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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Aug. 11, 1945)
EDITORIAL - COMMENT THE RIGHT OF WAY By Ruth Taylor The other day I stood at a busy New York street corner. Traffic was speeding by. It seemed like one of those hopeless snarls reminiscent of pre-gas rationing days. Suddenly l saw a little child at the curb—all alone. I started forward to pull him back, when the policeman saw him. He raised his hand and all traffic stopped while that little child crossed safely to his school on the other side of the street. That is democracy—where a little child has the right of way! The strength of democratic government is that it is forward looking. Not only are all people alike in the eyes of the law, but all children are alike, to be protected, to be free from want and fear, to be tenderly cared for, to be counted neither as rich nor poor. Black nor White, Jew, Catholic nor Protest ant—but just as children, the hope of the nation, the future of the world. Only in a free land are the rights of the child re spected. And only where all children are safe is any child* safe. Our boys are not giving their lives for the safety of the things they have had, but for the safety of their children and their children to be, that they may live and grow strong into worthwhile manhood and womanhood. Keeentlv the editor of the ©wanton Courier, up in the rockribbed state of Vermont, wrote me: “To pleach tile doctrine of democracy is something that can never be lacking in inspiration. Democracy is not only the American way of life, but must be*the world way of life, or there will be no life for any body. We will have to return to the law of the jungle if e do not put into]tractive our prehching of democracy. Our words must reduce themselves to action. This is really the test.” He was right. Democracy must prevail if the children of the future are to have their chance. We are fighting now for that. We are winning the fight overseas, but we still have a fight to win at home to translate our ideals into action. We can do so if we think less of ourselves and more of those to follow, if we try to correct those things in our society which we condemn—preju dice, discrimination, group thinking. We give the ehldren of our nation the right of way on our streets. Let 11s give them the right of way in our hearts by building for them a brave new world of brotherhood into which they may enter equipped to, in turn, build a better world for their children and their children’s children. POLITIC BOWS TO REALITY Retail business men have been leaders in insist ing that practical methods be found and enforced to prevent the dizzy spiraling of prices which always ends tragically for business and the public. Retailers were among Che first to ask for sensible price control. They proposed procedures by which it could be kept effective. We are suffering now from the inescapable results of dodging reality for the sake of political expediency. Retailers asked Congress to state definitely what it meant by a phrase, “generally fair and equitable.” Such loose wording permitted those in charge of price control to force theoretical interpretations upon busi ness and the public. With a thousand different minds at work on price regulation, many of them with no practical business experience, there could only be con fusion over the term “fair and equitable,” in regard to prices, when the law did not provide a specific formula. An example of the clash between theoretical and practical application of price control was shown in the insistence by the Price Administrator that his “Highest Price Line” ruling be maintained. Business men protested this regulation and proved that it en couraged inflation, diminished the supply of lower priced clothing, and disrupted the distribution of goods to consumers. After long and stubborn refusal of price regulators to correct this self-evident error, Congress gave relief. Inasmuch as the Office of Price Administration cannot in itself produce an ounce of food, clothing or commodities to supply American consumers, it would be wise for both it and Congress to seek the sugges tions of those who must and can supply the needs of the nation when given a fair chance. Certainly we have learned by this time that playing politics with the nation’s domestic supply line is dangerous and defeats the legitimate ends sought by rationing and price control. ^ “Sound social advancements require, always, time and tolerance.”—President Truman. Domestic Problems to Test Truman's Mettle .— Harmonious Relations on Foreign Policy Soon to Give Way to Contention Over Difficulties of Reconversion. By BAUKHAGE ATeu.s Analyst and Commentator. WNU Service, Union Trust Building, Washington, D. C. The political armistice in Wash ington will end shortly after the President’s return from Berlin. The Big Three meeting followed so close ly on the heels of the San Fran cisco conference that foreign affairs have dominated the scene almost to the exclusion of domestic matters, which sooner or later must test the mettle of the new administration. Another reason, perhaps, why President Truman's honeymoon has J been extended is the fact that, the main issue before the country, the United Nations charter, has been robbed of its partisan flavor. This is largely due to the long and ardu ous efforts of former Secretary of State Hull. He built up a working understanding on foreign affairs be ! tween the administration and the | congress, which resulted in the only a former senator, but a former Supreme court justice. Byrnes pro vides an understanding link with the judicial branch as well as with the legislative. The secretary of the treasury, Fred Vinson, is a former member of congress as well as an ex-judge. Secretary of Agriculture Anderson is not only a former member of congress, but was head of the house food committee, which directed some of the most serious criticism against the former admin istration’s handling of the food situ ation. This committee is now work ing closely with the new cabinet member. While Secretary of Commerce Wallace does not bring tp his de partment the close associations of the men over whom he presided as president of the senate, the scope and function of his office has been considerably reduced by the reor Vice President Truman shortly before his elevation to the presidency discusses politics and artillery shells with Baukhage. whole-hearted co-operation of most of the leaders of both parties, stur dily supported by public opinioij. j Secretary Hull was able to achieve this harmony because of the confi dence in which his former colleagues held him and also because of his ex perience as a member of the legisla tive branch of the government. Roosevelt could never have been as successful in this endeavor and, be cause he realized that fully, he left the matter largely in Hull’s hands. Chief Still One of the Boys In the first place, President Tru man stepped directly from the up per house to the vice presidency, and ever since he left the legis lative branch for the executive, he has been acting as liaison between the two. Shortly before President Roose velt's death I had occasion to in terview the then vice president. I talked about the forthcoming San Francisco conference with him (as i well as the field artillery, of which we are both alumni). He indicated that he was holding aloof from any public participation in the discus sions of international affairs but was attempting to carry on and to com plement the work of Secretary Hull in promoting a sympathetic discus sion of the Dumbarton Oaks agree ment with members of the senate foreign relations committee, the house committee on foreign affairs and others. One of his first unorthodox acts was to take lunch with some of his old colleagues at the Capitol. This was almost as if the king of England were to attempt to enter the City of London without first having a formal parley with the lord mayor. But it was a perfectly natural act on Tru man’s part—like his spontaneous re mark to the eft'ecl that there was a certain Chinese restaurant where he would like to eat while he was on the West coast. On second thought he realized that, as President, he couldn’t do such a thing and admit ted it with a smile. The President’s informal visits to the Capitol haven’t hurt him. Nor his formal ones. After his last ap pearance, when he delivered the charter, he lingered so long in the senate chamber, shaking hands and patting backs, that an aide had to hint gently that he wasn’t a senator any more and must hurry back to his work. His cabinet appointments are highly significant. Truman’s secre | tary of state, James Byrnes, is not ganization of the department and so is not a source of friction. In his secretary of labor, President Tru man'has a man who was exceed ingly popular in the senate—anoth er judge—Lewis Schwellenbach. Fear Influence Of Party Bosses Of course, when it comes to ques tions like the poll-tax and the fair employment practices act or any other measure in which the race question is involved, the old friction arises with the southern congress men and any Republicans they can attract to their cause. Also, while there are those who say that the President is steering a course much farther to the right than President Roosevelt did, he nevertheless is committed to a number of the so called New Deal “reforms,” both be cause of his record in the senate and because of his natural leanings. However, since Truman is known to be a strong party man, it will be easier for him to keep the southern Democrats in line. Of course, some of the radical New Dealers are doing a lot of eye brow raising behind the bushes and a remark (perhaps written with tongue in cheek) which appeared in the Wall Street Journal sent shiv ers down some spines. That news paper, which hardly depends on Democratic support for its circula tion, said recently: "Not since the short-lived administration of Warren Harding has there been the prospect of teamwork as exists today.” If the results of the Berlin meet ing are such that they reveal a marked improvement in Big Three relations and a harmonious settle ment of some of the difficult inter national problems, the President’s prestige will be greatly increased. However, by that time domestic dis content will be crystallizing, the honeymoon will be on the wane and the President will need all the “teamwork” he can muster. If the Japanese war should,, fcy any chance, end suddenly—before another year—it would mean that ^ reconversion, threats of inflation and ' unemployment and a hundred other problems will be upon us and Presi dent Truman will be stripped of his protective authority as Commander in-Chief. Then the slings and ar rows which even Roosevelt’s ene mies were wont to deflect to con gress and other government agen cies will be aimed squarely at the man in the White House. Peace will not be too peaceful at 3200 Penn sylvania avenue. BARBS . . . by B auk ha ge Under the able direction of Har old McGrath, superintendent of the senate radio gallery in Washington, radio men were taken care of to the queen’s taste. The big chains built excellent temporary studios at con ference headquarters and all the separate stations were well taken care of, too. Hundreds of record ings were made and shipped out by ■'irmail. VET TAXES: Servicemen have been exempted from paying several kinds of taxes by the action of state legislatures convening this year, the Federation of Tax Administrators reports. Tax exemptions which servicemen have been granted include those for income, property, veterans loans and motor vehicles. In addition, one state has exempted estates of de ceased servicemen from taxation and two states have abated unpaid | taxes of persons dying in service. Field offices of the Federal Hous ing administration are now accept ing from private lending institutions applications for the insurance of principal loans supplemented by loans under Section 505 of the G.I. bill. The veterans’ administration guarantees an equity on such loans not to exceed $2,000 where the prin cipal loan, which must comply will FHA regulations, is insured 1 ’ r'Hfi Natives Go American Time was when natives of a Pa cific isle came around seeking food and clothing from marines. Now they want athletic gear, says Sgt. Red O’Donnell. Indoctrinated in American sports by Third division marines, they have become enthusiastic softbail and volleyball players. Fields have been built in several villages, na tives playing all day Sunday and in the late afternoons. lltecHome | Qep&itesi rain WASHINGTON ™By Wolter Shead .^2 WNU Correspondent Lsl_ I WNU Washington Bureau 621 Union Trust Building. Women and War Work ^"''OUNTY seats and other rural VJ towns and communities can number into the thousands the wom en and girls who are commuting or have moved to larger cities to take up war work of one kind or another and join the labor force of 18 mil lion women now employed in the country. As one of many examples, a huge radio plant at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, employing thousands of workers is “manned” almost exclusively by women recruited from the small towns and rural districts in the counties surrounding Cedar Rapids. What will happen to these wom en and girls from these rural com munities when reconversion starts in earnest? Will they stay in in dustry, or will they return to their homes? The Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor is seeking answers to these questions in a se ries of surveys now being conduct ed on women in industry. The labor bureau found, for in stance, that 80 per cent of the 71,000 women employed in the Dayton Springfield area of Ohio want their jobs or other jobs after the war. So when 12 million servicemen and women come home, all seeking jobs, and when men are thrown out of work due to cutbacks and other re conversion upsets, will these wom en, many of whom are now union members, be able to hold these jobs? There are today five million more women employed than there were in 1940, but census records show that with slight variations, the number of women in labor forces has increased decade by decade. And the bureau of the census states that 1,500,000 of the women who entered the labor market during the war would have done so had there been no war, while about 3% million became workers because of war conditions. It then seems that at least these 3% million women will have to fight to maintain their jobs if they want to remain in employment. j Nine Out of Ten In the trade and service industries j at least nine out of ten women in dicate they want to retain their jobs when the war ends. This is in com | parison with three out of four in the manufacturing industries. As a result of this tremendous surge of American women into all fields of employment, there is now underw’ay among these workers a drive for pay rates based on the job, and not on j sex of the worker. For instance the National Industrial Confer ence board asserts that in 25 selected industries, men’s aver age hourly earnings in all occu pations are 50 per cent higher than those of women and that in unskilled occupations men's average hourly earnings topped those of women by 20 per cent. Significant progress, however, is I being made by labor organizations to make the equal-pay principle for men and women doing the same jobs effective. In 80 union con ' tracts covering 75,000 women work j ers, one-half were found by a sur i vey to have provided equal pay in ! the contract, although this is not in I itself sufficient to prevent discrimi | nation entirely. Equal Rights Proposal In addition to this drive for equal pay for men and women workers there is now in the congress a pro posed amendment to the Constitu tion which seeks to secure equal rights for women, whatever that i means. Both the Democratic and Republican political platforms are on record in favor of such an amend ment and the house judiciary com mittee has approved the proposal. The suggested amendment pro claims that “equality of rights un der the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” There is no denying the fact that i in some states women are subject to legal discriminations that should be abolished, but those who have stud ied this proposal believe that its pas sage or adoption would eliminate all the protective and preferential laws which have been enacted in behalf of women. These include limited working hours for women, prefer ential health and medical laws, sup port for the wife and many other laws enacted for the particular pro tection and benefit of women. Opponents assert that only time, education and changing public opin ion can assure women a fair deal i in the competitive labor field, where 18 million of them are now em ployed. If such a constitutional amendment were adopted, the con tention is that not only would all state and federal laws that give spe cial protection to women be wiped out, but it would be impossible to provide future protection without ex tending a like protection to men, who may not want it. TROOP TRAINING: An intensive training program faces veterans returning to the Unit ed States from Europe before they are sent to the Pacific theater. The ground forces redeployment train ing program includes 44 hours of training a week, with lectures, group discussions, orientation courses and movies furnishing back ground for the course. Training subjects include Japa nese tactics and technique and identification of Japanese weapons, uniform, insignia. ( The Omaha Guide 2 ^ A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER JL Vt I Published Every Saturday at 2}20 Grant Street OMAHA, NEBRASKA—PHONE HA. 0800 entered as Second Class Matter March 15. 1927 it the Post Office at Omaha, Nebraska, under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879. C‘ C- Galloway,_ Publisher and Acting Editor All News Copy of Churches and all organiz itions must be in our office not later than 1 :00 P- m. Monday for current issue. All Advertising Copy on Paid Articles, not later than Wednesday aoon, preceeding date of issue, to insure public ttion SUBSCRIPTION RATE IN OMAHA M ONE YEAR . $.3.00 I® SIX MONTHS . $1.75 H THREE MONTHS . $1.25 M SUBSCRIPTION RATE OUT OP TOWN M ONE YEAR . $3 50 J§ SIX MONTHS . $2.00 IK National Advertising Representatives— Wk INTERSTATE UNITED NEWSPAPERS, IncW 545 Fifth Avenue, New York City, Phone: — MUrray Hill 2-5452, Ray Peck, Manager vk I !-WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS__ Internal Reform Faces Britain, But Diplomacy to Remain Same; Allies Give Japs Peace Terms —■■■ Released by Western Newspaper Uninn (EDITOR’S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of Western Newspaper Union’s news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) -- ~ -- t With the war in the Pacific in the decisive stage, map shows disposi tion of Japanese forces throughout Asiatic theater. GREAT BRITAIN: Future Outlook Though profoundly affecting Great Britain’s internal economy, the sweeping victory of the Laborites in the first general election since 1935 is not expected to appreciably alter the country’s foreign policy based on maintenance of the empire to as sure comparatively high living standards. Notwithstanding the fact that the Laborite triumph represented the ascendancy of leftism in the United Kingdom, the fact remains that the country is so dependent upon the empire for raw materials and mar kets to support its industrial struc Laborites Attlee, Morrison, Bevin. ture that retention of ties abroad, strength on the seas and control over vital bases undoubtedly will remain the substance of its foreign policy. With Laborites ruling, concessions may be made to Leftist elements in Europe and elsewhere, but in over all policy. Great Britain’s historic diplomacy will remain essentially British. At home, however, tradition-bound old Britain may be in for a radical remodeling, with the Laborites’ plat form for nationalization of industry tempered by the amount of private management that will be tolerated. Under Prime Minister Clement Att lee, former Minister of Labor Ernest Bevin and ex-Minister of Home Se curity Herbert Morrison, goals of the Laborites include: Consolidation of all railroads, commercial carriers on highways and coastal shipping into one trans portation unit under government control; nationalization and mech anization of all coal mines and im provement of working conditions by increasing production; socialization of the iron and steel industry and the Bank of England. SECURITY CHARTER: Fight Ahead With only a scorching address by Senator Wheeler (Dem., Mont.) marring the even temper of the de bate, the United Nations security charter headed for quick senate ratification, with indications that the big battle lies ahead when the upper chamber will consider the power of the U. S. delegate and the contribu tion of armed forces. Declaring that like President Wil son the late Mr. Roosevelt had jeop ardized the prospects for successful postwar collaboration by conces sions to the major European pow ers, Wheeler himself foreshadowed an impending fight over details of U. S. participation. Though he would vote for ratification, he said, he would do so only on the strength of statements that the senate would later work out operational arrange ments. Prior to Wheeler’s speech, Sena tors Connally (Dem., Texas) and Vandenberg (Rep., Mich.) advocat ed ratification, stressing that the se curity pact in no way affected U. S. sovereignty but did provide the country with an opportunity to exercise its self-determination for effective international co-operation to prevent future warfare. PACIFIC: Allied Terms Trembling under the bombard ment of Allied air and naval forces. Japan was threatened with even greater catastrophe by U. S., British and Chinese chieftains unless the na tion gave up the hopeless fight and set about the establishment of a peaceful and democratic rule. The Allied answer to rampant peace talk, the U. S., British and Chinese declaration issued in Pots dam where the Big Three met, called upon the enemy to rout its militaristic leadership, relinquish j control of conquered territory, and j submit to occupation for fulfillment of terms. In return, political and | religious thought would be respect ed, and Japan eventually permitted j to resume its place in foreign trade. Though issued from Potsdam, Russia conspicuously refrained from : joining in the declaration, lending credence to reports that the Soviets had acted as middlemen in a Jap peace overture, expressing willing ness to comply with major Allied terms, but asking for exemption from occupation of the home islands. Even as the Allies called upon Japan for unconditional surrender, Admiral “Bull” Halsey’s mixed U. S. and British aircraft carrier force continued its heavy attacks on Nippon, with one great 1,200-plane strike further battering the enemy’s already stricken navy. Sweeping in against minor oppo sition. Halsey's Hellcats ripped up 20 Japanese warships in the Inland sea, with three battleships, six air craft carriers and five cruisers dam aged. As a result of the attack, the enemy reportedly has few war ships in commission, with most of these being cruisers and destroyers. In addition to hammering the Jap anese fleet units, Allied carrier pi lots continued to whittle down en emy air strength, and also'further disrupted coastal shipping linking the home islands by firing cargo vessels and small barges. FRANCE: Petain Accused As the dramatic trial of Marshal Henri Petain moved smoothly fol lowing a stormy outburst on the opening day over a barb by Pros ecutor Andre Mornet that there were too many flerman-minded spectators present, none of the prin cipal witnesses against the old sol dier openly accused him of betray ing his country. They charged he failed in his duties as a Frenchman. Nevertheless, former Premier Paul Reynaud and Eduard Dala dier and ex-President Albert Lebrun rapped Petain unmercifully for ne gotiating an armistice with the Ger mans while an effort was made to keep up the fight; assuming supreme power and virtually ruling by de cree, and acceding to Nazi requests for manpower and material. In testifying for the state, Dala dier declared that France was not as weak materially at the time of her defeat as generally suspected, but fell because of errors in con ception on the part of the general staff. Declaring the Germans were amazed to find huge quantities of equipment on hand, he said France possessed 3,600 tanks at the time of the invasion of Holland and Bel gium to the enemy’s 3,200. PRICE CONTROL: To Stick Despite the impending relaxation of price control over minor item3, firm regulation will be maintained over principal products and services until supply balances demand so as to avert postwar inflation, OPAd ministrator Chester Bowles de clared. In loosening up on price control on minor items, OPA will take action when the commodity or service is not essential; continued regulation involves difficulties out of propor tion to the importance of the prod uct, and no materials, facilities or manpower will be diverted from more necessary industries. Because various manufacturers will be in the market for vast quan tities of raw materials to fill orders, and civilian demand for essential goods, food and many services will far exceed supply, maintenance of price control in the immediate post war period will be required for curb ing runaway prices, Bowles said. WAR CONTRACTS: Keep Cutting With war production down 9 per cent from the peak level of March, the impact on the economy will grow as more reductions are made on actual work rather than on paper commitments. By the end of the year, munitions output is expected to drop 32 per cent below the March figure. Whereas cancellations of paper commitments comprised 31 per cent of the cutbacks in April and 14 per cent in May, such reductions made up only 5 per cent of the tdlal in June. Reflecting cutbacks, aircraft pro duction was down 10 per cent in June under May; ships, including maintenance and repair, down 5 per cent; guns and fire control, down 13 per cent; ammunition and bombs, down 16 per cent; combat and motor vehicles, down 8 per cent; commu- ' nications and electronic equipment, *■ down 5 per cent, and other material ; and supplies up 1 per cent. , Unusual photo shows Matador Cani tas tossed into air off of bull's head dur ing fight in Madrid ring. Hut slightly hurt, the dashing Canitas rerumed the duel to ultimately thrust his sword through animal's heart and win the match. UNITED NATIONS: Relief Requests Having already distributed $296, 563,000 worth of relief to Greece, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugo slavia, China and Albania, the Unit ed Nations Relief and Rehabilitation administration (UNRRA) has been asked for $700,000,000 of assistance by Russia. At the same time. Deputy UNRRAdministrator Roy F. Sen drickson revealed that trucks con stituted the No. 1 priority for relief shipments to facilitate the move ment of European crops. Under UNRRA regulations, unin vaded nations are supposed to con-' tribute both toward the relief and 3 administrative expenses of the proj- “ ect, with the invaded countries chip ping in only for running the organi zation. Of the $1,862,788,348 of au thorized contributions of participat ing nations, it was revealed, the U. S. share amounts to $1,350,000, 000. SUEZ TOLLS: U.S. Balks With U. S. troops pouring through the Suez canal en route to the Pa cific, and with toll payments already mounting to over $11,000,000, the government again pressed the Brit ish to absorb such charges under reverse lend-lease. In pressing the British, American authorities pointed out that the U. S. defrays the cost of British ships passing through the Panama canal, with such payments already past the $9,000,000 mark. Because the lend-lease act pro vides that a country can supply aid from purchases with its own money, the British say they are not obliged to pay the canal tolls, since they must be made in Egyptian currency. As it is, the British declare, they already owe Egypt large sums for wartime purchases.