Show NEWS BEHIND THE NEWS By S. S Burton Heath Telegrams Telegram's New York Correspondent NEW YORK YORK For For several weeks past the United States navy has been sweeping mine-sweeping New York harbor The proceedings proceedings proceedings proceed proceed- ings have been observed by many persons Inevitably but landlubbers landlubbers landlubbers bers would not recognize their sign significance and the news has not spread The operations are areto areto areto to some extent experimental and for training but naval men say that also they are in deadly earnest The method used is described by experienced observers as new and varies from time to time The standard equipment has consisted consisted consisted con con- of a trawler or similar craft from which project two arms in the form of a V supporting supporting supporting sup sup- porting the sweeping net Here the sailors are using from three to four assorted craft For a time a a peculiarly constructed ship resembling a l layer cable I hauled behind her tWo 1 destroyers destroy destroy- ers spread d out and dragging the thenet thenet thenet net between them Then a tug was add added to tow the larger ship which in turn pulled the de de- de- de I Waterfront front men conjecture conjecture conjecture con con- jecture that the tug is used as asa asa asa a protective mask for the more more valuable bigger b boat at Ambrose channel out and In through which passes much of the nations nation's ocean-borne ocean traffic is is' swept constantly So is Gedney Gedney Gedney Ged- Ged ney channel through w which h i c h steam most of the tankers bringing bringing bringing bring bring- ing petroleum to the metropolitan tan area and tak taking ng refined products products prod prod- products to the rest of the world The feeder or orifices ices on the main coast are not neglected Thus far no mines have been found Navy chiefs do not expect axis craft to sneak in from Europe with explosives but intend to tomake tomake tomake make certain that no seafaring saboteurs drop deadly packages out of fishing boats just before warships cargo cargo boats or perhaps British liners are scheduled to passIn pass In his secondary capacity as Democratic leader of New York City Ed Flynn has learned at first hand nand that half the F. F D. D are against him this ye year r. r Politicians assume that the Bronx boss oss as national chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man knows how the rest of the family feels about the mayoralty campaign but no reassuring word from that angle has come down Flynn was among others at Hyde Park recently when the president and Mrs Roosevelt I stopped at the manor The group discussion was turned to the coming municipal campaign here in which insiders knew that the candidates would be Mayor LaGuardia La Guardia running for a third term tenn and District Attorney ODwyer of Brooklyn Said one of the guests to another another an an- another other I suppose you will be for Fiorello wont won't you Yes indeed was the reply Im for him all down the line which was taken to include Comptroller McGoldrick and Council President Newbold Mor Mor- ris The combined votes of these three constitute te absolute control over city administration Turning Turning Turning Turn Turn- ing to the First Lady the LaGuardia LaGuardia LaGuardia La- La Guardia booster asked bluntly Arent you that countered Mrs Roosevelt For LaGuardia Of course I am Heartily Southern farmers who are wondering how to make money from their land are being offered of of- offered a number of possibilities One mentioned already by this column is guayule through which some experts believe the U. U S. S could go far toward making herself herself herself her her- self independent of rubber imports im im- imports im- im ports without relying upon expensive expensive expensive ex ex- ex- ex pensive synthetics except when these offer specific advantages Another is tung twig oil Currently we are obtaining no nomore nomore nomore more than a tenth of our normal requirement of this vital product even before considering special war needs From China traditionally traditionally traditionally the source of supply we are acquiring about a million pounds a month Added to peak annual domestic output of around pounds this gives only pounds toward satisfying satisfying satisfy satisfy- ing a a. a demand that before the war touched pounds a year Because of its virtues as asa asa asa a drier no satisfactory substitute for tung oil has been found Six pounds are used for every sized lar-sized car For a normal annual annual annual an an- nual turnout of automobiles close to acres of tung trees are needed There is no reason reason why the U. U S. S should not produce most of its requirement instead of a bare 2 per cent Eleven years ago there w were re only acres of the trees in this country Now there are close to Mississippi is far in the lead with 63 per cent at the last account account- ing tag But there is enough start in Florida Louisiana Georgia Texas and Alabama to demone demonstrate demon demon- demonstrate strate e that much of the south might find in tung trees a valuable valuable able abl crop to supplement the cotton cotton cotton cot cot- ton which no longer can support that section adequately This happened some time ago but the frosty tale was told while the thermometer hovered around 90 degrees in downtown Manhat Manhat- tan The narrator is a high official official official of of- of- of whose duty it is to coordinate coordinate coordinate nate certain phases of the national national na na- na defense effort He Heas was as explaining why he was beyond worrying about heat or humid humid- ity I took my boys up north sIding skiing skiing ski sId ing he said We were much interested interested interested in in- in a detachment of troops learning to ski in forma forma- tion They hadn't been at it long and did splendidly Before they came caine army anny officials had been there locating quarters for th them m. m Washington wanted to send a whole regiment at once so they could learn to coordinate th their ir activities That had to be given up because there sufficient sufficient sufficient accommodations But when the billeting staff arrived the C C C had just finished demolishing demolish demolish- ing barracks with steam heat toilets and shower baths capable of housing men in complete comfort It turned out that the army anny had never heard of the C C C or the conservationists of the soldiers I 1 asked some of their officers Now SNow that you men have been bean trained in ski warfare I suppose that you will be kept in the north country wont won't you He told me meNo No As soon as we are through with this instruction were we're being sent down to the Caribbean |