The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-05-13

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 The other day he sat in on meeting of the House Naval Af- fairs Committee at which 1t was decided to hush up a report by fortnight Congressman Lyndon Johnson of Texas showing how some Navy officials had helped draft dodgers.
 The report was similar to the investigation of the House Mili- tary Affairs Committee Into draft dodging. The Military Affairs Committee, however, has done It's business completely In the open. There has been no hush-hush stuff. It has taken the position that the draft was the nations business not to be discussed be- hind closed doors,
 Several months ago, however, Chairman Carl Vinson of Georgia, jealous of the prerogatives of the House Naval Affairs Committee, made deal with Rep. Andrew May Of Kentucky, chairman Of the Military Affairs Committee, where by the latter would lay off of the Navy Department.
 Soon after, a Naval Affairs sub- committee, headed by aggressive young Congressman Lyndon John son of Texas, which has been probing Civil Service operations, was instructed to checkup on draft deferments of the Navy's civilian employees.
 BOMBSHELLS AND HIGHJINKS
 Rep. Johnson did q thorough job turned up some bombsheu evidence about official highjinks in the granting of deferments to draft-age civilian employees Of the Navy.
 One case involved a young, unmarried soda jerker, deferred by his draft board because of his prospective employment by the Navy In an engineering" capacity. The soda jerker got his dcfermcnt, and also the job, largely because an influential friend in the Navy Department informed the draft board that he would fill an essential posi- tiOn.
 However, when Johnsons report was filed three weeks ago, Chair man Vinson called q secret meet ing of the full Naval Affairs com mittee-attended by Secretary Knox and Navy personnel officials which decided to give the Navy Department a chance to clean up the draft-dodging abuses cited by Johnson in private. without let ting the newspapers in on the story.
 Chairman Vinson held to this position, according to insiders, and Secretary Knox was quick to back him up. Apparently Knox and Vinson figure that the Johnson findings are too hot a potato to handle in the open.
 CAPITOL CHAFF
 When President Penarand Of Bolivia visited Washington he was hoping for a higher price on the tin which we buy from Bolivia. He didn't get it - thanks largely to patriotic American housewives who have been saving tin cans and who have helped get us enough tin War Transporta- tion Director Joe Eastman is go- ing to crack down on St. Louis and Chicago anti-smoke ordina- ances by making them buy soft coal from nearby Illinois instead of harder coal from distant West Virginia. It will save a lot Of freight cars. Also, 1t will not dis please Congressman Calvin John son of the Illinois coal regions, who had lot to do with con- vincing Eastman.
 NAVY MAIL
 Mrs. Judge" Thurman Arnold, wife of the eX-trust-buster, has been concerned over mail service to her son Thurman, Jr., now a lieutenant in the Navy stationed in the British West Indies.
 She wrote her son frequently, received complaints: Why don't you write, mOther?" Worried, she decided to take things into her own hands regarding Navy mail, invited to dinner Capt. John Ging- rich Of Under Secretary Torres tal'S office.
 After feeding the captain on food which cost a lot of the