The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-03-19
. New York
Listening Post
o. Aonn<c bv
ALBERT n. lEAAs
Deny Fire
Is Fond Of
The Axis

i IlS AXIS
NEW YORK Wherever those
81 irish blood gathered on IN.
eve Of st. Pstriok1s day, thoughts
and often wistful memories
were Of old Erin. now precari-
GU, neutral hemmed in by oceans
Of war.
New York commercial men
just hack from Fire claim that
rumors about the island being
sympathetic to the Axis causes
are-to use the words of one IA
nous local son OF Celtic anoes-
try-"the bunk"
According to a bit Of malicious
gossip, circulated even in Amer
lea, q large swastika flag was
Haunted over the German con-
sulste in Dublin and an even
bigger banner flew outside Mus
solinis headquarters.
The visitors discovered no such
national emblems. On tiny
doorplate at the Teuton office
was only a small ''Hakenkreuz."
The Nazi legation has not been
increased from nine employees to
. reported 100. Actually the
staff has been jumped to 10 per-
sons because one Of the domes-
tics was sick and a substitute
has been filling in. The Italians
have the same number in their
diplomatic residence as before
the conflict.
Smuggling across the border
n q tremendous racket In which
fabulous profits are made by
both sides. Jewelry, silk stock
inss and cattle are sneaked into
northern ireland, and controlled
fuel and food are illegally sent
from Ulster TO the people in the
south.
Customs officials recently
seized thousands OF tons Of
-four, coffee. and $50, 900 candles,
. particular luxury in Limerick
and Cork where there 10 no
paraffin for lamps.
Pleasures are to ne doused for
the Duration. Some time ago
Mayor LaGuardia cracked down
on the pin-ball racket and now
even congress yowls at spending
OCD coin for nidget-soh teach
ers and weight lifting ssvsnts
discovered on the Lands pay
roll. Britain has just snuffed
out boxing. horse and dog racing
and padlocked the dens where
faro, chemin de fer and baccarat
flourished.
Taboos primarily are based
upon commodity scarcities and
lack of manpower. but the mo-
ment pious Sir Stafford Grips
entered the cabinet. noncom-
formist religious leaders rallied
behind his demand for less
frivolous outlook on life and a
wave OF Puritan fury il directed
against the "fleshpots Of Egypt
This stern attitude increased
ss Mslsyan refugees belated re-
ports told Of gay tea dances and
booze parties. when social para
sites should have been sweating
over the building Of defense
bsrricades.
Cables about games Of chance
In the doomed Babylon irked re-
formers, especially the stories
mat while the cify's fate hung
undecided. police saw wives OF
rich Chinese merchants crowd
Ing into a Buddhist temple.
At first the cops believed they
went 10 burn joss sticks and 10
pray for the soldiers. But they
took so much time at their devo-
tons that suspicious sikhs raid
ed the building and uncovered
cellar fitted out with NAH Jongg
tables and western card contest
psraphernalia. where wealthy
OrientaIs had been gambling
while Singapore burned
The power Of the newspaper
comic and adventure strip m
building morale Is convincingly
proven in a lively new book by
Martin Sheridan called Comics
and Their Creators" Hale, Cusn-
man and Flint.
Packed with background stor-
les. udbitx. and biographical
sketches. II tells how the fun-
nies" win every resdsr-interest
test and hold an enormous pub