SOUTHERN OREGON MINER
Page 2
Friendly Visitors From Nippon
GENERAL
Friday, Feb. 28, 1941
Against No. 1776
HUGH S.
JOHNSON
Jour:
U. 8. FIRMS PAY AXIS POWERS
WASHINGTON.—While the senate
la preparing to enact the lend-lease
bill committing this country to vast
outlays for Great Britain, certain
American Arms are paying out hun
dreds of dollars monthly to Ger
many and Italy, which funds are
being used to fight both the United
States and Britain.
This secret Axis aid is being de
livered in the form of royalty pay
ments on industrial formulas, trade
marks, copyrights and patents. The
money is paid in dollars and is de
posited to German and Italian ac
counts in New York banks.
The justice department, which has
conducted a secret investigation,
has uncovered these interesting
facts
1. That the royalty payments are
now running around $500.000 a
month, of which Germany gets at
least 80 per cent.
2. That a considerable portion of
the money was used by Germany
last year to buy U. S goods for de
livery to Latin American buyers, to
make good on contracts that Ger
many confidently had signed after
the fall of France but was unable
to fill, because of the unshaken Brit
ish blockade.
3. That Nazi and Fascist agents
have drawn on the funds to finance
racial and anti-defense propaganda
in this country; also anti-American
propaganda in South America.
4. That while U. S firms fork
over their tribute in dollars, such
royalties as Germany and Italy pay
are in the form of blocked marks and
export lira; that is. money that can
be spent only in Germany or Italy.
Actually, the money levy is a sec
ondary consideration. What really
worries the authorities is how much
vital military production information
these royalty agreements betray to
the Axis.
Since most royalties on patents are
paid according to the number of
units sold, it should be a simple
matter for the Axis to obtain de
tailed figures on types and rate of
flow of important materials to
the U. S. army and navy and to
Britain. Last year the justice de
partment cracked down on Bausch
and Lomb when it discovered that
under a secret royalty agreement
the firm supplied the German licen
sor with a detailed accounting of
certain instruments delivered to the
navy
• • •
H;.Phillips-
»MV
Washington. D. C.
'HUNCH' ON LEASE-LEND
Tins is little more than a hunch
story but it is a hunch based on a
good many circumstances all facing
in the same direction—the admin
istration's willingness to compro
mise on amendments on the lease-
lend bill that do not conflict with it
and its adamantine opposition to any
amendments that do, the nature of
the military and naval problem in
its present phase, the opinions of
some naval officers, the apparent de
termination of Mr. Roosevelt to de
fend the British empire wherever it
is threatened.
The hunch is that very shortly aft
er that bill is passed, we shall see
one of the most startling switches of
American and British naval equip
ment ever yet rumored or imagined.
What is most needed to keep ocean
lanes of supply open to beleaguered
Britain and oppose the German air
and submarine blockade are destroy
ers. crui ers and other light swift
warcraft. What is most needed if
we are to challenge Japanese sea
power in the west Pacific is battle
ships.
These latter take a long time to
build and we are not too comfortably
equipped in this category as com
pared with Japan, especially con
sidering distance, lack of bases and
tricky defensive naval terrain of
the Japanese Archipelago.
Trading some of our lighter craft
for just one British battleship would
not be a very thrifty thing to do.
It would be hard to fit it into a
squadron otherwise composed of
battleships of American design, cal
iber of guns, fire-control and so
forth. But getting a whole squadron
of British battle wagons could be a
much more effective addition to our
naval strength if our purpose is to
fight the Japanese navy.
We are turning out some honeys of
destroyers and doing it ahead of
time. The conversion and moderni
zation of our old destroyers is mov
ing very rapidly in our own and Brit
ish shipyards. The British are not
experiencing the difficulty In man
ning our light craft that we might
have in manning theirs. But even
with our difficulties, this whole idea
of wholesale shifts is not so
screwy, assuming always that we
have decided to gamble our posi
tion in the Atlantic on the British
manning American ships and our go- I
ing to tackle Japan in the Pacific I
with Americans manning British I
ships.
WILI.KIE RATES CHURCHILL
What we are possibly facing here
OVER F. D.
is a British-American pool of the
In
Wendell Willkie went all-out tor fighting ships of both navies.
the President’s lend-lease bill, but the lease-lend bill as it now stands in
personally he doesn’t like Mr. ' the senate, there is no financial or
Roosevelt any better than before. ¡ other limit whatever on the Presi
Willkie made this clear to friends dent’s power to make these shifts,
following his conference at the even to the whole of our navy.
White House.
LABOR AND MANAGEMENT
Winston Churchill, he indicated,
On more than one occasion dur
had it all over Roosevelt in ability
afld personality, was "much simpler ing the World war when suggestions
were made to the late great Samuel
and more direct in manner."
"There isn't anyone in America Gompers, that labor should have a
quite like Churchill,” Willkie said. voice in industrial management, he
"He was the most congenial com always shook his head—just as he
panion I’ve met in a very long time. always shook his head at suggestions
He has a gay buoyancy that is in of labor's greater participation in
partisan politics.
comparable.”
His reasoning was clear and may
Willkie also told bis friends that
be
fairly paraphrased thus: "If la
he had absolutely no intention of
bor is a party in management it par
taking a job under Roosevelt
takes in one of the great responsibil
“The President hasn’t offered me
ities of management, namely prof
anything." he said, “and I hope he
its. It is the business of labor or
doesn’t because I’ll turn it down.
ganizations to see that workers get
One thing I don’t want is an ap
a fair day’s pay for a fair day's
pointive office. If war should come
work. In hard times capital gets
I will enlist in the arm?d forces,
no wages. It can afford this for
but I’m not taking a government
long periods of time. Labor can
job."
not. We want neither that responsi
Willkie is still undecided what he
bility nor that sacrifice."
will do, but is leaning toward a re
As to close political affiliation, the
turn to law. He has been offered a
argument was that parties must
number of lucrative positions, one
compromise on a vast assortment of
carrying a salary of $120.000 a year.
issues which are not the direct con
• * •
cern of organized labor. That con
NEW FARM BOARD
cern is always to champion the cause
After many years of supporting of workers. It must work political
the New Deal farm program, the ly but it must do so in the manner
powerful Farm Bureau federation that serves it best. It is not served
wants to set up a new government best by entangling its fate with any
farm agency which it would largely political faith where often the de
dominate.
mand on it may be "everything for
In backstage congressional con the good of the party” .when at
versations, the farm leaders have times that “everything” may be all
proposed that the AAA, the soil con to the disadvantage of labor.
servation service and the farm se
That always seemed to me a very
curity administration be taken away sound philosophy for a labor leader.
from the department of agriculture
It all seems now to be in the ash
and be made a completely sepa can. In the defense set-up, organ
rate agency. Then they want a five- ized labor, at least insofar as it is
man board to run these important represented by Sidney Hillman, de
bureaus.
manded and got an authority over
Naturally, they expect to have a
industry in control of war produc
goodly representation of members
tion (which is all production) on a
on that board.
par with industrial management at
So far, Vice President Henry Wal least insofar as it is represented
lace and Secretary of Agriculture by Mr. Knudsen. Neither of these
Wickard are vigorously opposed. So good men is completely representa
also is the President.
tive of his group, but this strange
Note—Herbert Hoover established du-umvirate control was certainly
■ famous farm board to buy wheat. intended to signify at least partial
labor management of industry.
It was a mess.
• • •
• • •
MERRY-GO-ROUND
As Mr. Frank Kent has pointed
Elder Statesman ex-Senator King out, there are many signs in this di
of Utah is being promoted by friends rection and almost none in any con
to become a commissioner of the trary direction. Mr. Phillip Mur
ray, head of C. I. O., has proposed
District of Columbia.
Although hampered by having its a plan, whereby the sadly lacking
offices scattered in six widely sepa organization of all-out American in
rated buildings, the immigration bu dustrial mobilization shall be sup
reau is mailing out 95,000 receipts plied by topside committee control
■ day to registered aliens.
Pennsylvania Republican chiefs of whole industries—committees in
will not have to ask Sen. (“Puddler which labor and management shall
Jim") Davis twice to be their candi be equally represented in more or
date for governor next year. He is less dictatorial administration of
each regimented industry.
panting for the chance.
THE PAPERS OF PRIVATE
PURKEY
Dear Mom:
I did not write you before because
there is more work to be done in
an army than I
thought, so this is
just to say I am
well except for a
little I flu. some
trouble i with my
arches and the
fact I can't get
used to not being
able to say "Okay, later." when I
am told to du something.
Training has started and I guess
I am being trained tp be a letter
carrier from all the walking they
make me do in all kinds of weather.
A modern rifle arrived in camp to
day and attracted wide attention.
We expect to have several in time
if there is no strike trouble.
Only the top of my uniform was
ready when I got here but the bot
tom has arrived now. I am well and
hope you are the same. Do not
worry about me. mom. as I have
to go to bed early and am too busy
saluting to get into trouble, although
if being in the army ain't being in
trouble I don't know what Is.
Love,
Oscar.
• • •
Dear Mom:
I thought I would drop you a few
lines to let you know I have not
seen no fighting yet. I heard funny
noises last night and was very nerv
ous. but everything was okay this
morning so I guess it was all imag
inary.
They do not get you up by bugle
no more in the army. They use an
electric buzzer. 1
kept getting up
and looking for a
front door on my
tern because I
thought it was
the milkman or
somebody. Where
I made my mis
take was going back to bed when I
found no milkman, and just yelling
“nuts" to the buzzer the rest of the
morning.
The guardhouse is not a bad place
and I will be out in a few days.
Love.
Oscar.
• • •
Dear Mom:
I am out of the guardhouse which
I mentioned in my last letter but
I still don't like buzzers. If the bu
gle was good enough for Grant. Lee.
Sherman, Teddy Roosevelt, and Per
shing, it is good enough for me. I
was talking this over with a buddy
and he says he thinks the buzzer is
being used just to make the army
mad. An army is no gixxi unless it
is mad, he says. Well the buzzer
will do it. A bugle would make me
mad at 5 a. m. too, mom, but it
is sort of romantic. It kind of stirs
you up and makes you feel like you
was a fighter. A buzzer just makes
you feel like you was a stenogra-
pher.
We have a couple of millionaires
in my company. One of 'em is a
Rockefeller. It is a funny thing how
no matter whether you are rich or
poor your feet hurt just the same.
The photographers are always tak
ing pictures of these rich guys but
none of me but you know how I
look anyhow so do not worry,
lam well except for that buzzer.
I can’t help hollering "Come in”
whenever I hear it.
Could you send me some warm
socks, a homemade cake and some
dice?
Love,
Oscar.
Dear Mom:
Well, just a line to let you know
everything is still okay at the ar-
senal of democracy as it is called
in the newspapers. I am getting
along well, except the coffee is lousy
and the cream is plain sabotage.
Another modern rifle arrived today,
so I guess things are speeding up
in the defense program.
I nearly got in the guardhouse
again. I asked the captain for a
typewriter so I
could write my
letters that way
and he said why
should I think I
rated a typewrit
er, I said, "Well,
this is a machine
war, ain’t it?” He
got very sore.
Never mind I the dice I asked you
to send me. The camp is now full
of ’em.
Dice are the one thing
which ain't behind schedule.
Love,
Oscar.
• • •
This friendly visit of a Japanese military delegation to lhe llricb-
chanccllery in Berlin to see Hitler may be symbolic of co-operative
implications far beyond mere casualncsa, as Japan regarded the landing
of Australian troops In Singapore as a "belligerent action." Standing be
side Hitler is General Yamasnlta of Japan.
Hen. Robert Reynolds (D.) of
North Carolina, telling the »mate
that Bill No. 1770 "may lead us di
rectly toward a declaration of war."
Reynolds became the first southern
senator to oppose the bill.
Patriot!
When It Rains in California—
Heavy downpour takes severe toll in property damage throughout
southern California, causing landslides, washouts and floods. Topanga
river becomes a raging torrent. This picture, taken In Topanga canyon,
shows a home as it crumpled into the rampant waters. Rescue workers
are attempting la, save a marooned family-
Jean Greaux, ¡2, native of the Vir
gin Islands, spent his savings to
make a 4.000 mile trip to enter the
army. Here he la receiving his uni
form al Jefferson Barracks, Ht.
I^iuls. He enlisted al Camp Robin
son, Ark.
Never-Ending Stream of Italian Prisoners Winning Ski Jump
A seemingly never-ending stream of Italian prisoners la here shown
pouring over a bridge following the capture of an Important base during
the British sweep west through Libya, which was climaxed by the cap
ture of Bengazi, an Italian stronghold. In all, lhe British captured 100,000
Italians, it was claimed.
Torgcr Toklc of lhe Norway Ski
club soars to victory In the F. l>.
Roosevelt ski tourney at Bear Moun
tain, N. Y. Hix poorest leap was
165 feet. Hix best was 180 feet,
which beat by 9 inches the mark he
established two years ago.
Lifeboat for a Playroom
Deportation?
These British children were assigned to thia lifeboat on the 8. 8.
Geòrgie during its hazardous Journey to New York. When the steamship
docked the children used the boat, which was to be their watery home
in case of torpedoing, as a sort of playroom. The Geòrgie was the first
British passenger ship to dock in New York since November IS, 1940.
Deportation proceedings against
Harry Bridges, West coast labor
leader (above), have been ordered
by Attorney General Jackson. Ba
sis for this action Is the FBI report
that Bridges is a communist.
THE DIZZY PACE
(From the Conneautville, Pa.,
Courier)
Gresh’s girls have measles.
Mel Davis called on Harley Hills
Monday.
Mrs. Ruth Inman is up with an
attack of lumbago.
Our roads are so full of awful deep
ruts that it is impossible to get by
without a team along.
Carl Hills was at the home of his
parents, helping with wood.
Fox hunters were out every day
last week running foxes.