The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1940-09-19

MISSIONS eIIOrCS TO get wv
AS early as two years ago the
Maritime Commission conceived
the idea of building two passenger
vessels with smoke-stacks on the
side, so they could be converted
into airplane carriers at a mo-
ment's notice. The icea was well
coined by the Navy, but the Mari
time Commission couldn't get a
single American shipping yard to
bid on the vessels.
All of them were busy with
naval orders, and also they didn't
like the fact that the Maritime
Commission worked out its own
designs. So they turned cold
shoulder.
Meanwhile, the Japanese heard
about the Maritime Commissions
effort to get bids, and last month
they launched two passenger lin
erS also with smoke stacks on the
side, convertible into airplane car
riers. In other words, they were
two years ahead Of the United
States.
And only on September 10
two years after the first effort
was made-did the Maritime
Commission get a bid from an
American shipyard. This came
from the Todd Shipbuilding Co.,
of Seattle, and the proposed
price is $4,000, 900, compared
with only $15,OO0,0OO paid for
building the liner America.
The convertible airplane carriers
would be little larger than the
America, but not enough to double
the price. So the Maritime Com
mission will attempt to negotiate
a lower price.
NAVY - You can write it down
as certain that the government
will build more navy yards of its
own in the not too far distant
future.
ANTI IN-LAWS
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., third
son Of the President, is married
to the, former Ethel DUPONT, but
that has had no effect on the
politics Of his millionaire in-laws.
They are most emphatically not
for the reelection of the Presi-
dent. Young Franklin ascertained
this directly from his mother-in-
law.
Franklin Jr., is working at DEM
ocratic headquarters this fall be-
fore entering a New York law
firm, and took time out to visit
his wife at her parents summer
home in fashionable Bar Har-
Dor, Maine. On his lapel he wore
a Roosevelt Wallace button.
The first few days nothing was
said about the button, but finally
Mrs. dupont took him aside and
objected.
"That is most embarrassing
to us, Franklin" she said. II will
have to ask you to take that
button off. You can't wear that
thing around here"
Telling intimates about the in
cident, Franklin says that his first
Impulse WAS W refuse.
"But / thought il over" he
explained, "and since was Ieav-
ing shortly decided to take it
off to keep peace in the family.
1t was their home and If 1t
annoyed them, felt that the
courteous thing to Co was to
remove It."
However, he noticed that, in adj
dition to the ban on Roosevelt
campaign symbols there also
seemed to be no signs of Willkie
buttons or banners. When he
asked his mother-in-law about
this, she replied:
tits not because we don't
want them, but we got orders
from New York that the rich
were not to display Willkie
symbols In order not 10 antag-
Onize the common people,"
NOTE - Franklin, Jr., Is now
touring the country making
speeches TO young voters.
ARGENTINE BEEF
A group Of diplomats were
lunching ct one OF Washington's
fashionable hotels. One Of the
group was an Argentine, who Or
dered Q beef dish. Another said
jokingly 10 the waiter, "Be sure 70
serve him Argentine beef. Can you
DO thatss
The walters reply shows how
completely the public "a aware Of
the politics involved IN Argentine
beef. Elm afraid not" he anidj
mot until after the olecllonsl"
LABOR REACEsMAlsKR
II Il the boast OF Defense Com.
missioner Sidney fkillman that Ia
Dor has eoopofaled 100 per cent n