Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-20
Reiec+ees
Not Always
Poorly Fed
Unions Overdo Hunger
Plant. Peeler Says
By WESTBROOK PEGLER

A NOTE of pathos has marred
the current light and jovial
banter over proposals to Danish
racketeers from the unions and
guarantee the free Americans
right to work at lawful toll SUBJ
ject to the licensing and taxing
power Of no private organiza-
ton.
Some of the union publications
have wept over the physical re-
ports of the medical examiners
of the draft boards.
1t appears that considerable
proportion of all the eligibles are
rejected for physical unfitness
and it is argued that all this is
due to malnutrition.
The malnutrition, In turn, Is
charged to the rapacity of the
employers and the conclusion is
that. for the sake of their chill
dren's health, American toilers
should be required TO pay from
S25 to $500 or even as much as
$1,000 out of their starvation
poverty for passports through
the factory gates.
That this money might be bet
ter spent for milk and groceries
for the young than on yachts,
limousine jobs. racing stables
and weekend air excursions to
luxurious suites in Florida for
prosperous unioneers during the
winter time is a thought which
might occur 10 many objective
thinkers. 4
pUT. waving that point. L
- think we may be of fairly
good cheer anyway because not
all physical imperfection Is
chargeable 10 malnutrition.
Flat feet. for example, is the
cause of a great many reflections,
and asthma. which is entirely
free of snobbery. affecting alike
the son of suburban merchant
and factory toiler. is the cause
of others.
We have also many cardiacs
whose trouble may be traced 10
a number of causes other than
malnutrition and j have personal
knowledge Of two young men
who never lacked wholesome
food at home who were turned
back for hay fever and trick
knee. respectively.
The hay fever subject was an
applicant in aviation and may
be found fit for one of the
ground or sea forces but the
trick knee case is a young giant,
rising 6 feet. 2. and still the doc
tors would not have him for the
army. although he walks with
no limp and plays fair game
OF tennis.
Then we have 10 count In
young men suffering from GER
tain impairments subsequent 10
Venereal infection and others
who have hereditary physical
faults traceable 10 ancestral ills
OF the same type.
And. finally, we will have 10
subtract some at least whose
malnutrition due 10 poverty. due
10 boSs-rapacity. due 10 nom
unionism. must be considerably
less tragic than the kept press
Of the unioneers would have us
think.
DUT one naturally thinks noYl
- of the soldiers of China ami \
Japan whose diet from child
hood is considerably below the
American standard. and OF the
poor but hardy Greek who
wheeled on the invincible lcgions
of the duce and would have
chased them into the sea but for
the intervention OF the mechan-
lied robots, OF der fuehrer, whose
bitterest complaint against the
civilized world was the starva-
ton in childhood OF these same
faceless men of his.
Many of the present fighting
generation of British males also
lived on short and i'll balanced
rations when they were very
young.
The Spaniards, tough and
brave on both sides OF their civil
war. were born and raised poor.
and our Russian allies of fight
ing age were conceived i'm FAM
inc and grew to stalwart man.
hood through a succession OF
famineS.
Even the French were not
well fed by our standards as
French children never are. what
with their coffee and wine, but
their failure in war was due
more TO politics than 10 physical
weakness of the individual sol
der.
Hammered no worse than the
British, they fell away in con-
fusion reminiscent OF their ma
tional parliament. which was
the source Of their fatal weak.
ness.
ONE might like 10 know. II
" malnutrition of the young
is an important factor in this
rate of reject/n, what proper
ton of the earnings of the par
ents was spent on expensiW J