Roundup of
“ world news

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New Spanish gov’t

MEXICO CITY—Alvaro de Al-
bornoz, Spanish Republican lead-
er, today conditionally accepted
an invitation to form a new
Republican government in exile.

Albornoz said in a cable to
President Martinez Barrio in Paris
that he agreed to form a cabinet
“with a concentration of Repub-
lican parties as its base” and call-

ing for more ample representation |-

“when circumstances permit.”

“I agree that our government
should make a vigorous defense
of the Republic before the United
Nations in the manner most con-
venient with opportunities and
perspectives.” Albornoz said.

He also said he believed the
Spanish Republican Cortes (par-
liament) should be convened “as
soon as possible” and also advo-
cated “more aid and authority” to
the underground anti-Franco
movement within Spain.

U.S. trains Chiang army

HONGKONG—A group of Am-
erican military advisers has been
selected to train a new force of
100 brigades for Chiang Kai-shek’s
Kuomintang armies, reports reach-
ing here from Nanking reveal.

Nanking officials, it is stressed,
asked General A. C. Wedemeyer,
on a U.S. mission to China, for
immediate aid to cope with the
mounting military and economic
crisis.

While more U.S. substantial aid
is being prepared, it_is reported,
four U.S.-trained and equipped
armies in the Shantung area have
received reinforcements. It is in
this area where Chiang’s military
setbacks are said to threaten the
collapse of his main forces.

WFDY backs Indonesia

PRAGUE—Full support to the
youth of Indonesia in their strug-
gle against Dutch imperialism was
pledged here by the Secretariat
of the World Federation of De-
mocratic _Youth, with which 2,-
500,000 Indonesians are affiliated.
“In addition to sending a pro-
test note to the Dutch govern-
ment deploring its actions against

the Indonesian people, the WEDY

urged Holland’s young people to
follow the example of Amsterdam
deckers and boycott troopships.

Unions boycott Dutch.

SYDNEY — The Australasian
Council of Trade Unions will do
everything possible to help the
union movement in Indonesia,
President Percy Clarey said, reply-
ing to an appeal for support from
Indonesian labor. The World Fed-
eration of Trade Unions, he added,
has also been asked to take simi-
lar action by the council. The
Waterside Workers Union charged
the Dutch government had refused
to deliver a cable sent to the Hol-
land Seamen’s Union congratulat-
ing the sailors for refusing to
touch cargo going to Indonesia.

CATRO—Dockworkers at Port
Said refused to bring provisions
or coal to a Dutch ship carrying
2,000 troops and war equipment
to Indonesia. The, vessel was
forced to go through the Suez
eanal without fresh supplies. Mes-
sages were sent to maritime work-
ers in other world ports urging
similar action.

Still going up

WASHINGTON — The U.S. La-.

bor Department declared recently
that the cost-of-living hit-an all-
time peak on June 15.

The Labor Department’s Baur-
eau of Labor Statistics said the
retail price of “essential” goods
rose 0.7 per cent from the middle
of May to the middle of June.
This was 18 percent above a year
ago and 59 percent higher than
the August, 1939, level.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 1947

Globe encircler

Landing in Chicago after a record-smashing 73 hour
solo round-the-world flight, Captain Bill Odom holds son
Ronnie as 6-year old daughter Rochelle looks on. Odom
had barely landed when he started talking about another
globe-circling trip, this time via the north and south poles.

Churchmen say U.S.
policy ‘mistaken’

PRAGUE—Anmrrica is deliberately throwing away Yug-
oslavia’s potential friendship, seven U.S. Protestant leaders
said here after a two-week investigation of Yugoslav relig-
ious conditions. “We spent two weeks seeing what we want-

ed to see,” dedlared Dr. Guy Em-
ery Shipler, editor of The Church-
man. U. S. policy is “mistaken,”
he said.

The party said a complete read-
ing of documents in the Stepinac
case (Archbishop Alexis Stepinac,
Catholic primate of Yugoslavia
who was sentenced to 16 years
for collaborating with the Nazis)

convinced them he was guilty.

“Any court in the world would
have had to convict him on that
evidence,” remarked George W-
Buckner, editor of the World.
Call, adding: “There is no doubt
he was a collaborator.” :

After visiting some 50 churches
the group said they were con-

vinced there is complete freedom
of worship in Yugoslavia.

Pravda raps union heads
on lack of criticism

MOSCOW—Many Soviet

labor union leaders are not

sufficiently strong in talking back to management in indus-
tries where members are employed, the country’s most im-
portant newspaper, Pravda, complained here. Pravda also

criticised these leaders for not
giving sufficient voice or service
to their own rank and file. Both
criticisms were made in an article
summarizing the proceedings of
27 different labor conventions.

The article was not all knocks
but also praised the conventions
for their active and full discus-
sion of many labor problems.

Regarding attitudes toward in-
dustry; Pravda said: “In many
‘reports there was little criticism
or self-criticism. The chairman of
the Transport Workers Union

Rail increase
ups living cost

By JOHN BRANDON

“LONDON —._ Railway pas-
senger fares will go up 16 per-
cent October 1 and freight

rates 24 percent, the Ministry
of Transport announced here as
it disregarded strong labor pro-
tests against the boosts.

In labor circles the proposed
increases were denounced as an-
other indication of government
determination to restrict worker
consumption by higher prices.

The higher rates, it is pointed
out, mean much more than just
an increase in traveling expenses.
A general rise in the cost of
living is expected to follow
promptly as added freight charges
are reflected in consumer prices.

To justify the rise the trans-
port minister argued that recently-
granted wage boosts had lifted
operating costs considerably.

He also claimed net income

this year would be insufficient
to pay liabilities to bond and
stock holders. He failed to an-
swer critics’ inquiries why the
government should increase the
people’s living costs to pay off
private investors.

As a substitute program, op-
ponents suggested higher taxes for
upper income groups and a cut
in payments to shareholders on
nationalization.

By PHYLLIS ROSNER

by certain U.S. circles that with-
out foreign markets, America may
choke from her own abundance
within the next few months, Zil-
liacus added.

The British government, he
pointed out, is faced’ with a
dilemma. The better its relations
with eastern Europe, the less its
chances for American money. De-
spite this, however, Zilliacus
foresees increased economic re-
lations with the Soviet Union and
eastern Europe because of Bri-
tain’s acute need for food. (On
August 9 the Ministry of Food
announced completion of a trade
pact with Hungary. Bacon, eggs,
lard and other foodstuffs will be
sent to Britain. A trade agree-
ment has also been signed with
Poland.) ‘

Present U.S. policy is extending
the Truman doctrine from Greece
and Turkey to western Europe,
he said, but this is not the re-
construction scheme __ originally
hoped for when Marshall made
his speech.

“I regret that the Soviet
Union and eastern European
countries did not come into the
Paris discussions, although I be-
lieve that~ neither France nor
Britain—and far less the US.
—genuinely wanted them,” he
remarked.

Questioned about current de-
velopments in Greece, Zilliacus
termed the mass arrests of left-
ists and liberals on the pretext
of a Communist plot a familiar
trick of fascism. As precedents
he named Franco’s alleged plot
in Spain, Hitler’s Reichstag fire
and Mussolini’s uprising in Italy.

U.S.-British actions in Greece
have been mentioned in Mos-
cow as one reason why the
Russians distrusted western in-

Marshall ‘plan’ poses dilemma for
Britain, says British laborite

LONDON—“There is no Marshall plan; what there is, is the-hope of certain Euro-
pean countries that they can get dollars from America to save them from a critical situa-
tion,” Konni Zilliacus, leader of British Labor Party opposition to Foreign Secretary Ernest
Bevin’s policies, told Allied Labor News here. A second factor involved is the realization

tentions at Paris, he said, add-
ing: “If support of this kind of
program continues, nobody in
Europe will believe them wher
they say they are for democ-
racy.”

tried not to ¢riticize transport in-
dustry administrators. Oil work-
ers delegates touched upon the
shortcomings of that industry but
only with the greatest timidity.”

On the work of union adminis-
trations, the newspaper wrote
that “little was said at the con-
ventions about the fact that trade
unions do not give sufficient im-
portance to holding regular rank-

and-file conferences.”

“Individual work contracts are
good,” the paper added, “but not
enough is being done to see that
they are carried out. Building of
living quarters for workers and
the development of individual
vegetable gardens were not given
enough attention. .The enormous
funds allotted by the Soviet g0V”
ernment for these purposes wer
not always used as earmarked.”

The remedy Pravda proposed
was greater participation bY
rank-and-filers in union affairs
The paper pointed out that to?
few of the delegates at the com
ventions came straight from
the bench and that too few wer
women, These things must i-
prove if “workers’ everyday
needs are to be taken care of
more efficiently,’ Pravda ¢0?
cluded.

Grim picture of Spain
related to Canadians

By ROLAND PENNER
Secretary of the Canadian delegation to the World Youth Festival

PRAGUE—Jose Serran, member of the United Socialist
Youth of Spain met here with the Canadian delegation an"
gave a first-hand account of conditions under Franco’s tyr4®

nical rule.

“Some 300,000 members of our,
youth organization fought in the
ranks of the Republican Army,”
he said. “After Franco’s tempor-
ary victory, the. United Socialist
Youth organized itself as an il-
legal organization and today di-
rects the struggle of the Spanish
youth for freedom and democ-
racy.”

“The life of Spanish youth is
constantly getting worse,” he
stated. “Salaries have remained
almost unchanged since 1936 ‘while
the cost of living has gone up by
more than 500 percent. The month-
ly ration for a person is hardly
sufficient for four days. The popu-
lation is forced to buy on the
black market which is organized
by the Falange.”

»

Jose Serran drew a terrible pic-
ture of the terror waged against
the Spanish people; “1,700,000 men
and women are languishing in
prisons. The underground move-
ment has obtained figures which
show that 63 percent of the pris-

X
oners are affected by tuberet’

losis. Ninety percent are i?
state of extreme weakness.

“Early this year 10 young peoplt
were arrested and savagely be
tured in the prisons of Alcala — |
Henares and Ventas. Their d
was heard a few days 480 is
one of them, Jeronimo Marchi
was condemned to death and ta
others, among them Isabele a
Torralla, 16 years of age
had gone insane under to
received prison sentences
six to 20 years.”

rture:
fro’

In answer to a question as te
how Canadian youth can helP (4.
youth of Spain, Serran: repliee
“By protesting against Fran ip
terror, by demanding that all

lomatic and economic relatio™® | oo
tween your country and 0s
Spain be broken off, by givi?®
the necessary material and erat
crease our struggle against of
co who is the enemy not 0 ee
our own people but of all :
peoples of the world.”

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAG®

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