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Show WEEKLY MEWS ANALYSIS Nazi Rail Lines Hammered by Allies In Pre -Invasion Softening Process; Lend -Lease Grants Total 30 Billion; Stilwell Advances in Northern Burma (EDITOR'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.) f Released by Western Newspaper Union. v y XSt7 - ---- - CHINA: Japs Tighten Hold With no less than 80,000 troops backed by large forces of reserves, the Japanese pressed their drive to clear the embattled Chinese from the Hankow-Peiping railway in northeastern China. Japanese success would clear a considerable belt of the road for north-south traffic, strengthening the enemy's stranglehold on eastern China, which includes all of that stricken country's principal seaports. sea-ports. Since overrunning eastern China, the Japs have worked hard to establish estab-lish new industries in the occupied territories to capitalize on the country's coun-try's material and manpower resources, re-sources, and there have been reports re-ports that the Jap war machine has considered transfer of government and economic administrative offices to the Chinese mainland in the event of sustained U. S. bombardment of the home islands. MEXICO: Ends Snooze As one means of saving tires by cutting down travel between business busi-ness and home, and of conserving conserv-ing electricity by avoiding the necessity neces-sity of working later at night, Pres. Manuel Avila Camacho ordered an end of Mexico's famed midday siesta for government and industry. Beginning June 1, government offices of-fices will open at 8 a. m. and run throughout the day; stores will operate from 9 a. m. to 3 p. m., and factories will work from 6 a. m. to 2 p. m. In putting an end to Mexico's midday mid-day snooze, President Camacho said that because of the time consumed in travelling, few people got in a real nap, anyway. Chief objection to the new order is expected to come from conductors and drivers, who receive a share of fares. WHISKY: No Prospects Unless there is a sudden reduction in reouirements for alcohol for svn- Beachhead There's more to establishing a beachhead than mere. !y forcing a landing. At Aitape in Dutch New Guinea, Doughboys are shown bringing up supplies for continued operations. EUROPE: Nazi Preparations As it was reported that the Germans Ger-mans were prepared to sacrifice 200,000 men along the "Atlantic Wall" to slow up the Allies' landing land-ing operations and allow the German Ger-man high command opportunity to shift large reserves to the most critical battle areas, U. S. and British bombers continued their non-stop bombardment of enemy defense de-fense installations and communication communica-tion lines to blast a forward path for the invasion forces. As the zero hour approached, the Nazis sought to assure against Allied landings in Holland by preparing to flood the lowlands, part of which already al-ready have been Inundated following follow-ing the removal of the inhabitants. Heavy U. S. and British aerial bombardments reportedly razed Nazi rail lines .100 miles inland from the channel coast, putting a severe crimp into the transport system, over which the Nazis hoped to rush seasoned troops to encounter early Allied landings, possibly made in conjunction with a great Russian offensive of-fensive in the east. U. S. SEIZURE: Congress Acts Stirred by U. S. troop seizure of the Chicago plant of Montgomery Ward and company t if'' 3 J(Wv J! thetic rubber and other war needs, there is no immediate immedi-ate prospect for a resumption of whisky whis-ky manufacture, War Production Chief Donald Nelson Nel-son said. "I'm opposed to the use of anv facili- i mi 1 " ' rf. 4 ' Ji" ' : ' NH ' after the latter' s refusal re-fusal to extend a CIO union contract upon order of the War Labor board, both the senate and the house moved to review the whole field of wartime executive authority. In introducing a resolution for studying study-ing the Ward case which was quickly adopted, Sen. Harry Byrd (Va.) said: "... The measure . . . should lead to PACIFIC: Stilwell Advances Lieut. Gen. Joseph Stilwell' s mixed U. S., Chinese and native Burmese troops pushed the Japs farther far-ther back in northern Burma in their drive to clear a new supply road to distressed China, while British Brit-ish and Indian forces continued to slow up the Japs' determined campaign cam-paign to sever the Assam-Bengal rail line feeding General Stilwell's army. In the South Pacific, U. S. troops strengthened their hold on the Hol-landia Hol-landia area in Dutch New Guinea, while American bombers ranged up and down the island smashing at Jap bases supplying straggling enemy troops. In addition to threatening General Stilwell's supply lines, the Jap drive in India reportedly was designed de-signed to establish India's Collaborationist Col-laborationist Subhas Chandra Bose on native soil for an intensive propaganda propa-ganda drive to arouse the Hindus to revolt against the British. LEND-LEASE: 30 Billion Including special assistance given by other government agencies, lend-lease lend-lease aid now approximates $30,362,-687,362, $30,362,-687,362, the senate was told in considering con-sidering extension of the act. Broken down into loans, grants, investments, construction, purchases pur-chases in foreign countries, current expenses and other aid and expenditures, expendi-tures, the special assistance alone, chiefly extended by the army and navy, amounts to $8,500,000,000. Ordinary Ordi-nary lend-lease assistance totals $21,794,237,819. Of the $30,362,687,362 spent, Great "Britain has received $19,700,297,674; Russia, $4,214,921,449; So. America, $2,327,378,789; China, $920,349,451. SURPLUS MATERIAL: Use Considered With U. S. sales of surplus war goods already running between $12,-000,000 $12,-000,000 and $15,000,000 monthly, the knotty problem of allowing production produc-tion of civilian goods, with raw materials ma-terials and scrap reverting to the government through termination of war contracts, has arisen. Although some flatirons, alarm clocks, furniture, kitchenware, radio tubes, electric fans, stoves, kitchen ranges and bathtubs are scheduled for delivery in 1944, they are but a drop in the bucket compared with civilian requirements. Despite the admitted surplus of many raw materials, the War Production Pro-duction board has opposed their appreciable ap-preciable use in civilian goods on the grounds that such manufacture would aggravate the manpower situation. situ-ation. ' , POLITICS: Army Impartial The ticklish problem of supplying U. S. soldiers with political information informa-tion on the 1944 national elections was bravely approached by the war department, with emphasis firmly placed on impartiality. Although doughboys will be permitted per-mitted to read their favorite magazine maga-zine or newspaper, the war department depart-ment ruled that in radio broadcasts and service publications, equal time or space must be granted to both sides. Motion pictures and entertainments entertain-ments also drew the attention of the war department, with no partial material ma-terial to be tolerated in either source, and commanding officers to closely guard against the revision of scripts violating the regulation. Donald Nelson ties for production of civilian commodities commod-ities if it is not feasible and might interfere with necessary war production," produc-tion," Nelson declared. PROFITS: Going Up With some industries like petroleum petro-leum showing a 46.8 per cent boost in net incomes, and others like the wholesale and retail group reporting report-ing a 16.5 per cent drop, profit of 259 leading big businesses for the first quarter of 1944 amounted to $274,032,000, 6 per cent higher than last year, but 19 per cent below 1941. At the same time, an analysis of operations of 50 manufacturing companies com-panies for 1943 showed that costs helped to counterbalance income, and profit was held to 3.1 per cent per dollar of sales. For instance, it was reported 1943 wages and salaries took 72.8 per cent of gross income, before taxes but after other costs, compared with 66 per cent in 1940. Taxes claimed 20.8 per cent against 15.8 in 1940. AIR TRAVEL: Monopoly Debated Burning question in aviation circles today is whether various U. S. lines shall form a single company com-pany for international service or whether they shall compete for business busi-ness as separate organizations. Although only two of 19 U. S. lines favor a single company, there is strong pressure for such a setup on the grounds that its operation on a volume basis could allow it to compete against foreign air lines which undoubtedly will be financially finan-cially supported by their govern, ments. In opposing the single company idea, no less than 17 U. S. lines feel that competition could be expected to result in improved service and promotion of air travel, without fettering fet-tering free enterprise. CASUALTIES: Total 197, 841 Latest figures put U. S. casualties in World War II at 197,841, with I the army suffering 153,302 and the navy 44,539. Of the army casualties, 26,575 were reported killed, 62,312 wounded, wound-ed, 33,814 missing and 30,601 prisoners. pris-oners. Navy losses included 18.992 killed, 11,899 wounded, 9,192 missing miss-ing and 4,456 prisoners. With 45,567 deaths already reported, report-ed, the death toll' already neared World War I's, when 53.000 men died in action or of wounds. WOOL CHEAPER To move a part of the large stockpile stock-pile of wool on hand, the Commodity Credit corporation has decided to fix the price of domestic wool at a figure equal to or slightly below imported im-ported wool. At present, the imported im-ported article is 18 cents a pound cheaper than the domestic. This procedure will mean a loss to the CCC but another federal agency, which owns the foreign wool ultimately ulti-mately will make a profit which will more than offset the loss on the domestic do-mestic sale. Rep. Dewey "ection of legis- Sen. Byrd latl0n under wh,ch this (the Ward) seizure of a private business was made." Previously, Rep. Charles Dewey (111.) called upon the house to authorize an investigation of the government's occupation of the Ward plant, a seizure nation's No. 2 mail order company contested in federal court on the ground it is no war industry, and an action the U. S. defended on the strength of its claim that the business sells productive produc-tive machinery to farmers in advancement ad-vancement of the war effort. MEAT: Plenty on Hand Reduction of government purchases pur-chases of meat in the face of crowded warehouses and heavy hog receipts at markets resulted in OPA's removal of meat rationing except on beef steaks and roasts. On April 1, warehouses held a near record of 1,246,813,000 pounds of meat compared with 780,806,000 pounds a year ago. Packing facilities facili-ties were being stretched to the utmost ut-most as farmers continued heavy hog shipments, partly because of the tight feed supply recently aggravated aggra-vated by the government's embargo on all private corn sales in 125 midwest mid-west counties to divert stocks to industrial in-dustrial processors. As a result of the government's program, virtually all wet corn millers were operating, with enough grain pledged for four months. |
