Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 July 1950 — Page 12

PAGE 12 Monday, July 24, 1950

Price In . 5 sents a copy for d and 10¢ Ed duit. , 286, AR piso 3 oe ran a trans dafly 5 Sul . $10.00 & daily 500 5 rear, Susdey fh 3 HI $1.10 & Sa 02 Toc» copy : Telephone RI ley 5651 Give IAght and the People Willi Find Thew Uwn Way

All Sides of the Truck Issue LSEWHERE on this page we publish a letter by Ned P. Booker, who operates a Kokomo trucking line. “Mr. Booker feels that we haven't given the truck industry’'s side of the Indiana highway picture, or at least not all of it. For that reason alone we're glad to print his views on the subject, even if we can't quite agree with them. But in addition to that, Mr. Booker includes some very sound ideas that we do agree with, and which we believe, with him, would go a long way toward improving the present situation. Especially we invite your consideration of the constructive points he suggests regarding speed, politics, and the demands of customers of truck lines and their effect on state highways. oh

LJ 3 FREIGHT hauling by. trucks has become an essential part of our whole transportation picture. Certainly it cannot be eliminated. On the contrary it is likely to increase. Truck operators who pay license fees and gasoline tax fees feel that they already are heavily taxed, and perhaps they are. ; : It is clear, however, that they still are not large enough to pay the cost of maintaining the road-bed on which they operate. The actual cost of hauling a ton of freight, per mile, by truck is more than the cost of hauling that same ton by railroad. Yet freight rates by truck are substantially lower than by rail. Railroads maintain their own road-bed. Trucks run on roads maintained partly by the general

pile. we believe they are operating on a subsidy. It may be, and probably is, true that the trucker’'s customer gets most of the advantage of that, and not the trucker himself. But the difference, in the end, comes out of the pocket of the private motorist or the general public in the form of

aything that makes highways more resistant to heavy use, naturally lowers that cost to everybody. Anything that induces all truck operators to follow the reasonable loading and speed limits urged by Mr. Booker helps to make highways last longer and thus also lowers

that cost. ; And unless highway cost is very greatly lowered the

day is not too far distant when both motorists and truckers will pay very much larger fees than they pay now to main-

Jack C. Carr Sr FEW men ever had more faith in Indianapolis than Jack Carr had. ‘On his firm confidence in the destiny of this city he built a business that was one of the largest in its field in America. And in building it he helped in a very large way to build Indianapolis toward the future he was always

so sure his community had in store. ’ ; His influence has been a major one in establishing and maintaining the high ethical standards realtors here observe. His progressive methods and alert policies in business to a large degree set the pace for the whole real estate fraternity in Indiana. His success was a constant reminder to others that the highest standards bring also the greatest rewards. ‘The organization he built and imbued with his own {deals of course will continue: But his untimely passing is a loss that will long be felt in Indianapolis.

‘The Untrained Die . ..

HE American Legion's call for universal military training is not “sabre-rattling militarism” ...as some thoughtless folks already seem to believe. Quite the contrary. It is an essential, in these dangerous. times, of peace. And it is an essential, too, of safety for the young men who will have to fight any war that may come. Legion Commander George Craig expressed it well in

* his talk last night:

“In war the trained live...the untrained die." We hope we never again have to send millions of our best young men into battle. If we do, the least we can dois

. to see that they have the training that gives them a

chance to live.

Good Friend Gone

TILLIAM LYON MacKENZIE KING, dead in Ottawa at the age of 75, was an able leader of our neighbor na-

Hon, Canada, and a good friend of the United States.

For 29 years after World War I he was leader of the Canadian Liberal Party. From 1921 to 1930, and again

: from 1835 until late 1948, he was his country's Prime Mininter, holding that high position for a total of 21 years, five months and 11 days—the longest tenure in such office in the

of the British Commonwealth, ou ‘World War II, Premier MacKenzie King

; worked tirelessly for victory over the axis powers. He gave

| effective co-operation to our own leaders after that conflict. And what he said out of the fullnce, in one of the latest of his many im-

timely counsel for us now:

Socialism Peril |

Says War Bill Would Give

Truman Too Much Power

WASHINGTON, July 24—DEAR BOSS Socialization of all American banking, industry, transportation and agriculture in the name of national defense will be possible under the administration’s allocations and control bill, in the opinion of Sen. Homer E. Capehart (R. Ind.). The senior Senator from Indiana is a member of the Seriate Banking and Currency Committee which started hearings on the measure today. Over the week-end, the Hoosier manufacturer and large-scale farmer, who is seeking a second Senate term this year, studied the bill. He worked out a whole host of questions for such government witnesses as Chairman W. Stewart Symington of the National Security Resources Board, RBecretary of Commerce Charles Sawyer and others. Chairman Burnet R. Maybank (D. 8, C.) of the Banking and Currency Committee {ntroduced the bill to carry out the economic program laid down in President Truman's Korean War message to Congress. It was written at sthe White House and he will try and find out who wrote it, Sen. Capehart said.

Asks Sweeping Powers

“NO AMERICAN Président in either war or peacetime ever has asked for or been granted such sweeping economic powers,” Sen. Capehart contended. « ‘ “Title II of the bill would give President Truman the power to requisition ‘every steel mill, automobile plant, copper mine or any other production facility he considered needed for defense purposes, There is no provision that they be returned to private ownership at all. During World War IT the law specified that such plants must be returned to the owners, or, if not wanted by them, offered at private sale. “That is not true of this measure and the only limitation is the expiration date, June 30, 1052, By that time President Truman might have used such powers so that the economic egg never could be unscrambled, He can do in one full sweep what the British Socialists have been doing plecemeal--nationalize and socialize Industry.” .

Purpose Explained

THE ADMINISTRATION bill is 8. 3936 and its purpose is explained in the title as follows: “A bill to establish a system of priorities and allocations for materials and facilities, authorize the requisitioning thereof, provide financial assistance for expansion of productive capacity and supply, strengthen controls over credit, regulate speculation on commodity exchanges, and by these measure facilitate the production of goods and services necessary for the national security, and for other purposes.” Sen, Capehart said he. intends to insist that “the American péople know the end result and consequence of what is proposed.” “I do not believe that President Truman, or any other President, should be given a blank check to nationalize all American industry and farming,” Ben. Capehart said.

Points Out Danger

CITING a provision in Title III, granting the President power to approve government loans to anyone he designates, the Senator pointed out the danger in such power being used to finance political favorites or personal

_ cronies.

“I certainly want to give the government every possible help in wartime.” he continued. “But I do not want to give the President power to nationalize and socialize the country as this bill would do, “I feel certain that if the American people thoroughly understand what this bill does they will insist that their fundamental freedoms be protected. Administration spokesmen will tell me that ‘of gourse President Truman will never use ‘such copapléte powers.’ If that is so, then he doesn't need them, without proper safeguards protecting our constitutional form of government. “There is no use spilling our blood and spending our treasure all over the world to stop comnuAism and then settle for socialism here at ome."

. My Poppies Have you ever seen the poppiés “pop” Quite early in the morning? Off pops their fuzzy little caps Without a bit of warning. Their fragile petals open up, The colors fairly gleam, In my garden are such lovely flowers, But my poppies are supreme. ~By LAURA THELMA COMSTOCK.

ISN'T IT STRANGE?

Isn't it strange that I should be In the same old home you shared with me, The same old rugs and shades of lace, The same old chairs in the same old place?

With the same panes showing the gravel way, That I watehed for vou on Saturday, And now I think, oh, isn’t it queer, That you're away and I am here? And 1 grow afraid as night draws nigh, Afraid of clouds and a darkening sky, As I think of homes that hearts hold dear, Broken apart when war clouds near, And fear is heavy as winter's sky, Leaden and gray, with a misty eye. Opal McGuire, 814 Broadway.

PROBLEM... By John W. Love

Production— Plus Economy

WASHINGTON, July 24-One of the guesses on Russian policy runs lke this: It will stir up more Communist invasions or ‘revolts, with the aim of drawing in the forces of the United Nations and getting them thoroughly pinned down the the satel

lites in widely separated places.

Then when numerous and expensive undertakings begin to

tax us and tire us, Russia's own great and fresh forces

wages. Inflation would be °

— Se

REARMAMENT . . . By Earl Richert

War Eclipses ‘Dollar Gap’ Issue

WASHINGTON, July 24—-One big foreign problem has been swept into the ash heap by

the outbreak of war in Korea—that of how to ciose the “dollar gap” in our foreign trade. “Dollar gap” is a term used to describe the difference between what we buy abroad and what we sell abroad. We've been selling miich more than weve been buying. The foreign countries have been getting the extra dollars, which they could not earn, through the Marshall Plan and military spending. Although it will take time, officials here now regard the “dollar gap” problem as over for some time to come. The rearmament program almost certainly will do the trick. We'll pour more dollars overseas for raw materials,

Mr. Gray... Set Up Shop

‘And any rearmament program will see the

allocation of additional doiiars to Buropean countries to increase their own munitions production.

May Buy Abroad

SOME of our officials think that before long we'll be buying more abroad than we sell abroad —-a goal long set by both the Truman administration and the National Association of Manufacturers. This goal was set as a peacetime objective, of course, with no thought that fit would be reached as a result of war and threat of war. The “dollar gap” has been closing rapidly in recent months as a result of the record business poom in the U. 8, and high purchases of raw materials abroad. In May, the difference between exports and imports was running at an annual rate of only $1.9 billion. Last year, the gap was nearly $6 billion between what we sold sbroad and what we bought. Former Army Secretary Gordon Gray, at the request of President Truman, recently set up shop here to make a study of how to enable European countries to earn the extra dollars needed to buy from us after the end of the Marshall Plan. “Now,” said a spokesman in Mr. Gray's office, “it seems we have been overtaken by events, Europe does not have a dollar gap in prospect, not from a long term view.”

‘Domestic-Economic Gap’

HE said the Gray office would have to “reorient” its thinking. : One official said that a “domestic-ecogomic gap” problem might supplant the “dollar gap” guestion in our. foreign relations. This would come if European countries swung into increased. war production in co-operation with us, thus

SIDE GLANCES

treating a ‘scarcity of civilian goods in thein

countries.

We might have to help them out on the civilian goods side, he said. Marshall Plan officials said they did not think increased foreign buying by the U, 8, would have any effect on their program. They pointed out that many countries, such as Italy, likely would get little benefit and continued ald would be necessary to help rebuild that country and keep it from going Communist. Several other countries likely would be in the same category, they said.

Defense of Truck

WE have read your interesting but somewhat inaccurate account of the trucking industry’'s destruction of Indiana roads under the by-line of Irving Leibowitz in Sunday's Indianapolis Times. Since far more of your readers are dependent, directly or indirectly, upon the trucking industry than on the railroads, it seems strange that you would quote almost verbatim from the

" latter's propaganda, and ignore the valid argu-

ments set forth by our Indiana Motor Truck Association. In all fairness to your readers you should point out the following: ONE. Sunday's story states that “the big truckers don't pay their share of the load to maintain the highways.” That is a rather wild statement, with no figures to support it. The industry pays hundreds of thousands of dollars into the state treasury in the form of a fourcent gasoline tax, and the state turns around and diverts a large share of it to other uses. Why should we take the blame for this? We would be happy for Mr. Leibowitz to take over

our tax bill for one year. : -

TWO. Indiana highways are inadequately built and inadequately maintained. If they were built with proper drainage, water could not collect under them, and “pumping” would not occur. Why not print something in your paper about what the tax payer pays for and what he actually gets in the way of road construction. Has anyone ever investigated the interesting question of whether the road contractors ac-

tually liVe up to road specifications? Why do -

brand new highways mysteriously break up befor they are a year old? These scandals are quickly hushed up. Why? Many roads with no heavy truck traffic develop chuckholes in them. Why is this? . THREE. This “subsidy to trucks” in the form of federal income tax deductions for over-

By Galbraith

City's Commies May Be Tough - To Handle if War Strikes Italy TRIESTE, July 24—There aren't as many Communists in Trieste as there are In Turin and Venice but they'll probably be the toughést to handle if war comes. ' : The reason is a short, fat violent man named. Vittorio Vidali, : Vidali is the head of the local pro-Stalin Reds. Actually he is far more than that. Among Italian Communists he ranks second in impor tance only to Palmiro Togliatti, the national boss. : Vidali has built a powerful organization here,

Twenty per cent of Trieste's population of 280.

000 are Communists and Vidali has taken the smartest and toughest of them into his ruling circle. As a result, the Communist Party last year captured 13 of 60 seats on the Trieste

@Lity Council and made even a stronger showing

in nearby communities, “a,

Communists Vote as Solid Bloc

THEORETICALLY, the Christian Demo cratic Party would seem to have a firm hold

on the local government here with 25 council

seats, but that's only on paper. The Communists, as they do everywhere, vote as a solid biloe, The Christian Democrats are weakened by party quarrels and by the unrelfability of the 11 other

- parties with meager council representation.

With so many Slovenes in Trieste, it might seem that the pro-Tito forces would be unusually strong. But this is practically the only region

in Italy where the Communists have stuck unswervingly to Stalin in his quarrel with Marshal Tito. In the 1949 elections the pro-Tito Reds took only one seat on the Triesté Council and did little better elsewhere,

Vidali's Communpists ‘pump vigorously for a

they profess to see nothing traitordus in their assertions that if war comes they will be on Stalin's side. It's a wonderful spot for a ddubletalking Stalinst to be'in and Vidali makes the most of it with inflammatory speeches and newspaper articles. ?

Worried About Communists

MAYOR GIANNI BARTOLI, a cultured, dee vout man, is frankly worried about the Com-

, Munists in the event of war. He scoffs at the

idea they will bear arms for Russia, but says they are sure to engage in extended sabotage and other fifth column activities. The British-American trusteeship organiza. tion, with 10,000 troops at its disposal, says nothing officially. Unofficially, it says it is ready for anything. Meanwhile, there's been a change in Vidall, After years of being one of the most accessible men in Italy, he suddenly has stopped giving interviews to foreign correspondents, Trieste doesn't like that. It looks like some= thing unpleasant is in the wind.

have heard about.

FOUR. “Big trailer trucks, tractors and semi-trailers paid $160,000 for licenses this year during the month of January.’ This is interesting in view of the fact that most truckers buy their plates in February. Why not publish a more accurate statement? Plates for an ordinary unit cost about $300.00 plus $24.00 for Public Service Commission Cards. And speaking of cards, where does the revenue from them get to? What is the solution to all this” Run the trucks off the road? No, we believe the followe ing suggestions would go far in helping the sf tuation: ONE. Take the State Highway Commission out of politics. This is a must before any proEres can be made in solving the highway probe em, TWO. Put some of the responsibility for over loading on the shipper or the customer. THREE. Keep the receipts from gas taxes where they belong — on the roads. FOUR. Put over-load fines on a progressively higher scale for truckers who repeatedly violate the law. : FIVE. Stiff fines should be assessed against truckers who insist on speeding with full loads, This factor of load times speed has been cone sistently over-looked in discussing the problem of highway deterioration.

SIX. Railroad propaganda aimed at destroy=

Ing truck competition should be ignored, not repeated, without the most careful checking. We believe that in all fairness to the trucking business and to your readers who would like to have both sides of the story, you should give them an opportunity of having it. « -Very truly yours, NED T. BOOKER.

NO HALT... By Fred W. Perkins Labor Unity And Korea War

WASHINGTON, July 24—The Korean fighting, if it develops into a full-scale war, is likely to encourage the movement toward & united labor movement in this country. / That is the opinion of union leaders in close touch with the efforts to produce organic unity between the AFL and CIO;

load fines paid. This is certainly news to us and --to ‘all other truck lines in this area, that we

will be ready for a real war, If this is the program, and it's certainly a possibility, this country will have to be preparing at once to carry an extra burden of production. The military aide is being looked after, or so it appears, but little of an official nature is be-

“ing sald of the economic, financial and industrial require-

ments. » " =

AT A MINIMUM, the only

safe course for this country is to replace at once all the ma-

‘ferial that is about to be tied

up in Korea. Thereafter, it will have to See that its resources of equipment are great enough

But our industrial system is already fully employed. or very

given another kick forward. = r u BOTTLENECKS which appeared in the summer of 1041, after a year of heavy defense

_preparation, are showing up

sooner. ‘Questions need to be raised concerning large public undertakings which would require critical materials and many workmen over along period. States and cities shouldn't want to start turnpikes, fyeeways and rapid transits if there was danger of their being suspended. Ditto for a lot

of Federal undertakings.

, - » = "THE PUBLIC can't stand much of the new burden with out the risk of severe inflation,

The Treasury and Federal Re-

"24

COPA. 1960 BY NEA SERVICE. IC. T. M, REG. U. & PAT. OFF. La "All right, deddy, you proved you could win it, Now let's give ; 9g it 40 someone we don't like!" = :

William Green, president of the AFL, said the threat of an

all-out war at least would aot

retard the unity campaign.

Under arrangements made prior tb the Korean crisis, committees representing the two major labor organizations will discuss unity in meetings beginning here July 25.

” - . "THE CIO and AFL which split in the middle 1930's, maintained separate and sometimes antagonistic representation before the War Labor Board and other bodies that dealt with

use. and compensation of civil. ian manpower during World War IL It was | ized that

strong organization had spoken for them. ; Se

The big labor bodies now have i the same have Abprosimately

Some of their these

sources Board and in other

agencies that may be formed = |

in event of another world war, If the War Labor Board is re-established, they want rules and procedures different from those that clamped a tight lid on wages in World War II. If prices ‘continue to advance they want price controls, 8ome spokesmen say that if prices are held in check thera would be no need for wage controls. .” » » UNION leaders noted with interest that President Try . man, in his message to Cone

gress, did not mention curbs

on wages although. there was

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