PAGE TWO
THE TAR HEEL
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 1945
IRC .mm
mm
' OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE PUBLICATIONS UNION
SERVING CIVILIAN AND MILITARY STUDENTS AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
ROBERT MORRISON ..
"BANKS MEBANE .
JAMES SANFORD
IRWIN SMALLWOOD
HOWARD MERRY
BUDDY GLENN . :
NINA GUARD .
JACK LACKEY
ARTHUR BUDLONG
HARRISON TENNEY
STAFF
NEWS STAFF:
Jessie Gregory, Bill Kornegay, Eleanor Craig, Sam Summerlin, Jo Posh, Gne Wilkins,
Boy Thompson, Thelma Cohen, Donald French, Mel Kopebnan, Bill Eyon, Bette Helcher,
Jeepy Payne, Bettie Tfllrtt, ,Tom Corpening, Bill Fuess, Fred Galton, Harding Menties,
Rowena Willis.
SPORTS STAFF:
Frank Miller. Dick Seayer. ...
BUSINESS STAFFt
C harks Robinson, Curtis Butler. Natalie Selig, Suaaane Barclay.
John Lanape.
Phones: Editor, F-3141; Managing Editor ani Associate Editor, F-3146; Sports Editor,
9886; Business and Circulation Managers, 8641. . '
Published Tuesday and Saturday except during vacations and examinations. Staff meets
every Sunday and Thursday night at 7:30 o'clock. Any student desiring staff positions
should attend a staff meeting. Deadlines Sunday and Thursday.
Editorials are written or approved by the Editor and reflect the official opinion of the
Tax HeeL Columns and letters may be submitted ky anyone; the Editor reserves the right
to edit this copy, but it does not necessarily reflect the opinion ot the Tar HeeL . ,
Editorial, business, and circulation offices on the second floor of Graham Memorial.
Presses in the Orange Prints hop on Rosemary Street.
Entered as second class matter at the poet office at Chapel H3J, N. C, made? the act of
March 3, 18T9.
IT GEne OTUEDEBJIT .inY...
' . . . -tf ireimn ttflne EnDnTdDEL
PRICE VIOLATIONS
Thanks to the special staff investigation committee, the Tar
Heel has proven charges of ceiling price violations against the
Campus Cafe. The conviction came only after many long hours
of hard work by the members of the staff whose names are in
the news, story on the front page xf this issue. A number of
the staff members stayed awake late at night in an effort to un
cover their evidence. ,
We wish to take this opportunity to make a statement which
has been impossible up until now. We sincerely apologize to
all merchants and all persons of Chapel Hill who have been un
justly harmed by the Tar Heel's full-scale attack on the deplor-
able eating conditions wnicn we nave seen m some piaces. vv e
are now hearing everyday reports of improved service and of
renewea enort 01 many auuu meiciiaiito iu owvc w; otuuviii.
We were interested in the comment jnade to us the other day by
Edward Danziger who said that it looked to him that changes
for the better were being made in the situation.
"I nr L e -XT A ,J
As we have stated in a previous editorial, we created more
heat than light in many instances. , We realize that some mer
chants have just reason to feel bitter toward all who have par
ticipated in the campaign, composing quite a large group of the
student body.
After weeks Of strained relations, we now solicit the friend
ship of all those who think that they were unjustly injured. We
do this on grounds that we have proved (and have been sup
ported by the OPA) that ceiling prices were being violated in
Chapel Hill and the student body was thus being cheated, as we
stated and refused to deny either then or now. The fact that
poisoning was occurring in Chapel Hill (another statement
which was challenged) we now present as our only evidence tfie
statements by students.
It was not the desire of the Tar Heel to see the student body's
first gripe go neglected when- we, knew Jthat certain substantial
reason for such gripe existed.
Unlimited praise is due the University administration par
ticularly to Chancellor House for the fine manner in which
they have handled the problem. When downtown merchants
were still condemning students and their publication for the
brutal and dramatic expose, the University was making rapid
efforts to clean up its own eating establishments such as Jthe
Graham Memorial Cafeteria. The improvement, particularly in
the Cafeteria, has been tremendous.
We can do no more than say this in the way of a sincere apol
ogy to all of those who may have been hurt: all remarks were
printed in the most sincere interests of the student body. We
have now presented our positive evidence of ceiling, price viola
tions. We apologize completely for remarks which were too
strong or too sweeping. A continued desire exists on the part
of the Tar Heel to maintain a sense of co-operation with all per
sons living in the University community.
It is obviously true that many students face a real problem in
their effort to meet food expenses. The cost of meals is high.
.
Until the end of the emergency, we will continue to search for
violations of the laws. We only hope that everyone will under
stand that first of all we want better eating conditions. We are
working on the assumption that public knowledge of bad con
ditions improves those conditions. Aside from the maintenance
of this principle, we hope to never quarrel . with anyone.
USE THE WASTEBASKETS!
The Order of the Grail is, as an experiment, installing waste
baskets in Saunders Hall. If the test case proves that the stu
dents will use them, they will be supplied by the Grail to all class
buildings. Certainly the general appearance of the buildings
will be improved if waste paper, cigarette butts, and other mis
ellaneous items are not strewn through the halls and in the
rooms. If the students will co-operate with the Grail in this
projeet simply by using the trashcans, it will be a great help
in the beautificatiori of the campus.
. Editor
. Associate Editor
Managing Editor
, Sports Editor
Associate Managing Editor
Assistant Editor
x Desk Editor
News Editor
Business Manager
Circulation Manager
THIS ISSUE
..slrrk'r'4 - r 4-r CtrtTTCTfi otllflflTltO
ATOMIC BOMB
Whatever can be said about the effects of the atomic bomb at
this time is, mere speculation; however it 'would be interesting
to observe the possible effects of this bomb on the war, the peace,
and the universe.
The course of the present war could be changed drastically
due to the bomb. At present the war would have to be fought
from island to island, requiring huge invasions and resulting in
many deaths; the use of the atomic bomb could easily have such
an effect on the enemy that they would sue for peace. The bomb
could destroy so many of our enemy that they would see the
uselessness of continuing the war and would comply with our
unconditional surrender ultimatum. If they were not to comply
with our demands, the bomb, if used in quantity, could destroy
the enemy, entirely. In either case, the war could be shortened
immeasurably by the use of this deadly weapon.
1 It seems hard to believe that peace could be effected by the
invention, of so deadly a weapon; we .think it is quite possible,
after observing two obvious facts. If war-loving countries that
do not know the secret of the atomic bomb were to be kept ig
norant of it, they would develop a fear of destruction, and there
fore would not consider waging war. Secondly, the principle of
atomic bombs could.be used by science to create new methods of
power for peaceful living and not for destruction. The impe
tus would then be for developments in power, transportation,
communication, and other scientific achievements.
The effect on the world, or even the universe, could be dis
astrous if the bomb were used for destructive purposes. If it can
destroy a large city, why could it not destroy all civilization
eventually? The answer is obviously, "It could." It is hardly
imaginable, but an atomic bomb of great scope could also vapor
ize the world. It is dangerous for such an invention to be in the
hands of man, but let us liope that it will be used to advantage
by a world willing to forget minor differences, and a world which
will strive for great scientific knowledge for the welfare of
mankind.
CAMPUS CONSTITUTION
At last the legislature is well on the way to giving the stu
dents of Carolina a new constitution under which they may be
governed. Much work is being put into this project by the vari
ous legislators who were appointed to the committee for the
consideration of this problem by Speaker Hunt.
For a while it seemed as though the students would have to
wait for a long while for a codified system of student govern
ment, but now it is fast becoming a reality. It must be under
stood that a project as difficult as this one takes considerable
time to be brought to completion, and we must not expect a com
plete constitution the day ater tomorrow.
A vote of thanks is due to the student legislature for the work
it has done, the work it is doing, and the work it will accom-4
plish in the near future. The legislature is at last realizing that
something can be done with the aid of some good, honest sweat.
Smol
mo(ers nacK
By Banks Mebane
Last Monday' August 6, 1945,
the city of Hiroshima saw a minute
object detach itself from a super
fortress and drift lazily down on a
parachute; shortly thereafter the
strategically important spot be
came the past city of Hiroshima.
But not before its name became in
delibly written in every history
book ever to be printed in the fu
ture. Mark the date well August 6,
1945 for it signifies the first dem
onstration to the world at large of
the greatest discovery of science
since some super-ape or ' sub-man
first found that fire was useful for
something besides burning a for
est. Since that day practically every
source of power -had been based
either on fire (the combustion of
oxidizable material in air) or on
the energy of moving water; this
first utilization of the energy that
is inherent within all matter marks
the passage of a landmark in scien
tific (and industrial) progress.
, What the future may hold in store
is a long vista leading to two pos
sible conclusions complete de
struction of civilization or hew
heights as yet incomprehensible.
Since there is no seer among us,
no person who can peer "through a
glass, darkly," to see which road
the world will take, there is no way
to determine what the outcome ac
tually will be.
What we can evaluate to some
extent now, however, is just what
we have and just what might be
done with it. f
What we have can easily be stat
ed in one concise sentence: a source
of power has been tapped that may,
for all practical purposes, be con
sidered infinite. A simple state
ment, that, but one which has stag
gering implications. However, be
fore we swirl too far from the
realm of practicality into the Clo$d
Cuckoo Land of- wild speculation,
let us consider some sobering im
plications of the above sentence. We
HAVE tapped that power source,
but only barely that. We know
that every jatonv of every kind of
Had
1 matter contains untold energy, but
we do NOT know how to get to all
! of that energy; what 'we do know
is the fact that if an atom of the
- metal uranium (an atom of an
isotope of uranium having a mass
of 235) is bombarded with low
velocity neutrons, its nucleus will
dissociate (generally into two par
ticles) with the liberation of an
enormous quantity of energy.
However, U-235 is scarce and ex
ceedingly difficult to extract from
uranium ore; most of the world's
uranium exists in a heavier isotope
having a mass of 238 units, and
useless for the purpose of atomic
fission by known pre-war methods.
Just what extensive wartime re
search may have uncovered is un
known, but certainly atomic energy
will not be a cheap or practical
power source" f or some time to come.
We have, however, taken a step, a
very important step, in the right
direction.
Just what may be done in the
immediate future is difficult to de-
termine. Certainly the use of
atomic energy in another war
could result in the complete de
struction of industrial civilization,
which is not a particularly pleas
ant prospect in the least. All re
search and control of atomic power
should be at least under the super
vision of the governments of the
various nations; President Truman
has already asked Congress to set
up a board for that purpose. Per
haps a better solution to the prob
lem would be international control
by the Security Council of the Unit
ed Nations Organization. Certainly
it would put a mammoth weapon in
the hands of this body for the
preservation of peace; but then of
what avail would that be in the
event of a disruption of the UNO
by one of the major powers ? That
nation would also possess the
secret, and the final holocaust
'would result. TSie situation seerris
to be an almast insoluble one the
greatest boon ever given to human
ity may drive it inevitably to its
arraagedden.
By Elmo Roberds
Despite the first public expres
sion of disappointment over the
fact that the Potsdam declaration
of the Big Three did not bring the
Pacific War nearer a definite con
clusion, by this week the full reper
cussion of it began to be felt. Its
most important "bombshell," the
general terms of settlement for the
defeated German Reich, sooif filled
the newspapers and airways with
commentaries.
Typical American reactions to
the decision on Germany were ex
pressed in last Monday's IRC pro
gram. Generally speaking, one
group thought it "adequate and
just" and another, "superficial and
unfair," with various shades of
opinion- between. The first claimed
that the Germans must reap their
whirlwind. By ten years of exploi
tation and destruction of other Eu
ropean people, they must' now pay
with this drastic economic and po
litical restriction. Though the dis
memberment of the Reich's economy-and
the transference of sev
eral of its large territorial entities
may eause hardships in Europe for
a few years, this program of de
centralization in the long run will
spread the benefits of the conti
nent over all its nations. By the
Potsdam terms it is made certain
that Junker militarism will never
keep Europe in turmoil as it has
since the mid-nineteenth century.
On the other hand, the second
I View The Campus
By Bette Anne Melcher
There are ways and ways of get
ting into the water, and the more
I go swimming, the more ways I
see. First, there are those brave
souls who start off by getting their
big toe wet and fifteen minutes
later manage to become completely
submerged. Then there is the vig
orous outdoor type which runs and
jumps with a big splash while
holding fast to its nose in case a
stray drop of water goes the
wrong way.
I come under the heading of
those who go in head first, grace
fully, of course, except their feet
flap and they land flat . . . but
who knows, maybe they will learn
some day!
I am inspired to greater achieve
ments alongthat line, however,
watching that tall dark-headed fel
low with the gorgeous tan execute
a graceful swan dive off the high
board. Now that, my friends, is
the ideal way of entering the
water!
This same fellow gets into the
water various other ways which,
while they are less ideal, are a
good deal more intriguing! They
must be tricky to perform because
I can't even describe them ade
quately, but he manages to do sev
eral different kinds of flips before
actually coming in contact with the
From the
By Jim
While the cat is away the mice
will play . ,. . and speaking of Gra
ham Memorial we have a kick to
make . . . why can't the University
provide some place beside the Stu
dent Union Building as a meeting
place for all of the various insti
tutes held here ? . . . During the
past week we have heard many stu
dents complain of the crowded
condition of GM . . . from the Grill
to all of , the rooms on the second
floor . . . we think the University
should continue sponsoring such in
stitutes as the TWUA, the English
teachers, and any other, but do not
think they should take over the
only place the students have to
spend their leisure moments . . .
after all we pay a fee, $1.50 per
trimester, for the use of the build
ing . . . why can't the University
turn the Institute of Government
Building over to the next meeting
of outsiders ... or Gerrard Hall
... or Memorial Hall ... if there
are reasons I think the student
body has the right to know them.
Pity the poor .students who have
sixteen-week classes ... in case
you don't know by now, all sixteen-week
classes will meet during
the short vacation period . . .
Notwithstanding wartime condi
tions we think the University Laun
dry is getting worse ... two weeks
to get a bundle back, and minus
one shirt which they can't find,
which is still better than a friend
of ours who sent his laundry off
group saw the declaration as an
over-simplification of the basic
causes of the present conflict. Like
Senator Robert A. Taf t, who thinks
- that the abandonment of the self
determination of peoples who to ap
pease Polish territorial demands
(in turn, Russian also) "certainly
sows seeds of future war," they be
lieved that making Germany the
"goat" does not solve the European
problem. Their opinion is that this
economic, political, and social up
heaval planned by the Big Three
cannot undo trends of two hundred
years. Even if this program is tried,
it will cause untold suffering in
traditionally industrialized central
Europe. Some of this group, also
Administration foes, thought that
Prescident Truman, by making
peace with an executive agreement
instead of a regular treaty, was
afraid to face American public
opinion on this decision and would
not dare submit it for a two-thirds
approval of the Senate.
Whatever the pro and con argur
ments, all the IRC members agreed
that the Potsdam declaration would
be enforced. With the most power
ful nations in the world in accord
ance with it and their respective
administrative heads determined to
carry it out, the Big Three plan
for a new Germany will proceed
unhindered.
water. However I'll be satisfied
with the swan dive.
Even if you manage to get into
the water with no mishaps, though,
your troubles are not over
heavens no, they're just beginning!
You want to swim, huh? A noble
idea if ever I heard one. Let's be
off, like a herd of turtles, no less!
Well, here we are hanging on to
the side of the pool with one arm
waiting for a few people to get out
of the way. You're right arm tired?
Well, try your left arm for awhile.
Oh, there's a clean space all the
way across the pool so off you
start.
It was a good idea, anyway. You
got two feet before someone com
ing the other way bumped into you
about the same time a submarine
character came up from six feet
under right in your face. You tread
water until the excitement calms
down and then try again. This time
you'll be smart. When you see some
one coming, youll just go under
him. Oh, oh, he had the same idea
and does your head hurt!
Anyway, you've made it halfway
across the pool, and with only
three or four more collisions" you
pant up to the other side, fifteen
minutes later, utterly exhausted,
and ready to go home.
It was a nice swim, wasn't it?
Bell Tower
Sanford
over two weeks ago and it is still
missing . . .
Bet no one falls for this one: if
you need any help on your exams
call 5911 and ask for Frank ... it
made the rounds about 1933 . . .
Carolina students are going to
- have a chance to see some good
football this fall ... the Pre
Flight School has four Sunday
games scheduled for Chapel Hill
and the University will play four
Saturday home games ... we
never could figure out why the Pre
Flight and the Tar Heels don't
tangle . i . it ought to make a good
game . . . the board of aldermen
of the village of Chapel Hill is cur
rently discussing rent control . . .
the question is: should Chapel Hill
request the Government to estab
lish here a rent control system?
. . . speaking with two years of
. living in town behind us, we think
rents are not too high ... we don't
know, however, about apartment
'houses, but we understand that
their rents have not been raised
since the war began . . . Aithur
Budlong, business manager of the
Tar Heel, has resigned his position
because of pressing class work . . .
the desk editor and the associate
editor of the Tar Heel spend press
night sitting in the campus taking
B-C powders ... be sure and catch
the movie "Wilson" when it comes
to town next week ... it is one of
the best movies to come from Hol
lywood in a long time . . .