[Information Digest. No. 641]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

NEWS BUREAU
OFFICE OF WAR INFORMATION WASHINGTON, D. C.
JANUARY 15, 1945 NO. 641
INFORMATION DIGEST
The War Front
Gen. MacArthur's January 15 communique announced that in a daring commando-type raid in New Guinea a picked force of jungle-trained Australians struck within one of Japan's ’biggest bases in northeast New Guinea and wiped out all the Japanese they found. This was at Mubo, 12 miles south of the big base of Salamaua on Huon Gulf, and the enemy dead vto date" numbered 116. The attack was a two-day operation by Australians who had been operating in the area for some time.
Down the coast, around Sanananda Point, U. S. and Australian troops continued to close slowly in on the last Japanese stronghold in the Papuan area of New Guinea. Hampered by torrential rains, these Allied troops are still about one and one-half miles from the main enemy positions. For the second day, the Allied air force made a series of offensive sweeps over the northern coast.
The second day of a heavy offensive in the Libyan battle zone saw Allied fighter and bomber planes attacking Axis transports, troop concentrations and airdromes, and long-range planes carrying the bombing offensive to Misurata, 60-70 miles north of the Germans' Wadi ZemZem defense line, and all the way to Tripoli, 125 miles farther west.
Communique No. 296, reporting action on the Tunisian front, announced Flying Fortress attacks on Sousse and Sfax, Marauder attacks on Mahares, 20 miles southwest of Sfax, fighter patrols over the forward areas, and the destruction of five enemy aircraft. U. S. losses during all these operations were four planes, but one of the pilots is safe.
The Navy announced the torpedo sinking of a medium-sized British merchant vessel early in November in mid-south Atlantic. A survivor has been landed at Norfolk.
War Expenditures
War expenditures by the U. S. Government in 1942 totaled $52,4o6,-000,000. This was 3-3 times the $13,895,000,000 spent in 1941. The average daily rate of expenditures during the 310 days in 1942 on which checks were cleared was $169,000,000 -- compared with $4-5,600,000 for the 505 days on which checks were cleared in 1941 -- but by November the daily rate of expenditures averaged $244,500,000 and by December the daily rate was $255,“ 600,000. The figures cover expenditures both by the Treasury and by the RFC and its subsidiaries.
Naturalization of Aliens
Aliens outside the U. S. and serving as members of the American Armed Forces have been naturalized by administrative procedure, Attorney General Biddle announced. The proceedings, which took place in the Canal Zone,
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British and Dutch Gniane, Trinidad, Antigua, Cura-'’?.«.and Aruba, -granted citi-zeii?hip to 289 aliens -- 56 of whom vere nuticmxB of Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary end Rumania. The naturalization was conducted by Deputy Commissioner Shoemaker of the Immigration and Naturalization Division of the Jus t ice Department.
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Granting of citizenshin to such aliens cutside the jurisdiction of tiie naturalization courts was made possible by enactment of the Second Var Powers Act several months ago. It was generally fell by the lawmakers, Shoemaker’said, that- jf these solders |Srero willing and good enough to fight for the U. S. then they wore good enough to be made citizens..
Rationing
Sugar Stamp Mo. 11 becomes valid February 1, the ORA announcedand will be good for three povada of sugaY until March 15, 19^-3. Sugar Stamp No. 10 expires at midnight Jentry JI.
A consumer leaflet, ’’Why Canned Fruits, Vegetables end Soups are Rationed,” explaining in simple tenrs why and-.tow processed foods will be rationed, will be given to each person registering for War Ration Book Two, the ORA announced. Ttv leaf let;.-will tell the housK^tfe how to use the now ration stamps, which range in value from one to eight "points,” in shopping for the rationed processed fwds.
OPA tjas mailed to If>000 commercial l.jaks throughout the nation a bank manual of detailed instructions showing how the banks may participate in OPA1 s ration banking program by handling transactions ¿n ration paper much as they handle ordinary checking accounts. Industrial and other types of . banks may i&alify for the operation provided they have facilities suitable for performing checking account services.
Effective on January 27, the ration banking program will apply initially to transactions in gasoline, sugar and coffee. Stores and o’Xher qualified distributors must open their ration banksuccounts in the banks that now barbie their money checking accounts. However, no one establishment may nave more than one ration bank account for a®y particular commodity. Thus, if a grocer has checking accounts in ¿two banks, he must select one of the two to handle his sugar or coffee ration account.
Maximum Prices
Coffee dealers who blend COFI’FE with coffee substitutes must send to OPA a monthly report of the total weight of these substitutes incite# in compounds they sold during the previous-.month, and a monthly statement o3 the total weight of the blended compound sold. Fer the purposes of this regulation, coffee substitutes include, but ore not ¿Mlted to, chic-ory, cereal, peas or beans. Coffee compouneiers must also send io the Office stamps and certificates equal in weight value to rhe amount of the substitutes or substances mixed, blended or compounded with the coffee they sold 'during the month covered. Dealers who handle green coffee are required to report ¿their monthly green coffee transactions. In the first action setting specific.]; dollars and cents prices on any FROZEN FISH, wholesalers’ ceilings on frozen
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Canadian smelts sold in this country were set at levels which generally reflect the average of such sellers’ individual March 19^2 maximums. Consumer food budgets will not be changed by this latest OPA move, since housewives shopping at their neighborhood stores will find present individual March 19^2 retail ceilings continued. However, it is possible that the action at wholesale my result in an improved retail distribution of the smelts --of particular significance in light of the meat shortage.
Manufacturers and distributors of COSMETICS and TOILETRIES were warned by OPA not to advance their charges for replacing or reprocessing re- . turns of faulty or damaged merchandise. The general price regulation on services prohibits any changes in customary allowances which would impose more severe conditions of sale. Thus, a manufacturer or distributor who customarily replaced, without making a charge, merchandise which was unsalable due to some fault of manufacture may not discontinue that practice. Permitted however, are modifications which do not result in charging prices above those established by the regulation.
The price regulation for SCRAP LEAD and SECONDARY LEAD has been revised and amended, largely to make it simpler and more definite, and the price schedule for primary lead has been amended. Allowed premiums have been made uniform for primary lead, high-grade secondary lead, low-grade secondary lead and antimonial lead; additions have been made to price basing points; and the procedure whereby plumbing houses determine maximum lead sales prices lias been simplified.
Production
WPB Chairman Nelson told his press conference that the prospects of completing five vital war programs fixed for 19^5 are "very good." Although mistakes have been made, none of those directing the war effort have profited from these mistakes. The chief problem now, Mr. Nelson said, is being prepared to meet all emergencies as they develop. The programs, none of which would have to be sacrificed to meet the pressing needs of others, are being meshed together in such a way that each can he expedited through orderly scheduling and distribution of component parts. In this effort WPB scheduling officials are receiving complete cooperation from the armed services.
Strategic Materials
Emergency coal shipments, including bituminous coal and hard coal diverted from points in the Western U. S. and Canada, are rolling into the east coast area, and soft coal producers have been asked by Solid Fuels Coordinator Ickes to provide 200,000 tons a week as a substitute for anthracite. Communities most seriously affected will get first call on emergency supplies. Mr. Ickes said the situation still remains acute -- the strike in Pennsylvania thus far has cut anthracite supplies by an estimated 500,000 tons under current requirements and the deficit is mounting at a rate of more than 200,000 tons a week.
Completion of plans for the establishment and operation of a resistance welding equipment clearing house was announced by the Resistance Welding Unit of the WPB General Industrial Equipment Division, which will
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administer the clearing house in cooperation with the Redistribution Division. It was agreed that all idle equipment that can be used should be restored to active use, and the rest should be scrapped and added to the nation’s supply of scrap metal. As planned, the clearing house will help-locate idle resistance welding equipment; put it back into use; relieve pressure on manufacturers ; and will probably develop into a general information center for all resistance welding equipment users. It is estimated that over 8,000 resistance welding units are now idle and have been idle for nearly a year.
Specifications Revised
A down-grading chart which will guide engineers and designers in specifying lower grades of critical materials for brass and bronze castings was issued by the Specifications Branch of the WEB Conservation Division. According to Carter Cole, Chief of the Metals Section of the Specifications Branch, real conservation can be effected by specification changes based on a critical engineering examination of end use. The primary objective of this work is a better utilization of available material for maximum efficiency in the war effort, and in this connection specifications have been carefully reviewed by Army, Navy and Federal Specification Committees, the American Society for Testing Materials, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and many of out largest industrial companies. In liberalizing specifications, requirements for virgin metal have been removed, impurity limits have been raised and specifications for new alloys written so that material currently available could be used to better advantage.
Priorities and Allocations
Purchase orders for ELECTRIC MOTORS and GENERATORS shall not be accepted by manufacturers or dealers unless they bear preference ratings of AA-5 or higher, the WPB ruled, thus providing a rating "floor" for both electric motors and generators. Inventories of DIALS, BUCKETS and WASH TUBS have been frozen in a new amendment, but certain exceptions are provided to permit continued sale and supply to Government war agencies and essential industries. Since no release for civilian consumption is provided, these articles will not be available to the general public when dealers’ stocks are exhausted. Exceptions to the ban on wholesale transactions include: preferred orders; sales to Rubber Reserve; U. S. Commercial Corporation and Defense Supplies Corporation; and orders of war industries which certify that the pails, buckets or wash tubs will be used for certain specified purposes, permitted use of iron and steel was expanded to include one- to five-gallon cans designed for storage of oil, gasoline or kerosene, but only for fulfillment of preferred orders or orders from railroads or other common carriers for use in their operations; or if they are of the safety type.
Five non-metallic minerals — SPODUMENE, DOMESTIC KYANITE, DOMESTIC SILLIMANITE, TALC, and DIATOMACEOUS EARTH -- which have found important uses' in war production were put back under restrictions of Priorities Regulation No. 1, as a shortage of these five minerals had developed to the point where it was desireable to prevent hoarding. The Board made public the monthly distribution of CHEMICALS for January under the allocation orders of the Chemicals Division. These chemicals amounted in value to $85,^00,000 for the month, of which $56,400,00$ or 66 percent, entered directly into identifiable military
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production. This is an annual rate of $1,02^,300,000 for the total, and $676,800,000 for military. The allocated military chemicals are the essential raw materials for the production of explosives, propellants, war gases and other chemical combat items; aviation, Naval, Ordnance and Signal Corps insulation; special protective coatings for military vehicles and guns; and special paints for war and merchant ships.
A high priority rating was granted by WPB to FARM MACHINERY REPAIR PARTS which may now be produced at a rate of 16? percent of the output of three years ago. Heretofore, such repair parts have been manufactured at the rate of 157 percent of 191+0 production. The priority rating, AA-1, was granted at the Agriculture Department’s request.
Canadian scrap dealers and automobile graveyards have been included under the preference rating for REPAIR and MAINTENANCE MATERIAL and are now on a parity with dealers in the U. S. In this amendment, the name of the WPB operating branch was changed from Automobile Graveyard Section to Scrap Processors Branch.
Transportât i on	.
ODT Director Eastman has requested cooperation of all Government agencies in efforts of the ODT to curtail unnecessary civilian travel. In a letter to other agencies Mr. Eastman asked agency heads to schedule annual leaves of Government employees so as to begin and end in the middle of the week and avoid holiday periods, reduce Government business travel to a minimum, and weigh carefully all requests for speakers at conventions, trade shows and sales meetings, restricting Federal representation to only the most essential gatherings.
The Office reminded owners of commercial motor vehicles that all "idle" trucks, buses and other vehicles -- except taxicabs, rental cars, ambulances and hearses -- must be reported to ODT. Reports should be made on ODT form CWN-5, a simple, single sheet form of only eight questions which can be obtained from and should be returned to the vehicle owner's local ODT District office. Owners are required to list all commercial vehicles which were idle during the last 1U days of the month, and to file the report within five days after the last day of the month covered.
Agriculture •
Assignments of personnel transferred from the WPB to the Agriculture Department under the national food program recently set up by order of the President were announced by Agriculture Secretary Wickard. The assignments place the transferred groups in the newly organized food production and food distribution administrations of the Department and are in line with activities previously carried out by them in WPB.
War Housing
Construction of 8,222 new dwelling units for war workers was started, during December by private builders operating under the FHA war housing insurance program, the Administration announced. Of these units, 7,188 were
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contained in 6,^12 one-to-four family structures "being financed by FHA-insured mortgages — compared with 10,50^ dwelling units in one-to-four 'family structures started during November. The private war housing construction being financed by FHA-insured mortgages is part of the over-all war housing program administered by the. NBA and conforms with all requirements and regulations for war housing established by the NBA and the WPB.
Nursing Services
President Roosevelt endorsed an intensive three months* campaign by the Red Cross to recruit war nurses, nurse’s aides and home nursing students. The campaign, to be launched by the Red Cross Nursing Service this month, will aim to recruit 56,GOO graduate registered nurses for the Army and Navy Nurse Corps; 100,000 Red Cross nurse’s aides to assist professional nurses in civilian and Governmental hospitals; and .1,000,000 students in Red Cross home nursing classes, teaching methods of protecting health and preventing illness in homes. The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations have made available their complete facilities for promotion of the campaign. A 15-week radio series will include a JO-minuto live dramatic weekly series and two 15-minute transcribed dramatic programs each week.
Director of Defense Health and Welfare Services McNutt announced 65,000 young women must enter nursing schools between June 50, 19^-5, and July 1, 19^, if even minimum civilian and military needs of the nation are to be met. This quota exceeds the 19^2-19^5 output quota by'10,000. Where State nurse registration laws permit, schools of nursing are being ilrged to contribute to the wai effort by accelerating their courses to reduce the usual training period from three years to 50 months, and in some instances even a little shorter time. In most cases, a college degree subtracts 9 months from the course. Entrance requirements in nursing schools vary, but in general the following are basic qualifications demanded of an entrant: she must be between 18 and 55 years old, be physically fit and have at least a high school education; she may be either married or single.
Navy
The Navy announced opening of the first specialized training course for WAVE Officers at the Supply Officers' School at Harvard University. Through the elimination of instruction concerning the duties of a supply officer afloat the regular four month supply course has been shortened. The WAVES will be housed in a dormitory turned over to the Navy by Radcliffe College in Boston.
Labor Agreements and Disputes
The NWLB granted maintenance-of-membership and check-off clauses, as well as a general wage increase of 5w cents an hour, to the United Steelworkers of America (CIO) at six subsidiaries of U. S. Steel Corp. Sixteen plants and 9,6^0 employees are effected.
The Board adopted the majority recommendation' of the mediation panel and directed that a wage increase of 5i' cents an hour granted to the Pittsburgh Tube Co. and the United Steelworkers of America (CIO), be made effective as of February 15, 19^2.
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The Southern Representative of the AFL has invited Local Negro Carpenters’ Union 19u0 in Savannah, Ga., to sign and Become a party to a closed shop agreement between the AFL, its affiliated bodies, and the MacEvoy Shipbuilding Corp, of Savannah, the Committee on Fair Employment Practices of the WMC announced. In noting the action taken, Chairman MacLean of the Committee said the union is following the policy laid down in the President’s Executive Order of June 19^1, providing for "the full and equitable participation of all workers in defense industries, without discrimination because of race, creed, color or national origin."
Unanimously reversing the verdict of a referee, the Board ordered a general wage increase of 2^- cents an hour, retroactive to April 27, for about 1,^00 employees of the National Malleable & Steel Co., Cleveland.
The Board unanimously approved a request of the National Association of Manufacturers of Pressed and Blown Glassware (Pittsburgh) and the American Flint Glass Workers of North America, AFL, that wage increases be granted to 2,350 workers in HU plants of the pressed and blown glassware industry throughout the country. The increases, which are retroactive to September 7, 19^-2, range from 1.5 cents per hour to 15 cents per hour, and are applicable to workers in six departments of the glassware industry.
Secretary of Labor Perkins certified to the War Labor Board the following disputes: Zimmerman Steel Castings Co., Bettendorf, Iowa; Highland Cotton Mills, Inc., High Point, N. C.; Bell Aircraft Co., Buffalo, N. Y. ; Rotary Cut Box Shook Industry, Oregon and Washington States (8 companies); Grays Harbor Veneer Co., Hoquaim, Wash.; Coast Veneer Co., Portland, Oreg.; Langdon Tent & Awning Co., Wichita, Kans.; and Liberty Tool & Gauge Works, Providence, R. I.
Appo intments
JUDGE MARVIN JONES, of the U. S. Court of Claims, has been temporarily appointed a MEMBER of the staff of OES Director Byrnes.
HOWARD COONLEY, formerly board chairman of the Walworth Company, was appointed DIRECTOR of the new Conservation Division of the WPB. The new Division will consist of the three technical branches (Conservation and Substitution, Simplification, and Specifications) which, together with Salvage, formed the former Conservation Division. Salvage is now a separate Division.
F. HIGGINSON CABOT, consultant to the chief of the WPB Chemicals Branch, was appointed CHIEF of the Commodities Bureau of the Board.
(All information herein is from official sources.)