The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-05-11
Submarine Menace Forces
Us 10 Wifkdrsw Isnkers
ess Shipments Trsvsl BY
Red ~ Atlantic Sssbosrd
leLss Thoroughly IN BAD
Win NE President

Iekss Thoroughly n bad
VIII NE President
BY RAT TuCKER
WASHINGTON Washington
has not announced thu had news
yet. but uncle Sam has quietly
eounfered the submarine menace
along the Atlantic by withdraw
ing all fankers from these css-
eerous waters. Henceforth. every
ton Of petroleum and gasoline
moved into this highly eongested
area win Be hauled by the rail-
yoads. barge lines and trucks-
Ths chief victim of this strategy
for fogiing the u-ecsts must -
the nctcrist-
A simple study 81 trsnsporta-
ton statistics Demonstrates that
auto fuel must be rsticned far
more severely than has been adj
mitted heretofore. including the
latest WIPE curtailment To 30
PER cent below normal consump-
ssoe In the east. The individual
e.sekiy allotment may fall ~
low N the AZ gallons originally
proclaimed BY Leon Henderson,
esuele and subsequently, DE-
neunesd By Harold l. Ickes -
an absurd estimate.
Here ara the unacceptable facts:
IN ordinary times the ships
driven from the ccastwiss chan
nsis by Hitler handle IS per cent
81 the oil delivered IN the tsrri-
tory from Maine 10 the Caro-
Iinas. The carriers acccmmc-
date only five per cent, usins $50
cars weekly.
The cfSshcrs sinkings have
shifted - per cent Of this lead
70 the railroads. Approximate
~ "a. 600 tank containers are re-
CURED = week 20 convey this
comparatively small total. To
supply regular needs would take
their whole complement Of about
100 900 cars, but such q trans
fer Of equipment would strip the
rest Of the nation OF service. SO
e~nsrs Of flivvers may ~ well
psccacils themselves N putting
thsir vehicles In storage or re-
ducing mileage TO village trips.
Harold I. Ickes owes his pres
ent status ~ the loneliest and
least influential figure In WASH
ingtcn to his selection Of the
wrong men to antagonizs when
~ Gas riding high ~ the poo
bah Of the cabinet. The man who
once handled billions Of dollars
and exercised authority second to
the presidents has been denuded
% the state cf . federal sally
Rand.
He has lost control ~ oil. fed
srAi works. housing construction.
natural resources. education and
power. The president shifted
three Of his bureaus 10 Chicago
without even consulting or nou-
flying Harold. At cabinet meet
ings FDR's rebukes 10 his old pal
are % frequent and 20 sharp that
they embsrrsss even hostile
members Of the household. Ickes
has been trying for weeks with
out success TO obtain q private
hearing at the White House. But
the secretariat will not let him
IN for q tete-a-tete.
His doghouse plight h easily
understood. In his happy-go-
lucky days he battled with Harry
hopkins when the latter headed
WPA and the interior secretary
bosssd PwA. The Chicago boy
never missed . chance To pass
out ths poison against the White
House roomer. Time and again
ne eiashed with Cordell Hull
about problems that had no con-
nsetioa with the department sup
pssedly concerned only with do
nsstie affair." His other great
adversary was Vice President
Henry A. Wallace. Now those
three men have the presidential
car and Mr.. Ickes has the air.
Even his friends think he ought
60 resign or angle for some post
with . high-sounding title.
President Roosevelt has dis
tsirbed New Dealers Of 1898
vintage BY many policies he has
enunciated under the stress Of
wartime conditions. Sometimes
they doubt that they xdil be able
60 Eecaptnre the spirit and the
reforms which swept the capital
almost q decade ago. But his
most shattsring blow 20 their
dreams has escaped notice
In . seemingly innocuous ex-
ecutive order p. d. r. vested fun
control ef the empire ef public
power In War Production Board
Chairman Donald NJ. Nelson. All
other laws and rulings notwith-
standing. the former Sears. Rec
buck official has full ray CEN
corning construction. Develop
ment and distribution of hydro
electricity for the duration ef
the conflict He becomes the
big boss Of iva. Grand couiee.
Bonneville and all other federal
projects. He also has complete
authority over private corpora
tons In this field The pros-
pective shortage Of juice for run
ming munitions plants neoexxi-
fsfna this fnr-rEnssfsg rsra.ln-