European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 21, 1950, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page the stars and stripes tuesday february if 1950 business in the . Operations kept at High level despite Coal shortage by g. A. Phillips new York feb. 20 a business yielded a Little More ground to the Coal shortage last week but banked heavily on Early Secer nent of the strike by main Taining High sex Vej operations in key industries. Business offices appeared willing to go along with the belief that the the eight Mont ii old dispute Between the United mine workers and the Coal operators was rapidly approaching a Climax and a breaking favor of resumption of work in the pits was imminent. There was no curtailment of work and As a general Rule no provision was made for stretching out Avail Able Coal supplies by reducing work schedules. Discarding a High degree of wish Ful thinking however there was nothing specific in sight to Back up optimism for Early settlement. He ports from the Coal Fields indicated the miners were As determined sever to secure a contract before they go. To work new orders from John l. Lewis notwithstanding. Steel Mills to keep going until Coal piles vanish the soundest basis of All for Hopes that the struggle May soon be Over probably Lay in the stub born economics of the situation. People All Over the country have been called on to endure hardships because of the Lack of heating fuel and Many types of business were in jeopardy due to the Lack of Coal. Industrial America cannot function without Coal and when the chips Are really Down you can expect something to happen that will Start it flowing again. The steel Industry largest single user of soft Coal kept its Mills humming last week and appeared determined to take no backward step until every resource of management to keep production up had been exhausted. There were some cutbacks this week but Only where Coal could not be borrowed confiscated or otherwise  same attitude of Confidence was evident in the Auto Industry where High production schedules were maintained on Assembly lines free of strike troubles and vigorous sales programs were pushed with out stint. In the sprawling construction Field new houses and new commercial construction proceeded full blast with weather the Only limiting Factor. Stock Market confirms rising optimism the Stock Market confirmed the rising tide of optimism Over prospects for an Early end of the Coal strike by a smart rally on  rally came almost immediately after the first hint from Washington that officials expect a turn invents. Earlier in the week it had Laken a dim View of the economic consequences of the current round of labor troubles Railroad stocks hard hit by the Long struggle which has seriously affected the earning capacity of some of the biggest systems were in the forefront of the Advance. Ail told nearly �750,000,000 was tacked on to the value of listed stocks Intine single bullish demonstration. Retail Trade again had to con tend Vith bad weather n some sections particularly in the Rich Raddle Southern states. There also was curtailed purchasing Power of uncounted thousands of workers on strike in the populous Middle Western Industrial states. Overall volume however was not much changed from the previous week Dun & Bradstreet said and was Only slightly under a year ago. Wholesale orders Rise for Spring goods an encouraging Factor in store circles was the pickup in whole Sale business As orders for various kinds of merchandise for Spring delivery were placed in larger volume. Electric appliances continued in Good demand and House furnishings moved , this was mostly a Down week due to inroads made Fortune Magazine is Back in Europe orld stars and stripes Newsstands on production and general Busi Ness operations by the Coal Short age. Declines were Small where they did occur however and there were some advances. Steel Mills operated at 96.7 per cent of. Capacity compared with 91.5 last week and 100 a year ago. At this rate tonnage was estimated at 1,739,000 against 1,744,200 and 1,843,500, respectively in the earlier periods. . Steel held tight reins Over dwindling Coal supplies and decided it had enough to continue operations at near capacity in and around Pittsburgh next week. Some reductions will be made and additional cutbacks at Birmingham will bit Coke operations unless the Coal strike is settled quickly Bethlehem second largest pro Ducer hedged All comment with a big  if the Coal strike is not settled it will Cut Back operations at most principal producing Cen ters but it will not anticipate such cutbacks until the last minute. Much the same line of thinking ruled the top brass at Youngstown Sheet & tube and other producers. Freight car loadings were on the decline again this week falling to 563,341 from 612,524 in the preceding week and compared with 699, 442 a year ago. The loss of Coal tonnage was an important Factor a miscellaneous freight the largest single Type of loadings increased 6,448 ears Over the preceding week. Auto output holds Pace despite Chrysler strike. Automobile production held its own with the previous week and was far above a year ago despite the continued absence of output a Chrysler where workers continued on strike. This week s assemblies in the . And Canada totalled 125, 936 units against 125,737 last week and 114,207 a year ago. Soft Coal production was still a hit and run proposition with one estimate placing the week s total at 2,000,000 tons against 2,500,000 last week and compared with 11,440,000 a year ago. Several thousand inde pendent miners caught the strike fever last week and stayed away from work in Illinois. Crude Oil output was close m line with recent weekly average at 4,886,700 barrels a Day end com pared with 5,330,050 in the Tike week last year. Electric Power production dipped trifle after setting a record High in the previous week. Output to tales 5,970,919,000 kilowatt hours compared with 6,062,095,000 last week and 5,722,085,000 e year  construction con tracts added up to $120,000,000asmall decline from last week s 8141,900,000 and last year s $146,600, 000, but the figures were based on four Days of work this year As result of the Lincoln birthday Observance  statistics also were thrown out of Kilter by the Lincoln Observance Bank clearings were lowered to $11,193,724,000 from 14,-360,259,000 the previous week and compared with $12,710,919,000 a year ago. Demand deposits were lower along with business Loans. Not familiar with big to skipper says Norfolk feb. 20 up capt w. D. Brown former skipper of the battleship Missouri told a Navy court of inquiry he was unfamiliar with the ship when it ran aground in Hampton roads Jan. 17. Brown said he Felt unfamiliar with handling the ship when he began his first regular cruise As attain and struck the mud cat on which the vessel was stuck for 15 Days. He said that during a trial run dec. 22-23 he began to lose Faith in my navigator to a certain extent and found himself leaning very heavily on the operations officer in navigation  the navigation officer was it cmdr Frank g. Morris jr., and the operations officer was cmdr John r. Millett. Morris told the Board head various difficulties in plotting the ship s course. Brown s counsel. Capt c. C Wood said Brown was the victim of an usual Chain of circumstances that so unduly hampered him that he became a victim. Rather than master of the  the judge advocate of the hear ing cmdr Malcolm j. Bradbury replied that it is the command ing officer s responsibility to avoid finding himself in such unusual circumstances Carusi to cooperate in do Senate quiz Washington feb. 30 ins displaced persons commissioner Ugo Carusi has agreed to Call top commission officials Back from Europe for questioning by a Senate subcommittee on charges that communists and criminals entered the , under the do program. The judiciary subcommittee will subpoena the officials for testimony when they arrive in the . Ca Rusi chairman of the dec and commissioners Harry n. Rosenfeld and Edward a o Conor also have been requested to testify. Simultaneously the Senate is expected to take up on the floor a House passed liberalized version of the 1948 do act. The Senate is expected to debate the controversial Issue for at least two weeks. Dial phone Pioneer Dies Mansfield Ohio. Feb. 20 a Frank r. Mcberty a Pioneer in the development of dial telephones and a Ray process died Here at 82. Find for films Carol West her press a g e n t says is Hollywood s newest  a former player in summer Stock her first picture Cionci Flentall will be summer  in defense week Post goes to Johnson Washington feb. 20 special Secretary of defense Louis a. John son yesterday accepted the honorary National chairmanship of National defense week May 13-20, sponsored by the Reserve officers Assn. In accepting the chairmanship Johnson a Long time Roa member pointed out that National defense week which was celebrated i february to former years has been delayed this year until May in order that it May be climaxed by the first annual armed forces Day which is being sponsored by the department of defense to focus Public attention on National  forces Day which has been set As the third saturday in May and this year Falls on May 20, in the unification of the former army Navy and air Force Days which were celebrated independently on separate dates in past years. National defense week John son said in announcing his acceptance of the Post will stress the theme that eternal vigilance is the Price of Uberty it places special emphasis on the role played by our military reservists in both peace and  $500,000,000 sought to free Europe Trade Washington feb. 20 up Marshall plan administrator Paul g. Hoffman will ask Congress Thia week for about $500,000.000 in  backing for an inter european cur Rency fund to unshackled Trade an save his program senators said. Hoffman already has informed congressmen privately that drastic Steps both Here and in Western Europe must be taken at once to assure Success of the  Dollar recovery program before i expires in 25 months. Chairman Tom Connally to Tex of the Senate foreign relations committee agreed. He told a re Porter that now is the time to get Tough regarding Europe s perform Ance lest this program far Hoffman with Secretary of stat Dean Acheson will ask the Senate and House foreign affairs committees tomorrow for a third year renewal of the economic Aid pro Gram and $3,100,000.000 in new spending Power. Mccarran proposes billion s Cut in Ai Washington feb 20 ins sen. Pat Mccarran