Show p WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS I President Hints Controls on Way I As Cost of off Living Drops Slightly Western Mutual Aid Pact Prepared By Dy Bill Staff Writer EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE When opinions are expressed In these columns column the they hey are re those hose of or Western Newspaper Unions Union news analyst and aDd not necessarily of ot this Ibis newspaper I D DILEMA J Horned Sharp orned 1 Perched uncomfortably astride a aI I dilemma having the sharpest horns ever to plague a sitter President Truman ponders ways ays and means menns of getting off The situation is as dearly clearly defined as it is bothersome I IN SHORT the President must work the seemingly impossible miracle of knocking prices down while hile keeping wages and farm prices up Mr Truman is indubitably indubitably indubitably tably committed to the former and it was a n great majority of opinion that he could do just that which helped account for his victory That he will also do the latter is isa isa I In a n campaign pledge he must exert every effort to keep No less a personage than Henry I Ford II has sharpened one of the I horns The Industrialist touched oil i I th tb fourth round of wage Increases Increases In in- j creases creases with consequent high- high I prices maintenance when he anI announced announced an an- a wage hike for all aU his workers Then Mr Ford delivered I himself of the observation that wages generally must go up and that prices must do likewise THE PATTERN is clear IndusI Industry Industry Indus Indus- I try raises wages and the cost of its products g goes es up Wages mustS must I S increase if these products are arc to tobe tobe tobe be purchased Labor comes in to totI tl tI ask for more money in order to f buy these products And so the circle continues Meanwhile it Is obvious that i Americans expect the President and congress to do something about getting the cost of living within reasonable bounds bounds and and to todo todo do it quick On the other hand la labor labor lail la- la il bor bore which backed Mr Truman at atthe L f. the polls and farmers farmes s 's who generally generally generally gen gen- supported him are expecting expecting expect expect- I ing action as swift on legislation favorable to them As administration leaders sought a n course of action to satisfy all L groups congress said little for public public pub pub- lic lie consumption Methods of price control if il any have been conI conceived con con- I have not been discussed ONE THING however is clear The situation poses the major test of how effective in solving the problem problem problem lem will be the cooperation of congress and the President From Capitol Hill HilJ came persistent persist persist- ent whispering that Mr Truman's thumping victory did not necessarily fly ily arm him with the equivalent of ofa ofa V a magic wand which he might wave Sf over congress to bring about legisla legislation legislation leg leg- isla tion in any form he may desire I Solution I L Then there was a break on the I FI Inflation front Americans who had r come to accept the inevitability of the high cost of living raised their eyes with surprise over the development development development de de- de- de h I although it amounted to only the merest chink in the Ii price barricade I TWO THINGS happened almost I simultaneously President Truman ordered administration administration ad ad- ministration agencies to work out outa a definite Inflation anti program I f i to be presented to the Democratic I congress in Janu January ry and the bureau bureau bureau bu bu- bu- bu reau of labor statistics reported a dip of at one half of 1 per cent in its of living index for October The significance of at Mr Truman's proposal for inflation anti legislation legisla legisla- V f tion was established it was someI something something some some- thing to look forward to But how I much real importance should be beI I attached to the almost infinitesimal i mal break in the price line would i remain to be teen Leen I 1 i f FOR ONE thing the price dip dip dip- i unless it grew to miraculous proportions pro pro- portions would portions would not cancel out any t I lIt inflation anti-inflation measures such 1 as j i f standby price control and raI rationing ra i I I r which might be imposed 11 Edwin G. G Nourse chairman of the Presidents President's council of economic I advisors opined that a lowering of k h prices washing out the need for fort forI I t drastic controls would be swell I t t. t But But he didn't predict it would I happ happI happen l I f Another top fiscal official said he t I I f believed Inflationary forces still sUll r had the upp upper r hand And Chester I I Bowles time one-time OPA boss stated i that congress unquestionably I 11 act against inflation I The precise nature of the program pro pro- I I gram Eram President Truman will lay i before congress in January was I no fib yet known probably known probably not yet determined Its general outline L probably will be made public when he be delivers his State of the I Union message in January I But there was little doubt that thata a return to more or less stringent It economic controls was In the cards I for lor 1949 i I Atlantis Debunked I II I II I If 11 you take the word of Dr Maurice Maui Mau Mau- I Ji i t T rice Ewing of Columbia university l l everyone who's been waiting around for lor the fabled lost continent of Atlantis to show up may now relax I Dr Ewing says he has mapped photographed probed sounded and andI I visited the ocean floor since 1935 and there just Isn't any evidence of the mysterious continent Atlantis was was believed to have sunk in a B aS great prehistoric cataclysm S Global Christmas f J t V k s. s I E i fr ff People of the nations of the earth are going to see sec Christmas from an American viewpoint this year rear through the medium of typical typical cal American Christmas Christma greeting cards being sent by the department department de de- de- de to U. U S. S embassies and consulates throughout the world Here Miss Frances Kane state department employee ee sits below an enlarged photograph of the cards TREATY Mutual lI Aid The cold freeze being turned on Russia by the western nations plummeted several more degrees when Great Britain France and the three Benelux nations after long negotiations agreed on a 17 point mutual assistance pact THAT the U. U S. S is involved In Inthe Inthe inthe the agreement goes almost without saying for without American sanction sanction sanc sane tion and at least an implied willingness willing willing- ness to help out militarily In the event of aggression no western Atlantic Atlantic At At- lantic treaty would be worth a whereas or even a hereinafter Primary proposal in the plan calls for a pledge of mutual armed assistance by the U. U S. S Canada and the five western European nations nations nations na na- na- na in case one or more of them should be attacked SECONDLY it provides that the pact be left open to membership of I certain other nations It calls also for the setting up of military and political boards immediately boards immediately after the pacts pact's signature and ratification to to make the treaty operate Containing 17 points in all all the program of agreed opinions has been presented to the U. U S. S and Canada for consideration There was no immediate reaction from the two governments on the matter but it seemed logical to presume that the idea for such a treaty had received their prior blessings Although the pact in its present form refrains from designating a fixed period of years for its life lile it does recommend a long duration dura dura- tion Actually the five European governments have been thinking in terms of a year 50 period but the decision on that is being left to the last stage of negotiations RUSSIA as a nation peaceful nation peaceful or belligerent is is scrupulously ignored In the document Nowhere is any mention made of the Soviet Union Nevertheless the treaty itself offers grim proof of the fact that the western democratic nations have seen fit ut to construct the nucleus nucleus nucleus nu nu- nu- nu cleus of a great regional defensive alliance against Russia and the spread of communism PEACEABLE Party Line The official line of the Communist Communist Com Corn party has gone off ofT on a anew anew anew new tangent in a tactic described as a peace offensive by U U. S. S I intelligence authorities who reported report report- I ed the switch WORD IS that the Kremlin has ordered peace propaganda and demonstrations of at various kinds as the official party line for all aU Communist Communist Com Com- parties organs and front or or- The intelligence boys claimed that this ostensible about- about face would become apparent in the near future Soviet rulers are supposed to be besetting besetting besetting setting the stage for a world worldwide wide peace maneuver as part of their cold war strategy to embarrass the I United States and its western allies al lies in the clash over the Berlin s sit sit- t- t How much will this spurious peace offensive mean Liter Literally Jy nothing as far tar as any genuine desire or I effort for peace is concerned The Russians I haven't undergone a aI I change of heart their aims are j I the same as always I KEEP DIGGING No Tax Cut All AU hope for an income tax cut cutin in January may as we well be ruled out now This is on the authority of at Sen Walter F George D D. Ga 1 I who is returning to chairmanship of the senate finance committee He has said that increased aid to Europe Eu Eu- rope and additional funds for national na lIa a defense would bar any He estimated that ERP would get bet an additional one or two billion 1 I dollars ARTERIAL Kingly Great Britain's royal family w wn WD fl keeping well in the forefront of ot world news First it was Elizabeths Elizabeth's baby then it was King Georges George's leg But while the first was an event of hysterically happy proportions for all Britons the second most certainly was was not The king apparently apparently apparently ap ap- ap- ap was in a relatively serious serious serious seri seri- ous condition The royal family's projected trip to Australia and New Zealand next month had to be can can- celled IT WAS suspected that year old George VI VT was suffering from a n disease known to doctors as bo bo-angiUs more easily referred to as Buergers Buerger's disease an of the linings of the arteries There was some speculation speculation speculation spec spec- also to the effect that the sing king might have diabetes or hardening hardening hardening hard hard- ening of the arteries But the kings king's doctors weren't committing themselves The five physicians described his symptom as an obstruction to the circulation circulation circulation tion through the tile arteries of the legs THERE IS no known permanent cure for ans Anyone suffering from it might be DC expected to live out his normal span of years if it he were careful stayed ofT off his f feet et and led a sheltered sheltered shel- shel ered life It was pointed out that standing and walking for hours at a time which has been part of or the kings king's job ob as ns figurehead of the empire has aggravated his condition Part of the treatment will be to cut out this important part of his duties and assign assign assign as as- sign the walking and standing performances performances performances per per- among other members of the royal household Meanwhile favoring his imperilled imperilled im im- im- im right foot King George was conducting the business of state from his bedroom in Buckingham palace A Atomic tomic Researcher I I w Dr Frank D. D Fackenthal until recently acting president of Columbia Co Co- Co lumbia university has been named as head of Associated Universities Universities Uni Uni- Inc which operates Brookhaven national laboratory at Upton N. N Y The laboratory is financed by the U. U S. S government government government govern govern- ment to provide facilities not available at universities but essential essential es es- es to nuclear research WAR RULES I Atomic The need for this sort of thing is purely speculative at this point but the International Red Cross is preparing preparing preparing pre pre- paring to propose a new set of war var rules that would compel nations to establish safety zones to protect civilians ci civilians civilians ci- ci in the event of a future atomic war THESE zones would be set up in inthe inthe inthe the rear of combat areas of each battling nation Belligerents theoretically the the- would recognize them as shelter areas and would spare them from Crom atomic attack Treaty conventions outlining this new security zone principle now are being circulated to all nations prior to submission to a general diplomatic diplomatic diplo diplo- matic matie conference in March Red Cross officials say they conceived conceived conceived con con- the idea for large shelter areas as a result of their experiences experiences in setting up neutral zones in Palestine Three general types of people would be protected under the Red RedCross RedCross RedCross Cross plan WOUNDED and sick persons whether combatant or noncombatant non combat ant CHILDREN under 15 expectant mothers or mothers of children under un der seven and the aged over 65 PERSONS entrusted with the control control con con- and management of the zones and the care of those in them Although these proposals cannot be formally binding until after approval ap op by the diplomatic convention convention conven conven- tion officials view them as so extremely ex important that they are urging all countries to abide by them morally without waiting for formal treaty signing In addition to the atomic security zone proposal other projected war rules would cover treatment of pris prisoners prohibit and the taking of or hostages Also the REdCross Red RedCross RedCross Cross wants to outlaw the current Russian practice of at living off oil the theland theland theland land in occupied areas I 1 What No Brass I IA A noted industrialist who was a wartime war brigadier general has come up with a proposal that military military mili mili- tary brass hats should divest themselves themselves themselves them them- themI I selves of insignia and that West WestPoint j Point and Annapolis should be converted converted con con- I into postgraduate schools open to all ranks The author of these proposals Is i I Robert Wood Johnson chairman of I Ithe the Johnson Johnson John surgical firm I 1 t. t t. t I |