The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-11-20
Capital
Comment
WAVES Eneulfine the
Navy Department
Slip Of the Tongue
Made His Face Red
Bsrueh Making Man-Power
Bill for the President
OF Course II Rains
Frogs in Arkansas
BY PETER EDISON

BY PETER EDISON
The way the wAvES-the lady
sailors-are taking over the navy
department is one Of the current
sensations in Washington It's
regular occurrence now for some
salty. wind-burned old desk adj
miral who previously had viewed
with horror the idea Of women in
the navy TO come around and
reouisition several hundred or q
thousand WAVES for this or that
department.
One reason the admirals are
learning to like the WAVES Is
that they are selected with more
care and higher qualifications than
the girls offered by civil service.
More important is the fact that
the WAVES, being in the navy.
can be bossed around better and
can be disciplined when they
don't obey orders.
Credit Or. Norris Fishbein. edi-
tor Of the Journal Of the Ameri-
can Medical Association, with
one Of the neatest slips Of the
tongue on record. The voluble
doctor was testifying before Sen
ator Claude E. Pepper Of Florida,
investigating the shortage Of medi-
cal men in war production centers
and the activities Of the procure
ment and assignment service
which has been recruiting doc
tors for the armed services. Said
DIR. Fishbein, Il always believe
in obeying the laws and orders
Of the United States government
wherever possible" Then he
caught himself and asked that
the last two words be struck from
the record.
Most encouraging development
Of the week on the manpower
situation is the fact that Bernard
NJ. Baruch is working on it for the
president. For a short time Baruch
had an office along the "parlor.
bedroom and bath" row Of war
production board headquarters.
But 1t was too public, so he moved
out and is again operating princi-
pally from his hotel room.
Gradually the administration OF
war production has been shifting
into line with more and more Of
the recommendations which
Baruch had made throughout the
1905 when the various army
M-day mobilization plans were
being drafted. Baruch straight
ened out rubber, Baruch's ideas
on price control finally came to be
adopted. Baruch's ideas are re-
Elected in WPB's new Controlled
Materials plan.
II Baruch's ideas on manpower
could be put over, some Of the
present confusion on that subject
might be eliminated.
Wars hardest hit spot under the
U. S. flag Is Puerto Rico. Tipoff
on that is the tremendous increase
in WPA rolls on this island terri
tory, now running at $4,000. Only
two u. S. states have larger WPA
rolls today. New York and Penn
sylvania. Illinois has only $4,000.
In fact, the WPA situation in
Puerto Rico Is just exactly oppo-
site TO the situation on the main
land. While the war has steadily
dropped WPA rolls in the states.
they have been steadily increased
on the island. Lack Of shipping to
haul Puerto Rico exports-prin-
cipally sugar and rum-to the
mainland and haul machinery and
other supplies to the island has
been the cause of its economic
near-collspse.
British Information Service In
Washington was faced with
pretty problem recently when
woman from Arkansas wrote In
for proof that IL sometimes rained
frogs in heavy thunderstorms-
II seems that this woman had
adopted two British children for
the duration. Riding home in the
family car one evening, they ran
into an unusually heavy rainstorrn,
with clouds blacker than they had
ever seen and water coming down
in buckets. Then q few little
white objects began to peit the
car. They thought they must b
hailstones, but when they looked
closer, II developed there were
frogs pouring out Of the sky. IL
was wonderful, and America sure
was a great country.
Next day In school the British
children, all excited, told about
this truly great experiences they
had been through. But instead OF
being heroes. the poor British
youngsters got nothing but the
rszzberry. Teachers and tneif
schoolmates all pooh-poohed suen
nonsense.
B. 1. S. called up some scien-
fists IN Washington, and surs
enough. they did find seienfifis
proof that sometimes when me
sun was sucking up water real
hard il did suck some shallow
ponds dry. frogs and all And they
could prove. they said. that some