davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1945-01-24
A Better Bill

Changes made In the So-called
compulsory work bill by the House
Military Affairs Committee are dis
tinct improvements and serve to
strengthen this necessary legisla-
ton.
Civilian penalties, for instance. are
preferable to sentence to Army labor
battalions, as originally proposed,
in the case of those who attempt
to evade civilian work draft. In
the first place, there is no reason
to believe that there will be any
substantial number of such draft
evaders. In the second place, the
character of the proposed labor bat
talions would be alien to anything
In our present Army organization.
No stigma of any sort should be at
tached to military service.
The committee was wise in leav-
Ing to the men drafted for war work
in essential industries a free choice
of whether or not to join a union.
The same freedom of choice was
contained in the original Austin
Wadsworth national service legis-
lation. To draft a man against his
will into union, as we'll as into
civilian war work. would be as in
furious to the longtime interests of
organized labor as to the rights of
individual citizens. This commit
tee amendment is a wise exception
to the closed shop principle.
The committees action in speci-
flying that the terms of the Tydings
amendment to the Selective Service
Act remain in effect should serve
to meet some of the objections to
the legislation from organized farm
groups. The draft boards still will
be guided by rule on farm defer
ments which should prevent danger
Gus depletion of essential farm labor.
The committee was also wise in
extending the same protection (of
seniority rights and suspension of
debt payment) to those who would
be drafted for civilian work that
applies now to men drafted for mill
tary service. One principle of this
bill is to apply to civilian work in
essential war industries the same
spirit of national service under
which men are drafted for the Army
and the Navy.
Opposition to the May bill, of
course. is still to be expected from
groups in both labor and manage
ment who are fundamentally op-
posed to any thing savoring of COM
pulsory labor But the terms of this
bill would seem to meet any valid
objection on such grounds by re-
serving the use of compulsion to
those situations where voluntary
methods have failed to produce nee
essary results. The results must be
obtained if we are to back up the
men at the front, and it is idle to
argue that compulsion, in this stage
of the war. should not be used when
other means have failed.
Evening star., 1945-01-24

The Australians and the New Zea-
landers, who in the World War provided
such large contingents for the European
theater Of operation, have war Of their
own in the Pacific. Moreover, they suf-
fered severe losses between 1899 and
1942 in Malaga, North Africa and in
Greece. South African forces are pre-
vented by law from fighting outside
Africa.
large proportion of the Indian forces
must be maintained in India together
with sizable British army. Thus Britain
must rely on what it can get by scraping
the bottom Of the barrel in the United
Kingdom Her industries have held up
remarkably well considering the fact
that the island has been and continues
to be the target of intense robot attacks
While the damage to the industrial areas
has not been great, the population is
somewhat weakened because of these
daily bombardments and also by the
very restricted diet to which it is SUBJ
jected.
Under these circumstances we must
not have too high expectations for a sub
stantial British effort in the battles in
the west There may be sufficient men
in the United Kingdom and Canada to
provide the two armies under Field
Marshal Montgomery with adequate re-
placements but nothing more.
The brunt of the next offensive must
be borne by the American armies which
have suffered severely both during the
German counteroffensive and later when
the Germans were compelled to with
draw. The four American armies have
to be reorganized and strengthened with
requirements for the losses suffered in
December and early in January. Men
and large quantities of material must
be rushed across the Atlantic not only to
bring them back to their original
strength but also to provide them with
new reinforcements necessary for a
break through the Siegfried Line
Evening star., 1945-01-24
Mail Boxes-R. F. D.

Some day a historian will write
history of country living in terms
of the R. F. D. boxes that stand like
inverted exclamation points along
hundreds of thousands of miles of
roads. No one who lives in cities
and towns where the gray-uni-
formed man trudges up to the door
and deposits the mail can fully ap-
preciate the meaning of the R. F. D.
box on country road three or four
miles from the village.
1t Is cosmopolitan sort of box
1t has range of style as compre-
hensive as the fashions that adorn
milady's tresses. There are some
r. F. D. receptacles that will hold
half a bushel of newspapers, maga-
zines and the bulky mail-order cata-
logs. On these capacious boxes that
sit on posts before big, prosperous
farms, one often sees the name of
the farm in red letters. In the last
few years. Art with a capital A has
come to the Rural Free Delivery con-
tainers. There are cute little bunga-
lows and birdhouse styles: some like
to use copies of old-time stage
coaches; a favorite is a reproduc-
ton of covered wagon pulled by
pair of red-and-white oxen.
But the real. genuine, honest-to-
goodness R. F. D. box is an humble,
everyday sort of affair. It is rec
tangular with curved top to shed
rain and sleet. 1t has a small,
red metal flag that goes up to tell
the mailman letter is waiting for
him. If he leaves something in the
box, he puts the flag up. The box
sits on weathered. splintery post
by the side of the road.
Through that plebeian gray box
has passed a part of the heartbeats of
a nation. Farm boys and girls write
for the things that interest them.
The family far from urban centers
may use the mail-order firms for
the things needed by humans and
the farm. Boys and girls. who have
left home to seek the trail of life's
adventures in distant cities. write
letters that come through it. And
today, with lads fighting freedoms
battles In foreign lands. mother
watches from the kitchen window
Evening star., 1945-01-24

Fortune Is tickle mistress.
She turns her smile upon the gambler
or the general-and when she con-
tinues to do so he is granite character
indeed who is not, consciously or uncon-
sciously, tempted to believe that she
will never turn away
And then all too often she deserts
him in the hour of his greatest need.
So it was on Monday January a.,
f945 with Field Marshal Gen. Karl
Rudolf Gerd Won Rundstedt.
1t must have been apparent for some
days to the field marshal that he could
not hope to retain any of the territory
he had temporarily overrun in his great
raid into the Ardennes. He had been
Systematically taking out some of his
best units and removing his supplies
behind the shelter of the Siegfried de-
fenses. But there remained outside
those several divisions of good troops
which he could i'll afford to lose. Already
his losses in manpower and equipment
had reached point which rendered his
whole counterattack of questionable
value. Further heavy losses-especially
with the Russians deep in East Prussia
and reaching out to the Oder in Silesia-
might turn the whole affair into q first
class German disaster.
x* 4
Won Rundstedt's problem was how to
disengage his remaining good divisions
from the powerful Allied pressure all
round the edge of the bulge area and
get them back behind the Siegfried Line.
where they could be reorganized and
equipped for use elsewhere-in Alsace,
or on the eastern front, or as reserve
against the coming Anglo American
offensive in the west. When the two
corner posts of the bulge, st. With
and Vianden, were closely threatened,
Won Rundstedt decided to leave rear
guards to delay the Allied troops and
run for it. But he needed day OF bad
weather in order to make good his flight,
which could not be accomplished in the
course of single night because of the
few roads available and the consequent
enormous length of the marching col
umnS.
His weather service, no doubt. told
him that January % would be day
such as he required In any case, that
was the day he chose; he took chance
Had he chosen January 81, he would
have been In luck, for the operation Of
Allied tactical aircraft was much re-
stricted by clouds, rain and ground fog.
But Won Rundstedt, on whom fortune
in the matter Of weather has smiled
so consistently and so long, waited one
day too many.
Evening star., 1945-01-24

important commodity has doubled
since 1899. Their disadvantageous
position in coal and textiles is but an
illustration of how they have been
losing their ability to compete in
world markets against other coun-
tries-particularly the United States
and this in turn explains why they
feel they must have chance to get
back on their feet before going all
out for freer trade or for such inter-
national aviation proposals as were
heard at the recent conference in
Chicago.
In discussing these matters frankly,
Mr.. Bait has done much to promote
a more sympathetic American ap-
probation of Britain's problems. But
he has emphasized at the same time
that the British themselves need to
overhaul their production methods
If they are ever to return to sound
economic footing. To this end, he
suggests postwar program In which
they would not only modernize their
industries with our machinery but
also come to this country for tech
nological and managerial training
calculated to improve their competi-
tive position.
To some Britons, this may sound
patronizing on our part, and to some
Americans, it may sound altruistic.
But Mr.. Bait leaves no room for
doubt that it is neither: It is simply
sensible proposal to do something
definite about a problem that will
bedevil future relations between our
two countries and be harmful to the
peace if it Is not tackled with vigor
and vision.
Evening star., 1945-01-24
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Trdce,DeH.

Recent discussion of the home aqua
rum invariably brought up the story of
William Beebe and the goldfish.
1t seems that the famous naturalist
visited an aquarium society meeting one
snowy night and was presented with a
pair of fancy ones.
Not having any carrying case, he
wrapped up the fish in wet handker-
chief. Goldfish may be carried for miles
and hours in this way, provided the cloth
is kept wet.
Beebe put the handkerchief containing
the fish in his overcoat pocket and strobe
out into the night.
The snow was pretty deep and still
falling. He went along gayly until he
came to street light. Feeling the urge
to use his handkerchief, he reached in
and pulled it out with flourish.
Too late!
Away went the fish, describing bright
trajectories in the night, to be lost a
second later in the snow.
Beebe thought to himself, Here's
pretty kettle of fish," and knelt down to
look for them.
just as he stopped, an officer of the
law came up. (This was In the old days,
when they did come up)
What are you hunting for?" asked
the officer
Goldfish" was the laconic response
The cop reached down and took the
naturalist by the shoulder.
Come along with me-" he said
You're crazy. I'm going to take you to
the asylum"
Beebe was so engrossed in his search
20 hn Itf n{f -.
the officer of the law.
x*
Here, help me find them," he said.
The big cop obediently knelt in the
snow. 1t would do no harm, he thought
to humor the man.
There in the circle of light, with the
flakes falling steadily, the two men
knelt, cropping this way and that.
Suddenly the policeman raised his
hand. Something glittered in 1t.
He stood up.
Here" he said to Beebe, I'm the
crazy one. You take me to the asylum" !"
This is an old story, but always good
If you have never heard it.
Keeping goldfish in the home tank is
also good, whether you have ever done
it or not.
4ACy VIC tllC Oiily OWIIu"
mers which are able to stand wartime
cold rooms.
Normally, they are not fussy about
how cold the water gets, If the change
is not too drastic. A tank, for instance,
which sits too close to hot radiator
during the day might suddenly in few
hours find its water temperature re-
duced too severely at night.
In order to prevent such sudden
changes, either with goldfish or tropical
fish tanks, the thing to do is to cover
the aquarium. !.
In order to do this, glass cover lid
must be secured.
Wont that cut off the air?" is the
usual question.
The answer is no; air is not kept out
that easy. The air pressure on the
water will be exactly the same whether
there is lid or not.
Then over the tank may be draped q
sweater or old blanket, with no danger
OF corner getting into the water.
In this simple way the water temper
ature may be kept almost at the same
level all night.
Z Electric heaters may be used, If avail
able, but the war has made them hard
to get. A small lamp placed close to
the. end of the aquarium will raise the
temperature several degrees in an hour.
A thermometer, of course, is essential In
home fish keeping.
Evening star., 1945-01-24
nglo-Americun Problem

In an excellent address at Cincin-
natl the other night, William L. Bait,
one of the key members of the
Anglo-American Combined Produc-
ton and Resources Board, outlined
thesis that merits the fullest consid-
Grafton, his main point being that
the next peace cannot be sound
one unless we and the British come
to understand each others economic
problems and do something to solve
them.
AS Mr.. Bait puts it, the American
people, with their productive capac-
ity more advanced than ever before
in history, will emerge from the war
interested in freer flow of trade
not only as an opportunity to add 10
or Is billion dollars to our national
income but also as means of strik-
ing blow for peace" BY contrast,
however. the British will be badly
wounded and will feel that "they
must have protection for their mar
kets. at least for some time" and
there is therefore a very real danger
of a serious head-on clash between
public opinion in this country and
over there-a clash capable of max
ing genuine international co-opera-
ton all but impossible.
If this danger is to be avoided.
according to Mr.. Bait, there must
first of all be better understanding
in America of Britain's peculiar diff
culties. Since 1889 the British have
lost most of their overseas invest
ments by selling them to pay for the
war. and their exports have dropped
to less than third of what they
were in peacetime. Stated in the
simplest terms, if they are not to go
into permanent decline. if they are
to survive as major nation, they
must rebuild their foreign trade as
fast as possible and increase it sub
stantially above the prewar level.
But the British, as Mr.. Bait makes
clear, are gravely handicapped in
this. Their textile industry. for ex-
ample. is Is to 80 years behind the
times. In 1914 they were producing
7,000,000.00 yards of cotton textiles,
but at the start of this war they were
producing only fifth as much. even
though world consumption in the
same period increased 35 per cent.
Similarly. in the case of coal. their
daily production per miner is merely
fourth of that of the American
miner. and their price on this all
Evening star., 1945-01-24
Pottern Come to Life

This lake noaD ice-encrusted once ,oas
> dark
Ana soft NTH moring shadows from
each arc
That whispering trees had formed; each
sasD its gay
Reflection in n,ouing mirror where gold
en- lay
The moon in broken beauty. Through
sun-fecked day
The birds made cheerful chorus. Water
flies
L0tDeTed dr0tUsy tDings to lIllabies.
But nOaD this circle is china plate
With pGtterH come to life tphcre children
skdts. IDA ELAINE JAMES.
Evening star., 1945-01-24
Common Pool for Victory
By David Laurence
Prom the Montreal Star.

1Eum Ine MontreAI Star.
When British and United States troops
are dying on the same battlefields while
nghting common enemy comparison
OF supply assistance, one to the other.
Is odious. Nevertheless, such comparison
must be made from time to time to
place the facts in their proper perspec-
tive. to correct the distorted ideas on the
whole subject Of mutual aid that are
spread by strangers These people. some
OF them with powerful mediums for
propaganda at their disposal, play on a
theme that Britain gets all and gives
nothing. But the facts do not bear that
out at all.
Evening star., 1945-01-24
Mr.. Wallace Needs Help

The decision of the Commerce
Committee (by 10-to-2 vote) to
act on the George bill removing the
Federal lending agencies from the
Department of Commerce before
taking up the nomination of Henry
A. Wallace as successor to Jesse
Jones gives. form and direction to
the fight against the Presidents
move to reward Mr.. Wallace for his
services during the recent campaign.
Senator Georges bill would take
the Reconstruction Finance Corpora
tion and other important loan
agencies out of the Commerce De-
partment and establish them as an
independent agency. The move is
frankly designed to remove them
from Mr.. Wallace's control if he
should be confirmed as Secretary of
Commerce, and Senator Pepper.
Wallace supporter, probably is cor
rect in saying that the strategy is
to make the passage of Senator
Georges bill condition precedent
to vote on Mr.. Wallace's confirma-
tion.
In this situation it seems obvious
that Mr.. Wallace's fate may depend
to a very large extent on the, real
wishes of the President. If Mr..
Roosevelt feels that his political
debt has been paid in full by the
bare nomination of Mr.. Wallace,
then it is highly improbable that the
former Vice President will get con-
troll of the lending agencies. He may
get the cabinet post, if he wants
that. but it would be shorn of the
functions in which Mr.. Wallace
seems primarily interested On the
other hand, if the President wants
Mr.. Wallace to have both the cabi-
net post and the lending agencies,
and if he is prepared to make a de-
ternined fight to that end, it is
conceivable that the Senate oppo-
Sition can be overridden.
The best clue to the true state
of the Presidents mind is to be
found in his letter to Mr.. Jones
asking him to step aside. The Presi-
dent was outspoken in his praise OF
Mr.. Jones. mentioning his splendid
services" and the excellent way" in
which he had carried out many diff
ficult tasks. But in his references
to Mr.. Wallace there seemed to be
a definite note of reserve.
1t was made perfectly clear that
Mr.. Jones was being asked to re-
sign only because the President, in
discharging what he felt was his
political obligation, had promised
Mr.. Wallace almost any service
which he (Mr. Wallace) believes he
can satisfactorily perform" Mr..
Roosevelt did not say specifically
that he considered Mr.. Wallace
qualified for the job of directing
both the Commerce Department and
the lending agencies. In fact. al
though he knew of the desire of
some Senators to separate the two
if Mr.. Wallace was to become Secre-
tary of Commerce. the Presidents
letter made no reference to the
lending agencies What he did say
was that Mr.. Wallace thought he
could do the greatest amount of
good Gin the Commerce Department,
for which he is fully suited . ."
The use of that language, especially
the term fully suited" may or may
not be significant of the Presidents
real state of mind. but the letter as
a whole is more than little remi-
niScent of the Endorsement" of Mr..
Wallace which the President sent
to the Democratic convention last
summer-an Endorsement which Mr..
Wallace's friends considered kiss
of death"
Evening star., 1945-01-24
Wants Real Time

To the Editor Of The Star:
We are exhorted to cast out fear
and suspicion and look towards the
coming of peace with confidence. No
doubt President Roosevelt keenly is
aware of the fact that millions of
patriotic Americans have lost faith
in him and his ability to achieve for
us that just and enduring peace for
which we all pray. There is one simple
thing that he can do. to restore, in a
measure, that faith, and that is to
abolish this phoney war time"-and
do it now. before we waste any more
heat and light on that darkest hour
just before the dawn. To some OF us,
1t seems just as dishonest to tamper
with clocks as with any other instru-
ment or scales.
A WEIL-WISHER.
Evening star., 1945-01-24

for the r. F. D. mar. The mail box
sitting beside the country road Is a
link of the chain that binds a ma
ton into one people,
The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1945-04-05

new magic weed killer. This has
received widespread publicity and
sounds too good to be true. The
fact of the matter is that SUI
ficient experiments have not been
made to justify getting too en-
thusiastic over it. It is being sold
under various trade names and
our advice is to try it out on a
small area of weeds before spend
ing a large amount of money on
it. It is new principle using
an overdose of hormones which
causes the deadly effect. We are
always glad of a new product
which will really do the job.
CHOOSE DEEP SOIL
And in speaking of gardens,
wise gardeners will chose gar
dens where the soil is deepest and
least injured by loss of soil that
was washed away, provided that
water and air drainage conditions
there are good.
ION the heights" the top of
the slope, the view may be better,
but the soil is almost certain to
be thinner and less fertile and
dryer during droughty periods.
This is the universal result of
erosion which tends to wash top
soil downhill. The highest land
on the slope loses soil. Plots at
the bottom may lose some, but
they also gain soil washed down
from above. The fertile topsoil is
almost always deeper at or near
The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1945-04-05
County Agent S
Column
CONTROL cuTwoRMs
by Walter L. Click

MANY requests are beginning to
come in on garden making prob.
l 1ems. One lady called and said
n l. were eating off the tips
e 81 asnarapus. This prompted me
~ -, write a word about the control
If cutworms which may bother
a asnaragus, hops, cabbage and
other tender shoots. Cutworms
are nocturnal in habit-that is,
t thev like to come out and eat
during the night. Therefore any
control must be done with this
IN mind. A poison bait can be
made up consisting of 5 lbs. bran,
u mound arsenic or paris green,
one pint syrup, and three to four
quarts water. These are mixed
thoroughly and spread very thinly
along rows late in the evening.
c,,tworms will be attracted by the
Sweetness and will eat the bait.
For complete information on con-
troll of all kinds of garden pests,
send for a copy of Bulletin Vic
tory Gardens, No. 280.
And then numerous inquiries
have come in asking about the
The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1945-04-05

Fertilizers increase crop yields. That
means moro food and feed for q fight.
ing nation.
Wartime farming has raised con.
sumption Of nitrogen, phosphoric acid
and potash in fertilizers about IS per.
cent above the estimated pre.war aver.
axe, according to the War Food Admin.
istration. Continued high production
needs call for utilization of available
supplies to tho best possible advantage
in 1915.
Spreading fertilizers where they s-e
needed most, with a minimum Of waste,
will aid in raising larger crops from tho
same acreage. Pasture and forage crops,
legmes and grasses, peanuts, sugar
beets, cotton, corn, wheat, potatoes, to.
bacco-these are some that have showed
important increases in acre yield
through the use of fertilizer. Improve.
ment in pastureland has been reflected
in better livestock.
Assistance may be received through
the Agricultural Adjustment Agency
for applying phosphate and potash fer.
tilizers on pastures, and on specified
legumes and grasses.