Show NEWS REVIEW Inflation Worry Grows CIO Seeks Pay Raises INFLATION What's to Be Done Administration pressure to force the adoption of President Truman's proposed Inflation anti panacea involving in involving involving in- in wage and price controls was increasing steadily Latest in a procession of cabinet members testifying before congressional congressional congressional committees in favor of price controls was Clinton P. P Anderson secretary of agriculture I He bluntly warned the house banking and currency committee I that unless rising meat costs are halted price controls on that commodity commodity commodity com com- would be necessary necessary- by early spring Describing meat and grain as 31 foodstuffs in which early shortages shortages short short- ages can be foreseen Anderson pointed out the likelihood that early 1948 would see fantastically high pric prices s of meat There was a profusion of thinking on the inflation problem which so far had bad done little except to promote promote promote pro pro- mote widespread disagreement and uncertainty among the people The administration congress as asa asa asa a body and private citizens remained remained remained re re- re- re at odds concerning what should be done Robert S. S Nathan f for former o r m mer e r government economist called for an immediate 20 to 25 per percent percent percent cent rollback In prices and predicted predicted pre pre- dieted a bust next year if the situation remains uncontrolled Secretary of the Treasury John Snyder issued a direct challenge to congress to come up with some workable idea of its own to combat rising costs of living Earl Bunting president of the National National National Na Na- Association of Manufacturers epitomized the attitude of private business and industry in general by calling for greater production per perman perman perman man per day reduced taxes and a curb on exports What it amounted to was this You either were in favor of price and wage controls or against them You pay your money and you take your choice but in any event with inflation a predominant condition of the economy you pay your money WAGE DRIVE Third Round Since there apparently Is no way of eliminating Inflation in the foreseeable foreseeable foreseeable fore fore- seeable future the CIO CIa decided the best thing American labor can do is isto isto isto to string along with it That was the philosophy behind CIO President Philip Murrays Murray's announcement announcement announcement an an- that the labor organization organization would seek general wage increases Increases increases in in- creases for its six million workers in basic industries It presaged a new series of labor difficulties which probably will reach a crucial peak next March Marchand Marchand Marchand and April More than that it was the development most feared by economists frantically trying to combat inflation official inflation official launching of the third general round of wage demands since the war Murray seeking to justify the decision decision de de- claimed that since the war workers had suffered a net loss of 18 per cent in the purchasing power of their weekly earnings despite wage increases He added in a tone of disillusion disillusion- D I I ment that the CIOs CIO's move for another another an an- other pay raise grew out of his and other CIO CIa leaders' leaders moral certainty that congress would do nothing to halt bait inflation and its continuing and dangerous impact on the American worker He hoped he said that it wont won't be necessary to have strikes The decision was not entirely un un- un- un expected Secretary of Labor Lewis had seen it in the cards 4 earlier when he y y predicted such a development a and n d warned that pressure pressure pres pres- x sure for general wage Increases was mounting with rising rising rising ris ris- ing prices Meanwhile congress congress congress con con- gress dissatisfied with th president Truman's Truman's Tru Tru- mans man's poInt 10 inflation anti program program program pro pro- gram continued working on cost- cost of-living of problems with two cabinet officers under orders to draft specific specific bills to fight in inflation LEAGUE For Politics Ever since the Taft-Hartley Taft act outlawed the spending of labor union union union un un- ion funds for political purposes the unions have been busy setting up special agencies through which they can apply political pressure In 1948 Most recent such political league has been organized by the International International International Association of ot Machinists JAM IAM it is called the machinists' machinists partisan non-partisan political league and will aid working people exercise their right to vote more effectively according to Harvey W. W Brown IAM lAM president In 1948 it will concentrate on replacing replacing replacing re re- re- re placing the pro-employer pro Taft Hart ley congress with one composed of ot those who will consider the interests of all groups in our country rather than the narrow interests of a sin single le group I IOther Other leagues of similar political bent are the CIO CIa political action committee the labors labor's educational educational educational and political league the railroad railroad railroad rail rail- road unions' unions railway labors labor's political political political cal league and the communication workers' workers group WARFARE Plastic Tanks Tanks as we know them may be for the memory only in a few more years if it the prediction of Maj Gen James M. M Gavin is sound In the event of another war tanks made largely of plastic and light enough to be flown from one front to another will play a decisive role the military expert said In a copyrighted copyrighted copyrighted copy copy- righted article in the Armored Cavalry Journal Gavin who commanded the parachute parachute parachute para para- chute assault troops in the Normandy Normandy Normandy Nor Nor- mandy invasion said the heavy tank of World War II is so outdated it t belongs In the Smithsonian Institution in in- in Either we develop the means that will enable us to fly everything we need for combat or another nation nation nation na na- na- na tion will he be asserted If U another does well does we oes-we well weve we've h had d It |