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EDITORIAL PAGE
La Grande Evening Observer
Frank Schiro, PubHeher
FRIDAY EVENING, JULY 6, 1945
It Will All Depend on
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 .
But avoid foolish questions, and gene
alogies, and contentions, and strivings
about the law; for they are unprofit
able and vain. Titus 8:9.
9
So You Want a New Car!
Unpleasant reading for innumerable
Americans doubtless was the recent
Ktalemcnt of Col. J. Monroe Johnson,
director of the office of defense trans
portation, that it will be at least three
years before millions of persons are able
to buy new automobiles.
Disliking the role of wet blanket, it
would be pleasant to express the opin
ion that Colonel Johnson has leaned
toward the pessimistic side, so as to
avoid the disappointments, and the cri
ticisms, that would result from a more
optimistic prediction unfulfilled.
Unfortunately, anyone who examines
facts and records won't be inclined to
accuse the ODT chief of pessimism, On
the contrary, his views smack of optim
ism. It will be a production miracle
indeed, even for American industry, if
all who want new automobiles are able
to obtain them within the next throo
years. We won't go so far ns to say it
is a miracle impossible of achievement,
liut it doesn't seem likely, and let's ex
amine some of the reasons why:
Motor vehicle registrations in the
Funny Business
PLEA
HOLOM50R
OWM
ten. IMI It Ml IHVIC1. 1HC
' U Jr just WHAT rve, 1 vo
k ONLY ,4$ 600P AS ' JT'
Ihb MAN n ThE PEiVeR's Seat ': '''T"'
I St iV "
"I wdi collecting for the paper lelrejel"
Page Two
the Human Element
United States in 194 1 totaled 32,557,
954. Replacements since then have been
negligible. Most cars of 1941 and prior
year vintage could well be replaced now.
Nearly all will be ready for the scrap
heap three years hence.
Thus, if they could be produced, it is
entirely possible that the market could
absorb within the next three years as
many automobiles as were registered
in 1941. That would call for more than
32,000,000 motor vehicles, with no al
lowance for several million non-ownera
of four years ago who expect to ride
when cars are available again.
What would seem to be the reason
able probabilities that the motor car
industry might be able to reconvert and
theil produce for such a market?
Let's consider past production rec
ords. During 1941, American motor
vehicle production reached the all-time
record total of 4,838,561 units includ
ing 3,744,300 passenger cars and 1,094,
261 trucks. Production during EIGHT
years, 1931-41, inclusive, approximated
only 31,200,000 units.
Clearly, if the automobile Industry
can, within three years, reconvert and
produce for such a prospective market,
it will represent an unparalleled recoi'd
of peace"-time production.
True, it might be done. American in
dustry might do anything. But com
mon sense would seem to emphasize
further the wisdom of the advice: If
you are so fortunate as to possess an
automobile, you had better take care
of it. If you ever find yourself afoot,
you are liable to be traveling shanks'
mare for a long time to come.
o SO THEY SAY
We think they (Russians) play
the game like wo. do right out
on the table.
Gen. Jacob L. Di'vcrs, com
mander Sixth army group.
police assa
The Germans are conquered
people, and have no right to de
mand anything.
Col. Charles Keegan, military
governor of Bavaria.
Because of ls very immensity
1 was convinced in 1(140 that Ger
many's victory was definitive, so
I became a collaborator.
George Claude, 75, on trial in
Paris on chargv of intelligvncc
with enemy.
If a murder were to be commit
ted in the area (southern shore
of Potomac between Virginia and
District of Columbia) lomwunv,
there would be grave doubt that
the guilty person would even be
brought to trial because of the
uncertainty over jurisdiction.
Hep. Howard W. Smith, Vil?
ginia.
T H H t tAl Ml
Washington Merry-Go-Rqund
By DREW PEARSON
WASHINGTON A significant off-the-record
meeting took place between Secretary
of War Stimson, one-time republican candi
date for governor of New York, and demo
crat Gov. Herbert Lehman, five times gov--ernor
of New York, now head of UNRRA.
Lehman has been greatly troubled about
the danger of acute starvation in Europe
next winter, and fears the United States will
get the blame. Actually, there is food in
Europe; but it is unevenly distributed. Mean
while, European railroads are overburdened.
Lehman, therefore, went to see Stimson to
point out th' U. S. army has 800,000 trucks
in Europe, and he wanted to borrow 50,000
of them for food distribution.
Stimson listened briefly, but turned the
subject to the political situation in Europe.
He seemed much more interested in whether
Europ can keep the peace, apparently for
getting pepple with full stomachs are more
peaceful than those half-starved. Lehman
got no definite answer, and still has been
unable to get an answer from Stimson's gen
erals. They keep saying they need trucks
for "deployment."
Brass Hats in Hot Water
The samp subject, plus other important
matters, was debated in a secret session of
the Mead ;; qpmmlttee last week. Present
were representatives of UNRRA, the state
department; war department, foreign eco
nomic administration, treasury and mari
time commission. All' got in hot water dur
ing the three-hour closed-door meeting ex
cept the maritime commission and UNRRA.
Gen. Brehon Somervell, who showed up with
a' small army of 60 aides, took the worst
thumping.
Somervell admitted under questioning the.
army has at least 90,000 surplus trucks in
Europe. New York's hard-working Senator
Mead then asked Governor Lehman if he
had been able to pick up any.
"Do you want any of these trucks?" said
Mead.
"Do we want them?" replied Lehman.
"The trouble is we can't get them. We can't
seem to get them released. I've got a tele
gram from Yugoslavia here telling that one
hungry Yugoslav city, Sarajevo, has only
three trucks to feed thousands of people.
Why, some towns are starving, while they're
burning the food just a few miles away in
WE, THE WOMEN
By RUTH MILLETT
"Peaches' 'are being fed to hogs because
there isn't enough sugar for. canning," an
OPA employee told women of one southern
, city in .an effort to persuade 3Bose!TwJio" had
received their canning certificates early to
return all certificates over 10 pounds per
person, the prevailing rate.
That statement was enough to make con
scientious .women who had been issued 15
or 20 pounds per person rush down and turn
in the difference between what they had
been given ,and the 10 pounds per person to
which the' calming sugar ration had been cut.
And then.: the OPA district director flatly
denied the story. Said he: "There is enough
home-canning sugar in the county to can all
available fruits and vegetables. There is no
record or evidence of a single complaint and
I seriously doubt that anyone in the county
has fed oftcj peach to hogs. It is extremely
difficult in this organization to prevent ir
responsible: statements as was made about
the peaches being fed to hogs."
Behind Scenes in Washington
By PETER EDSON, La Grind Evening Observer Washington Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 6 The director of
the office of war mobilization and reconver
sion, which is an awful long title to hang
on even Fred M. Vinson, sent the third quar
terly roportjbf his outfit up to congress June "
30, as the law tells htm to. It was a handy
little pocket size pamphlet, 72 pages in big
type with a gray cover, printed in bright
red ink. The thing had a snappy title on it,
too. "The Road to Tokyo' and Beyond." If
you get the idea this "beyond" is subversive
and means Manchuria, Mongolia and Mos
cow, you're wrong. It means the great be
yond beyond VJ day.
To make it still more understandable there
are 17 charts which look like kindergarten
art projects of hills and valleys before they
get the tree, cow and the barn put in, and
one of the charts has an impressionistic title
on it, "Elbow Room for Reconversion." Isn't
that cute?
In spite of all this effort to make "The
Road to Tokyo and Beyond" good, hot
weather reading, it's pretty much on the
heavy side. As a duty, however, this report
rates a once over to see where Joe Doakcs
gets off in this Great Beyond after Tokyo.
The picture ooks something like this:
If Joe Dtiakes and this goes for Jane
Doakes, toc-has been working in a war
plant and p:ts laid off, the chances are good
he'll be a.UJij to get a job in another war
plant or iti it laundry or restaurant, or work
ing on the.uilroad.
Come Christmas, there will be ten big
war production renters where there may be
considerable unemployment. Bu' there will
still be SSKaavas, instead of the 63 areas as
of today, where there will be more work
than workers.
Wage rpte for changed jobs in plants con
verted from war production to civilian goods
production 'will have to be determined by
collective bargaining, subject to war labor
board approval to make sure the policy of
economic stabilization or wage freezing is
nt "rwLAiiy changes made by WLB will
net ue"nW8c ulrbaclive. Over the long
the same country because they can't move.
A year from now the army will be begging
us to take trucks. Then 'we won't need
them. We want them now."
Several senators quizzed Somervell as to
why UNRRA hadn't received the trucks yet.
All the general could reply was, "The war '
department's working oh it."
After more discussion, Lehman, whose an- '
ger was rising, stood up from the back of
the room, lobked straight at Somervell, and
said: .
"There's all that surplus army stuff, espe
cially in Italy. Why can't we get it?"
' Somervell hesitated. "We want to co
operate," he said lamely," "and we're going '
to." . , .
. German Equipment for Chinese?
Ohio's Bob Taft then took over the ques
tioning. ., "General, . you're planning to arm thou
sands of Chinese troops. They've been train
ed by German officers. Why don't we use
captured German equipment to arm them?
You must have a lot of it by now."
, "I felt the same way about it at first, sen
ator," Somervell replied. "But It would only
ball up our transport and create a lot of
time-wasting headaches if we tried to send
all that German stuff to China. In the long
run it will be cheaper and faster to send
new supplies from here. Besides' we'd have
to retrain those Chinese who've already
been taught to use our equipment, and teach
them to use German weapons."
Taft then moved in on Admiral Land of
the maritime commission, asked him how
the Russians were able to transport war ma
teriel on American Liberty ships flying the
Soviet flag without being attacked by Jap
subs and aircraft.
"Senator," he replied, "I'll be damned if
I'm going to let the Japs find out the inside
story on that one."
Several senators then asked why our G. I.
Joes were taking such a beating in France
because of the unfavorable exchange rate.
"Since when does the G. I. have to carry
the burden of inflation in France?" asked
Senator Ferguson, R., Mich.
"They don't have to spend their money
in France, you know," replied one of Som
ervell's aides. "They can ship it home."
See WASHINGTON . . . Page 4
The official who had the courage to deny
a story that was working on women's con
v sciences because he felt it wasn't true, ought
ji Jo'-fet toe.ro.Jo American womerfc; '"',
For women have had to put up with all
kinds of inconveniences in wartime, and
they have been pretty good sports about it.
Cheerfully, they have stood in line to buy
food. They have made the best of shortages
that have worked real hardships on their
families, like the current meat shortage.
They have taken on new homemaker jobs
lik gardning, canning, etc.
But just because they have been good
sports, they shouldn't be imposed .upon as
they often are. And certainly their sympa
thies shouldn't be played on by the use of
untrue stories just to whip them into line.
They have a right to know whethor there
is any real need for their sacrifices. And it
is time they quit being docile and Jooked
into every demand that they sacrifice and
do without to see if there is any real reason
for it.
haul, some general increase in wage rates is
indicatd to make up for shorter work weeks,
but Judge Vinson won't say now how much i
or when.
Unemployment compensation job insur
ance rates are not considered high enough
for long enough, but congress will have to
change the law before anything is done
about that.
Re-employment rights for veterans are
still cloudy and also need some additional
legislation.
If they can get the camel through the eye
of the bottleneck or something, within the
next six months the first autds, washing
machines and refrigerators will again ap
pear in the stores, but not enough to last
long.
OPA will fix prices on whatever there is
to sell and determine who gets to buy it. In
general ,prices will be close to 1942 levels.
OPA will remove price ceilings only when
there arc surpluses of supply over demand
on the market rationing will be continued
on the same basis. -
No more gasoline in sight. There will be
20 percent less coal than last winter. The
railroads will be in a tough fix for at least
another year.
Textiles cloth and clothing the Doakses
too will continue short and so will shoes.
Ditto for meats, sugar, fats and oils. Ev
erybody ate too much in 1944 and will suf
fer for it in 1S45, because food production
will be down for the first time since the
start of the war. There should be more
milk, fish and some vegetables; wheat is
about the same.
No relief on the housing shortage in sigh'..
No tax reductions 'till after Japan is defeat
ed, if then.
The pressures to up prices and up wages
are terrific, but the controls will be kept on,
even after VJ day so as to try to smooth the
Shift fiOrti war to peac) without deflation,
which comes when there isn't enough spend
ing, or inflation which comes when there
is too much.
Side Glances. ..:.. . IkI ..
Kit
"Can I walk around with him, ma'am? I've got a baby at home
I've never seen, and I'd like to practice up so I won't drop himl"
O McKENNEY ON BRIDGE
By WM. E. McKENNEY, America's Card Authority
hearts, and when the hand went
down East said: "Couldn't you
bid four hearts and take the
strain off me?" Of 'cburse, in a
few minutes, East wanted to bet
five to one that he was a-ight, but
he was absolutely wiring he al
most has a free bid 9 j two hearts. '
O IN FORMER
YEARS
10 Years Ago
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hazer left
this morning for Portland where
they will remain until the first
of the week. They will sail Tues
day on the Dorothy Alexander
for San Francisco. They plan to
be gone a week or 10 days.
Miss Vera Case, of hear Alicel,
accompanied by Miss Cecil Small
of Weston and Miss Doris Lieu
alien of Adams, left by automo
bile for Philadelphia, where they
will attend the National Christian
Endeaver convention. They also
plan to visit New York City and
to return by the northern route
in "about five weeks. 1.
THREE OR 4 HEARTS
THATS THE QUESTION
"Get yourself a partner and
I'll play you for all you have, or
I'll bet you five to one you are
wrong." Wherever bridge play
ers assemble you will hear one of
the above remarks before long
and, of course, that is where I
rush, because I know there is a
good bridge hand in the argu
ment. I have only given you the
East and West hands today, but
before you check the bidding, I
m
, s;
A A 7 3 ' ! N I 8
VAKQJ W E 842
6 e AQB5
109 3 10986
A4 I Pealer I 2
Rubber E.-W vul.
South West North East
1 A Double 2 V Pass
2 2N T Pass ..3 ,
Pass Pas Pass-Pass
15 Years Ago .
Miss Dorothy Eberhard has re-
turned home from Seabeck, -where
she attended the Y. W. C.
A. conference, and from Aber
deen and Seattle where she has
been visiting friends.'
Miss Mabel Doty has1 returned
home from Los Angeles where
she attended the meeting of the
American Library association.
More than 2,000 librarians from
all of the states were in attend
ance, r
E. D. Towler, principal of La
Grande high school, and Mrs.
Towler are taking a month's va
cation in Portland, Eugene and
other west coast points...
would like to have you cover up
the East hand. Let's just look at
the West hand.
South had opened the bidding
with a spade, and I think you
will agree that the double by
West is the best declaration. Most
of the-xperts agree on that. Of
course, that two heart bid by
North was certainly a surprise
to West. When South bid two
spades, what should West do?
He can't bid three hearts because
he is vulnerable and may go for
the works. Once again most of
the experts agreed that the two
no trump bid was good. The
question is: What should West
do after East's three club bid? I
am frank to tell you that most of
the good players say that West
should pass. He has done enough;
he has doubled and then bid two
no trump. However, you will
notice that West has bid three
, Questions & A nswers
Q What prize fight drew the
largest gate?
A The Dempscy-Tunncy fight
in 1927 in' Chicago $2,650,000.
30 Years Ago
W. B. Sargent of La Grande
has returned from a business trip
to Portland. j.-.
Charles Playlo and son of Ali
cel were La Grande visitors to
day. t
Rain today of short duration,
but slow and soaking, delayed for
a few days the crisis in ithe wheat
situation. The storrrt was gen
eral over the state and did much
good, though not enough to en
tirely remove danger of drought.
This Curious World
Only about 25 per cbut
OP A PBLLBO TRtE
BECOA1B6 USA3LE LUMBER.
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I tlS AA WRENCH IS (
V Jul lY S 1 M WILL THE NSXT TOTAL V
KLIWS OF THB SUN OCCUR
L?7mPW. IWBfflft KWYICtW.
ANSWER; Monday. July 9. Patii of totality starts in Idaho and
extends northeast through Canada, to Europe and Asia. Outfjide
this path, if will be seen as a partial eclipse. ... v -.
- . NEXT: Mushrooma and garlic.