Arms budget low WARSAW —Fifty-four percent of Poland’s new national budget is allotted to education, health, cul- ture and other social services. Military expenses get only 20 per- cent—a small proportion compared to most countries in the world. A government announcement pointed out that increased pro- duction permitted price cuts of 20 percent to 30 percent on meat, bread and other essentials during 1947. Steel grab scored SYDNEY—The Liberal Party in West Australia caused a howl of protest from unionists by inviting American big business to take control of the state’s iron and steel industry. The state’s parlia- ment, under Liberal Party con- trol, has passed a bill for develop- ment of its rich iron ore deposits by @ company in which Australian shares are limited to 48 percent. Fifty-two percent, which means control of the basic industry, goes to U.S. steel interests. Liberal quits post SANTIAGO—Arturo Alessandri, head of Chile’s Liberal Party, has resigned as president of the Chil- ean Senate because that body impeached one of its members wiuthout allowing him to state his case. The impeached senator is Pablo Neruda, a Communist and the nation’s most respected living poet. Neruda, the first senator ever to be impeached here, was charged by President Gabriel Gonzalez Videla with libeling Chile abroad. —_—- Tactics changed HONOLULU—Hawaii’s Big Five monopolists, .who control every important industry in the islands, have secretly changed their former open opposition to unions for a policy of trying to split and take ever the unions from within, ac- cording to an expose published here by the International Long- shoremen’s and |. Warehousemen’s Union (CIO). The ILWU. has more than 35,000 members in Hawaii. Policy change was made, the union says, under direction of Lee Ettleson, retired Hearst, editor, who schooled the Big Five leaders in the use of stoolpigeons, splitting workers along racial lines) and misrepresenting the CIO as “Communist.” Miners make quota LONDON — Outstanding pro- duction efforts by British miners resulted in an output of 99.8 per cent of the government’s target of 200 million tons for 1947, the min- istry of fuel and power announced here. Miners responded ta gov- ermyment requests for an all-out production drive after one of their key demands for many years, na- tionalization of the coal mines, was carried out a year ago. Since then, miners have won substantial im- provements in hours and condi- tions, with union leaders helping to administer the coal mines on the government’s National Coal Board. Ten days’ war bill SHANGHAI—Business __ spokes- men here estimate the $18 million interim aid allotted to China by the WS. government will cover the Kuomintang’s civil war ex- penses for about 10 days. Reason is that inflation has reached fan- tastic heights. Whereas one U.S. dollar was worth 3,500 Kuomintang dollars in January, 1947, the ratio -now is one U.S. dollar to 166,000 Kuomintang’ dollars. FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 1948 PARIS—The French General Confederation of Labor (CGT) is expected to launch a new drive for an increase in the national minimum wage as a result of re- cent price hikes ordered by the government, At a meeting of the CGT’s na- tional committee here, represen- tatives of various unions pointed out that while the government had granted a national montnty minimum wage of $88, close to the $90 demanded by the CGT, ac- companying price increases more than wiped out the wage gain. In view of higher prices for milk, butter, coal and other essentials, the CGT bureau of economic studies says a minimum of 11,600 franes. (about $97) is required for a worker to meet his rent, food and clothing bills. Five new officers were elected to the CGT leadership to replace those who resigned December 19 to form a rival labor federation, the Force Ouvriere (Workers’ Strength). Replacing Leon Jou- CGT condemns split as anti-labor plot haux to serve as co-general secre- tary along with Benoit Frachon is Alain Le Leap. Four new secretaries are Lucien Jayat, Jacques Marion, Jules Duchat and Yves. Dellac. None of the new officers is a Communist. The Force Ouvriere, which was launched in a anti-Communist platform, got a sharp going-over from CGT leaders, with Franchon ‘terming it “part of a general offensive of French and foreign capitalists against the unity of the national and international working class.” Louis Saillant, CGT secretary and general secretary of the World Federation of Trade Unions, de- nounced recent statements by AFL leaders that a new international labor federation to rival the WFTU should be formed by the labor movements of the 16 nations in- volved in the Marshall plan. PARIS—Strong attacks on the living standards of the French farmers are predicted here by the Communist deputy, Waldeck- Rochet, following the Schuman government’s assault on French labor, Waldeck-Rochet, the Com- munist expert on problems of the. French farmer, is also président of the National Assembly’s committee on agricul- ture, and editor of the farm paper, Lo Terre. Government measures against the farmers are seen as: ‘1. The price of all industrial products which farmers buy will be sharply raised, forcing them to pay as much as triple or quad- ruple the amount they paid two years ago. “2. In 1948 peasantry will have to pay, at the very least, 200 millions of francs additional in taxes. policy of inftation and deprecia- tion of the franc, all the gains peasants made during the past two years will be reduced to practically nothing.” “8, Because of the government |’ LOUIS SAILLANT He denounced AFL statements De Gaulle wants unions abolished PARIS — The French people have just given advance notice of the blessings they may expect from the Marshall plan. The notice came in the form of new taxes slapped on the workers and farmers by Premier Robert Schuman’s Social- ist government. And it was accom- panied by a speech delivered by, General, Charles De Gaulle propos- ing that free trade unions be re- placed by joint employer-worker associations, which would, be “cleansed of politics.” De Gaulle described his proposed social changes, which are borrowed from Mussglini’s corporate state, as follows: In each group of industrial en- terprises, everyone from the owner to the lowest-paid employee would belong to the same organization All disputes would be decided by compulsory arbitration and condi- tions of work and wages would be set at association conferences where all would participate. “They will set.these in such a way,” De. Gaulle asid, “that. from the employer down to the hand la- borer they will, receive under’ the law, scaled according to hierarchy, a remuneration in proportion to the output of the enterprise.” These associations would’ then be represented in the government. A similar system of worker-em- ployer associations was introduced in France under the Vichy govern- ment which operated during the German occupation. These asso- ciations were known as “family groups” and were designed to re- place the labor movement. The la- bor movement, however, resisted the plan. In Paris, where De Gaulle fol- lowers now control the municipal council, one of the council’s first LONDON—The British According -to News. Chronicle Reporter Stephen Barber, with the Greek government’s eighth moun- tain division, the Greek civil war ‘Gs like the fighting the BHighth Army saw through the Appenines, north of Florence—in miniature, of course, “So much so that it gives you a funny feeling to see those old familiar British tin hats and the khaki the Greeks are now wearing. moving across the hills. Standing’ beside Brigadier Saunders-Jacob, famed commander of the Gurkas in the old Fourth Indian Division —now British delegate on the Unit- ed Nations Balkan subcommittee— I got that feeling the more sharp- aye In describing the action, Barber writes: “Flying in pairs, Spitfires kept. up a. constant patrol and every now and again one would angle sharply down into the valley beyond to strafe rebel positions.” Reports ‘from Athens disclose that the press there is dissatisfied with the amount of military aid. sent so far by the U.8. The royalist newspaper Acro- polis asks: “What are the Ameri- cans doing?” And its answer is: steps has been to cut the bud- get for public assistance and hos- pitals by 350 million francs and that for education by over 30 mil- lion, while increasing councillors’ salaries by 30,000 francs. vice-president. Symbolism at Washington Symbolic of their present relationship are these marble busts of President Harry Truman and Henry A. Wallace. Awaiting assignment to a niche in the U.S. Senate building, they were purchased under a law requiring a bust to be made of each U.S. Greeks in British uniform ‘give you funny feeling’ press, which has for many months given major headlines to allegations that Greek guerrillas are receiving help from Greece’s northern neighbors, is: now discussing openly the role which Britain and the U.S. are playing in the Greek government’s military maneuvers. “The American Navy must enter the Aegean. The American Army must seal the Greek borders.” Sup- porting this view is the newspaper Embros, which is supposed to re- flect the views of the Greek gen- eral staff. More direct interven- tion by the U.S. in the Greek civil war is needed, the Paper insists. While expressing concern that Greek guerrillas are allegedly re- ceiving outside aid, the influen- tial conservative London Times observed that “no guerrilla move ment could exist for long or it did not possess the backing of a considerable section of the peo- Brazil Congress bars Communists RIO DE JANEIRO—The Brazil- jan Chamber of Deputies has voted to cancel the mandates of all Communists who hold elected government offices. The move follows a decree out- lawing Brazil’s unions and banning the Communist Party and all its publications. A similar measure against elected Communists was recently adopted by the Senate and, with the President’s signa- ture, now becomes law. The move,’ which prevents elected Communists from con- tinuing in any government post, affects one senator, 15 deputies, 18 aldermen in the federal district and hundreds of state legislators, mayors and municipal council members throughout the nation. In the several industrial areas voted overwhelmingly for Communist slates and the Communists emerg- ed as the third strongest party ple among whom it operates.” nationally. Film folk demand Congress investigate own committee HOLLY WOOD—Demand that Congress investigate the Thomas .Un-American Committee was voiced here today as the committee’s first 10 film victims pleaded not guilty in Washington to contempt charges. A “probe of the probers’” was demanded as result of revelation by Gerald L. K. Smith, U.S. fascist demagogue, that some of the same people who backed him financially also. backed Rep. J. Parnell Thomas (Rep. N.J.) and Rep John McDowell (Rep Pa.). Smith said that “if my finan- cial backing makes me fascist, then it makes McDowell and Thomas. fascists because the same sore of people—in some instances the same people—who gave money to political cam- ‘paigns of McDowell have contri- buted money to me.” Smith’s disclosure was made in Tulsa, Okla., after he was in- formed the Thomas-Rankin com- mittee said it would look into his background. George Pepper, executive direc- tor, Arts, Science and Professions Council of Progressive Citizens of America, said he would take the issue up at the council's national convention in Chicago January 16 with a view toward obtaining an investigation. The council numbers many of filmland’s top personalities among its members. The council’s con- vention proceeds by one day the national convention of PCA itself, which also will take up the issue, Pepper said. “The revelation erystalizes and makes clear the things we have suspected for a long time that some of the most violent agitators against human freedom are financed and supported by the same interests that have produced Gerald L. K. Smith and Father . Coughlin,” he declared, “It would be well if the Congress . investigated it own Committee on Un-American . Activities, | which constantly proceeds. in utter con-. tempt of the American people and their institutions.” WASHINGTON—The 10 Holly wood writers and directors who dared challenge the House Un- American committee pleaded in- nocent to charges of contempt of Congress when they were arraign- ed before Federal District Judge Richmond B. Keech. He ordered the 10 to stand trial for the charge in separate court proceedings be- ginning here February 9. Writer John Howard Lawson will be the first to be tried. After his trial is out of the way the other nine will be tried in rapid succession. The last case, involy- ing Lester Cole was tentatively set for March 24. Eight of the 10 men. were in- dicted on a second contempt charge because they objected to the House Un-American Activities Committee prying into affairs of the Screen Writers Guild. The eight pleaded innocent to this charge too. Lawson and Edward Dymtryk were the two men in- dicted on only one charge. i PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 2. last national election,”