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The Alamance gleaner Vol LXIX GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 1943 No. 8 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Congress Moves to Defer Farm Workers; Climax of Tunisia Campaign Approaches As Allies Close In on Rommel's Forces; Manpower Shortage Grows More Critical (EDITOR'S NOTE: When ?pUhia are expressed in then* ttlimm, they are theee ef Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and net neeessarlly ef this newspaper.) ??????? Released by Western Newspaper Union. ?????????J I.lwfaiy the deck of a D. S. submarine as it docks at Pearl Harbor after a successful raid on the Jap base on Makin island, these marine raiders are ready for the comforts of shore for a while. The raiders, transported to the island and back aboard American submarines, wiped ?at the garrison and all enemy installations there. FARM LABOR: Deferment Act Passed Congress demonstrated unmistak ably that it meant business in deal ing with the farm labor shortage. Evidence of this determination was found in the senate's action in passing legislation to defer all es sential farm workers from military service. The measure which had required house approval would di rect draft boards to defer men em ployed substantially full-time in pro duction of essential foods and fibers. Although Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson had strenuously opposed blanket farm deferments, sponsors of the legislation contended such ac tion was necessary. The house meanwhile had moved to combat the farm labor shortage in another direction, by passing a bill appropriating $261,000,000 to recruit and train 3,500,000 men and women as a "land army." SHOWDOWN: Looms in Tunisia Evidence-had continued to mount that the Allies were preparing a concerted drive that would bring the North African campaign to a cli max. As the ring around the Axis de fenders of coastal Tunisia was tight ened by the Allied command, two developments spelled progress to ward the final showdown. One was the upsurge of offensive action by American forces under Lieut. Gen.*George S. ("Blood and Guts") Patton which continued on after the recapture of Gafsa and El Gigettar in central Tunisia and apparently had as its ultimate goal the coastal city of Gabes. Replacing Maj Gen. Lloyd R. Fredendall on this front," General Patton brought with him the reputation of being one of the most offensive-minded gen erals of the army. Another development of high sig nificance was the drive by General Montgomery's British Eighth army against Marshal Rommel's Mareth line positions in southeastern Tuni sia. Characteristically, tight-lipped Montgomery had issued no commu niques concerning his early moves; first reports of the offensive had come from German sources. Together, these two developments indicated that an Allied squeeze play was under way against Rom mel's army. LESS GASOLINE: For East Coast While the gasoline ration for "A" book holders in eastern states was cut from 3 to ltt gallons per week, these motorists were given the op portunity of using the gasoline as they pleased, for the ban on pleas ure driving was removed. In making public the reduction, the Office of Price Administration, Price Administrator Prentiss M. Brown, announced that "A"-book holding industrial workers who mo tor to their Jobs would be allowed Supplemental gasoline. Halving of the basic ration was made necessary, according to a statement by Petroleum Administra tor Harold L. Ickes, because only 333,000 barrels of gasoline daily could be made available for East coast civilian and industrial use dur ing April. MANPOWER: Supply and Demand The problem of manpower for war industries grew more acute as the War Manpower commission placed the steel-producing districts of South Chicago-Northern Indiana on a 48 hour week basis and designated 36 areas in the United States as sec tions in which a critical labor short age is soon expected. With the supply of labor for es sential war work lagging, the WMC estimated that at least 2,800,000 es sential jobs in munitions, transpor tation, agriculture and other indus tries must be filled this year from the less essential work classes. In cluded in this latter category were bartenders, porters, bellhops, night club and music hall attendants, per sons engaged in the liquor trade, candy, tobacco and florists. Labor experts indicated that in order to fill the increasing demand for workers, employers must hire more older people, train and employ more women, use boys under 18 wherever possible and use the phys ically handicapped for light tasks. Meanwhile, Robert P. Patterson, assistant secretary of war, urged congress to adopt legislation to draft men and women when necessary to fill war factory jobs and work on farms. AIRCRAFT CARRIERS: Dozens by Year's End Henry J. Kaiser, shipbuilding "miracle man," was at it again. This time it was on the large-scale production of 500-foot aircraft car riers. Some details of Kaiser's new ac tivities were disclosed following a recent visit to the White House. Twelve shipways at Vancouver, Wash., he said, are being used for the construction of medium size air plane carriers. The rate of produc tion is expected to reach six a mo^h by the end of 1943. The Kaiser carriers will be 487 feet long at the water line, with flight decks of 514 feet. They can be used either as carriers or as air craft transports. Standard carriers are 761 feet long. 'FREEZE': 200,000 Vehicles As the nation's transportation situ ation grew more critical because of heavier loads and lack of new equip ment, ODT Director Joseph B. East man moved to prevent the "migra tion" of vehicles from one area to another by freezing nearly 200,000 buses and street cars in their pref ent service. Mr. Eastman's order applied to every vehicle carrying nine or more persons in passenger transportation in the United States, its territories and possessions. Included in new regulations were: 93,000 school buses; 20,000 inter-city buses; 44,000 city buses; 10,000 rapid transit, elevated and subway cars; 3,000 suburban rail cars; and 3,500 trackless trolley vehicles. At the same time, in line with the government's plans to keep the na tion's automobiles rolling, OPA offi cials announced that additional pre Pearl Harbor and "Victory" tires would be available to certain lower mileage ration passenger car owners. I RUSSIA: See-Saw Offensives The see-saw character of the war fare on the Russian front had con tinued with Soviet offensives push ing on without interruption toward the goals of Smolensk and Staraya Russa, while German counter-offen sives were striking with increasing power in the Kharkov sector. The main force of the Russian drive toward Smolensk had been con centrated on a stretch of the Vyaz ma-Smolensk railroad. The Reds were reported as having captured scores of settlements south of Bely. Much of the fighting was reported west of the Dnieper river head waters. The German offensive further south had ranged from Kharkov to Kursk, with epic tank battles and a struggle for supremacy in the air. A German communique had report ed that "Enemy forces encircled southeast of Kharkov have been an nihilated with the exception of small remnants." Far northwest of Khar kov and on a battle line extending down into the Donets river basin, the Germans were reported concentrat ing their reserves and tanks on nar row sectors still held by the Rus siaas. UNITY: For French Factions Three months of unpublicized preparation had been necessary for the action that was to culminate in a meeting between Gen. Henri Gi raud and Gen. Charles DeGaulle and bridge once and for all the [ chasm that had separated the I French North African regime and the Fighting French. When Gen. Giraud had announced that everything reminiscent of Vichy rule was to be throwgi overboard and then had followed with decisive decrees translating words into ac tion, the day of French unity dawned. Happily received by the DeGaul lists, were Giraud's decrees nulli fying all Vichy laws discriminating against Jews, restricting the activi ties of labor unions and banning Freemasonry. Even before the Giraud decrees and the resignation from his govern ment of ex-Vichy officials. Fighting French leaders meeting in London rejoiced that events in North Africa had taken a more favorable turn and that Giraud's invitation to De Gaulle for a conference would meet a friendly reception. Further evidence of the increasing unity of French interests was the action of French Guiana's govern ment in breaking away from Vichy control and joining forces with Gen eral Giraud. This South American possession had previously been un der control of Axis-minded Adm. Georges Robert, high commissioner at Martinique. POLITICS: Banned for OWI Accused by administration critics of propaganda boosting President Roosevelt for a fourth term, per sonnel of the Office of War Informa tion were cautioned by Director EM wemmmmmms mi ELMER DAVIS mer Davis to refrain from partisan political activity. Conceding that the OW1 had in dulged in propaganda on behalf of the administration in an article in the bureau's overseas magazine, "Victory," Davis denied that there was any other evidence to support the charges. "Our sole function is to contribute to winning the war," Davis pointed out in a memorandum to OWI's 3,000 employees. "We must take care that the utility of this office is not impaired by any action of ours, whatever injury to it may be at tempted by others." SOUTH PACIFIC: Japs Show Concern Even as Premier Hideki Tojo was warning the Japs that "the war situ ation is becoming more serious," Secretary of Navy Frank Knox de clared that Japan has lost 1,857,000 tons of shipping, or one-third of her tonnage at the beginning of the war. "The journey to victory is just be ginning," Knox, however cautioned. WAR CHIEF SAYS U. S. REQUIRES 11 MILLION MEN TO WHIP AXIS; HOME FRONT MUST BE ADJUSTED Patterson Claims Nazis Have 13 Million Men at Their Command; Jap Also Strong in Pacific Area. i By ROBERT P. PATTERSON, Undersecretary of War Questions raised in recent weeks as to whether America shall have the army of 8,200,000 men which its military leader ship has determined to be the minimum with which we can expect to defeat our enemies have not, it seems to me, given due consideration to military necessity. We are out to win this war. The nation has entrusted the re sponsibility for this victory to its military leaders. This leader ship?the joint chiefs of staff of the army and navy, after the most careful analysis of our ene mies' strength, has decided that we must build an armed force of approximately 11,000,000, which includes an army of 8, 200,000 for 1943-44. Our own men have been in contact only with the smallest of the Axis armies?a part of its Tunisian force of less than a quarter of a million men. But the striking force of this power ful foe has already been felt by our troops. The German field armies are assisted by more than one mil lion men in semi-military organ izations, such as the military po lice, engineers, and supply de pots, which in our army are in cluded among service troops. Reliable sources indicate that the combined number of those in the German and Italian armed forces and those directly assisting them runs well over 13 million. It is evi dent at this point that the superiori ty of our enemies in the European theater is of ominous proportions. A similar analysis in the Pacific area does not brighten the picture. The Japanese army exceeds by many divisions the forces that the United Nations have been able to equip and place in opposition. Yet the United Nations, and par ticularly this country, have the po tential power to overcome this nu merical superiority. These potenti alities must be converted to actuali ty. They must be harnessed and driven toward a single goal, the de feat of our enemies. In that drive our country, the latest of the ma jor powers to enter the war, must play the most important part. Army Determines Size After Cereful Study of Its Needs Offensive action requires superi ority in numbers. This is the reason we need an army of 8,200,000 includ ing officers by the end of this year. The navy, the marines and the coast guard need 2,600,000 this year. That ; makes a total of 10,800,000 men and i women that must be in the armed forces by the end of this year. This will be less than 8H per cent of our total population. Thirteen and a half per cent of the German popula tion is in the armed forces. Ten million, eight hundred thou sand is not a figure pulled out of a hat. It is the requirement deter mined by those charged with the heavy responsibility of winning this war. General Marshall says that we need so many planes and so many tanks to win the war. Is there any one in America who would question his Judgment? Admiral King says that we need so many escort ships and destroyers to beat the Axis. Is there anyone in America who would question his judgment? The expert views of our military leaders are ac cepted on our needs for guns and ships. Why should anyone question their judgment as to the number of men that they need to use these weapons and man these ships? The staffs of the army and the navy under General Marshall and Admiral King, in full possession of the facts, have made the military decision that a force this size is necessary to win the war. Our Com mander-in-Chief, the President of the United States, has approved this program. It is America's answer to the Axis. The Axis, I assure you, does not like that answer. In making this decision full ac count has been taken of the ability of American industry and labor and agriculture to produce the supplies needed by our forces, by our Allies 1 and by our civilian economy. Full I account has also been taken of the ability of our rapidly expanding | merchant marine to deliver soldiers ] and supplies overseas. The conclu- , sion reached was that it was a hard < job, but that it could and must be | done. \ But there are critics of the army i program who ask, "Why should we | fight? Why not give more supplies ( to the British, the Chinese and the Russians and let them fight for us?" ( The British, with the smallest available manpower and subject to savage aerial attacks, have come nearer than any other of the United i ?MBBViFT " ROBERT P. PATTERSON UruUriecrttmry of umr. M.4J A_ At? *._? a: nauons mj uie iwuiuc wax cuipiuj ment of every man, woman and child. The Chinese have been he roically fighting for 5% years. The Russians, by brilliant tactics and with indomitable courage, have killed more Nazis than all the other United Nations combined. We should give tribute to their dead, for they have sacrificed countless lives. But their manpower is not inexhaustible. We're la the War, Tee, end It WiD Be Won the Hard Way This is our war just as much as it is the war of the British, the Rus sians and the Chinese. We art Bend ing supplies to the utmost of our ability to these and the other United Nations. We will continue to do so. But it will be our soldiers and sail ors, and those of our Allies, that will win the final victory. Elemental troths are often the most difficult to grasp. Throughout all ages people have tried to avoid facing op to the reality that war is grim business; have longed for an easy war; and have hoped that somehow, some way, victory eonld be gained without risking tea maeh or without experiencing the stark unpleasantness of the conliet. But all the wishing in the world does not change the nature of war and its impact on all peoples engaged in it, whether In the battle lines or at home. The hour for realism has arrived for every American. We must brace ourselves tor mounting casualty lists and reverses on the battle front, and [or more arduous labors and sacri Sees on the home front. Realism must extend from the fox- ' holes and pill-boxes on the firing line to the factories and homes of , America. When our country is at war, none of us can escape the , responsibility of viewing the rou- ; tine, as well as the emergency du ties of life, in the light of their t hearing upon the final result?uncon ditional surrender by our enemies. This nation has done a magnifi cent job in production for war. But there is an even heavier task ahead. We will have serious problems be cause of the increasing drain on Dur manpower. But similar prob lems have been solved in England, Russia, Germany and Japan. Non essential activities are out for the duration and these countries are fully mobilized?to a much greater extent than we. On every one rests the equal obligation to give service either in the armed forces or on the home front. Why should we suppose that we can wage war successfully without mobilizing our human re sources with a thoroughness at least approaching that of our enemies and of our principal allies? Army Requirement* Come Firat| Nation Mill Cot Into Industry The needs of the armed forces must come first. The problems of turnover and absenteeism must and can be solved. Each of us must work to the utmost of his capability. We must also tackle our farm la bor problem with vigor. There are white collar workers in non-essen tial industries who can go back to the farms from which they came. There are victory gardens to be en couraged. More work can be done by women. Farm machinery can be pooled. Many steps can be tak en to increase production on the farms. We cannot solve our manpower problems by whittling down the size of our armed forces. The problem must be tackled at its source. Every one wants to do his or her share to help win the war and must serve where he or she can render the best service. The decision cannot be based upon personal desire. With vast territories and resources at their disposal, the Axis cannot be defeated by a blockade. Victory will come from decisive military ac tion, backed by an armed force and ability so overwhelmingly superior that the enemy's further action will be futile. Ia World War I, It was oar Ameri can Expeditionary force of 2,SM,M* added to the strength of ear Allies, that made the enemy surrender. On November 11, MS. the Allies had B fresh divisions in reserve. The Germans only had two. The Allies had a total of 211 divisions. The Germans had 185. The Germans were aware of these figures. Their ability to reason from figures is well known. They decided that they eooM not win, and they quit. Now, as then, the enemy must be made to realize that they cannot win. Now, as then, we must make them see that we are going to aee the lob through. American troops land in North Africa. They are the vanguard of a proposed force of 8^00,000 men who will be needed to defeat the Axis, war official says. Who's News This Week <r Delos Wheeler Lovelace ConaoUdated taUn-'WKU IduM. MEW YORK.?When Ma]. Gen. Robert W. Crawford talks in earnest, his thin, amall mouth twists and the words come out at one cor c, zzzt; Grab Rolling to the late. Men in N. Africa ?rLat Cohan. The gener al is in North Africa now, talking in earnest to keep guns and grub and gasoline rolling to the American irmy there. He commands the Middle East Service of Supply. He reached Africa around the middle of January and had a whole month of ease before work caught up with lim. Before that he commanded an irmored division at Fort Knox. The rhances are that in Africa he has ost weight. For him it would be in easy matter, because he has al ways been one of our plumper men it-arms. In the last war the gays in the trenches used to rib the SOS with pointed mention sf non lighting soldiers. They ta&ed that way even when the supply tracks ran Boche barrages like docks diving into a ihswir of No. ? shot. Very likely the talk in African fox-holes Is toe same and with even less renin. for in these days of Said fronts the Crawford cargo crews are as likely to lad themselves along side a Mark VI tank as a purely American supply point. In sack a dilemma toe general tostrncts the crews to say "Vet iss!" in a loudly deceptive voice If they feel it will help, bat above al to get a-roiling. General Crawford is of the army's elite on two counts. He was grado ated from West Point. He took the best post-graduate courses, War Col lege, Command and General Staff ichool. He is a New Yorker, 53 years old and was three years out ot West Point when ire went to war the last time. A captain then, he Bnished a lieutenant-colonel. This was fairly close to par for the year and a half course. ? A MBASSADOR CLARENCE E. 1 ' GAUSS, starting toward bond weary Washington from bomb-weary Chungking for consultations, should On Way Here With iJV^M^we Firtt-Hand Tale of need about War-Weary China Chine on the tip of his"t3ague. Except for a couple at turns in Pafis and Australia, he has served all his diplomatic career there, and his career runs back to 1907. anangnai was ms nrst post, tie was deputy consul, after a while spent at stenography in the bouse of representatives. Then he wee consul at Amoy, Tsinan, Mukden, and finally counselor to the legation at Peiping. Washington was his birthplace and he got back now and then, marry ing a Los Angeles girl on one visit. Maybe her preference turned him to the Paris consulate. The Austra lian assignment came later. He was our first minister there. But when an ambassador to China was need ed two years ago he packed up and went back to his old stamping ground: He has been a quiet ambassador. He has a lean, quiet look and a shrewd one too, behind neat spec tacles. When he smiles a dimple that is practically a sinkhole appears in his right cheek. This is because he smiles so much more with the right side of his sharp mouth- The effect, though this description may make it seem otherwise, isn't bad at all. ? IN RUSSIA a Bolshevist by any 1 other name is just as Red. Thus Trotsky was really somebody else. So is Stalin. And Vycheslav Mikai _ . . lovich Molo Ukm Trottky and toff whol. Stalin, Molototf department Altarad Moniker of .foreign af fairs consid ers Admiral Standley's brusque speech, was bom Scriabin. Molotoff means hammer, plainly a better way to call a man who set out at IS years at age to break the old Imperial government. Meiotod's official biography says ha was bom the sea at a shop assistant. That was S3 years age. By IMS he was a ? professed Marxist, aad a year later Joined a bolshevik grenp. Ten years later he was an the Bolshevik Central Ceaunlttee. Meanwhile he and Stalin had met, and started their atmapn per, Pravda, aad Mstated had | ? been arreeted as exiled thrtoo. Moletsd, aad he Bhas to tell el , this.
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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April 1, 1943, edition 1
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