Rockslides of Discontent

Argentina's President Pedro Aramburu, the earnest soldier who has dedicated himself to the task of restoring Peron-crippled Argentina to democracy and solvency, confronted mounting trouble last week.

Like a climber on a mountain, Aramburu must chip fingertip niches in the granite opposition of diehard Peronistas and dodge sudden rockslides of discontent loosened by workers used to the exiled dictator's coddling. Last week, on the second anniversary of Peron's downfall, Aramburu struggled to cope with a new rock-fall--a strike of 45,000 telephone arid telegraph workers.

Argentine trade unions, many, still under Peronista thumbs, see only that the cost-of-living index, based at 100 in 1943, has ballooned to an estimated 1,011. Wages had their last nationwide boost in 1956, then were frozen. The boosts have been wiped out by a 25% increase in living costs in the past twelve months. Last week the communications workers turned a protest slowdown into a full-scale strike. Aramburu branded the strike illegal, had more than 170 union leaders arrested, sent armed troops to take over communications centers. In retaliation, 54 of the country's unions pledged sympathy strikes and temporary walkouts.

To add to Aramburu's labor troubles, there were mutterings of discontent in his own ranks. Last week, at an anniversary dinner attended by more than 1,000 anti-Peron revolutionaries, most of the after-dinner speakers showed general support for Aramburu but devoted most of their time to their own ideas about how the post-Peron government should be run. Most of the criticism was mild, but it strengthened already strong rumors that a group of "continuists." both inside and outside the presidential palace, are hoping to postpone next February's presidential elections in hopes that the revolutionary government can stay in power--with or without Aramburu.

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