U.S. TRANSPORT
SYSTEM CARRIES j
RECORD LOADSi
Big Movements of Troops Tax
Nation's Rail Facilities; Bus
Traffic Has Increased by 44.1
Per Cent
If soldiers, .sailors and other trav
elers an- crowded in the aisles of
America's trains and buses, it's be
itnise approximately one out of four
trip:; is unnecessary
Big troop movements and travel |
essential to the war Ivve been suf- !
icient to keep the country's normal
-ra importation facilities operating at
-?eak caparrty alone or. virtually the
VI i-quipment. but with non-cssen
:ial travel added, the system has
. h heavily burdened. Even great
: r increases are forecast for 1944.
however.
Reviewing the transportation sys
em's record achievements for 1943,
the Office of War Information re- j
? ealed:
1. Solid-troop rail transport
trains carrying only troops) within
continental United States increased
about 50 per cent in 19-V3 over 1942.
2. About 85 billion passenger
n-iies were rolled up by U. S. rail
roads in 1943, as compared with 54
billion passenger miles in 1942 and
29 billion passenger miles in 1941.
This figure includes both solid-troop
-ransport and individual military
,j;d civilian travel. Joseph B. East
? ian. director of the Office of War
Transportation, predicts that 1944
..i!! see a still further increase in
total military and civilian passenger
r,i!i age of about 15 per cent oveJE
".943.
3. The Air Transport Association
I America estimates that in 1943,
",560,000,000 passcngci miles were
fown by domestic airlines. This
:ig\ire compares with 1.481.976,329
.lassenger miles for 1942 and 1.496.
734.6' 1 for 1941
4. Despite steadily increasing
civilian, business and individual
-military passenger travel, practically
?;?> neu passenger-carrying equip
ment fit being manufactured, and
HSyipment in use is rapidly wearing
? ut. In addition, the manpower
shortage continues, and terminal and
:-<*rvieing tarilities are limited. Kail
? i ads are handling today's vastly in
> .-eased traffic with actually one
>ourth fewer car.;, one-third fewer
locomotives and neaay one-third
lower employees than they had in
t'iie last war.
Passenger travel is now approach
biit twice what it was a year ago,
-nil is over four times What it was
tv fure the war began. To carry this
start! in*, load, railroads and buses
have about t he same equipment
they had liofoiv the war Other
W ?*-]' ncet;:; T.ake it impossible to get
more.
Today's soldier navels twice us
much as he did in 1918. averaging
Seven moves from camp to em
barkatiqn points, or over 800 miles
ft: - every soldier for at least five
of the seven moves within the con
tinents! United Stales. Two mil
iior ncii an*! - omen who travel each
month under military orders take
more than Half the sleeping ears and
about one-third of all the coaches.
A..vt;tt_r estimated 2.000,000 service*
ov p and women Iravei on furlough,
plus additional millions of civilians
traveling on essentia! war work.
A serious and delicate problem
is :: one of traveling "GI ' wives,
ch::irch and babies. Brides want
to spend some time with their hus
bands before their departure over
seas or transfer to another station;
young mothers want to give soldier
fathers a few days' acquaintance
ship with their offspring, or want
to settle down near their husbands
in camp. Fathers and mothers want
to visit their sons in service. Since
travelers are not likely to believe
any tales of travel hardships which
their kinsmen in the services tell
them; and they often undergo in
-eredible difficulties for a a farewell
glimpse of a man in uniform.
The military, co-operating with
railroads, had developed last fall
about 1.200 troop sleepers and 400
mess cars. They are of a special
design which are being built with
material allocated by the War Pro
duction Board in co-operation with
the Defense Plant Corporation. They
will accommodate 3(T men in 30
single berths built in three tiers, will
have ample washroom and toilet fa
cilities. and will be equipped so
Jthat they can be handled in high
?Speed trains. They will increase the
sleeping car accommodations ca
pacity for troops by about 40 per
cent, and after the war will be con
vertible to freight cars.
Twenty-five million meals a year
are served on railroad dining cars
in a peacetime year; 44,000,000 were
served in 1942, and 50,000,800 in
1943.
Carriers are also enjoying their
largest gross revenue in years, ac
cording to figures released by the
Interstate Commerce Commission. |
SUPERPHOSPHATE
Superphosphate for North Caro
lina farmers under the 1944 agri
cultural conservation program will
be available again this year, an
nounces T. G. Scott, chairman of the
State AAA committee.
The Week In
Washington
A Resume of Governmental Hap
penings in the National Capital
Washington. Jan. 10. ? As Russians
chased Germans into Poland and the
general allied military picture con
tinued to brighten domestic plans
and problems radiated from our na
tion's capital.
Senator Elbert D. Thomas predict
ed early congressional approval of a
billion dollar outlay for education of
veterans of this war. This plan
could be applied to 75.000 men be
ing discharged monthly from mili
tary service.
According to Thomas, who
chairman of the senate education
committee, the veterans would get
S50 monthly for subsistence. Their
tuition would be paid by the gov
ernment. Married veteran students
would be allowed S25 additional for
a dependent wife and S10 for a de
pendent child.
Chester Bowles, chief of the Office
of Price Administration, defended
his office in a 20000-.word state
ment directed against those who
have stated that the OPA was abus
ing its authority. It was empha
sized that the courts have upheld
the OPA in 04 per cent of Cases in- i
volving its authority. Bowies coun
tered statements that OPA rules are
complicated with the assertion that
American business and pricing prac
tices are complex and cannot be
governed by a few simple rules.
Charles F. Wilson, executive vice
chairman <>f the War Production
Board, warned in a speech before
executives of WPB's office of opera
tions that despite cutbacks, and an
nouncements that we are over the
hump in war production. it is too
early to expect a start of general
civilian production. He said:
"The amount of material we sent
to Africa atld Italy is insignificant
compared with the amounts that
must go over for the new phase oi
war that lies ahead."
Senator Waller George brought up
the important matter of a system by
which our servicemen and women
can vote, thereby enjoying one of
the privileges of the democracy
they are fighting for.
George said he believed that "ur
warriors an- as interested 'ii voting
lor sheriff and governor in their
home state as they are in the presi
dential election. He said he be
lieved it feasible for governors to
call speciai sessions of legislatures,
where necessary, to arrange for the
printing of primary and general
election ballots for their states.
"1 have no objection," he said, "to
these ballots being distributed and
collected by any federal agency
congress might see fit to designate.
Everyone wants to see the service
men and women vote and it is diffi
cult to imagine why that cannot be
done through the preparation of
ballots by the states and their trans
mission to and from the service per
sonnel by federal agencies."
Selective Service Rules
Undegro Major Changes
Washington ? In a sweeping re
vision of the system for physical ex
amination of draft-eligib'.es, select
he' service Friday abolished "screen
ing" examinations by local boards,
and arranged for final examinations
to be given at least 21 days before
actual induction.
Under the new system, which is to
become fully effective Feb. 1, post- |
induction fuloughs also are abolish- i
ed. Currently these are three
weeks fcr those inducted into the ;
army and one week for those who i
go into the' navy.
Aimed at complying with the j
mandate from congress for pre-in- |
auction physical tests and climinat- j
ing uncertainty by draft eligibles i
over whether their physical con
dition meets service standards, the ;
new system will work in this man- |
ner:
Men in Class 1 A who are about !
due for a call to service will be dis
patched to induction stations. There j
they will be examined by army and :
navy physicians. All will be sent
back home as civilians with those
who were foi'nd acceptable having
assurance that thev will not be or
dered to report for induction for at
least three weeks.
The army and navy examiner? 1
also will classify acceptable men in
three groups? "army general serv - [
; ice." "army limited service" andj
I "navy" (including marines and coast ;
; guard) ? According to their physical]
! condition. The navy demands a
slightly higher degree of physical |
fitness than does the army. The
j army accepts for limited service |
j Ten with physical defects barring'
them from general service. ?
Thereafter, calls to local boards
will be fcr a definite number of
army general service, army limited
service, and navy men instead of
i'or an over-all total of men. as at
present.
CULLING
Culling out one-fifth of the lay- j
ors from the average farm flock,
will s-ive about 10 per rent on feed
costs without sacrificing egg pro- 1
duction, says C. F. Purrish, exten- 1
sion poultryman at State College.
HOGS
Fanners should always collect j
liation points when they sell or dc- 1
J liver pork off ine farm, also beef, |
: lamb and mutton, say government ;
j officials.
Try BISMAREX
| for Acid Indigestion. Insist
on genuine BISMAREX and
! refuse other so-colled Anti
j acid Powders, recommended
to be "just as good." BISMA
REX is sold in Watauga CCVn
ty only at
BOONE DRUG CO.
The REXALL STORE
85,946 Military Planes j
Built in U. S. During '43
Washington ? December warplanc
output was 8.802. 33 more than in
November, the aircraft production
board announced Friday.
Military and production officials
had expected a Dcccmber output of
9,000 planes.
The December output brought the
year's total to 85.!) 46 military planes
of all types, compared with 1942 pro
duction of 47,873.
Manufacture of heavy, four-en
giucd bombers surpassed the deliv
ery* schedule, it was disclosed, and
over-all production was 95 per cent
of schedule.
PRESSURE COOKERS
Pressure cookers for food preser
vation can now be bought without
bothering to apply for a certificate
from the local rationing board, re
port State College home economists.
This itidcer In yowr window means you hove bought 4th War Loan securtfto*.
Ie#M BACK THE ATTACK !
THIS ADVERTISEMENT SPONSORED BY
SMITHEVS STORE
1 His is what we've been working for all
along. This is the year to hit and hurt
the enenij. This is the time when every
thing you do counts double. If we all get
together and do (HI we can, we'll be over
this hurdle and well on our way to com
plete and crushing victory.
No question about the men in
uniform ? they'll go "all out."
But can we count on yon to back
them all the way? Your quota is
where you work ? you've got to
buy your War Bonds and then
buy more, until every last loose
cent you have is fight ing. Tough? Of course,
it's tough ? unless it is a sacrifice you're
simply not doing your share !
Make the sacrifice now ? buy more than
the extra $100 Bond your country counts
on you for ? winning the war is worth any
sacrifice you make. Besides, you aren't
Hiving, you're lending to Amer
ica! You'll get back every dollar
you invest in War Bonds, with
interest.
An extra $100 War Bond now
is the minimum for everybody ?
can't we count on you for morel
ROSCOE COLEMAN
We Thank You?
We wish to express our appreciation for the wonderful support given us by
our farmer friends in this, the best year in the history of the Boone market.
The Boone market has broken all records, as we are definitely assured of
selling over two and a half million pounds. This has been a banner year
for us both in pounds sold and DOLLARS paid the farmers.
SALES WILL END THURSDAY. JANUARY 20th
Be sure to listen in on our programs 07er W JHL at 7:10 a. m. and 4:45 P. M.
ROSCOE COLEMAN
Farmer - Warehousemen - Friend - Operator
MOUNTAIN BURLEY TOBACCO WAREHOUSES 1 and 2