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The Alamance Gleaner 1 VoL LXVIII GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, MAY 21, 1942 No. 16 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Soviets Break Nazi Lines at Kharkov To Relieve Pressure on Kerch Front; U. S. Army Takes Over All Air Lines; Lower Wage Brackets Face Income Tax (EDITOR'S NOTE?Whan opinions arc expressed la these columns, they are thoae of the aews analyst and not neeeesarlly of this newspaper.) (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) Pierre Laval's position grew more difficult as the United States in practical effect ceased to recognize Vichy control over Martinique and other French possessions in the Western hemisphere. Immobilization of French warships at Martinique followed conferences between American representatives and the resident French high commissioner. Above (cen ter) is shown Laval with M. Cathala. (left) his minister of finance and M. Paul Marion, secretary ofCstate. RUSSIAN FRONT: Nazis Seek Oil With the rich oil fields of the Caucasus as the prize, Nazi and Russian Red army fighters locked forces in a combat which before the summer's end may determine the war's outcome. Principal theater of the Nazis' newest conquest effort was the Kerch peninsula, gateway to the Soviet's farflung oil possessions. While the Russians admitted that a German break into the Kerch de fenses had caused a withdrawal to new positions, the Soviet communi ques reported that the new line was being held in good order and that a heavy toll was being taken of the attackers. Balancing this news was a report that Marshal Semeon Timoshenko's armies further north had broken through the first German defense lines around the industrial city of Kharkov and were preparing for an invasion of the city itself. Success of the Kharkov offense would mean that the German move toward the Caucasus would be forestalled. negaraeu as a granu ureas re hearsal for the major Nazi spring offensive when drier ground permits greater movement, the present bat tles offered a test of the best arms which Axis and the United Nations could muster. German air concen trations were reported the heavi est of any used thus far in World War No. 2. Russian mechanical equipment included triple-turret American tanks and the latest de sign planes. INCOME TAXES: More Will Pay Prospects that a single person making as little as $9.62 weekly and a childless married couple whose income is $23.08 a week or more will have to Ale income tax returns were seen in the action of the house ways and means commit tee in voting to lower the exemp tions for married persons to $1,200 a year from the present $1,500 and for single persons to $500 from $750. Allowances for children and oth er dependents would be left at $400. More than 8,000,000 persons, it was estimated, would be added to the present fold of 17,000,000 Ameri cans who file income tax returns. Taxpayers could take comfort from the fact that the committee voted to retain the present 10 per cent earned income credit for earned income up to $14,000 a year. For example, a person earning $1,200 a year is permitted to deduct $120 from the amount which would otherwise be subject to the normal tax provision, provided his income is derived from wages or salaries. MARTINIQUE: Warships Immobilized As French warships at Martinique were being immobilized, the United States came closer to its goal of completely neutralizing French pos sessions in the Caribbean sea. While Vichy France had issued a note covering the situation, Ameri can representatives indicated they were "doing business" with Adm. Georges Robert, high commissioner of the French West Indies. AIRLINERS: Will Fly for U. S. The war department's action in taking over the $100,000,000 commer cial aviation industry emphasized again the United Nations' convic tion that air power will be the de termining factor in winning the war. In a drastic order authorized by President Roosevelt, the army cur tailed private aviation, requisitioned 55 of the nation's 250 palatial air liners for immediate military serv ice and directed that 70 more be converted by the 17 airlines them selves into cargo carriers. Virtual elimination of night flying was forecast in the new order. A change in air routes and the closing of many commercial airports for the war's duration was indicated. Employees of the airlines includ ing 2,200 pilots and 18,984 other per sonnel were given their choice of joining up with the air corps or the fefry command or remaining with war department-operated lines. The war department's action fol lowed the recent requisitioning of 83 airliners for service in the Near East and Far East. AXIS SUBS: Inland Attacks When an Axis submarine slipped through the net of Canada's coastal defenses to torpedo and sink two ships in the St. Lawrence river, it marked the first time in history an enemy underseas craft had pene trated North America's inland wa terways. Increasing boldness of U-boat warfare all along the Atlantic seaboard was indicated'by the sinking of seven additional Unit ed Nations' merchantmen in American waters. At the same time an enemy mine was dis covered near the Florida coast. Exact location of the U-boat at tack in the St. Lawrence was not disclosed in the Canadian communi que, nor were the names of the freighters sunk. That the same sub marine was responsible for both sinkings was indicated by the fact that they both occurred "in the same general locality and at the same general time." The St. Lawrence river is naviga ble to ocean-going vessels between its mouth and the city of Quebec, 500 miles upstream. The communi que noted that both ships were sunk in the river and not in the gulf outside. TIRES: U. S. Wants Them * Jesse Jones, secretary of com merce, revealed that the Recon struction Finance corporation had made available $150,000,000 for the purchase by the government of new and used tires and tubes now in the hands of consumers. County tire ration boards of the Office of Price Administra tion and RFC agencies will be responsible for administering the plan, Mr. Jones declared. A voluntary system of tire pur chasing will be tried out first. Should this fail, commandeering of civilian tires looked like the next step. PETTICOAT ARMY: To Serve Overseas Enlistment of 150,000 American women between the ages of 21 and i 44 for non-combatant service with the regular army anywhere in the I world was authorized when the sen ate passed a bill creating the wom en's auxiliary army corps. The house had previously approved the measure. The corps will be uniformed. i Pay in the ranks will be S21 the ' first four months and $30 from then on. Members of the corps must be in good health, unim peachable character and have no dependents. A WAAC com pany, according to present plans, will comprise 250 women and four officers. It was intimated that the first task of the corps would be in the aircraft warning services. Some of the duties would include jobs as clerks, teletype operators, switch board, telegraph or telephone opera tors and messengers. Duties in other branches of the service would inclilde pharmacists, dieticians, hostesses, laboratory as sistants, laundry workers and stew ardesses. GAS WARFARE: Fresh Warning Following Prime Minister Church ill's warning to the Axis on gas war fare came a further assertion that Britain was better equipped than Germany for this type of combat. A report by the chemical expert .of the ministry of economic war fare pointed out that gasproof shel ter accommodations were available for only 40 per cent of the population of big German cities. Nazi precau tions have concentrated on large scale shelters rather than on indi vidual protection, as in Britain. Only a portion of the German people own gas masks, the report stated, while in Britain all the people possess them. The British expert declared that Italy's situation is even worse than Germany's. POPE PIUS: Pleads for Peace The voice of Pope Pius was raised in an appeal to the world's leaders to conclude a peace "on principles of justice and moderation, even if it does not seem to correspond to aspirations." The pontiff, however, POPE PICS "Peace with Justice? acknowledged that "there is no im mediate hope of peace." Addressing the world by radio on the 25th anniversary of his conse cration as a bishop, the pope said: "We well know how in the state of things today there would be little probability of success in formulat ing detailed proposals for a just and honorable peace. But we make this appeal today with greater insistence in view of the menace of greater destructive weapons." The pope then urged statesmen to miss no opportunity to make a "peace of justice and moderation." AUSTRALIA: Planes Strafe Japs New Allied blows against Amboi na, former Dutch naval base, and Rabaul, New Britain, gave strength to warnings by United Nations lead ers that the battle of the Coral sea has not brought an end to the peril facing Australia. The assaults upon Japanese bases to the north were in tended as at least partial insurance against all-out invasion. Warships and transports were re ported at these bases, waiting the arrival of sea-borne plane re enforcements before moving into the Coral sea area for a rendezvous with the invasion ships scattered by recent American sea victories. Harassing air attacks by Allied bombers on both the east and west flanks of the Jap invasion bases sank and damaged enemy mer chantmen, set fire to docks and de stroyed/ planes in Jap-held air dromes. l-arm Prospects Bright Despite War Restrictions Experts See Co-operative Solution to Farm Labor Problem; Shortage of Tools Greatest Headache. By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator. WNU Service, 1343 H Street, N-W, Washington, D. C. As Washington takes a look ahead ?cross the fields and pastures and lairy farms of the nation, the pros >ects for the farmer seem pretty food. He is going to have some ough problems but they aren't in loluble. And there are good times ?head. The ceilings on retail prices itill leave room for price rises which vill turn to the farmer's advantage. Congress has yet to decide wheth er the pointy at which the ceiling on 'arm prices is to begin can be low jred to parity or whether it will be ?eld at 110 as the law now holds. Price Administrator Henderson is irm for the lower figure. Secre ary of Agriculture Wickard has en lorsed this view which the Presi lent set forth in his fireside chat, tut congress will decide. Meanwhile, behind closed doors :he problem will be threshed out as o methods to be used when the low ered retail prices roll back through :he processor right up to the barn fate. This will be the point where the iepartment of agriculture steps in with its technical knowledge and ex perience to supplement and proba cy to modify some of Mr. Hender son's ideas. For one thing cannot be forgotten: the farm products of the nation have still to be changed ?ver to some .extent from the things that are not essential to the war ef fort to the things that are essential to the war effort. This cannot all be done by the waving of a big stick; there must be left for the fanper a certain price motive for this change over on his part. And how to keep prices up for the products needed and down for what isn't, is a com plicated problem which cannot be settled entirely by an arbitrary sys tem of retail price controls in a mar ket of increased demand and limit ed supply. One hardship which the farmer shares with the rest of the pro ducers, is the difficulty of getting the tools he needs to produce with, when munitions have the first call. That is the thing that is causing the most headaches in Washington right now. There is the question of farm ma chinery; of fertilizers and sprays, of transportation from the farm to the primary market, from there to the processor and finally into dis tribution. And another bottleneck which backs right up to the barn and the sty is the lack of processing facili ties. I understand that if the pig crop now in the making proceeds at the present rate there will not be enough square feet of killing space in America to handle the hogs when they come in. Some of yoy will recall that in 1924 embargoes had to be placed on certain slaughterhouses to keep the pigs from piling up at their doors. However, there is more experi ence stored up in Washington heads than there was then and greater ability, equipment and incentive to make use of it. One thing that is being done is to get the farmers to begin feeding their hogs earlier so that the peak period of slaughter can be flattened out and all the pigs won't come to market at once. Experts who have studied the situ ation say that the farm labor prob lem is by no means insoluble. It exists but it is going to be licked with the help of women, school chil dren and part-time help from men in the small towns in rural commu nities who are willing to close up shop and help with the peak load at harvest time. This has already been done in some communities?fruit picking, for instance. On the whole, the prospects are that the farmer will be much better off than he was after the last war. Then he took his extra money, made < down payments on more land, mort gaged what he had to buy, still more and when the depression came lost everything. There are no signs of a land-buying boom now. The farm er, once bitten is twice shy, he has begun to lay away this extra cash for the rainy day that he, of all people, knows is coming. ' Farmers have already made rainy day payments to the tune of $5,000, 000. This is the amount reported by th* Federal Land banks as the amount which can be used in the future to apply to their long-term installment loans. Every farm over a series of years has its "rainy days" in which income falls below normal or in which the farm family has reverses of one kind or another. These rainy day funds are bound to prove helpful in many ways, and, as President Roosevelt said, those who comply with the suggestions for pay ing off debts and curtailment of in stallment buying "will be grateful that they have done so when this war is over." When A. G. Black, governor of the Farm Credit administration, saw that this year's crops were go ing to bring more money in than they have for many years he began selling this "rainy day" idea to the borrowers. They were sold to the tune of $5,000,000. Some farmers have already paid up four or five years' installments on their long term loans. They will be sitting pretty if rainy days come. "Farm ers sometime wonder," says Gov ernor Black, "whether, in these days in which they are being urged to buy war bonds as a patriotic duty, they should lay aside funds with the Fed eral Land banks with which to meet their own private debts. Well, re member that the Federal Land banks invest the funds received from future payments in government se curities. The farmers realize that they are accomplishing not one but two things in placing their cash in the future payment fund?they pro vide for their own security and stop payment of interest on that part of their loan equal to the funds de posited. They have the assurance that the money in the interim will be working for Uncle Sam. "Buy bonds of course," says Gov ernor Black, "but also reduce your farm mortgage indebtedness while you have an opportunity." And that is just what the farmer is doing. ? ? ? 1917?1942 Concept* of War How does it (eel to register (or the second time? When the men (rom 45 to 65, espe cially those near enough the top ot the bracket to have served in the first World war, went to the school house and signed their registration card, they did it with quite a flour ish. O( course they knew they would probably never be called (or mili tary service but just the same it gave them a sort o( a "we did it be(ore we can do it again" (eeling. They (elt, it the (eelings ot one ot them who is making these observa tions are typical, as it there was quite a lot o( fight in the old dog still. But any one ot them who paused to reflect a moment must have real ized what a wholly different atti tude many ot the boys ot 1942 have compared with the draltees or the men who enlisted in 1917. A quar ter o( a century ago America had only the quaintest conception ot war. It was based chiefly on romance. It had little or nothing to do with the experiences soldiers in previous wars had encountered, still less ot the experiences they themselves were to encounter, such as (or in stance trench warfare under sus tained bombardment or aerial at tack. To the men ot 1917 fighting a war was, besides being a patriotic duty, more or less ot a sporting thing. But the writings and the teachings ot the last 29 years have served to root ont the idea that war is a chivalrous thing. To many ot the modern generation it seems con temptible and patriotism doesn't ap pear to be involved. There is one thing that many peo ple (ail to understand. One has to live through war conditions to un derstand war. This understanding makes it possible, paradoxical though it may seem, (or a normal person to adjust himself to the ut terly abnormal conditions about [ him. To live under a code con trary to that which he has been taught; to bear up under discom fort, delay, suffering and danger. This (actor evolves (rom a crowd psychology which produces a mass patience, self-reliance, courage and self-sacrifice. Ski Troops Train On Mount Rainier Hand-Picked Combat Force Is New Army Unit. MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, WASH.?A mountain combat force of winter-hardened soldiers has been in extensive training for many weeks on the blizzard-swept slopes of Mount Rainier. These mountain troops were chosen from the best available ski ers in the nation, professional and amateur, besides many veteran mountaineers, forest rangers and cavalrymen. The troops, dressed in white parkas, which serve as a camouflage in the snow, work out daily in the snow fields. Paradise Lodge, the summer home for many thousands of tour ists, has been taken over by the army and is now used for the hous ing and feeding of the specialized troops. The newly created combat force will do more than fight in the snow; as mountain troops, they will put away their skis when the snow melts and concentrate on mountain climb ing and moving pack artillery through mountain roads. In creating the new combat force officials had to pioneer" the way. The manual of arms was revised to include handling of skis and poles. For the fast movement of troops and supplies over the snow, the army has a motor toboggan?a slad with an endless tread running at high speed. During a preliminary course, the mountain trooper is taught to ski alone and in formation with a load on his back including a 50-pound pack, high-powered rifle and other equipment. He carries his own tent, food for several days and a small gas cook stove. He also has with him a change of clothing and plenty of ammunition. Map Makers Told to Omit Military Depots, Plants WASHINGTON. ? Map makers, editors and manufacturers were asked by the office of censorship to make certain that new maps and charts omit reference to military depots and production plants. "No maps should be published or distributed showing military depots of any kind, such as air, quarter master, or ordnance depots; key war production plants, arsenals, am munition or explosive plants of any kind," the office of censorship an nounced. Omission of military air fields constructed since December 7, 1941, also was requested. Existing maps are not affected by the request. Names and locations of military camps, posts and sta tions may be shown, if there is no indication of their size or strength. Byron Price, director of censor ship, said that it was permissible to publish maps showing the general theater of war or large-scale zones of action, because they do not fur nish any information to the enemy. Vancouver Now 'Fears' New Wave of Prosperity VANCOUVER, B. C.?Fearing they will be drowned in a wave of prosperity, Vancouver authorities are lying awake nights, haunted by the specters ot labor shortages, transportation bottlenecks and hous ing shortages. Already they have sent an SOS to the federal govern ment for help in meeting the hous ing problem. By October 12,000 men will be at work in a new shipyard being con structed in this city of 18.000 per sons, and by the end of the year nearly 20,000 men will be employed at the yards?a worker for each man, woman and child now in the city. Many of the laborers will bring their families. Surveys show only 2.900 men on the employment lists of Vancouver and two neighboring counties and not all of them are physically abb to work in the shipyards. Mistakes Auto Victims For Own Son and Wife NEW YORK.?It was with heavy heart that David Cashven entered his Brooklyn apartment ? ht had just taken his wife and 19-year-old son to the hospital after seeing them run down by a truck. But a second later his wife's usual "Hello, Dave" rang out and there in the little living room, be fore his bewildered eyes, sat Mrs. Cashvan and Herbert, reading news papers and listening to the radio. It turned out that Cashvan had seen Mrs. Edith Kilcoyne, 52, and her nephew, Joseph Taylor, 26, re ceive minor injuries when struck by the truck, and that Cashvan, thinking he recognized them as his i wife and son, had driven them to | the hospital himself. Quinine Survey Stresses Care U. S. Supply Ample for One To Two Year* Since Lom Of Indies Source. WASHINGTON. ? The announce ment by the Reconstruction Finance corporation that 500,000 ounces of 2,000,000 ounces of quinine that it purchased on the recommendation of the War Production board had been lost at sea drew attention to America's situation with regard to this highly essential drug. That situation became an emer gency one with the loss of the Neth erlands Indies, which supplied the world with 90 per cent of ita cin chona bark and derivatives, includ ing quinine. It is believed that the Netherland er were able to destroy the factory at Bandung that had furnished most of the world's annual consumption of 33,000,000 ounces of quinine, and probably a good deal of cinchona bark, but to apply a complete scorched earth policy would mean the cutting and burning of prob ably 70,000 acres of green trees, along with their roots. Supply on Hand. The United States consumes annu ally more than 3,500,000 ounces of quinine. Some of it goes into hair tonics and cold remedies. It is be lieved that the trade and private consumers between them have be tween one and two years' supply on their shelves. The government has not said how great its total stockpile is, but Fed eral Loan Administrator Jesse Jones announced that the Defense Supplies corporation had purchased 1,500,000 ounces: had agreed to buy another 3,000,000 ounces but did not be lieve this would now be possible; had made an emergency purchase of cinchona bark equivalent to about 3,165,000 ounces and arranged for its immediate shipment to Australia for transshipment to the United States. Substitute Available. Cinchona bark is also obtainable from Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Vene zuela, Colombia, and Guatemala During the last few years, how ever, the American government and private American drug interests have fostered experimental work looking towards the production in South America of higher yielding types of cinchona. There is an acceptable synthetic" substitute for quinine, called ata brine. The German patents for its manufacture at present are con trolled by one United States firm, the Winthrop Chemical bompany, a situation that is reported to have led to some complaint. If necessary, however, it could be manufactured in large quantities, since it is a derivative of coal tar. Armored Unit Seeking Help in Naming Tanks FORT KNOX, KY.?Uncle Sam's men of action in the armored force have opened a new campaign front ?to find earthy, punchy, typically American words to describe their fast, hard-hitting armored fighting machines. They want to replace "blitz" and "panzer" and other borrowed for eign words with tangy native labels. They want the kind of words that will stand right up in print, pictur ing the Stars and Stripes going into action with the armored units. They want talk about their tanks, jeeps, peeps, half-tracks and self propelled artillery to soun4 like "good old U.S.A." as it rolls through barber shops and hotel lobbies. The campaign was launched in the Armored Force Journal as a contest for all enlisted men in the armored force. The prize?$5,000 and the honor of sticking good native labels on the metal chargers. "What flashes in your mind when you hear the roar of motors, the rumble of tons of steel rolling over the ground, the staccato beat of thousands of machine guns?" asked the journal. 25 Per Cent Clothing Cut Planned for Briton* LONDON.?Britain's clothing ra tion probably will be reduced soon by an additional 25 per cent, it is understood here. Rations for clothing at present pro vide 66 "points" every six months, but this allowance may be cut to 50 units, to provide clothing over a longer period. Britons may distribute the ration total among various articles of ap parel. A woman's coat, for exam ple, requires 14 points, a dress, 11, a blouse, 5, and a pair of shoes, 5. Men's clothes run sightly higher, with an overcoat costing 16 points, a suit, 26, a shirt, 5, and a pair ot shoes. 1 units.
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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May 21, 1942, edition 1
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