!_WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Round U p JapaneseW ar Leaders;
Hog Slaughter Shows Big Dip;
British Seek Financial Aid
___________ Released by Western Newspaper Union.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are these of
Western Newspaper fnion’s news analysts and not necessarily at this newspaper.)
With Britain seeking extensive American financial assistance, consul
tations get under nay at state department with leading conferees Including
(from left to right) Leo Crowley, foreign economic administrator; Lord
Halifax, British ambassador; William Clayton, assistant secretary of state;
Lord Keynes, British economist, and Henry A. Wallace, secretary of com
merce.
JAPAN:
Round Up War Lords
With high Japanese war leaders
taking their own lives as the Ameri
can net gradually
began to tighten
around them, the
Nipponese govern
ment of Premier
Higashi - Kuni as
sumed the responsi
bility for rounding
up suspected war
criminals in an ef
fort to head off a
mass suicide wave.
Uldckl Tojo Japan’s No 1
war lord through
out most of the Pacific conflict be
fore enemy reverses forced his re
tirement, ex-Premier Hideki Tojo
led off the suicide wave by attempt
ing to take his life as American
troop* arrived at his country resi
dence outside Tokyo to arrest him.
Though Tojo misfired, former war
minister and army chief Sugiyawia
used better aim to kill himself, and
ex-welfare minister Koizumi also
succeeded in taking his life.
Having first professed full respon
sibility for the war before trying to
shoot himself, Tojo shut up tighter
than a clam following an improve
ment in his condition under the
watchful eye of American medics.
Refusing to talk on his sick-bed,
the ashen 61-year-old former Japa
nese kingpin declared that he would
not answer questions without docu
mentary reference.
Meanwhile, capital circles re
vealed that Tojo and other sus
pected Japanese war criminals
would have their unhappy day in
court before a four-power military
tribunal similar to the one trying
Nazi overlords in Germany.
Representatives of the U. S., Brit
ain, Russia and China will comprise
the tribunal, which probably will sit
in Tokyo and, as in the case of its
European counterpart, try foreign
government leaders on the unprece
dented charges of conducting wars
of aggression.
In addition to trial on the novel
count of carrying <n aggressive
warfare, Japanese will be tried for
such crimes as racial persecution,
torture of helpless people, and mur
der of captured military personnel.
Though not questioning the goal
of bringing Nazi and Japanese over
lords to justice, many eminent
American lawyers have opposed the
procedure for trial, declaring that it
establishes a precedent for kangaroo
courts which might be used against
Allied personages in the future.
SLAUGHTER:
Hogs Down
Though slaughter of cattle and
sheep during the first eight months
of 1945 hit new tops for federally
inspected plants, butchering of hogs
dropped off severely, resulting in a
continued tight meat situation. Only
with an improved hog situation in
creasing the overall supply of meat
did marketing experts look forward
to an end of rationing.
With August slaughter at an eight
year low, the eight month hog pro
duction totalled 26.821,667, away be
low the 50.352,226 mark for the
same period last year. During the
early part of September, hogs con
tinued to trickle into leading mar
kets, with shipments commanding
ceiling prices.
Partly offsetting decreased hog
slaughter were record butcherings
of cattle and sheep for the first eight
months of the year, with 9,071,406
cattle killed and 13.960,594 sheep. At
4,152,779, the calf total was the sec
ond largest on record.
American Ship Losses Small in Pacific
A total of 200,058 ship tons of cargo
were lost at sea by the army in
the war against Japan, with 31
vessels sunk and 2 vessels damaged
while en route from the United
States to the Pacific theaters.
Army cargo shipped to these
areas in the 44 months of the war
totalled 43,520,000 ship tons. Those
supplies lost at sea, therefore,
represented only 0.46 per cent of the
total amount shipped.
When losses in the Pacific are
added to the previously announced
537.656 ship tons of cargo lost on
outbound moves from the United
States to the European, Mediterra
nean. Middle East, North and
South Atlantic and Latin American
areas, a total war loss of outbound
army cargo at sea of 737,714 ship
tons is obtained.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS:
British Ask Aid
In the U. S. to sell this country on
the feasibility of offering financial
assistance to Britain, Ambassador
Halifax and Economist Keynes de
clared that a prosperous Britain,
getting its great exporting and im
porting machinery going at full
blast, would help assure the stabil
ity so necessary for postwar peace
Should Britain fail to secure suf
ficient aid to rebuild its industry and
obtain raw materials for processing
into finished goods, Messrs. Halifax
and Keynes pointed out, the whole
intricate system of exchange among
nations would be affected, leading
to social disturbances the world
over and another outgrowth of isms.
Thus, In approaching the U. 8.
on a basis of mutual concern,
the British came over as prac
tical statesmen and not as beg
gars. Further, they disclaimed
any Intention of seeking an easy
way out by negotiating Interest
bearing loans, hut rather stated
that they were opposed to any
type of debt of a burdensome
nature which, like World War I
obligations, would have to be
eventually repudiated.
In shying from the idea of an in
terest - bearing loan, the British left
the way open for an outright grant,
which would be strongly bucked
here, or a long-range interest-free
advance.
Shape Italian Treaty
While the British talked dollars
in Washington. D. C., the Big Five
council of foreign ministers con
tinued discussions in London con
cerning the future political and ter
ritorial makeup of postwar Europe,
with the diplomatists occupied with
drawing up an Italian peace treaty.
Foremost of the problems associ
ated with an Italian treaty was the
disposition of the country's North
African colonies, with the British
reportedly frowning on the Ameri
can proposition for permitting the
Italians to retain their territories
under a United Nations trusteeship.
As the eternal Jockeying for
protective boundaries and rich
Interests cropped up, the Brit
ish were said to favor Italian
retention of only western Libya
while taking for themselves
eastern Libya covering Egypt
and Italian Somaliland fronting
tbe gateway to the vital Red sea
leading to the Sues canal. At
the same time, the French re
portedly sought a slice of north
western Libya from Italy to
strengthen their own Tunisian
holding.
But if the disposition of Italian colo
nies posed a big problem, so did the
readjustment of Italy’s European
borders, with France out for a re
adjustment of the Alpine boundary
and Yugoslavia hot for annexation
of the strategic Istrian peninsula
with its rich port of Trieste. As the
meeting progressed, the Big Five
were said to have considered a com
promise under which Italy would re
linquish the peninsula jutting into
the Adriatic sea but retain Trieste
itself.
With U. S. and British pressure
for free and open elections in Ro
mania and Bulgaria already having
forced the commurjists’ hands in
those countries. Yugoslav and
Greek rightists next came to the fore
at the foreign ministers' conference
to request intervention in the
political aiTairs of those Balkan
states to assure a fair and peaceful
I democratic representation.
RELIGION:
Courses Challenged
Traditional American separation
of church from state was the issue
Mrs. Vashti McCullom of Cham
paign, 111., raised against the Cham
paign school board in her suit to
halt voluntary religious instruction
in the public schools in the com
munity.
With both Mrs. McCullom and the
board prepared to appeal to the Su
preme court in event of their loss
of the decision, the suit promises to
affect similar instruction in 1,856
communities in 46 states. North Da
kota and New Hampshire are the
only states without such religious
courses.
In bringing her suit as the inter
ested party, Mrs. McCullom stated
that as the only pupil in his class
not enrolled in the voluntary 30 min
ute per week instruction in the Prot
estant, Catholic and Jewish faiths,
her 10-year-old son Terry had suf
fered acute embarrassment. As a
result, she said, indirect pressure
had been brought to bear against the
youngster to take the course, regard
less of his inclination, on public
school property maintained by tax
payers’ funds.
In countering Mrs. McCullom's
charge, the school board pointed out
that the courses were outside of the
school curricula and purely volun
tary, with the representatives of all
of the principal religious denomina
tions conducting and financing the
instruction. f
Aside from the state constitution
and statutes involved, federal inter
vention hingod on the first amend
ment to the U. S. Constitution, which
provides: "Congress shall make no
law respecting an establishment of
religion or prohibiting the free ex
ercise thereof” . . . and section
1 of the 14th amendment to the Con
stitution declaring . . . "No state
shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges
or immunities of the citizens of the
United States; nor shall any state
deprive any person of life, liberty,
or property without due process of
law, nor deny to any person within
its jurisdiction the equal protection
of the laws.”
Mother of three boys and wife of
a University of Illinois professor, 32
year-old Mrs. McCullom said that
while she realized the suit might
harm young Terry, her deep con
viction on separation of church from
state inspired her action.
Plan Jobless Benefits
Though the senate finance
committee worked out a broad
postwar unemployment benefit
bill, the solons turned down
Pres. Harry S. Truman's recom
mendation that jobless com
pensation be raised to a maxi
mum of $25 per week.
Instead, the committee bent to
the task of shaping a measure
which would authorize the fed
eral government to contribute
funds toward extending the time
of state unemployment payments
60 per cent. Benefits now range
from $15 for 14 weeks in Ari
zona to $28 for 30 weeks in Con
necticut.
Both federal and maritime
workers would be made eligible
for unemployment compensa
tions under the proposed bill, at
the rate existent in the state of
their employment.
In addition, workers who mi
grated to war production cen
ters would be allowed up to $200
for transportation expenses
back to their old residences or
new Job locations. Money would
not be advanced for the ship
ment of any household effects,
however.
STRIKES:
Hit Radio
Heading up a wave of strikes,
leaving over 100,000 workers idle,
was the walkout of engineers of the
National and American Broadcast
ing companies partly paralyzing ra
dio programs and forcing executive
technicians to take over operation of
the controls.
Though the strike ostensibly was
over wage demands, informed in
dustry sources said the walkout was
a flareup of a dispute between the
independent engineers’ union and
Jimmy Petrillo’s American Feder
ation of Musicians. AFL, over which
of the two should represent the em
ployees who turn the records for
transcribed broadcasts.
While the war labor board or
dered the radio companies to deal
with the engineers over the record
changers, the AFM's jurisdiction
over the so-called "platter jockeys"
has been recognized in Chicago,
Washington. New York and Detroit.
Because the big chains feared Pe
trillo might call his musicians out
on strike if they dealt with the en
gineers over the record changers, it
was charged, they have been stall
ing on tlie negotiations.
DDT:
Urges Careful Use
Housewives who find use for DDT,
the powerful new insecticide known
to chemists as dichlorudiphenyl
trichlorethane, are cautioned against
placing the poisonous powder where
it might be mixed with kitchen sup
plies. by Dr. Morris Fishbein of
the American Medical association.
"In large doses DDT is poisonous
to human beings and to a good
many animals," Dr. Fishbein said.
"When DDT is properly used, these
poisonous effects are controlled."
Draft Touchy Issue
For Nation's Politicoes
Fear Strong Reaction Against Military
Service Even as Occupation Needs Point
Up Requirement for Large Army.
—
By BAUKHAGE
/Vphjs Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, 1616 Eye Street NW,
Washington, I). C.
One of the administration’s hottest
political potatoes is a matter that
nobody likes to talk abouWeven the
opposition. It is military service. Not
universal military service next
month or next year but any old kind
of military service today and tomor
row, right up to election day, 1948.
The prob'om has many facets but
it has one, awesome nub — the vet
eran vote. There are several danger
signals which the Democratic ad
ministration is watching with some
trepidation: the criticism over con
tinuation of the draft which the
President has given his complete
and unqualified support; recurring
complaints of discontented soldiers
and their families appearing in ra
dio, congressional, national commit
tee and other Washington fan mail,
which add up to a resounding de
mand for more and quicker dis
charges, and finally, a growing fear
that the feeling which used to be
called isolationism is cropping up in
a new form— ’’anti-militarism.’’
The administration doesn’t dare
make any move to permit a drastic
reduction in the armed forces now.
Military experts think it will be the
middle of October before any such
move can be contemplated. By that
time they think the danger of any
serious outbreak in Japan will be
over, or there will be evidence that
one is coming.
Await Jap Reaction
To Occupation
The full impact of the occupation
of Japan will not be felt until
American soldiers are deep in the
heart of the country. Before that,
the reaction of the Japanese people
and the influence of the military
leaders as opposed to the influence
of the emperor, cannot be gauged.
Suffice it to say that the surrender
terms as well as the surrender it
self came as a shock to the Japa
nese people.
Mtany Americans fail to realize
that a relatively small American
army landed in Japan in an area
in which there were no Japanese
except those permitted to be there
by the authorities who arranged the
surrender. There was no contact
with the general population or the
military. Scattered over the rest of
the country is a powerful Japanese
army, as yet fully armed, in defense
positions, strengthened when the
Japs completely reorganized their
home defense against invasion
after the capture of Okinawa. Dis
regarding the thousands of Jap
anese sailors now on shore, the air
force, the supply troops and others,
it is known that on Hokkaido there
were two full divisions. (A Jap divi
sion is between 15,000 and 20,000
men.) On Honshu there were 44
divisions and 7 brigades (a brigade
is roughly half a division). On Kyu
shu 14 divisions and 7 brigades.
It is estimated that we would have
500,000 men in the islands vby the
middle of September. That is
against a Japanese army (not count
ing the sailors, airmen and others)
of well over a million. That is why
there can be no sharp reduction in
American troops until we know
what, if anything, is cooking under
the cherry trees.
And then when that question is
answered we have the question of
occupation. It has been estimated
that to police Germany, Japan
and Korea and perhaps parts of
China will take 1.200,000 men.
Where will they come from?
Where will 300,000 come from for
that matter? Already a sharp re
version against military service has
begun and if it follows the curve
after the last war recruitment on a
basis of voluntary enlistment is
hopeless. At its low point the army
after World War I numbered t30,
000 men. I well recall the story of
one of my officer friends whose regi
ment, stationed in the middle west,
dropped so low that men themselves
voted to spend their post exchange
funds for a recruiting campaign.
With a band and a company he
paraded the countryside for a week.
He got just three ,-ecruits and two
of those were rejected as physically
unfit.
As one officer remarked bitterly to
me: “How are you going to get a
man to join the army for $21 a
month (the basic peacetime pay)
I when Uncle Sam will pay him $25
a week for not working at all?” (He
referred to the unemployment com
pensation called for in pending legis
lation.)
That’s the position the administra
tion is in when the cry to end the
draft arises.
Vets’ Attitude
Bears Watching
The complaints from the veterans
is another matter. They are not so
much concerned over who gets into
the army as who gets out A lot of
them are marking time right now,
later a lot will be sent overseas in
the boresome jobs of policemen.
Why shouldn’t I get out now and
get a start in business?
Why shouldn’t my husband come
back and support me in the manner
to which I have been unaccustomed
since he joined up?
Why shouldn’t my boy get back to
school where he belongs?
Why shouldn’t my sweetheart be
allowed to come home and marry
me like he said he would?
And some day sonny and daddy
and lover will come back. And
they’ll join a veteran’s organization
and they will vote at the polls; ah.
there’s the rub!
Now we come to the third point
which is really the most insidious,
the one which has to be handled the
most delicately. We may have
learned in this country that an
ocean is no longer a barrier against
the enemy. But we know there is
another barrier which separates our
maritime states from the heartland
of the nation bordering the Missis
sippi flood plain. That part of the
country forgot its so-called isola
tionism and threw its whole heart
into the war. But the war is over —
on paper anyhow. It is time to put
the hand back to the plough again.
There is need of stout arms and
strong backs in the fields, and
though Japs and the Germans may
require watching, why not let
George do it?
That is a natural feeling and
clever politicans would have little
trouble in turning it to account, by
raising the cry of militarism, of im
perialism and all the other isms
which men whose barns are their
castles and whose meadows are
their empires, dislike. Such a senti
ment could be turned against one
administration as well as another
but it so happens that the mid
dle west is naturally somewhat Re
publican in its leanings normally
and the Democrats are now in the
saddle.
One very keen political observer
who has watched the way of the
voter for many years said to me the
other day: “If there were a Presi
dential election tomorrow Truman
would win it.” And when you con
sider the matter coldly there are
good reasons for the statement. The
Republicans have had one healthy
issue after another knocked out
from under them. Truman has giv
en business its head, he has sat on
the OPA, he has released one con
trol after another, he has most soli
citously deferred to congress, he is
on the way to break up the war
agencies and get the business of
government back into the old line
departments.
Such is the picture as of today—
all clear except for one little cloud
in the sky, not much bigger than a
serviceman’s hand, but there is
thunder and lightning in that cloud
and if the circumstances were such
that its bolts of wrath were directed
at the administration it would not
even take, say a Stassen, to win
the Presidential race on a walk.
• • •
By next February—barring unex
pected developments—all soldiers in
Europe except those in the army of
occupation and the minimum re
quired to dispose of the army’s sur
plus property will have been re
turned to the United States, Maj.
Gen. C. P. Gross, chief of transpor
tation, said in an announcement by
the war department.
Return of American forces in the
Pacific will be completed next June,
according to present estimates.
More than 1,750,000 men are sched
uled for return from the Pacific
theaters, while approximately 2,000,
000 remain to be returned from Eu
rope. Some 150,000 other troops
also are to be returned from other
overseas theaters.
BARBS . . . by Baukhage
The Mexican government has
turned Its German prisoners free
and invited them to become citizens
if they wish, with a thousand peso
stake in a plot of land if they want
, «
. . .
And now they pick cranberries by
machine. But it still takes a deft
human hand to roast the turkey to
go with them.
Business Week magazine says it is
rumored that Kaiser is going to turn
out prefabricated moving picture
theaters at $8,000 complete. Holly
wooden frames?
• • #
According to YANK, the army
magazine, Jap chow is worse than
that served in American outfits
where the cooks are recruited from
the motor pool
Better Soil Grows
Healthier Livestock
Cattle Prefer Hay
From Fertilized Soil
Cattle have sense enough to show
farmers whether their pasture land
is properly fertilized or not, accord
ing to a statement by the Middle
West Soil Improvement committee.
"That was demonstrated by a re
cent experiment reported by Dr.
William A. Albrecht, head of the
Fertilized bay that pays.
Soils department of the University
of Missouri,” says the statement.
“The cattle were turned loose in
a field in which there were two
stacks of hay. The grasses were
the same species; the curing was
the same. The hay looked and
smelled the same. But the cattle
ate the stack from the treated area
first and ignored the other until
later.
“The hay from the stacks was
analyzed in a laboratory. Then it
was discovered that that stack con
tained much more calcium and
phosphorus — two minerals cattle
must have for good health. The
good hay came from soil that had
been treated with lime and fertiliz
er. The poor hay came from un
treated land.
"This experiment proved once
again that better soil grows better
food, better livestock and healthier
human beings.
"This soil’s capacity to produce
meat, grain, vegetables and dairy
products high in essential minerals
and vitamins is dependent on that
soil’s supply of nitrogen, phospho
rus and potash. This capacity can
be increased by intelligent soil man
agement including the regular appli
cation of mixed fertilizer containing
these necessary elements. The fer
tilizer industry which has demon
strated its ability to provide plant
food for winning the wartime food
production battle will be fully
equipped to help farmers meet all
their postwar requirements for soil
improvement.”
DDT Outdone
An insecticide even deadlier than
DDT has been discovered by the
Imperial Chemical industries in
England. Its chemical designation is
gamma isomer of benzene hexa
chloride, and it is known as gam
mexane.
The new insect slayer has quali
ties in common with DDT. It is a
solid white substance and almost in
soluble in water. It decomposed in
the presence of lime, but can be
sprayed in a kerosene solution or a
water emulsion, or used as a dust,
if lime is absent. It is not yet avail
able for use in the United States. It
is said to be unharmful to human
users.
Poultry Debeaker
Following experiments at the Uni
versity of California, an electric de
beaker for poultry has been placed
on the market by the Lyon Rural
Electric company, San Diego, Calif.
It eliminates picking and cannibal
ism, reduces feed loss and birds’
nervousness and increases the qual
ity of birds in general.
Enriched Tomatoes
Tomatoes with 10 times as much
vitamin A value as is contained in
varieties now offered on the market
may be developed, according to Dr.
F. P. Zschiele of the University of
Chicago.
While rapid strides have been
made in the development of vari
eties, Dr. Zschiele looks for con
siderable improvement in the post
war era, to such a point that toma
toes may be graded upon their vita
min content.
Bathroom Cabinets
So Gay^and Useful
VyHY not brighten up the bath
v ’ room by making one or a
pair of these gay little cabinets?
A pattern gives you a list of ma
terials needed, shows the exact
size to cut each piece, and also
illustrated directions.
The painting comes next: and that is the
real fun. A tracing pattern gives the out
lines for the old-fashioned garden flowers.
*• A PA* WITH DECORATED 1
\ OOORS |
-5:1
n is ^ %
EASY * 1
TO PAINT t :
GARDEN
FLOWERS WITH
TRACING PATTERN
AND COLOR GUIDE
color suggestions for painting the cabinet
inside and out; and tells you what color
to use for filling in each flower, leaf and
stem.
• * •
NOTE—The Bathroom Cabinet pattern
No. 284 and the Garden Flower Paint
Pattern No. 285 are 15 cents each. Send
request to:
MRS. RUTH WYETH SPEARS
Bedford Hills New York
Drawer 10
Enclose 15 cents for each pattern
desired.
Name_
Address__
FOR SALE
Farm Produce Station. Buying and.
selling Wholesale and retail Cream, Feed,
Hides, Poultry, Eggs. Independent. New
Building, long lease, overhead $2.00 a day.
located in mild beautiful Colorado Sprlnga,
$3,000 00 cash. Price Includes one year
free rent. Colorado Springs Creamery,
Colorado, Springs, Colorado.
HOTEL FOR SALE
FOR HALE OK TRADE—Ranerva Hotet
wttn billiard and beer tavern. Qood
going business. Ranerva Hotel, Oakland
Nebraska.
It’s wonderful how a little Va-tro-nol
up each nostril relieves stuffy transient
congestion. If you need relief tonight,
try It! Follow directions in package.
VICKS VA-TRO-NOL
SNAPPY FACTS
RUBBER
Now It can be told: Workers
proudly tell of their sabotage
work when rubber plants in
France were under Naxi con
trol. They spread soapstone
on the plies as they built a
tire. Finished product looked
perfect, but in use plies
would break, leaving the
Nazis flat.
"Rubber mode in the U. S. A." has
been developed to such a high
degree that the war-bom synthetic
rubber industry will probably con
tinue long offer the wcr.
As of December 31, 1944, the
average age of all passenger
cars on the road was seven
years.
BEGoodrich
“— |
NO ASPIRIN IS FASTER
or better. Demand St. Joseph Aspirin,
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for 35c. Why pay more? Why ever accept
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wm% j
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SORETONE
Mid* by McKitson t RobU.it
Slid with niny ttck psintu
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