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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS I Red Delegate Urges U.N. Accord; y World Awaits Pound Cut Effects; Walkouts Plague Major Industry (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinion! are expressed in these columns, they are those of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) New Justice ' ,' if' . .- -;- I ARMS BILL: Meddling Feared The 1.33 billion dollars arms-aid-bill had a stalwart supporter in Sen. Arthur Vandenberg (R., Mich.) who termed it a bargain-price peace insurance policy against Communist aggression. He said he feared that any "meddling" "med-dling" with the bill might impair its force and effect. Vandenberg, chief Republican spokesman in the senate on foreign policy, declared that the arms-aid program might be regarded either as life insurance or fire insurance and said that in any case it is a bargain policy as far as peace is concerned. Referring to the North Atlantic defense de-fense pact, he said that pact included a pledge to maintain forces that can resist armed attack. Too, he pointed out, European allies have weaknesses weak-nesses that the arms bill would help overcome. Vandenberg declared that it would be in "honorable keeping" with U.S. treaty obligations to adopt the arms bill. "I think it is definitely -and specifically in the interests of our own national defense," he went on. "I think it is a discouragement to war ... I think it is prime and vital peace insurance." He argued that the plan to send American tanks, guns and planes to Europe falls squarely within the commitments of the North Atlantic pact which the senate ratified by a vote of 82 to 13. He denied sending arms abroad would mean the start of an arms race between the East and West. Vandenberg's active support for the measure was expected to help it materially in winning final adoption in the senate, since many dissident Republicans would probably go along on the basis of Vandenberg's admitted stature in the field of for-1 eign policy and because of bis prestige pres-tige in the senate. U.N. TOP MAN: Soviets Object Over Soviet protest, Brig. Gen. Carlos P. Romulu, anti-Communist campaigner from the Philippine islands, was elected president of the fourth United Nations general assembly. as-sembly. Only the five nations of the i Soviet bloc opposed his election. IGNORING the Soviet attitude, Romulu's first act was an appeal that the delegates make this gathering gather-ing a real "peace assembly." According to newsmen, Yugoslavia Yugo-slavia apparently voted against the Soviet bloc for the first time, in the secret ballot for president, but declined de-clined to admit it publicly. The new president, acknowledging acknowledg-ing that many obstacles to peace still exist, said the danger of a new war had abated and that the delegates must press this advantage. advan-tage. HE CALLED upon them to move forward boldly in the spirit of international in-ternational cooperation called for by the Mexican resolution approved unanimously in Paris last year. Romulu's choice as chief of the assembly was seen as indicating friction in debate on issues as the Soviet bloc could be expected to fight the anti-Communist leader at every turn where opposition could be maintained. Top Russian delegate dele-gate Vishinsky had also spoken out for harmony, but on the basis of past performance by the Russians, his attitude was open to doubt. Anti-Red RUSSIA: -A 'Sweet' Note The Russian theme in internation-f internation-f al accord was growing a little sweeter, if Andrei Y. Vishinsky, Soviet foreign minister could be Jtaken at his word. WEARING a broad smile, Vishinsky Vish-insky had urged United Nation members to cooperate. The gesture was made by the chief delegate ss he arrived in New York by plane to attend the fourth United Nations general assembly sessions. Disdaining the usual brusque "no comment" for reporters, Vishinsky Vish-insky was almost voluble. "The Soviet delegation," he said, "is iully confident that the United Nations Na-tions is as the head of the Soviet government, Stalin, said a serious Instrument for the maintenance of jpeace and international security." Then he added: "There can be no doubt that the general assembly would be able to solve the important impor-tant problems before it providing the nations of the U.N. show a sin-cere sin-cere desire to cooperate with each other and in accordance with the .principles of the U.N. charter. Other delegates, advised of this and remembering the almost innumerable in-numerable Russian "vetoes" in matters where cooperation might iave been most valuable, decided to await development at assembly .sessions to see just how far the Eussian affable manner would go. DEVALUATION: Wait and See To say that reaction to Britain's devaluation of the pound sterling was mixed, would be an under-1 under-1 statement. Instead, reaction ranged irom hope to fear, from confusion to jubilant "I told you so's" from all those who had held that devaluation devalua-tion was the only answer to Britain's Brit-ain's current economic crisis. AND that was the chief rub was the solution one that would solve just the current situation, or was it the entire answer? The bulk of the thinking on that angle was that it was not the long-range panacea, with most observers preferring to y . '"wait and see" before committing themselves to any analysis of the devaluation effect. Meanwhile Canada had joined the parade of English-connected nations devaluating the pound. THE DEVALUATION move was -a two-edged sword in the British dollar crisis, for just as it might result in increased buying of British Brit-ish goods by Americans because of lowered costs, it would mean, too, that the English would have to pay more for the items they bought at home. The pound value was cut from $4.03 to $3.07, an action which alarmed most im-f im-f porters. While expressing fear the' move would cost them a great deal of money, most traders said they "didn't know a thing" yet and couldn't speculate until they had some word from British manufacturers. manufac-turers. SOME DEALERS and Importers declared they would take a beating on the reduced values of their inventory in-ventory of British goods already bought and paid for at $4.03 to the pound. ; Fire Hazards Of course one can live in a fire-trap fire-trap but the question is: How long? The National Fire Protection as-y as-y sociation, calling attention to Fire T Prevention Week October 9-15, poses this question and points out that 11,000 people lost their lives in tires last year. More than twice Judge Sherman Minton, of U. S. circuit court at Chicago, was named by President Truman Tru-man to succeed the late supreme su-preme court Justice Wiley B. Rutledge. WALKOUTS: Cars, Coal, Steel American industry, fighting to regain re-gain pre-war stability, was facing parlous times. John L. Lewis' coal miners had left the pits. The United Automobile Workers union had handed the Ford Motor company what amounted to a strike notice, and now the steel industry was next. WITH these basic U.S. industries all down, production suspended, millions of workers out of jobs, the national industrial and economic picture appeared dim indeed. President Truman was coming in for some blame in the steel industry indus-try dispute, with critics charging he had "fumbled the ball" in efforts ef-forts to prevent a strike. Four days before the deadline for start of the strike, federal conciliator con-ciliator Cyrus Ching had reported no progress in negotiations. Neither side would budge on the key point in negotiations. The union contended that since it had agreed to forego its demands for a pay raise, the steelmakers should accept the presidential factfinding fact-finding board's recommendations for a company-finaftced welfare fund. While this seemed to satisfy steelworkers, it didn't please the UAW. ON the other hand, the steel industry in-dustry was buying newspaper space to claim that it was agreed at the outset that the presidential board's findings would not be binding on either party, and that if a strike resulted, re-sulted, the union would have to assume the responsibility. Steel leaders took the position, too, that the workers should contribute con-tribute to the pension-insurance plan costing 10 cents an hour for each man. BOMBERS: Gives Reds Pause The declaration came from a man whose qualifications entitle him to the rating of expert Gen. Henry H. Arnold, wartime chief of U.S. air forces. The statement, made in a book, "Global Missions," was that it isn't armies or navies that Russia fears, but only far-reaching far-reaching bomber strength. "Let's put it this way," the general gen-eral wrote. "Russia has no fear of an army, she thinks hers is just as good and bigger than any other in the world; she has no fear of a navy since she can't see how it could be employed against her; but she does fear our long-range strategic air force which she cannot can-not as yet match, or as yet understand. under-stand. In the strategic air force, coupled with our atomic bomb, at this writing we hold the balance of power in the world." "But," he warned, "by tomorrow the picture may change." Arnold minced no words in the dim view he takes of the Russians. "The Russians," he says, "would have none of the American proposal propo-sal that the American air force be allowed to build B-29 bases in Siberia to attack Japan." Similarly, he recalled that agreement for bases in Russian territory to be used for shuttle-bombing of Germany, Ger-many, was ended after a short time by Moscow. The air force, in the current squabble over armed-service prestige pres-tige as a result of the unfication bill, could take much solace and encouragement from General Arnold's Ar-nold's statements. i ' 1 i i. - & j Dry roof is vulnerable. that number were seriously injured. in-jured. One-third of that number, the association reported, lived on iarms. - c Reporting that a few structural hazards account for "at least half of all farm fires, the NFPA urged farmers to take steps now to eliminate elimi-nate such hazards. These steps were listed as: checking of wiring systems; wetting down of inflammable inflam-mable roofs in dry weather; inspecting in-specting heating plants and chim-jieys, chim-jieys, and protection of main buildings build-ings with lightning rods. Karl Peyer, one of the most courageous oppositionists to defy de-fy communism in the Hungarian Hungar-ian parliament, is shown beaming beam-ing happily on his arrival in New York. RAILROADS: One Fireman The Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen wouldn't like it, but nevertheless, there would be only one fireman on diesel locomotives. The presidential emergency emer-gency board had ruled that a union demand for a second fireman on these locomotives was out of line, rejected the demand. THE BOARD said simply that there is no need for an extra fireman fire-man on diesel-powered locomotive' now in use. TRADE BODY: Carson Okayed Despite some vigorous Republican Republi-can opposition, John J. Carson was confirmed by the senate as a member mem-ber of the federal trade commission. commis-sion. The Truman appointee was confirmed by a vote of 45 to 25. Carson's economic views came under heaviest fire from the Republicans, Repub-licans, with many charging him with lack of sympathy for the American free enterprise system. Carson, 59, is a former newsman. |
