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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1953)
I Circulated Daily To 90 Per Cent Of Local Residents Number 1G7: Volume 5.°, # ion Published By A&M Students For 75 Years PUBLISHED DAILY IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland), TEXAS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1953 Price Five Cents Iglfill ax Cuts in Five Begin jan. 1st; COTTONSEED MOUNTAIN— This cottonseed mountain contains some 18 million pounds of seed in storage at the Wichita Falls Cotton Oil Co. W. C. Smith, manager, said the seed was stored in the open after plant facilities became overloaded with more than 10 million pounds of cottonseed from a bumper cotton crop in North Central Texas. Of Chinese War Prisoners Year-End Head Count Made PANMUNJOM — 05>) — Indian troops made a year-end head count of Chinese war prisoners in their custody today and 135 of the 4,385 checked asked to return to Com munist China. An Indian spokesman emphasiz ed that the count was not a screen ing and did not substitute for in terviews, which ended Dec. 23. However, Indian guards gave pris oners wishing to return home eve ry chance to ask for repatriation. Thct'e was no indication whether fhe count would be extended to the J>ro-Communist North Camp, which holds 22 Americans who refused to return home. Nor was there any indication whether the count would be ex tended to North and South Ko reans or the one Englishman in custody. The 135 of 4,385 tally was about .3.1 per cent, approximately the same as for the 10 days when prisoners attended explanations. Officially, the count is being made to give the Indian command an opportunity to check its prisoner rosters and to find out exactly how many captives it holds. An Indian spokesman emphasiz ed that “any requests for repatria tion must be regarded as entirely incidental to the head count.” But observers pointed out that the method used approached a de facto Screening. Prisoners walked one at a time into the' wire-enclosed corridor y round the compound and were banded a piece of paper on which each wrote his name and serial fiumber. The prisoners were kept several feet apart as they moved along the so-called chicken run to a gate where they handed the slip of pa per to an Indian officer for check ing aaginst a master roster. Each captive was alone with the officer for several seconds—long enough to ask to go back to Red China if he wished. The count begain in enclosure B, which has 10 compounds holding Chinese prisoners listed as refusing to go back to Communist rule. Prisoners from a few compounds were interviewed by Red explain ers prior to Dec. 23. Many of the captives, however, have, not been asked whether they want to return home. Approximately 20,000 anti-Com- munist prisoners and 100 pro-Com- munist—including 22 Americans— were not interviewed during the 90-day period provided by the Ko rean armistice. Two months ago Lt. Gen. K. S. Thimayya, Indian chairman of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Com mission, said he could easily screen all prisoners who were not inter viewed to give each man a final chance to go home. Later the Indians all but discard ed any plans for a formal screen ing after learning that the Com munists opposed such a procedure. However, Indian officers indicat ed they felt a strong moral re sponsibility to give each prisoner an opportunity to request repatria tion. One source pointed out that the main requirement for a screening is merely to separate the men who want to go home from anti-Com- munist leaders who bring pressure against them. The technique used by the In dians in making their head count fulfilled this requirement. The only thing lacking was the deliberate offering of a choice. Shoulders Prepared To Fight Indictment ST. LOUIS—OP)—Former Police Lt. Louis Shoulders, a veteran offi cer who has survived investigations in the past, now is prepared to fight a federal perjury indictment in an aftermath of the Greenlease kidnapping. Shoulders, patient and smiling for photographers, posted $10,000 bond here yesterday to remain free while awaiting a call to Kansas City by federal authorities. The bond was posted for Shoulders by a professional bondsman. The date of Shoulders’ aimaign- ment has not yet been announced, but his attorney, Henry G. Morris, told newsmen: “If it becomes necessary to en ter a plea, it certainly will be one of not guilty.” It was Morris, too, who said Shoulders would fight the perjury charge “all the way” and will “meet the issues as they come.” A Kansas City grand jury Tues day charged in its indictment that the 55-year-old foi-mer St. Louis police officer gave false testimony in describing his handling of suit cases containing a portion of the record $600,000 Greenlease ransom money. A little more than half of the ransom still is missing. Shoulders has stated the suit cases were brought to a district police station along with Carl Aus tin Hall—since executed with his accomplice, Bonnie Brown Heady, for the kidnap-slaying of 6-year- old Bobby Greenlease—shortly aft er his arrest on the night of Oct. 6. The jury, after studying tesi- mony of other witnesses, alleged Shoulders’ statement to be untrue. Weather Today CLEAR and COOL Little change expected in tem perature. Clear weather will con tinue today and tomorrow. Max imum temperature yesterday was 52. Minimum yesterday 36. Min imum last night 27. Booklet Studied For Violations Of Security Act WASHINGTON, Dec. 31—-OP>— The staff of the House Post Office Committee is studying for possible violations of the Internal Security Act a copy of a Communist pro paganda booklet received in Kan sas. Frederick C. Belen, committee counsel, said the staff had re ceived only one copy of the booklet for investigation so fai\ He said that was sent to Washington this week ffom Emporia, Kan., by Rep. Rees R-Kan. Rees directed the staff to make a study of the material for possible action, Belen said. The counsel said the committee itself has not taken any official action on whether to hold a hear ing on the booklet. Belen said the Communist ma terial, purporting to depict condi tions in Red POW camps in Korea, could be a violation of the Internal Secm’ity Act if it were not labeled as propaganda. He added, howev er, that he had not yet seen the cover the material was mailed in. The booklet, entitled “United Na tions POW’s in Korea,” is illustrat ed with photographs some repat- riated POWs have claimed were faked and has turned up here and there all over the country. Opinions of Judge, Governor Differ AUSTIN, Dec. 31—bS>> — Gov. Shivers and L. D. Godai'd of Texas City differed today over whether Godard’s appointment as judge of the 56th District Court was con ditioned on his not seeking elec tion next year. Shivers appointed Godai’d last week to succeed Judge Charles G. Dibrell, who is retiring Jan. 1 The governor said at the time^he was making the appointment with the understanding Godard would not ask election to the post in 1954. Godard told the Galveston Tri bune today that no such agree ment was involved. A spokesman for Shivers said the governor “definitely under stood by personal telephone con versation with Mr. Goddard that he would not seek the office if ap pointed.” A PL’s Meany Raps Curtis’ Security Plan WASHINGTON, Dec. 31—</P)— AFL President George Meany said today the plan of Rep. Curtis R- Neb. to revamp the social security system is “the most morally dis honest proposal to come from a person in a position of public trust in many years.” Meany said the Cuidis plan would provide “blanket paid up in surance coverage” to millions of aged, widows and dependent chil dren out of funds contributed for years by other persons for their own and their families’ security. At present, the social security sys tem has two main parts: T. The old age and survivors’ insurance system, financed by taxes on employees’ wages and employ ers’ payrolls. 2. The system of non-contribu tory benefits to needy aged, needy children, etc. The federal govern ment makes grants to help finance this program, which is adminis tered by states and local govern ments. These grants are made from general tax revenues. Curtis said yesterday he would introduce legislation to make 6,124,000 more persons eligible for benefits under the first system, to abolish the federal grants to the states under the second system and to leave supplementary relief aid to the states. Meany’s statement classed the Curtis proposals as a plan “to raid the social security trust funds as a source of hand-outs.” The A FL chief said his labor- or ganization had long favored ex tending social security coverage, but not with funds reserved for those already covered. “The problem of the present aged who can not qualify for insurance benefits because they have never contributed would not confront us today if Congress had adopted all of our recommendations for exten sion in the past,” Meany said. '‘Congressman Curtis himself must accept a large share of the blame for the failure of Congress to do so. In the 80th Congress he voted to i-emove about three quar ters of a million persons from the old age and survivei*s insurance rolls.” ★ THREE FINES IN A MILE CLEVELAND—UP) —Bus driver Delaney Williams, 32, hit the traffic jackpot yester day. He got three tickets for violations committed in less than a mile of driving. The charges veere the same in each case: failing to pull his bus to the curb on dis- chai’ging passengers. Patrolman Clement Kramer notified the driver of the first offense. He said, he then fol lowed him in his patrol car and Williams did the same thing twice within the next eight blocks. Millions income Tax Rales Drop 10 Percent WASHINGTON—(TP) — Uncle Sam presents a New Year’s gift tomorrow to more than 50 million individuals and 50,000 corporations—the first general tax cuts in five years. Starting tomorrow, these three big changes will give a new look to the government’s revenue structure: 1. Individual income tax rates will drop about 10 per cent from all except the highest brackets, chopping three billion dollars annually off federal revenue. 2. The excess profits tax on corporations will expire, re ducing government income about two billion dollars annually. 3. The social security payroll tax, levied on both em ployes and employers, will go up from D/2 to 2 per cent. It is collected on the first $3,600 paid annually to a worker. That will increase income to the special social security trust fund by almost 1 tX> billions annually. Drives already have started on two fronts to give even -f biggei 1 breaks to taxpayers during Know land AI l ac ks Ike’s New Program Reds Trade Gold For British Sterling LONDON—UP) — Another ship ment of Soviet “hammer and sick le” gold bars—the fourth this win ter—arrived in London last night. The shipment, valued at $4,200,000 was taken from the airport to the London branch of the Soviet State Bank. Official sources said last week Russia has flown 65 million dol lars in gold into Britain this win ter. Financial sources said the gold is being purchased by the Bank of England in sterling. They said the Russians want the British currency so they can purchase for eign consumer goods to bolster Premiere Georgi Malenkov’s drtve to step up the Soviet standard of living. WASHINGTON —hT)— Disagree ment has broken out between President Eisenhower and his chief lieutenant in the Senate, Sen. Knowland of California, over a new Administration program to combat unemployment. Just a week befoi-e the opening of Congress next Wednesday, Knowland called the new policy a disappointment and said he would back legislation to modify it. He took that position in the face of Eisenhower’s statement two days ago declaring “complete agree ment” with the policy/ . Whether the disagreement would affect Knowland’s attitude toward other White House policies could not be foretold. The policy is designed to steer some government defense con tracts into areas plagued by large scale unemployment. Southern Democrats voiced bitter outcries of protest over the pro gram, similar to one put into ef fect by the Truman Administra tion in 1952 and dropped last Au gust. Sen. Maybank D-SC said in a statement today he would “intro duce legislation the very first in stance I can” to prevent the pro gram Horn being carried out. But even if Congress should block or drastically curb the pro gram, there remained the facts of Knowland’s unequivocal opposi tion to it and the as yet unap praised effect the incident might have on Democratic support for Eisenhower’s legislative program. Sen. Sparkman D-Ala said the President seemed to be “doing ev erything in his power calculated to drive the Democrats away from giving him support on his pro gram.” Actually, a few Northern Democrats praised the unemploy ment move; the opposition was concentrated in the South. Southern Democrats have also condemned the policy on grounds it deprives the Southern textile in dustry of government contracts and places them in New England towns hard hit by unemployment. Knowland told a news confer ence late yetserday the order “needs curtailment” and “leaves the door open too wide” for gov ernment orders to be set aside Horn normal procurement methods and channelled into jobless areas. Last summer, during Senate de bate on the isue, he favox'ed an amendment which, would have for bidden the letting of govei'nment contract to any one other than the lowest bidder. He did not say yes terday whether he would go that far now. Observers could not immediately recall an instance when a majm'- ity leader, on the eve of a new Congrcsisonal session, had taken ptiblkr issue with his President on an Administration policy and sided with a powerful segment of the opposition party. Survey Notes 53,000 Are Out of Work By The Associated Press Recent and planned layoffs of employes in industry and railroads which employ nearly 20 million workers, total 53,000 a survey has disclosed. The nation’s total unemployed, as of November, was 1,428,000, an increase of only 10,000 from No vember 1952. Of the 61,925,000 workers in all gainful occupations in November, 16,711,000 were in manufacturing industries and 2,- 956,000 in railroads. The Associated Press survey showed that most of the 53,000 workers were laid off in the last few weeks or face unemployment by the middle of January. Although most of the layoffs appeared to be of the long-term type, there ap peared openings in other fields. Railroads and related industries appeared hardest hit by the recent layoffs, the- Associated Press sur vey disclosed. At least 18,680 rail workers have lost their jobs or face unemployment in the near future. From Moscow to New York Big New Year’s Eve Awaited By The Associated Press The gayest and biggest New Year’s Eve celebrations since the end of World War II were in pros pect in many of the great cities of the world tonight—sparked by the hope that perhaps peace will have a better chance in 1954. In Moscow, the sale of cham pagne tripled in comparison to last year’s holiday period. And from New York to San Francisco, the aters and night clubs expected the greatest crowds of the postwar years. Along with the hoop-la, many planned to gather in churches for watch night services bidding fare well to the old year and praying for the peace, health and prosper ity that 1953 did not assure. And as America planned to go forth for its usual jolliment, the National Safety Council broadcast its usual grim reminder. It pre dicted a possible 360 highway fa talities for the nation’s three-day holiday weekend. President Eisenhower will attend a small celebration at the club house of the Augusta, Ga., Nation al Gold Club, adjacent to the holi day White House. But he’ll go to work early on New Year’s Day on his State of the Union message to Congress. Only 900 miles from the North Pole — at Thule, Greenland — the men at Uncle Sam’s most isolated base w r ill be entertained by Arthur Godfrey and 11 of his entourage. Air Force Secertary Harold E. Tal bott, Gen. Cui-tis E. Lemay, com mander of the Strategic Air Com mand, and their wives flew there last night with the Godfrey gi’oup. Despite estimates that it would WHAT CUTS WILL MEAN cost most of a $100 bill at New" York’s swankier night spots to see the old year out, most managers expected to hang out the standi ng- i’oom-only sign early. The biggest city’s night clubs, taverns and ho tels took out 3,402 special “all night” permits to let guests tipple past the i-egulation 4 a.m. dead line. It urns the greatest number ever issued. < Elsewhere in the United States traditional parades were in the off ing. Miami, Fla., prepared for one tonight —the 20th annual Orange Jamboree. Some 412,000 American sports fans already had paid an ed $1,729,000 to vmteh nine football “bowl” games on New \ eai’’s Day. The daddy of them all—Pasadena s Rose Bowl—was due to draw the biggest crowd—just over 100,000 t o see Michigan State meet UCLA. 1 8/ per cen WASHINGTON—(A*) — This is what tomorrow’s cut in individual income taxes will mean, on an an nual basis, to taxpayers iu selec ted income groups: For a single person with no de pendents, the percentage reduction in taxes 9.9 per cent at $2,000 in come. It climbs to 10.7 per cent at $10,000 income and then drops to 7.3 per cent at $50,000 and 1.9 per cent at $300,000. For a married couple with two dependents, the percentage reduc tion starts at 9.9 percent at low" in come levels, climbs to 10.7 per cent at $20,00; then drops to 7.4 per cent at $100,000 and 1.6 per cent at $100,000 and l.G per cent at one million dollars. The minimum rate on taxable estimat- I income drops from 22.2 per cent to 20 per cent. The maximum rate on income above $300,000 drops from 91 to 90 percent. And the total rate for any one taxpayer’s over-all income drops from 88 to the congressional election year 1954. Chairman Daniel A. Reed (11 NY) of the tax-writing House- Ways and Means Committee, has said the 10 per cent income tax cut is not enough and he hopes for another reduction as soon as pos: sible. Reed also called for cuts later this year in corporate income and excise or sales taxes. The Eisenhower administration has asked that the social security tax increases—the only immediate thorn in the rosy picaure of tax reductions—be canceled. Altogether, almost 60 million in dividual income taxpayers W"ill ben efit from the 10 per cent reduc tion. But, in the lowest income tax brackets, the social security tax increase will amount to more— leaving a net loss in take-home pay for about 10 million workers. Economists have been Spying the income tax reductions should spur consumer buying and help ease threats of any business recession next year. And for corporations, death of the excess pi’ofits tax may pave the way for expansion— especially for newer and smaller firms, which can retain more of any expanded earnings. The excess profits tax has been 30 per cent of income above a standard set by law". Piled on top of the regular 52 per cent corpora tion income tax, it has imposed a levy of 82 per cent on some cor porate income. After tomorrow, the income tax payroll withholding rate will be reduced from 20 per cent to 18 per cent of income, after allow ances for personal exemptions and dependents. Some 46 million work ers are subject to withholding. The increase in social security taxes also will be reflected in the first pay checks after tomorrow. It amounts to a maximum of $18 a year on $3,600 income. The “break even” point—where the two changes almost offset each other—is roughly as follow's: A single man with no depend ents, $900 income; a married cou ple W'ith no dependents, $1,800; married couple wdth one dependent, $2,700; married couple with tw"o dependents, $3,600; married cou ple wdth three dependents, $4,500. West Germany’s Recovery Noted PARIS—UP)—The 18-nation Or ganization for European Economic Cooperation OEEC reported today that West Germany led Western Europe during 1953 in economic improvement and production. The organization’s year-end re view' of European economic trends said West German recovery had been “considerable” and its out put increases were “clearly supe rior to that of other large coun tries.” New 'leMZ