THE WEEK IN REVIEW
THE WEEK IN REVIEW ISSUES of vital importance were piling up in Washington this week—labor-management strife, foreign policy, tax reduction, reconversion, and demobilization —while President Truman...
...6. Repeal of the $5 automobile tax next July—a tax cut of $135,000,000...
...Increased production is the only thing that will kill price controls, Chester Bowles, OPA chief, told members of the Illinois Manufacturers Association last week...
...Robert L. Doughton, North Carolina Democrat and chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, told reporters, "I regard the committee action as a great victory for the Administration...
...In the crucial oil strike, involving some 40,000 workers and a third of the nation's refinery capacity, President Truman ordered the Navy Department to take over strikebound refineries to maintain sufficient oil reserves "for the needs of our armed forces...
...It is necessary before any such atomic energy commission as the President has outlined should be appointed...
...Trial...
...Lawrence basin...
...Lawrence Seaway (See editorial, Page 12...
...Strife in the soft coal mines shared the headlines with oil this week in the battle between John L. Lewis' United Mine Workers and the bituminous coal operators over recognition of the UMW supervisory union...
...The WPB's functions will be transferred to the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion, under John W. Snyder...
...Vandenberg also suggested that "some voice of Congressional authority shall be available for Presidential consultation while the President is discussing with other nations what the international situation shall be in respect to control of the atomic bomb...
...Ten of the 11 oil companies involved refused to accept Schwellenbach's proposal for a return of the strikers to work, a 15 per cent pay increase for a 40-hour week, and arbitration of the 15 per cent increase sought by the union...
...And in the Senate, members debated whether the Administration measure should go to the Military Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Joint Senate-House committees, or be left on the table until Vandenberg's proposed joint committee is established...
...Atomic Bomb And Congress President Truman asked Congress last week to set up a commission to regulate research, operations, and development of atomic energy...
...The nation had a taste of what a telephone strike would mean when 100,000 telephone workers left their jobs for four hours in a protest walkout against an NLRB union ruling...
...In Detroit 50,000 workers resumed their jobs with the end of the seven-week Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company (which makes parts for Ford) strike—not a wage dispute and a strike unauthorized by the United Automobile Workers...
...Robert M. La Follette, Wisconsin Progressive and leader in the drive to modernize Congress, to say, "This just emphasizes the fact that our present committee system is obsolete and shot through with conflicting jurisdiction...
...After two stormy sessions in which he exchanged bitter words with the judge, prosecutor, and members of the jury, Laval was ordered out of the court room and the trial continued with the defendant absent...
...Replacing the War Production Board Nov...
...Predicting that the next six months will be the most critical in the nation's economic history, he declared that between now and "February and March" America will find out whether it can maintain a stable economy free of inflation...
...Vinson's proposals included repeal of the three per cent normal tax for individuals, totaling a tax cut of $2,085,000,000, and repeal of the excess profits taxes on corporations to the amount of $2,555,000,000...
...The International Latex Corporation has filed two libel suits against Westbrook Pegler, syndicated columnist...
...Out...
...Names And Notes In The News Price Control...
...but many of whose top petroleum officials are associated with big oil companies...
...He placed all blame on the already convicted Marshal Petain...
...THE WEEK IN REVIEW ISSUES of vital importance were piling up in Washington this week—labor-management strife, foreign policy, tax reduction, reconversion, and demobilization —while President Truman was off on another barnstorming trip which included a wedding party in Virginia, a county fair in Missouri, fishing m Tennessee, and speechmaking in Kentucky...
...In an impassioned plea Laval denied that he betrayed France and had any authority in the Vichy regime...
...The agency estimated that more than 35,000,000 tons of food will have to be moved into food deficit areas of the world...
...Suit...
...Rep...
...The Administration got substantially what it wanted...
...The Latex company is asking $12,000,000 in damages because of an imputation that it was inspired by Communists in certain of its policies...
...CPA...
...The issues which claimed most of the nation's attention were foreign, policy (See Peace in Preparation, Page 2) and strikes and threats of strikes...
...Identical resolutions were introduced in the House by Rep...
...Lawrence project and emphasized that it would mean cheap water transportation, cheap electric power for northeastern states, employment opportunities, and joint defense and prosperity for the United States and Canada...
...John Coffee, Washington Democrat, demanded last week that international cartel leaders be tried "as the real war criminals...
...Lucian K. Truscott, Jr., who has served as Eisenhower's personal representative...
...About 150,000 workers were idle in some 600 mines as the union and operators, meeting with Schwellenbach, were unable to reach agreement...
...I respectfully suggest that it would be infinitely more advisable if even the international conversations could proceed with some degree of Congressional cooperation...
...Sen...
...Sen...
...At mid-week the lawyers and press of France were offering strenuous objection to the manner in which the Laval trial was being conducted...
...Food...
...In a special message to Congress last week, President Truman urged speedy approval of the St...
...Dwight D. Eisenhower from his post as military governor of Bavaria last week and given command of the "paper" Fifteenth Army, which is preparing a history of the European war...
...Sen...
...Vandenberg, criticizing the Administration's proposal, said: "It is perfectly obvious that Congressional action is necessary preceding any conclusive determination of the American position respecting either the development, use, or control of atomic energy...
...The outbursts between the various principals occurred after Laval's attorneys were refused postponement of the trial in order more thoroughly to prepare the defense...
...He charged that "without their contriving" Hitler would never have risen to power...
...Replacing Pat-ton is Lt...
...Meanwhile, the Secretary of Labor announced that he would ask the War Labor Board to take a specific, test case involving labor's current demand for a 30 per cent wage increase—"52 for 40," to keep "take home" pay at wartime levels and thus compensate for the loss of overtime with the shift from a 48 to a 40 hour week...
...He recommended that the commission be appointed by the President and approved by the Senate, and bills carrying out his proposals were promptly introduced...
...Aiken, one of the most vigorous proponents of the Seaway, predicted that "immediate approval" of the project "will make it possible to absorb the impact of reconversion unemployment...
...3 is the Civilian Production Administration, headed by J. D. Small...
...4. Reduction, next July, of war excise taxes on liquor, furs, jewelry, cosmetics, and luggage—a tax cut of $550,000,000 for the last half of 1946...
...Adolph Sabath, Illinois Democrat, and in the Senate by Sen...
...Under the new legislative proposal, a resolution, a majority vote in the House and Senate will approve the agreement with Canada for the Seaway...
...Pierre Laval, one time French premier and now accused of collaboration with the Nazis and treason to France, last week faced the trial in which his life is at stake...
...For with plenty of goods in the stores, supply and demand will do a better job of setting prices than we bureaucrats can ever do...
...Tax Cuts Recommended Before the House of Representatives this week is the Ways and Means Committee's six-point tax relief program, which will cost the Treasury $5,300,000,000 and remove 12 million low-income persons from the tax rolls...
...The Office of Foreign Agriculture Relations announced that its most recent surveys indicate that the world's food supply will fall 10 per cent below the supply in the last war year...
...The quicker we can increase production," he said, "the quicker we can get rid of price controls...
...Republican, George Aiken, Vermont Republican,-Homer Ferguson, Michigan Republican, William Lange'r, North Dakota Republican, Hendrik Shipstead, Minnesota Republican, Lister Hill, Alabama Democrat, and Glenn Taylor, Idaho Democrat...
...1. 3. Reduction of corporation taxes by $1,900,000,000, by slicing the 95 per cent excess profits tax to 60 per cent...
...Alben Barkley, Kentucky Democrat, for himself and Sens...
...Criminals.' Rep...
...Arthur Vandenberg, Michigan Republican, had previously introduced and won unanimous Senate approval of a resolution to establish a joint Congressional committee "to make a full and complete study and investigation" of the whole question of atomic energy...
...Vanden-berg's resolution has now been pigeonholed in the House because of the Administration's proposal...
...5. Freezing of the social security tax in 1946 at one per cent, instead of the scheduled jump to 2.5 per cent...
...Robert F. Wagner, New York Democrat, Robert M. La E&llette, Jr., Wisconsin Progressive, Arthur Vandenberg, Michigan...
...It will also mean great prosperity to the people living in the Great Lakes-St...
...If we can do it, he added, American business will have the best chance for long range profits it has ever experienced...
...Previous attempts to authorize the Seaway have failed because of their being drafted ~in treaty form, thus requiring a two-thirds vote of the Senate...
...Departing from the methods recommended in Secretary of the Treasury's Fred M. Vinson's $5,000,-000,000 tax cut proposals, the Committee endorsed: 1. An income tax cut next year of at least 10 per cent for each individual—a total tax cut of $2,600,000,000...
...President Truman urged this week that the fullest publicity be given to the forthcoming United Nations Food and Agriculture conferences in Quebec...
...Bowles spoke' in defense of maintaining price controls temporarily as a means of preventing disastrous inflation...
...The supply will fall three per cent below the pre-war average but an increase in population during the war years brings it closer to 10 per cent on a per capita basis...
...A formal strike vote of the National Federation of Telephone Workers is in the offing...
...Newsmen were barred from the first conference in 1943...
...Significantly, the oil refineries were turned over to the Navy instead of the Department of Interior, which has control of oil...
...Last weekend about 500,000 were idle because of strikes throughout the country, but that number was expected to drop to less than 400,000 during the week with the settlement of some disputes...
...Support For The Seaway Bipartisan support in Congress last week bolstered a new drive for legislation authorizing construction of the $421,000,000 St...
...Publicity...
...Schwellenbach emphasized that Government seizure in the oil controversy did not set a pattern of action in other labor-management controversies but was prompted only by military necessity...
...George S. Patton, commander of the Third Army who had told correspondents "he had never seen the necessity of de-Na'zification," was ousted by Gen...
...2. Removal of 12 million low-income taxpayers from the rolls after Jan...
...The Strike Picture The President's action came after Secretary of Labor Lewis B. Schwellenbach's arbitration efforts had collapsed in this controversy where the CIO oil union asks a'30 per cent wage increase...
...The Administration's proposal hit a snag in the Senate, where Sen...
...This quibbling over legislative machinery prompted Sen...
Vol. 9 • October 1945 • No. 41
