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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Curb on Wheat Production Is Lifted; New Foods Restricted as Housewives Get Initial Taste of 'Point' Rationing; Red Army Drive Meets New Successes (EDITOR'S NOTE: Whtn opinions are expressed in these columns, they are those of Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) 1 Released by Western Newspaper Union. . Hailed as the new scourge of the submarine, this mighty new land-based land-based patrol plane, the Vega PV-1, may prove to be the navy's answer to undersea warfare. The PV-1 carries "ash can" depth charges, or torpedoes, and is the first sub-buster in production to fill the navy's need for twin-engined, land-based aircraft with plenty of range and striking power. POINTS: For Rationing and Study Moving quickly, government agencies agen-cies placed three varieties of food under control as the nation lined up for registration for the No. 2 ration ra-tion book to be used for canned, bottled bot-tled and processed vegetables, fruits and juices. Shortly after the department of agriculture announced rationing of dried beans, peas, lentils and dried and dehydrated soups, the Office of Price Administration placed wholesale whole-sale ceilings approximating 40 cents a dozen on eggs and froze prices of fresh vegetables at- the levels prevailing pre-vailing between February 18 and 22. These moves put almost 95 per cent of all food under some sort of government regulation. The OPA's action came as the nation's housewives house-wives still studied the effect of the newly announced point values of the various canned, bottled and processed pro-cessed foods rationed. To many, point values proved much higher than expected and undoubtedly will lead to numerous revisions in family fare. On top of all this came reports from the Capitol that cheese, butter, but-ter, fats and oils might be included in the next rationing program, scheduled for meat. WHEAT BAN: Has Been Lifted AAA wheat marketing quotas for 1942 and 1943 have been suspended in what was announced by the department de-partment of agriculture to be a move designed to insure adequate wartime supplies of the grain for food human and livestock. Under the marketing quota system sys-tem only wheat grown under their AAA planting allotments could be sold, used or fed by farmers. Excess wheat so 'disposed of had been subject sub-ject to a 54 cent per bushel penalty tax for the 1942 crop and it previously previous-ly 'had been expected that this penalty pen-alty would amount to 60 cents on the 1943 crop. With the quotas suspended sus-pended these restrictions were lifted. lift-ed. Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard declared that when the 1943 quotas were announced in the fall of last year this country had a record rec-ord supply of 1,613,000,000 bushels of wheat enough to supply normal needs for two years. At that time farmers were asked to use extra wheat land for other war crops. New consumption of wheat for human and livestock food has gone up and as a consequence the restriction had to be lifted to insure supply. RUSSIANS: Continue Drive There was litfle pause for celebration cele-bration as Russia's army marked its 25th anniversary but well the Nazis knew that the Russians had an army. For all along the broad front the German retreat continued. From the northern anchor of the Axis line in South Russia at Orel to the northwest Caucasus the Red drive pushed Hitler's troops toward the Russian border. Premier Stalin's message on the anniversary proclaimed the mass expulsion of the Axis forces was in flood tide and would not soon abate. He praised his soldiers for their fighting spirit and urged them to be unrelenting in their future battles. Meanwhile the Berlin radio admitted admit-ted the Reds were smashing through in several sectors near the Dnieper river but this source also declared that "the far reaching aims of the enemy had failed." NORTH AFRICA: Counterattack "The Americans of- Washington's day faced defeat on many occasions. We faced, and still face, reverses and misfortunes." When President Roosevelt uttered those words, 10 days ago, he was thinking in part of the North African Afri-can front. But "reverses and misfortunes" mis-fortunes" are a far cry from "defeat." "de-feat." The battleground of southern Tunisia was the scene of an Allied reversal depressing only to those who were over-optimistic. In three places American and British forces checked the pace of a German advance in Tunisia. One Nazi column, attempting a desperate desper-ate push on to Thala, was stopped four miles south of the town. Bombers Bomb-ers and fighters checked another strong attack on the road leading to Tebessa from Kasserine, and farther far-ther north, near Robaa, a heavy German patrol ran into serious trouble trou-ble when it attacked British forces. It was sent rolling back by crack British infantry. The Nazi column moving toward Tebessa was bombed by continuous relays of American warplanes. Fighters and bombers attacked the Kasserine bottleneck in more than a score of missions. But it was evident that our forces had suffered reverses. ARMED FORCES: Let George Do It "Since when has America adopted as its national policy, 'Let George do it?' " asked Robert P. Patterson, Patter-son, undersecretary of war, as he discussed the need for putting 10,800,000 men into the armed forces by the end of this year. He defended defend-ed this plan by declaring that this was the number needed as judged by the commands and staffs of both the army and the navy. "Full account has been taken of the ability of American industry and labor and agriculture to produce the supplies needed by our forces, our Allies and by our civilian economy," said Patterson, and he went on to point out that China had been actually actual-ly engaged in warfare for five and a half years, that Great Britain by the defense of its homeland had come the closest of the United Nations Na-tions to an "all out" struggle and further advanced the point that the Russians "have killed more Nazis than all the other United Nations combined." Then he inquired whether it was U. S. policy to "Let George do it!" U-BOATS: Still Grave Menace Sinking of two American transports trans-ports in the North Atlantic with a loss of 850 lives underlined a statement state-ment by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox that the submarine remains re-mains a grave menace to the entire en-tire Allied war effort. Coincident with his statement, Knox revealed that an American destroyer succeeded in trapping a U-boat in the Atlantic and sinking it with a barrage of five-inch shells. An American gun crew aboard a freighter fired four shots to sink a Jap submarine that had torpedoed and severely crippled their craft in the Pacific, Knox also revealed. Germany is building U-boats faster fast-er than we are sinking them, Knox said. The new submarines have longer cruising range than the old and can submerge to greater depth. The U-boat menace is expected to reach its peak this spring. HIGHLIGHTS . . in the week's news , CA.N'CEL FAST: Catholics in the Chicago archdiocese will not have, to fast during the approaching Lenten Lent-en season. Archbishop Samuel Stritch suspended the fasting regulations regu-lations on papal authority. Increased In-creased productive efforts and the rationing program are believed to have led to the decision. Meatless Fridays will remain in effect, however. LOST: According to Wilfrid Gal-lienne, Gal-lienne, British consul, Britain has lost 2.798 bombers in raids over Germany. AFRICAN RESOURCES: American Ameri-can ships used to transport food and other goods to French North Africa have returned to the United States loaded with cobalt, ore, cork and tanbark, raw materials obtained from the occupied territory. ALLIED ACTION: Renewed Demands Renewed demands in London for a second front came from two sources on the heels of Josef Stalin's warnings that "the enemy has not yet been defeated." Ivan Maisky, Soviet ambassador to London, in a fighting speech declared de-clared that Russia expects "an early realization of the military decisions taken at Casablanca." While acknowledging that the sue. cesses of the Soviet army were "very encouraging," Maisky pointed point-ed out that they were being achieved at a tremendous cost of Russian lives and property. It is natural, therefore, he said, that the USSR expects early Allied action. Speaking before the house of lords, Lord Beaverbrook reiterated demands for a second front, declaring declar-ing that "Whatever may be the plans of the Germans, we should strike and strike now before they can regroup their divisions ... If another attack is made on Russia, June may be the date, so we must strike quickly if we are to be ready. We must invade northwestern Europe Eu-rope now." FINLAND: Tired of War Ever since the re-election of President Pres-ident Risto Ryti the world had wondered won-dered whether Finland would make a bid for separate peace with Russia. Rus-sia. When Finland called home her ministers to the Vatican and Germany Ger-many the rumors of a separate peace bid were given impetus. But official dispatches from Helsinki announced an-nounced that Georg A. Gripenberg and Toivo M. Kivimaeki, ministers respectively to the Vatican and Berlin, Ber-lin, had been summoned home "for ARCHBISHOP SPELLMAN , Visitor to the pope a conference in connection with the reorganization of the government." Two factors gave credence to such belief. First was the possibility that the Vatican might be asked to act as intermediary (bolstered by the visit of the Most Rev. Francis J. Spellman, archbishop of New York, and Pope Pius XII), and second was a suggestion made by Undersecretary Undersecre-tary of State Sumner Welles that Finland discontinue immediately "effective military aid to the mortal mor-tal enemies of this country." i i RATION DATES March 10 Last day of registration registra-tion for institutional users of rationed foods. March 13 Period 5 fuel-oil coupons, cou-pons, good to September 30, become be-come valid. March 15-r-Last valid date for No. 11 sugar coupons, good for three pounds. March 21 Last valid date for Stamp No. 25,- good for one pound of coffee. March 21 Last day on which Coupon 4 in "A" gas ration book is valid. March 31 Final date for first inspection in-spection of passenger car tires for 'A" card holders and. motorcycles. mo-torcycles. April 12 Expiration date for Period 4 fuel-oil coupons. June 15 Last valid date for Stamp No. 17, good for one pair of shoes. GUERRILLA WAR: Along Sahveen River Although the Japanese continued their advance along the west bank of the Salween river in China's Yunnan province, informed quarters said that the Japs were not trying for a major break-through but merely mere-ly were feeling out the Chinese lines. Chinese guerrillas achieved "fine results" in harassing the rear of the Japanese line on the banks of the Salween, according to a Chungking Chung-king communique. In Washington, Edward R. Stet-tinius, Stet-tinius, lend-lease administrator, told the house foreign affairs committee that the United States will leave "no stone unturned" to get increased material aid to China. Stettinius answered charges by Representative Maas of Minnesota, a marine reserve re-serve officer who saw action in the Pacific, that "wc are not getting all the aid we can to China." MERCHANT SEAMEN: Lauded by Marines Charges that merchant seamen refused re-fused to unload ships at Guadalcanal were denied by a house naval affairs af-fairs subcommittee which reported that in all cases American merchant seamen co-operated fully with marines ma-rines in the Solomon Islands. The subcommittee's report included letters let-ters from highest marine corps officials of-ficials praising "co-operation, efficiency ef-ficiency and courage" of U. S. merchant mer-chant seamen. |