The Alamance Gleaner
Vol LXIX GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 1943 No.
? - ?????? ??
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
French Unity Speeds Victory Plans;
Mediterranean Under Heavy Attack by
- Allied Naval and Air Concentrations;
Chinese Crush Jap Yangtze Offensive
(EDITOR'S NOTE: When ?pinions are expressed In (hes* eolsmns, they are those of
Western Newspaper Union's news ann)ysls and not nososaartly of this nowspapor.)
* Cen. Henry H. Arnold, chief ef the U. S. army air force, delivers a
Aplom to hli son. Cadet William Brace Arnold, a member of the 1943
graduating class at the United States Military academy at West Point.
FRENCH UNITY:
Worth Waiting for
-, Although General Giraud and
General PeGaulle at first could not
agree .any better at close range in
Algiers than they had at long range
between Africa and London, Allied
leaders were confident that factional
gulfs would be hurdled and long
hoped-for French unity would be
consummated.
This optimistic view was justified
when" a "French committee of na
tional liberation," headed jointly by
Geherals De Gaulle and Giraud, was
formally established to "pursue the
war at the side of the Allies until
total victory over the enemy pow
ers."
Comprising a seven-man group
which eventually will be expanded to
?me, the new liberation committee
will direct the French war effort un
til France is freed and able to elect
its own government. In addition to
the co-presidents, Giraud and De
Gaulle, the committee includes Gen.
Alphonse George and Jean Monnet,
named by Giraud; Rene Massigli
and Andre Philip, appointed by De
Gaulle; and Gen. Georges Catroux,
designated by both presidents.
That the new committee meant
business was immediately apparent
by personnel replacements that
efiminated French-African officials
with former Vichy ties.
COAL:
WLB Sustained
When President Roosevelt, acting
as commander-in-chief, tersely or
dered the 500,000 striking mine work
ers back to work after a 30-day
truce had been ended by another
'" walkout, he had left the next move
squarely up to mine union chief John
L. Lewis.
In his brief statement the Presi
dent did not consider the possibility
that his order might be ignored. But
measures of a stern and effective
nature were open to him and the
force of public opinion was mar
dialed overwhelmingly behind him
?in the event of continued mine
work stoppage. ? '
The President's order had com
pletely supported the War Labor
board which Mr. Lewis and his Unit
~ed Mine Workers had defied, setting
forth plainly that "Just as soon as
the miners return to work, the dis
position of the dispute . . . will
forthwith proceed under the juris
Actaan of the War Labor board."
ARGENTINA:
Neutrality at Stake?
While close censorship had veiled
aarly reports of the "military move
ment" in Argentina, observers were
confident that it concerned the course
at the nation's future international
_ policy?whether the government
would pursue its trend of benevolent
'? aeotrafity toward the Axis, or would
follow the Test of South America in
- breaking with the Axis.
The military reaction gained added
significance, coming as it did on the
eVe of the Conservative party's na
tional convention preceding the
Presidential elections. For this con
vention had been scheduled to pro
claim Senate President Robustiano
Patron Costal as its candidate.
Castas had been endorsed by "neu
trality-minded" President Ramon
Castillo.
CHINA:
Japs Lose 30,000
As Chinese forces had continued
to press back the Jap invaders in
the middle Yangtze valley, a report
from Generalissimo Chiang Kai
shek's headquarters disclosed that
the drive in Central China toward
Chungking had cost the enemy more
than 30,000 casualties in a two-week
period.
The Tokyo radio admitted the re
verses in a report announcing that
the Jap invasion forces had retired
to previously prepared positions.
Principal theater of Chinese gains
was the Yangtze river in southern
Hupeh province and northern Hu
nan. Here General Chiang's forces
wiped out encircled enemy units and
seized huge stocks of supplies and
equipment, a communique said. As
a first step in the recapture of stra
tegic Ichang, the Chinese had re
gained possession of all points
around Changyang, strongly held
"doorway" to Ichang.
MEDITERRANEAN:
Mussolini at Bay
Mussolini's defenses at sea had
been no more impressive than in the
air when Allied forces struck at the
island approaches to the "soft un
derbelly" of Italy.
Target of the first assaults was
the island of Pantelleria, closest of
Italy's Mediterranean outposts to Af
rica. Here Allied warships made
heavy bombardments that were un
opposed. The Italian fleet that had
been reported on the alert had made
no effort to come out and fight for
Pantelleria which already had been
shaken by Allied bombers. In none
of the attacks did the Allied fleet
units suffer casualties. The only re
sistance offered was from the in
effective Italian shore batteries.
Only 45 mile? from the tip of
Tunisia's Cap Bon peninsula, Pan
telleria was an easily reached tar
get for Allied air forces. As wave
after wave of bombers swept over
the island blowing up port facilities,
other Allied planes kept up a dam
aging series of forays against Sicily
and ffirdinia.
The extent to which the Mediter
ranean was becoming an Allied lake
was indicated by a report announc
ing that the Allied destroyers had
sunk two merchant vessels and an
escorting torpedo boat and driven a
burning Italian destroyer ashore.
TRADE PACTS:
Two Years More
Final approval by the senate of
President Roosevelt's reciprocal
trade agreements program came
after administration supporters, aid
ed by some Republicans, defeated
five amendments that would have
restricted the President's authority.
The house had previously voted fa
vorably.
The President had originally
asked for a three-year extension.
But because this would throw the
policy into the next presidential
administration for more than a year,
both house and senate measures cut
it to two years. The senate's action,
however, meant that members of the
United Nations could be assured that
this government's present trade pol
icy would be continued until June 12,
IMS, or nearly five months after the
next presidential inauguration.
RUSSIA:
Nazis Try Air
The question, "Where is the Ger
man air force?" received at least
a partial answer when Moscow an
nounced that 500 Nazi planes had
raided the important Russian posi
tion of Kursk, 120 miles above Khar
kov. The Soviet communique re
ported that 123 of the raiders had
been shot down, as against a loss of
30 Red planes.
Terming the battle as one of the
greatest air actions of the war, the
Russians disclosed that the effective
ness of their anti-aircraft defenses
caused the Germans to jettison their
bombs, thus missing military objec
tives but causing civilian casualties.
Meanwhile, a German report an
nounced further Russian offensives
in the Kuban valley of the Caucasus.
The Nazis said that five Red tank
brigades and several infantry divi
sions had launched a new drive
northeast of Novorossisk, last re
maining German stronghold in the
Caucasus.
The struggle in the Kuban valley,
however, was but one phase of op
erations from the Caucasus to the
Arctic sea that might well determine
the war's outcome this summer.
PAY-AS-YOU-GO:
July 1 Deadline
After five months of congressional
wrangling the pay-as-you-go income
tax bill sped through the senate after
passage by the house.
Meanwhile treasury officials had
organized the machinery to start the
collection-at-the-source system that
will take 20 per cent above personal
exemptions of each paycheck of
40,000,000 American workers begin
ning July 1.
Representing a compromise be
tween Democrats and Republicans,
the legislation promises an increase
in individual income tax revenue to
about $16,000,000,000 in the new fis
cal year beginning July 1. Under
the bill's provisions, all of 1942 taxes
of $50 are forgiven and a reduction
of 75 per cent on the remainder over
$50 is allowed.
AIR POWER:
U. b. rounds Japs
On widely separated fronts from
the Aleutians to Burma, the Japs
felt the increasing force of Allied
air power.
With the campaign for Attu now
a matter of history, American air
men concentrated their attention on
Kiska, the main Japanese base in
the Aleutians. The navy depart
ment reported that planes continued
to bomb and strafe the hard-pressed
Jap positions.
In New Guinea Flying Fortress
and Liberator bombers gave the key
Jap air base located at WeWak,
a series of heavy- raids, drop
ping incendiaries and explosives on
four fields which form part of the
WeWak system of airdromes. The
Japs retaliated by sending bombers
to raid targets in the upper Lake
kamu river, 35 miles southwest of
Allied-held Wau.
In Burma, American airmen
struck at enemy supply lines be
tween Burma and China, dropping
12,000 pounds of bombs on the im
portant Shweli suspension bridge
northeast of Mandalay and attack
ing railroad installations.
POSTWAR PLENTY:
Food Parley Pledge
Collaboration of 44 United Nations
countries in building a post-war
world of plenty was pledged by
delegates attending the United Na
tions food conference in Hot Springs,
Virginia.
The machinery for achieving this
goal of plenty would be an inter
national organization, the delegates
indicated at the conference's clos
ing sessions. This organization
would take the form of a perma
nent world agricultural authority.
Agreement of the delegates to
promote the creation of this inter
national agency was hailed as the
conference's most significant ac
complishment. Undersecretary of
Agriculture Paul H. Appleby, vice
chairman of the United States dele
gation declared the conference had
been "highly successful."
BEEF:
Point Values Upped
Dwindling supplies of beef were
cited by the Office of Price Admin
istration as the reason for a boost
in ration point values.
Beef-eaters found that point values
on steak cuts such as porterhouse,
sirloin or T-bone were up three
points. Roasts were up an average
of two points, while the largest sin
gle increase was on dried beef, which
zoomed four points, or from 12 to 18
points a pound.
Housewives were given consola
tion in the announcement that de
creases in many cuts at veal. Iamb
and mutton, pork srwf variety meats
would make it possible tor them to
substitute these items.
The World of Tomorrow?Action in the Air, in Construction and in Industry
Draw Plans to Lick Depression After
War Is Won; Predict Demand for Goods
Will Keep Nation Busy for Many Years
Chemurgy Provides Broad Uses for Many Farm Crops; Need for Building Will Be
Great; Expansion in Aviation Transportation Is Foreseen.
By A. F. JEDLICKA
While the war rages and war production takes up the interest of the country, there doesn't seem
to be time for anything else.
But as unsuspected as it might be, there is a great amount of study being made about solutions
to the vast problems that will arise after the peace has been won.
Millions of soldiers and sailors will be returning from the far flung fronts; munitions and arma
ment no longer will be needed in mass quantities, and millions of workers will have to be switched
back to normal industry; and, pending the final disposition of lend-lease, and full development of
our own domestic market, the huge production program of the farmer will have its complications.
With all these things bound to come up, it is obvious that any studies leading toward
the formulation of plans to solve these problems, will be of service in averting any hard
ships and confusion that might grow from them. Memories of the economic disorganiza
tion that followed the last war, both in the cities and on the farms, still are live enough
to spur the present planners, such?
as the department of agriculture,
the U. S. Chamber of Commerce
and the National Foreign Trade
council.
All told, more than 137 important
government and private agencies
are engaged in post-war economic
studies. This number does not in
clude many state and local groups.
New discoveries and methods de
veloped from war production; the
tremendous demand for all kinds of
consumers' goods upon which man
ufacture has been stopped, and the
new crops and many uses for old
staples that have been found?all of
these things are on the asset side
for a promising post-war prosperity.
Surely, we will suffer from no
lack of labor; in fact, profitable em
ployment of all of our labor will be
the big problem. From present in
dications, we will be the most fortu
nate of all of the nations of the
world, since most of our factories
and equipment will emerge un
scathed from the war. No matter
what kind of a monetary system we
adopt, our credit facilities should be
limited by a need for money, and
not by any scarcity of it
As the president of the United
States Chamber of Commerce so
i optimistically declared, we are fac
ing new horizons, in which the guar
antee of economic as well as politi
cal freedom will open vast produc
tive fields.
Chemnrgy Should Aid Farmer.
Of all, the farmer stands to profit
the most after the war as a result
of the advancement of science.
Chemurgy is the new miracle which
has taken the old crops apart to
discover their essential substance,
and then applied the specific prop
erties to the manufacture of many
items.
Chemurgy has been active in de
veloping plastics. According to a
survey, a composite IMS automobile
has more than 123 plastic parts, and
airplanes have anywhere from
scores to hundreds of plastic appli
cations.
Plastics on the automobile include
upholstery buttons, steering wheels,
accelerator pedals and interlayers
of laminated safety glass. Plastics
in the airplane range from grease
and oil resistant tubing to handles,
knobs, sight gauges, lenses and ra
dio antennae.
Besides chemurgic uses which
have been found for the old crops,
the scientist has gone into the fields
to find uosfLtl properties in such for
mer waste growth as cattails, milk
weed and dandelions. These amaz
ing discoveries have opened possi
bilities for putting formerly unpro
ductive submarginal lands to good
work.
The loss at many at our former
sources at supply for medicinal
crops, vegetable oils and fibers has
stimulated their cultivation in this 1
country, where, indeed, they grew
successfully many years ago before <
being produced in Asia at much less
cost. Continuation of the growth
here of belladonna, castor beans
and hemp, for instance, is a ques
tion which eventually will fall com
pletely within the political realm.
Expect Building Boom.
Next to agriculture, building holds
the greatest Immediate promise. In
fact, much of our post-war planning
seems to be revolving around the
construction industry. As a part of
it, the timber trade figures promi
nently on new mass - production
processes for fabricating sections of
buildings and shipping them to a
site for assembly.
It has been estimated that the
United States needs 900,000 new
buildings every year?500,000 for new
families, and the rest to replace old
structures.
Considering the fact that practi
cally all residential building has
been stopped by the war, the con
struction industry will be faced with
b gigantic job of meeting the accu
mulated demands when peace
comes.
Because of circumstances arising
from the war, the timber industry
has received an important push that
will stand it in good stead later.
Since most shipyards, arms and mu
nitions factories demanded all of
the steel that was being produced,
it was necessary to revert to the
use of wood in constructing many
new factories, etc.
Because the wood had to meet
specifications in strength and safety,
lumbernyen developed processes for
treating the timber against loads,
decay and fire. As a result, wood
is expected to be used in increasing
quantities in ordinary building.
Besides the tremendous demand
expected for private construction
after the war, it is reported that
the government has been studying
plans for ah extensive public works
building program. Such a program,
as old as Caesar, would take up
any slack in employment, particu
larly in the passage from a war to a
peace economy.
In connection with the anticipated
post - war building activity, the
American Institute of Architects,
the American Planning and Civic
Association and the Conference
Committee on Urban Problems have
been particularly concerned with the
reconstruction of many of the run
down districts of the big cities. With
in recent years, many private corpo
rations have been seeking charters
from legislatures for rights to re
vive many slum areas with huge
housing projects.
May Expand Air Travel
Of course, the tremendous (spon
sion of aviation because of the war
has led to the popular belief that
the impetus it is receiving now will
carry it into the post-war period as
the biggest industrial development.
If we are to consider the opinion
of many aviation executives them
selves, the airplane will pay a prom
inent, but hardly a predominating
role after the war. Coats of ship
ping freight by both train and boat
still will remain much cheaper than
air rates, and as a result the plane
may be used on an Increasing scale,
but for special purposes. It should
carry most >f the mail.
It is in the field of transportation
that the airplane promises to enjoy
its greatest expansion. Already,
there has been substantial talk about
the creation of branch lines to hook
up with main trunks, thus establish
ing direct connections with all
points. Larger, more comfortable
and faster planes should come out
of the busy research .laboratories
now concentrating on production of
the best bombing, transport and car
go airships in the world.
Automobile executives already
have warned the people not to ex
pect drastic revisions in models aft
er the war. Cars of the immediate
future will not be much different
than those that were being manu
factured at the time all of the plants
shifted over completely to war pro
duction. The reason styles will not
change much, automobile executives
say, is because factories are stocked
with tools for production along re
cent lines.
With money in their pockets, peo
ple will raise a clamor for many
items whose manufacture has been
discontinued because of the war.
Wash machines, vacuum cleaners,
refrigerators, stokers and oil burn
ers, buggies, etc., all will be in de
mand, and if sufficient purchasing
power is available, the problem will
be one of production.
New Products.
Among the more colorful products
predicted for the future, are gaso
line for automobiles yielding 40
miles to the gallon, and nylon cord
tires of unparalleled strength.
Eye dropper quantities of lead
tetraethyl added to a gallon of gaso
line will convert it into high-octane
fuel necesaary for airplanes. It is
this new and more powerful fuel
which heralds performances of 400
miles an hour for civilian transport
planes, and promises 40 miles per
gallon for automobiles after the war.
Due in large part to chemical
products developed for use in proc
essing and vulcanizing rubber, tires
of the future are expected to pos
sess longer life. Cards of rayon and
nylon, along with special carbon
blanks for increasing toughness and
?nti-oxidants far retarding the ds
tatfrMt^ef nibber. are among the j
Who's News
This Week
By
Delos Wheeler Lovelace
Consolidated F?ature?.?WNU RtkaM.
KTEW YORK.?How here, now
*? ~ there, old friends put their
brushes to the still incomplete pic
ture of Brigadier Orde Charles Win
He"t Getting to Be
Mor* and More Burma's
Like Daniel Boon.
of silky whiskers and a belt full at
Jap scalps. He is related to Law
rence of Arabia. Certainly his three
months long commando raid was
the only taste at victory that the
British enjoyed in their newest try
for the eastern shore of the Bay
of Bengal.
Before this war Wiagxte was
deft, politic in handbag Arab
Jewish mixnps in Palestine, la
MM he lew to Abyssinia and
steamed up the natives Ijihd
their Reman everierds. The
MAM Italians and when prhw.
trim Haile Selassie I (.turned in
triumph to Addis Ababa. Wtog
eharger.
General Wavell. commander-in
chief for Burma, himself called Win
gate there and then stood clear while
the 30-year-old brigadier trained stol
id men of Lancashire, tough little
Gurkas and loyal Burmese mto the
jungle commando which wrecked
airfield, blasted ammunition *t
and bridges and cut railroads be
hind the Japaneee lines
Wingate's marriage was a sort of
commando raid in reverse. Laaa
Peterson, piettj and 15, sighted him
on a Mediterranean hner when ha
was 30. She announced on the (tot
that he was the man die would
marry. They were married when
she was IT.
?a?
p LAIN FRANK BANE n a ration
ing expert The system on which
the people at these still weB-fed
United States buy victuals is one
ju_ aw- ?#-_ t? worked
After Uect Moot* oqt |iol(
We Laid Raits far with Leon
l/s Baying Victuals
other high-flying experimenters. But
Bane, they say, was the tisiilsst
worker.
It was work that he did after od
See hours because he had, still has.
one full-time job. He is diiectur at
the Council at State Governments,
headquartering in Chicago, and, ac
cording to Governor Stassen at Min
nesota. is the best administrator to *
the country.
that he earned Stestea'^pniae
delegates al ?oi|WnWi aad
sits back antil the hired heads
drop ia ta say As Job is tie seed
pleaty If"ih^"lrlhg
which he Ikes, and far nckhg
chairs, en* st which he de
msads la any bene Ma wife sals
ap. His Maries, his raeto^
chairs, help expiate why every
the sccead aeeetteg, drape ah
handles and eahs Mae Frsak.
Fifty now, be baa been married
for 25 years. Ha was barn In Vir
ginia, went to Randolph-It arm col
lege and Columbia university and
served in the last war as a cadet
pilot before be buckled down. Prior
to landing with the Chunril at State
Governments he was a football
coach, a school principal and super
intendent and took a whirl at wel
fare work.
???
THE Rt. Hon. Sir Archibald Sm
Clair's paternal grandfather was
a blinking old codger out at Dfckaua
by Poe who saw calamity in every
Moot Optimistic and'^'lved
Of Air Off seam fearfully an
Against Germany ^ ^
all that he eras a baronet.
The maternal grandfather, howev
er, eras an American who piled up
much of the wealth Sir Archibald
now enjoys, and his spirit must be
the one that moves the British sec
retary of state for air to speak so
hopefully of the air offensive against
Germany.
Sir Archibald's mether was
pretty Mabel Saads at New
York. She went to Landau ia
the eighties with letters at fcdre
dnetieu from the Tiadeihllti
her Mafelh; married, aad dtod
whan her sen was eight days aM.
Her has bead died, tse, aad yeeeag
Archibald was tafoed by rela
tives, tutors aad fiardUaa. J
watehsd sourly hp the horvtog
at Ktaa aad heelUi il. dam
ratad to tos hat war, *aa