HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1941-10-30, Page 2BRITISH PAINT SHARK TEETH ON .AMERICAN PLANE
The planes with the terrifying noses, shown ab ove, are American Tomahawks fighting for the
British somewhere in Africa. A British artist pain ted on the shark's head. r
THE WAR - WEEK --- Commentary on Current Events
Japan's Attitude Less Peaceful
J; . ited States Lo',. lis For Trouble
Interest, apart from Russia's mag-
nificent defense of Moscow, is now
centred on the political upheaval in
Japan and the attack on the United
States destroyer Kearny by a Ger-
man submarine.
Germany's advance on Moscow
has no doubt called forth warlike
developments a in Japan. Prince
Kouoye and his more or less
peace -wishing cabinet have resign-
ed. The warrior, General Biki Tojo
and a predominately militarist
cabinet, are now in power. The
first public announcement of the
new premier stated that the Jap-
anese are facing a crucial hour
and that they must be prepared
to sacrifice everything in order to
surmount it. He called for "iron
unity between all the fighting arms
and the people to cope with the
encirclement of Japan by foreign.
powers: It is threatening lang-
uage and makes the situation om-
inous.
On the Fence
Prince Konoye personally inter-
vened with President Roosevelt to
obtain some relaxation of the eco-
nomic pressures which were im-
posed on Japan a few months ago.
There appeared to be, .however,
no inclination on the part of Japan
13 give up any part of her "ex-
pansionist" program.
It is stated in Tokyo that the
new government will continue the
negotiations with Washington. At
the same time, General Tojo said
frankly that Japan maintains and
develops her membership in
the Axis group. Has Japan at last
slipped off the fence and joined our
enemies in all but the last step
toward war?
It is possible that Hitler is push-
ing Japan into a " hooting" war
with the United 'States to divert
American naval strength from the
Atlantic to the Pacific.
Where Will Japan Strike?
What will happen in the immed-
iate future is unpredictable. A
Japanese attack on Siberia, espec-
ially if the Russians are unable to
old a defensive line .at the Euro-
pean end of the Trans-Siberian
Railroad, will make Alaska and
the North Pacific as exposed an
area as is the North Atlantic, The
danger might perhaps be greater
because the Japanese Navy is
much stronger than the German
Navy.
A Japanese attack in the south
by way of Indo-Ohina and Thailand,
in order to isolate China and sur-
round Singapore, would be equally
merious. Japanese occupation of
Singapore would make simple the
occupation of the Netherlands East
Indies, would surround the Philip-
pines and out off Great Britain
from the southern dominions and
the eastern half of the Empire.
It would also sever America from
the source of indispensable sup.
plies. If the Japanese get posses-
efon of Singapore the way is open
to the 'Indian Ocean, the Red Sea,
the Mediterranean and the Atlan-
tic, where the German, Italian and
Japanese navies will be able to act
together.
Japanese Dilemma
Is Japan in a position to risk alt
allout war?
In addition to the damages which
have been wrought by four years
of the Chinese war, by the fill an.
tial condition of Japan and by the
geographical position which places
It thousands of miles from its Axis
allies, Japan must import most of
the essentials of war -making.
From the Netherlands Indies and
the 'United States must be brought
the oil that operates the Army, the
Navy, the Air Force, and the fish-
ing fleet which provides much of
the food of Japan. Froin the United
States other materials are needed
for protracted military aetlon. And
between Japanese requirements of
raw materials and their sources in
the Southern Pacific is ranged a
British fleet.
It the American Pacific fleet
were added to that naval wall be-
tween Japan and fundamental war -
making resources, the Japanese
Navy, whatever its "itch" for war,
would find a fearful barrier. It
might be not necessary at first to
do much more than join our fleet
to America's on those seas, even
if Japan should strike northward
at Siberia in order to assure that
the Japanese would soon run out
of materials. With American oil
and other exports also barred,
Japan would be placed in the di-
lemma either of expanding its mil-
itary activity without long-term
stocks, or giving battle to the
American and British fleets in the
far Pacific.
This is and always has been the
broadest base on which is founded
the hope that Japan will never go
beyond the bluffing stage and *e1
or Join Germany in the two -ocean
squeeze play whcih represents the
Chief danger to peace in the Pa-
cific. Those who do not find it a
satisfactory base, however, have
these arguments:
The Japanese claim to have a
one-year supply (though much is
low -test) of gasoline and fuel oil.
Their navy is excellent and has
confidence that Germany and Italy
can prevent a British -American
concentration of strength suffi-
cient to hold the far Pacific. The
army is arrogant and powerful in
government; the Japanese people
are desperate for the fruits of ex-
pansion and fatalistic. A. sudden
campaign of interference with
American ships carrying supplies
through the Pacific to Russia may
force the United States to attack
instead of merely blocking access
to the south.
U. S. Destroyer Attacked
A few hours after the attack on
the Kearny was announced, the
United States House of Represen-
tatives gave overwhelming approv-
al to the mounting of guns on ves-
sels of the merchant marine. Ten
American seamen are missing and
ten others wounded as a result of
the attack on the Kearny. Those
are the first casualties in the
American armed forces resulting
from German action.
Some time ago Washington ex-
panded the naval patrol of the At-
lantic to Iceland's waters, spotting
Nazi raiders and broadcasting their
location to the British fleet. The
Nazi U-boat commanders kept Hit-
ler's promise that every ship "that
comes before our torpedo tubes
will be torpedoed," British losses
at sea continued grave and valu-
able lease -lend cargoes rested on
the Atlantic floor. German torpe-
does also sank American -owned
merchantmen. On September 4th
• U-boat in Icelandic waters fired
at the United States destroyer
Greer, but missed. One week later
President Roosevelt issued his mo-
mentous "shoot first" order to 'the
navy. Then the navy instituted'full-
fledged oonvoys as far as. Iceland.
Shipping losses took a drop.
Washington was still lihmpered
in its effort to get the romised
cargoes to the British..Te Neut-
rality Act prevented Amerman mer-
chantment
from sailing into "coin(
bat zones" and touching at ports
of the fighting nations. The act
also prohibited the arming of
American cargo carriers, The presi-
dent called upon Congress immedi-
ately to repeat the armed -ship ban
and later to consider allowing Am-
erican merchant shipsto carry;`siip,
pies directy to beligerent harbors.
U. S. Peace Impossible ..
Wendell Willkie bolstered Preil-
dent Roosevelt's all-out . stand
against the Berlin -Rome -Tokyo pact
by saying: "Let us .stop deluding
ourselves. Berlin, Rome and Toko
are irrevocably linked by the .da,u-
gerous dream of world conqueit. ,
Victory for one is victory "fon 1.
Their aim is world domination[,
domination of liberty, the ,end tof
democracy. "
With typical realism, Mr. Witlift,
declared that the USS. "must a,barl
don the hope of pace." HI,-s•,.t• .,'
sons are undeniable. "We An Jo -
cans can no more negotiate -a peace
with the war lords of Tokyo than
with the conquering dictator of .,
Berlin, On any continent, in every,
ocean, we must help to stop these'
partners in piracy. They areNiii-
ping now. Unless we act soon, it
will be too late" warned the, lie -
publican leader.
And Mr. Willkie added his pow-
erful plea to that of most other
great Americans when he called
for the ending of "the show and
deception of hypocritical neutral-.
ity laws." Isolation is dead. The
United States is in the war. ;The
hope for an impossible peace Is -all
but abandoned—and none too soon.
Deaths On Road 4~y
Exceed War `Toll"
For every person killed hire`
Britain by enemy action sin,the
war began, two have lost their
lives in highway accidents, says
Colonel john J. Lleweliin, .joint
parliamentary secretary to the •
Ministry of War Transport. In
the second year of the conflict -
10,073 fatalities were,reported.
In 1939-40 the figure .was. 8,358,
The peace time average was 6,500
deaths annually.
The government, anxious over
this trend, opened a campaign for
safety and caution throughout the
United Kingdom. Of 'the 18,000
highway deaths since the start of
the war, 10,000 persons killed
were pedestrians, one-fifth of
then children; 2,400 were motor
cyclists, 2,800 bicyclists and. the
rest persons in cars.
Canada's production of pig iron
in the first half of 1941 amount•
ed to 625,000 tons as against
550,000 tons in the first six,
months of 1940.
VOICE
OF THE
PRESS
FALSE ECONOMY
• One of the watchwords of the
day is "economy."
But there is false economy also
and this is what we must guard
against.
Let us put our foot down on
false economy. "Going shabby"
by those of us who habitually
dress well and can afford it, is
not going to help make more guns
and ammunition. If everybody
• who dresses well begins to wear
out old clothes, he is helping to
throw thousands out of work; he
is helping to bring suffering upon
Manufacturers and merchants,
"upon factory hands and store em-
ployees throughout the country.
Don't be over -enthusiastic for
eeonomy.
Don't put a stick in the fly-
wheel of legitimate, sure prosper-
wity by injudicious economy. That
is what the Washington Post has
't, ay about the matter:
"Let's have economy. But let's
'`have it with sanity, with cool
judgment, with a vision that
shows us clearly what the effect
'of this economy will be.
"Let's not waste' products
which are scarce, and replaced
with difficulty.
"Let's conserve our food sup-
, ply,' and grow more foodstuffs
than ever before.
"Let's pronounce that man a
traitor who hogs and hoards sup-
plies. Hoarding supplies has, in
some instances, already increased
•the ,high cost of living.
"Industrial happiness and sue-
. yoefis,slepends upon the free circu-
lation of money, not the hoarding
of it.
,It is not the time to put on
sackcloth and ashes.
"It is a time to throw out our
chests, our heads up, and work
valiantly, with our faces to the
front, in a grand cause."
This is common sense. In the
last analysis true economy, the
kind that will really make us a
frugal and thrifty people, better
able to meet any situation that
may confront us, is the far-see-
ing kind. In brief, the economy
we need, is simply the common
sense to distinguish between es-
sentials and non -essentials.
—Guelph Mercury.
—0—
NICKNAMES
We've become accustomed to
the common nickname this war.;•
hap produced. Eveyone knows
that an airman calls lii "Ilse 'bele
his (viae West, that an evacuated
child is a "vackie" and a lame
duck is a damaged plane. But
seine less familiar ones are as-
sembled by The Saturday Review
of Literature (thereby giving
'them a dignified place in current
usage) that strike our fancy.
To be "completely cheesed,"
for example, is to be fed up with
it all. A "sewing kit" is a house-
wife; "cuckoos laying their eggs"
are . German dive bombers; a
"Paul Pry" is a searchlight, "hay
burners" are cavalry, "fat
friends" . are balloons, also "fly-
ing elephants."
The power turrt of a plane is
a "flower pot," a beer saloon is
a "gas house," and a portable
-radio is a "walkie-talkie."
• If it does no other good, this
war- will brighten our language.
s Thought of a man excusing him-
self from a bridge game by say-
ing he's completely cheesed opens
'up all kinds of possibilities.
—Ottawa Journal.
—o—
QUICK COMEBACK
Many odd little incidents have
been occurring these past weeks
at service stations. In fact the
dealers themselves could be hav-
ing a lot of fun were it not such
an expensive pastime discourag-
ing customers. A choice anec-
dote came to light the other day
at a local garage where a uni-
formed army officer drove up in
a private, obviously civilian auto-
mobile and smilingly asked for a
tankful. "Sorry," came the now
familiar answer, "but we can only
let you have three gallons. We
have to conserve our gas supply
for the armed forces." That was
a bit irksome to the uniformed
gentleman who snapped out in
best parade ground manner:
"What in blazes do you think 1
ALL THE LATEST PICTURES
Mail only two Durham Corn
Starch labels for each ac-
ture desired—or OW Plea
Hive Syrup label.
To start, select from the
Flying Torpedo"—"Sky
Rocket"—'Lightning"—
"Defiant"--" Spa tfire"—
"Hurricane" or "Catalina"
the list of 20 other pic-
tures will be sent with your
first request. Specify your
name, address, picture or
pictures requested—enclose
necessary labels and mail to
the St. Lawrence Starch Co.,
Limited, Port Credit, Ont.
6m .,,,kAro-T).t:r ;-:•
:..:...
am?" The attendant with one
sweeping glance at the car asked:
"And what in equally hot blazes
do you think you're driving, a
Bren gun carrier?"
—Galt Reporter.
_0—
OVER THE TELEPHONE
This story is told of a promin-
ent and busy man, who was send-
ing a telegram over the telephone.
He had great difficulty in mak-
ing the operator understand the
letter "5" which she interpreted
as "F." Finally she said, "F" as
in Fred?" "No," roared the ex-
asperated business man, "S" as
in stupid." She got it!
—The Argonaut.
—0—
NO BEAUTY
"Take another good look at
Hitler's picture. It is the face
that will have launched 1,400
American merchant ships by the
end of 1943." And it doesn't
look much like Helen of Troy,
either.
—The Sault Star.
—0—
ALWAYS ON A PICNIC
We can't understand how the
ant acquired such a reputation
for being industrious. Nearly all
we ever saw were on a picnic.
—Kitchener Record.
—o—
USELESS TEST •
Imagine testing Hitler out with
a lie detector. You know which
would choke first.
—Quebec Chronicle -Telegraph.
—o—
WHY THEY FAIL
Sonie folks wonder why they
don't get on, when all they're
trying to do is get by.
—Ottawa Citizen.
—0—
GAMBOL OR GAMBLE
;.,lfife is either a gambol or a
gamble, depending on the way
you play it.
—Kitchener Record.
Line Up Sunday
More than 300,000 have en-
rolled in a voluntary movement
in northwest England of people
prepared to give up their Sundays
and go anywhere to help after an
air raid.
Saving Ontario's
Natural
Resources
Y-.-s-a. No, 61
THE EIDER DUCK
Continuing the discussion of
the diving ducks I feel that one
group of this family should be
given special consideration, even
though they are known in the
greater part of Ontario only from
isolated specimens. Around the
Hudson Bay, in Labrador and on
the Arctic islands, the eider ducks
are well known and familiar crea-
tures. Over most of Canada they
are used for food only but in
other parts of the world the wild
eiders are carefully protected for
they produce the eiderdown of
commerce.
I have read descriptions of the
eiderdown industry in Iceland and
have talked with Dr. Harrison F.
Lewis of the National Park
Branch, who is endeavouring to
foster an eiderdown trade along
the north St. Lawrence shore. I
have no figures at hand but • I
understand that considerable pro-
gress is being made in the edu-
cation of the natives to the value
of the birds as a source of down.
Like many other ducks, the
eiders pluck the soft feathers
from their breasts to make a cov-
ering for their eggs when they
leave them briefly. This soft
blanket is collected, cleaned of
debris, such as straws or vase
roots, and sold for a quite high
price. The female eider may have
enough feathers to produce two
patches of down each year but
the third batch is usually supplied
by the male, As he has white
feathers on his breast his down
can be readily recognized and the
careful collector will leave such
nests ,alone. If it is taken the
birds may desert their nest and
no young ducks will be raised to
supply eiderdown in the follow-
ing years. Here, careful con-
servation, based on a knowledge
of the birds habits, is essential
to the assurance of a cash crop
for the gatherer.
LIFE'S LIKE THAT By Fred Neher
MRS. PIP'S DIARY, `�' ;o
"When 1 want your advice, I'll ask for it! !"
REG'LAR FELLERS—In Hiding
•7 THIS I5 THE IDEA --
PINHEAD 15 A CROOK
AN' ITS UP TO US
' DETECTIF5 TO
FIND HIM'
(OH, BOY.' I'LL HIDE
IN THE BACK OF
THAT TRUCK.' THEY'LL
NEVER LOOK POR
ME IN THERE.`
W€VE LOOKED ALL
OVER, CHIEF.` I'M
AFRAID TRIGGER
PINHEAD GAVE US
THE SLIP!
By GENE BYRNES
.1
41
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