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Weekly News Analysis
Russia Returns to Spotlight,
Faces Foes on Two Borders
By Joseph W. La Bine —
RUSSIA VS. JAPAN IN ASIA, ON LAND AND SEA
Fish and an old grudge provide a crisis.
EDITOR’S NOTE— When opimoM are
expressed in these column*, they ate those
of the news analyst. and not necessarily
of the newspaper.
International
Since Russia was ignored at the
Munich conference last September,
the Soviet has withdrawn to its shell,
apparently content to fight internal
problems and let the rest of the
world fight Adolf Hitler. This ac
tion was justified. France, Britain,
Italy and Germany ignored Mos
cow in settling the Sudeten issue;
apparently Russia was not wanted
in Europe, and anyway Japan was
barking at her vulnerable Asiatic
door.
But necessity sometimes makes
strange bedfellows. Though Com
munism looks far more like Nazi
ism than Democracy, Russian-Ger
man interests clash on two vital
points: (1) Hitler wants the Russian
Ukraine, a vast expanse of rich and
fertile land which now gives Russia
most of its oil, wheat, meat and
mineral; (2) Germany’s ally in the
vengeful anti-Communist pact is Ja
pan, and Japan is Russia’s most an
cient and bitter enemy.
Hence Russia has emerged on the
international front once jnore as a
direct aftermath of Germany’s
Czechoslovakian seizure. Huge,
mysterious, of unknown strength,
the blundering nation whose army
collapsed amidst its last European
venture during the World war, finds
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CAROL AND GEORGE
Britain's foresight was short.
Itself threatened simultaneously on
both east and west:
West. Czechoslovakia’s fall brought
Hitler part way to the Ukraine but
alien soil still stood as a barrier. To
cross the Russian frontier German
troops must pass through either Ru
mania or Poland. The latter na
tion’s hostility to the Reich has in
creased since Prague’s collapse be
cause Warsaw had good reason to
fear Germany might annex the Free
City of Danzig and close the corridor
which is Poland’s only outlet to the
Baltic or any other sea. Moreover,
agitation for German annexation of
Lithuania’s seaboard town of Me
mel, and for possible creation of a
protectorate over Lithuania itself,
would leave Poland surrounded on
three sides by Germany and her
satellites.
Discarding Poland as a path to the
Ukraine, Hitler has turned to Ru
mania which not only offers a corri
dor to Russia but many choice spoils
besides. The groundwork for this
coup was laid last November after
King Carol, fearing Naziism, made
a desperate bargaining trip to Lon
don in search of British-French
trade support. Though wined and
dined by King George (see photo)
and other personages of British roy
alty who a few years ago had ig
nored him as a scapegrace, the Ru
manian king found London unwilling
to play ball. Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain was too busy appeasing
Dictators Hitler and Mussolini to
risk upsetting Europe’s diplomatic
applecart with a trade agreement
that would discriminate against the
Reich.
En route home Carol signed an
BERING
« SEA
W ■ —.l ■ ■-<
■ Jap fishing fleet
■ moves April 10 to
U forbidden fishing
ground escorted
!■ by battleships.
Tokyo rushes fresh
troops to Russian fron
tiers, anticipating out
breaks when fishing
season opens.
economic accord at Berlin, accept
ing for safety’s sake a Nazi over
lordship he disliked. This was not
placed into effect until the Czech
coup, when Carol found German
troops pounding on his door. Today
Berlin controls more than half of
Rumania’s exports (wheat and oil)
and imports (manufactured goods).
Once in Bucharest, it is but a short
hop to either the Ukraine or such
Balkan states as Bulgaria and Yugo
slavia, where the Master of Central
Europe has already made his
strength felt.
Though at first happy that Ger
man penetration was going eastward
instead of into Belgium or France,
Europe’s democracies have at last
realized their error. A month ago
Germany was strong militarily but
impotent economically, devoid of
foreign exchange and short of food.
Today, with Czechoslovakia’s big
gold reserve, with Rumanian wheat
and oil, the Reich is strong in all
ways, a far greater threat than the
empire of 1914.
For Russia, today’s situation is
more dangerous than last autumn’s.
With Poland nipped out, the Reich
would control the Soviet’s entire
western frontier, gradually eating
into the borderlands by undercover
penetration. It was not unexpected,
therefore, that Russia should follow
Britain and France in protesting the
Czech grab, becoming even more
alarmed over Rumania’s economic
collapse. Since the U. S. has also
protested by diplomatic note and im
position of an additional 25 per cent
tariff on German imports, the red
bearded Soviet finds itself no longer
isolated but drawn into virtual dip
lomatic comradeship with the three
nations whose democratic political
philosophies are farthest removed
from its own.
East. Russo-Jap conflict dates in
modern history to the war which
ended with the treaty of Portsmouth
in 1905. Since then ambitious Japan
has jumped to the Asiatic mainland
and penetrated Manchukuo and
Mongolia, both of which front on
Russian Siberia. For at least six
years this clash of interests has oc
casioned spasmodic border tussles,
most of which went unreported until
last summer’s Chankufeng hill inci
dent. The simple fact is that slow
moving, stubborn Russians always
were and always will be at odds
with Japan’s attitude of self
righteousness. Asia is not big enough
for both.
Last December 31 the fishing
rights Japan has enjoyed in Siberian
waters since 1905 expired. Russia
refused to renew them and Tokyo
now plans to send its huge floating
canneries into Russian waters dur
ing early April, protected by war
ships. As the crisis approaches, both
governments are rushing troops to
the Siberian-Manchukuoan frontier
where most Oriental observers con
fidently predict a war must eventu
ally break out.
Significance. European and Asiatic
crises are related, insofar as (1) Ja
pan and Germany have a virtual
military alliance, and (2) Russia is
involved in both disputes. Moreover,
Jap aggression the past year has fol
lowed amazingly close behind Euro
pean dictator coups, as when Can
ton was captured after Munich, and
Hainan island was occupied after
Barcelona fell. Thus Jap-Italo-Ger
man parallel action has al
ready been evidenced. With huge
Russia emerging as the unexpected
focal point, today’s tense situation
encircles the world, involving more
nations than any period since the
World war’s heyday.
Miscellany
A new, sub-low priced sports car
will be introduced on the American
market this summer.
• The tomb of Pharaoh Psou Sen
Nef, Egyptian ruler of about 950 B.
C., has been discovered by Prof.
Pierre Montet of Strasbourg univer
sity.
• The U. S. army has asked con
gress to forbid West Point gradu
ates from marrying during the first
three years of active service.
BAKER COUNTY NEWS
Agriculture
Time was when last year’s price
had little effect on this year’s crop.
Since AAA, however, American
farmers have realized the folly of
heaping insult on injury by adding
new surpluses to already swollen
granaries. Lack of export market
and heavy production last year sent
U. S. farm surpluses to a new high.
The expected result, now verified by
the department of agriculture’s crop
reporting board, will be a general
cut in this season’s production of
most products.
Most outstanding fact of the sur
vey is that grain farmers will slash
17 per cent from their spring wheat
planting, yet total 1939 wheat acre
age is expected to exceed the AAA’s
announced goal by nearly 11,000,000
bushels. Total winter and spring
wheat prospects are for 65,678,000
acres.
Official explanation for the decline:
(1) efforts to conform with the soil
conservation program; (2) reaction
ments to changing feed require
to last year’s decline; (3) adjust
ments, necessitated by last year’s
surpluses.
Estimated 1939 crop acreages (000
omitted):
Average Indicated
1929-’3B 1938 1939
Com, an 101,714 93,257 92,062
AU spring wheat .. 22,393 23,515 19,505
Durum 3,068 3,856 3,545
Other spring .... 18,726 19,659 15,960
Oats 39,472 36,615 35,393
Barley 12,654 11,334 13,219
Flaxseed 2,503 1,096 2,023
Rice 925 1,069 1,006
Grain sorghums,
au 8,389 8,582 9,779
Potatoes 3,361 3,069 3,076
Sweet potatoes and
yams 860 883 880
Tobacco 1,675 1,627 1,695
Beans, dry edible . 1,951 1,753 1,727
Soybeans 4,716 6,858 7,691
Cowpeas 2,475 3,057 3,028
Peanuts 1,877 2,183 2,319
Tame hay ........ 55,746 56,309 57,231
Mexico
Last year Mexico’s President La
zaro Cardenas chased U. S. and
British oil companies out of the
country and seized their properties.
A big enough problem in itself, ex
propriation loomed still more im
portant in the light of U. S. efforts
to solidify the Americas against for
eign economic intervention. Mean
while Mexico made hay by selling
its ill-gotten oil to Germany while
Pan-American nerves neared the
breaking point.
Like other American nations
which have tried barter trade agree
ments with the Reich, Mexico soon
discovered she was unable to use
the manufactured items Germany
offered in lieu of cash. Seizing the
opportunity, victimized oil compa
nies sent Donald Richberg, attorney
and former “brain truster” to make
peace with Senor Cardenas.
Richberg terms: Control of the
properties should be returned to the
companies long enough for them to
break even on all past and present
investments. Then the property
would revert to Mexico.
Cardenas terms: Co-operative
Mexican-company operation of the
oil properties, with U. S. and British
firms to invest new cash for their
development. But Mexico would
maintain complete control over the
industry.
After two weeks of consultation
brought no solution, Mr. Richberg
returned home, promising to come
back late in April. Hardly had he
left, however, before President Car
denas announced his own final
terms before 40,000 cheering work
ers. Mexico will keep the wells,
paying indemnification with oil tak
en from them.
People
Appointed, to the U. S. Supreme
court poet vacated by Louis D.
Brandeis, Securities and Exchange
Commissioner William O. Douglas,
easterner whose western back
ground balances the court geograph
ically. i
• Declined, by Dr. Arthur Compton,
Nobel prize-winning physicist, presi
dency of Ohio State University.
Headliners
COL. VLADIMAR S. HURBAN
Though a Slovak, and although
Hitler has made Slovaks inde
pendent of Czechs, Col. Hurban
has so much dislike for Germany
and Hungary, and
so much pride in
the late Czecho
slovak nation,
that he refused to
surrender the
Czech legation in
Washington to the
German ambas
sador. Born in
the Carpathian
mountains, h e
knew Magyar op
pression as a
child. Becoming
a soldier, he went to Russia 30
years ago to accept a professor
ship in the czar’s war college.
When the World war broke out
he and 70,000 other Czechs joined
the Russian army. During the
revolution these Czechs made
their historic movement to Vladi
vostok, where the group collected
funds to send Hurban to Washing
ton. There he joined Dr. Thomas
Masaryk in founding the Czech
nation. After the government
was established he returned to
Washington as Czech military at
tache, later going to Egypt as
charge d’affaires, to Sweden as
minister, and in 1936 back to
Washington as minister. His
greatest accomplishment here
was consummation of the Czech-
U. S. trade treaty last year, now
abrogated under Hitler’s “protec
torate” regime.
“Siberian Melodrama”
Hello, everybody:
Here’s a yarn that sounds as if it might have happened
out in the old Wild West when two-gun hombres fought it out
in the streets and booted and spurred cowpunchers cleaned out
dance halls with well-directed volleys from their six guns.
I don’t know whether those things ever happened out in the
West. All I know is what I see in the movies. This incident I’m
going to tell you about sounds like the West, but it happened
way over in the eastern part of Siberia, and it happened to
Samuel C. Taylor of New York City.
You know, we had troops in Siberia for a couple of years
after the WorhJ war. Sam Taylor was one of them. He was
with a platoon of 60 men from Company D, Thirty-first United
States infantry, stationed at the little Siberian town of Uglonaya.
The town itself was nothing but a railroad station and a few
houses. The soldiers were living in half a dozen box cars that
had been taken off their wheels and set on the ground beside
the track. But though the town was small it was affording
plenty of excitement.
It was about the middle of January, and for days the
Americans had been watching an army go through the town.
It wasn’t a hostile army—but at the same time it wasn’t a friendly one
either. It was a Bolshevik army moving to attack Vladivostok, not
far away as distances go in Siberia.
Sam says there were thousands of them, well equipped with
machine guns, and lugging enough field pieces to blow those 60
Americans and their box cars to Halifax. But they couldn’t be
bothered with the Americans. Taking Vladivostok was more im
portant.
Sam Acted as Provost Guard at the Station.
On the afternoon of January JB, Sam was acting provost guard at
the railroad station. It was a bitter cold day. A cutting wind was
sweeping past the station and Private Pat Strong, on sentry go, was
stamping up and down the platform. Two Bolshevik troop trains had
YOU
JaHi
He whipped the automatic up and let go.
just pulled in on a siding, and Bolshevik soldiers had crowded into the
station where they could buy hot tea and vodka. And as Pat Strong
paced up and down the platform a big Russian said something to him in
Russian.
Pat couldn’t understand him. He came to port arms while the
Russian stormed and gesticulated, and finally grabbed Pat’s gun. Pat
tried to pull the gun away, but the Russian was a powerful brute. He
spun Pat around and threw him in a snow bank. A couple more Amer
icans came running up. He threw them into the snow bank, too, an<j
made a mad dash for the station.
That’s where Sam came into the picture. As provost guard, he
rated a sentry box down at the end of the platform. He saw the
fight just as the Russian broke loose and started into the sta
tion, and he came out on the run. With the other three Ameri
cans at his back he started after him.
Says he: “I went bursting into the station as if the whole U. S.
army was stepping on my heels. That station was full of Bolshies,
singing, talking and yelling. Lots of them had rifles, some of them had
hand grenades tied to their belts. But I didn’t have time to look over
the grenade situation just then. That big Russian had found himself a
rifle. I was five feet inside the door when I spotted him, but he must have
seen me first because he was raising his gun.”
It Was a Question Who Would Shoot First.
Sam had a .45 automatic, and it was a question of whether
he or the Russian could shoot first. Without even taking time
out to think, he whipped that automatic up and let go. The big
Russian dropped. For an instant there was a dead silence in
the station. “Those Ruskies were surprised,” says Sam, “and so
was I. For a second—well—l almost opened fire on the whole
bunch of them, but I caught myself just in time.”
It was a tough spot and Sam knew it. Here was a whole roomful of
Wild Russians and he had just shot one of their pals. If he started out
the door, some of them would be sure to begin shooting. If that hap
pened, there’d be general disorder, with 60 Americans fighting a whole
troop train full of Bolsheviks. And what was more to the point, it would
be curtains for Sam.
“I had to use my head,” he says, “and I decided I’d bluff
them. I stood in the middle of the floor, waved my pistol over
their heads and pointed to the door. And then happened the
thing that probably saved my life. In swinging my arm I tight
ened my grip on the pistol to keep from dropping it. And in
doing that I squeezed the trigger too hard. BANG! Off she
went again. That bullet struck somewhere behind the bar and
down came a lot of glassware.”
Sam says the falling glass created a terrible racket. The Russians
must have thought a shell had burst in there. They turned and stam
peded for the door, and Sam says they went through it like a Kansas
tornado. In ten seconds there wasn’t a Bolshevik in the place.
“And where were the other three fellows?” says Sam. “They
were outside, turned into a rear guard. When they heard those
shots inside and saw all those Ruskies piling out, they ran for
camp to tell the others the Russians had eaten me alive and
were coming to eat them, too.”
Sam says he certainly did NOT feel like a hero when he went into
that station. He just didn’t have time to think about it. “It was only
after I got inside,” he says, “that I realized I was in a swell pickle
I’ve often thought afterwards, suppose I hit one of the grenades those
Russians had tied to their belts.”
Boy, that WOULD have been an adventure.
Copyright—WNU Service.
Col. Vladimar
S. Hurban
Cellulose Found in Most Plant Matter Specimens
Most types of plant matter con
tain large amounts of cellulose. Cel
lulose, as well as starch, is formed
by the linking together of large num
bers of molecules of certain sugars
known as hexoses. The hexose sug
ars, which include all of the
familiar sugars, are characterized
by the fact that they contain a
string of six carbon atoms in their
molecules.
Corncobs, grain hulls and straw,
and bagasse (dried sugar cane
stalks) contain in addition a class
of compounds known as pentosans.
Pentosans are also built up from
a large number of sugar mole
cules, but of a type known as pen
toses, containing five instead of six
carbon atoms.
ADVENTURERS’ CLUB
HEADLINES FROM THE LIVES
OF PEOPLE LIKE YOURSELFI
When hexoses are heated with di
lute acids, says a writer in the Chi
cago Tribune, extensive decomposi
tion takes place, with the formation
of. caramel and various organic
acids. Similar treatment applied
to pentoses results in the formation
of a large amount of furfural a
clear, water-insoluble liquid with a
characteristic pungent odor
Furfural, different from all other
cheaply produced organic com
pounds, has its most important use
in the refining of petroleum lubri
cants Furfural is one of those com
pounds that do not dissolve in
the oil but are capable of washing
out from it a large part of the tarry
materials that detract from its
lubricating properties.
Jiffy Knit Skirt and
Blouse That's Easy
Large knitting needles and some
Shetland floss make this jiffy knit *
a delight to novice or expert. It’s
knitted round and round in stock
inette stitch, beginning at the neck
and working down. Stunning sun
burst detail all-around the neck,
smart raglan sleeves and snug
ribbing at neck and wrists ... all
Pattern No. 6019
easy to do and quickly finished.
The plain knitted skirt, smartly
flared, completes the costume. In
pattern 6019 you will find complete
instructions for making the blouse
shown and a skirt in sizes 16-18
and 38-40; an illustration of the
blouse and of the stitches used;
material requirements.
To obtain this pattern, send 15
cents in coins to The Sewing Cir
cle, Household Arts Dept., 259
West 14th St., New York, N. Y.
Please write your name, ad
dress and pattern number plainly.
(safety Talks)
‘Pedestrian Faults*
'T'HE National Safety council has
-*• charged pedestrians with a
large share of the responsibility
for traffic accidents that killed 39,-
500 persons in 1937. Os this total
15,400 were pedestrians. j
In “Accident Facts,” a statisti
cal review of 1937, the council
said: “Many pedestrians show ut
ter lack of caution in their use of
streets and highways. Combined
state reports for 1937 show that in
67 per cent of all fatal pedestrian
accidents the pedestrian either
was violating a traffic law or was
acting in an obviously unsafe man
ner. In non-fatal accidents pedesr
trian faults appeared in 69 per
cent of the cases.”
The council described such
things as jay-walking, failure to
observe traffic lights, drunken
walking, walking with instead of
against traffic on rural highways*
crossing streets in the middle of a
block as "pedestrian faults.”
NERVOUS?
Do you feel bo nervous you want to scream?
Are you cross and irritable? Do you scold
those dearest to you?
If your nerves are on edge and you feel
you need a good general system tonic, try
Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound,
made especially for women.
For over 60 years one woman has told an
other how to go "smiling thru” with reliable
Pinkham’s Compound. It helps nature build
up more physical resistance and thus helps
calm quivering nerves and lessen discomforts
from annoying symptoms which often ac
company female functional disorders.
Why not give it a chance to help YOU?
Over one million women have written in
reporting wonderful benefits from Pinkham’s
Compound.
Fear in Life
The worst sorrows in life are
not in its losses and misfortunes,
but its fear.—A. C. Benson.
CASTOR OH. USERS
...READ THIS
Do you know there la now available.
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Made by the new exclusive proc
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Costs no more than ordinary castor
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Insist on Kellogg's Perfected, sold
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WNU—7 13—39
ADVERTISING
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