7
Dl
m
ill
N
4 Transports
Our Job Is to Save
Dollars
Destroyed by
Allied Fliers
13 Planes Also Bagged;
Fight With Remnant of
Nippon Fleet Continues
Buy
War Bond's
3&
S-h Every Pay Day
THE DOUGLAS COUNTY DAILY
VOL. XLVII NO.280 OF ROSEBURG RE
: ' v ln The
p Day's
News
By FRANK JENKINS
T
HE Germans are still on the
prod in Tunisia.
They attacked all day Sunday
along a 65-mile front, and at one
point they gained three miles.
Monday's dispatches tell us that
along this front an allied air as
sault left "bloody chaos" in the
German ranks.
The Germans no longer have
everything their own way in the
air.
'L
OCATE Medjez el Bab on your
map. (You will find it just
west and a little south of Tunis.)
Note its relation to railroads and
highways.
It lies at the head of a valley
lhal is the historic main gate to
Tunis and Eizertc, which are lo
cated roughly on Iho site of the
ancient city-slate of Carthage.
There has been fighting in this
general area for more than 25
centuries that we know of, and
Always the general area of Med
jez el Bab has been a strategic
point.
Watch ANY fighting in this area.
It will be important. The Ger
mans will take Medjez el Bah if
they can. We won't give it up un
less we have to.
oM
ONTGOMERYis reported at
Mareth, in the Marelh line
defenses. Mareth is only 43 miles
from Gabes, where the coastal
route ("passable terrain" is the
military term you have seen in
the dispatches) narrows to a 20
mile bottleneck between the Medi
terranean and the Chott Djerid
salt lake.
MONTGOMERY'S . objective is
to break through these defens
es and squeeze Rommel from the
south. Rommel's purpose is to
HOLD MONTGOMERY BACK as
long as possible.
Montgomery (from whom wo
have heard little lately) may be
undertaking to FLANK these
Mareth defenses, going arountl
through the difficult country to
the west and north instead of
Q tormlng the na"row Marcth-Ga-bes
gate.
Anyway, the thing to watch is
whether or not Montgomery can
break through to put the squeeze
on Rommel.
RECALL the story of the Amer
ican patrol plane whose pilot
reported seeing large German
convoys crossing the Sicilian
strait and another large German
convoy UNLOADING at Bizcrte.
You may be sure the Germans are
rushing in all the reinforcements
(Continued on page 2)
Navy Personnel Casualty Rate to be
10 Per Cent, Knox Warns, in Plans for
O Armada of World-Domination Size
WASHINGTON, March 3.
( AP) A grim warning to expect
a 10 per cent casualty rate In
navy personnel was laid before
congress and the nation today as
Secretary of the Navy Knox dis
closed an operating force plan
calling for a navy "big enough to
dominate all seas over the world."
The solemn navy estimate that
it would lose, and have to replace,
one man out of each ten killed
or woundedcame as Knox and
ranking naval officials unfolded
their program for building up
personnel strength to 2,250,000 by
July, 1944.
Knox's outline of the nun's
"operating forde" plan and his
figures on potential costs of the
sea warfare were made public by
)the house subcommittee on naval
appropriations as it completed
work on a new S 1.000.000.000 sup
plemental naval spending bill.
Members of the subcommittee
pressed Knox quickly for an ex-
planation of the casualty esti -
8.
Da aging Blows of Allies
Keep RommeVs Forces in
Retreat Toward Sea Base
Planes Take
Toll of Axis
Panzer Units
Drydocks at Two Ports
Also Blasted, Batch of
Warplanes Destroyed
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
NORTH AFRICA, March 3.
(API Allied forces maintained
their heavy artillery inflicted
northern Tunisia yesterday and
ther iheavy artillery indicted
considerable damage on axis po
sitions north of Beja and east of
the crossroads town of Scdjcn
ane, a communique said today.
Expanding their holdings In
pursuit of Marsha Rommel's de -
feated armored forces, allied
vanguards "pressed on to the
south and southeast of Sbeitla,"
the recaptured rail town 12
miles southwest of Tunis.
The communique reported
there was little activity in the
central sector and said only pa
trol activity was developed by
the British eighth army, which
is pressing upon the Mareth line.
Allien iroops oeai duck small
thrusts by the axis in nortnern
1 llillM.I, : -sijum-mih-ii &(IU, mini:
allied planes bombed and shot up
enemy troop concentrations at
several points, knocked dow
live axis fighters and a bombe
and heavily attacked Tunis and
the nearby harbor of LaGouIctte.
Heavy artillery of the American-supported
British first army
shelled enemy positions, axis In
fantry and vehicles advancing on
the road four miles east of Sed
jenane, 12 miles from the coast,
and the enemy withdrew after
losing four armored cars.
Another small infantry attack
was thrown back five miles
northward cast of Medjez-El-Bah.
A half dozen tanks approached
Beja, midway between Scdjennnc
(Continued on page 6.)
Youth Chooses Prison
To Service in Army
SEATTLE, March 3-(AP
Federal Judge Lloyd L. Black ad
monished a 23-year old Seattle
youth, who yesterday chose pri
son in preference to military
service, that ho might readily be
a victim of murder were it not
for the many fellow Americans
who were willing to take up
arms for their country.
Judge Black imposed a three
year sentence on Charles A.
Whitson for failure to register
for the draft after Whitson had
told him:
"I have no intention of going
Into the army. I am of the opin
ion that anyone who takes up
arms or helps in the war effort
is a murderer or an accessory to
murder."
mate. They drew from him testi
mony that on Feb. 8 the total
casualties in navy officers and
men had been only 19.022.
"Does that not indicate an over
estimation?" asked Chairman
Sheppard. The navy secretary
paraphrased the words of John
Paul Jones, one of America's most
famous sea fighters, in his reply.
"Well," said Knox, "it Is hard
to answer that question because
! we have just begun to fight." '
-We are building," said Knox.
"not a two-ocean navy, but a
navy big enough to dominate all
seas over the world. The esti
mates are predicated upon the
needs .is the ships come In. an-J
as they come in they greatly In
crease the size of the shore in
stallations to handle such a fleet."
Rear Admiral Randall Jacobs,
chief of the navy's bureau of per
sonnel, explained that, to date,
"less than 10 per cent of the total
navy has been involved
any
1 fight."
ROSEBURG,
A-B-C of Fighting in Tunisia
' 'I
i
f
If ; ' .. ' . .
1 j
, JL
i i ' n
fp--tT''j
, .
INEA Tehphoto)
Here are three steps the Yanks use in going after Axis troops
in Tunisia and bringing them back. Top to bottom, using 105
mm howitzers, allied fighters stage a surprise attack against
enemy positions in hills outside Sened; then leaving their half
tracks the Yanks run forward to the attack; and lastly you
get a picture of the success of the raid by the number of Italian
and German prisoners captured.
Chronic Absentee
To Lose His Job,
Warning of Knox
WASHINGTON, March 3
(API Secretary of Navy Knox
testified today he had received
reports that time lost in war
plants due to absenteeism was
"many times greater than the
time lost due to strikes or shut
downs", and that such loss of time
and production had been "increas
ing during the past year, rather
than decreasing."
Knox appeared before the
house naval committee during
consideration of a bill to curb ab
senteeism by requiring war con
tractors to report work absences
to draft boards, with the view of
inducting into military service
men who willfully stay away
from their war production jobs.
"I feel that there is no place
in the whole naval establishment
for a chronic absentee, and steps
have already been taken to re
move them from ouv employ
after all means have failed to
cure them," Knox said.
"The thought of what our men
at the front may be enduring for
lack of the plane or the gun or
the ship or the ammunition
should he enough to spur every
able-bodied man and woman in
this country to redoubled and con
tinuous effort on the production
front."
Returned Hero Notes
Lack of War Support
SPOKANE. March 3. (AP)-
Lieut. Col. Felix Hardison, famed
i pilot of the famed Suzv-Q, his
prized bombing plane which took
everything the Japs had to offer
in the early months of the south
Pacific war, said here yesterday
he didn't "think the American
people are back of the war over
there."
Speaking at a meeting of the
chamber of commerce, he said
"Since I've been home I've
heard more griping than I did
over th"re at any time."
OREGON, WEDNESDAY,
Beef, Pork Ceilings
Coming to Smash
Black Markets
WASHINGTON, March 3.-
(API-Price Administrator
Brown announced today uniform,
community-wide dollar and cents
ceiling prices on pork and beef
will be established shortly in an
effort to break up black markets
in meat.
Brown's disclosure was made to
a senate agriculture subcommit
tee which has heard packers
complain that many indepen
dents are being forced out of
business by a squeeze between
ceiling prices on meat and rising,
uncontrolled prices of live hogs
and cattle.
Black markets have been op
erating, Brown said, because
under present ceilings, meat re
tailers are permitted to charge
the highest prices they received
for various meats last March,
thus varying the celling price
from store to store and making
'it possible for those charging
higher prices to pay a premium
lor black market pork and beef.
"The new ceiling prices on
Ppoi k should be out in a matter of
days. Brown testified, "with
those on beef to follow shortly."
The new ceilings, fixed for
each community, will be accom
panied by an acceleration of a
drive to convince the public that
purchase of "uninspected black
market meat is dangerous,"
Brown said.
If the projected procedure fails
to make it possible for the pack
er to 0M-rate at a normal margin
of profit, he asserted, "I'm go
ing to advocate ceilings on
hogs as a starter."
live
Motorist Run Over By
Own Car and Killed
KANSAS CITY, March 3
(AP) Howard Oots was run over
and killed today by the car he
was driving.
His machine and one driven bv
Andrew Stewart collided, police
, reported. Oots was thrown out
and his car swung around and
1 ran over him.
MARCH 3, 1943.
State Senate
Votes "Juke,
if
Pinball Taxes
i
Reversal of Original
Stand Assures Boost
In Old Age Pensions
Bv PAUL W. HARVEY, Jr.
SALEM, Ore., March 3 (AP)
Oregon's old age pension reclpi
ens were virtually assured today
that their average monthly pen
sion would be raised from $25 to
$38 within the next two years, the
senate passing 17 to 13 a bill to
levy a $f0 annual tax on pinball
games and a $10 tax on coin-operated
phonographs.
The senate previously had de
feated the measure by the same
vote. The bill, introduced by
Rep. Sleelhammer, would raise
about $1,000,000 a year. It now
goes back to the house, the senate
having cut the phonograph tax
from $25 to $10.
In the meantime, the house was
deadlocked In a maze of parlia
mentary maneuvering over Sen.
Burke's bill to give state liquor
stores a monopoly on the sale of
fortified wines. The vote on the
bill is expected to be close, as
the. sponsors, when they over
came an adverse committee re
port last Monday, had only 31
votes, exactly a majority.
Opposing the pinball tax bill,
Sen. Mahoney, Portland, charged
thai the bill was "concocted in the
minds of racketeers in Portland
who want to legalize pinball
games by putting the seal of the
state on them," while other ob
jectors said that the bill would
Invade the rights of cities, which
already tax them.
'Supporters! said the money Is
needed for pensions, and that the
hill does not tax illegal pinball
games. It taxes only those used
for amusement only.
The senate rejected 15 to 14 its
ways and means committee rec
ommendation against the bill to
permit supreme court and circuit
judges to retire at the age of 70
and after 17 years service at $200
a month. The senate will vote on
the bill tomorrow.
Tax Initiative At Issue
The senate assessment and
taxation committee recommended
passage of the three hills amend
ing the initiative, passed by the
voters last November, to give sur
plus income tax revenues to
school districts to reduce property
(Continued on page 6.)
Russian Smash
Forces Nazis To
Evacuate Rzhev
LONDON, March 3. (AP)
The German high command In
a communique broadcast by the
Berlin radio announced today the
evacuation of the town of Rzhev,
l.'il) miles west and slightly north
of Moscow, saying German forces
withdrew according to plan in
order to shorten the front line.
London military sources de
clined to speculate on just where
the shortened line might be es
tablished htil some observers said
they thought It might go back to
Smolensk, eslabllshing a front
running northwest I ram Smo
Irmk to Velikie l.uM and south
east to Bryansk.
As long ago as Aug. 31 the
Russians announced that they had
(Hissed the upper Volga west of
lihev and pushed on, all but sur
rounding the city but leaving It
at the tip of a very narrow sali
ent pointing at Moscow.
At thai time Rzhev, a 12(h cen
tury city, was virtually In ruins
wllh houses burned and brick and
stone buildings mostly battered
down, Moscow dispatches said.
The standing walls served as
m.'ichlne-gun and artillery posi
tions for the heavily fortified Ger
mans who fought stubbornly.
Up to that time Rzhev had boon
fortified by the Germans for six
months and two strong defense
rings had been thrown around
the city, one of which the Rus
sians broke when they enlered
the northern environs. Besides
i the fortifications as an obstacle
to military attacks, the city has
swamps and bogs in the vicinity.
The Germans announced today
at the same time that Russian at
tacks on the Kuban bridgehead,
in the Caucasus, and German
positions in the Mius river sector
west of Rostov had been repulsed.
VOL. XXXI NO.
Meats, Cheese, Butter, Fats Slated for
Rationing April 1; Weekly Individual
Meat Allowance 1.75 Pounds Weekly
' WASHINGTON, March 3 (API Meats, cheese, butter,
cooking fats and oils will be rationed beginning April I, it was
reported today, under current plans of food and rationing
agencies.
The sources for this information, who withheld use of their
names, said the red coupons of the No. 2 ration book would be
used and that meat rations probably would run about I 34
pounds per person a week.
rnce Administrator lirown
told reporters that plans to start
rationing of meats, cheese and
coffee and other commodities
would be discussed at a press con
ference later in the day.
As disclosed some weeks ago,
cheese will be rationed together
with meat because of Its useful
ness as a meat substitute, while
butter, margarine, and other
cooking fats and oils will be
grouped for rationing because of
their Interehangeability.
Eood Administrator Wlckard,
however, has not yet transmit
ted to OPA the authorization
necessary before cheese, butter
and fats and oils can' take their
place In the food rationing pro
gram. It was stated that the govern
ment, did not contemplate any
period of "sales freeze" prelimin
Canada Tax Plan
As Substitute For .
Ruml Idea Studied
WASHINGTON, March 3.
(AP) The Canadian plan to
forego 50 per cent of 1942 taxes
on earned personal Income was
viewed, as a possible pay-as-you-go
compromise for the United
Stales today by some leading op
ponents of the Ruml plan to
abate all of one year's taxes.
The joint congressional tax
staff requested Ottawa to furnish
Washington with more details on
its plan immediately.
Chairman Doughton of the tax
''raming house ways and means
committee pointed out that Can
ada's action was similar to a sug
gestion he already has made to
break the deadlock on the ques
tion of how much taxes should
he abated to ease the transition
to pay-as-you-go.
However, Rep. Carlson, author
of legislation embracing the pro
posal by Beardsley Ruml, New
York banker, to by pass a full
tax year, said he could accept no
plan that required the collection
of more than one year's taxes
.within one year, in the swap
over lo a current collection sys
tem. Some members of congress ex
pressed the view that the Cana
dian svslem might supply an ac
ceptable compromise.
The ways and means commit
tee three weeks ago voted down
both the Ruml plan and the
Doughton suggestion, and consti
tuted a five-man subcommittee to
draft a compromise.
A majority of the committee
appears firmly in opposition to
tions to cover "windfalls" and
the Ruml plan despite modlfica
lo include u 20 per cent with
holding levy against taxable In
come. Bets $5,000 That Clothes
Will Not Be Rationed
NEW YORK, March 3- (AP)
A New York department store
wagered $5,000 today that clothes
would not be rationed this year.
"Our best information from
Washington as well as our own
sources of information brings us
definitely to this conclusion,"read
an advertisement of Lord and
Taylor. "If we lose (and mind
I you we don't think we will) we
will divide the above sum between
Red Cross, USO, Greater New
York Fund."
Damages Awarded in
Truck-Auto Collision
PORTLAND, March 3.- (AP)
A circuit court jury awarded $25,
000 damages to Mildred Ross yes
terday In an action against Frank
Hayes, Consolidated Kroightways,
Inc., and Albert E. Ault as an out
grouth of an uUtomobllettuck
collision in Klamath County Dec.
27, 1940.
Claiming she had been Injured
permanently In the accident, the
plaintiff had sought $iri.593 damages.
260 OF THE EVENING NEWS '
ary to rationing the new food
stuffs on a point basis similar to
that begun thfs week for canned,
dried and frozen fruits and vege
tables. Butter and other fats will he
assigned point values In propor
tion to their scarcity; that is, the
same number of points would pur
chase a small quantity of butter,
a larger quantity of margarine,
and an even larger quantity of
peanut oil or other of the more
plentiful cooking fats.
At offices of the food adminis
tration it was noted that the Ini
tial meat ration would depend
largely on results of checks being
made by the agriculture depart
ment to determine just how much
meat has been diverted Into black
market channels.
Land Trades To
Save N. Umqpua's
Scenic Area Urged
Directors of the Roseburg
chamber of commerce at their
regular meeting last night adopt
ed a resolution urging upon the
county court a program of land
trades ""(6 " preserve scenic spots
along the North, Umpqua road
and river. Removal of timber
adjacent to the river and along
the road threatens many scenic
spots between Rock creek and
the national forest boundary, it
was slated, t he directors ex
pressed the opinion that it would
be possible for the county court
to exchange county owned tim
ber lands accessible for logging
operations lor the tracts border
ing the river and urged that
such trades he made whorevcE
possible.
A resolution also was adopted
endorsing the Red Cross war
fund campaign and urging public
support.
voiisiiieraoie discussion was
given I he matter of providing
oivouac grounds for troops on
maneuvers and efforts will he
made to work out a cooperative
pian wun army officials, where
by suitable sites can be prepared
for antielpaled troon movements
during the spring and summer
months.
Gandhi in Good Spirits
At End of Hunger Strike
NEW DELHI, March 3-(AP)
Mohandas K. G:mdhl 7.1.vnt-.
old Indian nationalist lenrlr
ended a 21-day hunger slrike in
proiesi against his internment by
the British hv sltmintr :i ulai-a nf
orange juice at 9:30 a. m. today.
A communique announcing the
end ot the fast said that Gandhi
was weak and showed signs of
strain but was In good snlrlls.
In contrast to public ceremo
nies which have attended the
termination of Gandhi's nine pre
vious fasts, only members of his
immediate family were present in
the Aga Khan's palace at Poona
to take part In singing and pray
ers as his self-imposed ordeal was
brought to a conclusion.
Victory Program to Be
Very Pleasing Event
The surprise program to be
given Thursday night at the
junior high school auditorium, by
the Roseburg Business and Pro
fessional Women's club, promises
to be an event which will be ex
ceptionally pleasing, it was an
nounced today. The entertain
ment, fralurlng local talent, will
he In the form of a Victory Center
program anil a part of the club's
war savings bond sales sponsor
ship for the month of March.
Scheduled to start at 8 o'clock,
the program will Include a num
her of novelties, It is stated. No
admission will be charged. The
committee making the arrange
ments includes Amanda Ander
son, Mrs. Carrie Bell and Verna
Carol hers.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IM
AUSTRALIA, March 3 (AP)
The crippled and widely-scattered
remnants of a 14 ship Japanese)
convoy, smashed by allied bomb
ers and fighters yesterday, stag
gered through the fog-shrouded
Bismarck sea today toward tho
enemy base at Lae, New Guinea,
with General MacArthurs planes)
relentlessly on Its trail.
At least four transports and
cargo vessels of the original ar
mada of seven Japanese warships
and seven merchant ships have
Deen sunk or damaged, and 13
Japanese fighter planes out of
the umbrella of 30 or 40 that tried
to provide protection to the con
voy have been shot down out ot
action, allied headquarters am
nounced.
"Our losses are light. The battle)
continues," a headquarters com
munique said.
The bulletin said a 10,000-ton
transport had been hit five times
and left awash and In flames; art
8,000 ton transport had been sunk:
after breaking in two; a 6,000 ton
vessel was directly hit on thn
bow, and a smaller vessel was
damaged and set on fire.
Allied Flying Fortresses and
Liberator bombers, with a fleet
escort of P-38 Fighters, stabbed
through murky haze, thick clouds
and rain to deliver their hlowa
in the face of heavy anti-aircraft
fire and Japanese fighter planes,
"Other hits or near hits were)
scored against warships and car
go ships, results of which have!
so far been impossible to assess,"
the communique said. Pilots re
ported a near hit on a Japanese)
light cruiser.
Jap Bases Also Mauled
General MacArthur airmen
also pounded Lae, punishing the;
airdrome area. At the same time
his bombers attacked airdromes
on Soemba and Soembava islands,
northwest of Australia, destroyed
an ammunition ship directly with
a 500-pound bomb at Wide bay,
New Britain, and smashed at tha
Gasmata, New Britain .airdroma
in an after dusk raid, the com
munique said.
Elated pilots who participated
In the attack on the convoy saw
heavy bombs explode amidships
on the 8,000-ton transport and
watched it split In two and sink
In flames within two minutes, re
ports from operations bases said.
Flames which poured from tho
wreckage of other ships were
visible for a long distance, it was
(Continued on page 3.)
Nine Raids Strafe
Japanese on Kiska
WASHINGTON, March 3.
(AP) Carrying out nine raids
through fog and storms in the
Aleutians, U. S. aircraft during
February dropped a ftaf a mfiffon
pounds ot bombs on Japanese
positions at Kiska without the loss
of any planes, the navy reported
today.
In reporting that ten enemy
planes were shot down in the nino
raids it was pointed out that pre
vious announcements of actions
during tho month had reported
the destruction of eight of those
planes.
The navy also reported that the
81st raid on the Japanese base at
Manila on New Georgia Island in
the south Pacific had been carried
out by a patrol bomber. No details
were given.
Jail Sentences Meted
To Japs for Rioting
ALTURAS, Calif., March 3.
(AP) Twelve Japanese from the
Tulelake relocation camp were
sentenced by Superior Judge A.
K. Wylie yesterday on charges
of rioting, as a result of a recent
disturbance. ,
Four were sentenced to six
months in jail, with three months
of it suspended. The others
were sentenced to four months,
half of which was suspended.
levity pact Rant
By L. F. Rclzcnsteln
The president who purs the
"dent" in precedent ends 10
years' tenancy of the White
House tomorrow. Blunders dur
ing the decade call for more
power to the left to preserve
the constitutional right.