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UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN, LAWRENCE, KANSAS
THURSDAY. OCTOBER 2,1941
The KANSAN Comments...
REVISE THE NEUTRALITY ACT
In shipbuilding yards from Quincy, Mass., to Seattle, the greatest mass launching since World War I took place Saturday when fourteen cargo ships were added to the bridge of vessels engaged in carrying food, machinery, and war materials to England. President Roosevelt, in a special broadcast to the shipyards, called the work "a telling blow at the menace to our nation."
As telling a blow was the launching earlier in the week of the 35,000-ton battleship Massachusetts and five destroyers. And this is only the beginning. If operations continue as the maritime commission plans, by next spring two merchant ships will be launched every day.
However, building ships is not enough. They must reach their destination safely with their cargo, and not suffer the fate of the Robin Moor or the Steel Seafarer or the other ships that have been sunk by Axis subs or planes—sunk because they were inadequately protected against attack.
While we are morally pledged to aid Britain, and while we spend millions building ships and producing cargoes for them, we have allowed the Neutrality Act to hamper the efforts of our program. Two clauses are especially faulty:first, the law prevents America from arming her merchant ships, evidently in the hopes that an American flag painted on the sides and deck of the vessel will protect it from attack; second, American ships cannot enter combat zones defined by the president in accordance with terms of the act.
Germany has not respected the flags. It is foolish to expect the commander of a U-boat to allow a boat loaded with aid to England sail by unmolested because it has some red, white, and blue paint splotched on its side. Sending material to England is a warlike act, and allowing these ships to go unarmed is as foolish as sending a soldier into battle without a rifle.
Schickelgruber and Roosevelt do not see eye to eye on the combat zone. The American-defined zone runs from north of Norway out to Spitzbergen, then almost due south, just missing the tip of Iceland, then east to the Spanish coast. The axis zone runs out to Greenland. From their standpoint, the attack on the Greer was justified, as it occurred well inside their war zone. The battle between the Graf Spee and three British cruisers took place off the coast of South America, showing that the Germans do not intend to keep within their own definition of a war zone. The entire Atlantic is a war zone, regardless of any shallow proclamations.
If America is to maintain directly its freedom of the seas, and no less directly the freedom of its institutions, it must repeal at least these two phases of the Neutrality Act so that our material aid will reach England safely.
PRIORITY COMPLIANCE
One of the biggest problems facing the men behind the priorities system is that of enforcing compliance with priorities. Enforcement in its simplest form means two things: seeing to it that defense requirements are fully supplied without delay, and insuring that no one is allowed to build inventory or otherwise to hoard materials to the detriment of the community.
Statutory authority unquestionably is ample to enable the Munitions Board and the Priorities
Division to enforce orders having to do strictly with the national defense. Also from Public Law 89 the priorities Division derives power to enforce any of its priorities which have the effect of allocating commodities, and PD is willing to go to court with anybody who offers a challenge.
However, possessing statutory authority to enforce and the actual ability to police hundreds of thousands of plants are two very different things. The Priorities Division is busy setting up its field officers and in each of these there will be a compliance officer. There is serious talk of utilizing the wage-and-hour inspectors already in the field to supplement PD checkups. Non-complying firms who are discovered face public censure, possible clamp-down on supplies flowing through their plants, or legal action.
Inventory control is at the bottom of compliance difficulties. Even ethical manufacturers do not find it hard to overlook great quantities of raw materials like metals which are scattered about their factories in semifabricated forms.
If compliance with priorities is to be at all successful soon, Donald Nelson, executive director of the SPAB, is going to have to find some method of worming his way into the supply rooms of manufacturers, where he can find the basic data he needs in carrying out his avowed intention of cracking down on the hoarders. K.B.
OFFICIAL BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
No. 13
Vol. 39
Wednesday, Oct. 1, 1941
Notices due at News Bureau, 8 Journalism, at 10 a.m. on day of publication during the week, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday for Sunday issue.
--that is being overdone. After gazing at a thousand or so brows all covered with curls it is my conclusion that college women were born without foreheads. Either that or they are afraid of overexposure.
LANTERN PARADE. The traditional Lantern Parade for all women of the University will be Thursday evening, Oct. 2 in the Union Ballroom. Every year the women meet in the Ballroom for supper, after which, with lighted Japanese lanterns, they parade to the Chancellor's home to serenade. Every woman of the University should plan to attend. Tickets are 35 cents plus tax, and may be obtained from Henley House, the Hostess desk in the Union building, or from Margot Baker, Doris Twente, or Lois Worrel. The W.S.G.A. and Y.W.C.A. sponsor the Lantern Parade.
CLASSICAL CLUB: The Classical Club will meet for an organizational meeting at 7:30 Thursday evening in the Pine Room of the Memorial Union. Present and former students of the Classics are invited to attend. L.R.Lind, Department of Latin and Greek.
DIRECTORY: Copy for the Student Directory is now being prepared. Students who have not filed addresses and telephone numbers at the Registrar's Office should do so at once. James K. Hitt, assistant registrar.
QUILL CLUB: Miss Hoopes of the English department will speak to Feoh rune of the American College Quill Club at 7:30 Thursday evening in the Pine room. No one will be notified by telephone.—Mary Elizabeth Evans, chancellor.
UNION ACTIVITIES: All people interested in Student Activities Committees apply at Student Activities office, Union Building, between 2:30 and 5:00 in the afternoon—Fred Mitchelson, publicity manager, Union Activities.
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION: The first examination of the four to be given this school year will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 8:30. Candidates must register in person at the College Office, 229 Frank Strong Hall, Sept. 29, 30, Oct. 1. Only juniors and seniors are eligible. Seniors who pass this examination may qualify for graduation in June, 1942—J. B. Virtue.
FRESHMAN MEN: All freshman men wishing to be considered for positions on the intramural managers board must turn in written applications at 107 Robinson before Oct. 3.—Maurice Baringer and Bill Collinson, senior managers.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas
Rock Chalk Talk
Subscription rates, in advance, $3.00 per year, $1.75 per semester. Published at Lawrence, Kansas, daily during the school week except Monday and Saturday. Entered as second class mate at Lawrence, in office at Lawrence, Kansas, under the Act of March 2, 1879.
Three years ago when two University students rode to the Rose Bowl on their victory in a subscription contest sponsored by the Jayhawker magazine, little did they dream that in 1941 another contest winner would follow their train tracks. Even less did they imagine that a Hill woman, her path strewn with pretty pink ballots, would go to Sun Valley, land of Sonja Henie and Glenn Miller, as winner in a similar drive.
As you all know, the man who comes out on top in the current Kansan contest will take in the famous Rose Bowl game on New Year's day, and the victorious woman will go in glory to Sun Valley.
In 1938 the lucky winners were Joe Morris, Phi Gam, and D. J. Willcuts. A.D. Di.
Who will hit the road this year is up to you—and those pretty pink ballots.
KuKu pledges just can't win. Last night they took a wetting down from the various sororities, who threw on the water, as traditional, after the KuKu pledges provoked the girls' wrath, as traditional, by shouting, "The Blank Pi's are a bunch of bags." Late and Long the customary discomfort continued. Then the pledges went home and got dry.
This morning the 17 KuKu pledges walked in pouring rain, thinking of the evils of water and wondering if life is worth it.
KuKu pledges just can't win.
Drama has entered the life of Clara, Sigma Nu collie-type dog and mother of five small pups. Yesterday an old loyalty stepped in to complicate matters.
Jack Frost( local garage man, had come to the Sigma Nu house to see what ailed their ancient Cadillac. When he saw the dogs, he cried, "Why, Tippy!"
Whereupon Clara, for that remains her alias, wagged her tail and seemed to say, "Where have you been all these weeks?"
Clara came to the fraternity house during rush week. Frost told how ever since that time his children have been lamenting the loss of their pet. The Sigma Nu's offered to give the dog back into the bosom of her old home, but Frost was taken aback at the circumstance that there are now six dogs instead of one.
Clara's security and future happiness are too important to be taken lightly. The frosts have not yet reached a decision.
The S.F.K.W.I.H.---
Society For Keeping Women In Hand Speaks
I can't do this sort of thing as well as Paul Gallico, who is a professional at bawling women out and getting away with it. He insults them with venom and the next day a million women are lapping it up in "Vogue" or "Cosmopolitan."
This big ugly guy seems to hold some fatal fascination for women that a college senior could never hope to obtain. But I merely want to make it known that we see eye to eye on a great many things concerning women, and that as a professional critic of the female, he has my unadulterated support.
He looks at things through a jaded New York eye while my ken is limited to what goes on at a Middlewestern campus. In the end, however, we achieve the same results, be mine ever so humble.
IE., as a mere man, and how I snarl at that phrase, I am tired of hearing college women screech. At dawning they begin on a series of vocal exercises which leave their men shaken at the end of the day. They scream at each other on the campus, at work, and at play. Everywhere you go you can't escape the sound of a feminine voice raised in full cry. It leaves us, not only with a sense of defeat at never having a chance to voice our opinions, but irked, my dears, irked.
Then, as one Reginald Buxton, late of this very university, used to say, they will wear anything which is not nailed down. This naturally includes many things which were better never worn. By this I mean such baubles as pigtails which look merely anachronistic, sloppy sweaters which look like tents, and horned rimmed glasses which are intended to give that pedagogical air, but only frighten. These bangs are another thing
Also I like the color red. I even like it in large quantities. But used exclusively and without respite has certain antagonistic qualities. Women tell me that a red dress is supposed to insure a phenomenal cut at a Midweek or Varsity. But if every girl in the room has on a red dress, I would just as soon take out the whole Canadian Mounted Police force.
Most of my friends, who also indulge occasionally in diatribes on the pro and con qualities of women, agree with me when I say that sarcasm in a woman is a misplaced virtue. I like to reserve for myself the privilege of being misanthropic biting and bitter, and if my love also goes after the world in a brimstoneish way, how am I going to stand out in contrast to her?
All this is probably doing no really constructive good, since the thing which has stood out most vividly in my observation of women by the tonnage is that they do just as they please anyway, and any sly attempts to reform them are like trying to split the atom with a Boy Scout knife.
Two R.O.T.C. men were inspecting each other's Jayhawk patches, which have to be sewed on the uniforms. Number one, whose patch was askew and somewhat untidy, remarked, "I wish my girl was as good at sewing as yours."
"Oh, I sewed this on myself," the other replied.
But he's not so good at cooking girls.
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