The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-08-21

blue-blood conservative Phil Bon- sal, thinks For Whom the Bell Tolls is entirely suitable for foreign distribution. Paramount censored most of the anti-Franco criticism out of it When forth right ex-assistant secretary of war Louis Johnson got back from h. dia his report was so critical of the British that State Department officials scarcely believed parts of it. But after Ambassador Bill Phillips got back from his India survey, Undersecretary Sumner Welles told Johnson that pro-Bri- tish Phillips was in complete agreement Among other things Phillips advised that Field Marshal Wavell was inadequate to command in Burma. He was sub sequently relieved of his military duties.
 BRITAIN BACKS DOWN
 It was not generally known, but when Madame Chiang Kali shek was in the U. s. A. it was planned to present her with gift of two Liberty ships which she was to christen. Then suddenly the gift was mysterious held up.
 Now, several months later, 1t has been decided to present China with the two Liberty ships. Be- hind this is one of the most im- portant economic decisions made by the British empire since the war began the decision to pay Chinese seamen the same wages as British.
 Inside reason why the two Liberty vessels were withheld from Madame Chiang was be- cause the Chinese proposed pay ing British-scale wages to the crews on these ships. This would have meant agitation by 10000 Chinese seamen on British ships throughout the world.
 For time this developed into an embarrassing, almost ugly ar gument. The Chinese government felt that it had right to pay it's seamen any wages it wished on the two new Liberty ships we were giving Madame Chiang. But the British, supported by the War Shipping Administration, opposed.
 The argument got down to the very roots of Empire dominance: :, down to Britannia's rule over the seven seas. For what most peO- pie don't realize is thc; hum dreds of British ships are manned by low-paid Chinese sailors.
 In peacetimes, Chinese seamen sail on every British merchant ship in the Pacific. Thousands of them ply up and down the Yangtze river, along the China coast, among the south Sea Islands - all under British cap- tains and the British flag. In wartime, their number has been perhaps greater, due to the ter rife casualties among British sea- men,
 U. $. VS BRITISH SHIPPING
 The lower wage scale paid to Chinese is one way British ship ping has been able to squeeze out American shipping in peace- time, also one reason why Amer ican ships have registered under the Panamanian flag. The Jones' LaFollette Act sets up labor stand ards aboard American registry ships far superior to those among Chinese crews on British ships,
 So after the last war, the American flag, despite the great est shippings tonnage iD the worlds history, gradually disap. peaTed from the seven Aeas,
 But now the British have talk en a step which may mean more eqnalised wage competition after the war, They have agreed to pay Chinese seamen the same scale as British
 The British did not make this decision easily, Obviously they recognized the notifications it would have on the Empire after the war, Sir Arthur haiter ne- g0tiated regarding the matter for weeks, Lord Leatbers, head oI the British Ministry Of War Transport, made c special trip to thR country. in the end, Prime Minister Churchill himself sat ln on the dlActAHionS,
 Finally. the Increased wage
 was not agreed Co not because
 of Madame Chiang kai.shek
 and her two stymIed Liberty ships, but because of heavy Chi-
 nese desertIens from British ships ln American harbsrs.
 After the war. of course. the British can reduce wages. Also