The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1942-03-12
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Washington, d. C.
s. MOUNTAIN WARFARE


The army is buying pitons, kara
Diners, ice axes, skis, sleeping bags
and parkas, to be used not in an
expedition to the North pole but in
preparation for warfare on snow
clad mountain sides.
If you ask what mountain sides
the reply is: eve are preparing for
any emergency" Army chiefs have
carefully noted what has been
done in Europe in mountain and win
ter warfare, and they intend that
u. S. troops be trained in the same
tactics.
Today, in the Railroad Retire
ment building headquarters of the
quartermaster corps) you can find
a group of men known as "the Cold
Climate Clothing and Equipment
unit" They are ski experts and
mountain climbers, who know by
rigorous experience what is needed
for life in the cold latitudes and
high attitudes.
They are Bestor Robinson of the
National Ski association; Robert H.
Bates, editor of give Miles High;
and William House, famed climb
er and explorer. Working indoors
ten hours day, they are preparing
specifications for the best military
skis, the best goggles, boots, and
high-pressure stoves that can be
carried in a knapsack.
Note: Germany's expert in noun
tain warfare, Paul Bauer, carried
out his last peacetime mountain
climbing exploit in the Manga Par
bat expedition in India in 1938-with
the consent and cooperation of the
British government.
Buy Defense Bonds
MRS. WOODROW WILSON
Mrs. Woodrow Wilson sewed for
soldiers Is years ago, and now she's
doing it again.
Every Wednesday morning, she
meets at the swank Sulgrave Club
for Red Cross sewing with Mrs.
Jesse Jones, and Mrs. D. Blu
chanan Merriman, better known as
the duchess of Windsor's 'Aunt Bes-
sie."
After the sewing, they lunch at the
club, then adjourn to Mrs. Jesse
Jones apartment at the Shoreham
hotel, or to Mrs. Wilson's home on
S street, for bridge.
The lady who, as "the beautiful
widow Gait" set all the town talk
ing during World War I, still sets
the town talking wherever she ap-
pears today. She gives her name
freely to Democratic party and pa
triotic causes, but her most regular
activity is providing floral decora-
tons for the Wilson shrine at the
National Cathedral. She has made
a study of floral arrangements, per-
sonally supervises the decoration ev-
cry few days.
Measured by the code of the cave
dwellers, Mrs. Woodrow Wilson is
an active woman, but she stares in
amazement at the activity of the
First Lady of World War II.
SUGAR SHORTAGE
If there is an investigation of the
sugar shortage, certain agriculture
department masterminds will have
to do lot of explaining.
Few know that these master.
minds, over the protests of domestic
beet sugar producers, last year
forced a reduction of sugar-beet
acreage of from II to 20 per cent
also that cane which would have
yielded 100000 tons of sugar was
left to rot in Puerto Rican fields
because processing was prohibited.
Sugar producers on the other
hand, vigorously urged that domes-
tic quotas be lifted to permit maxi
mum output: But the agriculture
moguls refused to heed these warn
ings. Led by Secretary Claude
Wickard, they insisted the United
States had ample sugar supplies for
all needs-and they kept on chorus
ing this refrain right up to few
weeks ago when Wickard, as guest
speaker on Mrs. Roosevelt's Sunday
night radio program, completely
changed his tune and broke the
news that sugar would have to be
rationed.
Wickard bases the shortage on
two grounds: (D heavy demands
from our Allies, particularly Russia,
whose sugar producing region has
been devastated by the Nazis; 90
greatly reduced imports from the
Philippines and Hawaii.
The Philippines are out, but not
Hawaii. Large munitions shipments
are constantly going to these islands,
and sugar is coming back.
Agriculture department tycoons
are making a big ado about how es-
sential their activities are to the war
effort. One essential might be less
bungling in unrestricting farm pro-
duction.
Note: Puerto Rico now has on
hand, and waiting to be ground,
more sugar-cane than it is allowed
to process under the production quo
ia set by the agriculture depart
ment.
NAZI RAIL SHORTAGE
The United States government has
difficulty getting accurate reports of
conditions in Germany these days.
But from neutral listening post
comes the following:
Germany is suffering an acute
shortage of rail equipment. Civil
ians have been instructed not to
travel anywhere on the railroads,
except on the most urgent business.
Penalties for violation of this rule
are severe.
About 10000 freight cars are be-
lieved to be in use in Russia or in
the Russian campaign.
DESPERATE GAMBLE