La Grande evening observer., May 28, 1945, Image 1

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ESTABLISHED ISilO LA GRANDE. OREGON MONDAY EVENING, MAY 28, H)l!i FIVE CENTS" A
Naval Guns Blast
Enemy Columns in
Flight: From Shiiri
By United Press . ., '
The British radio reported today (hat some of Britain't
biggest warships are on their way to the Pacific, and
soon the cream of the Royal navy's haltle forces will he
there.
GUAM, Tuesday, May 29 (UP) Japanese troops have
been sighted moving southward from Slniri in what mny
prove to be the beginning of a general withdrawal of enemy
forces from the main bastion of their Okinawa defense line,
it was disclosed today.
American naval gunfire broke up two or more columns ot
about 1,500 troops each when ihev nulled not. of the LiPsii'H
Shuri fortifications. Front dispatches said it appeared addi
tional Japanese have abandoned the city. Murine tighter
pilots also strafed the enemy columns. - -
Virtually every escape route from Shun has been cut on,
United Press war correspondent Edward Thomas reported.
The seventh division, through a series of adroit maneuvers,
gained strategic control of practically all high ground paral
leling the Konuba river valley.
itrnij, "- .. , , mil.poses,"
Japs Cornered In
Philippines Fight
Battle of Survival
MANILA, May 28 (UP) The
Philippines are secure today, four
months after Gen. Douglas Mac
Arthur's triumphant return to
Manila. But the dirty job of
mopping up gc.es on, and Ameri
can soldiers probably will be
fighting and dying on these is
lands as long as the war lasts.
American and Filipino armies
control 95 per cent of all the use
able ports, towns, airfields, high
ways in(l agricultural centers in
the islands.
But bitter fighting rages night
and day on four main fronts, and
there are few places in the
sprawling archipelago where a
white man can wander unarmed
in safety.
Big Force Hemmed In
The biggest and toughest core
of Japanese resistance remaining
today is in northern Luzon. There
possibly 30,000 enemy troops
are firmly in control of the entire
See CORNERED . . Page 5
Two Nazi Leaders
Follow Himmler
In Poison Deaths
LONDON, May 28 (UP) Two
more nazi bigwigs, one of them
Ithe successor to Reichsmarshal
Hermann Gecrin(i as command
er of the German air force, were
dead by their on n hands today.
A third. Albert (Little Hitler)
Forster, who as gauleiler of Dan
zig paVed the way for German
occupation of the Polish corridor
in 1939, surrendered peacefully
to a Britisn lieutenant and a ser
geant in Hamburg.
In Forstcr's pocket was found a
poison phial ; similar to the one
with which gestapo chief Hein
rich Himmler killed himself.
The two latest nazis to follow
Himmler in suicide were Marshal
Robert Ritter von Greim, who
succeeded Goering as commander
of the luftwaffe April 26 and Dr.
Hugo Jury, gauleiter of lower
Austria and former social wel
fare minister in the notorious
Seyss - Inquart government of
Austria.
Hitler's Rislors Nabbed
Also caiiL'ht ud in the allied
net were two married sisters oi
Adolf Hitler and a brother of
Himmler. The sisters, found in
the Bavarian Alps, were identi
fied as Angela Hammitsch, 61, of
Altmncnstpr Austria, and Paula
won, i.
Himmle.r's brother otherwise
unidentified, was arrested by the
British second army in northwest
Germany.
General Surrenders
From Rome came word that
Col. Gen. Heinrich von Viething-
hoff. German commander in the
r...i,l.ii.n.i f;,,..!!,. 1fil.n into
suuthwest, finally was taken into
custody..
SBC broadcast said other Ger
man soldieis still at large in the
Chemnitz sector of southern Iter
many were fighting something
like a civil war with civilians in
the area
K' ait-,I.
fl.- , . .... .--.I. I t.. I,P
1 IIV IIU"(I in .in. ...
plundering towns and villages
for food a, id supplies after being
lefused permission to cross into
the American-held area as pi is-
oners.
Thomas said, "the part of Oki'
nawn we came thousands of
miles to feet is already uuis, al
though the slow battle of attri
tion on the southern tip against
rain, mud and Japar.-ese probably
will go on lor several weeks be
fore the last vestige of organized
resistance is broken.
Guns of U. S. battleships and
cruisers were prepared to lay
down a barrage against enemy
units pulling out of Shuri from
a stand south 01 tne city.
New Defense Blocked
An Amprir.m column, slashing
down the -east coast against mea
ger resistance, ouuiannea a po
tential new Jnnanese defense
line in hilly terrain south of the
Kokuba river valley.
The column securicd a 300-foot
escarpment overlooking the
hnnrhrs of southern Okinawa
after killing perhaps 2,000 Japan
ese in a thrie-dav batlle. then
smashed on another 2,500 yards
to Ogusuku town, two ana a
half miles south or the port of
Yonabaru.
(A Japanese Domei dispatch re
corded by the FCC said Japanese
'iiicide planes sank an allied bat
thship, two cruisers and three
large transports and torpedoed
five other vessels in Nakagusuku
bay on the east coast of Okinawa
early today. Twelve other allied
vessels were said to ha.i been
sunk or damaged in Okinawa
watcis Saturday.)
Naha Hold is Extended
On the west coast, maiines of
the sixth division drove another
300 yards through the rubble of
Naha, capital of Okinawa, and
broadened their bridge head
scross the Asato river inside the
city almost to the shore:? of the
East China sea.
The marines also threw a fifth
bridge aeioss the Asato and were
pouring reinforcements of men,
guns, tanks and supplies into the
heart of the capital. The Jap
anese Were putting up only rear
guard resistance, apparently re
signed to abandoning it for high
er ground farther south.
Poppy Sales of
VFW Bring $442
The Veterans of Foreign Wars
auxiliary today reported that
$441.96 was realized from, the
sale of 4000 poppies Friday and
Saturday. Twenty women work
ed on the sales.
All money from these sales is
used in the veterans hospitals, for
rehabilitation of disabled war
veterans, for the families and
children of the disabled and war
dead and for the upkeep of the
national home.
Friends Here Hear
From Jap Prisoner
Mr. and Mrs. M. M. Christen
o n in r. ivetl a message broadcast
(q (tum ,)y Urrv Qu;iVi former
. La Giailci.. tt.sjdint, from a pri-
. nv.i..... TUr.
soner of war camp, Tokyo. The
message, intercepted by the pro
vost marshal! in Washington, D.
C and forwarded to the4Chnst-
. ..... nnlnin...l ruirciinql mt'
j . s wnich verified it as being
niter! fnim Olulle
I IIU Still 1113 ILUIUI, III ........
' -I.- ...i.tfl Un n.-..!,, hiC
He sent his regards to the John
v.1.11 K-N Vlli' wilivill llir iiii." -'
,m(. while in La Grande, to Mr.
and Mrs. Leonard Norton. Mr.
: and Mrs. Ernest Waldon and the
Stones, and to other La Grande
1 friends.
Vast US. Navy Increase Revealec!
Ch
mese
Warships
To Bridge
Pacific
(Copyright 1945 by United Press)
WASHINGTON, May 28
(UP) The U. S. navy is
building an additional 20,000
warships to give it a total of
127,000 ships of all types to
complete the final phase of
the second world war.
This gigantic number of
ships Would be sufficient if
placed end to end to make a
virtually unbroken bridge
from San Francisco to Yoko
hama, Japan.
' It will provide the vast arm
adas for the invasions ot China
and the Japanese homeland
some 5,000 miles from American
shores.
271 Fighting Units
' A United Press survey found
that the , navy now. tas undei
construction 10,882 warships, in
eluding 271 . frontline fighting
ships and 10,093 landing craft.
Ships now under construction
include tvjp battleships, 15 air
craft carriers, 30 escort carriers,
47 eruiseis, 104 destroyers and six
destroyer escorts.
When completed they will give
the navy this unprecedented ar
ray of mighty sea power, minus
any future losses:
25 Battleships.
41 Aircraft carries.
93 Escort carriers.
114 Cruisers.
490 Destroyers.
371 Destroyer escorts.
107,336 Now in Service.
The navy revealed last week
that it already has 107,303 ships,
aggregating some 15,000,000 tons,
operating in all waters. Of these
100,000 joined the fleet since
Pearl Harbor, including 1,150
combat craft.
There were only 338 combat
vessels bclore the Japanese at
tack on Pearl Harbor. Most an
nounced naval losses to date 309
vessels have been in this cate
gory. At least 200 of the combat ships
now being built will be com
pleted before the end of the year.
Unless military loaders change
their plans the commission will
complete its schedule 7,000.000
more tons after June 1 by the
end of the year.
Munitions Given
British Priority
LONDON, May 28 (UP) Mu
nitions for the Far Eastern war
were given the No. 1 priority to
day in the labor supply program.
Munitions had been subordi
nated in allocating workers for
housing, a prime requisite in
bomb torn cities, but the new or
der placed them back on top.
Civilian industries for both
home and export were made No.
3 behind munitions and housing
in the labor priorities list.
Baseball Results
By United Presi
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Brooklyn 3 !l t
Chicago 5 10 0
Hathaway, King and Suke
iorth; Derringer and Rice.
New Ycrk;,ut Piltburgh (com
pletion of untinished game of
yesterday).
New York 5 13 1
Pittsburgh II 15 3
Fischer, Adorns (0), Pyle (8)
end Bones, Lombardi (7); Gcr
heauser, Rescigno (5) and Lope..
Chicago 8 15 2
Boston 6 11 1
Grove and Tiesh: Cecil: Ilybn,
V. Johnson. Barrett and Car ha: k.
(Walters.
ON SPECIAL MISSIONS FOR
PRESIDENT Harry L. Hop
kins, above, long a close
confidant of President Roose
velt, and Joseph E. Davias, for
mer ambassador to Russia, in
Moscow and Lo.idon, respec
tively, as special envoys of
President Truman in mailers
presumably involving relation
ships among the Big Thr3e.
Levantines, French
Clash in Near East
LONDON, May 28 (UP) Dis
patches from the Levant today
reported bloody skirmishing be
tween the French and natives at
Hums and llama, w ith an unspec
ified number of casualties on
both sides.
The tension in Syria and Leba
non exploded in violence, accord
ing to Be'yrouth advices, coinci
dent with a report in diplomatic
quarters nore that President Tru
man might be called upon to me
diate the dispute.
Damascus reports relayed
through Beyrouth said telephone
lines to both Horns and llama
had been cit, and details of the
bloodshed were lacking.
The crisis' stemmed from
France's reinforcement of her
garrisons in Syria and Lebanon
in what the governments of the
two Arab states denounced as a
violation of their independence.
Sen. Bridges Dares Colleagues To
Vote Against House "Expense" Fund
WASHINGTON, May 28 (UP
Si n. Styles Bridges, R.. N. II..
today dared his colleagues to
vote against $2,500 expanse
counts for senators no?." and
accept them later on if pend
ing legislation ii enacVyl. O
Bridges oljse.vcd liiat he'd
'like to have lead in Un
united St,ft)s senate the names
of e-very senator who vote
against this and then acn-pts
it."
House lhombeis re-c-ntly
witcd $2,500 expenses accounts
lor thems. Ives, and the m -nate
is now arguing ever w 1 i t r 1 -r
to follo.v suit.
Sen. Setilt Lucas. I). HI.
asserted that "any w.iv yu
tiguie it, the $2,500 i-. addi
RoutNipKwang
Truman Seeks
Increase In
Jobless Pay
WASHINGTON, May 28
(UP) President Truman
today urged congress to closa
what he described as a major
gap in the reconversion pro
gram "the lack of adequate
benefits for workers tempor
arily unemployed during the
transition from war to eat."
He proposed that congiess act
at once to assure war workers,
through supplementation of slate
unemployment benefits, of 26
weeks of payments in any or.?
year if they are jobless that long.
He proposed at least $25 a week
for unemployed workers with
dependents.
Wider Benefits Sought
He also recommended specific
ally that congiess take emer
gency action 10 wioen inc cover-
age ot unemployment compensa
tion and to increase the amount
and duration of benefits at
least for the duration of ' the
emergency period of reconver
sion, and extend unemployment
compensation coverage to include
federal employe's, maritime work
ers and other workers not now
insured.
"These provisions are essential
for the orderly reconversion of
our wartime economy to peace
time production," he said. "They
are badly needed for the dura
tion of the reconversion emer
gency ... As a bulwark against
post-war deflation."
Tl:e president also said he as
sumed that congress would deal
soon with the broader question
of expanding and improving the
social security program.
Meanwhile, otner administra
Sce INCREASED . . . PageS
Youths of Five
Counties Enter
Livestock Show
Members of 4-II clubs
Future Farmer chapters in
and
five
counties will exhibit swine
tie and lambs Friday and
urday at a show and auction in
Union sponsored by the Eastern
Oregon livestock show associa
tion. Approximately 60 head of
steers, 40 hogs and 65 lambs will
be exhibited in competition for
various cash awards, and will go
into the auction ring Saturday
afl-ernonn.
Vie for Cash Prizes
Exhibitors from Union, Wal
lowa, Baker, Gilliam and Uma
tilla counties will vie for approxi
mately $200 in cash prize's of
fered by the show management
and a special swine award ol
$7 50 for the champion purebred
i. arrow, provided it is a Duroe
Jersey.
D. E. Richards will be in
eharge of all livestock exhibits
See YOUTHS . . . Page 5
tional salary." He said he
couldn't see how the senators
could do this and "not break
the tilth s'eol formula."
Sen. Jilbn H.iOvei ton, D.. La.,
author of the) measure, '-ofused
"to yield to that argument."
"What about the $100,000,000
..... .. . . . , .
. we voipe) ior e'xenses oi (ovrn-Q
(rnpioyes.' lie unnu. touh
vote Oil" $100 million because
se
of
you gain favor wth lens
thousands of employes but you
won't vote for our exy.nse ac
counts when you vote money
for 90 senators, you only iin
piess yourselves."
The appropriations commit
tee earlier agrcd on a new
plan for giving the senators the
$2,500 expem.e accounts.
PLAN TOKYO DEVASTATION Directing the raids of B-29s
which have destroyed a, large part oi Tokyo, Ma). Gen. Curtis E.
Lemay, left, commanding general of the 21st bombor command,
plana further details with hit chief of staff, Brig. Gen. A. W. Kiss
ner at a superfortress base in the Marianas,
German Prisoners
Would Join Allies ,
In Fighting Japs '
LONDON, May 28 (UP) The
Evoning Standard said today
that 700 surrendered SS pris
oners in Lambach, Austria,
have formally poiitlcviod tho
third army colonol command
ing lhier camp io be allowed to
join tho American army so Ihoy
can fight ihe Japanese.
Their request was refused.
La Grande, Union
On Honor Roll in
Traffic Safety
Re'duclio'.is in the number of
traffic accidents during the first
three months of 1945 put La
Grande second in its population
class and Union third in Its class
in the Orcfon cities traffic safe
ly contest.
Reports from the office of the
secretary of stale today show
Grants Pass first among the cit
ies of 5.000 to 10,000 population,
La Grande second and Coos Hay
third.
The rating is based upon cur
rent aceide.-t evpe-rii-ncc as com
pared wiln that of the previous
three-year average.
Other cities are rated as fol
lows: Cities 10,000 and over, Klamath
Falls, Modford and Astoria, in
the order named; 2,500 to 5 000
population, Dallas, Toledo and
Tillamook, and I.OOel to 2,500,
Myrtle Point, Handon and Union.
Heavy Jap Losses
To U. S. Suhs Told
GUAM, May 20 (LP) Amer
ican submarines have sunk 4,
aiiil.ODO tons of shipping on Hie
ocean that is "anything bd a
Pacific one for the Japanese navy
and live Japanese in e r c h a n I
fleet."
"You have met the en; my, Slid
he is yours," Admiral Chester W.
N:mit. said yesterday to 14 sub
marine men whom be dccoiated
alter revealing the latest figures
on enemy losses.
Nimitz saiel that from Dec. 7,
194l.i'o May 5, 111 14, American
submarine's htve sunk 121) Jap
anese w.(TiJiif?, including four
earners, 17 cruisers, and 53 de
stioyers. All told, sithinahnes
irfiavc accounted or I.I 10 en 'my
SHships of all kinds.
e e
O oWeather
Data for 24 hours to 7 a. m.
Temperature:
Maximum 71
Minimum 44
Forecast: Partly cloudy tonight
and Tuesday; probably showers.
sai
Tokyo Burns 36
Hours After Great
Superfort Raids
GUAM, May 28 (UP) Three
B-2!) superfortresses nnd 30 Mus
tang fighters bombed and strafed
airfields near smouldering Tokyo
for 40 minutes at mid-day today,
Japanese broadcasts saitl.
If true, the plans also may have
been attempting to gel detailed
phonographs of the des:( uction
spread through the capital by
4,000 tons of fire bombs in last
Saturday's B-29 raid.
Two other groups of B-29s to
day mined Hakata bay off north
ern Kyushu and Kanmon strait,
between Honsu and Kyushu, ra
dio Tokyo said. Tokyo claimed
Japanese fighters shot down four
of the big bombers and damaged
eight others.
Officers of the 21st bomber
command said preliminary re
ports indicated the attack was
"very successful," bfc.it were
awaiting reconnaissance photo
graphs to determine the exact
extent of destruction.
Fires still were burning in
Tokyo yesterday, more than 36
hours after the raid, but heavy
weather prevented fliers from
taking reconnaissance photo
graphs. Battle of Atlantic
Brought to Close
LONDON, May 28 (UP) Tho
battle of the Atlantic officially
was proclaimed at an end tonight
when the British admiralty an
nounced th d ships routed through
non-combat areas no longer will
be required to travel in convoy
or to black out.
The new ruling became effec
tive at mielnighl tonight, double
British summer lime (3 p. m.
PWT).
"Ships that would have saile-el
in trade convoys in no-comhat
arena will tie hailed independent
ly," the announcement said. "By
night they will hum navigation
lights at full brilliancy and need
not darken ship."
War on Income Tax
Evaders Planned
WASHlrSty,TON, May 2fl (UP)
-0($y:tary of Treasury Henry
Morgenthau, jr., announced today
internal revenue bureau person
nel will be increased by llCdlO
to c Mill) it what he called "shock
ing violations" of the initial
reve nue laws. He said he will
ask for $.)0,0O0,O00 to finance th-e
drive.
Last week Morgenll' said he
was asking for an additional 5,000
men to work in the treasury's
drive) against war-rich income
tax- evaders. Today, however,
he said there was need lor even
more men to run down tax violators.
Force
s
Southern
Lifeline "i
Severed?
CHUNGKING, May .88
(LP) Japanese troops weW
rcnorted in headlong flight
from southern Kwangsi pro
vince today after abandoning
the inland treaty port of Nan
nmg and a 50-mile stretcn ot
the continental railway lirtfc
supplying their armies in
French Indo-China. . : fi
Front dispatches from Kwan(fs
said Chinese forces had split Jap
anese defenses along the railway
lino, driving part of the enemy
force southward toward the.Inco-
China border and the rest nortn
towurd the former American all
base at Licuhow. .'.
Nanning itself and the. big
American air field outside Vh
city fell to the Chinese Sunday
morning after a surprise attack
launched from the Yu river, base
of Poseh, 130 miles to the north'
west. Nanning was taken by the
Japanese last Novffirrbar during
an eight-month campaign to open
a corridor from Korea to SlngV
pore.
Advance SO Miles
Scattered Japanese units still
were being mopped up In the
Nanning area today, but the main
Chinese force already hod driven
50 miles northward 'to attack
Pinyang, 80 miles south of LIlj-chow.-
'
Another Chinese column droW
within 60 miles west of Kiuchoj,
opening a direct assault on Ishan,
(lie tull of which would cut C3(
another big segment of the! Japanese-held
railway system link
ing central and northern China
to French Indo-China. y.'i
Other Chinero troops also Were
threatening to cut the corridor at
llengyang in western Hunan pro
vince, 250 miles north of Canton,
as the result of hurried Japanese
withdrawals. "
Plans for Aviation
In Post-war Era 1
Told to Clubmen
Dr. W. M. Peare, member
tho Oregon state board of aerjf'
nautics, and member ot the Civil
air patrol, was the principal
speaker at the Lions club regMr
lar weekly luncheon meeting
held today at the Stein cafe bah'
quel room. - 'r ,
Dr. Peare spoke of the possi
bilities of future aviation in Ore
gon and enumerated many of the
items already accomplished by
the slate board, the second tt
the nation to be activated, haw
ing bi'cn organized in 1921. ,'T
Federal Aid Sought - v
He said that through the ef
forts ot various state aeronautic
commutes there is now befor
congress a bill to appropriate
funds for underwriting a portion
of the cost of constructing fields
See PLANS . . . Page 5 :
Cove Girl Wins ,
4-1 1 Scholarship
vona Tnyrle, mcoiowr of the
IW li teluatirtg cltl of Cov
high sttiool, hs hH awarded
tin- Union Pacifre Cary Raymond
Gray scholarship to Oregon State
collcge($r being the outstanding
(t, II club member in Union court,
ly in 1944. John Vann of Cove
wg chosen as the alternate. .'.',
Tig awj)ds were announced by
Joseph Jarvis, agricultural agent
of the railroad in Omaha. ;
Miss Towle has been In 4-H
club work for nine years and has
done outstanding work In home
economics. She plans to enter
college in the fall Vann's four
years of club work have been ih
agriculture. He was the winner
of the "Feed a Fighter" contsst
in Union county last year, '
ii