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Show 1 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Claims for Back Travel Pay Pass Vz Billion; Farm Chiefs Call for P rotective Tariff Released bv Western Newspaper Union (EDITOR'S NOTE: whfn opinions are expressed In thee columns, they are those of Wcbtern Newspaper Union news analysis and oat necessarily of Ibis newspaper.) ! PORTAL TO PORTAL: 1 Claims Mount As union claims against Industry for back pay for walking to the i job or preparing for work on com-l com-l pany property mounted to over half . a billion, tax experts opined that Uncle Sam may have to bear the I burden of the settlements if the i firms are permitted to obtain tax : credits for such disbursements. Although John L. Lewis first pointed up the question of so-called "portal to portal" pay for miners traveling to the coal faces underground, under-ground, the principle was given industry-wide implications with the 1 Supreme court's decision upholding j such compensation retroactive to 1938 for employees of the Mount Clemens, Mich., Pottery company, j The Supreme court verdict was I followed by a rush of the major CIO unions for such retroactive back pay, with the United Farm Equipment and Metal Workers suing su-ing International Harvester for 100 million dollars. Since employees have been paid for a 40 hour week, the unions are asking for overtime pay plus damages. Firms may be able to charge off back payments to Uncle Sam under provisions of the income tax law permitting companies to carry back net operating losses into the two preceding pre-ceding years and also apply such losses in two succeeding years. Meanwhile, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce polled its membership member-ship on congressional amendment of the fair labor standards act of 1938 under which portal to portal pay has been based. The chamber proposed (1) observance of custom, practice or agreement in different localities or industries as to working work-ing rules; (2) provision for relief for unwitting violation of the law, and (3) permission of companies j and unions to make compromise settlements. FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Red Tape The sullen Russians continued to keep overseas relations with U. S. military personnel on strictly a formal for-mal basis as illustrated in their order or-der to an American naval vessel to clear out of Dairen, Manchuria, within the prescribed 48 hours. The LC-3 1090 entered Dairen as a diplomatic courier ship to bear supplies and mail to the U -S. consul. con-sul. Legally, the vessel was permitted per-mitted to remain only 48 hours, and the Russ ordered the Americans to leave or accept the consequences when it appeared they might be delayed de-layed over efforts to obtain landing clearance for a Standard Vacuum Oil company employee, a newspaper newspa-per correspondent and a magazine photographer. Russian authorities in control of Dairen had given the U. S. consul the run-around in his attempts to secure permission for the three to land. However, their action stemmed from a fear to grant the clearance without prior approval from their masters in Moscow rather rath-er than personal feeling. QUAKE: Rocks Japan As hundreds of thousands of Japanese Jap-anese made homeless by earthquake and tidal wave shivered in the wintry win-try air, the U. S. rushed relief to the distressed areas. Having become used to the shock and terror of wartime B-29 raids, the Japanese accepted the catastrophe catastro-phe with resignation, calmly counting count-ing their dead and injured in the thousands and their property damage dam-age in the millions. No less than 24 of the 47 prefectures felt the tremors, trem-ors, with the coastal regions of southern Honshu, Shikoku and Awaji islands swept by seven foot walls of water rushing in from the sea. All of the horror and distress was portrayed by the Tokyo newspaper Asahi in an eyewitness report from Shikoku: First, startled people felt the ground shaking beneath them, then they could hear a great roaring sound. Stumbling from their quaking quak-ing houses, they rushed for high ground, but many were overtaken by a surging wall of water and their screams rent the air. Some people saw a little girl with a doll crying, "Save me, gentle Buddha," but when they returned to search for relatives rel-atives the tearful child was miss-; miss-; ing and all they could find was the doll, wedged between planks on the beach. INDOCHINA: Imperial Headache France was the latest European power to suffer an imperial headache, head-ache, with Indo-Chinese natives battling bat-tling French forces for extension of self-government Under a compromise effected last March, France granted self-rule to several provinces but retained con-( trol over the rest of the country as a lever for continued dominance. Availing themselves of a well-oiled : machine developed under Japanese auspices during the wartime occupation, occu-pation, the native leaders of the Viet Nam (Independence party) have pressed for an extension of their self-rule. Not yet able to grant all of French Indo-China independence and be assured as-sured of the protection of its commercial com-mercial interests in the rich Far Eastern country, France has been forced to use troops to retain a grip in the absence of an agreeable compromise. com-promise. Lift for Milady GEORGIA: Gubernatorial Mix-Up Ability of the late Gene Tal-madffe's Tal-madffe's following to muster full cfronntli mtnin th general assembly convenes was to determine de-termine Georgia's next i governor. "Old Gene" himself him-self was scheduled to take office January Janu-ary 14 before his death intervened, creating a situation unparalleled in veloped nations could pay for American manufactured goods only with agricultural products, the commissioners warned against subjecting sub-jecting U. S. farmers to a flood of foreign commodities and reducing their living standards to a subsistence subsist-ence level. Calling for a trade program pro-gram fitted into the American economy, the commissioners advocated advo-cated the exchange of such exportable export-able products as wheat, lard and cotton for rubber, coffee, tea and bananas. Wisely, the commissioners' petition pe-tition was national rather than sectional in its nature. Although professing concern for the future of cotton in competition with foreign for-eign rayon, nylon and other artificial ar-tificial fibers made in reconverted reconvert-ed armament plants, the commissioners com-missioners also warned that a further lowering of tariff rates would adversely affect cattle, oleomargarine, butter, cheese, fish, eggs, grains, potatoes, peanuts pea-nuts and vegetables. Dramatically pointing up the effect ef-fect of cheap foreign competition on American products, the commissioners commission-ers declared that whereas white and sweet potato starches had been used for the adhesives on the back of stamps and the flaps of envelopes, the adhesive on the stamp bearing the petition was made of imported . cassava roots. Men of Mars .... I At Johnsville, Pa., naval air technicians develop deadly guided guid-ed missiles of future warfare. Photo shows scientists testing ship-to-shore weapon designed for pin-point bombing at 100 miles. Traveling hundreds of miles an hour, missiles are directed to target tar-get through television, radar, radio ra-dio or devices sensitive to sound, heat and magnetism. ITALY; Postwar Troubles Despite substantial' assistance from the U. S., Italy has been treading tread-ing a rocky road to postwar recovery. re-covery. Italy's troubles are not all economic, econom-ic, although shortages of foodstuffs and widespread unemployment resulting re-sulting from industrial stagnation have contributed to the political turmoil. tur-moil. The left and the right are pulling pull-ing against themselves for political advantage and a rising wave of anticlerical anti-clerical propaganda threatens the traditional spiritual unity of the people. peo-ple. On the economic front, Italy is short of wheat, and spaghetti and macaroni rations have been cut in half. Pig iron production is down to 28 per cent of the prewar level; textile tex-tile fabrics, 56 per cent; chemicals, 66 per cent; mechanical goods, 76 per cent; cotton thread, 88 per cent. Imports are almost three times exports. ex-ports. Helping Hand Since Uncle Sam has dealt gen- ; erously with Italy, it is looking con-fldently con-fldently for more assistance from the U. S. Thus far, the U. S. has agreed to compensate Italy for supporting American invasion troops and furnishing war supplies, and has extended credits for purchase of overseas surplus. In addition, Italy has profited from U. S. contributions contri-butions to UNRRA and the international interna-tional bank. Despite the difficulties ' presented present-ed by shortages of both foodstuffs and industrial materials, both the left and right wings have made political capita of unrest. Latest example ex-ample was the food riots engineered by Communists in southern Italy. As a result of the political bickering, there has been a resurgence of Fascist Fas-cist sentiment, with Mussolini's former for-mer followers growing increasingly bolder. Leftists also have backed the attacks at-tacks on pope and church, with the intention of weakening respect for the Catholic doctrine of authority, family and property. However, the rightist dominated government has been quick to fight abusive criti-cism criti-cism of the clergy. An editor charged with publishing phorno-graphic phorno-graphic cartoons of a friar and unclad un-clad woman was sentenced to two years in jail. Salvage Army Equipment At reps ir shops in quartermaster depots throughout the United States thousands different kinds of worn or damaged military items ranging from mess kits to mobile bakeries, from shirt'' to typewriters are being restored to usable condition in one of the biggest peacetime repair jobs ever known. Savings of $150,000,000 have been accomplished at labor cost of $13,-000,000. Ueorgia s nistory. Gov. Arnall Because neither the new or old state constitutions pro- 1 vided for such a contingency, adherents ad-herents of Gov. Ellis Arnall and "Old Gene" jockeyedfor the position. posi-tion. While Governor Arnall disavowed any intention of taking advantage of the uncertain legal situation to remain in office, he proposed to retain his post until the new pro-Arnall lieutenant governor gover-nor is sworn in, when he will resign in his favor. Anxious to obtain the gubernatorial seat, however, "Old Gene's" followers ; V hoped to muster h. Tabmadge sufficient strength to declare the post vacant at the election canvass when the assembly assem-bly convened, then name his son, Herman, governor. Although only "Old Gene's" name was on the ballot bal-lot at the last election, his son received re-ceived a number of write-in votes to provide for just such a contin-I contin-I gency as occurred. Thus, the legislature legis-lature could turn to Herman as the nominal choice of the people. I TARIFF: I Seek Protection Historically for free trade, the deep south reversed its position in petitioning President Truman and Federal Trade commission for a strong protective tariff for American Ameri-can agriculture. 1 Signed in behalf of the elected elect-ed commissioners of agriculture i of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, ' Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee Tennes-see and Virginia, the petition reached Mr. Truman as the gov-: gov-: ernment prepared for renegoti-I renegoti-I ation of existing rates in reciprocal recip-rocal trade treaties drawn under the act of 1934 and subsequent sub-sequent extensions. Declaring that industrially unde- Now, we have seen everything every-thing in ladies' hats or have we? Latest creation by Edward Stevenson of Hollywood, Calif., where one can expect almost anything, utilizes Christmas wrappings, etc., which otherwise other-wise might go into the waste-basket. waste-basket. This chic number is fashioned from cellophane and metal foil paper, cellophane straws, holly, bells, pine cones and tabs. RAW MATERIAL: U. S. Reserves Huge demands during two world wars have drawn heavily upon United States reserves of metals and minerals although the country-still country-still has abundant resources of the most essential, according to the j New York Trust company. I Great as are its resources, United ' States reserves of some important metals and minerals have been depleted de-pleted by unprecedentedly high production pro-duction during the last five years i U. S. HEALTH: Shows Improvement After getting off to a bad start in the early months of the year, the health record among life insurance policyholders in the United States was excellent for the year 1946 as a whole. At the start of the year, there was a rise in the death rate among policyholders, but by the second quarter this trend was reversed and a marked improvement was shown. |