The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-09-04
Observations
Disposition of
Pacific Islands
Worries Writer
BY Helen Essary


about the peace table and write
down the sentences that will make
everybody love everybody else in
the postwar world, what will be
done about the Pacific islands?
To whom among the nations will
they be given? And from whom
will they be taken in order to give
them to whomsosyer?
What really mean is this-how,
for example, can anybody, even
treaty writer, tell to whom New
Guinea. and the Marshalls and
Truk and the Mariana archipelago
belong?
All OF those spots of terra firma.
the Pacific islands which, divided
geographically, are known as Poly
nesia, Micronesia and Melanesia,
have been fought and died over.
discovered and re-discovered. They
have been owned, lost and bartered
by all shades of peoples since
time immemorial.
Balboa and Magellan and dear
old Captain Cook stopped in at
most of the larger Pacific islands.
After Spain lost an exploratory
concern in the Pacific islands, the
Butch began TO take proprietary
interest in the South Pacific.
The Dutch East Indies Company
was born after the Portuguese
had been kicked out Of their hold
ings. English Buccaneers, French
conquerers, including Louis Antoine
de Bougainville "a great explor-
er though he is mostly remembered
by the Christmas plant and the his
toric island named for him) next
romped over the Pacific islands:
When Americans first began to
feel their sea legs-not long after
the United States was born-Amer-
lean whalers and sealers roamed
the Pacific and discovered many
an island not before visited by
white men,.
White traders, missionaries,
planters and whalers followed the
last OF the great Pacific explorers,
Admiral Charles Wilkes, U.S.N.
The most energetic OF the later
traders were the Germans who
tried their turn at gobbling the
Spanish-owned Carolines and Mar
shalls. OF course, the Japanese
Unanswered their way into the Pa
cific islands by hook or crook.
The success OF Japanese ma
neuvering is going to prolong this
fearful war in the Pacific. And
when it's all done and the last
American life is lost and the last
wounded man is brought back to
his own people-who is going to
get the islands? What will all
this shooting and killing have been
done for? Maybe the iconoclasts
are right-maybe war is a busi-
ness, the biggest business OF all
businesses. And the stupidest!
sss
The modern sea-going man has
never met hard tack, though his
teeth are better equipped to at
tack it than we're the teeth OF his
ancestors. The modern sea-going
man eats mullins and French toast
and griddle cakes. His daily food
reads like a party in honor OF a
visitor at Blair House, the ma
lions guest house.
Read a sample Navy menu and
notice how your mouth waters:
"Dinner-Cream OF Tomato Soup,
Roast Beef. Natural Gravy, Lyon
naise Potatoes, Buttered Cabbage,
Carrot and Lettuce Salad, French
Dressing, Banana Fritters with
Orange Sauce, Whole Wheat Bread,
Butter and Coffee" Another din
ner-"Beef Broth with Barley,
Dreaded Veal Outlet, Tomato
Sauce. Oven Drowned Potatoes,
Mixed Cooked Vegetable Salad,
Cranberry and Orange Pie"
Imagine whipping up such meals
as this for anywhere from so to
1000 men when sailing across
coral sea a thousand miles from
no mans land while a battle RACES
overhead and beneath your keel.
The ships add fresh vegetables
and fruit from marketing shore
stations or food bases set up in
advance OF the ships arrival.
have been studying the U. s.
Navy Cook Book. have learned
from II, among other useful things,
how to make chocolate matted
milk cream icing, French onion
soup and good old navy bean soup.
l have learned how to teach French
dressing the spirit OF unity and
how to make poached egg settle
down, how TO fin a fish. have
learned the iron contents OF de-
hydrated apple nugget-the best
way to make a contrary man eat
vegetables is to put them in
soup.
You may learn these things, too,
IL you buy a Navy Cook Book at
the Government Printing office.
But don't forget when you are in.
spired by concise direction TO stir
UP a little surprise for dinner that
all recipes are developed on the
basis OF 100 portions