davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1946-05-22

Mr. John L. Lewis has repeatedly
justified his proposed miners health
and welfare fund on the ground that
British and even Indian miners have
what he is asking, This argument was
lately repeated by William Green. presi-
dent of the American Federation of
Labor, with which Mr.. Lewis has re-
federated his union.
Now Britain has, indeed a miners
welfare fund, and until the first steps in
the naturalization of the British mines
it was supported by levy of a penny
ton on all mined coal and supple
mented by tax of per cent on royal
ties to shareholders, which, of course, is
deductible from income tax. But this
fund, in its administration, is not at
all what Mr. Lewis is demanding 1t
differs radically from his proposition in
exactly the point under dispute: Who is
to administer such fund? Mr.. Lewis
demands that the union have sole juris-
diction over the money.
The British miners welfare fund was
not created, in the first place, by collec-
tive bargaining between miners and en-
ployers, but by an act of Parliament
The Mining Industry Act" 1t has
never been administered by the union.
but by public commission appointed
by the Board of Trade, government de-
partment with cabinet status. The
union could never, under the act. legally
decide the membership of the commits
sion, nor could it possibly control ma
jority of members.
Under the original act the commits
sion consisted of five persons, and the
Board of Trade was instructed to ap-
point one, after consultation with the
mining association (operators>, and one
after consultation with the mining fed
Grafton (union)." That left three open
appointments and all members were
responsible only to the commission it
self
AS amended in 1926 the commission
was enlarged to seven members. OF
whom again one was to be appointed
after consultation with the union, one
after consultation with the owners. In
1899 permanent Miners Welfare Com
mission was established. consisting of
10 persons. again appointed by the
Board of Trade, of whom three were
to be appointed after consultation with
the union, three after consultation with
the employers association, and one
from recipients of royalties.
The commission published an annual
report of receipts and payments, avail
able to Parliament and public. From
time to time the levy has been reduced
or increased. but never has risen over
penny per ton, plus levy of shilling
in the pound, or 5 per cent, on royalties
received by coal owners.
X 4
When the actual coal of Britain be-
came the pronertv of the state which
Evening star., 1946-05-22
On the Record
BY Dorothy Thompson

bought out the owners the royalty levy
was paid by the State Coal Commission.
The coal naturalization bill about to
be passed by Parliament, modifies some
details Of the Miners Welfare Commits
sion. The levy on output and royalties
will be paid into the fund by the Ma
tional Coal Board. The Miners Welfare
Commission, consisting of a chairman
and nine members, will be appointed by
the Minister of Fuel and Power instead
OF the Board of Trade. and, under the
new bill of the Labor government, the
minister will not have to consult even
the union concerning the membership.
but can appoint any one he deems fit,
though it is PRESUMED he will continue
to balance the commission with persons
having experience Of both labor and
management.
these facts, with which Mr. Lewis is
certainly familiar, preclude any analogy
between his proposition and the British
system. Mr.. Lewis wants a fund 10
times the size of the British. raised bv
levy on payrolls, and turned over for
exclusive administration TO his union.
with representation of neither manage
merit nor public. 1t is Just this which is
opposed both by the operators ana by
our Government.
The British, even under a Labor GOV
ernment see the logic ana Justice of
exactly the point I made in nv last
comment: fund which. in the end. is
largely paid by the public as consumers
and puts burdens on owners should not
be administered by an organization
which has no responsibility to either.
Miners, owners and consumers. must ali
be protected
The British fund has brought great
improvements in the mines The first
thing it was used for, as provided in the
act itself. was to provide all coal mines
with facilities for Workmen taking baths
and drying clothes. The fund has been
used for many forms Of social welfare.
recreation, education of former miners
and of miners dependents. and it has
also financed research into methods OF
promoting the health and safety of
workers in or about coal mines" Under
the new bill responsibility for this lat
ter purpose has been taken away from
the commission and fund and given the
minister who must get funds for it from
Parliament.
If something like this We're what Mr..
Lewis is proposing it could and should
be supported in reason and equity. as
compatible with the interests of miners.
management and the public. But it is
not at all what he is proposing, and it
is unfair of him and Mr.. Green to pre-
sent false analogy to miners and the
public, few of whom can be expected
to have familiarity with the British fund
and its form of administration.
tReeased by the Bell Syndicate IncD
Evening star., 1946-05-22

this was only transit" movement
which might last only several days.
The question being asked in Wash
ington today is why the Soviet command
should choose to send troops from Hun
gary to Germany by way of Czecho-
slovakia when, obviously, Russia has
available troops in other areas closer to
her occupied zone in the Reich.
The Moscow government is maintain
ing a considerable force in Poland under
the preteXt that it is necessary to assure
the lines of communication with Ger
many According to official Russian
and Polish versions the whole object
of keeping a Red Army in sovereign
Poland" is to transfer troops from the
homeland TO the Reich whenever re-
placements are needed. In view of the
overburdened traffic on the Czech rail-
ways and highways it would seem that
the Russians have adopted the most
complicated way of replenishing their
forces in the Reich.
Military observers, however, have an
other explanation. Aside for some air
force personnel service troops and a
few regular military contingents that
Marshal Ivan Konev has kept in Czech
oslovakia there have been no large Red
forces in that country. The bulk has
been concentrated in Hungary, with the
majority remaining around Lake Bala-
ton at an equal distance from the Czech
and Yugoslav borders.
According to reports which have been
received through the iron curtain. -
several divisions already have been
moved into Northern Croatia to bolster
Marshal Tito's army, which is kept in
readiness to meet ANY emergency If
the Russians plan other operations di-
rected toward the west, it is essential
that number of divisions be brought
into Bohemia to establish direct and
continuous contact with the Russian
army of occupation in the Reich.
This movement of military forces is
regarded by diplomats as an attempt
of the Moscow government to add CON
Vinclng arguments" for the next peace
conference or for the eventuality that
Mr.. Byrnes might turn the task OF draft
ing the peace treaties over to the U. N.
The Soviet leaders are convinced that
any army placed in certain Well-chosen
points is more likely to win the peace"
that Russia is demanding than all the
arguments of the diplomats
Evening star., 1946-05-22
No School Function

The Senate District Committee is
we'll advised in delaying action,
pending a hearing, on the House
approved bill authorizing the Board
of Education to operate child day
care centers as a permanent func-
tion of the public school system.
The bill is opposed, on sound
grounds of principle, by the super
intendent of schools 1t is opposed
by the Commissioners. 1t places a
curiously involved administrative
burden on a school system that is
not now capable of meeting its full
obligations in the field of public edu-
cation. 1t commits the municipal
government, already faced with rev.
enue shortages, to form of expend-
tture which inevitably will increase.
The bill as amended in the House
is in addition highly discriminatory.
The bill places ceiling of S50O,O0O
on the cost of operating the centers,
evidently on the correct theory that
otherwise the cost will grow out of
all proportion to the public value of
services rendered. Yet this amend
ment means that only a limited num-
ber of otherwise eligible parents will
be permitted to take advantage of
a municipal service. Who will draw
the line and where will it be drawn
between those offered the advan-
tageS of this service and those de-
MED it?
The nature of the services offered
Is undoubtedly helpful to the Sc
lected benefciaries. But such pro-
posed expenditures, especially when
they commit the District to poten
TALLY heavy outlays, must be judged
according to their relative impor-
tance. There are a great many mu-
nicipaI services that have prior
claims on increased appropriations
but which are denied them now be-
cause the funds are unavailable
The day-care centers were estab-
liShed as a means to encourage the
employment of mothers in war work
Like other such ventures, the pres
sure created for one purpose is now
eXerted in another direction to per-
petuate an undertaking for which
a short time ago no visible public
need existed.
Until those responsible for raising
and appropriating District revenue
are willing to Justify this additional
expense, in the face of the COM
munity'S unmet needs in other.felds,
the bill should not be enacted.
Evening star., 1946-05-22
This Changing World
By Constantine Bro,en

Secretary of State Byrnes on Monday
night presented the American people
with a true though restrained picture
of the drama which marked the Paris
Conference. He pointed an accusing
finger at Russia, which alone has pre-
vented the closing of the war books and
the opening of those which were in
tended to register an era Of lasting peace
and progress.
Had he wished to inf1ame public opin-
ion, Mr.. Byrnes could have made the
most dramatic speech any American
statesman has ever made by telling his
listeners of the unethical tactics, the
double-talk and the supremely arro-
CANT attitude adopted by his Moscow
colleagues throughout the conference
But he hopes that our wartime allies
will ponder the effects of the break
down to Russia itself The Kremlin
may wish to take a stock of the world
situation and may come to the con-
cluslon that it would be to Russia's
ultimate advantage to return to the
next conference in a more conciliatory
mood
Unless hatred and latent hostility
among those who defeated the Axis can
be removed, the world will enter an
other even more devastating phase of
the world war. the consequences of
which will be as tragic for Russia as
for Europe.
Mr. Byrnes made this very clear at
the green table in Luxembourg Palace,
where he is said not to have minced
his words. Some of his colleagues say he
not only appealed to the sense of JUS
tice of the Russians but also attempted
to dispel the illusion that America
would not fight for just and lasting
peace even if it required opposing force
with force.
II is difficult to judge what Russia s
next step will be. Hence, the guarded
optimism of Mr.. Byrnes. who speculated
that the meeting suggested by him for
June Is might prove more fruitful than
the one just ended.
The latest official report that Russian
enthusiastically in large numbers
are crossing Czechoslovakia on their
way to replace Red Army contingents
in Germany is giving food for thought
to American military men. The Czech
oslovak government, in announcing such
crossing, took good care to say that
Evening star., 1946-05-22

ance on the part of the prosecuted
elements to an extent that amounts
almost to civil war in certain areas.
The evidence is that, outside the
cities, the Peasant party is favored
by a majority of the population.
Against all this, both London and
Washington are evincing their stern
disapproval. Our Government cou-
pied strong notes of protest with a
suspension of deliveries on a $50
100000 loan recently negotiated un-
der conditions, one of which was the
assurance of free elections this year.
Unless the Warsaw government
modifieS its present tactics and per-
mits free elections. a showdown
both within the country itself and
with the western powers appears to
be inevitable
Evening star., 1946-05-22
Crisis in Poland

Despite the best efforts of the
present Polish government to mini
mize or conceal the true situation,
available evidence points with in
creasing clarity to a major political
crisis in that distressed country,
already suffering so acutely from the
legacy of war. And it appears equally
clear that responsibility for this
crisis rests mainly upon the Polish
government itself.
The nub of the difficulty lies in the
refusal of the Polish Peasant party,
headed by Deputy Premier Stanis-
law Mikolajczyk, to join in a single
slate ticket with the Communist and
Socialist parties which are the polit-
ical expressions of the present gov
ernment, which, in turn, was orig
inally the creation of Moscow and
has remained its obvious satellite in
both foreign and domestic policies.
The single-slate ticket is a device
employed by Communists every
where to gain or maintain a degree
of political control not warranted by
their separate voting strength. In
Soviet-dominated countries like Bull
garia it has been imposed on the
opposition either by browbeating
them into line or outlawing them
for alleged "antidemocratic" and
"Fascist" tendencies. The elections
are then held and the world is in
formed that the people have unit
edly supported" the single-slate
ticket, thereby confirming the Com
munist dominated regime in it's
tenure of power.
This transparent fraud has not
been swallowed, however, by the
American and British governments.
Even when, for diplomatic reasons,
they have reluctantly recognized a
regime like that of Tito in Yugo-
slavia, they have called attention to
its failure to live up to the Big
Three" agreements at Yalta, Mos
COW and elsewhere. providing for
free. elections in liberated European
lands, and in other cases, such as
Bulgaria. they have withheld recog-
milton for this reason.
Everything indicates that the
Moscow : dominated Polish regime
headed by Premier Osubka -Moraw-
ski is cracking down hard on the
Peasant party for its obduracy.
Wholesale arrests and outlawing of
certain elements of the party as
Fascist" have not only evoked
strong protests from Mr.. Mikolajczyk
and his colleagues but also resist
Evening star., 1946-05-22
Looms on Condition

1t has been clear for some time
that the President has made it a
matter of fixed policy to utilize
American loans abroad to support,
wherever feasible and proper, our
long-term international objectives
The report that General Marshall is
holding virtual veto over a pro-
jected S5OO,OOO,OOO loan to China is
thus not surprising. AS long ago as
last December Mr.. Truman plainly
indicated that such a credit would
be forthcoming only on condition
that a reasonable measure of inter-
nal stability be achieved in that
strifetorn country.
This makes sense from a purely
business standpoint, for loan to
the Chinese, while they are at each
others throats, could hardly be re-
garded as sound investment. Be-
yond that, however, the chief Slgn1t-
icance of General Marshall's power
as the Presidents special envoy Is
that it represents frank American
bargaining to press the Chang gov
ernment and the Yenan Commu-
nists into working agreement cal
culated to promote peace and order
in China. In seeking to reconcile
the two groups, in other words,
General Marshall, who has just
cracked down on both for their
RECKLESS propaganda of hate and
suspicion" can use $500,000,000 as
an extremely important talking
point-important not merely to the
future of that country but to the
reordering of the economic and
political life of Asia in general, and
hence important to our own long
range interests.
Similarly, more than simple busi-
ness considerations are involved in
American loans to other countries.
The one to Britain, for example,
would commit the British to specific
steps to encourage freer interna-
tional trade. Credits to Poland
suspended at the moment-would
impose upon the Poles such special
obligations as the obligation to hold
free and unfettered elections. The
pending financial agreement with
France clearly seems to have politi-
cal implications, especially as re-
CARDS its timing in connection with
the coming French national vote.
BY the same token, as authoritative
circles have reported, any advance
to Russia probably would be based
on conditions designed to discourage
the building of a wall between the
western powers and Eastern Europe.
All this may appear to be new
kind of dollar diplomacy, and per-
haps it involves certain risks, but if
it is carried out with good judgment,
and not as if America were a hard
bargainer uncompromisingly intent
Evening star., 1946-05-22
Mr.. Lewis Wins

There is, at the least, a commend
able forthrightneSs about this years
seizure of the coal mines by the
Government.
The move entails an undeniable
capitulation to John L. Lewis, and
there is no effort to make it appear
otherwise. Lacking any legal means
of coping with the strike and un-
willing to seek legislation of that
character, the President, forced to
do something to insure the produc-
ton of coal, has resorted to the
eXpedient of seizure. The Presi-
dents order empowers the seizing
agent, Interior Secretary J. A. Krug,
to make appropriate" changes in
the terms and conditions of the
miners employment.
Mr. Krug is frank in saying that,
under this authority, he will pro-
ceed at once to negotiate contract
with Mr.. Lewis. He hopes to work
out only the principles of con-
tract, but a formal agreement will
be negotiated if Mr.. Lewis demands
it, as he undoubtedly will. In return
for this Mr.. Lewis comedies nothing,
not even giving assurance that he
will endeavor to keep his miners at
work. In other words, faced with
strike threat against the national
interest, the Government ceases to
function as Government, and is
content to obtain the best terms it
can from a private citizen who has
far more power than any citizen
ought to have
The precise terms of the Govern
ment-negotiated contract remain to
be determined. But there is no
doubt that Mr. Lewis will get the
substance of his demands. And
there is equally little doubt that the
procedure is one which is utterly
destructive of the process of collec-
tive bargaining, for the practical
effect of what the Government is
doing is to leave Mr. Lewis free to
refuse to bargain with the operators
while imposing on the latter a
peculiarly offensive form of COM
pulsory arbitration-an arbitration
in which they are not even permitted
to participate. For practical pur-
poses their role, in what we like to
call a free country, and in time of
peace, is reduced to that of accept
ing a contract to which they were
not a party and in the negotiation
of which they had no voice.
This aspect of the matter prob
ably will not weigh heavily with the
mass of the people, whose primary
concern is to have the mines oper-
ating. 1t should be of greater CON
Germ, however, to the members of
Congress and to all others who will
stop to consider the implications of
a successful challenge of govern
ment by any minority group. This
issue has nothing to do with the
rights or wrongs of Mr.. Lewis de-
mands. 1t is simply a question of
whether the Government is going
to equip itself with the statutory
power to govern all segments of the
country, or whether it is going to
cease to govern whenever it's ability
to do SO is brought into question
by some minority group which has
been set above the law by the law
itself.
Evening star., 1946-05-22
Firm Leadership Needed
By Raym ond Moler


Consider what happened on Saturday.
with a paralyzing railroad strike only
minutes removed The President an
nounced a postponement Of five days
This was carried to every corner of the
country. But the railroad men con-
cerned calmly waited with their card
games and their idle talk They said
they would await official" word from
their real bosses, the union leaders. al
though the official word had been
passed on by man who, we all must
believe, is greater authority than
union leaders. Are we to assume that
these men were saying that they did not
believe the President? We can assume
that the men did not take this position
on their own responsibility. This COL
umn has. within the week, shown how
strict is the discipline in the BRIT. We
must assume that the union leaders had
a little lesson to give the country on
their own. That lesson, apparently, was
that the men take their orders from the
unions and not from weaker authority
*
A story is in order which goes back
to the SitdOWn strikes several Years ago
Vice President Garner said to President
Roosevelt, You think you are the big
gest man in the country There is no
record of the Presidents answer. But
Mr.. Garner added, We'll, you are not
John L. Lewis is You say you cannot
tell the men to get out of the factories
But John Lewis can"
The President of the United States
is the chief magistrate. In threats of
civil disaster, his word should prevail
No other person can speak with such
authority. The President seems to for
get this. If he cannot share our appre-
tensions, he is denying us the last
and final basis of assurance in a crisis
This is no time for comedy.
(ReIensed by Associated Newspapers Inc)
Evening star., 1946-05-22
A Marine vs.. MERGER
To the Editor of The Star

To the Editor of The Star:
What's all this about combining the
fighting forces? 1t seems to me that a
bunch of politicians are stepping little
too fast in places. Aren't they trying
to get what men that are left in the
armed forces to stay for while longer?
If they are, they are going at it in a
curious way.
I think the Marine Corps has made a
record in the time of its existence that
no other organization can match, and
1 am sure that the men who made these
records who didn't get back from World
Wars and II wouldn't appreciate lot
of swivel chair" soldiers trying to break
up something far greater than anything
that they could ever accomplish in nice
swivel chairs. SERGT. GUS H. BASS,
U. S. M. G.
Evening star., 1946-05-22
Are Potatoes Futteninq?

Inc only trouble With the Gov
ernment's eat-more-potato and
save more-bread campaign is that
people have been led to believe in
the past that potatoes are fattening.
1t so happens that. by and large,
the people who particularly like po-
tatoeS are the ones who are reluc-
tant to eat them for fear of getting
fat, or fatter. The thin ones do not
eat enough potatoes to make much
difference in the campaign, one way
or the other. Ofhand, then, it
would seem that the eat-more-
potatoes campaign is destined to
precipitate a clash of personal reSo-
lutions. The individual who is at
once resolved to save bread for the
famine sufferers and to eScheW
girth-increasing foods of all kinds
would appear to be definitely placed
in an uncomfortable position by the
potato pronouncement.
But it turns out that all this talk
about potatoes being fattening is
greatly exaggerated At least the
Department of Agriculture says so.
In fact Assistant Secretary of Agri-
culture Charles F. Brannan is quoted
as declaring that the average potato
has only 100 calorieS-not more
than are contained in two slices of
bread or a normal serving of peas.
1--WE must carry this story" he an
nounced, "all through the food in
dustry and right down to the house
wife in the kitchen" Mr. Brannan
is correct, especially with respect to
the housewife. 1t is the pound
conscious, figure watching woman
of the house who must be convinced
above all others that Spud spurning
Is needless. Once convinced that
an average helping of mashed po-
tatoes is no more Weight-producing
than sliced tomatoes with a dash
OF mayonnaiSe tand it might be bet
ter to leave off the mayonnaise) the
Nations potato lovers will need no
urging to do their part in the new
drive. Given enough potatoes
mashed, baked or fried-the con-
sumers will have little room for
bread or other items, except possibly
bicarbonate of soda.