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♦ : : — ■ i UNITED PRESS , NEWS ROUND-UP . NATIONAL: Ike Seeks Governors Road-Building Aid WASHINGTON, D. C, May 3.— President Eisenhower sought the support of state governors today for his 01,000,000,000 10-year road building program which a Senate subcommittee voted last week to scrap. The subcommittee substituted for the administration proposal a five-year 1,300,-000,000 plan. The. White House looked to a conference; of state governors here for help in putting the administration plan back on the track. Housing Chief Blasts Plan of Critics WASHINGTON, D. C, May 3.— Federal housing chief Albert M. Cole today blasted critics who would break up the governments housing and home finance agency into several separate parts and make one of those parts — the Federal Housing Administration — a private corporation. The break-up of HHFA, which is the parent agency for most of the governments housing activities, was recommended in a task force report to the Hoover Commission on government organization. The commission itself did not adopt the proposal. President Briefs Leaders on Foreign Aid WASHINGTON, D. C, May 3.— President Eisenhower apparently sold Congressional leaders today on the need for continuing foreign aid but got no promises as to the amount. The President briefed Democratic and Republican congressional leaders for 90 minutes on the ,530,000,000 foreign aid program for the coming year. He had called them to a bipartisan White House conference to express his "deep personal concern" about the necessity for the program. Radio Corp. Sees Billion-Dollar Sales NEW YORK, N. Y., May 3.— Radio Corporation of America has set its sights on a billion-dollar sales total this year, Brig. Gen. David Sarnoff, chairman, told stockholders today at their anual meeting. First-quarter operations involving sales of 56,-305,000 and net profit of 2,568,000 set new world highs. RCA sales in 1954 set a record. They amounted to 40,950,220, compared with 53,054,003 in 1953. Meat Cutters Launch Membership Drive The AFL Amalgamated Meat Cutters Union is planning a drive to organize about 400,000 non-union workers in food processing industries. President Earl Jimerson told the unions national conference Monday that the drive will be aimed at increasing membership from 340,000 to 750,000. He said organizing drives already are under way in the areas of Toledo, Defiance and Dayton, Ohio, Long Island, N. Y., and in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Missouri. Says U. S. Should Help Asians to Freedom WASHINGTON, D. C, May 3.— The Prime Minister of Thailand said today the United States should help "Asian countries that have not received complete freedom — to attain their aspiration." Field Marshall P. Pibulsonggram told the National Press Club that the main lesson to be learned from the recent Bandung conference, was that "the people of Asia desire their political freedom and self-government." He said both "the dying western imperialism" and Communist imperialism must be ended in Asia. Pibulsonggram said that next to political bondage the people of Asia fear "economic shackles" most. FOREIGN: Query U. S. A-Bomb Storage in Philippines MANILA, P. I., May 3.— Sen. Gil Puyat, a member of the Philippine Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday urged the United States to tell Philippine leaders whether there are any atomic bombs stored at U. S. military bases in these islands. Weeks Vows American Aid to Berliners BERLIN, Germany, May 3. — Visiting U. S. Secretary of Commerce Sinclair Weeks said at an official r exception for him yesterday Berliners "in their struggle for a life of freedom and independence will always have the assistance of the American people." French Jet Cracks Sound Barrier . PARIS, France, May 3. — The revolutionary "trident SO 9000" jet fighter is the first plane in the world to break the sound barrier in climbing by its own means from the ground, the manufacturer announced yesterday. American planes which have broken the sound barrier in climbing are carried by transport planes to higher altitudes before starting their rockets, a spokesman said. Final Offensive Against Saigon Rebels SAIGON, Indochina, May 3. — Government troops opened an extermination campaign today against the last groups of rebels in the outskirts of Saigon. Bitter fighting developed when the insurgents fought back with tanks. The government announced earlier it had thrown the last rebel forces out of Saigons twin city of Cholon, but new nests were discovered along the Chinese Arroyo canal and several battalions moved in behind a heavy mortar barrage. Open East-West Dispute on Austria Treaty VIENNA, Austria, May 3. — Envoys of the Big Four powers and Austria convened again today with major points of East-West dispute coming up on their agenda to work out an Austrian state treaty. Austrian newspapers predicted the treaty would be completed before the end of the week and the Big Four foreign ministers would meet in Vienna to sign it between May 12 and 15. At its opening session yesterday, the conference sailed through 15 treaty articles without serious disagreement. But the envoys faced two of the treatys biggest obstacles today — the fate of 36,000 iron curtain refugees in Austria and the size of the Austrian Army. Gruenther Has Private Papal Audience • VATICAN CITY, Italy, May 3. — Pope Pius XTE. received Gen. Alfred M. Gruenther, supreme allied commander in Europe, in a 15-minute private audience today. Gruenther, here on a formal visit, was accompanied by his wife. An official of the Vatican Secretariat of State escorted them to the Popes apartment for the interview. Later, the SHAPE commander was guest of honor at a luncheon given by Italian foreign minister Gaetano Martino. Release Syrian Ship Held by Israeli . JERUSALEM, Israel, May 3.— A United Nations spokesman announced today that the Syrian ship Fadlallah, detained in Israeli territorial waters since December, will be released tomorrow. The spokesman said this was an important step toward the release of four Israeli soldiers imprisoned at Damascus for five months He added there was no basis to reports the soldiers were on trial.
