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Show RUSSIA PERPETUATES SLAVERY The United Nations Economic and Social Council debates the charge that Russia is guilty of holding millions mil-lions of men and women in slave labor camps. American delegates and others representing the Western nations of Europe presented the charge, which has been implemented by a mass of sworn testimony presented pre-sented by the American Federation of Labor, which seeks to show the existence of slave labor conditions in Russia. The statements come from former inmates of Soviet labor camps. The Russians, of course, deny that they operate such camps and insist that the workers of the United States perform "slave labor." The suggestion that the International Interna-tional Labor Organization send investigators into Russia was rejected by Russia, with the counter-assertion that it represented a scheme of the United States to get intelligence intel-ligence agents into Soviet areas. It is practically impossible to get accurate information informa-tion as to the policies of Soviet Russia but there is abundant abun-dant ground for suspicion that the Communists do not hesitate to put their adversaries into forced labor battalions. bat-talions. Just how the members of these battalions fare, in the matter of food and living conditions, is unknown. In addition, it is generally believed that Russia holds hundreds of thousands of former war prisoners in what amounts to forced labor. IS EDUCATION CENSORED? More than 1000 educators from many parts of the United States recently met under the auspices of the National Na-tional Educational Association and tackled the subject: "Are the Schools Free?" One speaker, Dr. William II. Burton of Harvard University, Uni-versity, cited 50 major national organizations "which could be a threat" to schools because of pressure tactics. He did not name the groups but declared that "some of them badly interfere with academic freedom." Another speaker, Dr. Roma Gans of Columbia University, Uni-versity, pointed out that "it is not always the Chamber of Commerce or the National Association of Manufacturers Manufac-turers that interferes wkh freedom of the schools." He admitted that "it may be one of the churches or a smalltown small-town business group." Dr. Gans stated that there is a tendency to circumscribe circum-scribe and control education. "A program that will develop de-velop sensitive, active, thinking children," he asserted, "is considered 'odd'." It is not to be expected that every American will approve ap-prove all of the subjects discussed in public schools or the manner and methods by which every teacher presents these topics to students. Nevertheless, the doctrine of freedom of thought should have some application in our schools. The youngsters growing into men and women should not be spoon-fed on glittering generalities but they might as well get their teeth into the actual problems of mankind. |