Evening Star Newspaper, January 6, 1942, Page 11

Anti-Trust Unit’s Need Questioned Modification of Laws to Fit War Situation Urged By DAVID LAWRENCE. ‘When Congress gets down to the | serious job of removing impediments to production, it may find that America’s lack of progress indus- trially is as much due to the antiquated anti- trust laws as to amy other single factor. For even today competing man- ufacturers who have problems in common must avoid confer- ences which in any way could be construed by a technical- David Lawrence. minded anti-trust division as per- mitting the filing of criminal in- | dictments or civil suits. Thus, when the C. I. O. charges that the auto manufacturers did not last year curtail production of pleas- ure cars, it might be inquired how this, or any other, industrial group could under the law limit their out- put. Limitation of output could not, of course, be attempted by one pro- ducer without his being assured as | to the percentage his competitor is | cutting down. And the assignment of quotas voluntarily by a group of manufacturers is a violation of the | Sherman anti-trust law. ‘Whatever has been nccomphshedl thus far toward curtailing auto pro- duction is the result of an order from a Government agency. The subterfuge used to limit production of automobiles is one whereby the Government agency takes the initi- ative and the responsibility in limit- ing production and the individual producers theoretically are not doing any fixing of production. Actually, however, auto manufacturers are consulted, and there are many ob- servers who believe that the auto men are just as much violating a statute today, even with Govern- ment agencies in the picture, as| were the oil men who were recently convicted with one another to help get so- called “distress” gasoline off the market just after the N. R. A. collapsed. No Immunity Guarantee. Fhe Justice Department under the present administration has given as- surance that it will not prosecute where the O. P. M. limits production, but this does not mean that the law is actually being obeyed or that some future administration can't go back and order a prosecution. To get the war job done, it is necessary often for facilities to be pooled and for intimate relationships | to be established between competi- tors. The theory of the anti-trust laws is that the public is mulcted where combinations exist. But in wartime the Government tax col- lector virtually confiscates all profits anyway, so the original justification for an anti-trust law vanishes. Since the contracts awarded by the in a Federal Court at| Madison, Wis., for having consulted | | | | THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1942. The Political Mill Needs of Victory to Determine Size of Army Under Draft Act to Register Nation’s Man Power By GOULD LINCOLN. How large an Army is the United States going to put under arms, now that plans are per- fected for registering and draft- ing practically the entire man power of the country? The only answer that can be made today is that it will be an Army large enough to win the war, however large that may be. Neither a soldier nor an Army can be made in a day—or in many days. It takes time for training and for providing equipment. There must be facilities for housing and caring for the men. It has been recommended in some of the plans that provision be made for an Army of eight to ten million men, and for an American Expeditionary Force up to five million—in order to bring complete victory to this country and its associates in this war against the Axis powers. No one knows what the needs in man power will be in order to win. That they will be great seems inevitable. That they will re- quire vast stores of arms, muni- tions and planes and tanks is true beyond a doubt. The selective service system has been put forward as the answer to the problem of raising the requisite Army and equipping it. President Roosevelt, under the latest amendment to the Draft Act, has picked February 16 as the day on which all men be- tween the ages of 20 and 44, not previously registered or enlisted in the armed forces, shall register. Under the original draft, men from 21 to 35 were registered— about 17,500,000 in all. The Draft Act as nx\‘ amended calls for the registration of all men from 18 to 64. ® Opportunity Passed Up. During the last World War, an Army of some four million men was raised and two million were sent overseas to fight in France against Germany. The draft did not come until this country had been at war for some time. After that war had ended, plans for regular military training of the youth of the country were per- fected. They were strongly urged upon Congress, but that body would have none of them. s little thought in the cept for peace, and dis- armament. 8A golden opportunity to build up a trained reserve of men capable of bearing arms was lost. It was not until the sum- mer of 1940, when most of the world was again at war, that steps were finally taken for a new military Draft Act. It was recognized at last that this coun= try must prepare to defend it- self. But even then, limitations were placed upon the number of men who might be drafted—no more than 900000 and for a period of training of one year. When it was evident that war was closing in more closely about the United States, strong efforts were made to lengthen the period of service of the men who had been in training. But even then they nearly failed. With the coming of actual war, the whole picture changed. Congress acted to extend the ages of registration and the period of service to the duration of the war and six months beyond. Must Supply Army. ‘The new registration is designed to serve the purpose of giving a complete picture of the man power of the Nation, not only for military service but also for all essential work that is needed for & successful conduct of the war. In order to win the war, there must be enough men under arms; there must be enough men to work in the factories turning out arms and munitions and ma- chines; there must be enough men to provide the necessary food for the whole Nation. This is where the problem of the se- lective service system begins. It must decide not only what men are capable of bearing arms, but also where all men can be of best service to the country, whether in the Army, in the factory or on the farm. Men must be arranged in vari- ous classifications, subject to call for duty. Under the present Draft Act, only those between 20 and 44 may be drafted for military serv- ice. This may be changed by Congress if and when it becomes necessary. But for the present that is the plan. Many of the men within these ages, however, are needed for the factories and for the fields. Many of them are not physically up to the mark for service in the military forces. Many of them have dependents and can with difficulty be spared for the Army or the Navy. Many will receive deferment. Nothing, however, must be permitted to interfere with the building up of a sufficient Army and Navy to win the war. To Permit No Shirking. One thing is certain. No man will be permitted to shirk his duty, in whatever catagory he is placed. No man will be per- mitted to remain outside the armed forces and refuse to work at the essential tasks of supply- ing the armed forces with the materials required to equip those forces. Presumably the day when men may lay down their tools and decline to work because they want more pay or because they wish to change the conditions of labor, and still remain free from mili- tary service, is at an end. That, too, is one of the benefits of the new Draft Act, when all men must be registered. The country is to be congratu- lated that. despite the strong op- position which arose, the military Draft Act was passed as early as it was; that hundreds of thou- sands of young men have had a year’s trainigg by this time, and some of them more. It is to be congratulated that steps were taken to make this country an arsenal for the production of arms and munitions with which to fight the Axis powers—even though the steps have been fal- tering. A great deal has been done, and a great deal of time has been saved. The country is far better prepared for war than when it entered the last world conflict in 1917, Government for defense work prac- | Willlam Krmdsen wonld not be rn- 1 tically fix prices now without com- petitive bidding, there is no sub- stantial reason to enforce the anti- trust laws against the producers. But the anti-trust division in the Justice Department has a big staff of lawyers. They have to do some- thing to explain away the money they spend. Already Assistant At- torney General Arnold is issuing re- ports and statements proclaiming how useful the anti-trust division is going to be hereafter, Actually, the offiofals in this division are worried ning O. P. M., but in jail serving a | sentence on an anti-trust indict- ment filed at South Bend, Ind., in connection with a technical and |Fifteenth street and Good Hope |slips us the word when he is going installment | road S.E., will meet at 8 pm. Thurs- | !0 Walk, but then he walks so complex matter of financing for which he personally | had no responsibility, He would not | have been available to manage the | 0.P.M. | ‘While Mr. Knudsen was acquitted and his case is a conspicuous one, there are other executives less con- | P.-T. A. Plans Nursing Study Members of the Parent-Teacher Association of Kefcham School, day in the school to organize for Red Cross home nursing. Donald Dixon, registered nurse, will conduct two classes, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, at the school, it was announced. | spicuous and less well known, but | Educators to Meet about ‘the continuance of their ap- | propriation and are trying to draw & smokescreen of necessity over a | bureau that is all but useless in wartime. Appropriations Increase. The taxpayers are being asked to | technicalities. make almost incredible sacrifices. ‘The troops in the field, the sailors ! at sea, and the civilian population: are being asked to discard “life as usual” and all normal rewards or advantages in the interest of victory. | ‘To keep useless expenditures in the | budget at a time like this is not to | keep faith with the people who are | Neilson yesterday levied fines of $10 being asked to lend their money for | on the charge of double parking in- Defense bonds or to pay higher and | stead of $5 levied heretofore for the The anti-trust division always has sorely needed to run our production | machine, who must spend their time | right along in courtrooms or in The _ annual Southern meeting of the Education Foundation will be held Thursday at, the Wil- | lawyers’ offices to meet the whims ‘ lard Hotel, it was announced today of persecution under the anti-trust | by Arthur D. Wright, president. Judge 'Iéoosls Usual Fine For Double Parking higher taxes. " | gotten along with a capable group of lawyers. persecution and trumped-up charges began under the New Deal, Congress has been misled into appropriating bigger and bigger amounts. Last vear the Congress was persuaded by But since the era of | Neilson sat in trafiic branch of Po- laws as today applied by an anti- | trust division with a passion for | (Reproduction Rights Reserved.) Police Court Judge George D. offense by two other of the court’s judges. Yesterday was the first day Judge lice Court since the higher cbllateral scale for parking and other offenses was inaugurated last fall by the District Commissioners. | Collateral required at the policei precincts on the charge of double lobbying on the part of bureaucrats | parking, pending appearance of de- | to increase the appropriation beyond | fendants in court, is $20. Judge | what was actually asked by the John P.McMahon and Judge Walter | President’s Budget Bureau. If the war is to be won, a modifica- tion of anti-trust laws is necessary. It is necessary, if for no other rea- son, to keep the Sword of Damocles from hanging over the heads of hun- dreds of executives. For if the Jus- tice Department had had its way, | | | J. Casey, during the time they sat | in traffic branch of the court since the higher collateral scale . was | started, fined defendants $5 on the | double parking charge. In levying the $10 fines against three defendants Judge Neilson de- | clared double parking constitutes a | “traffic hazard.” Fireproof Emergency BLACKOUT MATERIAL 7-Fi. Length ( 40 in. wide ) 20c For temporary use—to cover windows and automobile headlights. An excellent medium for quick emergency needs and will serve adequately until permanent black- out facil used in London. es can be installed. Same type successfully GARRISON'S The meeting will close with a dinner at 7 pm. R R e Pure Food ® Properly Prepared © Atientively Served A HISTO History is being made at your English Custam After inventory, Louis Brown Tailor and Importer. Mrs. | By JAY G. HAYDEN., Not the least of the auguries of British-American co-operation, both during and after the war, is the de- gree to which Winston Churchill has sold him- 1 self to his Amer- ican cousins. In every pos- sible moment that could be spared frem| the momentous | war policy con- ferences and the making of pure- ly Britisn gov- ernmental deci- sions that press upon him,| Jay G. Hayden, Churchill has been campaigning exactly as though he was a candidate for President of | the United States. He began the day after his arrival by climbing on a chair in President Roosevelt's press conference, so that correspondents could get a better look at him, and then breaking all prime ministerial precedents by sub- | mitting to & fire of questioning by | reporters. His two great speeches | before the American Congress and | the Canadian Parliament have been | surrounded by all of the trappings | of political showmanship. American Congress members who lunched with him during his Capitol visit, were entranced by his political mannerisms and salty humor. And so were the newspaper correspond- ents with whom he foregathered in a railroad dining car at midnight, to | drink a toast to the New Year and‘ lead in singing “Auld Lang Syne.” united by crossed hands with a British corporal and Air Marshal Sir Wyndam Portal. | A bevy of British press agents | has fed out personality stories about | him—the two eggs (a two weeks’| ration at home) that he enjoys every | morning for breakfast; the zippered ; cover-all “siren suit” and slide- | fastener shoes that he prefers to more formal attire because he can get in or out of them in two min- utes; the ancient and honorable blue uniform of a master of Trinity | House that he affects for sea and | air travel; the fur hat Canadian newspaper correspondents gave him; | the ever-present black cigar. Remarkable Press Conference. The British newspapermen, who say no British Prime Minister ever | | before permitted himself to be ques- |tioned by reporters en masse, Mr. Churchill's press conference at Ot- tawa was even more remarkable than the one at the White House. | At the beginning of the Ottawa quiz | a British press spokesman an- | nounced that the rule of no direct | quotation applied, but in the midst of the interview, entranced perhaps by his own pithy phrases, Mr. Churchill removed the ban by an- nouncing that everything he said | could be quoted. If Mr. Churchill's antics have shocked his bureaucratic entourage, they have been no less disturbing to the American secret service men assigned to guard him. “This man is terrible; he walks,” one of the latter declared. “He | quickly.” | In comparison with President | Roosevelt's effervescent political ‘showmansmp. Mr. Churchill's tech- nique is that of a finished actor. His sallies are more restrained and NEWS EXECUTIVE || _Excellent editorial experience. || Thoroughly. conversant with all phases of publishing and printing. A-1 salesman seeking new connec- I tion. Box 319-D. It isn’t just a “fad” at The| Madrillon—but the pride to| excel—and with a reputation to be sustained. Lunch, 11:30 to 3. Cocktails, 4 to 6. Dinner, 5:30 to 9. Dinner Dancing from 7:30. Supper, 10 to 1. Uninterrupted Dancing— with two orchestras. ZNSIHINIIEZAS: i IC EVENT &THE opinions of the writers on this page are‘their own, not necessarily The Star’s. Such opinions are presented in The Star's effort to give all sides of questions of interest to its readers, although such opinions may be contradictory among themselves and directly opposed to The Star’s. U. S. Sold on Churchill Statesman Wins Affection of L&gislulou And Newspapermen Here and in Canada less obvious. His every move and word must be studied, but they do not appear that way. They pop out, as if entirely on the spur of the mo- ment. His pudgy bulldog face runs the gamut of emotional change— anger, amusement, deep sentiment- alism—expressed by the flicker of eyes, a puckish smile or glowering grimace. The answer to all this, of course, is that Mr. Churchill has set out de- Uberately to win the respect and affection of the American people for his country and for himself. He sees himself as the most important international missionary since Woodrow Wilson sold the ‘League of Nations to the outside world, only to have the American Senate upset it. His First Big Job. Mr. Churchill’s first big job was to bring the United States into full participation in the war against Hitlerism. His initial visit to this side of the ocean, last August, won President Roosevelt’s signature to the Atlantic Charter, which declared that the fight must be carried on until aggressor nations are beaten and disarmed. The primary purpose of Mr. Churchill's present visit is to secure the utmost of American fighting help, both in man power and ‘ma- terials, and to synchronize war ef- fort of all of the nations joined against the Axis. But also he, is seeking to harmonize American- British aspirations and solidify friendship of all Anglo-Saxon peo- ples in preparation for the difficult job of peace making, which he sees ahead. From either of these standpoints the degree to which Mr. Churchill succeeds in winning support of American public opinion may prove decisive. The atmosphere surround- ing American-British co-operation in the last war was very different. President Wilsopn was frankly sus- picious of British war aims. He was wont to warn against movements looking to Anglo-Saxon solidarity as designed to win American support for British aspiration to dominate the world. The Irish situation was a power- | ful obstacle to British-American unity and there were other voting groups in the United States that| were aggressively anti-British. David Lloyd George, as his writings after- | wards disclosed, was rather con- temptuous of President Wilson's | | idealisms, and never had any real | intention of yielding to them, so far as they infringed British interests. Mr. Churchill and President Roosevelt not only know the mis- takes that were made during and| after the last war, but they have & far broader international knewl- edge on which to build, and they are temperamentally more realistic than Mr. Lloyd George or President Wilson. On top of this, they have the experience of the 22 interna- ! tionally misspent years since the last peace-making to guide them. (Released by North American Rewspaper Aliance.) This Changing World Allied Situation Is Expected to Improve If MacArthur Holds Out a Few Weeks More By SONSTANTINE BROWN. ‘The black situation which con« {ronts Allies in the South Pacific should improve within the next few weeks. Authorities are naturally reticent about dis- cussing military problems, but it appears that if Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces in Luzon and at Corregidor can hold out sev- eral weeks more the situation in Malaya will noticeably improve. No orders apparently are being issued to the hero of the Philip- pines, but he understands that his resistance to the last man may change the whole aspect of the war, And there is no doubt that the American-Filipino garri- son on the mainland and at Corregidor will stand against Jap attacks to the bitter end. Meanwhile, reinforcements are being rushed to the South Pa- cific. Men are arriving from Australia and war material is be- ing sent from the United States. . Japs Fear Surprises. For the time being the Japa- nese are delivering all the blows and receiving few. This picture may change when the necessary reinforcements have reached the war zone, ‘The Japanese successes are due almost exclusively to air superi- ority. The Japanese air force is much larger now than that of the Allies. They also have the initiative and have been able to concentrate superior force on points of attack. But their prob- lem of replacing both men and war materials is far more diffi- cult than that of the Allies, ‘The Japanese military strength is estimated to be about 100 to 120 divisions at most. Of this force they must maintain 20 di- visions on the Japanese-Russian border. The so-called Kwantung army is pinned on the border in order to forestall any surprise attack. While it is true that the Russians do not intend to attack the Japanese at the present time, the Tokio high command fears a surprise should the bor- der force be weakened. No less than 30 divisions, prob- ably 40, are fighting in China. Nipoon Losses Believed High. ‘Thus, out of a maximum of 120 divisions, between 50 and 60 must be kept on the Chinese mainland and on the Russian border. As far as can be ascer- tained, there are between 15 and 18 divisions in the Philippines. The exact strength of the Japa- nese invading force in Malaya, based on Indo-China and Thai- land, is not known, but it is be- Heved to consist of at least 20 divisions. This brings the total to 88 divisions on active duty or actually fighting, leaving Japan a reserve of between 12 and 32 divisions in Formosa, Hainan and the Japanese Islands proper. This is the only reservoir of man power on which the Tokio high command can draw. 2 The Jap losses in the Philip- pines are not known yet, but they are believed to be consider- able. For the time being, and until the Allies can muster an ade- quate air force, the lines of com- munication between the principal Nipponese bases and the theaters of operation are uninterrupted. ‘The Allied submarines, destroy= ers and cruisers are seldom active because they cannot afford to take risks when the Japanese have 50 many bombers and fight- ers based on land. But this does not mean that American, British and Dutch naval forces are stand- ing idle. If Admiral Thomas C. Hart had no hope of improving the situation in the near future he would undertake suicidal raids to save Allled honor, if nothing else. Allied Power Growing. But Admiral Hart knows that the power of the Allies is grow- ing weekly.. More important units are reaching him. Other vital material also is being sent out by the safest routes. The strategy which appears to have been adopted is to dispute every inch of territory with ut- most energy, with the aim of ‘wearing out the Japanese. From every available report it is ob- vious the Japs are paying dearly for every foot of territory they conquer. The day may not be far off when Allied naval and air forces operating in the Pacific will be sufficiently reinforced to permit steady raiding of Japanese lines of communication. It is hoped that this will take place while Gen. MacArthur is still fighting and Corregidor still holds out. ‘When it does happen the situ- atfon will change dramatically. From-the time the Allies are on a par with the Japanese in the air the latter will have to fight on their own with nothing but a trickle of reinforcements from Japan proper. And they may then be confronted with & war on two fronts in the Malay Peninsula—one in the south and the other in the west. They may also have a severe battle on their hands in the Philippines. The Japanese realize that a change is apt to occur in the near future. For this reason, while they have command of the seas and air, they are driving their men frantically, regardless of losses, to obtain decisive vic- tory before it is too late. They are racing against time and hope to achieve their triumph before it is menaced by the growing strength of the Allies. On the speed with which we rush vital war material to the battle area depends the success or failure of Japan's plans. { = o trsoz PN ROVALE ROLL EST DESSERT-OF-THE-MONTH JANUARY'’S SEALT is offering English Worsteds and handwoven Scotch Tweeds up to 40% reductions—unrepeatable num- bers at $35.00 made-to-measure. owing to the strictly limited suppl Please note— due beyond our control, one order only accepted of Scotch Tweed or English Worsteds to each customer during After Inventory Sale. Customers may reserve a suit length for later delivery. Louis Broumn nglish Custom Tailor 812 14th-Street N. W. Open Evenings MHINEZNSAI2 SR SRR TR To Sealtest’s long list of dessert tri- umphs, add Plum Royale Roll. The center is real Sealtest Vanilla Ice Cream. Through it are woven broad ribbons of luscious crushed plums. The outer coating is macaroon crunch. Try this new dessert surprise. It offers all the novelty and taste appeal you have learned to expect in a Sealtest Dessert-of-the-Month. ICE CREAM = Sealtess, Inc. and its member companies McLemore— Finds Louisiana Bored With Virtue BATON ROUGE, La.—Louistana is bored to death. It longs for the “bad old days.” Citizens are growing restless under , the first honest administration ~ in 12 years. Gov. Bam Houston Jones is being criti- cized for keep- ing his cam- paign pledge to maintain hon- esty and decency in high places. It has been nearly a week since a convicted State officlal was hustled off to that popular year-round resort, Louisiana Arms, as one of the wings of the Atlanta Penitentary is known in these parts. The last to go was “Walking Stick Dick” Leche, former Governor, who dabbled in mail frauds as a side line, His departure gave the whole State a lift and partially made up for the cancellation of the Mardi Gras. x ok ok After 12 years of government by the Longs (and strictly for the Longs) the citizens can't get ac- customed to the weird govern- mental practices now being enforced by Baton Rouge. The State police is no longer doing Gestapo work, for example. The “cops” are ac- tually going about the business of patrolling the highways and gen=- erally enforcing law and order. The State legislators now are on only one pay roll. The only “double dipping” that is done these days is done on cattle. The “2 per cent racket,” which ‘was brought to full flower by George Caldwell, superintendent of con- struction at L. S. U, is gone. The “2 per cent racket” was a delightful enterprise in which Mr. Caldwell took 2 per cent of all the money, tate or Federal, spent on construc- tion at L. 8. U. Louisianans took & certain pride in the gold bathtub the State Capitol today. It is in Mr. McLemere | his home. * % x Citizens miss the hot oil scandals, the wheat speculations by James Monroe “Jingle Money” Smith, dis= tinguished educator and grain oper- ator. They miss, too, the bush scandal. The bush scandal was charming, and involved all State landscaping. I visited the sunken gardens at the State capitol today. It is in these gardens that Huey Long rests | secure (we hope) in his copper and concrete trappings. The gardens, if not the most beautiful in the world, come very close to being the most expensive, having cost the taxpayers a neat $400,000. The citizens admire Gov. Jones, but find him too calm and collected. They are conditioned to Governors who are uncalm and collecting. No longer can they point with pride to such State gestures as the building of a luxurious swimming pool for the exclusive use of municipal airport employes. The fact that the swim- ming pool was built at the New Orleans Airport, which is -hard by a lake in which thousands of citizens swim every day, only made its build- ing a more magnificent gesture. * ok ox % With Gov. Jones at Baton Rouge, Louisianans can no longer enjoy the spectacle of a big hospital building being moved a few yards and then being moved right back to its orig- inal site at the small cost of $500,000 to the taxpayers. They are at a loss, too, to under= stand why only voters vote in elec- tions these days. There was a time when in many parishes more votes were cast than there were men, women and children living in the parish. They got a chuckle out of the fact that in Louisiana even the inhabitants of the cemeteries found strength and time to rise up and cast ballots in important elections. Only in New Orleans is thers some of the old-time glamour left. Mayor Maestri still seems to be carrying on. The Times Picayune recently disclosed the fact that the Mayor had charged his Christmas cards to the city. Maestri’s charm is heightened by the fact that he never was elected, but was “certi- filed” as Mayor shortly after Huey's untimely end. Any city can have an elected Mayor, but “certified” ones are rare. In time, Louisianans may grow accustomed to sound, honest govern- ment, but right now, thanks to the many years they didn't have it, they are inclined to like a brilllant crook better than a plain, honest soul. (Distributed by McNaught Syndicate, Inc.) Committee on Child Care Maps Defense Program ‘The District Defense Council's new Commiitee on Child Care and Protection yesterday held its first meeting at the District Buildng and laid the groundwork of a concrete program for daytime care of young children of defense workers. Under Mrs. Frank A. Linzel as chairman the group moved toward: Gathering data on Washington’s need of day nurseries, especially for defense workers. Exploring the possibility of using churches and other structures for the work as well as the chances of getting funds for new buildings. Early launching of two demon- stration nurseries, one white and one colored, with a capacity of 40 chil- dren each, in District owned or leased quarters. ‘The commiitee was told the Coun- cil of Social Agencies is being del- uged with calls for such assistance from persons who have no one with whom they can leave their chil- dren while at work. The committee urged that persons making such in- quiries get in touch with Miss Alice Cole, Mendham at the Council of Social Agencies. Among agencies represented on the committee are the Board of Ed- ucation, the Health Department, the Board of Public Welfare, the Board of Trade, the Child Welfare Leagus of America and the Children's Bu- reau, Labor Department, l"