Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-27
Killers Deals
With Laval
Erase Duce
Last Chance for Empire
in Africa Vonishes
BY PAUL MALLON

w grapevine from Rome says
Mussolini will certainly be out Of
the war before next January or
February remember the date).
The youth groups. which fur
nished the numerical strength Of
the Fascist movement 1.-THE old
people were never strong for IL T.,
lost their last illusion in Hitler's
tieup with Laval.
All Itaiy's claims were against
France. Hope for rebuilding
Roman empire in the Mediter-
ranean rested with prospects OF
acquiring Tunisia and other
French colonies.
But Laval's major policy Is
the protection of those colonies
for France under Hitler. Italy
has nothing left TO fight for.
This, of course. is but the final
blow, in the well known series
of Italian misadventures, includ-
ing German occupation, the des-
perate food shortage. the dis
inclination of Fascist youth to
fight with Hitler.
MOST thorough analysis of this
Ava new war capital of the
world - in all its SPRAYING
boomlike splendor and political
bizarrerie-is presented in a new
book, Washington Is Like
That" by w. M. Kiplinger, the
non-political business letter
writer
The stored magnificence Of
Rome, Paris, London, Berlin is
Washington's now, with war
construction Fastening conclu-
sion of the vast office, memorial
and park programs. making ii
the most beautiful city on earth
as well as the most important.
He tells it all, straightfor-
wardly, about the New Dealers
as well as the new domes. and
for instance, about labor becom-
ing the wealthiest OF landown-
ing powers here next to the gov
eminent itself.
He estimates labor real estate
holdings here at $10,0OO,OO0
The machinists financed con-
struction of the large new Long
fellow Office Building The
bricklayers loaned 100000 TO
Evalyn Walsh Mclean at per
cent TO build the new bus termi-
nal tThey got il from the bank
at B per cent. where she
couldn'D The bricklayers
have $5.000,000 in liquid securi-
ties, SS,000,0O0 in net assets D..
The United Mine Workers keep
100000 in convertible securi-
ties and cash The House
naval committee estimated that
101 of the 1852 AFL international
unions had $50, 100000 in 1941
:. The electricians spent cool
S1,000,000 on their convention,
explaining that. as they hold
only one in II years, they
thought they would do ii in a
fitting manner John Lewis
spent S250,000 redecorating the
University Club for UNIV Of
No one knows how much the
unions have, says the Kiplinger
book.
DUBLISED A. P. figure of 211
l. merchant ships sunk in
American waters since the start
of the war includes only those
announced. There have been
innumerable others.
Precise numbers cannot be
used for reasons of military Sc
crecy. but the rate of all Allied
loss everywhere in the world for
April was twice the average of
the first 18 months of the war,
before we got in.
1t is true, however, that Febru-
airy was the worst month and a
small decline has been noted
each month since then.
THE idea that the Nazis are
L "massing on Moscow" got
out because Berlin claimed cap
ture of 80 villages near Smo-
lensk. They are still 200 miles
from Moscow and massing has
been impossible because of bad
weather in the northern half of
the front.
The blow. when il comes. will
be aimed at the Donets Basin in
the south. Next few days should
tell whether the thanking move
ments south of Kharkov are to
develop into that drive.
TYPICALLY American feats
L of production, accomplished
on the home front in the win
ming of that great battle. con-
tinue to grow in their unrivaled
scope;
1t may now be said officially
that aluminium production be-
fore the end of this year will be
five times that of 1899 Mag
nesium so times. The tin
plate industry has completed the
changeover 10 the electrolytic
process, using one-third less tin
than the old method Ian