Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 13 July 1942 — Page 10

The Indianapolis Times

ROY W. HOWARD RALPH BURKHOLDER MARK FERREE President Editor Business Manager (A SCRIPPS-HOWARD NEWSPAPER)

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Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way

MONDAY, JULY 13, 1942

~ SPOKESMEN MIS-SPOKE SE

(CONGRESSMEN who have been yielding to the loud demands of spokesmen for various minorities must find it hard to believe the latest Gallup public-opinion poll. Farm lobbyists have threatened to defeat any congressman who votes for firm ceilings on agricultural prices. But the poll shows that a majority of American voters think farm prices should .be subject to the same controls as manufacturing, wholesale and retail prices. Labor lobbyists have blustered against all suggestions for wage ceilings, but the poll shows that a majority of Americans believe wages should be controlled along with prices. Demagogues ‘have denounced even the puny gesture . made by the ways and means committee toward broadening the income-tax base, and have cried instead for taxes that will “soak the rich.” But the poll reveals that if the people themselves were writing the tax bill they would make the base broader and the tax stiffer in the so-called lower income brackets, yet tax large incomes less heavily than congress will—and must—tax them. Incidentally, although the poll showed a majority of the people opposed to a general sales tax a few months ago, that sentiment is now reported to have changed. And, on top of all taxes, the people would add a compulsory 10 per cent pay-roll deduction for war stamps and bonds. » 8 » » 8 HO are the people whose opinions make up this publicopinion poll? Why, to be sure, most of them are farmers, organized workers and small-income earners—the same Americans for whom the “spokesmen” of labor and agriculture have claimed to be speaking. These self-appointed “spokesmen” have their own axes to grind. They are so shortsighted that they may never “be able to recognize it, but the fact is that farmers, union members afid white-collar workers—the same as business and’ professional men—are Americans first.. Americans intelligent enough to want to do their part to win the war. * They know that, unless costs and prices are held down, and unless the surplus mass purchasing power is drained off in taxation and savings, the inevitable end will be inflation. And they know that if inflation comes farmers, workers and small-income earners will suffer first and suffer most.

ALIENS AND JOBS

~~ FAIRNESS and’ national self-interest alike justify President Roosevelt's appeal for the employment of aliens— including the friendly subjects of enemy countries—in American industries. There is increasing need for every willing and able worker. ' As the president says, “a general condemnation of any group or class of persons is unfair and dangerous to the war effort.” This country cannot afford to bar men and women from jobs “solely on the basis of the fact that they are aliens or that they were formerly nationals of _any particular foreign country.” But there have been many instances of discrimination, and so Mr. Roosevelt does well to emphasize— 1. That there are no laws barring naturalized citizens from employment of any kind. 2. That there are no federal laws barring aliens from - employment in non-war industries, or even in war industries if their work does not give them access to secret plans and specifications. 3. That the war and navy departments have authority to issue permits for employment of aliens even on ‘“restricted” government contracts—applications for such permits being obtainable from any office of the U. S. employment service—giving' special consideration to those who have served in the American armed forces or have met other tests of loyal intent. > The government, Mr. Roosevelt points out, is taking necessary steps against subversive acts by citizens and aliens alike. Any employer doubtful whether to employ an alien on war work can, amd should, pass responsibility for the decision to the government. There should be no private policy of denying a job to anybody simply because he is not American by birth.

he

Pia

“KICKBACK” INDICTMENTS

LA FEDERAL grand jury at Albany, N. Y., has indicted four officers and employees of a local A. F. of L. union of operating engineers on charges of collecting $50,000 in “kickbacks” from the wages of workers on an army supply depot project. They are accused of requiring men, who in many instances were not permitted to join the union, to pay $1 to $2 a day in order to hold their jobs. Attorney General ~ Biddle, announcing that these indictments are the first of a number to be sought by the justice department’s war frauds unit in a crackdown on “dollar patriots’ wherever ~ found, asserts that the case is not an indictment of labor. * The international union, he says, had denounced the practices charged and had ordered them stopped. ; Of course it is not an indictment of labor to attack “abuses by union officials. It is a service to honest labor, though the big bosses of the A. F. of L. certainly have not seemed to consider it as such. They have been profuse with promises to stop collection of excessive fees and flues. But they have been quick to assail as an enemy of hor anyone who ventured to point out that the promises ren’t kept. We hope Mr, Biddle’s war funds unit will do a thorough job in this field. Many unions have required men seeking jobs on government contracts to pay heavily for permission to work, and there have been innumerable complaints that men who paid were not admitted to bona-fide union memership and received no actual benefits for their: money, believe the federal “anti-kic

in Indiana, $4 a year, |

Fair Enough By Westbrook Pegler

NEW YORK, July 13. — Of course some mistakes and in‘equalities are bound to occur in the rush of an inexperienced people to go to war, but the issuance of commissions in the army and navy, in rank as high as major and - lieuteriant commander, to men with no qualifications whatever is being overdone. One good and conscientious man with a profession or mechanical specialty and past military experience shuts up his home and his wife goes to live with relatives while he disappears into the army: with the rank of first lieutenant and with every prospect of service overseas, while another man of the same age blossoms out in a swell uniform with the leaves of a

| major on his shoulders to serve as an adviser of some

kind in an office in New York or Washington. An adviser could give just as good advice in the uniform of a buck private or in civilian clothes and the same may be said of press agents, of whom there is a growing abundance holding commissioned rank. A case is authenticated of a young man, in all ways eligible for duty, but in no way qualified for a come mission, who was made a lieutenant, senior grade, in the navy just because he asked for a commission and for no other reason and then was sent to a station to be trained for the duties of a deck officer.

Fairness and Decency Needed

AT THE SAME TIME, thousands of young men are enlisted as second class seamen and permitted to train in certain colleges and later in training stations for the rank of ensign, but with the understanding that if they do not make the grade they will go to sea as enlisted sailors. That seems the sensible way, but such young men and thousands of other enlisted sailors will marvel at the ingenuity, the luck and drag of another who steps out of mufti into the uniform of a commissioned officer with two promotions and takes his training afterward. The war is now reaching into every family circle and even married men whose wives are job-holders are saying goodby to become enlisted soldiers and sailors. Most of them seem to be going along without

| complaint and all of them who go into the army and

their relatives know that they may be sent to Africa, Britain, Australia, China or wherever else the enemy may be met, not to return for years, if ever. Such being the grim case, fairness and decency should dictate that trashy opportunists should not be

permitted to hop nto uniforms and Tasuerade as officers.

Abolish the Fake Commissions!

THE MOST NOTORIOUS and disgraceful single instance of this abuse will be recognized throughout the navy and by soldiers and civilians without the mention of a name or any description save the one word, blackguard. But many other men, equally indesensirip though of reasonably good character,”Have been given commissions in ranks which good soldiers and sailors achieve only after thorough experience and faithful service. It is impossible and ,unjust to generalize. The forces are crawling with commissioned press agents who deserve no rank whatever and whose very presence in officers’ uniform is an affront to the enlisted men and to other officers who earned their rank. But at the same time there are some officers doing public relaitons who have served faithfully and earned their promotions. ; It is the cheap or fake, commission which should be abolished and revoked.

Editor's Note: The views expressed by columnists in this newspaper are their own They are not necessarily those of The Indianapolis Times.

Wolf Wolf

‘By S. Burton Heath

CLEVELAND, July 13.— The scrap rubber collection drive was, speaking charitably, a flop. Less than 220,000 tons were .collected during the period originally given to the campaign. Minimum estimates of the potential ran to "around 500,000 tons and maximum —silly but publicized—to 10,000,000 tons. What does that mean? That there weren't half a million tons of scrap rubber lying around—or that the public didn't co-operate in so vital a war effort? Perhaps some of both. But neither, fundamentally. The scrap rubber drive was doomed from the be-

ginning. WPB gave its hearty support, but expected jn 5

nothing. The campaign was one of those sudden, half-planned, semi-publicized things pulled out of the Washington hat because something better had not been organized sooner. Its inspiration came from the petroleum industry, which hoped by a good showing to avert or at least postpone nation-wide gasoline rationing. It found the public bewildered, resentful, wanting to help but very uncertain about the whole affair. It is important because it is one in a chain of similar unfortunate stabs in the dark.

What the Country Thinks FROM A TYPICAL midwestern farining trade

' center comes a bitter summary, written by the local editor-publisher, of why the people, patriotic and “willing, have become apathetic. }

1 wholly defend to

disagree w

the death yo:

what you say, but will right to say it.—Voltaire.

“GIVE BUSINESS CHANCE TO GET THEIR MONEY BACK” By Celia Warren, Indianapolis Heaven help the ignorance of some people. The Japs have already made their profit on this so-called trash and they want to deny the

U. S. businessmen a chance to get their money back on it. If Oscar Graham and others would get busy and collect rubber, metal, etc., for our war effort, I imagine they’d have less time to harass Americans -as loyal as they who are only trying to save their business from bankruptcy.

®.n ” “CAR-USE STAMP SALE SYSTEM A SLOPPY ONE” By J J zZ : It's a shame the government hasn’t a decent system for register-

biles.

Many car owners fear their

| stamps will be stolen without a rec-

ord having been made at purchase. Signing your name and car number doesn’t mean a thing. Many pranksters may get a kick out of tearing

. the stamp off whenever they get a

chance, too. Here is a suggestion of my friends and myself: Have all motorists bring their bills of sale or duplicates to the postoffice or license bureau and have an official seal stamped on it. If your stamp is stolen, your bill of sale has proof and you can get another stamp for cents or 10 cents, instead of having to get another stamp for $5.

» n ”

| “HOW TO GET YOUR BIRTH

RECORD WITHOUT COST” By Philip J. Sexton. 26 E. 14th st. To all those who have been writing in to your paper complaining about the birth certificate racket, I send greetings. Nobody has .to pay $5, $3, $1 or even 50 cents to get a bona fide record of his birth. All it: will cost

- The ‘citizenry of that village “scampered around

and gathered aluminum,” and the metal lay around |

until a junk dealer: consented to take it away for virtually nothing. A neighbor town paid for having its aluminum hauled away. Government agents junketed through the area telling of the urgent need for scrap metal. “We went to bat for that,” and for two months the concern which gave storage space has tried vainly to find somebody who would take the scrap to the steel mills —0r somewhere. Uncle Sam demanded that old paper be saved. The Boy Scouts collected tons and tons—and then received word from the government to please burn it, because it is a fire hazard and there is no market. “I was sort of surprised, after all of that, to. see how folks went to work to gather up old tires, and I am watching to see when, if ever, they are moved,” writes this editor, and concludes with this observation

—which might be of interest to Washington depart- !

ments—

“I guess we have heard ‘Wolf, wolf’ long enough.”

That letter was written to explain why nation-

wide gasoline rationing is going to provoke a storm in that area.

So They Say— - ‘You and I shail not make money the rest of our lives—at least not in the sense in which we used

to think of making eney ~—Bruce Barton, advertising executive.

We should quit complimenting ourselves on our capacity to take it and show the world a capacity] to dish it out.—Patrick J. Hurley, U. 8. Ininister to New Zealand. j

to express these colurit

troversies your lette

have a chalice "

be signed.)

ers are invited their , religious con+.cluded. Make" short, so all can

views in

Letters must

will be a 1-ceiit

cent stamp.’

Bureau of th of Commerce requesting th application

{(Pensus, Department f Washington, D. C, to forward your k for birth cer-

tificate. Yo

questions in t turn it to the

Department ¢ ing the new $5 stamps for automo- |i

you will have birth from th ernment, and | nized and acc

will receive this in

ve or six simpie & application and rereau of the Census, Commerce, Washou will receive an stating that if you

iall| investigator to save

e charged. Pay no . In about two weeks certificate of your United States govhich will be recogtated -anywhere.

With everykiie:

everything tha Washington tii

department

efficiently, ol p

ly, and it is these facts.

federal, state, county,

jovernment expenses

diinected with the war

dollars to be frozen at existing weight and fineness. 3. Freeze all business profits at fixed per cents on capital investments, graduated similar to income’ surtax percentages. - 4. Fix ceilings of all wages and

in private industry at not less than $25 per week to maximum of $75 per week. ~ 5. Put into effect at once report of Senator Byrd's committee and . [save $2,500,000,000 per year. 6. Put the New Deal on the shelf for the duration. 7. See to it that president gives all his time to the winning of the war and forget for the .duration New York state and New Jersey politics and stop planning for a fourth term. 8. Stop all ‘strikes in war work by putting all strikers in the armed force and same with non-conform-ing employers, regardless of how high the executive might be. Cut the monkey business and get this war over with. Let us be honest with ourselves.

” ” ” “THIOKOL, PLUGS, RUBBER— WHAT CAN WE BELIEVE?” By H. E. S. An associate of mine owns a 1941 car. Before changing spark plugs a week ago he was getting 14% miles per gallon. Since installing new plugs he is running 18 miles per gallon of gasoline. At present rate of driving his tires will last until 1945. Now spark plugs are not obtain-

-| able, according. to reports, except

for commercial vehicles. Does this , | situation make sense? “ Time, June 29, Page 56, shows photo of a man retreading his tire by brushing on thiokol. “Anybody |. can do it.” Industrial experts say thiokol can retread a million pied ian tires a month. ‘Government ex-|. perts "disedunt this by 84 per cent.

| What -can' a man believe in? -

One of .my. associates drives 48 miles on Saturday to work 31% hours of a 40-hour week. Five days at eight hours would get the same result, saving 48 miles of driving. The answer is “No, we have to open the mai! on Saturday.” . ” 8 ® “RUBBER COLLECTION WAS HANDLED BADLY” By E. M. E. Our rubber salvage drive Is a failure. I believe I have discovered

a couple of good reasons:

First, my family, trying to be good citizens, gathered the scrap at our home. I took it. to one station, was practically . laughed out of the

station. They had no rubber pile, not interested. Second, it has been called to my attention that salvaged tires are now bringing . a large price and fairly good tires that can be repaired were turned in. This makes’ a nice profit to our retread and repairmen. -I know of at least one case of a party having three tires he would not turn. in on this account. I suggested. that tires be cut in half to remove the desire to cheat. This is not criticism but I hope you willl place these comments where they may help.

DAILY THOUGHT

They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame: and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to 9 Bought. Job 8:22,

| synthetic fiber is being develo |... A synthetic straw, made from rayon, is being in=.

salaries connected with war effort|-

In Washington:

By Peter Edson

2 eas SIT § WASHINGTON, July 13.—In‘come payments in May were &. fourth greater ‘than a year ago and a half greater than two years ago. . . . The signal corps has to supply some 34,000 different items of equipment for the army.'. . Y Schools and colleges have been asked to reopen in the middle of ‘a, week to relieve week-end transportation jams. . . . Soybean oil goes into oleo, shortening, soap, . paint, linoleum, oilcloth, fertilizer, stock food, sizing,

| adhesives and food. . . : It takes foyr tons of cargo a

month to keep a soldier fed, equipped, armed and ~ fighting on foreign soil. : . . All domestic hides are now under government control. . . . Birth certificates: are no longer required to get a job in a war produc‘tion plant. . . . WPB has a new appeals branch to , handle requests. for relief from Senservation and poet tation orders. . .

Buy Your Coal Now .THE “BUY COAL NOW” campaign shiek be lL

.going during July, August and September to relieve properly winter coal traffic. . .

. Production of dried eggs will be a million pounds a day before the end of -

| the year, calling all hens to lay three million dozen -eggs a day. . ... New priority ratings of AAA, AA-1,

etc., all take priority over A-1-a, the old top rating.” ... . Cotton cloth production will reach 12 .billion - yards, or about seven million miles, in 1942, as against _ 105 billion yards in ’41. . . . Army venereal disease rates are down, lowest in history for syphilis. . . . Army got 8500 reserve officers out of June Solises, graduating classes.

An All-Girl Air Patrol! He fe

THERE'S A SHORTAGE of skin men and a skeletonk. assemblers—no, not in the undertaking business—for aircraft assembly. . . . Maritime commission will award a distinguished service medal to merchant seamen heroes. . . . The first all-girl civil air patrol squadron, of 70 members, is credited to Cleveland, O. . .. A new from peanut protein;

troduced in the millinery industry. . . . Manufacture Y of anklets, as substitute for feminine hose, has been stepped up a fourth over 1941... . The plumbing and ‘heating business faces reduction to a repair and. maintenance basis. Ga

Got Your Firewood In?

RURAL AREAS ARE being urged to cut the win- 2 ter’s supply of firewood early and lay in a reserve ° where coal deliveries may be interrupted by transportation shortages. .-. . Treasury procurement now - buys all typewriters for the government and. rations - them out. . . . Farmers who board seasonal hired - hands will get extra sugar allowances. . . ; Thrée mil--lion copies of ODT’s booklet on truck maintenance - and conservation will be distributed free to operators -: of the nation’s five million trucks. . . . Army. will - schedule bulk of its conferences for cities other than. - Washington to relieve capital congestion, .

A Woman's Viewpoint By Mrs. Walter Ferguson

IT ALWAYS HAPPENS in wars . time. All of a sudden the people ‘who went stolidly about their own . business become flamingly aware . that their business depends upon the public welfare. ‘Women who had no interest in government are ready to assume _ responsibilities of citizenship. Volunteer war work has brought new life to thousands of American cities and towns, for the feminine ) ‘half of the population has surged out to take a hand. Women from every walk of life are becoming acquainted, not only with local and world affairs, but with each other. The Junior lezgue member works beside the janitor’s wife. Gradually certain evil harriers that hold us apart in peacetime are overthrown. We see that seeurity depends on unity, and that _ each must do her bit for the good of the whole. So long as the old snobberies remain the task will be hard, but they are dwindling and, as a consequence, a new democratic fellowship grows out of the military effort which is heartening to see.

Where We Can Learn a Lesson

LET US HOPE it continues after the war. Women have discovered that they are of inestimable value to their communities in wartime. How, then, can they fail to understand that their services will be needed no less when peace comes? The responsibility for helping to shape a new world will be ours then, and it would be treason to - shirk it, just as it now amounts to treason to shirk war work. We can learn a lesson from the Red Cross and civilian defense movements. They would fail if each locality refused to do its share. That's why women go faithfully to their duties at set intervals, whether - = they live in cities or villages. So it must be with freedom and decency and prog- 5 ‘ress when this war ends.. They must be looked ‘first in the home town. The work done there by local 2 hid ‘groups will spell general success or failure, just: ass ‘the Red Cross work. of local groups now spells s fe for the national effort.

Questions and Answers

(The Indianapolis Times Service Bureau will answer sny question of fact or information, not invelving extensive research. Write your question clearly, sign name and address, inclose a three-cent postage stamp. Medical or legal advice cannot be given. Address The Times Washington Service Bureau, 10138 Thirteenth St., Washington, D. C.)

Q—How_ should mail be sent to prisoners of war and internees confined in the United States, in enemy countries, and in other foreign countries?

A—All such communications should be addressed to the person concerned at the address furnished by the confinee, or by the government or other agency authorized to furnish such information. No postage is required unless such communications are sent by air, or registered or insured mail, in which case postage must be fully prepaid. The words “Postage Free” should be written in the upper right corner where a stamp normally would be placed.

‘Q—Why isn’t kerosene extensively used as a fuel for automobile engines?

A—Tt is practically impossible to start an electrically ignited engine with kerosene when the engine is cold. Kerosene does not give off vapor until heated to the boiling point of water—it must be heated and kept heated, otherwise it will condense. If used in an engine, it is necessary to change the crankcase oil frequenfly (perifaps every 20 hours) because the kerosene condenses and mixes with the oil, fay it. down to such an' ‘extent that it loses its lubricating qualities.

‘Q—What is the otigin ¢ of the. alone word “fluke,” - meaning a mistake?

A—Tts origin has been traced to a term in billiards for a shot aimed at one ball and hitting another.

Q—How old is Dona Drake; is she married, ani. x |

what is her real name?

A—Her original name was Rita Novella. She changed it to Rita Rio, then to Rita Shaw and. -

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