Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 22 May 1941 — Page 15

~ “Ain't that Sumpin?”. :

at * 3

| THURSDAY, MAY 22, 1941

N

“Hoosier V agabond

LOS ANGELES, May 22—If a fellow was any better fixed in life than Oscar Mays is, I guess he probably couldn’t stand it. Oscar says he’s better off than anyone else in Los Angeles. He . it. He's got enough to bury him. Also, his job is easy, and -everybody’s good to him, : Oscar is a watchman at the factory of Dodge, Inc., which makes all kinds of trophies and gadgets. It’s a big place, employs lots of people, and is very busy. - ’ ; “Are you night watchman or day watchman?” I asked Oscar. “Day watchman,” he said. . “What is there to watch in the daytime?” I asked. ; ‘ “Not a thing,” said Oscar.

Oscar thinks there's a destiny that takes care of

. people, Because six years ago, when his wife died “and he gave up their house and his furniture-making ‘trade, he had no idea what would become of him. “ And here he fell into this watching job, and now he ’. has security and pleasant surroundings and plenty “of time to dream. The whole thing is pure velvet.

Oscar is 75 years old and is going to live to be 100, just because he’s so curious about everything he can’t stand to die now.

That Old Hoosier Pride .

Oscar is as independent as all get out. The president of Dodge, Inc., wanted to pay for a recent operation, but Oscar had the money so he declined the generosity. He won’t take his old-age pension, because he’s originally a Hoosier and he’s still got Hoosier pride. . : Oscar lives in a room right in the factory. He cooks some meals there, and eats at. restaurants part of the time. He has an old typewriter in his room that writes with capital letters, and he writes philosophical tomes on yellow paper with a red ribbon. Oscar is full of strange, inventive notions. No doubt they could make him a million dollars, but he’s got all the money he wants, and the ideas serve life’s ultimate purpose of keeping him amused. Just listen to:a few gf his best ones: Idea No. 1.--He\wants to fill. Death Valley with ocean water and make a lake of it. Death Valley, you know, is 270 feet below sea level. So Oscar would use the ‘old siphon principle. , He'd build a big air-tight tube from the ocean up over the mountains and down into Death Valley. Then he would build suction machinery at the end

makes $12 a week, and saves $5 of -

By Ernie Pyle

of the tube and create a gigantic suction, which would pull the water from the ocean. Once you got it started, the water would keep coming by itself, see. Of course anybody knows you can't irrigate with salt water. So Oscar would build another siphon -up to Lake Tahoe and bring down fresh water for growing trees, flowers and . around the edge of the lake. “I'd really make the desert bloom,” he says. He would, incidentally, lay out town sites at each end of the lake and sell the lots at fabulous prices. Personally, I can’t find a. flaw in it anywhere. Idea No. 2.—Oscar is always thinking up ways to

sell something. His next idea is to capture all’ the]

lamp-black in the atmosphere and sell it for six ‘cents a pound. :'I told him I didn’t know there was lamp-black

in the air. He says if you lived long in California| § smudge | nights, |

yow'd know it. He says there are one million: pots which the fruit growers light on frosfy and he says there are hundreds of thousands of tons of soot from these fires floating in tee California sky at certain given moments.. +.

Oscar would rig up a: gadget to put: on ‘these |:

smudge pots to capture the soot. His jdea’is doublebarreled. In the first place, he'd sell these gadgets— a million of themi—to the fruit growers, which would turn -him a handsome penny. And then he'd retain collection rights, and have men go around and collect the soot and sell it for six cents a pound As far/as I can see, he’s making a left turn right

into Easy Street.

His Favorite I ded.

Idea No. 3, which is Oscar’s favorite. - He thinks the human race n't much to brag about, so he wants to improve it. (I suppose as soon as he gets it improved he'll want to sell it.) his idea to hatch people out in incubators. That way you'd get only the best people, and after a few “settins” the world would be populated by people with minds of their own, instead. of the present. species which has to fight and join clubs and listen to orators. : : : Everybody .around the plant is crazy about him, and calls him Oscar. He wears a green sweater and a filling-stdtion cap, and after he’s been sitting down he walks away in stops and starts as-though he were shifting gears on himself. : He smokes a pipe, and jJjoshes all the time with the youngsters around the plant. He has no old cronies, because he doesn’t like to live in the past. He thinks the world_is pretty bad, but he’s awfully happy in it. And last, but not least, he reads this column religiously, and think’s it's wonderful. Him and me both.

Inside Indianapolis (And “Our Town’)

"directly to President

TWENTY-TWO Jehovah’s Witnesses from Hagers+..and

town got' up a petition récently, protesting the «desecration of Sunday” by national defense industries which are on a seven-day week. They sent it Roosevelt at the White House. From the White House it went to the Labor Department. A little puzzled about the matter, the Department of Labor addressed the

- letter to the Indiana Public Works.

Department, which happens to be no more, the last Legislature having abolished it among other things. Anyway, the Conservation Department used to be in that department so that’s exactly where the letter has wound up. The Fish and Game boys are : a trifle nettled as to what kind of a reply to address to the Jehovah's Witnesses since they can’t think of where they can pass the buck.

The Bogs Gets a Ride

YOU KNOW how the Central Avenue bus turns right ‘into 32d St. on its way downtown, crosses Washington Blvd., and turns Yeft onto Delaware. Well, one of the steady riders is LeRoy T. Hixon, secretary-treasurer of the Street Railway Co., and, naturally enough, the bus drivers all know him and smile sweetly every time he gets on.

+ Well, yesterday ‘morning he got on, but the bus driver's mind must have been miles away for he drove blithely past Delaware, past Pennsylvania and was close to ‘Meridian before he realized what was up. His neck reddened $d he turned down an alley

Washington

3 WASHINGTON, May 22.—Overhauling of OPM is becoming more urgent every day. The rambling multiplicity of defense ‘agencies needs pulling down into a more simple pattern. President Roosevelt needs a fresh, strong right arm to “assist him in in supervising the whole operation. Those are the: needed changes now. : Instead of wasting Mayor LaGuardia on a ballyhoo stunt to organize volunteer air raid war- . dens and to put ladies sewing circles to work, this little dynamo ought to tackle the reorganization of the feud-ridden, wrong-guess-ing, boat-missing OPM, "The whole Roosevelt = defense organization is chaotic, deeply divided on fundamental policies, ‘ , and unable to move decisively. Much work has been done. The last year has not been wasted. The important thing up to now has been to -get started. But the longer OPM goes on, the more ‘chaotic it becomes. now is moving into the phase in which it can succeed only by. strong-handed and clear-minded operation. OPM is split down the middle now over a fundamental issue—the curtailment of civilian production.

Radical’ Change Demanded |

Last week W. L. Batt, deputy director of produc-

- tion for OPM, threw down the challenge publicly.

. Hannibal Hamlin, who was Vice

In a speech he said a “radical change” of attitude on the part of some people in the Government, in labor and in industry was necessary. He called for curtailment civilian production even to the detriment of the standard of living for the time being. He said business fears have to be overridden in the expansion of production facilities, even if there will be no use for such facilities after the erftergency. . Mr. Batt, who is an industrialist but also a protege of Harry Hopkins, was in these remarks taking

My Day

WASHINGTON, Wednesday—It was beautiful driving through the Maine countryside yesterday. The lilacs are in bloom, the blossoms are all out and there is sparkling blue water on one side and dark green ‘pines on the hill. There is something about a beautiful Maine day which is hard to match. One forgets it for a while perhaps, but it

immediately one returns to the.

state. There will always be a puil on my heartstrings with the first view of the dancing: water and

“glimpses of miles of blue-green _

_ tree tops. . : . ‘Everyone was most kind. Mrs. Charles Donohue, the former Democratic National Committeewoman, met me at the hotel in : i Portland in the early morning, : and it was very pleasant to be greeted so warmly. Later, in Bangor, I met the new Democratic National Commitieewoman, Mrs. Hickson. arrangements there seemed g little formal

real welcome and close contact with the citizens of

for a few minutes before: the statue of dent. Lincoln’s first Administration. President Theo-

The defense program .

The at first, but as they proceeded I had the feeling of

seif about his “luck.” He finally got back on his route at 30th St. { What he probably didn’t know was that LeRoy T. Hixon was laughing just as hard as the rest of the bus passengers.’ ; g

Case of the Missing Tails

THE MYSTERY OF the missing rabbit tails at School 43 may foreyer remain a mystery. Bre The mothers of the school were at the home of Mrs. Arvine Huber, 4015 Graceland Ave., sewing on costumes for the rabbits’ and hunters’ scene in the gym festival to be given at the school playground tomorrow night. The mothers had the costumes all ready, including the ears, when they discoveréd the little furry tails were missing. Freddie, the 19-months’-old scion of the Hubers, got to the tails first and “hided” them. Where, nobody knows.

What Would You Say?

WE WERE INTRIGUED, too, by the adventures of Bill McCullough, Wilfred Smolenski and Bil Lieber, in their preparations for’ a Zzoological class trip to McCormick's Creek Canyon. All students at Shortridge, they decided to leave in the wee hours for .a bird-studying exhibition and the two Bills wound up in front of Wilfred’s Crows’ Nest home about 3 in the morning. ! Up dashed the Crows’ Nest police to investigate the strange car in that neighborhood at that hour. .. “What are you doing. here?” demanded the cops. “We're going to Brown County,” explained Bill Lieber, “to study the birds.” And all the cops could think of was: “Oh!”-

By Raymond Clapper

issue with his own superiors in OPM. His chief, John M. Biggers, director of production for OPM, took exception to the speech of his subordinate, and felt that unfortunate emphasis had been given to civilian curtailment. Mr. Biggers has felt that the purpose of the defense program was to increase employment. He has held that changes should not be abrupt in a way to cause unemployment, but gradual. William Knudsen, director of OPM, shares this attitude. : That policy found expression in the plan for 20 per cent curtailment of next year’s automobile manufacture. Many in the Administration think this is insufficient.

Steel May Be Rationed

Equally bitter is thé\criticism of those OPM officials who were res ble for underguessing steel and aluminum capacity. Months ago Administration economists were urging large expansion in both steel and aluminum. OPM officials -saic facilities would be adequdte and President Roosevelt took theip word or it. Now steel is on the point of heing rationed and aluminum is under such strict nition that civilisn consumption may be cup almost to n OPM officials turned down projects for -a West Coast steel development. At the insistence of Administration economists, President Roosevelt has ‘ordered a restudy and the issue is far from dead. Samuel Fuller, chief of raw. materials for OPM, is under ire. ; Some who reflect the inner Administration viewpoint are now urging that a few heads fall. They argue that the President has been gravely misled in two fundamentals—steel and aluminum—and. that this is enough. Bad guessing, they assert, is now forcing the nation into drastic rationing which would .have been unnecessary had present defense demands been better anticipated. : : Th struggle is bitter and foreshadows at least some re-organization and imposition of a tougher policy.

By Eleanor Roosevelt

Ted going to. Maine many times on fishing and hunting expeditions, and I am sure it is the country that appealed to him. °~ vd Thee My husband knows every inch of the coast and I think there are few parts of Maine that I have not at least driven through at one time or another. The Roosevelt family seems to have some real ties in this border state. ate At luncheon with Governor and Mrs. Sewall, I met one or two Washington acquaintances and Mrs. Franklin Johnson, wife of the president of Colby College in

t

Waterville, Me., where we visited last fall.

and see some of the buildings at the central airport, which ‘the. Army is preparing. ' The buildings ‘are all up, but it looks to me as though it would take quite a little grading around them before the grass grows and make them look less bare. = = re The need of rain js apparent and the ground looked

paked and hard. While I am hoping that we do not

have rain in Washington tomorrow, because of the veterans’ garden party, I would be grateful'if we could ‘have it everywhere else! hoy oY Bode We took the night. train back to Boston, had our breakfast at the Statler Hotel, and I went tc see Franklin Jr, at the hospital. “He not: ‘a very pretty sight after his automol ent, but young heal quickly in a few days. We caught the

e

went lumbering: down, muttering audibly to him-|-

‘On the way to Bangor we were able to drive through

plane for Washington and are now ca

$417,000 PROFIT MADE ON STONE

Camp Blanding Contractors Give Senators Story of Partnership. By THOMAS L. STOKES

Times Staff Writer JACKSONVILLE, Fla. May 22.—

{An intriguing chapter in the con-

fused and_costly ‘history: of Camp Blanding ‘relates to two Orlando, Fla, road-contractors, hitherto comparatively small operators, who netted a profit of $417,000 by supplying lime ‘rock and equipment for building roads for the huge draft camp here. : It was unfolded beforé the two Senators representing. the Special Senate Committee Investigating

(D. Mo.), chairman, and Ralph O. Brewster (R. Me.), though some links still are to be filled in by further public hearings in Washington. Of particular interest to the Senators was’ the revelation that this part of the job was farmed out to the two Orlando men, L. B. McLeod and A. G: Wolfe, by the general contractors for the camp, Starrett Bros. & Eken, New York, though under the latter's agreement with the Government there was to be no sub-contracting.

Paid for Twice

The Committee counsel, Fulton, was led to comment that the Government was in effect paying twice for this crushed rock contract since it. was spending

& Eken, who were supposed to furnish ‘such materials at cost, and also was footing the profit of $417,000 to Wolfe & McLeod. The story nf the lime rock contract was pieded together from the testimony of Mr. Steelman, Mr. Wolfe and Mr. McLeod. Mr. McLeod blurted out his resentment at newspaper stories about the spartnership’s part in Camp Blanding business. “I've worked harder than I ever did ‘before in my life,” he said. “A fellow works his heart out doing something and all he gefs is cussing out.” ms Mr. Wolfe said he read newspaper accounts of the location of the camp and suggested to Mr. McLeod they form a partnership to get the general contract. ‘Paid 90 Cents, Got $1.75

Brig. Gen. C. D. Hartman, then Army chief of construction, told them they were not big enough but later suggested he thought they could get a sub-contract. The investigators will question the General in Washington -as to how he

the contract for none. ; : 9 © Part of the lime rock came from 45 cents a ton., The rest was bought at 90 cents a ton, which Mr. Steelman ‘said: he discovered was the rock, @- large part at $2 a rest at $1.95 a’ ton, McLeod

tons of on, the freight. Mr.

PARGEL POST MAIL

ON; May 22 (U. PJ.

nounced today that parcel post

‘and I.am sure he will be himself| ‘Th hare He willbe himself} J

National Defense, Harry S. Truman }

Hugh

$268,290 in its fee to Starrett Bros.|

could make such a suggestion wher |. specifically provided |

Mr. MeLeod’s quarry, where it cost|

. The partnership supplied 645,000] includ- | . ir. od - testified | share of the rock profits|

TO FRANCE CUT OFF| . WASHINGTON, |=The Post Office Department an-|

service from the United States to| | and ‘unoccupied France |

on the West Side. ;

men according to the Austin Co.

projects will take many months to

Claim Germans Starve Greeks:

| ISTANBUL, May 20.—(Delaye®) —(U. P.).—Greek refugees, arriving in a small but steady stream, usually in boats, charged today that the German army of ‘occupation systematically is: pillaging the country. : One party of prominent Greeks from the Island of Chios said the Germans . were commandeéring foods in complete disregard of the people’s needs. = “Thousands of Greeks are going hungry, but at. least’ during the summer they still will be able to fish and. to gather produce secretly from their gdrdens.” Next winter, they said, Greece (will face mass starvation. - -

44,381 FIRST COVERS

|ON ROAD POSTOFFIGE

Postmaster General Frank C. Walker announced today that 44,381 first-frip covers were carried on the initial run of the Indianapolis and South Bend Highway Postoffice May 3. Of that number, 22,896 were postmarked “Trip 1” at Indianapolis and 21,485 were postmarked “Trip 2” at South Bend. : | Mr. Walker also announced that

i

stamps will go on sale June 25. The stamps, all of the same general .design, will be in denominations of 6,.10, 15, 20, 30 and 50 cents, each in a separate color. The central motif will be a reproduction of

plane of the type used to carry air mail. 8 0d ~ The 6-cent stamp will go on sale June 25 ‘at the Washington (D. C.) Postoffice, the others at dates to

be announced later.

the first of a new series of air mail|

a modern, twin-motored transport|

1. The latest two big-scale defense planis awarded to Indianapolis—the Bridgeport Brass Co. cartridge case plant and Naval Ordnance plant—have emerged from the blueprint and planning stages into actual | construction work as these first photos show. This is the construction shack for the cartridge case mill"

¥

Cleveland, O., general contractors.

RIVAL FOR AXIS ARLINES HINTED

Ryan Says German and Italian Routes in South America Peril U. S.

‘WASHINGTON. May 22 (U. P).— An ‘early - Administration. move to

meet the threat of Axis South American airlines was expected. today.” There was considerable_discussion’ in Administration circles of a Gov-ernment-backed airways system to compete with these German and Italian lines. : ‘A radio address by Oswald Ryan, member of the Civil Aeronautics Board, last night that the safety of the Western Hemisphere was endangered by Axis airlines in South America, was taken as another indication - that an announcement would be forthcoming soon. Mr. Ryan said the Axis lines were being operated with no thought of showing a profit and. that many of their routes were without value as a source of revenue but were over areas highly important from a military and strategic view. Some of the “commercial” landing fields recently opened .by the Axis lines, he said, are wi easy bombing range of important U. S. bases in Trinidad, Puerto Rico, the yirgih Islands and the Panama

TOKYO FINANCIER DIES TOKYO, May 22 (U. P.).—Benzo Mitsui, 54, a member of one of

Japan's foremost financial and industrial families, died today of

heart disease.

HOLD EVERYTHING -

| | garians,

2. Graders moved in on the cornfield tract between 21st and 16th Sts. on Arlington Ave. this week to clear the way for the Naval Ordnance plant. Crews of workmen on this project will be enlarged to 1500

3. Excavating at the brass mill site which is located just east of Stout Field (Mars Hill District) and west of the Republic Cresoting plant. The factory is to cost in the neighberhood of $11,500,000. Stone '& Webster Co., New York, are general contractors for this job. 4. Workmen lay drainage pipe on the Arlington Ave. Naval project. TI cision equipment for the fleet, including fire control apparatus, will consist of one large (960 by 520 feet) “black out,” controlled conditions plant, three-story office building and residences of Navy personnel. Both

The ordnance plant, to build. pre-

Penny's Pennies

| CHICAGO, May 22 (U. P).— The pennies kept piling up, so today Penny, Aronson has a baby brother—Nickey. | When Penny was born four years. ago, her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Aronson, paid for her with 18,500 pennies, piled into cigar. boxes. Then they decided to save for a son. ; | “Penny saved 11,000 pennies,” said Mr. Aronson. “We helped. We started to save nickels, but we have a coin telephone, so we switched back to pennies.” | | Nickey was born today. | The father admitted that the "name for the next one would" be a problem, because they'd have to save dimes. . | “But not for the last one,” he said confidently. “We’ll be saving

dollars. 5 | “We're going to call him Buck. ——————————————————————————

ITALY TO GET LIONS’ ‘SLICE IN JUGOSLAVIA

| LONDON, May 22 (U. P.) —Germany and Italy have reached a secret agreement by which Italy is to receive the major share of Jugoslavia in return for shelving, if not actually renouncing, its claims on Frenth Tunisia, Corsica and Nice, according to diplomatic reports reaching London today. | ‘Diplomatic informants suggested that Adolf Hitler evidently had delcided on this move to win France's ‘virtual membership in his Axis. Official dispatches to embassies here describe the carving of Jugoslavig into six chunks. | Hitler has taken over without formality as German territory a ‘small area in the northwest around

| | Maribor roughly coinciding with the

1918 Austrian border. . The. Bulunder German control, have assumed charge of a large slice of Southern. Serbia from Greece

Italian’ king. ‘Itay has of the Dalmatian coast able islands. all of Slovenia and is Montenegro through a Gov

‘| General after failing to establish | & Quisling Government there,

| EVANSVILLE PLANE - | ROUTE DATA STUDIED

WASHINGTGN, May 22 (U.P).

| | ~The civil Aeronautics’ Board to- | |day studied testimony from wit-

a new commercial

airline between Washington - and | St. Louis before resuming hearings

te on May 26.

filed. "applications to opera the

route, which woulld have stops at

n Bi or

i ontinental and Western| | Air, Inc, and Eastern Air have

(A=

VICHY WARNED OF BRITISH IRE.

Unoccupied France May Be Bombed, Eden Tells Commons.

LONDON, May 22 (U. P.).—Fore eign | Secretary Anthony Eden warned in Commons today that - Britain would feel “free to- attack” the Germans in the unoccupied as * well as occupied zones of France if. the Vichy Government collaborates with the Germans. “If the Vichy Government in pure suance of her declared policy of collaboration with the enemy take action or permit action detrimental to. our conduct of the war or Se i) signed to assist the enemy's war effort, we shall naturally hold ours selves free to attack the enemy wherever he may be found,” Eden

said. . » “Explanations by the Vichy Gov= ernment cannot ‘conceal that it is embarked on 4 course which must place the resources and territory of the French Empire increasingly at the disposal of a power, which is an enemy not only of France's eX= -. ally but of France herself,” he said, Authoritative statements indicated that the Government believed the situation in Morocco to be gettin serious: . “Tourists” in Morocco

«“Cierman military, naval, induse trail and economic missions consiste. ing of several hundred members have been established in French Morocco at several points with sube commissions elsewhere,” it was stated. . yo “A majority of the personnel are military officers. Meanwhile the constant infiltration of German tourists into French Morocco is continuing and the tourists are keeping close touch with the Gere man military missions. < 5 “The Germans have penetrated = every department ef the Moroccan administration of factories and aire fields. It is believed that this dee velopment is outside the terms of the armistice.” ;

RAILROADER FROM = HERE HURT IN OHIO

Oren Chapman, 4810 Winthrop Ave, a Big Four Railroad brakes man, was injured seriously at Belles fontaine, O., today while at work. The report, received at the Big Pour office here, said that he was in a hospital there. . His mother, Mrs. Anna Chapman, left for Bellee fontaine.

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

degree, or 98.6 degrees? : 2—-A marathon is a horse race; true or false? on ‘ 3—A day of exemption from labor

or lighter than lead? i 5--Which of the bold face words is correct in the following quotas tion: “Make assurance (doublee ' doubly) sure”? RR i Answers 1--98.6 degree. .. 2-~False. 4--Heavier. 5-—Double. : ‘s % = yr ASK THE TIMES. Inclose a 3-cent stamp for re- - ply when addressing any Jo! of fact or information

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to Wash=