The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1941-07-24

The remarkable part of the re
port is that 1t was prepared b,
New Deal followers so no one car
charge partisan politics.
The report frankly states thai
at the rate we are now going, II
I will be another year or Is months
before we can hope to reach peak
production, Notwithstanding tina,
Congress has generously appro.
priated money for the defense pro-
gram.
Criticizes Army
Representative Ross A. Collins
Of Mississippi, is conceded to be
the best informed man in either
House Of Congress on our military
machine. For 20 years he has been
a member of the House sub-Com-
mittee on Army appropriations. In
an article that appeared in a cur
rent magazine Mr.. Collins takes
the Army apart and presents to
the American people a picture that
is not very reassuring.
He called attention to the fact
that 10000 acknowledgement
and air borne-German troops
smashed the French mass army of
100000 troops but that our War
Department is building another
old style mass army" He COM
plains that the IL months train
ing program for selectees based on
a departmental plan which makes
infantry and field artillery the
basic arms never will produce a
real or an efficient army.
"And today" he said, I'VE have
not one division fit for combat"
Suppose a victorious Germany
landed troops or stirred up trouble
in South America" he continued,
"our job would be to get there
quickly and stamp out the menace
to the security of our hemisphere.
We know from every evidence of
the war in Europe that small,
easily transported panzer force
supported by an adequate air arm
could save the Americas"
Mr. Collins says it was not the
Army but Congress which forced
adoption of the modern rubber
tired chassis for field and anti
tank artillery, the Army delayed
rather than expedited acquisition
of tanks, and the Army blocked
adoption of the flying fortress for
long range bombing.
"It takes young men or men with
youths progressive spirit to win
wars" Representative Collins said.
Napoleon was only SO when he
defeated the Austrians. Give,
Wolfe and Wellington were world
famous before 40. Washington was
Al when he took command of the
Continental Army. In 1862 Grant
was 40, Stuart 30, Sherman AZ, and
Sheridan 81"
Average age of United States
general officers is estimated to be
60 years; of German generals As
years.
Married Men Deferred
BY the time this letter appears
in print the House will probably
have passed the bill amending the
Selective Service Act to lower the
maximum age from 35 years to %
years. The National draft head
quarters has ordered deferment of
men. These changes cor
rect two important features of the
Act that have aroused much OPP
position to the law.
The White House has announced
that all selectees now in the SER
vice will be discharged at the ex-
piration of their year of training.
The future of the National Guard
has not as yet been determined.
That will depend on developments
Ask For Removal
The incorporate speech deliver
ed by Secretary of the Navy Knox
in Boston recently, where he
said that 1.-The time to use
our Navy to clear the Allan
tic of the German menace is
now at hand" acted as a bomb.
shell in Washington. OF course,
he would not have dared to make
that statement were the President
not in accord with it. The nom
in Congress have
started a movement looking to the
removal. Men who en-
terrain such views should not be
occupying key positions at a time