Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 July 1937 — Page 9

agabond

From Indiana — Ernie Pyle

Farewell to Ft. Yukon, Metropolis | Of Less Than 500 That Lives on Fur And Boasts an Up-to-Date Hospital.

TEAMBOATIN’ AGAIN, July 31.—Ladies | and gentlemen, we have just left Ft. Yukon, an event for which I am truly grate- | ful. Ft. Yukon is not the spot I would choose | in which to lie down and read. It is, in its way, a metropolis. It is the biggest city in all northern Alaska; the biggest city in a territory as large as Minnesota and the Dakotas lumped together. And yet, Ft. Yukon would have to count even a few mosquito noses to muster 500. ; It is isolated, it is ugly. It lies in the midst of a wide, flat land wherein the Yukon wanders all over the map, like a swamp. Trees are sparse; hills are mere bumps. Ft. Yukon is on the river bank. It has only two stores. The houses are all log huts. There aren’t any streets, really. They're just grass-grown lanes between heuses. Most of the inhabitants are Indians. Ft. Yukon does have one claim to a place in the sun—its hospital and mission. They are run by the opiscopal Church, and directed by Dr. Grafton Burke, who has been No. 1 man around here for 30 years. The hospital has modern equipment. Its rooms are clean and cheery. It would be a good place to be sick, provided your room was where vou could look out into | the bush, instead of toward town. Ft. Yukon depends absolutely. 100 per cent, upon | fur. Just as Wrangell is 100 per cent fish, and Daw- | son 100 per cent gold.

Evidence Is Lacking

But the only evidences you see of it around town are a few furs hung up in the stores, some idle dog leds standing back of log huts, and work dogs staked out under trees. Trappers from all through northeastern Alaska — hundreds of them—bring in their furs every spring and trade them to the local stores, or to visiting fur | buvers. Sometimes the total haul runs as high as a million dollars. ther years it will drop to $50,000. Fur runs in cycles, depending on the weather and on the number of rabbits and other food. Muskrats are the biggest part of the catch. One year, not so long ago, 850,000 muskrats were trapped in the spring around Ft. Yukon, and that year they brought $2 apiece. Were the Indians high

that year! Alaska’s Trading Posts

Practically everyone has heard of the old, romantic Hudson's Bay Co. of Canada. Its history is dramatic, and its prestige great. It is an institution. Well, Alaska has a miniature Hudson's Bay Co. Not so miniature at that, and quite old too. It is the Northern Commercial Co. It has no connection with Hudson's Bay. It is known to every inhabitant of mainland Alaska as the N. C. Co. The N. C. has 26 trading posts—four in Yukon Territory and 22 in Alaska. It has stores in “big” places like Fairbanks, and in tiny spots on the

West Coast that nobody ever heard of. In most every one of the 26 N. C. “towns,” the N. C. store is | the main thing. N. C. handles everything. t of anything you'd need in Alaska that can’t be | bought at an N. C. store. And they do a lot of other things, too. They run some river boats; they have the postoffices; they hold dog-sled mail contracts: they build and operate small ‘telephone | lines: their steam plants heat parts of cities. They are a power in Alaska. i The trading posts are run on the same principle | as Hudson's Bay stores—they trade merchandise for fur. ‘or whatever the native has to offer. The com- | pany is owned and managed from Seattle. It makes

a terrible lot of money.

Offhand, I can’t think

Mrs. Roosevelt's Day

By Elcanor Roosevelt | Unknown Driver Wins First Lady's |

Praise for His Courtesy on Highway.

VDE PARK, N. Y. Friday.—As I ride along one H of the main roads here for a short distance every morning, I sometimes meet a gentleman whose business is presumably in Poughkeepsie and who evidently takes that road daily. I am always impressed by his good manners. I am sure he doesn’t know me, but he evidently likes horses and understands them. He never drives up from behind at 60 miles an hour and whizzes past my horse by inches. He always slows down, swerves out a little and takes off his hat, which shows real thoughtfulness and a pleasant little touch of courtesy. Many people, I suppose, do not think horses have any nerves, and go by as close and as fast as they can. Luckily, my horse is beautifully trained and has no fear of autcmobiles. But I have known many & horse that would have given its rider a pretty bad time under provocation of this kind. I often wish .ay courteous gentleman could be watched by some of his less courteous brothers and. sisters. It may take him a few moments longer to reach his destination, but he looks as though he enjoved being polite and he certainly starts off the dav for those whom he meets in a pleasanter way. I went to the station yesterday to meet a young English couple, Mr. and Mrs. Sydney R. Elliott, who are over here because of their interest in the cooperative movement. They are leaders in this move=ment in England and have been largely responsible for the great increase in membership which has taken place there, during the last few years. . The co-operatives support the trade unions in England, but have far out-distanced them now in membershin. Their co-operative bank is a flourishing concern. I was tremendously interested in all they had te say. . Mr. and Mrs. Elliott feel we have done too much theorizing in this country. I was glad to find that they beiieved as I do, that the way to learn about anything is to do it, to work at it, to make mistakes perhaps, but through them discover better ways of accomplishing the desired result. They tell me that they are much interested in the work which some of our consumer co-operative groups have done in research. I was very glad to talk with Mrs. Elliott about the Women's Guilds, which evidently is a very strong auxiliary branch of the co-operative movement. They | say the members are chiefly the wives of workers or | small business men, but that these form such a big spending group they wield a great influence. They are also greatly interested in peace and have established international affiliations with co-operative | groups in other countries. It seems to me valuable that a group which is so interested in a movement which obliges them to study economics should at the same time be working with groups from other countries and therefore have a knowledge of the economic situation in these foreign countries, for peace and economics can never be separated.

Walter O'Keefe —

N Paris two days ago a French court took up the I case of Magda de Fontanges, a French cutie, who pumped a bullet into the Count de Chambrun because he tattled on her and Mussolini. Maggie was fined $3.95 for having butterfingers-on-the-trigger. Apparently the game laws prohibit | shooting French Counts unless they're in season. Maggie kept a diary of her alleged conferences with Italy’s amorous grandfather and I hope some smart

American newspaper grabs it so that we can find out what tender endearments he screamed at her | through a loudspeaker system. And whether her pet name for him was “cuddles.” | Apparently when this modern Delilah got the seis | sors in her hand, Sampson didn’t want a haircut. | He Just wanted a light trim around the edges. Wooing Mussolini must be something like trying to hold hands with the Statue of Liberty. I don't know how she ever fondled that right hand of his “ unless she was hanging from the chandelier.

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Indianapolis Ti

SATURDAY, JULY 31, 1937

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Hitler at the Crossroads

Fate of Four-Year Plan Held Fate of Fuehvrer

’ (Last of a Series)

Times Foreign Editor

| By WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS

BERLIN, July 31.—In all peacetime history it is probable that no great nation was ever subjected to such terrific strains and stresses as Nazi Germany is undergoing today to put through Hitler's new Four-Year Plan. But it is seldom that a political leader ever played for higher stakes. For Hitler will likely stand or fall according to the success or failure of his plan to make Nazi-

dom self-sufficient.

Hitler's new Four-Year Plan—his second—is designed to make Germany independent of the rest of the world in

essential raw materials, and regain her lost colonies. The first of these two main objectives depends upon the Germans themselves—upon German scientists and upon the German masses, each one of whom is asked to contribute even if only by denying himself articles of food, clothing or comforts which

he craves. The second depends upon outsiders—upon G r e a t Britain, France and other ex-Allies now in possession of Germany's former colonies. Yet this is not entirely true. For if Germany can put through the first part of the plan, and achieve self-sufficiency to the extent of being able to conduct a war despite a blockade, she will be in a position toc apply strong pressure against Britain and the rest. ® F the plan succeeds, Germany can hold out indefinitely, that is to say until “something happens” in Europe to give her the chance she is waiting for to stage a complete comeback, territorially and otherwise. If the plan fails, Hitler will have to come to terms with his neighbors. He will have te climb down from his high horse and reach a live-and-let-live understanding with the rest of the world. Hence the stupendous effort to make the new Four-Year Plan a success, Every household is urged to save all waste and offal. Each is asked to keep, separately, rags of all kinds, objects made of nickel, copper, tin, aluminum, and lead; toothpaste and shaving-soap tubes, iron and steel scrap, waste paper. rabbit skins, bottles and bones.

n n n UTHORIZED dealers wearing green armbands collect the discards, paying according to official scale of prices. These range from 1 pfennig per kilo for waste paper, to 35 pfennigs for copper

| scrap.

The only junk not wanted is the used safety razor blade. That remains a problem, even here. The “Hitler Youth” have been given the job of collecting bones for the glue factories. Flour for wallpapér paste is illegal because it wastes food material. Real rubber is forbidden in the manufacture of scores of articles. Artificial

rubber, called “buna,” must be substituted. Gloves, toy animals, balloons, toilet and shaving articles, bath mats, bathing shoes and so forth, must be synthetic. ” ” ” UBSTITUTES for nonferrous metals are eagerly sought and put into general use when found. Aluminum manufacture has increased nearly 400 per cent since 1933. Plastics are taking the place of metal objects wherever possible. Porcelain pipes in wide variety are used instead of copper to convey beer, milk, drinking water and beverages. Being noncorrosive, they are said to be superior. Nickel, chromium and cobalt for the plating of automobile parts and similar hardware are forbidden. The use of tin for canning is strictly regulated by law. Germany has been spending from 200 to 300 million dollars a year to import textile materials. In 1933 she was 94 per cent on these imports. She is now desperately trying to remedy this by creating artificial fibers. The production of rayon and “zellwolle” (cell-wool) is rapidly increasing. especially the latter, made chiefly of wood which Germany possesses. ” ® = “gP UNA,” or synthetic rubber, is made from coal and lime, of which Germany has an abundance. But it costs five times as much as real rubber, hence the price of articles made of it is higher. Thus again the consumer is indirectly taxed to support the Reich's program. And so it goes. As in a besieged city, the population is being made to live on what is to be had within

the beleaguered area. Competent and impartial observers here, however, say the plan is bound to fail, at least of complete accomplishment. A project to reclaim farmlands is under way but despite heroic efforts, more land is being taken out of cultivation for airdromes, barracks, strategic highways and other state uses than is being put into cultivation. Germany can never make herself quite independent of imports, either for foodstuffs or raw materials. That is, she can't unless she takes in more territory. By “siege” tactics, as at present, she can greatly reduce imports. She might even be able to fight a short war on the food and raw materials at hand. But she can’t go on forever like that, whether at war or at peace.

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Second-Class Matter Indianapolis,

Surrounded by high Nazi and State officials, Chancellor Hitler is shown during his tour of inspection of the new House of German Art at Munich. In his dedication speech, Hitler denounced modern-

Times-Acme Photo.

ists, impressionists and Jews as harmful influences on German art. Just behind Hitler is Reichsminister Hermann Goering. Guttner, Reich Minister of Justice.

On the left (in mufti), is Dr.

Indianapolis Police, Acting on ‘Be Prepared’ Principle, Adopt Policy for Control of Labor Disputes Here

By L. A.

EUTRALITY, protection of life and property and “no vigilantes” is the stated policy of Chief Morrissey in cases of labor trouble in Indianapolis. : This city, despite a wave of “sitdown” strikes in other sectors of the nation, has been notably free from labor disorders. Strikes have been of the outdoor picketing type rather than “sitdowns” and police executives point to their relatively short duration as speaking well for the ability of union leaders, employees, and em=ployers to settle their differences amicably. : Large industrialists, according to one civic leader, are in the main granting their employees the right of collective bargaining and the

union of their own choosing in the belief that settlements can be made in council chambers easier than on picket lines. Although Indianapolis has had slight attacks of the “sit-down” strike, the wave in other sections of the country has presented new problems in procedure for local police departments.

” ” PPRAISING available the International Association of Chiefs of Police admits that the “sit-down” is far more difficult to handle than other types of strikes, because (1) it is harder to force strikers to leave a place than to prevent their entering it; (2) in sit-downs police officers must make the first move, whereas tormerly strikers or strikebreakers have

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taken the initiative, and (3) the eviction task often is too big a job for a local police force, necessitating one of three alternatives: (a) a force augmented by “special deputies” or “vigilantes,” (b) the calling in of outside police or of military forces, or (¢) a complete failure in the eviction effort which, in turn, involves a loss of police prestige, or “face” as the Chinese have it. The most positive “don’t” formulated to date by those who have attempted to fix a rational policy for handling sit-downs, is this: Don't call in special deputies or vigilantes! Police chiefs generally are agreed that such a move is dangerous in the extreme and should not be made under any circumstances.

national organization's policy with respect to vigilantes. “We don’t want them (vigilantes) | here in case of labor trouble,” Chief Morrissey declared.

ing that small police forces might prove inadequate for largescale evictions, moved slowly and cautiously, especially during the first weeks of sit-downs. Gradually, however, this policy underwent a change, and in recent weeks they have engineered evictions in New York, Detroit and Chicago, among other cities, In Chicago, this work was facilitated by an Illinois statute imposing fines and imprisonment for depriving owners of the “use” of . Similar laws have been suggested elsewhere, and it is bee lieved that they will help mitigate the seriousness of the sit-down dilemma. In Chicago strikers left the premises peaceably in 24 out of 25 cases when informed of this law. In the 25th case, the police used force. Similarly, asserts the international association, the police of Detroit and Chicago have undertaken foricble eviction only in extraordinary cases. In communities where the responsibility of police for eviction of sit-downers has been an issue, police chiefs have sometimes stated frankly that force would be used at

the command of a court and only at States highways.

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the command of a court. This policy is predicated upon the hypothesis that it is the employer's duty to seek an evacuation of his property in obedience to an order of the courts before calling upon the police

| for assistance.

Toledo, O.,, is a city which has had considerable experience with strikes of virtually every type, and the result has been the development of a comprehensive policy based, pri marily, on absolute impartiality be= tween striker and employer. Through a special squad in its detective bureau, the Toledo Police Department seeks to obtain advance notice of planned strikes. When a strike materializes, union leaders are asked to consult with the police

on picketing or any other activity

RIMARILY because of the feel-|

police generally |

which may lead to disorder. The police usually make no effort to re-

Chief Morrissey said he was en- |strict size of picket lines, but union tirely in agreement with the inter- leaders are told clearly that it is the

| police function to act before violence develops and that the law does | | BRIDGE SAFETY | By Science Service | QAN FRANCISCO, July 31.-On the San Francisco-Oaklang Bay Bridge there are a number of design features and traffic regulations which have been widely advocated for highway safety, such as the barring of pedestrians, the segregation of trucks and high-speed traffic, the absence of intersections, illumination by sodium vapor lamps, and traffic lanes marked by painted lines. Accident figures for the bridge will accordingly reveal to what extent these features are effective in furthering highway safety, says C. H. Purcell, California State Engineer. Already there are figures available for the first three and a half months since the opening of the bridge, during which time approximately 2,600,000 vehicles have traveled the 121% miles across the Bay. Accidents for that period totaled 43, with 50 persons injured and six killed. The injury rate was thus 154 per 100,000,000 vehicle miles. The average injury rate for all highways in the United States during 1936 was 650 per 100,000,000 vehicle miles. The death rate was 18 per 100,000,000 vehicle miles, which is the same as the death rate on all United

not require peace officers to keep “hands-off” until destruction of life or property actually ocaurs. Employers also are culled in and told frankly that they need expect no police escorts for strikebreakers, but that all available resources will be used to safeguard the peace of the community and to protect lives and property within its borders. “Such protection,” says Police Chief R. E. Allen of Toledo, “is real= ly our only concern. I am decidedly against deputizing civilians or com= pany guards for police service in the streets, The most important requisite in any strike is respect for police authority by both sides. This respect can be gained only by adoption of one certain, legal policy of control, and its strict and impartial enforcement.”

Ca RTI TE

By National Safety Council

DRINKING AND DRIVING HERE is an insidious back-seat driver who is forever reaching for your steering wheel, trying to turn your car down the road to disaster. This pest is commonly known as booze. Liquor causes a great many traffic deaths and injuries—and the number seems to be increasing steadily. Either pass up drinking or a driving, The two just simply *t go together at all. There enough trouble in

traffic with

Sa Second Section

PAGE 9

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ur Town

By Anton Scherrer

Anything Can Happen Around Here, Columnist Observes, and Presents A Number of Examples to Prove It.

] COULDN'T help noticing the other day that Andre Gide, the famous French spine ner of subtle phrases, indicts the use of the word “very” in front of a past participle, According to Mr. Gide, you can say “very angry,” but not “very annoyed”; “very glad,” but not “very pleased.” All of which makes me very tired—just to show Mr. Gide that a qualified past participle is sometimes the only way left to express my feelings. Anyway, it strikes me that we have enough to do without getting into past participles. Our sense of values, for instance. Just to show how we have lost our sense of values, permit me to cite a little conversation that came my

way on an Illinois streetcar the other day. One of the men par-

Ind.

| ticipating opined that our Con-

gressmen nowadays have the men- scherrer

Mur. boys. Maybe so, but what a pessimistic, unfortunate way of putting it. Put it that our boys have the mentality of Congressmen, and like as not you'll have everybody believing that Indianapolis is an up-ande coming town, When you come to think of it, a lot of strange things happen around here. For example, you can depend on it, sure as shooting, that Indianapolis men have a lot of dough salted away when they say that “money isn’t everything.”

Basis of Success

Strange, too, that a man’s success around here very often depends not so much upon what he knows, as upon whom he knows. Some Indianapolis men, too, are really as good as they seem, and no man around here, as far as I know, is as stupid as he looks. Most Indianapolis women, too, I've noticed, are scared like everything to appear old-fashioned and foolisM, but, for some reason, they aren’t a bit afraid to be in style and look silly. Funny, too, that Indianapolis women invariably disappoint us in their choice of husbands. I've learned, too, to suspect Indianapolis children who stop asking questions. And another thing: Ine dianapolis children who startle their parents with the truth are very often sent to bed.

Lawyers and Clients Both Laugh

Tve noticed, too, that very often Indianapolis lawyers laugh at their clients, and that the clients, in turn, laugh at their lawyers. Both are right, I guess. And looking at Indianapolis buildings, I have noe ticed that had the architect not tried to hide somes= thing, I, for one, would never have found it. I also suspect that given the philosopher’s stone, a lot of Indianapolis men would do nothing but break windows with it, For some reason, too, I never expect a stupid man to do anything brilliant, but I live in eternal hope that a brilliant man may do something foolish. I've noticed, too, that audacity is the mark of genius around here—and the special talent of the unfit.

| tality of 10-year-old Indianapolis

A Woman's View By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

Laziness Declared at Bottom of

Easy-Going Manner With Children.

N interesting phenomenon of our time is the servile manner of parents toward their children, The American youngster has the bit in his teeth and is going places—although as yet nobody can predict his destination. Being an optimist at heart, as well as a doting mother, it's my guess he'll turn out about as well as his parents with all their strict bringing up.

But about those parents. What has caused them to acquire this humility they show? Have they been intimidated by the flocks of experts who suddenly infested the land like a plague of locusts, and began their chorus of instruction on the way to bring up the young? Are they actually sold on the idea that ree pression and discipline are bad for the kids, or have they lost faith in their own judgment? Guess again. There's only one answer in our opinion to the question of what ails the modern pare ent. Laziness. If you don’t think it takes boundless energy to control a child, just trail a l-year-old for a while, There's no napping on that job if you want to do it well. You have to b® on your toes all the time—no holidays or short hours—sounding the whiplash of your will to your flagging determination a hundred times a day. Mamma, tired from housework or bridge, finds it so much easier to give in to Jimmy than to hold out against him. Dad, exhausted from a day at the office, would rather let Junior take the car—just this once, mind you-—than endure the painful scenas his refusal would cause. Or perhaps the Joneses are dropping in for a visit this evening. Well, what's to be done? The children must be quieted and placated while the guests are entertained, and besides, Mother doesn’t want to be all hot and bothered beforehand, and Father finds it more delightful to rest in his easy, chair than to agitate himself about what the young sters will be up to. The plain truth is that the modern Dad is so busy making a living and his wife so occupied in holding the family’s social position that the children are ale lowed to do pretty much as they please. Analyze the shortcomings of nine-tenths of the parents these days and you'll find laziness at the bots tom of their indulgent habits.

New Books Today

Public Library Presents—

PEWTER mug handed down for four generations of Dawn men, and a phantom sail forecasting disaster, figure in this salty story of adventure, JOHN DAWN (Macmillan) by Robert P. Tristram Coffin, Builders of stout ships, the handsome men of the house of Dawn sailed their ships along the coast of Maine and to far countries, found their loves and fought their battles. They were dominating men possessed by intense loyalty and bitter hatreds. This is an epic of the New England coast during the early Indian raids and the two wars against England, and it closes with the Civil War and the end of the sailing ship era. Coffin, the poet novelist, pictures intimately the Maine coast, the hardy birthe place of virile sea~faring Americans,

HEN the potter Terence was discovered to ree semble the slain emperor Nero, a few Roman senators re ready to capitalize on the unhappy coincidence. The complexities of events, the human sufferings, and the consequent execution of three characters which resulted from this at first harmless plot of revenge is the nucleus around which Lion Fevchtwanger’'s THE PRETENDER (Viking Press) is written, The author has drawn from scholarly sources— thus giving some authenticity to his ‘“pretender”-— references to a man who not only resembled Nero but who was also able to ape his mannerisms, His treatment of Nero and the period that he represents in early Roman history is always sympathetic and thorough. That Feuchtwanger sometimes exaggerated particular incidents in earlier history to show a parale lel In, today’s events is a minor matter,