davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
POSTAL LOBBY
BY ALLAN SPALDING

AS President Eisenhower weighs
the political consequences Of sec
ond postal pay veto In two years.
he has a cautious eye cooked on
one of the Nations most powerful
Hobbies the postal workers unions.
The dozen unions that make up
this bloc were credited with a vic
tory last week, when a House
Senate conference approved $178
million in annual pay increases to
600 900 workers. This amounts to
an average hike Of 8.8 per cent, con-
trasted to the 7.6 per cent limit
set as acceptable by the White
House. Final passage seems certain.
Many union leaders expect the
veto will materialize. But If it does.
they are ready to renew the battle
almost Immediately. and to make
it hot election issue next year
should their efforts fail. In the
meantime, they are lobbying to let
Congress and the people know their
economic plight.
This grass roots lobby is in
beautiful position to take it's case
to the people. When legislation like
this is on the fire, the postman al
ways rings twice-once to deliver the
mail, once to tell the home folks
about his plight. The accent this
year has been on the fact that
postal workers have had no increase
since 1851, and that a 5 per cent
raise proposal was turned down by
the President last year. Similar &C
ton now. the postmen say, would
be unjust"
This folksy, informal approach
is one of the lobby's most potent
weapons. 1--WE talk to millions of
citizens every day, and that helps
when you get into a battle like
this one," says William j. Doherty,
head Of the National Association
of Letter Carriers.
Two Union Giants
Today, this bloc is led by two
giants: National Association Of Let
ter Carriers and National Fedora
ton of Post Office Clerks. Both are
AFL affiliates.
Symbolic of the Letter Carriers
Unions strength is the ultramod-
ern building at the foot Of Capitol
Hill, which serves as its headquar-
tiers. From 1t, lobbying activities of
the unions 1000 branches and its
10000 members are co-ordinated.
The extent of these activities is
reflected in the 50,339.09 which
NALC reported paying out on lob
bying last year, and which placed
1t among the top lobby spenders.
Mr.. Doherty, who carried mail
in Cincinnati for 10 years, and
jerome Heating, vice president, an
other one-time postal worker, are
doing much Of the mitigating.
These union leaders have carte
blanche from their organizations
TO play the lobbying game by ear.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08

with one or two additional leaflets.
Much Of his active campaigning,
however. is on house-to-house can
wasting basis. Great store is set by
this intimate approach, because no
party label appears on the ballot.
The voter has to be able to identify
the party Of his choice by recogniz-
ing the name Of the candidate.
In spite Of this personal politick-
ing, mass meetings" are small. Five
hundred voters would be a good
turnout for a well-advertised po-
litical rally in the local town hall.
Radio and television time on the
BIC is determined by the relative
position of the parties in the House
of Common and their number of
candidates. This year the Con-
sentative and Labor parties will
each have four Commute radio
broadcaSts and three telecasts-one
of 80 minutes and two of Is min
uteS each. The Liberals will have
one Commute broadcast and che
15-minute telecast. Any other
party with so candidates will be
given 10 miutes on the radio. No
political broadcasts are permitted
the day before the election. This
time is not paid for.
The equality Of opportunity af-
forded by the BIC plus the limi-
tation of campaign expenses gives
each party an even break in APP
pealing to the voters. The only
advantage that the Conservatives
have in presenting their views lies
in the fact that most of the press
favors the Conservatives, particu-
larry in the provincial areas out
side London. Otherwise Labor can
didates agree that their chances on
May 26 will depend entirely on their
ability to persuade the undecided
faction Of Britain's electorate Of IS
million to accept their point of
view.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
ALLIES BIGGEST BLUNDER
Unconditional Surrender Order
Prolonged War, Ex-Nozis Assert

has been able to mount a new
combined offensive at the begin
ming of September. 1914, German
defense west of the Rhine would
have been broken down complete
ly," Gen. Blumentritt contlnued)
AT the time, the West Wall was
practically dismantled and UNI
manned.
Because of the operational pause,
which the Western powers observed
at the German frontier, new line
was established
Naturally, reasons must have
been many for delaying the general
attack we had feared-political in
tentions to advance through South
ern Germany to reach Austria and
Czechoslovakia as soon as possible.
military supply line difficulties re-
garding gasoline, and SC forth. There
may also have been internal differ
ences of opinion in the Western
Joint command on the best manner
of continuing operations. Such diff
ferences of opinion among Allies
can hardly be helped"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
POSTAL LOBBY
Lacking Strike as Weapon,
Unions Employ Persuasion

They say they need this freedom
of movement because-unlike most
unions-the postal workers can't
resort to the strike, which labor
generally considers its ultimate
economic weapon.
The other big outfit, the Post
Office Clerks, have headquarters at
I'll Fourteenth street NV. The
clerks claim even greater grass
roots strength than the letter car
riers, by virtue of the fact that
practically every hamlet in America
has a post Office, whether it has
carriers or not.
The clerks are incontestably the
largest organization of Federal
workers, with $4,000 members. Last
year, according to Congressional
Quarterly, the union ranked third
among top lobby spenders, Smelling
out $146,01275 for legislative work.
This does not compare directly with
the letter carriers lobbying outlay,
since the two groups use different
reporting methods.
Three-Mon Team
Most Of the unions lobbying is
undertaken by an incisive, dark
haired ex-postal employee named
Elroy c. Hallbeck. In recent weeks
the team of Doherty. Heating and
Hallbeck have been very much in
evidence in Congressmens' Offices.
Despite this close surface har-
mony. Mr.. Hallbeck and his postal
clerks have one sharp difference
with the letter carriers this year.
They refuse to swallow reclassifica-
ton provisions of the proposed
postal law, under which the job
status of some 1000 clerks could
be changed. Mr.. Hallbeck fears this
might result in the downgrading of
many positions. But on the overall
issue Of pay raise, the two groups
stand shoulder to shoulder.
Adding to the bloc's legislative
punching power Is host of smaller
unions, representing postmasters,
motor vehicle workers, maintenance
employees, mail-truck drivers, and
rural carriers. The latter chin over
fences with farmers and help to
keep rural areas informed of the
bloc's detectives.
Most of the postal unions are
AFL-afiliated, and coordinate their
lobby policy and strategy through
the Government Employees Council,
set up within the AFL II years ago
Present legislative chairman of the
council is Mr.. Doherty. In this ca
pacity. he swings the full weight of
AFL behind postal drives for higher
pay.
Such interlocking strategy-plus
The hometown aspect-make the
postal group one of the three or
four most effective Hobbies on the
Hill. This may help to explain why
President Eisenhower Is currently
taking his time in deciding whether
or not to veto the present postal
pay-raise bill.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
Blumentritt

Answering your question is not
easy for the German side, because
in the long run the allies won. Sue
cess is decisive! It would be tact
less to judge certain allied errors.
Therefore. l shall restrict myself
to views which we expressed among
ourselves as soldiers at headquar-
tiers, without knowing the reasons
behind the action of our opponents.
First of all. 1t was not practical
politics for the Allies to demand
unconditional surrender. Psyche
logically. 1t had the result of forcing
not only the Wehrmacnt but the
people to extreme resistance. Using
this hard demand, the Third Reich's
propaganda told the people that
they had to fight to the last. No
doubt this prolonged the war"
df the Anglo american armies
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
Heye

MY personal conviction is that
the Allies. by issuing their uncondi-
tional surrender demand. forced
practically the whole German
people into one front and thus all
resistance movements became
illusory.
Il regard the Allied invasion of
Southern France as decision Of
extraordinary Importance, which in
its consequences can certainly DO
regarded as missed opportunity.
Just as Churchill proposed in the
First World War to break the ring
of central powers at one of their
weakest links (namely, the Darda-
nellesl I believe, in studying the
Second World War, that Churchill
was on the right track, not only
politically but also militarily, in
proposing the invasion of South
eastern Europe"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
Won Arnim

I'm my opinion, the allied demand
for unconditional surrender de-
stroyed all chances for a successful
internal uprising against the Hitler
system"
(Gen. Won Arnim, who refused
to leave his troops and escape
himself by plane when the end
came in Tunisia, said the North
African campaign might have
been shortened by months If the
allies had pursued different
strategy
After Rommel, contrary to ex-
pectations. was not cut of at Ell
Alamein, a push by say two allied
divisions from Tebessa directly to
the Tunisian coast would have
separated the two axis armies in
Africa. Rommel would have run
out OF supplies in six days and been
forced to surrender. With the
southern flank open, our army in
Tunisia would not have been able
to fight on much longer. Thus the
attack on Sicily would have been
possible a half year earlier, when
Sicily's defense was completely un-
prepared"
Associated prsss)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
foreign Aid
BY GABRIEL VOGLIoTTI

Last Thursday when Secretary
Dulles asked Congress for more for
eign aid, he was acting on President
Eisenhower's decision to brazen out
one of the most unpopular requests
President can make. For any Con-
gresham, yea" on foreign aid
means a lot of explaining to the
folks back home, and most Repre-
sentatives had assumed aid was on
the way out.
Instead of appeasing Congress
with an aid cut, and instead of elm
mating the temper raiser called
economic" aid, the President asked
for $35 billion total, including 81
billion in economic aid for Asia.
And instead of requesting it on a
"one-laSt- time" basis he informed
Congress that overseas aid should
be considered a function of govern
ment for many years to come.
The message jolted those who
considered foreign aid as something
Achesonian, a soft-headed expert
ment that could be dropped. So the
Presidents demand leaves it up to
Mr.. Dulles. Foreign Aid Chief Har-
old E. Stassen and various overseas
officials to justify this outlay.
The economic part presents hard
case because Congress has been
reading discouraging progress reports
from Asia for some years. Neither
waste nor mismanagement is the
bugbear, Rather. the reports de-
scribe such limited gains that re-
newal calls for something like reli-
gious faith in the underlying idea.
The Asion Case
Asia's need became pressing four
years ago. Congressional commit
tees were shown a portrait of human
misery coupled with warnings that
the situation was a United States
concern. They were told that we
had to act fast or watch Asia 60
Red piece by piece. Asia was de-
Scribed as place where the nor
NAL" death rate from disease would
be called epidemic here; where il
hteracy ranged from 70 to 80 per
cent; where average inLome was
close to zero; where life was lived at
the levels of thousand years ago.
The Russians saw this misery as
the key to Asia when Mao Tse-tung
and Chou En-lai were boys. Since
almost every Asian country was a
colony Of Western capitalism, the
Reds attributed every form Of back
wardness to the West.
Congress was warned that we
must reverse this ingrained Asian
idea; that in the Philippines, Indo-
nesia, Indo- China and elsewhere, we
had to make land available to
peasants. introduce Western medi-
cine. help set up education programs
and introduce technical know-how.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
Growth of Mankind Seen
As VeritobIe Explosion

the number of our people per square
mile Is very low compared to most
countries. No food problem exists.
The American standard of living,
now the highest In the world, shows
no signs of declining even though
the population should reach 200
million in 20 years.
Nevertheless, surveys have dis
closed causes for concern, potential
difficulties reaching out toward
American shores from the popula-
ton pressures of other countries.
Danger to U. S.
One is in the field of materials,
The gigantic American industrial
system draws heavily on raw mate
rails from other nations.
Many of these nations are now
striving to build their own indus
tries. They hope to provide a liveli-
hood. in factories, for great masses
OF people who now scratch a precari.
GUS existence from the land-and
who are growing increasingly FESTIVE
and dangerous.
The same process has been 60
ing on for long time in the United
States. Today, only IL per cent of
the total labor force works on farms.
A century ago the figure was around
IS per cent.
So questions arise:
AS other nations induStrialiZe. will
they continue to export raw mate
rails in huge quantities the Ameri-
can system now consumes? If so,
how much more will they cost? Will
the swelling nations resort to DO
litical and military expansion to
feed their expanded populations?
A presidential commission, headed
by Radio Executive William S. Paley.
conducted an exhaustive study in
1851 and reported:
/. American consumption of pc
troleum, rubber, manganese, iron
ore and zinc exceeds that Of all the
rest of the free world. statistics
were not available from the Cam
munist nations.
2. OF 70 strategic and critical ma
terials, the U. S. imports all of its
supplies in more than 40, and part
Of its supplies in all the rest.
3. The United States is using up
its domestic reserves faster than
other free nations.
Brighter Side
The picture is not entirely dark,
however.
Along with its other advances,
science is steadily finding new ways
to increase the productivity of the
land. Hybrid corn is one example.
Studies OF algae and plankton in
the sea may show vast and largely
untapped sources of food.
American point-four experts have
have had marked success in re-
claiming damaged lands, especially
in the Middle East.
And engineers look toward the
day when atomic energy will bring
llfe-glving water to great tracts of
land that now are deserts.
Meanwhile, international confer
ences have met to discuss methods
OF limiting the birth rate. Repre-
sentatives Of 10 nations, including
the United States, met in Rome
last year to examine skyrocketing
population figures.
Soviet Russia sends no delegates
to any Of these conferences. On the
contrary. the Russian government
IN the manner Of Hitler and Mus
sollni-is calling for bigger families,
more children.
ASSOCIATED press)
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-08
THE o BOMB
BY RELMAN MORN

As a typical American. you are
eating some l,540 pounds of food
year.
The Department of Agriculture
says this includes Isl pounds Of
meat, 315 pounds of vegetables. 397
eggs, 352 pounds of milk and cream,
plus a profusion of other items. You
may even be trying not to eat so
much.
By contrast, experts estimate per-
hapS billion people are hungry all
day every day. Nearly four-f1fths
of mankind subsists under conditions
near the verge of starvation. accord
ing to Robert c. Cook, director of
the Population Reference Bureau.
Nevertheless, world population is
IN a surging rise. Mr.. Cook says
parts of the globe are ripe for an
explosion" of population-with Sc
rious military. political and eco
nomic potentialities to the free
world.
Red China recently made news in
this connection. It's government an
nounced census" China's popu-
lation usually had been estimated
at 400 to 500 million. The census"
showed 582,603,4l7! And it is in
creasing, the report adds, at more
than II million year.
American census authorities look
with some skepticism at the new to-
tai. However, they believe the CEN
sus findings may be closer than the
previous estimates.
How to Feed Them?
What Peiping did not say was how
these new millions will be fed. For
centuries, China has been the land
Of famine.
Where will the Chinese hordes look
for food? Toward the rice bowl Of
Asia" perhaps; Burma, Thailand.
Indo-China?
Mr.. Cook believes this is inevitable.
Now consider India, whose an
nual increase is S million.
It's latest census contains an ur-
gent plea for the end of what the
report calls "improvident maternity. "
midas government has established
about 300 family planning clinics"
United Nations analysts estimate
the earth's population at 2.5 billion.
They say it is increasing at 80 mil
lion a year.
This would equal a new com
munity" the size of Sioux City, Iowa,
every "a hours; a new nation"
bigger than Spain or Poland every
year.
Why the Increase?
What's causing this biological
ground swell?
Apparently not the birth rate. 1t
remains more or less constant. or
even declines in some countries. The
answer. scientists say. is in re-
duction of the death rate. New
weapons for fighting disease-cheap.
easy and effective-keep people alive
in underdeveloped countries. Fewer
babies die in infancy. More people
live long enough to have children.
DR.. Robert Gesell of the Univer-
sity of Michigan has called over
population the "O-bomb." and said
it is more dangerous than atomic
weapons.
How does the problem touch the
United States?
With a population Of 1854 million,
Evening star., 1955-01-02
Georgia Man Walks Nile
With Ice Pick Ii Skull

ATLANTA. jan. IA IS
year-old man walked = mile
with en ice pick broken on in
his forehead In search Of medi-
cal aid today.
Homicide Detective w. d.
Browning said John Evans
staggered into the Atlanta po-
Lie station with 4 portion Of the
ice pick protruding about two
inches from the center Of his
forehead.
Hospital doctors removed the
section Of metal with d pair 81
pliers and told him he was
lucky 10 he alive. They said the
ice pick had pierced the skuil
and ranged down into the sinus
area.
Mr.. Browning quoted Mr..
Evans Us saying his wife at
tackled him with the Ice pick.
He said he fiinched and the ice
pick broke. She was arrested on
suspicion Of stabbing.
Evening star., 1955-01-02
u. S.-siaie Rehabilitation
Cases DecIipe in 1854
" no Assoeiosed pres.

The number Of civilians re-
stored to gainful employment by
the State Federal vocational re-
habilitatien program totaled
55,s2s ii the year ended last
June 30. 4 drop Of 5.4ss from the
previous fiscal year.
Miss Mary e. SWitzer, director
Of the Once Of Vocational Re-
habilitation. yesterday an
nounced the total. She expressed
hope that President Eisenhower's
program for an expanded pro-
gram viii reverse the downward
trend and result in more rehabil-
itations this fiscal year.
Miss Switzer attributed the
drop for l953-54 largely to In
creased costs of case services.
personnel shortages within the
States and the acceptance for re-
habilitation of a higher proper
tion Of persons with severe dis
abilities. The latter cases re-
Quired longer and more costly
services. she added.
Evening star., 1955-01-02
Berlin isolation Sep
Feared IS Russians
Reject Canal PACT

BERLIN. Jan. 3The Rus
slams have baiked 1t rsneuine
the agreement permittins use
Of the Soviet zone canal system
for trafiic between West Ger
many and West Berlin.
But allied ofiicials said early
today trafiic was moving to West
Berlin as usual. though the old
one-year agreement expired With
the close Of 1854.
The otnciais had no explana-
tion Why the Russians suddenly
refused to negotiate ! new
agreement.
Threats Recalled.
But there was speculation
that the Communists might be
on the verge Of carrying out
their threats to seal on West
Berlin nom contact with the
surrounding Soviet zone as q
rcprisal II the London and Paris
agreements for the rearmament
Of West Germany are carried
out.
IN the past the agreement tor
use Of the canal system has
been renesotiated each year ex-
cept IN i948 and lD49 when
the Russians bl0cEaded all
canal rail and road tralIlc be-
Evening star., 1955-01-02
More Diamonds Found
In Wreck Of AirIiner

PREsTWIcK. Scotland. Jan.
The muddy site Of a wrecked
,airliner gave up more diamonds
today in the treasure hunt for
missing gems valued 1t more
than AZ million. Thus far 23
have been reported found. Their
value has not ben given.
They were uncut stones being
shipped to American dealers.
Some Of the packages II not ali
went down with the BoAC air.
liner that crashed Christmas eve
at Prestwick airport with the loss
Of 20 lives.
Whether any Of the diamonds
il1ailed in several parcels
went on other planes has not
We been determined.
Some Of the diamonds recoy-
cred In the wreckage were black
ened bye heat when the plane
burst into flames after crashing.
Others were believed embedded
In the mud trampled under BY
salvage workers.
Evening star., 1955-01-02
4 Children Perish
n Michigan.Firs

wATERSMEET. Mich, Jan.
-Four children died early to-
day in a fire which destroyed
their one-room home following
q stove explosion. -Four others
managed to escape.
The four victims were asleep Ii
their tiny frame home In this
Upper Peninsula community
while their parents, Mr.. and
Mrs, George Met Geshick, ST.. were
visiting neighhors.
George. jr.. 20. one Of the sur
vivors,. said the blaze started
when he poured oil on embers Ia
their wcod-burning stove. The
stove exploded and flames swept
quickly thr~--'.. :, sroorn.
4 George tossed his s-year-old
sbrother. RAYMOND. through q
window and helped i sister, Dom
ma May, s. and Juanita Scott,
"a. who vas hahysittine with
ths children, TO escape through
the door.
The house burned 10 the
ground III Is minutes. The four
McGeshick children who died
In the fire were: Elvina. 10,
Arthur. 7. Herman. 9. and Franz
ces. ..
Evening star., 1955-01-02
Float With zoe, 900 Blossoms
is Pasadena Parade Winner

Included wrought iron work. 1
floral fountain nnd thousands d
roses, orchids, lilies d the VALLEY
and other flowers.
Long Beach won the TOD prize
last year also -aad before that
in 1876. 1884 1876. 1919 and
1850.
81 Floats In Parade.
There were bands ia teday,s
procession. including those Of
the United States Military Acad-
emy at West Point and Ohio
State University horses
estimated BY tournament ofilcials
to be worth. with their silver
equipment. over SIS million
and 81 floats fashioned Of MIL
lions Of blossoms.
The prize for the fioat best
depicting the parade theme went
to nearby Burbank for its Birds
of q Feather Flock Together :
Built Of carnations, gladioli.
sweetpeas. orchids and roses,
the float had q white floral dove
at its center and carried Miss
Burbank Of 1854 in an open
birdcage.
Evening star., 1955-01-02
Douglas Urges Flexible
Old Age Pension Plan

ST. PETERSBURG. Fla. Jan.
Il. senator Paul H Douglas,
Democrat Of Illinois. proposed
today ! flexible old age retire
inent system under Social Sc
curity where . person could
retire at so and get smaller
dement's Or ct 10 and receive
more.
Senator Douglas also said In
an interview be wanted to see
Z complete elimination OF what
ne called the unjust wage cell
ing, Of $1,000 yearly for those
who retire under the old age
retirement program.
He suggested d new medical
and retirement insurance pro-
gram In which the Government
would give attention" TO the
problem Of insuring every one
against catastrophe illnesses
as cancer, arterioselerosis, tuber-
cuIosis and other costly chronic
diseases Of old age.