The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965, December 09, 1943, Image 2
WEEKLY NEV/S ANALYSIS Smashing Blows Against Axis Mapped By Highest Allied Military Strategists; Wheat Subsidy Payments Established; 4-H Club Congress Marks Record Year (EDITOR’S NOTE: When opinion* ar* tiprmtl In the** column*, thejr ar* lho*e *f Western Newspaper t'nlon’* now* analyst* and not necessarily of this newspaper.) — n — Released by Western Newspaper Union. ___________ Left to right! Stalin, FDR and Churchill. Nerer had tha rumor mill* boon »o busy grinding out stories as in thasa days preceding tha official announcemant of the meeting of tha heads of state of United States, Russia, Great Britain and China. First semi-official clearance on tha announcement came through a story re leased by Reuters (British news agency) which indicated that these leaders were meeting in the Near East. Political problems of the final phase of the war in Europe and the subsequent peace were tha main topics of discussion. A story out of Stockholm, Sweden, reported that President Roosevelt, Prime Minister Churchill and President Chiang Kai-shek of China conferred first in the shadows of Egypt's pyramids before proceeding to the discussions with Premier Stalin. In tho first conference the relationship of the three nations to the war in the Far East kept the leaders busy. But when Stalin and his staff entered tho picture the more immediate questions concerning Germany's status occupied the spotlight. COAL: Raised Prices While southern operators balked at signing the new contract calling (or a nine-hour day, with pay (or 49 minutes travel time, Stabilizat'on Director Fred Vinson authorized average increase* of 17 cents a ton (or bituminous and <12 cents a ton (or anthracite coal to cover the ex tra wage costs. Formulated by Interior Secretary Harold Ickes and United Mine Work er Chie(tain John L. Lewis, the new pact was attacked by the southern operators as failing to provide eight hours o( production in cases where more than 49 minutes are required (or travel. Replying. Ickes said an nouncement o( the new contract was (ollowed by a record output of 12,700,000 tons in one week, tops (or 19 years. Although th& price increase on soft coal averages 17 cents a ton, actual costs vary (rom 10 cents in Ala bama, parts of Georgia and Ten nessee, and Utah and Montana, to 90 cents in Michigan and California and part of New Mexico. WHEAT SUBSIDIES: Payments Set To hold down the price of bread, government agencies moved in two directions, with the Defense Supplies corporation announcing wheat sub sidy payments to millers and the OPA establishing flour ceilings. For all wheat ground in the Pacific coast area, the DFS will pay 14 cents a bushel. Outside of the Pacific region, 16 cents per bushel will be paid on hard wheat, 514 cents a bushel on soft wheat, and 0 cents a bushel on durum wheat. As a basis for payment, DFS an nounced that millers must subtract the current market prices for wheat from the price used by OPA in fig uring flour ceilings. Payments will be made to millers each month, with disbursements based on the rate in effect at the time the flour is sold. Flour Ceilings Under new OPA regulation, maxi mum price* were established for all kinds of wheat flour on the millers' level, with the family product rang ing from $3.70 a hundred pounds in western Colorado to $5.23 in North Carolina. Prices on hard wheat flour are highest in the Middle West produc ing section, with Iowa's ceilings on low and high protein output $3.31 and $3.38 per hundred pounds: Illinois, Wisconsin and northern Michigan, $3.34 and $3.54, and Minnesota, $3.34 and $3 54, plus a proportional rail rate from Minneapolis. Delivered prices on cake flour and other soft wheat bakery flour milled in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Mon tana, Wyoming, North Dakota. Min nesota, Wisconsin or Iowa were set at $3.67 and $3.77 a hundred pounds, plus the rail rate from Spokane. In other states, prices vary from $4 to $4.90 for cake flour, and $3.10 and $4.31 for soft wheat bakery flour. ITALY: Allies Gain Rallying under Gen. Bernard Montgomery's cry of "On to Rome!” Britain’s Eighth ermy smashed into the eastern anchor of the Germans' winter line In southern Italy, ad vancing under cover of heavy artil lery and aerial bombardment. Shaken by the fury of Montgom ery's usual tactics of massing su perior fire power on enemy positions and then moving forward after lengthy barrages, the German lines buckled, and the Eighth army took the whole of the high ridge overlook ing the tiny Sangro river and its flat valley. The Eighth army’s drive focused on the Adriatic coastal port of Pes cara. from whence a highway cuts across the Italian peninsula to Rome. By sweeping northward, the British also threatened to work to the rear of the Germans’ mountain posts to the west, where Lieut. Gen. Mark Clark’s Fifth army bucked against stiff defenses guarding the 85 mile road to Rome. 4-H: Nation's Finest Healthy, apple-checked young ru ral America met for the 22nd nation al 4-H Club congress in Chicago, there to hear that the club’s 1,700, 000 members had raised five million bushels of war garden produce, nine million poultry, 90,000 head of dairy cattle, 600.000 head of livestock, 12 million pounds of peanuts, soybeans and other legumes, and canned 15 million jam of products. In addition to their production feats, the 800 delegates learned that during the last year, 4-H members sold or purchased more than $25,000, 000 worth of war bonds and stamps and collected more than 300 000,000 pounds of scrap, Summerville, Georgia’s, pretty 17-year-old Helen Louis Owings alone sold $699,000 ir. war bonds. At the congress were 17-year-old Billy Sol Estes, Clyde, Texas, whose six years of 4-H work have netted him $28,739, and 18-year-old Geneva Duhm, who has collected $1,626, chiefly in products. SOUTH PACIFIC: Bloody Fighting The Gilberts ours after the blood iest fighting in the marines' long his tory, attention was focused on other Jap outposts in the Pacific, including their great naval base of Truk in the Carolines to the northwest. In New Guinea, Australian troops continued to beat their way through the brushy hills up the east coast, while on Bougainville in the Solo mons, waves of bombers supported U. S. marines picking their way through the Japs’ jungle strongholds. On bloody Tarawa after the ma rines’ valiant victory, Admiral Ches ter Nimitz said: ”1 have learned more than I ever knew of what the Japs can do. I am highly Impressed by the highly organized defense of this small island and the large num ber of troops they had on it.” HIGHLIGHTS • . . the U'eek’a newt JEEPS: The first used jeeps have been purchased by a Chicago sec ond-hand truck dealer. He obtained 10 of the sturdy little cars by putting in his order early. He intends to resell them, asking that customers pledge to buy at least a thousand dollars' worth of war bonds per jeep. Seven have already been sold, involving pledges to purchase some $50,000 worth of bonds. WHISKY: Liquor commission* of Oregon and Washington—two states that sell spirituous liquors through state-operated stores—have been un able to purchase a stock of whisky lately. The two commissions decid ed to buy two Kentucky distilleries. The whisky will be bottled In Ken tucky. Each state will obtain about 500,000 cases during the next 18 months. RUSSIA: Keep Ukrainian Grip Holding their grip on the western Ukraine. German forces struck back at the Russians to retake the vital rail hub of Korosten in their slow drive on Kiev. Capture of Korosten gave the'Ger mans their second important com munications point in the region, the rail center of Zhitomir having pre viously fallen. Both centers are situ ated on Russia's last north-south rail line, and also command lines run ning west into prewar Poland. As the Germans Increased their pressure on the rich rural province of Kiev which they have always fan cied, they pulled their lines in to the north, approximately 300,000 Nazis reportedly retiring from Gomel. As they fell back, the RedL tried futile ly to seal off their escape corridor. In the Crimea which commands the Black Sea, the Axis were report ed withdrawing Rumanian troops, thousands already having been evac uated. CIVILIAN SUPPLIES: Picture Brightening In a move which it deemed as protection against shortages of ma terials essential to the prosecution of the war, the army put huge stocks of surplus materials on sale, while the office of civilian requirements granted repair men larger alloca tions of metals. Issuance of catalogs to guide manufacturers in bidding for the goods reveals that sales will include a variety of items ranging from hammers to buckles. From the 830th army air force specialized depot in Memphis. Tenn., catalogs listed such salable ma terial as fuel pumps, refueling fun nels, drain cans, lubricators, manu al and hydraulic jacks, and preci sion tools for carpenters, plumbers and machinists. Under the office of civilian require ments ruling, electricians, plumbers, blacksmiths, radio, upholstery and farm machinery repair shops are permitted to buy up to 20 tons of carbon and alloy steel, 500 pounds of copper and brass products, and 200 pounds of aluminum In certain forms. Once scarcer than a hen's tooth, copper wire will be available for limited use. • • • Loat on a dive-bombing attack on a Yangtze river port in China Octo Lieut. Tom Harmon ber 30, Michigan’s former All-America halfback, Lieutenant Tom Harmon picked his way back to Al lied linen from Jap dominated territory. For Lieutenant Tom It wan the aecond time that he had bobbed up after a flight crash. Last April, be bailed from a bomber dis abled In a rain storm over tropical French New Guinea. Slashing his way through the Jungle, he met obliging natives who then guided him to a settlement. CANADA: To Resettle Vets To give its returning soldiers the opportunity to get into productive enterprise after the war, the Cana dian government will spend upwards of 400 million dollars to buy land and chattels to resell to vets at 53 per cent of total cost. Under the Canadian Land Vet erans act. maximum cost of land and buildings is $4,800 and of chattels $1,200. Of the $0,000 outlay, the vet will subscribe a minimum of $480. or 10 per cent of the cost of land and buildings, then pays off the bal ance of $3,200, or two-thirds of the cost of land and buildings, at 3t4 per cent interest. Designed to accommodate 100,000 vets, plans call for confining full time farm operations to experienced hands, with other kinds of trades men allowed to purchase small homes with acreage outside of ur ban areas at a cost of $2,500 to $4,000. WORLD RELIEF: V. S. Takes Lead To the U. S. will go the lion's share of providing funds for the billion dollar United Notions Relief and Rehabilitation administration program adopted in meetings at At lantic City, N. J. Aim of the UNRRA under General Director Herbert Lehman 6f the U. S., is to feed and clothe the im poverished masses in countries wrested from the Axis; resettle peo ple shifted to other localities by the Axis in their native lands, and to offer means for reconstructing farms and industry. With unoccupied countries figured to contribute 1 per cent of their na tional income for the UNRRA work, the U. S. will advance approximate ly 1% billion dollars; the United Kingdom, about 320 million dollars; and Canada 90 million dollars. LEND-LEASE Up to August 31, 1943, Australia has contributed goods and services valued at over a quarter billion dol lars in reverse lend-lease to the Unit ed States. Much of this repayment is in form of food for U. S. soldiers stationed In and around Australia. A total of 146,298 tons of food and eight million clothing items were piovided. Other lend-lease goods included technical equipment, trucks, air craft supplies, and communications supplies. Washington Digest; Today's Battlefield Victims Get Speedy, Effective Care Blood Plasma, Sulfonamides and Organiza tion of Medical Services Insure Prompt Treatment of Wounded Men. By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator. W.'iU Service, Union Trust Building Washington, D. C. A young reserve officer friend of mine came up to say goodby to me a year and a half ago. He flattered me by asking for my advice before he went into active service. I knew he wanted to see action. He had refused a desk job in Wash ington. I knew he wanted to do the job and get home to his wife and babies. So I said: "Hope for a light wound and you'll hope for the best.” Of course, nobody would try to fol low such advice but my friend got the wound (and a medal for bravery too) and now he’s back in civvies again. He doesn’t like what the Jap bullet did to his leg for he'll play no more tennis or handball but his wife has a live, if lame, husband and his chil dren have something beside a pic ture and a piece of ribbon to call "daddy.” When I gave that sage advice, I didn't know how smart I was. "The wounded soldier In this global war, though he is exposed to almost every health hazard known to man, still has a better chance of surviving and returning safely home than ever before,” says Maj. Gen. Norman Kirk, surgeon-general of the army. . The general gave three reason*: first, the use of blood plasma to avoid shock and hemorrhage; sec ond, the use of sulfonamides to com bat infection; and third, the mobility and organization of the medical services which insure prompt and efficient medical and surgical treat ment. The Reaaone I heard of widespread use of blood plasma first in the Spanish Civil war and Imagine much valuable experi ence was gained from that conflict. We know it was a proving ground for Nazi and Fascist killing and un doubtedly the Allies profited by the efforts in life-saving as welL The use of sulfa drugs is one of the great blessings which modern chemistry has given us. Recently I stood in one of the plants of the Monsanto Chemical company in St. Louis, Mo., letting the soft, healing powder drip through my fingers. Be fore me, in a space hardly 25 feet square, was a collection of small kegs containing this wonderful anti septic. There was enough within my easy reach to serve the whole Sicilian campaign, they told me. Each soldier has his packet and fills his wound with it. It stymies the germs until natural processes anni hilate them. The mobility of the medical units has been described in many dis patches and you have all seen photo graphs of the flying hospitals, the great air transports with their equip ment and nurses. The wounded are rapidly returned to bases where they get the best of care. Treatment on naval vessels is equally effective. It must be understood that the drugs and the plasma in themselves are not cure-alls. They are not even cures in many cases. They are preventatives. They are what you “do with" until the doctor comes —more accurately, until you come to the doctor. Surgery is necessary in j the cases of most wounds. Capt. W. M. Craig, chief of sur* gery at the Nava! Medical center, Bethesda, Md.t just outside of Wash ington, puts it succinctly: "In the last war, when a man’s head was cut open by a shell frag ment," says Captain Craig, "the sur geon had to operate at once, even though the patient was in such a weakened condition that he hadn’t one chance in a hundred to survive the operation. The surgeon had no other choice: he knew if he waited, infection would set in and that would be the end. In this war it Is differ ent; the patient is given blood plas ma treatment to build him up, sulfa to check infection, and if his condi | tion permits, he is flown to a hos i pital in the rear where the operation is performed under ideal condi j tions.” Short Time Lag In the last war, all wounded had to have a powerful injection, a most painful thing to endure, and nowhere near as effective as modern treat ment. The army estimates that 80 to 90 per cent of the wounded get first-aid treatment within an hour of being wounded. Ships are well equipped, the larger ones as well as a hospital. The man with a not too serious wound, and that is by far the ma jority of cases (amputations are in cluded), has a splendid chance for recovery and a resumption of his natural existence in civil life when he is discharged. In two categories this war has been harsher than any preceding. There is a greater proportion of killed in action to wounded. Also the mental casualties are higher in the present war. Careful efforts have been made to screen out ♦hose showing character istics indicating they are unable to stand up under the mental strain of modern warfare. More might have been held out of service if the psychiatrists had been able to carry out their plans. They would btwe been able to do so if there had be*.n as thorough an understanding of that branch of medical science as there will be after the war. And because of that fact, more of the mental cases will be restored to normal. The reason for the increased num ber of mental cases is variously ex plained: our troops have endured longer periods of offensive action than in the last war; the increased fury of modern warfare; the domi nation of the machine, and also, to some degree, the complications of civilian life which encourage neu rotic conditions. The science of warfare has moved forward with seven-league boots. Killing has become a mass produc tion affair. But along with the char iot of Mars, Mercury has advanced on winged feet and the healing arts have progressed to the point where for those who escape the scythe of the grim reaper there is a strong, helping hand along the road back. • • • Crowned Head» Prove Headaches After the last war, some poetically minded writer penned an editorial which had wide circulation entitled: “The Twilight of the Kings.’’ Many a throne had tumbled as a result of that last conflict, names that were written large in history, faded until they were less than memories—Ho henzollern, Hapsburg, Romanoff, not to mention a host of lesser majesties. But some who survived are to day problems of the United Nations, like plebiscites, famine, frontiers, lend-iease, airways and a thousand other annoying questions that must be settled when peace comes. Of course, kings are not to be I shrugged away lightly. Some of America's best friends are kings. But there are crowned heads who are bound to be headaches for the uncrowned brows of the statesmen who have to put the world together again. There is the House of Savoy, for Instance. The king of Italy has been a problem. So are Balkan poten tates in exile or in cahoots with Hit ler. About King Carol One most romantic monarch who is likewise exceedingly dynamic is ex-King Carol of Rumania. Recent ly. I received a communication from him. It looked like a telegram but it was not that intimate—it was mimeographed. It contained a state ment of some kind. I have forgotten the exact nature of it. But the other day, its source was revealed when a certain publicity or ganization registered with the de partment of justice as all organiza tions representing foreign elements must. It developed that Carol had arranged to try to encourage the good will of Americans by hiring this agent for $35,000 (ten grand down, the rest in easy payments) to express Carol’s views, all to be democratic and pro-Ally. But the interesting implication is that one of the jobs of the press agent is to remove the "ex" from the title "ex-king" which seems to have attached itself to Madame Lu pescu’s husband. And there is a roll-back which only the temerity of an American press agent would grapple with! BRIEFS . . by Baukhage Season's Greetings, accompanied by a check, have been mailed by | the Santa Fe railway to its more than 8,000 employees, who are sta tioned in this country or throughout the world. • • • The national income produced In the United States in September was i the highest monthly figure on rec I ord. It amounted to $12,536,000,000. Black market opera'ions in occu pied France have reached the point where color shades are being used to distinguish reasonable from unrea sonable illegal trade. • • • The American people have been asked by the Office of War Utilities to confine Christmas lighting deco rations to Christmas trees inside private homes. Crib Traditional Christmas Mark in Southern Europe The Christmas Crib is as traditionally a part of Christmas in southern Europe as is the Christmas tree in the northern countries. In France, it is the Creche—or Cradle; in Italy, the Praesepe — or Manger; in Germany, Krippe or Crib; in Czechoslovakia, Jeslicky; and in Spain, the Nacimiento—or Nativity Scene. From the earliest years of Christianity priests and religi ous leaders interpreted the Bible by literal representation of plays, tableaux, etc., because of the lack of books and wide spread inability to read. However, the first Crib was set up in 1223 by St. Francis Assisi. St. Francis received special per mission from the Pope to erect his ‘Praesepe” in the village of Grec cio, near Assisi. This first Crib was an immediate sensation. Set up in a stable, it was complete with live animals, etc. Greccio became fa mous for its Crib and miraculous cures were attributed to the proven der of the animals. One of the most famous Cribs in the world was built by the Capuchin monks, the shrine of the Madonna delle Grazie, situated in a grotto and surrounded by galleries of Sar dinian cork giving a mountainous effect Wooden figures, carved by the noted artists Gaggini and Ma ragliani, were arranged to move in procession to the Manger. Other celebrated Cribs include the one at Caserta, Italy, where the most fa mous Bambino in the world is an* nually laid in the Manger amid tra ditional pomp and solemnity, and the Krippe at Oberammergau, where the figure of the Christ-Child has been a possession of the Lange fam ily for many generations. During the Renaissance the pre sentation of the Crib became in creasingly elaborate. The figures were more realistic and richly dressed, the devotional shrines and processions becoming highly ornate pageants. Later, Naples was famed as the city of Cribs. Every church had its "Praesepe” and families erected evergreen shrines on the fiat roof tops of their dwellings, the back ground being dominated by Vesu vius and the beautiful starlit Neo politan sky. Charming Yuie Legend Tells Story Of Village's First Christmas Candle At Christmas, millions of little candles suddenly spring into being all over it seems—on Christmas trees, on so many of our Christmas cards, in the shop windows and in our homes. In these days of fluorescent and neon lighting the candles often take on the form of a 25-watt bulb--never theless, they definitely contribute just the right touch of reverence and gaiety to the holiday season. True, the custom of lighting candles in remembrance of the Star of Bethlehem claims deep religious significance. But Christmas has also come to be a children's festival, and wherever there are children there is legend weaving. And there is i charming legend that long, long ago in Austria, there lived an old shoemaker In a little cottage on the edge of a village. Al though this humble man had very lit* tie, whether for himself or to share with others, his goodness of heart was such that each evening he placed In his window a lighted candle as a sign of welcome to weary travelers who might he asking shelter. War came to the village and fam ine, yet the little light never wavered. Each night it took its place to send forth its beam as a message of cheer to forlorn wayfarers. It was wintertime and the suffer ing was acute. Great hardships came. Sons died in battle. Animals starved for want of grain. Yet always, some how the old shoemaker suffered less than others. It was almost as though there were a splendid charm upon him. At last the peasants gathered together and said: “Surely there is something different about him that he U spared. What does he do that we do not do? Perhaps it ia his little ! candle. Let ua, too, place lights in our windows.” And the day the peasants took counsel was the day before Christmaa, : and the first night the candles were set to burn in all the windows was ! Christmas Eve. When morning came It was as though a miracle had happened. A I soft mantle of snow covered the village like a gentle blessing, bnt there was something more—a new air of peace and hope. And before the son I had cast Its first bright gleam on the spire of the village church there came a messenger riding to bring the great, glad news of peace. The ehnrch bells chimed and the people knelt In prayer and there was a feel ing ef Christmas glory such as there had not been In many years. The peasants were awed. ”It was the candles,” they whisDC’-ed. "They have guided the Christ Child to our doorsteps. We must never again fail to light candles on His Birthday.” From such a long ago beginning this beautiful custom has become ! very dear to our hearts. So dear in fact that year after year we light our candles on Christmas Eve, and year after year, the holiday greeting cards we exchange with our friends and loved ones carry the proud motif of the Christmas candle. And this year the candles will still burs bright, their light sending forth hope and cheer for the peaceful world that soon must come. There are scores of other legends surrounding the widespread use of candles at Christmas time—and all of them have a simple beauty which appeals to children and adults alike. The stories are told in every lan I guage. ‘Yule* Is Ancient Word Yale, as another name for the Christmas season, is of great an tiquity and its actual derivation is still a matter of dispute. Some philologists hold to the theory that the term is derived from the Anglo Saxon “hweol” (wheel). They be lieve the wheel is related to the j erroneous primitive conception of the circular path described by the sun during its annual journey around the earth. Irish Light Candle to Guide Christ Child An old Irish legend tells that some times on Christmas Eve Mary and the Christ Child wander abroad seek ing shelter. Fearful lest they might seek in vain, as they did in Bethle hem long ago, a lighted candle is placed in every window to guide them to a place of refuge. These are left burning through the night, gleaming into the darkness, guid ing any wanderer.