Page 2 University Daily Kansan Wednesday, May 13, 1953
State Hot Potato -
by Dick Bibler
Flood Costs Can Be Cut in Cities
Editor's Note: The following is another in a series on the Kaw Valley flood control situation. Previous articles have dealt with the lineup of factions, the issues, and individual views by staff members. This article continues University professors.
There is a solution to flooding in the urban areas adjoining the Kaw river, Profs. Walter Kollmorgen and George F. Jenks of the geography department believe.
This idea is included in their three-point plan to cut drastically the exorbitant flood damages in the valley. The plan:
1. Set the existing dikes back.
2. Zone the lowlands against inhabitation—but keep it for crops only.
3. Move the valley farmers' homes to the uplands.
3. Move the valley farmers homes to the uplands The first point is especially pertinent in the consideration of flood control of urban areas.Both men have denounced the dike setup in the Kansas Cities and Topeka.
Dikes in these cities are too near to each other and have channels that are too narrow. If these dikes were set back to allow a two-channel width in each city, instead of its present one-channel width, most of the 1951 flood damage there could have been avoided, they believe.
For Lawrence, the professors suggested that the
ring levies, recommended in the preliminary report of Gov. Edward Arn's committee of engineers, be built. For extra protection, they would have an old channel cutting through North Lawrence zoned and prepared for possible use in dangerous times.
They suggested that a plug dike be placed at the west entrance of this old channel and removed in floodtimes. This would drastically cut Lawrence flood damage.
Putting this old channel back in use would necessitate the moving of some houses from the course of the channel, which, incidentally, flowed higher than the Kaw river in the '51 flood.
It also would involve moving the residents of Perry and other lowland towns a half-mile or so to higher ground.
Dams are not the answer to flooding, the two professors believe, unless complete valley annihilation is desired. Dams may work well in V-shaped valleys, but not in wide, level, glaciated valleys such as the Kaw.
"Floodplains sometimes flood," they conclude, "Sooner or later people must begin to realize just how dynamic rivers can be."
—Bob Stewart
Britain Won't Mix in United Europe
Success of the much-hoped-for United Europe depends to a large extent on Great Britain's participation—cooperation that will be hard to obtain from traditionally isolatedistion John Bull.
Although some progress has been made in the effort to obtain Britain's consolidation with the Continent, most observers feel the limit has been reached. Great Britain may become an "associate member" but never a full-fledged one, largely because of its attendant Commonwealth.
The Eden Plan, proposed last fall, gave a stamp of approval to the Council of Europe, but made it understood that Britain would continue to hold the middle of the road between integration into a European community and total indifference to the scheme.
After World War II Britain desired to remain free of alliances to help maintain a European balance of power; now it realizes that no single nation can balance the power—a union of nations is necessary against strong nations like the Soviet Union.
The country was in an excellent position then to head a United European movement. Free nations of the world were grateful to Britain for its bulldog-like fight against Germany and for stalling the German offensive.
Great Britain declined the preffered position and maintained her solitary islandic life.
The Communist seizure of Prague soon after the war added force to the hitherto-dormant idea of a United Europe. Winston Churchill, Conservative party spokesman for Britain, promised aid and support to a Franco-German alliance. Mr. Churchill, however, saw the ideal alliance in a three-way combination—the United States, Britain, and the United Europe.
In 1948 Britain signed the treaty of Brussels, pledging not only military aid, but also social and economic support to France and the Benelux nations -Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Fifteen nations banded together in 1949 to form the Council of Europe, but Great Britain still was reluctant to join.
For some delegates, the council was a starting point toward a United Europe; for others it was a
final step with nothing else, to be desired. An attempt to wheedle Great Britain into the Union was made when the group gave up the idea of writing a European Constitution. Instead they adopted a "functional" plan of solving each member's national problems separately.
The British Labor government under the late Foreign Minister Ernest Bevin refused to participate in this or in the Schuman Plan for uniting Europe—on grounds that it would involve a supranational authority. When Churehill and the Conservative party again came into power, the plan for European Community gained new impetus, which soon died down.
Now it seems unlikely that Great Britain will do more than toast the United Europe plan with a "luck to you, old chap—sorry we can't go along."
Mary Betz
Japan's Economic Revival Still on Shaky Foundation
One year after the end of Allied occupation of Japan the 84 million inhabitants are drifting back to the ways of their ancestors, creating a picture of retrogression in a country carved out of four islands smaller than California in combined area.
POGO
The cold war going on all around Japan has affected that country, but the new freedom obtained in the San Francisco peace treaty has given the Japanese a chance to regain their international face.
Japan has dug out of complete rubble in the six and one-half years of occupation, and the year of self-government. She has rebuilt factories, homes, and much of her prestige. Many Japanese say that the occupation saved the country from going communist; others claim that another four years of occupation would have driven Japan to communism.
In this year anti-foreign feeling has grown, but not to an alarming extent. Some Japanese have turned against the United States by a natural course of reaction. It also is due to the energetic, yet subtle, Communicistic effort to alienate the Japanese from the Americans.
In the Occupation's reform Japan's cartels and trusts were broken up. More people than ever before bought stocks put on public sale. The stocks soared until an all-time high in March. But Britain's Bundom union talks, stocks have fallen with many issues down a third of their February value.
Many Japanese businessmen are worried that a Korean armistice will blast their economy. They say their only salvation would be trading with Red China, because Southeast Asia is not ready to use enough of Japan's goods.
Our own country feels concern for Japan's economy, too. The state
Little Man on Campus
"If you think we're busy now—You should come in sometime when it isn't final week."
Is Marriage Run By The 'Weaker' Sex?
Editor's Note: The following article, eighth in a series by foreign students, was written by Walter Schlotfeldt of Niebuehli Schleswig, Germany.
"Ladies and gentlemen," the professor started his lecture on family law, "according to the code, the man is the head of the family. Because he is superior to the wife, controversies shall be settled exclusively by him. Legally, therefore, the wife is completely dependent on the husband.
"That is the will of the law," the professor continued. "I need not mention that the so-called 'stronger' sex is now and then subjugated by the so-called 'weaker' sex into an existence of mere servility."
The two World Wars contributed to liberate the woman from her matrimonial bondages. Public opinion recognized that the woman was capable of and could independently maintain herself and her family.
During the war, women substituted for men in jobs. After the war, men did not return at once; many were held back in imprisonment for many years.
If you regard the law as expressing the position of the woman in Germany, you might get the impression that the family relationship is really dominated by the husband.
Therefore there are a great number of women working in the different professions formerly occupied by men. Unfortunately, however, woman labor is not rewarded by the same wages as that of men.
First of all, the present-day code originated about 1900 and since then social conditions have undergone several changes. Also, the administration of this code has been adapted to these changes and ends up in an interpretation of a husband-wife relationship which is nearly equal. The bill or rights of our new constitution requires legislative action in the revision of the woman's legal position in Germany.
"The woman's place is in the kitchen." This phrase no more adequately describes the woman's position. Certainly the ideal of a good mother and housewife still prevails.
Women in Germany do not participate in political and public activity as American women do. Housework still takes a considerable amount of time because the housewife does not have the great variety of technical facilities and gadgets at her disposal. Moreover, our democracy is fairly young and the political responsibility of the individual citizen has not vet become part of his attitude.
The German woman has or will achieve equality. The idea of partnership in marriage will become part of the new family code.
I hope, however, that equality will not result in equalization. Equality should not destroy due respect and concern for the woman, e.g., to offer a woman your seat in a crowded bus.
Here in America equality does not seem to be extended to the delicate question of money. Personally, I prefer the German system which you call "going Dutch."
-Walter Schlotfeldt
department says U.S. spending in Japan will remain at a high level during the next two years. If, however, a serious situation develops here, our government could do little more than try to straighten out the matter with Japanese economists. —Loreca Barlow.
—Lorena Barlow
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