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The Alamance Gleaner Vol. LXVII GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1941 No. 35 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS . N By Edward C. Wayne Repeal of United States Neutrality Law And Arming of Merchant Shipping Cited as Administration Objectives In Battle to Keep Sea Lanes Open (EDITOR'S KOTE?Wkw eslntens are expressed la these celamns, the? are these ef the sews ssslyst ssd not necessarily el this aevapsper.) by Western Newspaper tTninn \ ARM SHIPS: Asks Roosevelt The revision of the Neutrality act to permit the arming of U. S. mer chant ships had followed in order of the presidential requests after the sinking of the Pink Star, another taken over Danish vessel, near the spot where the Sessa and the Mon tana went down. This vessel, first actually to be sunk since the President's shoot first message, was taken as Hitler's re ply to this country's attitude on free dom of the seas. Shortly thereafter the White House campaign to get the neutral ity law changed began, with many statements by members of congress that it was believed congressional consent would be given. Observers in the national capital remembered that the arming of U. S. merchant vessels in World War I was followed by actual entry into the war in less than a month. It was deemed certain that anti interventionists would fight to the last ditch against the proposal. The immediate Berlin reaction to the new Washington move had been that the sinking of the Pink Star was entirely in accord with inter national law, that the vessel was armed, was convoyed by enemy craft and was carrying the flag of Panama, not of the United States. But Home had come forward with this statement: "Axis ships will de fend themselves against any armed U. S. merchantmen they meet on their courses." That was written by Virginio Gayda, chief Fascist editor. CUT PROFITS: Says Morgenthau One step to insure an "all-out" American effort in behalf of the na tional defense, will be to cut all Treasury Secretary Morgenthau it shouei at he told congress Ihat a lax late should be written to take amy all business profits above si* per cent of invested capital. corporate profits to not more than 6 per cent of invested capital, de clared Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau in a statement to con gress. This drastic recommendation had been made by the secretary before the house banking and currency committee, when he urged speedy approval of the price control bill. Here was the way the secretary had expressed himself: "The only way that can be done is through another tax bill. We feel that during this emergency a cor poration should be satisfied to earn 6 per cent of its capital, and that everything above that should go to pay for defense expenditures." Expressing his disapproval of a wage ceiling, Mr. Morgenthau had said: "In free countries labor is not a commodity, human beings are not property, and they should not be treated as such." This stand was opposed to that of Bernard Baruch, who regarded labor simply as an item of cost, and who declared it would be impossible to set ceilings on prices and not set ceilings on labor costs which went to make up those prices. FARMERS: Asked to Produce Secretary of Agriculture Wickard had called on the American farmer not only to produce more food to satisfy expanding demands in the United States, but also to provide enough for England to defeat Hitler. He was urging farm workers to seek deferment from military serv ice to that end, even if they had to appeal from the rulings of local draft boards. 4 ' . ' RUSSIANS: Backs-to Wall Discounting any resistance the Russians might have put up in the center, and disregarding the Red estimates of the cost of German at tacks, it had become evident that the Nazis, finally, were gaining two of their three major objectives? Kiev and Leningrad?and that the Red forces had their backs to the wall. The Kiev disaster in the south was finally admitted by Moscow, which had issued statements declar ing the leadership of Marshal Bu denny to have been "incompetent." In the south the Russians had faced a heterogeneous opposition, troops from Hungary, Rumania and Italy joining with the Nazi blitzkriegers in the early battle. There were many who believed, however, that the Russian severe reverses in the south did not occur until the Nazis removed some of their best troops from the central sector, giving back in that area, and bolstering up their drives in the Ukraine and on the north. At Leningrad the Germans had reached the point of claiming that street-fighting had started, while the Finns, by no means admitting them selves out of the battle, told of the capture of an important power source for the Soviet's second city. Actual support of the Russian war effort by members of the Royal Air force finally had been reported, how ever, the R.A.F. fighters having man aged to get their planes to the Rus sian front at an unannounced point, and going into action, reporting the destruction of seven Messerschmitts with the loss of only one British fighter plane. This was the first actual fighting force placed at the Russian assist ance since the start of the German invasion about 100 days previously. WINDSORS: Visiting U. S. On the way to Canada to see his 4,000-acre ranch he hadn't visited in 14 years was the duke of Windsor, former king of England, and his American wife, the former Wallis Warfield of Baltimore. They came over from the Bahamas in a specially chartered airliner, and spent the first night at Miami, and then had gone to Washington to lunch with the Presi dent, and enjoy the hospitality of the capital, and 212 personal body guards while in Washington. Their itinerary included Chicago, Alberta, back to New York, and On his trip to the I'nited States, the duke of Windsor visits the Pan-American Airways base near Miami, FUl, where a group of students of the R.A.F. get prac tical training. Here he examines a plane propeller in one of the shops at the base. With him is W. Overton Snyder, eastern division manager of Pan-American. thence to Baltimore, the duchess' former home, and thence to York, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh, before returning to the Bahamas. HURRICANE: Season Here The season of tropical storms ar rived with a bang, a heavy storm striking Houston, Texas, head on, just three days after the equinox. Millions of dollars' damage was done?the weather bureau, having charted many hurricanes correctly, making a mistake on this one, and informing the Texas metropolis of half a million souls that it was safe just 24 hours before the storm hit it right in the center. SCHENCK: Entertainer Nicholas Schawls (left) is pictured here mlh Harry L. Warner, president of Warner Bros., as the former appeared before the senate subcommittee investigating "icar propaganda" in Hollywood mining pie. lures. (See Below.) The great movie probe in Wash ington took an amusing turn when Nicholas Schenck, MGM president, was called to the stand (or two days of questioning, kept the spec tators in stitches, and confused many of his inquisitors by his an swers. Schenck, maintaining that there was no "eight-company" trust in Hollywood, admitted several in stances of family ties between rival companies?and then, just when the attorneys thought they had him? he blandly said that was just the trouble?that members of these fam ilies wouldn't do business with each other. The film magnates had main tained that there was no "get into war" propaganda, but that pic tures were made strictly with en tertainment value in mind, and in accordance with the feelings of the majority of the nation about the dictatorships and aggressions. The committee had tried to show that the big companies could assure the financial success of a picture, whatever its entertainment value might be, and that the entertaining picture brought in by an outsider could not succeed if the big com panies didn't want it to. This Schenck flatly denied. He ?Ml ' _ "I might wish it were true?but it isn't." JAPAN: Watching Reds What Nippon finally would decide to do about the far eastern situation would finally be decided by the posi tion of the Russo-German war after winter sets in, had been the view expressed by observers in India. They had held that If Russia was to continue her defense and if there was nothing resembling a wholesale collapse, then the Japanese are not likely to risk an assault on Vladi vostok. The Japanese imperialists were pictured as bluffing, watching and waiting from week to week to see which way the war car would Jump on the Russian front. Japan already had been pictured as embarrassed no end by the lack of credit, and frightened at the pros pect of a complete shut down on vital raw materials such as rubber and oil. Also Japan, it had been held, was realizing that the British were grow ing stronger and stronger in the Pacific, that the United States was turning a stern face in that direc tion, both of these making Nippon's position more precarious. ARGENTINE: Cracks Down Argentina, following a long period of "cracking down" on Nazi infil tration, moved still more strongly in occupying all military airports of the country with regular detach ments of army troops. The congress was investigating Nazi activities in the country and it had been the feeling that the troop occupation might have been . the result of revelations of a Nazi plot. A lieutenant-colonel, a captain and a lieutenant, all in the army air corps, were arrested summarily, and the committee conducting the investigation admitted that they were held because at their alleged involvement in a gigantic air plot. An attack by the German press on Argentina, it was believed, hastened the drastic action. MISCELLANY: Washington?'Thousands at Amer icans have been stocking up so heavily on liquor that the new ex cises won't touch them for months to come, it was learned. Farm Land Speculation Is Threat to Agriculture Government Warns Against Fever of Land Buying That Would Start Another ' 'Unhappy' Economic Cycle for U. S. By BAUKHAGE National Farm and Homo Hour Commentator. WNU Service, 1343 H. Street, N. W. Washington, D. C. Farm income?cash income?will be nearly $11,000,000,000 this year. That is two billions greater than last year. Money to burnt And the burning question in Wash ington is how to stop the conflagra tion before it starts. The chief dan ger is another prairie Are of farm land speculation such as started out in Iowa in World War I. First there were wash sales. They were publi cized. Real sales began which sent farm prices up to the blue skies and which ended by making a farm mortgage the cheapest form of wall paper. Two years after that World war started, the prices of farm land rose 5 per cent. Not much later they leaped a hundred per cent and more. The eventual collapse was forerun ner of the depression. Today, two years after the pres ent war started, farm land prices : are up 1 per cent. That isn't so bad but the government is already worried enough to consider it worth while trying to start a back Are in the hope of preventing a recurrence of the unhappy cycle which began 25 years ago. When Governer Black of the Farm Credit administration called in the ' farm mortgage bankers, the insur ance people, farm organization rep resentatives and others in the rural real estate field he simply reminded them that when the government loaned the farmers the money to bail them (the mortgagors) out last time, it was done on appraisals based on normal values. Now it is up to the real estate people to make their appraisals on normal values, too. That means on figures based on the relationship between farm prod ; ucts prices and other prices estab lished for the years of 1914-1918. A million farmers who were loaned money by the Farm Credit admin istration during the depression have repaid their mortgages. Those farm ers are keenly aware of the dan ger to agriculture and to the whole 1 economy if a fever of mad land-buy ing starts again. They will help stop It. if they can. The govern ment will do all in its power in the way of education?meetings will be held?the house organ of the Farm Credit administration which has a million circulation will carry the warning. The real estate operators have indicated that they will co operate. Whether money to burn will burn the farmer is still uncertain. In the end, stopping another drunken orgy of land speculation and the terri i ble headache afterward depends on the word-of-mouth message of the in dividual. The burned child fears the fire but there is always someone to urge him to risk a blister for the delicious chestnut he sees roasting on the coals. ? ? ? Policy?Orders? Action?Silenco? "Am Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy I order the follow ing policy carried out at once: our petroling vessel* and planes will protect all merchant ships?not only American ships but ships of sny flag?engaged in commerce in wa ters which we deem necessary for our defense. American naval ves sels and American planes will strike the Srst blow sgainst Axis subma rines or Axis raiders on the sur face of the sea." This communication in substance was transmitted to the office of the secretary of the navy from the Whit* House a few weeks ago. There it was immediately trans lated, first into naval language and then into code. Over land wires to the wireless tourers near Annapolis it was flashed to ship* of the United States navy on the seven seas . . . It is early morning. A thin steely light spreads across the horizon as the U. S. destroyer "Blank," a part of the Atlantic patroli rides the easy swells. On board, the smooth rou tine goes on with its clock-wjork mo notony. But there is the ghost of a grim smile exchanged between the captain and the executive officer? they have both read the coded mes sage recorded by the wireless op erator a little while before. Three minute* later the ship is galvanized from galley to crows nest. I A strident gong has sounded. The bos'n's whistle is trilling high above the wash of the waves and the whirr of the engines for the word has come down from the lookout: "Torpedo track sited. Starboard bow. ??4-0! '* The gong sounds?that might mean any emergency but before there is time to wonder the order rings out? "All hands to general quarters." Before the gun crews have ripped off the site covers, the executive of ficer has reported to the captain: "Battle stations manned, sir." The "torpedo track," a ribbon of white moves forward toward the de stroyer at the rate of 1,000 yards a minute. But the tube of high explo sive itself, which is sending up the tell-tale "track" of bubbles is 40 yards ahead of the nearest one that shows?it takes some time be fore those bubbles can reach the sur face. The bearing of the torpedo is veri fied and the destroyer swings and leaps ''full-speed-ahead" to meet it. Not because the captain wants to contact the whirring death-bolt head on, but because there is less chance of a hit if the ship shows its beam instead of the length of its hull as a target. And the objective of the de stroyer is a spot as nearly over the point where the submarine is submerged as it is possible to esti mate it. That point is reached for the torpedo has missed its mark while ears are glued to the sound detector straining for the noise of the sub's engines. "Release depth charges." Down go the "ash-cans," one after another; mounds of water rise; the sound detector is deafened. The de stroyer, turning sharply, returns to the spot and releases another series of charges. The roar dies in the detectors. There is silence. And that is the end of the story. Perhaps it is the end of the sub marine. It is quite possible that no one will ever know what happened until after the war?perhaps not then. And even if some tell-tale piece of equipment is blown from the inside of the sub and reaches the surface, that does not mean that the public will know. At least not for a long time. ? ? ? Seasonal Glory In National Capital Washington is standing on tha threshold of its seasonal glory?"Oc tober's bright blue weather," the month of beauty in the capital. Already the early morning sun comes down in soft blue bars and August's heavy carpet of shadow on pavement and lawn is thinned to a lacework pattern as the leaves shriv el and drop. Gardens have faded but there is one hardy bush (Rose of Sharon?) which blooms before the more mod est doorways. A cross between a hollyhock and a morning glory it is hardier than either. The city wakes with a new vigor now that the tropic days are over. Women government workers are out with a brisk step for a last stroll with dogs or babies, whichever they possess, before they go off to the "office." Landladies straggle home ward cheerfully with their bags and parcels. But trolley cars still lag and Jerk, packed to the doors with the new thousands who crowd the sagging city with the clerks of Mars. ? ? ? Sues Canal Symbol Of British Passer Symbols are often more powerful than facts or things in influencing the public. The Suez canal has al ways been considered Britain's life line. It is the symbol of Britain's sea-power, of the bonds that bold the Empire together, of British achievement. And yet the canal is as much French as British, both in construc tion and control. What is more, months ago it became at highly questionable value because for weeks at a time it has had to be closed as a result of attacks from the air. Long ago shrewd Britons realized that they must prepare for tha even tuality of the loss of the Sues. At least Ave years ago a book was pub lished pointing out that in case at war Britain must be prepared te protect ship routes around Africa. Use Milk Can to Preserve Blood Scientists Find Method to Refrigerate Liquid for Army Emergencies. CHICAGO.?Two scientists have recommended the common milk can as an effective means of storing blood for army emergencies "under all military conditions." The "milk can" bank was ex plained by Drs. Elmer L. De Gowin and Robert C. Hardin in War Medi cine, published by the American Medical association and the national research council's medical division. Terming the product of their in vestigation "a new, simple method for collecting, storing and transport ing human blood plasma," the Iowa City, Iowa, physicians said they had developed and tested a bank which would have the following recom mendations: ? Practical usability under shell Are. Ability to withstand long distance shipment in any vehicle. Easy maintenance by a supply sergeant or other enlisted man. Use limited only by accessibility of snow or cracked ice for repack ing every 18 to 24 hours. Make Many Tests. The doctors disclosed that the new preservation method was equally ap plicable to whole blood and blood plasma (fluid part without red cells) but stressed the significance of plasma. Physicians consider plasma of vital military importance because it can be used for quick transfusions without matching the type of the patient. ut uowin ana tiarain made the principal unit of their bank by fit ting large glass flasks, in common use in hospitals, with rubber stop pers allowing self-closing needle punctures. Tests showed the flasks could be immersed in ice water for long periods without leakage, and the contents safely administered direct ly from the flasks. They found that the red cells would precipitate in 24 to 48 hours so the plasma could be siphoned into another flask. This discovery elim inated separating of red cells from plssma by "centrifugation," an im practical method when applied to large scale production because it requires "many centrifuges of large capacity not now in existence." Next, the scientists developed a delicate temperature indicator, sim ple enough for layman or soldier to read. A supply sergeant or some one else, the doctors said, could dis card flasks whose indicators showed proper temperatures had not been maintained. Find Milk Can Best. Searching for economical refrig eration containers, Hardin and De Gowin discovered after several ex periments that "the commercial type of 10-gallon milk can" was most practical. Covered with insu lated jackets, such cans accommo date 10 flasks and enough ice for 12 to 24 hours. "The transportation of blood in these individual refrigeration units ought to be particularly practical tander shell fire," the doctors said, "for the cans could be disbursed in many types of vehicles so that some would almost certainly arrive at their destination." To test the banks, the physicians shipped two consignments of cans, ooe 730 miles by automobile and one 3,538 miles by airplane. The con tents in both shipments were trans fused to hospital patients requiring such treatment From 40 transfusions, there was only one unfavorable reaction, that of a patient suffering chills and fever. Falcons Shot Down to Safeguard War Pigeons LOHDON.?The sir ministry has declared war to the death on the peregrine falcon?the slayer of car rier-pigeons. The predatory activities of these "fifth columnists" of the British air might well have led to secrets of vital national importance being found by the enemy in the nesting places of these birds in the cliffs of Solway. Every day now in the Solway dis trict of Dunfries and Cumberland raiding parties go out to destroy the bird*. Since the war began carrier p r?n" have been doing important work for the R.A.F. Lately men in authority were worried by the nonarrival of some of these birds and the loss of messages that might have played an important part in the air conflict. Investigation showed that the birdf'were not shot down by Naxis, but were killed by falcons, which are meerous along certain shores ? U. S. Flour Sacks Clothe the French Bags Become Garments for Children of Jobless. VICHY, FRANCE.?Two hundred thousand sacks that contained the United States gift of flour to the people of unoccupied France have been transformed into sheets, aprons, bibs, dresses, shirts and un derclothing for the children of French unemployed. In an interview with the newspa per Journal a member of the un employment bureau told how this had come about. "One of our employees who was in Marseilles when the Red Cross was distributing the American flour happened to remark the flour sacks and to exclaim on the beautiful cot ton material of which they were made," she said. "The Red Cross official present said that if they could be turned to useful purposes for the unemployed he would donate them gladly. The gift was arranged and thousands of French unem ployed women received the task of preparing and making useful things from the sacks. "By scraping and beating the sacks after they had been emptied by the Red Cross, these women were able to recover 30 kilograms of flour from each 5,000 sacks. This flour was distributed among the most needy of the unemployed. "In the endeavor to remove the trade marks and designs stamped on the sacks the women found that part of the cloth turned to a pale pink. This part has been used in making underwear. The work on all the articles is fine, and they are serviceable. "The string that tied the sacks was sorted, combed and made into yarn, and with it the unemployed women have knitted more than 4,000 suits of rompers." Dried Human Blood Used With Success in Clinic HOUSTON, TEXAS. - Dried hu man blood plasma that can save life for as long as Ave years after being taken from the donor's veins was one of the chief chemical develop ments on display at the recent Texas Pharmaceutical association conven tion. The product, perfected by a lead ing pharmaceutical Arm, was re leased for general hospital use June 2 after more than 10 years' experi mental work in clinics and labora tories under the supervision of lead ing scientists. Its chief advantage is that it is usable after long periods whereas liquid blood is seldom kept more than four weeks. The product is made by freezing plasma to over 100 degrees below zero. With less than 1 per cent moisture when it is dry, it is sealed in vacuum containers and dis tributed for hospital or other pro fessional use. Liquid blood must be kept and transported with refrigeration but the dried plasma can be handled under adverse conditions, it was pointed out. Too, its use is extreme ly simple. Secrets Are Safe With Army Women of Britain LONDON.?The recent disclosure of the new air defenae system now known as radio-location has exploded one of the oldest fables about wom en?that they cannot keep a secret. Large numbers of women's aux iliary air force radio operators for months past have been doing their part in "radiolocating" enemy planes. Yet not a word of this moat closely guarded of Britain's weapons has reached the outside world Just how well the WJLA.7. kept silent was shown when the story of radiolocation was ?**t*nr told. W.A.A.F. members not directly con cerned in its operation were as surprised as the public. In the past recruiting officers look ing for likely radiolocation candi dates were able to say only that the work would be "confidential and in teresting." Now any young wom an between IT It and 38 can ask to be considered for radiolocation work. If site has a nice clear voice, perfect eyesight, integrity of char acter and an above-average educa tion the Job la hers. Water Hyacinth Removal In Bayous Costly to U. S. NEW ORLEANS. ? Water hya cinths, spreading srith the speed of tropical jungle growth, block more than 2,000 eniles of Louisiana's swamps, bayous and inland water ways. Government appropriation tor the job of clearing these floating flower fields from the urater was $180,001 for the year July I, 1040, to July 1. 1841. After 41 years of fighting this wa ter traffic hasard, victory is ia sight. ' * i' i i.ii
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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Oct. 2, 1941, edition 1
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