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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS . Israel Registers Biplomatis Victory By Agreeing to 'Cease Fire' Order; Lewis Quits First Coal Conference By Bill Schoentgen, ,WNU Staff Writer (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) PALESTINE: Diplomacy What the Jews of Israel lacked in armed strength to resist Arab attacks at-tacks against their new state they had made up in shrewd diplomacy. It was just possible that the decisive deci-sive blow of the Palestine war was struck when Israel, foreseeing military mili-tary defeat, agreed to order its army to cease fire on all Palestine fronts if the Arabs would do the same. That development, which took place as the battle for Jerusalem entered its sixth day in an unholy atmosphere of rattling guns, bursting burst-ing shell and violent death, made the most favorable impression pos- Walkout I ( j '-' 4 ' , ?. I A DAIRYING: To a Crisis While the U. S. dairy industry was busy promoting its 12th annual an-nual June Dairy Month for the purpose pur-pose of selling more milk, butter, cheese and ice cream it also was taking a long, critical look behind the scenes and not liking what it saw. . Industry analysts had spotted what appeared to be a dangerous trend. In its simplest form the trend could be defined as an inexorable in-exorable increase in the U. S. population. popu-lation. At the root of the problem was a stubbornly entrenched economic condition whose factors were the war, widespread hunger abroad and domestic inflation. Continuing high prices for beef and veal have been instrumental in sending many dairy cows or potential poten-tial dairy cows to the slaughter house. Too many American dairy farmers have discovered how they could reduce their herds drastically, drasti-cally, put more land into money-making money-making grain crops, realize a greater profit and still have more leisure time. Adding those conditions to the fact that during the past few years the nation has experienced about a 45 per cent increase in its birth rate, the dairy industry came up with a grim conclusion: If these circumstances continue at the present rate, and there is every likelihood that they will, by 1952 the U. S. will be approaching the critical criti-cal point at which it no longer will be able to produce enough milk to satisfy its own needs. That, according to some prognosticated, prog-nosticated, might mean strict rationing ra-tioning in a land which hitherto had literally flowed with milk and honey. This photograph of the west end of John L. Lewis going east out of a door Is perhaps symbolic of trouble to come in the nation's soft coal mines. First conference between the United Mine Workers and the coal producers on the miners' 1948 contract ended in frustration when Lewis walked out after refusing to seat a representative rep-resentative of the Southern Coal Producers association at the parley. sible in the United Nations. Thus having the onus of prolong-I prolong-I lng the Palestine fighting shifted suddenly to their shoulders alone, the Arabs were put on the spot in the U. N. and in world public opinion. opin-ion. It was a clever diplomatic maneuver maneu-ver on the part of the Jews but, at least at the outset of this new line of circumstances, the Arabs, were having none of it. They reiterated reiter-ated their determination' to wrest NO CONFERENCE: Lewis Again It was all typically Lewisian. "I make the observation that there is now no conference," quoth John L., chief of the soft coal miners, as he walked grandly out on the first meeting to negotiate a new contract between the coal operators and the United Mine Workers. UMW's present contract expires June 30. Lewis broke up the discussion on 1948 wage agreements when he objected ob-jected to seating Joseph E. Moody, president of the Southern Coal Producers Pro-ducers association, at the conference confer-ence and was outvoted by the operators. He was not against Moody personally. per-sonally. Officially, his union's position po-sition was that the 14 regional organizations or-ganizations which comprise the Southern association must bargain in 14 separate groups, rather than delegate bargaining authority to the all-inclusive association. According to Lewis' accepted pattern pat-tern of operation, his balk at the Southern Coal Producers was the opening tactical stroke in' his 1948 campaign for an improved miners' contract. Followinff that, he could sit hack POLITICS: The Race In Oregon, where the last presidential presi-dential primary of this campaign year was held in an atmosphere of political hoopla, Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New York was voted more likely to succeed than Harold Stassen. Whether he would or not remained re-mained an open question, but it was certain that his political complexion com-plexion had taken on a more sanguine san-guine hue as a result of the Oregon balloting. Stassen, who had won spectacular primary victories in Wisconsin and Nebraska over Taft and Dewey, his chief rivals for the GOP nomination, nomina-tion, and then had received a borderline bor-derline setback at the hands of Taft forces in Ohio, at last had suffered a clear-cut defeat. Oregon wasn't going to do Stas- all Palestine from control of the Jews. Actually, all the Jews had done was to issue a surprise cease fire order in compliance with a U. N. security council request that the fighting be brought to a halt. Neither the security council nor anyone else had expected the request re-quest to be observed. But that put it up to the Arabs who, faced with a deadline set by the U. N., were having trouble deciding de-ciding whether or not to cease fire. If they stopped fighting now they would have done so without attaining attain-ing their prime objective the revoking re-voking of Israel's claim to sovereign sov-ereign statehood. If they continued the war beyond the deadline they would be laying themselves open to possible security council sanctions of the economic variety. SECURITY: Desperate Plight President Truman came up with another sound plank to reinforce his campaign platform when he demanded de-manded that congress overhaul and broaden the social security program. pro-gram. - To relieve the "desperate" plight of the aged and needy in this inflationary infla-tionary period he called for a 50 per cent increase in old age insurance benefits and asked that 20 million more persons be protected. He offered a five point program and said he wanted quick action on it. For' three years, the President Presi-dent pointed out with some irritation, irrita-tion, similar requests on his part have been shunted aside. This time he was asking: 1A 50 per cent increase "atleast" in old age and survivors' insurance in-surance benefits; allowing pensioners pension-ers to earn up to $40 a month instead in-stead of $15 without losing benefits; raising of the tax rate from 1 per cent to 1 per cent next January 1. 2 Extension of coverage to farm and domestic workers, the self-employed and others not now covered. 3 Broadening of unemployment insurance to cover employees of small firms (having fewer than eight workers), federal employees and others. 4 Disability insurance to protect workers from loss of earnings caused by sickness and injuries. 5 Increased federal benefits to match state aid for dependent children, the needy, aged and blind; Whatever his motives in presenting present-ing the problem of inadequate social so-cial security benefits again at this time, Mr. Truman did have a good, even a noble, point. "People whose sole income is from social security payments have Just about reached the breaking point. All of them face a desperate des-perate struggle in trying to procure pro-cure bare necessities at present prices." Both President Truman and the aged and needy were hoping fervently fer-vently that congress would be able to squeeze social security legislation legisla-tion into the crowded docket it had prepared for the rnonth preceding adjournment. As for congress itself, it was on the fence again. ECONOMICS: Wage-Price While prices continue to climb steadily, wage increases are beginning begin-ning to show signs of levelling off, says the latest department of commerce com-merce report on inflation. Possibility of a business recession, reces-sion, and with it the prospect for lower prices, vanished like mist in the sun after the foreign aid and military preparedness programs began to take shape in March, the oartment survey revealed. and present the UMW wage demands de-mands in his own gqod time. Then, if the coal operators did not accede, ac-cede, he could call the annual strike. Lewis knew ', his position was good. The UMW's recent pension walkout had left the nation's coal reserves seriously depleted. By the time June 30 rolled around soft coal stocks would not yet have been built up to the point where industry could stand a long strike. Barring unforeseen circumstances, circum-stances, it looked like this would develop into another injunction case. The union still is under an 80 day court injunction prohibiting renewal re-newal of the pension strike; but the court might rule that another walkout would be a brand new strike. In that case a new injunction in-junction might have to be sought by the government under Taft-Hartley Taft-Hartley procedure. HARVEST: European Europe may look forward to possibly pos-sibly its best year since the war if, food production prospects continue con-tinue to be as favorable as they are right now. U. S. agriculture department said that the continent will produce a larger part of its food needs this year than it did last year and that the crop outlook was good over most of Europe and the Soviet Union early in May. sen any good. Having had to buck organized Republican opposition all the way along, he apparently had estimated that his best chance of procuring the nomination Jay in building up sufficient prestige and momentum during the primary campaigns to stampede the June 21 convention. However, he still will go to the national convention with at least 200 delegates pledged to support him on the first ballot. So. for that matter, will Dewey. A total of 548 convention votes is required for nomination. Prospects indicate a considerably larger crop of bread grains wheat and rye than last year's desperately desper-ately small one. A severe winter killed most, of Europe's winter wheat and rye last year. European production of bread grains may surpass 1.8 billion bushels, which was the size of the 1946 crop, largest since the war. Production last year dropped to about 1.5 billion bushels, compared with a 2.3 billion average before the war. |