|-WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS-1 U.S. Employment Shows Decline; Nazis Continue Retreat in Italy; Japanese Tighten Grip on China 11 1 ■ " Released by Western Newspaper Union. 1 (EDITOR’S NOTE: When •pinions are expressed In these column*, thejr are thosa of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and net necessarily sf'thls newspaper.) Zero Hour-Yank* await signal to attack Jap machine gun nett In Burma. EMPLOYMENT: On Decline For the first time since the war began, the nation's manpower ap peared in balance with needs, with supply of labor in critical areas the only problem, the National Indus trial Conference board said. Earlier the department of agri culture noted a 4 per cent decline In farm labor, with some of the de crease attributed to the inability to get into the fields because of un favorable weather. As a result of the delay, many farmers were ex pected to switch acreage from small grains to row crops, necessi tating additional work. Reflecting the continued drop in manufacturing industries, there were 41,800,000 non-farm workers in March, compared with the peak of 43,000.000 in July. 1943. Only in transportation was there an increase shown over last year. EUROPE: Foe Reels With soldiers from six nations fighting shoulder to shoulder in Al lied ranks, the Germans fell slowly back in Italy, their retreating col umns under heavy fire of the ad vancing host, drawing closer to the Eternal City of Rome. As the Allied blow fell in Italy, thousands of U. S. and British planes continued their heavy bombardment of Axis communications and indus try in western Europe, their explo Mediterranean Commander 8lr Henry Maitland Wilaon (left) con fers with Llent. Gen. Mark Clark of 5tb army (center) and Deputy Mediterranean Commander Jacob L. Devers on Italian front. sives twisting steel rails into fanci ful forms and reducing segments of factories into smouldering pyres. Preparatory to a great offensive from the east. Russian bombers hammered at Nazi supply bases. With the collapse of their Gustav line in Italy, the Germans fell back slowly toward the Anzio beachhead to the north, where their embattled troops clashed with massed Allied forces slugging for a breakthrough, which would trap the retreating army from the rear. West Wall The searching eyes of aerial photography have uncovered what lies ahead of Allied troops massed to storm Germany's formidable west wall. Under command of icy, 69-year old Field Marshal von Rundstedt, the west wall shapes up as a series of deeply entrenched steel and con crete fortifications stretching back far inland, and carefully camou flaged to prevent concentration of Allied fire on them. Dotting the scenic French land scape are innocent-looking, little bouses, sheltering the muzzles of big German field pieces whose carriages are sunk into the ground, and poking their noses from the aides of hills, are rocket guns buried in the terrain. CRYPTOSTEGIA The government’s experimental rubber project in Haiti has been abandoned as a failure and an in vestment of $8,000,000 Is bieing writ ten off. It was explained that it was found impossible to recover any ap preciable quantity of rubber from the desert vine "cryptostegia” which was grown on the 40.000-acre tract. It had been confidently hoped that this tough plant would become a major source of rubber for this hemisphere and would provide a money crop for the natives. PACIFIC: 1,000-Mile Advance With hii forces taking another long jump of 125 miles to the north west in Dutch New Guinea, Gen. Douglas MacArthur advanced clos er to his cherished goal of the Philip pines, there to avenge Bataan. The latest gain drew U. S. forces nearer to the thick cluster of islands lying off Dutch New Guinea which the enemy reportedly has fortified with air bases to counter any Al lied thrust against the Indies to the south or the Philippines to the north. In advancing 125 miles westward, U. S. forces were 1,000 miles away from Milne Bay, far to the south east and from which General Mac Arthur launched the campaign that has gradually pushed the Japs out of their farthest South Pacific hold ings. TRANSPORTATION: Overhauling Asked Correction of inequalities and dis criminations in present freight rate structures to reflect the cost of service, and creation of three permanent federal agencies to keep abreast of transportation problems, were among the recommendations made by a special board of inves tigation and research organized by congressional enactment in 1940. At the same time, the board went into the south's protest against cer tain freight rate differences benefit ing the northeast, declaring that figures showed that what the south really needed was a development of her own industry to utilize her abun dant natural resources. The board called for the ship pers’ freedom in the selection of reasonable joint routes and rates of the same or different types of transportation facilities to speed commerce. CHINA: Seek Unity With the Japanese tightening their grip on China through their con trol of her seaports and productive industrial centers, Chiang Kai-Shek moved to gird the country for a final stand against the enemy by drawing the Communists in the north fully into the battle. As Chiang met with Communist leader Lin Tso-han, Chinese regu lars continued their drive into northern Burma, in an effort to join up with Lieut. Gen. Joseph Stil well’s troops moving eastward from India, and thus open a new supply route to China. Upon the extent of Chiang’s con cession of self-rule and participation in the Chinese central government to the Communists reportedly will rest the degree of their cooperation. BRITISH EMPIRE: Favor League Having concluded their long con ference with Prime Minister Churchill. Britain’s dominion pre miers packed their bags for the trip homeward, but not before issu ing a statement favoring a world peace organization and avowing a fight to the finish against the com mon enemy. “We affirm that after the war a world organization . . . should be set up and endowed with the neces sary power and authority to pre vent aggression and violence,'* the premiers said. “We rejoice in the unquenchable spirit of our comrade!! in every country still in the grip of the enemy.’* the premiers declared. "We shall not turn from the conflict till they are restored to freedom. Not one who marches with us shall be abandoned.” MISCELLANY: LESS MEAT: There will be about ten pounds less meat per capita available during the latter half of the year, the bureau of agricultural economics estimates. This would mean that average consumption per person for the six month period would total 67.5 pounds, about the same as in the second half of 1943, when all meats were on the ration list. REHABILITATION: Navy Program After six months of operation of the rehabilitation program for men and women at the U. S. naval hos pital at Great Lakes, exhibits told an interesting story of the success of the project under direction of Lieut. Comdr. R. E. Kinneman. On display were fancy scarves, purses and belts In yellows, whites and greens. There were such use ful articles as ash trays and bill folds, and such chippery bric-a-bracs as clay turtles and yam dogs. Pic tures caught the charm of the out doors and depicted naval life. Created to stimulate the minds of patients as well as restore the mobility of injured limbs, the re habilitation program also has served to help the convalescents to uncover many talents of which they were never aware. OIL: New Field With the discovery of a promis ing big oil field in Mississippi which already has brought in two large wells, attention was focused on a whole tier of southeastern states. According to oil authorities, ap proximately '155,000 miles of terri tory at the roots of the Appalachian mountains in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mis sissippi are underlain by sedi mentary rocks, which might bear much petroleum. Although a 130,000 mile territory in Texas and Louisiana has already given up 14 billion barrels of oil, authorities’ enthusiasm for the pros pective southeastern field has been tempered by reports that its zones for accumulation of petroleum are fewer in number and the thickness of the sedimentary rocks are less than in the Texas and Louisiana re gions. LABOR: Foremen Rock Three thousand five hundred members of the Independent Fore men’s association or America trooped back to their jobs in Detroit, Mich., plants after the chief of the army a i r forces, Gen. H. H. Arnold, de clared their strike had already cost production of 250 long-range P-51 fighter planes and could affect inva sion operations. As a result of the foremen’s walkout over demands for union recognition which industry op posed on its tradi tional grounds tnat en. Arnold foremen are a part R. II. Keyes 0f management, nearly 50,000 work* ers had been laid off because of the lack of adequate supervision of production. Following General Arnold's testi mony, the association’s national president, Robert H. Keyes, issued instructions for ending the strike, charging the government with de laying settlement of the case. REFRIGERATION: Ease Space With warehousemen and food handlers cooperating fully with the War Food administration’s informa tion centers, cooler occupancy was at 82 per cent In May, with much space of this type not ordinarily used at this time well filled. At the same time, WFA an- I nounced that freezer occupancy j stood at 85 per cent in May, with much room made available by the clearance of fruits, vegetables and poultry. With demand for cooler space ex- j pected to continue, WFA revealed that it would push its program for converting cooler space at 32 degrees to 50 degrees to freezer space at 31 degrees and lower, and vice-versa. JOINT COMMAND: Dratvs Support The touchy question of combining the different branches of the serv ices into a single command, so strongly favored by the army, drew the support of President Woodrow Wilson’s secretary of the navy. Josephus Daniels. Mincing no words, Daniels de clared that the disaster at Pearl Harbor resulted from a divided command, and asserted: “History Is replete with the squabbles be tween the army and navy which prolong wars, showing the neces sity of combination.” When he was working for uni fication of the services during World War I, Daniels said, Secretary of War Undley Harrison told him: ( “Joe, 1 don’t care a damn about the navy and you don’t care a damn about the army. You run your machine and 1 will run mine.” ; DISEASE The campaign against social dis eases scored a victory on one front and lost ground on another last year. In the second half of 1943 there, was a decline of 16 per cent in new cases of syphilis among civilians but gonorrhea cases jumped II per cent The number of new syphilis cases for the six months term was 245,000, compared with 290.out) u> the second half of 1942. Gonorrnea cases were set at 158,000, compared with 137,000 in the latter part of the preceding year. Allies, Holding Offensive, Have Invasion Advantage ‘Veritas/ Famed British Military Expert, Sees Nazis Handicapped by Being Pinned Inside Defense Circle. - By BAUKHAGE \rwi Analyst and Commentator. W’NU Service, Union Trust Building Washington, D. C. What happens when ‘‘the coiled springs of action” are released in the cataclysm of invasion? Europe is enveloped in the smoke and confusion of battle and only oc casionally does this fog lift "show ing the swaying forms of vast ar mies amid the screaming clatter of mechanized combat." It descends again "blotting out the view and leaving us uncertain as to the shape of the plan.” That is the observation of one of the keenest British military experts, "Veritas," whose privately circulat ed analyses are cabled to this coun try and eagerly scanned by persons most interested in the conflict now going on. And Veritas reminds us that we can only maintain our sense of perspective and proportion if we keep carefully in mind certain fun damental aspects of the military sit uation from the German standpoint. This, likewise, applies to the politi cal aspects. A well-known psychologist, Dr. Norman Maier of the University of Michigan who predicted the failure of the Munich appeasement program by demonstrating in advance that according to psychological princi ples, it could not succeed, recently made some interesting observations. He said that Hitler would be liqui dated and a revolution would take place in Germany as soon as the last of the "myths" created by the German propagandists for the pur pose of lulling the Germans into a false sense of security were explod ed. The Germans, he explains, be long to a “frustrated society.” Hit ler cured their frustration with ag gression, when aggression is frus trated, nothing else will be left. Revised Propaganda This type of “security” propagan da being fed to the German people had to be revised recently. So much had been said about the strength of Nazi fortifications that the leaders realized the people had developed what they called a "Maginot mind.” In other words, they had become reassured to the point of compla cency. Therefore, the more recent propaganda foreshadowed success ful landings by the Allies and played up the second line of defense. For instance, it was stated that the city of Lyons was fortified to re sist operations in case it became the center of the conflict (Lyons is 200 miles inland). Thus, the effort was made to pre serve the myth of security up to the las^ moment. As to the possibility of revolution before desperation seizes the Germans, that is slight. It is probable that the Overmans might, oust the Nazis novt if they dared; but it is doubtful if anything short of the sheer desperation fol lowing defeat will turn them against the guns of the black shirts. A Swiss who returned from Berlin Just before the^day and night bomb ing of Germany began, said: “There can be no thought of revo lution. The Gestapo and the SS are too powerful.” He recited this incident: ‘•An Italian worker who was pass ing through the Friederichstrasse was just about to pick up (after the bombing of a cigarette factory) one of the many boxes of cigarettes ly ing around on the ground. Nearby was a young SS man armed with an automatic pistol . . . without any previous warning, he took aim and shot the Italian down.” This is said to be a typical inci dent and the Swiss declared that a German woman who drops her pock etbook does not dare to stoop over and pick it up. The Military Aspects The military aspects are a very different matter. The great strength of German strategy built on “in terior lines” has been turned to a weakness. A nation on the offensive which can strike overpowering blows at any point it chooses along the perimeter of the territory it con trols has a great advantage. Its lines are short, they are pro lected, they move from the center outward like the radii of a circle. The opposing power must laborious ly follow the circumference—witness the supply lines froi#i the Allies to Russia which have to sweep around all of Europe to Murmansk or all around Africa to the Middle East. But interior lines become a weak ness when a nation goes on the de fensive. As a matter of fact. Gen eral von Clausewitz. who wrote one of the most authoritative books on strategy, said: ‘‘When you have to go on the de fensive, it is too late to go on the defensive.” When you do so, interior lines make it all the worse. Veritas comments on the position of the enemy in the present situa tion as follows: ", . . the fact that he is inside a circumference which he must main tain is a deadly disadvantage be cause he is pinned down at every point on the circle, whereas his op ponents are free to exploit their la tent advantages of exterior lines by hitting everywhere at once if they choose.” Therefore in viewing the present situation in Europe we must bear these two factors in mind: First, the Nazis can hold down the revolution within until the Germans realize that their last myth of se curity is exploded. But second, the strategic position of the Allies, cou pled with their superiority in man power, air power and amount of equipment, gives them a decided ad vantage. Through the fog of the battle, the occasional glimpse we catch must be interpreted in the light of these fundamentals. Training for Farmera Recently, the Office of Defense Transportation announced that pub lic vocational training schools in 190 cities throughout the country were turning over to the automotive in dustry a “constantly increasing number of workers trained in one or more phases of automotive indus try.” The United States Office of Edu cation is sponsoring the automotive maintenance training program. They are trying to help fill the gap in automotive maintenance person nel caused by the war. But what many people do not realize is that it is also conducting courses that directly touch the farm. Congress appropriated $12,500,000 for the food production war training program which the Office of Educa tion administers. The minimum age limits for both out-of-school and in-school persons have now been removed and all courses are now offered to urban as well as rural persons. Twenty-two courses are being of fered in which the farmer is inter ested, and they run all the way from the operation, care and repair of tractors, trucks and automobiles to soil and water conservation. And besides the various handiworks in the mechanical line around the farm such as machinery repair, wood working, elementary electricity and construction of farm machinery and equipment, there are special courses in milk production, poultry produc tion, eggs, pork, beef, mutton, lamb, wool, soybeans, peanuts and various commercial vegetable production. There is general training for farm workers, production of fruit and nuts, vegetable gardening and pret ty nearly everything that one has to know how to do around a farm. These courses are conducted through the cooperation of the pub lic schools and are responsible to the state board for vocational edu cation. William T. Spanton, chief of the division for vocational agriculture, says he believes that on a dollar-for dollar basis, no appropriations made by congress to stimulate increased food production have contributed more to this end than has been true of the appropriations already made to the U. S. Office of Education for these specific vocational training programs. "Practically all of our 8,000 local departments of vocational agricul ture, scattered widely throughout the entire country,” says Mr. Span ton, "have available on the local school ground a well-equipped farm shop building where courses in farm machinery repair are given to farm ers and where, at the same time, their much-needed farm machinery and equipment can and is being ac tually overhauled and repaired.” B R I E F S . . . by Baukhage — Of the 20,000 Australian civilian* now employed by the U. S. army in the Southwest Pacific, about 30 per cent are women, as reported by a Melbourne broadcast to the U. S. • • • The rice produced in China's Jap anese-occupied hiansu and Che kiang districts can be bought only by the Japanese at a fixed price, to be sent to Japan for military use. The Tokio government has organ ized home guard corps in 13 key centers of Japan in preparation for Allied air raids. • • * British and American airmen have been dropping copies of a Dutch-language weekly newspaper and a monthly magazine over occu pied Holland since last May. it was disclosed in London recently. Jledd** Looking at HOLLYWOOD THE other day when I was at the M-G-M studio I decided to call on my old friend Sidney Franklin. He’s their top producer now, and the only one who has proved himself worthy of stepping into Irving Tbal berg’s shoes. If you challenge this I’d like to remind you that it was Sidney who directed such films as "The Good Earth," "Barretts of Wimpole Street,’’ "8milin’ Through,’* and "The Guards- _ man.” And he has produced “Goodbye, Mr. Chips,” "Mrs. Miniver,” “Mad ame Curie,” “Random Har vest,” and “White Cliffs.” How’s that for a record? Guess there can be no protest Sidney Franklin about whose shoes Sidney Franklin is standing In! We’ve been friends for so many years I don’t like to count them. Let’s settle for a quarter of a cen tury! So when I breezed up to his office I knew I’d be welcome. How ever, I knocked politely and waited. A barking dog answered me, so I opened the door and walked in. What met my startled glance? Four sol emn men were seated in a semi circle looking intently at Sidney, who was crawling on his hands and knees from behind the couch, bark ing! ‘‘What gives?” says I. Sidney rose, blushed a little, and extended his hand. ‘‘I haven’t gone to the demnition bowwows,” says he. "I was just acting out the pup’s scene!” There** Teamwork And there you have the answer to his success; there isn’t even the smallest role in any of his pictures that doesn’t come alive in Sidney’s office before the scenario is handed over to the director and actors. These men with him were writers, director, and art director. They filed out soberly, as we all do when we have just been impressed by some one’s knowledge and integrity, leav ing Sid and me to talk about the old days; about those years of struggle and all they entail. Sidney likes to talk about the past. So do I. Sidney came here from San Fran cisco 30 years ago. He was then a school boy on a summer vacation, hanging around the gates of the old Selig studio and trying to catch a glimpse of the mysteries beyond. One day a husky guy was unload ing equipment from a big van. He saw this shy kid looking up at him with eager eyes. ‘‘Wanta lug this camera into the studio for me?” Gadgets to Grease Paint Sidney sprang into action, and once inside those gates, they couldn’t get rid of him. There was drive and determination in that kid. By the time he took a job in the old Hobart Bosworth studio, about a year later, he had schooled himself to do so many chores, and to do them well, that he was nicknamed Sid Detail. Then came that memo rable day when an actor didn't show up. He was scheduled to play oppo site a growling grizzly bear! Sev eral actors refused the role. At last driven to desperation, the director yelled, ‘‘Where's Sid Detail?” Around the corner came little Sid —so thin he could sit on a dime and show the edges. He looked at the bear. The bear looked at him. But Sid Detail was used to taking orders, and the director was telling him what he was to do in the scene. An hour later, when the cameras stopped grinding, a come dian was born. He could have taken his place beside Harold Lloyd or the others Brawn and Brain All of us urged him to go on act ing But he lacked the self-exploita tion actors need. Direction inter ested him more. In that capacity he could express himself behind the camera, pulling the strings, a shadowy figure on the sidelines. But, having the potentialities of a fine actor, he helps his writers to visualize scenes, always acting out every role until they themselves can detect any false situations or actions. A hard taskmaster—all per fectionists are But his writers love him, even when he wears them to the bone. One of them said: “Hedda, that guy works from the heart as well as the brain In story confer ences he's inspirational and untir ing.” I smiled. I’d listened to the same story for years, but in spite of this grueling work in the Franklin unit there isn’t a writer who doesn't plead for the opportunity. Impressive Christening I’ve done nothing to deserve the honor that was bestowed on me re cently, when I christened one of Douglas’ C-47 ambulance planes which the company is naming Hedda Hopper. Having one of those giant birds of mercy bearing your name is something to haVe lived for . . . When Asia, "Thin Man’s" dog, hears his name he barks, so a line in “Thin Man Comes Home" about Astor hotel had to be changed to Sherry-Netherlands hotel. Whenever they said "Astor," the dog barked ON THE HOME 'ml mill CFRONT; RUTH WYETH SPEARS HERE is a cookie jar that may be made at home from odds I and ends of wood stenciled with gay peasant figures and quaint let tering. But that is not all. This jar or box sits on an old fashioned brightly painted corner shelf 'USE ACTUAL-SIZE PATTERN TO -- CUT COOKIE BOX |g AND CORNER MBL. SHELF OF THIN WOOO H STENCIL f Peasant figures k AND LETTERING | ON BOX which may be cut out of thin wood and put together quickly with glue and brads. Even if you do not have a jig saw or a coping saw to cut out the graceful curves of the shelf pieces, you may mark the design on a piece of plywood or other thin wood and have it cut at your near est woodworking shop. As for the cookie box, it is all straight cuts. • • * NOTE—Mrs. Spears has prepared an actual size pattern for this corner shelf and cookie box; also a stencil pattern with complete color guide for the lettering and peasant figures; all on one large sheet which will be mailed for 15 cents which Includes cost and postage. Ask for Pat tern 266 and write direct to: MRS. RUTH WYETH SPEARS Bedford Hills New York Drawer 10 Enclose IS cents for Pattern No. 266. Address_ One May Take Sun Bath While Watching Movie A new installment for theaters has been announced to avoid the embarrassing experience of unin tentionally sitting on a strang er’s lap in finding a seat in the dark. Entire theater is flooded with ultraviolet radiation at low inten sity. 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