U.S.A. AFFAIRS

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 March 1945, Page 8

U.S.A. AFFAIRS

.OVERSEAS BRIDES WASHINGTON, March 20. Mr. Eliot Coulter of the U.S. State Department, revealed that 1,846 visas had been issued for the Australian wives of American servicemen, and 273 visas to New Zealand brides up to February 1, 1945. These figures however, had not told the full story of a huge wife problem which U.S. servicemen were building up overseas, because the Consuls had not issued the visas until there was transportation in sight. At present, there were eleven hundred Australian wives and three hundred . children waiting to come to America with visas that were good for four months. There were probably a further one thousand to two thousand who had not yet completed their visa arrangements. There were fifteen thousand fiancees who were unable to get visas because they were not yet married. There were approximately 350 wives and five hundred fiancees waiting in New Zealand. There also were a large number in England. Senator Fulbright, of Arkansas, and Representative Sadowski of Michigan, have recently introduced Bills to grant immediate citizenship to any alien, otherwise -eligible for naturalisation, who is married to a serviceman, provided that she took the oath bi allegiance. PRICE-FIXATION WASHINGTON, March 20. The Office of Price Administration issued a sweeping new price order freezing the retail prices of clothing, textiles, furniture, and house furnishings at present levels. The Price Administrator (Mr Chester Bowles) said that it was one of the most important events in retail price control since it was introduced in May, 1942. Affecting 300,000 retailers, the new ruling enables stricter enforcement of ceiling prices, as the previous regulations were less exact. At the same time it assures price reductions to consumers when retail costs decline. ANNUAL WAGE PROPOSAL WASHINGTON. March 20. Mr Robsevelt told a Press conference that ho had instructed Mr James Byrnes, Director of Economic Stabilisation, to study the whole problem of an annual wage for American workers.. He explained . that this was done in accordance with a recommendation of the War Labour Board that guaranteed wage plans and the possibility of their future development in American industries as an aid to the stabilisation of employment and the regularisation of production should now be comprehensively studied on a national scale. Mr Roosevelt commented that an annual wage.was simple for some industries and difficult for others, but unions had become deeply interested in the question. CURRENCY CONTROVERSY. WASHINGTON, March 21. “We believe that the Bretton Woods objectives could be attained at half the estimated cost,” said the President of the Americana Bankers’ Association, Mr. Burgess, testifying to the House Banking Committee on the Bretton Woods agreements. “Under the agreements as now drawn Uncle Sam might be branded Uncle Shylock by the world. The Bankers’ Association approves the idea of an international bank, but rejects the international fund for currency stabilisation. Instead, the Association favours the establishment of a stabilisation department within the international bank.”

Regarding the cost involved, Mr. Burgess said: People think of Uncle Sam as being as rich as Croesus. The truth is he is growing poorer and other countries richer.