ruuK ___
3® tlntittgtnn #>tar
North Carolina's Oldest Daily Newspaper
Published Daily Except Sunday
Bv The Wilmington Star-New*
R R Pace. Owner and Publisher
Entered as "Second Class Matter at" Wilming
ton, N. C.. Postcffice Under Act of Congress
of March 3, 1879._
SUBcCRlPTION RATES BY CARRIER
IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY
Payable Weekly or In Advance
Combi
Tim. Star News nation
lTWeek _$-30 $-25 $,50
1 Month ..... 1.30 1-10 2.15
I Month. ."Ill_ 3.90 3.25 fl.50
s Month! _7.so 6.50 13.00
1 Year III_ 15.60 13.00 26.00
(Above rates entitle subscriber to Sunday
issue of Star-News)_
By Mail: Payable Strictly in Advance
S Months .$ 2.50 » 2 00 * 3.85
C Months __- 5.00 4-00 7.70
1 Year *—IIIII—— 10.00 8.00 15.40
(Above rates entitle subscriber to Sunday
issue of Star-News) _
‘ WILMINGTON STAR~~
(Daily Without Sunday)
3 Months-$1.85 6 Months-$3.70 1 Yr.-$7.40
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AND ALSO SERVED BY THE UNITED PRESS
With confidence in our armed forces—with
the unboundlag determination of our people—
we will gain the inevitable triumph—so help
as God.
Roosevelt’s War Message.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1945.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
O son of mine, when you come home
This Is my prayer, that you will be
A soldier of the King of Kings,
That you who serve your country well
Will better serve the Lord of Hosts.
Martha Snell Nicholson.
-V
A Heavy Decision
It is good to know that the increase of the
Italians’ bread ration from 200 to 300 grams a
day, ordered many weeks ago by President
Roosevelt, has at last become effective. It is
less pleasant to realize that the basic prob
lem of caring for underfed Europeans cannot
be settled till the war is over.
There is only so much shipping space avail
able. So which shall it be—military supplies
to shorten the war and save the lives of
American and Allied soldiers, or food to avert
death, disease or permanent disability among
the innocent civilian sufferers in devastated
regions?
It is a heavy decision, and one which none
of us would like to make. But when it has had
to be made, there has been only one possible
answer. The war must come first. The enemy
must be beaten as quickly as possible. Lives
and hard-won gains must not be sacrificed for
want of munitions and equipment.
-V
Hugging the Shore
Mixed in the strategy of naval attacks al
ways going nearer and nearer the Jap home
land, is the attempt to draw out the Japanese
navy for a finish fight. So far the wily Jap,
who in spite of his fanaticim and suicidal bat
tle tendencies still seems to appreciate living
to some extent, has avoided this. After the
engagements off the Philippines when he took
t sound drubbing, he seems content to wait,
although he may not know what he is waiting
for noi what will happen if ever his navy
does venture forth to battle.
He still has plenty of caution. He knows
that when the Jap navy is destroyed that is the
last of Japan. Japan has a big army but
without a navy to provide safety for sup
plying it, it can be only a handicap. The
Japanese soldiers in China and in Japan can
be sealed up without a navy.
Not all the Japs want to go down shouting
banzai. At the last they will cringe and plead,
hissing “So sorry,’’ and blandly expect to be
allowed to escape with little punishment. But
they might as well bring the navy on out. It’s
going to be destroyed no matter what course
the Japanese leaders pursue. Whether crying
banzai or mercy, it’s curtains for Japan and
the curtain will fall sooner than is generally
expected.
America has the mightiest navy afloat. One
of its task forces is as large and powerful as
the entire navy was a few years ago. It is
indeed mistress of the seas, especially the
seas about Japan. And the Japs, whether fa
natics or friends; dumb or delirious, know it
and fear it.
Production In Southeast
A good picture of Southeastern North Caro
lina’s part in war production was given dur
ing the week-end by Henry I. Shepherd, War
Manpower Commission director for the area,
as he pointed out 30 establishments are pro
ducing ‘'must” items for the war effort.
These factories, he continued, are employ
ing 30,192 workers and need an additional
1,644. When they can get a few more em
playes from less critical activities and reduce
absenteeism to half of its present rate, their
manpower problem will be solved, he added.
In an effort to show the extent of operations
in the southeast counties, he listed some of
the war items being produced as being high
octane gas ingredients, rocket bodies, signal
satin, camouflage netting, assault bridge
parts, airplane components, ships, precision
machines, cable parts and field assault wire
yarn. Other details of the manufacturing pro
pram cannot be made public because of se
curity reasons but all Southeastern North Car
olinians may be assured that their section is
doing its part toward winning the war.
Several factors are responsible for this ex
cellent showing. Chief of these is good labor,
men ana women who are anxious to do their
share in keeping their sons, fighting over-,
seas, supplied with the necessities of battle.
While practically every other section of the
country has been affected by labor discord,
there has been none here. To the southeastern
defense worker, the job of winning the war
is much too big to have anything else placed
before it. As long as this spirit continues,
this section will hold its place as a real
contributor to victory.
-V
Junior Rotarians
Too often the contributions, either large or
small, of an individual or group to making
the community a better one are not properly
recognized as we hurry though everyday life.
Of a worthwhile civic undertaking we may
say "that’s a good project” and let our in
terest go at that, not pausing to go deeper
into its merits and benefits.
Then, someone somewhere else comes forth
with a similar project and the value of ours
comes into its true light.
A good example of this point is the Junior
Rotarian plan, now being carried out in its
second year in the Wilmington club. In con
sidering its importance to the High school
students selected for the honor, it has receiv
ed comparatively little publicity. Recently,
General Mecklenburg, in the Charlotte Ob
server, congratulated the members of t h e
Charlotte club on establishment of a similar
program there. So, not belittling the Char
lotte club, we say "we’ve been doing that all
along” and take time to consider what it
means to the students, club and community.
Under the plan here, two High school stu
dents are selected, on the basis of their school
activities, scholarship and leadership, each
month to be Junior Rotarians. It is consid
ered, as it should be, quite an honor. They
attend the weekly meetings and, during the
program of the last one each month, give
their views and observations collected during
their "membership.” Incidentally, the talks of
the youths are often quite interesting, bring
ing out points in club life that many a mem
ber has overlooked.
The program is much more than just an
educational one. The young men have the
benefit of weekly association at the luncheon
meetings with many of the city's outstanding
business and professional men. They are be
ing taught the principles and practices of
Rotary, which in essence mean good citizen
ship and the full ideals of service—service
to one’s fellows, community state and nation.
A fine introduction to one of the better
phases of civic life, into which the Junior Ro
tarians will enter in a few years, the pro
gram s ruture benefits to the community may
be measured as considerable.
Curfews and Cussedness
Perhaps we’re cynical, but it strikes us
that the streak of stubborn cussedness in the
American character may defeat the purpose
of War Mobilizer Eyrnes's midnight curfew
order, just as it defeated prohibition. That
isn’t a new thought. But the fact that it pop
ped into many heads as soon as the curfew
was announced only strengthens our conten
tion.
It also strikes us that Mr. Byrnes may
have worded the order in a way to aggravate
our native stubbornness. Certainly no one can
quarrel with his intentions. We’re all for any
thing that will save scarce material and man
power and hasten victory. And most of us
will agree that, except for soldiers and sail
ors on leave, anyone who attaches prime im
portance to having fun in times like these
is a moral moron.
Doubtless the Byrnes curfew won’t effect
any great saving. Only a few big cities allow
amusement places to stay open till 3 or 4
o’clock. Many cities and states already have
midnight closing laws for bars, which are
the most numerous of the establishments af
fected. Most others have 1 or 2 o’clock cur
fews.
As for transportation economy, schedules
will have to be maintained for night workers
abroad after 12, curfew or not. And the cur
few’s effect will scarcely be drastic enough
to save manpower by forcing many waiters,
entertainers, bartenders and hat-check girls
into other employment. For most of them it
will just mean shorter hours and less pay.
Granted that the saving will be small, it
is still worth achieving. And there may be
other savings, in efficiency and perhaps in a
curb on inflationary spending. Mr. Byrnes
didn’t mention these things. In fact, it seems
to us that he expressed himself rather unhap
pily.
Se didn t specify that the curfew was tem
porary, though logically it might be. He did
specify that restaurants that serve liquor may
continue to serve food if they close their bars
at midnight. He also specified that night clubs,
which likewise are restaurants, may not stay
open after midnight, even with their bars
closed, because they are "places of amuse
ment.”
That sounds more like a stop-having-fun or
der than a coal-saving directive. It is, we fear,
just blue-nosed enough to invite speakeasies
and black-market entertainment — as if we
didn’t have enough trouble already.
It will be a pity if that fear is justified.
Mr. Byrnes’s idea deserves whole-hearted co
operation. The curfew will affect only a mi
nute segment of our population, and the "sac
rifice” it requires is too trivial to discuss.
But the idea was presented in such a way as
to invite the reaction that prohibition arous
ed. Perhaps another, franker statement by
Mr. Byrnes might remedy the damage before
it’s done.
Fair Enough l
(Editor’s note.—The Star and the News
accept no responsibility for the personal
views of Mr. Pegler, and often disagree
with them as much as many of his read
ers. His articles serve the good purpose
of making people think.)
By WESTBROOK PEGLER
(Copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicate.)
The people of the state of New York appar
ently are condemned to a period of bedevil
ment by a new state board charged with '.he
duty of preventing discrimination in employ
ment on the ground of race, creed, color or
national origin.
The Republicans, including Governor Dewey,
seem to have decided that votes are more
precious than principle for they are engaged
in an unseemly scuffle with the Democrats
of all hues, including the Communists, to l ab
credit for a pernicious heresy against die
ancient privilege of human beings to hate col
lectively or selectively and to choose their as
sociates. Carried to its logical extremity, this
law might be invoked some time to compel
a Catholic parish to hire a rabbi for its pastor
should he be first under the wire with his
application for the job in case of a vacancy,
or a Jewish family to engage for the duties
of butler in their home an unreconstructed
ex-member of the Nazi-American bund with
papers to prove that he came from Hamburg
or Munich. Or a producer of a movie or play
could be forced to hire a colored girl for the
title role of "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”
All such proposals and measures, including
the national device improvised for the indus
trial emergency of the war, are the works of
the Communists and their kind whose intent
is not open to opportunity to Negroes bw to
cause friction and provoke disorders by creat
ing intolerable personal situations. They fit ut
solid facts of life because birds of a featner
do and will continue to flock together, in
business, at work and in their social life.
The United States, itself, as a nation, discrimi
nates against all orientals on the ground of
race, color and national origin. So do cur
good neighbors to the south and our gallant
ally, Soviet Russia, has similar stout aver
sions. In the city of New York, many Jewish
employers reveal a marked and unders*and
able preference for their co-religionists v'ith
never e complaint from other groups, who also
seek compatibility in the same way. Hoosier
cries to Hoosier when a job is open ?nd
brother to brother in the bonds of the college
fraternities. We are divided into groups by
our sympathies, religions, old associations and
national origins and such preference in hir:ng
has always been regarded as a right and,
Dy many, as a moral obligation.
It will be observed at a glance that this is a
nypocritical plan in its basic pretense. It pre
tends to abhor discrimination because o f
creed. Creed means belief. I believe no Amer
ican should be compelled to join a union as I
i condition of employment. But in circum
stances which are common and almost pre
valent I could be rejected by an employer for ,
that belief and the anti-discrimination board j
would rule that it served me right. ;
I note that discrimination on the ground of 1
political affilition is not mentioned. This may t
seem to be a concession to the sound preju- t
dice of Americans against Communists but it <
is more likely to work the other way. In prac
tical effect, it is more likely to compel cm- ‘
ployers to favor registered Democrats lest r
hey find themselves denied priorities or faol- *
tes for the operation of their plants by this 1
>r that agency of the party in power, in *
Washington. This would be discrimination *
against Republicans.
Politicians naturally would dodge the subject
}f political qualification. Dewey cleaned out J;
the Democrats within a reasonable time, as .
politicians always do when one party unseats «
another, and President Roosevelt’s principal
stated reason for nominating Henry Wallace
o be Secretary of Commerce was that Wal- c
lace had been a loyal party worker in the r
campaign. That -was rank discrimination t
against Jesse Jones whose work in the 'ob
Roosevelt was forced to praise in kicking him c
iut. And discrimination on family grounds was c
flagrantly apparent when he appointed his t
son, Jimmy, to a $10,000 job in the White s
House, some years back, and his cousin to a t
56,000 job selecting curtains and harmonious
furniture in the embassies and ministries 1
abroad. Some of the Roosevelt appointees to 1
he Supreme Court have been more noted for v
their tolerance of his policies than for their 1
aossession of the traditional qualities of mind
and balance. Here was political discrimination 1
again. t
We should not forget, even in the glamor and 1
:onfusion of war, the effect of a similar prohi
bition against discrimination under the vicious
Wagner act. By virtue of this evil writ, agents *
bf the Labor Relations board made it possiole '<
tor the most disruptive member of a normally t
harmonious newspaper staff to keep his .iob, *
provided he never let down in his hateful
agitation against the peace and efficiency of j
his colleagues. If he was fired, the reason ‘
then was “union activity’’ and the boss had
to reinstate him, with accrued back pay In !
one notorious case, a group of men who ap- '
plied for work and didn’t get it because no
jobs were open, were deemed to have ucen )
rejected bcause they were union men and j
awarded back pay for a purely arbitrary and ‘
hypothetical period of employment, although c
they had not been hired. Their union catds 1
thus became drafts on the company’s Dank
account. A dark skin, a foreign accent or a
certificate of membership in a religious sect j
could be used to similar effect under the New ^
York scheme. T
iect incompetence, loafing and other misbe
havior on the job by any complainant who
claimed he was fired for any of the forbidden
reasons. And any applicant for work who was
urned down on the honest, unprejudiced judge
ment of an employer as unsuitable for die
iob could drag the executives of the firm
through long, expensive proceedings merely
ay proving that he was a colored man, a Bap
tist, Jew or native of Italy, Poland or Bul
garia. Tt probably did not Occur to the archi
tects of this monstrosity that in some cases
applicants for work have been rejected be
cause the country of their origin was the 'nit
sd States of America or some particular sec
tion of the country.
The worst of it all is that judgment of
character and personality is denied the em
ployer as a guide in hiring. And, in the end,
tie is not merely forbidden to reject an appli
cant because of certain considerations but re
quired to hire him because of them. Far fiom
erasing such taboos this law should emphasize
origin, creed, color, and race and result in the
Hitlerian rule of quotas by which Jews in
schools and the professions were restricted
in proportion to their number in the entire
population which was about one to 400.
The more I see of government agencies in
relief work, the better I think of private agen
cies.—James G. McDonald, chairman Presi
ient’s Advisory Committee on Political Refu
gees. |
<?.
New Wine, Old Bottle __
I t certainly bopejt i
I OOf SNT MEAN ANdTMBR j C
I SPE AKE ASYBEADACAE. ^
' MIOfilTE^
CUieFEW C
VOUotn
Your War-With Ernie Pyle
BY ERNIE PYLE
IN THE MARIANAS ISLANDS—
delayed — Soldiers and Marines
ave told me stories by the dozen
bout now tough the Japs are, yet
ow dumb they are; how illogical
nd yet how uncannily smart at
imes; hew easy to rout when dis
rganized, yet how brave.
I've become more confused with
ach story. At the end of one eve
ing, I said “I can't make head
or tail out of what you’ve told me.
'm trying to learn about the Jap
oldiers, but everything you say
bout them seems to be inconsis
»nt.”
“That’s the answer,” my friends
aid. “They are inconsistent. They
o the damnedst things. But they
re dangerous fighters just the
ame.”
* * *
They tell one story about a Jap
fficer and six men who were sur
ounded on a beach by a small
unch of Marines.
As the Marines approached, they
ould see the Jap giving emphatic
rders to his men, and then all six
ent over and the officer went
long the line and chopped off
heir heads with his sword.
Then as the Marines closed in,
e stood knee-deep in the surf and
eat his bloody sword against the
;ater in a fierce gesture of de
iance, just before they shot him.
What code led the officer to
ill his own men rather than let
hem fight to the death is some
hing only another Jap would know.
* * *
Another little story—a Marine
entry walking up and down before
command post on top of a steep
luff one night heard a noise in the
irush on the hillside below.
He called a couple of times, got
10 answer, then fired an explora
ory shot down into the darkness,
n a moment there was a loud ex
>losion from below. A solitary
ap hiding down there had put a
and grenade to his chest.
Vhy he did that, instead of toss
11 g it up over the bluff and get
ing himself a half dozen Ameri
ans, is beyond an American’s com
irehensicn.
* * *
On Saipan, they tell of a Jap
plane that appeared overhead one
bright noonday, all alone. He ob
viously wasn’t a photographic
plane, and they couldn’t figure out.
what he was doing.
Then something came out of the
plane, and fluttered down. It *as
a little paper wreath, with a long
streamer to it. He had flown it all
the way from Japan, and dropped
it “In Honor of Japan’s Glorious
Dead’’ on Saipan.
We shot him down into the sea
a few minutes later, as he un
doubtedly knew we would before
he left Japan. The gesture is touch
ins—but so what?
° * * *
As I’ve talked with Marines, I’ve
begun to get over that creepy feel
ing that fighting Japs is like fight
ing snakes or ghosts.
They are indeed queer, but they
are people with certain tactics and
now by much experience our men
have learned how to fight them.
As far as I can see, our men are
no more afraid of the Japs than
they are of the Germans. They are
afraid them as any modern ]
soldier is afraid of his foe, not be- i
cause they are slippery or ratlike,
but simply because they have i
weapons and fire them like good 1
tough soldiers. And the Japs are ]
human enough to be afraid of us i
in exactly the same way. j
Some of onr people over here <
think that, m the long run, the 1
Japs won * talte the beating the i
Germans have. Others think they
will, and even more.
I’ve not been here long enough
really to learn anything of the Jap
psychology. But the Pacific war is
gradually getting condensed, and
consequently tougher. The closer
we go to Japan itself, the harder
it will be. __
The Japs are dangerous people
and they aren’t funny when they’ve
got guns in their hands. It would
be tragic for us to underestimate
their power to do us damage, or
their will to do it. To me it looks
like soul-trying days for us in the
years ahead.
LETTER BOX
NURSES AND THE WAR
To the Editor:
During the past few weeks there
has been so much controversy rel
ative to the drafting of nurses that
I would like to present my side
of the case, as it relates to the
war and to the need for nurses
in connection therewith.
There are a great many regis
tered nurses who graduated from
small hospitals, now practicing in
Wilmington, who would make al
most any sacrifice to enter war
work. However, nurses garduating
from hospitals over the stale
which average less than fifty daily
patients are not eligible for Red
Cross nursing, and until this criti
cal shortage of fnurses for the
armed forces developed, a small
hospital graduate could not enter
the service unless she took an ad
ditional nine months of post-grad
uate work, regardless of her years
of experience.
Until 1927, there were only acout
seven hospitals in North Carolina
which met Red Cross require
ments. We have private-duty
nurses in Wilmington who have
had post-graduate courses, who
also have done general duty in
Duke Hospital and others which
average 275 beds, but who stiil
are unable to enter the military
service due to having graduated
from a small institution.
We just can’t understand this,
and that is the reason that so
many of us are still doing private
duty when we have all tried to get
in the Army since the war began.
A REGISTERED NURSE.
Wilmington, N. C.
Feb. 26, 1945.
SEAFOOD PROPOSAL
To the Editor:
Our sounds are an ever present
help in time of need or food trou
bles. In fact, it would be difficult
for the Southeastern counties to
get along without fish, oysters,
clams, shimp and crabs. At least
it would not be pleasant to be
compelled to further tighten our
belt in wartime. There is need
here for a greater production—
“more sea food and safer sea
food.”
The yield can be stepped up by
the establishment of a seafood
processing plant on the inland wa
terway at Wrightsville terminal.
With a small pickup boat operat
ing a few miles to the north and
south, twice a day, seafood could
De quickly transported, and the
one fisherman saved the time and
toil of poling his boat and then
aboring uphill with his catch,
which he is now forbidden by law
o process in the bush or back
ward. Sound produce would be cer
ified by the Board of Health and
nade available to Wrightsville
•esidents in a few minutes after
ireparation and almost as speed
ly put on the Wilmington market.
In every sound, north of Jack
lonville, the seafood industry has
leen organized and made more
irofitable to the fisherman and
nore palitable to the public. In
act, some of our local delicacies
ire shipped to Morehead and Bell
laven and like bread upon the
raters, returned to us after many
(
Daily Prayer
■ — ■■■■ *
FOR STRENGTH
With hearts bowed down, in rev
erence and confidence, we ap
proach Thee, O Almighty Father,
with a prayer for a share of Thine
unfailing strength. Make stout our
hearts within us, in the sure faith
that our times are in Thy hand.
May we not dishonor Thee, or our
godly forebears, by any panic
weakness or wavering of minds.
Bestow upon us the grace of pa
tient continuance, that in quietness
and- in unshakable trust, we may
carry on faithfully at our appoint
ed posts. Let thoughts of Thine
inscrutable almightiness rule ever
in our minds, that we may have
the fortitude of good soldiers oi
Jesus Christ. Elevate all of rhe
way of our life into nobility and
courage; and make us kind to one
another. In Thy good time give vic
tory to our arms, and to the holy
cause they represent. Amm —
W.F.T.
-V
PERFECT LANDING
HUNTINGTON, Ind., Feb. 26.—
(U.R)—At least this pilot guessed
right! When he was delivering
the private plane which Ralph
Brown had ordered for his per
sonal use in CAP work, the pliot
found he was low on gas and had
to land immediately. He set the
plane down on an empty plot and
walked next door to a farmhouse,
only to find that it was the home
of Ralph Brown.
days. Let us do something about
organizing here and now.
A SOUNDER.
Wilmingt'On, N. C.
Feb. 26. 1945.
Interpreting
The War
By KIRKE L. SIMPSON '
Nazi Germany's hold on !he
crescent of the Reich west oVS? 8
Rhine was fast slipping as ** |
climactic Allied winter off.,,,;!
accelerated its speed *
From the Tier anchorage •„ ,b I
Moselle valley to the Emmer b
gateway on the Rhine itself ,
the Hanoverian plain there ‘ v!
little to indicate any determined i
Nazi stand against the steaAlv
mounUng power General E,s™
hower is bringing into action Am’ 1
encan British and Canadian tr*™
were too rapidly shredding the last
segments of Siegfried Line deV-V
es west of the river for doubt
the enemy is pulling back behind
the Rhine itself as best he can p
escape being trapped with the i Pr
at his back.
Relatively, the resistance en
countered by the American First
and Ninth Armies in the center or
the American Third Army on the
light flanks appears no more than
rear guard action. The implication
of official and field press reports
on the third day of the main dr v,
beyond the Roer is that only sec
ondary troops are being enccun
tered by American forces and that
the Germans are fighting primari
ly delaying actions. Whole coni- I
plicated networks of trenches and !
anti-tank ditches have been found
uimiamicu.
The only potentially serious na
tural obstacle on the First Army
front guarding Cologne is the Erft
river. It is a looping left bank
tributary of the Rhine that rises
in the highlands at the north er.d
of the Cologne plain to empty into
the Rhine just above Dusse'icrf.
The Erft forms an inner moat tor
Cologne itself, most of which also
lies on the west bank of the Rhine.
The Erft line is distinctly vul.
nerable, however. A broad sweep
of open plain lies north of its east,
ward bend dotted oiily by the Glad
bach industrial community group
of which Odenkirchen is the south
ern member. Ninth Army advance
forces were nearing Odenkirchen
as this was written, apparently
aiming at slicing in between Glad
bach and Dusseldorf, A gap six
miles wide exists there and an
Allied penetration at that point
would outflank the Erft moat even
before First Army troops reach in
on their direct march on Cologne.
The speed with which the First
and Ninth Armies forced the Rner
and stormed on beyond it verifies
the reports of gravely thinned out
Nazi troop concentrations in the
west to meet the Russian advance
in the East. The same thing ap
peared true to even a greater ex
tent in the surprise lunge of Pat
ton’s Third Army on the right to
invest Bitburg and Trier and threa
ten an immediate breakthrough, to
the middle Rhine down the Mcselle
Valley.
The Nazi commander is up
against tne problem of shuffling
his meagre first line reserves from
point to point along a front now
more than 200 miles wide and all
flaming with action. Nor is it pro
bable that Eisenhower has thrown
his full strength into the wide and
deep drive.
—-V
Charcoal Burning Trucks
Carry Goods To Prisoners
A fleet of charcoal operated
trucks recently has been put into
service in Germany to carry rec
reational and educational mate
rials to prisoners of war, accord
ing to a report from E. L. White,
president of the Community War
Chest.
These trucks were put into use
by the War Prisoners Aid of the
YMCA, White said, in order to
ease the transportation difficulties
in Germany. The vehicles, which
have f. trailer attachment, nave
been secured from a neutral coun
try, White added, and will enable
War Prisoners Aid to maintain i s
service to war prisoners desoiie
internal transportation limitati ns.
The War Prisoners Aid is a par
ticipating service of the National
War Fund.
-V--■
CITY BROOM-MAKERS
BURBANK, Calif.. Feb. 26.—'U-»
Broom-making has become a civu
service position in Burbank, at a
salary of $164 a month, and city of
ficials say it’s cheap at the price.
The brooms, they explain, go on
Burbank’s street sweepers.__
The Literary Guidepost
By W. G. ROGERS
“IN THE MARGINS OF CHAOS,”
by Francesca M. Wilson iMac
millan; $3).
Miss Wilson saw her first ref
ugees at Tilbury, across the
Thames from Gravesend where
she was teaching. They were
bewildered and confused Belgian
men, women and children. Obvi
ously their needs were great and
she wanted to help. When the
applied to the Society of Friends
for a position, she was accused
of being interested only for ' Sve
of excitement.”
She admits she did love excite
ment, then throughout the rest oi
the book, though perhaps without
being aware of it, she proves she
loves people: not generals, am
bassadors and consuls who ; re
important and clean and easy to
love, but the hungry, homesick,
heartbroken, wounded, dirty and
ragged
Miss Wilson helped to alleviate
suffering from 1914 to 1944; from
Ajaccio to Bizerte and Belgrade.
Nish, Vienna; in Russia beyond
the Volga, in Spain in government
areas during the civil war, in
France among Spanish refugees,
in Hungary among Polish refu
gees.
As she now views her work,
she finds it without glumcr or
heroism; her readers will contra
diet her on this score, but will
agree with her that it was fasci
nating.
Out of her extraordinary range
of experiences come specific sug
gestions for relief work after tru*
war: cjualified workers; indul
gent provisions for supp'd?
food, clothing, medicine; adequate
camps for the millions of displadd
peoples; and a coordinated volun
teer effort, though without 100
luuLii tcimaiiiaiion . • •
sibly mistrusts the perfected
and polish” of American organ2*
tion, efficient but sometimes i*
humanized.
This is a very warm and mcv.af
record. People are the subject |
matter. The same people and
same problems will confront d'*
victors in World War II. ■ ’
English writer has made a direct,
significant contribution to the •»’
erature about the postwar '.vot'd
She hesitated to write, she ?.P°(
ogizes, because of the paper shcn
age. Let the people who turn o'1
the trash hesitate; there’ll a'A5;,' ,
be paper for books of this qualitJ