davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1942-06-12
IOfficer Visited Australia,
But Sees First yop in U. S.

Ry II 2 Associated Press.
JEFFERSON CITY. Mot
Louis Brakeman went all the way to
Australia to fight the Japanese-but
it wasn't until he returned to the
United States last month that he
saw a single Jap.
And that was an alien being
taken to a. station for internment.
said 1t. Brakeman. home on a visit.
Evening star., 1942-06-12
Euqenes Rush Into New

TOPEKA. Kans. (P).-Six out Of
seven youths who appeared in one
day at the Navy recruiting station
were named Eugene. The seventh
said he lived on Eugene street.
Evening star., 1942-06-12

II that figure seems a little high,
it's still $l00,16l,77l less than the
tax commission thought the town
was worth a year ago.
Evening star., 1942-06-12

according to local Red Cross ON.
cials. to give members OF the team
"a fuller understanding Of the in.
ternational situation" -
Evening star., 1942-06-12

The war we're in Is the war 70
win! Buy War bonds.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
THIS AND THAT
BIZ Charles z. TrdcetoeIl.

, to its good humor. 1t Is impossible to
watch robins for q time without be-
lieving, we feel. that they are better
tempered than most birds. No robin
shows any of the shrewish manner Of
the wren 1t has no squawk of defiance
such as the blue Jay hurls at the listen
ing world
1t is not to be wondered at, then, that
most other birds are able to chase it..
The retreat OF the robin. Is In keeping
with its character. Not ct all afraid
1t gives In rather than dispute the
matter.
The cardinal was determined TO keep
the robin out of a certain lilac.
Already the first misty green Of the
leaf buds had appeared.
Maybe the cardinal has chosen the
lilac as site for its nest.
At any rate. 1t resented the robin
being in it, and quickly showed its dis
pleasure by launching a full-scale Of
fensive.
No sooner did the cardinal fly In than
the robin flew out.
This was repeated as many as half
dozen times.
Finally the cardinal was left in full
possession of the bush.
Robins at times show real spleen, how
ever.
They often fight their own images in
window panes and the shiny sides of
automobiles
Sometimes a hub cap intrigues their
fancy.
Several years ago this column carried
an account of a robin fight. in which
one bird chased the other so persistently
that it would have killed it had it not
been for kindly observer of the spec
tacle, who gave the poor creature sane
tuary at his feet
Since birds are so free on the wing,
they cannot stake out territory" as
completely as humans do. In recent
years, as matter of fact. human beings
do not seem to be able to keep their own
claims as we'll as they used to, and this
is mostly due to the use Of wings-that is,
the airplane-in invasion.
1t is an amazing testimony to the
good nature of bird life, that without
fences or arms they are able, generally,
to maintain the little territory they have
marked out.
Perhaps the idea is to keep more than
one family of given species from nesting
too close to another for it would mean
too terrific a competition for worms and
insects to feed the young.
So it is commonly found that not
more than one cardinal family, for in
stance, will nest in the same yard.
This Is not always the case, however;
sometimes the rule seems to be violated
with impunity.
In the main, the tribes Of the air get
along we'll together. Only few groups,
such as hawks and grackles, go in for
being bad men" Of the bird world.
Evening star., 1942-03-30

one In Arkansas, although the risk
OF war damage obviously is far
greater along the seaboard than
further inland. In effect, this means
that all citizens will share equally in
the cost of rebuilding properties de-
stroyed or damaged by bombs or
shells Of the enemy-or even by our
own troops in the course Of necessary
military operations.
The Reconstruction Finance Cor
potation has before it several pro-
posals from the insurance industry
whereby established insurance firms
would cooperate with the Govern
ment in administering the act. Dur
ing discussion of the legislation at
the Capitol, the suggestion was made
that post Offices might sell the poll
cies. However administered, IL will
be interesting to see what the public
response will be to this unprece-
dented insurance offer. What the
ultimate cost to the Government will
be no actuary can estimate, for the
hazards of war are too uncertain for
ordinary calculation.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
The Storms Lesson

Residents of great modern cities
commonly are exempt from the more
inconvenient effects of sudden
changes of weather. Protected as
they are by a long series of inven-
tions designed to cater to human COM
fort, the individuals who, in the ag-
gregate, constitute community like
Washington, may live for months,
perhaps even for years, without hav-
ing once been disconnected by a
storm. Then, suddenly, such an
event as the freak blizzard of Satur-
day night occurs, and the average
citizen abruptly realizes the imper-
fections of his universe.
In the lower levels of the city the
downfall was relatively inconSe-
uuential, but in many outlying sec
tions approximately eighteen inches
of snow were reported. Not in a third
of century had there been SINH
lar precipitation in March. The
resultant damage to trees, shrubbery
and garden flowers has not yet been
appraised with accuracy, but it is
known to be considerable.
Doubtless, the fact that the storm
came between the close of one week
and the beginning of another Is
something to rejoice about. The in
ovitable confusion was lessened by
Evening star., 1942-03-30
War Insurance

Signing by President Roosevelt of
the War Damage Insurance Act
heralds the early end of the free
AFRAID insurance program upon
which the Government embarked
after Pearl Harbor and marks the
beginning of the Nations first ex-
pertinent in selling wartime private
property insurance.
Until the new plan goes into effect
on or before July /, the present
blanket Federal guarantee against
property damage from enemy bombs
or other methods of attack will re-
main in force, at no cost to the pub
lie. The free insurance arrangement
was temporary expedient designed
to protect home owners and other
property holders from loss, pending
adoption of a permanent program.
No policies were required and no
premiums asked.
Under the new legislation, a War
Damage Corporation will be created,
with capital of up to billion dollars
supplied by the Reconstruction FL
nance Corporation. While details of
the plan are yet to be worked out,
Commerce Secretary Jesse Jones has
indicated that policies will be issued
to all who apply, at the rate of about
81 per $1,000 of insurance, with the
rates uniform for all similar classes
Of property, regardless of location.
Thus, a home owner on the Cali
fornia coast will pay no more than
Evening star., 1942-03-30
Andumun Archipelago

The latest conquest Of the Japa-
nese as they spread over the South
west Pacific and Southeast Indian
Oceans Is that group of 204 islands
in the Bay of Bengal which are called
the Andamans. Representing the
tops of submarine mountains belong
ing to a chain related with the
Arakan Yoma Range on Burma and
Achin head in Sumatra, the whole
archipelago deservedly is noted for
its rich and varied tropical beauty.
The coasts are deeply indented, and
many of the bays and harbors are
lined with coral beds Of exquisite
coloring. Luxutiant vegetation is the
general rule throughout the group.
The native timber, including padouk,
koko, 'chuglam, satinwood and mar
BILE or zebrawood, have been famous
for generations in the making of fine
Oriental furniture.
Curiously, however, despite their
natural wealth, the Andaman Islands
are the home Of a people described as
"savages as low In civilization as
almost any known on earth" Early
Arab travellers considered them can
nibals. That they massacred ship
wrecked crews, even in quite modern
times, is a matter Of history.
Anthropologists believe that they are
the relics of a pigmy race which for
merly spread over a sector embracing
the Malay Peninsula and the Philip
pines. They have been settled in
their traditional location since the
Pleistocene period. Dwarfed in body,
unprepossessing in appearance and
cruel and treacherous In the! pattern
of their conduct, they constitute a
community of twelve tribal divisions
which even the invading Japs may
find difficult to handle.
A British penal settleme ent was
established at Port Blair in 1889 and
revived in 1858. Well-meant schemes
for developing the colony along hu-
manitarian lines were hampered, if
not altogether halted for years, by
the assassination of the Indian
viceroy, the Earl OF Mayo, when he
ventured to inspect the place on Feb
ruary 8, 1872. The most recent census
indicates a present population of ap-
proximately 10000, scattered over an
area of 3,143 square miles.
Undoubtedly, the first objective Of
the japanese on landing in the
Andamans must have been the
meteorological station. an outpost Of
science which, from 1858 onward, has
collected and distributed information
concerning conditions of navigation
vital to the shipping Of all nations.
Evening star., 1942-03-30

the circumstance that most families
could and did remain at home during
the day. Transit employees, electric
power and telephone repair crews,
automobile mechanics, taxi op-
orators, newspaper delivery boys and
others for whom the occasion repre-
sented an emergency demand for
service did their work so well as to
deserve and, in some instances at
least, to receive generous apprecia-
ton. The task of clearing the streets
for normal traffic, 1t should be men
toned particularly, was promptly
undertaken and is being efficiently
pursued.
In a certain sense, the whole ex-
perience may be regarded as warn
ing to Washington. 1t Is obvious
that the Capital of the United States
is, in effect, the capital of the demo-
cratic world during the prevailing
war. That means that it must be a
consistently functioning center Of
activity for hundreds of thousands
if not for millions of-men and women
engaged in the struggle. Anything,
any development of any sort, which
interferes with the practical signifi-
canoe of the District Of Columbia in
that regard is deplorable and must
be provided against as compre-
hensibly as possible. That is the
lesson of the Palm Sunday storm.
If accepted and valued in that char
acter, the blizzard was a contribution
toward the goal of victory, freedom
and peace.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
Burmu Compuiqn

The japanese high command Is
striking hard for quck cleanup in
Burma. The campaign takes the
form of a three-pronged drive. Di-
verging from the newly. acquired
base at the captured port city OF
Rangoon, two japanese columns are
moving northward up the valleys OF
the Sittang and Irrawaddy Rivers.
Those valleys are sundered by the
Pegu Yoma Mountain Range; so the
two operations have scant direct
connection with each other.
The Sittang Valley, which lies to
the eastward, is the short route to
Mandalay, and up it runs the main
railroad from Rangoon. This front
is being held by Chinese troops. who
are battling desperately to hold the
strategic position of Toungoo against
japanese frontal assaults and also
to guard against flanking attacks
from the eastward, launched from
nearby Thailand, where the third
Japanese column is operating.
Those Chinese soldiers, command
ed by our own General Stillwell, are
first-line troops we'll equipped with
American lease-lend arms and mu-
nitions, and are giving a good &C
count of themselves. Nevertheless,
their situation is dangerous, because
they face the same nemesis that has
dogged the United Nations every
where in the Far East-overwhelm-
ing japanese air superiority. Merct-
lessly bombed and machine gunned
by sWarms of japanese planes which
control the skies, the best troops are
badly handicapped. Unless strong
aerial aid can speedily be flown In
from India, the Chinese may soon
have to retreat on Mandalay, fight
ing delaying actions.
Much the same is true OF the Brit
ish imperials west of the mountains
in the Irrawaddy Valley. All last
week they retired northward with
out risking battle, but they now seem
to be making a firm stand at the
town of Prone, which guards the rich
oil fields that lie some 100 miles
further upstream. On their retreat,
the British have been harassed by
Burmese bandits, known as dacoits,
who have long made sporadic trou-
BILE. The latent hostility of the
Burmese to British rule inclines them
everywhere to aid the japanese in
vaderS. Each Buddhist monastery
is reputedly a fifth column outpost,
while Burmese guides show secret
paths and Burmese mahoutS ride the
hundreds of elephants which bear or
haul much of the japanese supply
trains.
The japanese advance is further
helped by the fact that this is the
dry season, when rice paddles are
Sunbaked and rivers are shrunken.
A month or six weeks hence the
spring monsoon will deluge the land
and make military operations much
more difficult. However, judging by
the present rate of progress, the
Japanese have a good chance of
overrunning Upper Burma, provided
they are willing to pour in enough
to be doing.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
CUMMINGS LANE.

Dear Sir:
The other day I watched an inter-
esting battle between mockingbird and
q robin.
THE robin tried to cross the road, but
every time he did so he was driven back
by the mocker. which perched in be-
tween in a dogwood.
II imagine both robins and mocking-
birds like dogwood berries, 50 this may
account for the persistence of the robin
in trying to get across, and also Of the
mockingbird in driving 1t back.
This battle kept on for half an hour
with the mockingbird the invariable and
final winner.
Sincerely yours. Ell. o."
y y 4
There might be another reason for
this battle.
Spring is just around the corner and
the mockingbird probably has selected
its nesting site.
Any other bird which seemed to have
its eyes on the dogwood would meet the
continued hostility Of the mocker.
This is the theory of territory which
professional bird men insist is q possible
explanation of bird song.
While birds sing love songs, without
doubt, they also stake out their claims
to territory with the same sounds That
Is, instinct tells them that they need all
Of q given territory to provide food for
the young.
Also, they realize instinctively that
the fewer permanent bird residents there
are in a certain amount Of ground. the
fewer enemies the young birds will have.
There always will be plenty Of invaders,
of course. against which only vigilance
will count
The mockingbird is one OF the most
valiant Of all species in protecting It's
nest.
1t will attack anything in the yard,
from dog to man.
Cats bring down special fury from
the brave bird 1t will attack cat time
after time. skimming along just a few
feet from the ground. repeatedly diving
at the animals back.
There are few cats which dare to stay
in yard with = mockingbird.
Sometimes this bravery becomes a sort
Of garden nuisance, as the bird-the
male--flys out at every step in the yard.
The gardener is not exempt from the
general onslaught. He is chased, too, as
well as Fido and Tabby
No one escapes tho flying fury.
1t is not often that the bird really at
tacks human being, but he often comes
too close to ones ears for comfort.
Nesting Of pair of mockingbirds.
therefore, In q home garden is not an
unmixed blessing.
Not long ago We saw . cardinal at
tack robin
At times II seems as II this bird Is
not very brave. Again, 1t may be due
Evening star., 1942-03-30
Personnel Problem

The difficulty that the Government
Is experiencing in obtaining stenog-
raphers draws attention once more
to the employment problem here and
re-emphasizes the Importance of the
study the Budget Bureau is conduct
ing to determine what personnel is
available for reassignment to war
functions.
Stenographers and typists have
been brought into the Capital In such
numbers in the past few months that
the supply has been curtailed to the
point where current demands can
not be met, despite energetic recruit
ing by the Civil Service Commission.
The situation raises a question as to
whether additional measures are not
necessary to insure that the available
supply Of man power for all civil ac-
tivities OF the Government here is
used to best advantage.
For instance, one arrangement that
suggests itself is authorization for
the Budget Bureau-or perhaps the
Civil Service Commission-to pass on
all requests for personnel, deciding
If additions are necessary, and to
what extent. There has been feel
ing in responsible quarters that some
officers overestimate their needs and
employ more help than is necessary,
but this condition cannot be cor
rected unless some form of control
can be invoked. Undoubtedly, an
executive order requiring any en-
ploying Office to prove its needs
particularly when a large expansion
OF force is involved-would produce
the desired result.
There are indications, too, that
Offices have insisted on employing
stenographers and typists for work
where these skills are not needed,
and for which personnel from other
registers could have been used. The
Civil Service Commission recently
sent q memorandum throughout the
executive agencies urging discontin-
uance Of this practice, but there is
no certainty that the admonition has
been observed.
The bringing in OF thousands Of
new employees here creates grave
problems that are so we'll recognized
as to make comment unnecessary,
and no effort should be spared to
hold down these numbers. The Budg-
ct Bureau study will afford some
relief. but slipshod placement meth
ods that contribute to the expansion
can be cured only by direct action.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
Huskin's Answers
To Questions
BIZ Frederic J. Hdsktn.

reader cdn get the ansper TO any
question OF fact by tDriting The EUe-
ming Star Information Bureau, Fred
eric J. Haskin, director, Washington,
D. c. Please inclose stamp TOR reply.
@. In which State Is the post ONCE
recently named in honor of Gen. Douglas
MacArthur?-J. M. D.
A. The fourth-class post ONCE at Mac
Arthur, Raleigh County, w. Va, is ths
first post Office In the country to bear
the name Of this distinguished general.
O. Does the gunflre from battleships
have eny effect upon the hsh In the
sea?-V. w. M.
A. The firing Of big guns does not
kill fish but explosions in the water do.
Though some fishermen believe that
fish are frightened away by gunfire. this
has not been proved. Sound .in air Is
tranmitted TO water only slightly.
@. How large q salary will Joe Dt
Maggie receive during the coming base
ball season?-N A. r.
A. Di Maggio's salary for the baseball
season will be $4,000, making him the
highest-paid player now in baseball.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
Submits Thoughts on Relation
OF Housing to Labor.

OF Housing to Labor.
To the Editor of The Star:
Our local bureaucrats have been bat
ting the housing ball all over the field
for about two years. With the sandlot
experience of Arthurdale, Greenbelt and
slum clearance they are in the big league
now. The longest warming-up period on
record.
In the meantime management has
trained rapidly and well. Smart equip
ment. snappy performance, an impress
sive-looking outfit. Big Bill Business is
. good coach.
But 1t takes two teams to have a ball
game. Meaning that we have mag
nificent new factories and we have filled
them with awe-inspiring machinery, but
we are slow to produce houses for their
workers to live in.
1t Is the American way. Concentrate
all your money, brains and skill on the
plant. Let George provide the houses.
In normal times perhaps that is as 1t
should be.
What the worker does outside" is his
own business certainly not manage
ments.
But the American worker likes to house
his folks with degree of comfort and
dignity. He likes to send his kids to a
good school! If he cannot find decent
shelter he is apt to seek pastures new.
That is turnover.
We prate OF labor and labor problems
as though labor were a commodity like
so many carloads Of wheat or warehouses
bursting with bales Of cotton.
And labor may be . commodity on
paper; but 1t is made up of fellow citi-
zens, voters, fathers Of soldiers and
sailors, even as you and I.
No houses no workers. No workers, no
production. It is as simple as that-in
war time ROBERT TAPPAN.
Evening star., 1942-03-30

quality texture to Pop" Henderson has
been evidenced in years past by CONVEX
sations between his former students
about him, by the continuous gathering
of students and graduates of the school
in his living room and by the number Of
his students who always call upon him
when passing through Washington. 1t
is a privilege to have studied under Mr..
Henderson and to have the advantage Of
his friendship today
CECIL A. BEASLEY, Jr.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
Wuitinq

All through the land ,Do1nen are
,Daiting.
Watching
Mail bores on pillage porches,
In city apartment toyers,
At the end Of country lanes,
Waiting for Dord of sons and lovers,
Watching.
Hearts tight for fear OF broton official
Envelopes.
Bright tears for comic cards.
Requests for cigarettes,
And JOY at neps Of leaves.
But 1ltDdys there are ,conien waiting.
Watching.
PRIMROSE L. HOOPER.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
Says Arlington County Citizens
Have No Wish to Be Washingtonians.

To the Editor OF The Star:
Senator Pat McCarran's efforts to Sc
cure the return to the United States OF
Arlington County and part Of Alex
andria calls for the frank consideration
of certain matters seldom discussed In
this connection
The citizens of Arlington County do
not wish to be brought within the
bounds OF the District of Columbia
They know that the Washingtonian does
not control his conditions of living: his
customs and wishes frequently suffer
violence because Of the activity of pres
sure groups far removed from his own
environment.
On the other hand, the present politi-
cal status of Arlington County has the
sanction Of q hundred years acceptance
and this alone would make any altera-
ton contrary to the will of the residents
OF the territory involved nothing less
than an act Of violence.
DEETS PICKETT.
Evening star., 1942-03-30
Tells Of Plight Of Birds
Caught in Sudden Snowfall
To the Editor of The Star:

TO the Editor Of The Star:
Saturdays midnight blizzard has
created . problem for thousands of birds
recently returned to washington for the
spring and summer. Unless their human
friends feed them during the next 4S
hours. hundreds probably will die Of
starvation. A. ".