Score U.S. ‘gestape’ SYDNEY, Australia—Right, left and center unionists in the New South Wales Labor Council, Aust- ralia’s largest with nearly 500,000 members, united ta denounce the House committee on un-American activities Hollywood probe and to congratulate those opposing it. A resolution moved by General Secretary Hal Alexander of Actors Equity and adopted by the council stated: “This council, on behalf of all affiliated unions and their mem- bers, supports and congratulates the democratic actors and writers of Hollywool in their determined fight to uphold freedom of opin- ion. We corgratulate our U.S. colleagues of the film industry for their determined resistance to and abhorrence of the Nazi-like Parnell Thomas un-American activities committee and we express our alarm at the Gestapo-like methods in use in a country regarded as a democracy.” Mine union delegate Edgar Ross said the congressional committee vitally affects workers in every country because efforts are being made to duplicate its activities outside U.S. borders. ‘The defense rests’ NUREMBERG, Germany — ‘Go easy there. If you. make a case against the accused, you condemn the whole capitalist-system, and that would never do.’ The prose- eution of I. G. Farben officials for financing Hitler’s war and foster- ing slave labor and death camps is an attack on the capitalist system, defense attorneys are argu- ing here. A statement issued by the de- fense counsel for the 23 accused industrialists warns that their con- vietion involves “dangers for the German economy ... The indus- trialists, regardless of their National Socialist (Nazi) attitule, are accused. That is pure anti- eapitalism over which the Com- munists are rightly pleased... .” U.N. workers go ‘Co-op’ LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.—Complete international understanding per- vaded the halls of the United Nations December 16 as 400 mem- bers of the UN staff agreed unani- mously that U.S. living costs are too high. Determined to find relief from soaring prices, the staffers voted to organize a cooperative which would sponsor a cafeteria, book shop, lending library and service station. Eventually, according to John Male of New Zealand who has been investigating the project, the co-op could operate as many ser- vices as possible at the new UN headquarters in Manhattan. .. .. ..At present, the cafeteria and other staff facilities are operated by concessionaires whose prices follow those of most private stores. Aussies laud Soviets SYDNEY — New South Wales housing minister Clive Evatt, brother of Australia’s foreign minister, has called for an end to anti-Soviet propaganda. “The im- provement in the Russian peo- ples’ working conditions,” he said, “has been spectacular “The Australian labor movement continually fights to improve the working conditions of our people. Our movement rejoices, there- fore, when workers of other lands obtain improved standards. The Australian people refuse to be se- duced into a feeling of hatred against the people of Russia ... Australians will never fight Rus- sians.” FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1947 marshal in Los Angeles. committee’s questions concerning their political and Adrian Scott, Edward Dmytryk, Samuel Ornitz, Lester Alvah Bessie, John Howard Lawson and Ring Larnder, Jr. Fighters for free thought Indicted for contempt of Congress, these Hollywood writers and directors report to the US — They were cited for refusing to answer the House unAmerican activities union affiliations. Herbert Biberman, Albert Maltz, Cole, Left to right: Robert 10 Secretary of State George C. Marshall said no to Russia on rep- arations. _Molotovy answered on December 12 and the conference broke up when Marshall said there was no point in continuing. Russia’s claim for German prod- ucts came to 10 billion dollars. This is less than one-tenth in value of what the Nazi war machine de- stroyed and looted on Russian ter- ritory—given at 128 billion. Damage to Russia included 72,000 towns and villages pulverized, six million buildings made unusable, 10 mil- lion lives lost. Germany spent a good deal more than 10 billion dol- lars on her wartime armies each year. It is hard to believe she could not pay the same amount spread over several years when Marshall planners staged wreck of London meet on reparations By ISRAEL EPSTEIN The’ Big Four foreign ministers’ conference to plan a German peace treaty went smash as soon as it got to reparations—reparations from Germany to the USSR. Despite almost wishful predictions of failure from most U.S. newspapers, it managed to agree on other vital issues, such as how much steel Germany should produce. But on December at peace and no longer carrying military burdens. Marshall’s demand on December 10 went as follows: “From Janu- ary 1, 1948, nothing shall be taken out of Germany except for a fair economic value in money or goods which can be immediately used to sustain the German economy .. . If we cannot take this economic decision which is of immediate vital significance, then we are wasting our time when there is no time to waste.” Molotov came out just as strong- ly on the other side. that 10 billion dollars for Russia had been agreed on by Truman and Stalin at Potsdam (the State Department says it ‘was agreed world food Indonesia, according to her spokesmen here, could — supply sugar, coffee, tea, spices, fats, rub- ber, quinine and a host of other needed products to the rest of the world, It would also be an almost limitless market for the machin- ery, textiles and other products that many countries are prepared to export. The island group has been iso- lated from the rest of the world for six years—first under Japanese occupation and, since the end of the war, by the Dutch who are seeking to reassert their prewar colonial control over the area. For two and one-half years, the Indonesian people have been fight- ing almost barehanded against the well-armed and trained Dutch mili- tary machine. As part of this war, the Dutch have established an ab- solute shipping blockade in an ef- fort to starve out the independence movement by preventing the move- ment of food from one island to Dutch blockade extends shortage By JOHN BRANDON LONDON—While an emergency food shortage grips most of the world, Indonesia, an island group with more than 70 million inhabitants and with vast food-producing resources, remains isolated and impoverished by a shipping blockade. another and by stifling Pproduc- tion. aeae While the Dutch officially claim they feel the Indonesian people still need direction and are not “pre- pared” for self-government, several Dutch spokesmen have been frankly cynical about the aims. When a commission appointed by the United Nations — which has unsuccessfully ordered the Dutch to stop their war—questioned a re- cent “police action” ostensibly. taken to “restore law and order,” a Dutch spokesman explained it by saying: “We aimed at the oc- cupation of the economically im- portant areas.” The UN security council’s con- sular commission described the ef- fects of the Dutch blockade in these words: “The normal requirements of life, such. as medical supplies, lit- erature, transport, fertilizers and textiles are not available. It is a fact that clothing for Javanese is particularly short and many are without any apparel.” He stressed |: on only as a “basis for discus- sion”) and insisted that agree- ments regarding reparations should not remain on paper.” Molotoy contrasted Russian suf- ferings with the wartime experi- ences of the U.S., which “was for- tunately not subjected to enemy occupation.” He cited published data that “profits of big Property owners in the U.S.A. reached un- precedented heights during the war years.” Bitterly, Molotov complain- ed: “As long as allies were needed in the war... promises were made . . Little was left of these ‘prom- ises when the time came for peace- making.” Molotov also disputed that the U.S. had to subsidize Germany. Dollars advanced to the Germans were loans rather than gifts, he said. They were only needed’ be- cause America and Britain had failed to raise production in their zone. Im the Soviet sector, Molo- tov declared, production rose even while reparations flowed, making enough for Germans and Russians. The conference then died. Now there is talk of an Anglo-French- American pact with western Ger- many integrated into the Marshall plan economy. There was a simi- lar pact in 1938, with Germany as a “wall” against Russia, The U.S. did not participate in that pact, Workers in India re-ferge unity BOMBAY — The Indian labor movement, split in two when the British partition of the country took effect, is now taking steps to reknit its ties. Immediately after partition, some Indian unions were almost disrupted. For instance, the 30.000- strong Union of Railwaymen on the North+Western Railway had its membership split up between the two states of India and Pak- istan. In India, the Hindu state, the powerful All-India Trades Union Congress continued to operate and made efforts to stop religious war- fare. The Moslem leadership of Pakistan, however, had tradition- ally tried to organize separate Mos- lem unions and encouraged the de- veloping separation, Now, however, the unions in eastern Pakistan have _ estab- lished their organization, One of their first moves has been to notify the AITUC that close links and complete cooperation will be main- tained among all Indian workers despite the partition of the coun- try. The unions, at a meeting where they formed a permanent organization, appointed anti-riot squads to prevent ,any further religious fighting. They charged that the riots had been stirred up as a conspiracy by British im- perialists who do not want to see a democratic, powerful India. Among the demands of the per- manent organization are guaran- tee of full civil liberties, including the right to strike; a 40-hour week and an eight-hour day; equal pay for men and women; prohibition of child labor (common on tea plan- tations); decent housing and free medical aid; holidays with pay; and protection against sickness, unemployment and old age. Living standards, not costs---up NEW YORK—Through the printers’ ink fog on the Soviet rouble, a new fact emerges. Russia has enough consumers’ goods to stop rationing (still in force in most of tthe rest of Europe). Alexander Kendrick, Chicago Sun man in Moscow, says this means that Russia has de- voted most ofher efforts since victory to restoring peacetime in- dustries. That does not square with stories of Russia “preparing for war.” Most U.S. papers stressed that “free” roubles—those neither in pay envelopes nor in savings ac- counts will be exchanged for new currency at 10 to one. They slurred over wages staying the same, one for one, in new roubles as in old. If their 10-to-1 story is true, wages have risen tenfold. Actually things are more com- plicated. It is clear, however, that take-home pay in Russia now buys much more. Even the New York Herald Tribune said December 17: “It has been esti- mated that the purchasing power of Russian laborers will be at which was called Munich. least 100 percent greater.” can attorney and economist, the United States and the Soviet Union would bring many benefits to the Philippines. : Mr. Villamin’s views apPeared in the October issue of The Philippine Mail, a monthly newspaper published in Salinas, Cal. * Demolishing all previous re- cords for doubletalk, Mr. Villa- min held that: “We shoulda discuss frankly and openly the Possibility of war without ad- vocating it and, on the con- trary, give our aid in preventing it so we can prepare and ad- War is ‘good business’ MANILLA—In what was undoubtedly one of the most cynical and irresponsible public statements yet made, Vincent Villamin, a prominent Philippine-Ameri- declared that a war between just ourselves in case the war does come.” After showing that the Philip- pines could not possibly be @ battleground in such a war, Mr. Villamin declared, according to the Mail: “. . . the Philippines will function as the principal headquarters for American mili- tary forces that will be used in the assault on Russia from the Pacific side. The Philip- pines, he pointed out, will bene- fit economically, with increased business activities and increased money in circulation.” — PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 2