The midland journal., February 19, 1943, Image 2

About The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947

Image provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

                
weekly News analysis
Russ Trap German Army in Caucasus;
March 15 Remains Tax Deadline as
Congress Plans Pay-as-You-Go Later;
Labor Demands Increased Wage Scale
♦EDITOR'S NOTE: When eplnlone are expressed In these eolamns. they are those of
Western Newspaper Union’s news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
t J- !*■. ~ $ ' * *
B jr**
nJH
■ - i-> Mgb mmmffiw i * tWSk
■pt' PWI i JM|
■ % 1 ,a. ■Bs*s{SUh •;:;) lcar <s :
||| '"'ill
Three fighting American generals who led their forces against the Japs
and were wounded in action in New Guinea are shown convalescing in
an Australian hospital. Left to right are shown Brigadier Generals Han
ford MacNider, Albert Whitney Waldron and Clovis E. Byers.
WAGES & PRICES:
Labor Looks Upward
Organized labor’s clash with the
government over wage controls
drew disquietingly closer as the
American Federation of Labor, the
CIO and John L. Lewis’ United Mine
Workers made known their stand.
Conferring at the White House,
William Green, AFL president, and
Phillip Murray, CIO chief, protested
to President Roosevelt that the cost
of living was “getting out of bounds”
and said that there was increasing
dissatisfaction among labor’s rank
and file.
Previously, bushy-browed Lewis
had announced a demand for a $2
a day pay increase in the bituminous
coal industry, effective April 1.
The impending crisis in wage con
trol was further emphasized when
the War Labor board beset by in
creasing demands for pay increases
asked Stabilization Director James
F. Byrnes whether the “Little Steel”
wage ceiling formula should be re
vised upward. This yardstick which
has been applied to numerous indus
tries allowed the WLB to grant wage
increases of 15 per cent above the
levels of January 1, 1941, and was
designed to match rising living costs
between that date and May 1, 1942.
This problem was dropped in Mr.
Byrnes’ lap, because any upward
wage revision would have consumer
repercussions and jeopardize the ad
ministration’s entire wage stabiliza
tion and price pegging program.
INCOME TAX:
March 15 Still Deadline
Neither the Ruml plan to “for
give” all taxes on 1942 income, nor
the U. S. treasury department’s pro
posal to double up collections of both
1942 and 1943 taxes will be adopted,
members of the house ways and
means committee definitely indicat
ed.
One fact appeared certain. Forty
four million American taxpayers
will be compelled to file income tax
returns by the March 15 deadline,
on the basis of 1942 income.
A pay-as-you-go withholding tax
procedure will be set up later. Most
observers predicted July 1 as the
date. This apparently would be a
compromise measure embodying
some but not all of the Ruml pro
posals and the treasury’s recommen
dations.
FARM LABOR:
Army to Help?
Many a Washington official has
lain awake nights trying to find a
solution for the critical farm labor
shortage.
Latest suggestion for relieving the
shortage is to apply a method used
by Union and Confederate armies in
the Civil war—furlough soldiers with
farm experience to help with har
vests and other seasonal farm jobs.
Observers believed that creation of
this farm army would be undertaken
jointly by the war department and
the War Manpower commission and
the department of agriculture. It
was estimated that 500,000 soldiers
might be detailed for this needed
task.
Alternately under consideration by
top manpower authorities was a pro
posal to utilize battalions of army
men still on military assignment for
farm work.
HIGHLIGHTS • . . the week’t new
CHICAGO: Paying its quarterly
dividends in war bonds, stamps or
cash is the novel method the Belden
Manufacturing company is following
to help promote the treasury depart
ment’s drive. Since Whipple Jacobs,
president of fee company, intro
duced fee plan last August, stock
holders have invested 9% per cent of
their dividends in war bonds. This
is well ahead of the national average.
NAZI TWILIGHT:
Darkened by Russ
> While the strains of Wagner’s fu
i nereal Gotterdaemmerung on Berlin
> radios had proclaimed to the Reich
> the melancholy tidings of Nazi dis
■ aster at Stalingrad, this requiem
was regarded by many observers
as only a prelude to more woeful
| news ahead.
1 For it had become increasingly
t clear that the German retreat in
’ Russia had long since passed the
; stage of an orderly withdrawal and
: had reached the proportions of a
rout in many places. Relentlessly
s the Russians had built up their of-
fensive’s momentum, smashing into
! the Ukraine, narrowing the circle
around Rostov and threatening Hit
ler’s harassed Caucasus forces with
a Black sea Dunkirk at Novoros
-1 sisk.
’ Matter-of-fact Soviet communi
j ques told the story of German re
[ verses. These included the reoccu
pation by Red troops of Zolotukhino,
only 22 miles above Kursk on the
1 Kursk-Orel railroad, thus cutting the
[ main Nazi supply line to the north;
■ the recapture of Kupyansk and with
! it the control of an entire rail net
| work; and the seizure of Kuschev
’ skaya, below Rostov on the Rostov-
Baku railway, the biggest system in
■ the Caucasus.
I The loss of Kuschevskaya was
“ particularly bitter to the Nazis. Russ
possession of this city which com
’ mands a railroad spur leading to
the Black sea, threatened to isolate
huge German forces already under
attack at Novorossisk, the large
Nazi-held port on that sea. It had
been believed Hitler would try to
use Novorossisk for the evacuation
of his Caucasian army if Rostov
‘ were regained by the Russians.
| SOLOMONS:
. Nipponese Persistent
Only occasionally during the lat
■ est air-sea battle between American
i forces and their Jap enemies for
: control of the southern Solomons was
the curtain of official secrecy raised.
First American reports were nec
: essarily noncommittal to keep use
■ ful information from the enemy.
The Japs used a “reverse Eng
, lish” technique in reporting the
■ battle. This consisted of radio an
! nouncements telling of overwhelm
. ing American naval superiority in
the Guadalcanal area, of the pres
ence of 10 American warships and
10 aircraft carriers. By employing
such fantastic figures, observers be
lieved the Jap high command was
; preparing the public back home for
i bad news.
MERCHANT SEAMEN:
■ Heroism Unparalleled
1 The heroic part America’s 70,000
1 merchant seamen have played in the
‘ front line of combat on the high seas
was dramatized by a report issued
by Rear Admiral Emory S. Land of
■ the War Shipping administration
■ which disclosed that the percentage
of losses in personnel due to Axis
U-boats and bombers was three
: times as great as that of the U. S.
1 armed forces in the first year of the
war.
Numerically, losses of merchant
sailors totaled 3,200 including dead
and missing, or 3.8 per cent of the
total during the war’s first year. U.
S. armed forces’ losses were 1 per
cent in this period.
WASHINGTON: Planes of the 12th
U. S. air force sank or damaged 54
Axis ships in North African waters,
ranging from light cruisers to
freighters between November 8 and
February 1, it wAs announced here
in a report received from Allied
headquarters in North Africa. The
report disclosed that 13 ships had
been sunk, seven severely damaged,
and 34 others damaged.
MIDLAND JOURNAL. RISING SUN, MD.
AXIS STOOGES:
Show Jitter Signs
Signs of political and economic
crack-up at the northern and south
ern extremities of Germany’s Euro
pean front were indicated in reports
hinting increasing unrest in Finland
and Rumania.
Reports reaching neutral Stock
holm, related that Finland, fearing
further Russian offensives in the
north, was growing desperate. The
Finns’ situation was further compli
cated because of food shortages and
the inability of the Nazis to send
them assistance. Public anger had
been roused over a statement by
Field Marshal Goering that Rus
sia’s 1939 war on Finland was only
a bluff.
The Rumanian situation was said
to be growing more critical because
of heavy losses on the Russian front.
Turkish sources reported that Mar
shal lon Antonescu, Rumanian dic
tator, had begun to despair of his
country’s position. It was estimated
that Rumania had lost 350,000 men
killed in Russia and nearly 650,000
wounded and prisoners.
U-BOAT BASES:
Concrete Is Solid
Ten feet of solid concrete separat
ed RAF bombs from the German
submarines they were dropped to
blast in Germany’s super-U-boat
base at Lorient on France’s Bay of
Biscay. But British fliers kept up
their dogged attacks night after
night, for submarines remained the
chief menace to Allied success in
Europe.
British reports said that existing
pens under concrete at Lorient could
accommodate 20 submarines at a
time, while another set of pens under
construction could take 10 more.
Air warfare against submarine
sources was not confined to the bases
from which they embarked. Bomb
er attacks continued to be directed
against cities where U-boat parts
are manufactured, such as Essen,
Duesseldorf and Cologne, as well as
Copenhagen, Denmark, where sub
marine diesel engines are made. In
addition, RAF bombers strafed other
industrial cities, including Turin,
seat of Italy’s airplane engine in
dustry.
7.4 BILLIONS SAVED:
For Farmers Says OP A
Stung by frequent criticism of its
policies by farm bloc leaders, the
Office of Price Administration an
swered back in a statement contend
ing that by the end of 1943 this agen
cy will have saved American farm
ers $7,400,000,000 or an average of
$1,213 a farm.
OPA made this estimate on the
basis of a computation of how much
money farmers would have been
compelled to spend on things they
buy and on operating expenses if
there had been no government con
trol over prices.
AFRICAN CRITICISM:
Ebb-tide Approaching
The tide of criticism over Amer
ica’s handling of the tricky North
Africa political situation had shown
signs of ebbing. Significant of this
trend was the statement of Foreign
Minister Anthony Eden in the house
n? %
K -J B
■ 4 mM
H g *"■'< v ' : Jg|
FOREIGN SECRETARY EDEN
". . . cooperation beginning.”
of commons that a “start has been
made for reconciliation between
Frenchmen and readjustment of in
ternal conditions in North Africa.”
Eden placed full responsibility for
settling North African controversies
upon Frenchmen themselves. That
the French intended to follow this
advice was indicated by the creation
of a five-man commission by the
imperial council in Algiers to under
take internal reforms. One of these
was the restoration to their posts
of officials ousted because they were
Masons. Another was the release
by General Giraud of 27 Communist
members of the former French
chamber of deputies.
A further step toward unity was
a blunt memorandum by Lieut. Gen.
Dwight H. Eisenhower warning
American officers against unwar
ranted criticism of “any ally.”
COFFEE AND BUTTER:
Rations Are Slimmer
Less coffee in their morning cups
and butter on their bread faced
Americans for the remainder of 1943,
as the OPA and the Food Distribu
tion administration made known
their newest rationing plans.
Coffee rations were reduced from
one pound per person every five
weeks to one every six weeks. This
worked out to about 8.7 pounds per
year per civilian.
Approximately 13 pounds of butter
will be available for each civilian.
Changes Scheduled for
Manpower Commission Jpjj
English System Seen as Successful Model;
McNutt Unable to Obtain Efficient and
Experienced Force of Experts.
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, 622 Union Trust Bldg.
Washington, D. C.
Two days before the Office of War
Information announced the now fa
mous "work-or-flght order” I wrote:
Strange sounds are coming through
the keyhole of the wide door of the
office of the federal security admin
istrator, Paul McNutt. They have
nothing to do with federal security
but they have a lot to do with that
other function of the administrator,
on whose broad shoulders rests
heavily the chairmanship of the
manpower commission.
The noises I refer to are the pre
liminaries to a bigger noise.
“The manpower commission is
Just about to blow up,” said a cer
tain official to me, one who has fol
lowed its operations very closely but
because of some strange premoni
tion refused to get entangled with
them. He is entirely sympathetic
with the effort but like others
whose duties are affected by the
ramifications of the manpower situ
ation, he is chagrined and confused
by what is happening and still more
by what hasn’t happened.
When the manpower situation was
first turned over to McNutt, who is
known as a good administrator, there
was a long and patient wait for
something to happen. Nothing did.
“No wonder,” said neutral observ
ers, “he has no authority.”
Then he got the authority by presi
dential ukase. Earlier, it is true,
he had made it plain that he felt that
there should be passed by congress,
a national service act which would
lay upon all civilians the similar
obligations placed upon the young
men of military age. So many peo
ple, who thoroughly disliked the idea
of a draft of labor of any kind nev
ertheless declared such a step was
inevitable that I was positive that it
was coming and so reported. Now
it seems far away.
The substitute was supposed to be
the setup under McNutt which would
work through the United States Em
ployment service. Selective service
j was even made a part of McNutt’s
organization and General Hershey,
who had seen that institution through
from its inception, with better grace
than many would have shown, ac
cepted the subordination of his func
tions like the good soldier that he is.
More Authority
But many a week has passed since
that step was taken, various direc
tives have been sent to the draft
boards, enlarging the scope of defer
ment for essential farm and indus
trial occupations. But still the sys
tem doesn’t click. It is now report
ed that McNutt feels that he needs
still more presidential authority con
ferred upon him.
It was thought when the last re
organization of the manpower agen
cy was made that the United States
Employment service would work
side by side with the Selective serv
ice, the one recruiting labor, the
other recruiting fighters and the
question would be settled between
them under a single head. Then,
according to one of the members of
the commission, without informing
anyone in advance, he did what
many feel was a direct violation of
the key policy—turned over the ques
tion of deferment to the department
of agriculture.
This is the step which those who
opposed it feel is going to force a
change in the setup once more. Ad
ministration of manpower recruit
ment was supposed to be centered
in the commission.
Naturally members of the depart
ment of labor who felt that recruit
ment of workers should be handled
by that agency, consider that no suc
cessful solution will be reached until
the entire manpower question is put
under a single person of cabinet
rank and administered by that head
right down to the local setups. They
point to what has been done in Eng
land where the system seems to be
working successfully under the Brit
ish labor minister. A system has
been worked out there where the lo
cal administration has wide author
ity under a firm general policy.
The reason why a similar plan
was not followed here is possibly
because of the feeling against Sec
retary of Labor Perkins. Too many
people would object if the work were
turned over to her and it was be
lieved that the President was about
to cut the Gordian knot when the
BRIEFS •••fry Baukhage
For every egg laiu last year we
need 13 eggs this year to feed our*
selves and our allies.
• • •
Many Americans in the Pacific
coast states were as disappointed as
the Chinese in the failure to an
nounce an offensive in the Far East
in 1943. They say they feel as if
Washington was a lot further from
San Francisco than Australia.
plan was announced whereby Miss
Perkins was to be transferred to the
head of the Federal Security admin
istration; McNutt would go to inte
rior and Secretary of Interior Ickes
would head the labor department.
/cites’ Refutal
That scheme fell through because
Ickes didn’t want to make the shift.
The result is that McNutt has been
left to struggle with a problem for
which some of his most sympathetic
critics say he is not fitted. He has
been unable to obtain an efficient
and experienced staff—some posts
are still vacant—others are said to
lack the technical knowledge neces
sary to McNutt or anyone in his po
sition. Such expert assistance would
be available in the labor department
for even those who speak least re
spectfully of “Madame Secretary”
admit that she has built up an ex
cellent force of experts in her de
partment.
As one veteran of the labor front
said to me: “If the war lasts long
enough, we may establish a work
able and efficient system like the
British. Look for at least one more
makeshift experiment. Meanwhile,
let’s hope we can muddle through.”
That was the state of things up
until February 2, 1943. Then came
the announcement of the list of “non
deferrable jobs.” The cynical may
still look upon it as a “make-shift
experiment”—by April 1 we’ll know
whether McNutt has cracked the
hardest nut in Washington or wheth
er we still have to muddle through.
* * •
Nazi Communiquea
Indicate New Statue
When Hitler failed to appear or
even to speak to his unseen audience
on the tenth anniversary of his ac
cession to power, it was only natural
that many people felt that this was
part of the peace offensive which
it was known the Reich was prepar
ing. The “unconditional surrender
conference” at Casablanca was sup
posed to have pretty well quashed
the Nazi peace drive but apparently
the Reich still has hopes.
When I learned that Goering and
not Hitler was delivering the oration
of the day, two pictures flashed
vividly into my mind—one I wit
nessed personally in September,
1939, from the Press Gallery of
Reichstag and the other was de
scribed to me. The latter is said
to have taken place in the famous
hunting lodge of Goering, outside of
Berlin. A millionaire American
manufacturer sat with him. It was
not long before Pearl Harbor. The
American had a peace drive of his
own. He outlined it to Goering. It
was this: Get rid of Hitler, set up
a more liberal government, agree to
get out of France if England will
make peace.
The man to do the job, Goering.
The fee, one million dollars.
According to my informant, Goer
ing was willing but the scheme was
never put through.
Names Goering, Hess
The other scene was the occasion
of Hitler’s announcement that he
had invaded Poland. It was then
that he declared that he was going
to the front and that if anything
happened to him, he had decided
that his successor would be his air
marshal, who sat at the Reichstag
president’s desk, resplendent in one
of his musical comedy uniforms.
And, said the fuehrer, if anything
happened to Goering, Hess would be
the second choice. The solemn and
lanky Hess, dressed in the brown
uniform of the party, rose and
saluted as had the grinning Goering.
Hess, when things didn’t go ac
cording to his wishes, painted his
toenails, and took wings for England.
There has been comment in Wash
ington lately over the different tone
in the official communiques issued
by the German high command. Ex
perts say they seem to indicate that
the generals have taken over.
Recently it was rumored that Hit
ler had fired his "intuition” which
he said directed his military strategy
and he was letting the professionals
run the army. It is just possible
that Hitler will some day meet the
same fate of the intuition which he
so unkindly purged. Even the most
thickheaded Nazi could hardly be
lieve that the Allies would ever
make peace with a government with
Hitler at the head.
There is talk again of an overall
agency having the last word on all
the problems affecting the civilian
population under war conditions.
James Byrnes, stabilization admin
istrator, would head it.
• • •
The war has shrunk the comics.
Syndicates are studying means of
compressing their humor and drama
into four instead of five columns.
figgSt on the rn
pOME HDNIg
IF THERE is one piece of furni
*■ ture for which our own period
will be famous it is the low coffee
table. Our own generation has
discovered that low tables are not
only convenient but give a greater
feeling of space in a room than
high ones.
Here is a little coffee table that
is as modern as tomorrow. You
can make it yourself from a three
by four foot piece of half inch ply
■ 16 " 'I3-PIECE-TABLE Of Vi PLY- I
TOP
ftujT if *' SLOT
II 1H 27> •
wood with straight cuts of the
saw. It requires not one scrap of
hardware. Just cut the three sec
tions according to the dimensions
given here; place the slot of the
narrow piece of the base through
the slot in the wide piece; put the
top on, and there you are! When
not in use the pieces take up no
more space than a large serving
tray.
* • •
NOTE: Readers who have sent for cop
ies of the series of booklets numbered one
to eight, prepared by Mrs. Spears, will be
pleased to know that BOOK 9 is now
ready. This new book contains 32 gay
and thrifty things for your home with
Illustrated directions. Send your order to:
MRS. RUTH WYETH SPEARS
Bedford HlUs New York
Drawer 10
Enclose 10 cents for Book No. 9.
Name
Address
Early Betrothals
In some Asiatic countries cou
ples are betrothed by their par
ents in childhood or infancy, or
even before they are born. In Mon
golia, children are tentatively be
trothed at about six or seven, and
the engagement is marked by a
feast given by the girl’s parents.
Relief .At Last
For Your Cough
Creomulsion relieves promptly be*
cause it goes right to the seat of the
trouble to help loosen and expel
germ laden phlegm, and aid nature
to soothe and heal raw, tender, in
flamed bronchial mucous mem
branes. Tell your druggist to sell you
a bottle of Creomulsion with the un
derstanding you must like the way it
quickly allays the cough or you ate
to have your money back.
CREOMULSION
for Coughs, Chest Colds, Bronchitis
ADD YOUR BIT!
•••* "jAlr •*••• Dta..
jfJF • • •*.**-•
Turn in your scrap iron, rubber,
rags and waste fats to produce
that needed part for gun, tank,
plane, ship or ammunition!
uroffif pates";
nft for girls who hestcn healing
kwA-of externally caused pimples
D by relieving irritation with
RESINOIw
ibb u
Children Like This Bitter
Way To Take Cod Liver Oil/
Mothers!—children need the vital
elements in Scott’s Emulsion to help
promote proper growth, strong
bones, sound teeth! So give them
good-tasting Scott’s Emulsion defy
—they’re sure to like it. Tones up
system. Contains natural A and D
Vitamins. Buy today—all druggists.
Ajzy RtMNMMM Bj ■ J titCuifS