U.S.A. AFFAIRS

Greymouth Evening Star, 26 July 1945, Page 5

U.S.A. AFFAIRS

MICHIGAN GAOL SCANDAL NEW YORK, July 24. The State Attorney-General of Michigan, Mr. John Dethmers, after a J'our-months’ investigation, reported that the Southern Michigan State Prison was shockingly, corruptly administered. Conditions prevailed permitting the most disgraceful moral laxity 'and making the institution “a veritable cupid club for lovelorn inmates.” Mr. Dethmers further alleged that a ring of “big shot” convicts had wide control inside the penitentiary, and that women were brought in for them. Some inmates were permitted the solace of their wives or sweethearts. Inmates were taken for week-end parties with women to a prison official’s cottage. Gambling for stakes as high as .1500 dollars was carried on, and liquor was smuggled within the penitentiary. Certain inmates with imposing criminal records were permitted to attend outside shows, games and country fairs, some of them travelling in an official’s car. At least 10 ■bookmakers operated in the prison. Some favoured inmates held monopoly rights to the manufacture of certain articles within the prison, doingaggregate business exceeding 100,000 dollars a year. SUPER-HELICOPTER. WASHINGTON, July 25. The Navy Bureau of Aeronautics has announced the successful completion of flights to test the world’s largest helicopter. It is one with a fuselage 48 feet long and 13 feet high. It is capable of carrying two of a crew and ten passengers. v In a medium range operation the new helicopter aircraft can land within an area of a hundred fe?i diameter of cleared land or of waler. In view of its ability to carry a vi’fltd load, it is the first economically practical helicopter so far produced. NEWSPAPERS NEEDED NEW YORK, July 24. Surveys made for the newspaper associations during the 17 days’ newspaper delivery strike in New York show that 76 per cent, of the public are dissatisfied with radio as a complete news service. The. percentage of dissatisfied listeners rose to 80 after the second week. Seventy-nine per cent, of women readers said they missed the advertising very much. A report on the combined scores of two surveys concludes that they demonstrate that the newspapers continue to be indispensable to the public. At the same time, it is indicated that the longer people are forced to do without newspapers, the more convinced they are that there is no adequate substitute. RATIONINGS’ LAST YEAR WASHINGTON, July 24.. Holding out hope that rationing in the United States will be terminated; before the end of 1946, the Office of Price Administration, announcing the distribution of the new 1946 ration book, said: “We hope it will be the last, in the series, and that many stamps will remain unissued.”