OCR Text |
Show K A A P"E W PEAR50N ON THE BATTLEFRONT REPS: Chunky Representative George Bender of Ohio doesn't know whether to be sore or to laugh. As G. O. P. chairman of Cuyahoga county, which includes Cleveland, he received a number of requests for the much-publicized "Willkie kits," a compact got up by the Willkie clubs containing material to organize organ-ize one of these clubs. Bender wrote to the national committee headquarters headquar-ters in Chicago, directed by Executive Execu-tive Director John Hamilton, for a supply. Much to Bender's surprise he was advised that if he sent a check he would receive the 100 kits he wanted. want-ed. Bender sent the check and a few days later a large box arrived containing 100 kites, huge contraptions contrap-tions that sail through the air with the greatest of ease and with the names of Willkie and McNary so placedras to be easily seen from the ground. Note The Willkie kit contains a folder about the nominee, a pledge, a long sheet for signatures of those desiring to form a club, and pieces of peppy campaign literature. DEMS: To those who followed the last turbulent night of the Democratic Dem-ocratic convention, Francis W. Durbin will be remembered as the rollicking speaker who nominated Bascom Timmons, veteran Washington Wash-ington newsman, for vice president. A leading Lima, Ohio, lawyer, Durbin Dur-bin is a candidate for congress. After Senator Charles McNary's acceptance speech, Durbin wrote him, "Congratulations on your speech. It was the pest New Deal speech I've heard in a long time. You are a grand fellow and I'm sorry to see you in such bad company." com-pany." A few days ago Durbin received the following telegram from McNary: Mc-Nary: "Thanks for your kind letter. let-ter. When you come to Washington shall be delighted to see you." . DUTCH EAST INDIES One reason President Roosevelt and his naval advisers are not greatly perturbed about Japan's signing a formal alliance with Hitler Hit-ler and Mussolini is a confidential survey U. S. naval experts have made of the Japanese navy. This reveals that Japanese warships war-ships have on hand only enough oil for about 2Vi months of warfare. Japan gets its oil chiefly from California and the Dutch East Indies, In-dies, having almost no supplies of its own. That, of course, is one reason she covets the Dutch East Indies. However, naval surveys also show that the capture of these islands will not be as easy as might be expected. For the Dutch islands of Java and Sumatra have been preparing for the threat of Japanese invasion for two years. About 20 Dutch submarines sub-marines are stationed in these waters, wa-ters, plus about 300 bombing planes, many of them purchased in the United States. Finally, the islands are well fortified with carefully concealed con-cealed big guns. Result is that military experts be- lieve the Dutch could hold out against Japanese naval invaders for about four months. And during this time, Japan's oil supply, if embargoed embar-goed by the United States, might become exhausted. This may be one reason why the Japanese have made haste slowly in theiri contemplated plans for invasion in-vasion of the Dutch East Indies. They did not want to move until they were sure first that Britain was in a desperate position in its fight with Hitler; and second, that the United States was worried about Europe and did not want to get its fleet preoccupied in the Pacific. ARMY SPECULATORS The army has changed its method of acquiring land for new government govern-ment plants. Hereafter the negotiations nego-tiations will be carried on in a "goldfish "gold-fish bowl." Real estate speculators long have been a sore spot in army plans for plant and airport sites by snapping up options and kiting tne price of desired property. So hard-hitting Assistant War Secretary Sec-retary Robert Patterson has instituted insti-tuted a new procedure whereby the army, after making the necessary confidential surveys, will announce publicly that on a given date representatives rep-resentatives will appear to buy or lease a specified amount of land. Patterson believes that if property owners know that the government is in the market, they will not give options to profiteering speculators. Note Tried out in Union Center, Ind., where 13,000 acres are being acquired for an ammunition loading plant to employ 6,000 people, the new "goldfish bowl" method proved successful. AIRPLANES FOR WHISKY If you speak about "all aid tc Britain short of war," don't overlook over-look the American consuuption ol Scotch whisky. It is an autual facl that U. S. imports of whisky frorr. Britain during the first nine months of the war exceeded the U. S. exports ex-ports of military aircraft to Britain, Here are the figures: We sole England 523,231,000 worth of planes England sold us $26,209,000 worth o: whisky. In fact, whisky is the larg est single item of our imports rorr Great Britain. |