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About La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1945)
fcJA g)ITlnfi)in) Nazi Concentrations In Leipzig Area May Be Aimed at Patton PARIS, April 6 (UP) United States ninth army forces captured the great Ruhr industrial center of Hum m today when stiff German resistance collapsed . suddenly. Weather Data for 24 hours ending 7 a.it). Temperatures: Maximum 57 "Minimum 34 Precipitation 12 Fore-cast: Cloudy and cooler with showers tonight and Satur day. eru or Union and Wallowa Coini'ei ltd 8 ESTABLISHED 18'Jfi Three Red Capital Defenses Stiffen as Soviets Cut Outer Lines LONDON, April 6 (UP) A Moscow dispatch said today that Soviet forces had three-quarters encircled Vienna and were battling in the eastern outskirts. Two Soviet armies were storming the Austrian capital from the east, west and south, after cutting the main Ger man supply lines southwest of the city. Moscow said assault units of Marshal Feodor I. Tolbuk liin's 3rd Ukrainian army had penetrated an industrial set tle ment on the eastern edge of the city. VVnrlH Peace Will Site Snhiect As yjFour Clubs Meet A discussion of world peace with relation to the Dumbarton Oaks proposals and the world 'security conicrence i" "" "'" Irisco will be the subject of a mMin eif local service Iclubs April l(i under the auspices of the La Crancio Lions emu. -pi ..rtmcf will held at tnonn in the basement of the lOOF .. . . : ...:iu iUn iiirmlr- ahall in ceinnLcuon who u- y session of the Lions ciuo. rai ticipating will be the Rotary, Sor ontnmist and Neighborhood clubs, fmcmbers of which have been in vited to take guests. The speaker will be Dr. James Miller, field representative of the Oregon council of ehui'chvs. Horace J. Nelson, piesmciii en the Lions club, announced today T i: i rcsri vitiiuua inu.-n .,,- by members of the clubs with their respective clubs prior to r'oxl Wednesday night. For the Neighborhood club, he sam, re servations may be made with Mrs. Rodney Kitchen, chairman of the club's international secur ity committee. . " Because of the widespread in terest in the subject of world peace and the steps that have Iwn t;ilfen ni' are about to be undertaken to . that end, Nelson said it is expected that 150 or more persons will attend the lun cheon meeting to hear' Millar. tickets Tor the luncneon win be 75 cents, he said. Five Pass Pilot Licensing Tests The number of private pilots licenses held in this district was increased by five yesterday when barren Smith and Dr. W. M. Fcare of La Grande. Gordon Gribling of Elgin, Virgil Conley of Cove, and Ray Magco of En terprise, passed the aeronautical examinations in Pendleton. The group flew their planes to that city where E. S. Leach, sen ior aeronautical inspector for this district, conducted the examina tions. Snow squalls were encountered ever the mountains on the return tr ip, but the trip was made, with out incident. Many Concessions Offered by llapan to Keep I MOSCOW, April 8 (UP) Jap m, it was rumored in diplomatic jjbircli'S today, attempted to make 'Tir-reaching concession's to Rus sia including nullification of the y t. eaty of Portsmouth, in an ef- rt Id kef-p the Soviet union from ' nouncing the Husso - Japanese 'iitrality pact. i These rumois could not be con irmed but it was reported the i.panese were willing to pay al ;moslvany price to maintain the : JS.ilu.s fjuo w ith Hussia. . i Russ Losses Heavy A (Untie r" the In aty of I'm ts , thouth Russia was forced to give Up Port Arthur, surrender her 'lease of the 'Rwangtung peinsula, .evacuate Manchuria, recognize .Japan's sphere of influence in r Korea and surrcr. -rpJIiesitfiUi-Q half of Sakhalin island The , tret v ended the RusstMkipanese" warid was twgotiated at Ports mouth N. H.) The language employed Fori ign Commissar V. M. Molo- Resistance at Vienna apparent ly was considerably stiffer than that at Bratislava, which fell two days ago after one-day battle. Front reports said, however, the Russians were driving with all possible force in an attempt to capture the city before it suffer ed the disastrous fate that befell Budapest. Envelopment is Sought While powerful tank and artil lery forces hammered at the cap ital from three sides, mobile col umns raced around the outer flanks in converging drives that threat encd to completely en velope the city. Tolbukhin's armoreu forces were stretched along a 33-mile front around Vienna and at one point were only five miles from St. Stephens cathedral in 1hc heart of the capital. Marshal Rndion Y. Malinov sky's 2nd Ukrainian army joined in the assault from the southeast, at the lower anchor of a 34-mile f.(ml 1)ult was l)cjng pushed rap- idly through the Morava valley in a big flanking drive norincasi oi Vienna. Tolbukhin's columns first reached the city limits with a crushing drive that overwhelmed the twin suburbs of Ober and Unter Laa and sent a flying col umn racing toward the Danube at the northern end of the city. Main Arlerials Cut Another unit of the 3rd Ukrain ian army pushed through the famed Vienna woods and crossed the big Vienna-Linz highway, another of the German autobahns See VIENNA . . . Page 7 College Enrolment Up 38 Percent An increase of 38.3 per cent in enrollment at Eastern Oregon col lcee over that for the spring term : a year ago, was reported today by ! Registrar Lyle H. Johnson, j Johnson announced there are ! 233 students enrolled, of whom 5C are taking lower division work, j 73 in training for the leaching profession and 23 in the two-year i secretarial science curriculum. Eighty cf the students are en : oiled in the United States cadet nursing corps and are receiving their pre-cadet training at the college. The registration includes 158 freshmen, 23 sophomores, 20 I juniors, nine seniors and Hi spo ; eial students. Soviets Neutral lov in denouncing the pact was the object of special .attention here particularly his frank state ment that the status quo which has prevailed since the German attack on Russia has long since outlived its usefulness. Red! Er Watchful The Russians, it can be reveal ed, never have relaxed their watchfulness on their Pacific hor de is. The Russo-Gi'rman war might have bejn brought to an c:id con sitie i ably earlier had the Man rhurian frontie r been regaided as secure. But sr. f.ir as can be ijiertain ed the autonomous Red banner far eastern army never has dt p!i ted its strength. (i'i1 (fThis force has teen , estimated unofficially at ttn fivO.000 to 1 .000.000 men. ft has"' lie own independent bases of supply 'lo cated in eastern Siberia and the Russian maritime provinces !(e LA GRANDE. Armies Storm Vienna MacArthur Named As Leader Of Invasion of Japan Nimitz Is Given Command Of All Pacific Navy ADM. -NIMITZ HEADQUAR TERS, Guam, April 6 (UP) The pattern for the conclusive phases of the Pacific war was set today in annonuncoment of a joint command to be administered by Fleet Adin. Nimitz and Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Mos cow's denunciation of her mili- t.-irv itnet with .Innnn While the designation of Mac- j Arthur as commander of army forces in the Pacific automatical ly will result in his becoming "the conqueror of Japan", the ac tion of the joint chiefs of staff in Washington was along the lines publicly suggested by Nimitz an army man to cjmmand a land campaign. Little Change Effected Actually this development will : result in little or no change in the method of fighting the Japs. As previously, the- navy will be responsible for softoninc un the target for an amphibious assault ana putting troops asiiorc. On the future major land op erations, the navy will put Mac Arthur's army forces ashore. Aft er that, he will be on his own and responsible emly to himself and joint chiefs of staff. There is little likelihood that Nimitz and MacArthur can cstab-1 lish joint headquarters and utile need is seen for them. Nimitz has established hinkt.elf at Guam where millions of dol lars worth of permanent and s e m i - permanent installations have been built. From here he can maintain close contact with See MacARTUUK . . . Page 7 Precipitation For Crop Year Drops Below Average Although rain and snow are above average for both the month of March and the year to April 1, the precipitation for the crop year, calcultacd from last Sept ember 1, is 11.6 per cent belovJ the 33-ycar average. This is the gist of the monthly report of the Eastern Oregon live stock experiment station at Un ion which reveals the precipita tion to April 1 was C.75 inches as compared to a crop year average of 7.63 inches. The station's report shows pre cipitation of 4.25 inches since Jan uary 1, which compares with an average of 3.40 inches. The month produced 1.46 inches of water, or o quarter-inch above the average' for the 33-ycar period. Precipitation was recorded on 15 days, and the station recorded 26 days as cloudy or paitly cloudy. Temperature ranged from one! degree above zero on March 5, to CO degrees on March 30, and then; were 20 days in which the mer cury went below the freezing point. La Grande Lodge j Of Elks Seats Official Staff j S. If. Iluileigh, l-i f ; i .nit It- tit ! torn.- y. last night was installed ' as exalted ruler of the Ia (jninde- ! lodge of Elks at creinonii s con ducted in the loelgr? tcnipli-. - Foster Sims, past exalted ruin was the installing officer, and Victor Eckley, past exalted ruler, was the installing esquire. Others placed in office tut the coming year are M. c. I.yn:h. esteemed leading kmitbl: A. It. Olson, esteemed loyal knight; (' M. Sin it ill. i siteriie.il Icitiriiig knight; Itay Wmte-is, secie-tiirv; C. W. Bunting, tieasurw: Frank li. Ijb til' r; J. H. Peare. Udtsti fenw) three year term: Ca; 1 J. Helm, esquire; FranUviSchiro. in ner gu;3, and C. itjShuitJSv'li.p lain. EnvA'tainme'ilt preceding the kd3 sessiorej?),vaj provided by the Rancheros. under the direc I5tln eif l;inv Brunette'. (O) OKEGON FRIDAY EVEN1XC, APRIL 6, 1015 i Mm LDS Leader Urges Filling of Larders to Guard Against Time Of Possible Food Shortage SALT LAKE CITY, April 0 (UP The first presidency of the Latter Day Saints church luday warned nearly 1.000.00(1 church followers to orepurp for the days ahead bv becoming as nearly self-sustaining as possible. lit a mrssnKU read al the an nual conference?, marking Hie 115th anniversary nf the church's founding, fl8-y ear-old President Heher J. Grant urged members to work out their temporal and spiritual salvation. J. Reuben Clark, first counselor to Chiint, also cited the need to prepare for the future. "With all the confusion over food supplies," he said, "the only safe thing for us is to n;isumo there will be a fond shortage. '., therefore, urge all wards and takes to fulfill their quotas so as to be prepared in case the short- Future Farmers Are Hosts At Annual Dinner The annual din-icr -if the I.: Grande chapter, ijul ure . Far.mrvs nf America, was enjoyed h,v numbers, th ir patvnts ani quests, 05 in .lumber, last niM in the home economics mom "f the high sehojl.. After the w t IcuMimg addi by Calvin L '-,' Chapter pn- s 'h iit the op i) in g rituals iui'l the trittrtrfurti ; (f ( gu .iihJ p in nt , (Jf f i; T C'oihi.i'i UA t i i arly farming ,n I'm Grande Hon:L jKty. Brief talks ;tn tnnkv by Kn'J J. Pnltiin, ti.pf jintf ndert nf m:ols, and il.tlj-h J m pnn fipyl ((f the hyh :iC'hot!. H hl.v enj yiliie c u d M' V.ifi t. 4.t ' tt I 'l.V ftn;i ,':ir.' f..nr'v.im!i K aivl li'.h! lack J.i .".kets anel ,1,1'f I w'.iu play.'"? a vltli:i, tv.?gmt.-ii tikX ' man)lit wi'h l.i'1 Ak' r bntt: e-rs ;is voai:-1! . n 6? vru,, ,,T,,.- .. .l US, .if. ,4). i he Oinr, pai'Aj !;.' th . cluti'ol the i.ti'1 marked succor'.,. H'hoiVt,!-,;!! ir.'iUN at, riii.e I high praifroni lho J :' pnv.lf fl lu i li;oy it. ' INSPIRES WAR LOAN IN SIGNIA Inspiration for the Seventh War Loai symbol is the famous photograph (above) of Marvies raising lho flaq over Mount Suribnchi on Iwo Jima. Two versions of the picture will bo used in the drive, which will ooen Monday in Union county. One (above) is an i oil paintiig done by C. C. Beall, noted artiul, to be. used in, large postors and other ad vertising media. The other is the simplified version below. age actually occurs." Clark nbo condemned what he termed a whispering campaign against the church welfare pro gram os having political impli- rtili.mU 11. . rlfnmrl tliic tr. )w :i fact and called on church mem- ! bcrs to desist from carrying the campaign further. The church released Amy ! Brown Lyman, wife of Richard R. Lyman, excommunicated for- mer member of the council of twelve apostles, as president of the LDS church relief society. Her counselors also were re ) leased. i Named nr. new relief society leaders were Mis. Belle S. Spaf J ford, president; Mrs. Marianne Clark Sharp, first counselor, ana I Mrs. Gertrude Uuberg Garff, see- 1 ond counselor High Jan Army And Navy leaders Die On Iwo Jima By United Probs Tokyo reported today the deathr of Ll. G(;n. Tadamichi Kur ilia.VaV.hi, commander o f Japanese forces on Jwo Jima, and K'-ar Admiral Tohsinosuke Ichimaru, commander of Jap fiiicM' naval air forces in the Iwo sector. A bio;i'lcast recorded by Hip FKC S'id Kuribayashi ''died gallantly"' . leading his troops in a ''firi.tl charge" on Iwn. It raid hi- hid bivn promoted pnsthumo j-ly to the runk d full grncr.il Ichimaru wan ic pnited in c d posthumously to the rank of vice admiral. Tokw n iw h.w leporli.-'-i the dt.ilh of 4t Japanese generals arid 121 f ag officers .unco Inst May WiwlUhmUaby Oftiiooi r To &eath . 1U ( V TflJHK tiili." k f iii&ith-old (P'ter iane tt. kin. 'I yegg uay wn';n i' Uieih wind bltdr his carriage .i).. I...- f iJ i ( ,(q.in porch FIVE CENTS Japs Wage Bitter Battle To Halt Yanks On Okinawa Enemy Puts Up Stiff Fight To Save Capital By United Press American assault forces storm ed toward main Japanese de fenses before Okinawa's capital, Naha, today for the bloodiest i fighting since invading the island last Sunday. Heavy fighting was reported on approaches to hills extending across the isthmus some four miles north of Nahan on the wost coast and Shuri inland. The defendeis, from intrench ed positions in the hills and rav ines, laid down heavy artillery fire on the advancing Americans. The Americans answered with n cross fire of artillery from the plains north and from the small island of Keisc about eight miles west of Naha. Naval guns off shene joined in the shelling. Yanks Gain l'i miles Ground troops drove up to the Japanese defense lines in ad vances of a mile and a half against stiffening opposition yes terday. It was estimated that up ward of 00,000 Japanese troops were defending southern Okin awa. In other sectors resistance con tinued light. To the north marines drov6 from the northern end of the See JAPS WAGE . . . Page 3 Worst Flood In Years Expected On Mississippi NEW ORLEANS, April (UP) Disaster agencies prepared for their most extensive flood relief operations in 18 years today, spe'eding the evacuation of more J than 85,000 persons along the I hanks of the Mississippi river and its tribulaiies from Cairo, III., south to the Gulf of Mexico. American Red Cross workers, eloctors and nurses were dispatch ed le the critical lower Mississippi region where Louisiana residents barricaded their levies to meet the worst flood threat in the state's history. Temporary disaster headiuar l;rs were' set up at Alexandria, La., em the banks of the Hvd Liver, whose overflow already has inundated several hundred thousand acres of farmland, eleise.-d scores of state? highways and isolate.'d many cities. Aimy cngiiK'crs awaited orders to blast a five-mile levee block ing the head of the huge Mor K.inza flemdway at Morgan Cityi La., which is capable' eif diveM'ting 040,000 cubic fei'l of wilier per sex'emel from the.' Mississippi into th-j gulf. . ' Lemisiiin.'i nnblie works ileif.-iit- inellf offieinN vini.l It,.-,! more tl,:,n I 1,1100 miles of fevers are' under 24-hour patrol, anel volunteer workcrH hurr f e d ly reinforced weak spots. Coast guard and army units aided in the evacua tion of 10,000 persons in Louisi-' ana alone. Fugitive Nabbed After 22 Years NEW YORK, April 0 (UP) Edward J. Aeler, fnrnier Chicago utt a m y and fugitive from a fed eral prison sentenei', was arrest ed by the' Kill today after a 22- yi or manhunt. He will be re-1 turned to Chicago where he es eapi d fioitt the custody of a pris on guord on Sept. II, 1923. Aeler was ronvicteel of mail fiaud in fe-eii'ial c:itirt, Chie'ago, rimte'iie'eil lo seven years in I .efvi'iiweir'h piiani aii'l fined $IU.')00 In Novwnber, 1020, E. K.I Otniejv. he'ad of ,lic Js'i.-w Yeirk ! ofllw -'6f tl rm, saiiHe had j bei n rctui4ted to C'hicai.'A to testu! fin a later case when he es-i caped 4jt KuWil in a washroom. f1.-, Conrov. said his.bial i.4Eft led; w ....nil. toe FBMhrough 'iy state llw. .,;,. I,. I r.n.len P:,,iu uniein, to Lex J Berlin in the last 22 years. PARIS, April 6 (UP) Two American and one Ilritiah army rammed through wilting nazi defenses lines today to plunge within 17 miles of Hannover, 136 miles west of Ber lin, and the great North Sea port of Bremen was flanked in a drive across the open north German plain. The American first army joined the British second and the American ninth in a now offensive that rolled up the Wescr river line, last German river line before the Elbe which lies just beyond the city's western suburbs. ' ' The ninth army was within 17 miles of Hannover and the first army swung forward as much as 25 miles to reach the Weser about 160 miles southwest ofBerlin. Lt. Gen. George S. Patton 's third army, which has paced the attack across Germany, drove forward seven miles south cast of Gotlia to a point loss than 60 miles from Leipzig. Reports from returning fighter - pilots said that heavy German , -i i iir i i military movement had been tOal Wage Farley . noted on the highways leading to D,,. ; That might indicate extensive Q T,. j nazi preparations in an attempt OeiZUl C Imminent to hall Pattern's rampaging col umns before Ihcy can reach Leip- ( WASHINGTON, April 6 (UP) zig, which. is u likely junction point with the Soviet forces of Marshal Ivan S. Konev. At the closest point Patton was liltic more than 160 miles from achiev ing this juncture. Gliders Land Tanks A German report said that American gliders had landed light tanks at Langensalza, 17 miles north of Gotha, where heavy fighting was reported. Langen salza is 7(1 miles southwest of Magdeburg. The report, if correct, might in dicate that Patton's advanced spearheads now are placing more reliance upon air transport due to the rapidity of their advance. Many Prisoners Taken Third army registers showed1 a total of 54,014 prisoners captured this week 42,B4H last week. There have been 71,670 processed in the last 15 days and an estimutcd 02,500 captured in that period to hi ing the total of 200,000 since March 7 and 400,000 since Aug ust 1 German reports said Canadian tiemps hud reached Mcppem, 47 mile's south of limden and 38 mill's south of the Ems estuary. Lat-3 field dispatches said the Americans were 57 miles or less from the northwestern corner of Czechoslovakia, 00 miles from Leipzig and 100 miles away from See GERMAN . . . Page 7 Dumbarton Oaks Pact Changes Are Held Permissible WASHINGTON, April (UP) - Secretary of Stale Edward R. Stettinius, jr., said today that the big four powers who drafted the Dumbarton Oaks proposals for world organization woulel be fre'o lo sponsor any amendments lo that plan at San Francisco. toovii'l puoncaiion nau suii - gest.d that the Dumbarton Oaks proposals virtually amount lo an agreement" among the big four nui only to ren inn n out n.'puuiui ing or amending them but to de fe nd them against possible at tempts of others to amend or weaken them. The article ap peared in th-L' Soviet embassy's information bulletin earlier thi.: week. Stettinius' slate in ( n I came shin tly after President Rooseve'lt named him temporary chairman eit the San Kraneisco conference, The' appointment followed re'gii' 1,-ir proceelure feir tin: ihief exev eutive of the host governnvint. The eonfi rence itself will elect Stettinius permanent chairman. Stettinius also announced that the preliminary Aneeting of United Nations jurists will be he Id here ne'Xl Monday lei be gin drafting the li'gal structure .lor a ni'w world court. Twenty nine of the United Natiems will he r .'pie.'.seinted. Himrnler Organ Says War s Lost But Nazis Will Fight On LONDON, April 0 (UP) Das Sehwart.e Korps, organ of Hi'inrich Hiinmler's SS elite storm Inps, eonfesseel today that Germany was "pe'rhaps only a fe-w elays or weeks" from complete collapse. The' le niaikably frank arliek! win, eiuote'd in a Berlin dispatch lo e St'Akheihn newspaper Dage ns Nyneter. It added the implied warning, however, that SS troops would fight on to the death despite the impending collapse. "We feel wyshoul'ijijive the world a last warning," Das Schwartze Korps said. "We might be defeated militarily, The soft coal wage conference virtually collapsed today whon operators' negotiators announced they would not attend a session scheduled for 10 a. m. tomorrow. Edward R. Burke, negotiator for the southern operators, said later the opcratorr will tell the war labor -board tomorrow "that the conference x has reached a stalemate and Is unable to reach any agreement." The board ap parently will have to decide the terms of the new contract. Mines May Be Seised The government, is ready to seize some 200 soft coal mines In eight states to end a "wildcat" strike that had cut production 35 per cent and threatened output of war-vital steel. President Roos.'velt was re ported waiting only for word from the war labor board befora ordering tho government to take over the strike-bound mines in Pennsylvania, - W e s t Virginia, Ohio,' Indiana, Illinois, Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama. The WLB telegraphed Presi dent John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers last night that "unless these work stoppages are terminated promptly, the govern ment will have no alternative but to seize and operate the mines on strike." Shipments Decline Meanwhile, fuel administrator Harold L. Ickcs, who demanded government seizure of the minds yesterday, reported that de ci'eased mine prouction for the week ended March 24 hud caused I a sharp drop in soft coal ship- ments to New England und the Washingtem-Oregon area. Iekes said ihipmenls to the Washington-Clri'gon area in the 1044-45 fuel year were 024,138 tons under the preceding year. 1 1 x CI LOmDat befVlCe -ry rP ID I 1V liOyS Ul 10 Meets Opposition WASHINGTON, April 6 (UP) A new senate fight was taking shape today over the urmy's use of 18-year-old boys in combat. It is expected to come to a cli max when the senate takes up in a week or two a bill to extend the selective service act for one year. . , An amendment, to prevent the use e( boys under 10' In combat without ut least six months train ing was introduced yesterduy by u bi-purtisan group of members of the senate military affairs committee.' The. sponsors were democrat's Tom Stewart of Teriossec ami Edwin Johnson of Colorado, and republicans Chapman Rcvcrcomb of West Virginia and George A. Wilsein of Ieiwa. but we shall never lose faith in I our task." ; Nazi Propaganda Minister ' Paul Joseph Goebbels, writing in his newspaper Das Reich, said Germans are beginning to' loeik around for seimeonc ti hlami' for their plight. "It 1" a ehi) method to look for scapegoats at this moment,'!,' Goebbels said. "We must faco this war in complete unity . . ',. Tho kernel of the German war effort is to prevent the allies under all circumstances and by th use of our national strength' from distributing Germany be-! twetn them as their booty." - J. J (ft
