Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 26 February 1951 — Page 10

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- A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER

ROY W. HOWARD WALTER LECKRONE HENRY W, MANZ President

Business Manager Monday, Feb. 26, 1951

its Times Publish-

Editor PAGE 10

Owned and ished daily by indians Ped "Pross Sri] a Newspaper ice and Audit Bureau of Clrculations. Price In Ma: County, § cents & copy for daily and 10¢ Sunday: daily and Sunday, » aah daily Te adr only. The Mal rates in pint EA 2500 bl A ‘8. a ons. Wanads and i other § Mexico. daily $1.90 & month, Sundsy, 106 & CODY. Telephone RI ley 5551 Give Light and the People Willi Find Their Own Woy

Crime, Fire and You (QFFOSITE this column today are some of the many letters written us by firemen, policemen and their wives. The subject? Low pay. We need not comment on that here. Their comments are sharp, to the point, and undeniable. The issue at hand is clearly this: If the City of Indianapolis can’t pay firemen and policemen a living wage the citizens will not be adequately protected against crime and fire. : Already the lack of new applications, demands of the Armed Forces and higher pay in outside jobs has cut both forces down alarmingly in quantity and quality.

n vr o THE DANGER is obvious, and growing worse. The City of Indianapolis had a bill introduced in the legislature providing ‘for a loan of $5 million from the State General Fund. This money was to be split among various cities in Indiana and to be used to hike the pay of policemen and firemen. The measure died. Another bill introduced into the legislature would give the city the right to borrow from city funds other than the general fund, The funds indicated in the bill all have surpluses. The general fund is not big enough to handle a po-liceman-fireman pay hike without hurting some other unit. The measure died.

” ” » ”» SENATE BILL 104, providing for a hike in minimums - was passed by both houses. This measure does nothing to better the situation. On a yearly basis it merely raises the first-year minimum $180 above the second-year minimum. Senate Bill 181 failed to pass in the Senate. According to Senate rules the bill can be introduced again but why anyone would want to do that is not clear. This bill only gives the city the right to do what it already has the right to do. Juggle its budget. The bill allows the city to grant pay hikes to both forces but does not say where the money is to come from. That means the City General Fund has to bear the load— which means further Mayor Bayt will have to cut down one essential item to blow up another. He already has that right

and he is now trying to figure a way of doing that very thing.

» » » » THIS IS NOT a good way to run city government. The Nal aware of that, but his hands are tied by the state ature. - It is paradoxical to note the legislature is now berating Washington for usurping home rule while the legislature itself is usurping the right of the City of Indianapolis to home rule, This situation is not new. It has been going on for a good many years and there is only one solution. Return city government to the city.

Sure Way to ‘Cease-Fire’ FTER an idle three weeks, the United Nations “good offices” committee has come up with another feeble move to open talks with the Chinese Reds on ending the war in Korea. The prospects are far but bright. Mao Tze-tung, Stalin's puppet leader in China, already has said he'd have nothing to do with the committee. He's recently had a shot in the arm from Stalin himself who warned the United States and Britain they faced certain destruction if they rejected Mao's blackmail terms. * So the United Nations three-man peace feam is trying a new approach. It has sent feelers through Sweden's representative at Peiping looking to a meeting between a Chinese Red official and a United Nations spokesman not necessarily a member of the committee,

» » ” MEANWHILE, the 12-member United Nations group set up to devise punishment for Red China as an aggressor is sitting on its hands. Britain, still carrying on a profitable trade with the enemy and deathly afraid the Reds might take Hong Kong, has been influential in keeping this committee from calling for sanctions against Peiping. Even the United States modified its stand on sanctions to a fuzzy plan for a “limited” trade embargo. Our representative, Warren R. Austin, has said that the United States would be willing to give up altogether any idea of pushing sanctions if the Chinese Reds showed any willingness to negotiate, If Mao shows any inclination to- cease fire or open new talks, you can be sure it's because his erack troops are getting much the worst of it—an estimated 134,000 casualties in the last month. That's one sure way of getting an enemy to cease fire, and our fighting men in Korea are doing something about it.

‘A Low Level’

E AGREE with Sen. Fulbright (D. Ark.), that—*"It is setting a low level if our only goal for official conduct is that it be legal instead of illegal.” Sen. Fulbright said that in a broadcast discussion of his Sénate subcommittee’s investigation of . “favoritism and influence” in the lending operations of the Reconstruction Finance Corp. His point—that acts which are not illegal may yet be very wrong—is most certainly valid. It is, however, a point that seems to have been missed in the statement issued at the White House following disclosure that President Truman had obtained from the RFC's files copies of more than 700 letters from members of Congress.

THE statement said that, since. President Truman “knows of no evidence of illegal influence on the RFC by any member of the executive branch or the legislative branch, he sees no useful purpose in making public the congressional correspondence.” sg The congressional correspondence should be made publie. For the public has a right to know, and to judge for ifself, whethar influence exerted on the RFC by members of Congress has been proper or improper, as well as whether it has been Jegal or illegal. hs ey Sen. Fulbright's subcommitfee should press forward with is investigation, whether influence exerted by ‘n tbe Presiden.’s Lranzh of government has been

. .

r or lmproper, lagal or illegal.

. a

HOOSIER POR i ‘What Can

‘It Makes You Sick’ MR, EDITOR: :

I think the time has come for us to swallow our pride and let it really be known what it’s like to struggle along from pay-day to pay-day on a Fireman's salary. I have cut down here and there until my family is not only sick in health, but also sick at heart.

Let me point out just a few things that will open the people's eyes, that have been closed since 1039, as far as the city employee is concerned. Before my husband leaves the fire station, expenses, besides taxes and all other deductions, are taken out and we are left with about $45 a week to run on. Yet we must be proud of his work, always be ready for inspec-

» EN TR

> : Yi oy fh

“| do not agree with a word that you say, but | will defend to the death your right to say i."

tion; go out, fight fires with $16 pants and $4 shirts on; if you're really unlucky, be caught with your $65 -uniform on. Then after you've eaten the smoke, get a pat; on the back with “Boy, you're a real fireman, ha ha, Keep your bills paid up. Your rcnt, lights, gas, water, food, coal and doctor bills to say nothing of that new hospital plan the department helped get for you.” * * *

ANOTHER laugh is in order. Why didn’t the firemen get the Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance; that went over 100 per cent three times and the insurance company was all ready to let everything go through? I'll tell you. The same person that takes care of the policeman's insurance refused to deduct the monthly premfums from the fireman's salary. That's really

Low Man on the Totem Pole

ISERABLE SHACKS 4

HEAVENS TO BETSY... By Frederick C. Othman

On ‘Smellavision’ We Could Wiff

Such Things as B—R (Gasp)?

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26—You may have seen a little squib in the papers the other day about

an anonymous gent who patented an invention to make television smell. It was a funny story. My friend, George E. Cook, the patent attorney, has seen to it that I received a full description of this in- = a0 4 iw y vention and, friends, let us take it seriously. It may be the savior of TV, Imagine sitting there before dinner watching a drama { sponsored by a ham company and sud- § denly to have wafted under your nostrils the magnificent aroma of ham being baked with cloves in its juicy sides. Or maybe it is a beer 4 4 7 program. The smell of the hops, and the cool, comfortable odor of the saloon, itself, will be there to tantalize you if U. 8. Patent No. 2,540,144 goes into general use.

This magnificent device of the new day was invented by Emery I, Stern of Jackson Heights, N. Y. He calls it television with scent effects. And If there is a flower show on the screen, you will smell the begonias.

One of his objects, said Stern in his successful assault upon the patent office, was automatically to release predetermined scents at predetermined phases of the action on the screen. That is, if the villainess in the piece was the kind of woman who wore perfume, you'd get a whiff of heliotrope just before she sunk her knife into the ribs of the unfortunate millionaire. Or if the

heroine were about to dish up a plate of ice cream for the boy friend, you'd smell vanilla, automatically. ‘The official working drawings show three tanks of smells under pressure inside the TV set. They're connected electronically to the picture tube. On the margin of the screen, where you usually see flickers and vertical streaks anyhow, would come the vanilla, or ham, or heliotrope signal in the form of a spot of light. This would hit a photoelectric cell, causing the valve to open the proper tank. Inside this, under the pressure of. freon gas, would be the essence being sprayed for dramatic effect on the customers,

Wouldn't See Em

“VARIOUS means may be provided to cause the scent-laden gas stream to be diffused in the auditorium in an otherwise unobservable manner,” Mr. Stern continued. He meant that you'd smell the smells, but you wouldn't see ‘em. He also provided a system of adding air for the proper dilution of the smells. Too much vanilla, after all, is worse than not enough.

There is nothing wrong that I can see with this idea. A TV set with a big enough cabinet

"could hold a whole library of smells, including

cheese, fresh paint, moth balls, overheated engines, firecrackers, new automobiles, pine tar soap, baked beans, hot asphalt, strong coffee, and fingernail varnish. The dramatie possibilities in a de luxe set are limitless, If I must make a choice, I'd rather have smells than color in television any old time. ] thank Attorney Cook for calling this to my attention and I hope that inventor Stern makes a fortune as he leads television into newer and more odoriferous channels.

DEAR BOSS . . . By Dan Kidney

Organized Labor Wants Wilson On Hot Spot

WASHINGTON, Feb, 26—A sample of how labor-backed Congressmen intend to turn the heat on Director of Defense Mobilization Charles E. Wilson, until the union leaders get what they want, is a speech in the House delivered by Rep. Ray Madden, Gary Democrat. He began by exonerating President Truman and blaming Congress for passing a Defense

Production Act under which “it is impossible .

to adequately control food prices and rents.” Ignoring the fact that President Truman

appointed Mr. Wilson and give him complete -

over-all power to regulate the domestic economy in the present crisis, Mr. Madden labeled the latter “short-sighted.” * “The other reason for the unfortunate turmoil developing’ in our mobilization program is the short-sighted attitude of mobilization chief Wilson in excluding representatives of labor from the inner sanctums which have set up the present ineffective price control program,” Mr, Madden charged.

‘For Big Business’

HE BAID that the “production miracle” of World War II was brought about by labor being represented in the highest councils and predicted unless that is done now there will be strikes and economic chaos. “Up to this time,” Mr. Madden continued, “under Mr. Wilson, our mobilization program

~ has been formulated on a policy of, by and for * big business. 2 fe :

“Labor has not only been denied a seat in mobilization councils, but its recommendations have been wholly disregarded, The present wage stabilization policy hampers collective bargaining and totally disregards adequate wage adjustments to offset in any degree whatsoever the unreasonably high cost of living,

“In World Was II, labor's representatives not only participated in our war economy program, but their recommendations for an equitable bearing of the war burden was adopted. This policy brought about remarkable harmony between management and labor and resulted in the miraculous American production which Mr. Stalin himself said was number one contribution to victory.

“Since last June, Industrial and big business management has been engaged in an unfortunate race for big profits and have totally ignored the millions of producers who are trying to survive on a June, 1950 pay check. The most unfortunate victims in this profiteering scramble are the mfillions of office workers, unorganized wage earners, school teachers, old folks on pensions and persons on retirement. : “On the shoulders of Charles E. Wilson, who has been delegated the master minding of our war economy, rests a responsibility which is greater than the task confronting our military leaders. If our production becomes hampered and delayed by industrial unrest, strikes and work stoppages, ity will indirectly cost untold lives and hardships at the front and complicate our war problems immeasurably.” > . \

1 ag - if 3 ig

rubbing it in on the people that really need it,

if anyone does, Every firemen in the city would quit if they didn’t have so much time in on their pension plan, Chief McKinney had better get volunteers. He's going to need them,

We have some friends that moved here just one year ago and one draws $129 per week at Allison’s. They buy at the same grocery store and pay the same prices, Another little reminder please. Some Hme every engine e in Indian s ha on 0 for gine Hos Russian relief, If this keeps up they'll have to have soup lines for firemen, their wives and children. -—A Poor Fireman's Wife, City

‘Great Big Laugh’

MR. EDITOR: ; After reading the letters from policeman’s wife in The Times Feb, 21, I couldn’t help but sit down and write this letter that I have been putting off for weeks. We know how your Journalistic rival feels about the raise for policemen and firemen. We know that they are against it.

Just read between the lines. I was in hopes that The Times would make an issue of this situation. Scripps-Howard would do it in other towns over the nation. Why not Indianapolis?

I'm speaking primarily for the police officers in this letter, for I have known and respected them for many years. I respect them because I have a pretty fair idea of how it is to work day in and day out, in all kinds of weather, joked about, ridiculed, called the most vicious names, being criticized even when you are in the right and that's about 100 per cent of the time, having to leave your family on such days as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and working 12 to 14 hours on Memorial Day, not being able to do or say a thing about Indianapolis’ biggest joke . . . the policeman promotion system.

“> Bo -"

I SAY I know and I do. I'm in a much better position to know than Sen. Kendall or any other politician that follows the adage, “T'll kiss your foot before I'm elected, after I'm in office you can kiss my foot.”

I know all policemen have a pension to look forward to after 20 or 25 years of service to the people. Why not make a survey and see how many retired policemen are living on that fabulous monthly pay check of $80 for 20 years service or $100 for 25 years. This huge sum every month sure must be consolation in their old age after devoting practically their whole lives to the service of the public.

- oo. 0

SEN. McCONAHAY, I admire you for introducing the bill to boost our officers of the law salary. Did you sincerely think it would pass? Why not prove that it wasn't just a political manipulation to keep the police vote before your party? A lot of the policemen are saying that they knew it wasn’t going to pass from the very beginning.

If you are sincere why not introduce another bill to the busy lawmakers, that are supposedly representatives of all. the people. I humbly submit the following plans to promote more efficient local and state government and would provide funds to raise the underpaid police officers.

ONE: Put the license bureau under the authority of the Police Department. I'm sure it would be handled more efficiently than it has been lately. : TWO: The Welfare Board is having a devil of a time providing spending money for lazy husbands, and other various examples that have been made public in the past week. They say they don’t have the staff to investigate certain cases. We all know that a lot of welfare cases end up in Juvenile Court of the Juvenile Aid Division "of the Police Department, so why not put this organization under the Police Department and instead of paying someone that seems a bit incompetent a large salary, add a little more rank on the Police Department. If an officer is qualified in this field promote him to captain or insepctor and let him appoint his own staff of investigators. This should cut down expenses and at the same time attract college-graduates to join the Police Department, and give the older officers a chance to advance in rank and salary. : THREE: Why pay an engineer, what was it, $7500, to make a survey of our traffic system, and an out-of-stater at that? Remember the Smoke Commission. They traveled to St. Louis and Pittsburgh in order to study conditions so they could improve Indianapolis. For all the good they did they might as well have stayed at home. We have qualified men on the department and I don't mean the genius who established our speed traps, and manages to get his picture in the paper every Christmas by establishing his “means to curb drinking and driving under the influence” . . . our wonderful traffic blockades. FOUR: Give us a detailed report on those dusty checks in the Secretary of State's office. It might prove interesting. One dollar seems a small fee for a corporation to pay to be granted the right to incorporate or have an office in this state which is natural for large companies bacause of its central location in the U. 8S. It would be a shame if all the policemen in the city were suddenly bedfast as were the switchmen a few weeks ago. An ideal day for that would be next race day. —Son of a Police Officer, City.

‘It Can't Be Done’

MR. EDITOR:

Open letter to Sen. John A. Kendall, Indiana State legislator— I am enclosing two articles by policemen’s wives which appeared In The Indianapolis

Mr. Madden went into detail regarding the recent railroad strike in which he charged the workers were given a raw deal. He cited the 1950 profits of the various railroads, steel and oil companies to show that wage increases should be granted.

‘Gone Unheeded’ .

“Up until now,” Mr. Madden said, “Mr. Wilson has not convinced the American public that he is willing to grasp both sides of our economic picture and recognize the importance of our number one force in American production —man power and labor . . . : “From the very begining of our national emergency, American labor has-~led the fight for effective control of the cost of living and other measures necessary to insure economic

stabilization.

“Up to now, I have not heard the National Association of Manufacturers, the Chambers of Commerce of the United States or these other powerful business organizations, come to Washington or offer a program for price roll backs, control of food costs or rents. I have heard numerous demands on the part of labor organizations that action be taken and they have submitted constructive suggestions. “These. appeals have gone unheeded by mobilization czar Wilson. Unless ‘a policy of co-operation is inaugurated immediately, on the part of Mr. Wilson as economic stabilizer ‘and the business and industrial -interests of this country to co-operate with the manpdwer seg-

Ya Buy On A Fireman's Paycheck?

ment of our economy, we will enter a period of

industrial chaos and turmoil”

orsenny

Editor's Note: Loss of manpower in the police and fire forces, by failure of new men to apply and the loss of old ones, has put a severe strain upon the administration and operation of both units, The cause, as evidenced by these letters and the comments of department officials, is low pay. Too many men are seeking better jobs outside the forces. A bill was Introduced in the Senate (No. 181) to counteract this outside influence, but it falled to pass. Senate rules provide that this bill can once again be introduced. It gives the city of Indianapolis power to grant a cost-of-living pay hike, The pay scale for privates in the police and fire forces are ak follows: POLICE~ Probationary ........*$2400 per year Second year ..........5$2700 per year Third Year and Over $3000 per year FIREMEN — Probationary ........*$2400 per year Second year ......... $2700 per year Third Year and Over $3000 per year *Senate Bill 104, passed by both houses, will change this figure in 1952 to $2880,

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Times,, who we desire to thank for taking an interest in Bill No. 181, asking for the large increase of $600 per year for the police and fire men. It is encouraging to know that a news. paper who knows the work of the police and firemen are interested enough to write an editorial about this bill, We hope it increases the circulation of the paper.

I would also like to give you the city fire. man’s side. First, after 20 years of service, I cannot get a raise, I cannot strike for one. I must pay what you might call double Hving expenses, as I must keep up my home and yet, since I am at the engine house 24 hours a day, I must also help keep up the expenses of where I stay 24 hours a day, every other day, on call day or night. This means at least two meals a day, I might even want an extra cup of . coffee when I come back from a run with ich on my boots and helmet half frozen and dogtired while you are still asleep.

I MUST help pay for the gas with which I cook my food. I helped to pay for the refrigerator in which to keep the food. I must help pay the phone bill, for the phone in the engine house which is kept for the use of the men to keep in touch with their families, when necessary. My insurance is expensive, as my busi« ness is considered one of the highest risks by the insurance companies.

I must pay on my retirement fund and my death benefits and by the time Uncle Sam gets through, my family cannot live on what is left, so we must either work on our day off, or our wives work to help make ends meet. We must replace our fire clothes, if we tear a $12 pair of blue regulation pants which I am required to buy, on a roof and get them dirty, I must repair, clean or replace them. We stand inspection of our uniforms and if they get shabby we must replace them. (We did, however, recently get a $100 a year allotment from the city per year, to replace clothes.) > *>

THIS WILL not cover the expense, if we are unlucky, that year. Uncle Sam does not allow any deductions for any extra living expenses, Only the clothing allowance is non-taxable. The city only furnishes the apparatus on which I ride, and I have to help keep that up from city taxes which I pay.

I must go out in any and all kifds of weather day and night, take all necessary risks for the safety of the public. Yet I still cannot ask for a raise. I cannot strike and cannot get our legislators to pass a bonus bill. No wonder the younger men of today are not interested in becoming firemen. What about we veterans who have 20 years seniority?

There are between 600 and 700 more deserve ing buddies in the city of Indianapolis who face my problem. I am sure I speak for all of them when I say we won't forget what this legislature does on this bill. —A City Fireman of 20 Years.

‘Costs Are Too Big’

MR. EDITOR: Thanks a lot for your fine editorial, “Police man’s Pay” (Times, Feb. 20).

I wonder if the Policeman's Friend, the Senator from Danville, would like to live on a policeman or fireman's salary?

Mr. Benator, could you pay taxes, rent, food, clothes, ete, also life insurance at. higher rates, due to a hazardous occupation and raise a family on a policeman or fireman's present salary? > %

YES, a policeman and fireman receive a clothing allowance, $100 per year, but how far does it go? For example, a pair of trousers a few years ago were $10 a pair, the cost today Is $20.50 and expected to go higher. Since the police deal with the cream of the crop, it is nothing unusual for a policeman to tome home with some part of his uniform ruined. Whether torn in a fight with a bunch of drunks, or arresting an insane person, or smeared with blood assisting and giving firste aid to an injured person. Who stands that exe pense? Not the city, the legislature or the City Council. The policeman pays for it himself out of his meager and inadequate salary,

¢ 4 9

IN The Indianapolis Times, Feb, 20, page 13, are two items: ONE: Police. and firemen rescue squad donned gas masks and rescued three men from a large vat filled with poison gas. .

TWO: City police disarm two irate hus. bands, one armed with a smoking shotgun, the other armed with an ice-pick and a 10-inch meat fork. Would the Senator from Danville care to disarm either of these men? Perhaps he would prefer to try the gas masks? I doubt if he would try either, it's a lot easier to call the police or call the fire department. Things like the two items above happen every day, but do you ever hear of a policeman or a fireman shirking their duty? No. Never. Did the Senator from Danville do his duty in denying the police and firemen their raise? WW.

ALL they were asking was a small increase in salary, so they could at least support their families. They didn't receive an increase, but the state officials, who are already making a large salary, are expected to get salary boosts of $3000 to $10,000. Their increase alone, being equal and in some cases, many times a policeman’s or fireman's entire salary. Is that right? Not permitted by law, to strike or belong to a union, the policemen and firemen can only ask for a raise, They asked the City Couneil and were told to ask the state legislature; asked the state legislature and were told to ask the City Council. Quote Sen. Hasbrook, “It's a local problem.” : * %¢ 9

WHO is running what? Is the City Council still the legislative body of the city of Indian-

If the City Council and the state legislators themselves, don’t know, I'm sure 1 cg only a policeman’s wife. Sounds like that old political game of passing the buck. . Quoting your editorial of Feb. 20, “turn back administration of local affairs to local government, where it belongs.” We, as American people, trying to do the best we can in } our fellow men, are entitied to a decent

~-A Policeman’s , Clty. :!