. WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Allied Gains Mark Italy Battle; Plan Four-Power Peace Meeting; 5,000,000 U. S. Men Overseas Released by Western Newspaper Union. ' (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those or Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) FOREIGN POLICY: F. D. R.'s Stand Closely paralleling the Republican party's celebrated Mackinac Island declaration on foreign policy, President Presi-dent Roosevelt declared for maintenance main-tenance of U. S. sovereignty or self-determination self-determination in the activities of any postwar organization to secure peace. Said Arch-Nationalist Gerald Nye (N. D.) : "It is only too apparent in the light of his statement, that the door has been opened for Roosevelt to become the No. 1 nationalist or isolationist in the campaign next fall if the Republicans adopt a platform plat-form tying them to internationalism. international-ism. . . " President Roosevelt's declaration came during the course of a press conference, in which he envisaged . an international organization of nations na-tions cooperating freely and closely in the preservation of peace to prevent pre-vent future aggression. ' New Procedure President Roosevelt made his statement shortly after Secretary of State Cordell Hull had issued invitations invita-tions to Great Britain, Russia and China to participate in discussions of forming a postwar peace organization organi-zation following consultations with members of the senate's foreign relations re-lations committee. By conferring with the senators, the administration sought to eliminate elimi-nate partisanship from the formulation formu-lation of postwar foreign policy, and, also, avoid Pres. Woodrow Wilson's Wil-son's mistake of seeking senatorial sanction for the World War I Peace Treaty without previously consulting consult-ing the chamber on its provisions during its composition. In Secretary Hull's talks with the senators, it was revealed that some of them objected to formal commitment commit-ment to any organization of enforcing enforc-ing postwar peace until the U. S. was apprized of the nature of the final settlement. PACIFIC: Bloody Episode Bloody as any of the fighting in the South Pacific was the U. S. thrust against the enemy airfield on Biak island off Dutch New Guinea, with reinforcements called in to aid in the suppression of the stubborn foe. With access to the airfield along a roadway below a commanding ridge doughboys found themselves under sight of entrenched enemy snipers in the brush above, and when they climbed to the level of the airdrome, they encountered formations of Japanese Jap-anese tanks. Under cover of the big guns of the 7th naval fleet, however, reinforcements reinforce-ments were landed, and doughboys again pressed on the airfield, capture cap-ture of which would assure the U. S. of another link in the chain of air bases being established in the northwestern north-western New Guinea area for cover cov-er for the grand assault on the Philippines or Indies. PRICE CONTROL: Parity Problem Extension of the OPA for 18 months appeared certain only after a bitter fight over Sen. John Bank-head's Bank-head's amendment, calling for readjustment re-adjustment of textile prices to reflect re-flect parity returns on cotton to farmers. Headed by Sen. Robert Wagner (N. Y.), opponents of the Bankhead-amendment Bankhead-amendment claimed that it would lead to similar demands by other segments of industry, thus increas- LABOR: Pressure Effective As a result of strong union pressure pres-sure exerted by 8.000 members of the CIO's United Automobile Workers, Work-ers, government agencies announced an-nounced plans for the resumption ol operations at two plants of the Brewster Aeronautical Corp. in New York and Pennsylvania. Brought to a head when 5,500 UAW members of Brewster's New York plant refused to leave the premises for two days after being discharged due to the navy's cancellation of contracts with the company for Corsair Cor-sair airplanes, the War Production board determined to reopen the plant for the manufacture of spare parts if other concerns making Corsairs Cor-sairs can use them. Earlier, the navy announced it would take over Brewster's Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania plant and keep its 2,500 employees working. PEARL HARBOR: Trial Delay Efforts of Sen. Homer Ferguson (Mich.) to direct the secretaries of ; war and navy to institute court mar-tial mar-tial proceedings against Adm. Husband Hus-band E. Kimmel and Maj. Gen. '. Walter C. Short for the Pearl Harbor Har-bor debacle were frustrated by the j senate's judiciary committee. ! Instead the committee approved ! a resolution calling upon the secre-! secre-! taries to immediately begin an in-i in-i vestigation into the catastrophe, i with a .view toward ordering court martial proceedings if justified by the facts uncovered. During the course of the committee's commit-tee's deliberations, it was revealed 1 that Kimmel was Anxious to be tried in open court whenever a trial rrfight be held without impairing the war effort Declaring that any delays might be personally disadvantageous disadvanta-geous to him because of difficulties of later assembling evidence and witnesses, Kimmel said that the whole story of . Pearl Harbor has not been told. Fifteen Husbands When the government discovered that it was sending four dependency allotment allot-ment checks to one woman who claimed to be the legal wife of four soldiers, the FBI undertook an investigation. Upon probing the case, the FBI learned ' that not only had red-haired, 35-year-old Marion Horn been married to the four servicemen without bother ing to divorce any of them, but she also had been wedded to 11 other men without with-out a legal separation in any case. Charged with fraudulently receiving benefits under the servicemen's dependents' depend-ents' allowance act, Mrs. Horn remarked about her marriage activities by declar-ing: declar-ing: "I didn't mean to do anything wrong. I just didn't bother with divorces' di-vorces' Said her 15th husband, serving in the marine corps: "She is a fine woman, but a little absent-minded ..." SUPREME COURT: Forced Testimony Although the federal government itself cannot accept evidence against an individual which it obtains ob-tains against his will, it can use such evidence if supplied by state officials and turned over to it for a trial, the Supreme court ruled in a divided opinion. In a seven to one decision, the court upheld Wisconsin's 3 per cent tax on dividends paid out of earnings earn-ings within the state on the grounds that: ". . . It (Wisconsin) has afforded af-forded protection and benefits to . . . corporate activities and transactions trans-actions within the state . . . giving rise to the income of stockholders. stockhold-ers. ..." In ' dissenting against the majority's ma-jority's opinion in the first case admitting ad-mitting an individual's forced testimony testi-mony in federal courts if obtained by state officials, the minority declared: de-clared: "... The use of testimony obtained by compulsory discovery to convict an accused must be considered con-sidered 'shocking to the universal sense of justice' and offensive to the common and fundamental ideas of fairness and right." CHINA: New Drive As the Chinese pressed their drive in the southwest to join up with Lieut. Gen. Joseph Stilwell's forces in Burma and open a supply road to the embattled country, no less than 180.000 Japanese opened a big offensive farther to the east in an apparent effort to counteract any projected Allied operations resulting from new communication lines. The Jap offensive got under way shortly after the loss of momentum of their previous drive farther to the north. Already firmly in control of the northeastern section of China where the rich resources and abundant manpower have been put to work in the Japanese industrial machine, the enemy's new drive appears designed de-signed to thwart any Allied push to open up the coastal country in the region and use it as base for general gen-eral operations on the mainland. OLD AGE The average monthly check to persons receiving old age assistance from state bureaus was $26.99 in February. The southwestern states disbursed the most, with California paying $47.14 and Colorado $41.17. Arizona doled out $38.29. The southern states were at the other end of the scale. Mississippi paid the lowest sum, $9. '.'2, und Kentucky Ken-tucky came next with $10.04. Louisiana topped this section with $21.29. Middlewestern states ranged from $22 to $30 in payments. EUROPE: Allied Progress Allied troops cracked the last German Ger-man defense line on the western end of the front below Rome as enemy forces completed their withdrawal to the east, and the guttering dome of St. Peter's came first into view of fighting U. S. doughboys, wading through hails of Nazi fire. As Allied forces closed on the Eternal City and the enemy fell back, U. S. and British bombers continued con-tinued their invasion bombardment -jVih . 1 ; tt n 1 $ y I p, , i. 1 Rome With water supply blasted, Italian women do their washing in streets. of western Europe, and Russian troops in the east withstood a strong Nazi assault designed to upset their alignment for their scheduled big push. By pulling back the bulk of his 10th army which opposed the Allied onslaught in the Cassino area, Nazi Marshal Kesselring managed to save them from complete annihilation, annihila-tion, but U. S. and British forces exacted a heavy toll in the desperate, desper-ate, rearguard fighting, and their battle-planes ranged along the whole line of enemy retreat, ' shooting up marching columns and vehicles. As the battle-clouds rumbled over Rome, Pope Pius XII appealed against the principle of total victory, declaring: total victory or complete annihilation ". . . works as a stimulant stimu-lant for prolongation of the war, even with those who . . . would be inclined to a reasonable peace." Over There ' With 3,657,000 U. S. army men overseas, Secretary of War Henry Stimson declared that they are ". . . poised to strike victory winning win-ning blows against Germany and Japan by land, sea and air." At the same' time, the navy revealed re-vealed that it had 1,566,000 men afloat or on foreign duty, with 900,- 000 more in transit or in training for combat service. I The army's 3,657,000 men overseas ! represented 47 per cent of total ' strength, and this would be boosted to 5,000,000 men, or two-thirds of total strength, by the end of 1944, Secretary Stimson said. Declaring that disposition of troops overseas was in conformance with plans of the high command, Secretary Stimson said early transport trans-port of forces was to plug holes in the Allies' tottering lines, and later shipments were to crack the Axis' j outer defenses for the grand assault, for which preparations long have been under way. j GOVERNORS: State Program j Meeting in Hershey, Pa., the na-tion's na-tion's governors called upon the fed-eral fed-eral government to formulate a postwar policy on public works which might possibly fit into their own extensive plans for such projects. proj-ects. In addition, the governors declared de-clared for: 1. The individual states continued administration of unemployment insurance in-surance in the estimation of their probable postwar unemployment and the solvency of their insurance funds, the provision for adequate reserves, re-serves, and development of plans for quick payments; 1 2. Future convocation of a federal-! federal-! state tax parley to overhaul the nation's na-tion's entire tax structure and pro- ; vide each governmental division with sufficient funds for operation; 3. Postponement in the formulation formula-tion of a postwar military policy and army until the war's end offers an i opportunity to judge the extent of our responsibilities. Retention of the national guards'as provided in the act of 1916. MISCELLANY WHEEL TRACTORS: During the week ending May 27, production of farm-type wheel tractors reached ; the highest point yet attained. In jthat week 6,098 units were made, the War Production board reports, j Average for the preceding five , weeks had been 5,906 tractors. Total ! made in 11 months since the start of i the farm year on July 1, 1943, is about 200,000 machines. Senators Bankhcad (left) and Wagner. ing the general price level, giving rise to pressure for higher wages, and, in all, destroying the economic stabilization of the last few years. In advocating approval of the amendment, its supporters pointed out that the original stabilization act directed that ceilings were to reflect re-flect parity prices for farm commodities. com-modities. Supporters also contended that readjustment of prices of cheap-textiles cheap-textiles would lead to the greater production of such goods, thus directly di-rectly benefitting low income groups now compelled to purchase higher quality material. War-Planes American aircraft factories are now turning out far more war planes than both Germany and Japan combined, latest reports show. The United States is now producing pro-ducing at the rate of 100,000 planes a year, as compared with 21,600 for Germany and 14,000 for Japan. The British empire and the United States together have made about 300,000 planes since Great Britain entered the war, while the Axis reportedly re-portedly produced 151,000 in the same period.