La Grande evening observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1904-1959, August 30, 1945, Image 1

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La Grande evening observer., August 30, 1945, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextI ... . Weather I &J1 .is. ' , ftfii i . K? I ' r ' Z?y Doris Hume Starting Today ESTABLISHED 1S96 LA GRANDE, OREGON. THURSDAY EVKN1XG, AUGUST 30, 1945 FIVE CENTS n biaiser ol ItDF r V Forecast: Paaly cloudy through ST1 y .T" '- "T V I l 1 I : - T- io W Hyowo Couofiti ........ - -. - n Yam s .... ' ,, I i . 73 HERO OF BATAJ.N ARRIVES AT CHUNGKING OWI radio photo from Chungking shows Li. Gen. Jonathan M. Wainwright. center, and Erig. Gen. L. C. Beebe. left, being greeted at a Chung king airport after liberation from Japanese hands. Boyinglon Survives Torture and Beatings of Japanese Prison By FRANK H. BARTHOLOMEW ABOARD MERCY SHIP REEVES OFF OMORI PRISON CAMP, TOKYO.. BAY Aug. 30 (UP) Surviving 20 months of secret imprisonment and torture with a baseball Ijat, Maj. Gre gory (Pappy) Boyington, 32-year-old ace from Okanogan, Wash., was rescued by an expedition commanded by Commodore Roger Simpson, he told me today. Boviniiton was reported dead when he was shot down over rtaoaui in inn. no naa to Jap anese planes and a congressional medal of honor to his credit. His mother, Mrs. Grace Hallen beck, of Okanogan, never gave up hope. She frequently express ed to newspapermen her belief her son would return. Many Wounds v Boyington said he was shot down Jan. 3, 1944. He had 22 mm. wounds on his head, neck, arms and ear and his ankle was Union Democrats Endorse Hess For District Attorney Endorsement of Henry L. Hess as U. S. district attorney for Or egon was unanimously voted .it a special meeting of the county democratic central committee in the Sacaiawea hotel. Members from almost every precinct in me county were pres ent iui inc mitMiig. caneu u. Henry Akin, state chairman of the democratic party. The committee was ieorganized, with officers be ing elected to fill the vacancy left by the death of Chairman Lyle B. Kiddle this spring. New officers are: W. E. Wilkins, chairman; Martin Fitzgerald, vice-chairman: Mrs. Nora Shorb, secretary. Telegham '. After the committee reorgani zation, the chairman was instruct ed to send a telegram to Thomas C. Clark, attorney general, advis ing him of the endorsement. Telegram to Richard R. Nacy, vice-chairman of the democratic committee, recommended Hess for the post earlier this month, and was sent by Lew Wallace, national committeeman. Run For Governor Hess ran for governor in 1938, defeating Governor Martin in the primaries and losing to Charles Sprague in the fall. He had pre viously served five sessions in the state senate for Union and Wallowa counties. Since 1921 he has been practicing law here, and was in partnership with R. J. Green until the latter was elect ed circuit judge in 1938. A veteran of the World War, he saw action in France, and had been practicing law at North Powilcr before the war. Burn at Rcxbum, Ida., he moved to Ore gon when a youth and attended high school at Union. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon law school. broken. The main gas tank of his Corsair blew up. "Finally I located the rubber boat from my' plane and inflated it," he went , on. "After a few hours, a Japanese submarine sur faced nearby and took me aboard off Cape St. George and trans ported me to Rabaul." "At Rabaul, I was blindfolded and handcuffed and my medical co.uipmciu was taken away. I was questioned the whole night. I had no medical treatment for 10 days during which time my festering wounds smclled so foul I wondered how the Jap ques tioners could stand the stench. "On the nth Gay, another in ternee was permitted to apply hot water bandages. In March, 1944, I was trans ported to a secret navy camp for ouestioning. It was in the coun try village of Ofuna, Japan. Here I was given the baseball bat treatment. Slugged 300 Times "I was slugged in the jaw ap proximately 300 times. Similar beatings killed other prisoners. A pharmacist's mate observed Fiist Lt. Bill Harris, the son of Maj. Gen. Phil Harris, reading about Russia's success in Europe. "The Jap called all prisoners into formation, then beat Harris a half-hour with a baseball bat. He knocked him down 20 times, until Harris finally became un conscious. The Jap kicked him in the face, ribs and stomach with heavy shoes." Bovington said Harris recover ed. On April 5, 1945. Boyington was transferred to Omori. The prisoners were required to bow politely from the waist to guards when they wished to use the toi let and to thank the guard for his courtesy. Since most of the prisoners were suffering from dysentery, many could not conform to this rigamarole, Boyington said. They were then beaten. The menu consisted of a kilo of maiz? and rice mixed together. An occasional treat was a fish head or seaweed. Boyington's normal weight of 175 pounds fell off to 110 until he got a job as n kitchen assistant. The marine ace now weighs 160 pounds. Boy Scouts Will Urge Hole Digging Boy Scout troops will be in charge of encouraging home own ers from Second to Birch streets to dig holes for the new street markers, it was announced to day. Boy Scout Hoard Of Review Put Off The Boy Scout board of review, which usually meets the firs! Monday of every month, has been postponed from Sept. 3 to Tues day, Sept. 4, because of Labor day. MacArthur Takes Over in Truman Savs 'All Blame for WASHINGTON, Aujrust 80 (UP) President Truman said today he thinks the army and navy Petirl Harbor re ports showed the disaster re sulted fundamentally from "the policy which the country itself pursued" in 1941 a policy of non-preparedness. The president expressed his views at a press conference while numerous congressmen were de manding further investigations and public courts martial of top officers who drew part of the blame. Reads Reports The president also sided again with Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson in defense of former secretary of state Cordcll Hull. The president said he had rend the reports carefully and come to this conclusion: "The whole thing was the re sult of the policy which the coun try itself pursued. The country was not ready for preparedness." He went on to say every time the late President Roosevelt tried .to get a preparedness program through congress, it was suited. And every time Roosevelt in statements tried to arouse the country to the need of prepared ness, he was "vilified," Truman said. No Trials , . And. thus, the president addqd, his primary""thbught was the country as a whole, more than any individual was to blame. He said he had no intention of ordering courts martial for any of the officers Involved, but he had no objection to such courts martial being held. . (The army and navy have stated they have no intention ol ordering any trials.) Can Speak A reporter observed Maj. Gen. Walter H. Short and Rear Adm. Husband E. Kimmel, who up un See TRUMAN . . . Page 7 Grant Bailey of Hermiston Dies: Had Lived Here Grant Bailey, 77, of Hermiston died in a Hermiston hospital Monday, Aug. 27, following a short illness. He was born uly 5, 1868 in In diana, was a former resident of La Grande, moving to Hermiston about 25 years ago, and was a member of Cherry lodge No. 254, A. F. ' A. M., Fargo, Okla. Survivors include his wife, Ella, of Hermiston, one son, W. G. Bailey of La Grande, a daugh ter, Mrs. Byron Brown of Port land and other relatives. Funeral services will bo held at 2 p. m. Friday in the Christian church in Hermiston, and grave side services will be held at the Masonic cemetery in La Grande at 2 p. m., Saturday, Sept. 1, Rev. Eugene Chamberlain, pastor of First Christian church, wil lbc in charge. Mt. Emily 4-H Club Group Will Exhibit Mt.' Emily camp 4-H group, led by Mrs. Ruth Hagey, met at 2 p.m. today to make final ar rangements for exhibiting pro jects at the county 4-H club fair Sept. 19-20. Miss Doris McWhor ter, Union county home demon stration agent, was present to answer the girls' questions con cerning the fair. Cove 4-H clubs are meeting at 7:30 p.m. today at the home of Mrs. Dena Towle, 4-H club leader, also to make arrangements for the fan. Many Appeals for Housing Reach Chamber With cancellation of the de fense housing unit in Connur dale addition, many request!, even appeals, for any sort of liv ing quarters have been stream ing in at the office of the cham ber of commerce. Dozens of railroad men who Disaster Colonel Settles For Ruined Hose - i SEATTLE, Aug. 30 (UP) Col. Marshall R. Gray, commander of Boeing army airfield, today set tled with Queen Mother Helen of Rumania for his part in the American bombing of Brasov. The settlement terms one pair of nylon stockings. Gray, who participated in the 15th AAF attacks on Brasov and Polesti later had lunch with the king and queen. The queen told Gray she had been in Brasov when the colonel's wing made its raid, and had torn her silk stock ings escaping. Today Gray mailed the queen one pair of nylons, size 10 VS, pro vided by a Seattle department store executive. School Bus Will . Begin Operations Next Tuesday La Grande schopl bus service for the first few days of school this year and the . schedule the bus will follow have been an nounced by Fred Patton,. super-. rlntendent of schools. Changes in the service will be made as war. ranlpd. The : bus will go from La Grande on the Mt. Glen road, to the Iowa school house. It will than go north to the Butte, west to the Jim Woodell place, north to the Frank Greiner place, west to the L. Webster place, turning south there to the Herbert Speck hart place. ; Going east from there the bus will go to the Sand Ridge road, then go south to the Conley warehouse and proceed south west down the highway to the Booth lane, then west through Booth lane to the Mt. Glen road and then into La Grande. Pupils living along the road will be picked up on the road on the described route, starting Sept. 4. Lunchrooms will not be in operation for some time. The bus will return earlier than usual on Tuesday, but lunches will still be necessary, Patton declared. Time schedule: Mt. Glen school house 3 Hunter Lane 8:03 Iowa school house '. 8:05 Duncan McDonald Lane 8:03 Iiutte 8:10 Jim Woodell place 8:14 Griener place ., 8:17 L. Webster 8:18 Paul Knautz place 8:21 Herbert Speckhart place 8:23 Sand Ridge road corner 8:25 Conley Warehouse 8:29 Booth Lane i .8:31 Zurbrick place .8:34 Moss Chapel school house 8:30 60,000 Lumbermen Plan to Strike SEATTLE, Aug. 30 (UP) A strike of more than 00,000 Pacific northwest AFL lumber workers was forecast by union leaders to day as the local office of the na tional labor relations board be gan sorting 30,000 ballots from the first of two scheduled strike voles. Its office jammed with sacks of ballots received before the deadline last midnight, the NLHB said results of the balloting will not be known until Sept. 0. Union leaders, however, have warned they planned to strike regardless of the outcome. expect to be living in this ana for at least the next year be cause of emergency work, afe i-nable to bring thftir families to town because of shortage o' housing. Most of them had ex pected to move into the housing project when it was completed. Fred Patton, superintendent of 40,000 Men Land, Occupy lokvo Plains N ' By RALPH TEATSORTH GENERAL Mac ARTHUR HDQS, YOKOHAMA, Aug. 30 (UP) Gen. Douglas MacArthur se up headquarters in Yokohama today as the first 40,000 troops of his occupation army raised the stars and stripes over Japan's largest naval base, two airfields and a big slice of Tokyo plain. A half dozen or more Japanese towns were occupied by allied air and seaborne forces in ten hours. 'MacArthur established his headquarters ill Yokohama's new Grand hotel with other top American officers. From the top of the hotel MacArthur could see Emperor Hiruhilo's palace in the heart of Tokyo. Both Hiro hito and the Japanese govern ment now must take their orders from MacArthur. Take Islands ' South of Yokohama, Admiral 'Chester W. Nimitz and Admiral William F. (Bull) Halsey of third fleet fame went ashore at the newly-occupied Yokosuka naval base, formerly Japan's No. 1 navy yard. It already had sur rendered formally. , American and British marines and blue-jackets also raised the American flag over three forti fied islands guarding the ap proaches to Yokosuka, .Cape Futt SU seven miles across the en trance to Tokyo bay from Yoko suka. The air and sea-borne landings on Japan were carried out under a canopy of 2,000 warplanes and the big guns of hundreds of war ships. The troops landed with full combat equipment, but not a shot was fired. , On Guard From Atsugl, MacAHhur's party set out for Yokohama in n convoy of Japanese automobiles and trucks. Japanese troops with rifles and sidoarms stood every 100 yards or so with their backs to the road. ' Paratroops on the 11th air borne division, who will serve as Mat-Arthur's bodyguards, piled into the Japanese trucks without commcint. Japanese officers saluted promptly. Yokohama itself is a burned- out shell from American ait raids. There is no resemblance to the great port that once housed nearly 1,000,000 Japanese and handled a quarter of the Jap anese Empire's trade. Trains and trolley cars arc run ning, but few automobiles are in the streets. Up to 40,000 troops had landed by sea and air on the southern approaches of Tokyo by night fall. Others waited aboard ships in Tokyo bay and at Okinawa airfields. Priesthood Leaves For Annual Outing Aronic priesthood of the Un ion stake of the Church of Latter Day Saints today left for Lang- don lake for an overnight cam- porcc. The outing Is under the direction of O. C. Wylde. The Union stake includes Baker, Un ion, La Grande, Walla Walla and Pendleton. STREET LINES PAINTED City streets in downtown La Grande today were receiving new stripes of yellow paint to designate more clearly the park ing spaces in the congested park ing areas, A small automatic machine with a heavy brush, and pushed very much like a peram bulator was used to make the unswerving bright lines. schools, also reported several teachers will be arriving hern within the next few 'days, with no place to which to bring their families. The chamber has been listing houses ii nd apartments and sleep ing rooms which are available fur renters and has been taking FIRST IN JAPAN Col. John H. Lackey jr., Norfolk, Va., commandor of ihe 317lh troop carrier command, gets honor for flying the first parly of conquering American! into Japan. He landed firaf trans port on Atsugi airfield, 20 miles from Tokyo. Veteran Seniority Supercedes Union, Judge Declares NEW YORK, Aug. 30 (UP) Federal Judge Matthew T. Ab ruzzo ruled today the selective service act supersedes collective bargaining' agreements in deter mining job seniority rights of war veterans. ; He made his decision in a test case brought by Abraham Fish gold .former serviceman, against the Sullivan Dry Dock and Re pair corporation. Answering arguments of the company's counsel, he declared "there is no ambiguity about the act that took the veteran into the army forces." "This act now saves the veteran his pension, his Insurance and his social security, Abrozzo said. , "In my opinion, congress in tended to give the veteran all the rights he left when he was called into service and the statute pass ed by congress supersedes col lective bargaining contracts." Yanks Take Over Great Jap Base In 80 Minutes By FRANK H. BARTHOLOMEW YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE. Aug. 30 (UP) Formal control of one of Japan's greatest naval bases passed into American hands today when Rear Adm. Michitara Tozuko, a fat - faced little man with baggy eyes, hand eel a plain, white envelope to Rear Adm. Robert Carney, USN. The transfer took place on the side of a dock in the shadow of Hear Adm. Oscar W. Badger's llagship, the San Diego the first invading ship to tie up at this newest U. S. naval base. The brief surrender formalities were completed an hour and 20 minutes after the San Diego tied up. Tozuka received the surrender document from one of three Jap anese aides who looked ready to burst into tears. Badger, Carney and Marine Gen. William Clement entered a Packard and began a tour and inventory of the navy yard. The Japanesa offered the for mer headquarters of the station as U. S. naval headquarters, while buildings of the Japanese naval corps, artillery, engineering and navigation school and the naval airforce were offred for use by garrison troops. the names of those who wish quarters in an attempt to find adequate housing for essential and highly important workers. This appeal from the chamber for those who have quarters, even though they may see-in small perhaps, to list them with the chamber for clearance. Japan Point Values On Meat Cut For September WASHING.TON, Aug. 30 (UP) OPA today sloshed September ration point values on meat, cheese, butter and margarine. No points will be needed for can ned milk, the office of price ad ministration announced. From Sept. 2 t6 20,' inclusive, the red point reductions on all meats will .average 28 percent. Points on cheeses will be cut in halt. Butter will drop four points and margarine will bo cut by two so that both will have the same ration value 12 pojnts. Much Lets Blue point rationing has stop' ped. Now points will be cut on the whole red point list except for lard, cooking oils and other shortening. Beef steaks and roasts will be from two to three points less a pound. Hamburger values will be cut in half to two points a pound, Lamb and veal will drop one to three points. Pork steaks, chops and roasts will be down one and two points. All bacon will be re duced by two points, and spare ribs will be cut three points. Price: administrator Chester Bowles said the reductions result from "marked Improvement in the last few weeks" In supply and distribution. ...:',,,'.': Not tn. Sight End of meat rationing is not yet In sight, Bowles declared, al though other sources have pre dicted it would last only a couple of months more, He said the agriculture depart ment estimates civilians will get 338,000,000 pounds of meat a week during the September ra tioning period compared with 280,420,000 pounds in August, an increase of 20 Vt percent. There will be more beef, veal, lamb mutton and pork, he said. Worker Injured By Fall of Part Of His Scaffold William D. Brazce of Denver is in Grande Ronde hospital re covering from an accident at Mt. Emily mill yesterday. Brazce, with a contracting com pany out of Denver which is constructing a chimney at the local mill, was building a scaffold when the triangle at the top of the scaffold gave way, fell and struck him on the head. Brazce was wearing a metal helmet at the time, but the force of the fall ing framework was great enough to dent the helmet and lacerate his scalp and the impact of the blow loosened his front teeth. Barring the development of any complications the injured man's condition is not deemed serious and he should be able to leave the hospital within a few days, attendants said. Bormann Believed Still Uncaptured LONDON, Aug. 30 (UP) A Russian spokesman said today Martin Bormann, Adolf Hitler's deputy and second most power ful man in Nazi Germany, is be lieved still at large. Maj. Gen. I. T. Nikitchcnko dis closed the allies have dismissed reports of Bormann's death as un founded. Speculation over Bormann's whereabouts was touched off by his inclusion last night among the 24 German war criminals order ed to trial at Nuernberg. At first it was thought his ap pearance on the mass indictment might mean he already had been captured by the allies. Nikitchcnko said, however, Bormann is not in soviet hands nor, so far as hw knw, in the custody of any of the allitd pow ers. He pointed out, however, the charter establishing the war crimes tribunal permitted trials in absentia. The soviet spokesman declined comment on why Bormann was included on the indictment list while Adolf Hitler was not. Hit ler's body never has been found. Losses to: Beat 25 Millions ' PORTLAND, Augr. 80 (UP Fire in. the outfitting docks of the Kaiser . Oregon ship yard in Portland today burn ed six newly-completed ships, with dumuge estimated in ex cess of $25,000,000. A cabin painter drowned, when he dived from a flaming ship into the mooring basin. Ard asbestos operator Is unaccounted for. Hundreds of workers dived into the mooring basin to escap .the flames and scores suffered minor Injuries. : : , The fire was still burning three hours after the first outbreak. The damage included loss of mil lions of dollars of plant equip ment, including the machine; shop, sheet metal shop, marine machinists shop, marine store, shop, garage and all equipment of the Buckler - Chapman com pany, which outfits' for Kaiser Great Heat . V'; Flames raced from one ship id another as they were tied at the dock of the Willamette river shipyard, one of the largest in the world. Tre Victory ships aiidf troop transports had been laun-! ched and needed only final out fitting. . Between 2,500 and 3,000 work ers were in the immediate area,. Firemen were driven from the outfitting dock by the terriftc heat of the flames, fed by fresh1 paint and other Inflammables. U The flro is believed to have" started when sparks from a weld er's outfit ignited oil being piped Into , a generator on the Bexar ' in-ill.: Dock Caught The flames jumped to the USS Glynn, a troopship moored near it, and lt was only seconds be fore the Glynn was afire. . Then the outfitting dock itself caught fire and the flames swept under the main deck, weakening the piling underneath. Four IS ton Whirley cranes wavered and yard officials were fearful they might topple' over. Firemen prevented the fire from spreading from the outfit ting dock. Efforts were concen trated on keeping the fire trom the shipways. , i Lights Out North Portland was covered with black smoke and the flames were visible over a wide area. I'elephone and lighting equip ment al) went out when the fire slatted. ; The yard one of the biggest in the world is operated by Henry F. Kaiser's Oregon ShlB building corporation for the UJ. maritime commission. End of the war brought cancellation of most outstanding contracts and the yard was tapering off its activi ties. It established all-time rec ords for rapid construction ships. British to Enter Hong Kong Harbor " CHUNGKING, Aug. 30 (UP) British naval units will enter Hong Kong harbor today to take over the British crown colony from Japanese occupation forces, Lt. Gen. Albert C. Wedemeyir announced. Wedemeyer said the British units were detached from Ad miral Sir Bruce Fraser's Pacific command to make the lightning run to resume control of one of Great Britain's most famous out posts. . Betty Courtney Has Left WAVES Mrs. Betty Courtney of La Grande has received a discharge from the WAVES and is here awaiting the arrival of her hus band, Lt. Burl Courtney who IS expected to arrive next week for a 15-day leave. . v While in the WAVES Mrs. Courtney was a Link trainer in structor at Beeville, Texas. Lieut enant Courtney, returned in Murch from the south Pacific where he served witk the 41st infantry and is in charge of a prisoner of war camp in New Mexico. i . if. SINK 69 SHIPS WASHINGTON, Aug. 30 (UP) U. S. submarines operating in far eastern waters inj,,the last three months of the war sank fj9 enemy vessels, the navy announc ed today.