Evening star., 1962-04-17

ment investigation and pos
sible regulation. Someone
should award a special prize
to the public relations ex-
perts of the steel industry. A
more perfect job of so effec-
lively arousing and antago-
nizing the entire Nation
against the steel industry
could hardly be accomplished
by the most professional ex-
perts. The steel industry
aroused the fighting back
bone of the entire Nation by
its singing response to the
Presidents earnest efforts to
stabilize the economy of the
country and to protect it's
defense program. The public
is ready and eager for the
fight. Anthony M. Madden.
According to a news article
under the byline of Lee M.
Cohn on the front page of
the Star on April IL, the
strategy Of the present ad-
ministration is to control
wages and prices through
economic planning and indi-
rect controls by the Govern
ment to be enforced through
public pressure, political
pressure and tough enforce
ment Of antitrust laws" If
this does not work, laws are
under consideration to force
this cooperation.
The action in regard to the
steel industry certainly tends
to bear this out. In trying to
mold public opinion the Pres
ident has used obviously false
information in stating that
the $500 per ton price rise
would cost the defense effort
one billion dollars. Based on
this, a little arithmetic would
indicate that defense is using
over 100 million tons Of steel
a year which is approximate
ly the total capacity of the
steel industry.
The steel union was praised
for settling for a "non-infla-
tionary" increase In benefits
equivalent to approximately
2R% this year on top Of all
the other increases they have
had since the last general
steel price increase in 1858:
however, the steel industry
was castigated as being the
cause of a new wage-price
spiral because it increased
prices 3Ka% for the first
time since 1858. U. s. Steel
has been singled out for ex-'
ira haraSsment even though
its earnings per share have
decreased from $7.33 in 1857
to $3.03 in 1861.
I have not heard the Pres
ident call the railway unions
to task for their outright re-
lection Of his committees
recommendations to decrease
the featherbedding and other
excessive demands for which
the general public and the
railroads are paying heavily.
Also, I am waiting to see him
condemn the Merchandise
Mart in Chicago for raising
the rents whenever a lease Is
"renegotiated." Even though
this, the second largest office
building in the country, is
owned by the Kennedy fam
lily, I am sure he will not let
this influence his sense Of
fair play" to everyone.
]. E. Watkins.
I was shocked by the So
called cold fury" used by
the President of the United
States towards a decision of
an American business firm.
It would seem to me that
such a tone might better be
applied to the actions Of for
eign nations expropriating
American business property,
for instance, or to the build
ing of a wall to restrain hu-
man beings inside a Commu-
mist system in Germany. Or
perhaps to the trial and
holding of hostage of men
who had invaded their home
land under the assumption
that airpower was to be sup
piled by this same President,
as the tyrant Castro is doing.
Or when the Communists
broke their word to the Pres
ident and resumed nuclear
testing.
I find the contrast between
the remarks made on these
occasions and the remarks
made on the occasion of an
American firm raising its
prices to be extremely re-
vealing and extremely dis
turbing. Esther Pels.
Too often we read of Gov
ernment threats to break up
the giant corporations of our
country. This is a frighten-
ing thought. to say the least,
particularly so when one con-
siders the many major con-