The Alamance Gleaner
' i ggignpafflfll
Vol LXVII GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1941 . No. 5
WEEKLY MEWS ANALYSIS By Edward C. Wayne
? Nazi Advance Guard Enters Bulgaria;
Japan's Arbitration Offer Rejected
By Britain; Far Eastern Crisis Grows;
Defense Board Speeds Up Arms Work
(EDITOR'S NOTE?Whia aplalau an axpraaaad la (k?n talamaa, tkar
?ra thaaa af tka aava aaaiyat aad art aaaaaaarUy al this nawapapar.)
by Waatarn Nawapapar t
BALKY BALKANS: []
And an American
As Adolf Hitler's advance guard
slipped into Bulgaria from Rumania
there was none to stay them. Clad
in civilian overcoats which they did
not remove but from which protrud
ed sleek military boots, members of
the German staff took over the prin
cipal hotel of Sofia and the main
Bulgarian resort town 40 miles
away.
Where before anti-Nazi signs had
been scribbled on walls and Bulgar
national songs were heard, now or
chestras turned to Viennese waltzes
and raised their right arms, palm
open. Bulgarian army generals
came to the Sofia hotel with bundles
of maps under their arms. All day
and all night they and the boot-clad
men poured over them.
There was only one show of hos
tility. But it was a beaut while it
lasted, which was about an hour.
George H. Earle, American minis
ter to Bulgaria and former governor
of Pennsylvania, was in a night club
just around the corner from the em
bassy building. The place was filled
with the mysterious boot-clad, civil
ian-overcoated foreigners. The gov
ernor didn't like the tune the orches
tra was playing and asked them to
switch'to "It's a Long Way to Tip
perary."
One of the mysterious strangers
took offense. Earle said later he
was a major of the German general
staff. Worcts were passed and final
ly Earle said the major threw a bot
tle at him, which he warded off by
covering his head with his arm.
The former govarnor has never
been known to pass up a chance
like that. In the World war he
commanded a submarine chaser.
Alter the war he took up aviation,
cracking up several machines but
always getting into another and fly
ing off just as quickly as possible.
He is an expert boxer and has not
refused to make use of his fists be
fore.
Earle said he "injured the man's
features." Reporters who were pres
ent said the battle lasted for an
hpur with bottles, chairs and tables
being used in the melee. The mys
terious foreigner was aided by re
inforcements which consisted of cer
tain other boot-clad and overcoated
gentlemen. Earle enlisted the wait
ers at the restaurant, where he was
known and various and sundry Bul
gers who were present. Police had
a hard time with both sides for the
next hour.
AIR CRASH:
Number Four
Last August the commercial air
lines of the country had established
a no-accident record of 17 months,
but with the midnight crash of an
Eastern Airlines sleeper plane near
Atlanta, Ga., the number of acci
dents in the intervening six months
was raised to four.
When searchers, neat dawn,
reached the scene of the crash
they found seven persons killed,
nine others injured. Among those
found dead was a member of con
gress. Rep. William D. Byron of
Maryland, and among the severely
injured was the famed World war
flying ace, Eddie Ricken backer,
president of the company on whose
plane he was riding. Also killed
were the pilot, the co-pilot and
steward of the plane's crew.
Next day a report from Balboa,
Canal Zone, told of the crash of a
U. S. army borriber into Panama
bay. An immediate search, first re
ports said, failed to disclose any
tpace of a crew of seven.
\ r - *
PEACEMAKER:
An Offer
Japan offered to be the peacemak
er of the world and arbitrate all dis
putes. The offer came in a state
ment from Foreign Minister Yosuke
Matsuoka. Churchill conferred with
J. S. authorities and then called in
the Japanese ambassador. His re
ply was one word: "No."
Meanwhile the Japanese "peace
makers" in Indo-China were mop
ping up on their job. Having in
stigated a conflict between Thailand
(Siam) and the French rulers of
[ndo-China, Japan stepped in and
"enforced" an armistice, taking
tor itself the rich port of Saignon.
While the terms of the armistice
were being developed into a peace
treaty, Japanese soldiers extended
their influence in Indo-fefilna until
the French/ rulers became mere pup
pet*. Stone* were filled with Jap
anese produHajand residents who re
fused to buy them were b. at*p and
jailed. ^
Just west of the Indo-Chinese
sphere of influence is the Philippines
and just south are the Dutch East
Indies, chief source of United States
tin and rubber. The Japanese
turned covetous eyes on that spot.
If that source of supply would be
closed to United States shipping,
America's entire defense effort
would be threatened.
Big Stick
Washington said nothing, but car
ried a big stick. The U. S. fleet was
known to be somewhere in the
vicinity. Gen. George C. Marshall,
chief of staff of the army, also had
a big stick. Hundreds of army fight
ing planes left the West coast for
our Pacific possessions?Hawaii and
the Philippines.
More important, the house voted
funds to fortify the islands of Guam
and Samoa, the U. S. Gibraltar* in
the Pacific. The same proposal was
defeated in the house two yesrs ago
for fear of offending Japan.
MEN AT WORK:
Full Speed
While congress spent precious
weeks in prolonged debate on the
lease-lend bill to send war materials
to Great Britain, the defense com
mission got in some mighty speedy
licks. The arming of the nation's
forces has entered the third P of
the plan, priorities. The other two
are procurement and production.
Stettinius' Job
Priorities is the job now. It will
do no good to produce 40 airplane
engines and no ajrplane tail assem
blies. The defense commission must
regulate production so that every
item down to the last eraser on a
lead pencil arrives just at the mo
ment it can be used. -
The task is under the direction of
E. R. Stettinius Jr. Aluminum and
npchine tool industries were first to
feel the' effects of his order. By
authority of the navy speedup law
passed jast June, Stettinius direct
ed that both industries put aside all
other labor and devote their entire
energies to filling defense contracts.
After defense contracts are under
way, commercial production will be
rationed. But until such time as the
government has sufficient alumi
num, for instance for planes and
tanks, there will be little or none for
streamlined trains, kitchen utensils
or even tooth paste tubes.
.Meanwhile procurement and pro
duction must b* stepped up to .meet
new demands.
? '
GEORGE B. EARLE
Wtiurt end Bulgars were entitled.
YOSUKE MATSUOKA
For him, m one-word reply. L
New Angle Triangle
GLENDALE, CALIF.?A tri
angle consisting of ? man, his
wife, and the U. S. army, landed
Mrs. Esther M. Moore (above)
in jail when (in violation of
army rules) she refused to cease
making frequent efforts to visit
her husband, Sergt. G. G. Moore.
A veteran army man, Moore ij
completing his flying course at
an army air school in Glendale
and Mrs. Moore was arrested on
a charge of disturbing the peace
after a series of attempts to get
by the sentries on duty.
PIG BOATS:
In the Atlantic
Hitler made another ?P?ecl}- d"
was more eloquent
s^jsawsrsrS
?Xh in January, may have
wal tr^ was a tactic .dmiss.on
Jturf Hitter's air power.his ?
warh ad* fatted "to produce decisive
^P^trzA'SJi
SSL that Britilh tea power
Zg the Axis countries even t.ghter
than it did last tall. winter
So Hitter, during the wrnw
months, has been budd,VJ? ^ats"
type of U-boat, known as pig DO?.n
building ya'rd.^ave been
more ready to U delivered before
If^SXSlSZ
^seb"a few hundred and England
55l-si?risfs
tSfAXS^p1
Stag her food and munitions.
Explanation
Mussolini also made a speec
Whereas Hitler seemed scomfulol
^^withtathe^rnmn^
n Duce seemed less su*j
bUmeddi^t^onJe^^,^
Eft b^ lUly to Germany
^ch^nicsw^of^ttnm.
,l , Gorman censors are
that o?ri"?" leading frorr
at communications leaams
I^MtebuSSi failure on Isd
ascisi i B itUh aucceeded be
SsSSSSSS"
EfEg-pa'SrSK:
syg; aa.-?
their offlci.
S wM^Uxim Utvtaofl, forme
tarsto "omtaM- andPautav
Shemyonovna Zhemchuttuns. w^
|eKier and Foreign Mtato*
? ' ' ' *' ????'.*
New Envoy to Britain
Is Staunch 'New Dealer'
Shares President Roosevelt's Political Views;
Announce 'Social Defense Work' to
Bolster Home Front.
By BAUKHAGE
National Firm and Horna Bam Catumumur.
WNU Service, 1S95 National Prasa I
Bid*., Washington, D. C. '
WASHINGTON. ? Few American '
ambassadors have been chosen be- 1
cause of their philosophy. John WW
nant, just taking over his new du- 1
ties as envoy to the Court at St. 1
James, was. , J
Externally he is not the type to j
wear knee breeches and genuflect to
royalty.
He is tall, Lincolnesque appear
ing. He is no orator. He has had '
no previous diplomatic experience. 1
He is anything but the glass of faah- j
ion, although he comes from a
wealthy New York family. He was
once Republican governor of New j
Hampshire. President Roosevelt
called him in to head the first social
security board. Later he was direc
tor of the international labor office
at Geneva.
Many persons in Washington will
I tell you they cannot see why this
man was chosen for our most impor
tant foreign diplomatic post. Within
limits it is anybody's guess. This is
mine:
Mr. Roosevelt believes that Amer
ica is to play the dominating role
in the peace that is to come. He
believes that the democracies must
have as definite a program to offer
the bewildered and bleeding peoples
of the earth as the totalitarians. Hit
ler has named his. It is national so
cialism. Roosevelt has his?the
New Deal.
'IT Great Britain Wins.
If Great Britain wins the war, her
chosen representatives will dictate
the terms which will shape the new
world. If they are to be persuaded to
do the job on the American plan
they must understand what that plan
is. Therefore, since the man whose
function it is to interpret the United
States to Great Britain in the pre
peace days is our ambassador, he
must truly represent his President.
Of course all ambassadors are sup
posed to be the personal representa
tives of their head of state but un
der these circumstances ths Presi
dent's envoy extraordinary must be
a man who Mr. Roosevelt believes,
believes as he believes.
That is the reason the President
sent Harry Hopkins over in the fate
ful interlude between a Kennedy and
a Win ant.
John Win ant will talk to ths king
or the prime minister or whomever
is head of the peace-making govern
ment, in the language of President
Roosevelt. That is not precisely the
language which Joseph Kennedy
spoke so understanding^ to the Eng
lishman he knew best and respected
highly, the late Neville Chamberlain,
the language of the conservative lib
eral, the man of property. Winant's
language is the language of what he
would probably describe "social val
ues"?for he is ths New Deal in
carnate.
? ? ? I
President Hat Plan
! For 'Social Doftnto"
At ? recent White House preas
1 conference the President took a lot
' of time to answer en open letter
1 from an ex-marine, World war ret
i eran. The writer said that when
' the last war was over he bad an
> nounced that he'd cheer the bops to
> the next one and then enjoy a big
steak and onions. But when he tried
> it after seeing some draftees march
by, the steak didn't taste. He want
1 ed to know what folks, too old to
> join the army could do for national
- defense. The President said he
- would announce a plan soon. That
plan is based on a report submitted
? by a committee, the chairman of
> which is Mrs. Florence Kerr, assist
r ant WPA commissioner here.
' Later I asked Mrs. Kerr about it
This was her reply.
"There are social'defense jobs to
be done in every home town in
America. From border to bord^i
and coast to coast communities need
, more services in health, welfare, ed
t ucation, recreation. Everywhere
i there are things to be done to make
i America a better place in which to
. live."
L Fields of training, says Mrs. Kerr,
in which millions of men, women
j and youth will be engaged for de
r fense on the home front will in
, dude: Food training programs,
, dealing with all subjects related to
r food, food conservation, food han
dling, gardening, canning, mass
[ceding, vitamins and their impor
tance, food for children, food for ill,
list, nutrition and many other topics
related to food and the home front.
Aptitude testing, first aid and safe
ty first: community organization,
map reading, map making, drafting,
community health, sanitation and
hygiene: are Just a few of the other
fields in which more trained work
ers are needed.
"On a volunteer basis present and
ex-teachers of language could devel
op nation-wide opportunities for
classes in Spanish," Mrs. Kerr said.
"Western hemisphere relationships
give such training universal appeal,
and many individuals will respond
to such an opportunity to equip them
selves better for world citizenship.
"Co-operating with private organi
zations, such as Girl Scouts, Camp
fire Girls, and other recreation
groups, great numbers of woman
can be interested and trained in per
forming their home defense service
through volunteer leadership of
girls."
? ? ?
War-Cat Driven Cart
Increata in Finland
Recently we reported the experi
mental work being done by the de
partment of agriculture laboratory
in Peoria, 111., in the manufacture
of alcohol from com residue. In
Finland, where necessity has be
come the mother of invention, re- I
ports coming to Washington show I
that they are already running auto
mobiles without gasoline. The Finns <
have wood-gas carburetors in their
cars. Finland in normal times im
ports all of its petroleum. In these
times it can get little or none.
According to information reaching
the legation here in your capital city I
the Finnish ministry of supplies and
transport has issued orders to the ef
fect that automobiles all over Fin- j
land, including privately owned cars,
busses and trucks, must be fitted
with the wood-gas carburetors as
soon as possible. The only excep
tions are ambulances and the cars
and trucks of the fire brigades. Ev
ery day now sees an increase of
the wood-gas driven cars on the
streets of Helsinki. By early No
vember, 1,900 wood-gas carburetors
were in use in Finland, as well as
4,290 charcoal-gas carburetors, an
other substitute for gasoline.
And this affects the farmer, too.
AH tractors in agricultural use are
being fitted with the wood-gas car
buretors. Nearly all busses are al
ready running on wood-gas, and pas
sengers are gratified with the ab
sence of the noxious gas fumes usu
ally associated with gasoline-driven
busses?one of the advantages of
wood gas.
New service stations have had to
be set up, for the servicing now is
not merely a question of supplying
the fuel but also of cleaning the car
buretors and emptying the ashes,
which must be done under cover.
Last August, when wood-gas car
buretors were introduced into Fin
land, the state appointed a commit
tee to find means to finance their
purchase. This committee's recom
mendation, to set up a guarantee
company in which the state would
take pert, was carried out by the
establishment in October of a Joint
stock company, Wood-Gas Generator
Credits, Inc., which extends credits,
up to a maximum of 70 per cent of
the cost, toward the purchase of the
new carburetors.
The ministry of supply and trans
port also appointed a technical com
mittee to work on improvements
and modifications of the carburetors.
The state granted (ltM.OOO to start
this work.
Although the development of wood
gas in Finland thus far has been a
temporary expediency it may have
a future as a fuel in the motor world.
In that case, Finland, according to
the Finnish experts, with her wealth
of forests, would be in the first rank
of motor-fuel producing countries.
At all events, she would be inde
pendent as far as her own auto traf
fic is concerned.
However, if and when the Finns
once again secure their political in
dependence, it is to be hoped they
will be part of a work) where com
plete economic independence la not
necessary?a world where there is
a free flow of all the products of the
earth and of industry betwseu na
tions.
?? .?rr
506,000 to Get
Work on Ships
Labor Department Surreys
Prospects in Marine
Building Field.
WASHINGTON. ? The labor de
partment estimate! that about 806,
000 new Jobs would be created by
June, 1943, as the result of govern
ment contracts already made* for
shipbuilding?a figure which does
not include a multitude of addition
al workers needed for the proposed
emergency ship construction pro
gram or private projects.
The department, reporting to the
national defense commission, said
that 136,000 workers were employed
in construction of government ves
sels in November, 1940, and that
253,400 more would be required by
June, 1943. It added that about the
same number of additional workers
would be needed to produce raw
and processed material for the ship
yards.
British Orders Excepted.
The estimate included only work
ers needed for construction of new
ships financed from federal funds,
and did not cover those working in
repair service, or engaged in pro
ducing ships for private enterprise,
or for the British government.
Nor does the estimate include the
number needed to build the 300
"emergency" merchant ships of
7,500 tons each which President
Roosevelt has recommended and
which congress now is considering.
The department said that, since
last June, work had been started on
$4,079,000,000 worth of ships and
that work still was in progress on
an additional $670,000,000 worth of
vessels started prior to that time.
These funds cover construction of
643 naval and maritime commission
vessels.
j. lie maritime t-uiiuiiroiuii, ui an
annual report to congress, said its
ship construction program was well
ahead of schedule and that the car
rying power of the nation's mer
chant marine was superior to 1938
despite a decrease in the number of
vessels due to scrapping of some old
tonnage and sales to foreign na
tions.
The increase in carrying capac
ity, the commission said, results
from the fact that the new ships
generally have a minimum speed of
15H knots as compared with an
average of 10 knots-for older ves
sels and thus can make more trips.
Another factor is increased cubic
capacity of the new ships.
Advance in Program.
As originally drafted, the con
struction program called for con
tracting for SO vessels a year for a
10-year period. An accelerated rate
of construction, prompted by the
European war situation, will result
in the awarding of contracts for 200
craft by July 1, 1941, the commis
sion said. This represents a sin
month advance over the program
as originally contemplated.
(Again this figure does not
include the 200 emergency ship
program.)
As of October 1, 1940, the commis
sion has awarded contracts for 177
vessels grossing 1,407,281 tons. For
ty-seven of these have been deliv
ered.
About 100 of the ships have been
contracted for by private operators,
who have made commitments for
the charter of 35 others.
"The acquisition of this new ton
nage by private operators has been
facilitated to a large extent by the
increased earnings of the last year
and a half and the sale of old ves
sels at the high price currently pre
vailing for tonnage in the world
market," the commission said.
Nothing but Trouble
For Her on This Day
ONEIDA, WIS ?Listen to this la
ment by Mrs. Carl Dwyer:
Returning from a trip she found
her home burglarized. She started
for the constable's office, but the
axle on her automobile snapped.
She went to a brother-in-law's
farm and took a horse from the
barn. As she prepared to have the
horse pull the car off the road, the
horse fell dead.
She went home. Returning later,
she found someone had stolen the
car battery and rear-view mirror.
Lost Voice Recovered
By an Odd Experience
SHELBY, OHIO.?For the first
time in more than a year, Francis
Leemaster, 30, can talk.
An automobile accident cost Lee
master his voice. While shaving re
cently he placed his finger over the
opening to the tracheal tube, which
forces air through the mouth, dis
covered a peculiar sound, and be
gao talking.
Dr. Marion Reed believes the
voice recovery will be permanent
-. .
Lights of NewYork
br L. L. STEVENSON
Doubtful: Whenever a ship from
the Dutch East Indies comes into
port, Charles ("Cannibal") Miller,
who was born down in that part cf
the world, goes over to Brooklyn to
visit officers and men. A ship that
recently arrived had, as crew mem
bers, a number of Javanese who
never before had been in this part
of the world. Clad for foe tropica,
New York's winter climate was not
at all to their liking. At dinner,
the steward, who shivered constant
ly despite the fact that the dining
room was well heated, was so cour
teous and served so well that Char- _jjjj
ley tipped him a dollar. The Java
nese scrutinized the bill carefully,
then ran to the purser and demand
ed that he be given gulden for tt.
The purser assured the young man
the bill was good anywhere in the
world. The steward, however, was
unconvinced. "How can the money
of this country," he asked, "be any
good when it is so cold?"
? ? ?
Street Scene: A stiffly starched
nursemaid reading a movie maga
zine on a Central Park West bench
while the infant in her charge sleeps
in its buggy ... Seated next to her, a
ragged, emaciated man whose inter
est seems centered on the traffic
stream that stops with the red light
and dashes ?he?d with the green.
... A policeman sauntering past
with a smile, which the nurse does
not see ... An out-of-town engk
taking a gay ride in an old-fashioned
hansom cab with bright red sliuls
. . . Though his eyes are still on lbs
traffic, the hand of the emaciated
man moves toward the baby car
riage . . . After awhile, he rises
and walks away slowly, a bulge
in the front of his coat hardly dto
cemible . . . The baby mwkmm
and begins to cry . . . The nurse
searches for its bottle . . . But the
milk has vanished.
? ? ? fjjjp
Peltry: More than $500 worth of
rare leopard skins were worn bp
Leonard Warren when he sang
the baritone role in "Aida" at the
Metropolitan Opera house recently.
The skins covering Warren's MS
pounds, two perfectly matched pelts
of Samoli leopards, were an imper
tation which the singer himself se
lected in the fur markets end had
made into a costume. Warren knows
fur as wen as he knows inintr Be
fore taking up singing as a career,
he spent many winters hi the north
woods buying the pelts at mink, bea
ver, fox, raccoon and muskrat lor
his father who was in the fur busi
ness. Music of course took him
away from the wilds and the over
coats of animals, but now he is Bod
ing use for his fur knowledge ht
grand opera.
? ? ?
Fact: As a result of a wsek it
visit to New York night spots, Helen
Hamilton, proprietor at the Troika
club in Washington, sends along this
observation: "No one at our table
smoked, yet at each place we visited
the cigarette girl pushed her wares
at us at least five times. TWe
were no children in our party but the
girl with the toys persistently tried
to tell her gadgets to the men who
were with us. I wore two large
orchids an my shoulder and my
friend wore gardenias. That, how
ever, did not prevent flower girls
from coming to our table repeatedly
and pushing their posies, not at ue
but at our escorts. We are flrmly
convinced that the No. 1 hick town * J
is New York city."
? ? a
Short Story: While Harvey Hard
ing, s-iger, was having hie shosa
shined by his favorite colored bee*
black the other afternoon, he paased
the time by pouring over the latest
stock market quotations.
"Something wrong?" asked the
lad after studying Harding's immo
bile face.
"Well no, Sam," returned Hard
ing. "Not too bod. Did yoa eve*
lose any money in Wall Street?"
The bootblack thought a moment,
scratched his head and remarked,'
"To tell you the truth, Mr. Hard'
ing, I can't recolleck ever bain' down
there."
? ? ?
End Piece: James Snyder, com-,
mercial photographer, likes te tak%
pictures when on vacation. On a
Job he uses about $8,000 worth of
equipment. On his own, be carries
a flve-doUar camera.
1B.U eradicate?WNU Service.)
??????? ^
Widow Defeats 47 Men
In Race for Coroner
ATLANTA, GA. ? A 35-year-old
mother of two children is the new
coroner of Fulton county (Atlanta).
Mrs. Paul Donehoo was elected,
defeating 47 men opponents.
She succeeds her husband, noted
blind coroner, who died last month
after serving in the office 33 year*.
The Job pays $3,000 annually and
a fee of $5 for each special caea
In ?? ? .ll ?? 4^J
investigated. ^