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Show I . WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Increased Activity in Pacific Sector Marked by U. S. Blows on Jap Bases And Heavy Fighting in Burma, India; 4-Fs Get Study in Manpower Crisis (EDITOR'S NOTE: When opinions are expressed In these columns, they are those of j Western Newspaper Union's news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper.) ' Released by Western Newspaper Union. - SURPLUS GOODS: Consult Business To prevent a disruption of ordinary ordi-nary business channels, U. S. agencies agen-cies entrusted with the disposal of surplus war goods for civilian use have been instructed to confer with the War Production board's 750 industry in-dustry advisory committees on distribution dis-tribution of material through established estab-lished outlets. Although most members of the industry advisory committees are manufacturers, some wholesalers and retailers have been included in the groups, and it will be their task to help determine normal outlets for certain goods, the amount of material ma-terial to be released, and whether distributors should bid for the merchandise, mer-chandise, negotiate for its purchase or buy it at auction. While the new procedure was announced, an-nounced, Rep. Wright Patman (Texas) (Tex-as) pressed for enactment of a bill under which retailers would be given equal voice in the disposal of surplus war goods along with the bigger manufacturers and' wholesalers. GERMANY: Production Efficiency Striving to stretch their human and material resources to maximum, maxi-mum, Germany's production czars have reached intoindustrial and domestic do-mestic activity alike. In industry, the Nazis have spared men and metal by reducing locomotive locomo-tive models from 119 to 13, and they have economized on shipping space by extensive dehydration of foods. More efficient methods reportedly increased steel, copper and aluminum alumi-num output while decreasing man hours. To keep working women from performing per-forming house tasks at home, the Nazis have organized groups to mend their stockings and attend to other domestic functions. Persons from 65 to 70 have been enlisted to assist service men at railway depots. Italy Against a background of war's ruin at Cassino, an Allied medical unit moves to the front to attend the wounded. Finds Long Way Back H" ft lM i- "mm3 RATIONING: Announce Changes More gas, freer use of fuel oil and food coupons and ration changes in vegetables, fruits, meats and oils were announced by OPA. To maintain the distribution business, busi-ness, it was announced drivers holding hold-ing "B" cards will be allowed an additional 100 miles a month, while expiration dates for fuel oil coupons will be eliminated before the fall season of heavy consumption gets underway. Because many shoppers cashed in their red and blue food coupons for tokens at expiration dates, OPA took off all time limits on the stamps. While all frozen fruits and vegetables vege-tables were taken off rationing, beef flank meat, pork liver, lamb and mutton hearts liver, sweetbreads and tongue, beef tongue, cooked and barbecued pork spareribs and pork tongue were cut 1 point. Shortening, salad and cooking oil were slashed 1 point. Points on canned carrots and tomato juice also were reduced. DRAFT: Eye 4-Fs To fill up the industrial and agricultural agri-cultural ranks left vacant by the drafting of all men except key workers work-ers under 26, the government called for the induction of all 4-Fs not engaged en-gaged in essential occupations and a congressional committee moved to shape special legislation for such a program. At the same time, it was revealed Selective Service was scrapping its unit system of deferring agricultural workers, only giving consideration to a man's regular employment on a farm and the problem of replacing him. Under the government's proposal, 4-Fs doing nonessential work would be enlisted as reserves and directed to essential occupations at regular civilian pay, or they would be enrolled en-rolled in labor battalions for employment em-ployment at army pay if they refused re-fused to accept the assignments. Of the nation's 3,500,000 4-Fs it was estimated that about 1,000,000 were engaged in non-essential work. PACIFIC: Threaten India As bold Japanese forces thrust toward to-ward the highway hub of Imphal in India, Adm. Louis r" Mountbatten rallied I $ Allied forces to a I Sim stan( h0' s key to land commu-K' commu-K' ' nications all along V 1 the 600 " mile Bur" & "rM mese front. . L - ' ; . 1 In the Southwest 1 I Pacific irea, strong I & I 1 U. S. naval forces k&wiwi again challenged the Admiral Japanese fleet to Mountbatten oome out and fiSht by attacking the en-enmy's en-enmy's sea base of Palau, 460 miles from the Philippines, but the Nips once more ' withdrew. On New Guinea, New Britain and Bougainville, Bougain-ville, Allied ground forces continued to press the Japs, as U. S. airmen impeded reinforcement of their battered bat-tered troops by shooting up shipping and bases. Seeking to capitalize on their surprise sur-prise of the Allies in India when they burst from the Burmese jungle jun-gle from three points to converge on Imphal. the Japs maintained heavy pressure in the face of stiffening stiffen-ing British resistance. Beyond Imphal Im-phal lay the Bengal-Assam railroad, supplying Lieut. Gen. Joseph Stil-well's Stil-well's U. S. and Chinese troops pushing push-ing the Japs down the Mogaung valley val-ley in far northern Burma. AGRICULTURE: Food Subsidies To peg consumer costs, War Food Administrator Marvin Jones ordered the $3,000,000,000 Commodity Credit corporation to use its powers and funds for subsidizing food prices. In addition, the CCC was ordered to purchase, sell, store and transport trans-port food and farrri products involved in the WFA's price-support and lend-lease lend-lease programs. Strongly bucked by the farm bloc in congressional debate but upheld by administration forces, the food subsidy program will cost the CCC between $650,000,000 and $800,000,000, it was estimated. Farm Prices Increases in returns on meat animals, ani-mals, feed grains, hay and oil bearing bear-ing and fruit crops resulted in a one point advance in the general level of farm prices from mid-February to mid-March, the agriculture department de-partment reported. Boosts in the above commodities more than offset declines in' food grains, truck crops, and milk and egg prices, and brought the general income level to 196 of the 1909-14 plane. A rise of one point brought prices paid by farmers to 176 of the 1909-'14 standard. Prices received by farmers averaged aver-aged 115 of parity, with only wheat, rye, flaxseed, cotton, hay, peanuts, cotton, lemon and oranges below the fair exchange value established by congress. EUROPE: In Balkans While their lines held in northern Russia, German troops fell back to the Carpathian mountains in the south, where they were looked upon to make a stand with Hungarian and Rumanian forces recently incorporated in-corporated into the Nazi armies. As the Germans drew back in the east, Allied bombers headed over western Europe to drop their explosives ex-plosives over the expected invasion routes and hammer at Nazi production produc-tion centers. In Italy, both sides traded punches at Anzio below Rome, while action tapered at Cassino, Cas-sino, where Germans clung to their defensive posts. In pushing the Germans back to the Carpathians, the Russians advanced ad-vanced to within 30 miles from the old Czecho-Slovak border, while farther far-ther to the southeast, they crossed the Prut river to lunge into Rumania. Ru-mania. Occupation Plans From London last week came reports re-ports indicating Allied plans for postwar Europe shaped by the U. S., Russia and Britain. , With the reich's collapse, the authoritative au-thoritative London Sunday Observer said plans called for British occupation occupa-tion of western and north central Germany, U. S. control of the southern south-ern and south-central parts, and Russia of the eastern section. Symbol Sym-bol of Germany, Berlin would be occupied, oc-cupied, by all three powers. Before establishment of stable government, gov-ernment, the Big Three would also occupy Austria, and any movement for that country's union with Germany Ger-many would be discouraged, with closer economic ties with the Balkans Bal-kans suggested. Looking toward eastern Europe, information leaking from sources consulted on perfecting details of the Teheran agreements indicate Moscow will annex the Baltic states and eastern Poland and Balkan territory ter-ritory considered traditionally Russian, Rus-sian, and exercise influence over Bulgaria, Rumania and Hungary. Taken to St. Petersburg, Fla., by his master and then given to a resident resi-dent there, an Irish setter, Duke, so longed for his old home that he traveled trav-eled 1,200 miles back to it at Roann, Ind., where an old friend, Rev. Robert Rob-ert Collins, found him bloody-footed and exhausted. Informed of Duke's plight, his master wired Rev. Collins funds to care for the dog until he should return. re-turn. ARMY AND NAVY: Furloughs Because of shipping difficulties and preparations for campaigns, the army will continue to. grant fur-lougHs fur-lougHs on an individual basis rather than to whole units, Sen. Guy Gillette Gil-lette (Iowa) was advised by the war department. With other midwestern senators, Gillette had queried the war department depart-ment about the possibilities of fur-loughing fur-loughing the 34th division, which has been overseas for more" than two years and is made up of men from Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Da-kota, Nebraska and Iowa. While the war department admitted admit-ted many empty cargo ships were returning to the U. S., it added that there was a problem of shore handling han-dling once the vessels reached here. Veil) Construction Heralding an intensification of the war against the Japanese, the U. S navy asked for 1 billion dollars for the construction of shore facilities, principally on the West coast. Plans call for the building of fleet and cargo piers, supply depots, aviation avi-ation training bases, harbor improvements im-provements and repair depots. Expansion of present hospital facilities fa-cilities from 60,000 to, 80,000 beds and provision for malaria recuperation recupera-tion centers also were included in the plans. WITHOUT COUNTRY A bill has been passed by the house which would make men who fled the United States to avoid the draft "men without a country" These expatriates would be forever barred from reentering the United States. The -bill was sent to the senate for action. The house immigration committee reported that many men have gone into Mexico to avoid induction In the vicinity of El Paso. Texas, alone more than 800 evaders are known to have crossed the border. CHILEAN RAILS The government. of Chile intends to spend about $15,000,000 on elec triflcation of its railroads, with equio ment largely purchased in the Unit ed States. About $10,000,000 would be expended for this purpose if rna tenals can be made available. V.flrs.tmove' bids hav been' asked for 250,000 tons of steel rails for completion of the Chilean section! of the international railroad betweenl Antofagasta, Chile, and Saita Ar gentina Another project is a'do ble track subway for Santiago |
