The Alamance Gleaner
VoL LXXI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1945 Na 45
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Congress to Probe Diplomacy of
State Department; Maneuver to
Modify Demands of CIO Unions
__________ Released by Western Newspaper Union. ____________
(K>rrOK1 NOTE: Whin ?pinions are expressed In these cetamss. they are these ef
Western Newspaper Unlen's news analysis and net necessarily ef this newspaper.)
Although handicapped
by an aim oat complete
lack of tools, these Ger
man prisoners of war in
PW camp at Fowejr,
England, still managed
to tarn ont this varied
collection of toys to help
All Santa's bag for little
Britons. The amatenr
workmen included a for
mer Berlin Judge, a doc
tor from Hamburg and
university students.
U.S. DIPLOMACY:
Duplicity Charged
lan( under fire lor its implemen
tation of American foreign policy in
be wake at U. S. victories on the
NtteWd, the state department
was scheduled for congressional in
vestigation following ex-Amb. Pat
rick Hurley's charge that some of
Ms personnel had worked counter to
his efforts to promote the uni
?catkn of China.
b loosing his bombshell on Capi
tal Hill, Hurley declared that cer
tain professional diplomats were in
viting future conflict by siding with
be Chinese communist party and
the imperialistic bloc of nations in
keeping China divided against
itself and unable to resist encroach
While he worked for a democratic
China which could act as stabilizing
hdhence in the Orient, Hurley
charged, some state department of
baals told the Chinese communists
bat his activities did not reflect the
policy of the U. S. and they should
aot enter into a unified government
mdess retaining military control.
Agreement to investigate the
state department followed the de
mand of Senator Wherry (Rep.,
Neb.) for an inquiry to determine
whether there was any variance be
tween U. S. -foreign policy and the
Potsdam declaration and whether
be foreign service was interfering
with domestic affairs in South
America, influencing other coun
tries toward communist govern
aaent, or clashing with the army
and navy over occupation policy.
Meanwhile, Gen. George C. Mar
shall, ex-chief of staff, prepared to
embark upon his duties as special
envoy to China in the midst of
Chiang Kai-shek's redoubling of ef
forts to unify the country and open
be way for vigorous postwar eco
nomic expansion. In announcing his
program to modernize the country,
Chiang declared the No. 1 goal
euakl be the improvement of trans
portation to facilitate an exchange
of materials between the various
regions.
LABOR:
On Defensive
Heretofore on the offensive with its
*nwii for higher wages to main
Uq high wartime pay, the CIO was
eartdc nly thrown back on the de
fcasiie with the Ford Motor com
pany's proposal that the United
hnfcnuubilu workers pay ? $5 a day
fcsr lac. workers involved in un
anHnn ill J- strikes.
Fend asked for this protection
agahsst production losses as officials
caatmned negotiations with the
HAW, whose leaders have main
hM that the industry can afford
W per cent pay boosts without rais
iag prices because of large re
aarses and promises of substantial
peaffts from huge postwar output.
While UAW immediately chal
leaged the effectiveness of a line in
cathiag wildcat walkouts. Ford offV
riik insisted that the union could
naart sufficient pressure on its lo
Asdsns and controlled produc
Meanwhile, General Motors, re
eeeaiag a previous stand, agreed to
caaaSflt with government officials
aeaeeming resumption of negotia
?aaa with the UAW after the union
?a?a gieund in itStRfhands'for a 30
par neat wage increase. With the
asaapanp holding out for a modiflca
?aa ef terms, the UAW declared
Wat ft weald seek no wage Increase
necessitating a rise in prices.
With the work stoppages in G. M.
plants threatening to paralyze prac
tically all of the automobile indus
try because of its dependence upon
G. M. for parts, a further menace
to reconversion was posed in the
United Steel workers vote for a
strike if leaders deemed one neces
sary to enforce demands for a $2 a
day wage raise.
OPA refusal to grant steel manu
facturers price increases until the
conclusion of the year's operations
permits closer study of their profit
also has hardened company re
sistance to the UAW demands. To
the union's assertion that the indus
try could well pay the increase out
of alleged "hidden profits," manage
ment has replied that government
findings have classified the so-called
"hidden profits" as reasonable busi
ness reserves assuring future expan
sion.
WAR CRIMES:
Pleads Innocence
First major axis personage to be
brought to trial for war crimes.
Gen. Tomoyukl Yamashita, erst
while "Tiger of Malaya" and Jap
commander in the Philippines, flat
ly denied charges of countenanc
ing rape, pillage and murder and
then rested his case.
As the Allied military tribunal pon
dered the case, Yamashita consid
ered appeal to the
U. S. Supreme
court i n case of
conviction on
grounds of illegal
ity of the pro
ceedings. Previ
ously the Philip
pine Supreme
court had refused
a similar protest,
with the demand
the defendant be
freed for trial be
fore civil author
ities.
In taking the
stand to deny
charges against him, the squat,
browned Jap general declared he
ordered none o( the atrocities re
lated by scores of witnesses or con
tained in hearsay evidence ad
mitted by the court. To the accusa
tion that he had planned the exter
mination of the Filipinos, Yamashita
declared that common sense indi
cated the intpracticability of killing
18 million people.
The case against Yamashita was
complicated by the apparent divi
sion of command in Japanese
ground, naval and air forces in the
Philippines. While as ground com
mander Yamashita said he had or
dered the withdrawal of his troops
from Manila for warfare in the
mountains, Nipponese naval detach
ments remained within the capital
for the fighting which heavily dam
aged the city and exposed civilians
to danger.
Meanwhile, the trial of 20 top
Nazis proceeded apace in Nuern
berg, with the U. S. prosecutors
drawing from voluminous evidence
to prove charges of German coo
spiracy for aggressive warfare.
Citing a statement of Diplomatist
Franz Van Papen that southeastern
Europe was Germany's hinterland
and must be brought within the
political framework of the Reich,
D. S. Prosecutor Sidney Alderman
quoted documents*?' show that Hit
ler had delegated Von Papen to de
velop a program of Nazi infiltration
into the Austrian government to
take it over after the aborted
putsch of IBM.
Gen. YmmaihiU
PEARL HARBOR:
Kept Top Secret
Because of a desire to keep secret
the U. S. breaking of the Japa
nese code, the intercepted mes
sages Revealing Jap political and
military moves were be known only
to nine top officials, Maj. Gen. Sher
man Miles, former head of army in
telligence, told the congressional
committee investigating Pearl Har
bor.
Along with President Roosevelt,
others possessing knowledge of the
decoded messages included Secre
tary of War SUmson, Secretary of
State Hull, Lt. Gen. L. T. Gerow,
head of the war plans division. Sec
retary of the Navy Knox, Admiral
Stark, chief of naval operations, CoL
R. S. Bratton of the army intelli
gence staff, Gen. George C. Mar
shall, chief of staff, and Miles.
Though Maj. Gen. Walter Short
and Rear Adm. Husband Kimmel
were not apprized of the breaking of
the code, Miles said, they were kept
informed of the course of events.
However, with officials anticipating
an attack in the far east. Short
and Kimmel were advised to take
only such action as they deemed
necessary at Pearl Harbor and
guard against sabotage.
When asked what significance
was attached to a decoded Jap mes
sage of Sept. 24, 1941, asking espion
age agents in Hawaii to advise
Tokyo of the disposition of the
American fleet in Pearl Harbor,
Miles replied: "Taken alone, it looks
exactly like what we know now it
was?a plan for bombing Pearl Har
bor. But unless we look on it with
hindsight, it was only one of a great
number of Jap messages seeking in
formation on our warships. It was
perfectly normal for them to be
doing so. . . ."
Loses Half of House
When the mum of Silver Lake,
Minn^ decided to widen Center street,
the village council attempted to in
duce Mrt. Clara Caspryzk, 44, to move
her five-room residence, extending 16
feet into the area required for the ex
pansion.
Not only did Mrt, Caspryzk refuse a
proposition for the town to move the
building back and pay her $800, Mayor
Frank Bandes said, but she also ig
nored a court order to relocate the
structure, leading to the judges per
mission for the village to remove that
part of the property blocking the im
provement.
After a crew of carpenters virtually
sawed the building in half, Mrs. Cos
pyrzk was left with only one bedroom
intact, the living room having been
completely shorn and the kitchen, din
ing room and an upstairs bedroom
bisected. Because she had no other
place to live, Mrs. Caspryzk, who is
crippled by arthritis, returned to make
her home in the one remaining bed
room after a brief stay with her broth
er-in-law.
GERMANY:
Review Rule
With French obstruction to Allied
plans for a central administration
for Germany resulting in the eco
nomic breakup of the Reich and dif
ficulties for a restoration of nor
malcy, the U. S. was asked to study
the advisability of revising the Pots
dam declaration pledging this coun
try to its present course.
In UPffina o rn-nvomino4ir.n !
U. S. occupation policies, Byron
u Price, former director of the office
of censorship who undertook a spe
cial mission to Europe for Presi
dent Truman, declared that the Ger
man people were nursing old and
new hatreds with increasing bitter
ness as their sufferings Increased
and disposing themselves to what
ever new leadership desperation
may produce.
With German agriculture and in
dustry seriously impaired during
the closing stages of the war, Price
said the U. S. must also decide
whether to deliver foodstuffs to the
country to prevent starvation and
epidemics this winter and help re
move some causes for unrest
LABOR-INDUSTRY:
Meet Lags
Started with high hopes, the labor
industry conference called in Wash
ington, D. C., slowly ground toward
its conclusion with indications that
no important new machinery would
be constructed for the speedy set
tlement of employee-management
disputes.
In seeking orderly procedure in
drawing up an original contract the
conferees recommended collective
bargaining first then conciliation,
and finally voluntary arbitration. In
cases of grievances under existing .
contracts, the delegates resolved
that pacts should Incorporate provi
sions for settlements without resort
to strikes, lockouts or other in
terruptions to production.
As the conference faltered toward
its end, with neither side apparently
disposed to surrender any of its
bargaining advantages, labor-indus
try representatives approved a pro
posal to meet for consultation when
ever they saw fit
Tale of the Town:
NBC's Ben Grmuer report* that
Albert Einstein, the top mathema
tician and atomic bomb authority,
likes to relax with a violin. Recent
ly he invited the renowned pianist,
Arthur Schnabel, to his home for a
musical week-end.
They were running through a rath
er involved Mozart sonata and Ein
stein was having some trouble play
i ing. Finally, after several explana
tions, Schnabel got Irritated. He
banged his hands down on the key
board and groaned: "No, no, Albert.
For heaven's sakes, can't you count?
One, two, three, four.
Ain't It the Trnt||: On One 5th
| Avenue, a patron was telling a bar
tender his views on the atomic
world. "Jet planes, sky highways
' and there'll even be machines as
bartenders! These machines will do
everything you dol"
"Mebbeso," said the bartender,
"but those machines wouldn't last
a week. They might mix you a
drink and hand it to you?but no
machine would ever put ap with
some of the lushes we meet!"
Quiteso, Qnlteso: Marie MacDon
ald, just arrived for the premiere of
her latest film ("Getting Gertie's
Garter"), was asked if she wasn't
bored with people who keep call
i ing her The Body,
"No," said Marie, "I found out
that in Hollywood a gal can't get
| anywhere by being referred to as
The Brain."
Arlene Francis relays the one
about the Hollywood producer who
squawked when he got an estimate
depicting Civil war scenes. It was
for $1,000,000. "Why, you money
wasters 1" barked the producer.
"The battle between the North and
the South didn't cost $790,0001"
"The original battle," snapped an
accountant, "was a flop."
Boo, Y'self! Boris Karloff met
Beta Lugosi the other middle-of-the
night and compared notes. "I had
a wonderful day," said Karloff, "I
picked up three more corpses!"
"V don't say I" said Lugosi.
"That's wonderful. You must coma
to my house some time and see my
bathtub full of blood!"
"I'd love to," exclaimed Boris.
"What's your phone number?"
"Call me any time," giggled Beta.
"I'm at PLazma 9-2299."
A Hollywood star and a West
Coast "Dorothy Parker" haven't
talked for years. They met at a
party the other day, and the actress
purred: "The critics all say my
latest picture is a must."
"That makes two in a row," said
the other. "You mussed up the last
one, tool"
New Yorkers are talking about
President Truman's very good
friend from Missouri, who recently
went to the White House for a favor.
"My boy is overseas, and his old
mother may not live. Can you help
me bring him home right away?"
Mr. Truman obliged. ... A few
weeks later the same old pal went
to see the President for another
"break." ... He hoped Mr. Truman
could arrange the transfer of some
factories (in the reconversion man
ner) for him. "It would put me on
Easy Street," said the old pal .. .
"Now look here," said Truman
sternly, "helping get your boy back
to see his ailing mother was human.
Don't ask me to fix anything in
which money is involved. I'm not go
ing to be part of any Harding ad
ministration!"
New Yorkers are talk tag about the
headache* Paul McNutt will Inherit
when-he land* in the Philippine*.
. . . Blanche Payrs new understudy
role (to G. Nleeen) hi "Follow the
Girl*," a funny ahow The digest
mag which expect* to be** a circu
lation of forty million on* day. If
Russia permit* It there. . . . Greta
Garbo'a apuming of the leading role
in "Bella Donna" becauae, the eaid,
ahe will never again play the part
of a (infill woman. . . . The exciting
Warner abort titled: "Hitler Live*?"
. . . The record night at a mid town
spot: $10,000 (on the Sat. mght of
the army game). . . Burl Ivea and
Helen Payne, who cancelled their
merger plane recently, deciding I*
wed in the next fortnight. . . . Play
Wright Lillian tfellman switching i
producer* after all thoea aucceesful
years! . . . The backer* of a flop
ahow wMo complained to the D. A. '
Saturday about the alleged misuse
of their monies. A producer and as
sociates will be investigated. . . .
The fact that if you dial the letters
MAE WEST an your phone (tee
| he*), you always get a busy sig
nal!
Millions of veterans, like SgL Walter
Osburn of Detroit, who was wounded
in Normandy. want homes of their own.
Most of them have considerable savings,
and are ready to build if prices are
within reason.
OPA Straggles to 'Hold that Line'
As Baildiag Costs Threateo to Zoom
By AL JEDLICKA and
WALTER 8HEAO
lUlMMd br VtfUtn N*wspap?r Union.
WITH ? huge postwar
building and realty boom
in the offing, sentiment in
the nation's capital favors both
government and industry work
ing hand in hand to combat the
dangers of an inflationary spiral
resulting from the tremendous
pent-up demand for housing.
Already empowered to regulate
costs of materials and services, the
Office of Price Administration has
sought the additional authority to
control the sales prioe of finished
homes and used buildings. Unless
granted such permission, the agency
argues, its check over the industry
would be imperfect, and untram
melled speculation would undo the
benefits obtained by the other regu
lations.
Bitterly resisting OPA recommen
dations, private builders asserted
that further controls over the indus
try would result in a dimunition of
prospective construction, while the
problem is one of stimulating more.
Rather, the industry argued, OPA
and other government agencies
should concentrate upon the in
crease of supplies and manpower to
provide a basis for all-out construc
tion.
In the midst of the contro
versy, Reconversion Director Sny
der stepped in to announce that the
administration favored a program
embracing present government reg
ulation of materials* and services,
with no supervision Over prices of
finished homes and used buildings
unless proven needed.
Borden ef Mortgages.
ill vigiuug IUI BUUIUril/ WYW put*
ing of Anal aalea, OPA pointed to
World War I records, which not only
showed a decrease in construction as
costs rose, but also emphasized the
serious mortgage problems later
growing from the original over-valu
ation of homes.
According to OPA figures, build
ing material prices showed a 218 per
cent increase from 1914 to 1920, with
more than half of the rise occur
ring after the armistice. At the same
time, total construction costs moimt
sd 189 per cent from 1913 to 1920, with
three-quarters of the boost coming
after the end of hostilities.
As a result of the inflationary
Spiral, OPA aaid, actual home con
struction toppled from the peak fig
ure of 400,000 units in 1919 to 247,000
a year later. While prices auto
matically fell with the drop in
building activity, they remained
relatively high, with another reces
sion setting in around 1926.
Against thts record of World War
I, OPA cited the accomplishmenta
during the present conflict, when
government control of material costs
held prfce increases to 81 per cent
from August, 1939. Of this total, a
6.7 per cent rise occurred after is
suance of the famous "hold-the-Hn^'
order of May, 1943.
Meanwhile, the increase in con
struction costs totalled only 14 per
cent since August, 1938, with only a
limited amount of building done to
accommodate necessary needs.
Hage Demand, Sheet flsppUae.
In contemplating the need for con
trol over sales prices of awuiwwi
homes sad need hwildlngs, OPA
drew the picture ot a huge back-log
of construction and a protracted pe
riod of short supplies in the face of
tremendous demand.
In all, the nation has a need for
over eight million new homes, OPA
figures, as a result of the increase
in families since 1940, servicemen
marriages, undoubling in crowded
quarters, the number of housing
units now rated as sub-standard.
Despite the need and the compara
tive prosperity of the people, how
ever, a recent survey by the archi
tectural forum indicated that 37 per
cent of the persons interviewed
would postpone building if prices of
finished homes should soar above
$1,000 over present prices. Another
12 per cent had not decided what
course they would take.
Of the total of 51 per cent that
determined to build regardless of a
$1,000 increase in costs, most re
vealed that they would raise more
money, but a sizable percentage de
clared their intention to purchase a
cheaper structure. Most sales would
be under $7,000.
In analyzing the results of the sur
vey, OPA asserted that the Indicated
deferment of building plans in the
?' HERTS WHAT WENT WW0M8
COSTS WB(T UP-V0U1ME WENT OOWM
?I TKtr/ _
H x -
300, 000^yV/\ 30
~T / X4t?cwi!micTfao^-^ ?
100,000/ 10
event of a $1,000 increase in coats
would result in a lose of employment
to more than 000,000 workers, there
by reducing demand for goods which
they themselves could be counted
upon to purchase.
Now that private industry will
play an important part in the fight
to hold sales prices of finished and
used homes to reasonable levels,
OPA will concentrate on the en
forcement of dollars and cents ceil
ings for materials and services going
into structures. The flat prices will
cover millwork, lumber, brick and
tile, plywood, screens and windows,
roofing, siding, insulation, heating
equipment, hardware, soil pipe,
plumbing supplies, etc.
In addition, services controlled
will include painting and paper hang
ing, renewing of roofs, plumbing in
stallation and other work adapted to
supervision.
"Increased Supply Needed."
In attacking the OPA proposal to
slap controls over the prices of new
structures, the National Association
of Home Builders, spearheading pri
vate industry, declared that the
only way to prevent a serious infla
tion was by increasing the supply to
meet the tremendous demand.
"Although swamped with applica
tions for new houses," Joseph E.
Merriom, president of the asso
ciation said, "the home builders can
not complete the large new develop
ments which are needed to ease
the bousing shortage until they have
assurance frosn the government that
msnui&ctursn of hxfhr nccdti mt*
terlale and equipment will be aided
in getting into full production im
mediately.
At the same time, Frank W. Cort
right, executive vice president of the
association, set out the organiza
tion's six-point program for speed
ing construction and counteracting
inflationary tendencies:
1. Continue present price centrals
on building materials for only so
long as is necessary. As rapidly as
an Item Is found to be In ample .
supply, it should be removed from
price control.
t. Inaugurate an active program
by the Civilian Production agency,
successor to the War Production
board, to control the Inventory of
short items in order to oHmtnsto
the possibility of hoarding.
S. Start an active co-ordtnsiod
campaign by government agencies
to increase the supply of scares
building materiab, and, if neces
sary, grant price and wage In
creases to break bottlenecks.
4. Builders, realtors and financ
ing Iniiiiutiouj win conduct a co
operative program to maintain non
inflationary prices of homes.
5. All segments of the home con
struction Industry will formulate a
co-operative program to rapidly In
crease the supply of homes in all
eiasses.
*. The Veterans' administration,
the United States Employment serv
ice and other governmental agen
cies should make immediate provis
ion for the channeling of vets and
experienced workers into the con
struction field.
In the matter of pricing of used
homes, close supervision by FHA
and private financial institutions will
be relied upon to keep costs within
reasonable bounds in the absence od
ceiling regulations.
Vm. AU Ml ? B-ia
Realty activity has been lively
since 1939 in the face of the housing
shortage, but inability of property
owners to find new quarters has
served to decrease the supply of old
buildings. Even so, 84 per cent at
the localities reporting to the Na
tional Association of Real Estate
boards revealed price increases,
averaging lift per cent.
Economists have calculated that
normally prices of single-family
homes have approximated 100 times
the monthly rental of purchasers. In
July of this year, however, statistics
showed that in Denver, Colo., costs
of buildings were 98 per cent over
this ratio; in Cleveland, Ohio, 85 per
cent over; in San Francisco, Calif.,
89 per cent; in Chicago, I1L, 47 per
cent; in Atlanta, Ga., and New York
City, 38 per cent, and in Dalian.
Texas, 34 per cent.
With property owners now able
to move more freely, and ilsinaml
for housing exceeding new con
struction at the start, the turnover
of used homes may became greater
in the immediate future. To check
an inflationary spiral then,
institutions aril] have to be careful
in appraising the real value of prop
erty to prevent burdensome mort
gage payments or serious looses hk
future years.
Having Indicated its preference
fee private regulation at tba real
estate market, the administrate
will provide ample opportunity tw
a real examination of lis practicable
; processes in o^perlod of laalr-tiiraal
I _ . 1