The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-05-21

| Is about to give them pay as active
reservists and as soon as there is
equipment enough to accommodate
all of them, those unqualified for
cadet combat training will probably
have jobs as instructors or transport
pilots soon.
Status Unchanged
The last named group, the airplane
spoilers, operate under the Fighter
Command, and their functions are
such that their status will not be
changed, they are part of the Of
flee of Civilian Defense.
This group is made up of volun-
teer workers working with armed
force experts, in connection with
vast network of telephone and radio
connections which lace our entire
coastline, east, south and west.
They total million and half
people and the OCD calls this work
done by the volunteers, the most ar
duous and technical job trusted to
civilians. It consists in spotting, re-
porting and recording all activity.
Not plane appears in the skies that
] is not checked and accounted for.
| If it can't be identified, blackouts are
ordered until it is.
Most of the volunteers are women
and many more are needed. The
job is described as being both ex-
citing and tough. The anti-aircraft
centers where these people work are
| guarded by soldiers and no one gets
in who doesn't work there or is on
official business.
Here dozens of girls work on a
gigantic table map Of the area. They
wear telephone headsets and mouth
| pieces like a regular telephone op-
orator, listening to the information
and moving little markers called
"pips," representing planes, about
the map with long wands.
These girls are the end Of a series
of operations which 60 like this:
The spotter out on top of some
building or hilltop sees a plane. The
message comes in in semi-code,
Bomber on bi high west 80 Posy."
The girl puts the pip on the spot on
the map corresponding to the spot
ter's report. The details of the size
and description of plane are record
ed on a marker on the pip. AS the
plane moves, it is reported by each
spotter in succession and pushed
along on the map. But until three
spoilers have made the same report,
it is not considered correct-because
geese look like planes sometimes.
Method of Operation
After the third report, a teller
watching the board from balcony
above, reports it to the operations
room, which may be in another city.
This point is the nerve center and
here again, the planes are plotted.
Army men and Civil Aeronautics adj
ministration officials who are con-
tinuously receiving information as to
every plane leaving the ground,
check this information with the map
below them. Every plane has to be
accounted for. If not-they, you and
| l., if we live in that vicinity, know
about 1.-THE air raid warming is
| flashed. If the fiier has left the
ground without clearance or through
some mistake hasn't identified him
self, he is likely to see big bomber
after him or he might even have to
duck anti-aircraft fire. That is how
careful our anti-aircraft defense has
to be.
About Nutrition
I received the following card from
a listener in Miami, Fla:
| "Those who know will tell you that
| the introduction of synthetic vita
Minis into white bread is all the bunk
or sales talk. Canada and Great
Britain will not allow it. The Pure
Food Act boys know it too. But
Just look it up and laugh. Suckers
are not born today, they are made by
/ propaganda and high-powered adj
| vertising." ~
called up the Food and Drug ad-
ministration ("Pure Food Boys").
Commissioner Campbell said to me:
$50 far as the nutritionists know,
synthetic vitamins are just as, eff
fective as natural vitamins. This has
been shown by extensive experiment
tation."
Before the order was given to en-
rich white flour with synthetic vita
minis, lengthy testimony was taken
by leading NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
men with no axes to grind.
My listener was undoubtedly sin
cere. He was sincerely undoubting
of his misinformation.
wonder who started it?