|-WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Allies in "Big Heave" Seal Off
Ruhr Valley Production Center;
Clay to Rule Occupied Reich
Released by Western Newspaper Unton -
(EDITOR'S NOTE: When eplnlena nre expressed In these columns, they are these sf
Westers Newspaper talon's news analysts and net necessarily ef this newspaper.)
German dead litter road as British Tommies drive toward Berlin In
root of enemy forces on 21st army front.
EUROPE:
Last Great Arsenal
The last great source of Ger
many’s supply of war materiel had
been sealed off as tanks of Lieu
tenant General Hodges’ U. S. 1st
army swept before them all resist
ance in their spectacular dash to
wards Berlin. The British 2nd army,
pounding across the north German
plain, had steadily drawn closer and
closer to the 1st army. Ruhr valley
war production centers had been ef
fectively sealed off.
Typical of the magnitude of the
American forces was the one-day
bag of 14,000 Nazi prisoners taken
by General Patton’s 3rd army in its
sensational drive eastward.
City after city had fallen into Al
lied hands under Eisenhower’s steam
roller. Among the rich prizes were
Frankfurt - on - the • Main (546,
000), ranking ninth in the German
Reich, Mannheim (283,000) which
fell to Lieutenant General Patch's
Tth army, and Essen which led all
Europe in the production of muni
tions.
Clearly the final doom of Nazi pow
er was sounding. Prime Minister
Churchill of Great Britain declared
he believed the "hour of success"
was at hand. Still some military
authorities pointed out that a final
Nazi stand might be made in moun
tainous southern Germany but
tressed by defenses in northern Italy
and the industrial resources of
Czechoslovakia.
Spring rains and fog had kept the
Italian front quiet, but observers
had expected Gen. Mark Clark’s
armies to begin massive smashes
northward.
Relentless Reds
In the East, Russian armies had
kept up their relentless pressure on
Berlin and elsewhere, with ar
mored divisions sweeping over the
Austrian border from western Hun
gary and closing ever closer on
Vienna.
Marshall Rokossovsky’s 2nd White
Russian army battered deeper into
Danzig.
Once unconditional surrender was
achieved, civil affairs in Germany
would be under direction of MaJ.
Gen. Lucius D. Clay, who had had
charge of materiel procurement for
the army service forces when War
Mobilization Director Byrnes bor
rowed him last December as his dep
uty In charge of the war program.
The appointment, the White House
said, was made by Gen. George
Marshall, army chief of staff. Clay
was appointed deputy to General
Eisenhower.
PACIFIC:
Worst to Come
Already feeling the sting of heavy
U. S. aerial bombardment, Japanese
found no comfort in Gen. H. H.
(*'Hap”) Arnold’s announcement
that America would bring the full
weight of its tremendous air power
to bear upon the Nipponese once the
war in Europe ended.
As Arnold spoke, the strategic
Ryukyu islands stretching between
the Jap homeland and Formosa be
came the latest target for American
assaults, with carrier planes team
ing with warships in blasting the 500
mile-long chain preparatory to
ground attack.
In declaring that the U. S. planned
to use every plane against the Jap
anese after Germany’s fall to has
ten their defeat. General Arnold
said that not only would Amer
ican air power smash the enemy’s
industry, but it would also shat
ter his communication lines to bring
about his collapse.
DEMOBILIZATION:
Small Scale
Though gome combat troops in
the European theater of war will be
demobilized after Germany'! fall, all
service, air force and naval person
nel will be retained to continue the
fight against the Japanese, officials
indicated.
Demobilization of some combat
troops will result from inability to
make full use of them in the Pacific
for geographic reasons, it was said,
but the exact extent of release will
depend upon conditions in Europe.
All members of the service branches
will be needed for the construction
of staging areas and bases in the
Pacific, and the air force intends to
bring its full weight to bear against
the Japanese.
Because all approaches to the Pa
cific theater of war are over water,
and because ships will have to bear
the bulk of supplies, all naval per
sonnel will be required to bring
about the Japanese’s fall as quickly
as possible, Fleet Admiral King de
clared.
MANPOWER:
Buck Controls
Though the President made a
strong appeal for passage of the
compromise manpower control bill,
under which plants would be limited
in the number of persons they could
employ and workers and farmers
alike would be frozen to present
jobs, the measure encountered rough
going in the senate.
Despite the fact that the legisla
tion fell short of military leaders’
demands for a labor draft, the Presi
dent said, its terms assured contin
ued high production for the knockout
blow against Germany, and provid
ed for keeping workers on the job
after the Nazis’ fall.
Senators pointed up the great war
time production record of the U. S.
tn opposing legislation tightening
control over both employers and em
ployees, and O’Mahoney (Wyo.) hit
arguments that passage of the bill
would convince G.I.s that the home
front was behind them. Rather, he
said, defeat of the measure would
assure licm of retention at home of
the freedoms for which they are
fighting.
TARIFF:
Fight Renewed
Calling for authority to slosh tar
iffs 50 per cent under January, 1945,
levels in an extension of the recipro
cal trade agreements act for three
years, President Roosevelt touched
off a renewal of the historic tariff
fight in congress.
While the President said that
further tariff cuts would offer
other countries the opportunity
to obtain funds for purchases
here, the Republicans argued
that a flow of cheap goods into
this country would threaten
American producers. And while
the President declared that in
creased imports would add to
employment in the processing
and distributing businesses here,
the Republicans predicted the
program would defeat the an
nounced goal of 60,000,000 post
war jobs.
Passage of the President's propos
als would allow as much as a 75 per
cent tariff reduction under the
Smoot-Hawley rates of 1930 on some
items, it was pointed out. Under
the original reciprocal trade act of
1934, reductions of 50 per cent were
permitted, and since these cuts al
ready have been made on some
items, another 50 per cent decrease
would amount to 75 per cent in all.
Italian Prisoners Save U. S. Manpower
‘Million Man-Days*
Italian service units in the U. S.,
helping to relieve the manpower
shortage by contributing one million
man-days per month of essential
skilled and unskilled labor at mili
tary installations, total approximate
ly 35,000 men, the war department
reported.
The members of the Italian Serv
*
ice Units wear Class B army cloth
ing from which all army buttons
and insignia have been removed and
on which have been sewn distinctive
sleeve and hat patches bearing the
word “Italy." They are paid $24
monthly, which approximates the 80
cents per work day paid ordinary
prisoners of war engaged in labor.
The government receives the regu
lar wage scale for their work.
RATIONING:
Smaller Supplies
Already warned of a 12 per cent
reduction in meat for the next three
months, civilians took the first big
hitch in their belts for the current
quarter with the announcement of an
Increase in the point values of pork,
sausages and canned meat products.
While news of the tightening of
these and other controls over fats
and oils occupied the home front, it
was announced that all babies’
leather shoes would be rationed
after April.
In raising the point values on
pork, sausages and canned meat
products, OPA said that there would
be 5 per cent less meat available
during April, but the decrease in
supplies would hit civilians harder
in May and June. Coincident with
the new controls over the aforemen
tioned meats, it was announced that
point values also would be boosted
on lard, along with shortening, mar*
gerine, and salad and cooking oils.
Hit Shortage
Discussing the meat shortage,
the national livestock committee
of the American Farm bureau
charged that low price ceilings re
tarded increased production of beef,
and said assurances of minimum re
turns would lead to greater pork out
put.
The committee’s report came even
as congress conducted hearings on
the tight meat situation, with rep
resentatives of all branches of the
industry calling for an upward re
vision in ceiling prices.
In establishing ceilings on grade
AA and A beef, the committee said,
OPA assumed that the last 200 or 300
pounds a steer gained in the feed
lot was mostly fat later wasted in
the kitchen. On the other hand, the
committee declared, fat of a steer
is distributed through its meat.
Speaking of pork, the committee
stated that farmers cut hog produc
tion at the government's request, and
would raise it again if guarantees
were forwarded against market
breaks.
ARGENTINA:
On Band-Wagon
With Germany’s collapse immi
nent, Argentina was quick to jump
on the Allied bandwagon with a dec
laration of war against the Axis,
but In so doing, she carefully point
ed out that her policy was governed
by the desire to cooperate with
other inter-American countries and
participate in the United Nations’
peace parley in San Francisco.
By taking this action, Argentina
ended six years of hemispheric iso
lation, during which time the coun
Rising in Britain’s house of com
mons,, l.aborile Ivor Thomas asked
Foreign Secretary Anthony F.den:
“Would it be the duty of a British
soldier uho seeks Hitler to shoot
him or try to bring him bark alive?”
Replied F.den: “I am content to
leave thut to the judgment of any
British soldier."
try professed a willingness to co
operate in inter-American affairs,
but maintained an independent
course in foreign relations.
Final determination to play a full
and important part befitting her po
sition in inter-American affairs led
to the decision to declare hostilities
against the Axis, with ardent na
tionalists and some army leaders,
however, resisting the move to the
last.
LABOR-MANAGEMENT:
Postwar Charter
Recognizing management’s control
over its own business and labor’s
right to organize and bargain. Presi
dents Eric Johnston of the U. S.
Chamber of Commerce, William
Green of the AFL, and Philip Mur
ray of the CIO signed an agreement
looking toward good relations be
tween employer and employee in the
postwar world when lower produc
tion might lead to unrest.
In effect, the agreement proposes
the establishment of voluntary ma
William Green (left), Eric Johnston
(center) and Philip Murray confer on
labor-management charter.
chinery for the peaceful settlement
of disputes and continuance of pro
duction in the postwar period, to
take the place of present wartime
government controls regulating re
lations. Toward this end, creation of
a special arbitration board ap
peared likely.
In reaching the agreement, the
parties tended to relieve manage
ment's fear that an oversupply of
workers might be led into a violent
left-wing movement after the war,
and labor's apprehension that com
panies might deliberately hire sur
plus help to break unions.
LAND REFORM
Significant changes are taking
place in land tenure of eastern Eu
rope, according to the Alexander
Hamilton institute. In Poland. Ro
mania and Hungary, the big estates
are being broken up and the land
divided among the peasantry. This
development is likely to lead to low
er production and declines in ex
ports.
Reduction in outputs is partly due
to the fact that cultivation on small
plots is not as economical as on
large estates.
United Nations' Parley
Holds Hope of World
Russia Important Factor in Outcome of
Peace Conference; U. S. Delegation
Working for Successful Formula.
By BAUKHAGE
Newt Analytt and Commentator.
iVNU Service, Union Trust Building,
Washington, D. C.
I walked down the cool, twilit cor
ridor of the senate office building
and out into the warm spring sun.
As I crossed the threshold, the light
on the bright white marble step
blinded me and for a second 1
groped downward blindly.
As I stood a moment recovering
my equilibrium the thought flashed
through my mind that this experi
ence was very much like the longer
one which preceded it. I had been
talking with Vice President Truman,
Senators Connally, Vandenberg and
others about the forthcoming meet
ing in San Francisco of the United
Nations. ,
I recalled Truman’s nervously en
ergetic speech as he assured me
that he was giving his time to just
one thing: acting as liaison between
the President and the senate to keep
the chief executive and the legisla
tive leaders as nearly in step as pos
sible.
I recalled Senator Vandenberg’s
expression as 1 left him plunged
deep in the thousand extra tasks and
worries which his function as Re
publican member of the delegation
had plunged him. He had said:
"If San Francisco doesn’t succeed it
will be the greatest moral blow the
world has ever experienced.”
I thought of Connally’s careful pol
icy of withholding public comment
or quotation concerning the coming
conference, except carefully thought
out statements or speeches such as
the one he will make in the senate
before the conference. His is the
delicate task as senior administra
tion representative on the delegation
of maintaining a balance between
the views of the Republican mem
bers represented on the delega
tion, the administration’s viewpoint,
and his own and other personal
views. After all, as senate major
ity leader he is responsible for help
ing to carry out a policy which not
only a majority, but two-thirds of
the senate will accept.
I also thought of the wide vari
ance of views expressed by mem
bers of both houses not directly con
nected with the negotiations and of
the great reticence of many who
hesitate to express any view at this
time.
And I thought of the out-and-out
isolationists; a very few who admit
that position and others whose
doubts and suspicions battle with
what they feel has been the strong
trend for wholehearted cooperation
which the various polls and other
media of public expression appear to
register.
These kinetic thoughts moving
now in harmony, now in friction,
seemed suddenly to have generated
a blinding light that burst into the
shadows of the complacent assur
ance which had enveloped me and
left me a little dizzy. What a tre
mendous opportunity seems to be
offered to a war-weary world; what
a fatal possibility if the effort fails.
Fear of Russia
Shades Future
It is clear that such doubt and sus
picion as may have arisen as to the
possibility of failure of achievement
of world cooperation arises chiefly
from one thing: fear of Russia. Next
is the feeling in some quarters that
Churchill’s inability always to get
along with Stalin bodes ill for tri
party harmony and some feel that
the United States Instead of trying
to bring the two closer together
should identify American interests
more closely with Britain as opposed
to those of Russia.
Then there is still the unhealed
sore which President Roosevelt’s
personal emissary, Edward Flynn,
has been trying to heal, the friction
between the Vatican and the Krem
lin.
Lastly and perhaps more disturb
ing is what appears to be unilateral
action toward small countries on
the part of Russia in spite of the
Yalta agreement.
Now those persons like Vice Presi
dent Truman, who take the more
positive and more hopeful view, feel
that some of these factors have been
built into bogey-men, that granted
they exist as facts, that Churchill
and Stalin don't always see eye to
eye and that even less sympathy ex
ists between the Catholic church and
the head of the Communist party,
none of these situations need affect
the creation of an international or
ganization.
As to fear of Russia Well, frank
ly, I cannot understand the workings
of the official Russian mind, I can
not understand the hysterical at
tacks in the Russian press on Walter
Lippman, for instance, who has been
in the first ranks of those who urge
Russo-American unity; attacks on
Senator Vandenberg against whom
they throw their whole book of anti
fascist vocabulary when he is on
record as supporting a three-power
treaty for disarming the axis which
would be the basis of the chief thing
Stalin wants—an agreement of the
only two great powers besides his
own country, which would guarantee
Russian security.
I do not understand all this. I do
not accept the propaganda which
tries to say that communist govern
ment is democracy. But there is
one thing which sold me on playing
ball with Russia. That is the pa
tient, earnest and convincing argu
ment of former Secretary of State
Cordell Hull, who certainly has no
more love for communism than he
has for fascism, who was never ac
cused of wandering with his head
in the clouds or of trying to reform
the world, or square the circle, and
although he has faith a-plenty he
wouldn’t try to move a mountain
without a bulldozer.
His argument boils down to this:
Russia and America need each oth
er. Russia knows this. There are
fewer obstacles to a practical un
derstanding between the countries
than there are reasons why we
should work together for mutual
benefit.
Sponsors Provisions
For Adjustments
Though it is generally agreed that
the support of the American people
of any international organization of
which Russia is a part depends on
the conduct of the Kremlin between
now and the end of the San Fran
cisco conference, Senator Vanden
berg goes farther than that. He says
that the support of the necessary
two-thirds of the United States sen
ate for any organization which rec
ognizes international organization
depends upon inserting into the
document which defines it, what he
calls an "escape clause." That es
cape clause would permit the re
adjusting of certain conditions now
existing, certain sore spots which he
feels may become cancers. The es
cape clause would permit the Unit
ed Nations to escape from any re
striction which prevented what they
feel is the righting of wrongs.
“Injustice,” says Vandenberg, "is
a strait jacket and you can’t keep
the world in a strait jacket.”
Of course, there are a lot of Polish
votes in Vandenberg’s constituency
and a member of congress is such
by virtue of, and the powers he ex
erts are delegated by, the people
who put him in office. Nevertheless,
he is not speaking merely for his
Polish constituents when he talks
about including in the jurisdiction of
the United Nations, the administer
ing of justice. That is the trade
mark he wants to put on any or
ganization which comes out of San
Francisco.
Other members of the delegation
have trademarks of their own. But
as nearly as I can judge all are
willing to make considerable sacri
fice of their personal views, rather
than shake the world’s morale with
failure to produce anything
• • •
The safety record of the rail
roads in the present war is much
better than that in the First World
war, the Interstate Commerce com
mission reports.
This is true, the commission points
out, despite the fact that there has
been a substantial increase in the
last few years in the number of acci
dents arising from the operation of
trains and the number of casualties
resulting therefrom.
"It appears,” the commission
says, "that for each class of per
son the fatalities were much great
er in World War I than they were in
; World War II. the total for all
| classes being 10.087 in 1917 and
9,286 in 1918, compared with 5,337
in 1942 and 5,051 in 1943 In the two
decades prior to our entry into the
present war, notable progress was
| made in reducing railway acci
dents. and especially those resulting
in casualties to passengers and em
ployes In 1932 and again in 1935 but
a single passenger was reported as
killed in a train accident, although
18 and 24 respectively in those years
were killed in the train-service acci
dents, as in getting on and off
cars.”
• 11 —---I
BARBS . . . by B auk ha ge
The cherry blossoms in Washing
ton beat spring by 2Vt hours—which
shows that even the good old spirit
of competition and free enterprise is
favored by Nature herself.
• • •
About the only long-horn cattle left
are the ones in the Washington zoo,
the stuffed one at the Houston air
port and the photographs of them in
the Texas congressmen’s offices.
What is a Brahmin? An Indian
priest? Maybe, but for many a
southwestern farmer it is half of an
American calf.
• • •
Vice President Truman is an ex
captain of artillery (World War I) I
am an ex-lieutenant in the same
branch of service. The other day
we reminisced on dodging the fast
ones, then and now.
New Chemical Aids
Farm Production
Many Weed Control
Problems Answered
REPORTS of excellent results In
killing weeds in grass plots,
lawns and pastures, without dam
aging the grasses, promises impor
tant new uses of a compound called
2-4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2-4
D for short.)
Water sprays containing this com
pound in specified solutions killed
heavy stands of dandelion and nar
row-leaf plantain without injury to
the grass.
Experiments with lawn pennywort
in areas of turf that were heavily
infested with the weed, resulted in
destruction by 2-4-D acid of heavy
stands of turf pest without accom
panying injury to the established
grass. New grass seedlings coming
from seed planted several weeks
after the chemical treatment were
not affected. Repeated applications
were found necessary to kill out
Spray to KiU Weeds.
noxious plants that came .up later
from weed seeds that were not
caught by the first spray.
Other weeds readily killed by the
compound, according to a govern
ment report, included chickweed,
pigweed, woodsorrel, knotweed and
broadleaf dock.
Well established blue gTass was
not injured by the potent new herbi
cide. The creeping bent grasses
were found much less resistant
to it but resistant enough to permit
the killing of susceptible weeds
without being destroyed themselves.
The 2-4-D acid’s effect on suscepti
ble weeds and clover is much dif
ferent from that of other chemical
herbicides. Instead of producing a
local burning effect, and destroying
only a part of the plant, it spreads
and kills the entire plant, roots and
all.
Agriculture
In the News
By W. J. Dryden
‘COW OF CHINA'
Recorded in history since 2838 B.
C., soybeans have come into their
own as a leading American farm
crop. For centuries the Buddhist
Soybeans
muriKs nave uvea
chiefly on soy
bean cheese—to
day we are liter
ally fighting a
war with soy
beans.
Soybeans are
one of the few
food products in
which the protein
content is im
proved by cook
ing.
Among the food uses of soybeans
and soybean oil are shortening, mar
garine, salad dressing, bakery
goods, ice cream, macaroni, flour,
soy milk, bean curd, soy sauce, di
abetic foods, sausage filler, candy
and meat substitutes.
The industrial uses include paints,
varnishes, enamels, linoleum, oil
cloth, fabrics, protective coating ma
terial, lecithin for mineral oil, soaps,
etc., rubber substitute, printing ink.
adhesives, plastics, leather tanner,
medicine, synthetic wool, bee food,
beer element and as food for live
stock and poultry.
Distillers’ Grains
High in vitamin B complex, dis
tillers’ dried grains, available in
most localities, can be profitably in
cluded in the wartime poultry ra
tion.
Recent experiments at Purdue
have proved that the distillers’ dried
solubles are capable of entirely re
placing milk in the ration of growing
chicks. Six pounds of the solubles
will take the place of five pounds of
dried milk. While they will not fur
nish all the animal nutrition need
ed, they are an excellent addition
to the chick’s ration.
TEIEFACT
SHOULD FARM OWNERS ORGANIZE?
(fORTUNt ROW
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24.1%
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DON 7 Cji
KNOW || ] i2.j%
SPRAYER TOR 8ALE
FOK SALE: Hayei tree sprayer. 60 gal.
capacity, hand power. 126.00. John F.
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SNAPPY FACTS
ABOUT
RUBBER
-—( ►
Proper inflation is a must
for maximum tire service;
and now we have reports of
an ingenious post-war device
which, through a series of
lights on the car or truck
dashboard, will warn the
operator when the pressure
in any tire is under what it
should be.
"Ducks," the amphibious 2'A-ton
trucks now used by the Army, have
tires that originally were designed
by B. F. Goodrich for desert use. The
tires have broad tread and are ex
ceptionally flexible and light in
weight. These desert tires which
went to sea are rendering heroic
service in the South Pacific and on
the European battlefronts.
\M A
