The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1948-01-02
BY PAUL r.
APP General News Editor

[lI 1CllCld 4NCWS 10AbOA
The biggest story of the crisis
year of 1947 was told in millions
of newspaper headlines and in
show windows in every city, town
and hamlet in America. With
sinking hearts American wage
earners and housewives read:
Butter 81 per pound 4. +.
candy bars Clio cents good
steak SIPS -. milk % cents
breads 16 cents /.
homes for immediate occupancy
$4,000 to $4,000.
Newspaper editors, asked by
The Associated Press to name
the 10 biggest stories of a year
that seemed to develop a crisis
of some kind almost every day,
had a difficult time deciding be-
tween the high cost of living and
its attendant initiation and this
nations wide open rift with Rus
STA but when the final ballots
were counted the bread and but
ter story drew the Number One
position. The worry about the
Russian Bears giant, ~encircling
paws was on everybody's mind
in everyone's conversation but
the rantings of Ma and Pa over
high prices upon their return
from shopping went deeper. 1t af-
fected even smaller children.
Some didn't get enough to eat.
What happened in grocery
stores was typified by this Incl
dent:
A woman was offered a wire
pushcart to gather her groceries
when she entered a large store.
"Oh, l won't need that" she
said sadly. "Ive only got S. to
spend"
AS the year passed into history,
President Truman and the law
makers were trying and studying
ways to trim the high cost of
living. Prospects were dim. Ev-
erything was up or going higher.
On March II, President Truman
stood before a taut-faced, tense
and anxious Congress. In mild
tones of sympathy he dealt in de-
tail with the plight of Greece and
Turkey. His voice hardened as he
struck out at aggressive totalitar-
ianism. He said:
1.-The very existence of the
Greek state is today threatened
by the terrorist activities of sew
eral thousand armed men, led by
Communists, who defy the gov
ernment's authority To-
talitarian regimes imposed upon
the peoples by direct or indirect
aggression, undermine the founda-
tions of international peace and
hence the security of the United
States"
1t was a historic turning point
of American foreign policy. The
President asked for $500, 000, 900
to help Greece and Turkey. He
didn't name Russia but it was a
plain attack. The speech and its
after effects was rated the sec
ond biggest story of the year. The
open fight against Russia was on
without letup, carrying into the
Foreign Ministers Conference at
London where Secretary George
Marshall refused to mince words
as the old year passes.
The remaining eight biggest
stories were arranged in this or
der by the editors:
3. THE T~AFT-HARTLEY Law.
Republicans were back in the
saddle in Congress. Sure they
understood one of the reasons
that carried them back, they and
enough Democrats thought like
wise over-rode President Tru-
mans veto to pass law perhaps
the most controversial labor bill
of this century-the Taft-Hartley
law. The new legislation, bit
terly attacked by organized labor,
left collective bargaining, the
strike and the strike threat as
vastly important factors in the
American scene but limited labor
unions in what they could do and
what sort of contracts they could
get from employers.
One provision developed more
headlines than perhaps all others
combined. 1t specified the Nat
ional Labor Relations Board can
not help a union unless the I'M
ion has filled certain information
with the government, including
statements from their officers
swearing they are not Commun-