Daily Post - 16.04.1942, Page 2

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DAILY POST
DAILY POST
is published by
Blaðahringurinn.
Editors: S. Benediktsson.
Sgt. J. I. McGhie.
Office: 12, Austurstræti. Tel.
3715. Reykjavík. Printed by
Alþýðuprentsmiðjan.
Thursday, April 16, 1942
Laval Climbs Back
to the Saddle
Ever since the sudden emer-
gence of Laval from careful
concealment at the time when
France fell, the moment of his
elevation to the control of the
Vichy Government has been
only a matter of time, and now
that he has reached control it
may well be merely a matter of
time before he has dragged
France unwillingly into the
war on Germany’s side. There
are indications that this may
happen soon. Only a few days
ago the Quisling politician Mar-
cel Deat made an obviously
prompted speech that the
French army must stop parad-
ing and take an active part in
the war, and that the French
navy must go out to protect
French convoys. In any case
Laval’s record is so consistentiy
anti-democratic that there can
be no question of his true loy-
alty to the Nazis. It is a mis-
take to assume that he is only
buying his personal prosperity
by selling his patriotism, and to
draw the conclusion that he
may some day turn against the
Nazis and fight for us. Ever
since Fascism first raised its
head Laval has courted it and
has spared no pains to persuade
his compatriots not to oppose its
progress, and with the except-
ion of the ill-fated pact, of
which he was a joint sponsor,
to surrender Abyssinia to the
Italians, when he seriously ang-
ered his people and soon after
was driven from office by the
Popular Front, his progress to
power has been smooth, and the
design behind it has always
been consistent.
If Laval and his Quisling
followers now march France
into a disastrous participation
in the war, they will act against
the will of the French people,
who, when their own — and
our — victory is won can be
trusted to bring a time-hon-
oured remedy to bear upon the
perpetrators of their national
tragedy.
Prison
in U.S.A.
United States of America —
War Rationing Book No. 1’ has
been prepared. The fact that
there is no mention of sugar is
regarded as indication that it
is to be used for a variety of
commodities. Special measur-
es taken against hoarding: a
citizen will be given a ration
book provided he can truth-
fully claim there is in his
household no more than two
pounds of sugar for each mem-
ber of family. Commentator
says: ‘Up to ten years’ im-
prisonment or a $10,000 fine
awaits the liar.’ Already
hoarders are re-selling supplies
to storekeepers to qualify for
ration books.
WAR MACHINES
Entire automobile industry
stopped making cars and pro-
duces machines of war. The
last civilian car manufactured
by Ford until war ends roll-
ed off at Detroit bearing a
placard ‘This is the last V8.
Watch out, Japs—here come
little Jeeps. Next stop V for
Victory.’
Rationing automobile tyres
has been in force for some
weeks, and a joint statement
just issued by Jesse Jones,
Secretary of Commerce, and
Donald Nelson, chief of the
War Production Board informs
American people: no new tyres
for civilians.
for Hoarders
*
Prison or heavy fines for
lioarders, rationing, the dimin-
ishing number of Cars on the
road .... these are only a few
of the indications that the
people of the TJnited States
are “getting down to it.”
*
BACK TO BICYCLES
The country’s automobiles
are going off the roads at the
rate of 25,000 a day.
Mr. Leon Henderson headed
‘back to the bicycle’ parade in
Washington; while Governor
Eugene Talmadge of Georgia,
with Mayor Roy Lecraw of
Atlanta, pedalled down the
main street of the city on
a ‘bicycle made for two’.
The Mayor has now decided
to abandon what he himself
called his ‘double life,’ and con-
centrate on mayoral activities,
leaving civilian defence to
others. ‘Little Flower’ as he is
called, has dynamic energy.
Has smashed slot machines,
tested police efficiency by
turning in a Riot Call from
front of the Stock Exchange,
led Vice Squad into notorious
houses, and followed fire-eng-
ines all over city, never miss-
ing a fire. Stood on the quay-
si(je when Normandie turned
on her side.
For years has breezed about
town in specially built Chrysl-
er limousine, famous for radio
telephone, built-in desk and
hidden revolver. He now uses
small Ford.
INCIDENTAL
INFORMATION
A man who joins the anti-
Bolshevik Legion receivesr
over and above his German
uniform and ration, 3,000
francs a month; a lieutenant
gets 7,500 francs, and a cap-
tain, 12,500 francs a month-
Nice little sums, especially
when it is remembered that
the wages of a French work-
er, with the present high cost
of living, amount, as a rule, to»
no more than 200 francs a wek^
Henceforth, instead of popp-
ing into the nearest debit de
tabac for a packet of ‘blues’ or
an ounce of ‘gris,’ the French
addict must register with his
tobacconist to receive, on cer-
tain days in the week, and
subject to availability of sup-
plies, a measured quantity
which somehow must be made-
to last until next time.
*
The Pope, in private Epis-
copal audience, has indicatedr
according to General Newsr
that whereas Nazism is almost
entirely evil in its inspiration,
Communism has certain ele-
ments of natural good. Bolshe-
vism is, in some sense, a
corruption of the virtues of
brotherly love and self-sacri-
fice, whereas Nazism is a direct
and untrammelled manifesta-
tion of hatred and greed.
fireeks are Taking Terrible Pnnishment
Between 150,000 and 200,000
Greeks have died as a result of
the German-Italian occupation
of Greece, either from execu-
tion, massacre or starvation.
Disturbances in North
Greece “forced” German de-
tachments to send punitive ex-
peditions to the villages of Ano
Karsillion and Kato Karsillion.
The nature of such punitive
expeditions emerges from re-
ports reaching the Greek Gov-
ernment in London. When Ger-
man troops were sent in mid-
October to the village of
Mesovouni, they set aside, the
women and children under 16
years of age, and then pro-
ceeded to execute the whole
male population, about 200 in
number, after which they burnt
the village to the ground. In
November, the village of Stav-
ros was destroyed and 150 of
the inhabitants were murder-
ed. On October 31st, 13 hostag-
es were hanged in the villages
of Lahana, near Salonika, aft-
er two German transport driv-
ers had been found dead near
the town.
Nevertheless, the Greeks re-
fuse to be “pacified”. Two
Greeks were sentenced to
death by the German military
authorities in Salonika, because
one of them was found to be
carrying arms; five Greeks-
were executed in Athens foll-
owing the deaths of two Ger-
man policemen; rewards rang-
ing from 10,000 to 50,000-
drachmas have been offered
for the capture of British
troops; anyone helping or con-
cealing British troops is liable-
to court-martial; hundreds of
people in Thessalonia have-
been arrested on charges of
sabotage.
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