Show weekly news analysis new wage price policy for settling industrial strife in U so EDITORS NO NOTE T E when opinions are expressed in these column they are those of western newspaper per unions news sea analysts cysts and not necessarily ol of this his newspaper industrial front with labor adamant in its demands for appreciable wage increases to assure continued high take home pay and with management equally determined to resist sizable raises in the face of OPA ceilings president truman and his aides sought to stave off an economic deadlock imperiling impe riling by granting companies price relief representing a complete reversal of announced administration policy of granting price increases only after operations had proven that management could not absorb wage boosts given first mr Tr new approach to the problem was expected to result in a general pattern of settlements embodying pay raises of from 15 to 18 per cent the administrations new policy was first applied to the dispute in the industry over the CIO united steel workers demands for a 2 a day wage increase and was quickly utilized in efforts to break the deadlock in the packing field over the CIO and bid for a 25 cents an hour pay boost As a result of the administration decision to grant price increases to the steel industry the companies agreed to resume negotiations with the though they were not permitted the full advances asked pending industry offers of what the called adequate counter pro to its wage demands the union considered holding off its scheduled strike of workers affecting the ahe aluminum and magnesium as well as steel trade in holding out off offers ers of price increases to the big packers the government stated that they could help the companies in figuring out what wage raises they could actually ad vance following their initial proposals of about vl cents per hour in asking for a 25 cents pei per hour raise the CIO and declared they would be willing to accept 17 cents to start with before the situ aaion clarified itself the packing dispute was of particular interest to the nations farmers since companies fixed costs would go far to determine bids for live cattle to permit profit able operations against wholesale price ceilings of general interest was the whole new administration policy in its possible effect upon efforts to hold down living costs and avert an inflationary spiral which would cheapen wages and income and lead to still further demands for relief demobilization GIS kick incensed over war department plans for a slowdown slow down in demobilization GIs the world over raised a storm of protest with the army quickly reacting to the complaints by ordering the immediate return of surplus overseas troops and announcing noun cing a reexamination examination re of policy at the same time general macarthur declared that soldiers would not be punished for orderly demonstrations st in the pacific theater stating that the unrest was primarily caused by acute homesickness aggravated grava ted by the termination of hos tili ties in ordering the immediate return of surplus overseas personnel chief of staff eisenhower Elsen hower said that extensive shipping facilities should be used in sending the men home with troops with the highest point scores and longest record of service given priority A reexamination examination re of the whole demobilization program would touch the recent formula tor for spreading scheduled shipments home tor for the first three months of 1946 over a half year because of war department claims of a shortage of replacements despite the slowdown army strength was expected to be pared by under previous estimates by july 1 with more than halt half of thel the troops remain ing in service in overseas duty having started in the pacific shortly after announcement of the slowdown slow down program GI demonstrations quickly spread to europe where troops protested in support of their buddies in the east in all cases the men were orderly and no violence occurred most vociferous of all the pacific demonstrators attributed the slowdown to administration efforts to force through a compulsory military bill to secure replacements brass hats seeking to retain wartime rank by maintenance of a large army and the state departments imperialistic policies in the far east GIs were told to apply pressure to friends back home to petition congress for a revision ot of demobilization plans ask german relief while senators wherry rep neb and langer rep N D rapped the administration for refusing to permit the private shipment of food to germany to help avert starvation dr lawrence meyer of the missouri synod of the lutheran church revealed efforts to organize a christian congress to push tor for alteration of government policy wherrys pherrys and langers criticism of the administration cami came in the midst of president Tr announcement no that he had told a senatorial committee that it was impossible under present conditions to permit shipments in reporting on the conference with mr truman a member of the delegation said that russia objected to reopening of mail to germany and service could not be reestablished established re without the unanimous consent of the big four in revealing his intentions to work for a christian congress embracing both the catholic and protestant churches dr meyer declared that the force of 60 million members of all faiths in america must be mobilized to impress the administration that the country is not committed to a policy of vengeance reporting on his visit to germany dr meyer said that of 10 0 children he saw in one Frank frankfort fori hospital 75 were marked for death because of insufficient food POLIO hits hard infantile paralysis attacked nearly persons in the united states in 1945 making it the fourth worst poliomyelitis year on record the national foundation for infantile paralysis revealed invading all 48 43 states polio erupted into epidemics in sections of six states and hit 28 states harder than in the near record year of 1944 the incidence of poliomyelitis reached its peak the week of september 15 when cases were reported sections of illinois utah virginia tennessee and montana were hit by poliomyelitis epidemics in 1945 but thickly populated new york state led the nation in total cases nevada suffered least in numbers from the crippler in 1945 with only three cases reported local chapters of the national foundation which retain half of all contributions in their localities to the annual march of dimes dis buried close to five million dollars in 1945 to provide care and treatment hospitalization transportation and special equipment CRIME WAVE gathers momentum pointed up by the brutal murder of six year old suzanne degnan in chicago ill a dangerous postwar crime wave is gathering momentum FBI officials warn with lenient treatment of bf old offenders and a growing irresponsibility of youth among the principal causes horrified and enraged by the fiendish slaying and dissect dissection ioa of the degnan girl an aroused chicago citizenry acted to spur the search tor for the maniacal killer with in rewards posted for information leading to his arrest of this amount was offered by the municipal government upon suggestion of mayor edward J kelly who personally directed the extensive 3 ive man hunt with 11 of our most important cities reporting substantial increases in crime during the first 10 months of 1945 FBI chieftain J J edgar hoover edgar hoover rapped the abuses and of our prison systems declaring that a large larga percentage of fugitives being sought throughout the country have enjoyed ill advised clemency the manner in which murderers sex degenerates outlaws and bandits are released constitutes a national disgrace he said added to the loose handling of previous offenders Is the mounting waywardness of youth hoover said though reliable statistics from abroad are not readily available about two thirds of all life insurance in the world is owned by citizens of this country claris adams president preside nf of the american life convention ven tion an association of american life insurance companies declared supporting his statement he said that at the end of 1945 71 million americans owned life insurance that is more than on eha the population of the country including u d men women and children during the war he said life insurance in force has increased by 40 billion dollars this represents 1000 per family and brings the family average in the united states up to approximately life insurance savings constitute one of the principal items ranking announcement that the V U S government took in more than SG in taxes on one months sales of snuff Is a reminder that the aromatic art of sniffing tobacco is not lost says the national geographic society largest quantities are now bought by southern laborers mostly negroes scandinavians living in in wisconsin and Alinne minnesota sota and new england workers in industrial ind towns disclosing that of all crimes reported in 1945 21 per cent were committed by persons under 21 years of age young people in this age group made up 14 per cent of all murderers 36 per cent of all robbers 51 percent of all burglars 34 per cent of all thieves 25 per cent of bf all arsonists 36 per cent of all auto thieves and 32 per cent of all rapists As one remedial measure against the growing wave of youthful lawlessness hoover recommended increased church or social activity designed to direct youngsters energies and imaginations into constructive tive activities WAR CRIMES new case even as the U S supreme court considered gen tomoyuki yama chitas petition against his conviction by an american military commission in the philippines the war crimes trial of his predecessor lt gen masaharu homma got underway in manila on similar charges of countenancing atrocities of his forces in appealing to the highest american judicial tribunal Yamas hitas three U S army attorneys had de dared that the cessation of firing had ended the need for special military measures and entitled the doomed jap chieftain to a hearing before an ordinary court in contesting the petition the government declared that a ruling against war crimes procedure would upset efforts for punishment of suspects forty nine year old james baldassarre ofner of new haven conn a vet with 28 years of service was one of the principal witnesses as the homma trial began one of the survivors of the death march of bataan he told of how jap guards shot or bayoneted sick or thirsty american soldiers who wandered from their ranks the japs did nothing for us baldassarre said no food no water no medicine nothing but bullets and bayonets pointing up charges that homma had permitted atrocities baldassarre testified that he had seen the jap general driven along the line of the death march where the american prisoners many routed from hospital beds on bataan were being subject to abuse americans heaviest investors in insurance fourth or fifth in the average family budget adams said last year they invested almost five billion dollars with life insurance companies for the protection of their families in case of untimely death or alternatively for their own financial independence in old age mortality experience has been more favorable than expected adams revealed notwithstanding an appreciable volume of war losses and in spite of the great doctor shortage on the home front the death rate has been lower durin during the war period than in many of the prewar years life insurance statistics show that heart disease is public enemy num her one with cancer second on the mortality list the former accounted for approximately 30 per cent of civilian deaths and the latter for 15 per cent in 1945 and together they are responsible for almost 45 per cent of civilian mortality during the year the life ansur ance companies of the country instituted a program for extensive research in the field field of heart ailments and have committed themselves to the expenditure of three and one halt half m million dollars in the support of the project over the next six years UNO underway vay meeting in central hall ball in westminster against a background of great blue curtains set off by a huge gilded globe surrounded by olive branches the united nations organization officially got underway with the election of ATS n vr r paul henri of belgium t president in greeting UNO british prinie prime minister attlee expressed general sentiment by declaring that organization represented universal hope for peace and the prevention of a third world war which might well destroy civilization unlike the ill fated league of nations he said UNOs effectiveness will be considerably enhanced from the beginning by the participation of both the U S and russia calling tor for close international collaboration lab oration of nations attlee declared that the various governments should work through UNO instead of considering it as a detached instrument ment of foreign policy to be used only as an additional means for obtaining an end N A champion of a western f european nations for economic and political purposes was elected to UNOs presidency by a 28 to 23 vote over the soviet sponsored candidate foreign minister trygve lie of norway TOBACCO kentucky acts As the market for burley tobacco took a big drop and farmers reportedly port edly were losing a day in comparison with the previous month gov simeon willis of kentucky acted to close all warehouses under unanimous recommendation men dation of the state legislature main cash crop of kentucky farmers burley tobacco used in cigarette chewing and pipe mixtures Is auctioned off in various warehouses throughout the state with buyers from the big manufacturing companies bidding against each other the season usually runs from december through january with the requirement that all sales be transacted under OPA ceiling regulations prices have been set on all 26 different grades of the tobacco ranging up to 50 cents a pound or more following sharp price recessions after early favorable bidding average paid for forche crop slumped to 38 cents I 1 SS governor moved to act under ings that continued price depreciation might result in bloodshed and violence the state agricultural commissioner called upon officials and growers alike to petition congress for minimum as well as maximum prices FOOTBALL fewer deaths reflecting improved techniques football fatalities continued to drop during the last season with only 9 reported as against 49 when dr floyd R eastwood of purdue university first undertook a compilation of grid accidents while no fatalities directly attributable to collegiate football were recorded through 1945 those th ose r ring were evenly div divided aided high school and sandlot play v st s wood said despite the toll among secondary teams the actual incidence of high school deaths was only about 48 per cent per of contestants in undertaking his study for the rules committee of the national collegiate athletic association and the committee on Ih injuries juries and fatalities of the american football coaches association eastwood called for or consideration of methods for minimizing occurrence of cerebral hemorrhages orr hages such mishaps have accounted for per cent of all football fatalities reported since 1931 released by western newspaper union |