I . —
I-WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS-,
Motorized Columns Spearhead
U. S. Advance Across Brittany;
Current Budget Tops 98 Billion
I Released by Western Newspaper Union. ■ ■■ — . ■
(F.orron'S NOTE: When eplnleae are espressed la these eslemns, they are thsee et
Western Newspaper l alen's news analysts and net necessarily ef this newspaper.)
France— With comrades covering their advance with gunfire, U. S.
infantrymen sprint down villago street in Normandy to new positions.
EUROPE:
Drive On
Smashing through weak, disorgan
ized German resistance, U. S. forces
bursting out of Normandy plowed
into Brittany, with powerful motor
ized columns driving on the big sea
port of Brest and the Nazi sub
marine base of St. Nazaire.
While Lieut. Gen. Omar Bradley's
U. S. forces put the foe to route in
the west, British troops smashed
forward in the central and eastern
sector of the front against stronger
German resistance, with the enemy
seeking to retard the advance with
continual armored counterattacks.
With prisoners streaming to the Al
lied rear, the bag was over 100,000
since D-day,
Disembarkation point for dough
boys during World War I and sec
ond largest port in France, Brest,
along with Cherbourg, would give
the Allies important terminals for
the convenient supply of their
armies after repair of the Nazis ex
tensive demolitions to facilities.
The race proud Polish capital of
Warsaw became a flaming battle
ground for the second time during
the war as Russian forces battered
through Its eastern environs on the
central sector of the eastern front.
On the northern end of the front,
the Reds strove to seal an estimat
ed 300,000 German
troops cut off in the
Baltic states from
other Nazi units
sorely pressed
around East Prus
sia by Russian
forces under com
mand of 36-year-old
Gen. Ivan Chernia
khovsky.
With the Russians
Gen. C hernia- only about 123 miles
khovsky from central Ger
many on the south
ern end of the front, the Nazis were
putting up a stand behind the Vis
tula river, while Hungarian and Ru
manian troops guarded the moun
tainous gateways to the Balkans.
In northern Italy, Allied forcea
girded for a full scale assault upon
the enemy’s vaunted "Gothic Line,"
with their advance on the new forti
fication system hewn In the moun
tainous terrain slowed by the foe’s
stubborn stand before the art center
of Florence.
DIPLOMACY:
Swing to Allies
With the Allies battering in Ger
man defenses throughout Europe,
neutral Turkey, with one eye closely
cocked on the impending peace ta
ble, took another step toward the
United Nations ranks by breaking
off political and economic relations
with the Nazis.
Meanwhile, little Finland moved
to reassert her independence with
Marshal Baron von Mannerheim as
suming the presidency from Risto
Ryti. who had bound the country to
a finish fight against Russia by Ger
many's side. With the Nazis report
ed to be pulling troops out of Fin
land, there was talk of peace nego
tiations with Moscow, with the Reds
demanding restoration of the 1940
border.
With Allied victories In Europe
consolidating their position In the
Near East, Turkey sought to gain
their favor by breaking with Ger
many, but not before it had ob
tained promises of military assist
ance in the event that the Nazis
should attack the country.
PRODUCTION:
Boost Needed
Because of an upward revision in
the requirements of heavy artillery
and ammunition, transport equip
ment, aerial bombs and communica
tions equipment, U. S. armament
production must be speeded up by
24 per cent by October, Lieut. Gen. 1
Brehon Somervell of the army serv
ice forces declared.
Revealing that manpower short
ages were the principal deterrents
to increased production, General
Somervell said that contributing fac
tors to the tight situation were ab
senteeism, a search for peacetime
jobs and the unpleasantness and low
er pay for work in such critical
heavy industries as forgings and
castings.
As Allied lines lengthened and the
pace of battle stepped up requiring
longer columns of transport and
more and more munitions, the need
for trucks, shells, bullets, etc., will
continue to rise. General Somervell
said, demanding stepped-up output.
U. S. BUDGET:
Near 100 Billion
Figuring on Germany’s defeat be
fore next summer but a longer war
against Japan, Budget Director Har
old D. Smith estimated U. S. expend
itures of 98V4 billion dollars during
the fiscal year ending next June 30.
Of the total of 98 M billion dollars,
about 89 billion will be for the war,
Smith said, with possible Increases
in the event that the European con
flict Is prolonged, requiring a great
er output of munitions.
With receipts estimated at 45'/4 bil
lion dollars, there will be a deficit
of over 52t4 billion, Smith predicted,
with the national debt rising to over
250 billion dollars.
PACIFIC:
Deadly Enemy
Pocketed by closing American
pincers on all of the South Pacific
fronts. Japanese soldiers were des
perately fighting to the last, with
U. S. troops literally advancing over
their dead bodies.
Following the heavy enemy loss
on Saipan, no less than 7,893 enemy
dead were counted in the fighting
on Guam, with Japanese units still
resisting, while 5,000 fell on Tinian,
with scattered bands directing
sniper fire from caves and dugouts.
To the south along the northern
New Guinea coast where a succes
sion of U. S. landings between
enemy forces cut them off from one
another, fierce Japanese efforts to
hack their way out of the steel trap
were countered by heavy American
resistance.
DRAFT:
Tighten Inductions
Although selective service re
affirmed its present policy of con
centrating on the induction of men
under 26, Draft Director Lewis B.
Hershey prodded local boards into
calling all men over that age not
engaged in an essential occupation.
At the same time. Director Her
shey instructed authorities to clean
up the reclassification of all men
over 28 in essential Industry from
1-A, only leaving non-deferables In
that group.
Originally, selective service’s pol
icy of concentrating on induction mt
men under 26 permitted postpone
ment of the drafting of all men over
26 regardless of the status of their
occupation.
HIGHLIGHTS . . . in the weeh’t newt
GIVE ’EM AIR: Firemen are cred- |
ited with saving the lives of thou
sands of fish—pickerel, black bass,
catfish and other varieties—that
were slowly suffocating in the North
Farms reservoir near Wallingford.
Conn. The firemen pumped part of
the water from the pond and then
■prayed it back, thereby aerating
it This Job took two days. Only 10
per cent of the fish have died.
EGGS: Production of egg* will
be considerably lower in the second
half of the year than in the first,
the department of agriculture esti
mates. Civilian supplies will not be
affected, it was added, because of
the record stocks in storage. Chick
ens will become less plentiful in the
months ahead, the department went
•n, and turkeys will be scarce be
cause of military demands.
STRIKE:
Philly Tied Up
Production of radar, heavy artil
lery, bombs and other ordnance was
seriously hampered in Philadelphia
when transportation lines running to
the surrounding war plants were
paralyzed by a strike of 6,000 bus,
trolley and subway operators over
the hiring of Negro drivers.
Adding to the transportation tie
up, which was only partially relieved
by OPA’s increase in gas rations to
permit use of automobiles, were
scores of clashes between whites
and negroes, flaring throughout the
whole city and accompanied by ex
tensive damage to property and loot
ing.
Although the army took over
operation of the lines upon Presi
dent Roosevelt's orders to carry
workers to their vital jobs, drivers
persisted in striking unless the com
pany discontinued its newly estab
lished practice of hiring negroes.
ROBOTS:
Damage Reported
Over 4,500 persons killed; 14,000
seriously injured and many more
only slightly hurt; 17,000 houses to
tally destroyed and 800.000 dam
aged to varying degrees--that was
the toll taken by the Germans’ ro
bot bombs during a seven week pe
riod, Prime Minister Churchill said.
Churchill revealed the extent of
the robot damage during a speech
In which he declared that the shape
of military events throughout the
whole perimeter of Hitler's Fortress
Europe indicated a possible early
victory, with continuing American
successes in the Pacific also raising
hopes for a shortened war against
Japan.
Although admitting the severe
damage from the robots, Churchill
said that the shower of buzz-bombs
would not crack British morale, add
ing: "There is no question of divert
ing our strength from the extreme
prosecution of the war or allowing
this particular infliction to weaken in
any way our energetic support of
our Allies."
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Tootsie, a six-year-old terrier
owned by Rose Smith of Chicago,
befriended Petunia, a stray cat, a
year ago.
So when Petunia was too weak
to nurse her kittens after bear
ing them recently. Tootsie nursed
them for her, allowing the fe
line to share in the feeding when
she bore puppies herself.
Animal authorities say that it is
unusual for a cat to permit a dog to
nurse her kittens while she is
around.
• • •
In Dedham, Mass., a 64-year-old
attorney, Woodbury Rand, left $100,*
000 for the care of his pet tomcat,
Buster, constant companion of the
millionaire lawyer during his last
illness.
Not only did Rand leave $60,
000 to the cat and $40,000 to a
housekeeper for Its care, but he
also provided that his radio,
sweaters, blankets, three elec
tric fans and favorite chair
should be used if they would con
tribute to Buster’s comfort.
Because of their “contemptuous
attitude and cruelty” toward the cat.
Rand cancelled $20,000 in beques.s
to nine cousins.
BIG BROTHERS:
Business Epic
More than 40 years ago, two of
the Fisher boys from Norwalk, Ohio,
came up to Detroit, Mich., to take
a job with the Wilson Body company.
Several years later, they started up
a business of their own, bringing
their four younger brothers in with
them as they grew up.
Building their business on the be
lief that people preferred closed auto
bodies, the six Fisher brothers de
veloped the famous body company
bearing their name, over which Gen
eral Motors corporation took con
trol in 1919. Sticking with the com
pany, they helped make “Body by
Fisher” a byword in the auto trade,
until last week when the last four
brothers remaining with the firm re
signed from active service.
Wealthy in their own right with
numerous investments in which a
seventh brother Is Interested, the
Fishers may again reenter the man
ufacturing field independently, it
was rumored.
BABY SERUM
A method of Immunizing Infants
against diphtheria and whooping
cough by a single Injection of serum
has been developed by three doc
tors connected with the Evanston.
111., health department. The phys
icians mixed diphtheria toxoid and
pertussis (whooping cought vaccine
and Injected 649 infants over a live
year period with a high degree of
success. Doses were given at three
week intervals and ene week inter
vals. The longer period gave mora
satisfactory results.
GOP to Inject Vigor of
Youth in 1944 Campaign
Dewey Leader Indicates Republicans Will
Hit at Machine Politics and Left
Wing Elements During Race.
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service. Union Trust Building.
Washington. D. C.
In a week or so the political cam
paigns will be warming up and al
ready the main lines of attack and
counter-attack have begun to form.
The bombs will explode far from
the banks of the Potomac—Republi
can headquarters and regional of
fices are already springing up and
their activities are far removed
from Washington's daily life. But
nowhere is the interest in politics
and the garnering of votes as great
as in this voteless city.
Before Candidate Dewey started
westward with Pittsburgh and St.
Louis station stops. Herbert Brown
ell, the new chairman of national
committee, visited Republican head
quarters here on Connecticut ave
nue to get acquainted. He did and
made a very good impression. As
one reporter remarked, “What a
change in the genus chairman.”
Brownell is quite a contrast to his
predecessor, Harrison Spangler, and
the accent is on youth. Brownell is
40, looks younger, although his dusty
blonde hair is sparse. He reminded
me of a fraternity brother (he hap
pens to be one, I discovered) who
was assistant professor of something
—not too highbrow—the non-academ
ic type. He is a Nebraskan and a
Mayflower descendant who won a
scholarship at his state university
which took him to Yale where he
edited the Yale Law Journal, no in
significant distinction.
Brings Dewey Closer
To General Public
He made an excellent law connec
tion in New York, was elected to the
■tate legislature and developed a
keen nose for politics which brought
him to the position of counsel tor
the state Republican committee. He
was one of the inner circle of the
Dewey group and liked Dewey as
those who are closest to him do and
unlike those in the middle distances,
who don’t. A part of Brownell's job
will be to bridge that gap. He or
somebody else has already been giv
ing lessons to the governor in the
charm school as was evident at his
first press conference in Chicago aft
er his nomination where he revealed
his training. The cynical Albany
press gang were a little taken aback
by the governor’s showing at that
time.
Dewey is naturally an introvert,
with a tendency toward egocentrici
ty. But he is one of the lucky ones
who knows it and from school days
he has struggled against the aloof
ness which often grows up around
the man who is always the head
of his class as Dewey was.
He is ready to help the Republi
cans put the accent on youth and
underline it heavily. Brownell fits
into that picture naturally and Dew
ey can be counted upon to match his
own conduct with his years as far as
vigor and energy go and he will
probably be able to acquire the
“hail-fellow” flavor for public rela
tions.
It is clear when you talk to Brown
ell that he is all for the "wim-and
wigger” type of electioneering. The
Democrats know what to expect.
They started a defensive-offensive i
on the need and wisdom and experi- 1
ence in their convention speeches.
They are going to try to prove that
when the contestants weigh in,
Democratic gray-matter will out-bal
ance the red corpuscles and vita- j
mins which their opponents display
and of which they will boast.
As we waited to interview Brown
ell on that muggy Washington after
noon, a figure emerged who may
have been exhibit A of the Republi
cans' immortal pep. He was the
man who nominated Taft for Presi
dent so you can date him. He was
former Sen. Jim Watson of Indiana
(born 1863), not juvenile, but he
hadn’t lost his up-and-at-’em. "As
Uncle Joe Cannon always used to
advise me," Senator Jim allowed to
all and sundry, " 'give ’em hell,
boys!' ”
I asked Brownell later if the Re
publicans intended to campaign in
"an unusual way." since the Presi
dent had said he wouldn't campaign
In the usual way. Brownell smiled
and replied with a sentence the bur
den of which was "energetic."
However, a pean to youth wdll not
be the only song in the Dewey
Bricker repertoire. Mr. Bricker’a
lush but powdery thatch doesn’t go
so well with that.
"Control of the Democratic par
ty," said Mr. Brownell, “rests whol
ly with two elements—the bosses of
the corrupt big city machines and
the radical left wingers who are
closer to communism than any oth
er political philosophy."
Right there you have two key
notes, the first which the ex-prose
cuting attorney can sound in all its
variations and no doubt he will.
The second will fit splendidly into
Mr. Bricker’s style of oratory and
will appeal to the audiences of the
Middle West, which were so moved
before Chicago that they almost
would not let him take a second
place on the ticket they wanted him
so badly to top.
Expect Dewey to Rip
Truman's Connections
A Democrat who was a Wallace
backer said to me just after the Tru
man bandwagon began to roll: "I
can’t figure out what this is all
about. They nominate a man who
got his start from the Pendergast
machine because Pendergast swore
he could take an unknown and make
him a senator and did. What will
Mr. District Attorney do to him?”
It is true Pendergast gave Tru
man his start, but whatever you
may think of Mr. Pendergast’s mor
als—they did land him temporarily
in jail—the one quality that every
body who knows Truman talks about
and the thing the senator’s record
points to, is honesty. But what are
facts in a political year anyhow?
Brownell hinted that there would
be plenty said about "Bosses of cor
rupt political machines.” So that’s
the scent and a fairly noisome one,
which you can expect the Republi
cans to follow lustily and in full cry.
Brownell was asked if the influ
ence of the CIO on the Democratic
party would be exploited. Brownell
merely said we could expect some
thing on that subject, too. He would
not say, however, whether he
thought that nominating Truman in
stead of Wallace, for whom Sydney
Hillman’s CIO political committee
was pulling so hard, strengthened
the Democratic ticket.
He was asked if he expected the
support of John Lewis. He didn’t
answer that directly but he did say
that he expected a large proportion
of labor support and that party lead
ers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Ohio and Illinois (where Lewis’
United Mine Workers are chiefly lo
cated) were strongly Republican
and that editorial writers of the
UMW periodicals and union leaders
had noticed the trend and were fol
lowing it.
The “don’t change horses” argu
ment will be met with arguments
offered at the Republican conven
tion, that there will be no change
in the American high command, no
interference with military leaders or
their strategy and then, of course,
there is the pious hope, too, that
should the war in Europe end be
fore the ides of November, the
stream will be reduced to such a
trickle that nobody will worry about
a little leap from one saddle to an
other saddle.
• • •
How War Maps
Are Made
“A map is the foundation stone
of any operation," says a long and
precise document issued by the Brit
ish Information service entitled,
"Liberating a Continent—Index to
Invasion."
I have had a little to do with the
making of war maps myself and
know that information that goes into
such maps comes from many
sources. Some of the data is as an
cient as the hills that are depicted
in the convolutions resulting from
painstaking topographical surveys
which show every three-foot rise.
Some of the data, on the other hand,
is so fresh from the fighting front
itself that the maps upon which it
is superimposed and furnished to of
ficers from the mobile lorry-borne
photo-litho printing equipment in the
fields are hardly dry. These field
map-producing units can be set up
and be ready to begin printing with
in 20 minutes. They can make re
productions of maps with recent
corrections on them and produce
them in color at the rate of 4.500
copies an hour.
B R I E F S . . • by Baukhage
Many state highways will be in
need of repairs and rebuilding by
the end of the war, according to an
Ofllce of War Information report,
based on data from the Public Roads
administration and state and private
agencies. At present, most impres
sive immediate program calls for
improving 34,000 miles of highways
recommended by the National Inter
regional Highway committee.
I
Farm operating loans have been
made to several hundred honorably
discharged servicemen who had no
other source of credit to finance food
production.
• • •
Farms, ranches and other non
institutional employers of seasonal
workers may now apply for allot
ments of rationed foods to feed work
ers hired for 60 days or less.
Lack of Machinery
Calls for Sharing
Million of Workers
Needed for ’44 Harvest
With the harvest season well un
der way in most farming areas, the
problem of getting enough labor and
machinery to do the job at the right
time is again present.
With little or no prospect of more
large combines and labor-saving
equipment for haying this season,
the War Food administration is urg
ing small grain producers to make
the greatest possible use of existing
machinery. Owners of combines
suitable for custom work will have
to help their neighbors to insure
harvest of the crop. Sharing of all
types of equipment will be neces
sary, says WFA, but the production
schedules have run far behind on
heavy machinery.
Custom use of large combines and
the more expensive types of haying
machines would be necessary even
If manufacturers had completed
their production schedules on time,
it is pointed out, as a result of cur
tailed manufacture since the begin
ning of the war and the failure of
some old machines to carry through.
Production of corn pickers was re
ported as lagging in late spring,
but there were prospects of a step-up
before the harvest. Shortages of
manpower for manufacturing plants
and of component parts for the ma
chines are reported as largely re
sponsible for production delays.
Emphasis is also being given to
the need for keeping old machines in
tip-top condition. While most farm
ers will have checked over their
equipment before harvest time, to
avoid breakdowns after the begin
ning of the work season, frequent
check-ups during the period of op
eration are also essential to efficient
use.
It is anticipated that some four
million volunteer urban workers will
be required to complete the harvest,
as farm population is at a 30-year
low and those remaining on farms
need every bit of help they can get.
Farm labor requirements are based
on farm production goals, set at an
other record-breaking level for 1944.
Requirements for volunteer farm
labor are for two million men, 1,200,
000 boys and girls, and 800,000 wom
en. In addition to increased use of
women and part-time workers, and
intensive local community recruiting
drives, labor recruitments include
more imported labor from Mexico,
Jamaica, the Bahamas and other
nearby countries, and a number of
available prisoners of war.
Processing plants handling large
quantities of the food produced by
America’s farmers are also in need
of some 750,000 part-time workers
before the end of the year.
Farm Income Moving
Toward a New High
After reaching a record high figure
in 1943, farm cash income has con
tinued to show expansion in 1944,
according to the Alexander Hamil
ton institute. Although government
benefit payments during the first
quarter dropped to $224,000,000 this
year from $271,000,000 last year, this
decrease was more than offset by a
gain in receipts from marketings.
Total farm income in the first
quarter this year amounted to
$4,511,000,000 as against $3,968,000,
000 in the same period last year, an
increase of 13.7 per cent. The in
crease in receipts from sales was
due partly to a 5.3 per cent higher
price level for farm products and
partly to a gain of 10.1 per cent in
the quantity sold.
The price level of goods which the
farmers bought was 8.0 per cent
higher than a year ago in the first
quarter. This was more than offset
by the gain in income and, conse
quently, the farmers’ purchasing
power showed a 5.2 per cent rise.
This gain in purchasing power, how
ever, was made in the first two
months. In March, the farmers’
purchasing power was slightly
smaller than a year ago, thus pro
viding support to the present expec
tation that the farmers’ purchasing
power for the year as a whole will be
smaller than in 1943 despite a record
high income in 1944.
The farmers’ cash income in 1944
is now estimated at $20,011,000,000
as compared with the previous high
record of $19,764,000,000 in 1943. The
increase which is now indicated will
not be sufficient to offset the pros
pective higher price level of goods
bought by the farmers. Consequent
ly, the outlook is that the farmers’
purchasing power in 1944 will be 3.4
per cent smaller than in 1943.
Meat Going to War
TCICFACT
WHEIE MEAT WIU GO IN 1944
w CIVILIANS
u s miutary
‘Y"^0* r«pr*»*nt» J%
EXPORTS 4 SHIPMENTS
6
SACTT MAR GW
Over and Again
T^ie war was over. Hitler’s
death finished it. And the corporal
\Jho had helped to lay the body un
derground was describing the
scene.
“The Germans put the coffin
down twenty-five times,” he said.
“Twenty-five times?” echoed his
listeners. “What for?”
“Encores,” said the corporal.
All Promise
Jasper — My cousin has entered n
promising carper.
Joan—Really? What's he doing?
Jasper—Writing political speeches.
Had Him Guessing
Anna—I’m so glad you like it,
dear. Mother says chicken salad
and strawberry tarts are the only
things I make correctly.
Alford—Which is this, darling?
“A new world is being born,”
said the political speaker. Judging
from the noise, it must be triplets.
She Got It!
Blonde—Dearie, l know it's none of
ny business, but l want to warn you
about going around with Wilbur Giss
sengoose. If you aren’t careful you’re
apt to get a bad name.
Brunette — I’ll have you know thatji
Wilbur is a very nice young man. I’m
fact, he proposed to me and we wetf' -
married yesterday!
Blonde—Just as l feared! Your name
is Gussengoose now, isn’t it?
New slogan: “Join the navy and
see what’s left of the world.”
Out Anyway
Jasper—My cousin has become
so fat that he can’t play golf any
more.
Joan—How's that?
Jasper—Well, if he puts the ball
where he can hit it, he can’t see
it. And if he puts the ball where
he can see it, he can’t hit it!
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