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Show SCANNING THE WEEK'S NEWS of Main Street and the World Reds Agree to Discuss Cease-Fire; Congress Extends Price Controls PEACE IS POSSIBLE Events of the last few days have created a belief throughout the world that there Is a possibility of peace in Korea. The first move for possible peace talks was made by Jacob Malik, Soviet representative at the UN. U.S. Ambassador Alan Kirk later called upon Soviet Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in an attempt to get a clarified version of Malik's bid. Kirk reported that Gromyko suggested that in the first stage negotiations negotia-tions for a truce should be conducted by military representatives in the field, with political and territorial questions left for second stage disposition. dis-position. Then, acting on instructions from Washington, Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway, commander of the allied armed forces, broadcast proposals to the Reds for a meeting aboard the Danish hospital ship Jutlandia in Won-san Won-san harbor in North Korea. After 29 hours of waiting, the Communists answered the broadcasts with a proposal for a meeting at Kaesong, just below the old Korean boundary on the 38th parallel. They suggested the meeting be held between be-tween July 10 and 15. No official reaction to the Communist proposal was immediately available. avail-able. Most observers, however, believed the delay as proposed by the Reds was a face saving device, so important in the Orient. But the Communist Com-munist reply was an indication that the Chinese and North Koreans desire peace. The 10 day delay will also permit the Chinese and North Korean leaders to seek further contact with Moscow. As expected, the Communists made propaganda use of Gen. Ridgway's proposed peace talks. Communist broadcasts began to pound away at the line that the allies asked for peace talks because the "armed aggression of the United Nations forces has ended in failure." There was one other indication that the talks may not be fruitless. The Communists failed to mention their repeated demands of admission to the United Nations and control of Formosa as a price of peace. A sincere desire for peace remains uppermost in the minds of every American, from home town to the largest city. Whatever the results of the peace talks, it must be an honorable peace before it will be acceptable to the American people. And it must be made clear to every American that a Korean settlement will not justify a slowdown in this nation's defense program. H ftL" .-A vf 1 i . f i v. i k ' - 4 ' " " J A i , I i ai,- l f. -f r 1 , 1 it jt' r. H f. v. r f I I j - s 1 Ki - i If X '"VySl : .) Seeking Formula for Peace Representatives of the United Nations with troops in Korea are shown as they held a "strategy" meeting at the state department to seek a formula for united action on the Russian proposal for a truce in Korea, UN officials reported peace prospects are definitely good, A MONTH TO ARGUE Congressional action in economic controls last week caused considerable comment in the home towns of the nation. According to the average American's concept of government, the congress of the United States is supposed to reflect the will and desire of the people. With this basic principle in mind, plus the fact that congress rushed through a bill extending the nation's economic controls for 31 days, but slapping an absolute ban on price rollbacks and most new price ceilings. ceil-ings. It began to look like" the average man on Main Street approved the high prices that prevail today. Two main facts caused most of the nation's reporters and analysts to this conclusion: (1) The cost of living for the average family is higher today than ever before, 8.9 per cent above that of June 25, 1950 (see story below); and (2) the refusal of congress to pass a bill to hold back this rising spiral in fact, specifically forbidding rollbacks and new price ceilings. The administration charged that the congress had allowed itself to be intimidated by special interests, pointing to .the activities of the beef and textile industries, the national association of manufacturers, and the real-estate real-estate lobby in recent weeks. Michael DiSalle, OPS administrator, put it like this: "Enemies of price control magnify errors and twist facts. They urge business-as-usual in unusual un-usual times. They deliberately confuse free enterprise with irresponsible license. They misconstrue and misstate OPS action to the point of outright out-right dishonesty." Presenting the other side of the picture, Senator Taft of Ohio, said: "There is no reason for rationing businessmen outside the defense program," pro-gram," and price rollbacks "are dangerous economically because they upset all normal business relations. They are a step toward socialism . . ." The next month will be one of bitter debate on price, wage and rent legislation. What form it will finally take is anyone's guess at the moment. But it is a fantastic supposition that says the average American favors the high prices of today. COST OF LIVING The fact that this country has already taken the first dangerous step on the ladder of inflation was indicated again by the government's latest cost of living index. The index of the bureau of labor statistics rose to 185.4 per cent of the 1935-' 39 average. This figure is nearly 9 per cent above June, 1950, when the Korean war began and sets a new record high. As a rpsnlt. hpcause of "escalator" clauses in work contracts, well river |