Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS truman chooses to ignore legislative program setback some form of pension measure for vets believed certain editors note when opinions are expressed in these columns they art are those of 0 western newspaper unions union a news analysts and not necessarily essa rily ot of this newspaper presidency say it so was president truman emu lating latiner the ostrich with the old head in the sand technique or 01 was he naive enough to believe what he was saying this seemed a fair question when h en mr truman despite multiple setbacks in congress for his legislative program declared he and the congress were cooperating and that only troublemakers talked of bad feeling between them SIR AIR TRUMAN h had a d suffered three major setbacks in attempting to have his campaign pledges e enacted into law he had been blocked on rent controls appointment of mon alon C as a key figure in the national defense setup and civil rights proposals but the president shook off these reverses by ignoring them in a speech to the united states conference of mayors in washington instead he told the mayors of course I 1 differ with the congress on some points and where these differences are important I 1 shall continue to urge the course I 1 think is right BUT BASICALLY the congress and the president are working together and will continue Vonti nue to work together for the good of the whole country we are going to agree on a lot more things than we disagree on many observers took the view that the presidents remarks indicated adoption of new strategy in dealing with congress that an attitude of soft words might be held more advisable than angry denunciations of the lawmakers MEMORY ours Is short to many who had experienced experience the horrors of war and who had met german foemen flemen in battle american policy in germa germany ny was almost maddening official approval of selection of a group of ex nazis to manage the ruhr ger banys greatest war making potential was bringing cries of protest from all over the nation the grasp of the ex was reaching farther and farther into germanys germanas Germ anys vital affairs and the optimism of the group that their desires would be fulfilled was significant ant latest manifestation of the trend was a statement by hans thomsen who was the nazis last charge daf faires in washington that he and other veteran hitler diplomats expected to resume their careers in the new germany there was no lack of cockiness in Thom sons sens stand said he the new german government cannot get along without the old wilhelm strasse men who know their business he is now in the banking business in hamburg the old pattern was beco becoming increasingly clear smart diplomats seeking a rampart against communism were using this same objective to recreate re create germany as a european power a buffer against the reds YES NO war outlook secretary of the army royall soothed a senate armed service committee with a statement that war between the united states and anyone else is not imminent then he up the soothing syrup with the observation that war at least is a possibility royall was testifying before the committee in support of a bill to fix the active strength of the army at officers and men explains pact al dean acheson secretary of state explains north atlantic pact at special press conference at the state department PACT reds burn the kremlin and its satellites were literally burned up over the north atlantic treaty alliance to the russians the pact was a deceptive instrument of war aimed against them THE controlled russian P press ress and radio joined in the clamor branding the pact as the work of warmongers war mongers trying to wreck the united nations the general theme was that the alliance was the main weapon of the aggressive policy of the ruling circles of the united states britain and france the russian stew was understandable stan dable by this diplomatic coup western powers had managed to abate somewhat the legend of soviet invincibility among the smaller countries and at the same time to serve notice on the russians that any further violence or aggression within the pact area would mean war THE TERMS OF the pact do not actually say that but they say something which is the same that is that pact nations shall construe an attack on any member as an attack upon them all and even the dumbest muscovite could understand what that meant the treaty however was not without its critics at home john foster dulles slated to be secretary of state had dewey nabbed the presidency was anything but enthusiastic about the alliance in fact dulles observations on the s subject were such as to raise the ire of dean acheson secretary of state who charged that dulles was put out because he dulles get over deweys deleys defeat and how he might have been secretary of s tate state himself but for that PENSIONS who pays it was beginning to appear that a veterans pension bill in some form would be enacted by the congress prodded by rep john rankin D miss of the house veterans affairs committee the measure under consideration would give veterans of world wars I 1 and II 11 automatic pensions of 90 a month at age 65 budget bureau experts contend this would cost the nation upwards of billion dollars over the next 50 years WHO WOULD PAY the cost of the pensions american taxpayers tax papers of course and among these would be all the veterans who might some day receive the bonus As one young war veteran put it by the time I 1 reached 65 1 I would have gone broke trying to pay taxes to grant me a pension 19 the viewpoint of some veterans there are many others who honestly feel they are entitled to a pension and would readily accept an installment tax payment period between their present age and age 65 in order to get the pension SOME OPPONENTS of the pension measure favored restricting pensions only to veterans of world war I 1 but it was obvious no such proposal as this would be enacted there were too many world war II 11 veterans who would oppose that simply on the principle of discrimination no matter how they might feel basically about the pension proposal on the first test of the measure it was almost lost but swift parliamentary lia maneuvering saved it from being returned to committee where it might have died a natural death tendencies SWALLOWS unfailing legend the old old legend was unfailing always the swallows had come back to capistrano and this time they came again THE LEGEND was wa fulfilled to the day through the long lazy centuries that the birds have always been coming back to san juan capistrano their return has always been on the same day each year st josephs day and this year there was no deviation on st josephs day the birds came sweeping back at dawn to fly into their homes under the eaves of the historic old mission they do not come in huge swarms as some reports have it an old padre said instead they arrive in small contingents 50 to 75 at a time father hutchinson pastor said that the birds usually leave in july after their young can fly they travel to nearby canyons to teed feed where insects are plentiful he indicated dica ted BOGEY MAN solons defiant figuratively thumbing its collective nose at the big man the united states senate by a vote of 50 to 11 confirmed the appointment of dr james boyd as director of the federal bureau of mines THE BIG MAN was john L lewis leader of the united mine workers of america a and n d he wanted no part of dr boyd in the federal mine regulation setup the senate action came while lewis had the pressure on lewis miners were in the second week of a 14 day shutdown ordered by lewis who termed the stoppage a memorial to miners killed and injured last year chief speculation concerned the import of the senate action did it mean that government finally was ready to clamp down on the dictatorial lewis and abolish his power as a continuing threat to american industry I 1 it could mean that if lewis mine stoppage resulted in a reversal of labor sentiment among some members of congress and a really get tough labor law were to be enacted RENT CURBS outlook dim overriding administration recommendations ions the senate voted to let town and city governments abolish rent controls in their areas if the state governors approve THERE WERE MANY who would discern instantly the political implication inherent in such a move in states where governors are permitted under law to succeed themselves and even in states which do not permit this governors are usually concerned with reelection election re or with naming their successors abolition of rent control power could be used as a potent weapon with which to beat recalcitrant voters into line As anyone familiar with legislative processes knows organizations are always the most powerful and effective lobbyists hobbyists landlords have a national organization which already has been vociferously vocal at washington there has been no organization of renters and tenants not even at the state or county level those who are heard in lawmaking law making assemblies are those who are organized and who know how to obtain hearings and these organizations usually manage to do rather well for themselves IN WHATEVER FORM the bill finally emerges from the senate it must go to a conference committee in order to iron out differences between house and senate versions states brighters right ers would herald the local option features of the control bill with elation and landlord groups would find it easier to attempt legislative pressure in their own back yards CONSUMERS dollar value up for the first time since pearl harbor the consumer dollar would buy more food than in any other previous 12 month period in the tha seven year span THIS FACT was disclosed in the regular monthly investors syndicate survey of real income the survey indicates the relationship ol of revenue to living costs jy although food continued to itu the way in perceptible price f eions other consumer consumer items were following the general trend toward lower cost of living A decrease in income from wages and salaries the survey indicated was due partially to reduced employment in certain industries but more generally to a reduction in per capita man hours declining prices however offset decreased earnings to the extent that the ahe average consumer bene fitted by increased buying power E E CRABB president ot of investors syndicate summed it up it is interesting and possibly significant that income from investments which has been bypassed by passed during the boom years by income from earnings is notably bulyar in the face of some rec essAv recessive recess iv FARMERS less acreage obviously apprehensive of a possible sharp increase in farm surpluses it if such steps are not taken american farmers were reported planning a voluntary reduction of most crops this year by planting less land AN agriculture department survey disclosed that farmers plan to seed a little less land than last year it was believed they intended to plant more before the survey result became known recent declines in farm prices coupled with the tact fact that farm production costs are still high were said to be discouraging farmers from going too heavy on spring planted crops expectations of an increase had been based upon the possibility that this may be the last year of high government wartime price supports and freedom from rigid prewar production controls officials had warned farmers that overproduction over production in 1949 could force return to such controls in 1950 THE department said that about million acres may be planted to all crops for harvest this year this would be about one million less than last year but still the fourth largest since 1937 there was still the possibility however that given favorable yields per acre total production this year could exceed last years record the department emphasized that plans made at this stage well ahead of planting time in much of the country are subject to modification by such things as weather W conditions price changes labor supply financial conditions and thea the effect of the re report port itself upon the AIR MASK thwarts cold the coldest arctic weather need hold no fear for man in the future for the navy has developed an air mask which enables a man to breathe and retain his natural body warmth in the most extreme cold weighing less than a pound the mask covers nose and mouth with a small but complicated system of air ducts several feet in length heat and moisture are from exhaled 0 air and retained in the passages warming and humidifying the cold air being inhaled THE NAVY reported that dr I 1 norman E phillips and loyal goff of the university of maryland de def 0 f the mask for the navy on the principle illustrated by wrapping a woolen scarf around the face in cold weather the navy explained that nearly halt of the total heat lost in cold climates was through breathing released by 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