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Show I WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Congress Moves Cautiously on Labor Legislation; Army Board Recommends Equality in Service Released by Western Newspaper Union ( EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed in these columns, they are those or (Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper. The iron horse might have been laid up by the recent rail strike but i'2 ton elephantine Sid, guided by Trainer Irish Ryan, came to rescue of Clyde Beatty circus in Redwood, Calif., by pushing show's cars onto spur track. CONGRESS: Temper Cools Pro-labor stalwarts were joined by conservative elements in congress con-gress in blocking immediate passage pas-sage of anti-strike legislation pushed forward as a result of the costly railroad and soft coal walkouts. Though the house acted quickly in passing President Truman's emergency anti-strike bill by a 306 to 13 vote, the measure was stalled in the senate, where its delegation dele-gation of wide powers to the chief executive was met with distrust and its constitutionality was doubted. Liberals and conservatives alike hammered at the provisions provi-sions permitting seizure of strike-bound industries deemed essential to public welfare; the drafting of workers remaining out in defiance of U. S. operation; opera-tion; loss of their seniority; government gov-ernment retention of profits and punishment of union and company com-pany officials opposing government govern-ment action. Besides hitting at the sweeping powers conferred upon the President through the bill", the senate coalition coali-tion characterized the proposed drafting of workers as a step toward to-ward involuntary servitude banned by constitutional law; the deprivation depriva-tion of workers' seniority after previous pre-vious faithful- service as legally questionable, and the retention of company profits as confiscatory and without proper process through court. Meanwhile, Representative Sabath (Dem., 111.) as chairman of the strategic house rules committee, held off consideration of the drastic Case antistrike bill, which the senate sen-ate passed by a 49 to 29 vote in lieu of the President's emergency measure. meas-ure. Previously approved by the house, it was sent back for an o. k. on senate amendments. babath s delaying tactics reflected reflect-ed administration opposition to the Case anti-strike bill, which the sen-terly sen-terly assailed by labor. Under the bill, a 60 day cooling-off period would be instituted against strikes if a federal mediation board assumed as-sumed jurisdiction of a dispute; workers would lose seniority provisions pro-visions if violating a contract; sympathy walkouts by other unions would be barred, and health and welfare funds solely administered by unions would be outlawed. LABOR: Vows Vengeance Bitter over governmental pressure pres-sure for terminating the two-day railroad strike, A. F. Whitney, chief of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Train-men, vowed use of a union fund of 2Vz million dollars to defeat President Truman for re-election in 1948. Claiming the support sup-port of many CIO V 1 rV rV 1 and AEL leaders in A. F. Whitney condemning the President's use of the "... seizure weapon to break a valid strike," Whitney averred that "Truman never will be President Presi-dent again after 1948." "He's a political po-litical accident. anyway," he rasped. Along with the President, congressmen con-gressmen voting for his emergency strike legislation incurred Whitney's wrath. Asserting all union labor would be with the Trainmen, he revealed re-vealed that his board of directors had already authorized the use of funds to defeat legislators backing the measure. Meanwhile, T. C. Cashen of the Switchmen's union countered Whitney's Whit-ney's castigation of the President's action by declaring it was the only move he could have made under the circumstances. ARMY: Ash Equality Not the type to bp pushed around, Johnny Doughboy should feel perfectly per-fectly at his ease in the U. S. army if the war department gets around to adopting the broad program pro-gram outlined by Lt. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle's G.I. "gripe board." Formed to study measures for correcting irregularities, injustice in handling personnel and abuses of officerial privileges in World War II, Doolittle's six-man investigating investigat-ing board recommended: Elimination of the hand salute off army installations and off , duty; discontinuance of dis-i dis-i criminatory references between officers and enlisted men, and . abolition of the ban on fraternization frat-ernization of ranking personnel , and G.I.s. Pay increases in line with civilian ci-vilian salaries; assurance of chance of advancement; selection selec-tion of officers based on one year in the ranks, and promotions promo-tions on merit basis. Regulations and instructions be so written as to prevent officers from -abusing authority; inclusion inclu-sion of enlisted personnel on military courts and system of registering complaints be improved. im-proved. Creation of a fairer system of decorations and limitation of distribution of awards so as to avoid cheapening them. WORLD FOOD: Production Boost Slowly recovering from wartime dislocations in acreage, seed, manpower, man-power, equipment and motive power, pow-er, the world's farmers promise to increase food production substantially substan-tially this year, though output will remain below the prewar levels. lev-els. Brightest prospects are in the northern hemisphere, where larger acreages and higher yields are anticipated an-ticipated over 1945. Though output out-put in most of the war-torn countries coun-tries will be below normal, total production in continental Europe is expected to reach 88 to 90 per cent of the prewar figure, with the biggest gains in grains and sugar and possibly fats. Far eastern production is expected expect-ed to show improvement over 1945 despite deterioration of prospects for southern China's rice crop due to drouth. Growing conditions favored fa-vored Chinese wheat and spring rains in India were permitting farmers to work their soil early. U. S. Shipments If housewives are not able to buy all the bread end flour they desire it is because of the record shipments ship-ments of wheat to famine areas Secretary of Agriculture Anderson told a national radio audience. U S efforts to fulfill commitments for delivery of 400 million bushels of grain by June 30 will witness the greatest single movement of a commodity com-modity in history, he said. With two-fifths of the world's total to-tal exports of food grains for the marketing year of 1945-M6 consisting consist-ing of wheat from American farms U. S. exports of the commodity will represent one-third of the nation's crop, Anderson declared. Almost one billion pounds of dairy products will be needed for over seas relief during the next 12 months. Anderson reported. Of this amount, 624 million pounds will be in canned milk, 200 million pounds m powdered milk and 100 million pounds in cheese. OPA: Sellers' Strike Protesting against OPA reduction of dealer profits on new machinery to 16 per cent from 20 per cent and n parts to 28 per cent frorr .35 .per cent retail farm implement dealers deal-ers in Iowa and Illinois agreed to wi hhold sale of new equipment n The hope original discounts would byaenn0eddas part of a nation-wide campaign of the National Retail FarT Equipment association, action of the Iowa and Illinois stats memberships followed OPA refusal to reconsider its order requiring the dealers to absorb the larger portion por-tion of price increases granted to manufacturers. The order was similar sim-ilar to one issued to retail auto dealers deal-ers on grounds that prospective large volume without appreciable sales effort will provide adequate returns. While deciding to withhold sale of new equipment, the implement dealers agreed to sell parts to help farmers meet huge domestic and relief demands. Though dealers had the obligation to service their customers, cus-tomers, National Secretary Paul Mulliken said, they could not be compelled to sell merchandise at inadequate prices. BIG FOUR: , German Issue j Pushing for implementation of the Potsdam agreement calling for the economic unification of Germany, U. S. military government authorities authori-ties halted the further transfer of industrial reparations to Allied countries from the American occupation occu-pation zone pending clarification of the reich's future status. Continuation of shipments of industrial in-dustrial equipment would seriously impair the economy of the U. S. zone if Russian policy were to lead to a permanent partition of western and eastern Germany, Deputy Military Mili-tary Governor L. D. Clay declared. Costs of American occupation are running at a rate of one billion dollars dol-lars annually and the U. S. does not wish to maintain southwestern Germany as a permanent ward, he said. Under the Potsdam agreement, Russia stood to obtain 25 per cent of surplus industrial equipment from the U. S. zone, with 15 per cent to be paid for in food, coal and mineral min-eral products from its section. In calling for implementation of the Potsdam agreement on unifying unify-ing Germany, Clay said a central agency should be set up for co-ordinating activities; an export-import program should be devised to permit per-mit the reich to pay for purchases of food and raw material, and free inter-zonal trade should be allowed. |