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Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS Army Reduces 1944 Manpower Needs; Red Forces Sever Nazi Rail Lines; Action Spreads in Southwest Pacific; Anti-Subsidy Battle Gains in Scope (EDITOR'S VOTE: When opinions are expresnd in these columns, they are those of Western Newspaper Cnion's news analysts and nut necessarily of this newspaper.) I Released by Western Newspaper Union. NEW SICKNESSES "Jeep Disease" and "Destroyer Stomach" are the latest army and navy maladies. Because of rough riding in mechanized mech-anized vehicles, many Doughboys have been afflicted with "Jeep Disease," Dis-ease," a formation of cyst near the base of the spine, with aggravations resulting from further jostling. Sometimes, the abnormality is no more than a pimple. The medics chief problem is to discover which cases are serious enough for surgery. sur-gery. "Destroyer Stomach" has been found most frequently in men serving serv-ing in the rough waters of the North Atlantic, and is marked by a form of subacute gastritis due to protracted protract-ed sea sickness, irregular meals and constant nervous tension. RAILROAD WAGES: In Congress' Lap As congress considered a resolution resolu-tion to grant non-operating railroad employees an eight cents an hour wage increase, it was announced railroad employment in mid-October of 1943 was 4 per cent over the same period last year, but still 100,-000 100,-000 short of needs. Congressional action on the wage increase was sought after the Office of Economic Stabilization refused to sanction the award, instead offering lowest paid employees a 10 cents an hour boost and the highest paid 4 cents an hour. In all, the railroads employed 1,367,817 workers in mid-October, with critical shortages existing in i the operating departments. Main-tenance-of-way and structural classifications clas-sifications showed a 3.57 decrease from October of 1942. LAND HOLDINGS: I Italy British troops here are shown picking their way through typical ruins of village in savage fighting on the Italian front. Adding to difficulties diffi-culties were driving rains, which converted many of the small rivers and creeks running through the mountainous country into swirling torrents. With the Nazis entrenched in elaborate concrete fortifications hewed into the rocky terrain, U. S. and British troops moved slowly and cautiously cau-tiously along the craggy slopes. In the Aegean sea, the Germans pounded the Allied held Dodecanese island of Samos, following their capture of Leros. Previously, they had retaken Kos. Important stepping stones to Greece, these little islands also serve as bases for threatening neutral Turkey to the east. FOOD FRONT: Subsidies Hit Agricultural directors from five states joined in the bitter attack Vast U. S. Ownership While Undersecretary of War Robert Rob-ert Patterson announced the war department de-partment was giving serious study to peacetime disposal of its holdings hold-ings of 43,181,183 acres of land, it was revealed the federal government govern-ment owned 383,600,533 acres. Federal land holdings were equal in size to the combined areas of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Con-necticut, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Caro-lina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Flor-ida, Ohio, Alabama, Kentucky and Indiana. Adding to the federal government's vast land holdings, the army and navy purchased 15 hotels at a cost of $15,000,000. Some of these hotels have been returned to private ownership, own-ership, like the Stevens in Chicago, bought for $5,528,101 and sold for $5,251,000. ARMY CUTS SIZE: Draft Change Voted As the house sent the senate a bill calling for the deferment of fathers until all other eligible single and childless married men throughout the nation have been called, it was revealed that the army had decided to cut its manpower needs by 548,000. In addition to the provision putting put-ting fathers at the bottom of the draft lists and postponing their induction in-duction from 30 to 60 days, the house bill also requires occupational deferments defer-ments be reviewed by appeal boards within the 'district where the deferred de-ferred person works. A five man medical commission would be established es-tablished to consider the possibility of lowering physical standards. The 548,000 cut in manpower needs will give the army a total force of 7,652,000 men. It also was rpvpalpfl that thf armv had saved f i i V against continuation of the administration's administra-tion's subsidy program pro-gram even as Economic Eco-nomic Stabilization Director Fred Vinson Vin-son was reportedly considering $9,000,-000 $9,000,-000 a month subsidies subsi-dies to millers to prevent an increase m the price of bread. Directors from ! South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska Nebras-ka and Florida op- Fred Vinson posed the subsidy program before a senatorial committee, commit-tee, with South Dakota's E. H. Ever-son Ever-son declaring government payments to hold down -consumers' prices was the chief source of inflation by creating extra purchasing power out of the money saved buyers. Strong anti - subsidy sentiment which was looked upon to shelve the government's program in both the house and senate, was further agitated agi-tated by the proposed plan to pay millers about 14 cents a bushel for wheat to prevent bread price increases in-creases of from one to two cents a pound. Aid Hog Marketing To iron out problems associated with the marketing of the record i pig crop, the government govern-ment moved in two directions. First, Price Administrator Chester Bowles reduced re-duced the value of all pork cuts by two ration points; second, sec-ond, War Food Administrator Ad-ministrator Marvin Jones announced support prices of $13.75 per hundred- Chester Bowles over 13 billion dollars out of 127 billion dollars appropriated for its use, with economies of over 10 billion dollars effected by curtailment curtail-ment of the armament, equipment and airplane programs. RUSSIA: ; Cut Nazi Railroads ? Two important railroads in Russia linking German armies of the north with those of the south, and running westward into the big pre-war Polish cities of Warsaw and Lwow, were cut by the Red armies. As the Russian forces severed these major German arteries, Nazi forces launched a strong counterattack counterat-tack against the Reds in the vicinity of these rail lines, gaining some ground. But here, as further to the south where the Germans claimed 600,000 Russians were hammering them above Krivoi Rog, the Nazi positions still were in a fluid state. To the north, the Reds pecked at the Nazi base of Gomel, serving as the southern anchor of their Baltic line which is hinged on Finland. Ten classes of reservists in the Baltic states have been called to military service by the Nazis. SOUTHWEST PACIFIC: Action Spreads With U. S.. forces being strengthened strength-ened on Bougainville for a major drive against the 40,000 Japs reportedly report-edly defending their last stronghold in the Solomons, Liberator bombers lashed against the enemy's tiny Gilbert Gil-bert and Marshall Island possessions, posses-sions, standing out like pesky little thorns along our supply routes to the battle areas. Warding off Jap blows from the air, U. S. warships moved up Bougainville's Bou-gainville's west coast to pound the Enemy's big airplane base of Buka. Absence of strong elements of the Japanese fleet in the advanced battle bat-tle zone suggested that the enemy was concentrating his formidable naval force on protection of his 1,500 mile sea lane running from Japan proper to the rich islands south. In New Guinea, Australian forces began moving northward from Finschhafen toward the Jap strongholds strong-holds of Madang and Wewak, from which the enemy's aerial units have been striking at the Allied bases. WAGES FOR HOUSEWIVES Declaring housewives are the only category of workers who are denied monetary recognition for their services, serv-ices, a British member of parliament parlia-ment has proposed payment of wages to homemakers "who have a full-time job cooking, scrubbing and bearing children." According to British law, family income is the sole property of the husband, and much ado recently was raised over the regulation when a court upheld one man's claim to 40 cents a week his wife had saved while taking in roomers over a 17-year 17-year period. WORLD RELIEF: Predict Needs Approximately 134 million people in Europe and Asia will be in need of assistance after the war, the United Unit-ed Nations Relief and Rehabilitation administration estimated. Of this amount, 84 million will be Chinese. To check such epidemics as typhus ty-phus and tuberculosis that have wracked Poland and France, it was revealed UNRRA will send special units into reconquered areas. People Peo-ple moving from one section to another an-other will be funnelled through centers cen-ters for feeding, vaccination and quarantine. Food or supplies shipped into different dif-ferent countries will be placed in charge of the governments in control. con-trol. Lend-Lease Foods Lend-lease food shipments abroad equal one-eighth of the U. S. supply, the Foreign Economic administration administra-tion revealed. Civilians are receiving receiv-ing three-fourths of the production. Figures show that in the first nine months of this year, lend-lease food shipments include 3.2 per cent of total milk products; 10.6 per cent of dried eggs; 13.9 per cent of edible oils and fats; and 21.2 per cent of canned fish. Shipments of canned fruits and juices equal 2.5 per cent of total supply; dried fruits, 21.1 per cent; canned vegetables, 1 per cent; dried beans 10.3 per cent; dried peas, 14.2 per cent; corn and corn products, 0.1 per cent; wheat and wheat products, prod-ucts, 0.9 per cent; and butter, 2.5 per cent. WAR GARDENS: Victory gardeners will be expected expect-ed to raise at least 25 per cent more next year than this, delegates to the National Victory Garden Institute convention resolved. They met in Chicago. Other resolutions ask for an increased in-creased allowance of about 33 per cent from the WPB on tools, fertilizer fer-tilizer and insecticides, and for orders or-ders permitting garden clubs to buy 600.000 pressure cookers for canning. can-ning. Extra gasoline was asked for people working co-operative gardens. weight would be paid in all markets for good to choice butcher hogs frpm 200 to 270 pounds. Bowles' action was taken to stimulate stim-ulate consumption of pork and 100 per cent pork sausage. Lard and sausages made from other meat were not affected. Besides guaranteeing support prices, WFA authorized farmers to slaughter their own hogs without federal fed-eral license and sell to consumers for 90 days. OIL: Seek Neiv Wells With a projected goal of 24,000 new oil wells in 1944, prospects loomed for increased activity in the Rocky Mountain states. Of the 24,000 new oil wells, 5,000 are to be exploratory and the remaining re-maining 19,000 development projects. proj-ects. The immense Powder river basin in the northeastern section of Wyoming and southeastern section of Montana might prove the focal point of operations. Congressional action in reducing royalties on discoveries on public domain to a flat 22.5 per cent for the duration and 10 years afterward furnishes incentive for action in the Rocky mountain region. |
