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The Alamance Gleaner
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Vol LXXI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1945 No. 81 j
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
U.S. Moves to Take Over Japan;
See Early End to Rationing
As Reconversion Pace Quickens
Released by Western Newspaper Union.
(EDITOR'8 NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of
Western Newspaper Union's news analysis and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
JAPAN:
Work Out Occupation
Its huge guns belching smoke
md Ore and bombarding the Nip
ponese coastline just a few weeks
ago, the huge 45,000 ton U. S. battle
ship Missouri was to become the
peace ship of World War II, with the
Japanese formally signing surrender
papers aboard the vessel in Tokyo
hay.
Taking place several days after
U. S. airborne troops were to de
scend on the Atsugi airdrome south
west of Tokyo to spearhead the Jap
anese occupation along with ma
rines landing simultaneously at the
Yokasuka naval base 20 miles be
low the Nipponese capital, the tor
anal surrender ceremony was to
see General MacArthur signing for
the Allies as a whole, with Ad
miral Nimitz countersigning for the
U. S. and Admiral Fraser for the
British.
In working out the initial occupa
tion plans. General MacArthur and
his staff left no stone unturned to
assure the safe conduct of the
U. S. forces. At the same time, the
new Nipponese government headed
by Prince Higashi - Kuni strove
la prepare the population to accept
Cie American landings peaceably
and refrain from riotous outbreaks,
?nperiling the whole surrender.
Under General MacArthur's plans,
fae Japanese were ordered to ground
all planes and disarm all ships at
sea several days before the first
U. S. landings. Then, while sprawl
Big Allied fleets moved in close to
Nipponese shores, the Japanese
were to immobilize all vessels in
Tokyo bay and strip coastal guns
and anti-aircraft batteries.
As a final precaution, the Japa
nese were ordered to evacuate all
armed forces out of the immediate
fanding area, to forestall possible at
tack by fanatical troops. Guides and
mterpreters were to be furnished to
facilitate General MacArthur's con
trol of the occupation territory.
Jap Casualties
In the first full admission of the
fatensity of Allied air attacks, the
Japanese news agency Domei re
(prted that 44 of the nation's 200 or
more cities were almost completely
wiped out by bombings, with a toll
af 260,000 killed, 412,000 wounded and
t,200,000 left homeless.
Of the total, the atomic bombs
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
accounted for 90,000 killed and 180,
?10 wounded, Domei said. Declaring
#te toll may be even greater, the
Japs revealed that many of the
burned are not expected to survive
because of the nature of the wounds,
while persons only slightly touched
by the fires later weaken and often
#6.
Reporting that 2,210,000 homes
were completely demolished or
burnt down, and 90,000 partly dam
aged, Domei said that in addition to
the 44 cities almost completely
wiped out, 37 others, including
Tokyo, suffered loss of over 30 per
?ent of their built-up area. Of 47
yrovinces, only 9 escaped with rela
tively minor damage, Domei re
pealed.
CHINA:
Key Position
Relieved from Japanese encroach
snent, and pivotal point of the
?jnem, unma has
assumed a renewed
Importance in the
?jfar east, with
"Chiang Kai - shek
and his Premier T.
?. Soong playing
their cards well in
the complicated
'game of internation
al politics.
? Backed by the
V. S., Chiang's gov
- cement holds the
' upper hand in the
anal, sprawling na
' Bon with its 400,
r MS 000 people, with
its position greatly
strengthened in
dealings with the
Chinese commu
nists, Russia and
"sen Britain.
Though the Reds
have openly defied
Chiang and
I. V. Soong
?-nuuig, u. o. nnanciai ana nuieimi
support of his regime, plus efforts
"4 Ambassador Hurley to bring the
two dissident factions together, have
enhanced his standing. In his deal
fags with Russia, U. S. and British
pressure has resulted in recognition
a< China's sovereignty over Inner
Mongolia and Manchuria, though the
Reds have obtained a 50 per cent
interest in vital railways in the lat
ter province, secured Port Arthur
as a naval base and been allowed
use ol the ice-free port of Dairen.
By marching his' armies into the
crown colony of Hong Kong, which
the British wish to retrieve, Chiang
even struck up a bargaining position
with London.
RECONVERSION:
Pace Quickens
Breathless trying to keep up with
relaxation of unending wartime con
trols, the nation contemplated early
removal of meat, tire and shoe ra
tioning, even as the government re
moved restrictions on industry to
permit full-steam ahead on recon
version.
Following a previous announce
ment that the government had
abolished packer set-asides on beef,
veal and ham supplies for the army
and other federal agencies, an early
end of rationing was expected with
OPA's revelation that it would re
duce meat point values in view of
military cutbacks in orders and a
prospective heavy fall run of cattle.
With the announcement that tire
production would be doubled to 4,
000,000 monthly during October,
With industry given the go-ahead
signal for civilian production, man
ufacturers strove for speedy output
for the pent-up postwar market.
Here, body is being slung on chas
sis of one of the first cars to roll off
of postwar production line.
November and December, unoffi
cial predictions that rationing of
cords would be terminated within 90
days were strengthened.
Forecasts that shoe rationing also
may be ended shortly were sup
ported by an announcement of the
' Tanners Council of America that
production of civilian footwear may
exceed 30,000,000 pair a month for
the rest of the year, the highest
level ever reached by the industry.
By lopping off most controls and
only retaining authority to assure
military and other emergency pro
duction, and break bottlenecks in
scarce materials for civilian output,
the government gave manufacturers
the go-ahead signal on such a wide
variety of items as refrigerators,
radios, distilled spirits, trucks, oil
furnaces, construction machinery,
metal furniture, motorcycles, photo
graphic films, storage batteries,
waxed paper, sanitary napkins, ma
chine tools, shipping containers,
pulpwood and commercial chemi
cals.
Removal of all lumber controls
except those necessary to fill prior
ity orders assured a speedy re
sumption of both industrial and
home building construction.
U. S. CREDIT:
Supplants Lend-Lease
Following termination of the 41
billion-dollar lend-lease program,
Foreign Economic Administrator
Leo Crowley revealed that the U. S.
was prepared to advance six billion
dollars in credits to other nations
for procurement of material in this
country to bolster sagging postwar
economies.
At the same time, Crowley said
that negotiations might begin with
in the next year for settlement of
lend-lease accounts, which find U.
S. contributions of 41 billions offset
by only 5tt billions in mutual as
sistance.
Under plans outlined by the FEA
chieftain, the U. S. would furnish
3V4 billion dollars in long-term credit
to nations wishing to purchase goods
already contracted for to fill can
celled lend-lease orders. An addi
tional 1 billion 800 million dollars
would be advanced for procuring in
d us trial end other goods.
Chieftains Meet
Here to discuss increased financial
assistance (or rehabilitating France,
internationaliiation of the Rhlneland
and re-establishment of his country
as a world power, Gen. Charles de
Gaulle (left) arrived in Washing
ton, D. C., to be greeted by Presi
dent Truman.
QUISLING:
On Spot
Fighting back savagely, big, bulky
Vidkun Quisling was hard pressed
in defense of his collaboration with
the Germans in Norway as the
state presented an avalanche of evi
dence purporting to show that he
had co-operated closely with the
Nazis in their heavy-handed occu
pation of the country.
Quisling was first taken back by
state presentation of reportedly cap
tured German documents stating
that the Nazis had used information
supplied by him in their invasion of
Norway. The collaborationist also
was shaken by charges that he had
turned over to the Germans a com
munist leader blocking his political
program and also denied a reprieve
to an official sentenced to death for
refusal to force Norwegian girls to
work for the Nazis.
Throughout the trial, Quisling de
fiantly asserted that he had played
with Naziism in an effort to prevent
British establishment of bases in
Norway in 1940 and possible inva
sion of the Scandinavian peninsula
u., D..0R;? *?? 1
tjj iiuooia ituiii uic iiui 111 aiiu uci
many from the south to thwart the
move. He also claimed to have
worked fervently from 1918 for the
creation of a German, British and
Scandinavian bloc to arrest the de
velopment of Communism in Eu
rope.
PACIFIC:
Ask Bases
Taking a realistic view of the Pa
cific situation, in which the U. S.
looms as the greatest power, the
house naval affairs committee de
manded that this country be given
control over both Allied and former
Japanese bases for the construc
tion of a powerful defensive system
capable of resisting attack from any
direction. ?
Issued by Chairman Vinson
(Dem., Ga.) the congressional
proposal urged U. S. domination of
the whole Pacific area stretching
from the Hawaiians westward to the
Philippines and Ryukus, and in
cluding the Marshall, Caroline and
Marianas islands. In addition, the
house committee said, the U. S.
should take over American devel
oped bases in the Manus islands in
the Australian Admiralties; Guadal
canal in the British Solomons; Es
piritu Santo in the British-French
New Hebrides and Noumea in
r rencn new i^aieaonia.
Justifying American control over
Pacific bases, the house committee
cited "the loss of American lives
in taking these bases. The expendi
ture of vast sums of American mon
ey in establishing and equipping
these bases. The great depend
ence of the world upon the United
States for maintaining peace in the
Pacific and world. . .
SALARIES:
Bar Lifted
With President Harry S. Truman
having set the pattern for removal
of controls over wages and salaries
under Jurisdiction of the War Labor
board, the treasury announced re
laxation of restrictions on salaries
of administrative, executive and
professional personnel under its
wartime supervision.
In both cases, employers will be
able to grant raises to workers pro
vided they do not use the increase
as a basis for requesting higher ceil
ing prices. In instances where price
changes are involved, government
agencies will retain authority over
proposed raises.
At the same time, the WLB is
empowered to grant wags increases
where substandard rates are in ef
fect to bring them mors evenly in
line with living costs.
11
ill*!
While If alter Winchell is ewer, ftoTl
month, his column will ho conducted
by guest columnists.
By BABE RUTH
(As Told to Ben Epstein,
Sports Writer.)
I'm for the Kids!
The foverament, national and
municipal, is throwing the kids of
America a curve!
Don't get me wrong. The old Babe
hasn't fallen for one of those phony
isms. I like my United States the
way they started it. The guys who
wrote the Constitution were no bush
ers. They won a pennant their first
time out and this country has been
in first place ever since. That's
class, no morning glory record. The
kind that knocked off the Nazis with
their hidden ball tricks and like
wise sky-hiked the Japs to their an
cestors.
With Eisenhower, Halsey and Mac
Arthur hitting in the clean-up spots,
the World Series is a cinch. That's
why you and I are proud of our 48
States setup. Three hundred plus hit
ters from top to bottom supported
by a double play combo, sound
catching and fast outfield that knows
how to handle sneak attacks. I'm no
uuniaiy CA^cri uui ui wai, as tu
baseball, you must be strong down
the middle.
What has all this got to do with
the Government taking a potshot,
perhaps innocently, at the kids?
Simply this: It has completely for
gotten them.
Yep, I know the diamonds are still
there and nobody is bothering the
kids. That's the trouble. No one is
bothered over the fact that they are
playing with broom sticks and balls
made out of a synthetic something.
This is the situation in New York
and, no doubt, the same in other
cities. It's both depressing and
alarming. Not only to the future of
baseball and other sports, but more
important the moral and physical
I welfare of our future citizens.
SAWDUST FILLED BASEBALLS
| I know materials that ordinarily go
into the making of sports athletic
equipment were necessary for guns,
ships, planes, etc. I say they could
be made without let up and take
heat off the kids. It's up to the law
makers. How? Simply by freezing
the many so-called "essentials." It
seems to me that some of the manu
facturers continue to make useless
gadgets for the grown-ups who
"understand." Personally, I would
sacrifice my shoes if I thought it
meant the elimination of sawdust
now stuffing what is now called a
baseball.
If it's one thing I know, it's the
make-up of the average kid. I've
buddied with thousands of 'em from
coast to coast, but let's keep home
runs out of the column. Their lan
guage is playing games with
equipment made out of durable
stuff. With such baseballs, gloves
and bladders unavailable, he gradu
ally drifts to the corners where he
figures it's more interesting. Have
you noticed the rise in juvenile da- !
linquency lately?
Right now, the only playable base- '
balls, good for an inning or more, M
are being manufactured for the pro
fessionals. I suppose that Organized
Baseball is doing the best it can. All
balls fouled into the stands are j
donated to members of the armed
forces. I endorse that idea. Certain
lv the soldiers and sailors need rec
| reation. But that brings ma right |
back to where I started: What about I
the kids?
What about the kids and future '
of baseball? The kids, mind you, are
the life blood of the game. And if
the game doesn't come to the aid of
the kids, baseball will strangle it
self with its own hands. Today, ma
jor league competition is a Class D
standard. The majority of players
who return from the service will
be passe.
Comebacks Tor them is a rough as
signment. The gap is big. Hank
Greenberg is gamely trying to beat
the rap and- you can see from his
batting average the going is tough?
almost too tough. But gritty service
guys like Hank should make it.
Night play, which I tagged as an
out-and-out mockery of baseball in
this same space last year, just about
rubs out the Hd for keeps. Sensible
parents will put him to bed where he .
belongs but won't improve his base
ball education. Meanwhile the own
ers are favoring fatter schedules un
1 der the arcs, which also makes
CENTS. Occasional games under the
lights, say, between 7 and 14 per sea
son, is okay for the sake of novelty.
If the owners play every night ex
cept Sunday ? how are they going
to replenish when the present crop
of Class Da run out?
Optimism Shown Over Bumper Crop Conditions j
As Government Makes Final Survey for 1945 |
w
Wheat Leads Off With
Largest Harvest Ever
Grown in the Country
America's 1945 farm outlook gives
promise of a total production higher
than for any year on record except
the bumper seasons of 1943 and 1944.
Some 350,000,000 acres are due to
be harvested, with record or near
record productions indicated for a
number of crops. Many above aver
age acre yields are anticipated, with
a record yield of 147.7 bushels per
acre expected for potatoes, a near
record for rice and an exceptionally
high yield for oats, over 7 bushels
above the 10-year average and close
to the 1942 record. Above average
yields are expected for barley, rye,
wheat, corn, sugar beets, sugar
cane, dry peas, tobacco, sweet pota
toes, and a number of the vegetable
crops. Milk production may total as
much as two to two and a half bil
lion pounds more than in 1944 for a
new record.
N. E. Dodd, chief of the Agricul
tural adjustment agency which has
the job of helping U. S. farmers
work out acreage goals, reports that
1945 goals appear to have been met
or exceeded for wheat, oatg, rice,
dry peas, tobacco and peanuts and
that both flaxseed and sugar beets,
while not reaching hoped-for goals,
are well above the 1944 acreages.
Preserving the Land. .
Despite the hard use to which the
land has had to be subjected during
the war years, it is still going
strong, Dodd said, one of the main
reasons being the influence of in
creased use of soil building and soil
and water conserving practices. A
considerable part of this year's ex
pected harvest, he emphasized, can
be traced directly to improved meth
ods of handling soil.
Last year set new records, for ex
ample, for acreage under contour
cultivation and that planted to green
manure and cover crops. Acreage
of small grains and other drilled
crons tfrnwn nn th? rnntnnp mnr#
than doubled over 1943, and still fur
ther increases are seen for 1945.
Lime and superphosphate being used
to establish soil improving crops are
showing rapid increases and would
be far greater, according to Dodd, if
larger quantities of these vital ma
terials were available. As it is, 87
per cent more superphosphate was
used on legumes and grasses in 1944
under the AAA program than the
average for 1939-43, and nine times
as much as in 1936.
Terracing, strip-cropping, irriga
tion, weed control and many other
improved farming practices are also
doing their part in holding the fer
tile top soil on fields and in conserv
ing moisture.
Crop Prospects Reported.
Naturally, farm production cannot
be calculated as accurately as in
dustrial production. Even if factors
such as labor, machinery, storage
and marketing, repair parts, fertili
zer, and soil conditions are favor
able, the farmer cannot be sure that
the weather won't upset his well
laid plans. The present harvest is
late in some sections due to un- I
seasonable''spring weather that in
terfered with planting schedules
and in some cases necessitated last
minute crop shifts. Drouth, floods
and inroads by insects and pests of
various kinds can still throw the
farmer's entire production schedule
out of line. But here's what this
year's outlook on individual crops
is:
Wheat ? Largest crop of record,
and the third U. S. billion-bushel
crop. Estimated at 1,146,000,000
bushels, this year's indicated wheat
harvest is 67,000,000 bushels above
LMUtac alfalfa bar aa a Wlaaaa
da farm. Thto year'a hay trtf
yramlsea la ha tha anal largaat
aa nwrl.
Hay and corn hare been strip-cropped on this North Carolina (aim
to protect the soil from erosion and to help increase crop yield.
the previous record crop of 1944. It
is 43 per cent greater than the 10
year average for 1934-43. Winter
wheat production is up 14 per cent
over last year. Estimated acreage
of all wheat for harvest is 64,961,000
acres, 9.S per cent above 1944, with
winter wheat acreage substantially
above last year in nearly all impor
tant producing states.
Oats?Oats production is expected
to be the largest since 1920, a total
of 1,546,032,000 bushels. This is 33
per cent above the 1944 crop and 45
per cent above the 10-year aver
age. Indicated yield per acre is 36.9
bushels. The estimated planting of
45,911,000 acres in 1945 is the largest
of record. This is the sixth consecu
tive year in which the oats acreage
shows an increase for the country as
a whole.
Corn ? Marked improvement in
prospects during July has resulted
in an August 1 estimate of about
2,844,000,000 bushels of corn in 1945.
The current estimate, while below
three successive 3,000,000,000-bushel
crops in 1942, 1943 and 1944, exceeds
production in any year except 1923
and 1932 of the two preceding dec
ades. The average yield of 30.8 bush
els compares with 29.1 bushels esti
mated a month ago, 33.2 bushels last
year and the average of 26.8 bushels
per acre. Most important corn grow
ing states had "corn weather" dur
ing the latter part of July, favoring
better than average progress ?
called "remarkable" in some sec
tions?to bring an increase of 159,
000,000 bushels in prospect since
July 1.
By e?Indicated production of 27,
883,000 bushels is up slightly more
than 2,500,000 bushels over last year,
the result of a higher per acre yield
since the acreage for harvest is 7
per cent smaller. This is still only
two-thirds of the 1934-43 average pro
duction.
Rice?If the indicated harvest of
76,000,000 bushels is realized, It will
be the largest rice crop on record,
and more than 8 per cent above last
year's record level. A prospective
yield of nearly 50 bushels an acre.
plus a near-record seeding of 1,511,
000 acres, is credited with the new
high. Acreage increases are re
ported in each of the rice producing
states ? California, Louisiana. Tex
as and Arkansas ? with farmers in
the first two named exceeding re
ported March intentions.
Barley ? The expected harvest of
270,000,000 bushels will be 9 per cent
below the 1944 production and 1
per cent less than the 10-year aver
age. Sharp declines are indicated in
all of the major barley producing
states, except California. The entire
acreage seeded, an estimated 11,922,
000 acres, is about 17 per cent less
than 1944 and 19 per cent below av
erage.
Dry Beans?The smallest produc
tion since 1934 is anticipated for
1945, the indicated total of 14,714,
000 bags of 100 pounds each (un
cleaned) being more than one
fourth less than the record-breaking
crop harvested in 1943. Bean plant
ings in Michigan and New York
total 711,000 acres, the smallest since
1939 and less than were planted in
Michigan alone in 1941. Farmers ap
pear to be reducing their plantings
to about the level of the years before
the present war.
Lima bean production is expected
to be a little larger than last year,
California's 178,000 acres marking
an increase of 8,000 acres over 1944.
Dry Peas ? Although considera
bly less than last year's big crop,
the 1949 production will probably be
about double the prewar average for
a total of some 5,348,000 100-pound
bags (unclaimed). Acreage this
year, also double the prewar aver
age, la concentrated mainly hi the
Pacific Northwest. About 314.006
acres are expected to be harvested,
with yield indicated at 1,074 pomade
per acre, below 1M4 and 10-year
average.
Soybean! ? A total of 13,283,006
acres grown alone for all purposes
appears to be about 46 per cent
larger than the 10-year average.
Eighty-three per cent is in the north
central states. Indications are that
about 10,392,000 acres will be har
vested for beans, only 3 per cert
less than the 1943 record. It is still
too early for conclusive production
forecasts. But August 1 conditions
point to a crop of 188,284,000 bush
els.
Potatoes ? A crop of record pro
portions is indicated for 1945?some
420,206.000 bushels. Only in 1948 and
1928 has the production of potatoes
exceeded the crop now in prospect.
Acre yield may set a new record,
if expectations of 147.7 bushels per
acre for the United States are real
ized. The previous high for yield
was 139.6 bushels in 1043. Total indi
cated acreage for harvest is 2^45,
600, slightly below last year and
about 190,200 acres less than thw
1934-43 average.
Sweet Potatoes ? Fewer sweet
potatoes are in view, shut 11 per
cent less than the 1044 ci p. Acre
age is down but yield per acre at
94.3 bushels is expected to be the
highest since 1929. Total production
in prospect is 67,133,000 bushels.
Sagar Beets ? Expansion of plant
ings to 780,000 acres, almost 21
per cent over 1044, carries an esti
mated production of 9,332,000 tans at
the indicated national average of
13.1 tons of beets per acre. Al
though the acreage is 12 per cent
less than the 1934-43 average,
a higher than average yield per
acre is expected to put total pro
duction at only 7 per cent below the
10-year average. Sugar recovery at
about 1,300,000 tons is predicted.
Sagar eaae ? Acreage for sugar
and seed is up about 2 per cert over
1944 for a total at 302,700 acres, S
per cent more than the 1934-43
average. Louisiana, which normal
ly accounts far abort 90 ner "cert ad
the national acreage, increased t
per cent over last year and Flor
ida 13 per cent. Production of sugar
cane (or sugar and seed Is indicated
at 6,976,000 tons, about 12 per cent
above the 1944 total tonnage.
Fruit ? Although the apple crop
appears to be headed for a record
low production, the 1945 peach crop
is setting a record high with an esti
mated 82,650,000 bushels, 6 per cent
greater than the peak harvest at
1931. A good pear crop is also in
prospect, some 33,162,000 hmheia.
The three Pacific Coast states, where
about three-fourths at the nation's
pears are usually grown, expect a
record combined production at 36,
031,000 bushels ? 11 per cent mora
than last year and 30 per cent above
average. The cherry crop is down
considerably from last year's level,
and the apricot pick is estimated at
only about 210,500 tons compared
with last year's record crop at 334a
000 tons. A prune crop at some 152,
600 tons (fresh basis) is indicated
from Washington, Idaho and Ore
gon. Grape production appears to be
a little above last year with an indi
cated pick of 2,001,900 tons, of which
some 2,508,000 tons win coma from
California.
Bay ? Second largest hay crop
ever produced in the U. S. is ex
pected this year ? a total prodan
tion of all tame and wild hay vari
eties of about 104,000,000 tans. Otaty
1042 has seen more hay cut aa
American farms. A probable 12,
000,000 tans carried over from crops
of previous years addsd to fha 1MB
production would provide a supply at
< a