WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Allies Close on Ruhr Valley;
Japs Gird for U. S. Invasion;
Forecast Cut in Grain Acreage
_ Released by Western Newspaper Union .
(EDITOR’S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of
Western Newspaper talon's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
Indicative of high cost of taking Iwo Jima is this marine graveyard
on the Island, with row upon row of little white crosses. Approximately
4,000 Americans were killed in the struggle.
EUROPE:
Ruhr Target
To 60-year-old Field Marshal Al
bert Kesselring went the hapless Job
Kcttsclrlng
of assuming su
preme command of
German armies in
the west as U. S.
and British forces
closed on the vital
Ruhr valley after
having conquered
the coal and iron
rich Saar basin to
the southwest.
In picking Kessel
ring to try to hold
the sagging German
front In the west, Hitler chose
an ardent Nazi, who gained notice
through his development of strong
defensive lines in Italy. Trusted by
the Nazis to stand fast in the face of
the overwhelming Allied onslaught,
Kesselring succeeded Field Marshal
Von Rundstedt, who was relieved
of his command following reports
that he had failed to negotiate an
armistice with General Eisenhower.
As Kesselring took over the Ger
man command, his hard-pressed
forces faced the Canadian 1st, Brit
ish 2nd and U. S. 9th armies on
the western border of the Ruhr,
while the U. S. 1st army built up
strength for a drive to the south of
the vital industrial valley from its
Remagen bridgehead.
Following a tremendous concerted
aerial bombardment aimed at soft
ening up the enemy’s rear areas,
these four Allied armies stood ready
to strike to the east of the Rhine
and break into the open German
plains on the high road to Berlin.
Farther to the south, the U. S. 3rd
and 7th armies, having cleaned out
the Saar, drew up against the for
ested mountain country to the east
of the Rhine in this sector.
Double Trouble
Thus, while Kesselring had his
hands full trying to hold the Allied
armies off from the open northern
plains, German commanders in the
east experienced equal difficulty
meeting the Russian onslaught over
the other end of the level northern
country in the east. From Stettin
southward, the Reds menaced the
serried defenses of Berlin while
the Nazis still talked about a last
ditch fight behind concrete pillboxes,
bunkers, tank traps and irrigated
flat land.
Though massed in the greatest
strength before Berlin, the Reds also
exerted considerable pressure to the
south, seeking to batter their way
through the mountain masses in Up
per Silesia to enter Czechoslovakia,
and smashing at German defenses
In western Hungary in an effort to
reach Austria.
U. S. SAVINGS:
In Billions
With a wartime economy restrict
ing the supply of civilian goods, and
Income at peak levels, Americans
continued to pour billions of dollars
into savings, the Securities and Ex
change commission reported.
With Americans putting away
nearly 25 per cent of their incomes
in cash, bank deposits and govern
ment securities within the last two
and one-half years, total holdings of
these assets reached 148 billion
dollars at the end of 1944.
In saving 40 billion dollars last
year, 10 times as much as in 1940,
Americans amassed an addition
al 17 billions in cash and bank de
posits; 15 billions in government
bonds; 3% billions in insurance,
and 900 millions in savings and
loans associations.
CITY EMPLOYEES
The 852,000 employees of the na
tion's cities and towns draw a
monthly payroll of $122,000,000, the
International City Managers associ
ation reported. Despite the decline
in number of employees, however,
the total payroll has shown a steady
advance during the last two years.
Accompanying the general decline
in number of municipal employees
was a general increase in length of
the regular, or normal work-week for
city hall personnel, though much
occurred in the smaller cities.
«
PACIFIC:
Fear Invasion
Making no bones about their fear
of an invasion of their homeland, the
Japanese government moved fever
ishly to prepare the country for the
eventuality, while at the same time
pushing efforts to organize occupied
China against a thrust from U. S.
forces.
Her predicament underlined by
the U. S.’s gradual advance toward
the homeland, and the destructive
aerial raids on her great urban cen
ters, Japan's leaders called for the
establishment of virtual martial law
in the country, permitting expropri
ation of land and demolition of
buildings for defense purposes.
Though high military authorities
believe that Japan, like Germany,
will not be bombed out of the war
because of the decentralization of
her industry, U. S. attacks have
cut into some of the enemy’s pro
ductive capacity, besides causing
serious civilian dislocations. Al
ready, almost half of Tokyo’s civil
ian population has been evacuated,
it was said.
Besides impairing the home
effort, sueh raids as the recent
carrier plane attacks on the
Japs’ great inner naval base in
the Inland sea bounded by the
home Islands of Honshu, Kyushu
and Shikoku serve not only to
rripple the enemy fleet hut also
damage important repair and
anchorage facilities.
Although the Japs feel that an>
direct assault on the homeland
would give them the advantage of
short supply lines and land bases
from which to develop counter-meas
ures, they are looking worriedly to
the Chinese coast, where they be
lieve the U. S. might drive ashore
to set up invasion bases.
Thus, high military authorities pre
sume, the enemy will continue to
play for time in such outlying bat
tle zones as the Philippines and
Burma to permit further develop
ment of Chinese resources and
additions to the 600,000 Chinese
troops reportedly fighting for them
so as to be better able to meet an
invasion of that country.
CROP ACREAGE:
To Drop
Because of a decrease In hog
numbers in their own lots, an ex
pected drop in demand for feed
grains and a switchover to crops
with lower labor requirements,
farmers will put fewer acres to im
portant grain in 1945, the U. S. de
partment of agriculture reported.
Basing its report on farmers' dec
larations of intentions, the USDA
said that com acreage would be
down 3 per cent under 1944, barley
14 per cent, and soybeans 2Vfc per
cent. As exceptions, wheat acreage
was expected to increase 4^ per
cent and oats 8 per cent.
In addition, the USDA's reports
on acreages for other crops showed
general decreases from last year,
with increases forecast only for
sugar beets, flaxseed, tobacco and
rice.
With the weather generally favor
able, finances ample and seed and
feed plentiful, chief obstacles to 1945
production lie in manpower and ma
chinery shortages, the USDA de
clared. Indicated acreages in dec
larations of intentions might
be notably changed through the
year, the USDA said, in accord
ance with influences in weather,
price fluctuations, manpower, fi
nances and the effect of the report
itself on farmers’ plans.
Staples Output_
Wool production declined along
with sheep numbers in the Unit
ed States in 1944 with produc
tion, both shorn and pulled, esti
mated at 418,094,000 pounds com
pared with 449,578.000 pounds
produced in 1943. Average local
market prices in 1944 were 42.4
cents per pound, however, com
pared with 41.6 cents per pound
in 1943. Number of sheep shorn
is estimated at 9 per cent less
than 1943 or 44,324,000 head.
FOOD:
Overseas Demands
The food situation continued ta
occupy the country's attention, with
the conviction growing that Ameri
cans will have to give their belts a
long pull inward to help feed dis
tressed civilians in liberated coun
tries.
But if the food situation took the
spotlight in the U. S., it also aroused
interest in Britain, where Prime
Minister Churchill told the house of
commons that the country only had
less than 6 million tons of food in re
serve instead of the 700 million sug
gested by some quarters in America.
Some of It was being used to feed
needy Europeans, he said.
Following President Roosevelt’s
statement that It was only decent
for Americans to share some of
their food supplies with hungry
Europeans, and reports that the
army's share of meat would be in
creased 4 per cent during the next
three months to help feed people in
the war zones while U. S. civilians’
would be slashed 12 per cent, it was
announced that the United Nations
Relief and Rehabilitation adminis
tration (UNRRA) would require
about 800 million pounds of food
from this country during April, May
and June.
Food other than meat composes
UNRRA’s largest claim on U. S.
stocks, with calls for meat amount
ing to 1 out of every 350 pounds of
the nation's civilian supply, it was
said. Deliveries of grain, flour and
other cereal products top the list,
with meat and fat and then beans
and peas, milk and sugar in order.
Of UNRRA's total requirements of
1,876,000,000 pounds of food for the
next three months, the U. S. is ex
pected to furnish 42 per cent, with
Canada supplying 38 per cent and
other United Nations the rest.
May Cut Draft Calls
With the services expected to
be built up to full strength by
July, 1945, monthly draft calls
thereafter may be cut from the
present 135,000 to 93,000 to fur
nish replacements. President
Roosevelt revealed.
At the same time, a congres
sional committee was told that
although draft calls would be re
duced after Germany’s defeat,
young men will continue to be
inducted during the Japanese
war to replace discharged vets.
Previously, selective service
announced that some 145,000
men from 18 to 29 years of age
In the steel, transportation, min
ing and synthetic rubber indus
try would be deferred as essen
tial workers, breaking the for
mer policy of exempting only
about 30 per cent in any field. As
a result, older men in the 30 to
37 age group will have to be
inducted to make up the differ
ence, it was said.
POLIO:
Kenny’s Problem
Unable to enlist the support of the
nation's medical leaders for her
treatment of infantile paralysis,
Australia’s Sister Elizabeth Kenny
announced her decision to leave this
country if congress failed to look
into the difficulties that have beset
her since her arrival here.
Although Sister Kenny’s decision
to leave the country came upon the
heels of the National Foundation for
Infantile Paralysis’ refusal of a re
quest for $804,000 for the Kenny in
stitute in Minneapolis. Minn., she
said that money was no object, since
the people of the latter city already
had raised $400,000 for her work
and undoubtedly could double the
figure.
Rather, she said, her decision to
leave was prompted by the medical
profession’s failure to provide as
sistance for further research into her
theory of treatment. Without such
research, she declared, her presence
here was no longer necessary since
others have been trained in her pres
ent methods.
MIDNIGHT CURFEW:
New York in Line
Having enjoyed an extra hour of
night frolicking for a few days. New
York’s milling merrymakers found
themselves out on the streets at mid
night again, following the amuse
ment owners’ decision not to take
advantage of Mayor La Guardia's
one hour extension of the govern
ment’s 12 a. m. curfew, imposed to
conserve fuel and manpower.
First accepting La Guardia’s one
hour reprieve in the face of wide
spread criticism, the amusement
owners’ own hands were forced
when both the army and navy or
dered their personnel to leave the
nighteries at midnight in obedience
to the government regulation.
Before the New Yorkers decided to
close their doors. War Mobilization
Director Byrnes said it was impos
sible for the government to enforce
the midnight curfew, since it lacked
the police necessary.
SHIP EGGS BY AIR
More than 5,000 hatching eggs
have been shipped successfully by
airplane from the United States to
tropical American countries to de
velop poultry industries as part of
an inter-American food-growing pro
gram.
The University of Maryland pre
viously had demonstrated the prac
ticability of shipping eggs by plane
within the United States and its aid
and that of the U. S. department of
agriculture was enlisted for the ex
Deriment
New Committee Controls
Clamor for Food Stocks
Directs Allocation of Limited Supplies;
Heavy Demands Made on Army to Feed
Civilians in the Fighting Zones.
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C.
The fight for food is on and a lot
of people who "don’t know there’s a
; war going on" are going to learn
about it at the breakfast table.
The first shot was fired in the
battle of the bureaus in Washing
ton by Food Administrator Marvin
Jones early this month. Since then
the President was moved to express
, himself on the subject at a White
House press and radio conference.
When he casually tosses off some
comment like that it means a lot of
memoranda have been written on
the subject. We will have to take
at least one hitch in our belts.
However, the situation is not quite
as black as painted but unless it is
painted as black as possible it will
be blacker. I choose the word black
advisedly for that is the color of the
markets that arise to thwart the
war effort everywhere.
It w.as a realization of this fact
that caused the quiet, modest, soft
spoken Marvin Jones to shout a loud
spoken “Halt” to this food-ordering
spree, begun in the last months by
the various agencies whose job it is
to get food but not to grow it. Amer
ica was doing pretty well, that is
the American farmer was doing
pretty well making two and some
times four blades of this and that
grow where only one grew before
and by teaching the cows and the
chickens how to multiply. We were
feeding ourselves pretty well at
home, we were turning out a G.I.
ration the like of which fighting men
never put their teeth into (in such
quantity and quality) before.
Also considerable food—though not
nearly as much as was asked for—
was going out to countries in the
immediate vicinity of the war zones
and under the lend-lease arrange
ment. UNRRA was making some
shipments but not many.
Jones Locks
Cupboard Door
Food Administrator Jones knew
about what could actually be shipped
abroad and ht^v much was needed
at home and he was able, with the
help of the sweating tillers of the
soil, to conjure it out of terra firma.
Then all of a sudden things began
to happen, and the demands on Un
cle Sam’s larder began to swell in
such proportions that Jones said it
would be bare as Mother Hubbard's
cupboard if ail the hungry folk got
there before he locked the door.
"There just isn’t that much food
in the world,” one of Jones’ lieu
tenants told the newsmen.
There is something about the busi
ness of sowing and reaping, of breed
ing and feeding, of plowing, harrow
ing and thrashing that just can’t
be hurried. Jones knows that. The
President knows Jones knows it and
so he listened to Jones.
The edict went out, no more food
shipped to anybody anywhere, ex
cept for the army and navy and the
already-agreed-upon lend-lease ship
ments, until it is approved by a com
mittee composed of the agencies
who take the food and the one which
produces it. This committee is pre
sided over by Leo Crowley, the Pres
ident’s No. 1 trouble shooter. The
army, the navy, the shipping admin
istration and the food administrator
are members of that committee.
Besides feeding its own mouths
the army has to feed the people in
the battle areas in which it lives.
You have to maintain the economy
of those areas if you live and fight
in them. The Germans had to do
it and that is why when they depart
ed (fcaking everything movable with
them) the liberated areas were
worse off as far as eating went than
they were before. As our army
moves forward more and more
areas must be fed.
Also as they move ahead and lose
interest in the economy of the areas
farther back, or as countries be
come completely liberated as
France, Belgium, and most of the
Balkans have been, food is essen
tial to keep the peace.
There is nothing so conducive to
revolution and civil strife generally
as an empty stomach. The function
of alleviating the distress in these
countries falls to UNRRA which so
far has not been able to do much.
One reason for this, which applies
also to countries which don’t need
borrowed food, but can buy it, is the
lack of ships. Ships have to be used
to carry war supplies.
Until January such supplies as
UNRRA could send had to be sand
wiched in in "broken lots” between
guns and shells and what have you.
In January two full shipments went
over. And they got a hurry call to
distribute food to some of the “left
behind” areas which the army had
been taking care of.
These are the things which swelled
the flood of demands on Marvin
Jones’ boys. These and many oth
ers like them.
Europe's Distribution
System Collapses
Hiere are two potential factors
which will bring even heavier de
mands from the hungry world. One
is the gradual restoration of trans
portation media within the devas
tated areas and the other is the
eventual release of more shipping.
The latter cannot be expected soon
for even when the organized re
sistance in Europe ends—as it might
before these lines reach you—many
ships must be diverted for use in
transporting men and supplies from
Europe to the Pacific. Of course
such empty bottoms as move from
America to Europe can carry food
but many will be in service between
Europe and Asiatic waters.
At present the transportation sys
tem in France and the occupied
areas of France is one of the
greatest deterrents to shipping food
to Europe which exist. There is no
use of having food pile up in ports
waiting to be transshipped to the
interior.
One American who flew from Lon
don to Paris said that he did not
see one single bridge on the way.
Of course there are some left or the
army could not be supplied, but
thanks to one side or the other no
bridges remain in the pathway of
a retiring army if it can be helped.
We have seen what happened at
Remagen when the Germans failed
to smash the Ludendorf span before
the Yanks could grab it and use it.
A vivid example of how this de
struction of transportation has af
fected France is revealed in the sto
ry of the potato lamps. Normandy
is a rich farming country and there
is enough grain and potatoes to help
feed the impoverished French cities
of the interior if they could get it.
But there is no fuel or light in Nor
mandy. The Norman peasants can
afford to hollow out potatoes, fill
them with melted butter and attach
a wick to them. That is their only
means of light. Yet if the transpor
tation lines were going they could
get some oil from other places and
they could ship their butter and po
tatoes to people who sorely need
them.
At present food demands are
heavy and until now the allocation
of supplies has not been coordinat
ed. Government agencies which
didn’t have to produce the food, or
dered it. And their orders frequent
ly overlapped. Now all demands
will be screened through Crowley’s
committee and the food administra
tion will not be asked the impossible.
Purposely the same man is never
given the job of making up quotas
of desired war supplies and also of
actually producing them. It has been
found this is dangerous. There would
be too much temptation to cut the
quota to fit the available supplies.
Now a certain amount of rivalry ex
ists which forces each party to try
to get a little more than he thinks
he can. But there has to be some
one to act as final arbiter to bring
reach and grasp together with as
little spillage as possible.
The number of civilians employed
in the United States declined to 50,
120.000 in January, or to the lowest
figure since the record high peak of
54.750.000 was reached in July, 1943,
according to the Alexander Hamil
ton institute. Nevertheless, practical
ly the largest possible percentage
of the total labor force was em
ployed in January.
The decline in employment was
thus not due to a lack of jobs but to
a reduction in the available supply
of labor. The reduction in the la
bor supply was caused partly by
persons withdrawing themselves
from the labor force and partly by
persons entering the armed forces.
No alleviation of the labor shortage
is in prospect until after the war.
BARBS . . . by Baukhage
“In many places,” a Berlin broad
cast said, “the Volksturm has volun
tarily given up fighting.” The doc
trine of free-will turns up in the
strangest places.
The Federal Communications
commission reports a Jap broadcast
which talks of important construction
projects in Manchuria. Can it be
the emperor is thinking of moving?
The Finnish premier has called for
establishing a basis of understand
ing and friendly relations with Rus
sia. I’ll bet his face w'as red.
The curfew shall not ring tonight
for restaurants which serve meals
to war workers—which may encour
age some people who don’t like to go
home before midnight to join essen
tial industries.
Looking at
HOLLYWOOD
NOT so long ago some famous
Hollywood stars pushed the war
news off the front pages with ac
counts of their unsavory romantics
and knife-and-bottle parties, while
solid, high-minded actors went un
noticed.
This is not why I’m telling you
some things about Fred MacMur
ray today. I’m writing about Fred
because I think this pleasant, self
effacing young American actor,
who stands as high in the good opin
ion of his employ
ers, his cowork-!
ers, and his
friends as any
man in the indus
try, is a far more
interesting char
acter than the
stars who are tak
ing an unfair ad
vantage of their
fame and money.
Fred MacMur- _ , „ ,,
. .. Fred MacMurray
ray is the very
core of everything that is simple,
straightforward, and American. He’s
as down-to-earth as applesauce or
the boy next door. He’s the sort of
fellow every man and woman wants
a son to be. He’s got integrity—and
try and beat that word when you’re
groping for a tag to give the meas
ure of a man.
A record of 40 top pictures since
1935, when Fred came into motion
pictures from the New York stage,
is proof to doubters that you can
be all these things and roll up big
ger box office than the glamour
playboys any day. Less than a year
ago Twentieth Century signed Fred
MacMurray to a long-term contract.
They knew they had secured one of
the most valuable star properties
this industry ever produced. The
clear, fresh baritone which won him
a nod from Hollywood when he was
playing in “Roberta” on Broadway
and his slick way with a saxophone
are capitalized in "Where Do We Go
From Here,” his first for Twentieth.
“Double Indemnity,” was the last
big release in which he won public
approval.
Aims to Please
On the heels of this singing part,
Fred, with typical MacMurray ver
satility, embarked on the role he is
now shooting, “Captain Eddie,” the
story of the famous racing driver,
Eddie Rickenbacker. This is the
tale of an all-American—a typical
product of this democracy, like Fred
himself. His third will be “Pardon
My Past,” which Fred will produce
and star in as well.
He is deeply concerned with the
“customers” when it comes to mak
ing a picture. Other stars refer
to the public as “my audience” or
“my fans.” To Fred they’ll always
be “the customers,” and he’s of the
firm belief the customer is always
right.
His temperament, his art, and his
income never stand between him
and humanity. The very names that
build the framework of his biog
raphy are down to earth and all
American: Kankakee, 111., where he
was born, and Beaver Dam, Wis.,
where he grew up, and Carroll col
lege at Waukesha, Wis., where he
put the finishing touches on his edu
cation.
No Silver Platter
Like most successful men, Fred
helped earn that education. He won
the American Legion award for the
highest scholastic and athletic rec
ord at college. He bought a sax—
played it, too, in the American Le
gion band. When orchestra jobs were
thin Fred was a house-to-house
salesman of electrical appliances, a
store clerk—anything to keep him
and his mother going.
“I dread interviewers, Hedda,” he
told me, “because I’m bad copy. I’m
just a plain guy. My wife and I and
the Ray Millands have lots of fun
together just doing the things all the
millions of other taxpayers are do
ing around these United States. Noth
ing whimsical, nothing fancy.”
Fred and Lillian have two chil
dren—Susan, four, and Robert, one
year, both adopted. They want four
more and recently bought the Leland
Hayward home in Brentwood to
make room for the kids.
Down to Earth
*‘I don’t like to hold forth about
my notion of things. Why should my
opinions of life, love, death, and
taxes be any more interesting than
those of any man in the street?”
But there’s plenty going on in that
head of his. He’s a solid investor, j
Believes in property, in the land.
Owns a ranch near Santa Rosa with
purebred stock. He buys good pic
tures for his Brentwood home, etch
ings and canvases he likes to look
at and live with; not meaningless
things of vast value to serve as
publicity items.
* * •
Unfair to the Fair Sex
The New York theater has two dis
tinguished women producers—Mar
garet Webster and Antoinette Perry.
Paramount has a distinguished
woman — or did have — Phyllis
Laughton. Mitch Lei sen refused to
make pictures without her. Paulette
Goddard won’t do one without Miss
Laughton’s help. Paramount admits
she’s wonderful. The only reason
they won’t make her a full fledged
director is, so I'm told, they’re
afraid the men won’t take orders
from a lady. Since when, fellows?
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