| Show weekly news analysis allied armies squeeze nazis as big three map knockout drive EDITORS NOTE when opinions vt are expressed in ia these columns they are r those of western newspaper union news analysts sad and sot not necessarily of or this newspaper EUROPE plan knockout As swedish reports played up a big shakeup in the german government in an effort to form a more respectable regime tor for approaching the allies tor for peace the big three conference continued in the black sea area with roosevelt churchill and stalin announcing completion of plans for the knockout of the nazi military machine although hitler would remain as the head of the german state under the reported shakeup sha keup actual power would pass into the hands of wily fritz von ace diplomat and reich chancellor before the fuehr ers ascension to dominance dominancy although a conservative in tone von reports had it would have as finance minister hjalmar hialmar schacht who devised the complex prewar barter system by which the reich attempted to do business without formal exchange 9 chieftains stalin roosevelt churchill in confab in agreement on military plans the big three also were reportedly in harmony on postwar occupation of germany with britain taking over the northwest the U S the southwest and russia the east twin thrusts while the russians drove in from the east the U S and british undertook a large scale offensive in the west with field marshal bernard tommies commies attempting to outflank the siegfried line terminal of kleve kieve on the northern end of the front and move down the ruhr valley following 11 hours of intensive aerial and artillery bombardment forces paced by tanks and flame throwers th rowers fought deep into the Beich wald forest screening kleve while the germans rushed up reinforcements in in an effort to curb the offensive not only would a british breakthrough break through imperil the industrial ruhr v valley al but it would place the tommies commies at the rear of nazi troops holding a line against the U S first and third armies farther south while off offensive mounted the first and third armies continued to chew deeply into the once formidable siegfried line with the battering yanks encountering new earthwork defenses beyond the west walls concrete bunkers pill boxes and tank traps Strong point after strong point in the siegfried line fell as the nazis appeared to be falling back into the earthwork system stretching as tar far back as the rhine in some places attack in west while a great battle raged for the battered prussian stronghold of berlin another great and equally important fight 0 flared for Sil esias interior industrial district in pressing their great offensives along the sprawling eastern front the reds threw numerous bridgeheads across the oder river whose ice packs were thawed by warm winds with artillery laying down heavy barrages red armored columns backed by waves of infantry pressed into the fortified zones before berlin farther to the south the russians headed beaded tor for Sil esias interior in V V IV 4 4 A 4 wv ar with one member carrying cumbersome antitank anti tank weapon berlin home ome guarderas mobilize for action as russ march on capital du district around nitz and helburg nestled deep in the shadow of the towering mountains rimming czechoslovakia capture of this region would add to the conquest of the eastern industrial district and further impair nazi industry CANADA draft trouble reaffirming its traditional privileges of self government under the british north america act the canadian constitution french speaking quebeck Que becs legislature convened in the same week as english speaking voters in the grey north district of ontario repudiated ted the dominion governments government compromise overseas draft policy strongly opposed to an overseas draft the quebec legislatures firm declaration of self government coupled with the assertion that the minor itys interest in any change in the dominions constitution should be respected indicated that french canadians aimed to maintain their position on conscription meanwhile repudiation of the governments ern ments compromise overseas draft policy to avoid a headon head on collision with quebec meant that premier king may be compelled to call a general election to thrash out the question publicly and strengthen an administrations hand on dealing with the touchy problem SURPLUS GOODS investigate sales with congress announcing its intention to go into the whole question of surplus property disposal now to develop fair practices rather than to wait until most of the goods had been sold the senate war investigating committee ranged over the whole matter with emphasis on operations of an auction beering firm allegedly soliciting bus business through high officials during the course of the committees inquiry it was learned that purchasers bought surplus materials at bargain prices and then resold them to the government at big profits and that test tubes stopper corks and surgical dressings were being classed as surplus while factories worked around the clock turning out more of the same items in investigating the affairs of surplus liquidators Liquida tors inc it was brought out that herbert bayard swope consultant to secretary of war henry stimson had written to jesse jones former secretary of commerce asking for the batters lat consideration of the firms plans for disposal of surplus goods there not only was prearranged pre arranged bidding at surplus liquidators Liquida tors auctions it was charged but sales were made without any competitive bidding at all and in some cases buyers later were asked to pay higher prices for goods they had previously bought PACIFIC manila in flames overwhelmed by amer american ican forces moving from the north and squeezed by other U S units moving in from the south jap defenders of manila destroyed all bridges over the basig river divi dividing ding the city in two and put the business district to the torch As the manila business districts reinforced concrete streamlined and air conditioned buildings billowed in flame winds blowing in from the bay spread the fire forcing the removal of freed prisoners and internees inter nees by truck to outlying the general it seems does all the talking for the macarthurs Mac Arthurs when mrs macarthur was asked to comment on her reaction to the fall of manila her aide said she alter her policy of public silence without permission from general headquarters meaning macarthur himself suburbs As U S troops worked their way through the barricaded barricades barrica ded streets they came under heavy sniper gunfire in telling his troops that they have redeemed a count rys pledge to recapture its lost land general macarthur said that ahe the conquest of manila marked the end of one phase of the war and the opening of another declaring that his command was ready to carry on the campaign against the japs in what was interpreted as his bid tor for continued leadership of allied forces in the pacific macarthur proclaimed on to tokyo STOCKS new peak with rails spearheading spear heading the advance because of favorable dividend prospects the new york stock market reached a new seven and one half year peak rails also led in the advance on the bond market where an average of worth of securities were traded daily utilities and foreign dollar loans also showed strength the latter because of prospects for restoration of stabilized friendly governments in the liberated countries POULTRY PROSPECTS strong demand wholesale and retail prices of poultry meat for the next six months will be at ceilings reflecting a strong civilian demand and large military requirements the U S department of agriculture reports supplies of chickens ex luding broilers will be less than a year earlier because of the 20 per cent decline in the number of chickens raised in 1944 from 1943 broiler production however is increasing as evidenced by the record december hatch in the new nev england states the primary source of chicks for the delmarva del mar va peninsula and the shenandoah valley little it if any of this increase will go to civilians since government order virtually prohibits the sale of chicken meat in the delmarva del mar va peninsula the shenandoah valley and the important broiler growing areas of georgia missouri arkansas and oklahoma RAIL TRAFFIC car shortage one great artery linking the nation into a whole the U S railroad systems operations in one section must strongly affect activities in another as the recent heavy snow storms and frigid weather in the northeast have proved because of the delay in returning rolling stock from the storm area and the necessity of giving important military freight the right of way an acute shortage of box cars has developed in the middle west it was said the situation has been all the more complicated by the tact fact that terminal mills and grain elevators have made a heavy demand tor for box cars in the face of a record 1944 harvest and a large carryover carry over freight difficult difficulties les have been eq equally bally matched by passenger service troubles it was also said what with the severe winter weather delaying the arrival of many trains in in midwest terminals and resulting in travelers missing connections on lines leaving for the west income drops class I 1 railroads of the united states in the year ended december 31 1944 had an estimated net income after interest and rentals of according to reports filed by the carriers the decrease in net railway operating income in 1944 compared with 1943 was per cent with the drop ascribed to increased wages growing out of adjustments just ments made in 1943 but in some cases not effective until 1944 and higher prices of fuel materials and supplies ARMY HOSPITALS increase capacity plans are nearing completion to increase the bed capacity of t the he ardys general and convalescent hospital system by to care for the additional sick and wounded soldiers returned from overseas six months ago when additional facilities were first contemplated the ardys general hospitals numbered 61 with a total bed capacity of and nine convalescent hospitals with beds WORK OR FIGHT bill bucked still strongly opposed by labor and industry the admi I 1 s work or fight bill forcing r e tween 18 and 45 to accept essential jobs or face induction or fine and imprisonment received close senate consideration after house passage As the solons took up the bill the executive council meeting in miami fla declared that no actual manpower shortage existed but that some plants were hoarding labor to keep up production costs and allow them a greater percentage of profit and contracts were being let in tight labor areas while establishments were forced to lay off help in others the recommended a substitute under which hoarded labor would be drafted claiming that only workers were needed the national association of manufacturers said that voluntary cooperative efforts austry labor and govern me largely been successful in recruiting needed help and said that lower employment ceilings in unessential plants could flush out surplus workers reductions in absenteeism elimination of wasteful labor practices and shifting of skilled help would serve to draw the most from available manpower the NAM said COURT MARTIAL stirs nation in a case that stirred nationwide nation wide interest and created a flurry on the floor of the U S senate the ardys sentencing of pat C henry weber 27 ot of 1 vancouver wash to hanging for refusal 41 to bear arms in a drill was changed to life imprisonment at hard labor As webers wife said that his deep personal conviction henry weber against killing in war should have entitled him to consideration as a conscientious ious objector before his induction he himself declared 1 I am interested in a world in which all men can live peaceably to be a good soldier you have to learn to hate and to kill I 1 am willing to do anything I 1 can to get the war over as long as I 1 do not have to kill other people exclaiming it is inconceivable to me that army officers w would sentence a man to death becat beca as tr lace refused to drill senator r T mont threatened to press a congressional inquiry into the case when it was first announced whoever sentenced that boy to hanging ought to be discharged he said its home sweet home for vets the first problem which will face the returning serviceman and one which is a necessary first step before he embarks on his pos postwar career is a decision on the place in which he is to live to this question the great majority of the men have given the answer were going back home according to a report based on a survey made by the information and education division army service forces the survey shows that eight out of every ten white enlisted men expect to return not only to the same region but also to the same state in which they lived before the war only one in ten anticipates moving to another state the remainder are still undecided negro enlisted personnel tend to be somewhat more migratory only about two thirds expect to go back to the same state in which they lived in civilian life according to the war department survey among the white enlisted men about half of those who say they are going to move expect to go out to the far west among negro men the main stream of migration will be from the south to the northeast if these as well as some other smaller shifts materialize the pacific coast can expect a ba increase about a quarter lion in the number of vete veterans fans after the war the highly agricultural area embracing the south as well as the west north central census division on the other hand will experience a large migration out the report says on the basis of the survey results the industrialized northeast also is expected to get migrants although on a much smaller scale while the mountain states are expected to break even in migrants just about balancing out migrants released by western newspaper union |
