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The Alamance Gleaner Vol. LXVIII - GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1942 No. 4 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS By Edward C. Wayne Java Calls for Increased Aid From Australia as Japs Intensify Attack; First War Deaths on American Soil Caused by 'Dud' Torpedo at Aruba (EDITOR'S NOTE?Wh?a tptaltiu are aiyrauM fta thcae aelaaiaa, tttr are those of the new* aaalyat and net necessarily ?( this newspaper.) (Released by Western Newspaper i JAVA: Goal of Japs The fall of Singapore represent ed the winning of a major victory for the Japanese, but tactically it was considered the moving of the western end of a Jap pincers move ment directed not so much at In dia as at Java. For the entire capture of the East Indies, and with it the enormous oil production vitally needed by Japan had, perforce, to be regarded as the major objective, with Java at its center. This had been proved by the events that had followed the tri umphal entry of the Malayan army into Singapore. Intensified Japanese attacks had started on Bali and islands to the east of Java, as well as stronger movements to increase the Japanese hold on Sumatra, the invaders fan ning out from Palembang, Suma tra's largest city. Java's population of 40,000,000 had been told "the enemy is at our gates," and to prepare its defense "to the last ditch." At the same time Java called for increased aid from Australia, but it was not im mediately apparent what Australia could or would do, embattled as it was in a belated effort to straighten out its own defenses. Some commentators figured the Japanese occupation of Java, and with it control of all the Dutch East Indies as "a matter of days," while others thought it might be a long battle, and that substantial defense of the remainder of the East Indies was quite possible. However that; might be. Allied ranks would give a good deal to know which way the Nipponese cat was planning to jump if, as and when the East Indies had fallen to the enemy. Was it going to be an all-out of fensive against India or were the Japs, conscious that an eventually winning Allied naval, air and land attack could be launched against them from Australia, to turn their forces toward Cape York? Movements of U. S. ships and troops seemed to indicate that this country viewed the latter pos sibility as a probability, and that as a base for our future operations, Australia and New Zealand seemed to offer the best chance for a supply life-line. VIERECK: Contemptuous Spy As the Viereck trial had opened in Washington, the Nazi agent being tried for withholding information of his activities from the state depart ment, he was painted as a "con temptuous spy" by William Power Maloney, prosecutor. Maloney said Viereck had used the Congressional Record to propa gandize the United States "accord ing to orders from his Teutonic over lords" a ad stated that many long excerpts in the Record from the speeches of the late Senator Lun-. deen. Testimony brought out that typi cal titles of books published by Flan ders Hall in New Jersey (financed SYLVESTER VTERECK "Ordered by Teutonic Overlords." by Viereck) were "Lord Lothian Against Lord Lothian," "Seven Pe riods in Irish History" and "It Hap pened Again," all allegedly German propaganda. "The 100 Familial Who Rule the Empire," sensation? book much used in propaganda, was published with funds from Munich, Maloney ?aid the government would prove. ARUBA: History Made The first war deaths on American soil occurred at the Dutch island of Aruba shortly after American troops had arrived there to take over its defenses. Two days after the arrival of these troops had been announced, German submarines attacked the harbor, sank or damaged seven tankers with a loss of 59 seamen, and then shelled the big Standard Oil refinery on shore. American planes took the air, spotted the subs and reported after ward that they had reason to believe at least one of them was sent to the bottom. Two days later, after the damage had been checked up and gone over,, a dud torpedo, 18 feet long, was found on the harbor sands. Immediately identified as a Ger man torpedo, four Dutch officers were assigned to the delicate task of taking it apart. In the midst of their work it ex ploded, killing them all. They were the first casualties on land in the American hemisphere. In the meantime the torpedoings in the Atlantic were continuing heavy, including the first sinking of a Brazilian ship in the present war. This was the liner Buarque, a com bination freight and passenger ship, sent to the bottom off the coast of Virginia. The sinking was not im mediately announced in Brazil, as it was the annual carnival time, and the government was afraid that se rious rioting against Axis nationals might occur. The ship carried 74 in the crew and 11 passengers. Two were lost, 83 saved. RESULTS: In Marshall Islands When an assault force of U. S. cruisers, destroyers and aircraft carriers, commanded by Vice Ad miral William F. Halsey, attacked Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, commander of the U. 8. naval force that carried out the brilliant raid, on Japanese bases, as he looks over the charts on which he plotted the action against the Japs. Japanese bases in the Gilbert and Marshall islands they caused sub stantial losses to the enemy: 38 airplanes, one converted aircraft carrier, one light cruiser, one de stroyer, two submarines, two naval auxiliaries and three fleet oil tank ers. Damaged "and perhaps de stroyed" by U. S. attackers were three submarines, four auxiliary ves sels and an old cruiser. OIL: Both Sides Lose The destruction of oil installations in the East Indies, which.had been carried out well by the Dutch as. each more or less important spot fell' to the Japs, had been terrific at Paleriibang, where the entire coun tryside was covered with a pall of smoke when the refineries were blown up and wells blasted. Yet it was a two-edged sword, the Dutch admitting that in about si* months, with good fortune, the Japs could manage to repair much of the damage and begin to resupply them selves with oil. And in the meantime the oil was lost to the Allied fleets, which had been fueling from the Dutch sup plies. And as oil was the principal vital necessity for which the Japs origi nally had started the war, and as a supply of it would conceivably permit them to continue fighting in definitely, or at least until S major defeat by the Allied forces, the ex tent of the disaster in the Indiehr might be seen.- -- - Resigns From OCD Mayris Chancy, professional dancer, whose appointment to the physical fitness program of the Of fice of Civilian Defense provoked congressional wrath, as she dictated her resignation to OCD Director James M. Landis. "Because I wish no further altercation which might cause disunity and delay," she wrote, "I wish to step aside if it is your will." MAC ARTHUR: Increased Bombardment Despite a number ol strong ap peals that General MacArthur be taken out of Luzon for a more im portant command, Washington had let it be known that no such move was afoot. While new heroes were being made daily, the Congressional Medal of Honor having been voted to a Filipino mess sergeant, Washington asserted that it was the general's own wish to remain with his faithful troops as long as it was possible to carry on the good fight. The mess sergeant was Jose Calu gas, who received the highest award within the giving power of the gov ernment. The citation told how, when an American gun was put out of action, Calugas, not even in that outfit, ran 1,000 yards without or ders, entirely beyond his duty, and under heavy enemy fire, to the gun. Arrived there he called for volun teers, and himself organized a gun crew, put the gun back into action again, and continued at his new post as long as the battle continued. The fall of Singapore had evident ly released many Japanese planes for the battle of Luzon. Washington, quizzed as to why air reinforcements were not being sent to Bataan, stated that "plenty of bombers" would have been sent "if we had any way of getting them there." SUGAR: Big Printing Job The government printing office had been presented its biggest job in history, the making of 700,000,000 sugar rationing cards, which should be in the public's hands on March 7. u Word was that the printing depart ment was "well abreast of the task" and Price Administrator Henderson had been photographed looking over the' first sheet actually to come from the presses. While the GPO (another bit of the Washington alphabet) was in charge ot the printing, it was farming out a lot of the presswork. The job takes into consideration the fact that there are 131,000,000 people in the nation, and a book and application form is being printed for each. The first big job was to get paper that would not make the job easy for counterfeiters. It took six paper mills to do this part of the job. Three hundred and fifty printing firms bid on the press work for the sugar cards. Twenty three firms were finally selected. RUMORS: Condemned by FDR Praising to tpe skies a front-page cartoon in "the Washington Star which excoriated the peddling of rumors which tended toward disunity, Pres ident Roosevelt had told his press conference that this was a dastardly practice and one in which the city of Washington itself was the worst offender. Type of thing he meant, he said, included "wisecracks" like "Brit ain will fight to the last American"? , and arm-chair generalship like "We Ought to get out of the South Pacific, we can't win there," and "Why help the Russians, they'll turn on us lat er." The fall of Singapore and the es cape of the SChamhorst, Gneisenau and Prince Eugen from Brest to Hel goland Bight, two major disasters that had befallen the British, had caused a storm of this. It had been Churchill, very much on the spot, and facing the most se vere press criticism of his career, who had coined the phrase "better a millstone around his neck and that he be cast into the sea" than to create "disunity. From Defense to Offense Is a Tough Job for U. S. i Enemy Must Be Kept From 'Breaking Through' While United Nations Build Up Over whelming Superiority.* By BAUKHAGE ISeics Analyst and Commentator. WNC Service, 1343 H Street, N-W, Washington, D. C. "Mr. President, there has been a good deal ot comment lately to the effect that the American people are complacent about the way the war is going. Have you any comment, sir?" There was quiet in the oval of fice. The hundred or so' men and the three or four women represent ing newspapers, press associations, radio networks and radio stations were quiet. The President leaned back, put his cigarette with its long holder in his mouth and let his eyes wander upward toward the great seal of the United States on the ceiling of his office in the White House. It was the day when the startling news that Singapore, the Gibraltar of the East, for the first time had felt the- boot of the invader within its bastioned confines. We all realized that any comment the President might make would indirectly reflect the seriousness of the whole Far Eastern situation. At last he answered, speaking slowly?choosing his words?and clearly, so that the rapidly moving pencils could get each word. I cannot quote him directly be cause that is forbidden. He an swered that the complacency charge was partly just?but that every day the people were becoming more realistic in their thinking. He said that they had begun to realize that this is a world-encircling war. Machinery of Defense Mutt Be Built Up And so we were told from the high est source that we had learned al ready from the military who do not mince words, who do not indulge in wishful thinking ? that America must be content to accept reverses, must humbly accept the role of de fense on all fronts until we have built the machinery of offense. It so happened that on the very day on which I heard the President speak these words I visited a tiny room in a cheap apartment house made over into offices. A busy bee hive, the lobby was crowded with men with brief cases. I was re minded of the hectic days of 1933 when the Blue Eagle was spread ing its wings, when American busi ness was getting its first taste of regulation at the hands of the NRA. I Then the emergency had forced ' even the most individualistic to toss aside the demands of rugged indi vidualism. Today in the face of another emer gency, business was once more fac ing strict regulation. The men I saw in the lobby of this shabby building were exporters seeking li censes from the Board of Economic Warfare?for not a dollar's worth of goods can leave this country now if the BEW doesn't want it to. But this is only one small func tion of the board. It has a hundred facets. And unlike our armies and our navy today it Is waging offen sive warfare. It has launched a great offensive on the economic front. - To look over the board's activities in a single day you might see listed projects to build a railroad in a for eign country, to weigh to the last ounce some strategic material that a foreign country produces, to sur vey in accurate figures just how much of a certain product may be spared from America's own supply to turn over to another country in return for some valuable commod ity or service that we need to fur ther our war effort. Or, again, there might be a project to block the sources from which one of the enemy powers is replenishing its own supply. Argentina? An ExianpU For example: The United States needs the co-operation of Argentina, a country upon which the Nazis have lavished every favor possible, upon which they have used to the limit the persuasive power and dire threats of Herr Goebbels. The pur pose is to keep a close relationship between the man who pulls the strings in Buenos Aires and the men who direct the destinies of the Reich. Before war made an omelet of the world's trade, Argentina bought from America 6 per cent of all the steel she imported. Much of the other 94 per cent came from the Axis. Now virtually all of the sup ply of this essential material is cut off except what the United States can spare from the terrific demands our shipyards and arsenals are making. But without steel, Argentina's wheels would cease to run, public utilities would disintegrate, the coun try would be an easy prey to any subversive influence. And so, with a finely sharpened pencil, the experts in the BEW find some steel, recom mend to the War Production board that it be spared for the Argentine. Another example: We need rub ber. There are plenty of rubber trees in South America. We can make some synthetic rubber in our laboratories, but we need natural rubber to mix with it. It takes more than money to get rubber out of those trees deep in the jungles of the Amazon. And imagination has been used. Imagination to realize that in order to get the labor to harvest the rub ber, the half-starved, sickly Indi ans who provide this labor must be given better food, healthier sur roundings, conditions which will make them and others want to work to earn the money. The things which they can buy with the wages they earn must be made available. And so, hundreds of mosquito chas ers are already working to remove the malarial mosquito that makes life hazardous in the rubber jungles. Experts to help start dairy farms to provide vitamin-giving milk to build up the weakened bodies, are being dispatched to South America. ?Boy Defense Bonds? 'SoeiaF Conditions In Washington The war has created many serious social conditions in Washington. But one situation which few have noticed and which threatened for a time a minor revolution, I think I can predict, will shortly be greatly ameliorated. This is the tale (and it's a bushy one). War required certain building op erations on the White House grounds. Among other things?the only one which I can discuss freely because oi tne censorsnip?wai the construc tion of a little building which looked like a soft drink stand where the shivering detectives who help the ex tra police who guard the great iron gate to the presidential grounds, can warm themselves. But there were other more expansive undertakings. This construction considerably ham pered the activities of White House visitors. Also White House resi dents. One of the oldest retainers on this ancient estate is a trusted friend of mine, head of a rather flighty clan, but himself a very responsible patri arch who has given me many an important story. He is the Old Gray Squirrel who lives in the Elm. He, with most of his clan was vir tually dispossessed while the con struction work I mentioned (or rath er I am not allowed to mention) went on. Another old resident who lives or rather pursues his business just outside the White House fence and with whom the Old Gray Squirrel has a very close working arrange ment, had to move too. He is Steve. ; Steve runs a peanut stand. You may see the connection. Steve moved across Pennsylvania avenue to Lafayette park. The Old Gray -Squirrel and his family fol lowed. Then trouble began. For the Old Gray Squirrel is a snob. He doesn't mix with common squirrels and La fayette park is full of them. They don't understand White House pro tocol. They would push up to the head of the line and try to steal pea nuts from the donor's hand right out of the Old Gray Squirrel's mouth. This made trouble. For some days I thought murder would be committed. Mayhem was. In fact, one of the Lafayette crowds has lost his brush, a clean but un dignified operation although too cloee for comfort or beauty. But fortunately the workmen on the White House lawn have gone now. Soon Steve will take up hia ancient post. Already the Old Gray Squirrel is scurrying back and forth across Pennsylvania avenue remov ing the nuts he had carefully in terred in the park to a safer and | more exclusive burial place. Revo- j lution has been averted. List 13,000,000 Women Toilers Force Available in the 1940 Census Was Fourth Of the Total. WASHINGTON.?II the govern ment is compelled st any time to conscript women (or war work, it will have available a female "labor force" of nearly 13,000,000, or about one-fourth of all women over 14 in the United States, according to the census bureau. The total as of April 1, 1940, was 12,846,565 who represented them selves as employed out of slightly more than 50,000,000 women in the country. Of the number classifying themselves as employed, fewer than half a million were working for the WPA or other emergency organiza tions. In addition, 1,265,538 represented themselves as "seeking work," and of this number about 90 per cent said they were experienced. The census revealed that about 25 per cent of all factory employees were women, as were 34.1 per cent of those working in retail stores. Many Ask for Statistics. The bureau said it had released the statistics in response to "many requests from all parts of the coun try for information regarding the po tential force of eligible women work ers as a basis for computing the part that women might play in the nation's war effort." The 1940 census, taken on April 1, 1940, revealed this situation, it said: There were 50,357,892 females 14 years of age and over in continental United States. Of this number 12, 846,565 reported themselves as "in the labor force." Of this latter num ber 11,148,946 were employed in reg ular work, not including public emergency work such as WPA, NYA, etc., and 432,067 were on pub lic emergency work. Women 14 and over who reported themselves as "seeking work" to taled 1,265,538, of whom 950,904 in dicated that they were experienced workers and 314,634 classified them selves as "new workers." 37,511,327 Non-Workers. Women 14 and over who reported themselves as outside the labor force numbered 37,511,327, but 28, 551,680 of these reported themselves as engaged in own-home housework, 4,455,971 were in school or college, 2,266,440 reported themselves "un able to work" for various reasons, 430,758 were in institutions and 775, 018 were classified as "other." The census classified an additional 1,031,460 as "unknown" because in sufficient evidence was given to jus tify specific classification, although it was the opinion of the bureau that most of these were outside the "la bor force." About Z,1UU,UW 01 tne 4,6?1,4UB women in the 21-to-24 inclusive age group were in the labor force. The next highest labor force ratio was shown in the 25-29 group, where 1,992,648 were in the labor force out of a total of 5,636,943. The 1940 census showed that 25 per cent of the over 10,000,000 per sons employed by the 184,000 facto ries were women, even in peace time, and that 34.1 per cent of the 4,600,217 employees of the 1,770,000 retail stores were women, an in crease from 30.5 per cent, recorded | in 1935. Strange Hobby Is Found Aid in National Defense HOLLYWOOD. - Two Hollywood cowboys have run a peculiar hobby into an occupation with singular na tional defense importance. Tex Ritter, western star, and Cur ley Fletcher, cowboy poet and song writer, became interested in desert prospecting several years ago after talking to some veterans of the des ert. They didn't prospect for gold. They prospected for such ores as tungsten, manganese, sodium phos phate, beryllium and other materi als which, when they started, had industrial importance and now has defense importance. The hobby, which began for fun, has now been organized into a full blown war industry, with a prospect ing company headed by Ritter, Fletcher and Joseph P. Wrenn comb ing the western sands for the valu able ores. Their latest find was a series of Ave tungsten mines in Mono county, California, near Convict lake. 'Medicine Man' Doesn't Count for Ration Tire THE DALLES, ORE.?The tire rationing board advised Abe Show away, an Indian, that tubes were onjy being alloted to physicians and others who rendered public service. "I'm medicihe man," the Indian asserted. He didn't get the tube. Jap Aliens Well Treated in Alaska Interned Nationals Tell of Fine Food and Comforts. ANCHORAGE, ALASKA.?Amer ican troops in the far North, eagerly awaiting action against the enemy, meantime are playing nursemaid to an undisclosed number of Japanese aliens interned in Alaskan army posts has been revealed. They are doing such a good job that the Japanese have only the highest praise and gratitude for their guardians. Harry S. Kawabe, wealthy Jap anese, was included in the round-up of enemy aliens following the out break of war in the Pacific. Now he spends his days under the watch ful scrutiny of military policemen. "The food is fine, of excellent quality and ample quantity," he said. "We are kept in a warm and comfortable dormitory. We have books, magazines and writing ma terials. We realize the circum stances which put us here." Other Japanese being held at Fort Richardson concurred in Kawabe's statement. They found their rou tine well-ordered, their "hosts" hospitable and polite, but aloof. Out side, the weather was icy-cold. Ex cept for physical exercise, they did not like the idea of leaving their warm rooms. The 1940 census listed only 263 Japanese in the territory. When word of the December 7 assault on Pearl Harbor reached Alaska, the round-up of enemy aliens began, from the southeastern "panhandle" to Alaska's westernmost reaches. All seized aliens were taken to army camps. With the alien situation under con trol, military and civilian police started a round-up of alien-held weapons and ammunition. Britain Plans Special Guard for Airdromes LONDON.?Formation of a spe cialized airdrome defense corps to take advantage of the bitter lessons of Greece, Crete and finally north ern Malaya was predicted authori tatively tonight amid indications that the training of such a ground force already was under way. Even the acute concern which promoted widespread consideration of such a means of safeguarding vi tal battlefront airfields from para chutists and air-borne infantry failed to overshadow, however, increasing ly confident talk of a turn to the of fensive. news uiai aner xo years tne i anas are coming back to British bases as well as streaming to the Far East bolstered a belief here that such an offensive will be in the West as well as the Orient. But there was a note of caution, too, even back of the enthusiasm with which the British weighed the staggering figures set for United States production in planes, tanks and shipping this year and next. The ministry of economic war fare said that Germany also had managed to increase her output at planes, tanks and submarines over the peak production at the spring at 1941, although total armament pro duction had declined somewhat. An even further increase in Ger man airplane production was fore cast by the ministry, but it said that German plans for full-force subma rine building had been impeded by RAF bombings. Even False Teeth May Go To Help U. S. Win War WASHINGTON. ? Donations at gold teeth, diamonds, pennies and big bank drafts, are flowing into the treasury to help win the war. Such gifts in the last month have exceeded $70,000, nearly three times as much as during the whole World war. A New Yorker heads the list with a check for $29,000. But officials blinked, too, at the 29 cents a Penn sylvania child sent in after getting it for an "A" report card. A Bronx lad sent $1, suggesting that "Uncle Sam" use the money "to fite the bad people." A set of false teeth, sent by an Ohioan, contained gold worth $35. Filipino Bolo Is Handy, Two Dead Japs Prove It MANILA.?A dispatch from the north Luzon front said two troopers belonging to the 28th (Filipino) cav alry returned to headquarters after having been separated from their regiment during a battle. One car ried a blood-stained bolo?a long, curved knife favored by Filipino warriors?and^explained that he had killed two Japanese. "Why didn't you use your site arm?" an officer asked. "The bolo was handy," the safeties) replied. _ _ . _ i
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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