Side Glances
Washington Merry-Go-Round
EDITORIAL PAGE
Br DREW PEARSON
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schiro, Publisher
SATURDAY EVENING, JUNE 30, 1945
Page Two
Not the Least of Japan's Ninety Thousand Casualties
EVENING OBSERVER'S
PROGRESS PROGRAM
IRRIGATION Complete the Grande
Ronde Valley Irrigation project.
LA GRANDE A city of 10,000
Extend the city limit
TODAY'S TEXT
And go not after other gods to serve
them, and provoke me not to anger with
the works of your hands; and I will do
you no hurt. -Jeremiah 25:6.
THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Anger, which, far sweeter than trick
ling drops of honey, rises in the bosoiti
of a man like smoke. Homer.
Mr. Hoover to the Rescue
We wouldn't go so far out on a limb
as to say that Herbert Hoover is entire
ly responsible. But the suspicion re
mains that the former president, on the
first visit in a dozen years to his one
time residence at 1600 Pennsylvania
avenue, Washington, 1J. C, suggested
what looks like a promising and gener
ally acceptable solution of the current
food problem.
Not only that, but Hoover seems to
have found a patch of common ground
on which the obdurate republican con
gressional food study committee and
the While House can meet.
The republican committee has stump
ed long and loudly for one-man bossing
of the food setup, but without offering
anything so complete as Hoover's re
cent blueprint. After the ex-president
came out with his 12-point proposal,
however, l!ep. Tom Jenkins of Ohio in
troduced his "Hoover Plan" amendment
to the price control act.
This would give the secretary of agri
culture control over food production,
processing, distribution and pricing, and
leave OPA with only the rationing job.
Mr. llooVdr's suggestions applied only to
meats and fats, but otherwise the plans
were the same.
Meanwhile, President Truman an
nounced that plan for a single control
over food and prices was shaping up at
his end of Pennsylvania avenue, adding
that when Secretary of Agriculture
Clinton P. Anderson takes over as food
administrator, the situation will right
itself. He said he hadn't seen Hoover's
statement, but he did add that his re
cent talk with Mr. Hoover on the sub
ject of food had been helpful.
This is pretty encouraging news.
It represented a bipartisan approach to
substantially the same goal which is
the approach that is demanded in at
tempts to solve any problems as import
ant as those pertaining to food, prices
and the danger of inflation.
The OPA started out with two strikes
against it, as did the other wartime
agencies concerned with food. Most of
them had considerable authority in a
limited field. Rut they went their sep
arate ways in handling what was basic
ally the same problem.
It has long been apparent that speed
and availability of transportation in
Texas, the ceiling price on corn in Iowa,
and the operations of the black market
in New York, though handled by separ
ate bureaus, could all add up to no meat.
And whether it is Harry S. Truman,
Herbert O. Hoover, Thomas A. Jenkins
or Joseph W. Doakes who suggests
putting these and other dissimilar dif
ficulties under a single co-ordinator and
administrator of food, it seems a hope
ful and logical solution.
Funny Husinens
r
J. t
o P w
o SO THEY SAY
Any attempt to produce that
number (35,000) of extra physi
cians during the next 15 years
would require the creation of per
haps :!0 new- medical schools and
could only result in a serious
lowering of the standards of med
ical education.
Dr. Wtllard C. Rapplcye. dean
of the College o' Physicians
and Surgeons, Columbia uni
versity. New York City.
The existence of t'ack mar
kets in meats and fats (except
milk! in every city of the coun
try is sufficient evidence of a
breakdown in control of both dis
tribution and price.
Herbert Hoover, former presi
dent of the United States.
"Thui's lhc way ho lays hor eggs ever sir.ee they built the bomb
or miiae noarbyl"
Our government has not been
sufficiently intelligent to recog
nize the danger to the puMie
health that is Inherent In an in
adequate supply of students for
school.; of medicine.
Morns Kishbein, editor,
Journal of the American Med
ical association.
WASHINGTON One untold story of the
late United Nations conference took place
at the very end, In room 233 of the San Fran
cisco veterans' building. (This became
known as the "Madison Square Garden of
International diplomacy" because so many
fights were staged there.)
The last incident started when Cuban am
bassador Gulllermo Belt Ramirez, in a tec
ret session of the steering committee, pro
posed a vote of thanks to Secretary Stettin
lus.' He was seconded by Peruvian foreign
minister Manuel Gallagher. Gallagher had
also been one of Australia's warmest sup
porters in the battle against the "Big Five
veto power." But, much to the surprise of
the small nations, Gallagher offered a "ris
ing vote of confidence" in the Big Five"s
handling of the conference.
Small nation delegates arched their eye
brows, but had to stand up, even though
irked, iri support of the Peruvian gesture.
A second later, sullcnness turned to broad
grins as Gallagher proposed that the steer
ing committee also rise and pay tribute to
Australia's fighting Herbert Evatt as the
"great champion of the smaller nations." The
Irish-ancestored foreign minister of Peru
went on to say that he credited Evatt with
having made puiStantial and progressive
changes in the Dumbarton Oaks plan, and
he asked that everyone rise in tribute.
The entire steering committee stood. Even
Lord Halifax bowed gravely to the fighting
Australian who had given the mother coun
try such a run for its money.
Though overcome with emotion, Evatt
managed to come up with a pungent crack.
"I would like to say a great deal at this
moment," he observed. "But I'm afraid
someone might exercise his power of veto
over me."
Everybody, even including dour-faced So
viet ambassador Gromyko, who proposed the
big power veto over unlimited discussion
in the general assembly, joined in the laugh
ter. Thus ended the last secret session at
San Francisco.
Baseball Fan
Now that the United Nations conference is
over, delegates point out that it was Molotov
who garnered the early publicity, Stettiuius
who get most of the play in the news reels,
but Evatt of Australia wbii did the day-in-day-out
crusading for real democracy in
pi eventing war. It was France which was
hailed in advance as the expected champion
of small nations. But it was Australia which
did the job when France fell lamentably
by the wayside.
Evatt likes ' Americans, has married an
American wife, collects American books,
loves American baseball, seldom goes to bed
without seeing how the Brooklyn Dodgers
and the New York Yankees are batting.
Perhaps the only thing he doesn't like
about the U. S. A. is the state department.
And he took delight during the San Fran
cisco conference in pushing U. S. diplomats
around.
Evait vt. Big Five
Probably the biggest influence in Evatt's
crusading policies at San Francisco was the
loss of his older brother, killed in the last
war. Ever since, Evatt had made it his life
work to try to root out the seeds of war. To
this end, the three campaigns he Waged at
San Francisco were: (1) To limit the veto
power of big nations so they could not wage
war without a United Nations brake; (2) To
permit investigation of disputes without
veto by the Big Five; (3) To permit free and.
unlimited discussion in the United Nations
assembly.
On the first and most important point, that
of preventing one of the Big Five from run
ning amuck, Evatt lost. Any one of the Big
Five can ignore the United Nations if it
chooses. But on the other two, he put
through compromises amounting to imprt
ant victories.
Evatt contended that "Big Five might does
not make right." And it was during a closed
door debate on this question that Evatt had
a sensational brush with Senator Tom Con
hally. The Texas statesman was going
through a rip-snorting oratoriacl routine in
which he heaped scorn on the idea that the
Big Five wanted to dominate the world. The
Texan's bow tie gyrated with his gestures.
His handsome curls ruffled as he shouted.
It was one of Long Tom's best forensic efforts.
WE, THE WOMEN
Br RUTH MILLETT
Welcome home, soldiers. Boy, but it's
wonderful to have you back. And it looks
as though you are bringing chivalry back
with you.
A WAC on a tug yells to a transport
crowded with, oldicrs returning to Boston
from Europe: "Come on over; come and get
it a kiss." And a soldier promptly climbs
down the transport hawser hand over hand,
fights the tide and collects his kiss.
That's the spirit we haven't seen since
you've been gone. Men haven't been fight
ing for kisses inyour absence. They haven't
had to. The girls have been fighting over
the men.
At parties where men are scarce, it hasn't
been a bit unusual to see a bored-looking
middle-aged Lothario surrounded by pretty
girls. And they all try to outcharm one r.n
othcr to capture his attention.
The girls have been doing the telephoning,
arranging the parties, leading the chase.
And the men who have stayed at home have
had so much flattering attention they've
grown bored with it all. A couple of New
York bachelors even protested in an inter
view about the way women were making
fools of themselves over eligible men,, and
moaned about what a terrible time they
were having trying to keep out of women's
clutches.
But you soldiers are coming back. You
haven't seen American girls in a long, long
time. You think they're wonderful. And
you're used to having to fight for what you
want. Used to overcoming all obstacles.
You are in just the right frame of mind to
make American women feel once again that
they are pretty special, that they are worth
fighting for.
It's wonderful to have you back. Now the
bored, weary stay-at-homes who have had to
fight off the girls can retire from the field.
Men ready to jump into the ocean for a
pretty girl's kiss are arriving.
Behind Scenes in Washington
Br PETER EDSON, La Grands ETenlng Observer Washington Correspondent
ASHINGTON The 1700-odd employes of
the department of labor said good-bye to
retiring Secretary Frances Perkins in the
green rooms of the departmental auditor
ium the other afternoon, and though nobody
cried, it was real simpatico. Just to show
you what an event it was, Madam Perkins
did not wear a tricorn hat. Instead she had
on a black sailor number with a broad white
ruching on the brim. She looked real nice
and as one of her associates said, she was
more relaxed than she had been at any time
since she took the job, 12 years, three
months, and 20 some days before.
Only a few of the employes who filed by
to shake Miss Perkins' hand and hear her
say good-bye and thank you had been in
the department that long, but they all threw
her this farewell party. They took up a col
lection and got $375 or nearly two bits per
employee with which to buy her a going
away present.
There was quite an argument about what
to give Miss Perkins as a going-away pres
ent. The men were all for giving her pearls.
But the women said she had pearls wore
them all the time. The men probably never
noticed that but she did have on a double
strand at the going-away party.
The committee finally decided to have the
question put up to Madame Perkins herself.
This delicate mission was entrusted to Miss
J., which is all anybody ever calls the sec
retary's administrative assistant, red-headed
Frances Jurkowitz. At first Miss Perkins
said she didn't want anything but when Miss
J. told her the money was all collected and
she had to pick something. Miss Perkins said
what she would really like was an air con
ditioning unit for her apartment.
Well, the committee went to work on that
and though they moved heaven and earth,
they couldn't move WPB the old meanies
to give with a priority on an air condi
tioner for Miss Perkins' going-away present.
So if some manufacturer of air conditioners
or sonic labor union that makes them reads
this, why they ought to be ashamed of them
selves and see to it that Miss Perkins gets
her last wish, WPB priority or no WPB pri
ority. Maybe somebody should take up an
other collection.
Anyway, when the committee found they
couldn't get an air conditioner for Miss Per
kins' going-away present, they went back
to Miss J. and Miss J. went back to Miss P.
to see what did she want next.
Then Miss Perkins came up with the idea
that she hadn't had any new luggage since
she came to Washington 12 years ago, or
she might be needing a new typewriter be
cause the government wouldn't be furnish
ing her with a free typewriter after June 30.
She probably never thought she would get
both, but that's how much the employees of
the department of labor think of their Miss
Perkins. They not only got her one hand
bag, which is par in going-away presents,
they got her three, big, little, and medium
sized. They're brown airplane luggage and
maybe a little on the gay side, more suit
able for a bride than a rctiriing secretary of
labor, but perfectly good enough for any gal
to pack a spare tricorn hat in, when gomg
awoy. It took a good bit of wire pulling to get
the priority for even the new typewriter,
but the department of labor employees nev
er give up on any project, once they start,
except maybe the first time. So there was
a typewriter on exhibit at Miss Perkins' going-away
party, along with the three-piece
matched luggage set this is the best part
yet a $50 war bond which the committee
had enough money left over to buy. Lucky
Miss Perkins got that too.
On close inspection, the typewriter looked
pretty well beat up and second-handed, but
there was a sign on the roller which read:
"This is not a new machine but it was
loaned for the presentation ceremonies. A
new standard typewriter was shipped from
the factory on June 25 by express to replace
this one on arrival."
Well, the party was all streamlined. De
partments came en mas and on schedule
from offices scattered all over town. They
lined tip to shake Miss Perkins' hand for the
last and maybe the first time, then they
stayed in line to get a little paper plate on
which was a paper cup of unspiked orange
punch, two cookies, a p.iper thimble of fail
ed nuts and a paper napkin, all free, cowr
ie y welfare and tccnjltoii association.
cent. 184 tinmnilvitrWKT. m. me. v. s. wt. orr. 7-2
"Oh, my mother's picturel I think you fell off that ladder on
purposel"
O McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
Br WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
WHEN IN DOUBT
BID NO TRUMP!
Recently I wrote a series of
articles on some of the old-timers
of whist and bridge, and I re
ceived numerous letters asking
me why I did not include certain
other old-timers. Well, of course,
I could not get them all in the
series, but the letters brought
back some pleasant memories.
My old friend, Carl T. Robert
son, Cleveland, O., did not take
kindly to contract. However,
Questions & Answers
Q Has Brazil, who recently
declared war on Japan, a Japa
nese problem?
A About 300,000 Japs live in
Brazil, two-thirds of them in Sao
Paulo, the same district contain
ing Germans.
when he did accept it, he had no
patience with approach bids. Ho
bid no trump at every opportun
ity. Here is a typical Carl Rob
ertson hand.
The opening lead was won with
the ace of diamonds and a dia
mond returned, which Carl won.
He now played a spade, and
Q What is the horsepower of
the engine of the new navy
scouting plane, S. C. Seahawk?
A Over 1200 h. p. more than
that of 25 automobiles. .
4k A to 4
V 7 6 5
A 9 8 5 4
65
N Robertson
AKJ32 VV E AQ987
VKJ82 e VA4
too 4 3 I Dealer f g ?
ASS
VC1.10 9 3
7 6 3 2
AK7
South West North East .
Pass Pass Pass 1 N. T
Pass 2 Pass 2 N T
Pass 3 V Pass 3 N T
- 2 2
Opening-
Q In what country is the aur
a unit of currency?
A Iceland.
Q How have railroad freight
and passenger loads of the past
year compared with those of
World War I?
A American railroads han
dled 737 billion ton-miles of
freight and 95 billion miles of
passenger service during 1944,
compared with 405 billions in
freight and 42 billions in passen
gers during 1918.
Q Docs the membership of
the newly elected Canadian
house of commons include any
women?
A Yes, one. She is Mrs. Gladys
Strum, 38, farm wife of Sas
katchewan, a CCF party member.
North won with the ace. Back
came the diamond, and Carl now
cashed his three good spades and,
when South let go a heart, he
brought in four hearts which
gave him his contract.
O IN FORMER
YEARS
30 Years Ago
Huge salmon of the Chinook
and Blueback type, were running
in Catherine creek. R. E. Clan
ton, master of the state fish
hatcheries, inspected Catherine
creek and advised the fishermen
as to the limits, two a day. '
Rev. H. E. Gibson, who for sev- ,
oral years was a Baptist minis
ter in La Grande and who built
the Baptist church here, was a,
visitor in the city.
Q Are China and India linked
by telephone?
A The first such telephone
line was put in service recently
between Kunming, China, and
Calcutta, India, an approximate
distance of 1750 miles.
Q How many men have been
trained for American merchant
marine service since the begin
ning of the world emergency?
A The war shipping adminis
tration says 160.000 officers and
seamen have been recruited and
trained since 1938.
15 Years Ago
Miss Verle Ramm returned
from a visit in Portland.
Miss Helen Newlin and Miss
Iris Hughes drove to Portland to
spend a few days visiting friends.
10 Years Ago
Mrs. Dan Carbine and her
daughter, Evelyn, and niece,
Vclda Carbine, went to Portland
for a brief visit with relatives.
Half an inch of rainfall which
hit the La Grande area, and
amounts near the total over the
valley brought additional cheer
to spring grain growers.
This Curious World
a TWENTY KINDS OF WtTt
I OF THE EARTH jK 1 3
., ,L.
CO PH. IMS B1 KEA SERVICE. Hi.
WfNE CUT OF TEN AAERlC4N
BABIES MOW ARE BORN TO
AATTVt! PAX&vrs, WHILE
ONLY 25 YEARS A&O MORE
THAN HALF OF THEM HAD
AT LEAST OA FOREIfeN-
BORN PARENT.
11
FLE4S ARE EASY TO ET, YET
HA?D TO CATCH, "Seyx
MARY ELLSiM DOWNED
S3 FraTCicOj CdJbrwS.
1 I
NEXT: Africa's slow-growing population.
Tptrrstre
2 Hurry
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