OCR Text |
Show WASHINRTriN v III NEiWS m0 FROM OUR CONGRESSMAN W. K. GRANGER Income Payments At Record High in June The Commerce Department said income payments to individuals indi-viduals during June reached a record high of $9,537 million. After allowance for large disbursement dis-bursement of dividend and interest in-terest payments at mid-year and other seasonal influences, the index of total income payments advanced from 162.7 in May to 165.4 in June (1935-39 as 100). Although a portion of the rise in Federal payrolls, chiefly accountable ac-countable for the advance, represented rep-resented disbursement of pay increases granted members of the armed forces by recent legislation, leg-islation, the gain in military and civil employment was substantial sub-stantial nevertheless. Factory payrolls continued to expand as the production of war goods more than offset the drop in civilian ci-vilian output, the Department said. Entrepreneurial income (net income of owners of unincorpor-a unincorpor-a t e d businesses, including farmers) represented about 15 per cent of all income payments in each of the two years, the Department said. During the first half of this year, agencies of Federal, State and local Governments Gov-ernments paid out one dollar of every seven that went to the nation's wage and salary earners. earn-ers. Agriculture improved its relative position between 1939 and 1942 as the net income of the nation's 6,000,000 farm operators oper-ators increased rrom 5.4 to 6.6 per cent of total income paid out, while non-agricultural entrepreneurial en-trepreneurial net income declined de-clined slightly from 9.6 to 9.2 per cent of the total, the Department De-partment said. Relations With Free French Secretary of State Hull told his press conference discussions now being held in London were designed to enlarge the scope of economic and military collaboration col-laboration with the Free French and might include arrange ments ior tne u. s. to obtain strategic materials from the Free French-controlled central African territory. Army As of July 20, .7,000 Volunteer Officer Candidates have been inducted into service, with 30 per cent choosing the Infantry, 18 per cent the Quartermaster Corps, 14 per cent the Army Air Forces administrative service, 6 per cent the Armored Force, and the remainder the other arms and services, the War Department De-partment reportea. "Unusual opportunities" ae presented for Officer Candidates in the Corps of Engineers, the Signal Corps, Antiaircraft Artillery and Ordnance Ord-nance Department, the announcement an-nouncement said. The candidates candi-dates comprise class 3-A men, deferred for depenaency only, who volunteer for induction "for the express purpose of competing com-peting for admission to Officer Candidate Schools." The program pro-gram was inaugurated in March and an overall quota of 1,500 per month was set; however, how-ever, this figure was doubled in May.' Nurses For The Armed Forces American-Red Cross Chairman Chair-man Davis, Army Surgeon General Gen-eral Magee and Navy Surgeon General Mclntire told their joint press conference that the Red Cross had launched a campaign to recruit 3,000 registered regis-tered nurses monthly to meet the needs of the armed forces. "We need to get twice as many nurses a month as are now being be-ing enrolled for," Mr. Davis said. The Army asked for 2,500 nurses and the Navy for 500 nurses. To qualify, the nurses must be registered, be graduates gradu-ates of an accredited nursing school, be under -0 years of age, in good health and unmarried, un-married, Mr. Davis said. New Construction Despite a sharp contraseason-al contraseason-al decline in pn,vate construction, construc-tion, the volume of new construction con-struction in the secona quarter of 1942 reached a record level of 83,297 million, 25 per cent higher high-er than the preceding quarter and 28 per cent above the same period in 1941, the Commerce Department reported. The increase in-crease was due to public war construction which was one and one-half times as large as in the previous quarter and almost al-most three times as large as in the same period a year ago. The Department said the shift from private to public war construction con-struction probably will continue during the rest of the year, and it estimated the total volume of construction in the last six months will be about $5,800 million compare with $5,934 million in the first six months. However, total construction probably will begin to taper off toward the end of 1942 "because of the increasing pressure of material and labor shortage." Deposits in Federal Land Banks Farmers' "rainy day" funds are increasing in Federal land banks and borrowers have deposited de-posited in excess of $10,000,000 since last September, tne Agriculture Agri-culture Department said. Payoffs Pay-offs on principal of land bank loans last year amounted to about $129,000,000, of which $56,000,000 represented loans paid in full prior to maturity. Over $43,000,000 in principal payments, a 45 per cent increase in-crease over the first quarter of 1941, were made by land Banks and Land Bank Commissioner borrowers, the Department said. Army Army Ground Forces Commander Com-mander McNair said the Army is permitting civilian observers from plants manufacturing war equipment to attend summer maneuvers to study the durability dura-bility of their companies' products pro-ducts under conditions closely approximateing those of actual combat. These observers will not alter or impede the conduct of maneuvers, and they will not be attached to Army units, though they will be assisted and supervised by military authorities in each area, General Gen-eral McNair said. The War Department said letters for military personnel in Hawaii and the southwest Pacific Pa-cific should be sent by regular mail rather than air mail except ex-cept in emergencies. The volume vol-ume of air mail to the Islands is so heavy that only a fraction of it can be carried by plane and the balance must be sent t . ' : . . .1 t . j. : , by ship, the Department said. Red Cross Aid Red Cross Chairman Davis said the Army and Navy have requested a new quota of 2,500 pints of blood to be collected by the Red Cross during the next 12 months. Approximately 50,000 donors a week will be needed to supply the amount, he said. Labor Supply WMC Chairman McNutt said present and prospective physics and mathematics teachers should enroll in tuition-free, short-term teaching courses set up in 200 colleges and universities univer-sities under the war program of the U. S, Office of Education. The teaching load in physics and mathematics, basic needs for effective use and designing of the highly technical implements imple-ments of modern war, has increased, in-creased, and the number of teachers is decreasing, he said. Many teachers are being drawn into industry, research and the armed forces. Summer courses now under way are offering programs under the Engineering, Engineer-ing, Science, and Management War Program with Federal funds authorized by Congress. While students pay no tuition, they are reauired to provide their own subsistence, travel expenses ex-penses and text books, the Office Of-fice of Education said. |