Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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I THE SUN, NEWBERRY, S. OCTOBER 2, 1942 Washington, D. C. LITTLE BUSINESS CRUSADER Donald Nelson’s “get tough” pol icy gets increasingly unfortunate reverberations. Part of this is be cause Donald, nice as he is, and well liked as he is, just doesn’t seem to have a knack for feeling the pub lic pulse. For instance, he should have known that the most popular man in Washington, as far as little busi ness is concerned, is Guy Holcomb, head of the justice department’s small business bureau. Yet Nelson reached into the justice department and demanded that the attorney general fire Holcomb. The reaction against Nelson has been bad. Nelson had no jurisdiction over the justice department, and it is unusual for one executive to reach into the affairs of an outside office. However, Holcomb has been con sistently critical of WPB’s failure to award war contracts to little busi ness; his cracks got on Nelson’s nerves, and he demanded that the attorney general fire him. So to keep peace in the official family, Hol comb was “permitted to resign.” Actually, Holcomb was a hustling young business man from Atlanta, Ga., who knew nothing about red tape, spurned bureaucracy and went around saying exactly what he thought of people who seemed to be lying down on the job. Result: He made a lot of enemies, but he got an awful lot done for little busi ness. For instance, he discovered that only three companies in the entire United States got all the contracts for putting boilers in merchant ships. • • • ALASKAN ATTACKS The senate military affairs com mittee got some encouraging news when it met behind closed doors to hear the report of a subcommittee which has returned from an inspec tion tour of our Alaskan fortifica tions. For military reasons, the greater part of the report cannot be re vealed. However, this much can be told: The subcommittee, composed of Senators Happy Chandler of Ken tucky, Mon Wallgren of Washington and Rufus Holman of Oregon, was unanimous in declaring that our aerial defenses in Alaska were strong enough to repel any attempt ed Jap invasion. Remarkable progress has been made since Pearl Harbor in estab lishing new land and sea bases in the Alaskan area. The three sena tors also paid high tribute to the morale and skill of U. S. airmen, who are forced to fly in the worst kinds of weather conditions. Though refusing to predict on how soon we can start an all-out air of fensive to drive the Japs from their footholds in the Aleutians, the sub committee reported that one ob stacle which has been holding up such an offensive has now been licked. Hitherto we have been unable to send protective convoys of fighting planes with bombers raiding Jap positions in the Aleutians, because our fighters do not have the flying range for the 1,000-mile round trip from the army base at Umnak is land, nearest outpost to the Japs. However, this problem has been solved by the installation of “belly” gas tanks on fighters. They carry several hundred gallons of fuel and can be dropped after they are emptied. The subcommittee also reported that interference with army and navy radio communications in the Alaskan area, caused by bad weath er and the Aurora Borealis, was be ing largely circumvented by com. pass flying. * • • • UNFOUNDED RUMOR DEPARTMENT The Rumor: One of the Freuhauf brothers in Detroit, who manufac ture trailers, gave his yacht to the navy, but before doing so said he wanted to take it on a farewell cruise. He had no sooner got a few hours offshore, however, when he received a peremptory demand from the navy to return, after which Har ry Hopkins and his new bride took over the yacht and sailed away on their honeymoon. The Truth: Harry Hopkins doesn’t like yachting, gets seasick easily, spent his vacation in Connecticut. Harry Freuhauf, interviewed by this columnist on the telephone, said: “My brothr did turn his yacht over to the navy, but the arrangements were entirely amiable, and Harry Hopkins never was on it at any time or place. We have heard all sorts of rumors about this, but there is absolutely nothing to them.” • * • . POLITICAL ECONOMY Hard-working Representative John H. Folger of North Carolina will go the limit for a constituent, but a recent request from a job-seeker in his district almost got him down. “I have filed an application with the Civil Service commission for a position as an economist. “I am a farmer of many years’ experience and believe I am emi nently qualified for the job I’m after. “I have practiced economy all my life.” COME alert statistician has figured ^ it out that the next two months will see more big football games than any season in history. Even with the call of the bugle there will be a greater number af stars in action, and a greater num ber of headline con tests. But what about the size of the crowds? How will the transportation snarl be settled? This is where the big guess enters. George Preston Marshall, owner of the Washington Redskins, would like to make a wager that his big professional team will outdraw any other squad in the country, college or pro, and that it will equal its best year in this re spect. Whether or not he can outdraw Notre Dame is still part of future happenings. Frank Leahy has one of his finest squads at South Bend, and from the present outlook he will play to capacity in most of his con tests. This will be true against Army, Michigan, Navy, Northwest ern and Southern California. Capac ity won’t be far away against the others, including Stanford, Iowa Naval Cadets and the Great Lakes squad. It would not be surprising to see Notre Dame close to the half mil lion mark. Naval Cadet Teams The Georgia and North Carolina Naval Cadet teams will attract fully as much interest as any college squad, especially if they can get away with fair success. They are still gambles to a certain extent, but they won’t be weak. They are taking the hardest training in any service for future flying, and will be physically ready for even their starting assignments. They are all ably coached, and they all have the heart and the fire to give all their systems can carry. The major cities, such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Bos ton, Philadelphia, San Francisco, etc., will draw big crowds. The smaller bowls or stands that call for automobile transportation will have a rougher road ahead. There also will be less railroad travel on the spectator’s side. Close to the Top Pennsylvania, with a hard nine- game schedule and the outlook for a first-class team, should be close to the leaders in packing them in. Philadelphia is one of the best of all football cities. Michigan is another team facing a big attendance year. The Wol verines won’t be far from the front with such teams to meet as Great Lakes, Michigan State, Iowa Naval Cadets, Northwestern, Minnesota, Illinois, Harvard, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Iowa. This is what you might easily label a package of heavy trouble. It is close to being the hardest schedule in the country. Fritz Crisler has a fine squad with such backs as Tommy Kuzma and Paul White, but no one can expect the Wolverine to claw its way unbeaten through this bar rage of human flesh. Minnesota and Notre Dame alone are twin bun dles of dynamite. There will be no bother about big crowds in the Mid dle West, including Ohio State’s home at Columbus, with so many feature games and so many featured stars. In the East Fritz Crisler Old White House Fence Goes for Scrap The national scrap drive plays no favorites. Photo shows Harold L. Ickes, secretary of the interior, tossing part of a fence that once surround ed the White House into the interior department’s scrap metal collection. The old fence was replaced in 1937 by a newer and higher fence. U. S. Troops at Port Moresby Carrying barracks bags, personal belongings and ammunition, these American soldiers are shown as they arrived at Port Moresby, New Guinea. Since then these troops have likely seen action with Jap jungle troops, headed towards this base. New Guinea natives and Australian soldiers sitting on gas drums inspect the troops as they march past. Morning Chores for U. S. Desert Troops What about the East? New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Baltimore will be beyond the average. New York, with several games transferred to its subway service, will have its best football year. Be tween the colleges and the profes sional Giants the Polo Grounds and the Yankee Stadium will set new records. Even with the transportation odds against them, all other sports have shown an amazing attendance rec ord. This goes for baseball, golf and racing, especially. As football happens to be the best crowd magnet of them all, there is no reason why the fall season just ahead shouldn’t more than keep pace with other forms of competi tion. Although at least a hundred stars have been taken by the various serv ices from the pro camps, there has been no lapse of public interest as the Chicago and Los Angles games have already shown, with close to 200,000 at these two opening salutes. Teams are expecting capacity crowds from Denver to Boston and Baltimore, via New York, and I don’t think they will be disappointed. There may be a dizzy drop later on, but 1942 will set some form of record before the final block is put on and the final pass is thrown on the gridiron. This tank crew, encamped for the night on the desert, is getting things in battle shape as the sun rises. One man keeps a vigilant lookout for the enemy; a second crewman cleans out the 75 mm. gun, and a third works around the treads. American tankists have already given an excel lent account of themselves in tank battles against the Rommel forces. Three Big Names in Coast Guard By any other names, these three smiling members of the U. S. coast guard would be just as efficient, but with the names they’ve got they sound oh, so impressive! They are, left to right, Winston' Churchill of Denver, Charles Evans Hughes of New York, and Henry Edsel Ford of Mt. Sterling, Ky. All are in the C. G. radio school in Atlantic City. Vichy ‘Celebrates’ Marshal Petain, head of Vichy, France, is welcomed by Pierre Laval as he arrives at the Gergovie memorial, near Clermont Ferrand. Here, on the second anniversary of the French Legion, members of the legion brought earth from all parts of the French empire to be sealed in the monument which commemo rates Vercingetorix’s victory over Julius Caesar in 52 B. C. Rubber Czar A streamlined rubber program is expected to develop from the ap pointment of William Jeffers as rub ber administrator. Mr. Jeffers (shown) is president of the Union Pacific R.R. Jap Tns’ and ‘Outs’ Masayuki Tani, president of the board of information, who, accord ing to a Japanese broadcast, was named Japanese foreign minister, replacing Foreign Minister Shingen- ori Togo in the cabinet of Premier Tojo. Tani is shown at top and Togo below. Gets High Post Rear Admiral John H. Towers, chief of the bureau of aeronautics, who has been named “commander of the air force. Pacific fleet,” a new and important post, just created. THE PAPERS OF PRIVATE PURKEY Dear Harriet: I have not heard from you in a couple of weeks now. What is the matter? I know you are in the WAACs but you are so quiet I won der if you are in the guardhouse. I can’t sleep nights from worrying over whether you have talked back, to Oveta Culp Hobby or somebody. Write me at once while my morale can still be saved. I just wrote a piece for Yank, the A.E.F. paper. It is about more of Purkey’s Peace Plans. I have got to think up some new idea. I got a idea for Hitler’s punishment, I would have him sentenced to paper the Great WaU of China using paste witch has been so diluted that it won’t stick. Mussolini we can for get now. He is such a strain on Hitler that maybe we should give him a medal for a assist after the war and just use him for blowing up tires. • • • There is just one thing that will punish Japan enough. That is to confiscate all cameras in the coun try and forbid any importants of them. A Jap never suffers so much as when he is going around with no i camera. • • • Some of these Purkey Peace Plans which I sent to Yank are as follows: 1— A world commission to check up every ten days and see that no body is working on any new plans for a new order anywhere. 2— Nobody on the losing side is to be allowed to write a book, start a secret society or get hold of a gavel. 3— The Peace Commission has got to pass a agreement for immediate action by force the minute anybody in Europe or Asia is found to be working on a new emblem. • • • 4— All use of airplanes for bomb ing has got to be ruled out and in the case of Germany she has got to be stopped from even fooling around with boxkites, gliders and plane models. 5— The first delegate from any na tion to a League of Nations meet ing who gets up and starts using double talk instead of plain language whenever any member starts jump ing on some small nation must be boiled in oil. 6— The United States must keep all its scrap iron at home just in case for the next 50 years and we can sell Japan nothing except waste rags to stuff in the extra slots witch the Japs have put in all army shoes for big toes. 7— Tokyo is to be renamed Mid way Center. 8— Berlin is to be rechristened New Hyde Park. 9— Herman Goering is to be sen tenced to spend his life as a free balloon. 10— I got a great idea about Goeb- bels. The Peace Conditions must make him keep talking. Nothing will sound funnier and do more to make Germany sorry. • • • I got some other things I wood like to see happen as a result of the war. I wish along with all the other freedoms it could free us from pa per napkins, paper towels, musical uuto horns, No Parking signs, James Caesar Petrillo, watered or ange juice, photo finishes, new vita mins, long-winded radio commer cials and girls who don’t write their boy friends twice a week. All my love, Oscar. • * • The Tax Office Speaks We’ve taxed you on your earnings— We’ve taxed you on your time; We’ve taxed you on your taxes— We haven’t left a dime. We’ve taxed you high for living— You’re taxed when you are dead; And now we’re gonna tax you For being in the red! • • • The marines have found that the Japs in the Solomons wear rubber- soled shoes with a separate com partment for the big toe. Vaude ville acrobats to the last. • • • “In two suits for divorce wives in Atlanta, Ga., have complained that their husbands refused to surrender their ration books.”—News item. • • • As someone writes in to re mark, “The big fight in the di vorce courts from now on is go ing to be over the question which gets custody of the sugar, gas and oil coupons.” • • • ALL DONE BY MIRRORS “He was convicted in April, 1941, of evading taxes of half a million dollars and sentenced to three years. Later his tax evasion sen tence was suspended and he was al lowed to plead guilty to a lesser charge and sentenced to a year in prison. He was released yesterday after serving four months and five days.”—N. Y. Times. » • • How about an apology from the government and reimbursement for any loss of time and money? Bombs Fall .Ife on Kobe $ By Gene Casey (WNU Feature—Through special arrangement with Collier’s Weekly) Right now we’re riding in the nose of an army bomber, listening in on the interphone, with the navigator- bombardier, Lieut. Howard Sessler of Arlington, Mass. It’s the morning of April 18, and we’ve just taken off from Shangri- La. The weather’s clear, visibility unlimited. It’s a little windy, though, and the seas, just 50 feet beneath us, are choppy. There’s nothing in sight, and then Lieut. Donald Smith, the pilot, spots something ahead that looks like a submarine surfacing. He calls into the interphone: “We’re entering the danger zone, now. Keep on the alert. Surface vessel on our right- hand side.” Jap Fishermen Wave. “I see it, sir," comes from Sergt. Edward Saylor in the rear gun tur ret. We draw closer and it turns out to be a fishing boat with a square white sail. Then we see a lot of the boats. The Jap fishermen wave up at us with both hands. We can’t tell whether they are afraid, or think we’re friendly planes. Lieut. Griff Williams, the co-pilot, sings out: “Oh-oh! There’s the land.” It’s Fujiyama, and Doc White, the flight surgeon, chips in: “We ought to be seeing some action pretty soon.” We’re flying down along the coast now, towards Nagoya bay, and there looks to be a thousand Jap fishing boats out on the water. Howard Sessler, up in the nose of the ship, finds his trigger finger get ting itchy. He pleads with the pilot: ^‘Here’s a good chance to sink some of these ships. Fly over them and I’ll give them a few bursts.” “Better not.” Smitty’s voice comes cool and calm over the interphone. “They may think we’re friendly air craft if we don’t fire. This is sup posed to be a surprise.” Sergeant Saylor coughs. “Guess I’ll unbutton my collar,” he an nounced. “Getting a little tight.” Sessler sees the first landmark, the brick lighthouse on the point at Nagoya bay. He calls into the in terphone. “There’s the lighthouse, Smitty. Here’s where we turn in.” We Head for Kobe. Smitty climbs to 4,000 feet to get over the mountains and heads due west for Kobe. The weather’s still clear and it’s not bumpy over the mountains. Then everyone sees Kobe. It looks just like it does on the map. Sess ler spots the flames from blast fur naces. “Those are the steel foun dries straight ahead, Smitty,” he says. “That’s where we start our bombing run from.” Smitty’s voice sounds grim over the interphone. “I see it. Give ’em hell!” He dives down to 1,500 feet and levels off. Sessler sings out: ‘.‘Bomb bay doors open!” He lets his first bombs go at the Kiwasaki aircraft factory. They burst and a shower of smaller in cendiary bombs rain down. The plane is doing better than 300 miles an hour as the second train of bombs goes straight at a big machine shop. We can’t see much of what’s hap pening below. We drop some more bombs on the dockyards and still more or. another aircraft factory on the edge of Kobe bay. Doc White is flat on his stomach, looking out the camera door and taking pic tures. “Bombs away!” Sessler sings out. “Doors closed.” The plane picks up a little speed after the bomb bay doors are shut. Time to Be Going. The anti-aircraft opens up. *We can see some bursts too close for comfort, and the tracers going by. “About time to get out of here!” observes Smitty. He dives out over the harbor and we skim along about ten feet above the surface, doing way over 300. Doc White says, “Boy! I got pic tures of everything! Sure hope I get ’em back okay.” We’re just beginning to breathe a little more easily when Smitty catches sight of two Jap pursuit planes practicing dives at a Jap submarine. He calls out to Saylor, “Two pur suit ships on our left. Don’t think they see us. Oh—here they come!” But he eases the throttles forward and in three minutes the planes are out of sight. He eases back on the throttle again, and we’re breezing along. Jap Destroyers Open Up. We spot three Jap destroyers and don’t pay much attention until they face to fire at us. Then Smitty cir cles around out of range and we head back to Shangri-La. “Next time,” comments Howard Sessler, “we’ll do ever more, I hope I”