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Show ie ieOR M OR W R , ON ONWashington Wa Washington hmgton D C CIlIIPROVED CIMPROVED CIMPROVED IlIIPROVED IMPROVED NA\AL NA AL NASAL NA \ AL POSITIONBehmd POSITIONBehind POSITION POSITIONBehind Behind Behmd the Solomon islands battle battleare battleare battleare are some optimist opbmlst c naval tacts facts en ent1rely entirely entirely t1rely tirely as de from the announcement announcementof of victor } Tl TI ese facts had to be bever bevery beveri ver very carefully considered e\ e c\en c en een eten \ en be before before before fore U S na naval natal \ al chiefs started to toInvade toinvade toinvade Invade the SolomonsOne SolomonsOne Solomons SolomonsOne One of the the'e thee these ' < e naval facts is that thatthe thatthe thatthe the Japs have suffered suJIered very scvere severe scverelosses severelosses severelosses losses m cru scrs Although it has hasescaped hasescaped hasescaped escaped pi pl pt bhc bllc not ce cc U S forces forceshave forceshave forceshave have been bumping bumpmg off th s fast 1m ini 1mportant iniportant important portant type t ) pe of warsh p with deadly deadlyregulanty deadlyregularity deadlyregularity regulanty regularity so that Jap cruIser cruIserstrength cruiserstrength cruiserstrength strength is now cut at least in m half perhaps moreAnother moreAnother more moreAnother Another knOv known . D na naval va I fact is tha that thattime thattlie t tthe the time Japs have lost 'lpproxlmatel lpproxlmatel approximately approximatelyhalf ' pproxlmatelhalt } hal half ! of oC their airplane carr ers And Andwith Andwith Andwith with a r power what it is today todi tod'l todl ' > th s sIS sms sis IS ms the type of o1 vessel they can least leastafford leastafford leastafford afford to loseOn loseOn lose loseOn On the American side of the p c cture cture cture ture is ms the tact fact that V U S repall's repalls repairs repall'sof repairsof repairsot ' of sh ps sunk or damaged at Pearl PearlHarbor PearlHarbor PearlHarbor Harbor hive h'lve hlve have ' been miraculously miraculouslySv miraculouslyswift miraculouslyswift miraculouslyswiftAll Sv swift . t tAll swiftAll All this obviously . was v.as vas taken takcn mto into mtocons intocons intocons cons deration before the Un ted tedStates tedStates tedStates States started tarted a major engagement engagementand engagementand and the offelsite offel Sle siv Sl\ Sl \ e m in the South Pa Pac Pac Pac ' c flc fic For Admiral : . King h.mg hmg had to cal calculate calculate calculate culate the risk of the Jap admIrals admIralsrushmg admiralsrushing admiralsrushing , rushmg rushing a large force to the Solomon SolomonIslands Solomonislands Solomonislands SolomonislandsSimultaneously ' Islands IslandsSimultaneously Simultaneously he also had to fig figure figure figure ' ure the risk of a Jap attack attach . on van vanf vanous vanfaims vanous I ous aims other otherital \ital ital 'Ital tital \ ' pomts-M pomts M points-M points points - M dwa dwaiAlaska } I Alash.a Alasha Alaska . Hawal Hawai eien e\en e en eten \ the contnen contnental cont nen nental nental | tal Un ted Sta StatesTop States StatesTop tes tesTop Top admirals these days to not nottake nottake nottake take chances Not when the fate fateof fateof fateof of a nat on depends on them t\1em t 1em \ There Therefore Therefore Therefore fore it requ res only a mathemat mathematClan mathematclan mathematdan Clan to figure that the scale of Amer AmerIcan Amermean Arnerlean Ican mean strci strel street gth in m the Pac fie fic tic has hasturned hasturned hasturned turned It reached its lo 10 v 10V ebb Just Justafter justafter ] ustafter after Pearl Harbor . when v.hen vhen the navy navywas navywas navywas was unable to do anyth ng about the thePhlhppmes thePhilippines thePhilippines Phlhppmes Philippines Singapore Smgapore or JavaBut JavaBut Java JavaBut But now the Battle of Mid vay has hassho'l1 hasshot hassho\Ti hassho Ti shot sho\'l1 sho 'l1 l1 \ ' i that Ha\\a Ha a Haaa Haw \ a i 1 and the West Westcoast Westcoast Westcoast coast can be defended by land based basedplanes basedplanes basedplanes planes No Jap sh p dares come comenear comenear comenear near land based planes without com corn commlttmg cornmilting cornnutting mlttmg milting su cide clde ride cldeTh rideTh cideTh Th s s leaves a reinforced remforced fleet fieet to tooperate tooperate tooperate operate m in the Pacific Top nat na na\almen na almen \ , al almen almen men are not do ng ar > } cro v ng } et etBut etBut etBut But at least the naval picture seems seemsto seemsto seemsto to counterbalance some of the bdd bad badnews bddnews badnews news from Russ a-wh a wh a - wh ch is gomg going gomgto goingto goingto to get a lot v . worseBURIED worse orse orseo o 0 0 0BURIED BURIED SILVERTen SILVERTen SILVER SILVERTen Ten years ago President Roose Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt velt and Cordell Hull held a series seriesof seriesof seriesof I RooseI of discuss ons with the foreign m n nIsters nrosters nisters Isters rosters of Europe m in preparation for forthe forthe forthe the London Economic conference at atwhich atwhich atwhich which one of the chief proposals of ofthe ofthe ofthe the United Umted States was world use of ofsiver ofs ofs siver s Ivor lver siverAt IvorAt lverAt At tr ti ti ese conferences the late Sen Senator Senator Senator ator Key Pittman of the great sll sil sllver silyen silver ver yen state of r- r - . Isevada revada Aevada evada droned through througha a regular 4ominute 4 4a 4o- 4o " - minute mmute lecture on sl slyen s 1 1ver 1ver ver yen which American Amencan experts knew knewalmost knewalmost knewalmost almost by heart and which put Hjai Hjaimar HJ Hjalmar al almar mar Schacht German finance m n nIster nroster nister Ister roster to sleep After Pittman had hadfin hadfin hadfin fin shed the German minister mmlster v . woke wokeup wokeup oke okeup up with a start hastily brusned brusnedaSide brusnedaside brusnedaside aSide silverWe silverWe silver silverWe We accept silver Now th s IS IShat iswhat iswhat \\hat hat what \ . we v.e ve want in 1D m returnThe returnThe return returnThe The London Economic conference conferencewas conferencewas was a d smal failure fallure But the Un t ted ted ted ed States had committed itself Itsel ! so socompletely socompletely socompletely completely to silver in these pre prel1mmary prehmmnary prelimrnary l1mmary hmmnary talks that it 11 undertook undertooh . a asilver asilver asilver silver program wh ch actually actuallymeant actuallymeant actuallymeant meant that the world sold its silver silverto silverto silverto to us at an artificial price pnce and v.e ve we v.eburled weburied . weburied burled buried it in the ground at West Pomt Point PomtN PointN PointN N Y It was a fine thing thmg tor for Mex MexICO Mexrco Mexico ICO rco China Chma and Canada and a great greatViCtOry greatvictory greatvictory ViCtOry for < ; Senator enator P ttman and the theRocky theRocky theRocky Rocky Mountain Mountam states Als . + it re resuited resulted resuited suited sulted in m the U S treasury accu accumulat accumulat accumulat mulat ng two and a halt hal half ! b 11 II on onounres onounces onounces ounres ounces of s Iver-other Iver other ver-other ver ] Ivor - - other than comToday coinToday corn com coin cornToday Today however there is a short shortage shortage shortage age of industrial mdustnal siver s Iver lver And yet yetthe yetthe yetthe the treasury will not open up the theg theg theg g ant hoard of silver gathering gather10g mold mold'I moldat moldat ' at West PomtShortage PointShortage Pomt Point PomtShortage 'I I 'Iat Shortage Amid PlentyWhat PlentyWhat Plenty PlentyWhat What has happened is th s About About5 5 000 000 ounces of sIver s Iver monthly IS ISbe isbe isbe be ng mined mmed in 111 the United Uruted Umted States Stateswh Stateswh Stateswh wh ch is ample to care for ( or war warneeds warneeds warneeds needs but not enough tor for ord nary narycommercial narycommercial narycommercial commercial needs especially especiaIIy tor for the thesliver thesilver thesilver sliver silver EnglandThe Industry of New England The silver sliver industry mdustry wh ch makes makesknives makesknives makesknives knives forks and household ware wareformerly wareformerly wareformerly formerly used alloys and cnt crlt cant cal calmatenalsall calmaterialsall calmaterials matenals-all matenals all materials-all materials - all ot of which wruch have no v 1 been vbeen dispensed with However sll sil sllver silyen silver ver yen is not a cnt crit cal mater al There Thereis IS effortbut plenty TO m ned tor for the war effort but not enough to supply the 80 000 000000 000 ounces needed annually annuaIIy tor for the thesiver thes siver s Iver lver industry mdustry industrySo mdustrySo So New England silversm sllversm ths now nowask nowask nowask ask that they be permitted to buy a amere amere amere mere 80 000 000 ounces out of the thetwo thetwo thetwo two and a halt hal hail ! b 11 ll on ounces wh ch eb chthe ebthe cbthe the treasury has bur edo ed o . 0 . 0 . 0lURln \ B1CRR1 l\URln l URln MERRI : . GO ROUNDC ROUNDCI ROUND4l ROUND CI 4l . C . Though the U S navy gave the theroyal theroyal theroyal royal run around to the Sea Otter Germany OtterGermany is now reported bu Id ld ng ngexactly ngexactly ngexactly exactly th s type of shallo v draft draftautomob draftautomob draftautomob automob Ie le ned boat eng for use on the onthe Danube tne the Blackand Black and Casp an ansea anseasaga anseac sea seaaga seas-aga seas aga < -aga aga - aga nst Russ aCI a4LRhen a I\\hen I hen CIhen 4LRhen CI . < . \\hen hen \ ' \ \ tl U c e WPB lade made a survey of ofJunk ofjunk ofjunk Junk dealers dealcrs it found 6 0 000 00tpounds oot 00t ootpounds OOCpounds pounds of scrap silk stockngs stock ngs on onhand onhaild haild hand Th s is a geld m ne faT for faTmak formak tormak mak g s 1k Ik bags to hold gui gw gum i 1 owder owderfor for tl U a e " navy navyBay -Bay Bay - Bjy JY nar tlar Londs- Londs Loads- Loads - hands - |