WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Allied Drive Through Italy Is Slowed
By Hard Fighting and Stout Defenses;
U. S. Campaign for Rabaul Threatens
Entire Jap Southwest Pacific Position
(EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinion, are repressed in these columns, they are those of
Western Newspaper Union'* news analysts and not necessarily ol this newspaper.)
_________ Released by Western Newspaper Union. .
Attention in the South Pacific la focused on the great Jap naval base
of Rabaul on New Britain Island, which U. S. air forces have pounded
from New Guinea on the west and the Solomons on the east.
ITALY:
Fight for Main Road
With their artillery commanding
the mountain heights, German troops
fought doggedly to seal off a pass
leading into the long, level corridor
to Rome.
Complicating the Fifth army’s
task to break through, was steady
.rain, which muddied the country. A
succession of German counterat
tacks were designed to disturb U. S.
and British groupings for concen
trated assaults against Nazi posts.
To the east, the British Eighth
army picked its way slowly over the
mountainous central sector, with
strong German armored formations
holding it off on the flat coastal
stretches of the Adriatic.
Shipping Gains
As a result of Italy’s surrender,
the Allies have come into control
of 170,000 tons of merchant ship
ping and 149 warships, besides many
smaller craft.
Adding to this trip-hammer blow
against the Axis sea strength, was
the destruction of 527,000 tons of en
emy shipping in the Mediterranean,
mostly by submarines.
While the enemy was being lam
basted, 22,526,485 tons of Allied mer
chant shipping reached North Afri
can ports, including Casablanca.
Losses in action totaled 1ft per cent
of the total tonnage.
AGRICULTURE:
Less Cotton
On the basis of conditions prevail*
lng November 1, the department of
agriculture estimated a 1943 cotton
crop of 11,442,000 bales of 500 pounds
each, compared with 12,824,000
bales last year, and a 10-year aver
age of 12,474,000 bales.
Yield per acre was set at 253.4
pounds of lint cotton. The average
last year was 272.5 pounds, and for
10 years, 217.0 pounds.
For Texas the 1943 crop was esti
mated at 2,825,000 bales; Mississippi,
I, 820,000; Arkansas, 1,090,000; Ala
bama, 950,000; Georgia, 845,000;
Louisiana, 745,000; South Carolina.
700,000; North Carolina. 610,000;
Tennessee, 500,000; Oklahoma, 375,
000; California, 360,000; Missouri,
305,000; Arizona, 141,000; New Mex
ico. 116,000; Virginia. 25,000; and
Florida. 16,000.
As of November 1, 9,061,252 run
ning bales of cotton of this year's
growth had been ginned.
U. S. Fat Supplies
About 44 pounds of fats and oils
will be available for civilians dur
ing the next year, compared with 47
pounds in 1943, the War Food admin
istration announced in revealing that
total U. S. needs will approximate
II, 700,000,000 pounds.
Of this vast amount, the U. S. will
produce 11,300.000,000 pounds, or 90
per cent of the total, and 1,100,000,000
pounds will be imported.
Of the 8,000,000,000 pounds allo
cated for food, civilians will get 70
per cent of the supply, while the
army will receive 9 per cent. The
remaining 21 per cent will be divid
ed between exports, lend-lease and
requirements for feeding liberated
countries.
Industrial users will be allotted
3,600.000,000 pounds, with 2,100,000,
000 pounds going into soap and gly
cerine production. About 600,000.000
pounds will be allocated for civilian
and military paints, varnishes, lino
leums, oil-cloth and other coated fab
rics. The remainder will be used
for lubricants, printing inks, leather
and textile processing.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC:
Focal Point
Two years ago Johnny Doughboy
never heard of Rabaul.
Today, this great port on New
Britain island is the focal point of
the U. S. drive in the Southwest
Pacific, with hundreds of bombers
soaring over it to dump tons of ex
plosives on the ships lying in its
waters and the planes parked on its
many airdromes.
With Rabaul lost, the Japs might
as well pull up their stakes in the
area to the northeast of Australia.
Today, not only does it block any
general move the U. S. might make
northward to the Philippines and
Japan, but it also acts as feeder
point for barges supplying New
Guinea and the Solomons.
Using such barges which can car
ry from 35 to 150 troops, the Japs
reinforced their embattled forces on
Bougainville island, their last strong
hold in the Solomons from which
U. S. Doughboys fought to expel
them.
HITLER:
*Fight to Finish’
Declaring that "the last battle will
bring the decision, and it will be
won by the people
with the greatest
persistency," Adolf
Hitler broadcast to
the world Germany’s
resolution never to
give in at the 11th
hour.
But speaking in
London one day lat
er, Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
said Germany was
doomed to defeat in
1944, in a campaign
that will be the most
severe and costly in
life experienced by
the Allies. Adolf HiUer
In 1918. Hitler
said: “Germany’s final collapse was
due less to force of arms than to
destructive propaganda . . . The
people were simple . . . The leaders
were weaklings . . Claiming that
Nazi war production had risen de
spite persistent bombings, Hitler
said civilians suffered most from Al
lied air raids, but vengeance would
be wreaked on England. “. . . We
cannot reach America . . .’’he said.
Because of their disturbing effect
on enemy morale, Allied bombings
are one of the prime forces against
Hitler's regime, Churchill said. "The
back of the U-boat campaign has
been broken," he asserted.
WORLD RELIEF:
Planned by Allies
To rebuild shattered Europe after
the war and relieve the privations
of its people, 44 United Nations
signed an agreement establishing an
organization to conduct the work.
Supplies needed for the undertak
ing will be contributed by participat
ing nations, and of the 46 million
tons of food, seed, fuel, clothing,
raw materials, machinery and med
ical items that will be required dur
ing the first six months after the
war, the U. S. will furnish 9V4 mil
lion tons. Great Britain 3t4 million,
Europe 29 million and other regions,
4 million.
Money required for U. S. partici
pation must be appropriated by con
gress. Plans call for putting the
distressed people back on their feet,
then gradually withdrawing support
as they restore their own economy
to the prewar levels.
PEACE SCARE: Stocks, bonds
and commodities broke on rumors
of peace with Germany. Shares on
the New York market fell from one
to ten points before rallying. Low
grade bonds dropped sharply. Wheat
went down two cents a bushel, wool
two to three cents, cotton $1.35 a
bale. Two billion dollars of “paper
valuation'’ were lost in the sharp
decline.
POST OFFICE: Revenues of the
postal department have passed the
one billion dollars a year mark for
the first time in history. For the 12
months ending September 30, total
income was $1,006,000,000, Post
master General Walker reveals.
Expenditures totaled $994,000,000.
leaving' a surplus of $12,000,000.
The period is neither a regular
fiscal nor a calendar year.
LABOR:
Lewis Sets Example
John L. Lewis' success in obtain*
ing a daily wage Increase of $1.50
for his United Mine Workers seem
ingly has shaken other labor leaders
from their reluctant compliance
with the administration’s ’’Little
Steel Formula” for holding pay
boosts to within 15 per cent of 1941
levels.
Representing 900,000 members,
the executive committee of the CIO’s
United Steel Workers decided to de
mand higher wages, with the ex
act extent yet to be determined. It
was in awarding the steel workers
a raise of 44 cents daily two years
ago, that the War Labor board de
veloped its hotly contested wage for
mula.
While the steel workers made
their move, spokesmen for 1,100,000
non-operating railroad union em
ployees rejected the government’s
offer of graduated pay increases
ranging from 10 cents an hour for
all wages less than 47 cents an hour,
to 4 cents an hour for wages of 97
cents and over per hour.
Oppose Workers' Draft
Solution of manpower shortages in
different areas through co-operative
efforts of labor-management-agricul
ture committees instead of draft
legislation, was recommended by
union, business and farm leaders
in a special report to War Man
power Commissioner Paul V. Mc
Nutt.
To get community programs op
erating, it was recommended: 1.
There be surveys of manpower sup
plies: 2. Determination of local ur
gency for products and services: 3.
Surveys of needs of employers; 4.
Controlled flow of available man
power to shortage areas.
The report stated that large num
bers of workers have yet to be trans
ferred to essential industry. Longer
working hours in some instances,
and increased recruitment of wom
en workers, also were suggested.
Intent on flying, Emil Guse and
John Gander were sworn Into the
army air corps at Hamilton, Mont.
• • •
RUSSIA:
Near Europe
On the northern front, Russian
troops stood within 20 miles of the
old Polish border, while it was re
ported that the Germans were mo
bilizing all able-bodied men in
Estonia and Latvia to help in a last
ditch fight for these states command
ing the Baltic sea route.
To the west of fallen Kiev, the
Reds moved on the last railroad
linking German armies in the north
with those to the south.
On the southern front, German
forces still held their ground at Krl
voi Rog and Nikopol, guarding their
general retreat from the big
Dnieper river bulge. Near the
mouth of the Dnieper on the Black
sea, the Reds were only about 100
miles from Rumania. .
Some 75,000 Nazi troops holding
the strategic Crimea peninsula
which guards the Black sea routes,
tried to reduce Russian concentra
tions on its eastern shore.
CIVILIAN GOODS:
More Forks, Spoons
To extend the life of flatware, the
War Production board has author
ized the release of small quantities
of nickel for plating under silver and
chrome knives, forks and spoons. At
the same time, WPB allowed pur
chase of alloy steel from distressed
stocks for use in manufacturing
restaurant and institutional flatware.
To bolster dwindling stocks of in
fants’ and children’s hosiery and un
derwear, the WPB granted priori
ties on necessary yarns for produc
tion of such goods.
Priorities will cover cotton knit
ting yarns for use in making infants’
ribbed hose, sizes 3 to 5^; infants’
half socks and anklets, 3 to 6Vi;
children’s half socks, 5 to 7ti, and
% and % hose to 9Vi; boys’ crew
and slack socks, 7 to 11 Vi, and boys’
golf hose, 7 to 11 Vi.
Having evidently collided with a
lightning flash, 300 wild geese fell
from the sky near Galena, Mo.
• • •
DEMOBILIZATION:
British Plans
Release of soldiers only when em
ployment is available is being
studied by the British government,
along with plans for holding work
ers in war jobs until conversion to
civilian production is completed.
To assure new industries of ade
quate labor supplies, the government
is considering controlling employ
ment, so as to prevent any rush into
old. established lines.
The government's present inten
tion is to start demobilization as
soon as the European f jhting ends,
but it recognizes that many troops
will be needed for occupation of the
continent, and many more will be
shifted to the Pacific for the war
against Japan.
BALL PLAYER
Spurgeon Ferdinand (“Spud")
Chandler, Yankee pitcher, was
named most valuable player in the
American league by the Baseball
Writers’ association. He won 20
games and dropped four during the
season. In the series, he pitched
the first and last games, winning
both.
Previously, the association had
voted Stan Musial, Cardinal, most
valuable man in the National league,
and Walker Cooper, teammate, sec
ond.
Government Asks Reports
On U. S. Holdings Abroad
Form TFR-500 Supplies Valuable Informa
tion Concerning American Stake in For
eign Lands, Aids Reconstruction.
_
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WN'U Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C.
When Paratrooper Jones landed
"plop” in the midst of a field he had
never heard of in a country he had
only read about in books, he was
able to lead his comrades direct to
a certain building whose purpose,
importance, construction and con
tents, almost down to the last nut
and bolt, were all known in detail
by the American high command.
Paratrooper Jones knew just where
to get to the point he wanted to leave
his dynamite and General Smith, at
the headquarters, knew exactly the
damage that would result to the
enemy when that dynamite went off.
Neither would have had that in
formation if a worried banker in
Bingville, U. S. A., hadn’t painstak
ingly filled out Form TFR-500 which
the treasury department had sent
him.
The information asked for con
cerned American investments in for
eign lands, and the information the
government got back made it pos
sible for it to get the detailed blue
prints of the factory that Jones blew
up from the American firm which
had built it and, in this case, the
construction engineer who had
bossed the job.
The function of these annoying
TRF-500’s which have already locat
ed American investments in 102
countries, the largest single one of
which is seven million dollars and
the smallest forty dollars, serves
other exceedingly useful, if not as
dramatic, purposes.
Other Functions
One government official pointed
out to me another important func
tion this information plays in non
military wartime activities. He said:
“The more complete information
the government has on the total
American stake abroad, the more
successful will be the efforts of our
forces on the fighting fronts, the
more quickly will the Allied Mili
tary Government be able to restore
civilian activities in reoccupied
areas, the better equipped our repre
sentatives will be to safeguard the
interests of the American people
during the peace table discussions,
and the sounder will be the working
out of postwar policies in the field
of international economic relation
ships.
“This survey of American invest
ments abroad is an instrument of
vital importance to the future of this
country. Most other world powers
have long since collected similar in
formation. They not only know the
holdings of their own nationals all
over the world, but their relations
with those of other countries. Their
plans are well formulated to protect
and develop these investments. Our
government believes we should not
be less well informed."
This official had a particular rea
son in discussing this situation with
me.
First, he wanted to stimulate the
people who had received Form TFR
500 in giving as complete a report
as possible.
Second, he desired wide publicity
in the hope that other American citi
zens, individuals, corporations, exec
utives of estates, trustees of charita
ble organizations who might be able
to furnish the information desired,
would get in touch with the treasury
department and turn it over to the
government.
Rehabilitation
Aside from its value to military
men, the facts are exceedingly im
portant to the Allied officials who
are administering rehabilitation in
occupied countries. If they know
about a plant that has certain pro
duction facilities or trained people
who can be used in producing what
they desire, it greatly helps their
work. It has proved in Sicily, and
will prove in Italy, of great value to
the Allied administrators to get in
formation concerning the citizens so
that they can pick those who are of
known non-Fascist leanings to co
operate with them.
The information also, of course,
is exceedingly valuable to many of
the government departments.
Claims for Damage
Another thing that the state de
partment is called upon to do is to
assist citizens in getting back their
property in countries that have been
affected by the war. Also there is
the question of claims for damage
to American property.
There are more than 100 people in
the state department alone who are
now working on postwar plans. One
of the most important phases of this
work is the reopening of trade with
the war areas as well as the rest of
the world. Of course, the terms un
der which the trade is reopened may
depend on the industrial possibilities
of the various areas; and how soon
the controls of foreign exchange can
be dropped will depend, in a large
part, on the extent of the U. S. and
other foreign holdings of the obliga
tions of the country in question. All
this will affect our exporters here
as well as American interests in
foreign countries.
The treasury department, as you
know, has drawn up the White plan
for international stabilization; the
British government has the Keynes
plan.
None of these projects, treasury
officials said to me, which vitally af
fect the postwar movements of trade
and capital, can be intelligibly
planned and certainly cannot be put
into effect without adequate knowl
edge of the value and type of United
States interests and the number and
character of the persons having
those interests.
Many other important business
negotiations such as private loans
to foreign countries, direct invest
ments by American corporations,
furthering the good neighbor policy,
will be affected by the informa
tion in the government’s hands. For
instance, if the government can say
definitely that in a certain area there
is very little capital invested in a
certain type of enterprise and it is
known such an enterprise might be
enlarged there, the government
might be able to encourage com
panies with foreign experience to
develop such an enterprise.
m m *
The Moscow Conference
Washington correspondents for the
press associations and some of the
country’s metropolitan dailies as
well as the network broadcasters
lived on needles and pins for more
than a day and a half before the
news of the agreements reached at
Moscow were released.
There have been many bad leak
ages in advance of important inter
national events recently. The state
department, the Office of War In
formation and the Office of Censor
ship have done their best to protect
American newspapers and radio
against these violations of prema
ture release of important stories
involving foreign countries. The
leaks usually have come through
foreign officials who whisper a
few hints to some of their news
men friends. They also sometimes
occur when news dispatches, radioed
in advance for later release, are
picked up by the enemy or are di
vulged in neutral countries.
Every effort was made to prevent
such leaks in connection with the
Moscow conference. The question
of safety of the lives of British and
American negotiators was involved.
It was feared that if the fact that
the conference was over was pub
licly revealed, the enemy might be
on the watch to shoot down the
planes carrying Secretary of State
Hull and British Foreign Minister
Eden and their parties.
Some of us who were affected,
learned on the Saturday before the
Monday of their official release that
copies of the agreements had
reached the state department earli
er. We had guessed as much since
the President commented on the
success of the agreement the day
before in his press and radio con
ference. We were told we would
receive copies as far in advance as
possible which meant that someone
representing the various news agen
cies and networks had to be on duty
day and night. Finally, the word
1 came Monday morning that the mes
sages were available and they were
given out at ten o'clock for release
at one o’clock. We, therefore, had
three hours in which to digest the
five separate documents.
Fortunately for me, the one
o’clock release made it possible for
me to report the story a minute and
19 seconds after it was given out on
my one o’clock network broadcast.
B R I E F S . . . by Baukhage
More than lO.OOO.OOO servicemen
per year visit USO clubs in this
hemisphere outside continental Unit
ed States.
• • •
According to the Swiss newspaper
Journal de Geneve, cigarette butts
are at a premium in Berlin and an
increasing number of persons may
be seen collecting them on the
■treet.
i
Five hundred Cuban youths are
fighting in the armies of the United
Nations, according to General Beni
tez Valdes, special Cuban delegate
to Mexico. Ten thousand Mexicans
are fighting in the U. S. army.
• • •
Fourteen and 15-year-old school
boys are being used to man anti
aircraft defenses in Germany, it is
said.
Fertilizing Soybeans
In Rotation Studied
When, How Is Question
Before Agronomists
How and when to fertilize soy
beans in the rotation is a question
that faces hundreds of thousands of
American farmers, since the war’s
demands have so greatly increased
the production of this crop.
Agronomists at the Purdue univer
sity agricultural experiment station
are seeking the answer to this ques
tion in a series of experiments that
are expected to produce some in
teresting results.
One of these tests, conducted by
R. R. Mulvey, designed to reveal
the best place in the rotation to sup
ply supplemental fertilizer to meet
requirements for higher crop pro
duction, is being conducted on three
blocks of land comprising fO plots
each on the university’s soils and
crops farm.
The present rotation is com, soy
beans and wheat, with sweet clover
seeded in the wheat as an intercrop.
Before the present experiment was
laid out, the land had been in a ro
tation of com, wheat and clover for
25 years. All crops had been re
moved yearly from all plots. On
six of the plots to which six tons of
manure had been added annually,
the corn yield had averaged 56.5
bushels per acre. On four of the
plots which had received no treat
ment, the corn crop averaged 43.5
bushels. Thus the contrasting plots
represent two levels of productivity
—one of medium and the other of
low productivity.
In the current tests, corn on' all
plots received 100 pounds per acre
of 0-12-12 fertilizer near the hill at
planting time. Wheat is fertilized
with 300 pounds of 3-12-12 at seeding
time and is top-dressed with 20
pounds of nitrogen the latter part of
March. Because of adequate ferti
lization of both corn and wheat the
intercrop of sweet clover is to be
relied on for nitrogen. But when
ever the clover fails, 80 pounds of
nitrogen will be plowed under on all
plots.
In addition to the foregoing basic
tests, variations of treatment are
being tried on particular plots. For
instance, 400 pounds of 0-10-20 is ap
plied via the plow sole for corn, on
two plots where the soil is of a me
dium productivity level. Similar
treatments are applied for soybeans
on three additional plots—four hun
dred pounds of 0-10-20 is top-dressed
on wheat in March on two plots—one
on low level productivity soil and
the other on medium level.
When harvests are completed
yearly on the various plots and yield
results under the different fertilizer
treatments are compared, it is ex
pected that some interesting infor
mation will be forthcoming on the
most effective means of applying
supplemental fertilizer in the rota
tion.
Electricity on Farms
TELEFACT
OUR FARM HOUSES
OUT Of EVERY SEVEN fARM MOUSES
I ) NtfO MAJOB «tPA*i
[ s HAVt NO GAS oa IUCTWCTV
Hormone Sprays Help
Apples Mature on Tree
Not only do hormone sprays cause
apples to remain on the tree until
they mature to a higher color and
greater size, but they also cut labor
needs because the picking period
can be extended and fewer helpers
will be required.
V. W. Kelley, extension horticul
turist, University of Illinois college
of agriculture, states that recent
tests with harvest or hormone
sprays have proved effective on De
licious, Golden Delicious, Jonathan,
Stayman, Winesap and Duchess ap
ples. Growers have reported good
results with several other varieties.
Sprays usually become effective
two or three days after application
and remain for two weeks or more,
he says. If possible, application
should not be made too early—pref
erably when the apples start to drop.
Concentrations recommended by the
manufacturer of the particular
spray should be used and a thor
ough application is necessary, since
the spray must wet the stems of the
fruit in order to be effective.
“However, harvest of Delicious
apples should not be delayed too
long, because the fruit will become
mealy,” he warns.
Rural Briefs
Save and store every ounce of feed
possible this year in the form of hay,
silage, root crops, grain, and meals,
suggest livestock specialists.
• • • •
For safe storing of a large part of
the foods dehydrated commercially
or in the home, the container musl
resist passage of moisture vapor
Moisture-proof cellophane is excel
lent.
CLASSIFIED
DEPARTMENT
j
FEATHERS WANTED
—
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FEATHERS WANTED
WANTED: GOOSE. DUCK, PHEASANT
I body feathers and quills. We also buy
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Industrial and Farming
While the United States has be
come an industrial nation, the pro
portion of its land devoted to farm
ing has increased from 15.6 per
cent in 1850 to 55.7 per cent in 1940.
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More Seven-Leaf Clovers
Recent botanical studies show
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