The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-13

white folks'l be
runnin'?"
Enscm salty Adml.
Ecory s. Land Of the Maritime
Commission has revealed himself
as considerable Of a two-line poet.
His latest prophetic couplets are:
It is swell to hire.
But it's hell to fire.
i Let's win the war
In forty-four.
The admiral wants everyone to
understand he means win" the
war, and not lend" the war.
PEANUT POSER
It took a ruling from the highest
ranking German army officer pris-
oner Of war in the United States
to persuade other Nazi p. VS.. that
it was not a violation of the Geneva
convention for them to harvest
peanuts.
The Geneva convention Of
course, stiuplates that prisoners of
war cannot be employed in the
production Of materials of war that
will be of aid in prosecuting the
war for the country that hold them
captive. Consequently, when the
first German prisoner Of war camps
were opened in the South, the pris-
oners could not be hired out to
pick cotton because cotton goes into
guncotton for explosives.
Helping with the peanut harvest
looked okay, however, until one of
the Germans came across Depart
ment Of Agriculture farm bulletin,
on the cover OF which was scream
lined a heading on the order Of
Raise Peanuts to Help Win the
War" Some Of the smarter Na1
prisoners took the stand that If
peanuts would help the American
war effort. the prisoners shouldn't
pick 'em. This had the War Man
power Commission stumped, because
they had hoped to open a number of
camps in the peanut-raising South
to help with the harvest during the
manpower shortage.
The probe mwas solved, however,
by appealing the matter to the
highest ranking German officer
prisoner. His decision came back
promptly. Peanuts are to eat So
the prisoners all went happily to
work harvesting peanuts for pay,
and that was that.
HE'D BEEN WORKIN
ON THE RAILROAD
When the government took over
the railroads and control was given
to Lieut.. Gen. Brehon B. Somervell
as commander Of the Army Service
forces, 1t wasn't matter Of making
a railroad boss out Of green hand,
for Somervell, as an engineer offic-
er, is an experienced railroad oper-
ator.
In the last war, Somervell went
overseas with the 18th Railroad En-
gineers, a. construction unit re-
cruited for Pennsy and B. & o.
hands in the Pittsburgh area. So
mervell was then a captain. Later
he was detached and put in charge
Of the yards at the A. E. F.'s big
gest advanced railhead, at Is-Sur-
Tile. Somervell came out Of the
war a lieutenant colonel.
! After 1t was over he took a Job
as engineer on transportation sur
vey for the new republic of Turkey,
job done at the request of Renal
Ataturk. Following that he made a
transportation survey of the Dan
! ube River valley for the League of
! Nations
Aviation, railroad and steamship
industries are rapidly approaching
capital equality in their lineup for
postwar transportation compete
ton. Before the war, aviation was
the infant industry, with capital
ization onl va fraction Of the rail-
roads. That Is still true If only the
airline operators are considered, but
Charles I. Stanton, Civil Aeronau-
tics. Administrator, no wputs the
totsl valuation of the aviation in
dustry-msnufacturers included. at
10000 100000 This was the old
valuation figure for the combined
U. s. railroad system. Railroads
now estimate 1t little higher than
$40, 900 600 600. In the meantime,
the value OF the U. s. merchant ma
rine has come up by leaps and
bounds. Today the value of u. s.
shipping Industries Is put at Sl0,-
100000 and by the end Of 1914.
says Admiral Land. 1t will be $l5,-
600, 900 600. When all three get 10
, battling for postwar business. 1t
will be truly titanic struggle, even
though the three are in many ways
non-competitiye. Both steamship
and railway systems want in on the
aviation picture. and on the side
lines is the vast, unorganized motor
truck and bus industry which also
wants In on aviation and will be-
come increasingly important as q
1 R0nnafffnP IN kha WafiEaaAa