OCR Text |
Show WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS . Allied Armies Meet Stiff Resistance From Nazi's Defense Line in Italy; Japs Flee Solomon, New Guinea Bases; More Taxes Sought to Pay War Costs (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.) Released by Western Newspaper Union. I U. S. troops stalk carefully through battered Italian town on march to Rome. Doughboys are on lookout for snipers. PHILIPPINES: Immediate Independence To combat Japanese propaganda designed to obtain the support of the Filipinos in the . war against the U. S., congress has received a bill to grant the Philippine Islands their independence as soon as possible rather than in 1946. Following introduction of the bill. President Roosevelt recommended that action be taken on the proposal, with provisions for economic freedom, free-dom, postwar rehabilitation with U. S. help, and military security through U. S. -Filipino cooperation. In attempting to consolidate their hold over the Philippines, the Japs have been dinning the natives that the U. S. is insincere in its promise of granting them independence. TAXES: More Sought Declaring that the American people peo-ple are able to pay for at least 50 per cent of war expenses through taxes, Stabilization Director Fred M. Vinson urged a reluctant congress to approve the government's program pro-gram for 10 billion dollars of new levies. The program calls for higher income in-come and corporation taxes, and in- ITALY: Fight for Rome Beating forward to Rome, Allied armies ran into what appeared to be the Germans' first stiff defense line across southern Italy. In taking up their new positions, the Germans entrenched themselves on the north bank of the Volturno river on the western coast, and along the open, narrow plain on the eastern coast. Between the two coasts, their troops dug into the rugged rug-ged mountains. In all, the line ran 125 miles across Italy. Allied Generals Montgomery and Clark brought up reinforcements reinforce-ments for the first thrust at the enemy's ene-my's new positions, while U. S. and British airmen pounded German supply routes leading to the front. Observers kept one eye cocked on the Balkans, where German and British units were fighting for small Islands in the Aegean . seaj from which an invasion fleet moving into Greece or Jugo-Slavia could be bombed. ; SOUTHWEST PACIFIC:' Jap Posts Crumble The Japanese position in the Solomons Solo-mons and New Guinea is slowly crumbling. With the Allies holding the advantage In sea and , air strength, the Japs have found it i-creasingly i-creasingly difficult to supply their distant outposts, and latest in the group to be abandoned was Kolom-bangara Kolom-bangara in the Solomons. Unable to use big cargo or naial vessels because they would becorne easy prey for the superior Allifed sea and air forces, the Japs are continuing to rely on barges for sup-, plying their advanced bases, and, as in the case of Kolombangara,, evacuating men. Operated at night, these barges are hidden along the seashores by day. In New Guinea, the Allies beat back light patrols guarding the approaches ap-proaches to Madang, Jap air and shipping base on the northeast coast. The Allies were skirting the enemy's ene-my's main defenses in a wide, circling cir-cling movement, to fall on the base from the rear in much the same pattern pat-tern as their conquests of Lae and Finschafen. PEACE AIMS: Three Faiths Agree Identical peace aims have been enunciated by representatives of the three great faiths of the United States in a seven-point declaration. After months of study, the Federal Council of Churches of Christ in America, speaking for the Protestants, Protes-tants, Catholics and Jews, issued a seven-point postwar program. Salient points are: 1. A just peace based upon recognition recog-nition that "not only Individuals, but nations, states and international society so-ciety are subject to the sovereignty of God and the moral law;" 2. States must repudiate racial, religious or other discrimination; 3. Safeguards for all peoples, large and small; 4. Equal educational opportunities and political equality for minorities. 5. Guarantee of faithful fulfillment fulfill-ment of international obligations; to provide collective security by limitation limi-tation of armaments; to compel arbitration ar-bitration of disputes. 6. International Interna-tional economic collaboration "to assist as-sist all states to provide an adequate standard of living for their citizens." 7. Security of the family and participation par-ticipation of labor in decisions affecting af-fecting its welfare. Fred M. Vinson (left) and Rep. Robert DonEhton. creased rates on tobacco, liquor, amusements and luxuries of all kinds. The program also was to slap new levies on candy, chewing gum, soft drinks, greeting cards and other items. Present taxes are paying for about 38 per cent of war expenses, and the additional 10 billion dollars would bring the figure up to almost 50 per cent. In his statement to congress, Vinson declared that higher high-er taxes also will serve to prevent Inflation. The government also proposed increased in-creased social security taxes for higher unemployment payments and temporary disability and hospital benefits. DRAFT: New Regulations Although the senate killed Sen. Burton Wheeler's bill to postpone the induction of fathers until January 1, it moved toward providing stricter utilization of other manpower. Through adoption of a substitute bill, the senate voted: 1. Occupational Occupa-tional deferments would be limited to pre-war fathers, unless employers employ-ers could prove indispensability of single or childless married men; 2. All deferments would be subject to review by the appeal board within the district where the employer was located; 3. A board would be appointed ap-pointed to study lowering present physical standards to make use of 4F's. In the senate bill which went to the house for consideration, allowances allow-ances to service men's wives were increased to $50 and to $30 for the first child, and $20 for each additional addi-tional child. |