyo. Palmer said the respirator's pumping mechanism broke down. The respirator is equipped with an emergency handle for use when electHc power is not available. But Palmer said the handle failed to work. “I found a beer can opener on the floor of the car." he said, "and by juggling ft around got It to replace the handle" He squatted on the floor and worked the device for eight hours until the train reached Omaha,

biers Face Increase Under Income Formula Government Grants Landlords Up To 30 Percent Profit Washington, May 3 —(UP)—i The nation's tenants were faced with a rent boost today if their landlords can prove they are not getting the guaranteed 20 to 30 percent net operating income. Housing expediter Tighe E. Woods issued his “fair net operating income” formula last night. It is designed to give property owners a fair return on their investment in accordance with the provisions of the rent law passed by congress last month. Woods refused to estimate how many of the 14,000,000 housing units under rent control would be affected by his order. But he made it plain that there “definitely" will be no "general rent increase.” The burden of proof will rest with the landlord, Woods said. Unless he can show conclusively that his return does not meet the guarantee. he will not be allowed any rent boost. In addition, the expediter said, tenants will be able to appeal to the rent control office. Woods said he expects many applications for rent boosts to be rejected because landlords will in-] elude non-deductible items as open | ating expenses. The Wood formula applies to all landlords who believe their income falls below the standardeven those whose tenants already ] have agreed to “voluntary" 15 peri cent rent hikes in return for long- | term leases. The housing expediter based his order on a complicated survey of | past experiences of landlords, throughout the country. Here is what he decided: Owners of rental property coni sisting of four housing units or ' fewer can apply for rent increases: if they can prove their net in-1 come, after allowing for reprecia- ] tion and maintenance expenses.] i was less than 25 percent of their j gross earnings. It that is found to be the case, they will be granted , (Turn To Paw* Eight I Lewis Wages War Os i Nerves On Operators ] j No Statement On Expired Contract Washington, May 3 —(UP)—] John L. Lewis appeared today to be waging a war of nerves against <koft coal operators in his campaign I for a new contract. I Washington representatives of i northern coal operators and of I steel companies owning captive mines fidgeted all day yesterday. But Lewis left his office without ' any statement on the expiration of the current contract. It was the 60th day before the contract is scheduled to expire. Under the Taft-Hartley law Lewis should have sent the operators a notice telling them that he wants to talk about ft new contract. There remained the possibility .hat the mine boss had mailed his notices to the home offices of the various operators where they would not be delivered until later today. Southern coal producers were not involved in this most recent turn of events. Joseph E Moody, president of the southern coal pro j ducers association, filed a 60-day notice more than a week ago tell ing Lewis that the association wants to change the contract. Lewis could choose to ignore the Taft-Hartley law's 6(kday require ; ment in the expectation that it will not be carried forward in labor legislation now before congress. But if it is continued in effect ar«i Lewis falls to comply, he risks charges of unfair labor practices. Permission Granted To Fair Association The county commissioners granted permission to the Decatur street fair association to erect a Red Cross tent and an information booth on the court house lawn during fair week. Richard Pruden. executive secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, filed the petition with the board and immediate approval was given to the request.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, May 3, 1949.

Accepts Defense Post ■k 4? ■■ ? m. I HL j, ■L ‘ '' N - WITH GENERAL HOYT S. VANDENBERG, air force chief and his wife looking on, Stephen T. Early, (left) former White House press secretary, takes the oath as the nation's first under-secretary for defense. The oath was administered by defense secretary Louis Johnson. The new post, created by congress last month, will outrank •the secretaries of navy, army and air force.

Gen. Bradley Urges Approval 01 Treaty Army Staff Chief For Atlantic Pact Washington, May 3 — (UP) — Gen. Omar N. Bradley, army chief of staff, said today the North Ati lantic pact will put this nation’s | defense frontiers “in the heart of | Europe." Bradley said future plans for the defense of western Europe with American assistance—he did not specifically mention U. S. for averting “the terrors of another enemy occupation” of that area. > | “Only upon that premise can naI tlons closest to the frontiers he . expected to, stake their fortunes with ours in the common defense," . he told the senate foreign rela- ■ tlons committee in urging quick II approval of the defense treaty and •I its related arms-for-Europe pro[gram. ,| He said he thought the treaty, ' J backed up by the arms program, '] “would prevent a war.” If there 1 1 had been such an agreement be- ! fore the last war, he said, "it never i would have happened." i Speaking as a member of the 1 joint chiefs of staff, Bradley I pointed out that other pact na- | tions are in a position where any j aggression into Western Europe j will .mean "conquest of their home- ' lands. I "I assure you that our fronI tiers of collective defense lie in . common with theirs in the heart .| of Europe,” he said. “At no time in our history has i It become so important that we be utterly sincere and profound ' in our integrity. If we are con- ' vinced that the European recov--1 ery program promotes peace (Turn Tn I’anr F.lcbti Three Men Obtain $7,000 In Holdup 58 Persons Are Held Captive For Hour Chicago, May 2— (UP)— Three masked bandits today took over a 1 Prudential Life Insurance Co., office for one hour and held 58 persons captive while they collected $7,000. The bandits carrying pistols, waylaid agents as, they came in to mike their early morning deposits and forced them to pile their money on a table —but demanded only money owed to the company. I not each agent's personal funds. They escaped in an automobile, passing a traffic policeman as they drove away. Police said that one of the men stayed in the hall off the secondfloor office. As agents entered, each was relieved of his collections and forced to He on the floor, in all. 49 agents were robbed. Six women employes were allow ed to enter and wefe not robbed or molested. A woman customer entered and fainted, and the bandits allowed the girls to revite her. Two male customers also entered but were not molested. The bandits warned Inmates of the office not to peer from the winI dows as they drove away in a car I believed to have been driven by a fourth man.

Mercury Hits Season High At Indianapolis Indianapolis, May 3 — (UP) — The mercury hit 83 degrees here at 12 noon (CST) today, setting a new season’s record for the second day in a row. It was the first time the temper- . ature had touched the 80's in the • Hoosier capital since last Sept. 20. i Over 60,000 Idled By Labor Disputes - Number Os Strikes Increasing In U. S. By United Press Labor disputes idled more than ’ 60.000 workers in various Indus- ' tries today. The number of strikes across the ' nation was increasing as unions ‘ sought a fourth round of pay rais--1 es. However, about half the idle workers were involved in an auto- ' motive industry dispute which had - no connection with fourth round ’ wage demands. Idleness in the automotive inr dustry stemmed from a strike by 7,500 workers at the Bendix Avia’ition plant in South Bend, Ind. The ' plant supplies the industry with • brake dies. ' At Detroit, officials of the Hud- ’ son Motor Car Co. announced that • the Bendix strike is forcing it to shut down and throw 25,000 work- • ers into idleness. i The Bendix strike previously had t forced the shutdown of Nash plants in Milwaukee and Kenosha. Wis.. > and the Packard plant in Detroit. j However, the Kaiser-Frazer plant I at Willow Run. Mich., was recall- • ing 7,000 employes previously idled -by d shortage of brakes resulting - from the Bendix strike. Kaiser-Frazer was among the automobile firms which succeeded in getting shipments out of the strikebound Bendix plant last week, Hudson, too, eventually got delivery of Brake dies, and Hudson offirials anticipate resuming produc-i tion early next week. In other industries. j strikes idled about 16.000 workers’in the New f ork City area alone. Fqr the first time in its 76-year , history the Singer Manufacturing ( Company’s sewing machine plant . at Elizabeth. N. J., was closed by . a strike. 1 Only about 100 main'enance. clerical and plant protection work- , ers stayed on the job. The plant > employs 9,000 workers, 7.000 of s whom belong to the striking CIO r united electrical, radio and ma 1 chine workers. , Union officials told strikers to (Tarn Tn «Il> Four Juveniles Are ( Placed On Probation The last four of the 14 Decatur ' juveniles rounded up for thefts and breakins were placed on probation 1 by Judge Myles F. Jarrish in Juvenile court today. I All first offenders, the boys were ' ordered to report regularly to their . ministers and to the county probation officer. C. H. Muselman. who I bad filed larceny charges against them Saturday, on order of Judge [ Parrish. . Sheriff Herman Bowman said tor day his investigaion into juvenile i thefts would continue, with more boys due to be questioned soon

Local Union Votes For 9 Strike At River Rouge Plant; Charge Speed-up

Receives Bids For ' Court House Work Plan Paint, Repair i Os Metal Cornice The county commissioners will hold a special meeting May 16 to receive bids for the painting and repair of the metal cornice around the court house, it was announced today. i Specifications will be on file at the county auditor’s office. The contractor shall furnish labor and materials and specify a particular paint, suitable for metal trimming. The commissioners will receive [ proposals on the same day for the - purchase of a hay bailer to be furnished the county farm. The commissioners inspected the county jail, which was recently redecorated. and ordered that the contractor be paid in full. The first floor cell blocks, hallways and stairway were painted. The kitchen and hath room in the sheriff's quarters also were redecorated. A letter from Dr. Harold Zwlck, county health officer, relative to the unsanitary condition of the Haugh ditch along north Thirteenth street, which empties into I the Roy Johnson farm, was filed [ with the board. Sewage from the • ditch forms a slough on the Johnj son farm. Dr. Zwick explained. The commissioners referred the communication to the city council, i since the ditch lies within the city limits. The commissioners decided not to make any change in the court house clock. A representative from the Tower Clock Service informed the board that a new hourly striking unit could be installed for $495. As no funds exist for this repair, the commissioners decided against i incurring a bill for the clock’s . modernization. | William Hylton, owner of a sand I pit in Wabash township, near the] I Price bridge, appeared before the, board and solicited the selling of gravel to the county highway department. The board ordered Phil Sauer, highway superintendent, to inspect the quality of gravel and if satisfactory apply a few trial loads on roads in the vicinity of the (Turn To I’aire Eight* . » Report Polio Cases Doubled Over 1948 [ Present Coses Are i, Double Last Year's • I New York, May 3-(UP)-The number of polio cases in the coun- ] try now is running almost twice, 'as high as at this time last year.| J statistics showed today. The last public health reports I put the polio cases at 1.107. as I compared with 506 in 1948. which was the highest in history with a total of 27.658 during the entire , year. i As of now. 34 states have re- , ported more polio than at the , same time last year. Rhode Island. , Colorado. New Hampshire add Ne- , vada are virtually "free" of the disease as the present time. Spokesmen for the national |; 'oundation for infantile paralysis ' said that some major me'ropolitan centers may have more than the | usual polio this summer. They recalled that with the exception of Los Angeles and Minneapolis, no major metropolitan arsa has been , struck severely in some years , t The disease, according to past per formances appears to strike in cycles, sometimes about every five years. During the 1948 polio season, which usually begins abotit May 1 1 in the southern states and gradu , ally moves northward, approximately $17,000,000 were spent for hospital care of patients. Os the, amount, national headquarters ofthe founda'ion provided $6,700,000 and local chapters of the organization about $10,000,000. Os the 27.658 cases reported, it i wy estimated that 50 percent ot (Tura T« Page «»•

West Powers Ask Blockade Lifted Monday Russians Suggest Early June Date Be Set To End Blockade London, May 3—(UP)— The western powers have asked Russia to lift the Berlin blockade next Monday in return for holding a for eign ministers council meeting on May 23, it was reported reliably today. Russia, on the other hand. h:s suggested it would be better timing to lift the blockade early in June and to call the council meeting for the middle of June. Western diplomats conceded that the critical stage now has been reached in the east-west negotiations to settle the Berlin crisis and other German problems. These sources said this week should determine whether the Berlin blockade was to be ended or whether the world's hopes for a settlement were again to be blasted as they were last summer. Diplom-uc reports said the east and west were in agreement on these two points: 1. That the Soviet blockade of western Berlin and the west's counterblockade of the Soviet zone should be lifted simultaneously at an early date. 2. That the big (our council of foreign ministers should resume discussions on Germany as soon as the blockades are lifted. ’ The reports said there is disi agreement on these points: 1. The Russians want the council meeting to begin a week after the restrictions are lifted. The west wants a two week difference. 2. The west wants the blockade lifted on May 9 and the council to meet on May 23. The Russians propose the middle ot June for the ■ council meeting. 3. The Russians want the curi rent preliminary talks to continue j with the U. S. acting as spokesman I for the west. The west wants BritI ish and French representatives to ] join the talks before agreement is I reached on the dates. i I Two Counterfeiters , I Nabbed In Chicago SIOO,OOO Worth Os Bogus Bills Seized Chicago, May 3 — (UP) — A secret service man who posed as an agent of a counterfeit ring today seized SIOO,OOO worth of bogus S2O hills and arrested two allege# members of the gang after shooting one. , Dixie Richmond. 43. Chicago, was shot in the head when the agent I thought he was reaching for a gun. Richmond, who was unarmed, was hospitalized, but attendants said he was not injured seriously. The agent also arrested Irving Morris. 43. owner of a tavern in the North Clark street honky tonk district, who was found not guilty of a counterfeiting charge in 1940. Secret service officials said the agent, whose name they would no 1 disclose, posed as an out-of-town counterfeiter and was accepted by the gang 10 days ago. He was told to meet Richmond and Morris early today and give them $30,000 in re- ' tuni for the counterfeit hills which were hidden in an “L" station lockI Thp agent said he shot Richmond when he reached in his pocket. apparently for a gun He said the bogus bills were copies of Chicago federal reserve notes of good quality which have been circulating here since last November.

Price Four Cents

Executive Board Os Local Union Votes Unanimously To Call Strike Wednesday Detroit, May 3—(UP)— The executive board of local 600 of the United Automobile workers voted unanimously today to strike tomorrow at the Ford Motor company’s sprawling River Rouge plant. In a telegram to UAW president Walter Reuther, local president Thomas Thompson said the action was taken because Ford violated i its oral agreement to maintain assembly line speeds during speed up grievance negotiations. > The strike would idle 62,000 at , River Rouge and paralyze the en- : tire Ford assembly system ’in 40 cities throughout 'the nation. i The telegram to Reuther read: ■ “The executive board of local 600 in its regular weekly meeting I this morning voted unanimously to shut down the entire Rouge plant ! effective on the day shift. Wednesday, May 4. 1949, at 10 a m. “This action was taken because the Ford Motor company violated its oral agreement to maintain as'l sembly line speeds during negotia- ]] tlons and speeded up the 'll' building assembly line. Signed [ Thomas Thompson President local 600* r | A Reuther spokesman said that l | he had received no "official notifi- ') cation" of the local's executive board action. He declined further t comment. i A strike was voted by the 62.000 Rouge workers two weeks ago in f protest of alleged speed ups which i the union claimed was endangering : the health and safety of workers. Last week the national executive board of the UAW delayed author- ’ izing a strike at River Rouge. In- ' stead it ordered an investigation i of the alleged speed ups. When a UAW executive board committee entered the Rouge plant to check charges of a speed up, workers in the trim department left ' their jobs stopping the final assent--1 bly line. The surprise action of the local ' executive board came as UAW 1 headquarters announced that a union proposal for settling the 1 speed up dispute at River Rouge was being considered by Ford officials. Emil Mazey. secretary-treasurer of the E UAW. said the company had promised to give the union an ' answer tomorrow. Mazey said a ' check of production standards in the disputed "B" building disclosed that the company had slow- | ed down the speed of its lines last ; Thursday. He charged that this was an “ad- ! mission by management that a speedup did exist in the building as claimed by the local union." The strike action was announced as the national UAW formally asked Ford to begin negotiations on a new contract May 16. Reuther has opposed any local ] union action which would jeopardize the UAW in its 1949 negotia- ' tlons. i > Seek Part-Time Service Officer > In This County Approximately 1.926 World War i 11 veterans in the county will be I eligible to receive the Indiana veterans bonus, a representative of the , veteran's administration informed ] the county commissioners, as request was made for the appoint- ] ment of a part time service officer in the county. The representative of the VA ‘ also estimated that county veterans would receive approximately $695.1 350. or an average of about $361. The figures were compiled by the 1 veteran's office. • Since it will be several years be- ' fore the bonus will be payable, the 1 commissioners did not act on the ' request for the appointment of a service officer. No appropriation -for such an office is available this ■ year, the commissioner* informed 1 the state field worker. Unofficially, • it was estimated at the end of the i war. that nearly 2.2iW men from :-t this county served in World War 111