j WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Heavy Fighting Follows Sicily Landings
As Allied Forces Strike for Key Points;
Navy Scores Again in Pacific Battle;
Cut Dairy Product Supply for Civilians
(EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions nre expressed in these eoinmn*. they are those of
Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
_ Released by Western Newspaper Union, .. —...
TEHFACT
WHY WE BOMB
THE RUHR VALLEY
SICILY:
Allies Advance
As a great bridge of 3,000 ships
poured troops onto conquered beach
heads of Sicily, American forces
drove 20 miles inland to Join up
with the British at Ragusa, an im
portant communication junction
dominating high ground in the area.
Along the eastern coast of the Is
land, the British captured the naval
base of Augusta and then made
landings to the south of the great
port of Catania. The movements
placed Gen. Bernard Montgomery's
forces within 55 miles of Messina,
terminal of the ferry route from the
toe of the Italian boot.
Only around the American beach
head of Gela did heavy early fight
ing develop. Here, the celebrated
Goering division teamed with an
Italian force to counter-attack, and
though the enemy drove through to
the sandy shore, Gen. George Pat
ton's troops sealed the breach.
Against the 144,000 Axis troops de
fending Sicily, the Allies were re
puted to have put up at least 10 di
visions of 150,000 men In the early
stages of the campaign. With air
dromes established in the island’s
picturesque olive groves of the
southeast, Allied airmen assaulted
enemy landing fields, shot up mo
torized convoys and roads, and
bombed shipping to the north.
PACIFIC:
Win Another Round
Hovering in the approaches of the
Kuia gulf, American naval units took
another broadside at Japanese war
ships seeking to supply enemy
troops penned at the Munda airfield
on New Georgia island. In the ex
change of salvos, four and probably
six Jap cruisers and destroyers
were sunk. No American losses
were announced.
Near Munda, American troops,
picking their way through the thick
jungle, encountered stiffening resist
ance from the entrapped enemy.
Earlier, U. S. forces had wiped out
a Japanese stronghold on an inlet
to the northeast of the island.
Collaborating with the sea and
ground forces, American airmen
continued hammering at Japanese
installations throughout the 700-mile
arc of offensive. The enemy air
base at Vila above New Georgia is
land and another in the Shortland
islands to the northwest were raided.
In New Guinea, the Allies were
making use of the supply route from
the beach where General MacArthur
had established a base early in the
offensive, to Mubo, about 15 miles
inland and just below the Japanese
stronghold of Salamaua.
WAR BUREAUS:
Get $2,911,697,224
After paring the OPA’s request
tor funds by 22 million dollars and
the Office of War Information’s by
16 million dollars, congress appro
priated $2,911,697,224 for the govern
ment’s war agencies in bills ap
proved by President Roosevelt
A total of 848 million dollars was
appropriated for the department of
agriculture. The department of the
interior received 105 million dol
lars, including 22 million dollars for
the irrigation of food producing
lands. Other bills provide for 100
million dollars for new war hous
ing and 15 million dollars for flood
relief.
Also signed by the President was
legislation for authorizing the use
of government held silver for in
dustrial purposes; for establishing
a pharmacy corps in the army; for
providing for emergency flood con
trol work, and for settling boundary
lines between Iowa and Nebraska.
CROPS:
Prospects Down
Overall crop production for 1943
Is expected to be about 10 per cent
below last year, according to esti
mates of the department of agricul
ture. With a tight situation in corn
already existent, it was predicted
current acreage would yield 2 bil
lion. 7064 million bushels, 15 per
cent below the 1942 harvest.
Wheat production is expected to
approximate 790,823,000 bushels, 200
millions below 1942. Oats were ex
pected to be down 8.6 per cent at
1 billion 2424 million bushels; bar
ley down 17.4 per cent at 350 million
bushels, and rye down 41 per cent
at 33,562,000 bushels.
Generally good yields were ex
pected from the 15,434,000 acres of
soybeans seeded. Approximately 39
per cent less sugar beet acreage
was planted than in 1942. However,
higher acreage for dry beans, peas,
peanuts, flaxseed, rice and potatoes
spelled higher production. Truck
crops were expected to drop 11 per
cent.
In signing the $848,000,000 agricul
tural supply bill, President Roose
velt deprecated the elimination of
crop insurance from the measure.
Congress had provided over $3,000,
000 for liquidation of the service.
RUSSIA:
Reds Counter-Attack
Bitter fighting on the Russian
front spread, with Russian units
counter-attacking fiercely above
Orel, northernmost pivot of the 160
mile front bending southward to Bel
gorod.
Announcement of the counter-at
tack was made by the Nazis after
the Russians had claimed that they
had checked the Germans in the
Orel-Belgorod region after initial
break-throughs.
In the battle of the giants, London
said, the Nazis had thrust wedges of
20 miles into Russian lines above
Belgorod, but that the Reds had
temporarily slowed the drives and
were now throwing their tanks and
artillery at the German flanks in an
effort to pinch them off from the
main forces.
Besides claiming successes around
Belgorod, the Nazis asserted they
had progressed at the northern an
chor of Orel. Some extent of the
fighting may be gleaned from Nazi
and Russian claims, which put total
tank losses at 3,000.
FOOD:
Less Dairy Products
The 46 3 pounds of butter, cheese
canned and dried milk consumed by
Americans in 1942 will be cut to 31.3
pounds in the next 12 months follow
ing the War Food administration’s
allocation of supplies among civil
ians, the military and lend-lcase.
Of the four products, only butter
production will drop for the period,
from 2 billion 170 million pounds to
1 billion 670 million pounds. Under
the allocation, every person will re
ceive 13.5 pounds of butter for the
12 months compared with 16.5 pounds
in 1942.
Cheese output is expected to soar
to 915 million pounds, but civilian
quotas will approximate 4.1 pounds
per person against 6.7 pounds last
year. Despite record production of
canned and dried milk, every con
sumer will get 8.4 pounds less of
canned milk for a total of 12.1
pounds and 1 pound less of dried
milk or 1.6 pounds in all.
WFA pointed out that these quotas
are subject to change, depending
upon the rate of production through
out the next 12 months. Therefore,
they may go up, or again, they may
go down.
HIGHLIGHTS . . • in the week’t newt
ACTRESS: Cecilia Loftus, the
famous English and American ac*
tress of a generation ago, was found
dead in her New York hotel room.
She was 67 years old.
• • O
POPULATION: The population of
the United States is now 135,900,000,
as of March 1, according to an esti
mate by a national advertising
agency.
STEEL: Steel mills of the nation
are now operating at about 97 per
cent of capacity, compared with 98.4
per cent this time last year.
• • •
STOCKS: Average prices on the
New York exchange have climbed
to the highest point in three years,
reflecting the successful invasion of
Sicily, and continued high produc
tion.
U. S. WARPLANES:
Criticize Production
Pulling no punches, the Truman
defense Investigating committee
delved Into America's record air
craft production and came up with
strong criticism of certain phases
of the industry.
The committee attacked the Cur
tiss-Wright aeronautical company
for improper inspection of engines;
expressed disappointment with
Ford’s slowness in coming into
bomber production; declared cer
tain makes of fighters and bombers
had proven unsatisfactory in action,
and, in turn, praised the develop
ment of new models, like the Grum
man Hellcat and Mustang 51.
Summed up, the committee’s re
port reflected the growing pains
experienced by the Amerisan air
craft industry in its gigantic expan
sion in the last few years. Where
as one plant was assailed for sac
rificing quality for production, sev
eral others were criticized for their
slowness in putting out superior
models.
MARTINIQUE:
Helps Allies
The aircraft carrier Bearn, the
light cruisers Emile Bertin and Bar
fleur, a half dozen tankers and sev
eral merchant ships were put into
the service of the Allied cause with
the French National committee’s as
sumption of authority over the Car
ibbean island of Martinique, previ
ously in the Vichy camp.
With Martinique also went control
of a cache of 300 million dollars in
gold, taken there upon the fall of
France.
In its adherence to Vichy, Marti
nique had been considered a danger
spot to U. S. defenses in the Carib
bean, on the outskirts of the Atlantic
ocean and midway between North
and South America. High Commis
sioner Georges Robert’s political po
sition had resulted in a falling out
with Washington, and all U. S. food
shipments to the island were shut
off. With hunger rampant, Robert
threw in the sponge.
Sicily Rugged Island
Sticking out like a great, big
rock at the toe of the Italian boot,
Sicily is an island about the size
of Maryland, with a normal pop
ulation of 4 million. Flanking
the straits that separate it from
North Africa, it has been a fre
quent battleground throughout
world history, for whoever holds
it threatens the western passage
of the Mediterranean.
Sicily is peculiar in topogra
phy. From Its sandy, coastal
plains, the land gradually rises
to a plateau of 1,600 feet. Then
from the midst of this plateau
springs a mountain chain, which
effectively divides the southern
half of the island from the north.
Chief peak of this mountainous
backbone is Mt. Etna, 10,739 feet.
Because of its ruggedness, Sic
ily has never been rich. Fruits,
olives, figs and wheat are the
principal food products. Sulphur
and asphalt deposits have been
well developed.
GUNDAR HAGG:
Good-Will Envoy
Seemingly, athletes are the best
of the European ambassadors.
Paavo Nurmi, the famous Finnish
long-distance runner, set the fashion
years ago, and now the latest of the
good-will ambassadors is the equal
ly celebrated Swedish track marvel,
Gundar Hagg.
Chief virtue of these athletes is
their outstanding ability and suc
cess in living up to their headlines.
Hagg is a brilliant example. In one
of his early performances here,
Gundar broke the American record
for two miles in 8:53:9.
Like most Europeans, Hagg has
come to the American cinder path
determined to win not for the sake
of winning, but to uphold Swedish
prestige. He goes about his train
ing as naturally as you'd take a
walk. When he works out in his
native Sweden, he does so by romp
ing over the picturesque country
side like any boy on a lark. No
fancy or artificial hi-jinks for him.
DADS:
Draft Delay Sought
In an effort to forestall the induc
tion of fathers, the War Manpower
commission was reported to be
studying plans for reducing list of
essential occupations for childless
married men. At the present time,
there are 35 such occupations, with
thousands of specific Jobs in those
activities.
According to the same reports,
the WMC was urging the army to
reduce its demands to the mini
mum. Recently, the agency said
the services were planning the call
of 2 million men within the next
year, exclusive of replacements. In
sistence on drafting men for re
placements, the WMC said, would
result in the induction of fathers.
FARM MACHINERY:
Increase Output
By increasing allocations of car
bon steel to the farm machine in
dustry, production of sorely needed
agricultural implements should at
tain a volume 80 per cent of the
1941 output.
According to advices, most of the
production will be centered in the
smaller shops. Normally Bn 85 mil
lion dollar business annually, half
of farm machinery output is con
centrated in Illinois.
If z
FDR Must Take Helm Again
To Achieve National Unity
Administration, Congress Must Get Tough
In Throttling Various Pressure Groups
Seeking Advantages for Few.
- w
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, Union Trust Building
Washington, D. C.
In the next few weeks decisions
will be reached which will affect the
length of the war and they will not
be made on the military fronts.
They will be made in small town
offices, leaning across fences, down
at the post office or the court house,
on front stoops, at the Elks club, in
the lodge rooms and after meetin’s
of one kind or another in every
middlesex, village and farm in the
country.
They will result from conversa
tions between the congressmen,
home to mend their 1944 fences,
and their constituents. The nation
faces a crisis on the home front.
Unless it is solved in the common
sense American way, it is going to
prolong the war months, and per
haps longer. Its presence has al
ready delayed the capitulation of It
aly, according to some of the more
pessimistic pessimists around
Washington.
As success on the battlefront
grows, the efforts of those trying to
support a total war are being de
feated on the home front.
Two Events
Two events mark the low in uni
fied effort for victory. One was
when a reporter, with no evil in
nuendo in his mind as far as I
know (and I know the man), asked
the President if he would make any
comment for background on the
statement that although things were
going well on the battlefront, they
were not going so well on the ad
ministration front (meaning home
front). The President replied with a
castigation of the press,and radio.
Some of their representatives, he
said, were encouraging governmen
tal friction. He could have given a
blasting, rip-roaring answer which
would have encouraged the coun
try. As it was, he made some of
the men whose job it is to interpret
the news to the country, too mad
to be objective.
The second event which marked
the nadir in shoulder-to-shoulder ef
fort on the home front was when
congress came within an eyelash of
killing the use of any and all subsi
dies which would have broken a
wide hole in the anti-inflation dam.
Let me state immediately that I do
not believe that subsidies is the pan
acea for our inflation ills, but to
have wiped them out completely at
that time would have meant jerk
ing the one, wobbling support we
did have right out from under the
price-control structure.
Since then the President has
perked up and taken a positive
stand and congress on second
thought modified its berserk mood
and evolved a compromise.
Now it is up to the people. If
the congressmen are convinced that
they can afford to go national and
not be defeated a year from No
; vember; if they are convinced that
the people will support their votes
I if they vote for what they think the
country needs and not to suit the
j pressure groups that sit on their
! desks all dayf the crisis will pass.
Crack-Down Necessary
The objectives are pretty clear.
In the first place, the President
has got to take the helm again. He
has got to crack down. He has got
to see that dissensions do not break
out. He has got to see to it that the
secretary of the treasury comes out
with a clear-cut tax and savings ,
program which will absorb the in
flation dollars. Congress will have
to support that program.
The pressure groups whose pur
pose it is to get their members
j more money for products or wages,
will have to be throttled. This
| means that the administration has
to be tough. Congress will have to
j have courage. The people will have
to support their elected representa
j tives.
The vast majority of Americans
are perfectly willing to carry their
share of the load. They are not
willing to make sacrifices if they
believe someone else is getting the
benefit and shirking their share.
The farmer will work the skin off
his hands and take a meager reward
if it’s for the good of the country
and the boy he spared to join the
army. But not if somebody tells
him the workman is making all the
money at an easy job.
The workman will face higher liv
ing costs—and he certainly has to,
without a wage raise, until some
body comes along and tells him the
farmer is getting rich and that
is why his food costs go up. And
so on.
The reason why I believe this is
because I receive letters like the
following:
“My husband is 67 years old
—working and making $38.00
a week when tax is taken out.
We are buying two war bonds
each month—but we have a son
in the navy—and one designing
aviation tools in a plant in At
lanta. Perhaps he, too, will
soon be in the service, though
married he has no children—
yet.
“We are like many—trying to
carry our end of the war effort—
but we have many friends and
relatives who though making
hundreds a month don’t buy a
bond. These same people went
through the depression—with
jobs—while we took it the hard
way. Our two boys suffered
from malnutrition during those
years.
‘‘Don’t you think this makes a
difference in point of view? You
see we suffered — making us
think. My boys bought war
bonds right from the start. Their
dad and I feel the need of a de
cent world to live in, too, for we
had to live in a deprived world
for several years. It gave us a
different slant on life. We want
a decent world for our children
and grandchildren—and other
people’s children.
“Selfishness and greed will
have to go—if we are to have
that decent world.”
If a congressman's constituents
talk to him that way, we won’t have
much more trouble on the home
front. Hitler will have to begin wor
rying again.
* » •
Diary of a Broadcaster
The Washington atmosphere af
fects strangers who tarry long with
in the shadow of the Washington ;
monument or the Capitol dome. It
affects not only the so-called higher
species but the citizens of cat-and
dogdom as well. Today, I came
down town at an odd hour—an in
teresting hour. I was a little later
than usual. The war workers and
the boarding-house cats and the al
ley pups, which wait until the work
ers are out of the way, had vanished
on their various duties; only an in
dolent and disreputable Tom still
paused to massage its hips against
a garbage can, and a yellowish part
fox terrier, certainly part, and from
his brush, certainly more fox than
terrier, lay in the exact center of
the alley where anything that ran
down the middle gutter would even
tually reach him.
These creatures sniff at protocol
and treat it as they do anything
else they sniff at But that hour is
also the hour of the pet parade, for
the handsome creatures that strain
at leashes. The most unhappy per
son I meet at this bewitching hour
is a thin little relic of a butler, who
is literally torn between losing his
dignity and his grip on one of the
embassy great danes.
No men like to walk dogs. All
dogs like to walk men. But one
gentleman dog nurse dared me to
stare him down. He was being led
by a stiff-legged aristocrat, a young
wired-haired fox, as white and
starched as if his proud mamma
prepared him for a birthday party.
Then there was the sad-eyed cocker,
who dropped its eyes, sadder still
when it realized I had noted that
its mistress was wearing a far too
informal house dress for polite
street wear.
And then, there was the little one
by-five. it undulated along with a
rather forced smile. It was a dachs
hund and probably anti-Nazi. It was
hustling along like a caterpillar in
high gear, trotting with its hind
legs, and hopping with its little tur
tle-paws in front.
I even met a feline on a leash, a
great big tortoiseshell Thomas—it
looked as if it was safer that way
for the rest of us—all I could think
of was ‘‘tiger, tiger, burning bright
in the jungle of the night.’’
BRIEFS... 6y Baukhage
The American soldier’s average
coffee ration is 40 cups of coffee a
month.
• • •
I The Army Service Forces is the
largest employer of women in the
United States today, with a total of
879,300, or approximately 38 per
cent of the more than 1,000,000 ci
vilian workers employed in ord
nance plants, depots, etc.
The German occupation forces
have "ceased quarrying” for large
stone blocks in the southern prov
ince of Vestofold, the Stockholm
newspaper Aftontidningen said in an
article reported to the OWI. The
Germans had intended using the
■tone for victory monuments, the
article said. Waste labor obviously
will not be countenanced.
FIRST-AID
to the
AILING HOUSE
By ROGER B. WHITMAN
Roger B. Whitman—WNU Features.
Tea may not be able te replace worn er
broken household equipment. This Is war.
Government priorities come flrst. So take
care of what you have ... as well a- you
possibly can. This column by tho home
owner's friend tells you how.
CLOGGED CESSPOOL
Question: Is there any chemical
that can be used in a cesspool that
is clogged and overflowing?
Answer: Nothing that is really
practical. Trouble starts with the
soaking of grease into the masonry
walls, which prevents the liquids
from seeping out to the ground. The
surest remedy for that condition is
to dig a new but smaller cesspool
alongside, to be filled by overflow
from the flrst one. Properly built,
this should last for many years.
In building any cesspool, a grease
trap should be set into drain-pipe
leading from the kitchen sink, which
will separate the grease and avoid
trouble. Of course, the grease should
be removed from the grease-trap
every three or four months.
Moisture in Basement
Question: I have a room in the
basement that once was used as a
coal shed, and the odor of moisture
still persists. Will you tell me how
to remove the odor, as well as the
moisture?
Answer: Scrub the wails and floors
with a solution of washing soda,
about a cupful to each gallon of hot
water. Rinse with clear water and,
when the surfaces are dry, sprinkle
a generous amount of chloride of
lime around the edges of the floor.
This chemical is an excellent de
odorant. If dampness, but not wa
ter, comes through the concrete, ap
ply a coat of damp-proof cement
paint—the kind that comes in pow
der form and is mixed wi'.h water.
Ripping a board with a ripsaw—
that is, catting it with the grain—
is no trick for this woman who has
learned how at home repairs class.
When she has completed the course,
she will be able to do most any
wood working job about the house.
Closing Cracks
Question: Is there any material
that could be applied to storm sash
to prevent cold air from seeping
through the cracks between the sash
and window frames? Would Scotch
tape applied around each window i
last throughout the winter?
Answer: If the sashes do not ut1
snugly, fill the open spaces with a
paper pulp. To make this, tear a
newspaper into shreds and boil in
water for an hour or longer. Squeeze
out the moisture and force the pulp
into the cracks while still moist; it
will harden on drying. When dry,
the filler can be given a coat of
shellac to make it thoroughly water
proof.
Rough Plaster
Question: My living-room walls
are rough plaster, painted. How can
I make them smooth for papering?
Answer: Rub down the high points
of the plaster with sandpaper
wrapped around a block of wood.
The remaining low places can be
filled with a thick mixture of pow
dered whiting and glue size, put on
with a trowel. The walls should be
sized before papering.
Picket Fence
Question: In putting in a four
foot high picket fence, to what depth
should the cedar supporting posts
be placed?
Answer: To be safe, set them
four feet in the ground. Although
cedar is resistant to rotting, it will
be an advantage to paint the under
ground portions of the posts with
creosote or tar.
Preserving IMrch Logs
Question: I have secured some
birch logs from the country which
I should like to unc as a decoration
in my fireplace. Is there something
in which I could dip them to pre
serve them and keep out the ants?
Answer: If you suspect that the
logs contain insects, sponge them
with kerosene. You can preserve
them by coating them with spar var
nish. Get a clear variety so that the
wood will not be darkened too much.
? ASK ME * I
l ANOTHER ' {
l A General Quiz " £
IAe Questions
1. What is the agony column in
an English newspaper?
2. What American statesman
j was the grandson of a king?
3. What is the score of a for
feited baseball game?
4. Spain is nearest in size to
; which of our states?
5. Why is there no company “J*'
in the United States army?
6. Harsh or discordant sound is
called what?
7. Who was the husband of Po
cahontas?
8. How many states were
named for Presidents?
The Answers
1. The personal advertisements.
2. Charles Bonaparte.
3. The score is 9 to 0.
4. California (Spain, 196,000
square miles; California, 158,000).
5. Because the similarity be
tween the letter “I” and “J”
cause confusion, so the latter was
dropped.
6. Cacophony.
7. John Rolfe.
8. Only one—Washington.
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What’s in a Name?
The name Adolph comes from
an old Gothic name which means
“Father Wolf.’’
Kindly Actions
It takes but one single kindly
action to cause many happy
thoughts to flow.
’ SNAPPY FACTS T
ABOUT
RUBBER
At a Navy yard, 3000 work
er* travel dally 60 to M
miles round trip by automo
bile—a good reason why war
workers must have tire*.
Tire users now restricted because
of the rubber shortage will have
de luxe road traveling conditions
open to them In post-war days If
State and Federal highway plans
materialize. Already twelve States
have approved building express
highways of tomorrow when peace
comes. Seven others are consider
ing such plans.
A truck tiro that Is overload
ed 50 per cent will only de
liver 44.5 per cent of its
mileage expectancy.
