| Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS see seesaw saw offensives rage on red front fron t As nazis hurl new divisions into drive battle lines drawn for skip year taxes aerial action paces activity in tunisia EDITORS NOTE when opinions art are expressed in these columns they are those of western newspaper unions news analysts and not necessarily of this newspaper I 1 released by western newspaper union t P e t J with snow underfoot these muffler bound ear muffed members of the new york giant pitching staff are going through their paces pace s in one of the most unusual spring training seasons in baseball history their camp is located at lakewood N J left to right cliff melton van mungo and carl hubbell Bub bell southernmost of all major league training camps is that of the world champion st lou louis is cardinals at cairo GIVE AND TAKE in russia kharlov had fallen once more to the nazis and still they pushed eastward this was the story from the ukraine sector of the broad russian front in another important sector further to the north the russians were having the better of it as their four pronged offensive swept swiftly through the area around blensk this and the fighting around the anchor point of orel were more immediately important to the russian cause than what happened at khar kov for orel serves as the turning point between the southern and central fronts hitler could ill afford to lose this base while russian sources admitted that kharlov was important they also pointed out that a strong defense line had been established beyond the city and further claimed that hillers Hit lers troops found nothing but dead germans on the cites streets when they took it military experts reasoned that hitler had thrust about 25 fresh divisions into his drive for that point moscow said that the reason germany wanted the city was to atone for the great losses suffered by the nazis at stalingrad Stal ingrad in midwinter TUNISIA aerial action bad weather which has slowed ground activity in tunisia has been no barrier to the growing allied air force As a prelude to general expected push against marshal rommel allied planes have been pounding the mareth line an elaborate system of fortifications hewed into the mountains this line stands between the bulk of the opposing armies after a month of offensive operations against the american and british lines in central and north tunisia rommel has pulled in his wings although the allies restored much of their original position they have concentrated their effort on softening up the enemy from the air allied air operations have been particularly extensive over sicily american and british bombers have been pounding the great axis base at palermo Pro sinone and lo 10 were the latest sicilian centers hit MORE TIRES on april I 1 liberalizing tire rationing for the second time price administrator prentiss brown expressed the belief that all motorists would be able to keep their cars on the road as the result of the release of additional tires by rubber administrator william jeffers effective april 1 grade 2 tires will be available to drivers with gasoline mileage allowances exceeding miles a month this includes most B C and T card holders motorists eligible for or more miles will be allowed a limited number of grade 1 tires the highest grade casing however all must be obtained with certificates issued by local ration boards these changes do not aff affect act A card holders who are eligible for used or recapped casings most of at the rationing formalities on recapped tires have been removed by brown SKIP YEAR TAX battle lines drawn when house democratic leaders decided to support a tax collection system without abatement as approved by the ways and means committee their action presaged a pay as you go tax battle which may reverberate in the 1944 political campaign party lines in the house were well defined for the most part republican leaders were lined up for and democrats against the ruml plan to skip an entire income tax year however there was some cause for worry among opponents of the skip a year proposal in addition to the powerful republican membership which had lined up for abatement some democrats indicated they would vote with the republicans THUNDER over germany since the RAF staged its first colossal 1000 plane bombing of cologne last spring nazi industrial and communications centers in both germany and the occupied countries have been subjected to concentrated pounding from the air out of bombers returned after the last shattering attack on essen railroad lines and the big automotive center of rouen have been the principal targets in france the extensive system of canals has been bombed in holland and belgium and in germany the great naval base at wilhelmshaven Wilhelm shaven the big port of hamburg the steel industries of the ruhr and the engine fac factories factorize torie s of dusseldorf and nuremberg have been steadily plastered in flights into the interior the RAF has been using giant lancaste Lan casters ers Hali faxes and starlings Stir lings which carry the devastating block busters austers in their bomb racks Welling tons have headlined in the bombing and strafing attacks on communications centers the great raids with hundreds of planes participating on a daily schedule are believed to have caused considerable damage to communications which the nazis will need to shift troops and supplies to meet an allied invasion 7 german war industry appears to have been badly crippled but with the american air force joining in the attacks in increasing numbers raids to date may have been only a good beginning FARM PLAN from Corn belt the importance of a strong home front especially in the food sector was reemphasized emphasized re when officials official Is of 12 corn belt states concluded a series of meetings to offset what for former mer president herbert hoover calls symptoms of a dangerously degenerating agriculture governors of eight states and high ranking officials of four others drafted a series of recommendations that among other things would recognize farming as an essential war industry release immediately all present stock of farm machinery now in the hands of leaders or distributors tribu tors and provide sufficient material for completion of other units not now finished grant selective service deferment for all experienced labor essential to farm production and terminate the present unsatisfactory system which sends farm machinery where it is not adapted FLARE UP in france hopeful eyes turned for several days on the high mountain passes pa near the french swiss frontier where large numbers of french patriots had mobilized to launch guerrilla warfare against italian and german troops for the most these forces consisted of young frenchmen who were being recruited for forced labor inside germany first reports from zurich and berne switzerland indicated th that B british ri tish RAF planes were dropping guns and ammunition to the men waiting in the alps german sources soon claimed that many of the men were deserting because of the lack of such supplies this claim was substantiated by neutral reports much support and advice to t the he movement was given by the algiers radio this source claimed that italian troops in the area were refusing to help pry the patriots loose from their positions an ultimatum had been issued by the germans before the fighting began but the french declined it saying that they were ready to fight through to the end while non axis nations were cheered by the news of the resistance there was little hope that the uprising could spread far DINNER TABLE and points while american housewives were studying what the effects of the rationing of meat canned fish butter cheese and edible fats would be on their family diets the office of price administration announced that april points for processed foods would be same as in march a total of 48 per person these would be the points on the blue stamps let RATION DATES march 29 first day for rationing of meats canned fish butter cheese edible fats and oils march 31 final date for first inspection spec tion of passenger car tires tor for A card holders and motorcycles tor cycles last day on which A B and C stamps in war ration book 2 may be used stamps of second ration period may be used from march 25 april 12 expiration date tor for period 4 fuel oil coupons may alay 31 last day for use of stamp no 12 good for five pounds of sugar june 15 last valid date for stamp no 17 good for one pair of shoes september 30 expiration date for period 5 fuel oil coupons D E and F in war ration book no 2 in announcing the meat rationing government officials were careful to point out that while the total amount to be consumed by the nation would be cut 12 to 15 per cent there would still be enough meat to allow healthy diets for U S citizens meanwhile the department of labor reported that the average increase in food costs throughout the nation during the past month had been 05 per cent SECRET AIRFIELDS held dutch harbor the story behind japans failure to seize dutch harbor the navys alaskan stronghold is due largely gely to the existence of two imaginary salmon packing companies the facts have just been revealed the two packing firms were no more than covers for one of the alaska defense commands most remarkable jobs the secret construction of two airfields to guard dutch harbor when men the japs approached the naval base last june 3 with two carriers three cruisers eight destroyers st and four transports perhaps as strong as the forces which struck at pearl harbor they understood there was no airfield within miles of dutch harbor in the midst of their assault the japs found themselves hit from behind by land based planes and bombed and torpedoed by land based planes their spy work so successful at pearl harbor had failed LITTLE STEEL formula fades A source of comfort to almost every labor union official is the fact that the little steel formula is fast disappearing as a factor in wage increases approved by the war labor board the bulk of wage adjustments now is based on inequalities reason for the disappearance of the much debated formula is that a majority of employees already have received the 15 per cent general increase permitted by the formula as a cost ot of living adjustment officials state that scarcely any important branches of industry have not raised wages at least that much since january 1 1941 following sorting and testing tubes are fed to the furnace the metal etal in these tubes assaying about out 95 pure tin molded into pigs ilas of about pounds each |
