Show WEEKLY Y NEWS ANALYSIS YSIS Israel Registers Diplomatic Victory By y Agreeing to Cease Fire Order Lewis Quits First Coal oal Conference By Bill Staff Writer EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE When opinions Dr ore In three these columns the they are tho e of Western estern Newspaper Union news new analysts and not n of this thi newspaper PALESTINE Diplomacy acy What t the Jews of Israel el lacked in armed strength to resist Arab attacks attacks at at- t- t tacks against their new state they had made up in shrewd diplomacy It w was s just possible th that t the decisive decisive decisive deci deci- sive blow of the Palestine war was w s struck when Israel foreseeing military mili mili- t tary ry defeat agreed to order its army to cease fire on all 11 Palestine fronts if the Ar Arabs bs would do the thes same s me That development which took place as s the battle for Jerusalem entered its sixth day in an unholy atmosphere of rattling guns bursting bursting bursting burst burst- ing shell and violent death m made de dethe the most favorable impression possible possible possible pos pos- pos pos- sible in the United N Nations Thus having ha ving the onus of prolonging prolong prolong- ing the Palestine fighting shifted suddenly to their shoulders alone the Arabs were put on the spot in inthe inthe inthe the U. U N. N and nd in world public ion It was a clever diplomatic maneuver maneuver maneuver maneu maneu- ver on the p part rt of the Jews but at least le st at the outset of this new newline newline newline line of circumstances the Arabs were having none of it They reiterated reiterated reiterated reiter reiter- their determination tion to wrest all P Palestine lestine from control of the Jews Actually all the J Jews ha had done was to issue a surprise cease fire order in compliance nce with a U. U N. N security council request that the fighting be brought to a halt Neither the security council nor anyone else had expected the request request request re re- re- re quest to be observed But that put it up to the Ar Arabs bs who faced with a deadline set by bythe bythe bythe the U. U N. N were having trouble deciding deciding deciding de de- de- de whether or not to cease fire If they stopped fighting now they would have done so without attaining attaining attaining attain attain- ing their prime objective the revoking revoking re re- re- re yoking of Israels Israel's claim to sovereign sov soy sovereign statehood If they continued the war beyond the deadline they would be laying themselves open to possible security council sanctions of the economic v variety SECURITY Desperate Plight President Truman c came me up with another nother sound pl plank to reinforce his campaign platform when he demanded demanded demanded de de- de- de that congress overhaul and broaden the social security pro pro- gr gram m. m To relieve the desperate plight of the aged and needy in this inflationary inflationary inflationary period he called for a 50 per percent percent percent cent increase in old age ge insurance benefits and nd asked that 20 million more persons be protected He offered a five point program and said he w wanted quick action on it For three years the President President President dent pointed out with some irritation irritation irritation tion similar requests on his part have been shunted aside This time he was ask asking g 1 A 50 per cent increase H at t least 1 1 L in old age and survivors' survivors insurance insurance insurance in in- benefits allowing pensioners pension pension- ers to earn up to 40 a month instead instead instead in in- stead of 15 without losing benefits raising of the tax rate from 1 per percent percent percent cent to 1 Ph per cent next January 1 r 1 2 Extension of coverage to farm 1 and domestic workers the self employed and others not now covered 3 O 2 Broadening of unemployment qi insurance to cover employees of small firms having fewer than eight workers federal employees and nd others A Disability insurance to protect 4 I workers from loss of earnings caused by sickness and injuries I c Increased federal benefits to toI I- I 5 match state aid for dependent children the needy aged and blind Whatever his motives in presenting presenting presenting present present- ing the problem of inadequate social social social so so- cial security benefits again at this time Mr Trum Truman n did have a good even a noble point Pe People p whose sole income is s. s 1 H t h IP LI U Iu i Y J PJ LV just about reached the breaking point All of them f face ce a desperate desperate desperate des des- struggle in trying tr ing to procure procure procure pro pro- cure bare necessities at t present prices Both President Truman and the aged and nd needy were hoping fervently fervently fervently fer fer- fer- fer vently that congress would be able to squeeze social security legislation legislation legislation legisla legisla- tion into the crowded docket it had prepared for the month preceding adjournment ent As for congress itself it was on the fence again ECONOMICS Wage Price While prices continue to climb steadily wage increases are beginning beginning beginning begin begin- ning to show signs of levelling off oU says the latest department of commerce commerce com corn merce report on inflation Possibility of a a business recession recession recession reces reces- sion and with it the prospect for lower prices vanished like mist in inthe inthe inthe the sun after fter the foreign aid and military preparedness programs began to take sh shape pe in March the department survey revealed I Walkout J t n r r rill ill I Iwi wi r f fI I 44 I W This photograph of or me rue west end of John L. L Lewis going cast out of a door is perhaps symbolic of trouble to come in the nations nation's soft sort coal mines First cOl conference between the United Mine Workers and the coal producers on the miners' miners 1948 1918 contract ended in frustration when Lewis walked out after refusing to seat a representative representative representative rep rep- of the Southern Coal Producers association at the par par- ley Icy NO CONFERENCE Lewis lelvis Again It was all typically I HI make the observation that thO nu nn n IOn n v v v v 1 John Lt L. L chief of the soft coal miners as s he w walked grandly outon outon out outon on the first meet meeting ng to negotiate a new contract between the coal operators and nd the United Mine Workers present contract ct expires June 30 Lewis broke up the discussion on 1948 w wage ge agreements when he objected objected objected ob ob- ob- ob to seating Joseph E. E Moody president of the Southern Coal Producers Producers Producers Pro Pro- association at the conference conference conference confer confer- ence and was outvoted by the operators He was not ag against Moody per per- Officially his unions union's position position po po- was that the 14 regional org organizations organizations or or- g which comprise the Southern association a tion must bargain in 14 separate groups rather than delegate bargaining authority to the inclusive all association According to Lewis' Lewis accepted pattern pattern pattern pat pat- tern of operation his balk at the Southern Coal Producers was the opening tactical l stroke in his 1948 campaign for an n improved miners' miners contract Following that he could sit back and nd present the V UM wage demands demands demands de de- de- de mands in his own good time Then if the coal operators did not accede accede accede ac ac- ac- ac cede he could call the annu annual l strike Lewis knew his position was J 1 1 i Lut iLie s recent Lt CUL pension walkout had left the nations nation's coal reserves seriously depleted By Bythe Bythe Bythe the time June 30 rolled around soft coal stocks would not yet have been built up to the point where industry could stand a long strike Barring unforeseen u n f for a r e s see e e n circumstances circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances it looked like this would develop into another injunction case The union still is under an 80 day court injunction prohibiting renewal renewal renewal re re- re- re newal of the pension strike but the court might rule that another walkout would be a brand new strike In that case a new in injunction injunction injunction in- in junction might h have ve to be sought by the government under Taft- Taft Hartley procedure HARVEST Eulo European Europe may look forward rd to pos- pos its best year since the war if food production prospects continue continue continue con con- to be as favor favorable ble as they are right now U. U S. S agriculture department said that the continent will produce a larger part of its food needs this year than it did last year and that the crop outlook was good over most of Europe and the Soviet Union early in May Prospects indicate a considerably larger crop of bread grains wheat and rye than rye than last years year's desperately desperately desperately desper desper- small one A severe winter killed most of Europe's winter wheat and nd rye last year European production of bread grains may surpass 18 billion bushels which w was s the size of the 1946 crop l largest since the war Production last year dropped to about 15 billion bushels compared with a 23 billion average before the thew w war r. r |