The Alamance Gleaner 1
VoL LXVIII GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 1943 No. 4^
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS *
Air, Naval Blows on Nazi Supply Lines
Pace Allied Offensive in North Africa;
New Advance Carries Reds to Ukraine
Thus Threatening Million Nazi Troops
(EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinion* are expressed In these eolnmns, they are those of
Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
?_ Released by Western Newspaper Union. J
NORTH AFRICA:
Supply Route Attack
Increased Allied naval and air
activity in North Africa took a heavy
toll of Axis supplies and men in a
series of vigorous actions which fore
shadowed greater things to come.
At least six and probably 10 Axis
ships were sunk on the Tunisia
Sicily supply line. British subma
rines sank three supply ships in the
Sicily-Africa lane and Middle East
ern command planes, based on Malta
blew up two more sliips in the Tunis
Harbor basin. The remainder were
sunk as they attempted to bring re
inforcements to Nazi forces.
During the comparative lull in the
fighting, announcement was made of
the landing of American troops in
Dakar, nerve center of French West
Africa, and the port which repulsed
a British and Fighting French at
tack in September, 1940.
Operating to the southwest of Tu
nis under newly established Allied
aerial superiority, French forces re
ported that they had captured "nu
merous prisoners, armored vehicles
and artillery" in one sector while
beating off repeated Axis counterat
tacks in another.
A French communique announced
that French forces had captured the
Axis men and material near Pont
duFahs, about1 35 miles south of
Tunis.
However, Axis forces in Tunisia
. were found to be strongly intrenched
when Allied Commando troops raid
ed northern Tunisia at a point with
in five miles of the huge Axis naval
base of Bizerte. The incursion last
ed several days, and the raiders were
forced to regain the beach through
about 15 miles of enemy-held terri
tory. The Germans held strong ma
chine gun posts in the area.
Libyan Drive
Dispatches from the Libyan front
said that General Montgomery's
British eighth army was advancing
on Buerat El Hshun, only 50 miles
west of Sirte along the Mediter
ranean coast and 180 miles from
Tripoli. The British had advanced
more than 200 miles west of El Ag
heila since launching a new attack
to drive Marshal Rommel out of
Libya.
FOOD FATS:
Face 15% Cut.
Because of military and lend-lease
requirements, the government ex
pects to ration food fats and oils in
1943 at a level approximately 15 per
cent below civilian demands, the
bureau of agricultural economics
has announced.
Likely to be rationed are cooking
compounds, butter, margarine, lard
and possibly salad dressing. Secre
tary of Agriculture Wickard, food
administrator, indicated previously
that butter would be rationed as soon
as plans could be made.
Food items now under ration or
scheduled for in 1943 include sugar,
coffee, meats and cheese. Even milk
supplies are running low in metro
politan areas.
The bureau estimated that civil
ians, with increased incomes, would
buy about 57.1 pounds of fats and
oils per capita in 1943 at present
CLAUDE WICKARD
48 Pounds Per Capita.
ceiling prices if this supply were
available. Per capita consumption
amounted to 51 pounds during the
1940-42 period.
Uftder a rationing system about
48 pounds would be available for
each person, including indirect con
sumption of fats in bread, cake, con
fectionery ant1 canned soups.
NEW GUINEA:
Progress Slow
"The advance of our troops con
tinues in the face of desperate en
emy resistance. Progress was rela
tively slow, due to intricate and thor
oughly prepared positions of the
enemy."
That "communique from General
MacArthur's headquarters summed
up the reasons for the seemingly
prolonged battle to drive the Japs
out of the Buna area of New Guinea.
The Japs made all possible use of
nature's defense facilities. The high
kumai grass and the abundance of
trees made Jap snipers an ever
present threat. The fact that they
preferred death to capture made
them doubly dangerous.
But American and Australian
troops pushed the enemy into two
narrowing coastal sectors on Cape
Endaiadere. The Japs were forced
to evacuate more than 100 pillboxes,
leaving many dead behind them in
each one.
LAVAL'S 'DEAL':
New Aid to Nazis
When France's Chief of Govern
ment Pierre Laval reported to his
cabinet following a conference with
Adolf Hitler he did so amid growing
indications that his country may de
clare war on the United Nations.
Hitler's demands were all-inclu
sive. Both neutral and Axis sources
said that Laval has acceded to them
and that France will become a full
PIERRE LAVAL
Complete Sellout lor France?
Axis partner. According to re
ports, none of which were officially
confirmed, Laval has agreed to put
an army in the field under German
commaodr and also to:
Purge France's anti-Nazis. I
Resume the Riom "war guilt"
trials with added defendants, includ
ing former Premier Edouard Her
riot.
Maintain the German forces in
France.
Turn over all industries in the
formerly unoccupied zone to Ger
man war production.
Ship 400,000 industrial workers to
Germany.
MILLION NAZIS:
And Russia's Offensive
After getting away to a terrific
start the Russian winter offensive
stalled, then gained speed again as
Moscow communiques told of fierce
battling in their campaign for Ros
tov, key city at the mouth of the
Don river. Along the entire front
there was plenty of action but it was
toward Rostov that the Reds con
centrated the full power of their
counteroffensive.
While reports said the retreat of
the Germans was rapid, Soviet
sources reported that in a single day
they had found time to kill 7,000 of
the enemy and on the next day cap
ture 6,700 more. In the first week
of the Rostov campaign, Nazi casu
alties (not including wounded) were
officially set at 55,200.
Fighting still was going on within
Stalingrad, where progress on both
sides for weeks has been reported in
terms of houses and blocks.
In addition, the winter campaign
of the Russian army was spreading
westward toward the Ukraine. But
military experts kept their eye on
Rostov for the capture of that city
by the Russians meant that all of
the Nazi troops in the Caucasus
were cut off from retreat (except
by sea). Adding this force to the
Nazi numbers in peril before Stalin
grad it is estimated that a million
German soldiers were threatened on
two fronts.
NAZI MORALE:
Artificial Boost
In an effort to bolster a morale
lowered by bad news from the war
fronts and by lower food rations,
Germany's Propaganda Minister
Goebbels is reported to have mobil
ized hundreds of Nazi orators to de
liver a nation-wide series of "pep
talks" to the German people. At the
same time the German press began
hammering home the thought that
African setbacks are unimportant
because the war will be decided in
Russia.
Information from Germany indi
cates that a program of mass meet
ings is under way with Goebbels and
Dr. Robert Ley, Nazi labor leader,
keynoting the morale offensive.
The Voelkischer Beobachter, Adolf
Hitler's newspaper, declared edito
rially that the objective properly
DR. ROBERT LET
* Nazi morale booster.
was Europe, not Africa, and that
after Russian resistance is ended,
"we will soon regain on the southern
front what we have had to give up."
The Beobachter reminded Ger
mans who grumble about the scar
city of food and clothes that their
sacrifices were as nothing compared
with the soldier who is called on to
"give his blood for the homeland."
But the holiday season was not a
happy one, despite the morale-boost
ing drive.
POSTWAR GOODS:
Plan for Purchase
A detailed plan for consumers to
pay now for automobiles, automatic
furnaces, refrigerators, pianos and
other postwar goods to be deliv
ered after the war has been devel
oped by the Office of Price Admin
istration.
The plan, which OPA officials said
would drain off $6,000,000,000 annual
ly in excess purchasing power, has
been described as "installment sell
ing in reverse." It is also intended
to help many business firms which
otherwise might fail to survive an
other year of war.
Here is the way the plan would
work:
Consumers would purchase any
item exactly the way they did nor
mally, but they would receive a cer
tificate instead of merchandise. Pay
ment would be made in cash or in
stallments. The dealer would get a 6
per cent commission and the finance
company either 1 per cent or 7 cents
a collection. The money would be
deposited with the U. S. treasury
which would pay manufacturers
when the goods were delivered after
the war. The certificates would con
stitute a priority for the desired
article.
Sale price of the certificates would
be set at an arbitrary figure and
would have no bearing on the actual
price. They would be non-interest
bearing.
Following the war, consumers
would be permitted to select their
own brand.
ROYAL NAVY:
Back to Sumatra
Two important facts were made
evident when British naval planes
bombed the Japanese fueling and
naval base of Sebang off the north
west tip of Sumatra.
One: The fact that the royal navy
went back to the scene of an earlier
tragic defeat was evidence of in
creased strength of the British navy.
Second: Losses inflicted by the
United States were thought to have 1
compelled the Japs to withdraw
ships to the South Pacific.
In opening offensive operations at
the western end of the Netherlands
East Indies, 660 miles from Singa
pore, the British naval force heav
ily damaged the base at Sebang.
Heavy explosions occurred at the
dock and gasoline tank area, fol
lowed by huge fires. The bomber '
planes were thought to have been
based on a carrier?perhaps the
23,000-ton Illustrious.
Sebang had become a major Japa
nese base. It lies slightly more than
300 miles west of Penang off the
Malaya coast. The harbor has a
coaling station and is sheltered from
heavy winds and ocean swells by
mountains and a high coast line. |
WHO'S
NEWS
This Week
B,
Lemuel F. Parton
Consolidated Features.?WNU Release.
?\J EW YORK.?That brief dispatch
^ ' from Chile reporting that Ber
lin had recalled Ambassador Wil
helm Freiherr von Schoen is some
Von Schoen Recall 2j?faiuaw
May Mean Chilean in the wind
c ? ? .. of World
Swing' fo the Allies w a r p 01 j.
tics. Baron Von Schoen has been
so long and so* deeply intrenched in
Latin-American intrigue and so suc
cessful in covering his tracks and
staying on the job that this four
line news item may well indicate a
powerful Chilean swing to the Allied
Nations.
His organization of subversion
In Chile has been exposed and
attacked time and again with
out so mnch as jolting the bar
on's monocle. He has been most
elaborately wired in, not only
with double-dealing politicians
but with a hemisphere complex
of Industrial and financial inter
ests and German-based eartels.
If it is true that they finally
have cut him loose from these
moorings it surely means that
some of the scaliest and tough
est Axis tentacles in those parts
have been severed.
His family is an old, established
firm in international political con
spiracy, in war and peace. His fa
ther, die late Baron Albrecht, circu
lated in Europe before the start of
the first World war, trying to soften
up the opposition, and Baron Wil
helm carried on over here in the
Mexican machinations which helped
get us in the war. He did this so
smoothly that a few post-war years
passed before his role, as an aide
to Count Bernstorff, was understood
and his activities fully appraised.
In 1914, he arrived in Wash
ington, after several years as
secretary of the German em
bassy in Japan. In an inter
view, which seemed to have
been carefully premeditated, he
told of Japan's bitter hatred of
the United States, and her de
termination to annihilate us,
sooner or later. The interview
stirred up much angry discus
sion and brought the baron a
sharp reprimand Irom President
Wilson, with a hint that the state
ments had been intended to pro
mote enmity.
He was married in 1916 to an
American girl, highly placed social
ly, and, as secretary to the em
bassy, achieved deep penetration in
thp rnnital calnn Hinlnmapv at a
time when our entry into the war
was still in the balance. He re
turned to Germany, after the failure
of the Mexican conspiracy and lit
tle was heard of him until the early
days of the Hitler ascendancy.
?
AS THE army and navy propose
to take over the colleges, their
plan to teach the young how to shoot
meets considerable academic appa
ll ? n' sition. Presi
Prexiet Di,agree dents WHs_
On Army, Navy ton of Brown
_ , . _ ,, and Dodds
Taking College* o{ Princeton
are in agreement, but other prexies
throughout the country register dis
sent on varying grounds. The main
base of opposition is that liberal
arts education and small colleges
will be casualties.
Dr. W. H. Cowley, president
of Hamilton college, an aellve
ally oI the armed forces in col
legiate mobilisation in the past,
finds the plan "quite inade
quate." His is a college of about
450 students, and he has been a
goal-keeper among college pres
idents against drives threatening
the humanities and liberal arts
in the colleges. As an educator,
he has opposed early and ex
treme specialisation and has
?Deseed the importance of edu
cating the "whole man."
With this strong conviction, he be
lieved colleges, by proper adapta
tion in teaching, could help meet the
demands for youth in the war and
at the same time hold their ancient
cultural franchise. A year ago, he
circularized 200 upperclassmen of
his college with a letter urging them
to join the navy and has served as a
member of the educational commit
tee working with the army and
navy. He says this committee op
posed the new plan, about a month
ago, without success.
Dr. Cowley became president
of Hamilton in 1938, at the age -j
of 39. As an expert and au
thority on vocational guidance,
and in educational research, be
has concluded that an organized
and adequate personality, and
the ability to think must 'take
precedence ever special skills.
Synthetic Era
Taking Shape
Today.
SUBSTITUTES INCREASE
Raw Materials Might Have
Less Importance After
War Ends.
Remember not so long ago
when the slogan "Accept no
substitutes" was popular? To
day, because of war demands
for strategic materials, the very
opposite of that is the rule!
And the enemy is beginning to
realize that what with Paratroopers
dropping down on them from the
skies in synthetic cloth parachutes,
from transport planes made from
substitute synthetic material, it
would be good for them if they
could get a personal substitute on
the battle fields all over the world.
As the war progresses, Americans
are awakening to the fact that they
are in the middle of a chemical
revolution, the end of which is not
in sight, and the social possibilities
of which are far from being com
pletely, thoroughly achieved.
It used to be that the motorists
of this nation were completely de
pendent on the laboring, sweating
natives coming out of the jungles
of South America and the Southwest
Pacific area with their crude rubber
extracted from trees. Within a year,
according to William M. Jeffers,
there will be plenty of synthetic tires
for every one who has a car. And
those tires will be synthetically made
from all native, easy to obtain, ei
ther chemically or from the earth
itself, material in the U. S.
An interesting part of this
ehemico-indastrial revolution is
that the rural section of the
United States is taking an in
creasingly important part in it.
Chemurgy, the science of finding
new industrial uses for farm
products, has been very busy
during the past years. Now that
the war is on, the good it is do
ing can be noted in the exten
sive use made of casein obtained
from skimmed milk. The plas
tic material obtained offers the
best possibilities as a substitute
material in various kinds of war
material.
Parts of many bombers, dropping
block busters over Italy and Ger
many, are made from casein. Fur
ther research will find still greater
uses for it. As it is now, a con
tented cow chomping grass along a
Mississippi levee in Louisiana is
partially the cause for discontent
ment in Axis nations.
Soybeans, from which many plas
tic articles useful both for the war
effort, and helpful in the homes, is
another farm product that is being
further developed. Bagasse obtained
from sugar cane waste has proven
its worth for electrical goods, wash
ing machines and automobile parts.
Possibly the toothbrush you used to
day had a handle made from sugar
cane.
Often you hear the statement that
possibly, because of the nation's all
out war and deathdealing on the
Axis, most of its natural resources
such as oil, coal, iron ore, will be
used up. But from the great strides
taken by industries making substi
tute synthetics and plastics, it isn't
far-fetched to suggest that maybe
there will be no need for the present
natural resources in years to come.
At least, not as necessary as today.
Miss and Mrs. America have
found that many synthetic prod
ucts are clothing them just as
well as when they could buy all
the silk they wanted from Japan.
Scientists state that it is quite
possible that every bit of cloth
ing you will be wearing in the
not too far distance will be syn
thetically made. Maybe four or
five of the pieces of clothing yon
own today are synthetically
made, and yet yon never real
ized it.
Household furnishings, from glass
fireplaces to dishes, from dressers
to stoves are now being made from
synthetic materials. The old gag
about the errant husband hiding all
the dishes before facing his wife
holds no more. For many plastic
dishes don't hurt when they land
on the target because of their light
weight. On top of that they won't
break and are also too colorful to
throw around. Any angry wife will
think twice before she begins to
lay down a barrage with such am
munition.
Many of the war plants construct
ed, and in the process of construc
tion today, hare no windows. All
artificial lighting and air-condition
ing takes care of what nature used
to consider her job. Glass bricks
that let the health rays of the sun
through, but prevent vision, now take
the place of windows.
Those who aren't "up on" their
knowledge of what is going on in
the world of substitutes still say
something to the effect that "People
who live in glass houses shouldn't
throw stones." But there are glass
houses today, with more in the off
ing, that wouldn't be in the least
affected by anyone who might want
to throw some stones at them. Even
some good, solid glass brick?
wouldn't cause them any damage.
Statements from scientists
busy working in laboratories far
into the night in all the free
United Nations have hinted that
what has been seen so far in
plasties, is nothing compared to
what is to come. One spokes
man stated that hy October,
1943, synthetic production win
be sufficient to provide the na
tion's military needs.
As you look about and see the htm
dreds, thousands, of articles of ev
eryday commonplace variety, you
automatically begin to ask yourself,
after fully realizing the significance
of the substitution era you are in,
whether that article, or this article?
nrnhaKlv havino snmp ctratoffiri ap
scarce material?could not be sub
stituted by a plastic. More than like
ly in the months to come you won't
be surprised when that article ap
pears in its plastic dress.
Scientists have tagged the millions
of years in ancient man's past as
belonging to certain periods as be
slowly developed from the brute
stage. Then there were the various
ages, of stone, wood and iron. The
astounding use of steel, brought
about by quicker, more efficient pro
duction methods, gave that period
of development in the U. S. the title
The Steel Age.
You wouldn't be surprised, would
you, if after this war is over and
won, the present days, and then,
would be appropriately titled the
Plastic Period, or the Synthetic Era?
Glamorous
U. S. Department of Commerce
Puts Title on Plastic
Industry in Bulletin.
Acting director of the U. S. depart
ment of commerce's bureau of for
eign and domestic commerce. In a
reference service bulletin. Issued
this statement:
"The spotlight of industry today is
focused on our glamorous plastics
which are commanding much inter
est and attention. This gigantic new
industry, now gone to war, is doing
a full time job in meeting the require
ments of the war effort where per
formance counts most.
"Both at the front and behind
the front, plastics are playing an
important part in war equip
ment. Through their ever-toerear
ing use as materials vitally es
sential in both combat and indus
try they are now on equal basis
with the older fundamental raw
materials, glass, wood, stowe and
metal.
"Although the new and original
uses, as well as substitutions. In the
non-essential civilian classification
have been curtailed for the dmtion,
the plastics industry, we fool as
sured, will not retreat after the war.
but continue its rapid advance."
The Army's New Wooden Plane I
This is an official war department sketch of the new type wood and
non-strategic material military transport plane. It is twin-engined, and
about the size of the present-day all-metal transport planes operated by
domestic airlines. It is officially designated the Curtiss C-76. Performance
details are a military secret.
Old License Plate Still Useful
The (mail tab* which this New York mix* Is holding Its right ever last
gear's license. Br osiaf them, instead of foil size tags, the state will
save manr tons of strategic metal, besides thousands of dollars production
costs. Regardless of the size of the license, they will still cost the same
as last rear.
It all depends on where you are living whether you will be
seeing new automobile licenses, or new color combinations on the
license plates on automobiles. This year only five states?Colo
rado, Illinois, Mississippi, Wyoming and South Carolina?are hav
ing new color combinations on the licenses.
Of course, you might be living near'
one of these adjoining states and get
to see them, but the possibilities are
very small, considering how gas ra
tioning is cutting down highway
travel.
The reason for the nse of IMS'*
license for the current year,
1943, is due to a WPB order, of
March 11, 1942, curtailing the
nse of steel for license purpose
by M per cent.
State officials have devised many
schemes to overcome the obstacles
brought on by the lack of steel for
plates.
Pennsylvania'! license, which has
had added a touch of individuality
by having the plates in the shape of
the state's outline, will go a little
further this year in originality by
having a date tab in the form of the
state's symbol, a keystone.
Ingenuity has been shown in every
state with the license problem.
Illinois is using new plates made
from fiber board. Arkansas is using
wooden plates for trucks and motor
cycles, but passenger cars will use
their old license plus a windshield
sticker.