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Show llMingtm ARMY AND MEAT SHORTAGE. It happened behind closed doors, but a lot of housewives would have relished being present when Cong. Clinton Anderson's special food committee com-mittee quizzed an array of Washington Wash-ington bigwigs. A lot of star witnesses were present, pres-ent, but the army, represented by Maj. Gen. Carl Hardigg of the quartermaster quar-termaster corps, chiefly took it on the chin. War Food Chief Marvin Jones started the ball rolling when he produced pro-duced figures showing that last year, when meat was plentiful, the army gummed up the works by failing to take anywhere near the quantity allocated al-located to it. In the fourth quarter of 1944, the army had asked for one and a quarter billion pounds of meat. Actually, the army took half a billion pounds less. That, according to the closed-door closed-door testimony, was the chief reason why ration points on meat were dropped last year and the housewives got a windfall. The public pub-lic then got back to the habit of eat ing meat. But today, with meat far less plentiful, the army has ordered even more than allocated to it last year. General Hardigg was unable to satisfy the congressmen as to why the army failed to take up its meat last year, or at least failed to put it in cold storage for later use. Had this been done, army demands would now be much smaller. General Gen-eral Hardigg also was asked to report re-port back to congress on meat consumption con-sumption per soldier in the British Brit-ish army, also in the Russian army. Congressmen also asked Hardigg Har-digg to report on how much meat was consumed by U. S. troops overseas, over-seas, as compared with that consumed con-sumed by troops in the United States. RELAXED MEAT INSPECTION One proposal to ease the meat shortage Is to abolish federal inspection in-spection in small local slaughter houses. These slaughterers have to pass state inspection anyway, and most of them are thoroughly reputable. But to sell inter-state they must pass federal fed-eral Inspection, so many now sell only within state limits. This Is one reason why cattle-raising states are experiencing no meat shortage today. General Hardigg, however, sat on the Idea of relaxing federal fed-eral inspection. He argued that federal inspection must continue. con-tinue. War Food Chief Jones and War Mobiliier Vinson were not impressed with Hardlgg's argument. argu-ment. "I never tasted federally inspected in-spected meat until I was in my 20s," scoffed Texas-bred Jones. "Out in Kentucky we did all right without federally inspected meat," Vinson agreed. "I never had it until I was out of my teens." Representative Anderson of Albuquerque, Al-buquerque, N. M., chairman of the committee, then took General Hardigg Har-digg to task for the army's system of poultry buying. "Out my way, where we've got plenty of meat," Anderson said, "the army isn't interested in buying poultry. Here in the East, where meat is scarce, you're taking all the poultry. Why not spread your poultry buying so that in areas where the public has a hard time getting meat it can at least get a little poultry." He pointed out that the army is taking 100 per cent of the poultry in the Dvlmarva area Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. Vinson supported Anderson, telling Hardigg: "Try to work that out with the war food administratipn, General." Gen-eral." SEVENTEEN SWORD WOUNDS. INSIDE JAPAN. - The Jap high command ordered 15 divisions out of Siberia a month ago to defend the Japanese homeland. . . . But since the Russians denounced their neutrality neu-trality pact, the Japs are frantically frantical-ly scouring the country for more troops to bolster the Russo-Japanese frontier. . . . During the Stalingrad Stalin-grad battle, the Russians depleted the red army in Siberia. It was the Cossack cavalry, rushed to Stalingrad, Stalin-grad, which saved It Now the red army in the east is at about full strength again. . . . New Premier Suzuki of Japan was left for dead on the street when the young fascists fas-cists of the Black Dragon society murdered most of Japan' moderate leaders a decade ago. He was carved up with 17 Fascist sword wounds. . . . Today Suzuki Is front man for Japanese big business which long has leaned toward a negotiated peace. So has the emperor em-peror it they can get it. CAPITAL CHAFF C. Handsome Secretary of State Ed Stettinius spent several days in New York rehearsing tor the state department de-partment movie on Dumbarton Oaks. But drjpltc rehearsals, movie-I movie-I goers get a chuckle out of the way I Ed rolls his eyes. Reason Is he i didn't learn all his lines, had to look ! at a blackboard Jiirl over the movie- camera In order to rtad thrm. This I mokes his eyes roll aay from the lens as If he were torch sinter ! othrrwife it ranks as an A l pic ' ture. I |
