The Alamance Gleaner 1 VoL LXXI . GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 1945 No. Id WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS? Allies in. "Big Heave" Seal Off Ruhr Valley Production Center; Clay to Riile Occupied Reich Released by Western Newspaper Union. (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed la these columns, they are these ef Western Newspaper Union's news analysis and net necessarily el this newspaper.) German dead litter, road as British Tommies diWre toward Berlin in root of enemy forces on 21st army front. EUROPE: Last Great, Arsenal The last great source ot Ger many's supply of war materiel had been sealed off as tanks of Lieu tenant General Hodges' U. S. 1st army swept before them all resist ance in their spectacular dash to wards Berlin. The British 2nd army, pounding across the north German plain, had steadily drawn closer and closer to the 1st army. Ruhr valley war production centers had been ef fectively sealed off. Typical of the magnitude of the American forces was the one-day bag of 14,000 Nazi prisoners taken by General Patton's 3rd army in its sensational drive eastward. City after city had fallen into Al lied han4s under Eisenhower's steam roller.'Among the rich prizes were Frankfurt - on - the - Main (546, 000), ranking ninth in the German Reich, Mannheim (283,000) which fell to Lieutenant General Patch's 7th army, and Essen which led all Europe in the production of muni tions. Clearly the final doom of Nazi pow er was sounding. Prime Minister Churchill of Great Britain declared he believed the "hour of success" was at hand. Still some military authorities pointed out that a final Nazi stand might ^e made in moun tainous southern Germany but tressed by defenses in northern Italy and the industrial resources of Czechoslovakia. Spring rains and fog had kept the Italian front quiet, but observers had expected Gen. Mark Clark's armies to begin massive smashes northward. Relentless Reds In the East, Russian armies had * kept up their relentless pressure on Berlin and elsewhere with ar mored divisions sweeping over the Austrian border from western Hun gary and closing ever closer on Vienna. Marshall Rokossovsky's 2nd White Russian army battered deeper into Danzig. Once unconditional surrender was achieved, civil afTairs in Germany would be under direction of Maj. Gen. Lucius D. Clay, who had had charge of materiel procurement for the army service forces when War Mobilization Director Byrnes bor rowed him last December as his dep uty in charge of the war program. The appointment, the White House said, was made by Gen. George Marshall, army chief of staff. Clay was appointed deputy to General Eisenhower. PACIFIC: Worst to Come Already feeling the rfh?j of heavy TJ. S. aerial bombardment, Japanese found no comfort in Gen. H. H. ("Hap") Arnold's announcement that America would bring the full weight of its tremendous air power to bear upon the Nipponese once the war in Europe ended. As Arnold spoke, the strategic Ryukyu islands stretching between the Jap homeland and Formosa be came the latest target for American assaults, with carrier planes team ing wflfl -warships in blasting the 500 miMang chain preparatory to ground attack. In declaring that the TJ. 8. planned to use every plane against the Jap anese after Germany's fall to has ten their defeat. General Arnold said that not only would Amer ican air power^smast^the^enomy^ DEMOBILIZATION: Small Scale Though some combat troops in the European theater of war will be demobilized after Germany's fall, all service, air force and naval person nel will be retained to continue the fight against the Japanese, officials indicated. Demobilization of some combat troops will result from inability to make full use of them in the Pacific for geographic reasons, it was said, but the exact extent of release will depend upon conditions in Europe. All members of the service branches will be needed for the construction of staging areas and bases in the Pacific, and the air. force intends to bring its full weight to bear against the Japanese. Because all approaches to'the Pa cific theater of war are over water, and because ships will have to bear the bulk of supplies, all naval per sonnel will be required to bring about the Japanese's fall as quickly as possible. Fleet Admiral King de clared. MANPOWER: Buck Controls Though the President made a strong appeal for passage of the compromise manpower control bill, under which plants would be limited in the number of persons they could employ and workers and farmers alike would be frozen to present jobs, the measure encountered rough going in the senate. Despite the fact that the legisla tion fell short of military leaders' demands for a labor draft, the Presi dent said, its terms assured contin ued high production for the knockout blow against Germany, and provid ed for keeping workers on the job after the Nazis' fall. senators pointeo up uie great war time production record of the U. S. in opposing legislation tightening control over both employers and em ployees, and O'Mahoney (Wyo.) hit arguments that passage of the bill would convince G.I.s that the home front was behind them. Rather, he said, defeat of the measure would assure them of retention at home of the freedoms for which they are fighting. TARIFF: Fight Renewed Calling for authority to slash tar iffs SO per cent under January, IMS, levels in an extension of the recipro cal trade agreements act for three years. President Roosevelt touched off a renewal of the historic tariff fight in congress. While the President said that farther tariff eats weald offer ~ other countries the oppertmdty to obtain fands for purchases here, the RepahUeana argued that a low of cheap goods Into this country weald threaten American prodaeers. And while tho President declared that h tressed imparts weald add to the l^aMteaL'^le^tod'''^ program weald defeat the aa aianiid goal of M.SSS.SM post war jobs. Passage of the President's propos als would allow as much as a 79 per cent tariff reduction under the Smoot-Hawley rates of 1M0 on soma items, it eras pointed out Under the original reciprocal trada act of ISM, reductions of SO per cent were permitted, and since these cuts si RATIONING: Smaller Supplies Already warned of a IS per cent reduction in meat for the next three months, civilians took the first big hitch in their belts for the current quarter with the announcement of an increase in the point values of pork, sausages and canned meat products. While news of the tightening of J these and other controls over fats and oils occupied the home front, it \ was announced that all babies' , leather shoes would be rationed , after April. I In raising the point values on ] pork, sausages and canned meat < products, OPA said that there would | be 5 per cent less meat available ( during April, but the decrease in j supplies would hit civilians harder | in May and June. Coincident with , the new controls over the aforemen tioned meats, it was announced that point values also would be boosted on lard, along with shortening, mar garine, and salad and cooking oils. Hit Shortages Discussing the meat shortage, the national livestock committee of the American Farm bureau charged that low price ceilings re tarded increased production of beef, and said assurances of miifimum re turns would lead to greater pork out put. * xue comnuHee s report one even as congress conducted hearings on the tight meat situation, with rep resentatives of all branches of the industry calling for an upward re vision in ceiling prices. In establishing ceilings on grade AA and A beef, the committee said, OPA assumed that the last 200 or 300 pounds a steer gained in the feed lot was mostly fat later wasted in the kitchen. On the other hand, the committee declared, fat of a steer is distributed through its meat. Speaking of pork, the committee stated that farmers cut hog produc tion at the government's request, and would raise it again if guarantees were forwarded against market breaks. ARGENTINA: On Band-Wagon With Germany's collapse immi nent, Argentina was quick to iutnp on the Allied bandwagon with.adec laration of war against trie Ax's, but in so doing, she carefully point ed out that her policy was governed by the desire to cooperate with other inter-American countries and participate in the United Nations' peace parley in San Francisco. By taking this action, Argentina ended six years of hemispheric iso lation, during which time the coun Riting in Britain's house of com mons, l-aborite Ivor Thomas asked For eign Secretary Anthony Eden: "Would it be the duty of a British soldier who seeks Hitter to shoot him or try to bring him back Oliver Replied Eden: "/ am content to leave that to the judgment of any British sol dier.~ { try professed a willingness to co operate in inter-American affairs, but maintained an independent course in foreign relations. Final determination to play a full and important part befitting her po sition in inter-American affairs led to the decision to declare hostilities against the Axis, with ardent na- . tionalists and some army leaders, however, resisting the move to the last. LABOR-MAN AGEMENT: Postvcar Charter Recognizing management's control over its own business and labor's right to organize and bargain. Presi dents Eric Johnston of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce, William Green of the AFL, and Philip Mur ray of the CIO signed' an agreement looking toward good relations be tween employer and employee in the postwar world when lower produo tion might lead to unrest. In effect, the agreement proposes the establishment of voluntary ma wrnum Ones OHI), Ilk MaM (cas ter) ul PUlMteliF caster m Uksr chinery for the peaceful settlement of disputea and continuance of pro duction in the postwar period, to take the place of present wartime government controls regulating re- 1 lations. Toward this end, creation of ? a special arbitration board ap peared likely. In reaching the agreement,- the parties tended to relieve manage ment's fear that an oversupply of workers might be led into a violent left-wing movement after the war, end labor's apprehension that corn iely bite sv Vote* of on Innocent Byitonder: When Lowell Mellett, former aide to FDR, was asked why the Presi lent is a great executive, Mellett said: "Because he is never too busy to work!" .. . Add towns you should t>e glad you didn't name: Rising Sun, Ind. . . . John JJ. Kennedy, Jie news commentator, says now hat the Nazi prisoners of war over | lere got their own newspaper?the , text thing they'll probably demand will be pensions! Sodden Thawt: Sayt Could the war department's request tor Mr. Byrnes' eorfew be a move to offset the war's inter ference with the birth rate? . . . When oae night elabman griped about "his investments" a newspaperman said: "This is a total war?meaning total for everyone and everything. This is your part in the war?to saert lee more than others. For some people the war means to go blind. Far others?to go broke. Which would you rather?" Congressman Dieksteia aimed a well-deserved blast at TUmkin. The chip on Congressman' Rankin's shoulder?is a cinder in the public eye. . . . The Allied War Crimes commission announced that Hitler and company would be tried for their war crimes. It is about time! To repeat a query: But what is holding up the trial of Hess? See'y of Cammeree H. Wallace will be named "Man of the Year" by the Churchman at its annual ban quet. Willkie and Baruch were so honored. ? What we'd appreciate learning from Justice Byrnes is what he has done a bo at the defiant Wash ington, D. C., stay-up-late Joint which (at last reports) remains open all night? . . . That Toledo theatre manager who kept open all night, too, what about him? - Can't he ho drafted to help pick up the wounded and dead? General Fatten, so the story goes, was holding a meeting with his staff officers when the telephone rang. . . . Thinking it was a friend, the voice at the other end of the wire inquired, "Hello, is that you? you old sonovabee?" Undisturbed, Patton looked around the room and then spoke into the phone. "Which sonovabee do you want?" he inquired. Strange Bedfellows: John L. Lew is, Sewell Avery and Fiorello La Guardia ? Americans who defied their government during the war. . . . One wag recently remarked: "Now that the war dep't has stepped into the curfew controversy, the Little Flower of New York hasn't a pot to bloom in." ... Telegram from Miami Beach: "What those maga zines (which rapped Miami Beach) neglected to add was that since De cember 7, 1041, Miami Beach grace fully cooperated with a midnight curfew. But it was your mayor who was first to violate it. Have you any comment to maks about that?" Taking the words out of our may or's mouth, he once confessed: "When I make a mistake?it'r a beaut I" When General Elsenhower vis ited Paris after its liberation, ha sad several oUlcers inspected the Eiffel Tower. ... At the tap, Eisenhower leaned over the rail and viewed the city. . . . After a silence sf several mla utes an aide said: "A penny for year thoughts, general." ... Eisenhower, visibly Impressed, turned and said: "Isn't this a wonderful ptaes to hang Adolf?" The story in the gasettes that new motor cars may be nameless (after V-E Day) appeared here on July 10, 1944. Mr. bug is quoted as saying "it is very poasible." . . . Draft boards have been instructed to order all "swishes" (now classified 4-F) into defense factories as Ale clerks, etc. Some Broadway musical shows win suffer most. Defers Us death A. Woolcott as signed his royalties frotr< the sales of his book, "As You Were," to care for seamen throughout the world. To date United Seamen's service re ceived $10,771 from the late author's royalties. . . . Lt Roland Hill (ha was Archbishop Spellman's sec'y in Algiers) is the first O.L to run for public office. Has a good chance to be elected mayor of Minneapolis, pals report He went overseas as a private, and General Eisenhower promoted him with bars mads from Bretton Woods Conference Laid Groundwork For a Stable International Monetary System ? U. S. Postwar Exports Depend on Soundness Of Foreign Finances By WALiCR A. SHEAD WMU lUf C?rrNfM