Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 1942)
Simplo r,..y : RALEIGH. NC, Feb. I ()-Oscar Pitts, head of North Carolina's penal ayt tern, asked Aleatras officials for advice on the best way1 to blackout bis prison. Torn ont the lights," they replied. Thp Insldo 7 Tour complete morning newspaper, The Statesnua, offers- yon 'pertinent eom ments war news of the day by Kirke Simpson, Washington analyst POUNDDD nwnTnEST. yeah Scdenv Orecon, Friday Morning, February 8, 1942 Prlc 3ci Newsstand Se No. 271 witelk Mara, M(dlie laps FBI Nabs Aliens Near Coast Navy Yards In Maids Agents Round Up Twenty at V (tile jo, Seize Contraband; Espionage Is Suspicioned VALLEJO, Calif Feb. 5 (AP) Striking at suspected fifth column activities around the big Mare island navy yard, FBI agents swarmed into Vallejo Thursday, rounded up more than 20 axis aliens, and seized a full set of US naval signal flags, two rifles, radios, cameras, and a large quantity of other contraband. - Eight Japanese, including one woman, were booked for immi gration authorities. Three Ger mans and six other Japanese still were being questioned late -Thursday night. Three i other Japanese and one Italian obtained release after an swering necessary questions. Nat Pieper, San Francisco FBI bead, said: "We're doing this on definite suspicions of espionage in the area." j : His 25 agents, aided by more than 30 local officers, went out into the surrounding county for more aliens after sweeping through; Vallejo proper. Six Japanese men and the Japanese woman, officers said, all gave their address at a build ing occupied by a large Japanese laundry : serving largely navy personnel- , H For.-mBys ears,j. VaUeJo lice said, thU lltfndry sent its agents i into the navy yard to pick op navy men's clothing for cleaning and pressing. The officers took possession of Vallejo'S city and county build ings as j the raid progressed, and the quantity of aliens and seized contraband increased. A number of suitcases and goods boxes, contents of which were not disclosed, added to the size of the government haul. Police said the naval flags were of the semaphore type, a com . plete set. It was not disclosed in whose possession they were found. SEATTLE,' Feb. 5-Federal authorities Thursday promised a speedy i hearing for 15 Japanese men who were rounded up Wed nesday Son Bainbridge island in Puget sound for failure to sur render j firearms, explosives and other proscribed contraband. Arresting officers said more of the Japanese were held for possession of dynamite which they had been using in land clearing operations. One short wave radio set also was listed with the seized items, and sev eral firearms. - Shucklin said some of the Japanese had standard printed maps, i which included Puget (Turn to Page 2, Col. 1) Gill Denies Ray I W. Gill, Portland, told newspapermen here Thursday that there is no prospect at the present of his candidacy for the office : of , governor at the 1942 elections. He refused to comment further. Gill is retiring as master of the Oregon state grange after serving in that capacity for many years. He is a republican. Candidacy Bundles For Congress Caravan SPOKANE, Wash, Feb. The Athletic Round Table, gid diest cf the country's giddy organ izations," turned serious Thursday Just ai 'the "wildest of its many wild schemes reached a peak and called :off the "Bundles for Con gress" icaravan' which, was due to Jeave at noon for Washington, DC. The $3000 that would have been spent to send the strange cargo of artificial legs, glass eyes and cast off . clothing , to "needy" congressmen was nsed Instead for the purchase of United States defense bonds.- ; Under the slogan "Keep - 1m Laughing, the Round Table last Friday launched its "Bundles for Congress" campaign to ridicule Ceiling Is Sef On Pine Prices Construction by Army Boosted Cost, Says Henderson in Edict WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-JP)-A price ceiling was imposed on western pine lumber Thursday by Price Administrator Leon Hen derson, at about the level of the first week of last October. The ruling, effective Febru ary 15. would ent from $2 to $5 per thousand feet from current prices on Ponderosa pine, Ida ho white pine and sugar pine. Western pine, constituting about 21 pr cent of "the nation's lumber output, is the last major species of soft wood lumber to receive a ceiling. The pine species are pro cessed in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Henderson explained that the ceiling was made necessary by "strong pressure on prices," emphasized by diversion of much of the supply to canton ment construction and other war needs. The price administrator said that a cost and price study showed that even at the lowered prices "a substantial profit margin re mains and the prices set general ly are considered liberal under standards set forth in the price control act." Typical prices set on some of the basic western pine items were: number 3 common boards, one by twelve, $30; 45 common "shops $30; 2 "shop", 64 thick, $33; mill run "box," 54 and 64. $23. Auto Use Tax Repeal Asked WASHINGTON, Feb. 5-(JP) A bill to repeal the automobile use tax after next July 1, when the current stickers expire, was introduced Thursday by Repre sentative LandU (R-Ind). Landis, in a statement, de scribed the levy a nuisance tax and declared it "objectionable" on these grounds: "The auto is not a luxury. Most cars are used for business pur poses . and transportation pur poses. "Owners of small and old pas senger cars must pay the same amount ($5 a year) as do own ers of large limousines." "The sucker system is very unsatisfactory." the pension measure passed by congress and as President Joe Albl expressed it , Thursday, to provide " a shot in the arm," for civilian morale in the national crisis. " The "shot," In the nature of! the ridiculous campaign, swept the country until . this morning ; the Athletic Round Table board f v control decided to call the caravan off. : : ; ; In fact, Albl said, the campaign was 'too darn popular." From Michigan' to Texas and back out to thet Pacific, allied campaigns were started to provide the .congressional pensioners with their : needs. Telegrams from many states advised that "we fivage at Pearl Harbor - . ' - . . . - I - , 'I - " " ' , . . i l ' ' " - , Vv I if- iirnmii ..i i in 1 1' " "ititiit I "fi j" . A diving crew works around the Arizona, which was sank in the last December 7t This is an official US navy photograph. Small Business Gets Support In Committee Urges Legislation to Create Division in "War Production Board; Big Concerns Flayed; Says OPM Ruthless WASHINGTON, Feb. 5-P-The business reported Thursday that defense officials had helped bring small business face to face with "wholeesale bankruptcy" Airport Gets New Runways Two Lanes Authorized By CAA; Salem WPA to Concentrate on "Work Two more runways for Salem municipal airport were under way Thursday with advice to city of ficials of approval given the pro ject by the civil aeronautics auth ority. The WPA is expected to complete the north -south and northeast-southwest runways to lengths of 5000 and 4000 feet, re spectively. Announcement was not made as to details of the work or the length of time it will tike. It was understood, however, ma chinery will be contracted in order to speed the Job as rap idly as weather permits. The city received notice about SO WPA laborers on the sewerage and south river -road projects are to be withdrawn and the projects abandoned temporarily to concen trate manpower at the airport. (Turn to Page 2, CoL 2) Farm Meeting In Salem Set WASHINGTON, Feb. 5-- The agriculture department an nounced it would hold four meet ings this month to consider 1942 vegetable and fruit production goals and marketing problems in the west coast area. The schedule of meetings fol lows: Los Angeles, Feb. 9-10; Sacramento, Fete. 12-13; Salem, Ore., Feb. 16, and Hood River, Ore- Feb. 17. take care of our own congress men." '-y The Bonehead dub in Dallas, Tex, threatened to fill a freight car with "presents for congress;" Santa Cruz, Calif, organized the "Exalted Orde? of Dried Fish for Congress Society,' and the San Francisco junior chamber of commerce started a campaign of its own. - . - . "Could yu Imagine, Albl asked, "what that men f Jvnk would do If it really went to Washington. ' "Such a trek would upset the conservation plan of the coun try. It might lead to traffic eon gestion. It might lead to serious Injury. . aft turrets of the battleship USS Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor Senate senate's committee on small ail "utterly ruthless' attltuoe by from which it could be rescued only by being given "a definite and effective voice in the admin istration of the war effort." The committee, reporting that large concerns had been given a lion's share of government defense business while thousands of small plants remained idle, asked im mediate legislation to create a di vision of small business produc tion within the war production board. It also recommended creation of a separate corporation within the reconstruction finance cor poration to finance small busi ness. "The hopeless efforts of small business to make itself heard are well illustrated by its pa thetic struggle to take part in. (Turn to Page 2, CoL 3) South River Road Opened Traffic was moving over the South River road Thursday night where two slides had been cleared awayrby county crews during the preceding 36 hours. Power shovel and bulldozer were in use there throughout Thursday, lifting the several hun dred cubic yards of dirt, rocks and brush which had cracked away from an embankment cut during the past summer. 4 Because of the slimy nature of the earth, motorists were warned that the stretch of once-covered roadway lying approximately a half mile south of the city limits was unusually hazardous and were urged to travel slowly there. Dirt from the second slide was hauled to a point approximately a mile distant, that from the first having been used between the railroad fill and the highway. Cancelled And the gag isn't worth the risk. Is ltr 4 In a statement signed by the board of control the Round Table said: v ."rf "We devised this meant of kid ding the congress and giving the country a laugh. We trust we haven't been taken too seriously. "Now we- have laughed to gether. : "Let'a pull together and help win the war. ' ; . -4 ' f; "Today we - buy $3000 more ha defense bonds. " . " f Other giddy stunti the Round Table has sponsored include? its annual Fourth of -July" Christmas party, a fire cracker golf tourna ment and the national - coaches moaning contest. " " - 2 Bill, avy ffihina Aid I Measures Sent To FDR After Senate Action WASHINGTON. Feb. 5 (P) In 25 minutes Thurs- diy, the senate gave final con gressional approval to a $26,- 4195,265,474 naval appropria tions bill and a measure au thorizing $500,000,000 finan cial aid to China. After a five-minute expla nation by Senator Overton (D-La.), the chamber unanimous ly approved a senate-house com mittee's draft of the naval bill largest single appropriations measure in legislation history and sent it on to the president. In the 20 minutes before that, it had argued briefly the merits of a $500,000,000 loan to China and passed it by a 74 to 0 vote.' The house had put its okay on the measure Wednesday, and that bill also went to the president. Calculated to ease China's in ternal financial difficulties, the measure would permit the secre tary of the treasury, with the ap proval of the president, to make direct loans to the Chungking Chinese government, set up cred its in this country to conduct operations to sustain the Chinese currency. When Chairman Connally (D Tex.) explained that the fund was to be wed primarily to stiffen China's internal econo my" Senator Taft (R-Ohio) said he thought it would be a rather difficult thing to get $50000, 000 to China. Connally replied that this trans fer did not need to be made in actual cash and Democratic Lead er Barkley of Kentucky explained (Turn to Page 2, Col. 3) Uruguay to Use US Ships For Patrol MONTEVIDEO, Feb. 5-JP) With vessels provided by the United States and manned by Uruguayan naval crews, Uruguay will patrol her own strategic coasts on the Atlantic and the river Plate estuary, where the shattered, refuged German pock et battleship Graf Spee was scut tled after deadly battle with the British in December, 1939. The disclosure was made Thursday night by Defense Minister Gen. Julio Roletti, who said this step had been taken to maintain pledges of continental solidarity.. These pledges, he said, have taken on new mean ing since Uruguay's recent break with the axis. Roletti explained that the Uru guayan navy as constituted is un equal to the patrol task, but he added that his government had been informed by Washington that US vessels were provided for the Uruguayan crews. The crews are in training here and officers are receiving in struction with the cooperation of Argentina, Brazil and Great Brit ain. ... Greece Famine Reports Heard WASHINGTON, J? e b. 5 - 0P) Greece is suffering a terrible famine, reports reaching Wash ington through various channels indicate, and the situation in that axis-occupied country is growing more desperate daily At a press conference Thursday, Sumner Welles, undersecretary of state, described the plight of the Greeks as utterly appalling. : He said the state department's infor mation indicated that the Ger mans had' ruthlessly "stripped the Greek people, of their .food re serves ; and left them to starve. He added that the rapidly in creasing; ; death rate among ; in fants was particularly shocking Wednesday 7cathcr Forecasts withheld and . tem perature data delayed by army request,' Elver Thursday, 10 .JV feet. - Max. temp. Wednesday," 52, mhu U. Ealnfail JU inch. Approved Drive To Crip Positions MM Reaches Far East Russian Chief Declares Nazi Dream is Over Assures People Army Will Return Soviets Soon; Otes Offense MOSCOW, Feb. 5-(-Presi- dent Michael Kalinin told the people tonight that "the hour is near when all the occupied (Soviet) republics will return to the family," and declared that Adolf Hitler's dream of conquest "now is pursuing him like a shadow," back across the snowy battlefields of Russia. The greatly augmented red army, he said, now is approach the borders of White Russia, Es tonia, Latvia and Lithuania, while in the south "every day more oc cupied places in the Ukraine re turn to their country." In some sectors the Germans have been hurled back 175 miles since the mighty counter-offen fsive began at the gates of Mos cow early in December,' and this, "despite -a- fierce ficht for every inch of ground," he saidj. " Kalinin told the people in a message splashed across the news papers' front pages that Hitler "sacrificed everything trying to realize his dream of occupying Moscow ... he paid a lot for it. He will pay more." The whiter-hooded red army last waa reported officially operating in the northwest in the Kholm area, some 100 miles from Latvia and Estonia; below Smolensk in the Kirov sector it also was about the same dis tance from White Russia; in the Ukraine Marshal Timoshenko's troops were beyond Lozovaya, Important railway Junction be tween the Donets and Dnieper riven n the road to the big industrial center of Dneprope trovsk. The soviet president said the Russian offensive was a carefully-conceived plan launched after a strategic retreat enabled the red (Turn to Page 2, Col. 7X Plane, Crew Said Missing SACRAMENTO, Calit, Feb. 5 (JP)-An army plane, in which four fliers began a routine flight Tues day afternoon, is missing, Sacra mento army airport depot re vealed Thursday night Aboard were Second Lieuts. R. J. Heiderstadt and W. V. Mc Shane, Technical Sergeant M. Bittner and Staff Sgt R. L. Kirk land. Addresses of the men were not recorded. Air depot officials said they heard rumors that a plane had been sighted and explosions heard in the vicinity of Fort Jones, ML Shasta region, but that these reports were wholly uncon firmed. 1 Jfip Warplanes Bpmb Java INDIAN so too ISO fipanese warplanes raided Soerabaja, major naval base of the Dutch East Indies. It was the; thrust at Java, seat ef the Colonial government for the oil and gr!eulturally rich Islands. Java ta W; miles long, and from 8$ to 125 miles wUe a total area about the sise t--Jff:. "-There are excellent highways and ralcads. .,v, -ft-i'v-: "t;:'h:i;.?-zzx&; ttp rh Met ore Wounded Gen. Douglas MaeArthur has re ported to the war department that Brig.-Gen. Clinton A. Pierce, recently promoted from a colonelcy for conspicuous skill and bravery In action, has been wounded in the battle of BaUn in the Philippines. Above photograph was taken of Gen. Pierce in the Philippines recent ly. He becomes the first US general in World War H to be wounded in action. An admiral lost his life in the aerial blits on Pearl Harbor. Axis Troops Near Tobruk Spearheads of Rommel Push British Within Fifty Miles of City CAIRO, Feb. S.-PJ-Spearheads of the axis African army Thurs day night were believed to stand within 50 miles of Tobruk in the continuing counter - o f f e n s i v e which has swept the British for ces back some 180 miles since the German' and Italian troops occu pied Bengasi. While the British army com mand reported only patrol ac tivity and operations of mobile columns "along the whole of our front," the latest high water mark of the axis eastward push was indicated in an RAF com munique which announced British bombers had been act ive east and west of Tmimi. Situated at the eastern base of the Cirenaican hump, the town itself is 60 miles west of Tobruk and about 140 miles airline from the Libyan-Egyptian border. The Italian high command said only that the axis forces under German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had driven east of Der na, which lies 40 miles northwest of Tmimi.) Dive Bombers Cause Casualties in Malta VALIETTA, Malta, Feb. 5-) Dive bombers caused a number of casualties and some property damage in a sharp attack on this British Mediterranean island base Thursday. A large bomber force attacked a second time Thursday afternoon, but there was no immediate re port on damages and casualties. ; OCEAN .' - A - K-y ' - 'W mi. .Ill USA ir Singapore and Batan Sectors Almost Quiet British Hard Pressed . In Burma; American P-40s Duel Victors By WILLIAM SMITH WHITE Associated Press War Editor The Japanese, lying idle be fore the unyielding American Filipino line on Luzon and still withholding' their threat ened spring at Singapore, ap peared Thursday to be turn ing their main force against the Dutch East Indies in an urgent effort to gravely wound the allied position there before the rising might of the American air arm could be fully felt. In pursuit of a quick decision, the enemy's bombers returned to the assault upon Soerabaja for the second successive day and again it was clear that he had done a good deal of damage but the picture quickly developed 4 reverse., side. ' f i For the first time US army pur suit planes were in action and effective action over Java,' al though American-flown bombers had long been active over Indies waters. The war department an nounced that a small squadron of P-40's had engaged a greatly su perior formation of enemy bomb ers escorted by pursuiters and had knocked down a bomber and a pursuit ship to the loss of one9' American plane. The Soerabaja bombing was accompanied by an apparent worsening in the immediate Dutch situation elsewhere. Neither from the island of Am boina between Celebes and New Guinea, the site of the Nether lands second greatest naval base, nor from the enemy-occupied Kendari sector of southeast Cele bes was there official news. Artillery action at Singapore (Turn to Page 2. CoL 5) January Sea Toll Reported LONDON, Feb. 8-(-Allied air forces operating over wide stretches of European and Pacific waters, sank or damaged at least 74 axis vessels of all types in January, It was estimated in an official summary released Thurs day night. In the Pacific theatre, where allied strength is increasing, 52 Japanese vessels were sent to the bottom or hit Destruction of a 20,000-ton liner was the high light of operations in the Medi terranean, where 15 vessels were , sunk or damaged. In the North sea and off the Atlantic coast six enemy supply ships and a tanker were sunk, damaged or set afire. Naval Base JAVA liiJwcS- CD Ait -3 i