The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-08-27
. Clapper

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Delay in Tipping Draft
To Is-Yesr-Olds q Sample
Long War in Prospect,
But People Still Ignorant
WASHI>GToN-The admin
istration still is trying TO break
it gently that there's a war on.
One illustration of this Is the
delay in moving to draft men Of
is and 10. The army wants It
urgently. but neither in the adj
ministration nor in congress 10
there any disposition to raise
the issue before election. As q
result General Hershey, head Of
the selective service system,
turns on some heat by warning
that married men, some with
dependents, will have to be taxi
en- into the army early this
winter. Younger men are pre-
ferred. but unless the age limit
is lowered the supply will soon
be exhausted.
Another illustration Is the
DELAY In dealing with rubber
and gasoline. Every informed
official here knows that We
cannot go on indefinitely with
the free-wheeling that con-
tinues in most of the country
outside Of the rationed area
In the east.
Deputy Petroleum Co-ordin-
ator Davies gently advises mo-
florists in some 20 western states
they should prepare to get along
with a little less gasoline than
formerly.
Your house is burning down
you ought to throw a quart Of
water on it. That is Washing
tons attitude. Nobody's feel
ings must be hurt. Nobody
must be annoyed about the war
except the men who have TO go
out and be killed to win it
Restriction of automobile
driving everywhere was needed
months ago to save rubber. No
action was taken. Washing
ton waited eight months after
Pearl Harbor to put Bernard
NJ. Baruch and his committee
to work finding out what might
be done. We had not even
taken the trouble to find out
what Russia had done in manu.
facture of synthetics.
There isn't any argument
about the necessity of saving
rubber but the question has
been booted so long that now.
before the Baruch committee
dares TO make its recommends
ton, it must prepare a series Of
fact-sustained arguments to an
swer all Of the confusing
doubts that have arisen dur
ing the long delay.
Meantime the shortage OF fuel
oil in the East is forcing such a
heavy diversion Of tank cars to
the East that some middle-west-
ern states will be unable to OBJ
tain as much gasoline as form
erly. That is the reason for the
polite warning now that they
may have to drive a little less
than formerly. Much sterner
restrictions than that is called
for by the rubber shortage, but
il is the old case of not worry
ing about tomorrow if there are
four tires on the car today.
Eastern householders have
been under notice for weeks
that fuel oil for heating will be
short. Yet only one person out
of a hundred has made any
move to change to coal. The
administration still hasn't de-
cided whether TO ration fuel
oil, although there won't be
enough TO 60 around.
Russia is Keeling under re-
lentless Nazi blows. Cam
adams and other Allied troops
reeled under the tough Nszi re-
sistance at Dieppe. Washing
ton knows that the signs point
TO a long war, perhaps continu-
ing for years. But Washington
isn't acting with a firm hand.
Indecision here is felt by the
public, and everybody clings 10
the comfortable hope that IL
won't be as bad as II looks.
Yet in places where initiative
has been taken. excellent result
have heen obtained