Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 11 April 1942 — Page 8

PAGE 8 The Indianapolis Times]

RALPH BURKHOLDER MARK FERREE Editor Business Manager | (A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

ROY W. HOWARD President

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Give Light and the Peopie Will Find Ther Own Way

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1942

JAPAN MOVES ON INDIA

BRITAIN has lost the early rounds in the vast sea-air battle of the Indian ocean. First she lost two heavy cruisers, the Dorsetshire and Cornwall, and failed to take toll of the enemy. In the second engagement, which followed rapidly, she lost the aircraft carrier Hermes and possibly some smaller ships as well as planes. These are the worst allied naval defeats since the Japs sank the Prince of Wales and Repulse in the south China sea, and wiped out the combined American-Dutch Asiatic fleet in the Java sea. As the two earlier Jap naval victories lost the allies the southwest Pacific, these new enemy successes threaten allied control of India, central Asia, and

even the Middle East: Fortunately, however, this is still only a threat. The battle of the Indian ocean is not over. British naval forces | are stronger than they were in the south China sea, and their positions are more favorable than that of the Dutch and Americans in the desperately hopeless defense of the Java reefs. As usual, these engagements in the Indian ocean were decided by superior air strength. The utter helplessness of even the biggest and heaviest-armored warships, unprotected by adequate air power, is proved again with sickening repetition. 5

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IX DIANS and Britons pick this perilous moment to deadlock again their bitter negotiations for unity during the war and Indian freedom after victory. The rights and wrongs of such a confused situation are not to be judged by Americans. But Indians should know that American sympathy, which was on their side when the negotiations began, has been shifting with every additional Cripps offer of compromise, Despite New Delhi reports of a break in negotiations, we cannot believe that leaders of such intelligence, skill and character as Cripps and Nehru will fail of a settlement if they are given time. But the Japs are in a hurry. Even if an Indian-British agreement is achieved quick- | ly, and even if the Indian people suddenly imitate in bel- | ligerency their Chinese friends, defense of India will not | be easy. The enemy—with his Burma advance from the | east, and his sea-air push from the south—is moving far and fast. Only a supreme effort by united Britons, Indians and ! Chinese, supported by reinforced Yankee fliers of the A. | V. G., can turn back this Japanese drive.

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BATTLING JESSE

THAT a gate it would have drawn! “Multi-millionaires in grudge fight—mo holds barred.” The biggest stadium in the country couldn't have held the customers who would have swarmed to see Secretary of Commerce Jesse | Jones and Publisher Eugene Meyer swap punches. As it was, only members of the exclusive Alfalfa club watched the scuffle. And due to the intervention of amateur referees, it appears that no blows were really struck. At least one purpose was served by the Jones-Meyer battle of the century. It proved that Washington is not so apathetic or complacent as some have charged. It may be that Jesse's hot temper is a good symptom. : But this thing oughtn’t to be carried too far. If Mr. Jones were to insist on punishing personally every publisher and every congressman and every ordinary citizen who has squawked about dilly-dallying in the synthetic-rubber program, he would have no time left for repairing the past errors of omission which are now confronting motorists with the bleak prospect of becoming hikers.

{ are unable to stand watch because of drunkenness or | other intemperate acts are altogether too numerous.

ON THE CIVIL LIBERTY FRONT | INCE the days when agents of George Ili kept ropes | handy for the necks of too critical colonists, Americans indignantly, and usually with just cause, snap back, “It’s a free country, isn’t it?”, when a freedom is threatened. You bet it’s a free country. We are going to keep it that way, too, even if we must surrender some of our bloodbathed liberties for the duration. The price of liberty still is marked “eternal vigilance.” And Thomas Jefferson's observation—"the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants” —rings as true today as when he said it. When the exercise of certain freedoms by certain groups menaces the nation, however, it is time to take a look. Few responsible persons demand curtailment of freedom of speech, press, assembly and movement. But if a few hot-heads, by abusing the same freedoms they would deny us if they were in power, threaten the security of all, it's about time to swap our silk gloves for brass knuckles. We are fighting to save the bill of rights. Let's don’t let anyone crawl safely behind that bill of rights in an effort to tear it from us permanently.

ONE BILL THE DRAFTEE NEEDS THE soldiers’ and sailors’ relief act, passed by congress in 1940 to protect debt-burdened draftees, is already obsolete. And we are glad to see that a congressional committee is doing something about it. As the act stands, it applies only to debts contracted prior to Oct. 17, 1940. Much has happened since then. Specifically, millions of additional men have become subject | to the draft. And of these millions, a great many have contracted | debt since Oct. 17, 1940. They are entitled to the same | protection given earlier draftees—a deferment, for the duration, of payments on certain types of debt. : Otherwise their wives are liable to find household furnishings and what not seized for nonpayment. A subcommittee headed by Rep. John Sparkman (D. Ala.) is at work during the congressional recess on a bill | to bring the old law up to date, and to plug certain loop- |

{ children anywhere, the women around the camp are

| can be no more dangerous to health than that which

| seemed fo be in no hurry and might have resented as | an intrusion any attempt to bawl over them as | pathetic waifs of a negligent civiiization.

| citizens, unafraid of the night air, stickups, snakes | or the tax collector.

Merchant Marine By Gen. Hugh S. Johnson

| faring unions are not without blame.

| Robertson, refusing ninth term as mayor of Mansfield, | Mo, at salary of $1 a year.

“A. Nolan, Detroit trafic expert.

Fair Enough

By Westbrook Pegler

TUCSON, Ariz, April 11.—At Fort Huachuca, an old frontier post in the mountains and desert southeast of here, much construction of pine barracks and the auxiliary buildings of a modern, rush-order army cantonment is still proceeding for the accommodation, during their training, or activation, of a division of Negro soldiers. ; About 3600 of the civilian construction men are housed in contractors’ barracks, at a dollar a day for food and lodging. These are the stags and, obviously, the stag has a more orderly and economical life than the man who ‘drags his family from job to job around the country with him. The stag’s family, who stay put in their home town, would appear to be much better off, too. On straight time, the men earn $60 a week and, if they live in the barracks, should be able to lay up some. The gypsy families, on the other hand, keep house as they go and, in a general view, conform to the impression which John Steinbeck gave us of the Okies in California. At a glimpse their camps seem horribly squalid, but on closer view the people are not at all the dull-eyed, emaciated and degenerated monsters who were carefully selected and pictured as horrible examples of the failure of America in the photo-propaganda volumes of the early 30s.

They Preserve Family Group THE CHILDREN ARE as clean and bright as

not markedly different from the wives of American workmen anywhere else, and the sanitation surely

still exists in the laggard sections of some southwestern cities where people live in little detached hquses. Whether the families save money while the work lasts would seem to be up to them. Before very long they will pull stakes again, load their household duffle and scatter to other jobs, or to God knows where. The construction workman has changed his way of life in the last 50 years or less. In other times he went single and light, building railroads and boom towns, saved, squandered or gambled his motiey away and was a mobile man. Some still do this, but many, such as those here, a® pioneer types and almost all native Americans who preserve the family | group even where there are no decent accommoda- | tions nor adequate schools, regardless of the disadvantage to the families. .

Yes, It's a Free Country

Still, it is a free country and men and women who take to the road and just roam from job to job, living much in the open, are not necessarily to be pitied or mothered back into cities and towns by government agencies. They would be pretty sure to resent it. Last week near Benson, Ariz. two leathery ancients were seen creeping along the highway in a ragged little covered wagon drawn by two drowsy, plodding burros. Almost a week later the same two passed along the Oracle road west of Tucson and rested while the old woman busied herself with a frying pan over a little fire. They had done perhaps 70 miles, but

They were extremely untidy old people and, close up, might have had B. O, which was their business, too. but they seemed to be very tough, independent

THE INDIANAPOLIS TIMES

Another Spring ‘Offensive’ Gets Under Way!

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1942

The Hoosier Forum

1 wholly disagree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it.—Voltaire.

“WE'RE ALL PLAYING THE HITLER GAME” By Stanléy Harrison, 5312 Terrace ave. Yes, boys. You are carrying out Hitler's plan to a T. .. . We are all guilty of aiding the axis. Hitler does not care whether you are black, white, Catholic, Jew, Protestant, capitalist or laborer. He just wants continual friction between us. Such phrases as these please him and Goebbels very much: “Labor is being made a slave. . , . It doesn’t pay to try to meet the demands of

labor. . . . 1 would be better off out|

of business. , . . If my face were white I would have a good job. . . . If I belonged to - - - church I would be able to get a job at - - company. . . . Those damn - - -, they sure work together against us.” Lét's not lie to ourselves. We are all guilty. condemn what I say, but it is true. I never heard the word “minority” one-tenth as much before Hitler as I have after he came to power. I would like to see the words minority, labor and capital left out of

WASHINGTON, April 11=In this town of rumeérs cine of the latest and most discussed is the proposal of the navy to take over the merchant marine. I doubt if this scheme would work. The navy has enough to do to take care of our military and convoy needs all over the globe. The reasons which have im- | pélled this latest development have been the numerous instances of lack of discipline in the merchant marine. Stories have come to me of ships missing convoys because of drunkenness among members of the crew, thus leaving the vessel short-handéd and unable to sail. It is no isolated oceasion when an unlicensed man actually strikes or threatens to strike his su= perior officer on board ship, and instances where men

his writer feels that the great majority of our seamen are patriotic, energetic Americans who desire to do their utmost in these times of emergency, but they are hampered by this lousy, undisciplined fringe who are undoing all the good that has beén accoms plished by the loyal personnel going to sea.

Unions Not Without Blame

THE UNIONS and the leaders of the various séaIn too many instances they have failed to submit their members to discipline by officers for these acts, and, in addition, have refused to permit disciplinary measures by others, including the government. Licensed officers have beén voted off ships by unlicensed members of the crew, and the ship-owners have been reluctant to back up their licensed officers in their efforts to restore and maintain discipline. Pious platitudes and lip service of union leaders in these matters must give way to a dominant, aggressive and positive stand. They must see to it that such members of their unions (and the industry is almost 100 per cent otganized) are properly subject to discipline and, if necessary. are removed, not only from the ship upon which these acts take place, but from all ships, so that their presence on board will not invite disaster. Perhaps the answer to all of this is government operation, as in World War I, through the medium of the war shipping administration of which the hardhitting Emory Land is adminstrator.

So They Say—

To overtake and outstrip the axis production, our munitions factories and shipyards must operate on a seven-day week.—President Roosevelt.

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I have had a little trouble making ends meet.—Joe

* . .

The economic Waste in automobiles carrying only one person is terrific. It will become staggering when

it comes time to store cars because of no tires.—red i . . * 3 It won't be long now before American bombs fall on Tokyo.—Rep. Andrew J. , Kentucky Democrat, chairman of house militaty committee. *

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our speech for the duration. No American group can be a minority,

this is a government by the people. | When you class a group as any name even similar to minority, you

are fencing that group up separate, after you get through fericing the different groups, you are apt to find yourself in the smallest pasture of them all. . , g 4 4 “OUR SOFT-MUSCLED UNIONS ARE BEING OVERPAID” By James R. Meitzler, Attica

The administration has kept grain prices down to or below 85 per cent of parity by selling surplus grain at cut prices. The excuse— the danger of inflation and living costs. The farmer who performs soil Building practices this year will receive a soil conservation check but no appropriation has been made for parity price checks. Price Administrator Henderson has frozen prices in some cases and bills for limiting profits are before congress. But all efforts to reduce or limit the special privileges of teacher's pet, the labor unions, meets with the president's continued and de: termined opposition. War work demands a longer week

Plenty of you will |

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to express their views in these columns, religious con. Make

your letters short, so ali can

troversies excluded.

have @ chance. Letters must

be signed.)

[than 40 hours, England works 56 (hours, Germany 60. But our softmuscled C. I. O. and A. F, of L. unions must be overpaid for overtime above 40 hours. Or are they just taking advantage? The manufacturer must, of a necessity, set the same price on the goods produced both in the 40 hours and in overtime. As conditions now are, the laborer receives his regular or parity pay for 40 hours work and a 50 per cent profit for overtime. If he produced 50 per cent more goods for that 50 per cent increase in pay, his extra profit would be justified. But no pretense i§ made that he does more work for his 50 per cent profit. That is something for nothing. Therefore if’the employer makes a modérate profit on articles turned out at the 40-hour rate of pay, 4 50 per cent increase in labor costs wipes out that profit and when he ruts overtime he works for nothing. If his profits on overtime prodiiction are reasonable, then his profits on the 40-hour week are too high. In setting his price he has to choose

charging too much and he does (what all of us would do, and what [the recipients of 50 per cent profit for overtime do. Unjustified overtime pay is the cause of unjustified profits and the high prices the people are forced to pay for their living expenses and protecting America.

” o J THAT DEFENSE WORKER AND DOUBLE TIME-— By “That” Defense Wotker, Indianapolis

The majority of defense workers {with whom I come in cortact are agreeable to giving up double ime pay for Sundays and holidays.

| Some of the men have said they

Side Glances—By Galbraith

between working for nothing and]

‘each and everyone that goes te the {front this time, wherever that may 'be, has the assurance of a com-

wright, Wavell

‘land tried and true worth are sent

would not work Sundays except for double time. Some have said théy would not work Sundays for less than time and a half. Some have said they would lay off on Saturday after they had worked 40 hours if the time and a half is discontinued. Some have said they would quit if straight time goes into effect. Now here is my idea regarding all the above: I would have to stop my little weekly payment on a bond if I did not receive the litile extra that five hours time and a half on Saturday mean to me, I do not think that double time is necessary, but— I do think that we should receive defense stamps or bonds enough to equal the cash I would receive for double time. I think that most of the men would donate all over 40 hours if they received defense stamps or bonds instead of cash. And in conclusion, please do something to stop your editorials of thé nature of “Congress and War Profits,” stop the printing of any kind of trash that implies that labor is the cause of the rising cost of prices—I'd like te see anyone prove that. And, by the way, isn't it quiet at ’'s since the corks, C. I. O. agitation, and a lot of other unnecessaries have disappeared!

f f # “WE MUST BEGIN TO WIN THE PEACE RIGHT NOW” By Jesse M. Evans, 421 E. 9th st.

. + . Those men and boys who suffered and gave their all in World

In Washington

By Peter Edson

WASHINGTON, April 11.— . Senator James E. Murray of Butte, Mont., chairman of the committee which fathered the bill creating the Smaller War Plants Corp., has another bill coming up for the relief of dealers in rationed commodities. . . . This bill would amend the Reconstruction Finance Corporation act to permit RFC to y purchase or make loans on stocks » of materials frozen for rationing. . . . RFC %ould be authorized to sell these stocks to dealers only up to 13 months after rationing begins. .. . RFC is already authorized and has a fund of $100,000,000 for loans to auto dealers carrying over the stock of 204,000 frozen cars. . . . Officer of price administration now has 12 regional offices. . . . Rubbertired tractors will have to shift back to steel wheels. . . . Summer coming on, Civil Air Patrol has abandoned plans for a uniform with a tunic, to save cloth, . « « Texas has most divorces, South Carolina fewest, . . . Fire wardens have been advised to wear dark glasses while handling incendiary bombs. . . . Spring housecleaning this year means salvaging for defense.

One Labor Problem: 80 Volumes

WORK OF THE Truman committee investigating national defense having become s0 heavy, Chief Consul! Hugh Fulton will turn the Guthrie case Hearings over to his associate, Pat Clark. . . . Hearings of Senator La Follette’s inquiry on interference with the right of labor to organize comprise some 80 volumes, 30,000. printed pages. . » . WPB anticipates getting some 10,000 complaints, inquiries or requests for relief from its new construction code. . . . “There are three sides to every question,” says WPB boss Donald M. Nelson. “Your side, my side and the truth.”

Washington Quickies

SENATOR BYRD telling a senate committee that the national debt would rise to $200,000,000,000 before the war's over. , . . Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold surrounded by eight young attorneys who knew all the answers Truman defense committee members could ask about Standard Oil. , . . Paul Robeson in the attorney general’s waiting room, being besieged by colored messenger boys after autographs. . . . The elegant new furniture in Nelson Rockefeller’'s new suite in the old patent office space of the Commerce building. . . . The speed with which temporary office buildings are erected. . . . The 8x12~ foot wall map of the world in the war department's chief of communiques.

Quinine Quest By Thomas L. Stokes

WASHINGTON, April 11.—~The justice departmént will decide next week whether it will proceéd to break up the synthetic-quinine monopoly enjoyed by the Winthrop Chemical Co. Inc, of Delaware, sole owner of German patents for making atabrine, a quinine substitute, or whether it will make a compromise settlement. Officials of the anti-trust division will confer Monday with James Hill Jr., president of Sterling Products, Inc., of which Winthrop is a subsidiary, and Edward S. Rogers, board chairman of Sterling. The company officials will lay before the government alternate proposals for expanding the business by (1) licensing one other company or (2) by a general licensing of its exclusive patents. Synthetic quinine, like synthetic rubber, has become highly important because of Japanese conquest of the Dutch East Indies, from which this country received virtually all its quinine, as it did its rubber. Quinine is a military necessity because of fighting in malarial areas,

Corcoran Is Counsel

The justice department’s handling of the case will be watched with particular interest because THornas G. Corcoran, former new deal aid, 18 courisel for Sterling products, as hé was in thé negotiations last year for a consent decree by which Sterling subsidiaries, including Winthrop, were forced to break contracts with I. G. Farbenindustrie, the German dye and chemical trust —contracts which had divided up world markets, restricted patents and fixed prices. That consent decreé was criticized as not being sufficiently tight to prevent resumption of relations with the German trust after the war, particularly by experts in the anti-trust division who had investigated the case and who resented the pressure exerted by Mr. Corcoran on Attorney General Biddle, Secre-

War I did so in vain because the? tary of Commerce Jesse Jones and other officials.

job was not finished. Germany in my way of reasoning won the last, War... The allies won the war on the fields of Prance and Belgium, but Germany seeing defeat asked for an armistice and got it. Germany had not been invaded, her country was intact. Drained of resources possibly, but did it evér occur to you why they went so meek when they saw cefeat staring then in the face. They saved their face, their country and started all over again profiting by their mistakes. We have the answer today in a big way. I hope the ones who make the real sacrific in this war have a major voice in the peace negotiations after it is over, not like the last war, a top-hat affair. I hope

plete job well done. Let men like MacArthur, Wainand others, men who know what sacrifices and hardships mean, who know what price is paid in the German and Japanese prison camps, have a voice in just what kind of a peace shall be made. Let us remember the folly of having the “wool pulled over our eyes.” We are dealing with an enemy that does not speak the language of kindness and mercy. Let us get tough and stay tough. Let us not be duped this time about the character of the German people. They have always been a warring nation and the sooner they are put where they are no longer able to prepare for war, just that soon we will be on our way to world peace. Now is the time to begin our campaign for men in office who will see that men of actual experience

to that final peace and conference table. We cannot wait until the war is over to do this, we must begin now..

DAILY THOUGHT

None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself— Romans 14:17,

The Winthrop company is still owned 50 per cent by I. G. Farbenindustrie, from which it received the atabrine patents. Until very recently it had refused to license any othér manufacturer, It has now the only plant for making atabrine, N . Rditor’s Note: The views expressed by oslumnists fu this

newspaper are their own, They sre nef nedsssarfly those of The Indianapolis Times,

Questions and Answers

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau will answer any question of fact or information, not involving extensive resedrch. Write vour question clearly. sign tiame and address, inclose a threes<cent postage stamp. Medical or legal) advice cannot be given, Address The Times Washington Service Sureau. 1018 Thirteenth 8t.. Washington. D. OC.)

Q—How much aluminum was collected from civils ians in the recent scrap metal drive? ¥ A—As of Jan. 27, 1942, a total of 111; million pounds of scrap metal was collected from civilians, of which 6: million pounds was aluminum,

Q—How deep can a submarine safely submerge?

A—The maximum depth for most submarines is about 300 feet. Q—Have any of the “big four” railroad brotherhoods ever been affiliated with the American Federation of Labor? A—No; the Switchmen’s Union of North America, the fifth’ largest railroad brotherhood in the United States, is affiliated with the A. ¥. of L.

Q—What college has a song entitled “Roar, Lion, Roar”? A—Columbia university, New York city.

+» Q—Are lizards poisonous? A—Ditmars says that the Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizards are the only poisonous varieties. The Gila monster is found in desert régions of Arizona and New Mexico, the beaded lizard is found in the arid regions from central Mexico to northern Central America. Q-—Can rubber be reclaimed more than once? A—Yes; but it cannot be reclaimed indefinitely, because it loses its “bounce” eventually and the quality is reduced considerably with each reclamation. Q—What was the total amount of all tax collec. tions in the United States in 1041? A—It is estimated that state, federal and local taxes produced $17,000,000,000, or & per capita of $131.

Q—What proportion of American soldiers are Jews? : A—The army has not compiled any current statistics, but officials state that in an army as large

WE ARE but as the instrument

as ours, the religious composition is about the oS —. & ed a © 0

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