| Show Round Merry J Truman Will Not N 0 f Up Steel Stee Prices r By Drew Pearson WA WASHINGTON The The final decision r garding a steel strike will depend p PI 11 marily manly on four men These men helm beloi neither to the union nor norto norto 6 to a steel company They tire are the government govern govern- r f merit ment officials who must decide whether they can can permit a boost in wages 1 to be compensated for forby n by a boost boast in the price P of steel t The four men are ex- ex r pr f. f Governor vor Ellis Arnall of f A Georgia now on the im im- 44 t r TJ mediate price firing line Drew Pearson as director of the Office of oC Price tion lion second Roger Putnam Mass 1 manufacturer now head of c ec ec stabilization third Charles E E. Wi Wj son former head of General Electric n nohead rib no head of oC defense mobilization and finall finaH President Truman 3 l' l lAll All four at the moment are agree that steel industry profits are arc J that they have never been so high and that they are Ire ample to take care caret r rc the wage boost being proposed by th wage board They also agree that to r gra-r an increase in steel prices prices beyond beyond th modest boost which comes under the amendment amendment woul woul start more inflation fl Furthermore 0 OPS P S Director Arn Arnal J feels so stron strongly ly about this that he woul resign before upping before upping the price of oC steel stee Arnall doesn't believe in m fireworks kS o 0 fancy resignations But he has told clo closi sl friends that hell he'll politely pick up his h hand ha and go back to Georgia if he is order to grant an increase in steel prices f t Significantly President Truman feel exactly the same way He has told ad id advisers advisers that he wont won't give the steel indus try a penny of oC price increase J So if the men at the top and bolton stick together the steel industry may bt DE in in for a ro rough gh time I J Jet Censorship Secretary CensorshiP Secretary of the Na Navy Dan Kimball has put himself in m the poi tion of censoring Navy subordinates r for r talking to the Washington Merry Merry-Go- Go o Round yet at the same time criticizing the Washington Round Go for allegedly al failing to talk to the Navy Y t Last week this columnist published a a comparison of naval jet et engines pur pui chased from Whitney Pratt ey in East Hart ford lord Conn and Allison Motors I in Indian India Indianapolis apolis in ism which it was pointed out th that t the Allison jet job cost only while the Whitney Pratt-Whitney jet het job cost Yet Vet the Navy y ordered 2435 2135 of f the more expensive Whitney Pratt engine engines and only of the though naval pilots as of February found the Pratt Pratt- Whitney performance unacceptable i Immediately following publication of this column one naval technician Vernon Verno 1 Haynes mentioned as favoring the Allis Allison t engine was sent a peremptory letter b sy the Navy demanding an explanation as s to why he had talked to Pearson II Subsequently Haynes was summoned to the office of oC the secretary of the Na Na and asked to explain why his is name ha had t appeared in Pearsons Pearson's column as favor o ing jug the Allison engine Simultaneously the same secretary o 0 the Navy wrote an official letter inquiring why Pearson had not discussed jet engines engines en en- gines gives with Navy press relations l In other words the Navy appear appeared d dmore more concerned with smoking out m news sources than cracking down on oUi cers responsible for far the jet engine jet engine blu blun del der Talking to Pearson it seemed was a greater crime than having no j je planes capable of oC meeting the enemy i in i Korea I t Kefauver's ers Chances Chances Tine The real test o 0 of whether Senator Kefauver can buck t the thi united weight of Truman forces and city bosses w will come within the next 60 day days in four key primaries They are Wisconsin Wiscon sin and Nebraska both on April 1 New Jersey on April 15 and Florida May l 2 27 Of these the most interesting battles battle will be in Nebraska and Florida t The Nebraska primary is against Sena Sena- tor Bob Kerr genial Oklahoma oil millionaire mil mi I who has the backing of Truman former counsel Clark Clifford This r r i suits from the interesting fact that Clif Clif- Clifford is ford is Washington lobbyist for for- Phillips Phillip i t Petroleum and that Senator Kerr parti parties parti pates in various Phillips oil and g gas leases in the southwest I. I The Florida primary however w will ll beven b been even en more significant Here Kefauve will buck overwhelming odds as follo follows sa s- s a The popularity popular ty of oC Senator Russe Russell of Georgia I l b The big money of the big gambler gamblers y c The political machine of oC Florida Governor Fuller Warren Florida will be the first test betwee between Senators Russell and Kefauver Gene Gener Generally ally speaking southern senators are jealous jealous jeal ous of their Tennessee colleague feel I h his hei U is too young has served too briefly in the Senate That's one reason they goaded 0 Senator Russell into becoming a candi candie 5 date Aj Gamblers Want Revenge Revenge Revenge-An An even evert s greater handicap in Florida however wi wi be the gambling money sure to n Kefauver Gamblers all the way fro Chicago I to Miami l have made no secret otheir o otheir o. o their their hope that the Tennessee senate would enter the Florida primary Anthey An Anthey An they arc are laying to get him no matter ho much it costs rj jg G Also lying in wa wait t is Democratic Gov Gova Gc Go Warren who accepted more than a t quarter of oC a m million dollars of gamble gamble- e contributions and was promptly put othe 01 o the spot by the Kefauver committee A A. A I of today Warren has never accepted thi th Kefauver invitation to testify |
