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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Nazi Airfields, Defense Fortifications Smashed by Huge Allied Air Armadas; House Group Studies Income Tax Plan; Midwest Floods Cause Heavy Damage (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.) ' L. - Released by Western Newspaper Union. Tif ACT GROWTH OF U.S. NAVY (SHIPS IN COMMISSION) JANUARY 4 4. 3Sk Mm - rm 913 EUROPE: Zero Hour All the world tensed in anticipation anticipa-tion of the U. S. and British invasion inva-sion of western Europe, expected to coincide with other Allied thrusts in the Mediterranean and a great Russian Rus-sian offensive against German lines in eastern Poland. As the enemy reported on huge concentrations of Allied shipping and naval formations in English waters, neutral sources quoted German Ger-man strength at 90,000 men in Norway; Nor-way; 180,000 in Finland; 180,000 in the Balkans; 375,000 in Italy; 75,000 along the Mediterranean coast; 450,-000 450,-000 along the Atlantic wall, with 900,000 at strategic points in France, Germany and central Europe and finally 2,625,000 in Russia. As the zero hour approached for the greatest battle in history, U. S. and British bombers roared over Europe, smashing at concrete and steel defense bunkers, ripping up communication lines over which the enemy might rush troop concentrations concentra-tions and pouring fire on industries supplying the Nazi wehrmacht. INCOME TAX: Plan Simplification Of the nation's 50,000,000 taxpayers, taxpay-ers, 30,000,000 would not be required to file individual returns if congress approves the house ways and means committee's simplification bill, drawn after lusty protests over present complicated forms. Under the committee's bill, a person per-son earning up to $5,000 would have his whole tax deducted under the withholding plan, and he would just have to file copy of his employer's withholding receipt at the year's end. To simplify tax rates, the committee's com-mittee's bill calls for abolition of the victory tax and the creation of a normal tax of 3 per cent and a surtax sur-tax starting at 20 per cent on all income in excess of personal exemptions and a straight 10 per cent credit. CIVILIAN GOODS: Production Urged Following copgressional pressure applied particularly by Senators Stewart (Tenn.) and Wherry (Neb.), the War Production board withdrew a previous order freezing civilian goods output to first quarter levels. As a result of WPB's latest action, ac-tion, opportunity should develop for a gradual reconversion to consumer merchandise, particularly in those plants facing expiration of war contracts con-tracts and shutdowns. "Military production will not be hurt by a gradual conversion of industry in-dustry to the manufacture of civilian civil-ian goods," Senator Wherry said. "There is no reason why flat irons, automobile parts, general machinery machin-ery parts, alarm clocks and dozens of other urgently needed products cannot be made how." CORN: U. S. Sole Buyer To supply processing industries with badly needed supplies of corn, the government froze all farm or elevator sales of the grain in 125 counties in Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana except to U. S. agencies. At the same time, War Food administration ad-ministration announced that the government would stand all expense of shelling and transporting corn from the farm to the elevators, ' where sellers would receive the local lo-cal ceiling price. Approximately 80,000,000 bushels of corn are needed by the processing industry for making food products and material for fiber board, adhe-sives, adhe-sives, drugs, vitamins, explosives, chemicals, plastics, etc. PACIFIC: Trap Japs Around 140,000 Japs stood trapped in the South Pacific with the U. S. invasion of Hollandia in north central cen-tral New Guinea, about 1,400 miles distant from Gen. Douglas MacAr-thur'r MacAr-thur'r coveted goal of the Philippines Philip-pines As Doughboys fought inland from Hollandia to take over the airfields which would give them command over shipping lanes supplying enemy ene-my troops to the southeast, good word also came from India, where British and native forces stood up against fierce Jap efforts to sever the Bengal-Assam railroad feeding Lieut. Gen. Joseph Stilwell's Allied units hacking out the Ledo road to China from north Burma. The 140,000 in Jap troops trapped by the Hollandia invasion stretched all the way from the newly embattled embat-tled area to the Solomons, with their shipping lanes jeopardized by the superior U. S. air and naval forces, so far unable to draw out the enemy fleet lurking closer to its bases to the west. FLOOD: Extensive Damage Town and country alike were inundated inun-dated as flood waters surged throughout the central Mississippi river basin, approaching record peaks at many points, with early counts showing 10 dead and many homeless. Northernmost danger point was around Beardstown, 111., where the Flood scene in Illinois. Illinois river hovered around the 20 foot mark, flooding productive bottom-lands. Between the mouth of the Missouri Mis-souri river and Cairo, 111., where the mighty Ohio river flows into the Mississippi, high waters lapped at straining levees, and a little farther far-ther down, St. Louis reported a crest of approximately 33 feet. Extensive damage was caused in Wichita, Kansas, where the residential residen-tial district stood in water waists deep. As conditions improved in Kansas, they worsened in neighboring neighbor-ing Missouri and Arkansas. ARSENAL: U. S. Aids Allies The "arsenal of democracy" the U. S. with its gigantic, efficient in- dustrial machine has supplied the Allies with weapons and munitions valued at nearly 10 billion dollars since March of 1941. Although the Allies paid for some of the deliveries, most were lend-leased, lend-leased, including 23,000 planes, 23,500 tanks and 550,000 motor vehicles. In all, the Allies paid for 7,000 planes, 1,500 tanks and 250,000 vehicles. During the three-year period, the U. S. also aided the Allies with the production of $1,800,000,000 of aircraft air-craft engines and parts, $2,700,000,-000 $2,700,000,-000 of weapons, munitions, steel, aluminum and other metals, and hundreds of millions of gallons of gasoline. DRAFT: Depends on Losses Unless European or Pacific military mili-tary operations impose a severe drain on manpower, selective service serv-ice officials expect 1944 craft calls to be met with men under 30, it was revealed. Induction of younger men, however, how-ever, may place a heavy strain on industry and agriculture, Draft Director Lewis B. Hershey declared, adding: "Older men, physically unfit un-fit for service . . . and women can and must replace these young men at the lathes and on the tractors . . ." Of monthly requirements for 150,-000 150,-000 men, General Hershey said, about 60,000 can be met from men becoming 18, and the rest must be supplied from the 1,000,000 under 26 now deferred, of whom 600,000 are expected to pass their physicals. STEEL: Union Grojvs Philip Murray's United Steelwork-ers Steelwork-ers of America have grown into one of the most powerful labor organizations organiza-tions in the country, with membership member-ship of 936,500 and net assets of $3,313,077, including $2,174,313 in cash, according to a semi-annual report re-port of the union. During the year ended November 30, 1943, the USA signed up 210,875 new members and increased assets by $1,538,177, including $759,313 cash. During the six-month period ending end-ing November 30, 1943, USA paid $227,000 to the CIO with which it is affiliated, and also raised $102,500 for the CIO's political action committee. Costs of negotiations and wage scale conferences totaled $35,376 and traveling trav-eling expenses of officials and representatives repre-sentatives were $78,161. SUPREME COURT: Religious Freedom In a majority decision read by Justice Douglas, the U. S. Supreme Justice Douglas court reaffirmed the freedom of religious worship, asserting no jury had the right to pass on the validity of any doctrine. doc-trine. "Freedom of thought . . . embraces em-braces the right to maintain theories of life and death and of the hereafter which are rank heresy to followers of orthodox faiths," Justice Douglas said. ". . . Men may believe what they cannot prove. They may not be put to the proof of their religious doctrines or beliefs. Religious experiences ex-periences which are as real as life to some may be incomprehensible to others ..." "If one could be sent to jail' because be-cause a jury in a hostile environment environ-ment found these teachings false, little indeed would be left of religious reli-gious freedom," the justice said, adding that if the doctrines of the parties involved in the court case were subject to judgment, "then the same can be done with the religious beliefs of other sects." ARMY: Ask Single Command In the interests of efficiency, unity of command, economy and elimination elimina-tion of duplications, two war department depart-ment officers studying reorganization reorganiza-tion of the services urged the consolidation con-solidation of the army and navy into a single command instead of separate sepa-rate arms as at present. However, the spokesmen refused to go as far as Representative Maas (Minn.), who also suggested the adoption of a single uniform for all branches and their functioning as teams. Declaring unity of command at the top would be sufficient, the spokesmen favored retaining the separate identities of the services. Without a single command, the spokesmen said, the task of coordinating coordi-nating army and navy units and preparing for defense must be left to the President, without any workable work-able machinery to aid him. Economies Econo-mies in securing munitions and other oth-er supplies would, be effected through a single command, the spokesmen asserted. WORLD BANK: For Trade Stability Consultant economists of 30 out ol the 34 United Nations were reported to have agreed on the formation of a world bank with a capitalization of 10 billion dollars to promote international inter-national business stability in the postwar period. Functions of the bank in which the U. S. would have a 2Vi billion dollar interest, would be to provide member mem-ber nations with finances for holding up the value of their money, preventing pre-venting any drops that would depress de-press their business activity. Great Britain with $1,250,000,000 and Russia with $1,000,000,000 would be the two other biggest subscribers to the bank, on whose managing committee of nine, the U. S. would have one vote. BRITISH TAXES The British exchequer intends to raise about 12 billion dollars of the annual cost of the war by taxation, with the levy amounting to approximately approxi-mately $300 for every person in the kingdom. The year's expenditure for war will likely be double this amount, or slightly more than last year. Further increases in the tax on non-essential items are anticipated. The basic rate is now 50 per cent on incomes and 100 per cent on ; luxury items. , . |
