Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS allies shift weight of attacks against nazis to belgium front vital issues face new congress released by western newspaper union those hose of columns they are tx expressed pressed in these EDITORS NOTE when opinions are and not necessarily ot of this newspaper new paper western newspaper unions news analysts ana lynts v v A Z n I 1 W X I 1 4 democratic leaders leaving white house after pow powwow wow with president roosevelt before opening of congress included left to right vice president wallace speaker rayburn senate majority leader barkley vice president elect truman and house majority leader mccormack mccormach EUROPE tables turned with U S forces having reacted quickly to field marshal von rund great winter offensive which carried deep into the hilly ardennes ardennis Ar dennes forest the big german bulge in southeastern belgium shrank under the steady hammering of the american first and third armies plough ing forward in swirling blizzards As elements of the first and third armies punched at the western nose of the nazi bulge other units of these tried battle forces gouged into the north and south flanks and advanced within a dozen miles of each other threatening to cut the german sack in two but even as the first drove southward from Malem pre and the third northward from longchamps von was reported setting up a new defense line halfway half way back from his deepest penetration with strong nazi armored formations throwing in constant counter attacks in a deadly battle of attrition to cover up the move with both sides bringing their heaviest weight to bear in the withering battle of belgium and with von seemingly determined to continue the fight in the hilly ardennes ardennis Ar dennes the enemy appeared to have temporarily succeeded in turning the struggle away from the vital ruhr and valleys heart of his heavy industries As the allies threw their full weight into the battle it was revealed that elements of the british second army joined the US first in the attacks on the northern flank of the bulge and field marshal montgomery was g given iven overall command of forces force S in III this sector not only the british second but elements of the US ninth and seventh armies also were moved into the line to mount increasing pressure the nazis said with the withdrawal of the major strength of the third army from the southern end of the western front U S troops dropped back from extensive holdings in the and palatinate in the face of heavy german pressure designed to exploit the realignment of forces new regimes Eu ropes troubled political affairs took two new turns with the formation of a liberal government in greece expected to end civil strife and the russian sponsored lublin committees establishment of a provisional government for liberated territory looked upon to further complicate the polish problem although gen nicholas assumed leadership of the new greek government principal attention was focused on foreign minister john Sofia 57 year old agrarian liberal whose inclusion in the cabinet fore shadowed a sufficiently liberal policy to attract revolting leftists in declaring itself the provisional government of liberated poland the L lublin committee which favors territorial rit orial concessions to the russians and a regime friendly to moscow clashed with the allied backed polish government in exile in london which contests re red d land claims and radical internal social policies PACIFIC step up attacks with general macarthurs Mac Arthurs forces consolidating their positions in the central philippines U S airmen stepped up their attack on enemy shipping gand and installations about the main main island of luzon to the north at the same time carrier borne aircraft blasted the japs big air bases of formosa and serving as reinforcement centers for the philippines the anxious japs themselves looked nervously to an american invasion of luzon with the enemy trying to comfort himself with the assumption that he had sufficient forces to meet a thrust there and shorter supply lines favored him not only did U S bombardment of shipping about luzon hamper the movement of materials about the main island itself but it also imperiled the movement of material to the southern islands CONGRESS rolls up sleeves in assembling for its first session the congress faced a stiff job on both foreign as well as domestic issues relating not only to the successful prosecution of the war but to permanent peace as well in international affairs of course recent incidents in poland greece and italy are expected to lead toward congressional pressure for a stricter definition of our foreign policy while attention also will be devoted toward the development of an organization to preserve the peace with proper respect toward the interests of all nations on the home front the manpower problem will remain foremost with need for maintaining an adea adequate aate production force and at the same time meeting military demands for more men the line against inflation also will have to be held in the face of higher wage and price demands FARM DRAFT seek youth asserting that war food administrator marvin jones had advised him that no critical reduction in farm 1 11 production pro d uc tion would result war z a t i I 1 n director james F byrnes B called for the i induction v of deferred t farm workers between 18 and 26 years of age there are approximately A young J F byrnes men in this group it was revealed and byrnes asked selective service to apply the most crucial standards in the further deferment of any of them with the army calling for young men he said sad the only alternative would wo uld be to induct 26 to 29 year olds in war industry a move which the war production board warned might hamper munitions output farm state senators were quick to protest byrnes action senators reed kan and johnson colo citing department of labor s statistics to show that the average work week in in industry dropped to hours in one year ended september 1944 said johnson from these statistics it take a smart ma man n to discover ways and means of decreasing t the manpower shortage CIVILIAN goldst 1945 prospects the european war having with turn and he aa unfavorable taken ken for nations total resources needed continued record production 0 of f war materials there will be little improvement pro in stocks of civilian goods through 1945 the war production board predicted down to with the frozen stockpile units and alid resumption of production unlikely until after the european war when almo almost st six months will be needed for mechanical ch anical refrigerators will remain practically unavailable if manufacturers tur rs can S tart start on production of all steel ice boxes civilians will receive about a quarter in iii 1945 of electric ranges authorized author for 1945 civilians are to get 65 per cent while about electric irons will be assembled some aluminum kitchenware will reach the market but output of cast iron enamel and galvanized utensils probably will remain down primarily because of manpower shortages although authorized production of vacuum cleaners in in 1945 a fraction of the peacetime output of annually actual manufacture may fall short of goal because of the increasing scarcity of lumber the supply for furniture is expected to remain short production of innerspring inner spring mattresses will be negligible for at least six months only for small electrical appliances are prospects described as brighter house e wanted having literally sung himself into the senate crooning solon sen elect glenn taylor sought to sing himself into a home in crowded washington D C gathering his attractive brunette wife and two children about him on the cold steps of the capitol and v r s t N 11 tp 1 N S sen taylor with family plunking on his battered banjo senator taylor purred 0 give us a home near the capitol capital dome with a yard where little children can play just one room or two any old thing will do 0 we cant find a pla aa ce to stay until the senators song strikes a responsive chord in some landlords heart the taylors will live in a hotel UN americanism to resume inquiries the new house had barely sett settled I 1 e d into its seats before rep john rankin miss set is agog by pushing through the formation of a new committee on un american actie activities aties to succeed ex rep martin dies defunct investigating committee bitter target of liberal elements representative rankin resorted to a legislative coup in having the house approve the organization of a new committee suddenly inserting his proposal as an amendment to the rules being considered for the current session seventy democrats joined republicans in voting for the proposal while votes were counted against it unlike the dies committee which concerned itself with investigation the new committee on un american activities will have the power to draft legislation for correction of abuses and submit it to the house for passage BANKS U S s biggest biggest bank in the world the chase national of new york wound up its 1944 business with a record breaking total of in resources of which wh ich were deposits holding of government securities curi ties reached almost not far behind chases was the national city bank of new york with assets of of which were i iii 11 deposits also of new york the he t guaranty trust company compan Y finished the year with res resources burces of biggest bank west of if th the e all alle ghan chanles gh anies les the continental illin illinois ois national bank and trust com company pany of chicago P wound UP P 1944 with 2 2619 is in sources resources of which were in deposits the bank held over 1 billion dollars dollar in m government securities |