Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 6 May 1942 — Page 11

i ’

‘mes

‘Hoosier Vagabond

: Editor's Note: Ernie Pyle is in poor health and is taking a rest. Meanwhile, The Times, following readers’ desires, is reprinting some of Ernie’s betterknown columns, .

. LONDON, January, 1941.—Before leaving the United States I told friends that one of the things I wanted to do over here was to try to describe what the air-raid sirens sound like. Well, I will try to do it. They don’t sound quite, like a fire-engine siren, although they're on the same principle. The tone has more of the oldfashioned automobile klaxon in it, except that at the same time, instead of being harsh or squawky, i it has an almost musical quality. The siren sounds one minute for an alert, two minutes for the all clear. On an alert, the sound goes from a low to a high piteh, up and down every few seconds. . The result is, if you aren’t close to it, it sounds much like a train whistling ‘for ‘a crossing—except that it just keeps on. whistling for one crossing after another. The sirens are scattered all over London. They are roughly 15 blocks apart. An alert usually starts in the south part of London. You can hear the sirens to the south of you, then all around you, and then beyond to the north. It is like a series of great sound waves washing over the city. These waves overlap; and the time from the moment you hear the first one until the last one within range of your ears is silent may not be more than four _ minutes.

y They’ re Sort of Pretty

Ir YOU'RE INDOORS, the sirens do not seem loud. In ‘fact, during my first few days here I didn’t hear them half the time. But when your ear

By Ernie Pyle

gets attuned to them, you know it the second they start. My hotel isn’t close enough to any sirens for them to be annoying, however, or id wake me up if I'm asleep. I had wondered whether the sirens kept going throughout a raid. They don’t. They sound the warning and then are silent until the all clear— and the silent interval may be anywhere from 10 minutes to .all night. The all clear is announced by 7” the same sirens, but instead of going up and down they go steadily for two minutes in the same tone. To me, the sirens do not sound fiendish, or even weird. I think they're sort of pretty. ; The other night when the all clear sounded I lay on the bed listening, You could hear half a dozen sirens going at once, on exactly the same pitch. The combined whirring of these great horns out there in

‘the still darkness gave off a sort of musical pulsa-

tion. In fact, it sounded exactly like the lonely singing of telephone wires on. a bitter cold night in the prairies of the Middle West.

They Call It ‘My Gun’

NOW, WHAT DO the guns sound like? Well, they sound like thunder in a violent electrical storm. When they are very close they sound as though lightning were striking within a quarter of a mile. They shake the floor and rattle the windows. Then as other guns start up, farther and farther away across the city, they sound like thunder traveling away from you. In reading about the terrific noise of the sirens! and guns’ in the great raids of September, 1940, I| often wondered just how ‘close you would be to the nearest anti-aircraft gun. Well, they are all around | you. The farthest one might be only a ‘mile from you. People living in the neighborhood of one of these! guns come to have a possessive feeling about it. They call it “my gun,” and tell stories about it to their friends. And they get quite annoyed if it's moved away.

Inside Indianapolis By Lowell Nussbaum

THERE'S HOPE for those tires of yours lasting a good’ long-time yet if you follow the example of « Everett Beard, 5747 Haverford ave. Mr. Beard is a eontract hauler. for the postoffice and drives about 165. miles a aay, six days a week, between here and Lebanon. Back in March, 1939— three years ago—he bought a halfton truck. He still is driving it - with three of the original tires on it. The tires have something like 135,000 miles on them, he reports. The fourth tire was defective— had to be replaced at 80,000 miles —and he received an adjustment on it. The tires are ordinary sixply standards. Mr. Beard says he has had only three flat tires since he bought the truck. Why so many miles? He doesn’t know, except . that he checks the tires for inflation twice a week, his speed down to about 35 miles an hour and chuckholes and curbs. Personally, we'd be satwith 80,000

Gruber Likes Chicken

THE BOYS are still talking about the mountains of chickens Wilbur Gruber, Indianapolis Rotary executive secretary, consumed at the district Rotary convention at Turkey Run night before last. And they say he stopped counting biscuits and gravy after the first 15. , , . That music in the air on the West Side reecénit nidrnings has been coming from Washington high school. It’s the chimes attached to the organ. and broadcast through an outdoor loud speaker system. You can hear it a mile or so and some West Siders have been wondering where it came from. , . . One.of the reasons for the light vote yesterday, according to some of our housewives, was the sugar ratiening registration, It was slow work and in some schools was taking all of 20 min-

Washington

| WASHINGTON, May 6.—Because of something I wro‘e recently about the cry of American soldiers abroad for mail from home many inquiries have come into this office from persons who wish to write. ‘The war department and the navy fully realize that mail from home is an important factor in morale—second, they say, to food. Numerous persons have written in asking for the names of -army and navy personnel to whom they might send letters. I have made inquiry about this and find some questions raised. Mainly it is a serious responsibility for the army or navy to give out names. For one thing so-called pen clubs might easily be used by the enemy to do. considerable harm. There ‘NO’ TeAsON: ‘why the army and navy should run the of putting men in the armed forces in touch “the wrong kind of person. There may be one way out on this. It might bs ‘handled through the Red Cross, the U. S. O,, the women’s voluntary services or some other agency

holds avoids isfled

utes a person. And after standing in line an hour or two to get fixed up for sugar, a lot of housewives remarked they'd be darned if they were going to go some place else and stand in line to vote.

Rumor Department THERE'S A RUMOR floating around town to the effect that someone has stolen all the books on cryptology—codes, to you—from the public library. We checked it up for you and find they weren't stolen, but nearly every book they have on the subject has been borrowed and is long overdue. The library is checking up. . . . To the owner of a Ford car with license 123,754: You probably will be receiving a visit by the police soon. One of our friends found a parking ticket with your car license number on the sidewalk last Friday and turned it over to us. If was signed by Sergt. Schwartz, . , . Seen on Monument circle: A sailor lad walking along with his girl hanging on one arm while he swung a yo yo with the other hand.

The Free Ad Dept.

ONE OF THE GUARDS at the Linde Air Products Co. plant out on Roosevelt ave. must be a fisherman. Anyway, Mrs. Vernie Bowman, 2160 N. Tacoma, reports seeing him down on his knees, inside the gates, using his flashlight to get night crawlers. Probably trying to halt the borers from within. . . . In a solemn publicity release, the American Institute of Laundering suggests “more of a lean-to position at the dining table these @ays to eat down thé nums ber of stains on tablecloths and clothing.” The institute says it isn’t that the professional laundries don’t have enough materials to take care of stains, but by avoiding stains we can “conserve essential stainremoval materials, in order that more of these materials will be available for the nation's war effort.” And besides, it provides the institute with a bit of free advertising.

By Raymond Clapper’

space is naturally available only on assignment by the army. For those who have relatives and friends in the army who are serving outside of the continental United States, the war department suggests that mail be addressed to show the name and address o® the sender, the grade and full name of the addressee and the following additional information: His army serial number if known, the letter or number of the company and the designation of the regiment or battalion, and the army post office number in care of the appropriate postmaster. The location of the overseas station should not be used.

What Happens in Transfers WHEN A SOLDIER is transferred to overseas duty he is advised to notify those he expects to correspend with him of the army post office and the postmaster through which mail is to be sent, The army post office number is used so that it will not be necessary to reveal on letters the location of army units. Much the same rules apply for £ortespondenge with soldiers within the United States. Mail addressed to men in the navy who are serving on ship or outside the United States should show the name, rank and ship if known and should be

* addressed in care of the postmaster at either New

Difficulty Is Aggravated THE IMPORTANT NEED is that men hear from

ship sinkings and in any case months must be alwe trip. The difficulty is Sggravated as reinland points. "For instance, most, points in Africa can be reached ‘by .air and the only remedy is to increase the ne po. rod carried. Pan-American Airways is daily service across Africa but the

My Day

p WASHINGTON, Tuesday. —Last night, in New York City, Mrs. Henry Morgenthau Jr. and I went to see “The Moon Is Down.” I had, of course, heard , that the criticisms of this play were poor. Some peo- ! ple thought it put the Germans in too favorable a “light. Many people apparently thought it was just not a good play. I am no judge, but I found the evening a very interesting one. The type of resistance which

York or San Francisco. The postmaster will then forward it.” If the address is not known, it may be obtained from the bureau of navigation in Washington, provided there is a legitimate reason for obtaining the address. Random inquiries may not receive satisfactory answers, as the purpose of this service is to assist families of men at sea. The foregoing information is the only way in which

-I can answer the numerous inquiries that I have

received. Further inquiry should be made of army or navy posts nearest at hand or by mail to the war department bureau of public: relations or the navy department press relations division. ;

By Eleanor Roosevelt

audiences, but of the opportunity it affords to newcomers here who have qualifications for voice and ear and a desire to join with other people of like interests. At present, people are being shifted to other places, men are going into the services and this constantly changing scene makes a greater opportunity for new people to participate. . I am not mentioning this just because it is something that is being done in Washington, but because I feel so strongly that singing is one of the things which is of the greatest value to people’s morale in

‘times of stress. When groups get together it stimu-

lates the writing of songs. I am a great believer. in

, ‘the expression of all the arts which come from the

people themselves. A committeé has been formed among certain members of the Phi Delta Kappa to eliminate racial discrimination. I am very happy to find that my own feelings that racial discrimination should be removed from an organization of this kind, is shared by such people as Raymond A. Kent, president of the University of Louisville; John Dale Russell, secretary of the department of education of the University of George S. Counts of Columbia university, fine

FARMERLABOR | BALANCE HELD MIDWEST NEED

Both Groups Work Hard For Victory, but Still

Are Suspicious.

This is the third of a series of articles by Mr. Stokes, who is on a tour of the Midwest.

By THOMAS L. STOKES

THE MIDWEST HOME FRONT, May 6.—Farmers and industrial workers in the Middle West - are busy producing for war, co-operat-ing for victory, buying bonds, taking part in scrap collection programs and in civilian defense,

Both agriculture and labor are now drawing good returns for their work. ‘ But an observer becomes keenly conscious that, to keep each satis- | {fied and at peak efficiency, it is in- | jcreasingly necessary to maintain al | balance between the two groups. | For the natura] schism between ‘them, perhaps accentuated now by agitation, is producing an explosive | situation that could be touched off |too easily by political. exploitation.

| Want Wages Stabilized

This poses a very delicate task for President Roosevelt, for congress and for the professional farm and labor leaders. For in it are the germs of a political revolution which could camege the war effort. For example, the judgment of many who keep informed of Midwestern farmer opinion is that: the continued agitation against farm price control below 110 per cent of parity was whipped up by the politicians and farm organization leaders and it is not truly representative of agriculture. Farmers, they say, will cheerfully accept President Roosevelt's pro-, posal for parity prices, provided the prices of things they buy are stabilized by the new price-ceiling order—and provided wages are actually stabilized.

Demagogery. Expected

There is a strong anti-labor feeling among farmers and in the small towns in the agricultural regions. It already is being capitalized in preelection skirmishes. For instance, Rep. William P. Lambertson (R. Kas.), came home recently and paraded through his district with denunciations of labor. Isolationist congressmen from this section, who guessed wrong about the war, are looking for a demagogic

issue. to cover up that delinquency;

Stories are Damaging

The anti-labor bias among farmers and in small towns got a good foundation in the war-industry strikes before ‘Pearl Harbor, and has been intensified by stories, whether exaggerated or not, which are brought back and told over and

who have gone to work in. war lants. War industries have drawn many young men from the farms and small towns, some for regular employment, others for winter work. Some tell, personally or in letters home, of high initiation fees charged job-seekers by unions, of slow-down practices, of. being cautioned about working too fast or doing too much. A few such stories go a long way, especially when told by those who have a purpose to those who want to believe the worst. Used to build up the picture of a “labor government” in Washington, they reflect unfairly on labor as a whole.

Green Makes a Promise

Recognition of the sentiment here and in other sections was seen in President Roosevelt's demand for stabilizing wages in his recent message to congress on price ceilings and other anti-inflationary measures; in promises by William Green, A. F. of L. president, to stop high union fees for jobs, and in an address at Kansas City by Charles P. Taft, assistant director of the office of defense health and welfare, who sought to counter stories of high wages for the industrial worker as compared with the soldier by pointing out that the government gives the soldier many things for which the worker has to pay, and that the soldier's base pay soon is to be raised. ; The general opinion here is that the farmer will be heard from if wages are not really stabilized, and very soon. Beyond its contribution in production, labor is doing a splendid Job in civilian defense and bond

- (registration.

over by farm and small-town boys?

~g

$ French Bases 3

South Atlantic Ocean

GREAT a

Atlantic Ocean

FREE FRENCH African colony threatened by Vichy ottack

, “ \

o United Nations ‘= “Supply Routes

(FF) —Free French. ®

Vichy French colonies shown in white type on bleck background

Cape of f Good Hope

How Vichy pint Menace Allies

Astride the aid routes to India, Russia and China

colonies are shown on this map.

SUGAR SIGNING TASK GOES ON

Today; Only Elementary

Schools Closed.

This is the day for persons whose last names begin with “K” through “P” to register for sugar rationing books. As there has been some confusion as to what schools are closed for the Indianapolis - public school officials announced again today that only the elementary schools are closed and will remain closed tomorrow so that the teachers can handle the registration.

High Schools Open

The high schools are open and classes are continuing as usual, they said. Some high school pupils, thinking that their schools are closed, are not attending classes, it

was reported. -

Housewives should register at the nearest elementary school. The schools’ will remain open until 8 p. m. today and will be open from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m. tomorrow. Persons with last names beginning with “Q” through “Z” are to register tomorrow.

Extension Likely

Sugar rationing officials said they believed that it would not be neces-

sary to continue registration past tomorrow night. : Approximately one-half of the residents in Marion county, required to register, are already signed up, 93,000 registering yesterday and 87,000 Monday. William F. Rightor Jr. deputy state rationing administrator, estimated that approximately 48 per cent of the state’s population has filled out application forms.

FARMER AT LIZTON HEEDS SCRAP PLEA

The first Hoosier farmer to offer his scrap metal and old rubber to the government in reply to Donald M. Nelson's recent plea is’ Douglas Hall of Lizton. He notified state WPA headquarters: by postcard today that he had 40. pounds of scrap metal and 12 pounds ‘of old rubber which he wished to give to the government. The “WPA is handling the collection’ project and John K. Jennings, state ' administrator, - today farmers to send .in promptly the postcards which were mnmiled to them so that. collection routes could |’ be mapped .for the WPA trucks.

MOVES AGAINST DISLOYAL WASHINGTON, - May 6.(U. P).— The long -awaited mass drive against disloyal foreign-born - citi-) zens was underway today as Attor-| ney General Francis Biddle - prepared for institution of is ization proceedings against 226 naturalized Germans. and Italians.

‘K’ Through ‘P’s’ Register

asked

WAR BONDS

AN INTERCEPTOR plane is the eagle of the air. It flies high ‘and strikes swiftly. Armed and equipped, these fast planes cost about $55,000 each. But you and

your neighbors and the neighbors

in other communities, each chipping in with an $18.75 war bond can quickly pay the cost of an interceptor plane.

These planes have a speed of

up to 400 miles an’ hour and a

ceiling of about 30,000 feet. We want thousands of them. So join the parade of war bond buyers every pay day. Add to the quota in your county.

SIX SOLDIERS HURT IN CRASH

Car Piles Into Madison Ave. Abutment; Four “Go to Hospital.

Six soldiers assigned to Billings hospital at Ft. Harrison were injured, one critically, early today when the automobile in which they were riding crashed into the Madison ‘ave. bridge abutment . over Pleasant Run. , Police said that the auto was vir-

tually demolished ‘by the impact.

The soldiers were taken to City hospital ‘for treatment and all but Corp. Remine E. Sizemore, the most critically injured, ‘were then removed to Billings. Corp. Sizemore, 21, Hyden, Ky. is suffering from a head injury. Others injured were Corp. Mongdella L. Cooper, 21, Lyons, Ind.; Sergt. Delbert Carpenter, 30, Kokomo, and Pvis. Alfred Clark, 24, Spruee : Pine, Ala.; Leon Gillian, 19, Massy. Bolton, Ky.,:and Lloyd Meade, 21, McDowell, Ky. Corp. Cooper and.Pvts. Clark and Meade were kept in: the hospital while Sergt. Carpenter and Pvt. Gil-

,|lian were. sent back to duty after

treatment: . Pvt. Clark's condition is regarded as serious. © Hospital officials. said the soldiers were: out on a pass.” zAll but Corp. Cooper are attached to the medictl Li ‘he ‘being assigned to the quartermaster i TG

campaigns, for which its union organization provides excellent ma--chinery. In Chicago, for example, one of the best civilian defense organizations is that of the 14,000 janitors and elevator operators, members of the building service workers international, who have

scrap-collection campaign. ; An Important Defense Role

been particularly helpful in the).

Labor has been given an im- ; portant place in the civilidn defense]

Portable Raid Shelter

With the occupation of Madagascar by British troops, the united nations took their first step to protect allied war supply. routes from potential threats by the colonies of Pierre Laval's pro-axis Vichy France. Secretary of State Cordell Hull yesterday hinted that the United Staies might seize Martinique, if necessary for the protection of the Caribbean gateway to the Panama canal. Other strategically located French

U. S. MAY ACT AGAINST VICHY

Rupture Would Come if

British Need Help in Madagascar.

By WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS Scripps-Howard Foreign Editor WASHINGTON, May 6. — Relations between the United States and France now hang upon a filament so spidery that the merest breath of an ill wind could sever it at any hour, If the British need help to take and ‘hold Madagascar, the United States will provide it. American forces are known to be nearby, ready to move up at a moment's notice. If a Franco-American rup-

ture had not come already, therefore, it would come then.

At the same time, the United States would almost certainly occupy Martinique and other Vichy territory in the Western hemisphere

powers. Dakar, France’s most important base in West Africa, would also have to be put out Ft commission.

Dakar Important

Dakar is perhaps as important as Madagascar. It is only 1600 nautical miles from the eastern hump of Brazil, and an excellent base for submarines and bombers. The axis would have little need for Madagascar if united nations shipping could be. disposed of off Dakar.

Vichy made allied intervention in Madagascar inevitable on June 20, 1940, when she first began to kowtow to the Japanese. On that date she agreed to stop the shipment of war materials across Indo-China to China and permit Japanese “inspectors” to observe the enforcement of that agreement.

Since then, it has been one long story of “yessing” the Japanese. In July, Vichy ousted Indo-China’s governor-general Catroux because he wasn't “nice” to the Nipponese, and put in Admiral Decoux who was more obliging: In September, the Japanese demanded and obtained the right of passage - for their troops and were granted the use of three air bases in. the north. In December, Vichy gave them the use of naval and air bases in the south. Finally, in July, 1941, Vichy placed the whole colony under Japanese “protection.”

Afraid of U. S.

credible of all was Vichy’s xcuse. She was afraid, she

: Most official !

said, of big, bad Great Fritain and

the United States and was obliged to place her Far Eastern lamb in the custody of the Nipponese wolf. Without Indo-China, Japan could hardly have succeeded in doing what she has done. From Indo-Chinese bases she moved southward through Malaya and took Singapore from behind. Indo-Chinese bases made the conquest of the East Indies easy. But for Indo-China, she could not Have attacked Burma nearly so readily. : Nor would she now be at|. the gates of India. ‘That Japan has similarly had her eyes on Madagascar for a long time is known in London and Washington. But for her failure to ‘take

Sumas and + Java, the Indian Wola, become a Japanese

United nations supplies bound for

ke.

to prevent its use by the axis|:

Ceylon some six weeks ago, shel |f

hér hands along with Singapore, |

GRATION OF | WORKERS DUE, SAYS NUTT

Pledges Action to Boost Manpower by More Than 10 Million.

' WASHINGTON, May 6 (U. P).— The United States faces a “supreme ’ test” in mobilizing an additional 10,500,000 workers to more than double the war industry labor supply with in the nex{ year, Chairman Paul V. McNutt of the war manpower ¢ommission said today. To accomplish this, he said, “large scale migrations” of workers into war industry centers will be neces sary. Addressing the federal-state conference on war restrictions, Mr. Mc-

- | Nutt said American armed forces

will total 4,000,000 by the end of 1942, and that it would be a “staggering problem of manpower” to | equip them with the best planes, | guns and ships. :

* New Commission Meets

Some manpower problems may be |ironed out later today when the {commission, created by President Roosevelt to gear America’s entire able-bodied population into the war effort, holds its first meeting. Mr. McNutt has indicated three Sajor issues in manpower mobilizaon: 1. Whether additional labor short« ages can be prevented without an amendment to-the selective service’ act to authorize blanket deferments to skilled workers. 2. Whether maximum -efficiency ican be attained without “freezing” ‘vital workers is jobs where they are able to con te most. 3. Whether workers will move n= to war industries ‘without a “labor draft.” Problem to Be Met

Mr. McNutt told the governors’ conference that these problems will be met. Measures must be taken, he said, to see that employers use skilled workers only at jobs where such skills are required. ; He said the commission will work out plans for transferring workers from less urgent to more urgent production; for releasing from army duty vitally-neéded workmen, and for utilizing the unemployed, the handicapped men and the potential pool of women workers, “The months ahead are critical,” he said, “they will decide whether American democracy cen deliver the final blow fo preserve: freedom and decency in the world, They will decide also whether free men and women, ‘through the constitutional methods. of democratic processes can Outpriifice a population of slaves.” 3 Million Workers Added

Germany has been able to add only 4,500,000 workers to its total labor force in two and a half years of war, he said. Since Pearl Harbor, he added, the United States has bee¢n mobilizing more war workers than Germany, and by the end of 1942 will have a labor force far greater than the one built up by Hitler in eight years. On April 1, about 9,000,000 were employed in war industries, an increase of 3,000,000 over the Dec. 7 figure. Mr. McNutt told the conference that “large-scale migrations” will be necessary before the end of the year. “I am confident,” he said, “that most of our citizens will move gladly and willingly to the area in which they can render real war service.”

MUSIC WEEK MARKED AT WARREN CENTRAL

The Warren Central high school band and orchestra, in observance of international music week, is presenting a concert for the stuclent body tomorrow. A feature will be a clarinet gquare tet of Luella Schenck, Patricia Jennings, Gaylle Rumford and. Charles Martin, ~ Other observances of the week include a patriotic address by Rob ert Kazmayer today with a senior band’ coricert preceding the talk.

DEPAUW DELTA CHIS WILL GREET ALUMNI

The DePauw chapter of Delta Chi fraternity will entertain fraternity alumni - and prospective DePauw . students at s banquet at 6:30 p. m. Friday at the Columbia club. Banquet #peakers will be Dean Edward R. Bartletti of the DePauw

ander, university publicity director, and Albert, 1. Williams, Greencastle attorney. George N. Bedell,

school of liberal arts; Russell Alex~