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Show WASHINGTON' NWSp FROM OUR CONGRESSMAN W. K. GRANGER Axis Has 9-10 of Rubber Areas, Situation Sit-uation U "Grlru", Top Officials Reveal Four leading war agency officials offi-cials Joined May 22 in a statement designed to clarify the facts about the severe rubber shortage: "There has been a great deal of confusion about the rubber situation, much ol it caused by optimistic stories a-bout a-bout the availability of synthetic rubber at an early date, or the large amount of scrap rubber which can be reprocessed, but there is little real basis for such optimism. Our rubber shortage Is one of the worst material shortages we face. We can spare no rubber of any kind for nonessential uses. Statements to the contrary are misleading, and do the country a great disservice, for the facts as we see them are grim, and we need 100 percent cooperation coopera-tion in conservation measures by the publJc and by Industry. The Axis occupies 90 percent of the world's rubber-producing areas and straddles the sea lanes to 7 percent of the rest. The present plans for synthetic rubber encompass the production of only 300,000 tons in the year of 1943. No rubber at all can be spared this year or the next for any purpose pur-pose not directly connected with the war effort. Nation-wide gasoline rationing awaits only development of a system sys-tem and prime object will be conservation con-servation of rubber. Army The War Department announced it will induct each month 3,000 class 3-A selectees monthly, effective Immediately, Im-mediately, as volunteers for officer offi-cer training double the present quota. An applicant must first be classified or eligible for classification classifica-tion as a 3-A registrant for reasons of dependency only and must not be subject to deferment because of occupying a key position in industry. indus-try. The War Department raised from 45 to 49 the maximum age for VVAAC officer candidates. However' A'omen over 45 will not be accepteJ as non-officer members. The 410 Rejjtilur Army recruiting stations throughout the nation will begin recruiting on May 27 for the Corps' first officer candidate school, tc begin at Fort Des Moines, Iowi July 15. Applications must be flleJ on or before June 4. The appllca tion blanks are available at the various Army recruiting stations, and must be filled out and broughl by mall or in person to one of tht 52 main recruiting stations. No applications ap-plications sent directly to the Wai Department will be considered. On June 1 the Army Air Force.-will Force.-will begin training great numbers of. gilder pilots at 27 schools, tht War Department announced. Pre 1-minnry training a course to las four weeks will be given at 18 CA-schools CA-schools located mainly in the Mid die West, while nine addltlona schools will give two weeks ele mentary and advanced training courses, which Willi Include In struction in piloting cargo tyi gilders. Important Legislation The House passed and returnee' to the Senate a bill creating t Small Business Corporation, whlcr would make loans to enable smal firms to obtain war contracts. Un der the House bill, Government procurement agencies would be required re-quired to award contracts to small concerns if they are certified a? competent by WPB, and capitalization capitali-zation of the Corporation would be $200,000,000 instead of the $100,000,-000 $100,000,-000 as fixed by the Senate. Army 'Jeeps' As Farm Power Unit The Army's "Jeep'' or quarter-ton quarter-ton reconnaissance car has showed up favorably in tests as a farm power unit and may be used on farms after the war Is over, the Agriculture Department said. The tests were first of several by agricultural agri-cultural engineers to find post-wsr salvage uses for muteriuls and machines. ma-chines. Jeeps are being made in large numbers and there may be a surplus of them after the war, the Department said. In tests they did good work in plowing, harrowing, harrow-ing, and other farm operations 'row-crops excepted.) President Reduce YVPA Request-In Request-In a special message to Congress President Roosevelt reduced his WPA request for fiscal 1943 from $405,000,000 to $282,767,000. He said the war effort Is drawing workers from "every available source," thereby reducing the need for h work relief program. The WPA program, pro-gram, he said, must be held "to one of work relief for employable persons who, by reason of circumstances, circum-stances, cannot obtain employment ( either in war activities or In other work." He estimated that many of the 3,000,000 persons unemployed will be hired during the coming year. He said "to meet labor shortages short-ages the recruitment of workers from every available source will be required and possibly even organized organ-ized migration in some Instances." Conversion of CCC to a War Basis CCC Director McEntee reported 85 percent of the CCC program is now converted "to a complete war basis" and by June 25 the conversion conver-sion will be completed. One hundred hun-dred and fifty-one camps are novv located on or being moved to military mil-itary reservations, 150 are on resources re-sources protection projects, and 43 will be moved In to military areas shortly, he said. The CCC, Mr. McEntee Mc-Entee said, has provided basic health and work training to 735,000 men since May, 1940; has taught 18,638 men to read and write; has provided vocational training for more than 500,000; has trained 36,-000 36,-000 In special defense courses. Agriculture The Bureau of Agricultural Economics Econ-omics reported: "The upward trend In cattle prices under way since last fall apparently has been halted Although cattle prices this spring are generally $2.00 to $3.00 higher than a year earlier, the establishment es-tablishment of maximum prices for beef may cause hardships for some cattle producers, particularly those who recently have purchased feeder feed-er cattle at high prices on the basis of an expected further advance In finished cattle prices." The Bureau also stated the -outlook for hoj prices this summer continues to be the most favorable In years; the outlook for the 1942 lamb crop U mostly favorable; wool prices are not expected to change much In the next few months. First Treason Indictment Asked Attorney General Blddle Instructed Instruc-ted the U. S. District Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan to seek a Grand Jury Indictment of treason against Mex Stephan, Detroit, De-troit, who Is charged with harboring harbor-ing Peter Krug, German Air Force Lieutenant who escaped from a Canadian prison on April 16. Penalties Pen-alties for treason vary at the discretion dis-cretion of the court from a $10,000 fine and five years' Imprisonment to the death penalty, the Attorney General said. |