The Alamance Gleaner 1
Vol LXX GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1945 Not 52
f ? ^^^^Ml
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Germans Strive to Check Great
Russian Break-Through in East;
Congress Ponders Labor Draft
?Released by Western Newspaper Union. ???J
(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.)
Evidencing cooperation given Tank forces in Philippines, native vol
unteers information of enemy activity on Mindoro island.
PACIFIC:
Advance Inland
Moving deeper inland down the
great central Luzon plain to Manila,
with elements probing into the moun
tains on either side to secure their
? flanks; Americans of the 6th army
under Gen. Walter Krueger pro
ceeded with caution as the Japs held
back on committing their major
forces to the battle.
At the same time, U. S. carrier
planes ranged far to the west to
strike at enemy sources of supply
and reinforcements along the south
China coast, and U. S. army airmen
swept up and down Luzon hammer
ing at communications lines and air
dromes harboring the remnants of
the Japs' air force.
Strongest opposition to the U. S.
drive was encountered in the moun
tainous terrain on the east flank,
where the Japs fought back hard
from caves and entrenchments in
an effort to hold open the country
to the north of them.
NATION'S CUPBOARD:
Well Stocked
With larger supplies in some foods
offsetting smaller stocks in others,
civilians should eat as much during
the first three months of 1945 as
during the preceding three months,
the War Food administration said.
In comparison, .the WFA said,
more milk, eggs, cheese and citrus
fruits will be available for civilians,
i ? : 1
Reflecting prospects for a long
er European war than anticipat
ed. last fall, farm production
goals for 1945 were upped upon
the War Food administration's
recommendation for more milk,
hogs and beef, and dry beans,
potatoes, tobacco, flaxseed, sug
ar beets and clover seeds.
but less meat, chicken, fats, oils, but
ter, canned fruits and vegetables,
potatoes, sugar and dry beans.
For 1945 as a whole, the WFA de
clared, civilian supplies will be
? smaller than 1944, but slightly
larger than the 1935-'39 average.
More milk, eggs, meat, chicken,
fresh vegetables and fruits, lard,
margarine, syrups, honey and cereal
. products will be available than be
fore the war, but less butter, sugar,
dry beans, canned fruits and juices,
evaporated milk and canned fish.
LABOR OR AFT:
Posh Bill
Spurred on by the President's in
sistence, congress gave increased at
tention to Rep. Andrew May's modi
fied labor draft bill, prohibiting men
between 18 and 45 from leaving es
sential work without their local Se
lective Service board's permission,
or compelling them to accept jobs
designated by such boards.
With the afmy calling for younger
men for replacements, War Mobiliz
er Byrnes outlined procedure for
the induction of registrants in the
28 to 29 group, with less important
employees in essential and so-called
critical war industries to be called
up before key men. Probably half
of the present 365,000 deferred farm
workers between 18 and 25 now be
ing examined prior to review of their
cases can expect to be inducted,
Draft Director Hershey said.
While the President said some sort
of national service ?act was neces
sary to channel workers into neces
sary jobs, representatives of both la
bor and industry told congress that
the present comparatively small
manpower shortage could be best
met by voluntary recruiting.
EUROPE:
'Greatest Offensive'
Their lines shattered and their
border lands imperilled by what was
described as the greatest offensive
in history, Germany's armies of the
east fell back for a feverish reor
ganization in an effort to stem the
Russian tide that threatened to roll
right on to Berlin.
Although the Russians plunged
forward all along the sprawling
Polish plains, the drive of their First
Ukrainian army under Marshal
Konev on the rich industrial prov
ince of Silesia to the southwest con
stituted the greatest immediate dan
ger to the Germans, with the enemy
frankly admitting its loss would seri
ously impair their ability to continue
the war. In an effort to shore up the
Russian advance there, Heinrich
Himmler's home army was called
into action under a hail of aerial
and artillery bombardment.
To the north of this sector below
Warsaw, the First White Russian
army of Marshal Zhukov speared
westward toward Pomerania, and
also threw one wing southward in a
move designed to hook up with the
First Ukranian force and trap Ger
Leaders In the treat Russian offensive In
clude (left to right) Marshals Zbukov,
Konev and Rokossovsky.
man units in a huge pocket. As
these two drives developed, Mar
shal Rokossovky's Second and Gen
eral Cherniakvsky's Third White
Russian armies squeezed East Prus
sia from the north and south.
Nazis Outnumbered
Frankly admitting the gravity of
their situation, the Germans re
ported the withdrawal of their
forces to the west, and the hus
banding of their reserves for coun
ter-action if the rapidity of the Rus
sian advance should result in the
spreading of their strength. Because
of the numerical superiority of the
Russians, it was said, it was im
possible to stop the Reds' advance
by attempting frontal resistance on
the open plains along the whole line.
Yanks Regain Initiative
As the Russian fighting developed,
the Nazis looked with apprehension
to the west, where they feared an
other all-out thrust against the
Rhineland.
Regaining their balance after the
German break-through of a month
ago. Allied forces were back knock
ing against the Nazi frontier, with
the British Second army punching
toward the Roer river along a broad
front, and the U. S. First and Third
armies whittling down the remains
of the big bulge.
As the First and Third armies
hacked off the shoulders of the
bulge, they encountered stubborn
rear-guard action as Von Rundstedt
sought to pull his prize troops back
into the Siegfried line.
While British and American forces
exploited their initiative to the
north, the Germans maintained
pressure on the lower Alsatian
plains, throwing in tanks and in
fantry to hold the positions gained
in limited offensives while main Al
lied power was diverted to Belgium.
LEND-LEASE:
Food Shipments
Showing a 4 billion pound drop un
der 1943, lend-lease food and agricul
tural products shipments during 1944
totalled over 7 billion pounds, with
meats, dairy items and grain
cereals composing the bulk of de
liveries.
Of meat lend-leased, 708,627,733
pounds were cured, smoked and
frozen pork products; 65,238,418
pounds of frozen pork loins; 60,
762,243 pounds of lamb and mutton;
23,285,892 pounds of frozen veal, and
16,101,290 pounds of frozen beef. Of
dairy products, 280,845,699 pounds of
cheese were delivered, 23,886,449
pounds of butter, and 17,860,503
pounds of butter oil.
Other food and agricultural prod
ucts lend-leased included 543,930,297
pounds of granulated sugar; 44,041,
306 pounds of canned peas; 41,424,
897 pounds of canned peaches; 28,
059,988- pounds of canned green
beans; 24,650,997 pounds of canned
tomatoes; 21,868,310 pounds of soap,
and 20,195,112 pounds of canned
pineapple.
SYNTHETIC RUBBER:
1944 Production
Built up almost overnight as a re
sult of the severance of the nation's
imports of crude rubber from the
far east following the Japs' early
conquests, the U. S.'s 700 million
dollar synthetic rubber industry
produced 763,000 long tons (of 2,240
pounds) last year.
Declaring that synthetic produc
tion can be boosted to 1,000,000 tons
if necessary. Secretary of Com
merce Jesse Jones said that the
1944 output was equal to the na
tion's annual peacetime rubber
needs.
Because 60 per cent of the rub
ber was made from alcohol instead
of petroleum, Jones said, production
costs of the synthetic averaged 33
cents a pound, compared with about
19 cents for the crude.
Celebrities Stricken
On the same day, in mid-month, death
came to three of the nation's celebrated
figures:
In Meriden, Conn., 50-year-old Francis
T. Moloney (DemJ succumbed to a heart
attack. Left to support four brothers and
sisters at the age of 12, Moloney worked
up to the senate from newspaper reporter,
mayor of Meriden and congressman.
In Washington, D. C., to attend the Pres
idents inauguration, 57-year-old George D.
Crowley, vice chairman of the division of
finance of the Democratic National com
mittee, and one of the founders of the 1,000
club during the recent campaign, died of
heart trouble. A prominent Chicago insur
ance man and financier, Crowley was the
son of an assistant secretary of the treas
ury under President Cleveland.
Creator of the famed "Frank MerriwelT*
fiction character, whose amazing exploits
thrilled millions of readers, 78-year-old
Gilbert Patten, who wrote under the name
of Burt L. Standish, passed away in San
Diego, Calif. Patten, who ran away from
home at 16 because he didn't like school,
wrote a 20,000-word adventure novel every
week for 18 years, and was estimated to
have written 40j000fi00 words in his life
time.
BASEBALL:
Gets FDR's Nod
With the game having been given
presidential approval provided it did
not interfere with the conduct of the
war, major league baseball mag
nates began laying plans for the
1945 season, with their chief concern
being to scrape together teams
from the dwindling manpower pool.
Although the clubs were expected
to rely again on discharged or re
jected army personnel, their plans
were complicated by recent govern
ment regulations calling for re-ex
amination of 4-Fs and work or fight
orders to men under 38. Some of
these men, however, intend to enter
essential industry and arrange for
playing ball on the outside.
Because of the need for person
nel, "... kids about 17 . . . will
have a wonderful opportunity to
play in the big leagues," said Clark
Griffith, owner of the Washington
Senators.
U. S. NAVY:
Greater Firepower
Its firepower increased five times
since July, 1940, combatant ships, j
auxiliaries and coast guard vessels
of the U. S. navy can now hurl
2,000 tons of steel in a 15 second fir
ing run, the equivalent of 50 freight
carloads of steel.
Packing a wallop 92 per cent
greater than the pre-Pearl Harbor
battleship, Texas, the modern Iowa
is armed with nine six-inch guns
mounted in threes, twenty five-inch
double purpose guns in twos, and
many smaller anti-aircraft guns.
Possessing 123 per cent more fire
power than the 1930 heavy Pensa
cola, the modern Baltimore carries
nine eight-inch guns in threes,
twelve five-inch anti-aircraft guns in
pairs, and numerous smaller anti
aircraft weapons.
Lint From a Blue Serge Suit:
Mr. I. Hoffman (the New York
branch ot the Hollywood Reporter)
recalled the most costly comma in
U. S. history. . . . Many years ago
a tariff bill listed articles that were
to be admitted free. One item was
"all foreign fruit-plants." . . . But
a careless clerk replaced the hyphen
with a comma. ... It caused or
anges, lemons, bananas, grapes
and other imported fruits to be ad
mitted to the U. S. free of duty. . . .
It cost the government an esti
mated million dollars plus.
A concrete example of journalis
tic jiu-jitsu (being thrown for the
count) was the story which said that
Dick Merrill, the famed transatlan- '
tic flier, had broken another record
?flying from Seattle to Washington
in six hours and three minutes. . . .
The story was wired from the Cap
ital by one of the news services. . . .
One night later we grabbed Dick's
paw and shook it hard as we con
{ratulated him. ... "I don't know
what it's about," he said. "I just
came in from Africa. How could
such a story that never happened
get started?"
me icrnoie crasn or tne oia umna
Clipper at Trinidad reminded us of
the flight we made from Natal to the
U. S. . . . The Boeing circled over
Port of Spain for more than an hour
?waiting, we learned, for the man
in charge of the field lights to wake
up?and turn them on. . . . The law
there at the time, it appears, pro
hibited plane landings at night. . . .
When the China Clipper crashed it
was the first time Trinidad permit
ted planes to land at night.
The author of "Argentine Diary"
(Ray Josephs) has an exciting re
port in Cosmopolitan. It is the first
full-length article on Evita (Little I
Eva) Duarte, the girl "behind the
Colonels' clique in Argentina." . . .
We wrote about her activities here
last June?the first story to appear
in the U. S. about her influence in
Argentina. . . . Little Eva, we said,
a one-time playboys' gal-pal, worked
herself up, colonel by colonel, to a
top spot in the leading Fascist re
gime in the Americas. . . . Josephs'
Cosmo piece is called "Under Cov
er Girl," and you'll know why when
you read it. . . . His story, he tells
us, was inspired by the item here
about her, and that is why the edi
tors bought it. . . . Two major movie
studios are interested, too, reports
the author. . . . Thus a columnar
item has bloomed. '
Things like this are making
Sec'y of State-tinlos a very re
spected gent around Washington.
. . . The other day he invited
Sec'y of Interior Ickes and his
staff to meet with the State
Dep't at a private dinner. . . .
Mr. Ickes was asked to make
a complete criticism of the State
Dep't. . . . The idea was to
achieve better teamwork. . . .
Ickes let them have a blistering
attack, and plenty of State Dep't
ears sizzled. . . . But the confab
achieved its unique-purpose. . ..
It put the State Dep't lads on
friendly, human relations with
the Ickes bunch for the first time
in a dozen years.
Add fine screen playing: Mark
Daniels in the "Winged Victory" hit.
... In mid-December the col'm pre
dicted that another strike would
break out at Wright's in New Jer
sey. The workers there wish it em
phasized that they won't strike and
intend to vote for the continuation
of the no-strike pledge.
A Broadway playgirl was tipped
to a sure-thing four days before
Tropical Park shuttered. She
plunged on the horse for a $10,000
killing. . . . But the bookie, with no
future in racetrack gambling,
welshed to the coast. Her boy friend
happens to be one of the East's
toughest sportsmen. Not a new way
of committing suicide, at all.
A Gilmore hateheek gal got a $100
tip from a fellow, who returned two
hours later and said it was a mis
take, demanding it back. He gave
her $1 instead. Not a bad tip, at
that. . . . Havana is "dead"?prac
tically no tourists. But Cuba has
great prosperity, wages are higher
than ever. The Cuban capital is
guarded by machine gunners, ditto
the Presidential Palace. .. . Groaned
one wealthy Cuban planter: "You
people insist on giving our people
milk and ice cream 1 They hate itl"
... Isn't it true you are richer
than ever?'' he was asked "No,"
he said, "I used to make $900,000 a
, month. Now it takes three months
' to make that!"
Federal Plan to Tame Missouri River After War
Will Benefit 11 Million People Living in Its Basin 1
Dams Curb Erosion,
Provide Irrigation,
Electric Service
By WALTER SHEAD
* WNU WaiklaiUl
Harnessing the nation's sec
ond mightiest river, the turbu
lent, muddy Missouri, which
annually roars its flood crests
along its twisting course lor
2,460 miles through seven states,
will become one of the major
postwar projects. More than 11
million people live in this great
basin of a half billion acres,
comprising one-sixth of the area
of the United States.
For more than 30 years feeble at
tempts have been made to shackle
the destructive power of the Mis
souri. Millions of dollars have been
expended in levees and dams in at
tempts to prevent the costly floods
which annually destroy vast sums
in crops and property. Damage of
the 1943 floods alone was placed at
$35,000,000.
Army engineers and the bureau of
reclamation of the interior depart
ment have been for some time at
cross-purposes in the development
of a comprehensive plan. The army
approached the job from the stand
point of navigation and flood con
trol. The reclamation engineers
were interested also in irrigation,
erosion control and power projects.
On November 27, 1944, a recon
ciliation report was filed in which
the two agencies were in complete
accord and the congress in its flood
control bill accepted the entire pro
gram and also authorized $200,000,
000 each to the army and the
TOO MUCH WATER?The rim
pa(lng Missouri river is eroding
millions of tons of good soil sway
every year. Here the flood waters
carved into the bank, washing oat
a road, and leaving a pillar of earth
to indicate the earlier line.
bureau of reclamation to get the
program underway.
President Roosevelt signed the bill
on December 23, but put a hiatus
in the proceedings by recommend
ing the creation of a Missouri Val
ley authority to handle the project
and asserting that his approval of
the bill was with the distinct under
standing thai it would in no way
i jeopardize the creation of such an
agency. He appealed for early con
sideration of the new authority by
the 79th congress.
The President further asserted:
"I consider the projects authorized
by the bill to be primarily for post
war construction."
Only Bine-Print Now.
Hence, the project is now merely
in the blue-print stage and it is pos
sible that a fight may develop in the
new congress over whether there
shall be divided responsibility as to
the army and the reclamation
bureau, or whether a new Missouri
valley authority shall be created.
Proponents of single regional con
trol point to the Tennessee Valley
authority and its successful opera
tion as a yardstick for future fed
eral policy in developing and con
trolling all the nation's waterways.
However, there are powerful inter-'
ests which oppose the creation of
these regional authorities, such as
the power utility interests, the rail
roads, the national rivers and har
bors congress, the Mississippi Val
< ley association, and even divided
public opinion along the waterway.
The rule of thumb, for instance, of
the TVA la that regional authority
will produce the largest possible
I benefits at the least possible costs,
Iand "each task must be carried
out in such a way as to contribute
to the total result to salvage every
possible benefit and the ultimate
goal should be the greatest procura
ble economic returns and human
benefits for the entire region."
Arguments on Role.
Even agricultural interests are di
vided on the pros and cons of re
gional authorities as opposed to op
eration by established federal agen
cies. For instance, in agricultural
sections where there is plentiful
rainfall along the lower Missouri
and water resources are adequate,
opposition is voiced as "subsidized
competition" by the extension of ir
rigation. Public opinion is joined in
industrial areas with the railroads
in opposing the development of new
competing waterways.
One basic objection to operation
by the reclamation bureau has
come from large land owners and
ranchers of the west and north
west. Under the law governing the
bureau of reclamation, this agency
cannot propose irrigation for more
than 160 acres of land for any one
person. Another objection is that
all reclamation projects must be
self-liquidating over a period of ap
proximately 40 years. In contrast,
the statutes governing TV A give 60
years or more for liquidation and
a regional authority likely would not
be hamstrung by the limitation of
acreage proviso.
In a recent pronouncement how
ever, Harry W. Bashore, commis
sioner of the reclamation bureau
said: "We continue to stand on the
basic policy that the bureau will
support the principle of relatively
small family farms as one of the
foundations of American agriculture
and rural sociaUlife. On new land
which is brought under irrigation
for the first time, we shall insist
that the undeveloped property be
parcelled in lots of not more than
160 acres."
Forma Shrink in Size.
During the paat 20 years the aver
age size farm or ranch in the states
of the Missouri basin have in
creased, rather than diminished in
size, due largely to the decrease in
population. For instance, in 1920,
the average size farm in Montana
was 480 acres, in Wyoming was
749 acres and in Nebraska it was
339 acres. By 1940 the farms had
increased to 821 acres, 1,866 acres
and 391 acres, respectively.
Dust bowls, droughts, floods have
driven farmers and ranchers from
the plains states during the past
decade. Net loss of population in
the period from 1930 to 1940 in the
seven plains states was 302,314. In
the Missouri-Souris area of North
Dakota, a strictly rural farm area,
28.7 per cent of the population
moved out, equal to 1,000 families
of Ave each. The financial loss en
' tailed by this shift of population
in at least four of these states is
reflected in abandoned farms, aban
doned towns and unused proper
ties. It is further reflected in in
crease of size and congestion in the
three larger cities of the basin, Den
ver, Omaha and Kansas City.
These Benefits Expected.
The agreed plan of the reclama
tion bureau and the army engineers
is intended to do these things:
1?Provide navigation and flood
control en the river from Its month
to Sioux City, a distance of abont
769 miles, by construction of levees
and revetments to provide a chan
nel 6 feet deep and 360 feet wide.
2?Construct 89 reservoirs and
dams with a combined capacity ef
45,790,000 acre feet of water. (An
acre-foot is water a foot deep over
one acre.) This is more than the
aanaal average flow of the river at
its month. These reservoirs are to
be constructed to withhold water
along the main tributaries Including
the Yellowstone, the Big Born, the
Belle Fourehe, the Cheyenae, the
North Platte, the RepobHean, the
Smoky Bin and along the mate
stream.
8?Irrigation at t,7fll,40t acres at
new land and famishing ?appl?
mental water to Ml,Ml aiMttlut '
acres to increase crop raises ap
proximately $llt,MC,MC aanaally
on 53,MS farms of a bent N acres
each.
4?To Increase the pnpslattos si
the Basin by about CM.MC from irri
gation development alone.
5?To increase the assessed Tarn
ation of properties approximate
ly KM,MS,MS.
4?To furnish adequate and safe
water supply and sewage facilities
for IS cities and towns slang the
river.
T?To construct 17 hydroelectric
plants which will provide iJN,Nlc
000 kilowatt boors of electricity to
be sold at aa annual value of We
lti,CM.
8?To create additional recre
ational facilities through foi motion
of new lakes and parks and the pro
tection of fish and wild life.
9?To introduce proper land asc.
soil erosion conservation, cantons
treatment and reforestation.
States in the Missouri Basin water
shed include approximately two
thirds of Montana, from toe source
of the Missouri in the sbufhwest
comer of the state; North Dakota,
South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming,
including roughly the northeast halt
from a line bisecting the state from
the northwest to the southeast cor
ner; approximately the northeast
quarter of Colorado; the north half
of Kansas; a tip of the southwest
comer of Minnesota; a strip along
the west boundary of Iowa and
the northern part of Missouri from
a line reaching from the Ozarks in
the southwest in a northeasterly
direction to St. Louis.
Needs of the people in these wide
ly scattered areas of long distances
are divergent. Those living along
the lower river want flood protection .
at one season, and supplemental wa
icr lur navigauon ai outers. in uw
western and northwestern section
the people want protection from lo
cal floods, water for irrigation, wa
ter for sanitary and domestic uses
and power for various purposes.
The comprehensive plan which has
been agreed upon is intended to
store water to prevent floods and
water the land in time of drought.
The great river will be made to
serve the people to live within its
basin and thus decrease its destruc
tive power.
Will Pay for Itself.
Construction cost of the plan is
estimated at approximately tl^S,
000,000 which is to be self-liquidat
ing from the sale of water and
power over a period to be deter
mined. Only $400,000,000 of this coat
has been authorized.
The entire nation has a stake in
maintaining the agricultural prod
uctivity of the plains states, for even
in the drought period of 1930-1938
these seven states?Montana, the
Dakotas, Wyoming, Colorado, Kan
sas and Nebraska, produced 41$
per cent of the nation's wheat; 43.4
per cent of the rye; 43.8 per cent
of our barley; 15j per cent of our
oats and 10 per cent of our oorn.
Droughts, the dustbowls the
lowering of the ground water level
by the rampaging river has per
mitted wheat yields to reach 38
bushels to the acre only 5 times?
1879, 1882, 1883, 1805 and not again
until 1942. In many of those inter
vening years the yield has been be
low 10 bushels to the acre, ??*
thousands at acres of seeded land
have been abandoned year in and
year out.
But at last the government has
developed a comprehensive plan
aimed at the relief of this agricul
tural arsenal of the nation. Fran
Cut Bank, Mont., in the northwest
to St. Louis in the southeast; from
Denver in the southwest to Devils
Lake, N. D? in the northeast-the
harnessed Missouri will extwtd ita
benefits?but not until after the war.
ONE OF MANY dam; and reservoirs already constructed to the
Missouri VaUey basin is the Gibson dam on the Sun river in ltartmaa.
The top of the great wall is about 200 feet above the river bed. Eighty
nine more snch projects are planned.