The Alamance Gleaner
VOL. LXXII GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 1947 - Na 48
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
CIO Girds for New Wage Drive;
U.N. Closes Meet in Harmony;
More Rental Units Planned
____ Released by Western Newspaper Union
mwwa MOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they ore those of
WsSsm Newspaper Union's news analysts and not neeosaarlly of this newspaper.)
Elected to bead interim French government, 74-year-old Leon
?ha receives traditional embrace from Vincent Anriol, president
a( national assembly.
LABOR:
New Wage Pattern
Hardly had the hub-bub occasioned
by the CIO's adoption of Economist
Hobert Nathan's for
?tola for higher
wages within cur
rent prices died
down than United
Automobile Work
ers hit for a pay
boost of 23 H cents
an hour to compen
sate for rising liv
ing costs in 1946.
Gist of Nathan's
mnrt in hp iiqpH a?
? ta"U1 ,or J CI? Robert Nathan
wage demands in
coming months, is that record earn
ings allow industry to jack up pay
appreciably while maintaining exist
ing price levels. Although Nathan
said that the unions should negotiate
new scales with different companies
and industries on the basis of their
abilities to 'pay, he averred that the
manufacturing industry can grant a
SI per cent boost without raising
prices and still make double the
profits of the 1936-'39 period.
In view of the high earnings of
fcidustry and the gradual transfor
mation of a seller's into a buyer's
market, business leaders will hesi
tate before adding additional wage
mcreases onto prices, Nathan said.
UAW Demands
In subscribing to Nathan's theory
feat industry can hike wages with
aut boosting prices, UAW Chieftain
Walter Reuther declared that cor
poration profits are running at a rate
?f 15 billion dollars a year in com
parison with 10 billion during the
war and 5 billion in the prewar pe
riod.
While business profits have been
rising, consumer purchasing power
has been diminishing, Reuther said.
During 1946, living costs have
climbed another 18 per cent, neces
sitating the 2314 cents an hour wage
raise for the 900.000 UAW members
to maintain their "take-home" pay.
At present, the average wage in the
industry is $1.33 an hour.
Reuther's claim of big business
profits was challenged by major pro
ducers, who charged that this year's
costly strikes and shortages of ma
terials adversely affected earnings.
FRANCE:
Blum Comes Back
Leon Blum, whose Popular Front
Government in the middle '30's threw
France into a turmoil, returned to
head the new French interim gov
ernment as the compromise choice
?f the left and right parties of the
nation.
Though Blum's Socialist party
commands only 100 seats in the 600
odd national assembly, the dominant
Communist and Popular Republican
parties agreed on his leadership aft
er failure to work out a satisfactory
deal between themselves for shar
mtg the government. Ranting over
the failure of achieving a coalition
cabinet. Communist Representative
Duefos accused the rightist Popular
Republicans of "renewing the class
draggle."
Reversing his liberal policies,
which led to a wave of sitdown
strikes and the bitter opposition of
capital in the '30's, Blum announced
that he would work for stringent
economies during his brief term be
lore a permanent government is
famed. He also reiterated French
demands for Internationalization
tbi Ruhr and Rhine land.
U. N.:
Meets Test
Having "met the test" of resolv
ing major issues and differences, to
quote U. S. Delegate Warren Aus
tin, the United Nations general as
sembly adjourned until next Sep
tember with this record of accom
plishments :
?Acceptance of an $8,500,000 gift
from John D. Rockefeller Jr. for
purchase of a 17-acre site in Man
hattan for a permanent U. N. home.
?Adoption of a resolution in
structing the security council to de
vise a system of international dis
armament to be presented to mem
ber countries in treaty form.
?Approval of trusteeships for
eight former League of Nations
mandated territories and formation
of a U. N. trusteeship committee
to which administering powers will
report.
?Admission of Sweden, Afghanis
tan, Iceland and Siam to the U. N.
?Establishment of the Inter
1 national Refugee organization to re
settle and repatriate 1,000,000 dis
placed persons.
HOUSING:
Neiv Emphasis
In line with findings that most
home-seekers are looking for rent
al rather than purchasable dwell
ings, the administration's new hous
ing program places emphasis upon
construction of rental property.
To encourage rental constrne
tion, Federal Housing adminis
tration will extend the amortiza
tion period for such projects
beyond the usual 28 years, and
work out arrangements for ad
justing loans to protect owners
from losses in the event of un
stable economic conditions.
Whereas a maximum of $80 a
month was set on rental of in
dividual units under the veterans'
emergency housing program, rent
als now will be limited to an aver
age of $80 for a building.
With the principal demand for
more dwellings, any person will be
permitted to build a house, thus
, making an apartment or old build
ing available. Vets will continue to
get first crack at homes put up for
sale or rent, however.
Because of the increasing pro
duction of building materials
coupled with the curb on non
residential construction, mate
rials priorities no longer will
be needed.
Though non-residential construc
tion will continue to be restricted,
permission to build stores, schools,
churches and other facilities will be
granted to accommodate new neigh
borhoods.
MILITARY:
Unify Commands
With plans for a unified command
temporarily shelved by navy opposi
tion, the services agreed to the war
time practice of naming a single
chieftain for each strategic world
area to increase the efficiency of op
erations and avoid the confusion of
Pearl Harbor.
Under the Setup, the theater com
mander is responsible directly to the
joint chiefs of staff in Washington.
Subordinate army and navy officers
remain at the head of their re
spective units. Strategic air forces
not assigned to theater commanders
are at the disposal of the chiefs of
staff.
FOOD:
Full Tables
After counting the bountiful yields
of 1946 farm production, the depart*
ment of agriculture told Americans
that they would eat well again in
1947.
By intensive tillage of substantial
ly smaller acreage than prevailed in
the '20's, farmers produced record
crops of wheat, corn, rice, potatoes,
soybeans, tobacco and garden vege
tables; near rec<jfd yields of grapes,
peanuts and oats, and better than
average harvests of sweet apricots,
sugar cane, sugar beets, dry peas,
sorghum and hay.
If Americans will have plentiful
supplies of cereals, vegetables and
fruits, they also are promised a full
table of meat. The department re
ported record numbers of cattle on
feed in grain belt feedlots.
Production Pattern
The department's final estimate of
1946 farm output suggested the shift
ing pattern of production within the
past decade.
While such old American agricul
tural standbys as wheat, corn, pota
toes and tobacco showed appreciable -
increases in 1946 over the 1935-'44
average, rye was down to 18,685,000
bushels from 42,356,000, and cot
ton dropped to 8,482,000 bales from
12,553,000.
Because of changing needs, em
phasis was placed on other crops.
To make up for a drop in imports,
rice production was boosted to 71,
520,000 bushels from the 10-year av
erage of 55,257,000; to meet the de
mands for industrial and edible oils,
soybean yields jumped to 196,725,000
bushels from 103,457.000, and peanut
output soared to 2,075,880,000 pounds
from 1,587,964,000; and as part of
the program to raise nutritional
standards, the harvest of dry peas
increased to 6,926,000 bags from
4,580,000.
SPORT:
Gambling Menace
In the early 1800's, American
youth held up the statesman as a
tin god; in the late 1800's, it was
the empire builder, and since the
early 1900's, it has been the athlete.
Most touching example of the faith
that the average American boy put
in his athletic hero involved the
young kid who clutched at "Shoeless
Joe" Jackson's sleeve when that
great outfielder emerged from ques
tioning over his part in the Black
Sox baseball scandal of 1919. With
tears in his eyes, the kid pleaded:
"Say it isn't so, Joe, say it isn't so."
Unfortunately, Joe couldn't, but
fortunately, had any kid been wait
ing outside Mayor O'Dwyer's man
sion in New York on the morning
of December 15, Frankie Filchock
and Merle Hapes of the New York
football Giants would have been able |
Playing the game on the level,
Frankle FUebock (with ball) leads
Giant attack against Bears.
to say so. By turning down alleged
bribes from a gambling front, the
two grid stars saved pro football
from disgrace.
Efforts of the gamblers to get the
two Giants to throw the pro cham
pionship game to the Chicago Bears
marked the first known attempt by
the "easy-money" boys to corrupt
pro football and lessen the risk of
their heavy wagering.
INDIA:
Troubles, Troubles
Mother India, long sorrowing for
freedom, could see nothing but
trouble ahead as she planned the
achievement of her independence i
after centuries of British domina- |
tion.
For freedom seemed to mean
different things to the powerful
political factions within the country:
To the majority Congress party
chiefly embracing the Hindus, in
dependence represented a unified
nation; to the minority Moslem
league, it stood for "Pakistan" or
self-rule of Mohammedan provinces.
While the wily British professed
their desire for a free India, they
looked on apprehensively as Hindus
and Moslems locked horns. Attend
ing the constituent assembly being
held in New Delhi to frame a con
stitution for the new India, the
usually mild and compromising
Hindu Leader Nehru breathed fire:
The Moslem league was reaction
ary and the British may favor "Pak
istan" to divide India, he said, but
the Hindus were determined to solve
their own problems.
News fix
BehinmJI
the'Nbw
By Paul Hal lon^^
Released by Weeteni Newspaper Union.
'CHANGE' IN RUSSIAN POLICY
MEANT TO DECEIVE WORLD
WASHINGTON. ? It is strange
and unpleasant to be required by
the facts to report that the rela
tively congenial international con
ferences in New York did not bring a
victory for the foreign policy of the
United States?or even progress or
advancement toward it. This coun
try, frankly, lost ground, particular
ly in Latin America, which we must
hold to sustain our doctrine, and in
France, Italy, the Balkans, even
Britain. Everywhere, except in
Japan, China and this country, we
gave political footage to one single
political opposition force ? Com
munism. Elsewhere around the
periphery of this world, Communism
is today much stronger than when
the New York international meet
ings convened.
The American public may not
folly understand this yet be
cause the progress made at the
conference was in superficiali
ties, while the advances made
by Communism are basic. Bnt
the delegates appear to under
stand it. Some authorities who
have heard the debates first
hand have been dismayed at the
plane upon which they are con
ducted ? a wandering plane of
ideals wholly torn loose from
bedrock.
WANTS HER OWN WAT ALWAYS
On disarmament, for instance,
Russia has changed position repeat
edly, finally embracing ideal dis
armament, but refused to let any
one know the size of the Rus
sian army. On picking a site,
Russia switched from New York
to Geneva and back to New York.
She would not go to San Fran
cisco because it was too far to go
for peace, although actually it is
closer to Russia than New York.
On paying the cost of this peace or
ganization, Russia got a committee
to favor her paying only six per
cent, while we pay half the whole
peace bill. While saying she would
not use a veto on disarmament, in
effect she used it immediately in
reference to the Russian army and
to the choice of a site. In the site
she said if her wishes were not fol
lowed she would withdraw and not
attend U. N. The meetings were all
like that, as if sincerity were wholly
lacking, as if her politicians were
playing in shallow tactics which
were not real.
Look around the world for the
real answers. Russia has asked us
for a loan of a billion dollars direct
ly or indirectly, but it is the only
nation in the world which has not
said anything about settlement on
the 10 billion dollars of lend-lease
material already given her. We can
not find out even what she used, or
what she has which could be re
turned, or what repayment she
could make in kind as the agree
ment provided. About those things
she says nothing at all but she
wants a billion dollars more. It does
not make sense, unless Stalin is
simply taking us for a fool, and act
ing as a man does with a genial
fool.
ILLUSORY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
On the surface we have gained
five peace treaties with five little
countries in Europe, but not yet
with Germany, Austria or Japan; a
disarmament agreement "in prin
ciple" which seems to be only a
delusive Russian game in diplo
matic tactics; a ludicrous budget
proposal, an attempt by Russia to
force the United States to place the
permanent conference site where
Russian pipelines are deepest and
largest.
Measured sgalnt these accom
plishments are the advances et
Communism around the world
while this congenial nullity was
being effected. An underground
Communist campaign has swept
Latin America, noticeably bead
ing Its advancements in the
Chilean labor anions. In Europe
Communism has broken the So
cialist opposition to bits,
strengthening Itself by elections
in the Balkans and by closer
delusive management ef Tito
and Ms satellites. In France It >
iron plurality representation la
the assembly with the parties of
liberty. In Italy It Is winning
city elections and has broken
the Socialist stand against it,
gaining Socialist cooperation. In
Britain It has driven s deep
wedge. A Communist move to
get at Spain through Its calories
has been detected as being well
?mwmI
"Home of th? Hills^^Jgj I
(Editor's Note: This is anoth
er in the "Stories of the States"
series.)
By EDWARD EMERINE
WNV Feature,
"Chust look at dis! It's
coal!"
John Peter Salley, one of an
exploring party, had picked up
what seemed to be another
rock, and found it to be bitu
minuos coal. Today West Vir
ginia, with its 585 mines, often
is referred to as the "coal bin of
America."
When William Tompkins used nat
ural gas as fuel to evaporate water
from brine in 1841, he became one
of the first men in the United
States to use gas for industrial uses.
West Virginia's natural gas produc
tion in 1944 was 213 billion cubic
feet.
In 1797 Elisha Brooks began ex
tracting salt for commercial pur
poses from a brine spring in Kana
wha valley near the present site of
Charleston. Other West Virginia
salt works have been operating for
more than 100 years.
Develop New Industries.
As early as 1790 a furnace was
built by Peter Tarr of Kings Creek,
near the present site of Weirton, now
one of the biggest steel producing
cities in America. Cannon balls made
here were used by Commodore
Perry's fleet in the Battle of Lake
Erie in 1813.
Michael J. Owens, son of a coal
miner, invented a bottle-making
machine in 1903 and started a new
epoch in that industry. West Vir
ginia produced, in prewar years,
glass, china and pottery valued at
SO million dollars annually.
Miflin Marsh made stogies and
sold them to passengers on Ohio
river boats in 1840. M. Marsh &
Son, Wheeling, is reputed to be the
largest stogie manufacturer in the
United States.
And back in 1915, when World
War I cut off the German supply of
playing marbles, Akro Agate was
founded at Clarksburg, and today
the concern makes over half of the
world's glass marbles.
Bat lest West Virginia's In
dustrial achievements blind as
to her other claims to fame and
dlstinrtion, let ns look farther
than bitominons coal produc
tion, natural gas, petroleum,
chemicals, salt, stone, hardwood
timber, steel and iron manu
facture, textiles, glass, pottery,
ceramics and others. There Is
also the romantic and historic
West Virginia. And there is the
mountainous and seenie West
Virginia which has become one
of the nation's greatest recre
ational areas.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE . . . Clar
ence Watson Meadows was elect
ed the 22nd governor of West Vir
ginia in 1944. A former lawyer,
be bad served as state attorney
general and Judge of tbe 19th
Judicial circuit court before bis
election. He is a native of Beck
ley, W. Vs., where be was born
February 11, 19*4.
The first white men went into what
is now West Virginia as early as
1719, and a few years later cabins
were being built. After 1735, South
Branch valley began to fill up with
the overflow from Shenandoah val
ley and from Pennsylvania and
Maryland. Settlers were of several
nationalities ? and the composition
of the people of West Virginia al
ways has been different from that of
the country east of the mountains.
Story of Controversy.
West Virginians heartily support
ed the Revolution and sent troops
to help New England and the Mid
dle Colonies, but the history of west
ern Virginia before 1801 is a stopr
of controversy with eastern Vir
ginia. Socially, politically and eco
nomically, the two sections were un
like from the very beginning. West
ern Virginia was democratic while
eastern Virginia was aristocratic.
The idea of separation was fore
most long before the Civil war.
When war broke out between the
states in 1861, there were bound to
be repercussions through the en
tire state. Eastern Virginia was the
heart of the Confederacy. Western
Virginia was opposed to secession.
The long desired separation was ef
feeted, not with the Civil war as a
cause, but rather as an opportunity.
On December 31, 1882, the congress
of the United States gave its con
sent to admit West Virginia as a
state, and the next spring, an April
20, 1883, President Lincoln issued
his proclamation. West Virginia be
came the 35th state of the union two
months later.
Many Historic Shrines.
Three states and two rivers meet
at historic Harpers Ferry where
John Brown's anti-slavery raid was
staged. Blackwater falls, Seneca
rocks. Pinnacle rock, the burial
mounds at Moundsville, the state
capitol building, the historic
shrines ? all are interesting and
worthwhile.
From mountain tops to Wee
grass farms, the agricultural
side of West Virginia is a
revelation. Anyone must mar
vel at the agrienltare and fruit
that are prod need in a state
that ranks among the tost in
industry. Prise beef and bitu
minous coal? Tes, anything in
possible in West Virginia.
Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson was
born at Clarksburg, and West Vir
ginia also gave the nation John W.
Davis, Pearl S. Buck and Ann Jar
vis. In case you've forgotten, it was
Ann Jarvis who in 1907 asked a
group of Philadelphia friends to
wear white carnations on the tost
anniversary of her mother's death
?and thereby founded Mother's
Day.
State of Contrasts.
The state's northwestern border is
the Ohio river, the aquatic highway
that opened the west. But the Mo
nongahela and the Kanawha rivers
are important too. West Virginia's
elevations range from 240 to 4,880
feet above sea level, with the high
est average elevation of any state
east of the Rockies. Yes,, it's a
mountainous state, but every wooded
hill, every shady nook and every
sparkling stream belongs to just
such a state. About 80 per cent at
the state's area is covered by for
est, with trees ranging from spruce
in the highlands to prickly pear
cactus and other semi-desert plants
in the lowlands.
Scenery, wildlife and extensive,
semi-primitive areas combine to lure
vacationists to West Virginia's two
vast national forests, the Mononga
hela and the George Washington.
The state also has 15 state parks
and seven state forests.
Fishing, hunting, hiking, riding,
swimming, golf, tennis, boating?
well, what do you want for recre
ation? And what is your trade, what
are your business ambitions, your
specifications for success? And what
of your "dream" home where nature
is loveliest? Perhaps the answer is
?in West Virginia!
Monttni S**Pf/*# J
Li*?r? ^IMJ
'&f
I J * ?' - ' --M
IPENM5 Y.L-VA N I A
THE l'ANHANDLE STATE . . .
Sorronndlnc the map of West
Vlrjinia are typical scenes of the I H
Ike state: (1) Blaekwater falls;
U) the administration balldtnf V
at Babceek state park; (3) a
modern coal tipple; (4) New
Riser eaayoa, and (3) apple