The Alamance Gleaner
VoL LXVIII ? GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1942 No. 37
! WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
1943 Farm Goals to Be Biggest Ever;
U. S. Increases Strength in Pacific
As Air-Naval Forces Blast Japanese;
Nazis: 'No Need to Take Stalingrad'
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Whjn ?pinion* are expressed In these colsmns, they are these of
Weetera Newspaper Union's news analysts and net necessarily ef this newspaper.)
Released by Western Newspaper Union. ???J
A secret landing by American forces in the Andreanof group of the
Aleutian islands made it possible to establish an airfield from which planes
could blast Japanese positions on Kiska Island. The above photo shows
American troops in a "bucket brigade" passing supplies ashore from a
small boat.
SOUTHWEST PACIFIC:
Yank Power Grows
The Japs learned a lesson about
American air and naval strength in
the Pacific when five ol their ships
including a heavy cruiser were dam
aged by a U. S.'aircraft carrier task
force which pierced Nipponese de
fenses at Shortland island in the
north Solomons. In addition, an air
field was blasted at Bougainville,
main Jap air base, and numerous
aircraft destroyed.
A navy communique reported that
the Japs were caught by surprise
and the American operation was
carried out without loss of men or
equipment.
Besides the heavy cruiser, the
American battle score against the
Jap forces included one transport
damaged by heavy bombs, one sea
plane tender and two cargo ships
damaged by light bombs.
In New Guinea, the advance of
the tough Australian bush troops
continued over the Owen Stanley
mountains which the Japs had pene
trated weeks before.
Although craggy trails had pre
vented swift movement, the Austra
lians had cleared the enemy before
them and had removed the threat
of a Jap surge that once had pierced
to within 32 miles of strategic Port
Moresby.
A communique issued by Gen.
Douglas MacArthur's headquarters
in Australia disclosed that the Al
lies' New Guinea advance had been
made "with practically no loss."
"Information from native carriers
who deserted the Jap forces plus re
ports from our own patrols, indicates
the retreating Japs were exhausted,
living on short rations and badly
needing supplies," the communique
reported.
Much of the Australian success
was said to be due to a constant
air attack on Japanese supply lines.
*AKM GOALS:
Boosted for 1943
A nation-wide wartime plowup
next spring, reminiscent of the days
of 1918, loomed as the U. S. depart
ment of agriculture drew up tenta
tive production goals calling for even
greater acreages and output of most
farm products than was requested
under the record 1942 production.
The goals for all farm crops but
three?wheat, short staple cotton
and commercial vegetables?were
set higher than for 1942. Corn and
other feed grains, beans, peas, pea
nuts, potatoes, sugar beets, hemp
and vegetables for processing were
given the green light. So were pro
duction goals for cattle, hogs, dairy
products, poultry and eggs.
With less manpower, machinery
and other facilities to operate with,
farmers had their work cut out for
them. Moreover, the needs of the
armed forces and the Allies, particu
larly Russia, were said to be much
greater than had been expected a
few weeks before.
If 1943 farm goals are not reached,
civilian consumers will have to
tighten their belts. Consumer ra
tioning was to be inaugurated Janu
ary 1, but civilians had already been
asked to limit meat consumption to
pounds weekly.
A possibility remained that soon
er or later, butter, cheese, cooking
fats, vegetable oils, eggs, poultry
and canned fruits and vegetables
would be placed in the same catego
ry as meat.
RUSSIA:
Stalingrad Checkmate
Unnoticed at the start, Marshal
Timoshenko's counteroffensive, be
gun far up the northern arm of the
Don river in the vicinity of Klet
skaya, had moved forward. Its
object was to draw off German strik
ing power from the Stalingrad area.
Timoshenko had struck first, in a
50-mile area between the Don and
Volga northwest of Stalingrad and
had extended his forces southwest to
the German flank.
That Timoshenko's strategy had
worked was indicated by a signifi
cant statement on the Berlin radio
which announced that the Germans
would abandon frontal attacks on
Stalingrad and destroy what was left
of the city with heavy artillery. "It
is no longer necessary to send Ger
man infantry and assault engineers
into the battle," the announcement
said. "The finishing touches will
now be entrusted to heavy artillery
and dive bombers."
Observers noted that the German
announcement was reminiscent of
propaganda covering the Nazi with
drawal a year ago from Rostov,
when the Russians gained their first
victory of the war.
Southward, in the Caucasus the
Nazis had succeeded in advancing
in the Mozdok area, while Rumanian
reinforcements were reported push
ing southward from the German-held
Black sea base of Novorossisk.
WAR COSTS:
210 Million Daily
war costs wut exceed zto million
dollars a day by January 1, 1943,
according to figures based on re
vised calculations by Budget Direc
tor Harold Smith. Mr. Smith's esti
mates placed total war spending at
78 billion dollars in the current fiscal
year which will end June 30, 1943.
The budget director's upward es
timate was about 25 billions more
than President Roosevelt's figures
last January and eight billions more
than a previous calculation by
Smith.
Increased expenditures (or all war
purposes would make it necessary
for the treasury to borrow approxi
mately $60,300,000,000 from the pub
lic during the current fiscal year.
LABOR:
Lewis Divorces CIO
Labor leaders and politicos had
long awaited the formal secession
of the United Mine Workers of
America from the CIO. Bushy
browed UMW Chief John L. Lewis
kept his own counsel, but chose a
dramatic moment for the divorce.
The occasion was the miners' an
nual convention at Cincinnati.
Brusquely warning the delegates
that he would no longer remain the
union's president if it remained in
the CIO, Lewis obtained unanimous
consent to withdraw. A committee
report urging the separation charged
the CIO with failure to pay a
$1,650,000 debt to the UMW and de
nounced alleged attacks by CIO of
ficers on Lewis.
The convention action merely
gave public recognition to a situa
tion that had existed for months.
Lewis and Philip Murray, CIO presi
dent, were feuding after a friend
ship of years standing. Murray, a
former miner and vice president of
UMW, had been "read out" of the
union, last spring.
ALEUTIANS:
Japs Fold Tents
As mysteriously as they first ap
peared, Japanese forces disappeared
from the two westernmost Aleutian
islands, a navy communique re
vealed. The two islands abandoned
were Attu and Agattu, lying close
together nearly 200 miles from
Kiska.
Heavy bombing by American air
craft which destroyed most of the
Japanese buildings on the two is
lands-was cited as a reason for the
withdrawal.
The Japs still held a foothold on
Kiska island, but Yankee flyers made
their tenure precarious. Army heavy
bombers operating from the newly
acquired American bases in the An
dreanof islands in the Aleutians
blasted Jap-held positions on Kiska
in repeated raids.
The islands of Attu and Agattu
were originally seized by the Japs
shortly after the Aleutian campaign
opened last June.
SCANDINAVIA:
ri i_ I / nr
neaaacne jor nazis
Germany's influence in the Scan
dinavian countries had been weak
ening. This was evident when a
general election in Sweden had re
turned a record number of Commu
nist, anti-Nazi delegates to the na
tional assembly. It was evident,
too, in frequent peace feelers from
war-plagued Finland. Thus when
rioting and disorders broke out
against the Axis overlords in Nor
way and Denmark, few observers
were surprised.
Swift was the Nazi action in coun
tering with force the Scandinavian
threat. The Germans proclaimed a
state of emergency in central Nor
way from the seaport of Trondheim
to the Swedish border. Reprisal ex
ecutions followed. Reports from
Copenhagen said tension had mount
ed to fever heat because of clashes
resulting from the "overbearing and
provocative" attitude of the volun
teer pro-Nazi "Free Corps."
The Nazi radio gave official con
firmation of Scandinavian unrest by
announcing that the Norwegian
emergency was proclaimed because
of recent sabotage attempts "which
if they had succeeded would have
endangered Norway's supply sys
tem."
RUMOR MONGER:
Menace Described
Americans were called upon to be
ware of rumor mongers by Robert
P. Patterson, undersecretary of war.
Speaking before the American
Federation of Labor convention in
Toronto, Mr. Patterson cited rumors
assailing the quality of and effective
ness of weapons made by American
labor as Evidence of Nazi propa
ganda. "Criticism of the Garand
rifle, U. S. tanks and P-40 planes
as inferior died away in the face of
actual performance," he said.
"In the days to come Hitler will
redouble his efforts to divide the
nations now united against him. In
this task he will make use of the
rumor mongers among us.
"His agents will spread stories in
the United Stites and Canada that
will reflect on Britain. In Britain,
his agents will spread the story that
Americans are not doing their part
in fighting, but are interested only
in making money out of the war.
And he will try to alienate us from
Russia."
Mr. Patterson said that produc
tion of armaments for the Allied na
tions will cut deeper and deeper into
production of civilian goods and re
quire suspension of many peacetime
standards of hours and working con
ditions.
SNUB VICHY:
Urges Ex-Envoy
Even as Pierre Laval imposed a
labor draft to speed the delivery of
150,000 French workers for German
war factories, Walter Edge, former
American ambassador to France,
urged withdrawal of U. S. recogni
tion of the Vichy government. Such
action, he said, would solidify 95
per cent of the French people be
hind the United Nations.
iO
ROBERT P. PATTERSON
Warns of Nazi rumor factory.
Civilians Aid War Effort
Conserving Meat, Heat
Being Frugal With Coal and Oil for Home
Heating, and Also Not Buying More Than
Your Weekly Meat Allotment Helps.
By BAUKHAGE
News Analyst and Commentator.
WNll ser- ee, 1343 H Street, N. W.,
,, ashington, D. C.
You have heard before that the
one question, repeated most often
in letters which come into the Office
of Civilian Defense in Washington
is: "What can I do to help win the
war?"
I receive a great proportion of
such letters. Many of you have
asked this question yourselves.
Some of you haven't been able to
get a satisfactory answer.
Beginning this month there
are two things yon can do if yon
really want to help win the war.
They are these: conserve heat
and meat.
We have plenty of meat in the
country, we have plenty of coal and
oil. But some of the meat?about a
fourth of it?has to go to our own
fighting men and those of our Allies.
And much of the coal and a great
deal of the oil can't get to us be
cause of a shortage of transporta
tion.
Look at the heat situation first:
The war has depleted our coastal
tankers which furnished 95 per cent
of our means of transportation to
the eastern states. Many of these
tankers were needed by our fighting
forces and our Allies, many went to
the bottom as a result of the U-boats.
Many that once plied the eastern
seaboard go to Melbourne or Mur
mansk?some have already gone to
Davy Jones' locker.
Last November the railroads
were hauling 68,000 barrels of
oil a day. Now they are carry
ing 800,000 barrels a day.
But remember it takes four or five
trains, of some 70 cars each, to haul
as much as one tanker. And there
is of course a tremendous increase
in the amount of oil and gas con
sumed by war activities, civilian
and military.
Fuel oil is already rationed. Gaso
line will be rationed nation-wide
soon. That process is automatic but
there are other things you can do
to help.
Too can make your bouse
heat-tight with weather strip
ping; you can convert from oil
to coal (if you can get eoal in
your locality); you can be
frugal. According to estimates
given out by the War Informa
tion office you can save the na
tion, by reasonable conservation,
25H MILLION tons of coal this
winter. You can save over 18
million barrels of oil between
October 1, 1942, and May 1, 1943.
Conserve your heat?now what
about your meat?
Beginning this month tftere is one
thing that you can do. It is easy
to check up on yourself as to wheth
er you really want to help in this
respect. All you need to be able
to do is to count up to three. Not
even that far, lust two and one-half.
That is the number of pounds of
meat you ought to eat each week
from now on. More than that will
rob somebody else?less than that
isn't enough to keep you going.
By February you will have no
choice. You'll have a ration book
and you'll get the amount the gov
ernment says you can have. Mean
while it is your patriotic duty to
ration yourself.
This is the reason: One-fourth of
the meat supply of the country has
to be turned over to the fighting
forces of the United Nations. U
they could, the American people
would buy 21 billion pounds of meat
in the next 12 months. There are
about 17tt billions available.
Second Step: Rationing
The government has taken one
step, is preparing for another. The
first is to limit the deliveries by the
packers to civilian outlets. The sec
ond is rationing. The machinery for
that takes time?by February it is
hoped the rationing system can be
in effect.
Now in this intermediate period,
although there is a limit to the
amount of meat the market gets,
there is no limit on what the in
dividual can buy as long as the
butcher has it That is up to you.
So it becomes a question of sharing.
The Food committee in Washington,
using the best information available,
has set 2Vi pounds per person per
week as the limit.
You may be able to get to the
meat market early. Many house
wives can't. A lot of them are work
ing in defense industries or have
other duties. If you overbuy there
won't be enough to go around.
Two and a half pounds isn't nearly
as much as many people would like.
But it is a lot more than most peo
ple need or, in fact, are used to. In
the 1930s we consumed an average
of 130 pounds per capita per year.
But many people are sharing this
new big 115 billion dollar national
income and one way they are spend
ing it is on meat. Without gasoline
for the car they can't get out to so
many shows and other entertain
ment. There is more money left
for the dining-table.
We like meat for its Savor as
much as for its nourishment.
The wealthy and the middle
classes have always bought
more meat than they needed for
their health. The poorer people
frequently had less than they
needed. Now, with a shortage
and plenty of money, the com
petition is higher. It will be
easy for the greedy to rob the
less fortunate.
Why, you may ask, don't we estab
lish meatless days for everybody?
That would not be fair to poorer
classes who get so little meat any
how. But some regular limit has
to be adopted by eating houses and
agreed upon among them. Other
wise there will be unfair competi
tion. The place that co-operates and
cuts down on one day or one dish,
will simply lose out to the restaurant
which serves meat that day.
At home, considerable responsibil
ity rests on the housewife. She has
to adjust her menus to provide a
balanced diet.
Meat contains four important nu
tritive elements: Protein, iron, thi
amin (vitamin Bl) and niacin.
As far as the protein goes It
can easily be provided by serv
ing more milk, eggs, cheese and
legumes. A nice steaming pile
of pancakes, for instance, If they
are made from milk and eggs,
will give some protein as well
as that comfortable feeling of
well-being within.
But such foods do not vmi
the other things that you need which
meat offers. You will have to have
whole grain products and that
means, when you take them in the
form of bread, it must be enriched
bread and even then you won't get
the iron and niacin contained in
whole wheat The dark leafy green
vegetables, potatoes and legumes
(peas and beans) will help.
But where you'll really find the
pinch is in the flsvor. That, I think,
is whst the Germans complained
about most in their rations. You
can get the meat flavor we all crave
with meat dishes that are diluted, i
like soups, and hash and meat loaf.
But do it See that you keep within
your SVi pound limit and you'll be
helping win the war.
? ? ?
To hlarkot
Some weeks ago Secretary of Ag
riculture Wlckard received a postal
card addressed to him at his Indiana
farm home, urging him to get his
pig crop to market early. He raises
quite a lot of pigs and runs his farm
as best he can while he tries to take
care of the needs of several million
farmers at the same time. He said
he felt kind of foolish when the card
came but he did what it asked him
to do.
"1 felt foolish," he said, "because
I wrote that post card myself. (It
was a card sent out pretty widely
to pig-raisers all over the country.)
And when I'd sent the pigs off I
wondered whether I was reglly
patriotic or not; because those bogs
were a lot lighter than they would
have been if I hadn't marketed them
so early."
And right there you have one of
the problems that faces a nation
trying to feed itself and its lend
lease Allies under the difficult con
ditions which the war causes. The
pig problem is tied closest to the
farmer's number two headache, dis
tribution. We could get more pounds
(fatter hogs)?and fats are needed?
if we slaughtered later, but the
packers and the railroads aren't go
ing to be able to handle the mam
moth hog crop if it all comes at
once.
British Enlist
Advice of Labor
Workers Are Represented on
Production Boards in
Many Industries.
LONDON.?For the first time in
British history a move is being
made on a national scale to enlist
the skill and experience of the men
and women in the factories and
workshops to stimulate output.
In practically all engineering
factories the workers are electing
reprsentatives to joint production
committees, writes Jack Tanner,
president of the Engineering Union
of Great Britain, expressing his per
sonal views in an article made pub
lic by the British information serv
ices. Formerly this had been the
task of the managements alone.
"Workers engaged on the job had
no machinery for bringing forward
ideas," says Mr. Tanner. "Often
they felt frustrated because they
could see that things were going
wrong, but were denied the right of
helping to put matters straight.
"Now that the National Engineer
ing Employers federation has fol
lowed the lead of the government
and agreed with all the engineering
trade unions on a plan for joint
committees, on which elected trade
union representatives of the work
people will sit with equal rights with
the managerial nominees, I con
fidently look forward to striking in
creases in output.
"My union recently conducted an
Inquiry into Britain's production ef
fort. We obtained statistics from
nearly 1,000 factories engaged on all
types of war output, and employing
some 900,000 workers. We found
that where, prior to the national
agreement, production committees
had already been set up, they had
succeeded in pushing up production
at a far greater rate than in under
takings where no such committee
was at work.
"A great deal of this increase was
attributed to suggestions put for
ward by the workers, who had de
vised methods to secure economy in
labor power, had proposed means
tor better organization in the fac
tory, and had taken steps to improve
the training given to the vast num
bers of unskilled men and women
who are becoming increasingly re
sponsible for handling the vast war
machine being built up in the fac
tories.
IIT 1L :_1. ll i_ A A - Si A. ?
x mi ilk. 11 is ii uc 10 say iriai many
of the employers were amazed to
find the wide range of knowledge
among their workers. They have
discovered that skilled engineers
not only understand their particular
craft, but have also mastered to a
considerable extent the wider prob
lems of their industry.
"I have dealt only with my own
industry, but this form of negotia
tion and co-operation between em
ployers and workers is by no means
confined to engineering. Right at
the beginning of the war, the trade
union movement secured a govern
ment pledge that no decisions af
fecting the workers would be taken
without the appropriate trade unions
being consulted.
"That pledge has been kept. Er
nest Bevin, the minister of labor,
has carried out the greatest mobili
zation of man power in British his
tory, but he has done it all in full
consultation with a joint committee
composed of representatives of the
British Trade Union Congress Gen
eral council and the British Employ
ers confederation.
"This industrial democracy has
enabled employees, employers and
government to work together
through the stormy years of war.
I believe it must be maintained and
developed for the equally difficult
days of peace. If we succeed in
doing that, we shall have gone some
of the way toward ensuring that the
promises now being made to the
people are realized."
House Member Declares
'Surprise' Awaits Enemy
WASHINGTON.?Rep. J. Parnell
Thomas (R., N. J.) finished an in
spection of some of the "most secret
of newest material" of the army and
announced: "Believe me, the
Heinies are going to get some ter
rific surprises."
A comparison of army ordnance
and captured German weapons at
the Aberdeen, Md , proving grounds
"clearly proved the superiority of
American arms," said Thomas, a
member of a house military sub
committee which has just finished
an inspection tour. He said that the
nature of some of the secret weap
ons "never haf been hinted at pub
licly, and I know they will come as
a complete surprise to the enemy."
The new carbine adopted by the
army, he said, is "undoubtedly the
most effective small arm in the
world." The new weapon is being
supplied troops which formerly car
ried pistols as sidearms.
^'???
Jail 50,000 Jews
In Old Fortress
Sick Are Dying Like Flies in
Underground Dungeons. )
LONDON.?Fifty thousand Jews
from Germany and Czechoslovakia
have been thrown into the Austro
Hungarian fortress at Terezin and
several thousand who are ill or
charged with "criminal" acta are
in underground dungeons where they
are "dying like flies," a Czech gov
ernment spokesman said.
Everyone sleeps on damp floors
and each is given only enough food
to keep alive.
"All hope for them has been aban
doned," the spokesman said, adding
that Jewish leaders in the Czech
protectorate had received demands
from the Nazis to prepare 19,000
other Jews for deportation.
The spokesman said the Germans
had launched a campaign to ex
terminate Jews from the protector
ate and that of 40,000 Jews formerly
in Prague only 15,000 now remain.
The Jews at Terezin are said to
include 7,000 young men and women
who are forced to work on farms or
build barracks. Outside fortress
walls thousands of other Jews live
in concentration camps where con
ditions are said to be "horrible."
A European observer said the
Germans planned to exterminate the
Jews, not only in Europe but
throughout the world.
"Extermination is the word," he
said, "with a little torture thrown
in to gratify the higher nature of
the metaphysical and mystical
Germans."
He declared the Nazis had execut
ed 2,000,000 Jews in the past three
years and that hundreds of thou
sands of others had been deported
from Germany, Poland, Czechoslo
vakia and other European countries.
Too Much Salute, Not
Enough Shoot, Say Indians
FORT DEVENS, MASS.?Indian
soldiers stationed at this fort, itch
ing to go on the modern warpath
against the Axis, have one good
natured complaint ? "too much
salute, not enough shoot!"
That was the war cry among more
than 1,000 tribesmen from Okla
homa, New Mexico and other states
as Massachusetts observed "Indi
an day" in recognition of the aid
the Redmen gave to the white pio
neers of the Bay colony.
Since Massachusetts now has only
a comparatively few of her own to
honor, the presence of the Devens
warriors gives the state its greatest
population of Indians since the days
of the Puritans.
Sea Gull Cricket Eaters
Now Have Taste for Fish
SALT LAKE CITY.?The city's
sea gulls are on probation for fail
ing to uphold the dignity of their
ancestors.
The birds have stripped all the
goldfish from the pool around Sea
Gull monument, dedicated to gulls
which saved early Utah pioneers'
crops from a cricket invasion in
1847.
Officials said the pool would be
restocked to give the gulls another
chance to uphold the usefulness of
their ancestors. Until recently the
birds did not bother the fish.
British to Penalize
Those Who Destroy Rags
LONDON.?Severe penalties far
those who destroy rags, rope or
string were ordered today by the
British government, ranging up to
$2,000 fine or two years' imprison
ment.
The ministry of supply said hun
dreds of thousands of tons of rags
were needed as raw material to
make equipment for the armed
forces.
All rags, rope and string must be
kept separately and not only must
not be destroyed, but must not be
thrown into garbage cans or refuse
bins.
Close Poet Office Where
Mark Twain Got His Mail
FLORIDA, HO.?Florida's post of
fice, where Hark Twain and Ulysses
S. Grant once received their mail,
has been closed. The office was es
tablished in 1832, on the present site
of the Mark Twain State park. Rev
enues have dwindled steadily in re
cent years in this town of 204 popu
lation.
Soldier Swims in Pants
To Keep His Pay Safe
CAMP DAVIS, N. C.?And why,
his companions asked, should Pvt.
Joe Mendel go swimming in the surf
with his trousers onT
"Heck," Joe replied, "Today was
payday?and I wasn't leaving my
money os> any beach."