The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1947-10-23
BERSERK PRICES, HELP
FOR EUROPE INTENSITY
SPECIAL SESSION NEED

wave of spiralling initiation, based
on growing beliefs that the U. S
will make good on the Marshall
Plan as an offset to Communist ac-
tivity in Western Europe, last week
| increased demands for an immedi-
ate return of Congress to: 1-pro-
vide both stop-gap aid in food and
money; and, 2-prevent such aid
from causing further initiation here
at home.
These demands were not stopped
by President Truman's swipe at
rationing and price control as ''po-
lice state" methods to De used only
if voluntary methods fail.
Both spot and December wheat
broke through previous highs to So
bushel. Corn and oats followed the
upward spiral. Prices for cattle,
hogs and lamb rose steadily. Whole
sale prices went to record highs /;
Dun & Bradstreet's wholesale food
index rose &c in a week, standing at
$6.85 as compared with $6.15 a
year ago.
Former Coy. Stassen countered
Gov. Dewey's "feed our own peo-
pie first" prgram by calling for i'm
mediate action by Congress to deal
with both the foreign-aid and do
mestic initiation situation, as close
to each other as heads and tails
on the same coin. Stassen raked
President Truman for not calling
Congrss back before now.
In terms of Congressional action,
the divided opinion of Representa-
tives and Senators returning from
Europe was tipped in favor of aid
by the statement of Rep. Everett
Dirksen (R., Ill., who has a larger
personal following in the House
than any other member. Dirksen,
whose district includes Peoria, in
isolationist Chicago Tribune terri
tory, nevertheless went all out.
"If the Communists established
bridgehead on the Atlantic, we
shall be in the unhappy position of
having to do business with all of
Europe on whatever basis the
Kremlin decides," he declared.
"When this expansionist program
has been carried that far, they will
be encouraged to carry it much
farther and we'll be in a world
dominated by brutal police state.
It's net effect upon us back home
will be such restriction on the
products of American industry and
American farms that we shall be
forced into a regimented economy"
Dirksen implied that, as has been
predicted by others, the United
States would become thoroughly
militarized for defense, with 500
of production going to military
uses including air bases as far away
as Greenland, the Azores, Dakar
and Brazil.
On the Democratic side, Mayor
O'Dwyer wrapped up the case for
immediate action by Congress on
both aid and initiation. Writing to
Chairman Charles Luckman, Of the
Citizens Food Committee, that New
York City will cooperate in the
food conservation cam
paign, O'Dwyer said:
However must respect
fully and most emphatically point
out that there are two types of hun
CRY people, the unfortunate of Eu-
rope who have no food, and the
Of New York City who
are unable to buy food because
prices of foodstuffs are beyond
their financial reach :. The health
of our people, and particularly our
is endangered by the
rising prices. The sooner
our national authorities realize and
act on this problem the better it
will be not only for the people of
his country but for the people of
Europe.
Government food price controls
md food rationing should be rein
,tated at once" O'Dwyer contend
ID. "With adequate supervision Of
such rationing and controls, food
IAN be allocated for Europe by the
government and at the same time
'ood can be assured for our own
,itizens at prices that they are able
o pay. The responsibility rests with
and Congress should be
to face it,"
The Natl. Farmers Union went
m record in support of the Mar
hall Plan and "selective" price con-
rolls and rationing when Russell
smith, NFU Legislative secretary,
old the Housing Agriculture Com
nittee that implementation of the
MARSHALL Plan is "a matter of the
,reatest urgency"
"Just as soon as Russia is convin-
ed that we are gonig to help west
rn Europe, Russia will become !
n 4