July 31, 1952
ATTACK ON PLASTIRAS: After the departure of the Liberal Party’s deputy for Kozani, Mr D. Manentis, which was announced yesterday, the ruling party has suffered yet another attack; not only by the further reduction of its small majority, but from the moral point of view as well. The departure of Mr Manentis, who is a distinguished surgeon and scholar, was accompanied by statements explaining his decision, one of which constitutes a personal attack against his former party leader Sophocles Venizelos. In his statement, Mr Manentis emphasized the indifference, absence of care and the disdain that he claims the EPEK-Liberal government has for farmers. (…) At this moment, the Plastiras government does not have even a one-vote majority, but is dependent on the support of the farmers’ representative Mr Baltatzis and the deputies from the United Democratic Left (EDA), Messrs Kyrkos and Karamaounas. SHOPKEEPERS’ STRIKE: Shopkeepers, manufacturers and the self-employed yesterday staged a long-expected strike in protest of the government’s economic policy. Shops and factories will re-open today. SWIMMING BAN: Swimming has been banned off the coast of Tzitzifies and Neo Faliron as the drains emptying into the sea there are polluting the water. RETURN: Our soccer team returned to Athens aboard a Greek military Dakota aircraft from Helsinki yesterday, where they participated in the Olympic Games.
