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The Alamance Gleaner Vol LXX GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 1944 No. 6 WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS II National Income Reaches Record Level Reds Press Closer to Baltic Sfaf ' See-Saw Fight Marks Anzio Beachhead V. S. Reinforced in Admiralty Island! (EDITOR'S NOT*: When eplatens are Western New.,.,.. Ualy . .... ^ J"** -J-?-, the, th.? - _______ RaleaMd by W.aUrn Newspaper Union. ?*??????.) Marshall Island*? Caught off Jaluit atoll in Marshall* by U. S. nasal planet, this Jap freighter wan strafed and bombed and set afire. NATIONAL INCOME: Record Level Boomed by the war effort, the na tional income ot the nation's 50 mil lion workers soared to 142 billion dollars in 1943, with about two-thirds of it spent for goods and services, the department of commerce an nounced. Reflecting the country's full swing into high speed production during 1943, income increased 26 billion dol lars over 1942, but reflecting the continued shortage of civilian goods, expenditures only went up 8V4 bil lion dollars. From July to March, government spending reached 60 billion dollars, with 56 billion dollars paid out for the war effort. During this period, government receipts totaled 25 bil lion dollars, leaving a deficit of al most 35 billion dollars. Because of the recent fourth war loan drive, the government had a cash balance of 19 billion dollars. Beverage Purchases Of the 90 billion dollars that con sumers spent for goods and services in 1943, six billion dollars were ex pended for alcoholic beverages, the department of commerce revealed. This brought expenditures for liquors up to $46 per person, compared with $39 in 1942 and $26 in 1939. Despite the record expenditures for alcoholic beverages, however, less liquor was actually drunk, price increases accounting for the rise. Less than 74 million gallons of hard liquor were consumed in 1943, compared with 88 million gallons in 1942. Wine consumption dropped be low the 1942 level of 112 million gallons. Total beer consumed increased during 1943, however, chiefly be cause of a rise in demand from 10 million to 44 million barrels of the bottled type. SOLDIER VOTE: Compromise Bill ?? an etlort to give servicemen overseas every chance to vote and yet protect states' rights in super vising elections, congressional con ferees drew up a compromise bill. Under the bill, servicemen over was from states with no absentee voting laws could use the blank fed oral ballot with only the names of the political parties designated if their governors approve, or, service men from states with absentee vot ing laws could only use the federal ballot if they fail to receive their atate ballot by October 1. So far, 20 states are reported to have adequate absentee voting laws, I *hile nine others are considering such laws or about to convene their legislators to take up action on the issue. RUSSIA: lighting; Diplomacy Nibbling deeper into Nazi defense J"**, Red troops pressed ever closer the Baltic states of Estonia, Lat jla and - Lithuania, while German juwes clung bitterly to their posi ns behind Russian forces at the ??uthern end of the 800 mile front. in Finland, there was agitation for ??tter peace terms from the Rus sians as a basis for withdrawing n-om the war, with opposition to "wcow's proposals for restoration the 1940 borders and discussion ?>ut disposition of northern Finn "h territory. Crossing the Narva river. Red ?*??ps advanced IS miles into Esto- I v a; *hile other Russ forces con ged on the Latvian gateway of i m ov- Far to the south, the Reds t bitter German resistance as *y tried to whittle down Nazi the rear of General Vatutin's ttooPa in Poland. I EUROPE: Hold Ground With concentrations of heavy en emy artillery pouring shells onto their beachhead, and with strong German armored forces stabbing into iu-:? i: tt r? uicu iiiies, u, o. and British troops under command of Allied Gen. Harold Alexander held their own in see saw fighting below Rome. Meanwhile, Al lied bombers con tinued to blast at Nazi fighter-plane plants in Germany to reduce aerial re sistance to a sec ond-front and further attacKs on European war industry. Three times the Nazis lashed at Allied lines below Rome with tanks after heavy artillery preparations, and three times gallant U. S. and British troops gave way, only to bounce back in savage counterat tacks restoring lost ground. PACIFIC: Gain Admiralties Fighting with their backs to tbe wall in Japan's crumbling string of defensive outposts, enemy troops bitterly resisted U. S. landings on the Admiralty islands to the north of New Britain and the Solomons. Bringing in strong reinforcements, Gen. Douglas MacArthur's com mand maneuvered the Japs into spreading their limited strength, however, and robbing them of con certed striking power. As U. S. doughboys tightened their grip on the Admiralties, American warplanes ranged the whole breadth of the battle area, continuing to pound the big enemy base of Rabaul on New Britain, former feeder point for Jap barges supplying outlying islands. Occupation of the Admir alties put U. S. bomber forces di rectly in the path of enemy car go shipping sailing southward to Rabaul, further weakening the once formidable base. A nnT/lTTT fTTTTir Gen. Alexander A^iutULi unn: Corn Ceiling Sticks Shortly after OPA had advised the Chicago Board of Trade president, Philip O'Brien, that the $1.16 price ceiling on corn would stick through 1944, the War Food administration announced allocatidh of wheat for food, feed, alcohol, export and lend lease would begin before June. In testifying before a senate agri culture subcommittee, O'Brien advo cated a $1.45 com top to relieve the drain on wheat for feeding hogs, since price supports on pigs make it more profitable to fatten them than sell grain on the market. O'Brien's statement that the coun try was consuming more wheat than it produced was substantiated by department of agriculture statis tics whiA show that over one bil lion bushels of the grain disappeared in 1943 against harvesting of 850 million bushels. Support Egg Prices Continuing its policy of support ing egg prices at parity, the War Food administration announced that it would pay an average of 30 cents per dozen for the period ending April 15. Since January 1, WFA bought the equivalent of 3,980,000 cases, or 119, 400,000 dozen, of shell eggs. Actual ly WFA purchased only 280,000 cases of shell eggs, although its acquisi tions of dried eggs were the equal of 3,700,000 cases. Continued WFA car lot purchases will be on the basis of U. S. whole sale Ho. 1 and No. 2 extras, with 45 pounds minimum net weight IRELAND: Affected by War Although war has not come to Ire land, its effects are being felt in the emerald island where the river Shannon flows, with lack of materials contributing toward the closing of many industries. Recruitment of 130,000 Irish for work in Britain, and enlistment of another 100,000 Irish in the British army have helped relieve unemploy ment in the country, however. Even so, at least 50,000 are idle. In an effort to hold skilled help for post war production to balance the na tion's economy, many closed indus tries are keeping people on their pay rolls. Certain Irish industries are boom ing, especially those canning meats and milk for Great Britain. With woolen goods imports cut, Irish tex tile mills also are humming to pro duce material for the home market. In all, industries generally are op erating at 66 per cent of capacity. ARGENTINA: Quell Revolt Turbulent South American politics took another dramatic twist with an Argentine army officer's attempted revolt against the new government of ultra-neutral Gen. Edelmiro Far rell, which ousted ex-President Pe dro Ramirez because his regime was inclined toward a declaration of war against the Axis. Because the powerful "Colonels' Club" of army chiefs was behind the move to replace Ramirez, however, the rebellious officer found himself standing alone, with no indication that his 1,000 troops were panting for action. After marching from the capital of Buenos Aires, the rebels surrendered unconditionally. Argentina's swerving back toward a strict policy of neutrality after the Ramirez' government's wavering away from it, revealed that coun try's insistence on maintaining its j complete political independence, linking it up with its sister republic of Bolivia to the northwest. COLLEGE EDUCATION: Would Change Titles Claiming that professors' titles do not always reflect the real achieve ments of their holders, President Robert M. Hutchins of the Univer sity of Chicago proposed abolishing all teaching distinctions like profes sor, associate professor, assistant professor and instructors, and call ing them all merely "members" of the faculty. ' Hutchins' proposal was his latest i in a long list of changes be has rec jommended for streamlining higher American education, the most noted one adopted so far allowing students to complete an ordinary four year course in two years. Under Hutchins' latest plan, nei ther present salaries nor jobs would be affected by classifying all teach ers merely as members, but some complained that in hard times when compensations would be stabilized, they would not be able to offset economic loss by obtaining more prestige through higher titles. Burma Front Fighting ranged along Burma'a moun talnoua western border country, with Allied troops freeing two divisions of British-Indiana trapped by Japanese moving against their rear (lower ar row). In two other sectors, ths Alliss drove against the enemy in the China hills (middle arrow), and fought to clear a supply road to China in the north (top arrow). WOOL: Stocks Plentiful Although the nation now has ade quate supplies of wool for clothing, the two-pants suit with a veft is still forbidden by the War Produc tion board. The reason is the short age of manpower, since it takes more work to make those extra gar ments. It's the same with pleats in women's dresses, but insufficient rayon goods for linings is another reason given. Imports of wool from Australia were not halted by the Japanese navy, as was feared. Between 800 and 600 million pounds were brought in last year and in 1042. This, plus a domestic crop stimulated by a sub sidy of 18 cents a pound has resulted in a stockpile of large proportions. I Robert Ripley's exploiter reports that Ripley is the researcher on it . . . That Herr Goering's first name, Herman, came from a Jewish doe tor, Herman Eppstein, of Tyrol, Aus tria . . . Goering's father was Gov ernor of German East Africa. A widower, who couldn't take along his infant son?so he boarded him with Dr. Eppstein . . . The physician raised the boy?sent him through school in Bavaria and-paid the tui tion until he graduated as a lieuten ant . . . Dr. Eppstein passed on in 1935 . . . No. 2 Nazi Goering at tended the funeral . . . When he entered the synagogue, he paused at the door and asked if he should wear or remove his hat . . . Ripley adds: "In case you didn't know, the name Winchell in German means divining rod, the instrument that de tects the truth." In the.foyer of the Barberry Room the other night Raymond Paige took this snapshot ... A corporal notic ing a colonel losing one of his eagles ?meekly offered to pin it back . . . "Thanks," grumped the colonel, "the damb things catch* on every thing." "Gee, sir," was the reply, "I wish I had your troubles!" Blftown Morals: At about 8:30 the other Monday night (during a heavy rainstorm) a packed Amster dam Avenue trolley stopped at 128th Street. The conductor got out?went to a bar and grill?ordered two sand wiches and a beer?while the pas sengers waited 20 minutes . . . The newsreel theater in the Grand Cen tral Station. It features a clock to the right of the screen . . . The clock is set two minutes fast?so spectators won't miss trains . . . The clock at the near-by Commo dore Hotel bar is set three minutes ahead. Indicating that you can get away from a newsreel sixty seconds sooner than you can part from a drink. The defacing of St. Patrick's Cathedral and other churches by some crackpot reminds us of what happened in Paris at the Place de la Concorde when the Nazis marched in . . . Ten German army bands held* concert and 8,000 Frenchmen were forced to assemble . . . Through the microphone the assem blage was asked: "Who doesn't speak German?" The whole crowd raised their hands, and a picture was taken . . . Which showed up in South America via the Goebbels propaganda machine?with this cap tion: "French crowds acclaiming German army In Paris with Nazi salute" . . . Dismiss this incident at these worshipping shrines as the job of those desperately trying to cause disunity and trouble. The Wireless: "The Song of Ber nadette," so beautiful to read and see, suffers from the slows on the kilocycles. It comes to the ears as ham-heavy, which it never is be tween covers and on the screen . . . The west coast comics "localed" you dizzy with their Jibes at California's unusual weather. What you might call house-organ comedy, strictly for the family . . . One coast announcer . got a mouthful of esses, and it came out: "Upton Close on the Noose" . . . The guffaw of the month was uttered by a Berlin radio expert named Von Hammer, who whim pered that "the Red Army is using unmannerly military tactics" . . . Fulton Lewis' blast at certain con gressional under-the-belters was ear-arresting . . . John B. Kennedy was also aroused into slugging back at them. Quotation Marksmanship: Ethel Smith: She was the light of his life, but it turned into an awful glare . . . Ambrose Bierce: Woman would be more charming if one could fall into her arms without falling into her hands . . . Eleanor Roosevelt: No one can make you feel inferior with out your consent . . . Mme. Deluzy: A coquette is a woman without a heart, who makes a fool of a man whq has no head . . . D. R. Hen derson: The V for Victory is only half the W for Work . . . Christopher Morley: There is so much for me !o say, but your eyes keep interrupt ing me . . . B. Lytton: A stiff man, starched with self-esteem . . . Garry Moore: He sweeps women off their feet?a Beau Broomel. $M Question: The President, they say, was asked (by a reporter) to name the member of the United Na tions he considered the most impor tant ally. "Is it Great Britain, China or Russia?" "I'll ask you one," FDR said. "Which is the most Important leg on a three-legged stoolT" Immense Task of Soil Rebuilding Faces Managers of Nation's Six Million Farms] Land Being Mined by Excessive Cropping WiU Need Fertilizer American farmers face the most gigantic soil rebuilding job in all history when World War II is fought to a successful con clusion. That is the considered opinion of farm economists, soil conser vation experts and leading agronomists of state agricultur al colleges throughout the coun What this Job will cost, no one knows yet, but it will be consider ably above the 250 to 300 million dollar expenditure farmers have been making for fertilizer in recent years. Virtually all of the nation's 8,000,000 farms will need serious at tention. Two major reasons are cited by soil experts for this situation: 1?Wartime crop goals necessary to produce foodstuffs, meat, dai ry products, oil and fiber crops for victory, are eating up the soil's resources of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash much faster than they can be replaced today. Steps to correct this must be taken immediately the war crisis is over. 2?The long-range job of soil con servation must be stepped up. Big-scale operations can be post poned no longer. The "fifth col umn" attacks of erosion are be coming more menacingly seri ous. Wasteful farming practices over a century and a half have squandered precious topsoil to a dangerous degree. Farmers recognize that the pres ent wartime drain on their soils' fertility level is a necessary contri bution to victory. But they should bear in mind the imperative fact that wealth borrowed from the soil to help win this war, must be re paid later on. Dr. George D. Scarseth, head of the agronomy department of Purdue university, summed things up when h* said: "Farmers in the Middle West and elsewhere throughout the nation are making a sacrifice in the war pro duction program to an extent not fully realized by the world. Soils that have had to produce war crops by fertility exhaustion practices will not have dividends to pay after the war, but will require their own kind of taxation in the form of fertilizers. "in reality, farmers are in the manufacturing business, the same as munitions makers, or steal pro ducers. They are turning out essen tial products for our armed forces. They are manufacturing foods, feeds, fibers and oils out of the raw materials of the soil?the nitrogen, phosphorus, potash and lime. "Fortunately all our soils are not exhausted of their Inherited riches. But exhaustion is on the way even with our best soils, and we face a future where these raw materials must be added to the soils as ferti lizers in greater amounts than in the past. Unless we do this, the productivity of the soil will sink to a dangerous level." Concerning the future outlook, he said: "Our war debt won't be only a matter of taxes and maturing bonds, i Our farmers are asked to mine their soils because fertilizer materials are , scarce. But crops must be made on the 'fat' of the soils. This means that a farmer of the future will have the handicap of a more exhausted soil and smaller crop yields to pay the taxes that will follow this war." Tremendous Drain. Just bow big a drain on the soil's fertility resources does this extra crop production impose? The answer is plenty! Take one single crop ? corn ? for example. Agronomists estimate that the 1941 corn crop in ten mid western states removed 2,015,404,730 pounds of ni trogen, phosphorus and potash from the so it Increasing wartime yields boosted this tax to 3,003,123,334 pounds in 1043 and 3,227,383.770 pounds in 1943. Large as this removal was, it rep resents but a portion of the fertility loss from a single region. Add to it the fertility drain caused by pro ducing huge yields of wheat, soy beans, potatoes, alfalfa, clover, oats and other crops and you have some idea of the depreciation of fertility resources. But that doesn't tell the whole story, either, far the lob of producing livestock and dairy prod ucts requires heavy amounts of plant food, too. The plain fact is that every time a crop is harvested and hauled to mar ket, or livestock are shipped to a packer's yards, some of the farm's fertilit* soes with them. Those es ?ential element*, nitrogen, phos- ' phorus end potassium, in various compounds, have been drawn out of the soil by the plants that grew on it. The bigger and better the crop, the more vital minerals ex tracted. Ordinarily, much of these elements is replaced by rotation, fallowing, or application of fertiliz ers, but during these war years when every field mst be made to yield to the limit, there is an an nual loss. Also, the scarcity of fer tilizers, and shortage of help and machinery have conspired to im poverish the farmer's land. There is still another important factor in this present soil-exhaust ing problem. That is the matter of Increased acreage. In order to pro duce the extra crop quotas, not only do existing acres have to do a big ger crop yielding job but more and more acres have to be tilled. Much of this land represents a lower strata of fertility level and hence it is not able to bear the burden of heavy cropping effectively. A glance at acreage figures tells the story. In 1941 the total harvested acreage of principal crops in the United States was 334,130,800. In 1943 it rose to 338,081,000 and in 1943 to 347,498,000 acres. New production goals for 1944 propose the use of some 380 million acres. One-Twelfth of Land Rained. When we turn to the long-range job of soil conservation that has been accumulating since the pioneer set tlers' plows first broke America's virgin farm land, we find an even more serious situation. Hugh H. Bennett, chief of the U. S. soil conservation service, is authori ty for the statement that SO million acres of the nation's 600 million till able acres have been completely ru ined for agricultural purposes. An additional 50 million acres, he estimates, are seriously damaged and a very large further acreage has suffered a marked decrease in soil fertility. As a result of the soil conservation service's work and the efforts of agronomists at state agricultural colleges and experiment stations, significant steps have been taken in recent years in combating this menacing trend. But the major task lies ahead. Six principal factors are responsi ble for the foregoing lossei, accord ing to Mr. Bennett. They are ero sion, leaching, the removal of ferti lizer elements by harvested crops, livestock and livestock marketing, oxidation of soil organic matter, and fire. Erosion is the worst offender, re moving annually 2,500,000 tons of ni trogen, 900,000 tons of phosphorus and 15,000,000 tons of potash?the three major plant foods which make the productions of crops possible. Harvested crops rank next in da^ plating the soil and are in norma) years responsible for taking out ad additional 4.400,000 tons of nitrogen' 700,000 tons of phosphorus and 3,200,? 000 tons of potash. Nearly a third of the fertile top| soil of American' farms has been lost due to erosion, floods and the damaging effects of overcropping] according to a statement issued bs the Middle West Soli Improvement Committee. Six Inches of TepeoIL "A century and a half ago," says the statement, "there was an aver age of nine inches of topsail spread over the entire United States. To day this average* only six inches in depth. "The present war emergency, as well as the future of American agri culture itself calls for a determined fight against the farces of soil de pletion. The effectiveness of the in dividual farmer's soil management plan in wartime as well as in the peace era to follow, cad be aided by the cooperation at agronomists at state agricultural colleges and ex periment stations. Through research and experimentation over a long span of years, these experts have developed information concerning fertilizer needs for various crops and soils that is helpful to the farmer who is striving to rebuild his soil's productivity." In combating the destructive ef fects of erosion, individual farmers and organized agriculture are con fronted by a stealthy, fifth-column enemy. Erosion's damage is grad ual and in the first stages, barely noticeable. But once it gains head way, winds and rains not only carry away valuable topsoil, but also re move needed fertilizing elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. Conservation methods are the sur est means of reducing these losses of valuable topsoil and plant nutrients. It has been found that soils having a cover -crop suffer only a fraction of the losses from erosion that other farm areas experience. Not only, will grasses and legumes provide ef fective vegetative cover for holding topsoil in place and furnish a bal anced ration for farm animals, but they promote nitrogen fixation, im prove the soil tilth and help increase crop yields following in the rotation. This is particularly true where ade quate fertilization is undertaken. Bends Win Provide Funds. Fortunately the means for accom plishing this soil replenishment job are in the hands of virtually every American farmer. Dollars invested in war bonds now that farm cash income is at the highest level in history and farm debt at the lowest point in many years, can provide the ready cash to pay for the pur chase of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash needed to restore the fertili ty level of farms later on. "It is not too early to begin plan ning for this agricultural reconstruc tion job, any more than it is prema ture at present to lay plans for fu ture political and economic peace," a statement by the Middle West Soil Improvement Committee concludes. "For it is becoming increasingly clear that the whole structure of fu ture security will rest on the pro ductivity of the soil. While every encouragement will be given to soil rebuilding projects by the federal government and by state agricultur al agencies, the major responsibility for getting the job done will rest on the shoulders at Individual termors. By earmarking part at present war bond purchases now lor peacetime soil rebuilding expenditures, farm era can be ready when the materi als and manpower become readily available in the oostwas en." An aerial view of a large Georgia farm on which several mO eooser. vatlon method* are used. Ia the apper part of the picture appear* a large meadow atrip, which serves as a safe water disposal area for sar faee runoff from adjoining fields. The curved baads are eoatoor strip cropping, aad terracing. The owner, Dr. A. C. Brown af Royston, also follows improved rotatioa practices. Hilly land oftea eoaaUered praa tically worthless eaa h? made to yield toed retaras by proper strip cropping. C. D. Blnbaufh, Daarilie, Ohio, is shows weitUag the harvest from sach a field. Ha it awe et the la MS safl aowserraUsw prelects.
The Alamance Gleaner (Graham, N.C.)
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March 16, 1944, edition 1
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