Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 18 December 1947 — Page 24

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The Indianapolis Times|"

ROY W. HOWARD WALTER LECKRONE HENRY W. MANZ

PAGE 24 Thursday, Dec. 18, 1947 ew A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER = «@8pw+

Owned and published dally (except Sunday) by Indianapolis Times Publishing Co, 214 W. Maryland St. Postal Zone 9. - ' Methber of United Press, Scripps-Howard Newspaper Alliance, NEA Service, and Audit Bureau of Circulations. - Price in Marion County, § cents a copy; delivered by carrier, 25¢ a week, ; Mall rates in Indiana, $5 a year; all other states, 0. 8B. possessions, Canada and Mexico, $1.10 »

month, . Telephone RI ley 55681, Give Light and the People Will Find Thelr Uwn Woy . 9 . 2% : Russia’s New Prices :

, THE» Communist Daily Worker, doing its duty as the . Kremlin's mouthpiece in America, cheers lustily for what Soviet Russia has ‘just done to the ruble, Official disclosure that the Russians, too, have been suffering from severe inflation, doesn't abash the Daily Worker. It asserts that the Soviet government now has “succeeded magnificently” in increasing the output of food and other goods, thus solving. its monetary problems. And it contrasts the happy lot of the Russia people with the miserable prospect for Americans oppressed, as it says, by monopoly prices, capitalistic greed, profiteering thievery and artificial shortages. Well, it's true that ruble devaluation may ease to some extent the hardships of some Russian workers. Of course, they will lose nine-tenths of any currency they may have on hand, and two-thirds of any money they may have invested in government bonds. But their wages are not to be cut, and a good many prices are to be reduced.

» THE WAGE "of an average crew foreman in a.Russian factory, according to the latest available information, is 870 rubles a month. That's about $165, at the official exchange rate which places the value of the ruble at 19 cents. (The ruble’s actual value probably is nearer 3 cents.) The average wage of American factory workers, according to government statistics, is about $220 a month. After devaluation, the Russian crew foreman will continue to get the same number of new rubles as-he did of the old. Naw let's see some of the new reduced prices he will have to pay. The following are quoted fromr the official Moscow figures for the zone in Russia where the Soviet government has ordered prices kept lowest, and are figured at the same official exchange rate: Rye bread, 2415 cents a pound; sugar cubes, $1.12 a pound; veal, first class, $1.99 a pound; vegetable oil, $2 a pound ; butter, $5.34 a pound; milk, 45 to 63 ¢ents a quart; eggs, $2.88 to $3.12 a dozen; tea, 88 cents an ounce; coffee, $6.48 a pound; toilet soap, 76 cents a bar; man’s leather

i . 'BOUTEN JEB

" Jeb uster fesd his misery ° With his fallures an’ regret;

From the way it ‘allus et.

All ‘his fearin’ an’ his worry ‘Bout what he'd orter done, "Til it got him down so awful low He went dan’ took his gun,

But when lookin’ down .the barrel : With his finger on the trigger, Sumpthin’ sez to him as plain as day "“Now Jeb jes stop an’ figger,

Best way to starve yore misery Is quit:.thinkin' 'bout yore self, Per this w is full of people Who would ‘preciate yore help

Fer their loads air powerful heavy An’ youd orter be a-girdin’ To 'fill the Good Book's order An’ to bear anuther's burden.”

Bo Jeb started in a-workin’ Put his gun back on the shelf, An’ in helpin’ other sufferers He jes plumb fergot hisself,

® 4 { A Rochester man handed out match books wi

Anyway, it's a striking idea! “ 4

AUNT SAIRY'S SOLILOQUY

Jest settin’ an’ a rockin’ Whin I hain't much else to do, Thinkin’ .of the happy days Thet come to me an’ you— How yisterday wuz Easter Now Christmas time is here An’ allus whin I thinks o' thet Hit brings a happy tear. Beems lak of all the days This one's the most complete, We love to brings our gifts An’ lay 'em at His feet. Oh! Cancha hear thim angels A singin’ “Silent Night!” Don't hit grip ye with the feelin’ Thet everything's all right? Oh! ‘Cancha see thet Baby As He sleeps , , . 80 peacefully Thet blessed baby Jesus Who came fer you an’ me! . ~ANNA E. YOUNG. * ¢ ¢

the knocking. ® > 9

shoes, $49.40 to $564.72 a pair; man's worsted suit, $266 to $285; woman's woolen dress, $97 to $106; woman's cotton stockings, $1.33 to $1.43. a pair.

FOR THE sake of the Russian people, we hope their government will defeat inflation and raise their living standards to something nearer the American level. But the figures make it clear that the battle is far from won. They also make it clear, we think, that our own terrible capitalistic system is doing a great deal better than the Daily Worker would like the American people to believe.

After the London Conference THOUGH the Big Four conference in London has broken down it was not useless. It at least clarified the situation. It proved conclusively that in the foreseeable future Russia will not co-operate with the Western nations in German and Austrian peace settlements and in European rehabilitation. . The same deadlock has existed ever since Stalin welshed on his Potsdam agreement and deadlocked the first Foreign Ministers Conference in September, 1945. "Yet during all this long impasse there always has been a possibility, however slight, that Stalin really wanted a settlement and was | merely trying to get a better bargain. So the Western democracies patiently have endured the insults and delays | of repeated phony conferences with Russia, hoping against hope that the Kremlin might finally accept some workable compromise. That hope is now gone—as shown by the agree even on another conference in the future,

NO INTELLIGENT American will "rejoice for a moment over this now accepted break between Russia and the | democracies. It makes recovery for a suffering Europe far more difficult. It makes a global United Nations almost impossible. It invites a revival of defeated German nationalism to cash in on the quarrels of victorious allies that are now pofential enemies. It makes a Japanese settlement harder. It mutiplies the danger of another world war. Therefore no responsible American government has or will close the door on future agreement with Russia’ If and when Russia is ready to carry out in good faith the basic commitments she has made with the Western nations for a just and enduring peace, America will welcome her cooperation with relief, But the time has passed when we can sit waiting for “that sign of Soviet sanity, Two vears of waiting have almost wrecked our chances of saving even Western Europe, Every week of further delay will be more costly. There no longer is any excuse for delaying unification of the three Western zones of Germany in default of all German unity, Jt must be more than the timorous paper | bi-zonal affair which the Washington and London governments have fooled around with for a year. And, if France knows what is good for her, that unification will include the French 2one.” :

THIS Is urgently essential not only for economic and security reasons in a dangerously disintegrating Germany, but also for recovery of the Western European democracies, which are so dependent on Ruhr production; And it is the mly way to getthe U. S. zone in Germany off the American ole and to end the American subsidies to 19 other nations. Cussing won't cure European chaos or stop Soviet aggression. Onl§¥ a successful Marshall Plan of American

aid for self-helping democracies and close security co-opera-

tion will do the job.

Ho-Hum : JOHN L. LEWIS, as‘practically everybody expected, has taken his United Mine Workers out of the American Federation of Labor again. Ln : This time he did it with a charmingly courteous note to William Green, Scrawled in blue pencil on a half-sheet of paper; it read in full: : ” “Green: We disaffiliate. Lewis.” We seem to hear sighs of relief. Could they be com-

WHITE SPLENDOR

The snow is white on the ground tonight, And the frost is In the air; Snowflakes are falling soft and white, With a brilliance everywhere,

The air so still sends for a thrill To the heart of everything; Each tiny sound tries to pierce the still ~ With a sharpness that seems to ring.

The moon so high up in the sky, Sends a luminous ray of gold. And as it caresses the stars on high, They grow more bright and bold.

The snow may bring a sign of Spring, A grass blade here or there; Whatever the sign you'll want to sing, For Spring is in the air.

It's things like this that bring us bliss, And give visions of flowers that nod, For nothing's so sweet as springtime's kiss, And the thought that it's furnished by God. ~—BESSIE CLARK.

¢ 4

BREAKFAST BLUES

There's many a choleric man Who has what it takes Tao smile. dnd look” pleased “When served sausage and cakes

‘With the Times

An' its appertite was awful ey

~CATFISH PETE.

a picture of his baby and a plea for an apartment.

A college professor contends that hard knocks are good for a man. Unless, of course, he's doing

-F., P. M.

IN WASHINGTON . . . By Douglas Larsen

un « Retired Officers Thrown Into Dither

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18—Those regula? Army and Navy officers,

NATIONAL AFFAIRS . . . By Marquis Childs Hoover Outlines Function of FBI

NEW YORK, Dec. 18—Some time ago I called attention to a statement by Clifford J. Durr of the Federal Communications Commission. In that statement Mr. Durr expressed concern over “unsolicited” reports from the FBI on persons connected with the radio industry, This seems to have stirred a considerable controversy. Sen. Homer Capehart of Indiana has made a bellicose demand for a congressional investigation of what he calls an attempt to “sabotage” the work of the FBI. It goes without saying that Mr, Durr had no such intention. He was concerned, as many Americans are, with the current near-hysteria over communism that seems at times to be meant to intimidate all th8se who do not hold the narrowest and most conservative views, : J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI, in a letter to me, has stated clearly the policy of the FBI. I want to quote the pertinent part of that letter: “First ‘of all, let me assure you that at no time has the ‘bureau attempted, in any manner of degree, to influence thie decisions of the Federal Communications Commission. As a matter of fact, the bureau has no official interest whatsoever in the decision or

administrative policies of the FCC.

Supplies ‘Pertinent’ Information ° “THE BUREAU, however, during the course of its investigations of allegations of violations of federal statutes, receives a considerable amount of miscellaneous information which relate to the operation of other government agencies. It is obviously impossible for the bureau to evaluate the significance of much of this information or its effect upon the contemporary policies ard programs of those agencies. “As a result, the bureau does furnish to various government departments such information as it receives which appears pertinent to the operations of those government departments. Insofar as is prac-

tical, thé bureau attempts to evaluate the reliability of the source of such information without attempting

to make any suggestions whatsoever as to the use which should or should not be made of the information itself, “I sincerely believe that the bureau would be subject to justifiable criticism if it withheld

‘vhe has no desire nor intention to make policy in

information of this kind from other government agencies or attempted to evaluate the significance of such information or attempted to indicate what action should be taken upon the information. “I believe it is the responsibility of the individual government department to evaluate and take appropriate action on such information as is furnished by the bureau rather than for the bureau to attempt to determine whether this information is or is not important or pertinent to current programs or problems of individual government departments, with many of which.the bureau cannot even be currently acquainted. >

Not a Policy-Making Agency “I DESIRE to advise you further that at no time has this bureau ‘initiated investigations’ which pertain to the propriety or impropriety of the Federal Communications Commission's taking action upon any matter pending before that commission. The bureau does not ‘initiate’ ‘investigations of this kind but confines its operations solely and exclusively to the discharge of those responsibilities placed upon the bureau by Congress.” This says emphatically what Mr. Hoover has often said before, both publicly and privately—that

these matters. He is a technical agency carrying out the directives of the several branches of the gov= ernment. : It seems to me reasonable that he should pass | on to other agencies information he considers relevant to their operation. If the other agencies consider this information irrelevant, or even foolish and baseless, as Mr. Durr stated, that is not the concern of the FBI, which has discharged its duty. It seems to me important that the public should understand the true function of the FBI Perhaps in this connection a congressional investigation might serve a useful purpose. : Such an investigation would be useful only if it were aimed at getting all the facts, Sen. Capehart sounded as though he wanted merely to get another broomstick and start riding off through the night sky, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” That Is as profoundly true today as it was when it was first uttered. .

Hoosier Forum *1 do not agree with a word that you ay, but | will defend to the death your right fo say 1."

‘Clean Up the Court House’ By Taxpayer of Marion County. . “Hoosiers to Pay Record Property Tax Bill im 48.” “Judge Rabb Wants a New Courtroom.” . < My taxes only jumped $11 over 48 for '47 and” still they. want to put them higher. As for the dirt and filth that is around the Court House, that is the fault of the officeholders . who were.elected by the people to look after the people’s interests in such public buildings as the Court House who did not do their job. ; Money is appropriated each year to take care of the cleaning. and upkeep of public buildings and if this money was spent right in the past and proper supervision over the help in public buildings they would nat be in the rundown condition they are at the present time. - I know no one will pay any attention to my rune ning off at the mouth about these things because. I am only a taxpayer, not a tax spender. But still I have got it 6ff my chest. ! I say if Judge Rabb does not like his quarters then he should step down and as far as the jury is concerned it is their public duty to serve and they should not expect plush surroundings and as far as the people who have to use the courts if they stay on the right side of the law they would not be there in the first place, ° : So I say get after the help, clean the place up and the old Court House will look the best in the country. * % 9

‘Everlasting Lesson to Mankind’ By Stan Moore, 2858 N. Illinois, City. All o'er the earth the boys have gone, their souls sold to the theme that war is-best for everyone and peace is but a dream. All o'er the earth the corpses stand, their arms spread to the breeze that brings the prayers from countless homes, from mothers on their knees. For o'er the earth, where, heroes fell! and found their lonely graves, the mothers will nos drop their tears so far across the waves. So o'er . the earthy on crosses white and on the waves at sea, the cenotaphs set up by green mark paths to victory, - All thoughts of glory, glamour and even viee tory are being beclouded by the fetid odor of the aftermath of war. The mothers of the earth have had their souls wrung by agony ever since the start of the bloody mess. But those who have looked to gain by it in some way are even now seating themselves, as they. gather together to further scrape the bones of the body politic. The white crosses over the earth should be an evere lasting lesson to mankind of the depths to which the greedy in power can drag the nations. > o>

‘Merry Christmas, Girl Scouts’

By Mrs. Raymond Walker, Leader Troop No. 178, School 15, of 2302 E. Michigan St. No publicity, no pictures, not doing anything big enough for that, what are they doing and who is doing what—a swell bunch of Girl Scouts, 37 to be exact, troop No. 178 are just making some vases for Mom aut of scraps of crepe paper’ from paper dresses that they will wear in a pageant they are giving to bring their white gifts for 37 aged people who will have a scant Christmas at best. Each child will see her aged friend gets his or her gift with a Merry Christmas wish that will come from the sincere heart of a child, Merry Christmas, Girl Scouts, everywhere, from a leader who has learned a lot from you. eo &

‘Need Assurance of Cleanliness’ By W. O. Thiele, 239 N. Illinois St. I applaud your articles on sanitary conditions of restaurants. I eat most of my meals in restaue rants. One of the insanitary conditions I note is the handling of butter with the fingers. Butter is one of the most absorbers of germs, I suggest the adoption and enforcement of a rule that each slice of butter must show the prick marks of at least two tines of a fork to make it. appear more appetizing than the fingerprints of the server. The assurance of clean butter and a sparkling glass of water ‘wins confidence and creates an appetite resulting in a larger order, more business, a repeat call ‘ahd a recommendation from the

[Side Glances—By Galbraith

patron,

_ |woRrLD AFFARRs .... By William Philip Simms | Adopted Nephews Feel Neglected

WASHINGTON, Deo. 18—As rich old Uncle Sam goes on shelling

who patiently sweated out their active duty with the hope of some day retiring on a modest income and living an obscure, quiet life, are Having a hard time of it these days. First, as a result of the Benny Meyers case, most of the highranking officers recently have had their income tax records carefully checked by the Bureau of Internal Revenue and their business connections checked by the FBIL Then Congress decided to investigate just how much money they are receiving as retirement pay, and how many have retired with a

disability status, which is much more lucrative than simple retirement.

And now has come along the last straw for the retired corps. Congress threatens to investigate how" they are able to get paid by the

government to go to college, take dancing lessons and go ‘‘joy riding” i

in airplanes. It's ‘all strictly legal, at the moment, under a generous interpreta-

tion of the GI Bill of (Rights,

Sought to Encourage Re-enlistments

SHORTLY "AFTER the war ended, the Veterans Administration ruled that mere eligibility—anything other than a dishonorable dis-charge-—qualified a man for the GI Bill benefits. This interpretation was partly given to encourage men to stay in the service, by letting servicemen get GI loans to buy houses. It meant that a man could stay in service and still ‘be a veteran under the law, But it was soon discovered that this “elinitility” ruling also gave all retiring officers the advantage of the GI Bill. It gave them the right to get free college training, to enroll in dancing courses and get pilot training, along with the youths who had served under them. And, although the VA central office doesn’t have the statistics on how many of them have used the GI Bill and can't furnish names, it is admitted that plenty of retired military men have taken advantage of the varied veterans’ benefits, and are still doing so.

Then, last summer, the question came up of net only giving the |

retired men the free benefits, but also of giving them subsistence money. The law says that the government will give a veteran, attending school under the GI BY up to $90 a month subsistence for. his living expenses. But it als ys that if a veteran Is working outside of his classes, his total income, while in school, can't be more than $200 a month. In other words, if a veteran had a job which paid him $165

a month, VA would only give him the difference between that and |

Pay Not ‘Compensation ‘for Labor’ : THE QUESTION was whether retirement pay of over $200 a month

| would disqualify a man from receiving any subsistence allotment.

Gen. Omar Bradley, VA administrator, settled this with a decision which said that “retirement pay of Navy (and Army) personnel should not be considered ‘compensation for productive labor’ ™ and, therefore, wouldn't keep a retired officer from getting subsistence payments up to $90 a month, regardless of how much his retirement pay Was. .

intent of Congress when it: passed the GI Bill of Rights. Several members of ‘Congress, who helped draft the GI Bill, have suggested that the use of GI benefits by retired officers be investigated with an eye to stopping it. If any action is taken along this line, it will probably be handled by the House Veterans’ Committee, The American Lbgion, at the request looking

of several Congressmen, is

Rep. Claire BE. Hoffman (R: Mich.), chairman of the House’ Com- | mittee ‘on Expenditures of the Executive Departments, says he thinks | the "education and training-of retired: officers was certainly not the |

ing from Mr, Gr een and other members of the AFL heir- now into the whole subjéct of possible abuses of the veterans’ Xo ans . Yo eo

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= $969 BY NEA

"Junior is serious about that new girl of his, all right—he asked me how about getting on that program that gives away iceboxes!"

are taking flight training merely to be joy riding in the sky. It is also ‘known that some retired officers are in group. VA officials admit that it is very likely that many retired officers aren't taking the varied courses with any intent of increasing their earning power or of rehabilitating themselves, which are the sole aims of the whole veterans’ program,

So They Say

A FORM of compulsory health insurance for ‘those Who cannot pay for voluntary insurance can be devised, adequately safeguarded, without involving what has been termed “socialized medicine.” . =Bernard M. Baruch.

” ol

. ..8 =» ng WE ARE ALREADY in the advanced stages of this disease (infla- | tion). It is no longer a question of ‘preventing it, but of moderating -

so far as possible its ultimate ravages. 2 4 ' w==Marriner 8S. Eccles, chairman, Federal Reserve Board.

- ~ ” WE ARE HOPING. to succeed where Despair is a mortal sin, 3 & = » "8 8 » :

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“| and the finished product. rl 8. ; Lacking:

out billions of dollars to aid European recovery, one of his own adopted nephews, the republic of the Philippines, is beginning to feel | neglected. “It isn’t that we are not glad to see other hard-hit countries ree | ceiving this help,” Philippine Ambassador Joaquin M. Elizalde remarked to me before he left for a 60-day visit to Manila, “On the contrary. : “But the Philippines also took a terrible beating during the war and, like Europe, are finding recovery a slow and difficult business, “Maybe,” the young diplomat added with a wry smile, “we have not taken the right approach. Maybe we should have dramatized the Red menace more. Maybe we should have said the Commies would take us over unless the United States hurried to our aid. “However, the Philippines do need further assistance if our re covery is not to be seriously delayed, with unfortunate repercuse sions at home and abroad.” ¢

A Philippine Marshall Plan?

ASKED WHAT would be the minimum in the way of additional ald from the United States, the ambassador replied it would be hard to say offhand, but he thought it might be around $200 million. or about $50 million a year for the next four years. Nor was he talking in terms of a loan. What he had in mind was a sort of Philippine Marshall Plan, The rehabilitation act passed by Congress in 1946, and the Philip pine Trade Act of that same year, were widely regarded as the final

authorized a total expenditure by the United States of $620 million for rehabilitation—including $400 million for settlement of ware damage claims, The trade act established terms of commercial relations between the two countries for a period of 28 years, dating from 1946, There would be free trade for the first eight years, followed by 20 years of gradually declining trade preferences. Since passage of the acts—which Congress regarded as setting up the new republic in business—our tendency has been .to turn our atténtion morg and more in the direction of Europe and forget the Philippines. : !

Political and Social Disturbances MEANWHILE, the Philippines have had their troubles. Govern-

It would be unfair, however, to pretend that the United States ashed its hands of its former ward. La

But just as technicians in Britain, France, Italy and other coun ‘tries have found, there is a lot of difference between a blueprint

king: machinery and equipment, as well as sufficient capital, manufacturing has lagged in the Philippines. Rehabilitation of the industry has moved slowly. Agriculturé—before the war main’ source of wedlth—has owed to the produce Philippines are still largely a yardstick by which Asisties American . SW, ALS We tau SHY 0 SRS; B,.-,

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payoff for our former “possession” in the Western Pacific. The one

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