The Alamance Gleaner 1
VoL LXVIII GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1942 No. 22
- 1
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Fresh Nazi Offensive Forces Red Army
To Yield Key Ground Back of Kharkov;
Rommel Drive Perils All Middle East;
U. S. Names Leader for European Zone
(EDITOR'S NOTE?When opinion! are expressed In these columns, they
are those of the news analyst and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
4 Releaaed fay Western Newspaper Union.
fc GUAM isiANO ; pacific Oet,a.n.
'? !
The strategic importance of the Aleutian islands, off Southwest
Alaska, if indicated by the above map. From Kiska, near the western end
of the chain, to Tokyo the distance is less than 2,000 miles. Dutch Harbor
lies 2,400 miles northwest of San Francisco. Jap landings in the fog
blanketed Aleutians have focused America's attention on that area.
RUSSIAN WAR:
.Nazis Pay Dearly
Marshal Timoshenko's Red army
had sustained blow after blow on the
Kharkov front as General von
Bock's Nazi hordes tried a break
through to swing around Rostov,
gateway to the Caucasus oil fields.
Stubbornly resisting German
forces numerically and mechanical
ly superior to them, the Russians
had been compelled to fall back to
new lines. Here they had withstood
heavy attacks of tanks, infantry and
planes.
A Russian communique acknowl
edged the loss of the railway junc
tion city of Kupyansk, 60 miles south
east of Kharkov.
The Reds were following a strate
gy that had served them well in
last year's bloody campaigns?of
fighting fiercely until forced to fall
back, then withdrawing slowly to
strongly prepared positions. Mean
while they were taking an enormous
toll in Nazi dead and slowing down
Hitler's timetable.
Meanwhile, Britain brought addi
tional grief to the Nazis with a world
record raid on the German port city
of Bremen More than 1,000 planes
raided Bremen, leaving it in James,
i A British communique reported the
' loss of 52 planes.
TAX BILL:
Biggest on Record
The average income taxpayer
faced the prospect of paying about
twice as much as he is now paying
when the new federal revenue bill
becomes operative.
As approved by the house ways
and means committee, the new bill
would provide a gross revenue esti
mated at $5,924,000,000?the largest
tax ever collected in United States
history. At that, it was a billion and
a half short of the treasury depart
ment's original request for new lev
ies to help finance war outlays.
Surprising to many fiscal experts
was the house committee's action in
striking out a provision making it
mandatory for husbands and wives
to file joint income tax returns.
The average wage-earner would
be affected. three ways under the
new tax measure. The bill provides
a normal income rate increase of
from 4 to 6 per cent; exemptions
for single men would be reduced
from $750 to $500 and for married
men from $1,500 to $1,200; surtaxes
would be increased from 6 to 12 per
cent on the first $1,000 of net taxable
income.
U. S. INCOME:
To Hit 117 Billion
Marriner S. Eccles, chairman of
the Federal Reserve board told the
nation that a new all-time record
of 117 billion dollars for the annual
national income would be reached
during the war years.
Mr. Eccles warned Americans
that this tremendous spending pow
er will be far in excess of the con
sumer goods available to the buy
ing public. Strict curtailment of
all but necessary purchases, great
er personal savings and steady buy
ing of government war bonds, he
said, will stop inflation.
The 1942 national income will be
about 110 billion dollars, he said in
a radio address. This will be about
30 billion more than it was in 1939.
EUROPEAN FRONT:
U. S. Takes Steps
?- A further step in the program to
make the fighting efforts of the Unit
ed States and Britain more effective
and to pave the way for the second
front was taken when the war de
partment announced the establish
ment of a "European theater of op
erations for United States forces."
Director of this European theater
was Maj. Gen. Dwight D. Eisen
hower, recently assistant chief of
staff of the war department general
staff, who had already arrived in
London when the announcement of
his appointment was made.
Laconic was the statement issued
by the new commanding general in
which he said that "formal estab
lishment of a European theater is a
logical step in co-ordinating the ef
forts of Great Britain and the Unit
ed States."
EGYPT:
Tank Steeplechase
Sidi Barrani had fallen and Salum
had been abandoned as the British
strove by fierce rearguard actions
to slow down the rush of Marshal
Rommel's victory-flushed tank ar
mies in engagements on which the
fate of Egypt and Suez depended.
The serious plight of the British
had been apparent following the sur
prise surrender of Tobruk in nearby
Libya. Foxy General Rommel lost
no time in following up his advan
tage by slicing into Egypt.
General Ritchie's battered forces
had not made a stand at the Egyp
tian border because of the danger of
encirclement, but had withdrawn to
Mersa Matruh, 157 miles east of the
Libyan frontier.
The British had been in posses
sion of Sidi Barrani since Decem
ber 11, 1940, when they drove out
Italian troops which had occupied
the town less than three months be
fore and then launched a drive which
swept 400 miles across the Libyan
desert.
FAMILY MEN:
Deferred by Draft
The departure of many a married
draft inductee for training camp
was halted when President Roose
velt signed legislation authorizing
deferment of family men until the
supply of single men is exhausted.
This marked the first time in Ameri
can military history that the policy
of so preserving established fami
lies had been fixed by law.
Draft headquarters announced that
married men with children would
be the last to be called into service,
but emphasized that they could
count on no permanent deferment.
The deferment clause applied only
to men married before December 8,
1941.
Financial assistance to dependents
of service men was provided in the
measure, with the government fur
nishing the bulk of the monthly al
lowance check and the service men
the balance. The allotments would
go to army men up to and includ
ing the grade of line sergeants and
navy men including third class petty
officers.
Allowances include $50 a month
for a childless wife of a service
man, $62 for a wife with one child
and $72 for a wife with two chil
dren.
SUBMARINE WAR:
Caribbean Casualties
While President Roosevelt and
Prime Minister Churchill labored
over the problem ot finding ships
with which to open and support a
supreme front against the Axis, dis
quieting news of the increasing men
ace of enemy submarines in Ameri
can waters was made public.
Soon after the navy had an
nounced that a convoy system was
protecting shipping along the Atlan
tic coast, came a communique dis
closing that Axis subs had sunk 13
ships in the Caribbean in a 12-day
period. The shift in Axis U-boat
tactics from our immediate shores
to the Caribbean sea lanes presented
new problems to an already over
worked navy.
That these problems would re
ceive prompt attention was intimat
ed when it was announced that the
navy had purchased two big airports
in Miami, Fla. Establishment of air
bases here would provide the navy
with effective operating points from
which to strike at submarines in
southern waters.
CONSUMER SERVICE:
OP A Takes Hand
Prices for shoe-shines and half
soles, for funerals, pants-pressing
and permanent waving reverted to
the level existing on March 1, when
the Office of Price Administration
established fixed ceilings for con
sumer services.
The new order affecting a mil
lion establishments doing a five bil
lion dollar a year business, stabi
lized costs of important personal
service items for every American
citizen. It was a further step in the
OPA's campaign to prevent infla
tion and runaway prices.
For example, the laundry that
charged 12 cents for a shirt in
March and raised the rate to 15 j
cents in April or June, had to cut 1
its figure back to 12 cents on July 1.
Among the most common family '
budget items covered by the regula
tions were shoe repairing and shin
ing; pressing, altering and repair
of clothing; hat cleaning; laundry;
electrical repairing; food locker
service and rental; cleaning and
dyeing; film developing and print
ing ; watch and clock repairing; and
undertaker's services.
ARGENTINA:
'Neutrality^s' End?
While Argentine's policy of "pru
dent neutrality" had foundered with
the sinking by a Nazi submarine of
the freighter Rio Tercero, President
Roberto M. Ortiz, supporter of Presi
dent Roosevelt's policies, formally
submitted his resignation. Inactive
for nearly two years because of
DR. ROBERTO ORTIZ
near-blindness, Ortiz placed full re
sponsibility for his country's admin
istration upon Acting President Ra
mon S. Castillo, father of the "pru
dent neutrality" policy in dealing
with the Axis.
The sinking of the Rio Tercerc
fanned a flame of popular resent
ment against Germany, for this was
the third Argentine ship attacked
and the second sunk in recent
months. This resentment failed to
calm down even when the govern
ment announced it had dispatched
an "energetic" note of protest to
Berlin. Sterner measures were de
manded not only by the public but
by the chamber of deputies.
AUSTRALIA:
100 Netc Airdromes
Steady progress in the task of
strengthening Australia's defenses
against Japanese invasion and pro
viding offensive springboards for an
eventual United Nations assault on
Nippon was reported by Brig. Gen.
Hugjt Casey of the U. S. engineers
corps.
At least 100 airdromes have been
completed in the last few months,
he said. In addition, war construc
tion work embracing 1,500 major
and minor projects is "well in hand"
despite a scarcity of labor, plants
and machinery.
General Casey reported that one
airdrome costing $8,800,000 had been
completed in 71 days.
Presidential Peace Plan
Linked With Lend-Lease
Advances Made by America Looked Upon as
'Contributions to a Common Pool'
Instead of Loans.
ByBAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commehtator.
WNU Service, 1343 H Street, N-W,
Washington, D. C.
President Roosevelt has complete
ly reversed the ancient slogan: "In
time of peace prepare for war," to
make it read, "In time of war pre
pare for peace."
Because it is an axiom that the
man behind the gun has to keep his
mind on the gun, and the man be
hind the man behind the gun has to
keep his mind on the man behind
the gun, it isn't safe for people as
a whole to look too far beyond the
barbed wire. That is why there
hasn't been much talk about the
plan. A nation in the death grip
finds it risky to turn its attention
from the brutal needs of the mo
ment to humanitarian hopes for the
future. But a formula is being
worked out that has the astounding
purpose of using the very fires of
war to forge a weapon for peace.
Hints of the program were re
vealed, partly between the lines, in
a 42-page document which made up
the President's last quarterly state
ment on the lend-lease operations,
and partly in the President's ad
dress to the assembled representa
tives of the United Nations on Flag
day. Both references hark back to
an idea set forth in an article which
appeared in these columns long be
fore we entered the war. That arti
cle said that Secretary Hull had a
"peace machine" oiled and ready
for use when the moment arrived.
"Secretary Hull," it stated, "be
lieves that the roots of war grow in
the soil of evil economic conditions,
that war cannot be prevented unless
nations indulge in mutually profit
able trade."
Mutually profitable trade, the
secretary believes, can only be
achieved when there are mutual
concessions and mutual benefits?in
other words, the basis of world trade
must be reciprocal trade, to be
brought about by means of the
famous Hull reciprocal trade agree
ments.
rue rresident in nis last lend
lease report to congress clarified the
meaning of "benefit," a meaning
which of coarse has changed since
America entered the war?since
military co-operation with oar own
fighting forces has now become a
very real factor. The President
made it plain that now that "we
are at war" the lend-lease principle
as it develops "removes the pos
sibility that a condition of finance
will affect the fall ase of all materi
al resources" because the advances
made by America are not loans bat
"contributions to a common pool
with which the common war is be
ing waged."
So much for the part lend-lease is
to play in war. Now to its role in
the peace plans. The President
said: "If the promise of the peace
is to be fulfilled, a large production
among nations must be restored and
sustained. This trade must be
founded on stable exchange rela
tionships and liberal principles of
commerce."
"Liberal principles of commerce"
can only refer to reciprocal trade
and the President concludes that the
lend-lease settlement will rest on "a
specific and detailed program for
achieving these ends" which are the
"material foundation of the liberty
and welfare of all peoples."
Practical Peace Machine
That word "material" is impor
tant because in it is the promise of
a practical peace machine which
will supply the very quality, the lack
of which doomed the League of
Nations from the start. All the ex
perts agree that no matter how ef
fective the covenant of the League
might have been had it been carried
out, it could not possibly have
worked because it in the main ig
nored economic relationships. It
was a political machine?and you
can't eat or wear politics.
The lend-lease policy, therefore,
although a dynamic part of the war
efforts of the United Nations, con
tains in the belief of its authors, the
basis for an effective post-war re
construction plan.
And now we come to the second
evidence that its supporters believe
make it a two-edged sword, striking
for peace and victory at the same
time.
The recently promulgated Russo
British 20-year mutual assistance
treaty and the Roosevelt-Molotov
agreement both contain affirmation
of the principles of the Atlantic
Charter which in turn lists the four
freedoms. One of the four freedoms
is freedom from want which at once
involves economics and the most in
timate interest of man, his personal
welfare. At the Flag day celebra
tion at the White House for the first
time since we entered the war the
President offered to the German and
the Japanese people, over the heads
of their governments the hope that
they might share the benefits of an
Allied victory. For the first time
there has been a direct official con
tradiction of the charge continually
dinned into German ears by Herr
Goebbels that defeat means their
destruction. The President offered
them the opposite. He said in his .
Flag day speech:
"We ask the German people, still
dominated by their Nasi whip
masters, whether they would rather
have the mechanised hell of Hitler's
'new' order or?In place of that,
freedom of speech and religion,
freedom from want and from fear."
He made an identical appeal to
the Japanese people.
Without attempting to attack or
defend the practicability of the Presi
dent's plan or the theories upon
which it is based, it is significant
that an effort is being made: First,
to use a war weapon (lend-lease)
to blaze a trail to peace; second, to
provide an economic basis for the
post-war restoration and, third, to
make use of both of these factors in
driving a wedge between the enemy
peoples and their governments by
offering them hope of something
better than what they have.
? ? ?
Meet Rage II,
STARS and STRIPES Maecot
Recently I interviewed a war-dog
who probably will become familiar
to all of you because the exploits
planned for him are sucfi as no dog
ever had before.
He is "Rags II," mascot of the
new army newspaper YANK which
is the successor to the STARS and
STRIPES, the army paper printed
in Paris during the last war. Rags
II is a "successor," too?to the
original Rags, who would have been
mascot of the STARS and STRIPES
if he hadn't been so thoroughly de
voted to one of the staff, Corporal
"Tip" Bliss, his master.
Rags grew to be a tradition and
he is perhaps a solar myth by this
time. He could understand English,
French and Elizabethan in which he
was usually addressed by his mas
ter who was a scholarly person.
'After marching over most of
France and learning some of the
less polite corners of Paris, Rags
came back to America with his
master. Neither ever completely
settled down. Tip worked on news
papers and wrote pulp Action. Rags
lived out his cycle as carefree and
disheveled as his master. Tip ac
quired Rags who was a curly black
spaniel of some sort at some French
port when he landed. The two never
parted, until the end.
Rags was never formally inducted
into the army and he got very little
publicity but his shaggy, waggy
memory lives green in the heart of
every STARS and STRIPES man.
When YANK was given its send
off at a banquet in New York a few
of the old STARS and STRIPES staff
were present, among them "WaDy"
(the certoonist, Walgren), buddy of
Tip and Rags. A part of the cere
mony was a presentation by Wally
of Rags II to youthful Captain
Spence, who is executive head of
the new paper.
Afterward when I slipped up to
get a few comments from the new
Rags who is even raggier than his
namesake for he is part poodle, he
was finishing off part of a steak
right up on top of the main banquet
table.
He was friendly, in fact most af
fectionate, but not loquacious. I
couldn't get a word out of him as
to his plans. But I figured he had
just gone hush-hush like all army
people and was afraid that enemy
ears might be listening.
However, from other sources,
usually considered reliable as the
papers say, I found out that Rags
II is about to travel to Australia,
Iceland, Ireland and perhaps other
fronts as yet undisclosed. For
YANK will follow the troops and
Rags H will follow YANK. He will
probably be tha most traveled army
dog in history.
Malta Is Most
Bombed Spot
5,000 Raid* in One Month 1*
Record; Story of One
Family.
VALLETTA, MALTA.?Five thou
sand air raids in one month, an
average of 166 every 24 hours, 75
per cent of this city's homes de
stroyed or damaged?that's the sta
tistical story of this most bombed
spot on earth. The human story
is?
Mrs. Marmena Urpanis gets up
at 6 a. m. Her husband is a work
ing man. She has six children. All
is peace and quiet for 20 minutes.
Then the siren sounds.
"Say, you," she says casually to
the eldest son. "Go up and spot."
The youth climbs to the roof. All
over the neighborhood, family spot
ters are on the roofs. No use being
disturbed by mere bombs unless
they are close.
ruuieg uornint Close.'
Urpanis, having washed his face
and shaved, comes in for breakfast.
The three younger children are still
asleep. Urpanis says he slept well
and Mrs. Urpanis said she had a
good night too. She has the coffee
pot poised to pour when a shout
comes from the roof. They're com
ing close.
Urpanis awakens the children.
Calmly all eight repair to the near
est shelter, an ancient rock-walled
well. Within seconds bombs are
dropping all around. Forty min
utes later the planes have been
driven off and the family returns to
breakfast, Mrs. Urpanis slightly an
noyed because she must warm the
coffee.
Urpanis goes off to work and Mrs.
Urpanis starts scrubbing and dress
ing the three young ones. She is
just about through when, 50 minutes
after the first raid, another starts.
She and the children go oft to the
shelter again.
When that one is over, she goes
shopping. In the midst of it the si
rens sound again and she and all per
sons in the streets go casually to
public shelters That raid didn't
amount to much and there isn't an
other until 2 p. m., which lets the
family lunch in unaccustomed quiet.
The tea-time raids come every
day and it would seem a break in
routine if the Axis missed one.
Family Hardly Blinks.
The next raid was in early eve
ning. One hundred German planes
hit at Valletta again. One big bomb
; after another came down within a
radius of 200 yards and close to the
shelter. The younger children were
somewhat disturbed by the noise;
the rest of the family hardly
blinked.
men one came reaiiy close. Ttie
lights went out. Candles revealed
dust and dirt pouring through the
exits to the well. The oldest Ur
panis girl wetted a handkerchief
and tied it around her mouth. That
makes breathing easier when there's
a lot of dust.
It was all over at 7:30 and the
family found their house had been
damaged?again. It was annoying
because it was suppertime and they
were hungry. But Mrs. Urpanis
cleared the debris out of her kitchen
and got the pots on the stove. Ur
panis meanwhile repaired doors and
windows. He's an expert at that
now.
Supper is hardly over when an
other big fleet comes overhead, and
since it is apparent the Axis intends
to keep it up all night, the family
decides to spend the night in the
shelter.
They had 12 raids in all from the
time they left their beds to the
time they went to bed again.
It's Too Bad, but Fido
Cannot Have His Sugar
NEW YORK.?A tea-sipping dog
will simply have to learn to use
lemon instead of sugar.
A local rationing board made this
determined decision recently when
a woman applied for a war ration
book for her pet poodle. She said
that the dog had tea with sugar
three times a day.
"The dog is accustomed to sug
ar," the woman icily replied when
asked if It couldn't get along with
out it.
Just as icily, the board said "not"
No Round Trips Provided
In This Patrol Wagon
NEW YORK.?The woman insist
ed on riding, so police took her to
the station in a patrol wagon to an
swer a charge of peiynitting an un
muzzled dog on the streets.
She pleaded guilty, then asked to
be taken back to the stationhouse
In the wagon to get her dog.
"I'm sorry," said the court. "The
I city isn't in the habit of making
round trips with its patrol wagons." ;
By L. L. STEVENSON
Anns and Girls: Gate crashers
are common in New York. Every I
large party, and sometimes smaller I
ones, bring them out in such num
bers that there must be careful
checking of invitations as well as
guards. In the past, however, the;
crashers usually have been alii
male. There has been a change
lately. Those who give parties for
service men?some of them at least
?have discovered the female gate
crasher. Maybe it's "something'
about a soldier" that has upset par
ty conservatism, speaking socially,
of course.
Matrimony: "Then are aomn
churches in the East where, if you
wish to get married, it costs money
before you start," reports one of
this department's able scouts. "For
example, the parents of a bride of a
few days ago, being identified with
a certain suburban community, nat
urally expected the ceremony to
take place in the local church of
their denomination. To their great
surprise, they were informed that
it would cost $20 'to open the
church.' Not being persons of great
means, they telephoned the rector
of a church in a near-by town. He
informed them that the wedding
would be welcome and most cer
tainly there would be no charge for
'opening the church' since it was
open the entire day. So the wedding
took place there to the satisfaction
of all concerned and the financial
benefit of the rector who co
operated."
? ? ?
Opportunity: Charles Martin tells
of the Canadian prison camp for
German and Italian soldiers. The
prisoners needed exercise so he de
cided to teach them lacrosse. Hay
ing lined the Germans up on one
side and the Italians on die other,
he gave each player a lacrosse stick.
Then he started to explain the rules
of the game. Neither the Germans
nor the Italians seemed to be much
interested until he said, "Sometimes
the players get hurt. A man goes
for the ball, misses and hits his op
ponent on the head. Now I'll get a
ball and we'll?"
"Never mind the ball!" shouted an
Italian brandishing his stick and
glaring at the Nazi he'd picked out.
"Let's start the game right now."
Prepared: Sou Chann is one Chi
nese restaurant man who is not
worrying because war has stopped
food imports from China. Out on
Long Island he has a 38-acre farm
on which seven of his fellow country
men work all the year around.
There he raises snow peas, which
are eaten pod and all, bok tan, mus
tard greens, winter melons and oth
er Oriental vegetables. In summer,
the regular force is supplemented
by as many assistants as can be
found. Usually they are college
women who want to work in the
open air to earn money for the next
semester. They are paid by the
hour. He doesn't raise bamboo
shoots or water chestnuts, the Long
Island Climate not being suitable.
But those items are now being
grown in Louisiana.
? ? ?
About Manhattan: All Souls church
at Madison and Eightieth . . .
Looks as if a bit of old New England
had been moved to New York
. . . Sign: "Popper's Dairy" . . .
But I can't find Mommer's . ...
Yorkville now one of the quietest
places in New York . . . The Ger
man names in neon on beer garden
fronts dark for the duration . . .
No bright strings of colored lights
now in Little Italy in the shadows
of the Queens bo ro bridge . . . Crip
pled children entering Orthopedic
hospital clinic . . . Something
seems to clutch at my chest each
time I see that procession . . . But
the faces of most of the young
sters are bright . . . Gallant little
soldiers fighting the battle of life
. . . The East river slipping along
darkly and sluggishly . . . Central
Park West lined with bench-sitting
newspaper readers . . . With now
and then a book peruser so lost in
the printed page that no notice is
taken of passing traffic ... Or the
green branches arching over the
stone wall and forming a canopy
... A nurse girl trying to get her
charge to take its bottle . . . and
the baby finally knocking it out of
her hand . . . But she saves a
smash by a quick catch and patiently
resumes her efforts ... A regular
perambulator parade from Eighty
sixth street down to the Sixties. '
BcU Syndicate?WKU Xaatuxna.