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The Battalion
STUDENT TRI-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
TEXAS A. & M. COLLEGE
The Battalion, official newspaper of the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Texas and the city of College Station, is
published three times weekly from September to June, issued
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings; also it is published
weekly from June through August.
Entered as second-class matter at the Post Office at College
Station, Texas, tunder the Act of Congress of March 8, 1879.
Subscription rate, $3 a school year. Advertising rates upon
request.
Represented nationally by National Advertising Service, Inc.,
at New York City, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and San
Francisco.
Office, Room 122, Administration Building. Telephone
4-6444.
1940 Member 1941
Associated Gol!e6iate Press
Bob Nisbet Editor-in-Chief
George Fuermann Associate Editor
Keith Hubbard Advertising Manager
Tom Vannoy Editorial Assistant
Pete Tumlinson Staff Artist
J. B. Pierce, Phil Levine Proof Readers
Sports Department
Hub Johnson Sports Editor
Bob Myers Assistant Sports Editor
Mike Haikin, Jack Hollimon
W. F. Oxford Junior Sports Editors
Circulation Department
Tommy Henderson Circulation Manager
W. G. Hauger, E. D. Wilmeth Assistant Circulation Managers
F. D. Asbury, E. S. Henard Circulation Assistants
Photography Department
Phil Golman Photographic Editor
G. W. Brown, John Carpenter, Joe Golman,
Jack Jones Assistant Photographers
TUESDAY’S EDITORIAL STAFF
Bill Clarkson Managing Editor
lack Hendricks Assistant Advertising Manager
Junior Editors
Lee Rogers E. M. Rosenthal
Reportorial Staff
Jack Aycock, Jack Decker, Walter Hall, Ralph Inglefield,
Tom Leland, Beverly Miller, W. A. Moore, Mike Speer, Dow
Wynn.
Scars of Past Generations
“WHAT WAS THAT? You want a story of my
life since I came to A. & M. College? Yes, I’ll tell
you, but it’s a sad story. When I first came to
College Station I was very pretty. Oh, I know it’s
hard to believe now because I’m old and my face is
scarred, but then my make-up had been put on
by an expert, and I was young and gay.
“When I first arrived, I was put in the Aca
demic Building. The first week a boy came in and sat
down. He ran his hand over my face lightly, mur
muring something about my being pretty. Then
during the second week, another came in and began
to write a few English notes on my face, but he
forgot how to spell “heroes.” He wrote on my
face, then scratched it out and wrote it another way.
I bear the scar to this day.
During the next few weeks, similar incidents
occurred. Then one day a boy came in and sat down,
and glanced at my beautiful face and smiled.
“Humm”, he said. And taking out his pocket knife
he began an operation. He cut his initials deep
into my flesh, and they are still there. Then the
next day, another boy filled my flesh with ink.
Ugh! the ugly, black stuff! I smell it yet.
The next boy muttered, ‘What a shame’. But
the boy who sat in my seat the next day was ut
terly indifferent. He was too busy writing notes
even to notice me.
“And so, my friends, that is the way it has been
down through the years, first one and then another
adding scars, scars on my face that you can see,
and gears on my heart that only I know.
“I can bear it, but I’m afraid for my descend
ants. I am sturdy pioneer stock, but these last few
generation seem to be getting soft. I don’t think
they can take it. So, gentlemen, there is one way
you can keep from sending us to an early grave
and that is—DON’T CARVE ON DESKS.”
OPEN FORUM
LAST SATURDAY, your columnist of “As The
World Turns” was at a loss to understand why the
workers at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation’s Lack
awanna plant should all of a sudden decide to go
on a strike. In his current series of articles, he has
from time to time been quite critical of the ac
tions of union workers in their relations with their
employer and the general public. However, if we
are to assume that the employer, because of the
absence of any statement concerning this side of
the question in his column, has had nothing to do
with the strikes in industry or other labor prob
lems, there are several things it may not be amiss
to bring us at this time. If the columnist will take
the trouble to go over to the Library he will find
a fuller discussion on all this material quoted, and
many other items besides. There is no doubt in
the writer’s mind that the leadership of labor
unions have much to answer for because of their
unwise policies of the past and the present. But
there is about as much justification for the aboli
tion of unions for this reason as there is to
abolish banks because some of their officers have
misused their trust and authority.
In his last article your columnist is particular
ly concerned about the employees of the Bethle
hem Steel Co. striking, since this company has
immense amounts of defense contract, and no ap
parent reason for striking. (Last Saturday, accord
ing to an INS dispatch, the company agreed to
reach a settlement at meetings beginning next
Tuesday, based on acceptance of practically all the
demands of th^e strikers.) The two most impor
tant demands of the workers relate to considera
tion of general wage levels, and recognition of their
right of collective bargaining as provided by the
National Labor Relations Act. According to the
investigation of the Senate Committee on Rights
of Labor, this firm has used illegal means to pre
vent workers from acquiring these rights. In con
nection with their demands for wage increases, it
may be interesting to note that last year this firm
had the highest net profits in its history, amounting
to over $14 per share of common stock. Mr. W. S.
Knudsen testified last week before a Senate Judi
ciary Committee that strikes have interfered very
little with the defense program, and that legisla
tion to outlaw strikes would “make the situa
tion infinitely worse”. (Newsweek, March ) u page
40.) His co-worker, Mr. Sidney Hillman, further
testified that, since the present defense program
began, industrial accidents have caused the loss of
four times as many man-hours of work as those
caused by strikes. Despite the wide degree of pub
licity given by the press and the radio with re
spect to strikes (and failure to give same amount
of publicity to strike settlements), the official fig
ures of the situation given by those in charge seem
to tell a different story.
In July, 1935, Congress passed, and the Presi
dent signed, the “Wagner Labor Relations Act. This
law declared it to be the policy of the Federal Gov
ernment to allow workers to “select representatives
of their own choosing”, and to “bargain collectively”
with their employer. In order to make these rights
legally effective, the law further provides that it is
an unfair labor practice on the part of the em
ployer to interfere with, intimidate, or discriminate
against, any group of workers attempting to se
cure their legal rights. The immediate supervision
of the act is entrusted to the National Labor Re
lations Board, whose decisions are subject to court
review finally resting in the United States Supreme
Court. After the law went into effect, particularly
from 1935 to 1939, employer groups used every
means within their power to sabotage the act, al
most completely ignoring the decisions of the NLRB.
According to the results of the investigation car
ried on by this United Senate Committee headed by
Senators LaFollette and Thomas (Utah), these em
ployers used, in an illegal manner, such things as
tear-gas bombs, sub-machine guns, labor spies, and
“agents provocators” to prevent unionization of
their workers. (Senate Document No. 46, Part III,
75th Congress, 2nd Session; Document No. 6, Parts
I, III, IV, 76th Congress, 1st Session.) Just one
item that may be considered typical is that regard
ing the Pinkerton Detective Agency which sup
plied over 1200 individuals to private employers,
presumably to act as private police to “protect”
their property. Of these, over 300 were used as la
bor spies, gaining membership in bona fide unions
by underhand means, and a large number were found
to have had criminal records. (Page Mr. West
brook Pegler). As a result of this unfavorable pub
licity, the Pinkerton Agency decided to quit this
rather unsavory part of its business. Also the N.
LfR.B., whose decisions are generally regarded as be
ing biased and presumably not in accordance with
the facts, has been quite uniformly upheld by the
United States Supreme Court, some of the lead
ing decisions being written by Chief Justice Hughes
himself. (See N.L.R.B. vs. Jones & Laughlin Steel
Co., 301 U.S. 1; N.L.R.B. vs. Fansteel Metallurgi
cal Corp., 306 U.S. 240; N.L.R.B. vs. Republic Steel
Corp., 60 Supreme Court Reports 806.) For a re
cent analysis of the work of this organization by
one who is neither a unionist nor an employer, read
Professor R. R. Brooks’ volume entitled “Unions of
Their Own Choosing.”
Space does not permit any further discussion
at this time, but the writer hopes that enough has
been suggested to indicate that an intelligent' and
broadminded approach toward the solution of em
ployer-employee relationships requires that all
known facts be made available. Mere recital of the
abuses of unionism “a la Westbrook Pegler”, with
out consideration of the abuses of the employer,
will only add fuel to the fire instead of quenching
it.
S. I. SCHELDRUP
Instructor in Economics
As the World Turns...
By DR. R. W. STEEN
A WAR ON two fronts was the nightmare of Im
perial Germany. When war came in 1914 it was a
war on two fronts, and in the end Germany was
beaten. Nazi Germany has also feared a war on two
fronts, and so far has been able to avoid such a
contest. Developments in the Balkans indicate that
she may now have to fight such a war after all.
Turkey apparently intends to stand by Britain, and
has taken the occupation of Bulgaria as the signal
to begin bombing attacks in Ru
mania. There is no way of predict
ing what will happen, but it is en
tirely within the bounds of possi
bility that German demands upon
Greece will bring an English ex
peditionary force into that coun
try, and that the resulting fight
ing will bring Turkey into the
war. Such a’war will of course in
crease the drain upon Germany’s
vital supplies, and will at the same
time reduce her striking power at
Britain itself.
Bombing the Rumanian oil field will be a diffi
cult task. It would take something close to a direct
hit for a bomb to seriously damage a well, and there
are thousands of wells in the field. Damage can
be done to storage tanks and transportation facili
ties. Refineries in the vicinity can also be bombed.
However, Britain would not have to destroy the
field to interfere with the German oil supply. The
field, one of the most important sources of German
oil, produces only 26,000,000 barrels of oil annually
—about the equivalent of Texas production for
twenty days. Any reduction in production will be
felt, and a large reduction might be critical.
This is Texas Independence Week. Sunday,
March 2, was Texas Independence Day, and also
Sam Houston’s birthday. Appropriate ceremonies
were held at Washington-on-the-Brazos where the
declaration of independence was issued 105 years
ago. By some quirk or other it is also “Eat More
Meat” week, so proclaimed by Governor O’Daniel.
The proclamation indicates clearly the remarkable
difference between this country and most of the
European countries at the present time. Here we
are urged to eat more meat, while in many of the
occupied countries people are facing starvation and
meat is not to be had under any condition. Inciden
tally, a war would change conditions in this country
too. Hooverizing, in the last war, meant eating less
meat—not more.
Nearly one-half of the twenty-one million Amer
ican youths between sixteen and twenty-four live
on farms or in villages.
Forty-seven whole farm and ranch demonstra
tors cooperating with the Texas Extension Service
improved the family’s water supply systems dur
ing 1940. These improvements included new wells
dug, addition of windmills, pumps, tanks, and pip
ing of water in and out of the house.
Steen
THE BATTALION
-TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 1941
BACKWASH
By
George Fuemnn
“Backwash: An agitation resulting from some action or occurrence.”—Webster
Touch and Go. . . . Aggies lis
tening to Bob Hawk’s “Take Lt
or Leave It” program aired from
Houston via CBS Sunday night
heard one of the month’s best gig
gle items. Bob mentioned that a
day earlier he had
visited the Rice
Institute campus
and while there
was told of a re
cent speaker who
had addressed the
student body. It
seems that the
well-meaning ora
tor’s subject was
Fuermann the four letters of
the school’s name-—“R” for right
eousness, “I” for integrity, “C” for
cooperation and “E” for energy.
Just as the poor man finished his
address, someone in the rear of
the audience murmured, “Thank
God this isn’t the Agricultural and
Mechanical College of Texas!” . . .
Saturday is the day of the fifth
annual all-sports day events which
this year is being guided by T
Club President Howard Shelton and
Tommie Vaughn. The cause is a
good one and every cadet who can
do so should be on hand for the
show. . . . One of the entomology
students, setting down the prereq
uisites of bug collecting on a re
cent quiz, “A long-handled net, a
pair of hornrimmed glasses and a
pair of Boy Scout shorts really
make you look the part.” . . . .
Life photographer Francis (Nig)
Miller, who photographed the Soph
omore Ball and the corps review
a couple of weekends ago, appears
in the current issue of the mag in
one of his own articles. Incident
ally, he returned to Aggieland once
again last Friday to round out his
work with shots taken at the Field
Artillery Ball and a picturization
of an A. & M. mess hall “air raid.”
. . . The writer has 11x14 prints
of 50 of the shots taken on the cam
pus. Those cadets who were pictur
ed by Life are welcome to see the
pictures.
• # •
R. Morgan & Co.
Tops in the field of dance enter
tainment was Russ and his 18 asso
ciates of music making. Cadet opin
ion concerning the orchestra is al
most hash. “He’s better than last
year,” one student said. “He’s not
nearly as good as last year,” came
from another. “Just about the same
as he was at last year’s Senior
Ring Dance,” others said. Although
Backwash’s committee guiding 19-
41’s orchestra poll hasn’t been heard
from, it seems to be a safe guess
to say that Russ went over with
a bang where the Field Artillery
and the entire corps is concerned.
In a tie for second in last year’s
poll, he should have a good chance
at the No. 1 spot this year.
The old American folk song,
“Star Dust,” blitzkrieged into the
No. 1 spot on the Aggie Hit Par
ade this past weekend. “Dolores”
rode second place and the famed
Morgan theme song, “Does Your
Heart Beat for Me?” came in third.
This mythical rating is based on
the number of requests made for
a particular song at each dance.
Saturday afternoon Russ played
golf with modern language prof
Joe Woolket versus David McMinn
and the Y.M.C.A.’s business secre
tary, Bob Lowry.
“That was the first game of
golf I’ve played in five years,” Russ
said, “but we beat ’em.”
Russ’ musicians make an average
of $100 per week plus additional
money from occasional movie
shorts, recordings, commercial
brefadcasting find transcriptions;.
The orchestra begins a six-week
stand at Hollywood’s Paladium
Thursday night. Incidentally, the
orchestra recently made a Uni
versal short which should show at
one of the local theaters within
six or eight weeks. The band netted
$2000 for making the short—just
in case you’ve ever wondered about
such things.
• • O
Phyliss Lynne
When Russ played at A. & M.
last spring his vocalist was Car
olyn Clarke, but Carolyn got mar
ried and quit singing commercially.
Maxine Conrad was next, but she’s
now engaged and her boy friend
wouldn’t let her make the cross
country trek.
Thus blonde Phyliss Lynne did
the feminine work this time. For
merly with Paul Pendarvis, she
has been with Russ five weeks,
had ten requests for dates while
here, accepted ^one’ of them, is 21
years old, is only a fair singer but
blessed with a lovely personality
and said, “I loved dancing with the
Aggies even though I couldn’t take
more than one step with each of
them. I’ve never seen so much cut
ting-in on a dance floor and was
a little bewildered by it—but it was
wonderful.”
Phyliss makes $75 a week with
Russ, sings less than most vocal
ists because Russ doesn’t believe in
featuring a feminine star and her
home is in California.
Most Aggies thought she was
tops and one was chagrinned when
she told him, “I don’t drink or
smoke, but I love gum.”
• O •
The Accident
The Sunday before Russ arrived
at A. & M. the truck which carries
his instruments and four of his
men was in a serious accident
near Chipley, Florida. Ace drum
mer Johnny May broke his leg
and three other members of the or
chestra received hospital treatment.
Result: Manager Clyde Trask had
to go ahead of the orchestra and
borrow instruments for future en
gagements. Aggieland Orchestra
did the loaning at A. & M.
To fill May’s shoes, Shep Barrier
of Beaumont was employed. He did
a better-than-average job and the
The best way of how not to
“LOVE THY NEIGHBOR” is shown
by Jack Benny and Fred Allen
at the Assembly Hall Wednesday
and Thursday. The enjoyment of
these two comedians over the air
is heightened by seeing them on
the screen, and seeing them also
provides other means for getting
laughs. Of the two comedians, Ben
ny seems to outshine Allen. He is
more natural in his masterly way
of making remarks seem like or
dinary conversation. Allen has to
work a little harder on his method
of delivery and it is easier to tell
when he has a gag line coming.
The plot runs through a sort of
You-slap-me-and-I’ll-slap-you tech
nique which has been used by these
actors over the air for some time.
It is greatly intensified as each
tries to ruin the other’s show by
hiring away his cast and by all
means foul and fair. Really the
remarks and jokes are the main
things because the plot is just
something to hang them onto, and
as the main thing of the entertain
ment they are plenty attractive.
Rochester, as he has been in
Benny’s last few shows, is a healthy
percentage of the show. With a
concrete-mixer voice and a good
deal of versatility he sings and
dances and acts just plain funny.
This show has a double portion
of laughs with whipped cream and
break may lead to a permanent top
flight job. Shep, by the way, at
tended A. & M. for three weeks at
the beginning of the 1939-40 long
session and was a member of the
third combat train, Field Artillery.
chocolate, and if laughter is good
for what ails you, this will do the
job.
The title to the show playing at
the Campus Tuesday and Wednes
day came from the old song title
“MARGIE.” It is sort of a farce-
comedy which isn’t a story but
just a series of comical situations
about the difficulties of young
song writers. Rapidly maturing
Tom Brown and Nan Grey try to
write their songs and get along
both professionally .and romantic
ally.
15c to 5 p.m. — 20e after
Today and Tomorrow
“MARGIE”
—also—
Cartoon - Novelty
Thursday Only
Greer Garson
Laurence Olivier
—in—
“Pride and Prejudice”
This film sponsored by P.T.A.,
A. & M. Consolidated School
Assembly Hall
Last Day
“DR. KILDARE’S CRISIS”
3:30 and 6:45
The Most Powerful of the Kildare Stories
Selected Shorts - - News
Wednesday - Thursday
Gifts for the
Girl Friend
We have just received a new ship
ment of Aggie Insignia Jewelry. You
can make the one and only very happy
by sending her one of these:
Lockets $2.25 - $8.00
Compacts $2.00 - $5.00
Bracelets $2.00 - $8.00
Pins $1.00 - $2.25
Come by today and make
your selection.
The Exchange Store
'An Aggie Institution’
It:
Paramount Pictur* with j
MARY MARTIN verree teasdaie . the merry
VIRGINIA DALE mi ROCHESTER W
Shorts - Pop Eye in “My Pop’
Also “Motorcycles”
3:30 and 6:45 each day
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