Evening star. [volume], June 08, 1948, Image 1

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Weather Forecast Guide for Readers
Generally fair and warm today. Highest Page.
today near 84; lowest tonight around 60. After Dark.B-12 Lost and Found. ^A-3
Tomorrow, cloudy, not so warm. (Full report Amusements —A-13 Obituary-A-10
on page A-2.) Comics-B-18-19 Radio-B-19
Midnight _-71 6 a.m_68 11 am.78 1^°^! :v, j '|°®iety' CM*-—B-3
2 a.m_68 8 a.m_70 Noon_80 Editorial Articles-A-9 Sports .A-14-16
4 a.m_66 10 a.m_75 1 p.m.82 France.A-17 Woman s Page - -B-12
_Lot* New York Morkets, Page A-17._ _An Associoted Press Newspaper_
96th Year. No. 160. Phone NA. 5000. ★★★ WASHINGTON, D. C., TUESDAY, JUNE 8, .1948-THIRTY-EIGHT PAGES. 5 CENTS
Senators Vote
Year's Extension
Of Trade Pacts
Revision Less Drastic
Than House Version;
Compromise Wins
By th# Associottd Press
The Senate Finance Commit
tee voted, 8 to 5, today to extend
the Reciprocal Trade Agree
ments Act one year with less
drastic revision than the House
approved.
The committee approved the bill
after adopting, 7 to 6, a compromise
amendment proposed by Republican
Senators Vandenberg of Michigan
and Millikin of Colorado, the com
mittee chairman.
Under this amendment, the Presi
dent would have to notify Congress
within 30 days if he ignores reccom
mendations of the Federal Tariff
Commission in making trade agree
ments.
A House provision, which the
committee threw out. would have
allowed Congress to veto tariff rates
approved by the President in dis
regarding Tariff Commission recom
mendations.
Division on Party Lines.
Approval of the Millikin-Vanden
oerg amendment was on strict party
lines, with seven Republicans for if
and six Democrats against. Sena
tor Millikin refused to say how the
committee members lined up later
in approving the bill, 8 to 5.
The present Trade Agreements
Act is scheduled to expire Satur
day. The administration had asked
a three-year extension without
change. The House Republican ma
jority slammed through a bill ex
tending the act one year with the
curbs on the President's tariff-mak
ing power.
The Republican majority on the
Senate committee previously had
opposed the three-year extension
without change.
Taft Opposed Compromise.
Before the committee session to
day, Senator Taft, Republican, of
Ohio assailed the Millikin-Vanden
berg proposal, saying it would leave
too much power with the President.
The Democrats said it would have
the effect of killing the reciprocal
trade program.
Under the compromise amend
ment, the President would have to
give his reasons to Congress within
30 days after he went ahead with
an agreement over the Tariff Com
mission recommendations. i
Power Retention Seen.
Senator Millikin told reporters the
committee bill retains for the Presi- j
dent "every power he has at the |
present time.” He added that it
would impose "only one restraint—]
that he notify Congress when he!
exceeds the Tariff Commission's]
recommendations, and say why he]
did so.”
Here are the main provisions of
the Senate bill:
1. A one-year extension beyond
next Saturday.
2. The President, before entering!
into tariff negotiations, would have!
to furnish the Tariff Commission a
list of the articles to be covered by ]
the negotiations.
3. The commission would investi
gate and set up “peril points'1 be
yond which it felt the President
could not go without causing or
threatening to cause serious injury
to domestic producers.
Public Hearings Required.
4. The commission would be re
quired to hold public hearings.
5. The President, as in the case
now, could be advised by Govern
ment agencies other than the Tariff
Commission. |
6. The role of the Tariff Commis
sion as a fact-finding agency would
be continued. It would be prohib
ited from making binding decisions.
7. If the President set aside the
commission's recommendations, he
would have to report that to Con
gress within 30 days and say why.
8. The commission, in cs&e where
its recommendations were ignored,
would be required to file with Con
gress its report to the President.
GE Offers 125‘000
Raise of 8 Per Cent
Sy the Associated Press
NEW YORK. June 8.—The Gen
eral Electric Co. today offered an 8
per cent wage increase to an esti
mated 125.000 workers in GE plants
throughout the country.
The company said the offer would j
amount to an increase of "9 cents
to over 15 cents an hour."
It was made to negotiators for the
United Electrical, Radio and Ma
chine Workers. CIO. during nego
tiations which have been under way
since March 2.
Union negotiators recessed until
midafternoon to consider the offer.
The union asked when the increase
would be effective and the company
replied "when accepted."
Last week the union proposed that
the company increase wages 11 cents
an hour, and make the increase
adjustable to the movement of the
cost of living index of the Labor
Department.
An alternate union proposal asked
for an increase of 13 cents an hour,
with no automatic adjustment.
When negotiations first began the
union asked for a substantial in
crease without specifying the1
amount. The request was refused
by the company, contending it
would be inflationary.
The company says the 1947 take
home pay of hourly rated employes
is $55.83 weekly.
PITTSBURGH, June 8 UP).—The
•'uniform security package" which
the Westinghouse Electric Corp. re
cently offered its employes was up
for discussion today as the firm and
the CIO United Electrical Workers
resumed negotiations. The talks
were the first since April 22. after
the corporation had notified it* em
ployes that no wage increase could
be granted. i
• :• 1
Senate Votes to Let Army Enlist
25,000 Aliens for Overseas
43-33 Decision Comes in Drive to Pass
Selective Service Law by Tonight
BULLETIN
The Senate, by a vote of 43
to 33, this afternoon adopted a
draft bill amendment allow
ing the Army to enlist 25,000
aliens for overseas service. The
amendment, sponsored by
Senator Lodge, Republican, of
! Massachusetts, was opposed
: by 10 Republicans, including
Chairman Gurney of the Sen
ate Armed Services Commit
tee.
By Robert K. Wolsh
The Senate tackled another
batch of controversial amend
ments to the draft bill today, but
hoped to pass the measure at a
session scheduled to run into the
night.
It added an anti-poll tax provision
by a two-vote margin and decisively
rejected six other civil rights amend
ments in a session that lasted until
10 o'clock last night.
When the Senate met today, a
proposal to enlist 25,000 aliens for
overseas service in the United States
Army provoked a long debate that
crossed party lines.
Senator Lodge, Republican, of
Massachusetts, urged an amend
ment authorizing enlistment of
25,000 qualified aliens until June 30,
1950. Chairman Gurney of the
Armed Services Committee opposed
lit.
Describing it as ‘‘a fundamental
change in our national policy,” Sen
j ator Gurney declared such a mili
i tary move might arouse world crit
icism “that our own people don’t
want to bear arms in defense of
their own country.” He suggested
! that the Lodge proposal be. dealt
with separately from draft legisla
tion.
p The amendment is similar to a
proposal made by Senator Lodge
several weeks ago at Armed Services
Committee hearings on selective
service and military training. He
revised it today by reducing the
maximum of enlistments from 50.000
to 25.000.
The amendment would authorize
! <See~DEFENSE, Page~A-6.)
Chorus of Protests
Received on Slashes
In Foreign Aid Funds
Stassen and Dewey Back
Vandenberg, Witness at
Senate Hearing Tomorrow
By th« Associated Press
Powerful support lined up to
day to save the $5,300,000,000
European Recovery Program
from the economy ax swung by
the House.
Prom inside and outside Congress
a chorus of protests arose against
the House action which, in effect,
cut at least $1,000,000,000 from the
administration’s foreign spending
program this year. Some estimates
put the cut at over $2,000,000,000.
Senator Vandenberg of Michigan,
Republican leader in foreign affairs,
will go before the Senate Appropria
tions Committee tomorrow to lead
the fight against the slash.
He already has the support of Gov.
Dewey of New York and former Gov.
Stassen of Minnesota, two of the
Republican Party’s candidates for
the presidential nomination.
Mr. Stassen said in Hartford,
Conn., that restoring the funds is
more important to the Republican
Party than what delegates will do
at the national convention in Phila
delphia,
Gov. Dewey said In Albany the
House cut would weaken ‘ the con
fidence of the peoples of the free
world in our good faith and leader
ship."
Senator Taft of Ohio, another
GOP presidential hopeful, has not
announced his stand.
The administration had asked a
total of $6,533,000,000 for foreign
spending during the next 12 months
—including $5,300,000,000 already au
thorized by Congress for European
recovery. The House cut the sum to
$5,980,000,000 and said it must be
spent over a 15-month period.
Gov. Dewey’s statement said:
"There has undoubtedly been
waste and improvidence in the
handling of the huge foreign relief
funds in the past, and this has
aroused justifiable resentment. The
new program, however, has been
carefully built in the legislation
passed by both houses of Congress,
and there is reason to believe that
the abuses of the past will stop.
“A good administrator will spend
only what is needed to do the job.
As I have repeatedly said, it is
better to appropriate the full
amount and give the administrator
the tools with which to work than
to handicap him at the very outset.
"The original authorization for
the European and China Recovery
Programs were, in my judgment,
the proper amounts required for the
great purposes of the programs.
"I earnestly hope that the
amounts which have been cut will
be restored, thereby maintaining
the confidence of the peoples of the
free world in our good faith and
leadersmp.
Move Short-Sighted, Stassen Says.
Mr. Stassen declared that he
considered the House cut in aid
funds ‘‘an unfortunate combination
of a breach of long commitment
to the free peoples of the world
and an instance of falling for the
deceptive Russian foreign policy."
He added that he considered the
move a "short-sighted, penny-wise
move at a critical point in world
history."
Republican Senators Morse of
Oregon and Saltonstall of Massa
chusetts added their voices yester
TseTPORETGN~AID, Page A-6.)
Iran Government Falls
On Vote of Confidence
By th« Associated Press
TEHERAN, Iran. June R.—The
government of Premier Ibrahim
Hakimi fell today.
Of 105 members present in the
Majlis (Legislature* Premier Hakimi
received only 38 votes in a test of
confidence.
Most of those who voted against
him were supporters of Ahmed
Qavam, whom Mr. Hakimi succeeded
as Premier last December.
Shipline Sues Union
In $12,500 Strike Loss
By tH« Associated Press
BALTIMORE, June 8.—The Cal
mar Steamship Co. is suing a sea
farers’ union for $12,500 it says it
lost because of a strike.
The suit, brought against the AFL
Seafarers’ International Union of
North Amercia, was filed yesterday
in Federal Court under terms of
the Taft-Hartlev Act.
The company's petition charges
the strike violated an agreement
providing for no strikes, lockouts or
work stoppages.
i A*
Reinforced Egyptians
Battle to Free Selves
From Jewish Trap
Fighting Below Tel Aviv
And in North Goes On
While Truce Is Weighed
By the Associated Press
CAIRO, June 8. —Egyptian
forces tried to battle out of a
Jewish coastal trap and fighting
continued in several areas of
Northern Palestine today while
Arabs and Jews weighed their
| replies to the latest four-week
truce proposal.
Eye-witnCSses back in Tel Aviv
from the southern front said at least
one and perhaps several Egyptian
ships have landed troops on the
coast in an attempt to rescue forces
encircled at Isdud, 23 miles south of
Tel Aviv and 3 miles south of the
Israeli border. Jewish forces last
Friday turned back four Egyptian
vessels, two of ther landing craft,
in a battle off Tel Aviv.
1.000 Men Surrounded.
The Jews said they have sur
rounded 1.000 men of an Egyptian
force of 5,000 on the coast and were
attacking in the area yesterday. The
Egyptians reported capture of Mie
sanim (Nitsanim), a Jewish settle-;
ment three miles southwest of Isdud,:
in an attack which began with air
and artillery support Sunday. The
communique said 220 Jews were
killed o* wounded and 110 were cap
tured.
Foreign and Hebrew correspond
ents who made arrangements in Tei
Aviv to visit the southern fighting
front suddenly were ordered to stay
in Tel Aviv. No explanation was
given, but it seemed that the en
circled Egyptian spearhead had
wrested the initiative. The Jews
admitted the attack on Miesanim
and said fighting was continuing.
Tel Aviv’s northern outskirts
were raided twice by planes last
night with some deaths and damage.
Jews and Arabs still disagreed
over points in the true proposal of
Count Folke Bernadotte, the United
Nations mediator, who has asked
replies by tomorrow.
Arabs May Reply Tonight.
Abdel Rahman Azzam Pasha, sec
retary of the Arab League, said the
League might give its final decision
on the truce proposal to Count
Bernadotte tonight. The Jews have
not indicated whether they would
reply by the deadline.
Count Bernadotte’s plane left for
Haifa this morning, but he re
mained here. The purpose of the
trip could not be learned.
Count Bernadotte did not make
public the truce terms or the start
ing time. A neutral source in
Jerusalem said his proposal would
freeze the miiltary situation, permit
Jewish immigration if it does not
change the military situation, per
mit food supplies to be sent to be
sieged Jerusalem's Jews, and forbid
establishment of any new forward
area munitions dumps. The inform
ant gave this plan a 50-50 chance of
acceptance.
The seven-nation Arab League
wants no Jewish immigration, and
wants to continue the siege of
Jerusalem. • *
Opposes Military Advantage.
Fawzi Mulki Pasha, Trans-Jor
dan’s foreign minister, leaving a
Cairo meeting of Arab League rep
resentatives, said “we believe the
truce should not give any party any
advantage, whatsoever during its
period.”
Saad El Dine Sabout Bey.
iSee PALESTINE,-Page A-6.1
Arab-Jewish Riot Kills
42 French Moroccans
By th* Associated Press
CASABLANCA. French Morocco.
June 8.—Arab-Jewish rioting has
caused the deaths of 42 persons in
French Morocco, police announced
today.
The police said 37 persons, all
Jews, were killed last night at
Djerada. after another five persons
died at Oujda. Ten of the Djerada
dead were children.
The rioting began at Oujda, grow
ing out of a quarrel between an Arab
and a Jew over the situation in
Palestine. The outbreak at Djerada
came when news reached- there of
the Oujda fighting.
Fighter bombers of the French
Air Force patrolled over both villages
today and the gendarmerie reported
order was restored.
Police said that when the news
of the Oujda rioting reached Djer
ada, a mob of Arabs surrounded
some 70 Jews in the streets. The
Arabs stoned the Jews and then
rushed them with knives and sticks.
Atomic Board's
Funds Cut 9 Pet.
And VA's 7 Pet.
House Group Balks at
Big AEC Grants Under
Secrecy Conditions
800 WAA WORKERS Here Pace
Loss of Jobs by September 1.
Page A-6.
fty tht Associated Press
Cash money cuts of nearly 9
per cent for the Atomic Energy
Commission and 7 per cent
for the Veterans’ Administration
were recommerihed today by the
House Appropriations Commit
tee.
At the same time, the committee
said Atomic Energy Commission of
ficials should show less reluctance to
consider the "practical realities" of
spending Government funds.
In a $5,795,048,921 bill to finance
six agencies during the year starting
July 1, the committee recommended:
1. Atomic Energy Commission:
$501,850,000 in cash—a cut of $48,
150.000 from the total urged by
President Truman, but $326,850,000
more than was appropriated this
year—plus $400,000,000 in contract
authority, the amount the President
asked. The actual money to pay for
contracts let under the additional
authority will be voted next year or
later.
334 Million Cut for VA.
2. Veterans’ Administration: $5,
125.309.000 in cash—a cut of $354,
600,000—plus $43,000,000 in contract
authority as requested. The total
is $649,850,000 less than the VA had
available this year.
3. Maritime Commission: $102,-]
377,831 in cash—a cut of $39.475,139—
*1
VA Bill Bars Funds
For Ballroom'Dancing
Courses for Veterans
The House Appropriations
Committee today called for a
halt to “hobby” training under
the GI liill of Rights.
In cutting appropriations for
the Veterans’ Administration,
the committee asked an end to
such GI training activities as
ballroom dancing for fun and
pleasure flying. It said no
tuition fees or other charges
should be allowed by VA for
veterans who enroll after July
1 ir. a vocational or recreational
courses.
The VA would decide what
courses fall in that category.
The committee said these
courses have been costing
around $200,000,000 a year.
ization, *14.858,000 more than was
asked.
4. Office of Housing Expediter:
$15,172,100—a cut of $5,327,900.
5. Office of Defense Transporta
tion: $340.000—a cut Of *105,000. The
ODT goes out of existence next
February 28 unless Congress con
tinues it.
6. War Assets Administration:
$50,000,000—a cut of $56,912,000. The
committee recommended that the
WAA be abolished August 31, and
that the Budget Bureau supervise
the $50,000,000 and look after the
distribution of records and property;
now belonging to the WAA.
Red Rider Eliminated.
The committee struck out the so
called Keefe»$ed rider, which had
been include# in the bill as reported
by a subcommittee.
In all previous 1949 appropriation
bills approved by the committee, the
rider had been included. The com
mittee's action today makes it cer
tain that the amendment will be
stricken from all appropriation bills
in House-Senate conference.
The amendment would have
forced the dismissal of all Govern
ment employes belonging to unions
whose officers have not signed non
Communist affidavits. The rider
would have hit the CIO United Pub
lic Workers of America and the In
ternational Typographical Union.
Would Split Up Surpluses.
The *4.225,000,000 in WAA inven
tories—war surpluses not yet dis
posed of—would be turned over to
other agencies this way: To the
Reconstruction Finance Corp., *2,
685,000,000 in real property; to the
Air Force, $873,000,000 in aircraft
and parts; to the Bureau of Federal
Supply, *667,000,000 in miscellaneous
personal property.
The *5,795,048,931 in cash in the
bill was $504,570,069 below budget
estimates, a cut of about 8 per cent.
It boosted to an estimated total
of $33,500,000,000 the amount rec
ommended by the committee this
year on the basis of presidential
money requests of approximately
*35,500,000,000. Some of the House
made cuts already have been re
'See APPROPRIATIONS, Pg. A-3.~>
f IF YOU REALLY j
WANT lb TRY
'EM OUT...YOU
WON'T HAVE 1b
|GO VERY FAR!
French Cabinet Backs
German Agreement,
Sends It to Assembly
Bidault Leads Drive
For Formal Acceptance
Of Six-Power Pact
By the Associated Press
PARIS, June 8.—The French
cabinet today approved the six
power agreement on Western
Germany.
The Ministers voted to submit the
agreement to the National Assembly
Friday.
Foreign Minister Georges Bidault
led the drive for formal acceptance
of the accord reached by the United
States. Great Britain, France, Bel
gium, the Netherlands and Luxem
bourg.
He will meet the National Assem
bly's Foreign Affairs Committee to
morrow. Informed quarters said
the Assembly may approve the rec
ommendations by the week end.
Moscow newspapers carried New
York and London dispatches on the
plan, but no editorials. The Rus
sians have denounced the negotia
tions that led up to it.
France Fears German Menace.
The agreement, reached in Lon
don, was made public yesterday by
the United States, Great Britain,
France, Belgium, the Netherlands
and Luxembourg.
It calls for a West German fed
eral government. International con
trol of Ruhr Valley coal and Iron,
and safeguards to keep Germany
from becoming a military threat.
It is subject to home-government
approval. The British cabinet ap
proved it yesterday.
Some Frenchmen have voiced
fears Germany Would be allowed to
become a menace again. Others
have accused Mr. Bidault of making
damaging concessions in London
negotiations.
Communist newspapers here
have called the agreement a "dip
lomatic diaster" and charged the
Foreign Minister with having
"weakly defended French interests.”
Gen. Charles de Gaulle’s right-hand
man, Gaston Palewski, said Sunday
Mr. Bidault had abandoned French
aecurity.
But Mr. Bidault’s position ap
(See GERMAN, Page A-5.)
Kurusu, Jap Emissary,
Banned From Office
• y th« Associated Press
TOKYO, June 8.—Saburo Kurusu,
who was special peace Ambassador
to the United States at the time of
the Pearl Harbor attack, has been
permanently banned from holding
public office.
Kurusu was automatically banned
because of his responsibility in con
nection with the Japanese-Italian
German tripartite pact.
The Government Purge Appeals
Committee announced that Kurusu
and 804 others, including 10 former
cabinet ministers, had been black
listed and their appeals rejected.
Your Gift—Their Camping
Boy, 12, and Little Sister Dream
Of'Third Helpings' at Camp
Funds Needed to Give4
Summer Vacations
To Underfed Children
Joe and Maggie sat on the
curbstone outside the pool
parlor.
Joe was leafing through a
pamphlet. Maggie's blue eyes
were gazing into space.
"Joe,” said Maggie, "remember
that time we had pork chops?”
Joe looked at his sister, the fair
hair framing Dale cheeks. He
didn't say anything.
"I’m tired of spaghetti,” the
little girl announced. “I don’t
like,spaghetti for breakfast.”
Joe closed his book.
"It says here kids can get all
they want to eat.” he said. “Even
(See CAMPING, Page A-5.)
a
Camp Gifts
The following gifts to The
Evening Star Summer Camp
Fund to send boys and girls to
camp this summer are ac
knowledged today:
Previously acknowledged- $25.00
Mrs. F. W. Haverkamp.. 17.70
C. K. Berryman_35.44
H. Moore_ 20.00
Mrs. William L. Boyden. 15.00
Anonymous .. 25.00
H. L. Grimes. 5.00
Capt. R. S. Field.. 17.70
Ollie M. Croghan.. 3.50
Mrs. E. Ballenger.. 2.00
M. Edith McGlue_ 20.00
John and Peter- 20.00
Anonymous- 5.00
Bessie W. Rutherford.- 5.00
Total to date...-.$216.34
Blast Shatters
Country Club of
Movie Stars
By the Associated Press
LOS ANGELES, June 7.—A shat
tering explosion blew the roof off
the Hillcrest Country Club—favor
ite gathering place for movie big
wigs—during the breakfast hour
today.
Police at the scene, beaten back
by terrific heat, later said five per
sons. mostly club employes, were
hurt by the explosion. Olin Dutra.
1934 National Open champion and
golf pro at the club, escaped injury
; by a few moments.
Despite the efforts of a dozen fire
companies from Los Angeles. Culver
City and West Los Angeles, the
clubhouse—a frame structure built
when the $150,000 clubhouse burned
down two years ago—burned rapidly.
A policeman at Twentieth Cen
tury-Fox Studio, across Pico boule
vard from the club, said the blast
"almost blew the buttons off my uni
! form.’’
The main roof was lifted into the
air and deposited many feet away
Sin a stand of trees.
Fight for Sales Tax
Is launched in House;
Sponsors Confident
Proposal Unnecessary,
Auchincloss Declares;
Urges Borrowing
By Don S. Warren
A fight for enactment of a 2
per cent retail sales tax, com- j
bined with a high-bracket per-1
sonal income levy as a means of
meeting big District deficits was;
to be staged today in the House.
Leaders of the House District
Committee, sponsoring the new j
revenue measure, appeared con-1
fident of House passage, but a fight
was in sight.
At least two members of the Dis-!
trict Committee will oppose the
sales levy. One of them is Rep
resentative Auchincloss, Republican,
of New Jersey, chairman of the
Home Rule Subcommittee of the
District unit, who at noon issued a
statement contending the sales levy
is unnecessary.
Mr. Auchincloss, who now sees no
hope of enactment by this Congress
of the home-rule bill, made the
point that borrowing by the District
could be used to solve the financing
of needed capital improvements.
Klein Sponsors Alternative.
Also registered against the sales
levy is Representative Klein, Demo
crat, of New York, who is sponsoring
an alternative bill to broaden the
application of the personal income
levy, in both low and high income
brackets, and to increase the rates.
Several amendments to the sales
tax bill are to be offered on the
House floor with the consent of
Chairman Bates of the District Fis
cal Subcommittee in charge of the
bill.
one oi these is to be proposed
by Representative Davis, Democrat,
of Georgia to exempt soft drinks
from the sales tax. He contends
that soft drinks are entitled to ex
emption along with candy, confec
I tions, ice cream, fruit juices and
j other things put in the food-exemp
tion class.
Mr. Davis said he had no figures
on the effect of his amendment on
the anticipated receipts from the
sales levy, but did not think the
amount would be large. The bill
would exempt all sales up to 14
j cents. Mr. Davis said the principal
effect of his amendment, therefore,
would be to exempt sales of soft
drinks sold by the case or other
large containers.
Calls Sales Tax Last Resort.
Mr. Auchincloss contended the
only justification for the sales levy
would be that all other legitimate
methods of financing had been ex
hausted, and he contended this was
not the case.
The revenue bill also carries a
"high level" income tax on incomes
above *8,000.
Mr. Auchincloss made the argu
ment that when permanent im
provements are to be developed,
which have a useful life of 20 years
or more, they should be financed by
(See SALES TAX, Page A-3.)
<3
Coal Operators Meet
With Offer to Lewis'
On Contract in View
Sentiment Growing for
Proposition to Avert
July Mine Shutdown
LEWIS ACCUSES Operators of
"Misconduct" in Pension Battle.
Page A-6
By James Y. Newton
Soft coal operators today pon
dered making an offer for a new
contract to John L. Lewis and
his United Mine Workers.
The mine owners were meeting to
work out their plans, while the next
bargaining session with Mr. Lewis
and his men. set for 2 p.m. today,
was postponed until the same hour
tomorrow at the operators' request.
Apparently they wanted more time
to complete plans.
There was considerable sentiment
among the operator negotiators for
making the miners a proposition
that possibly would ease the tension
and avert a July mine shutdown,
despite. Mr. Lewis’ insistence that
they first must pay for nearly $20,
000,000 in distress benefits to the
men for which commitment already
have been made.
Charles O'Neill of Central Penn
sylvania and spokesman for the
operators, said, however, the new
contract talks were near a deadlock.
That was after the first negotiating
session broke up at the Statler Hotel
yesterday afternoon.
Welfare Funds Tied Up.
The present mine contract expires
June 30. Just about the same time,
funds will be exhausted in an origi
nal miners’ welfare fund of $25-,
000,000, collected during the 13
months of Government operation of
the mines, which ended last June 30.
The new crisis resulted when Mr.
Lewis demanded of the operators
that the accident, sickness, death
and other benefits which the old
fund cannot meet be paid from the
UMW welfare and retirement fund
raised since last June. That fund
now is near the $40,000,000 mark, but
is tied up by the controversy over
pensions. That issue caused a strike
this spring.
Operators had no voice in com
mitments made under the old fund,
and are reluctant to take on its ob
ligations. Mr. Lewis said they must
and, in effect, if they do not they
must face the danger of a new
1 strike.
The trustees of the 1946 fund—
i Mr. Lewis, Thomas E. Murray of
| New York and Navy Capt. N. H.
Collisson—have made “moral obli
gation” to the miners for nearly
$20,000,000 in benefits. There is less
than $5,000,000 in the old fund, and
: it is being spent at the rate of al
i most $1,150,000 a week, the opera
tors say.
At that rate it will all be gone
when the present contract expires
June 30.
Mr. Lewis served notice at the
start of court-ordered negotiations
(See COAL, Page A-6.1
Late News
Bulletins
Man's Body Found in Canal
The body of a man identi
fied as Thomas William Holt,
42, of 3411 Q street N.W., was
found floating in the canal near
Forty-first street and Canal
road N.W., this afternoon. Po
lice said Mr. Holt had been
missing since Sunday. His
body was found by Howard F.
Stoddard, 22, of 609 Wakefield
street, Arlington.
Adjournment in Doubt
Congress may not be able to
finish its work by June 19, the
planned adjournment date,
and may meet in the two-week |
period between the Republican
and Democratic conventions.
Senator Taft. Republican, of
Ohio, said today at a Senate
Republican Policy Committee
meeting.
*
Ex-Partner Held
For Questioning
In Bomb Death
McDaniel Returned
To Arlington in Hunt
For Denekas Killer
(Pictures on Page B-l.)
The former neon sign business
partner of William A. Deneka^
was held by Arlington police to«i
day for further questioning irf
the auto-bomb death of Mr*
Denekas on an Arlington street
yesterday. 1
Held on an open charge at the'
Arlington Jail is Billy L. McDaniel,
32, who was questioned at length
early today after police brought him
from Harrisonburg, Va. When iden
tified as Mr. Denekas’ partner yes
terday, he was referred to as Wil
liam McDaniel, but was listed on
police records today as Billy L.
McDaniel was quizzed again for
about two hours at midday and was
followed for questioning . by Mrs.
Lorena Strader, at* whose home at
5837 North Twenty-first street Mr.
Denekas had been living as a room
er. Mr. Denekas, 30. was estranged
from his wife and was the father
of two children.
Mr. Denekas was killed about 11:15
a m. yesterday when a violent ex
plosion reduced the interior of his.
Nash sedan to rubble shortly after
he got into the car in front of the
Strader home.
Suffering a shattered pelvis and
broken legs, he died at Aglingtori'
Hospital shortly after he was ad
mitted.
Case Called Murder.
Arlington Detective Chief C. Bums,
Pressley has termed the case “mur-’
der.”
Authorities, after preliminary ex-,
amination. attributed the explosion*
to dynamite or TNT, fashioned into
a bomb connected with either the
ignition of the car or the starter.
Several neighbors who saw Mr.
Denekas approach the car. said they*
had no recollection of hearing the
car start.
The blast shattered the interior of
the car, blasted out all windows,
and left the metal top punched into
a rough V-shape. The floor was
blown out and Mr. Denekas was
thrown through the wreckage of
the front seat.
McDaniel Quizzed in Harrisonburg.
Police Chief Harry Woodyard and
Detective Chief Pressley questioned*
McDaniel in Harrisonburg beforo
bringing him back to Arlington be
fore dawn today. Also questioned
were seven women and four men,
but authorities refused to reveal tha
nature of the queries.
Chief Woodyard also refused to
reveal the line of questioning
BILLY L. MCDANIEL,
Questioned in Bombinq.
—Star Staff Photo.
aimed at McDaniel. He added “we
have several clues to run out.” He
said all persons they intended to
question "are in this vicinity.”
' Without disclosing the source of
his information, the. chief also an
nounced that Mr. Denekas arrived
at the Strader home in his car at
3 a.m. Sunday. This was taken to
mean the explosive was rigged be
tween that hour and the time of
the blast.
“Girl Friend” Was With Him.
The information may have come
from Mr. Denekas’ “girl friend,”
Mrs. Myrtle Gray Ennis, a 24-year
old blond divorcee.
An employe of the Community
Drug Store at North Glebe road and
Pershing drive in Arlington, Mrs.
i Gray said she has known Mr. Dene
i kas about a year and a half and has
1 been seeing him “regularly.”
They were together until about
2:40 a.m. Monday, when he took
her to her home at 3906 North
Washington boulevard, she said.
She said he had planned to take
her home from work yesterday after
noon. She said he was in a “cheer
ful mood” when she last saw him
and gave no indication that he
feared for his life.
Mrs. Ennis, one of the witnesses
who appeared for questioning yes
terday, said she told police she knew
of no reason “why any one would
want to kill Bill.”
Neighbor Described Noises.
A neighbor who lives near the
Strader home yesterday told police
she heard noises on the street about
4:15 a.m.. but did not get up to
investigate. She described the noises
as small explosions.
Police said the sounds she heard
could have been backfires from an
automobile.
This morning saw resumption of
examination of the wrecked automo
bile and bits of evidence taken from
the wreckage. Arlington police called,
a Metropolitan Police bomb expert,
£ergt. Sheldon McKee, to the scene
shortly after the explosion.
Sergt. McKee today indicated the
< See BOMB, Page A-6.)
Boy Goes Through Mixer
BURNHAM, England, June 8 \/P\.
—Ten-year-old David Neale fell
into a concrete mixer, was whirled
about for several minutes, trapped
for two hours—then hauled out
dazed, bruised, naked, but otherwise
unhurt. He started the machine
himself, while playing.
\