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The Baker County News
Official Organ of Baker County
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY
Entered as secend-class matter June 7th, 1912,
at the postoffice at Newton, Georgia, under the Act
of Maren 3rd, 1879.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Subscription, $1.50 Per Annum
CASH IN ADVANCE
Published By The Camilla Enterprise
B. T. BURSON, Editor
MISS HARRIETTE BURSON,
Associate Editor and Advertising Manager
FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 1943.
We have heard over and over again
that experience was one of the greatest
teachers but we are about to believe that ex
perience has dropped down to second place
while war has jumped into first as one of
the greatest teachers. Look at the average
person sit down to read his morning news
paper and see his reaction when the news
boy finally arrives with his afternoon paper.
Watch him read it and remember, if you can,
his same reaction to reading his daily news
paper before the war began. War is teach
ing us that even the very remotest events
can affect our daily lives. Things that once
seemed remote to us and unrelated in the
national life are tied up with our own daily
lives and always have been.
Commenting upon this same subject,
the Dawson News expressed our sentiments
exactly in a recent editorial. We quote from
their editorial: “In peace time life went
something like this: a housewife quandered
vaguely over the rising price of butter. A
cab driver skipped the story of a coal strike
because he figured miners were too far away
to concern him. A coal miner, by the same
token, turned the page to get away from
the facts and figures of a new oil pipe line.
But today, in wartime, Americans know dif
ferently. They know that events from far
and near have an effect on what they buy,
what they do and what they earn.”
“For instance, the pipeline gets through
to the east coast, increasing oil supplies there.
It may mean more gasoline for civilians, in
cluding miners in the Appalachians. It may
mean more fuel for homes that were cold last
winter. Then again, if the miners get a
wage increase, it may mean a wage increase
all over the country. If butter and other
foods go up. wage increases will have to fol
low, sooner or later.”
“Home front Americans reading their
newspapers recently have read such things
as: “roll back prices,” “beware of inflation,”
“war bonds absorb purchasing power.”
“And so it goes, along with the stories
of the little steel formula, the general cost
of living, rationing, contracts and taxes.
These words and phrases are at least cousins.
Some are blood brothers. Americans, hear
ing them day in and day out, are now begin
ning to see the family connections.”
“Consider the statement: War bonds
absorb excess purchasing power. That means
that civilians will have more to spend than
there are goods to buy because so much more
is now being made for war and so much less
for civilian use. If all started bidding
against each other for what can be bought
prices would go up. Then our money would
lose value and we would have greater infla
tion. War bonds, however, take the money
out of circulation.”
Alleging that there were thousands of
“termites” in Washington in employment of
the government who are self designated im
portant employees, and for that reason they
cannot be replaced and are being kept in po
sitions that could be filled by those who are
not eligible for service duty, the Anderson
(S. C.) Independent, in commenting on the
deplorable situation in Washington, has the
following say so about the situation: “The
subcommittee of the House Military Affairs
Committee has found four perfect men.
Anyway, they are so important that they
cannot be replaced. That is, if you want to
take the word of the bureaus which employs
them. These four young men have been ex
cused from military service because they are
non-replaceable.” One was formerly a
chauffer and an usher. Another “irreplace-
able was a former checker of theatre attend
ance, bell boy and elevator operator. An
other one of them is eighteen years old and
his only experience before getting on the bu
reau payroll was as a sheet metal machine
operator. These “irreplaceables , * failed to
impress the investigators, so they are carry
ing it further. This, ladies and gentlemen,
is how your government agencies work.”
Whether his store be large or small per
haps no one operating a business today is
operating under more difficult conditions
than the merchant. The day is not over for
him when the last customer leaves and the
front door is locked. He must then spend
endless hours keeping track of ration stamps*
and endless rules and regulations. In many
instances the rationing has forced the mer
chants to double their working force. The
merchants cannot afford to make any mis
takes because they are under threat of fine
or jail sentence. The result of all this has
been that thousands of merchants have gone
out of business to the real hardship of many
communities because the operators cannot
stand the strain involved and for the added
reason that it is becoming more and more
difficult to obtain merchandise.
Chairman Patman of the house committee
on small business has ordered an investiga
tion into all the phases of the issuance of
orders and regulations by OPA. He says:
“Conditions are forced upon retailers and
wholesalers which do not comply with the
provisions of the Emergency Price Control
Act.”
Every effort should be made to lighten
or simplify the present complications sur
rounding retailing—not for the retailers
alone, but for the consumer, who is the worst
sufferer as thousands of stores are forced
out of business due to sheer physical inabili
ty to meet the complications of operation. If
you doubt this why not begin to count the
empty stores in each of the towns you visit.
In spite of Tunisia and the recent vic
tories of Attu and Pantelleria, there is no
sign that we’ll win this war quickly or cheap
ly. American losses in men have been light;
the whole Tunisian campaign cost 16,000 —
about half the men killed at Chickamauga in
1863.
When the invasions are launched at Eu
rope itself, the Government expects heavy
casualties. It doesn’t want us folks at home
to cherish false hopes.
OWI predicts that casualties in this war
will be “far lighter” than those suffered by
both sides during the War Between The
States. It warns they will be greater in
1943, however, than in 1942.
On the home front expectations are that
food shortages will increase, though no one
will go hungry; labor will become scarcer
even though more women will go to work;
no slow-down of the draft seems in sight.
This is what OWI is predicting.
Those people who break all the rules
and regulations for war time living break
those rules without giving much thought to
it.
It is difficult for the woman buying a
pound of steak in a black market or purchas
ing some gasoline from black market sta
tions to believe that the one pound of steak
or the three or four gallons of gas she got
without ration tickets is going to effect the
entire nation. It was so small an amount
that she just can’t believe that her little
purchase will have any serious effect. But
if every woman did the same thing, it is easy
to see how all efforts to control food distri
bution and food prices would be destroyed.
In the same way, in gasoline rationed states,
if a family drives a few miles to make a visit
or go to some recreation center, it doesn’t
seem that the half gallon of gas consumed
is going to affect the operation of our air
forces over Europe or Africa. But it is just
as clear that if all families used a few extra
gallons of gas per week millions of gallons
of gasoline which might have gone to our
fighting forces would be lost.
Cotton farmers have gotten a big- break.
Uncle Sam can’t get feathers to fill the pil
lows of the men in the service so he is call
ing for bids on one million cotton filled pil
lows for use by men in the armed forces.
The weather might be terribly hot and
you think you can’t stand it until cool weath
er comes this fall but you ought to be con
soled by the fact that it at least is not rain
ing bombs over here.
Next year is a political year and as one
of our exchanges opines “that is when the
OPA should ration hats to keep too many
from throwing theirs in the ring.
THE BAKER COUNTY NEWS
WEEKLY NEWS ANALYSIS |
FDR: Retaliation if Axis Uses Gas;
Allied Confidence Rises as Air-Sea
Forces Pound Mediterranean Islands;
Heavier Taxes Will Fight Inflation
NOTE: WMa aplnteni ar* express** In ties* ~!«■«. they are those of
Wester* Newspaper Union * news analyst* and not necessarily et this newspaper.)
I 1 1 ■ 1 Released by Western Newspaper Union. —J
Tt It FACT
JAPANESE IN U. S. INTERNMENT CAMPS
___ (BORN & EDUCATED IN U.S4
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| (BORN & EDUCATED IN JAPAN) Eoch , ymbo | repretenlt j QOO
EUROPE:
‘Mellow Light 9
Even as Prime Minister Winston
Churchill had declared that the
“mellow light of victory” was al
ready playing on the Allies, the Axis
had been tensely alert for the long
promised invasion of Europe.
Axis communiques had early re
ported attempted Allied landings on
“stepping stone” islands between
Africa and Italy. First of these was
the Rome and Berlin radio reports
of a Commando movement on the
tiny island of Lampedusa, bordering
the Tunisian coast. Then came the
Rome communique announcing that
the garrison defending beleaguered
Pantelleria had been called on to
surrender by Allied forces. Pantel
leria had experienced a pounding
such as even Malta had not suffered,
for here the devastating Allied bomb
onslaughts from the air had been
accompanied by withering bombard
ment of Italian positions by unop
posed Allied naval forces.
Never before during the war had
Prime Minister Churchill spoken so
confidently as during his report to
parliament concerning the European
situation in which he described the
amphibious operations of a “peculiar
complexity” against the enemy.
Concerning the Allied air offensive
which observers had termed the ac
tual first phase of the invasion, he
declared that nothing will turn the
Allies from their intention of accom
plishing “the complete destruction
of our foes by bombing from the
air, in addition to all other means.”
TAXES:
New Levies Ahead
With the pay-as-you-go bill now
operative under presidential approv
al, congressional leaders began con
sideration of additional tax sources
to meet the administration’s request
that new tax measures be undertak
en as a means of closing the infla
tionary gap caused by the nation’s
tremendous purchasing power.
While President Roosevelt had left
up to congress the type of new taxes
to be adopted before summer recess,
he expressed his opposition to a gen
eral sales tax on the grounds that
it Would impose too heavy a burden
on the poorer people. While a com
pulsory savings plan is not neces
sary now, the President indicated
that ultimately a combination of en
forced savings and taxes would be
required to meet his original budget
request for $16,000,000,000 in new
revenue for fiscal 1944.
The Federal Reserve board re
cently estimated excess purchasing
power at $35,000,000,000.
SUBSIDIES:
Grange Head Demurs
Albert S. Goss, master of the Na
tional Grange, predicted that if the
government employs subsidy pay
ments to roll back food prices, “the.
nation is headed directly for infla
tion and inevitable chaos.”
The farm leader added that in his
belief, a system of price controls
by subsidy would lead to a food
shortage for America and her allies.
Testifying before a senate agri
cultural subcommittee, the Grange
master predicted that a 10 per cent
roll back in the retail prices of but
ter and meats, already ordered,
would discourage production. "There
are indications already,” he said,
“that the butter and milk output
are being reduced substantially.”
Mr. Goss contended that instead of
the present price control system as
a control of inflation, an effort should
be made to bring supply and de-
mand into balance. tion may be looked for soon.
HIGHLIGHTS • • • the weeh’s news
DIVIDENBS: Cash dividend pay
ments to corporation stockholders
amounted to $292,000,000 in April, or
$21,000,000 less than in the corre
sponding month of 1942.
• • •
NAVY: A navn’ appropriations
bill totaling $24,85u,427,198 for the
fiscal year 1944 was passed by the
senate and sent to conference with
the house.
GAS:
FDR Warns Axis
t President Roosevelt served blunt
, notice on the Axis that the use of
. poison gas against any one of the
; United Nations would result in swift
and full retaliation by the United
States with “terrible consequences”
to enemy munitions centers, sea
ports and other military objectives.
, This was the third time in 12
months the President had warned
the Axis that the use of gas would
be a fatal boomerang. He said evi
dence was “being reported with in
creasing frequency from a variety
of sources” that the enemy powers
were making “significant prepara
tions” indicative of an intention to
use poisonous or noxious gases.
Observers who noted that the
President’s warning was similar in
character to one issued by the Brit
ish government recently, believed he
had both Germany and Japan in
mind.
RUSSIA:
Tactics in Reverse
Using tactics in which the Allies
had given them bitter lessons in
Western Europe, the Nazis employed
their waning air force in massed
bombing attacks against Russian ar
mament factories.
Typical of this effort were the at
tempts to wreck the giant Gorki
works, 250 miles east of Moscow.
While German and Soviet communi
ques differed on the extent of the
damage, both agreed that the at
tacks were of a ferocious nature.
Moscow radio admitted that casual
ties and some damage were caused,
but maintained that German reports
wese grossly exaggerated.
Retaliatory raids were made on a
big scale by Russian bombers which
attacked the Unecha junction on the
Bryansk-Gomel railroad, blowing up
munitions dumps and fuel stores.
Meanwhile in the midst of counter
claims about opposing losses in the
Caucasus, a German transocean
agency broadcast predicted a big
scale Russian attack on Novorossisk.
TIGHTER BELTS:
Forecast for ’44
Somber warning that American ci
vilians may have to tighten their
belts in 1944 was sounded by the
bureau of economics of the U. S.
department of agriculture.
The bureau in a review of the cur-.
rent situation said that while there
are enough rationed foods on hand,
together with expected production to
maintain present eating levels for
the remainder of 1943, the outlook
for 1944 may not be so favorable.
The review stated that vegetable
production is running about 13 per
cent below last year; that early
freezes have cut crops of apricots,
cherries, peaches, plums and prunes
materially below 1942. Supplies of
eggs next fall and winter “will be
considerably below current levels,”
the review added, while livestock
may be adversely affected.
DRIVING BAN:
For All U. S.?
Extension to the entire nation of
the pleasure driving ban and other
restrictions on motoring in 12 east
ern states was predicted by Maj.
Jubal R. Parten, transportation di
rector in the petroleum adminis
tration.
Specifically, Major Parten said
that the petroleum administration
had been considering for some time
the advisability of hatting pleasure
driving in Middle Western states and
that such action for the entire na-
LIVING COSTS: The cost of liv
ing for wage earners rose about 1
per cent in 60 out of 62 cities sur
veyed by the National Industrial con
ference board during April.
• • •
SHIPPING: A record - breaking
peace time merchant fleet of 15 to
20 million tons under the American
flag was visualized by Adm. Emory
S. Land. < h
JUNE 18, 1943.
ARGENTINA:
Neutral for Present
The kaleidoscopic revolt in Ar
gentina that had produced two new
presidents in almost as many days
had not shown the same speedy re
sults with respect to the abolition
of Argentina’s policy of neutrality
toward the Axis.
This latter was evident when the
government of President Pedro
Ramirez was pledged to an inter
national policy of “neutrality for the
present” and “loyal co-operation
with nations of the Americas in con
formance with existing pacts.”
The Ramirez regime succeeded
the brief provisional government of
Gen. Arturo Rawson, who resigned
after ousting isolationist President
Ramon S. Castillo in an army-sup
ported revolution. .
Scanning the new government’s
personnel for possible clues as to
future international policy, observ
ers noted that President Ramirez’s
new cabinet included eight military
men to only one civilian.
PACIFIC:
U. S. Airmen Strike
Allied airmen continued to strike
heavy blows at Jap positions from
the Aleutians clear across the Pa
cific to Central China.
Kiska was again the target of the
Aleutians assault, with Allied Lib
erators and Vega Venturas joining
in the battering drive against this
last enemy outpost in the archipela
go. Over in the Solomons, Choiseul
island and the Munda air bases were
attacked by American planes. In
New Guinea, Allied attack planes
supporting ground forces in the Mu
bo area strafed enemy positions on
strategic Green’s Hill.
American and Chinese air superi
ority in the middle Yangtse valley
continued to be manifest, as fliers
from both forces swept over the
Hupeh-Hunan battle area without
meeting opposition.
FATHERS:
Work or Fight Mixup
A misunderstanding over the de
tails of the War Manpower com
mission’s "work or fight” edict had
been responsible for the induction
of some fathers into military service
in violation of draft regulations,
WMC Chairman Paul V. McNutt re
vealed.
Mr. McNutt pointed out that the
"work or fight” order had directed
that fathers and others of draft age
with dependents be inducted if they
were employed in any of the 70
"nondeferable” occupations listed by
the War Manpower commission. Se- ;
lective service regulations prohib- i
it the drafting of fathers not in de- j
ferable jobs.
* *
PLEDGE: |
‘Exploitation’s End
A world freed from international
exploitation was listed by President
Roosevelt as one of the postwar ob
jectives of the United Nations.
The President declared that bet
ter use of human and natural re
sources must be assured in the post
war world if living standards are
raised, continuing, “and I may add
—the better use of these resources
without exploitation by any nation.”
Speaking to delegates from the
recent United Nations Food confer
ence, Mr. Roosevelt summed up
“our ultimate objective” in this
manner:
“It is to build for ourselves—
meaning all men, everywhere—a
world in which each individual hu
man being shall have the opportu
nity to live out his life in peace; to
work productively, earning at least
enough for his actual needs and
those of his family; to associate
with the friends of his choice; to
think and worship freely; and to die
secure in the knowledge that his
children, and their children shall
have the same opportunities.”
SLAUGHTER:
Out of tightly censored Holland
came news of fresh Nazi atrocities.
These latest reports concerned the
killing of thousands of Dutch citi
zens in mass executions following a
general strike that had halted all
activity for nearly a week. They
were made public by the Office of
War Information.
Allied sources learned that the
strike had started when Nazi author
ities announced that all members
of the former Dutch army paroled
in 1940 would be sent to Germany
to work in Nazi war factories. With
in half an hour, reports said, fac
tories, shops, public offices and even
courts stopped. Within a few hours
public services and transportation
ceased to function.
Ruthless executions then were un
dertaken by the Germans. Bodies
of the slain Dutch patriots were left
where they fell in public squares
and outside.cities. Work resumption
was eventually ordered by “Good
Patriots” in order to avoid further
slaughter.
AIR FREIGHT:
Plans for Future
Prophetic of the future, the civil
aeronautics board received a request
for a charter for a vast network of
aerial freight lines serving the Unit
ed States and many foreign coun
tries.
The petitioner, the Keeshin Air
Freight company, asked authority
to serve 200 major cities in this
country as well as many points in
foreign countries through an ex
•hange of freight at 18 “gateways?’