The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-02-28

tinuous supply route, a row of
good Alaskan bases, with a lot
of bombers in reserve. Then they
will start blowing up Tokyo.
SLOW WORK IN ALASKA
In regard to our present lack
of Alaskan bases, here is some
unwritten history which is signifi-
cant. In March, 1910, the House
military subcommittee on Appro-
priations killed a War Department
appropriation of $1400O,O0O for
certain base in Alaska.
When Governor Gruening of Al
aska, who was then in Washing
ton, read about 1t next morning,
he hit the ceiling. With General
Marshall he hot-footed it to the
Capitol, almost got down on their
knees to Representatives Ross Col
Inns of Mississippi, Lane Powers
OF New Jersey, Francis Case
OF South Dakota, and j. Buell.
Snyder Of Pennsylvania.
But the Congressman were
too expensive.
A month alter, however, Hitler
overran Norway and the base was
put back into the bill.
Later that summer, the gov
ernor Of Alaska had the ironic
pleasure of welcoming this same
subcommittee on tour of in
spection Of the base which they
had rejected in March. They
stayed "a hours. Congressman
Snyder had his picture taken
driving a maitland the base
was started.
NOTE = 1t is going to take
several bases, and a steady stream
of planes to Alaska before we
are ready for any offensive cover
the top of ASIA" And so far,
a lot of the planes flown north
by the Army have cracked up in
the Rockies-partly because of
sub-zero weather, partly because
of inexperienced pilots, partly be-
cause the Canadian government
has been slow in letting us de-
velop the easier shortcut to AL
aska across the prairies.
DEFENSE DIDOES
Priorities officials can enumer-
ate long list of things essential
to defense production, but dead
sea horse is not one of them. The
authorities formally went on rec
ord to this effect in reply to a
unique letter from woman BIZ
ology teacher in a small mid
western college.
She wrote in anxiously inquir-
ing If 1t would hurt the defense
program if she purchased the fol-
lowing items needed for the in
Struction of her class:
One embalmed sea horse
One Iigard
One pig embryo.
She was assured that the ar
ticles were not yet on the criti-
cal list"
However, it took several letters
to convince Montana sheriff that
he also didn't need a priority rat
AAA6 w "a SoOANC AoW 6tAIQ O4OCA al
his county.
"My old gun is on the blink"
the sheriff complained, "and i
want to buy new .38 caliber
Colt revolver. I'll have to send
away for it, which means lot
Of red tape. Please send me
a rating right away SO I can
uphold the law out here"
The sheriff was advised he
could buy a gun without special
rating.
GO-ROUND
AS early as 1889, General HAP"
Arnold, chief Of the Air Corps,
told officials of the Insular AZ
fairs Bureau that If he were an
enemy he would like nothing bet
ter than the assignment of bomb
ing Pearl Harbor. He pointed out
that the Navy was always hud-
died close together in the harbor,
that the harbor's mouth was mar
row, making 1t difficult to get
out, and that 1t yas a perfect tar
get for an efficient air attack
The Truman Committee Is in
vestigating sensational charges
by the Long Beach (Calif.) In
dependent that southern Califor-