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Official Publication Of The Summer Session
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A Liberal Education
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VOL. LI. No. 38 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN THURSDAY, AUGUST 14, 1941 Z-323
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Shortage Of Meats
Confronts France;
Food Prices Soar
Speech By Marshal Petain-
May Be U.S. 'Excuse'
For Seizure, Nazis Say
Not Enough To Eat,
French Complain
VICHY, Unoccupied France, Aug.
13.-(P)-The reshuffled Petain re-
gime tackled today one of the sorest
problems confronting France-food
supply.
The newly-reorganized government
announced two measures to be taken
immediately in order to ease the
situation:
1. Suppression of the system of
making each French department
(county) self-sufficient. In this way
one section of the country has been
holding its own excess supplies even
though neighboring departments were
suffering from a shortage.
2. New control of transportation to
make available means of transferring
excess food from one section of the
country to another.
Marshal Petain was not using a
figure of speech; he was speaking the
literal truth when he referred in his
broadcast to the nation last night to
workers "deprived of meat and wine
and tobacco."
Even Rich Have No Meat Y
There are sections of France wherec
even the rich have been unable to1
find meat for weeks at a time. There
is a special restriction on wine event
at meals when it is permitted. Event
in good restaurants there is no "vin
ordinaire."
Tobacco is restricted to two pack-
ages of cigarettes weekly.or the equiv-
alent in cigars or pipe tobacco. f
This shortage has been partly
caused by and was partly the cause
of the enormous black bourse which
has grown up.Other causes are the
distribution systems which today's
new measures are aimed to correct.
Black bourse cigarettes are double
and triple the ordinary price. DeLuxe
Baltos, the nearest approach to Amer-
Ican cigarettes, are sold at anywhere_
from 30 to 45 francs (65 cents to $1)
although the official price is only
15 (35 cents).
These prices, for the average
Frenchman, are completely out of
reach.
Not Enough To Eat
.here are many in the white collar
class who insist that day in and
day out they do not get enough to'
eat for themselves and their families.t
The goverxnent has announced
wheat and potato crops are good
and that there are plenty of vegeta-
bles, but it indicated the meat short-,
age will get worse. Partly because ov
requisitioning. (Presumably by the
Germans).
Likewise, the fact there are plenty
of summer vegetables does not mean
there will be supplies for the winter.
And since there is little meat, the
consumption of vegetables has tripled
and quadrupled, leaving none to be
canned even when tins can be found.
U.S. Indies Seizure
Worries Germany
(By The Associated Press)
BERLIN, Aug. 13.-Marshal Pe-
tain's speech may be seized upon by
certain American groups as an ex-
cuse to "satisfy their lust" for the
French West Indian Island of Mar-
tinique, authorized sources predic-
ted today.
The Marshal's stand was described
as important, in the eyes of the Ger-;
man foreign office, because:
1. Powers outside the European
continent "which desire to establish
guardianships over France were re-
buffed."
2. Petain allied himself solidly
"with Europe and its effort to estab-
lish a new order."
"The editorial reaction in some
quarters in the United States," au-
thoried informants declared, "is no-
thing short of hysterical mental con-
fusion. Why, those papers and the
men 'behind them act as though
France ought to have placed herself
under United States protection!
"They are in a huff because Petain
expressed his understanding for Eur-
opean collaboration. But he also
found friendly words for the United
States. Liberty is not threatened in
F. N. Menefee
Will Discuss
Seaway Plan
Prof. F. N. Menefee of the Depart-
ment of Engineering Mechanics will
discuss engineering and economic as-
pects of the proposed St. Lawrence
Seaway Project in an illustrated lec-
ture at 8 p.m. today in the Amphi-
theatre of the Rackham Building.
The lecture has been included as
an extra lecture in the series spon-
sored by the Offices of the Summer
Session due to the increasing inter-
est in the Project in this part of the
country.
The Project recently made the
headlines when President Roosevelt
was represented as desiring that the
$285,000,000 Project be included in
an omnibus rivers and harbors bill
which might contain other develop-
ments totaling more than $281.000,-
000.
House Rejects
Bill For -Draft
Of Munitions'
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13.--(P)-
Another segment of the Administra-
tion's defense program struck a Con-
gressional reef today when the House
rejected a compromise version of leg-
islation empowering the President to
draft munitions or the machinery and
supplies for their production.
By a roll call vote announced as
254 to 51 the House sent the com-
promise back to a Senate-House con-
ference committee with instructions
to the House conferees to insist upon
provisions which were originally ap-
proved by the House, but which the
conferees eliminated.
Yesterday the Senate appropria-
tions committee slashed $1,234,000,000
from a supplemental defense appro-
priation bill for a reserve of special
ordnance items and the Administra-
tion narrowly escaped defeat in the
House last night onthe draft exten-
sion bill.
Proponents of the property seizure
bill said it was necessary to enable
the President to requisition at a fair
price such things as machine tools
needed for defense production or
new-type weapons whose owners
won't voluntarily make them avail-
able to the government.
Republicans opened an attack on
the revised version, however, because
the conferees had deleted a House-
approved provision which would have
prohibited the requisitioning of any
machine actually in use in an in-
dustry. They contended elimination
of that clause threatened the de-
struction of many small firms.
State Payroll Check
Ordered By Wilson
LANSING, Aug. 13.-((A))- In-
vestigation of alleged payroll padding
in the State Highway Department
and political activity by certain high-
way department employees today was
ordered by Thomas J. Wilson, State
npsnnldirector.
Vital Decision
In U.S. Stand
Seen Pending
Move Expected As Result
Of Roosevelt-Churchill
Atlantic Conference
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13.-(P)-In-
dications some momentous develop-
ing was impending in Anglo-Ameri-
can relations strengthened the belief
in the capital tonight that President
Roosevelt and Prime Minister Win-
ston Churchill had reached vital de-
cisions in a personal meeting some-
where on the Atlantic.
In London it was disclosed that
Clement Attlee, lord privy seal and
unofficial deputy prime minister,
would broadcast an "important" an-
nouncement to the British people at
9 a.m., E.S.T., tomorrow.
A recording of Atle's speech will be
broadcast to North America around
3:30 p.m. (9:30 a.m., EST). The
speech is expected to last about 5
minutes.
Press Officials Meet
In Washington there were meet-
ings of American and British press
officials who usually make advance
The White House announced
early today it would have a state-
ment for the press between 8:30
and 9 a.m. (EST) today.
arrangements for simultaneous re-
lease of important news involving the
two countries. They minimized the
significance of their meetings.
The "blackout" on news from the
Presidential yacht Potomac on Pres-
ident Roosevelt's activities on his
northern cruise continued for the
fourth straight day, and Secretary of
State Hull remained noncommittal
on the subject of a possible Roose-
velt-Churchill meeting.
No Denials Offered
Rumors of such a conference have
been current more than a week and
have met no official denials in Wash-
ington or London.
Prime Minister Churchill's where-
abouts has been a mystery more than
a week. He failed to take part in a
House of Commons debate last week
because of what Attlee described as
"urgent problems connected with the
war."~
Hopkins Is Unreported
During all this period Harry Hop-
kins, lease-lend administrator who
has been on a trip to Moscow and
London, has been unreported, al-
though it was said in London he
planned to visit Iceland, where United
States troops were landed in great
secrecy last month to help defend the
island.
What decisions might have been
reached by President Roosevelt and
Mr. Churchill was conjectural, but
(Continued on Page 3)
Comic Opera
Run Continues
"The Gondoliers", W. S. Gilbert
and'Arthur Sullivan's noted operetta,
will continue its six-day run at 8:30
p.m. today in the Lydia Mendelssohn
as the last production' this summer
of the Michigan Repertory Players
of the speech department.
The production, which is being of-
fered in conjunction with the School
of Music, the University Symphony
Orchestra and the Department of
Physical Education for Women, will
be shown through Tuesday with the
exception of Sunday.
Directing the opera will be Prof.
Valentine B. Windt of the speech de-
partment assisted by Prof. Claribel
Baird of the speech departement at
I the Oklahoma College for Women.'
Moscow Acknowledges
German Gains; Admits
Abandoning Smolensk
Russians Report
Nazi Losses High
MOSCOW, Aug. 13.-(A)-The Red
Army acknowledged German gains in
the pushes toward Moscow and Len-
ingrad tonight, but as for the vital
Ukraine sector acknowledged only
that fierce fighting was raging at Bel
Tserkov, 50 miles south of Kiev.
Smolensk, a gutted provincial city
230 miles west of Moscow, was aban-
doned "a few days ago," the Soviet
Information Bureau communique
said. (The Germans claimed its cap-
ture in mid-July and said Nazi troops
had fought their way beyond to Vy-
azma, only 130 miles west of Mos-
cow.)
Russian troops also battled the
Germans at Staraya, Russia, near the
southern shores of Lake Ilmen, still
140 miles south of Leningrad and 40
miles east of Soltsi.
Finnish Drive Held
The Finnish drive from the north
still was held in the Kakisalmi re-
gion, 75 miles from Leningrad, the
Russians said.
Four German torpedo boats and
several transports were reported de-
stroyed by combined Red naval and
air action in the same area.
The Russians said strong guerrilla
units were hampering the German
drive into the Ukraine. rhes units
reported destruction of numerous
German tanks, newly-built bridges,
and relayed information on Nazi
troop dispositions so that the Red
air force was able to destroy the posi-
tions of a German division and pan-
zer regiment.
German Transports Destroyed
The Russians said a German in-
fantry unit, tanks, planes, trucks
and guns had gone down on the
transports destroyed in the Baltic.
The date of the naval-air battle was
not given.
An article in the government news-
paper Izvestia declared that "with
the collapse of the blitzkrieg Ger-
many is faced with a long war and
this is primarily a war of resources
and reserves."
London Is Worried
Moscow's unusual silence strongly
suggested the Soviet case was criti-
cal. So, too, did an authoritative
disclosure in London that the British
army regarded Russia's position in
the Ukraine as very grave, especially
about the Black Sea port of Odessa,
where it was said the Germans had
a chance to cut off the Soviet armies
and force an attempted evacuation
by sea.
An officer in the British war office
said plainly the Nazis had obtained
"a very large measure of succ s"' 0-
ready.
Still, he added, if Russia could
maintain troops in the field with ade-
quate supplies the defenders could
fight on indefinitely. In such a case,
he said, the German problem would
become one of avoiding exhaustion
for invading troops who already had
suffered heavy casualties.
Soviet informants in London de-
clared that if the Germans entered
Odessa and Nikolaev, the latter also
(Continued on Page 3)
Flying Fortress' Lethal Power
Reported Feared By Germans
LONDON,
Aug.
13.-((P))--Brit-tburg, which were Communist strong-
ain's new weapon, the American-
made fortress bomber, is spreading
fear and contributing to an awak-
ened spirit of revolt in Germany and
occupied Europe, say dispatches
reaching important quarters here by
devious means.
The remorseless pounding of Ger-
many by the huge planes which fly
out of sight and sound of their vic-
tims and the stubborn resistance of
the Russian armies are allowing a
seething resentment and anger to
come to the surface from Norway to
Italy, these quarters said.
Informed circles say these reports
may indicate the first break in the
German crust, but warn it would be
prematurerto expect open revolts this
summer or autumn.
Reports Spread Trrough Europe
One source with a secret means of
communication in Central Europe
said reports were being spread by
word of mouth from end to end of
Germany of the lethal power of the
American-made fortress bombers.
"People are frightened by what
they cannot see," he said. "The Ger-
mans cannot see the fortresses, but
they can, see the damage they do.
This silent, invisible weapon terrifies
not only civilians in Germany, but
garrisons in the occupied" nations."
The fact they are known to be from
the resources of America contributes
to the undermining of morale, it was
said.
One informant said lpacked hospi-
tal trains from the Eastern Front had
created doubt in Berlin and Ham-
hod ntlte ieofAof-ilr
Hunter Speaks
At Concluding
Speech Meet'
Students Receive Honorst
At Luncheon; Problems,
Of Dramatics Discussed
Opening the final day's activities!
of the second annual Speech Con-
ference, sponsored by the department
of speech, Prof. R. C. Hunter, chair-
man of the Ohio Wesleyan University
department of speech, lectured on
"The Teaching of Literary Interpre-
tation" in the W. K. Kellogg auditor-
ium.
Following his talk, Professor Hun-
uo l oa z-a zngoal v pajuasa zd al
"King Lear."
At 12:15 p.m. yesterday, a speech
luncheon was held in the ballroom of
the League. Delegates witnessed the
conferring of honors upon speech
students who will receive their de-
grees in August.
The afternoon's program was held
in the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre,
where, at 3 p.m. a conference on
problems of dramatic production was
conducted by the staff of Play Pro-
duction.
After the discussion, Professor-
Emeritus Thomas C. Trueblood spoke
on "Pioneering in Speech." His lec-
tures completed the formal sessions
of the three day Conference.
However, as an added attraction, a
block of tickets to the Gilbert and
Sulivan operetta, "The Gondoliers,"
was reserved for convention dele-
gates, and many of them attended
the performance.
Non-Interventionists
Concede Extension
holds until. the rise of Adolf Hitler.
It is noteworthy, this informant
added, but these two cities have been
bombed heavily recently.
A winter of stalemate on the East-
ern Front an heavy bombing from
the British, most British and neutral
observers expect, will increase the
distaste for a longer war in Germany
and its satellite states.
Expect Upheaval In France
Although Norway and the Nether-
lands have been the sources of the
most spectacular opposition to the
Nazis, some sources expect the great-
est upheaval in public opinion will
occur in France.
One Free French source said,
"Don't forget there still are some
arms and ammunition in occupied
France. When the French decide to
use them, blood will run and it will
not all be German blood either."
French Movie
To Be Shown
By Art Cinema
'Harvest,' Acclaimed Best
Foreign Film Of 1939,
Opens Here Tomorrow
Claiming the double distinction of
having been banned by the New
York State Board of Motion Picture
Censors and having been named by
critics the best foreign film of 1939,
"Harvest", a French Cinema Center
production, will be shown by the Art
Cinema League at 8:15 p.m. tomor-
row in the Lecture Hall of the Rack-
ham School.
The story of a man and woman
and a plot of ground, "Harvest" was
denied an exhibitor's license in New
York on the grounds that it was "im-
moral" and "would tend to corrupt
morals." However, critics, columnists
and editorial writers attended a pri-
vate showing and immediately
launched a campaign of protest
which resulted in the case being ap-
pealed and the censor's decision re-
versed.
The film is directed by Marcel Pag-
nol, director of "The Baker's Wife,"
previously shown here this summer,
and the story is taken from Jean
Giono's novel "Regain." Gabriel Gab-
rio plays the role of the man and
Orane Demais is cast in the role of
the woman.
Tickets go on sale today at the
Union, the League and Wahr's book
store.
"The Cobbler of Koepenick," a
German film postponed from an earl-
ier date at which it was to have been
shown, will be presented by. the Art
Cinema League at 8:15 p.m. Saturday
in the Lecture Hall of the Rackham
School.'
FDR Suspends
Eight-Hour Day
Smashing Of Odessa Is Forecast
By Germany; Red Communiques
Cause Serious Concern In London
Do Not Expect Dunkerque
Again, 'Nazis Caution,
But City Will Collapse
RAF Rains Bombs
On German Cities
BERLIN, Aug. 13.-MP)-German
troops advancing on Odessa from
three sides behind a gigantic barrage
of air bombs were convinced tonight
the Russian forces in that important
Black Sea port would defend it to
the death.
Such a decision, German sources
declared, would "probably result in
the smashing of Odessa."
These sources described the Ger-
man ground forces and their allies
as pressing ever closer to the city
from the southwest, west and north
while the Luftwaffe patrolled the
sea exist and nearby rivers with
bombs and machine guns.
Red Rearguard Annihilated
DNB said a German infantry bat-
talion supported by artillery had an-
nihilated a strong Russian rearguard
endeavoring to cover withdrawal of
the Russians toward Nikolaev, at the
mouth of the Bug River and second-
ary objective in the southern Ukraine.
Reports reaching Berlin indicated
the Russians were trying to transhhip
to the Crimea some of their troops
retreating in the southern sector and
that barges were ready for such a
maneuver.
However, Dienst Aus Deutschland,
authoritative German commentary,
warned against picturing Odessa as
anything like another Dunkerque and
expressed the opinion a life-and-
death struggle for possession of the
city was definitely in the making,
Russians Fighting Stubbornly
First, it said, the Russian troops
are fighting stubbornly; second, their
leaders would choose annihilation
rather than attempt an ambitious
withdrawal such as the British made
at Dunkerque last year; and third,
the Russians were trying to transship
choose to let Odessa be smashed.
The German High Command said
only that in "pursuing the enemy re-
treating toward Black Sea harbors"
the German forces inflicted "great
losses" on his rearguards.
With reference to asserted Russian
plans to ship some men to the-Cri-
mean peninsula, Dienst declared the
German air force already had sunk
22,100 tons of transports in those
waters and had damaged two de-
stroyers and a 4,000-ton merchant-
man.
Terrific Aerial Pounding
DNB news agency dispatches pic-
tured all the Odessa hinterland as
getting a terrific aerial pounding,
with bombers dropping their loads
repeatedly on the Dnieper River
crossings, which it said were jammed
with retreating Russians.
Rail facilities were declared de-
stroyed in the southern sector yes-
terday, along with eight Russian
tanks and 240 other vehicles.
The Germans also contended the
Russians had lost 184 planes on all
fronts yesterday, 63 of them being
destroyed on the ground.
A German war correspondent, Er-
win Kirchoff, reported the general
headquarters of Russian forces in the
southern sector was razed by German
air bombs Aug. 4.
In the central sector, scene of some
of the bitterest of fighting, DNB re-
lated the Germans "pressed Soviet
troops closer together," attempts to
break out of German encirclement
resulting in "heavy losses" in men
and material.
* * *
RAF Pounds Cities
Throughout Germany
LONDON, Aug. 13.-(AP)-Masses of
bombers -roof-scraping Blenheims
and. high altitude American-made
fortress planes-fanned out through
a disorganized German fighter de-
fense and bombed Berlin and a dozen
other German and German-held
cities last night in a continuing day
and night offensive, official Britain
reported tonight.
The bombers pounded Berlin two
hours, starting many fires which were
visible great distances, the Air Mn-
Simpson Predicts Long, Bloody
War For Possession Of Odessa
By KRKE . SIPSO
Regular
To Be
Overtime Wages
Paid Workmen
By KIRKE L. SIMPS©N
(Associated Press Staff Writer)
Hard-pressed Russian armies at-
tempting escape from the great Nazi
trap in the southern Ukraine are ad-
mittedly in grave peril; yet a long
and bloody fight for Odessa still may
be possible.
German reports say the Russians
caught in the pocket between the
Bug and Dniester rivers are fleeing
southward to the Black Sea coast,
hotly pursued. Moscow is silent as
to the situation on that or any other
sector of the long battlefront.
Yet even a casual study of the sea-
coast terrain about Odessa indicates
Ukraine. Between the mouth of the
Dniester,, 30 miles or so southwest of
Odessa, and the mouths of the Dnie-
per, nearly 100 miles east of the city,
half a dozen big or little streams
flow into the Odessa gulf. Each
forms what is called a "lake," some
of them stretching far inland.
They fan out about Odessa like the
spread fingers of a huge, outstretched
hand. Each bears the name of the
river for which it is the sea outlet.
West of Odessa, for example, Dnies-
trovski Lake, ten miles or so wide,
forms a 30-mile-long water hazard
barring Nazi-Rumania tank approach
along the coastal plain.
Measure
Passage)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13.-(A)-
Leaders of the Senate non-interven-
tion group conceded today there was
little they could do to prevent final
Senate approval of the army exten-
sion bill, and Democratic leader
Barkley of Kentucky predicted it
would be sent to the White House
tomorrow.
The measure was passed by the
House last night by the single-vote
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13.-(IP)-
Following a precedent of the World
War, President Roosevelt today sus-
pended the eight-hour day law for
about 75,000 mechanics and construc-
tion laborers employed by the War
Department.
An executive order for the pur-
pose, designed to speed completion
of all military projects, was an-
nounced by the President's secretary,
Stephen Early. It applied, he said,
to air fields, troop cantonments and
other construction works necessary
for defense.
The law, on the statute books since
1892, wassimilarly suspended during
the World War. The act prohibits
federal employes working more than