Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

Current EventsBy Prof. William H. Russell, Ph.D.LONDON AGREEMENTThe nine-power conference in London has worked out anagreement for German rearmament, achieving most of thebenefits of EDC except for an integrated European army.Britain, France, and the U. S. agreed to grant West Germanyfull independence, ending their military occupation. Germanyand Italy are to join the Brussels treaty alliance,which willset up a council to control arms production. The conferencepowers also agreed to recommend West Germany's admissionas the fifteenth member of NATO. The German army will belimited to half a million men and her air force to about onethousand planes. She has also promised not to attempt theunification of Germany by force.Two major concessions helped save the conference when itseemed about to fail. Britain promised to keep the four divisions and the aircraft which she now has on the continentthere indefinitely. This will help to balance Germany's newmilitary strength. France was further reassured by West Germany's pledge never to make chemical, bacteriological, oratomic weapons. The agreement now must be ratified by theparliaments of the countries involved. France is the most likely to cause trouble, but Premier Mendes-France has promisedhis full support.MODERATE LABORITESThe annual conference of the British Labor party resulted in defeat for the radical forces led by Aneurin Bevan.German rearmament, which Bevan had attacked as "Gunsfor the Huns," was endorsed, though bya small majority. Thisstrengthens Anthony Eden's work at the London nine-powerconference. The Laborites accepted all the recommendationsof their National Executive Committee, which is somewhatunusual. Bevan was not re-elected to the executive committee.The control of the moderates is especially important sinceLabor's political popularity has risen steadily in the last fewmonths. Most politicians believe Labor would win if nationalelections were held now.McCARRAN PASSES ONPat McCarran, a Nevada Democrat,was the fifth U. S.Senator to die this year. Though 78 years old, his death wasquite unexpected. He was a prominent Roman Catholic layman, best known in recent years for the "McCarran Act" deCommunists from entering this country. Mcsigned to keepCarran opposed all immigration,was usuallyCommunist or otherwise, andisolationist in foreign policy. His political utterances revealed the demagogue more often than the statesman. Nevada's governor has appointed a Republican to fill theremaining two years of his term, but the Democrats are tryingto secure a special election in November, which they believetheycould win.SOUTHBOUND EXPLORERSA small Navyexpedition is leaving in December for theAntarctic, as the first step in a three-year exploration program.They will make maps and collect other scientific data, butnot establish any permanent bases. Eventually, however, threeobservation stations will be set up, one directly at the SouthPole. Our last expedition to the Antarctic was in 1948. TheSouth Polar continent is considerably larger than Europe, butOctober 13, 1954much of it has never been seen, much less explored. Highmountains and extensive mineral deposits are to be found inthe interior. The new program will probably use long-rangeplanes for aerial mapping. One key problem is the rate ofmelting of the Antarctic icecap, and also the effect of SouthPolar weather on the rest of the earth. Admiral Byrd, veteranPolar explorer, will act as technical adviser for the new expedition, but may not actually go to Antarctica.SEGREGATION SURVIVESSome of the obstacles to the abolition of school segregation are now appearing. The DeepSouth has taken no important steps toward integration. Next month the people ofGeorgia and Mississippi will vote on amendments to theirstate constitutions, authorizing the legislatures to turn theschools over to private control if necessary to maintain segregation. South Carolina adopted such a provision in 1952,Louisiana has a similar proposal, that would give local superintendents the power to keeptheir schools segregated. In thestates of the border South, integration has usually proceededquietly. But in two communities in West Virginia and Deleware,the two races were again separated after local protests.Baltimore, Maryland, has also had some trouble. Some communities have groups called the "National Association for theAdvancement of White People." They fail to explain howmaintainingsegregation will advance the white race. The Supreme Court has set December 6 for the beginning of hearingson means of implementing last spring's decree against segregation.SECRETS FOR SALEFrance's latest internal difficulty involves the leakagecf defense secrets. Two workers in the National Defense department are accused of givingout secret documents, and theSecretary of the National Defense Committee has been suspended. Both the accused men are extreme leftists. A Communist newspaperman is charged with acting as their agent inconveying the secrets to Communist headquarters in France,and in paying them for their work. The documents concernedhad to do with the Indochina war. Politicians will doubtlessuse the scandal to discredit either the Communists or thepresent administration.AID FOR FILIPINO FARMERSPresident Ramon Magsaysay of the Philippines has begunsteps toward land reform, one of his country's most basicproblems. He appointed a three-member commission to administer an Agricultural Tenancy Act,passed at the last session of the Philippine Congress. The new law protects farmtenants against arbitrary dismissal. It also fixes a maximuminterest rate of 8 per cent on loans to tenants. This is designedto end the debt-bondage which held many peasants in virtualserfdom for generations. The new law also regulates leasingand sharecropping contracts, with specificquired. The maximumcropper cent of the tenant's share,agreements relien is reduced from 85 to 75and there are other safeguardsfor sharecroppers. Reform in this field is especially vital because it is a talking point for Communist agitators throughoutthe Far East.227