Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 15 January 1949 — Page 10

an 10 . Saturday ov, 35, 10

Earn

BE Give Light end the People Will Fina Thew Oion Wov

‘Natural Gas for Sale? FSEAE tive yours: age Citisns Gas sod Coke Utilty decided to buy some natural gas to supplement the manufactured gas it makes here—but of which it was not able to make enough to meet the needs of the city. Bids were asked from the industry for the purchase. No bids were received. - / ; There appesred to be 10 ‘gas for sale Eventually : the Utility filed a petition with the Federal Power Com- * mission asking, in effect, that the FPC compel a distributor to sell Indianapolis some gas. ; That petition is still pending. . =» . » ” THE production of manufactured gas ere still falls ‘far short of the immediate and prospective needs of the city. Installation of gas for home or other heating. has been shut off for two years. The supply cannot be

market for coke will be smaller, not greater, in the next . few years. Some reports indicate it is shrinking a little

alternative is to get a supply of natural gas. But " natural gas, as the experience of the Utility here in trying to buy some, is hard to get, too. The demand is very - great, all over the middle west, and many cities are trying

+ ae. Communism in China

tt ten ee ra A

ing our official hands and saying it is either too soon or | too late, is not part of our bipartisan foreign policy.” .

the bipartisan approach is not mers matter of “appeasing minority,” but on “developing an American foreign £ policy that will have broad public support and reliable con- _ tinuity” * 2 The warning is timely and well taken. he

i5E

" Department is casting about for ways of making friends ‘of any regime that may emerge” if Chiang’ Kai-shek is forced out, even if this involves doing business with a ~“Tito-type orientation” among" the Chinese Communists. ” . LJ » y » DO ANY of the so-called experts in the State Department actually believe such an appeasement program would have “broad public support”? John Q. Public isn't quite that sappy. Commenting on thé Newsweek report, Maj. Gen. David Prescott Barrows, former presigent of the University of California, said: “If these fellows, whose names are unknown to us, had any sense of shame they would go and jump in the Potomac. For they have not only proved themselves to - be incompetent, but the betrayers of a 50-year-old American policy of standing by Nationalist China, protecting her territorial integrity and preserving the open door.” The 50-year-old policy to which Gen. Barrows referred, . was a bipartisan policy, from its inception under John Hay until Cordell Hull retired from the State Department. It is as much as part of our traditional foreign policy as the Monroe Doctrine. What has happened to it? - ” » » » ” CHIANG KAI-SHEK was a loyal, dependable ally through the war. He kept all of his commitments to us, as well as those we made for him, including the ill-advised deal at Yalta that installed the Russians at Port Arthur and Dairen. But that relationship with Chiang Kai- shek has been sabotaged by the State Department. :

ARRAS +

* ‘tionalist China from communism, in our opinion, although _ there is room for honest disagreement on that score. * But one thing we can and should do. An official statement by our government should set at rest all rumors and assump- + tions that any American money will be used to finance or support a Communist government in China.

A Subsidy Pays Off RE us know that American ship lines operating to foreign ports receive an ‘operating-differential subsidy. dvi What is not so well known is that our ship lines must _ repay those subsidies if and when their earnings permit. So it is a pleasant surprise to a lot of taxpayers to read "that American Export Lines has paid back to the Maritime Commission the entire sum of its subsidy receipts for the

materially increased without a huge additional investment |

of letting China go Communist by default, of wring-

' the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who remarked that |

? Newsweek magazine recently reported that “the State |

- ry Eh

In Tune

“With the Times | |

’

Barton Rees Pogue MONDAY MORNING BLUES

Under the ‘bed covers I burrow

bit I collect mysel! and face the bitter ordeal of starting’ another week. Why can’t maids be obtained on the Christmas tree? I do ‘dislike dressing myself. Ot. wel), I suppose a maid

hear that, “Good Morning peppy enough. I gues it's not such a bad morning after all. Let's get going! ~—~JOSEPHINE BUCH, Westfield

OUTWARD BOUND

The night's blue bowl is filled with stars that spin And whi Iaugh outer spage—and slip

Beyond 300 od — horizon's silvered rim-—

Till time has swung the ordered. cycle round. ;

: ‘The certain course is set for souls—like

. stars— With chart and compass—in frail barques " of — The Pilot Light across the harbor bar Will bring them safely home at close of day.

" Each comes to his appointed task on Earth—

And time writes ‘In the. measure of his worth. 1 -—HAZEL LEWIS Hoy nA. Franklin.

CHRISTMAS CARDS

* When the hustle of Christmas is quiet There's one thing I look forward to—

; I'll sit down and once more go over Christmas

Wishes from’ you. . .

—ESTHER KEM THOMAS, Columbus. * * o

WRENS' WRINKLES

for maintaining a chance for Our Country at Peace. . . Business indicators indicate that there is some indication of a change indicated with an airy J op Whether we shiver | the cold or 8 In the heat, let us reto keep warm hearts and cool heads. . Wrens advises his readers—both of them—that he having trouble keeping his wrinkles

«LUIS B. WRENS, Indianapolis. > 9 ¢ .

EDITOR'S HELPER

Now, this may sound a little queer, + ‘And sort-a out-a place, But I am stickin’ this in here To help Pogue fill up the space. «WALTER NEWTON REED, Indianapolis.

~jtself did half the

¢ ra RAN 4 [ ghd LR \ SN Ye

\

AEA AIR—. ©

My. but " Fog s Thick Today’

* CALIFO

an

Industry .

. By Peter Edson

U.S. Aid Seen As Boon to Steel

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15—There may be considerable wasted breath in all the present hullabaloo over President Truman's alleged proposal to nationalize or socialize the steel in-

dustry. Anyone who will go back to the record of the

. war years will find that the stéel industry really

ouglit to be cheering any government proposal to build it more steel plants. The reason is that all wartime activity in this business turned out to be a great boon and windfall to private Industry. In all, there were 150 steel-making facilities ‘built at government expense. Fifty-two were fron and steel-making plants proper. Fifty were foundries, 16 were forge plants, and 32 were alloy furnaces, mines, coal and coke plants and so forth, ‘The government built these plants at premium prices. Often the government units were in! ted with existing facilities that the private steel companies themselves owned. In short, the government merely expanded their capacity to make money, for free. The government then gave these companies contracts to operate the plants, And when the war was over, the government sold the plants to private operators at about 37 cents on the dollar of original cost. To date, roughly 100 plants costing $680 million have been sold for $250 million.

No Business Complaint

IF the Truman doctrine for enlarging steel production—or any other industry—should work out that way in the future, it's hard to see how private business can have any complaint, The taxpayers may be entitled to complain, however. In all fairness, the government does not rightly deserve all the credit for ‘today’s increased Steskmaiing capacity. Private industry job, and is doing more- now. The war plants were designed for war production only. Private industry has to spend many millions to convert them for peacetime production. U. 8. steel-making capacity has increased by 17 per cent, or 15 millon tons, to a total of 95.5 million tons during the war. To get this increased capacity, the government invested

$1.311,000,000. Private industry invested $1213, 1 000,000, Total $2,548,000,000

The government's share of this. built 20> complete steel plants costing $5,000,000 or more aplece, for a total of $770 million. In addition

there were built 121 other plants or units along-

side existing facilities of the private steel com-

panies to increase their capacity. These cost Jess than $5 million apiece for a total of $541 million. When it came to selling or leasing these facilities - to private industry for peacetime operation, there were some amagzing--bargains. * Biggest plant of the lot, at Geneva, Utah, which™ cost $200 million, was sold to Geneva Steel for $47,500,000. Carnegie-Illinois got a $22 million plant at Braddock, Pa., for $14 million ahd an $86 million plant at Homestead, Pa., for $44 million. And so on, .

D"-nesal Job About Completed

THE War Assets Administration job of disposing of surplus steel plants is now just about completed. Bids on purchase of ig Copr. big" vernment steel pro, four

. weld plants at Warren, O., will be ©

21. These plants cost $19 million new. rier they are sold, WAA will have left a steel foundry at Pittsburg, Calif, and two open hearth furnaces at Indiana Harbor and Chicago. That will mark the end of the first great t in nationalizing American steel production, save for collecting rents from governmenf steel plants still under lease to private industry. In all, the government has now leased 27plants which had an original cost of $159 million. There is no available figure on what the government collects as rents.

U.S. Investment Paid Off

THE important thing about this business, however, is that all the steel plants and units built by the government vod om the war are now in operation. A few of the plants were cannibalized.- That is, their was moved to other plants. But none of this capacity was scrapped, and none is now idle save possibly for the experimental sponge iron plant at Warren, O. The govérnment's wartime investment in increasing steel capacity paid off in that it is ngw. providing not only goods but also jobs. The deduction from this could be that if the government had not gone into the steel business during the. war, there would today be still greater shortages of steel products, prices and maybe. more unemployment, And

i

“Hoosier Forum

————— Go do not agree with a word thet yousay, bub}

“Keep letters 200 words or less on any sub- | ject with which you. are familiar. - Some letters | used will be edited but content will be pre- |

Hits Church G Group Action

the city. This action of the Federation places Protestants of the city in the position of not trusting

vented or healed by the healthy air of legal action. For the sake of protecting democratic freedom of thought, alcohol must be legalized and that way, and the pari-mutuel must be

on as ig iy. duly The work in of the Federation is noble. We believe that in this specific pari mut! bonus it is not

* oo»

Such is the glory of our American press, radio and democracy—we anally gut the truth,

Views on the News By DAN KIDNEY AMBASSADOR KOO says peace in China “now depends upon the Communists.” That makes the peace aves a ant pigeon.

and Indonesia and the cold war in Berlin, 1949 got away to Speacatul art :

PERCENTAGES prove that the Republicans didn’t get beat very badly, but that doesn’t affect the patronage. : ®.¢ ¢ . PRESIDENT TRUMAN'S $41,858,000,000 . budget shows that guns and butter are both tm vv -¢ @

ANOTHER bumper wheat’ crop will only prove that flour has nothing to do with the price

the war might have been lost.

of bread.

will defend to the death your vight fo say i"

Bruner Jr, Restor, :

the highest governing body of the state

OUTSIDE of the hot wars in China, Israel

ST"YETARY FORRESTAL . « « By Marquis Childs

Gets Most Criticism

Side Glances

By Galbraith

POLITICS IN CONGRESS . . . By Charles T. Lucey Democrats on ‘Spot’

It is not too late to save a substantial part of Na-

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15—More than any other figure in the Truman administration, Secretary of Defense James Forrestal has been the target of criticism and attack since the November election. In most of these attacks he is represented as the spokesman of big business—until his resignation in 1940 he was president of the powerful financial firm of Dillon, Read & Co.—seeking to restore private ownership and the old cartel system in Germany's Rulir. He is also accused of being imperialistic and antiZionist because of his public insistence that ofl from the Middle East is essential to American security and the success of the Marshall Plan. From this the attack has been carried one step further to link him with Secretary of State George C. Marshall and Unde:secretary Robert A. Lovett, both to retire in a week, as sponsors of an anti-Russian foreign policy. He has been called a warmonger and his resignation has been predicted and freely anticipated by his attackers. During this period Secretary Forrestal has sald nothing. Because it seemed important to me to try to get some idea of his views, 1 submitted questions to him related to the attacks made on him, Now that it is clear that he will remain in the Cabinet indefinitely, which means at least a year, his answers have an even greater interest. The questions and the answers by Becretary Forrestal follow.

No Interest in Firm

QUESTION: Do you.have any interest in Dillon, Read & Co, that has down to the present? If so, what is the nature of that interest? If you were to retire, wonld you expect to go back to Dillon, Read? - Answer: I do not have, and have not had since 1940, an interest in Dillon, Read & Co. I have made no plans for m activity when I retire from government service, , Question: In your opinion would Dillon, Read benefit if industry in the Ruhr were restored to private owners from the past? . Answer: 1 have no knowledge of the activities or interests of that firm at the present time, but I see no likelihood of any American investment participation in the industry of the Ruhr. Question: Are you in favor of restoring industry , to the German corporations that held ownership prior to 19407

Answer: no opinfon. Question: In your iF Sinton is it possible to restore capitalism of the American free $0 AEpEiny type in western Europe and specifically n weer,

in the Ruhr This question has not come before me and I have -

, GOP. 149 BY WEA BERVIOL, WNC. 7. M, REC. U. § PAT. OFF,

“Next Christmas we'll buy Junior -some books=his physical development is good enough!”

ad inevitable. Any concept of war Initiated by the United States is unthinkable. Question: What, in your opinion, sire the prospects for peace in the next two or three years? - Answer: If we can maintain a reasonable degree of military

" strength and conduct girseives with calmness and reason; I

think peacé can be maintain Question: What is your rir 3 in helping to shape American foreign policy?

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15—-Aggressive tactics by Senate Republicans has put the Democrats over the barrel in such a way as to threaten a bitter split in their ranks and endanger ime portant parts of the Truman program.

With the session only 12 days old, the GOP has grabbed the advantage by needling the Democratic leadership into action

aimed at limiting Senate filibusters ‘and opening the way to"

consideration of civil-rights legislation. Southern Democrats are prepared to fight both moves to the limit of their lung power. This can mean tying up the Senate so that legislation on housing, minimum wages, and labor law Revision Stil be delayed seriously. nate Rules Committee’ has voted to hearings on Jan. 24 to consider rules changes which Ao iy limit the power of filibustering Senators who year after year have been able to talk civil-rights bills to death. But 17 Southerners announced they would oppose such change. A record-breaking filibuster is the prospect,

Long Delay Possible

BUT even if the rule change is adopted after such a filibuster, the Republicans then may press for immediate action

on anti-lynching or anti-poll tax legislation. With the new rules

A effect, weeks still could be lost in debate before cloture could be applied by a two-thirds vote to kill off the oratory. mocratic Party leaders are aware of the hazards to the Truman program. But the President has pledged himself re peatedly to do something about civil rights, Smashing the ill buster powers of the Southerners is necessarily a part of doing something. Democratic leaders wonder if the prospect should not be faced squarely once and for all, Some Democratic leaders contend that, if the anti-filibuster

other measurés were as much a part of the program as civil

rights and that they should be taken up first. On this théy would have the votes fo make the Republicans like It.

Pledged by GOP

WHEN the special session énded last August leade pledged themselves 1 do smelling. shout ing Asiers. y They believed they would return as Senate bosses, of They didn’t, but Ben. Robert A. Taft decided to press for aval. Sen. Alben W. Barkley, Vice President-elect, oF Aste o now mocrat-controlled Rules Commit such a change favorably, Belo: Jeport

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New Mor

On Retail

The Indian sion today moratorium applications, Friday. The tinue until n The actior newal of the which expire Three exce torium were dealers such rary beer pe for picnics, | cations of rs

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PARTLY cou

Sen. William P. Knowland first: o bi bg years, amounting to $5,252,628.00—81 per cent of ‘Anawar: T find Jt impossible fo to predict the form of business ER erver american foreign policy 1s shaped by the Presitent, | te anti-ANwater enangs. Solent to have up c hearings Eo nig . which ‘went for seamen’s wages. ‘enterprise which will prevail in western Europe and-.in western The "The naconal Milkiry on 10 is Stjrsation af hs Yak bt wa dated 1 th in Comptes. To agin Med It is encouraging to learn that this American line, Question: Do you believe that war with communiem, as to the extent of its Fesponabiites as 4 participa A ‘The rule change oud vei Jan 2 7 speed and general efficiency, can. hold its own and represented in the Soviet Union and the satellite countries, is | in the National Security Council, which is charged the duty | two-thirds cloture i I adapetd provides te. ; ina ; : Simost certain to within, say, na of advising the President with respect to the integration of | business instead of only to “measures” as at ae wi yy money Said witly many ; y. foreign operators. . Ansyer; In 4"24e Aumocsaty aver Wan. Regie Wax , domestic, foreign and military policies, . omission permits almost endless oratory under the present rules, map shows W si x XY A et . deta wo I wis a % : a % Cleef 4 A hi a BL on Sei Wii : ts i : fo ie ad i i Gh y Fo 4 2