Evening star., 1942-12-27

bay and important war factories were
closed. Mohandas Gandhi, the
spiritual leader of the Congress
party, was put into jail by orders
of the Viceroy Of India, Lord Linlithgow.
whose Job is thankless. Lord Linlith-
COWS term was up in December, but
winston, Churchill, Prime Minister OF
Great Britain, found 1t impossible to
find a successor for him. So Linlithgow
is staying on in temporary basis.
Domestic affairs were suhordinated
up to September. There were problems
aplenty, but they were difhcult to cope
with and President Roosevelt apparently
preferred to concentrate his attention on
the war itself and postpone action on
matters born Of the war but In way .
side issue of the war. This inAction Gre
ated much ill-will within the country,
and the disinclination Of the Congress to
take the bull by the horns and act itself
instead of waiting for word from the
White House brought Congress many
heated words of opprobrium. One in
temperate columnist suggested that Con-
gress was in danger Nf disappearing as
a factor in American life. The unfortu-
nate position of Congress was increased
by two moves-one, in the winter Con-
gress included It's members within .
scheme of pensions for Government OIL
GERS; two, in the spring many members
Of Congress insisted that they be granted
unlimited supplies of gasoline under the
rationing system.
In September, the way was prepared
for an attack on one phase Of the
domestic problems-rubber. President
Roosevelt was given report by spe-
the problem Of rubber and its avail
ability in view of the loss of the Indies
sources of rubber to the Japs. The COM
mittee was composed of Bernard Baruch,
head of the World War Industries Board; !;
DR.. James Conant, president of Harvard,
and DR.. Karl Compton, president Of the
Massachusetts, Institute of Technology.
They recommended that rubber be saved
by Nationwide gasoline rationing, and
this rationing became effective in No.
vember.
In September also President Roose-
velt firmly demanded of Congress q bill
which would make it possible for the
Executive to cope with the threat Of In
f1ation by limiting prices and income.
The war news in September was en-
couraging in that 1t showed the enemy
running out of momentum. Rommel
tried thrust at Cairo from El Alamein,
but the British stopped him. The Japs,
trying to put themselves in position for
thrust at Australia from Papua, sent
an expedition around the eastern end
Of Papua. but they were trapped ip
Milne Bay by flyers under command OF
Gen. Macarthur before they could reach
their objectives. The Marines, with Mai.
James Roosevelt, the Presidents eldest
son, second in command, raided Maxim
Island in the japanese Pacific group. The
British protected the communications
lines running from the United States to
India by occupying the island Of NADIA
gascar in the Indian Ocean.
The trail-blazing geniuses Of the Air
Transport Command, United States
Amy ucvSAOPcO SAyW1y 4Vugc 11O9n
India into China, but it could not re-
place the Burma road.
September WAS travel month. Presi-
dent Roosevelt made secret journey OF
the United States, and when he re-
turned and disclosed his travels and
voiced approval Of what the country was
doing in the factories. Wendell Wi1kie,
the Republican defeated By Mr.. Roose-
welt for the presidency In 1910, took OF
on = bomber, furnished by the United
States Army, for trip around the globe.
The President was pleased with what he
saw. Mr.. Willkie was displeased with
what he learned IN Russia and IN China
he concluded that the United States was
giving these Allies insufncient aid and
that this country had IN imperfect un-
derstAnding Of the need for elose alliance
with those countries. Winkie returned
late tn Octoher.
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