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Vol LXXI GRAHAM, N. C., THURSDAY, MAY 31, 1945 * No. 17
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS
Heavy B-29 Raids on Nagoya
Pattern for Victory in Pacific;
Set Up Army Rule Over Germany
__________ Released by Western Newspaper Union. ??????I
(EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of
Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.)
Burrowing into "Little Siegfried Line" on Okinawa, marines advance
cautiously toward building set afire to dislodge Jap snipers.
PACIFIC:
Victory Pattern
Though the Tarawa, Iwo Jima and
Okinawa fighting has proved the Jap
no set-up, America's tremendous
material resources and Japan's
comparative skimpy means prom
ises to bring about the enemy's col
lapse much in the manner of Ger
many's.
Flying 500 at a time, B-29 Super
forts were setting the pattern for
Japan's defeat even as U. S. army
and marine forces rooted thfe enemy
from his heavily fortified "Little
Siegfried line" on Okinawa, with the
big bombers showering thousands
?of tons of gasoline-jelly incendi
aries on the big industrial center
of Nagoya.
Extent of the destruction of Na
goya was all the greater because
of the establishment of shops in
small buildings and homes for the
production of different parts for
main assembly. With a one-time
population of 1,328,083, the city was
the site of the famed Mitsibushi air
craft factory and railway, ma
chinery and metal works.
Leveling of Nagoya suggested the
same treatment of other great Japa
nese cities within the same area in
the effort to paralyze the enemy's
industrial capability and thus bring
bis formidable land army to its
knees.
With her vital industries
packed in the Tokyo, Kobe
Osaka and Nagoya districts in a
total area less than that ot
Nebraska, and with 14,(MM,000 of
her 73,000,000 population crowd
ed in those vicinities, Japan's
whole war - making potential
stands as a particularly vulner
able target for the great fleets of
V. S. bombers which will oper
ate with increasing force now
that the European war has
ended.
Furthermore, U. S. mastery of the
sea threatens to virtually isolate
the enemy from the Asiatic main
land and Pacific islands upon which
he has depended for substantial
quantities of -food, raw material
and supplies.
Against this bright picture, how
ever, stands the record of fanatical
Japanese resistance against impos
sible odds wherever he has fought
in the Pacific. Best recent ex
amples are Iwo Jima and Okinawa,
where Nipponese garrisons have
withstood the most grueling pre
ponderance of U. S. material and
troop superiority to hold out to the
last dying gasp from strongly forti
fied subterranean positions hewed
arum rugged terrain.
With Jap engineers showing sur
prising skill in preparing such de
fenses, U. S. infantrymen, supported
by tanks and flame throwers,
have been compelled to move in
close to root out the entrenched
enemy after heavy air, sea and
ground bombardment failed to
v. holly wipe out various strong
points.
Just 325 miles from Tokyo,
Okinawa has been bitterly de
fended by the enemy seeking to
prevent another Island air base
from falling into the hands of
C. S. forces. Victory in the
Marianas furnished a site for
8-3# stations for the Increasing
raids on the enemy mainland,
and I wo Jima also yielded
strategic air strips. Thus, the
Japs have stood bitterly on
Okinawa, inflicting over 28,WW
casualties on American land,
sea and air forces at a cost of
over U,M# dead to themselves.
Secondary though potentially im
portant aspect of the whole Pacific
picture is the part China might play
m tne enemy's strategy, with the
comparatively undeveloped state of
the country and the vulnerability of
any positions to attack from Rus
sia on the north and the U. S.
and Britain on the south, tempering
the possibility the enemy might de
cide to make a major stand on the
Asiatic mainland.
EUROPE:
Army Rules
Declaring "the Allied government
of Germany is going to be military,
anH iho nowtonc
* Gen. Clay
are going to know
it is military," Lt.
Gen. Lucius D. Clay
undertook deputy
rule of the U. S. oc
cupation zone under
Gen. Dwight D.
Eisenhower.
General Clay as
sumed his task as
Allied authorities
stated that all Ger
man industry, trade
ana services nrst wouia De used to
support U. S. and British occupying
forces before civilians, and Germans
would be allowed to hold office only
on the local level.
Having announced former con
gressman and budget director Lewis
W. Douglas as his assistant and
diplomat Robert Murphy as head of
the political division of the military
government, General Clay said that
all that is left of Germany's war in
dustry would be destroyed, all traces
of Naziism rooted out and war crim
inals sought and punished.
At the same time. Allied authori
ties declared that Grand Adm. Karl
Doenitz's government was a tem
porary stopgap presently being used
to carry on the disarmament of the
German military and naval forces.
Despite Doenitz's government's
statements that a central German
regime was necessary to prevent a
breakdown in the country's econom
ic life and the threat of communism,
the Allies are proceeding along their
own lines.
Meanwhile, the Allies pushed
plans for the trial of war criminals
even as U. S. congressmen, return
ing from an inspection of notorious
Nazi concentration camps, flatly
blamed the Hitler regime for their
existence.
CIVILIAN ECONOMY:
More Goods
Provision of more cars and more
tires for essential civilian use along
with loosening of controls on the
manufacture of many peacetime
items heralded the gradual recon
version of industry following read
justment to a one-front war.
Though the huge needs of the Pa
cific war will still rate No. 1, re
lease of manpower and material as
a result of lessened demands after
V-E Day will permit a limited re
sumption of civilian production, as
already reflected in permission to au
tomobile manufacturers to turn out
200,000 passenger cars this year,
and the increase in tire rations for
essential motorists by 500,000 for
May.
Though another 400,000 cars are
scheduled to be produced in the first
quarter of 1940 with the rate rising
to 2,000,000 annually by 1947, trucks
will be given preference in manu
facture, with emphasis on light
weight models, officials declared.
Relaxation of controls on produc
tion of coat hangers, bathtubs, ice
cream freezers, pie plates, mop
wringers and hundreds of others of
such items paved the way for their
substantial output when steel, cop
per and aluminum become avail
able in increased amounts in mid
summer.
EIRE:
Praise for Britain
Although resenting Prime Minis
ter Churchill's criticism of Eire for
remaining neutral in the European
conflict when her participation
would have furnished the Allies with
important sea bases, Prime Minis
ter de Valera complimented the
British chieftain for not violating the
small country's neutrality by force
to obtain such advantages.
Declaring that Churchill's re
straint "advanced the cause of inter
national morality," De Valera said:
"It is indeed fortunate that Brit
ain's necessity did not 'reach the
point when Mr. Churchill would
have acted. All credit to him that
he successfully resisted the tempta
tion."
But if De Valera had praise for
Churchill, he had censure, too. An
swering Churchill's declaration that
only North Ireland's furnishing of
bases prevented British action
against Eire itself, De Valera re
gretted that the Briton had turned
to "abusing a people who have done
him no WTong, trying to find in a
crisis like the present excuse for
continuing the injustice of the sepa
lauuii vui. uie norui ana souin; ox
our country."
SAVINGS:
Over 122 Billion
Standing at over 122 billion dol
lars, accumulated savings at the
end of 1944 showed almost a ISO per
cent increase over the yearly to
tals before 1938 and indicated finan
cial strength to tide many people
over any reconversion stress.
Headed up by an increase of 13
billion dollars in 1944, war bond
holdings reached well over 40 bil
lion to represent one-third of the
accumulated savings, contrasting
with but one-twentieth in 1940.
In rising 23 billion dollars in 1944,
substantial accumulations were ef
fected in policy holders' funds be
hind life insurance, and in accounts
in mutual savings and commercial
banks, postal savings and savings
and loan associations.
Insurance Payments
Approximating 47 per cent of total
payments of life insurance compa
nies in 1944, death benefits amount
ed to $1,360,972,674 for a new high,
the National Underwriter reported.
With total payments reaching $2,
916,720,689, high were also recorded
for matured endowments at $447,
828,401 and annuities at $198,308,377.
Low since 1929, accidental death
benefit claims for the U. S. and Can
ada in 1944 declined to $20,356,949.
Rips Hospital Ship
Standing three deck? below point where
a Jan suicide pilot crash-dived on navy hoe
pital ship uComfort" Army Nurse Lt. Mary
Jensen of San Diego, Califs views twisted .
wreckage. Lt. Jensen had stepped from
surgery supply room less than minute be
fore it was demolished by explosion.
FARM MACHINERY:
Behind Schedule
With production of farm machin
es approximately 22 per cent be
hind schedule, farm operators can
continue to look forward to tight sup
plies this year, the Federal Re
serve Bank of Chicago reported. |
Because of increased demand for
military material last winter and
manpower shortages, farm machin
ery output for 1944-45 dropped 25 per
cent behind schedule in the first
quarter of July-August-September; |
22 per cent behind in the second,
and about 20 per cent in the third.
Labor shortages principally have
affected production of such neces
sary parts of equipment as mal
leable and gray castings, engines,
transmissions and forgings, thus re
ducing over-all output. While some
important manufacturers are up to
schedule, others are far behind.
Citing the great importance of
farm machinery to record-breaking
war food production, the reserve
bank pointed out that use of mech
anized equipment on two and three
shifts daily permitted heavy plant
ings during the last two springs aft
er wet weather delayed normal op
erations.
Notes of a New Yorker:
An Argentine official was address
ing a gathering of Col. Peron's offi
cers clique. He shouted: "The pluto
crats who are responsible for this
war must not go unpunished! The
Yankee and British imperialists who
are trying to squeeze our beloved
Argentina to the wall attempted to (
do the same to Germany. That is .
is why the German nation under
Hitler struck back at their enemies. '
Nor can we allow the Jewish-Bol- '
shevik alliance (which emanates '
from Moscow) to hem us in. We, ]
too, must try to 'save the world ?
from the Red menace!' " ?
At that moment a messenger
placed a slip of paper into the speak- s
er's hand. He glanced at it and t
read, "Argentina invited to World c
Security Conference." . c
Startled, the official cleared his t
throat and resumed: "And so, in t
conclusion, gentlemen, I say, 'Long c
live Democracy!" v
t
Est-Your-Own-Words Dep't: Ed
ward R. Stettinius, in a letter to i
Rep. Jack Anderson of California c
(dated January 28, 1945) wrote that ,
the U. S. "should not enter into t
normal diplomatic relations with the i
Fascist military clique which is in (
control of Argentina."
i
a coupie oi aainiy aeos tripped i
into a swank bar. "I never drink in c
the afternoon," said the first, expert- c
ly settling herself on the stool, "but ?
I'm simply beat. Gotta have some- 1
thing to pep me up." i
"Me, too," moaned her friend.
"What were you doing?"
"Oh, gahd," was the reply, "I
just came from the most awful cock
tail party."
At the Metropole Cafe folks dis
cussing the pro-and-conference news
mentioned that "Frisco" isn't the
term San Franciscans prefer when
referring to that great city.
"Hmmmm," remarked a wag,
"whaddaya hear from Joe San
Francisco lately?"
A San Francisco gazette of the
crime - ridden Gold Rush period
carried this item: "Some contend
that there are really no laws in
force here but the divine law and
the law of nature; while others
are of the opinion that there are
laws in force here, if they could only
be found" . . . Newspaper men of
that day hurled insults both verbally
and in print. Some wrote satiri
cal verse. They took sides in
political quarrels to the point of fist
fights and duels.
One editor hung a placard over
his desk, reading: "Subscriptions re
ceived from 9 to 4; challenges from
11 to 12 only."
In the eonrse of one of his lec
ture tours, Mark Twain made a
stopover at a small California town.
Before dinner he visited the barber
shop for a shave. . . . "You're a
stranger in town, aren't you?" quer
ied the barber.
"Yes," Twain replied. "This Is my
first time here."
"You chose a good time to come,"
the barber continued. "Mark Twain
is going to lecture tonight. Think
you'll be going?"
"Oh, I guess so."
"Have you bought your ticket? If
you haven't, you'll have to stand,
'cause everything is sold out,"
warned the barber.
? "Doggone!" cussed Twain. "I
never saw such confounded luck!
Every time that fellow lectures, I
have to stand!" r
A weft coast war plant has i
discovered a unique way of
cheeking absenteeism. A labor
management committee investJ
fates all employes who do not ;
report for work. If It Is found
that an Individnal has been ?
needlessly absent, die follow- i
iny payday he receives some :
Jap currency in his envelope
and a note which reads: "The ,
extra money Is a bonus seat
by the Mikado. It is Hlrohito's c
personal retard for your fail
ure to report for work. Be was
Clad to pay you for not mak
inf the war materials our sol
diers need."
The mother of a bobbysoxer had
a rude awakening the other day.
She learned her daughter was no
longer a child. The daughter's
friend had planned a gathering for
a group of youthful sailors, just re
cently pressed into the service.
When the teen-ager was leaving
the house, the mother said, "Have
a good time at the party, dear, and
?be a good girl."
To which daughter quipped: "Oh/ p
i mother, make up your mindl" L
An Airport for Every Town Will Be Possible if Plan .
Before Congress, Granting Federal Aid, Is Passed
4
U. S. Funds Would Match
Community's, Dollar for
Dollar, in Building
By Walter A. Shead
WNU 1US Cirt?Hi<?t.
Taking a page from the book
>f the public roads administra
ion, the civil aeronautics ad
ninistration is asking congress
or an appropriation to provide
or a billion-dollar postwar air
iprt construction program to be
illocated the states as federal
;rants on a fifty-fifty cost basis.
In asking for this federal aid or
ubsidy for the development of air
ransportation the CAA is not with
lut precedent. Declaring that we are
ntering "an air age of transporta
ion vital to the unified growth of
he nation's commerce," it points
lut that the government has al
vayg aided all forms of transporta
ion in their egrly stages.
CAA estimated that it will cost
ipproximately $1,250,000,000, spread
iver 5 to 10 years to carry through
i national airport program ade
juate to the nation's aviation needs,
ncluding purchase of land and
instruction of terminal buildings.
A detailed survey of the nation's
?irport facilities by CAA indicates
hat for this billion and a quarter
lollar cost, 1,625 of the country's
existing 3,255 airfields can be im
>roved, and- 3,050 new airports can
>e constructed for a total of 6,305
tirports.
Five Classes of Fields.
For the basis of.allocating funds
io the several states, the CAA has
nade a study of community needs
and set up five classifications for
tirports necessary for communities
in the basis of population and need.
These five classifications are:
Dlass 1?suitable for private owner
?mail typo aircraft with two L
ihaped airstrips l,80fi to 2,700 feet
long, 300 feet wide. Class 2?for
larger typo private owner air
craft and smaller transport planes
For local and feeder service, with
4-shaped airstrips 2,700 to 3,700 feet
long and S00 feet wl<^. Class 3?to
iccommodate present day twln-en
fine transport aircraft with several
landing strips 3,700 to ?;700 feet long
tnd 500 feet wide. Classes 4 and 5?
a serve the largest aircraft now in
ise and those planned for the Im
nedlate future, with multiple land
ng strips 4,700 to 0,700 feet long
ind 500 feet wide.
The proposed national plan of the
*AA would provide for improvement
if existing airports as follows: 303
:lass 1; 699 class 2; 349 class 3; 213
:lass 4, and 6i class 5. In addition,
instruction of new airports is pro
rided as follows: 7,597 of class 1;
,,101 of class 2; 101 class 3; 520
:lass 4, and 336 class 5.'
According -to this CAA survey of
he 15,000 towns of under 5,000 popu
ation, only 1,500 now have airports,
if which 313 are not now usable.
[Tie proposed program would im
irove existing ports and build 3,744
lew airports in these towns for a
otal of 4,006.
In setting up the total cost of these
iroposed airports, CAA did not in
:lude cost of land or buildings. It
loes include, however, preparation
if the land such as clearing, grub
ling, excavation and grading,
Irainage, surface conditioning and
encing, paving of runways, taxi
vays and aprons, installation of all
ighting Including beacons, obstruc
ion, runway and taxiway flood or
:ontact lights; radio facilities and
niscellaneous; such as approach
:learing, access roads, marking and
andscaping.
Small Ports Get MPer Cent.
Approximately 58. per cent of the
otal appropriation would be spent
or new airpqrt facilities, with 42
>er cent for improvement of exist
ng airports. Fundi'Mr qlass 1 and
t airports comprise -60.fi- per cent of
he total proposed appropriation, or
ipproximately 4155,650,623 lor class
airports and 4463.443,567 for the
:Iass 2 ports.
The legislaifon now' before con
? -
The "A" abaped nuiwiy U desl<aed far CUaa I airporta, aerrtec eom
nualtiea af S.ttt to U.ta* paylattoa. U will aceommadato plaaea welfb
H baiwaea MM aad MA** I'nii ....
The Clan I airport, known popularly aa an "airpark," la designed
for small private owner type planes op to 4,0M pounds cross weight.
Fields of this class are designed to serve small communities, and as
auxiliary airports la larger metropolitan areas, there are no paved
runways, but landing strips with clear approaches must measnra
1,800 to 2,7M feet long and MO feet wide. Recreational facilities,
such as parks, tennis courts and golf courses will surround the airpark
in many cases.
jress (or approval would provide
hat the state designate a single
agency through which the CAA
:ould negotiate, contract for con
struction, etc., and all construction
would be in charge ot local sponsors
an plans and specifications reviewed
and approved by CAA.
The plan would work in much the
same manner as highway construc
tion for secondary and feeder roads.
Local communities would make ar
rangements with the designated
state agency to take advantage of
the federal grant and with the CAA
iealing with the state agency.
Subject to revision the proposed
ilans call for the following total con
struction costs for new and im
sroved airports: Alabama, $12,185,
100; Arizona, $10,935,140; Arkansas,
135,109,634; California, $56,912,500;
Colorado, $12,178,000; Connecticut,
116,350,000; Delaware. $2,684,000;
Florida, $23,734,630; Georgia, $9,310r
00; Idaho, $9,085,300; Illinois, $40,
76,000; Indiana, $16,032,000; Iowa,
9,951,500: Kansas. $7,732,000; Ken
ucky, $7,865,000; Louisiana, $40,
17,890; Maine. $19,565,000; Mary
and, $14,065,000; Massachusetts,
29,931,000; Michigan. $22,813,000;
Minnesota, $11,736,000; Mississippi,
110,740,000; Missouri, $18,923,000;
don tana, $10,473,100.
Nebraska, $7,824,000; Nevada,
4,752,100; New Hampshire. $14,934,
00; New Jersey, $31,968,780; New
tlexico, $33,016,594; New York, $58,
90,895; North Carolina, $19,776,
00; North Dakota, $3,842,000; Ohio,
31,161,000; Oklahoma, $37,300,440;
Jregon, $6,579,000; Pennsylvania,
46,667,000; Rhode Island. $6,069,
00; South Carolina. $12,837,000;
iouth Dakota, $4,730,500; Tennessee,
113,142,000; Texas, $120,923,152;
Jtah, $12,120,790; Vermont, $12,867,
00; Virginia. $23,239,000; Washing
on, $20,158,000; West Virginia, $28,
49,000; Wisconsin, $17,944,000; Wyo
ning, $3,472,000; total $1,021,567,945.
Surveys May Start Soon.
The civil aeronautic administra
ion in the department of commerce
trill furnish detailed information to
iny of the 6,305 cities and towns
elected to become a part of this
lational airport network.
Of the total appropriation, the
-AA Is asking.. congress for a
3,000,000 appropriation to be. im
nediately available for detailed
>lans and surveys. ? According to
rstimates of the CAA hnd private
teronautic agencies,. such hs the
leronautical chamber of commerce,
15 per cent of thp. people will fly
drplanes or the ali lines after the
var.
It la pointed out that even tboae
who do not fly will utilize airport.
facilities as patrons of air mail, air!
freight and air express. Ton miles
of mail flown in the last four years
has increased from 10,000,000 fas
1940 to 94,000,000 in 1944.
Up to 1942 approximately 4.MM0*
passengers a year rode the sir
lines. Predictions are that this air
travel will see a 10-fold jump dar
ing the first postwar decade. In addi
tion there will be private pilots, own
ers and renters of planes draws
from such sources ss the JMjM
srmy and navy pilots, the pressed
150,000 civilian pilots and s to deads,
the 250,000 students taking aero
nautical courses in the high schools
each year, the 2,250,000 men trslssJ
by the armed forces in ivlafim
skills other than piloting, and fihn
almost equal number employed hn
aviation factories.
At the present time there are fisw
federal aid airport bills pending hs<
congress, three in the house of rep
resentatives and two in the senate.
The senate measurea, however, are
identical with the house bills, since
all measures carrying an appropri
ation must originate in the house.
In support of this federal-aid ahr
port legislation, Secretary of Com
merce Henry Wallace testified re
cently before the aviation sub-com
mittee asserting that action taken am
the measures proposed would deter
mine the progress of airport de
velopment in the country for the
next quarter of a century.
Would Prsvide Employment.
"I believe," Mr. Wallace said!,
"that civil aviation will be a
most important factor in the post
war drive for economic expansion
and full employment. Our $19,OfiO,
000.000 aircraft manufacturing in
dustry employing 1,700,000 workers
must, like all munitions industries,
undergo very drastic deflation."
While in the past a considerable
portion of aviation activity has been
confined to the larger cities ?"?*
towns, the proposals of the CAA are
designed to take aviation to the
country and the small rural com
munities throughout the nation. If
these communities take advantage
of the federal grants in aid, once
they are authorized, it will bring
aviation direct to the farmer at
least insofar as he wishes to use air.
transport in the shipment of farm!
commodities and the use of air,
transport and travel in his busi-'
ness of operating a farm. Mer
chants in the small communities]
too, will be placed on a par with
his city brethren in the receipt and)
shipment of freight and express,
once aviation service has been,
brought to the small towns, as is
proposed under this national net
work plan.
It, however, is up to the local com
munities included in the proposed
plan to take up the cudgel for local;
sponsorship and local expenditure at
50 per cent of the funds necessary;
to comply with CAA plans and speed-,
fications. Then it apparently is op|
to these local sponsors to contact
their state agency designated as
the proper source for collaboration
with the federal agency in order to
obtain the grant-in-aid as authorized
by congress. . j