Show ih t I 1 I 1 0 w zt i 1 A g I r or L I 1 r r 1 d A I 1 fa fx 9 J V ar a L L I 1 S ZM I 1 I 1 1 holding dutch east indies V I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 4 1 14 X I 1 I 1 I 1 Is vital to united nations k I 1 V I 1 7 I 1 11 I 1 4 I 1 I 1 crescent of islands blocks jap aggression I 1 I 1 by forming barrier between continents I 1 of asia and australia I 1 I 1 I I 1 A I 1 1 I 1 dy by BAUKHAGE national parra farm and unnie hour commentator I 1 service 1313 1343 11 II street N NW W washington D C ad arti by tile the time these words are arc print ed singapore may have fallen jap za k anese bombers may bo be raiding IA australia ond and japanese ships may be ba in australian waters even so according to the sober prediction ot of those in diplomatic and official circles who are ablo able to look at the war map without wishful thinking tho the tide maya may st till bo be turned against tile the japanese if f one condition remains the same that condition is that tho the united nations continue to hold key territory in that slim crescent of islands the netherlands indies which form a barrier between the continents of asia and australia there are two reasons why these experts believe this malaysian Mala yslan barrier may be held in spite of japanese gains north and south of it first as one military man put it by rule of thumb japan has already stretched her supply lines so far from her home bases that they may be expected to snap in vital spots second because of successful delaying actions now going on time Is fighting on tho the side of the united nations time for sufficient re rc enforce ments to arrive especially from the united states which will snatch air superiority away from the japanese and thus affect tho the tide of battle japan has so far extended herself experts agree that a powerful blow might topple her over backwards general macarthur has held a japanese army of men in the philippines huge land air and sea forces have been drawn into the siege of singapore japanese troops are fighting in burma miles from the border they I 1 are spread fan wise from sumatra in tho the west miles along the equator to the solomon islands beyond new guinea united nations barrier it is the barrier the united na eions have established from sumatra to the solomon islands with java as the key point upon which japan m may break her curved scimitar of offense ja japan an has already penetrated scattered islands in some places in borneo new guinea in the celebes and in tho the australian mandated islands in the bismarck archipelago but there are mapy many dents in her sword already more than 31 ships lost in the first arst few days of the battle in the straits which lie ile between borneo and the celebes I 1 many more such losses will be irreparable 1 I 1 successful although scattered attacks by american and dutch planes and submarines and surface ships are taking their toll and even though japanese units may secure some pome island bases near enough to bomb the australian coast and some ships are able to slip through to raid coastal towns the sword I 1 hand will be badly strained the 1 1 tough well fortified well supplied island of java can deaden her blows I 1 I 1 and if enough other bases for allied bombers and subs remain from which the far flung nipponese invaders can be harassed her course westward and southward can be checked for the united nations fighting at the malaysian Mala yslan barrier it is simply a problem of hanging on for the united states it la Is a problem of producing and delivering the goods I 1 against us Is first arst our late start in war production second the great distance to the front about six weeks from loading to unloading and third lack of ships into high gear we cannot make up up lost time but it is agreed that donald battling I 1 nelson and his war production board will keep us in high gear from now on As for or the ships by june we will be producing them at tho the rate of two a 0 day cargo ships As for the precious cargoes fighting planes which have to be shipped they ore are being turned out in rapidly increasing numbers the figures are secret I 1 have it on good authority that it would take only 2000 more planes to give us superiority in the whole pacific but tar far less than that are needed to establish superiority in the present fighting area since japan must keep a large air force at home lor defense of liar hor own cities As for the tanks and men these needs are not so pressing but tanks will soon bo be rolling to tho the tune of a thousand a month and garand rifles for next years army ot of seven million men are being turned out a thousand a day at tho springfield arsenal alone meanwhile the men on tho the fighting front say this to america a and d england hurry flurry cut red tape tako take risks dont wait until you have had what you think Is enough send what you have risk it well risk our lives to uso use it if wo we are willing and able to answer this message japan may bo be toppled over on her heels with singapore in japanese hands some japanese elements would bo be ablo able to filter through tho the island barricade toward australia the fall of macarthur will release thousands of japanese soldiers the fall of singapore thousands more if I 1 the key defense of java goes the japs can then flood south to australia J and perhaps isolate that continent of 0 hardy fighters the invaders can also swarm westward through the straits of malacca take rangoon gateway of the burma road they can move submarines into tho the persian gulf and the red sea and threaten the life line to brit ains middle east cast armies and russia once china Is cut ot off japan will offer her n very favorable peace chiang kai shek would not accept but his followers might accept that would mean thousands more of japans effectives could bo be released and it if dussias Rus sias supplies are arc cut oft off hitler could take moscow while the japanese troops move on siberia and so we can understand why the united states fighting to hold their island defenses in the southern pacific are praying that in the next few weeks that we will risk what we have to bastion them even though it be little it need not be too late 0 the hermit herat it of Shark tooth shoals the hermit of Shark tooth shoals came to town the other day with the surprising news that instead of being an enemy of man tho the man eating shark is now to be regarded as one of mans best friends and an especial friend of the farmers the hermit Is a former newspaper associate asso clata of mine who has renounced the noise and tumult of cities and now helps conduct a shark fishing establishment at fort pierce off the east coast of florida along with most people I 1 had thought that the commercial use if any for sharks was limited to the hides tor for belts and shoes but now I 1 learn from the hermit that shark liver oil Is teeming with vitamins and is in great demand by pharmaceutical houses for those yellow pep pills that ameri americans are consuming g in great numbers these days but that it seems in no way limits the usefulness of the lowly shark after the hide has been stripped off arid and the liver extracted the carcass can be ground n up and made into a high potency fertilizer rich in urea and nitrates and where the sharks value to the farmer comes in last year the hermit and his sh har arking klug colleagues tossed overboard two million pounds of perfectly good carcasses simply bruise bp uise they have the machimer mac machin himey y necessary to convert the deluncy defunct fish into fertilizer this year what with the announced shortage of nitrates and fertilizer the hermit feels that it is high time the government took an interest in the matter and he is now in washington tor for that purpose the more I 1 hear about the shark profession the more colorful it sounds the hermit for instance tells me that the shar kerys dent and founder Is a prominent scientist dr alexander van deyer beyer who has pioneered in the develop ment of vitamin products from shark livers the doctor has chinese connections and is a member of the hip sing tong which Is an aid in the marketing of another by product shark fins the chinese regard shark fins as a great delicacy more than this I 1 understand that shark meat by any other name Is an excellent food instead of letting the sharks cat us we may turn the tables and cat the who knows |