Show r 0 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS L US U.S. Seeks to Avoid Chinese War As Warships Flee Shanghai Trap K Reds Talk of Berlin Blockade End EndNOTE EDITORS EDITOR'S NOTE When opinions opinion are expressed In these these- columns the they are nrc those r 1 Western Wester Newspaper Unions Union's new news analysts and nd not necessarily r if f this newspaper S r 4 9 4 2 1 c 1 BOUND FOR HOT SPOT American marines wave from Crom the St. St Paul as they embark for or trouble spots in China The St. St Paul heavy cruiser was one of or the two warships leaving for Cor China and which carried much larger complements of or marines than normal Dormal The United States was showing the world that it planned no maneuvers maneuvers maneu maneu- 0 vers which might create the situation for an Incident leading to involvement involvement in in- involvement In the Chinese war To the surprise of practically everyone particularly the 2500 Amer Amer- E t leans in Shanghai the th entire U. U S. S fleet fled suddenly from rom Shanghai A evidently having abandoned then current plans for evacuation of oft t t. t American nationals from the scene r. r THE GOVERNMENT was sending sendling send send- ling jug ing some marines to Chinese troubled f ft led spots but these were to do i only sentry duty United States action came despite admittedly great provocation The Chinese Communists in their triumphant triumphant tri tri- surge across China to Shanghai had invaded the home of U. U S. S Envoy J. J Leighton Stuart in and hinted he was to be beheld beheld held in custody Meanwhile the Chinese Reds broadcast a demand for American and British officials to evacuate all their their aggressive forces from rom China Already British warships had been fired ired upon and it was assumed American fleet elements had fled Shanghai in order to avoid any such predicament as was experienced experienced exper exper- fenced by the British ves vessels ls THE COMMUNIST threat to Shanghai was increasing hourly and nd despite Nationalist decision to I battle to the end it appeared the city's plight was hopeless Communist victory in China would put all the western nations I in a ticklish position For with the Beds Reds in control of all China China- those who opposed communism would be helpless and hopeless in event of a western-powers western move to apply apply ap ap- ply economic sanctions if such a aI astep I step tep should be taken If It this procedure procedure procedure pro pro- were not to be followed the western powers would be put Inthe in inthe inthe the paradoxical position of recognizing recognizing and trading with proponents of f an ideology with which they were struggling in a cold war AUTO LABOR Looms The nations nation's coal mines didn't t present the only likely in labor relations as bargainIng bargaining bargain- bargain ing time rolled around in various industries Those who were in position position z j tion to know held the opinion that 1 1 it was an uneasy peace which hung bung over the automobile industry UNION FL had been quelled at the Packard and Ford motor companies and a temporary work stoppage had halted body production production production pro pro- at the Briggs manufacturing manu manu- company's plant The future of labor relations InThe in inthe inthe the industry was as confused as it was uneas uneasy Recent action by manufacturers manufacturers manufacturers man man- in cutting prices of automobiles automobiles automobiles auto auto- mobiles had brought accusations from labor that the reductions were I only token cuts and did not represent represent represent rep rep- resent a fair action on the part of the manufacturers However with prices of other commodities beginning to spiral downward and easement of installment installment install install- ment buying widened it began to appear that labor would be in a vulnerable position by the time con con- tract-signing tract time rolled around WHILE there was little in the press about the intentions of dynamic dyna dyna- mic inic Walter Reuther head of the United Automobile Workers' Workers union there was slight doubt that the fiery liery redhead would be in there pitching for his union members when the time tune came to sit down a athe at atthe the bargaining table Would labor attempt to overreach itself in bargaining or would it i recognize the trend of the times time and be content to hold present presen gains That was the question whose answer would be he anxiously awaited by the citizen who is always in hi th the middle in such struggles the struggles the average average aver aver- age American consumer BERLIN Reds Want Talk If It the United States and Britain looked with a n jaundiced eye on Russia's public offer to lift the BerUn Berlin Bern Ber- Ber Un lin n blockade it was thoroughly un- un Too often the Soviets have lave held out the olive branch or made apparent overtures that never ever materialized to ease the crisis risis the Reds may have been developing developing de- de eloping at that time HOWEVER the western powers had lad virtually accepted the Russian proposal to lift the Berlin blockade in n exchange for a power four-power con con- eon eon- ference on Germany But it was made very plain that acceptance was vas based on the condition that Russia had no secret strings attached attached at at- t to the offer A U U. S. S state department official was vas quoted as ns saying that if Moscow's Moscow's Mos- Mos cows cow's policy actually stands as it was vas reported in a dispatch by Tass Russian news agency the way appears appears ap- ap pears jears clear for the lifting of the blockade and a meeting of the council coun- coun cil il of foreign ministers At the same time however it was learned that the Russians were told old that the United States Britain Brit- Brit am ain in and France do not intend to deay delay de- de delay lay ay their plans for unifying western Germany and crea creating ting a German government probably by July 15 SOME TOP officials believed the Russian offers offer's real purpose was to delay this action and indicated that if this were the case it was most uncertain whether a real and final agreement on the Berlin blockade would be reached any time in the near future The Russian proposal was construed construed con- con trued as suggesting three concrete means for reducing international tension These were outlined as 1 proposal for a meeting of the council council coun coun- cil of at foreign ministers on the subject subject sub- sub of Germany 2 lifting lilting the Berlin restrictions as soon as a meeting date was fixed for that meeting and 3 direct negotiations between Premier Stalin and President President Pres- Pres ident dent Truman on basic conflicts between the United States and the Soviet union FARM PROGRAM Who's Confused The administrations administration's bold new farm program was becoming so muddled that even its proponents seemed to be less than certain of just what its purpose is to say nothing of how much it will cost When the program was first presented presented presented pre pre- the general impression generated generated generated gen gen- by its proponents was that it was a duality of beneficence as asit asit asit it were were were-a a device that would keep up the price of farm products while at the same time resulting in less cost to the consumer TO CRITICS who callously pointed out that it would require tax money to finance such a program program pro pro- gram and that both farmers and consumers would have to pay those taxes the plans plan's advocates answered answered an an- that such persons simply di didn't nt understand the aims of the proposal Then along came Agriculture Secretary Charles F. F Brannan with witha witla a statement that indicated he didn't L quite understand it either or if he did it was a new conception Now the secretary was saying the plan wasn't meant as a consumer subsidy sub sidy at nt all alt No indeed it was a farm price support measure aimed at giving the farmer a fair return return re reo turn on his investment and hi his labor CREDIT T CONTROLS Are Eased Again Developments were shoving President Pres Pres' President ident Truman's demands for price control power further and into the realm of absurdity THE FEDERAL reserve board after looking the situation over decided de that installment buying controls controls con con- troIs could be lowered again safely And this it did It set out that on household appliances such as refrigerators refrigerators era tors radios electric washers etc the down payment would have to be only 10 per cent of the cost of the item instead of the previous 15 per cent On automobiles automobiles automo automo- biles the down payment remained at 30 per cent but on autos and household appliances too the time of payment was extended from rpm 21 to 24 months THIS ACTION brought both commendation commendation com com- and criticism That clement element ele cle- dc- dc ment meat In the federal government which would recoup all the wartime wartime wartime war war- time controls for the President was aghast at the action terming it dangerous Others who had watched p prices r I ice c e s continue their downward spiral spiral especially especially merchants merchants merchants mer mer- chants who were facing a buyers' buyers market and difficulty in moving goods off of sales floors saw floors saw the 1 action as a boon to business SULLIVAN Quits Navy Post There was little else that John L. L Sullivan secretary of ot the navy could have done but resign after the multi million dollar reprimand reprimand reprimand mand he received from Defense Secretary Louis Johnson SULLIVAN as navy chief chIc had gone ahead with plans to construct the ton U. U S. S aircraft super- super carrier the United States despite lack of congressional authorization for the project It was no particular secret that abandonment of the carrier and Sullivans Sullivan's resignation were all a continuing part of the apparently hopeless fight to unify the nations nation's armed forces The congressional act calling for such a step has never been carried out and the navys navy's attempt to go ahead with building the huge carrier without any legal authority was another example of high-handed high service tactics that have tended to make unification appear impossible of realization tion DEFENSE SECRETARY Johnson Johnson John John- son commenting on Sullivans Sullivan's resignation resignation resignation res res- res- res ignation said I regret very much that my old friend and colleague has joined the aircraft carrier issue on personal grounds and I believe that he too will soon regret his action of today DAIRYMEN Will Push Sales According to the experts milk prices would be tumbling again this summer but American dairymen dairymen dairymen dairy dairy- men wouldn't be cheering about it In fact dairymen were getting set to launch a 15 million dollar campaign to promote the sale of dairy products and at the same time wage war on oleomargarine Most dairy leaders were said to believe that a promotional campaign campaign campaign cam cam- to boost consumption was the only way to check a nose-dive nose in milk and butter prices that has caught producers with their income down and their costs up In little more than seven months according to a federal dairy specialist specialist specialist dairy prices had dropped 33 per cent Butter which not long ago was at almost prohibitive prices had dipped to the government government government govern govern- ment support level Milk prices also had been falling off of a cent or two at a time on retail markets The federal specialist pointed out that domestic unemployment has contributed to the drop in consumption consumption consumption tion of dairy products Grown Up I FJ k 7 4 J pf I 4 t j Shirley Tern Temple T e in p pIe 1 e one time Little Miss lark 1 Marker r of movie fame Came now is fully grown up She recently celebrated her L birthday anniversary The dimpled dimpled dim dim- dimpled pled child screen star of or more than a decade ago is the mother of a year-old year daughter FROZEN FROG May Yet Jump Dr D. D L. L Albasio of Angels I Camp Calif Cali was keeping his entry in the annual frog jumping contest contest con con- test on ice literally ice literally speaking He has to because his frog Lazarus has been frozen still stiff for an estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated 1200 years The physician said he found his prehistoric frog frozen deep in the i ice of Dana glacier in Yosemite t national park and felt confident his entry would be able to Jump j |