Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 27 September 1945 — Page 18

PAGE 18 Thursday, Sept. 27, 1945

ROY W. HOWARD WALTER LECKRONE HENRY W. MANZ President Editor Business Manager

(A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

Price In Marion County, 6 cents » copy; deliv. ered by carrier, 20 cents a week.

Mall rates in Indiana, $5 a year; all other states, U. 8. possessions, Canada and Mexico, 87 cents a month,

«ESP © RILEY 8551

Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Woy

POLICY—OR STRATEGY?

HE administration is said to have a wages-prices policy. President Truman, in his Sept. 6 message to congress, stated it thus: “Hold wages in line where their increase would cause inflationary price rises. Where price ceilings would not be endangered, collective bargaining should be restored.” That seems lucid—until you try to see how -it applies to an actual situation. Then it becomes as clear as mud. For example: Petroleum industry strikes threaten to deplete the nation’s gasoline and oil supply. Secretary Schwellenbach gets management and labor representatives to meet with a conciliation board. He tells them they are being given “an opportunity for free collective bargaining.” And he warns them not to fail to agree on something that will mean immediate return to work Agree on what? On a wage increase subject to government disapproval if it would cause an inflationary price rise? If so, the bargaining is not free. If the bargaining is to be free the ‘government must keep hands off the bargain, no matter what it does to prices. » S the government prepared to keep hands off if the petroleum workers, having taken up the strike weapon, refuse to lay it down for less than they demand—a 80 per cent hourly wage increase, meaning 52 hours pay for 40 hours work ? Does the administration believe that such an increase could be confined to one industry? Or that, extended to many industries, the effect could be anything less than to blow the lid clear off prices? * We think not. The administration knows a good deal ‘about the facts of economic life. But it is not saying all it knows. It is not telling workers what is true—that if they got everything they are demanding right now they would cause a ‘price inflation that could defeat all hope of full : employment and higher living standards in years to come.

1] and Audit Bureau of Circulations.

LISCRIPPS ~ NOWARD |

Fa | Nr

. » » . . INSTEAD, the administration is leaving it to industry to ‘resist labor's demands. In our opinion, it is counting on . industry to put up enough resistance so that unions will settle temporarily for hourly wage increases of 10, or 12, or 15 per cent, call off strike threats for a while, and let reconversion proceed. That may be smart political strategy. whole burden of opposing labor on industry. It may enable the government to approve some fairly moderate wage increases, in the hope that they won't do - too much obvious damage to price ceilings, and to say that the government has permitted free collective bargaining. But, as a policy, it is neither clear nor courageous.

"GET THE WHOLE TRUTH

WELL, it looks like congress is going to give us a bipartisan—instead of non-political—investigation of Pearl Harbor. ! The Democrats have put on the investigating committee, as chairman and vice chairman, two of their heftiest lid-sitters, Senate Leader Alben Barkley and Rep. Jere Cooper. The Republicans have named a couple of their most aggressive prosecutors, Senators Ferguson and Brewster. The $20,000 allotted for the investigation will just about pay for the junket to Pearl Harbor which the committee is planning to take when the weather gets a little cooler. Meanwhile, the committee is looking around for a “distinguished lawyer” to manage the inquiry without a fee. That all points to cooking up an omelet of the previous Pear] Harbor reports, with the Republicans trying to prove misfeasance and non-feasance for political sauce, and the Democrats trying to thwart the Republicans. For what purpose, pray, and to what end?

It puts the

IF THE Democrats think they can save any votes in 1948 by holding down a study of events leading up to the Pearl Harbor tragedy, they are sadly mistaken. If the Republicans think they can gain any votes by playing up alleged derelictions or errors of bad judgment on the part of the late President Rooseyelt, his cabinet officers, or the high military command, they likewise are guessing wrong. Some politicians seem to find it awfully hard to realize that Mr. Roosevelf will not be a.candidate in 1948. All present signs are that the Democratic nominee will be a man named Truman, who will be running on his own record, Dot on what happened before and on Dec. 7, 1941. The one justification—and it's plenty—for a congressional investigation is to discover and disclose the whole ‘truth . about what happened, to the end that we may learn not to repeat mistakes and get caught again, in an atomic age, with our defenses down. -

» » . PUBLIC pressure for an inquiry by congress arose from conviction that reports by the Roberts commission and the army and navy boards had revealed less than the whole truth. The committee members should. forget that they are . Republicans and Democrats, and remember only that they © are representatives of the American people. They should employ as counsel a lawyer who is persevering as well as distinguished—that’s no job for a stuffed shirt. They should demand funds for a staff of able inVestigators; men who know something about diplomatic © as well as military affairs. ~ _ Thig investigation should be cold, thorough, analyti- , definitive and conclusive. Nothing less will do.

CAR OR NONE

A , FRANK DURYEA says he will take part in the 2okich ‘jubilee of motoring at Chicago Thanksgiving day, He to drive his 1906 model from Chicago to’ Evanston,

The Indianapolis Times]

] cans in the China theater return to Uncle Sugar

"UNCLE SUGAR ABLE'=

Ting Hao By William H. Newton

CHUNGKING, Sept. 27.—~When the 70,000 Ameri-

Able—army letter code for the U. 8. A~they'll bring along some new ideas, some new expressions, and some new prejudices. Just as the veterans of the European theater nurse a deep aversion to a. certain form of tinned minced ham, old China hands will turn purple under their atabrine yellow at the sight of just one more lily root. Because of transport difficulties, the army diet in many parts of China is made up almost exclusively of locally produced food. Since the war, China's hard-working farmers have done a tremendous production job on lily roots. Lily roots are served sliced and fried, in fat. They look like weary cucumbers. They taste like the paper this story is printed on. They are served for lunch and supper. Men have been known to find them under their eggs in the morning, so an old China hand can be identified by the fact that he usually takes a peek under his fried egg before he eats it.

Yanks Pick Up New Word Fads

ON THE positive side, Americans in China have picked up several new expression and added them to the colorful and sometimes fantastic language of the G. I 3 “Ting hao” which means “very good” and which |. . is’ pronounced “ding how!” is a standard one, It serves as the principal means of communications between G, I's and Chinese who do not speak English, A satisfactory conversation may be had with a coolie by the repeated use of this handy expression. “Ding how" has an opposite number, pronounced “boo how.” “Boo how” means “very bad.” It 1s frequently employed in discussions about lily roots, mosquitoes, and Chinese gin. Most useful of all 1s the usual form of greeting, pronounced “how boo how?” This means “good or bad?” And the person to whom it is addressed, it he is feeling well that day and has avoided lily roots under his eggs, replies “how!” which means everything 1s: fine indeed. During the occupation of Shanghai, thousands of shouting, happy coolies gathered in the streets in front of hotels occupied by Americans. Late the first evening there came at long last a lull in the singing and fire-cracker popping.’ A group of weary British civilians in one suite decided that they could get some sleep, and lights started to wink out through~ out the hotel. As the crowd In the street reluctantly began to

Bion

move away, down from an open third floor window,

POLITICS— :

floated a rich Tennessee drawl as southern as fried chicken and baked ham: “How boo how, you-all?” Back from 10,000 throats came a mighty “how!,” two Roman «candles streaked up through the dark, and the British civilians never did get any sleep that night. Men overseas long for many things—good food, good liquor, pretty girls—the list is expanded daily and some G. I's are noted for the painstaking care they give the compilation of their What-1'm-gonna-do-when-I-get-home schedules. ws

Wants to Be Bitten by U.S. Insect

+ TAKE 8GT, Jack Saferstein of Omaha, Neb. Sgt. Baferstein is a man of refinement, and his list is as long, as complete, and as nicely thought out as any. “Among other things,” says Sgt. Saferstein, “I want to be bit by a good, healthy, 100 per cent American mosquito.” : Only a good soldier who has never served in the mountain vastness of China would laugh at that, Chinese mosquitoes are not like other mosquitoes. They have, further, no respect for China's allies from across the sea. os When a Chinese mosquito bites you on a finger you write with the other hand for a week. Sgt. Saferstein, who has made a study of the ancient lore of China, announced to ah impressed barracks today that he has traced the origin of the symbol of the fork-tongued dragon in ‘Chinese art and literature. “Hell,” says Sgt. Saferstein, “that dragon is just one of their damn mosquitoes.”

FOREIGN AFFAIRS—

Failure By William Philip Simms

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27.—Wellinformed’ United Nations envoys no longer attempt to deny that the first meeting of the council of foreign ministers at London has been

a dismal failure. “It's immediate task,” stated the Potsdam direc tive, was “to draw up . . . treaties of peace with Italy, Rumania, Bulgaria, Hungary and . Finland,” reach an understanding regarding European frontiers and “to prepare a peace settlement for Germany.” Not a single major item was settled. The best the Big Five could do was to turn over the unsolved problems of peace to their deputies for study, The failure is more serious than is generally believed In this country. London, however, does not conceal {ts concern. What makes it so serious is the apparent lack of understanding among the Big Three upon which world peace depends: Between the Soviet Union on the one hand, and Britain and America on the other. They simply do not see things alike—such things as right, justice and democracy. This means that the workability of the new United Nations organization is at stake.

Spadework Seen Insufficient *

SOME CRITICS are saying that the conference broke down for lack of adequate spadework in ade vance. And there is some truth in that. Certainly Russia went to London knowing exactly what she wanted and how she proposed to get it. It is equally certain that neither the United States nor Great Britain was as well prepared. When Secretary of State Byrnes left Washington, he evidently did not have a trunkful of trick proposals for trading purposes. He probably thought he would not’ rieed them. 'For he did have copies of the pledges cone tained In the Atlantic Charter and the agreements of Yalta, San Francisco and Potsdam, and doubtless

the rest of the world as honest as himgelf.

bers of the United Nations are formally pledged to forego any ‘aggrandizement, territorial or other, and to respect the rights of all peoples to choose the form of government under which they would lve. Only last June at San Francisco, they signed the United Nations Charter promising the same thing.

Due to Abandoning Pledges?

THE BREAKDOWN at London seems to have been due to the abandonment of these pledges. Russia especially appegrs to place no reliance whatever on the new world organisation. This apparently led her to adopt a dual foreign policy. It led her first

not. settle these problems as damental relationships remain uncertain, - And is true. Bu, 1 18 Sold Tow Seo Thef 30 Teach understanding in ture if they hive not

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he thought these enough. "His mistake was to think !

Britain, Russia, America and the 47 other mem- |

Hoosier

“LET THE PROFESSORS IN ON THE KILLING” By 81 Moore, 2606 W. 16th st. Professors of economics or something say that we must have periodic slaughters to keep the population down to a size that will allow everyone to eat and have a flivver, a couple dogs, not to mention an icebox and a permanent once in a while, That is o. k. except for the poor boys who have to do the reducing. The professors and rulers who think war is part of the economic picture would be singing out of the other side of the mouth if they had to share the sweat, blood and tears.

many brave teachers who have paid the supreme price and whose sons have done the same, but we_have yet to hear of a ruler—so-called— who has rushed into battle in the hope of being eliminated for the good of his crowded people, They report that the big powder companies are applying for the right to make the atomic bomb, just as we supposed they would. They make their spending money out of slaughter. So if they can get the rights to the bomb they can either sell them to the highest bidder or eliminate them so that war will not be stopped by them. About three good blasts in the right places and there would be no one to shoot. And some | wise guys want to take the bomb ‘out of the rule book, except for point after touchdown. We expected that to come up, too, like the elimination of gas, which is too cheap. They found the Krauts and \Japs did not live up to any of the rules in the book, so why start making any new ones? Or how can we trust a nation that wants to start a killing spree, even with clubs? No, we will take our chances of oblivion en masse, instead of seeing the children of future generations. killed off or torn up, a few dollars worth at a time. The slaughters all will stop some day and wholesale murder cease when men have learned that happiness can only come with peace. Each man will learn- his given rights are equal to the rest and millions have the choice to say what government is best. For when the world is run by a few who claim that doubtful right, the others who like joy and peace are shoved back out of sight because the rulers always thought they were not ruling right unless they had the citizens all messed up in a fight.

Forum

“l wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right’ to say it.”

And of course we know there are 5

Carnival — By Dick Tumer

’ (Times readers are invited to express their views in these columns, religious controversies excluded. Because of the volume received, letters should be limited to 250 words. Letters must be ‘signed. Opinions set forth here are those of the writers, and publication in no way implies agreement with those opinions by The Times. The imes assumes no: responsi bility for the return of manu. scripts and cannot enter correspondence regarding them.)

‘BUDDIES ARE PUTTING ME ON ABOUT MY TOWN”

By A Hoosier G. 1, Camp Blanding, Fla. I have been a reader of The

Times ever since I have been old enough to read. And-I am now 31 years old, and never before have I been ashamed to read it or let anyone else read it. I am in the army and have been receiving it for the last two years. I am sta-

tioned in Florida and I generally pass it around for others to read. But the last couple weeks’ issues I have been reading and then throwing in the trash. What is the matter with Indianapolis, with all this e wave, people getting robbed, women getting attacked, holdups galore? That is all you can see on the front of the paper. Some of my buddies are really putting me on about my town. I know it is not the police department, because we have the best, but it does seem like some of our high officials would see that a hill was passed so that anyone found robbing or attacking women would get such a heavy penalty they would think twice before doing it. Even the death penalty wouldn't be too bad. At least.I believe it would solve and know {t would solve the crime wave at home, Get on our criminal courts at home to get tough. A few sent to the electric chair would end it all. And I know others think 80, toe. ’ You can print this if you want to. I just had to get it off my chest after all the ribbing I have been getting about my home town. Let's do something about it or else when it is put in the paper make it small type in the corner where it can't be seen so easily. It makes our town sound rotten.

f“WAR WORKERS SHOULD

|eity of Indianapolis, Ind, I would

HAVE BEEN PREPARED” By Sarah L. MeMath, English hotel

As another former defense worker I would like to give you a few facts about the average defense worker from my personal observation, Now" those people have had a lifetime in which to better themselves in this broad land of opportunity. Many of them barely finished the eighth grade of grade school--just plain quitting. Pew may have gone as far as the second year in high school. Now as for myself, I have had more than a high school education. I have given myself a business education at no tremendous expense and have not let any grass grow under my feet. Those defense workers could have done similarly ‘n order to prepare and fit themselves just for such emergencies, Furthermore, if they just take the time and effort to sit down and réad the list of jobs appearing in the dally papers they would not have to be filling the employment offices hunting for work and might I state right here that no employment office will send you out on any kind of a job for which you are unfitted. Believe me, I know for I have had personal contacts and interviews with them all. To go on—about three or four months before Japan's surrender, while I was still in a defense plant, I kept a small personal file on the jobs appearing in the newspapers along my individual line of work and I was prepared to go after just the particular kind of job I wanted upor my termination, Just ygry shortly before Japan's capitulation there was a great deal of speculation as to where and what day we would be terminated. At that time there was time enough for them to quit (which they could have done easily) and hunt for jobs. That didn’t even enter their heads. Another thing I observed about the average defense worker is that they expect to get good paying ‘jobs whether they are fitted for them or not and, too, they think they can get just as high salaries in peace as they did in war. - So if the average defense worker still wants to better himself, there are many different channels with which to follow if they take a- little time and efiolt and inquiring.

® = “IT's INHUMAN TO SHOOT A DOG, LET ALONE BOY”

By W. L. Galbreath, Elwood

Let me permit myself to tell you what I think about Pvt. Colby who is charged with murder. If I were Mrs. A. A. of our fine

not be so narrow-minded as to want to see anybody “shot.” It is inhuman to shoot a dog, but after a boy goes overseas and sacri fices his life just as God did for all of us, then you want to see him shot. I would like to impress upon your mind, if possible, could it be that the officers were more or less trying to be a “Pat Patton”? If you a1 going to be afraid to live in America after those boys went over there and fought for your rights, you should see if you can find you a better place to live, Again, if I were you, I would not eve nthink o fthe word “yellow” because it might embarrass you, I

| THURSDAY,

Jobless Aid |

By Thomas L. Stokes

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27. = There's been a war on. ¥ The country is struggling to get back on a peacetime basis. In the transition there will be millions out” "7% ; of work. This is not speculation. This i" not hear . a say. It’is a cold, hard fact. This is proved hy what: ; is going on every day. ; The house ways and means committee, celebrates : all this by voting to postpone “indefinitely” any con=: sideration of President Truman's program which would increase unemployment benefits for those thrown out of work to wha, he regards as an adee; i quate standard. There's been a war on—or was there? The President, in this committee, has run into,’ : the same barrier he discovered in the senate. Only © to a greater degree. The barrier is right in his own party—the Southern Democrats. In the senate Souths. ern Democrats joined with Republicans to defeat the President’s proposal for a maximum for $25 for 26. weeks through federal assistance to supplement state unemployment benefit rates, some of which are low. Instead the senate extended existing benefits uns+: der state laws to 26 weeks with federal supplements,

Refused Consideration BUT THE house ways and means committee. worl: : even consider his program, and thereby keeps house, itself, supposedly representing the people, from. considering the program. It just bottles it up “ins definitely.” From the temper of a majority of the committee “indefinitely” may mean a long time: It was the same old story. The administration has a paper and nominal mas jority on this powerful committee who wear the label ; “Democrat,” There are 14 Democrats and, 10 Res. i publicans—by party label. : Three Southern “Democrats” and one “Democrad® ‘ from a border state joined with the ten Republicans: - on the committee to pass a resolution “that further: consideration of S-1274 (the senate bill) and related; - administration bills be indefinitely postponed so thab the committee can receive more concrete information | : as to what the unemployment situation is to be dure; ing the reconversion period.” +5 That wiped their hands, presto, of that problem, Government agencies already have provided esti« - mates of peak reconversion unemployment from eight” to ten million. The vote to. postpone the unemployment compen sation bill was 14 to 10. In order to keep the record straight, here are the ones who voted to postpone: . indefinitely. They are: Democrats—Mills, Ark., who made the motion; ‘West, | Texas; Camp, Ga,; Gregory, Ky. Republicans—Knutson, Minn.; Reed, N. Y.; ‘Wood. : sul Mich.; Jenkins, O.; Gearhart, Cal; Carlson;." ; Simpson, Pa.; Kean, N. J; ‘Gifford, Mass., and ery Neb. A The committee, having shelved all unemployment: compensation bills, voted to begin consideration of & : tax reduction bill for which business and industry.’ have set up such a demand, following a common, schedule of prioritgin this committee,

Sought Purchase Power There is sorie relation between unemployment; compensation and tax bills. President Truman urged.’ increase of unemployment compensation for other’: than plain humanitarian reasons. He urged it also as a means of keeping up purchasing power, OE The prosperity of business and industry depends on purchasing power, Tax revenues depend on the’ prosperity of business and industry. Tax reduction ° is predicated on increasing revenues from prosperous. business. This is the accepted cycle. The house ways and means committee was not. expected to go even as far as the senate in unems: ployment compensation legislation. But it was ex+: pected to consider it, to draft a compromise bill and’ let the house vote upon fi. A year ago it did do the. late President Roosevelt the grace to consider legis’ lation, though it ripped up: even a much modified program approved by the senate, The war was not over then. Now the war is over; and unemployment is a pressing problem. ‘President Truman is suffering worse treatment from congress and from his Southern Democrats than did his predecessor, And he is doing less about it.

IN WASHINGTON—

Still OWI

By Daniel M. Kidney

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27.—Under its new title of Interim International Information Service the old office of war information overseas outfit is expanding in China, According to Max Fisher, who established OWI's first China setup in 1941, the agency plans to open 10 new offices in China, Manchuria and Formosa. There will be a central news desk with three or four newsmen in Shanghai. At least one newsman will be in each of the other offices. News will be “processed” in San Francisco and again in Shanghal. In other cities the news will be received by radio, mimeographed and distributed to Chinese newspapers.

Setup Is Non-Competitive Bn “THE WHOLE setup will be non-competitive, so A far as commercial wire services are concerned,” Mr. Fisher said. “It always has been that way. “The reason we are moving into these new places 1s because we feel that they should be decontaminated from Zapanese propaganda. All are places which the Japs held, some for as long as eight years. Those cities have had no chance to hear the Amer ican story. We expect to tell it in every possible way. “We also have picture exhibits and other propa< ganda. All have proven effect in Free China from where we operated immediately after Pearl Harbor.” Mr. Fisher acknowledged that this is an extension of the old OWI overseas program, with little ¢hange either in policy or # nt

Under State Depa PRESIDENT 'S directive abolishing the : OWI domestic branch transferred the overseas branch to the interim .setup and placed it under the state department, Its $30,000,000 overseas appropriation still is avail- M able, subject only to budget director directives. In the opinion of Mr. Fisher, the “decontamination” job should be completed in a year. By that time the state department is expected to have its own world-wide information service some of whose personnel may be former OWI men under : Assistant Secretary of State Willlam B. Benton, *

So They Say—