OCR Text |
Show NEWS REVIEW Farm Budget Cuts Hit; Train Fares Increased FARM FUROR: Stormy Weather Possibly the most violent storm of the year, according to the economic eco-nomic and political barometer, is the one which was raised when the house appropriations committee recommended a 32 per cent cut In department of agriculture funds for the coming year. Slashing more than 383 million dollars from the amount asked by II4 President Truman, the committee opened the floodgates flood-gates for a deluge of protests from Clinton Anderson, secretary of agriculture, agri-culture, and Demo-c Demo-c r a t i c congressmen, congress-men, who claimed they would fight the action right up ' TRAVEL PAY: Train Fares Up To offset Increased operating costs, Interstate Commerce commission com-mission authorized an approximate I 10 per cent increase in basic pas-senger pas-senger fares for 60 railroads operating operat-ing east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio and Potomac rivers. The change will boost one-way passenger rates from 2.2 to 2.5 cents a mile in coaches and from 3.3 to 3 5 cents a miles in sleeping j and parlor cars. There will be an increase of about 15 per cent in coach round-trip rates and about j four per cent in Pullman round-trip j fares. In granting the increase, ICC noted that those railroads which requested re-quested the new rates incurred a deficit of 54 million dollars from passenger train operations last ; year. IT'S WONDERFUL: Long Time Peace Announcing the immediate aboli- ; tion of capital punishment in Rus- j sia, Soviet authorities explained the j move on the grounds that it was mad possible by Russia's growing strength, the people's patriotism and the certainty of peace "for a long time." Said the Moscow radio: 'The international in-ternational situation during the time after Germany's capitulation and Japan's capitulation shows that the cause of peace can be consid- j ered secure for a long time in spite of attempts by aggressive elements to provoke war." Meanwhile, Herbert Hoover looked on the other side of the mask to charge Russia with attempting to bleed the United States through relief channels and blaming her for the economic paralysis of Japan and Germany. He declared that futher relief will i remain necessary as long as the Soviets continue their obstructionist j tactics and demands for repara- to next year's elec-Anderson elec-Anderson Hons, if necessary. Declaring that the reduction "directs a sharp cut at the interests of the American farm family and the general welfare," wel-fare," Anderson said that the "greatest harm" would be to the soil conservation program, the farm price support program and programs designed to help veterans I and low income families become ; oetter established. The 32 per cent cut would elimi- nate the Agriculture Adjustment j administration by July 1, 1948. Cur-j Cur-j rently, the AAA is carrying on its I basic program of promoting soil ! conservation on 3,500,000 cooperating cooperat-ing farms by paying farmers for following practices intended to in- j crease soil fertility and, hence, to j increase production. The proposed fund slash would mean that farm-ers farm-ers this year would be paid about i 50 per cent of what they previously had been promised. In answering the criticism, the house appropriations committee said that its recommended cuts are "selective" and reasonable based on actual farm needs. tions, thus blocking peace treaties I I with the two countries and keeping ! their economies paralyzed. French Honor i HOUSING: Unfounded Hope Popular belief that any substantial substan-tial reductions in the cost of new housing will occur in the near future fu-ture is not founded on realities. That assertion was made by James C. Downs Jr., president of the Real Estate Research corporation, corpora-tion, who explained that besides being geared to a high national debt, housing costs, like prices of other hard goods, are directly affected af-fected by the large demand for American capital and production by other countries. "The housing shortage today is worse than a year ago," he said, "and it will continue to grow progressively pro-gressively worse for some time." He pointed out that increased earning power has put a greater number in the market for new homes, but at the same time build- i ers are afraid to start new con- j struction because of high costs. The theory that prices would drop kept many persons from buying or build- ' ing homes last year. Downs said. I Vincent Auriol, president of France, decorates opera singer Lily Pons witb the rosette of the Legion of Honor. The French-born artist has been making a concert tour of France. |