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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Allied Drive Through Italy Is Slowed By Hard Fighting and Stout Defenses; U. S. Campaign for Rabaul Threatens Entire Jap Southwest Pacific Position (FDITOR'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.) Released by Western Newspaper Union. .. J KAVIENG Av ?y'UM" '" BISMARCK IA Vv - r I .OKI f fJ 1 W A Q O r, . fTALASM SUHA0 SOLOMON I "LO -oho.- I 1 ......m. Attention in the South Pacific is foensed on the great Jap naval base of Rabaul on New Britain island, which V. S. air forces have pounded from New Guinea on the west and the Solomons on the east. ITALY: Fight for Main Road With their artillery commanding the mountain heights, German troops fought doggedly to seal off a pass leading into the long, level corridor to Rome. ' Complicating the Fifth army's task to break through, was steady rain, which muddied the country. A succession of German counterattacks counterat-tacks were designed to disturb U. S. and British groupings for concentrated concen-trated assaults against Nazi posts. To the east, the British Eighth army picked its way slowly over the mountainous central sector, with strong German armored formations holding it off on the flat coastal stretches of the Adriatic. Shipping Gains As a result of Italy's surrender, the Allies have come into control of 170,000 tons of merchant shipping ship-ping and 149 warships, besides many smaller craft. Adding to this trip-hammer blow against 'the Axis sea strength, was the destruction of 527,000 tons of enemy en-emy shipping in the Mediterranean, mostly by submarines. While the enemy was being lambasted, lam-basted, 22,526,485 tons of Allied merchant mer-chant shipping reached North African Afri-can ports, including Casablanca. Losses in action totaled Wi per cent of the total tonnage. AGRICULTURE: Less Cotton ' On the basis of conditions prevailing prevail-ing November 1, the department of agriculture estimated a 1943 cotton crop of 11,442,000 bales of 500 pounds each, compared with 12,824,000 bales last year, and a 10-year average aver-age of 12,474,000 bales. Yield per acre was set at 253.4 pounds of lint cotton. The average last year was 272.5 pounds, and for 10 years, 217.0 pounds. For Texas the 1943 crop was estimated esti-mated at 2,825,000 bales; Mississippi, I, 820,000; Arkansas, 1,090,000; Alabama, Ala-bama, 950,000; Georgia, 845,000; Louisiana, 745,000; South Carolina, 700,000; North Carolina, 610,000; Tennessee, 500,000; Oklahoma, 375,-000; 375,-000; California, 360,000; Missouri, 305,000; Arizona, 141,000; New Mexico, Mex-ico, 116,000; Virginia, 25,000; and Florida, 16,000. As of November 1, 9.061,252 running run-ning bales of cotton of this year's growth had been ginned. U. S. Fat Supplies About 44 pounds of fats and oils will be available for civilians during dur-ing the next year, compared with 47 pounds in 1943, the War Food administration admin-istration announced in revealing that total U. S. needs will approximate II, 700,000,000 pounds. Of this vast amount, the U. S. will produce 11,300,000,000 pounds, or 90 per cent of the total, and 1,100,000,000 pounds will be imported. Of the 8,000,000,000 pounds allocated allo-cated for food, civilians will get 70 per cent of the supply, while the army will receive 9 per cent. The remaining 21 per cent will be divided divid-ed between exports, lend-lease and requirements for feeding liberated countries. Industrial users will be allotted 3,600,000.000 pounds, with 2,100,000,-000 2,100,000,-000 pounds going into soap and glycerine gly-cerine production. About 600,000,000 pounds wiU be allocated for civilian and military paints, varnishes, linoleums, lino-leums, oil-cloth and other coated fabrics. fab-rics. The remainder will be used for lubricants, printing inks, leather and textile processing. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC: Focal Point Two years ago Johnny Doughboy never heard of Rabaul. Today, this great port on New Britain island is the focal point of the U. S. drive in the Southwest Pacific, with hundreds of bombers soaring over it to dump tons of explosives ex-plosives on the ships lying in its waters and the planes parked on its many airdromes. With Rabaul lost, the Japs might as well pull up their stakes in the area to the northeast of Australia. Today, not only does it block any general move the U. S. might make northward to the Philippines and Japan, but it also acts as feeder point for barges supplying New Guinea and the Solomons. Using such barges which can carry car-ry from 35 to 150 troops, the Japs reinforced their embattled forces on Bougainville island, their last stronghold strong-hold in the Solomons from which U. S. Doughboys fought to expel them. HITLER: 'Fight to Finish' Declaring that "the last battle will bring the decision, and it will be won by the people with the greatest p--- "j persistency," Adolf j , a Hitler broadcast to if J theworld Germany's j J resolution never to j ""'"' ' J give in at the 11th ' hour. j But speaking . in i j ," London one day lat- . t J er, Prime Minister jTi Winston Churchill 3 Jl J( said Germany was irji' doomed to defeat in ' p j x j 1944, in a campaign i V J that will be the most g J severe and costly in 1 , j life experienced by L"lWal the Allies. s Adolf Hitler In 1918, - Hitler said;- "Germany's final collapse was due less to force of arms than to destructive propaganda . . . The people were simple . . . The leaders were weaklings . . ." Claiming that Nazi war production had risen despite de-spite persistent bombings. Hitler said civilians suffered most from Allied Al-lied air raids, but vengeance would be wreaked on England. "... We cannot reach America . . ." he said. Because of their disturbing effect on enemy morale. Allied bombings are one of the prime forces against Hitler's regime, Churchill said. "The back of the U-boat campaign has been broken," he asserted. WORLD RELIEF: Planned by Allies To rebuild shattered Europe after the war and relieve the privations of its people, 44 United Nations signed an agreement establishing an organization to conduct the work. Supplies needed for the undertaking undertak-ing will be contributed by participating participat-ing nations, and of the 46 million tons of food, seed, fuel, clothing, raw materials, machinery and medical med-ical items that will be required during dur-ing the first six months after the war, the U. S. will furnish 94 million mil-lion tons, Great Britain 3fe million, Europe 29 million and other regions, 4 million. Money required for U. S. participation partici-pation must be appropriated by congress. con-gress. Plans call for putting the distressed people back on their feet, then gradually withdrawing support as they restore their own economy to the prewar levels. LABOR: Leais Sets Exam John L. Levis' succe5s in oMain-ing oMain-ing a daily wage increase of SI SO for his United Mine Workers seemingly seem-ingly has shaken other labor leaders from their reluctant compliance with the administration's ' "Little Steel Formula" for holding pay boosts to within 15 per cent of 1941 levels. Representing 900.000 members, the executive eommittee of the CIO's United Steel Workers decided to demand de-mand higher wages, with the exact ex-act extent yet to be determined. It was in awarding the steel workers a raise of 44 cents daily two years ago, that the War Labor board developed de-veloped its hotly contested wage formula. for-mula. While the steel workers made their move, spokesmen for 1,100,000 non-operating railroad union employees em-ployees rejected the government's offer of graduated pay increases ranging from 10 cents an hour for all wages less than 47 cents an hour, to 4 cents an hour for wages of 97 cents and over per hour. Oppose Workers' Draft Solution of manpower shortages in different areas through co-operative efforts of labor-management-agriculture committees instead of draft legislation, was recommended by union, business and farm leaders in a special report to War Manpower Man-power Commissioner Paul V. Me-Nutt. Me-Nutt. To get community programs operating, op-erating, it was recommended: 1. There be surveys of manpower supplies; sup-plies; 2. Determination of local urgency ur-gency for products and services; 3. Surveys of' needs of employers; 4. Controlled flow of available manpower man-power to shortage areas. The report stated that large numbers num-bers of workers have yet to be transferred trans-ferred to essential industry. Longer working hours in some instances, and increased recruitment of women wom-en workers, also were suggested. Intent on flying, Emil Guse and John Gander were sworn into the army air corps at Hamilton, Mont. RUSSIA: Near Europe On the northern front, Russian troops stood within 20 miles of the old Polish border, while it was reported re-ported that the Germans were mo- , bilizing all able-bodied men in Estonia and Latvia to help in a last ditch fight for these states commanding command-ing the Baltic sea route. To the west of fallen Kiev, the Reds moved on the last railroad linking German armies in the north with those to .the south. ' On the southern front, German forces still held their ground at Kri-voi Kri-voi Rog and Nikopol, guarding their general retreat from the big Dnieper river bulge. Near the mouth of the Dnieper on the Black sea, the Reds were only about 100 miles from Rumania. Some 75,000 Nazi troops holding the strategic Crimea peninsula which guards the Black sea routes, tried to reduce Russian concentrations concentra-tions on its eastern shore. CIVILIAN GOODS: More Forks, Spoons To .extend the life of flatware, thb War Production board has authorized author-ized the release of small quantities of nickel for plating under silver and chrome knives, forks and spoons. At the same time, WPB allowed purchase pur-chase of alloy steel from distressed stocks for use in manufacturing restaurant and institutional flatware. To bolster dwindling stocks of infants' in-fants' and children's hosiery and underwear, un-derwear, the WPB granted priorities priori-ties on necessary yarns for production produc-tion of such goods. Priorities will cover cotton knitting knit-ting yarns for use in making infants' ribbed hose,-sizes 3 to 5; infants' half socks and anklets, 3 to 6; children's half socks, 5 to 7, and and hose to 9; boys' crew and slack socks, 7 to 11, and boys' golf hose, 7 to 11. Having evidently collided with a lightning flash, 300 wild geese fell from the sky near Galena, Mo. DEMOBILIZATION: British Plans Release of soldiers only when employment em-ployment is available is being studied by the British government, along with plans for holding workers work-ers in war jobs until conversion to civilian production is completed. To assure new industries of adequate ade-quate labor supplies, the government is considering controlling employment, employ-ment, so as to prevent any rush into old, established lines. The government's present intention inten-tion is to start demobilization as soon as the European fighting ends, but it recognizes that many troops will be needed for occupation of the continent, and many more will be shifted to the Pacific for the war against Japan. BALL PLAYER Spurgeon Ferdinand ("Spud") Chandler, Yankee pitcher, was named most valuable player in the American league by the Baseball Writers' association. He won 20 games and dropped four during the season. In the series, he pitched the first and last games, winning both. Previously, the association had voted Stan Musial, Cardinal, most valuable man in the National league, and Walker Cooper, teammate, second. |