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Show 'j : WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS 1 Atflee Promises 'Better' Socialism; Amvets Support GI Bonus Proposals; U.S. War Potentials Gains Recited (FDITOR'S NOTE : When opinions are expressed In these columns, they nre those of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newbpapef.) TRUMAN: Up & At 'Em! Apparently eager to accept every rebuff as a challenge, President Truman let it be known that he would "fight aU summer, if necessary, nec-essary, to obtain congressional approval ap-proval of his civic rights program. THE PRESIDENT made it very plain that he desires every member mem-ber of congress to be put on record rec-ord regarding the program. U highly controversial issue lor which the President is still battling caused a split in the Democratic party ranks during the 1948 presidential presi-dential campaign-and promises to do so again. The President was particularly incensed with the coalition of southern south-ern Democrats and northern He-publicans He-publicans which stands ready to oppose the program to the last ditch. The measure over which there has been such bitter recriminations recrimina-tions would establish a federal commission to combat discrimination discrimina-tion in the hiring of Negroes and other minority groups. THE SOUTH, usually rock-ribbed rock-ribbed in its stand for the Democrats, Demo-crats, doesn't want the measure, and its representatives are prepared pre-pared to resist it in every way possible, the usual recourse being parliamentary procedure and the rules of the senate. Precipitation of the row came . I J ,; 1 divJiTt1'' :' ' v."-: f.'V5 "' wssssai This is the Isbrandtsen ship line's "Flying Cloud" as it left its Hoboken pier to run the Chinese Nationalist blockade in Shanghai. It is a sister ship to the "Flying Arrow" which was heavily shelled by Chinese gunboats. The move was being made despite TJ. S. state department warnings to U. S. ships to stay out of the blocakade area. Inset is Captain Nicholas Dervin, skipper of the "Flying Cloud." with the effort by opponents of the program to do away with a house rule which would let the house take away from committee a bill bottled up for as many as 21 days. Until last year the house rules committee com-mittee could stifle legislation to a great degree by holding up such bills as it chose. Now, Truman's opponents want that power restored. re-stored. Mr. Truman was hoping the maneuver would be defeated. MINERS: Cash, Please! In most of the long, involved struggle of the coal miners and their leader, John L. Lewis, vs. the coal operators, the workers were able to continue credit at company stores and thus manage to exist through long strike periods. In the current phase of the ever-recurrent ever-recurrent controversy, that was the case until a few weeks ago when rebel miners, bucking Lewis' three-day work week order, went on strike. Shutdowns occurred in six coal-producing states as roving bands of pickets flouted Lewis' leadership. THE UNITED MINE WORKER rebels declared they were tired of working a three-day week and wanted a "showdown" in their dispute dis-pute with the operators. They were falling back on the old miner slogan: slo-gan: "No contract no work." But this time they encountered a move which would have grave effect on their position. Mine owners own-ers replied with a policy of their own: "No work no credit." Several Sev-eral large companies, including U. S. Steel and most southern operators, op-erators, told the miners they would get no more credit at company stores while they stayed away from work. ONE INDUSTRY LEADER estimated esti-mated that miners had received 60 million dollars in credit since the "no-day-week" and the three-day three-day week went into effect. Others said it was just bad business to keep extending credit under such conditions. Thus there appeared to be building build-ing up a situation rife with dangerous danger-ous possibilities. If the strike continued con-tinued and miners and their families fami-lies faced actual hunger and want, there could be trouble a-plenty. Winnie's Look-alike? GREAT BRITAIN: Attlee Stands Pat On the surface, at least, there were no qualms over possible results re-sults and certainly no promises of reform as the Labor party in England Eng-land loudly proclaimed that it would stand for .more and "better" socialism if it were returned to power in the February elections. OBVIOUSLY, the overthrow of the Socialists in Australia and, earlier, in New Zealand, didn't mean a thing to Prime Minister Clement Attlee and his administration. administra-tion. The party in power in Great Britain Brit-ain laid down its platform in a 6,000-word manifesto. The platform plat-form included: "Wise development" of the administration ad-ministration of government medical medi-cal services and other welfare services (one of the most hotly-disputed hotly-disputed of socialist innovations). MUTUALIZATION of insurance that is, ownership by policy-holders. Jobs for all. Increase in production, lowering costs and increasing imports. More and cheaper food. A home for every family. No shelter for private enterprise enter-prise "behind price rings and rigged markets." EFFORTS FOR PEACE in a "realistic" manner, and willingness willing-ness to cooperate with Russia, as "with any other country that is prepared to work for peace and friendship." Strengthening of the association of the commonwealths and the Atlantic At-lantic pact. An ambitious program surely and one which must command some measure of respect if only for its declining to retreat in the face of what might seem to be a dangerous situation. WAR POTENTIAL: U. S. Gains Cited While the national committee for aeronautics reported that "it is logical to assume" Russia is GIVEAWAY DUE Potatoes The government announced it was going to "give away" some of the enormous stocks of potatoes which it bought to keep prices up but, as usual, there was a catch to it. Not everyone could get the potatoes, and it was not as "free" as it appeared. THE POTATOES, it appeared, would go only to the school lunch program, the bureau of Indian affairs, af-fairs, public and private welfare agencies in this country and private pri-vate agencies doing relief abroad. However, that was a move which should elicit no criticism, inasmuch inas-much as it savored more of intelligent intel-ligent government in action than most bureaucratic actions. Here's the catch: FOR the school lunch, and some private institutions, the "giveaway" "give-away" program means they will have to start paying something to get potatoes they once got without having to pay out a nickel. The reason for that, it was explained, is that for many years the government govern-ment had a surplus-crop disposal program, for which congress appropriated ap-propriated funds. This meant commodities com-modities could be delivered to schools free. Now, all that's changed, there is no free-delivery fund, so school lunches will have to pay transportation transpor-tation for its "free' commodities. VETS' BONUS: Added Support The battle lines for the fight to obtain a bonus for veterans of World War n has been strengthened strength-ened by support from the Amvets, a World War II organization. Meanwhile, the Veterans of Foreign For-eign Wars renewed its long-standing bonus appeal. THUS, two major veterans' organizations or-ganizations standing shoulder to shoulder on the proposition that the nation should reward their war services with a bonus. - O-7 p working hard to develop super-speed super-speed warplanes to deliver atomic weapons, it also reported continuing continu-ing American gains in the "race for air leadership." The committee called for efforts to "consolidate these gains and push forward." THE AGENCY reporting is the government's chief organization for basic aviation research and, consequently, should know what it is talking about. The committee dropped one not-so-cheering note, however, by pointing out that any nation that wants to make the effort can build "practical military airplanes" able to fly faster than sound. "Superior-speed," the report continued, "is generally acknowledged acknowl-edged to be the most important single element in successful air attack and in defense against attack. at-tack. Range also is important. The attainment of long range poses a most difficult problem." AND THEN the report's punch line: "As in the case of the atomic bomb, America cannot expect to enjoy an exclusive advantage at best it can only plan "by vigorous and timely research to stay ahead of any potential enemy . . ." Harold Russel, Amvets national commander, told the house veterans' veter-ans' affairs committee that "by every standard of equity the bonus is justifiable." ' Certainly the GI's of Conflict Two had a precedence in the case of the Doughboys of World War I. And, remembering history, they would not be too disappointed at early delays, inasmuch as it took quite a time for the World War I veterans to obtain passage of a bonus bill. THE AMVETS and the VFW were agreed that the rate of compensation com-pensation for veterans should be $3 a day for service in this country, coun-try, and $4 a day for service overseas. over-seas. This would mean that a maximum max-imum bonus would be $4,500, with an extra bonus for men who were wounded in action. The question of a bonus for men who have defended their country in time of war is one of the most difficult with which a people may wrestle. There is the vast gratitude and appreciation of service on the one hand, and on the other a con-ception con-ception of patriotism and duty, solidified most often by lack of necessary funds with which to reward re-ward the warriors. Rep. Dewey Short (R., Mo.) gives a good impression of Britain's Winston Churchill as he rehearses for his part in an amateur radio show being staged in Constitution Hall today to-day February 2. The show is for the benefit of the American Heart association and will kick-off kick-off the organization's 1950 fund campaign. GI BENEFITS: More Refunds? America's GI's might be in for another refund on service life insurance. in-surance. According to an announcement by the veterans' administration it will take another look at the 'reserve 're-serve fund next year and. if a sur plus exists, the ex-soldiers may get another refund. THE ANNOUNCEMENT came as the VA was mailing out check . to millions of veterans. |