Newspaper Page Text
Washington, D. C.
SAVING MONEY
One of defense price regulator
Leon Henderson’s staunchest sup
porters is Donald Nelson, dollar-a
year OPM purchasing chief.
At a meeting of his lieutenants,
Nelson said: “We’ve got to watch
price advances like a hawk. Our
national economy won’t stand for
any price skyrocketing. I want you
to catch every bid where prices are
out of line, and if we can’t scale
them down, we'll turn the case over
to Leon.”
Several days later an assistant,
examining cotton gauze prices sub
mitted by three companies holding
army contracts, smelled a mouse
and showed the figures to Nelson.
The prices of two of the firms were
okay, but the third had boosted its
bid 10 cents. Checking, Nelson found
that wages in mills had not ad
vanced and that a large stock of
cotton was on hand.
So he called the manufacturer and
firmly informed him that unless his
price was put back into line the fur
would fly. Next day the company
submitted reduced figures.
Note—Nelson’s biggest problem in
keeping defense prices from soar
ing is the military brass-hats, who
are rated chiefly for their ability
to get materials for the army and
navy, and not on the price the gov
ernment has to fork out.
• 0 *
BILL OF FRILLS
Press gallery wits have taken to
referring to the stymied $150,000,000
emergency defense housing meas
ure as the "bill of frills.” This is a
soft impeachment. Not in a long
time has an important piece of legis
lation suffered more from congres
sional obstruction and inconsistency.
Introduced several months ago to
meet an urgent defense situation,
the bill was stalled for 10 days in
the house rules committee by a
noisy row over the installation of
“frills," such as refrigerators and
gas stoves, in homes for defense
workers.
Finally, after inserting an amend
ment barring these appliances, the
House passed the measure and it
went to the senate. There it ran
head on into another “frill” tangle—
in reverse. This time a “frill” was
put into the bill.
Brick makers protested that the
$3,000 limit specified for each hous
ing unit barred the use of bricks,
and demanded that the ante be
raised to $3,500. One of the chief
pro-brick spokesmen was Sen. Bob
Taft of Ohio, a leading economy ad
vocate, who sought to slash fche lend
lease appropriation on the ground
that it was excessive.
On the argument that savings in
paint, repairs and heating through
the use of brick would more than
offset the $5OO difference, the sen
ate approved the boost—and added
another delay. For now the amend
ed measure has to go back to the
house for it to decide whether bricks
fall in the same "luxury” category
as refrigerators and gas ranges.
Note—ln an effort to make up
some of the time wasted by the frill
conscious boys on Capitol Hill, De
fense Housing Co-ordinator Palmer
has gone ahead with plans for a
number of projects, ready to start
the moment the bill becomes law.
One will be the largest low-cost
housing project ever undertaken by
the government.
* • *
MERRY-GO-ROUND
Mrs. Roosevelt has been invited
to address the national Townsend
Plan convention in Buffalo early in
July. Meanwhile, Sen. Sheridan
Dowmey of California, chief Town
sendite spokesman in congress, has
told leaders of the movement that
he will force a vote on their old-age
pension plan in the senate by offer
ing it as an amendment to the tax
bill next month.
Justice Stanley Reed follows the
practice of the late great Justice
Oliver Wendell Holmes in picking a
new legal clerk every year, explains
that he does it chiefly for his own
benefit, to get the different view
points of bright young men.
Feature of the latest issue of the
Republican, monthly party maga
zine, is an article by a Democrat on
“Whafs Wrong With the G. O. P.”
In a poll of 5,765 college students on
the “greatest weakness” of the Re
publican party, 35.2 per cent an
swered “Lack of touch with com
mon people”; 24.4 per cent held “No
co-ordinated program"; 25.6 per
cent “Divided leadership”; and 14.8
per cent “Other reasons.”
The late Sen. Morris Shepard of
Texas was known to the public
chiefly as the father of prohibition,
but on Capitol Hill he was consid
ered a great worker for prepared
ness as well as a tolerant, kindly
friend.
Veteran New Dealer Leon Hender
son, defense price regulator, rates
OPM Production Chief John Rig
gers, one of the country’s biggest
glass manufacturers, and Priorities
Chief Edward R. Stettinius, former
U. S. Steel executive, as two of the
fairest and most enlightened big
business men in the defense organi
zation.
To Wall Street the No. 1 "nasty
man” in Washington currently is
hard-hitting Joe Winer, head of the
SEC’s utility division, who is doing
something about enforcing the hold
ing company act
Eleanor Roosevelt
Rural Electrification
I have been doing so many things
the last few days, that I keep re
membering happenings which I for
got to tell you.
One recent afternoon, in Washing
ton, there was a meeting of the
workers in the rural electrification
program from all over the country.
I had the pleasure of being with them
for a few minutes and I mention it
here because, from the beginning,
this program has seemed to me to
be of such general importance to
the rural people of our nation.
Every time electricity is taken to
some remote spot, it brings new
opportunity to the farmer to lighten
his labors. It allows him to accom
plish more and, therefore, increases
his buying power.
To the woman of the house it
brings relief from back-breaking
toil, a better standard in home life,
more time to spend with the chil
dren, and less weariness at the end
of the day. The men and women
working in this program are funda
mentally changing our life for the
better.
‘COVERING GROUND’
It seems as though I were cover
ing a good deal of ground these
days. One day I had the pleasure
of meeting for a few minutes Mr.
Darrell Brown, the young artist who
won a prize offered by Mr. Isaac
Liberman, president of Arnold Con
stable company, for painting a por
trait of me in the dress I wore on
Inauguration night. I thought I had
never seen him and, since I am not
particularly interested in portraits
myself, I think I must have seemed
a rather unsatisfactory subject.
This, however, is a portrait of the
dress. I was interested to learn that
I had met Mr. Brown some years
ago in lowa, and was glad to be
able to show him the Lincoln por
trait in the State dining room, which
he liked as much as we do.
We had a number of friends with
us for lunch in the afternoon. I re
ceived Senora Najera, wife of the
Mexican ambassador, and Senora
Avila Camacho, whose husband is
brother of the president of Mexico.
After that, I received the high school
senior class from Staatsburgh, N. Y.
which is the village next to Hyde
Park. They have been very fortu
nate in having such good weather
and I am sure enjoyed their trip.
The crowds in Washington are
great. I do not remember seeing
so much traffic. I am particularly
glad that the cherry blossoms are
out, so that no one who came hoping
to see them will go away disap
pointed.
The White House has been filled
to capacity with sight-seers during
the visiting hours, and I am sure
this is so with all the public build
ings. Our own young people went
out to Mt. Vernon one day and could
not even get inside the house.
SPRINGTIME
Starting for a speaking engage
ment in Charlotte, N. C., we arrived
in Greensboro, N. C., on time. A
plane sent over by the Charlotte
News Publishing company, which
was sponsoring my lecture, was
waiting on the field. The College
for Women at Greensboro had sent
a few representatives to greet me
with a box of flowers, and the local
radio man was also there with a
microphone so I could say a few
words of greeting before starting on
the other plane for Charlotte.
All this was done very rapidly,
and then we climbed into the small
er plane with a delightful young pi
lot and reporter from the News,
who acted as one of our hostesses
during the day. We were soon look
ing down on the fields and woods
of North Carolina.
It seemed more like summer than
spring. The flowers were all out
and the dogwood was in full bloom.
Somehow or other, this “little” trip
to southern California and then to
North Carolina, seems to have
robbed me of that first feeling of
spring creeping over the landscape.
There was no sign of spring the
last time I was in Hyde Park and
suddenly, when I was back in Wash
ington, everything was out—magno
lias, forsythias, daffodils; every
thing seemed in' full bloom over
night! Perhaps, when I get back to
Hyde Park in early May, I shall get
that first sense of life awakening
again in the trees, fields and
marshes.
As we came through Virginia in
the morning, one hillside seemed to
me particularly beautiful. The
leaves on the trees were pale green
and a soft reddish brown. In bc
! tween, some kind of white blossom
1 glistened and the purple of the Judas
I tree was everywhere in sight,
i CURRENT READING
In the past few days I have had so
much time on planes and trains
that I actually finished reading ev
erything I took with me. I may
have mentioned to you before “War
By Revolution,” by a young English
man, Francis Williams, who has
been in politics for a number of
years. I was much interested in it
because 1 feel that his contention is
correct, that really to win the fight
against Hitlerism, the people in all
the countries under Hitler’s control
must want freedom and a better
life broueht by their own action.
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, PERRY, GEORGIA
I
!
Kathleen Norris Says:
Live a Minute at a Time
(Bell Syndicate—WNU Service.)
To live each moment perfectly, to round it out so that it contains all that it ran
hold of love and service is to find your vague whirling fears strangely dissipated. You
can live that one moment without them, and when it comes you can live the next.
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
THERE is no greater phi
losophy in the world than
the philosophy that teaches
us to live a minute at a time.
There is no surer cure for
doubt, anxiety or despair. There
is no quicker road to security
and happiness.
I say “security” because of
late months we have been sub
stituting that word for our old
supreme goal, “happiness.” We
pitifully want security. Not
wealth, titles, jewels, gaiety,
travel. The world’s bitter woes
and bitter needs have swept
away those old weak desires.
We want security now; security
for everyone. Security to have
an untroubled home, though it
be only of four rooms, and a
lamp by which to read books,
and a few beloved faces near
us. Security to go to church on
Sunday, to have simple food on
the table three times a day, to
teach our children what we be
lieve of honesty and forgiveness
and brotherhood, and to launch
them simply and quietly into
simple and quiet lives of their
own.
Security for All.
We want everyone to have this;
not just Americans, not just our
friends. We want security for ob
scure Chinese women, pattering
along beside their muddy canals
with their open little baskets that
hold life-giving rice, and with a
clean bit of rag in which to wrap
the precious scrap of pork. We
want security for East Indian wom
en, slipping through narrow streets
and jangling bazaars, pushed aside
by the arrogant cattle they hold sa
cred, obliged to hide everything of
their beauty and youth except their
dark eyes, stooping eagerly to drink
the filthy sacred waters of the Gan
ges in which bodies and sewerage
float together.
We want it—we women of America
are begging God each day to grant
it, to show us how to hold it!—we
want security for women in the Bal
kans, in the jungles of Africa, in
the hungry oppressed countries of
northern Europe, in the poorest
slums of the great cities. Just se
curity! No matter on what humble
terms, no matter how plainly, but
let us feel safe!
It may be a very low roof, a plat
ter of macaroni, a bowl of potage, a
dish of Irish boiled potatoes, it may
be the goulash of Hungary, the
bortsch of Russia, the rice of the
Orient—nothing more. But after this
war, with its fears piled upon fears,
is over, let us begin to spread hum
ble peace, humble plenty in every
town and village and crossroads
hamlet of the world, and let us glad
ly sacrifice half of what we have,
two-thirds of what we have, for the
divine knowledge that want and hate
and fear are lessened in this world,
and that fear and war have gone
with them.
Remedy for Worries.
Things aren’t going, in these days,
the way many of us would have
them go. Some of us feel that a
very little spent upon peace depart
ments would pay us better than a
great deal spent upon war. But if
you feel dissatisfied, if you feel rest
less and fearful, confused by conflict-
I ing arguments and assertions, un-
I able to believe all the badness that
SECURITY
We want security now; security for
everyone ... an untroubled home,
church on Sunday, simple food to eat,
schools for our children . . . It's true,
isn’t it? And to discover how to obtain
this security, read Kathleen Norris' up
to-date article.
is floating about as current gossip,
then turn to the age-old wisdom of
the great spiritual leaders who gave
us this theory of living each tiny
space of time only for itself, who
revealed to us the magic of “the
sacrament of the moment.”
To live each moment perfectly, to
round it out so that it contains all
that it can hold of love and service
is to find your vague whirling fears
strangely dissipated. You can live
that one moment without them, and
when it comes you can live the next.
Through all life’s changes this one
simple little rule will still carry you
safely; nothing can disturb it. No
yesterday, with all its mistakes; no
tomorrow with all its imagined pit
falls. Just this one moment to make
as happy as you can for everyone
about you.
We laugh at the small child who
anticipates trouble. We quote with
amusement the soliloquy of the New
England woman on a Sunday night
long ago. “Tomorrow Monday and
that big wash, Tuesday all my iron
ing, Wednesday this big place to
clean! Half the week gone and noth
ing done!”
Banish Fear.
But when it comes to nations bor
rowing trouble and imagining en
mities there is no laughter. We take
that very seriously. Too seriously.
Stop taking it seriously this mo
ment. Do what you can in all char
ity and loyalty, do exactly what
your own conscience and knowledge
of events dictates. Don’t worry be
cause it isn’t more, and because per
haps—and maybe—and possibly—
and they say—and someone heard—
Cut that all out. Banish it by the
magic of the sacrament of the mo
ment. The history of the past is
full of strange twists, surprises, re
versals, changes. The history we
are living today will be. Nothing
comes out as our fanciful fears con
struct it, and the only thing to fear
is fear. Because nations have made
mistakes and have been misled
doesn’t mean they will always make
mistakes, always be misled. Some
times they reform; sometimes they
come to a new birth.
We were the rebel nation once,
outcast colonials without grace or
dignity, our decent blood thinned by
the flotsam and jetsam, the lees and
dregs of the old world’s vagrants
and criminals. We survived it; we
didn’t do so badly in making our
selves promptly into the greatest na
tion of the world. France had her
dark hour, religion destroyed, in
telligentsia destroyed, calendar de
stroyed, the very walls of her Capitol
spattered high with blood. Only 140
years ago.
Decency, Civilization to Come Back,
All central Europe swarmed with
homeless, desperate outlaws for 20
years after the Hundred Years war.
And so she will again. But time
heals, dictators die in one way or
another, decency and civilization
creep back, and presently the ships
begin to move again, and the re
turning travelers begin to tell us how
things are going over there.
And this time we won’t laugh at
their debased currency, take advam
tage of their ruin. This time we'D
all rebuild together. We’ll live a min
ute at a time, making the perfect
moments run together.
By VIRGINIA VALE
(Released by Western Newspaper Union.)
Rita hayworth, whose
rise to movie heights
makes one of Hollywood’s
most spectacular success
stories, has drawn the co
starring role opposite Fred
Astaire in Columbia’s “He’s My
Uncle’’ because she
gThis is a really im
songs are by Cole
Porter, the dance se
quences will be di
rected by Robert Al
dance routines for
three of Broadway’s
rent musicals. Rita’s
Rita Hayworth a member of the in
ternationally known
Cansino family; has danced all her
life.
Did you happen to listen to Bing
Crosby’s radio program the night J.
Carrol Naish appeared on it? If
you did, you’ll remember that Naish
sang an Irish ballad. Until then
nobody in Hollywood knew that he
had a good baritone voice, and had
sung on the stage. William C.
Thomas of the Pine-Thomas organi
zation, producing aviation pictures
for Paramount, listened, and learned.
Naish was already booked for a role
in “Forced Landing”—now he’s
scheduled to sing a song as well as
act.
Ella Neal established something of
a record recently when she ap
peared in three pictures in three
days. On Wednesday she was Jon
Hall’s handmaiden in “Aloma of the
South Seas”; Thursday morning, for
“Buy Me That Town,” she was a
mother at her baby’s christening;
Friday, she played a Mexican bride
in “Hold Back the Dawn”—for that
one she had to say something in
Spanish, which she doesn’t under
stand; she’s still wondering what it
meant.
If you enjoyed “The Cat and the
Canary,” made two years ago, you’ll
look forward with
good reason to
“Nothing But the
Truth,” in which the 1
same stars Bob » M
Hope and Paulette %
Goddard-appear.lt’s J
in the hands of the Jk L
same director, Elli- |K
ott Nugent. It’s the ||||\
hilarious story of a ] W
stock broker who |r.
bets $lO,OOO that he
won’t tell a lie for 24 Bob Hope
hours, and the cast
includes such capable actors as Ed
ward Arnold, Grant Mitchell, Rose
Hobart, Helen Vinson, Leon Belasco
and Leif Erikson.
It looks as if Gloria Swanson
would really return to the screen in
“Father Takes a Wife” with Adolphe
Menjou, Desi Arnaz and John How
ard. Mr. Menjou, famous for his
wardrobe, and Miss Swanson, equal
ly famous for hers, have been hav
ing wardrobe tests at RKO; she has
a reputation in New York for being
able to wear just anything at all and
look smart in it.
Joan Crawford’s New York fans,
who troop around at her heels when
ever she’s in town, recently present
ed her with a rather staggering
birthday gift—a birthday card more
than two feet square, which they’d
had autographed by dozens of fa
mous theatrical people.
The public apparently spends a lot
of time and thought on trying to beat
the quiz shows; the newest wrinkle
bobbed up recently in connection
with Ben Bernie’s program. For
two weeks he was besieged with
requests for tickets to the repeat
show. Here’s the reason;
The final contestants vying for the
prize of $lOO are selected by their
ability to guess from a recording
how many shots are fired out of a
machine gun in so many seconds.
One night on the first show, the
number of shots fired was 52. On
the repeat show, all the contestants
promptly guessed 49, 50 and 51.
But they were fooled—Bernie had 93
shots fired the second time, by let
ting the record run longer.
Because a singer on the “Uncle
Ezra” program got a chance to
make a movie with Shirley Temple,
the announcer on the same program
gets a chance to be a network sing
er. The first singer is Bob Nolan,
the announcer is Cy Harrice.
ODDS AND ENDS—Clark Gable’s next
for Metro, “Honky Tank,” in which Latin
Turner mi ill appear opposite him, turns
him into a confidence man and swindler
who becomes a pouer in a town in the
Yukon . . . RKO will introduce a new ro
mantic team in “Lady Scurface” — they’re
Frances Neal and Dennis O’Keefe, and the
story’s a comedy with a gangland back
ground . . . Wendy Barrie and Georg'
Sanders will be teamed in “The Gay Fal
con,” mystery picture to be made by RKO
Michael Arlen (remember “The Green
Hat”?) is the author ... George Brent and
Basil Ralhbone have the leads in "G-Man
l 'ersus Scotland Yard.”
U. S. Civil Service
Offer Chances for Mai
LJAVE you been thinking a fe 0
L x the United States Civil Ser
ice, wondering if there’s asp
you can fill, an opportunity f
you?
There may be, for Uncle Sa
needs clerks, typists, nurses, tl o
tors, border patrolmen, machi
ists, guards and many others
carry on his work all over th
country,
• • •
How to apply for a job, what rules yo
must follow are explained in our new 3
page booklet. Lists many U. S, civ
Service positions, stating requiremen
and salaries. Explains different types
examinations and how to apply. Sen
order for booklet to;
READER-HOME SERVICE
635 Sixth Ave. New York City
Enclose 10 cents In coin for your
copy of GETTING A JOB WITH
THE U. S. GOVERNMENT.
WM&’M
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CONSTIPATION DUE TO LACK OF
PROPER. "BULK" IN THE PIET 6 TO
CORRECT THE CAUSE OF THE
TROUBLE WITH A PELICIOUS
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I amagMl
Due to Fail
Those who plot the destruction
of others often fall themselves
Phaedrus.
H DIVE THE AIRTIT
SNIFFLES
PE METROS I
As One Thinks
Man is only miserable so far as
he thinks himself so.—Sannazaro.
May Warn of Disordered
Kidney Action
Modem life with it* hurry and worry.
Irregular habits, improper eating ana
drinking—its risk of exposure and inU'C
tioir—throws heavy strain on the wora
of the kidneys. They are apt to become
over-taxed and fail to filter 6*® cBB . B .''
and other impurities Irom the lue-givicg
blood. ,
You may suffer nagging backacim.
headache, dizziness, getting up nigh ’
leg pains, swelling —feel constanlJ
tired, nervous, all worn out. Other B *
of kidney or bladder disorder 8 ,
times burning, scanty or too frequ
Urination. . . ,
Try Doan's Pills. Doafs help «•
kidneys to pass off harmful excess t’ J
waste. They have had more thanA,
century of public approval. Ar ej '
mended by grateful users everywhe-6.
Ask your neighbor!
WNU—7
MERCHANTS
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Advertising
Dollar
buys something more than
space and circulation in
the columns of this news
paper. It buys space and
circulation plus the favor
able consideration of oar
readers for this newspaper
and its advertising patrons.
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