Tho: Insido
Tour complete . mornmg
newspaper. The Statesman,
offers yen pertinent com
ment en war news of the
day by Klrke 8 Imp son.
Washington analyst.
Priorities "r""7
SEATTLE, April lJM(ff)
The Peter -Smiths reported
to police thai burglar took
a tnbo of toothpaste from
their heme Wednesday,
along with a whistling Oep
per tea-kettle.
PCUNDDD
IlUCTY-nSST YEAR
Salem, Oregon, Thursday Morning. April 18. 1942
Price 5c
No. 328
Enemy
OmNew
Front
Allies Unable
To Prevent
Shan Thrust
By Tho Associated Ptcm
NEW DELHI, India, April
IS The Japanese launched a
sadden, major offensive into
the Shan states of eastern
Burma Wednesday, opening a
full-fledged new front to iso
late China from Burma and
India at a time when British
and Chinese alike are fight
In a desperate rear-guard
action to delay the conquest of
central Burma's oil wealth.
The offensive, launched in the
Salween "rivet1 region near the
upper Thailand border where
Japanese and Chinese troops have
been sparring inconclusively for
weeks, apparently was aimed at
cutting the Mandalay-Lashio rail
road. Its object also would be to sepa
rate the Chinese forces In the
Shan states from those In the
Sittang river valley to the south
west The Mandalay-Lashle railroad
Is the last feeder link to the
old Burma road, and also would
be used as part of the new routes
planned from India to China,
across npper Burma.
Chungking reports disclosed the
new offensive, nearly 200 miles
northeast of the present active
Burma battle zones, on a day in
which the worn British army in
the Irrawaddy valley as throwing
Its limited reserves Into a fierce
battle on the threshold of the oil
fields and. while : other i Chinese
troops were slowly retreating up
the Sittang, toward Mandalay.
Fresh reinforcements were being
thrown steadily into the new Sal
ween offensive and Japanese air
craft were active in force.
In central Burma the Japa
nese were maintaining their
heaviest pressure in the flat
plain of. paddy fields between
three to five miles on both sides
of the Irrawaddy river in the
Magwe area, less than 30 miles
south of the heart of the oU
fields, and they had succeeded
in Infiltrating to some extent in
an attempt to cut the British
communication lines.
A British communique said
frankly that the defenders did not
have enough men to prevent this
infiltration, on a, front stretching
from below Magwe some 40 miles
eastward" to Taungdwingyi, in the
regu Yoma lootmus. aw me
British reserves were engaging the
Infiltrating parties, which so far
were described as small.
Ceiling Placed
On Pulp Price
Domestic Wood Pulp's
Maximum Is $6
Above Present
WASHINGTON, April 15-P)
The government fixed the prices
Wednesday on domestic and for
eign wood pulp, basic material
In - paper production.
Using a single pricing system,
with allowances for freight costs
depending on geographical loca-
tion of mills, the office of pri
administration set the ceiling ap-
covering -sales In the United
States or for export :
The only increase above
present prices was on domes
tically ' produced ' groundwood
pulp, used in making news
print. In establishing a ceiling
of 146 delivered ton on this
grade 18 above current prices
OPA emphasized that the
, new maximum conformed with
. present price levels on import
ed groundwood pulp. Approxi
mately SO per cent of all the
groundwood consumed i In the
United States Is imported from
Canada.
OPA said that the decision to
Impose a pulp ceiling resulted
partly from an accelerated do
mestic demand because of the loss
c5 Scandinavian Imports which,
before the war, made up 27 per
lent of the wood pulp used In
this country.
Tuesday's "Weather
- Weather forecasts : withheld
and temperature data delayed
by army request. River Wed
nesday , t. - Max. temperature
: Tuesday, SO, mln. 39.'
Yank
Namie
Today
Where Nasi Lines Breached
m -vkauin 7 o loo
iiiifeliiilniUNSK S r line of I
!jtegpiliL Y- Farthest
m mZORtL I Advance
l unJ2dn
iiiSiap petrovsk Viiliiiiiliiiiiliiiil
Smashes of Russian forces against
offensive were reported In dispatches Wednesday. Bed armies were
said to be sweeping through a breach (arrow) between Kharkov
(1) and Belgorod. Berlin told of sending dive bombers to attack
front-bound troops before Moscow (Z). At Bryansk, southwest of
Moscow, a break-through In the first nasi lines was reported.
Reds Gut
at
tre) .
Lines
Prepare Defenses
Battle Fronts for Spring Warfare
Made More Definite; Fighting Is
Hard in Moscow, Kharkov Areas
KUIBYSHEV, USSR, April
a more definite mass battle-line,
nesday night to have achieved a
of the important Bryansk sector
paring its commanders for the
I spring offensive.
r Although authorities made
now were in nroeresa. front dis
I Datche said the red army force
which broke the first defenses of
the Bryansk salient now reput
edly under the command of the
former nazi commander-in-chief,
Field Marshal Walter Von Brauch-
itsch was approaching the second
line in fierce fighting.
The Bryansk bulge, 200 miles
southwest of Moscow, Is one of
half a dozen major strong points
which the Germans have held
all winter, at grievous cost, with
a view to using them for spring
offensive bases. In early April,
Wednesday's dispatches disclos
ed, red army units under Gen
eral Popov killed S000 Germans
in this sector and found new
rifles and machine guns ob
viously brought up for spring
time action.
UtT" . "1 t. S .7Zl,l "
" -TT ."UJr
more bridgeheads over the Desna
.li0,atm:the Bt?
ansk garrison.)
With 1200 Germans reported
killed recently on the front north'
west of Moscow, hard fighting
was continuing there, also. (Ger
man reports said dive bombers
were assaulting 4 "Russian troops
and tanks near Lake nmen, at
tacking still usable ice crossings
over which the red army was
moving reserves to Its front lines.)
(Stockholm reports , said also
that the Russian forces of Mar
shal ' Semeon Timoshenko had
made a deep-breach In the Ger
man lines north of Kharkov and
that forward detachments were
In the vicinity of BjepkL a town
IS miles west of the city.)
I Dlice Flies, Speaks
BERN, Switzerland, April 15
UPr- Premier Mussolini flew Wed
nesday to a military itation in
central Italy where be inspected
several battalions jcT parachute
troops and watched their maneu
vers. Swiss dispatches from Rome
reported. After' a brief address
to the troops jMussollnl flew back
I to Rome.
BmTbtes
g e Cabinet Set
ffy Vichy France
German preparations for the spring
Germarp
15-()-Fighting in the slush of
the red army was reported Wed
break-through in the first lines
of the central front while pre
shock of the heralded German
it clear that no decisive battles
Carelessness
Gets Blame
Normandie Fire Probe
Group Recommends
Maritime Changes
WASHINGTON, April 15-P)
'.'Carelessness and lack of supervl
sion" were responsible for the fire
on the liner Normandie, a house
Investigating committee reported
Wednesday.
There was no evidence of sabo
tage, it added, although there were
abundant opportunities for sabo
teurs to damage the 83,000-ton
vessel, which was being converted
by the navy Into the auxiliary ship
5. s. Lafayette. The committee
also recommended a number of
safety measures for the protection
of merchant ships In ' American
ports. ;
Finding "no willful or mallei
ous Intent" Involved the Invest!
(Turn to Page 2, CcJL 7)
Picturei
isque
Area May Go
SAN FXANCISCO. April 15.
Picturesque Fisherman's
Wharf, known to tourists frym
all parts of the world, probably
will vanish soon for the dura
tion of the war.
Waterfront faculties, needed
by the armed services, lkely
wm resalt la the removal of
crab and fish stalls, seafood
restaurants and night dabs
from the locality.
The 1401 Italian-born fisher-
. men and resiauranteurs. In
eluding Gnlssenoe DlMagaio.
father of Joe, tho baseball star.
already have gone.
And the once busy fleet of
400 fishing boats, which
brought in- loads of crab and
Bryansk,
fish, has dwindled to 49.
Americans Are
Advised to
Leave Country
Shi omenta to French
Territory Halted
By Washington
BERN, Switzerland, April
16 (Thursday) (AP)
Pierre Laval, vigorous pro
German leader, will serve as
"civil supervisor of all
ranee" in a new cabinet to
be annnnneed lnnrsdav in
Vichy, reliable diplomatic
sources said.
Amid strong hints that Laval's
new regime would openly declare
its solidarity with Germany, all
Americans without urgent business
In the unoccupied zone were asked
by US consulates Wednesday night
to leave the country immediately.
Just what powers Laval will
have in his new role were not
clarified vet. but Fernand do
Brinon, Vichy representative In
Paris, told German newspaper men
that "Laval, not Petaln, will de-
termine French policy In the fu
ture."
In other words, tho aged Pe
taln who has been represented
as trying to find some means of
avoiding a diplomatic break
with the United States, would
become a jaere figurehead
Available reports Indicated that
Admiral Jean Darlan, present
vice-premier, also would have his
powers clipped Immensely. The
Berlin correspondent of the Bern
newspaper Der Bund said Darlan
would be designated as Petain's
successor, and "entitled to parti'
cipate" in ministerial councils.
The French war ministry will
be abolished, this report said.
One report circulating in Vichy
attributed to the London radio
was that Field Marshal Gen. Karl
Rudolf Gerd Von Rn-ndstedt
would become German military
supervisor "for all of France," but
diplomatic sources in Vichy were
unable to confirm it.
But at any rate there were
strong Intimations from both
Vichy and German - controlled
Paris that Laval was charting a
course of fuller collaboration
with Germany. Laval himself
was in Paris Wednesday and
Wednesday night conferring
with numerous pro-German as
sociates Including Marcel Deat
and Jacques Doriot Ho planned
to return to Vlehy Thursday
AParis dispatch to the Tribune
De Geneve mentioned the names
of Georges Bonnet, former for
eign minister, Gaston Bergery,
former ambassador to Moscow,
and Jacques Benoist - M e c h I n,
SET S'Sl .T" ,.
. , X :
uuus, u Auk.cij iucuiun ui ua-
..-v. nnvi.
t uww uuuck
Paris radio broadcaster said
that the neutral press might be-
lieve no important international
wvuvi auuuw una. out"
accession to power, but actually
only a few hours separate us
from; a decision." He Implied that
a communique expected from Vi
chy Friday would deal not only
with the Vichy governmental
changes but with "changed inter
national relations."
A Vichy , dispatch said that
during the day In Paris Laval
issued a statement declaring he
had granted no Interview tn the
past few days to any foreign
correspondent, f The statement
was intended as a denial of re
ports abroad that he had made
a declaration stressing a wish
to continue friendly relations
with the United States.
TVa r. mja mm
the persons received by Laval
was ' ur. Alexis uuTei, lamous
nhvefotan nA MaYtnratnr with
Charlet A. Lindbergh on mechan
Icalhea, experiments. v J
liam D. lahv w dna.' In his
n,,"uu'' ..uttSBure suu ywus
WASHINGTON, April I$-(ff)
The coneem with which the
United States regards Pierre
Laval's sudden return to power.
In Vichy was sharply underlin
ed Wednesday when shipments
f . Bon-miUtary supplies from
this country to French North
- (Turn to Page 2, Col. 6)
Sin FMiTOikes
Johnson
Of NRA
I&Dead
Driving General
Ran Draft for
World War I
WASHINGTON, April 15-()
Hugh S. Johnson, the strong
man of NRA, who added
"chiselers," "crackdown" and
many another hard-bitten ex
pressions to the American ver
nacular, died Wednesday at the
age of 59.
In ill health for several
i months, he succumbed to pneu
monia at a Washington hotel.
Some 12 hours earlier, ignoring a
nWM.n. in
written his daily newspaper col
umn. With him when he died
jrTJ TL
Johnson and his secretary, Miss
Frances Robinson..
Born in Kansas in 1SS2 and
reared in Oklahoma, Johnson
was graduated from West Pout
in 1905 and his early career was
one of service ln the Philip
pines and other far away points.
While still in the army he ob
tained a law degree from the
University of California in 1918.
During the World war, he was
m char2e of the selective service
system in fact he had the system
reaa7 operauon ana uie neces
sary forms printed before the
declaration of war on Germany.
He rose quickly from the rank of
captain to that of brigadier gen
The war over, he withdrew
from the army and entered bust -
ness, eventually becoming a dose
assoclate Jand advisor of Bernard
M. Baruch. who was instrument-
al in drawing Franklin D. Roose-
velfs attention to him during the
campaign of 1932.
Johnson forcefully and acutely
impressed himself upon the pub- across the chanael Wednesday 1 to 8nd from Davao on Min
lic consciousness as the hard driv- night from the area about Calais dflnas idiand. aceomolished its
ing, tough-talking administrator
of the National Recovery Adminis-
tration and its blue eagle
Johnson stormed across the
country, denouncing non-com-pliers
as "chiselers," '"Tories"
and traitors." He estimated that
NRA made Jobs for 3.000,000
workers, and added $3,000,000,-
000 a year to the nation's pur
chasing power.
When NRA was declared un
constitutional he had already re
signed as its administrator
He supported President Roose
velt for reelection In 1936, but
in 1940 was one of the earliest
backers of Wendell L. Willkie
Navy Reserve
ti fT VV ntTIPli
f U1 T U1U
Is Supported
WASHINGTON, April 15-(ff)
Just a step behind the army but
Just as enthusiastic over the value
of women In war, the navy moved
LW!..!
",UJ w r
own Bua iouoq aeanjr tuiwrt 1U
i., . , .!
i me rouse navai cummmee.
Tn little more time than it would
take to dance the sailor's hornpipe,
m committee approved unanim-
i ousiv a measure to create a wo-
men's reserve of unlimited size to
owT iasmr AoTe dutieg now
handled by men and thus release
them for sea-going service.
Tho action came after Rear
Admiral sanoau jacons, uucm
of the navy bureau of naviga-
tlon, told the committee that the
measure was designed to "alle
viate shortages of sea-going men
which promises to become acute
as tho ship expansion program
develops.'
The only argument developed
over tne question oi now okj
women must be to enlist. The
committee settled on ' 20 years
after Ren. Shannon (D-Mo) pro -
tested that it would be "wrong"
to admit them any younger. "That's
i w uwwj v
I Chairman Vinson (D-Ga)
..The house already has passed a Me dty jimitg, an on -
bulblishing a women. annyU crew went mto operation
bV. v- manv of the soldiers
senate.
Champoeg Fete Off ' Jpared to send a bridge crew Into handling a membership cam
PORTLAND. Aprfl 15-Hav-Thel that are next week. paign for the organization.- De-
c m. n rwwL.! . Low bidder for lumber, and n nfffee schedules, use of
Pioneers Wednesday cancelled
K.t. ..,t fn- Miohrflttnn
m i........ Ann-
I ucvauac v - nM
ditions.
Led Raid
v
w y
, S t '
J? j - -
II - -
MSbkUBBsMsMHssMMMM
BRIG. GEN. RALPH ROYCE '
When he stepped from a plane
after personally commanding
the damaging raid by US bomb-
om ko fk tylttllnnlnA wAm 1
w vaa uiv aaasaaaauv hiuuo
Wednesday, Brig. Gen. Ralph
Royeo was presented the dis
tinguished flying cross.
RAF Keeps Up
Constant Raid
Flames Rage in Ruhr
Valley; Bombs Hit
English Town
LONDON, April 15-()-Carry-
ing forward a powerful aerial of
fensive that had scarcely been in
terruptea lor so nours, great
fer 36
1 squaarons or unusn DomDers ana
filters assaulted nazi occupied
ncu oj sunugni iw uuuai
Wednesday to top ' off Tuesday
night raids which left vast fires
leaping to the war plants or Ger
many s Ruhr valley.
Heavy explosions thundered
I an area raided all day, along
with Boulogne, the Cherbourg
docks and an enemy airdrome. The
a
explosions came from the post'
tions of new nazi fortifications un
J ..- i K 4-A
ucr u.8cui F'.UUu uj
labor.
Then, when the . bombers re
turned Wednesday night, bursts
of cannon fire could be heard
high in the sky over the downs
behind Folkestone.
But Wednesday night the Ger
mans struck back heavily at a
northeast English coastal town,
and the death toll there was be
lieved to be heavy.
Nazi bombs showered down on
a thicauy-popvuatea area, Durying
many in the debris of thei homes,
Several bodies were recovered
and hours later rescue 'squads
still were looking for others.
Tuesday night's raids on the
Ruhr, the sixth for that section inters and 10 B-25's and it wrought
the last ten nights, were described I this damage:
by the air ministry in such terms!
as to suggest that they were among
mo damaging yet delivered
m campaign to smash tho war
pt f many divisions of
nazi troops before it could leave
the factories for the Russian
I .
iironx.
Eleven British bombers were'
lost overnight a considerable
loss but one which an Informed
source called not at all alarm
ing hi view of the size of the
total raiding force. Some fires
set off in Ruhr arms plants still.
were burning Wednesday.
Summer Road
Maintenance
Is Started
Mirirm mmtVi summer road
and bridge maintenance work will
i- n h nt wv
r-.mt t!hiHn. K. C Huhhi d.
Ut. M -
I Mtn k9 , f f.w.MTiAa.l4001 tliered'' tj
oa lor gurfacing
. j0Dfc
I . ..wth rmrm nT
ZZJZZ?1,--
santiam highway wiu keep a crew
i0 from six la eieht men buv all
summer, nuoca saia u no pre-
pmuen w oe usea ja consirucuon
tlof the '. nine snahs Js the Idanha
I TjimKr eamnanv. Marion eeuntr
r ,
icoun aeoarea eunesuay.
- .1
All
Back From
44)00 MUe Trip,
w
ith Army Men
At Least Five Enemy Vessels,
Two Airplanes Are Destroyed ;
Allied Planes Hit at Rabanl
i -
MELBOURNE, April 16 (Thursday) (AP) The US
army bombers which raided six Japanese bases in the Philip
pines returned with a number of important American army
and air corps officers, it was
At the same time a communique issued by Australian
Prime Minister John Curtin
scoreq anoiner aireci nil on
Wednesday on RabauL New
, - ja
11180 rougni corresponaenis,
cer, it was announced.
During their return Japanese I
fighter planes attacked them, but
were beaten off.
In the new attack on Rabaul
allied aircraft also probably dam
aged wharves and buildings, the
Australian communique said.
By C. YATES McDANIEL
US ARMY HEADQUARTERS
IN AUSTRALIA, April lS-iiP)-In
the most spectacular aerial
thrust of the Pacific war, 13
American army bombers cross
ed the vast stretches from Aus
tralia and heavily assaulted Jap
anese bases on three Philippine
Islands to' redeem before the
world the first installment of
Gen. Douglas MacArthur's
pledge that the invader ' would
yet bo east out of his lodgements
there.
This great striking force, which
hivmwI 4AAA milM In tho mimd
M to vr-nn- -d at least 2800
miaaion w)th the los of but a sin-
slt pianeand that plane's entire
i - -
crew was saved.
it was personally commanded
I J -'"'1 ' "
triumphant arrival back in Aus
tralia at the head of his squadron
was announced Wednesday night.
Just as he climbed from his
plane the general, by the direc
tion of President Roosevelt, was
awarded the distinguished fly
ing cross. Gen. Rush Lincoln
making the presentation In be
half of Lieut. Gen. George H.
Brett, allied air commander for
the southwest Pacific.
Decorated with the cross too
were Lieut. Col. John Hubert
pavies of Piedmont, Calif., and
Capt. Frank P. Bostrom, a native
of -Maine.
Royce's force was made up of
I three B-17 (flying fortress) bomb-
At Davao, on Mindano Island-
an enemy bomber destroyed and
several damaged; two enemy
transports hit, one probably sunk;
one enemy seaplane shot down
I and two damaged; troop concen-
(Turn to page x, CoL 4)
Duties Given
CC Staff
Salem Businessmen Are
Called to Meeting
On Bus Problem
A mass meeting of Salem bus!
nessmen will be called late this
week to hear proposals for satis
factorily meeting transportation
requirements to place Salem in
the Camp Adair approved build
ing area, Salem chamber of com-
i merce executive committee decld-
I uesaay mgnu
I First assignment to newly-ap
I Pointed Business Promotion Man-
lager Clay C Cochran is that of
f011 ? 51Adair
j- 'vr
I Qcciarea.
Kf
JkSX
questions arising in out
xjt Thfoin- executive
I . v. Tiim
i4g. -utahi wont the assignment oi
rooms by cemmmew "uv.
I fzatfon xf the city were handed
I mw ' n Office - Secretary Kose
iv "
;.iimnsuey.
l
laic
officially announced today.
said that allied aircraft had
a Japanese snip in a
raid
Britain island.
memoereoi us air crews, and
a .
NewPhmbing
Stocks Frozen
Retail Sales of Less
Than $5 Still
Can Be Made
WASHINGTON, Aprfl 15
The war production board Wed
nesday froze all stocks of new
plumbing and heating equipment
but excluded retail sales of $5
or less, or any sale made on a
military priority rating.
Acting to prevent dissipation of
equipment needed In defense
housing and military construc
tion, WPB prohibited the sale or
delivery after 0:01 p. m.. Pacific
war time, Wednesday night of
any fixtures, fittings, pipe fur
naces, oil burners, coal stokers
and a wide range of other equip
ment for non-essential purposes.
In an earlier order affecting
the plumbing and heating in
dustry, the board prohibited
production of oil burners and
coal stokers for residential use
after May 3L
The freeze order did not cover
used plumbing and heating equip
ment, tools used for Installation
and repair of hoses, sprinkler!
and other devices ordinarily at
tached to outdoor faucets. '
r a
On MacArthur
Is Supreme Over All
Allied Forees in
Southwest Pacific
WASHINGTON, April 15.-tfV
Representatives of the United
States, Australian and New Zea
land governments emphasized
Wednesday that there was com
plete agreement on the extent Of
General Douglas MacArthurg
command In the southwest Pa
cific. They expressed the view, as
did President Roosevelt at a
press conference Tuesday, that
the American military leader
was supreme commander of all
United Nations forces in the
southwest Pacific war theatre.
Their statements were Intend
ed to dispel uncertainties de
scribed In' news dispatches from
MacArthur's headquarters1 In
Australia. A headquarters spokes
man there told reporters that an
allied supreme command had not
yet been effected and that no de
cision or , directive had .been re
ceived from discussions in prog
ress in Washington.
In Canberra, P rime Minister
John Curtin of Australia said his
government considered MacArth
ur supreme commander of all al
lied forces In the southwest Pa
cific with power to take any steps
ho thinks fit.
In Washington, Presidential
Secretary Stephen Early jsid he
doubted there was any confusion
since MacArthur. had complete
communications with the secre
tary of war and the army chief of
staff.
Four Salem Women
Pledge at OSC , . L
CORVALLIS, April 15-W5)
Oregon State i college "sororities
announced weonesaay w iouw
ing pledges from. Salem: Alpha
Delta Pi, Genevieve Wlnslow; Al
pha Gamma Delta, Dorisr Harring
ton; DelU Delta Delti .Pat Hig
gins; Kappa Delta, Arlene Shol
seth. . - : '?.::. j -