EDITORIAL - COMMENT
Plain Talk...
I BY DAN GARDNER)
ON WHAT THEY CALL US AND WHAT
WE WANT TO BE CALLED:
Among the many plagues affecting the Negro A
merican is the one involving identity and the prop
er racial designation. There are some who want to
be known as Negroes. And there are others who
say they are colored. Some prefer the designation,
Afro-American, and still others want to be known
as Race Men and Women. Most southern whites
know what they want to call us and arbitrarily call '
all of us “nigger”. They see no reason why it ,
should be something else and take pride in the em
ployment of the term, pronouncing it, in some cases
with actual affection. The adept manner in which
the southern white uses the appellation is also
shared with most dominant white racial stocks, in
cluding the British, German, Irish, Italian and the
Dutch. All seem to relish the usage of the term,
‘ ‘nigger. ’ ’
“Nigger” is a nasty word. It is the root of inter
racial friction because of the things it indies. The
white man’s interpretation runs the gamut in his
use of the abhored designation. Sometimes he
wants Negroes to feel the full impact of what he
means and uses the word in such a manner as to
convey the idea that the object is low, dirty, degrad
ed, evil, etc. Sometimes he wants it known that ,
when he says “nigger” he means his “dear old mam
mv” or “old Uncle Tom” who bowed to death wait
ing on his father and mother back home on the old
plantation. Foreigners such as the British, Ger
man and Dutch call the brown and dark racial
stocks “nigger” contemptuously and with the idea
of conveying racial supremacy, as does, incidental
ly, the American white man. Singled out partic
ularly for identification with “nis^er” are all Afri
can stocks of whatever shade recognizable.
The word “nigger” is also one which Negroes use
increasingly among themselves. Highly educated
Negroes of culture, position and1 money find the ex
ression commonplace in polite conversation and
seem to get the satisfaction out of using it among
themselves or in conversation with Negroes of a
lower level as a farmer gets out of a chew of Browns '
Mule or old Aunt Hannah got out of good lip-full of
Garrett’s snuff. Negro school kids from the time
they learn to talk pick up the word “nigger” and
make it a permanent part of their vocabularies. In
fact, “nigger” has been put unconsciously into our
thinking and while most Negroes who use the term
do not mean to convey the implications put into it
by the white man, nevertheless, “nigger” is part
and arcel of our racial vocabulary, whether we like
it or not.
i
Although we use the word so extensively, we,
individually an collectively will fight at the drop of
a hat if we are called “nigger” by a white man, or
for that matter, by a mulatto Negro fair enough to
pass (if he uses it in the manner of the southern
white). Unwittingly the white man, in establish
ing the word “nigger” as an international standard
of racial identity for a so-called inferior group, has
created a situation in which careers in combatting
the word have been launched. Yes, there are hun
dreds of Negroes, who whether they realize it or not
have dedicated their life work to eradicating the
word “nigger” from th vocabularies of the nation.
Many of our top race rights organizations are in
reality founded on continual campaigning against
the causes of the term, “nigger”, and its use by
white people. We have had and still have noted
3 orators, social workers, ministers and others who
are on the firing line, battling daily against the use
of the word “nigger”, yet, in private or among
themselves, one can hear the term freely used. All
this bring up the question: wliat actual harm does
the word do? Does it black the eye, kick the pants,
‘ shoot, burn, maim, or blind its objective? Are we .
reduced in stature or changed hysically when called1
such a name by a white man and remain as we are
when a Negro calls us the same thing? There’s a
lot of head-scratching that can be done about this
matter. If we solve this problem: what shall we be
called, it seems that the way will be cleared for the
greatest advancement era in our history.
It would appear that there has been such wasted
time spent on figuring out what we are, why and
what *we want to be called. If half that time were
devoed to being practical, in gotting things, saving
money, developing poise, and racial cohesiveness,
our battle would have more prospect of being won
quickly. In other words, the time we spend fight
ing against a word could be used constructively for
our advancement. Thev called the Jew everything
throughout the history of the world, yet he continu
ed to advance until today he enjoys international
power and presige and thus can leisurely take up
the squabble about being called “kike” or “sheeny”
During the days of his pilgrimage from Egypt of
bondate and oppression, however, he discarded
things that overburdened his advance and among
them were the useless fights that expend necessary
1 energy that could go into something else.
Jl'DGE GOLDSTEIN PROPOSES
JIM CROWLESS NEW YORK
New York (CNS) Speaking at an
anti-Bilbo mass movement. Judge
Jonah J. Goldstein. Republican-Ub
eral-Fusion candidate for Mayor
| outlined a New York City Anti-Dtti
1
crimination Committee to investi- j
gate all City departments and all
City subsidized agencies for dis
criminatory practices.
“If democracy can’t work in this
city, it surelycannotworkanywhere"
he said.
I _k_i___
Allied Occupation of |
Germany Thankless Job
Methods for Restoring Normalcy to Reich '
Meet With Criticism From Smaller
Liberated Nations of Europe.
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, 16X6 1 Street N. W.,
Washington, D. C.
With the fanfare accompanying the
first steps of the occupation of Japan
now dying on the Pacific breezes,
some hints of the heavy responsibili
ties of Uncle Sam’s European
problems begin to appear.
Already the small nations wtych
were occupied by the Axis and
whose peoples resisted the Nazi-Fas
cist yoke are being heard from in
a rising chorus of complaint and
criticism against the Allies.
Belgium and Holland are perhaps
loudest in their charges of what they
feel is discrimination against them
in favor of their former enemy
neighbor, but voices are raised as
far away as Greece and Yugoslav
ia, which say that Germany and
Italy should not receive material
assistance on the same basis as the
once-occupied countries.
The charges from Holland are the
most specific. The Netherlands gov
ernment has presented claims for a
share in both the external and in
ternal assets of Germany as repara
tions. The note handed the Allies
asks for immediate return of loot
now within the occupied zones in
Germany, which the Dutch claim is
listed and identifiable. They say that
parts of their country were stripped
bare of capital and consumer goods;
that some of the former, such as
machinery, is now being used to the
advantage of the Germans.
In addition to the formal protest.
Col. J. C. A. Faure, deputy chief of
staff of the Netherlands civil affairs
administration, was quoted in Lon
don as saying that the Allied mili
tary governors were playing into
German hands when they prevented
the Dutch, Belgians and French
from reclaiming immediately ma
chinery and other property stolen
from them by the Nazi armies.
He said that protests to SHAEF,
while it existed, were fruitless “and
when the new child (the British and
American occupation organization)
was born it was too young.” He ex
plained it was understandable that
since the Allied commanders in their
respective spheres have their hands
full in creating order out of chaos in
Germany, each wants to do a good
job, and for that reason doesn’t want
to lose any material aid that will
help. But that doesn’t provide much
comfort for the Dutch or Belgian
farmer who looks across the fron
tier and sees a German peasant driv
ing home a cow which he swears he
knows is his by its crumpled horn
and the spot on its rump. The same
applies to the factory owner who is
positive his property is turning
wheels in Germany.
Army Aim:
Speed Job
From sources in close touch with
conditions in Germany I heard this
example which pretty well echoes
Dutch explanations but doesn’t solve
their problem. For instance: An Al
lied commander moves into a Ger
man town. One of the first things
ae wants is light and power. His
men repair the power plant. Later
It is claimed that the main dynamo
was stolen from Holland. That is
aot the commander’s affair. Light
ing the town is. His job is to re
store the place as nearly as possible
to a self-supporting community.
But that is not the end, for the
restoration of European economy as
a whole is of vital importance and
naturally those nations which suf
fered under the German heel feel
they should have first call on the
sinews of normality, especially
when those sinews were torn from
heir body economic by Nazi hands.
On this score there have already
seen rumblings of complaint against
he American occupation. Already
he wheels of German factories are
uming in the American zone. The
wrpose is to manufacture goods
md provide services required to
reep the occupation forces going and
o supply the minimum needs of the
immunity.
The Germans have to have shovels
ind hoes and rakes if they are to
ill their fields and cultivate their
;ardens in order to get enough food
0 live on. These tools, if made and
:old, would be in competition with
;oods the Americans make. But
here are not enough ships to carry
1 vast supply of such products
■cross the Atlantic and besides
America has a big waiting demand
of her own. Therefore, in many
cases German capital may be used
to resuscitate German factories and
Germany money will buy its prod
ucts. The Americans are doing ev
erything to facilitate this type of re
construction (light industry and
manufacture of household equip
ment). If necessary and they can
do it, they will see that a missing
shaft or flywheel is obtained some
how. They permit the Germans to
combine partly damaged factories
into one complete plant. They en
courage reconversion of certain
plants from wartime to civilian use.
It so happens that of all the occu
pied zones the one which the Ameri
cans control is capable of creating
most easily a balanced economy.
It is a land of small towns an8 vil
lages, most of which were not im
portant enough to have been
bombed. It is a land of cattle and
of orchards, of fields and meadows.
It is highly probable that with
American organization to guide the
people this area will be the first to
regain a fairly normal life.
If we don’t help the Germans,
we’ll be criticized for fumbling; the
occupation will be made more dif
ficult. If we do help, we will be
under heavy criticism from the peo
ples of less fortunate areas and
charged with treating the former
enemy better than we treat our
friends.
The British operate in a far less
favorable area, for they have the
bombed-out Ruhr on their hands and
they control a territory whose exist
ence depended on industries which
no longer exist and which will not
be permitted to exist in the future.
Such factories as they can operate
to make the community self-sup
porting may well be equipped in part
with stolen machinery.
Russ Strip
German Industry
The pattern of Russian occupation
is quite different. The Russians know
what they are doing in their zone.
They are treating the “little people”
with kindliness, assuring them that
they need have no fear of oppres
sion. Their apparent intention is to
divide up the land and give the Ger
mans a chance to win a livelihood
from the soil, meanwhile giving
them a thorough indoctrination in
the advantages of the Soviet form of ,
government. At the same time they
are removing every movable piece
of machinery to Russia.
Meanwhile, Poland will be allowed
to scrape together such German ag
ricultural equipment as she can sal
vage in East Prussia. Disease is
rampant in Poland; there are short
ages in all kinds of equipment. The
Germans took most of the agricul
tural machinery; much of the rest
was destroyed and the whole coun
try wrecked. The other next-door
neighbors have not even such an
opportunity to recuperate their
losses.
And so the Americans will prob
ably bear the onus of helping the for
mer enemy most of all, although
their only intent is to carry out the
program agreed upon by the Allies.
America wants no loot. She does
want all she can get in the way of
important formulae; all she can
learn of German methods; all of the
ideas which can be adapted success
fully to American life. Already
some valuable scientific information
has been obtained and in many
cases the German scientists, with
that disinterested attitude character
istic of their profession, are quite as
willing to work in an American lab
oratory as they were in one run by
the Nazis. America also wants to
finish her occupation job and get
out. A part of that job is to make
the Germans self-supporting.
Thus, it is quite likely that an
other complaint will be raised that
we are forming too friendly a bond '
with people of a nation the world
came to detest so thoroughly.
• * •
In the years 1940-43, a total of
7,851 persons were killed in farm
accidents in the U. S. Machinery
caused 47 per cent of the deaths,
livestock 20 per cent, and all other
causes 33 per cent. Wisconsin was
the most dangerous state for farm
workers, with 502 killed in four
years; and New York had 456 acci
dental farm deaths.
BARBS . . . by Baukhage
Now that we can get ’em by the
:arton, a lot of us will go back to
i pack a day and be satisfied.
• • •
The administration is approach
ng the proposed labor - manage
nent - government conference with
'loves on — not boxing gloves, but
hat is what they are afraid they
night need unless the animals are
amed in advance.
Business Week predicts a boom by
next summer. Remember ’29 —
what goes up comes down. Mean
while there may be tough going.
Which is another good argument for
keeping those war bonds and buy
ing mare.
• * *
The honeymoon may be over in
Washington but the bills are just
coming in to congress.
OCCUPY RICH LAND:
The first Japanese soil to feel the
impact of American occupation
rom« within a region which would
have been a prime military prize
while the war was on.
Atsugi airport, where the Yanks
landed, lies in the southwest section
of the Kwanto or Tokyo plain, nor
mally Japan’s most productive farm
and industrial region. Nearly 10
miles inland from Sagami bay, this
site is only 20 miles southwest of
the capita] and largest city, Tokyo.
Insect Repellents
DDT is the most effective insecti
cide yet tried for bedbug control, ac
cording to information to the Na
tional Association of Housing Of
ficials. This fact was determined at
the end of an eight months’ experi
ment, involving more than 3,000 in
fested dwelling units in 35 develop
ments throughout the country.
In most cases, it was found, hous
ing units treated with a 4 per cent
solution of DDT in deodorized kero
sene are protected against reinfesta
tion for »t least 90 days.
^loum
R&pxvit&i
in WASHINGTON
By Walter Shead
WNU Corrtipondtnt
WNU Washington Bureau
621 Union Trust Building
Peace Brings Problems
HAT was expected to be a
short time of comparative re
laxation with the congress in recess
here in Washington, turned out to
be a period of tenseness and sol
emnity, punctuated by one wild
hilarious Victory celebration. Now,
with congressmen back from their
shortened vacation, everything is
bustle and activity to cope with the
expected emergency due to sudden
peace.
What was predicted to happen—
has happened. The end of the Jap
war came before congress expected
it would come, and the country finds
itself in the predicament of unpre
paredness for peace and reconver
sion.
While plans for reconversion on all
the home fronts will occupy the
minds of congress and heads of gov
ernmental units here, there is one
factor the members of congress
learned about out in their home
towns during their vacation. It will
have an important bearing upon
what they do, and how soon, toward
preparing the nation for peacetime
economy. And that important factor
is impatience in the minds of the >
American people.
Leaders here see ahead a public
sentiment which will brook no
fumbling at the hands of congress.
During wartime the people have re
mained as a unit, held in check by
the spirit of patriotism. But the
small gripes and irritations which
the people stood for in wartime will
develop into full-blown bellows in
peacetime, since the general public
is pretty well fed up on restrictions
and regimentation. Members of
congress found out that this spirit
is rampant. They also found out
from returning veterans that they
are ready to take their places in
civilian ranks, eager and willing to
say just what they think. They
know what they want, and in all
probability some 7,000,000 or 8,000,
000 of them will be home by this
time next year, ready to play their
part in the 1946 elections. And that
part may be troublesome to some
congressmen.
Only Small Slump
Whatever the congress does to
ease the nation into a peace
time economy with as little a jolt
as possible, leaders here see
months of uncertainty, with at least
some unemployment, some idle fac
tories ahead. They do not expect a
downswing comparable to the de
pression of the early 1930s. As a
matter of fact, there may be no
more unemployment than there was
in 1938 and 1939 before we entered
the war and the nation became
geared to wartime production. But
whatever happens, there will be la
bor dislocations during the fall and
winter months which will lower pur
chasing power and cause consider
able lag in peacetime production.
The first thing President Truman
wants from congress is the power to
reorganize and streamline the gov
ernmental agencies. Immediately
upon his return from Potsdam, the
President sharply reversed the poli
cy of Chairman Krug of the WPB,
who was inclined to let indus
try scramble for itself. So WPB will
continue to allocate materials and
machines to civilian industries with
the idea of making as many jobs as
possible. The President also wants
action on the full-employment bill,
and on his recommendation for
emergency unemployment compen
sation for workers laid off due to
war cut-backs. War orders were cut
overnight about $33,000,000,000, more
than one-half the total, and the
heaviest hit were the airplane and
ship - building industries. In other
(jvords, war orders, which have been
amounting to approximately $45,000,
000,000 annually, will be reduced to
$10,000,000,000 by January, 1946.
Labor’s Demands
The powerful labor lobby already
is busy demanding of congress the
full-employment bill; the bill raising
minimum wages from 45 to 65 cents
an hour; a permanent fair employ- I
ment practice committee; the Mur
ray Missouri Valley authority meas
ure and additional valley authorities
on other rivers; the Wagner-Murray
amendments to the social security
act; the bill providing for allotments
and improvements of feeder high
ways; the airport improvement bill
backed by the CAA; the equal pay
bill for women; and a national hous
ing program. It is also urging the
government to indorse the principle
of the guaranteed annual wage.
Agriculture has some 20 bills in
the congressional hopper, but the de
partment of agriculture will place its
heaviest backing in favor of the
school lunch bill; the Flanagan bill
to combine farm credit and farm se
curity agencies into an independent I
agency; the Lucas REA bill, but
minus the Shipstead amendment
which makes REA an independent
agency; the Langer bill taking the
lid off size of debts which the de
partment may adjust; the Missouri
Valley authority bill, and the Aiken
food allotment bill similar to the old
food stamp plan measure.
_ * ' . . , i, I, I
FARM TAXES:
Average farm real estate taxes
per acre increased over 3 per cent
from 1943 to 1944, the first increase
since the outbreak of the war, with
the index of real estate taxes per
acre for the U. S. (1909-13-100) ad
vancing from 178 in 1943 to 184 in
1944. Since 1934 average taxes per
acre have varied within very nar
row limits and although the increase
in 1944 is the sharpest within this
period the index still does not ex
ceed the high points for the period
which were 186 in 1937 and 1939.
! The Omaha Guide
i -4r A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER JL. I
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I-WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS_
Mac Arthur Lands to Rule Japan;
Press Demands for Open Airing
Of Disaster at Pearl Harbor
- Released by Western Newspaper Union - ..■
(EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed in these columns, they are those of
Western Newspaper Union’s news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
l... mmmmm i imuwj m ~
In conference aboard USS Missouri, Jap navy officers chart Tokyo bay
for Admiral Halsey’s staff preparatory to American fleet’s triumphant
entry as part of General MacArthur’s occupation force.
JAPAN:
Mac s Show
Cool as a cucumber, Gen. Douglas
Mac Arthur stepped from a trans
port plane at Japan’s Atsugi air
drome 20 miles southwest of Tokyo,
smoking his large, corncob pipe.
Stopping to look around, he saw the
field abuzz with activity, as mem
bers of the 11th air borne division,
landing from scores of aircraft,
busied themselves for the occupa
tion.
Evidently pleased, Japan’s new
boss then made his way forward,
stopping to greet Lieutenant Gen
eral Eichelberger, chief of the
U. S. 8th army, which had fought in
the Philippines. “Hello, Bob,” were
his first words upon his historic
landing on enemy soil.
In landing to take over control of
Japan, U. S. forces looked upon an
extensive scene of devastation in
Tokyo and Yokohama, scorched by
repeated B-29 and naval carrier
raids. Unlike Europe where splin
tered masonry cluttered every
thing, charred hulks and ashes were
all that remained from thousands of
Oriental frame buildings. Whole
areas were burned out, with only
buildings encompassed by spacious
walks, lawns or clearings spared
from the roaring flames which once
swept block upon block.
Despite me widespread damage,
Japanese held their heads high in
contrast to the Germans, who had
humbled themselves in an effort to
please their conquerors. Peering
from windows as G.I.s streamed by,
or walking the streets, or setting
up temporary shelters from salvaged
tin, the little brown people remained
perfectly composed with typical
Oriental indifference.
Promising to match MacAr
thur’s landing at Atsugi airfield
in sheer drama was the sched
uled surrender ceremonies
aboard the USS Missouri in
Tokyo bay, with Lt. Gen. Jona
than Wainwright, rescued from
a prison camp in Manchuria,
present to witness the capitula
tion of the haughty imperial staff
which dictated terms to him up
on the fall of Corregidor over
three years ago.
LEND-LEASE:
Asks Write-Off
In asking congress to write off the
42 billion dollar lend-lease program,
constituting 15 per cent of the total
U. S. war expense, President Harry
S. Truman declared that adequate
repayment not only had been made
by recipients through their war ef
forts, but also through their agree
ment to promote international trade
through a lowering of tariff and oth
er barriers.
Further, the chief executive said
that if so huge a debt were to be
added to the financial obligations al
ready incurred by Allied nations,
it would react disastrously upon our
own trade, decreasing production
and employment at home.
Whereas there once was talk that
the U. S. would retake tanks, trucks
or machine tools lend-leased, top of
ficials said, little of such material
will be retrieved since reclamation
would only add to the mounting
stockpiles of war surplus in this
country. Of the 42 billion dollars of
lend-lease, against which the U. S.
obtained only 5% billion dollars in
corresponding aid, half was in mili
tary supplies and the remainder in
civilian goods like food.
PEARL HARBOR:
Rap Report
Despite release by army and navy
boards of inquiry of 200,000 word re
ports covering tne
Pearl Harbor disas
ter of December 7,
1941, congressional
circles remained
dissatisfied over
findings, demand
ing open trials of
principals involved
and access to infor
mation upon which
me investigators
Gen. Marshall based their conclu
sions.
No sooner had the reports been
made public, adding the names of
Gen. George C. Marshall, Ad.-n,
Harold C. Stark and former Secre
tary of State Cordell Hull to those
of Maj. Gen. Walter C. Short and
Rear Adm. Husband E. Kimmel for
failure to take proper precautions,
than Chairman May (Dem., Ky.) of
the house military affairs committee
declared he would not stand for
“any whitewash.” The people are
entitled to know the whole truth
based on all the facts, he said.
On the other side of congress.
Senator Taft (Rep., Ohio) asserted
the reports left a lot to be told,
and full evidence studied by the
courts of inquiry should be revealed
now that military security no long
er is involved.
Issuance of the report had other
repercussions, too. President Harry
S. Truman and Secretary of War
Henry Stimson took strong excep
tion to the censure of General Mar
shall, the two terming criticism of
the army chief of staff “entirely un
justified” while praising his "great
skill, energy and efficiency”
throughout the Pearl Harbor epi
sode.
In naming General Marshall, the
investigators charged he failed to
keep General Short. Hawaiian army
commander, fully advised as to the
growing tenseness of the Japanese
situation; failed to send him addi
tional instructions after the U. S.
ultimatum to Tokyo made war in
evitable; failed to furnish him on
the evening of December 6 and
morning of December 7 with critical
intelligence indicating a rupture of
relations with Nippon, and failed to
look into and determine the state of
readiness in Hawaii during the crit
ical period.
Then chief of naval operations but
since retired, Admiral Stark was
censured for delaying a warning of
an impending attack on Pearl Har
bor by sending it by cable rather
than telephone. The two hours dif
ference in transmission would have
enabled the navy to make prepara
tions for the assault.
In singling out Hull, the boards
averred that he might have conduct
ea negotiations wun
Jap Emissaries No
mura and Kurusu
differently to gain
precious time for
the army and navy
to gird for action.
To crown the
navy’s negligence. .
pointed up by fail- ^
ure to take proper pf
JJ1 CL dUllUIli CV UI]
after being apprized
of a Jap task force’s Cordell Hull
presence in near Hawaiian waters,
subordinate officers did not report
the sinking of an enemy submarine
in outer Pearl Harbor the morning
of the fateful attack to the army.
WAR CRIMES:
List Defendants
Not as blustery as he was when
Germany ruled the European roost,
Reichsmarshal Hermann Goering
topped the list of 24 Nazis sched
uled for trial as war criminals ear
ly in October.
Named with Goering was a gal
axy of former Nazi bigwigs accused
of preparing the natiorf financially
and industrially for war; scheming
diplomatically for advantage; regi
menting the nation internally, and
leading the German armed legions
into attack.
Next to Goering, Rudolph Hess,
Hitler’s choice for his successor be
fore he flew to Scotland in a vain
effort to receive Allied support for
an attack on Russia, heads up the
list of defendants. Close behind are
Joachim von Ribbentrop, who, as
foreign minister, directed Nazi
diplomacy; Martin Bormann, head
of the people’s army; Franz von
Papen, big shot in German politics
and master of international in
trigue; Adm. Karl Doenitz, who di
rected U-boat warfare, and Field
Marshal Wilhelm Kietel, chief of
the wehrmacht.
Joint U. S.. British, Russian
and French plans to try the ac
cused before an international
military tribunal in the former
Nazi shrine of Nuerenberg, how
ever, did not meet with the full
approval of many distinguished
members of the American Bar
association.
Declaring that Allied procedure
was without historical precedent, P.
F. Gault, constitutional and inter
national law expert, said the sys
tem of trial offered a dangerous pat
tern which might be followed in the
future against the President of the
U. S. down to ordinary citizens. Un
der procedure established, trials
may be held outside the presence of
the accused; no appeal is provided
against judgment; the tribunal may
admit any evidence it wishes, and
also determine the relevancy of tes
timony.
Working Capital Up
Well heeled to meet reconver
sion problems, U. S. corpora
tions possessed almost 47 billion
dollars worth of working capital
on March 31, the Securities and
Exchange commission reported.
Of the total of almost 47 bil
lion dollars, SEC said nearly 25
billion dollars was in cash on
hand or in banks. Holdings of
government securities showed a
slight drop to almost 20 billion
dollars, still substantially in ex
cess of tax liabilities of about
16 billion dollars.
In addition to current work
ing capital, corporations have
been promised further incre
ments through income and ex
cess profits credits; allowances
for stepped-up debt retirement
of emergency facilities, and pro
visions for new figuring of base
period returns for excess profit
determination.
POSTWAR ARMY:
Asks Draft
Even as President Harry S. Tru
man asked for an extension of draft
of men 18 through 25 for two-year
periods of service to provide re
placements for dischargees, both
the army and navy announced revi
sion of their plans to step up the
release of enlisted personnel and of
ficers.
With congressional sentiment for
extension of the draft still lukewarm,
Mr. Truman declared that the army
would be unable to meet postwar
demands through volunteering if dis
charges were to continue at hn ap
preciable rate to relieve present sol
diers from extensive overseas serv
ice. To speed up recruiting, how
ever, the President recommended
that the regular army ceiling of
280,000 be raised and inducements
offered volunteers.
Meaawhile, the army revealed
plans Tor lowering the point-stand
ard for discharge from 85 to 80 to
bring about release of 6,050,000 G.I.s
by next July. Assuming there will
be 500,000 new draftees and 300,000
volunteers, army strength would be
pegged at 2,500,000 men.
In addition to announcing that
the point score for enlisted per
sonnel would be cut, the army
disclosed that officers hereaft
er would also be discharged on a
general basis rather than after
individual review of their need
as at present. Further, the
army said no men with 60 or
more points would be sent over
seas and the discharge age
would be lowered from 38 years.
To help expedite discharges of
2,839,000 men within the next year,
the navy announced a revision of
its point-scores to include overseas
duty. Previously, it had been
planned to release between 1,500,000
and 2.500,000 men within 12 to 18
months.
