MARCH 13,1940
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
PAGE SEVEN
Eleven Million Pairs Of Shorts---- And The Navy Won't Let Them Go
BY FREDERICK C. OTHMAN
(United Press Staff Correspondent)
Washington. (UP)—Need a few shirts? I know where you can buy 11,380,368 in two qualities and all sizes.
Your shorts are ragged? I have the address of a fellow who has 5,696,127 pairs for sale, including 2,006,029 in size-34, alone.
The government owns this haberdashery. The navy doesn't want it any longer, and why it isn't helping to cover the nakedness of American men is a mystery that Sen. James M. Mead of New York is trying to fathom. He is amazed. Me, too.
What happened was that I was deep in the bowels of the capitol, burrowing into the files of the senator's war investigating committee.
I was jotting down notes on army surpluses, such as 438,839 pounds of powdered soap, 11,000 one-gallon cans of castor oil, 1,527 half gallon cans of ditto, 21,580 gravy boats, 23,281 cream pitchers, and 20,000 surgical knives in assorted sizes.
This looked like subject matter for an interesting dispatch and I was plowing happily through the surplus lists when I came upon the navy file, turned it open and stared, bug-eyed;
Blue chambray shirts; cost 85 cents each; 6,926,903 declared surplus; 5,560 sold to civilians; 6,921,343 still in federal warehouses.
The navy went on to list more surplus shirts of cotton, 4,359,025 more, to be exact. It mentioned 281,000 gray cotton hats, 313,000 gray cotton pants, 116,000 jumps, 1,894-212 pairs of work gloves; 1,852,000 twill jackets, 3,290,325 twill trousers, and 167,600 pairs of cotton socks.
This was news, all right, all right.
I took a sharp pencil and listed some more stuff: 218,470 rubber arctics, 352,000 black rain coats, 1,246-010 soul westers, 2,041,615 white cotton trousers, 5,314 aviators' trousers, and other articles too numerous to mention.
Came then an item, buried among hundreds of other items, that made me gulp: shorts, mountains of shorts, enough to provide every man in New York City, for instance, with two pairs. Good quality, too.
In the federal storerooms, according to the navy's count, there was one batch of 4,520,740 pairs in all sizes from 30 to 42. Another consignment of navy shorts in sizes unspecified totaled 1,175,387 pairs.
I got in touch with Senator Mead, who has been badgering the War Assets corporation to sell a couple of billion dollars worth of surplus materials to the people who need them. Senator Mead could use a few shorts, himself.
"I am amazed," he said, "to find 11,000,000 shirts and 5,500,000 pairs of shorts declared surplus by the navy and still in navy storage.
"It would seem to me that in view of the need of the men of this country that the senate war investigating committee had better take steps to see that the nation's males get these shirts, shorts and other items of clothing still in storage."
So much for men's haberdashery. I can report further that the federal surplus disposeroos are about to get some peculiar merchandise for sale, such as five human skeletons, 130 bassinets, 322 cradles and, among other things, 20 pairs of ice tongs. These materials are in stock at the army medical supply depot in Bing-. hampton, N.Y., the army doesn't seem to need 'em any longer, and they will be declared surplus soon.
The line for bassinets forms on the left; for skeletons on the right.
TARFU to you, too
See. Page 5
Regents To Decide Fees for Union Wing
How much students pay for the Union extension and when they start paying depends on the state board of regents, Henry Werner, dean of student affairs, said today.
The question has not been submitted yet, according to Raymond Nichols, executive secretary, but the board will meet again soon, he said.
Upon approval of building plans, the board will authorize a bonding agency to issue bonds to cover the construction expense, Dean Werner explained. From the terms of the bond issue, the regents will decide what increase in student fees is necessary.
Part of the revenue may be raised by the fountain and meal service in the new recreation-dance-fountain room, but near-cost Union prices permit only small profits, Dean Werner added.
Coldwell Joins NROTC Staff
Lt. (j.g). Lenard L. Coldwell, U.S.N.R., has been assigned to the University N.R.O.T.C. and the V-12 organizations. He is filling the vacancy left by Lt. H. C. Hibbard, who was detached Saturday for separation at Great Lakes training station.
Lt. Coldwell recently completed a tour of 26 months on the cargo ship "Arided" in the Pacific theater of war. His home is in Pasadena, Calif.
Oxalic and malic acids are formed when starch is heated with nitric acid.
Students Named to Memorial Committee
An executive committee and special committee chairmen were appointed at a meeting of the Memorial Drive student committee last week in Green hall. Nancy Tomlinson, College senior, chairman of the student committee, announced the committee membership.
Members of the student committee are Sara Rosalie Erwin, College junior; Emily Hollis, Business senior; Mary Morrill, College senior; Hanna Hedrick, College senior; Ann Alexander, fine arts freshman; Betty Jo O'Neal, College senior; Anne Scott, College sophomore; Eugenia Heworth, fine arts senior.
Virginia Van Order, College senior; Shirley Wellborn, College sophomore; Anna Stevens, College senior; Lorraine Carpenter, College sophomore; Alberta Moe, College junior; William Hollis, Business juniors; Rebecca Valalle, College senior; Dewey Nemec, freshman medical student; John Higdon, Business junior; Hildreth Strong, education junior; Charles Elliot, College senior.
Ray Evans, business junior; Byron Shutz, College freshman; James Dittmer, College freshman; Orville Roberts, College senior; Terry Herriot, College sophomore; Jack Nichols, business senior; Guy Ascraft, business senior; Richard Hollingsworth, College junior; Duane Adsit, College freshman; Raymond Deane Postlethwaite, education junior.
Wendel Nickell, College senior and fine arts freshman; Charles Crowley, business junior; Patricia Elledge, education freshman; Jane Kendall. College freshman; Charles Hall, education junior; Mary Branigan, College junior; Jim Crook, College junior; Ralph Colden, College junior; Lee Sander, College junior; and Barbara Thiele, College junior.
Beef, Lamb, Veal Will Cost Customer More April 1
Washington. (UP)—The Office of Price Administration announced today that retail price increases of about $1_{1/2}$ per cent for beef, veal, lamb and mutton will go into effect April 1.
There will be a week or 10-day delay in the new higher prices on pork, sausage and variety meats.
AT YOUR MOVIES
NOW
ALL WEEK
VARSITY
The Sreen'c Newest Singing Cowboy Star
Aolita  JESM  EDGAR  Edgar  Shows
LOUISIE  ESMOUD  BUCANHAH 2:30-7-9
ADDED: DONALD DUCK Cartoon,
“DUCK PIMPLES”
ON STAGE AT 2:30 - 7:20 & 9:30
A Real Live Movie Star On Our Stage TODAY and TOMORROW EDDIE DEAN
Granada
ENDS TONITE
APPEARING IN PERSON WITH HIS LATEST HIT
Greenstreet - Fitzgerald - Lorre "THREE STRANGERS"
Thursday, 8:00 P.M.
On the Stage ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY
"ROMANCE of the WEST"
EASTER FASHION PARADE
FILMED IN THE GORGEOUS NEW CINECOLOR
12 Lovely Models
60 Costumes
6 BIG TOP
TALENT ACTS 6
2 SOLID HOURS
BEAUTY . . . SPECTACLE . .
ENTERTAINMENT!
Thrill to Eddie's Golden Voice
FRIDAY - SATURDAY
TICKETS NOW ON SALE
Harzfeld's - Weaver's
Johnson's - Adelane's
Children's Shop
Pat O'Brien—"MAN ALIVE"
OWL SUNDAY ONE
SAT. WEEK
"Sentimental Journey"
John Payne - Maureen O'Hara
PATEE
Make This One a DON'T MISS!
NOW
4 DAYS
SONGS
"The More I
See You"
"Acapulco"
"I Wish I Knew"
And More!
Songs by Mark Gordon and
Harry Warne
2 CARTOONS AND NEWS
FRIDAY - SATURDAY "PORTRAIT OF MARIA" and "DAYS OF BUFFALO BILL"