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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 1942)
TM ghwtfflas Tils ilnct'a wish 1st yoa, Eteder, go but today from ty.i im n v. ; fca hearts oi those who produce your daily Orecon States man the editors, business staff rtporteii v printers ; and pressmen, and the carrier rxrys who deUver your fcrvorite paper on your doorstep or to the potof2ce for forwarding n n PSUNDQB iCZS 1 BBSTT-SSCOI3 T'SIl Solenx, . Orecjon, Friday Morxdnej, December 3. 1S12 IMco Sc. QDOSIU ate WW B II l isafej I "V W Ta- J Colored lights snd tinsel streamers brighten Christmas trees In Camp Adair recreation centers today, thanks in part to Salem agencies, merchants end business Institutions. Tree above was arranged for by Salem Junior hostess league and the USO, to add .Christmas atmosphere to one of the Adair service clubs. .Soldiers helping Margaret Blodgett, one of principal post hostesses, and Doris Tlckel, librarian hostess, trim tree are Pvts. Bonder J. Donnely and Hyman Schulman, both of the Timber Wolf division sad both from New York state. Signal corps photo. - - SdlemtoEntertd Of Service at Yuletide fhristma thoughts extend to far parts of the. world from Salem !.j; nial' rtiiwnm wnrchin the Prtnntf At Taeo fit tW churches said demonstrate His spirit" of good will to giiests--many f them, in uniformin their homes. : ItV a Christmas different from that dark and tense day a year ago, when fewer of the community's men had gone away into the na tion s service, am ue nope ictr victory w oarier wo uie unceiuuu ty of civilians accentuated by the newness of this new kind of glo bal war. . ... v- . , - The unprecedented bustle of activity 'Tthat has prevailed in stores and. shops and mailing places in recent weeks has not been able to overshadow the needs of lonely service men and of hungry families. Hundreds of soldiers from Camp Adair will enjoy Christ mas dinners In Salem homes, through the cooperation of the, USO. The service agency's office Thursday had definitely filled more than 309 such Invitations. And service men who wander into the USO today win find a register im which to enter their names If 'they wish such an Invitation and to which residents of the city may go if they have vacant chairs' which they desire to fill at Yule tables, v;, ?'i".'y. ?-' . A " . ; Some apprehension was being felt, however, lest visiting soldiers wno nave no inviiauoni w numes nugni ana Ji uinitun w uouuo meals at downtown eating places, many of which were planning to close for the day to give a needed holiday to rush-weary employes. Only' three major downtown restaurants were reported as planning to serve meals today.', ' ; : ' More than 50 needy families were supplied Thursday by the Sal vation Army with shopping bags filled with provisions for a full din ner, Adj. E. T. Hill reported. Their menus as a result will include gen erous helpings of meat, potatoes, vegetables, fruits and nuts. A num ber of individuals and clubs filled similar orders after obtaining the names of families from the "Army., f : Deserving cases of need are still 'to be found despite the general money prosperity of the times,' Adj. Hill declared. They exist among elderly people, families in which there has been protracted illness and service men's families whose dependency benefits have not yet begun to come through. . - This is to be a real day of rest for the city's harried postal crews, Postmaster H. R. Crawford said Thursday. No deliveries will he made other than of special delivery parcels and perishable goods, f . .All Christmas packages on hand at the postoffice up to Thursday night had been delivered, with the exception of those that were Im properly addressed. - , - This season's Christmas mail volume was estimated by the ; postmaster at nearly 25 per cent above that of last year, which was a record year. In terms of postal receipts, $45,095.86 was re- ' -.1 k. w4mm. alnvtnar 4m. Jlmvm 41.1- I " contrast with 5383,094.77 for the same period a year age. -- "Handling the holiday mail has been especially difficult this year because we have 18 of our experienced men away in service, five of them overseas," Mr. Crawford said, "But my crew has done the best Job I've seen yet They deserve a lot of credit War World Notes Christmas: Pope, Roosevelt Give Talks By The Associated Press - A world at war today celebrates the birthday f the Prince of Peace, "While spiritual, civil and mili tary leaders on Thursday voiced messages of hope and' blessing. United Nations fighting men car ried the observance of Christ's birthday to strange far lands, or celebrated where If was an age old story, It was a heartening holiday for the United Nations generally, con trasting with the horror and heart ache and darkening future of Hitler-enslaved Europe which nazi props -snda broadcasts failed to mask. That was the thought of Pres 1 "ent Roosevelt who t eld s crowd at the dedication of a national community J Christmas tree in Washington that "This Is a happier Christmas than last rear la the sense that the forces cf dsriness stand arainst us with less confidence In the sue eess of their evil war."t ,The president told the nation's armed forces that "You are in the thoughts of your families ' and friends at home, and that Christ mas: prayers follow, you wherever you may be." , - - He (greeted the armed forces and merchant sailors of the Unit' ea nations ana tola xnose at re mote islands and bases that they were f "essential to the ultimate victory and that we have not forgotten them." "To all Americans, he said, "I say that loving our neighbors as we ove ourselves is not enough that; we as a nation and as indi viduals will please God best by showing regard for the laws of God. s There is no better way of fostering good-will toward men than by first fostering good-will toward God. If we love Him we will keep His commandments. ., (Turn to Page 2 A) r.: TTTi Tl Meo, Jlirive Airmen Sink 3 JaD Sliips Off Guinea Allies Penetrate to -- Last Jap Defense Line, Buna Area , By C. YATES' McDANIEL : ! ALLIED ? HEADQUARTERS IN AUSTRALIA, Friday, Dee 25-P)-Allied airmen have sunk a Japanese -destroyer, a trans port and a cargo ship to the north of New Guinea in the most widespread air sweeps in the southwest Pacific in many weeks, while American and Aus tralian ground forces have pene trated to what an official com munique Friday described as "the last line" of Japanese defenses in the Buna area. 4 ; -i; ' Ranging over the waters to the northwest and north of Australia, Gen. Douglas MacArthur's air men" shot down six Japanese planes and damaged five others in nine separate sorties. These at tacks carried the allied planes over the principal enemy opera tional bases in the islands from Timor to New Ireland. I :- : r Attacking from- both flanks, Australian and American Infan try, backed by tanks, artillery" and mortars, Friday smashed through the" enemy's enter de fenses around the Buna cevern ment station. At nightfall the allies controlled practically all of, the main airfield at Buna and had - the Japanese pinned down to a coastal strip about a . .- mile lonjf and between S0 and . COP yards deep. The communique warned, how ever, that this -confined space was "a prepared and fortified citadel of resistance.", : i -? v In series of hard-hitting at tacks at Japanese shipping north : (Turn to Page 2 B) Workers' Bus Skids, Kills Two in East BALTIMORE, , Dec 24.-flJ)-A bus carrying graveyard shift workers to Martin aircraft three hours early so they might be home again in time to greet the Christ mas - dawn careened into an icy ravine Tuesday night bringing death to two and injury to 30. Dead are Thelma Fish, 45-year-old mother, and Irwin R. Shane felter, 44, the bus driver. Those injured in the wreck were rushed to Union Memorial hospital and placed in an emergency receiving hall set up in the auditorium of the nurses' home. ; Doctors said shortly before mid night three were in criticar'con dition; six others seriously in jured and "under very close ob servationJ Five were released after treatment 't Wesley j Dood, ' one of the least Injured, declared "It felt as though we had gone into a hole in the road." i ? ' Witnesses at the 1 scene" said It was a "miracle? a live wire ex posed when the skidding bus hit a power pole did not set fire to gasoline spilled on Herring Run creek at the bottom of the 20-foot ravine." - " . :-; -, f - j-: '; -. ;; v .. Apparently the bus skidded on the Icy road, skated some 70 feet before the driver yanked it sharp ly to the right through under brush beneath a concrete bridge near which it flopped Into the ra vine on its right side. ; Labor Board Speeds Work r SEATTLE, Dec . 24 -(ff) - A speedup for handling wage and salary disputes and adjustment requests on the west coast was announced Thursday through the office of war information here, i C The - program, as outlined by Thomas Fair Neblett, chief media tion ; officer for the national war labor board in the west,' calls for the creation of 12-man panels in four west coast districts Wash- ington, Oregon, northern Califor nia-Nevada and southern California-Arizona. , ' . i The panels will make their rec ommendations to the regional council. .The regional board's de cision will be final, subject to cer tain rights of review and appeal. No Santa Qaus? Read This Ere You Decide KLAMATH FALLS. Dee, 24 (A3)- If there Isn't a Santa Class, hew de you explain this oneT Tr A mother of three children Wednesday debated whether' to spend her last $29 en the past due rent or en Christmas pres- . ents for her children. The lat ter, urge won. . This morning there was a knock on the door.' She opened It and a man handed her an . envelope. In It was a $29 bilL The woman said she did not know the identity of her bene factor or what prompted him to give her -the money. . French Coming From South --iy Allies. Throw Enemy . Off Hill; Rommel '-: Flight Unbroken LONDON, Friday, DeeAs -iF) i Fighting French communique broadcast early. Friday by , the Brazzaville radio said French forces coming - up from the . Lake Chad region had routed an axis motorized detachment in the re gion of Fezzan. ; ? This was the third ' "report of an encounter in the Fezzan terri tory, which is formed by several oases In the middle of the north central African desert, "generally in the vicinity of the corner of Libya, Algeria and French; West Africa. v '- "- The . latest appare1v report was of a.vsktdnish .at Djanet almost precisely three-country corner,. in the By Th Associated Press LONDON, Dee. 24-(P)-Allled soldiers fighting in the rain and mod ef central Tunisia have thrown the enemy eat of a heifht dominating i the import ant Junction point of Medjes-B-Bab, 35 miles southwest of Tunis, allied headquartera re ported from north Africa Thurs day nicht as the British Ehrhin army doggedly pursued Ffeld' Marshal Rommel westward across Libya, -An allied command communi que announced the capture of the heights and added that allied troops held It against counter-attacks by the enemy. Dispatches from allied head quarters in north Africa pointed out that this was the first signi ficant offensive action reported on the central Tunisian battlefront in two weeks. : The allied command also said there was patrol activity on the northern sector of the Tunisian front while on the southern sec (Turn to Page 2 E) No Suspension Of Gasoline Sale Planned WASHINGTON, Dec 24.-(flV The office of price administration and the petroleum administration for war issued a joint statement Thursday urging the public. In its own interest, not to start runs on gasoline filling stations. The state ment follows: There have been in circula tion rumors to the effect that the office of price administration . Is about to issue another order sus pending sale of gasoline to the public. , - , r These rumors have no basis in fact. No such , order Is presently under consideration by the office of price administration. The pe troleum administration for war has not recommended any such action. "Gasoline supplies could be se riously drained,- however, if the public were to start runs Upon the filling stations. Such runs- would be the quickest and the best way of creating a situation which would make a freeze order, neces sary. ; . rrhe public can best serve its own interest by . confining gas oline purchases to necessary, re- f-quirements. , Dimout ' ; Friday sunset 51 p.' xtu Sat svniise 8:53 a. na. Weather; Wed. max.. temp. 41, min. 25. Thur. river 19.1 fU Weather data re . stricted by army request--i- FourthPush Gains; Don Area Clears By. HENRY a CASSrDY - MOSCOW, Friday, Dec 25 (JF)-The fourth major soviet winter offensive, in the. critical Nalchik . area of 'the Caucasus, was announced early Friday by the v Russians and the total enemy killed and captured in the continuing advance hi the middle Don area of the third of fensive mounted to 92,999 nazis and satellites. . ' , ; A special communique of .the soviet bureau of information said the new' Caucasus offensive al ready, had regained 12 to 14 miles in that ; sector, where the Ger mans had . attempted to break through the mountains to the oil riches beyond. The new action in the deep Caucasus was the first Important battle since the Russians stopped a German attempt to push to the vital Georgian mili tary highway through some of -the world's tallest mountains. ' : "Recently our troops In the area southeast of Nalchik went over to the offensive and advanced 18 to 20 kilometers (12 to 14 miles)," the special announcement said. -- It announced the recapture of Alagir, 40 miles southeast of Nal chik, Ardont-25 miles northwest of Ordzhonikidze,' and three other large populated places. : In the Don, the communique In dicated, the Russians are driving out me uermaos -raster man iney came In. . The red army. Thursday gained from 13 to 16 miles, the com munique said, for a total eight day advance of from 85 to 120 miles in the middle Don. The Russians announced the capture Thursday ef 560t men, bringing the Don offensive total to 42,200 and said that en Wed nesday the enemy left more than CSOt dead ea the battle field, raisin to 5t,00 the enemy dead' so far announced for that sector. In the Don area, the Russians further said they had occupied "several dozen populated places" and two large railway stations. Again) in the regular midnight communique the soviet command described its troops as "pursuing the retreating enemy,' and In flicting heavy losses upon him. "In several sectors," It was added, "the enemy attempted to stem the advance of our troops and carried out several , counter attacks. All enemy .counterattacks were repelled. ; ; I In the battle for a single town Volovoloshina which was wrest ed from the invader on Wednes day, Friday's Russian communi que reported that 3000 nazis were killed. The red army thus was surging on across the land of the , Don Cossacks tward Rostov and deeper Into the Ukraine at an unbroken pace. - " . - Thursday night the Russians had reported 22 mere Cossack - towns and villages liberated and left behind with hundreds . ef additional Germans dead and : captured. Fravda Indicated the flight of the nazis had become almost rout in one area where the enemy a b an d o n e d 17 Messerachmitt fighter planes Intact. Airmen Raid Munda Field WASHINGTON, : Dec S4-(ff) American airmen , bombed and strafed the Japanese airfield at Munda in the Solomon Islands Tuesday for the 13th straight day, the navy reported Thursday, ; . Results of this raid were not reported to Washington but previ ous attacks there have set ..the Installations - afire and damaged ships. ..-..- The navy Issued, this communi que: - . "South Pacific (all dates are east longitude),- "1. On December 22,' US "djve bombers from Guadalcanal bomb ed and strafed the Japanese air field at Munda on New Georgia island. Results were not rcportedjone of the trtcs Death May Solve Giraud Seen Mo Likely As Successor . ; ; Fighting French Hold - Enmity; Allies Seek ; ' Unity., for French , ; By ROBERT E. BUNNELLE 1 - LONDO N, Friday, Dec .25 (ffThe" assassination " of Ad miral Darlan may have settled in one stroke the most difficult diplomatic problem "which has confronted the allies since the beginning of the war. -ii i ; - The death of the former col laborationist wrote a bloody new chapter in unfortunate .France's participation in the present war, which has reached one sensation al climax after another. Elimination of Darlan from the North African political scene came at a moment when allied leaders ' In London . and Algiers were reliably reported exerting all efforts to obtain unity of all French forces in opposition to the axis. - " It was reported only Thursday that . the ' Fighting French, who had bitterly opposed Darlan, were sendlng'a commission to ' North Africa to investigate the situation with a view of unit ing with ether French patriots, though pref erably not under the leadership ef Darlan. Presumably with the death of Darlan the British, American and Fighting French leaders all would attempt to find a man upon whom every faction of Free France could agree. -: . - -. -'-- , It Was ' considered possible In London that Gen. Henri. Honore Giraud, who has been serving as ? - (Turn to Page 2 D) Governmental Pay Increase BUI Signed WASHINGTON, Dec V 24- President Roosevelt Thursday signed the bill providing pay in creases for most governmental employes and simultaneously or dered a six-day, 48-hour week for them. - This represented a four-hour in crease in the working week of most agencies and the president ordered a corresponding reduction in personnel. . The bill removed "the peacetime luxury of the Sat urday half holiday," in Mr. Roose velt's words, by eliminating a pro vision that compensatory time off must be given for hours beyond, four worked on Saturday. In directing department heads to institute a general sixrday 48 hour week, Mr. Roosevelt ; wrote in a memorandum: . Obviouslyjhis will permit re ductions of personnel . in some ag encies and eliminate , the necessity for filing vacant positions in oth ers. I am expecting you to take Immediate steps to bring; about a reduction in your personnel staffs V -U-" - The president further directed that', "red .tape be cut and that government activities be "stripped of every non -essential." :i , The bill provides overtime pay for hours beyond 40 a week at the rate of time and a half on the basis of the first $2900 of annual salary. In lieu of overtime, a 10 per cent raise is granted in pay up to $2900 for legislative and ju dicial employes and workers paid 1 on mileage, postal receipts, fees or other than a time basis. About 1,500,000 employes are affected. . The new pay basis is retroac tive to December 1 and will con tinue unto. April 30. By that time congress Is expected to pass more comprehensive legislation. ." Trees Glance off South Sandam Bus ALBANY. Dec 24 -K- Enoch Chmnmghani; Halsey, driver of an Albany-Bend bus, saved hunseii and eight passengers from injury Thursday by reversing his ma chine when he saw two. large trees falling across the - South Santiam highway east of Soter..: He backed 20 feet and the bus was tit only a glancing blow bj Murdered y: :.-'-:::-:;:;::-x:::-:'-x::-". ADM. JEAN DARLAN FR Denounces Darlan Murder Washington Shocked ; X Axis Propaganda" X " Chances Seen WASHINGTON, Dec 24- Jf) President Roosevelt Thursday night denounced the assassination of Adm. Jean Darlan as "murder in the first tiegree. " The text of his statement: . 3 The cowardly assassination of Admiral Darlan Is murder in the first degree. "All leaders- ef all the United Nations will agree with that state ment."; w l.," '' : f--,..;:;.: "Nashua and fascism and mil itary despotism hold otherwise. I hope that speedy iustiee wftl overtake, the murderer or mur derers of Admiral Darlan." The news of the slaying of the former Vichy leader who became a co-worker of the American forces in north Africa; was- re layed to Mr. Roosevelt while he was in the midst of Christmas eve observance at the White House. The . president immediately put all other considerations aside ' to compose his statement and hand it to Stephen Early, presidential secretary, for distribution to the press. ; ',;V v The assassination came as a shock to thewhole capital, even to those who questioned the wisdom of American dealings with Darlan. . Fighting French officials, here were among those who expressed a sense of shock. Pending receipt of further : details, . however, they (Turn to Page 2 C) French Send Supply Aide . WASHINGTON, Dc. 24 -Pi Gen. " Emile Bethouart, French hero of . two wars, arrived - here Thursday as head of a military supply : mission for the French forces in north Africa. His primary function, it was understood, will be to advise war department officials on the needs of the French African troops fighting With the allies and the types of equipment - they have been, trained to use. ; - '. Official announcements did not specify the exact status of the mission . or . the :: machinery by which its supplies would be fur nished. , 7 Since the mission, came here under the 'auspices of the war department, however, it was believed that its supplies would be- allocated by the assignment to the French forces of army-owned equipment, rather than through lend-lease. Thus' the reception of the mission apparently involved no political ' recognition of its principals, and no announcement was made by . the state depart ment. -v., -;f, t;; ' ":;:.:7V- Auto -Takes Dive X ' When Howard Sherman, of the 1SO0. block. North Capitol street, missed the turn at 14th and Mis sion streets late Thursday after noon, ' his car - went into Shelton ditch.! Although the. first, aid car was summoned, there was no 'in jury to Sherman, who was alone at the time. His automobile was se verely damaged. '. - Diplomacy -I .. , . ..." " Algiers Quiet After Civilian Dies Ex-Collaborationist Hit by Two Bullets T ; ; In Africa Palace v : By NOLANDNORGAARD J ALGIERS, j Friday, Dec. 3 VP-Adm.' J e a n Darlan, : civil head of French Africa under an arrangement of cooperation with US ; Lt. Gen. . Dwight D. Eisenhower, was shot and mor tally wounded Thursday after noon in the government palace here by an assassin who was cap tured immediately. - . five shots rang out as Dar lan was about to enter his of fice. Two bullets hit the former a r e h - collaborationist and he died within a few minutes while enreute to a hospital. The killer's Identity had not been learned by early Friday morning.-He was questioned dur ing the night. The assassin, who was said to be about 22 years old, also wound ed Darlan's aide, Commandant Hourcade, when' the latter tried to capture him. Credit for the actual capture was givento Darlan's chauffeur. Adj. Andre Vuichard, who seized LONDON, Dee. ti-(Jp)-T h e Algiers radio announced Friday ' that-"maintenance , of order" la ; French nerta Africa hat .' been taaea ;eer -'by Geo. tlenii'. Honore Giraud following the as sassination of A&za. Jean 'Dar-. Glrand has been actios as . commander ef the French armed . forees in north Africa since the allies arrived there and has been -flshtlng side by side with them against the Germans lie made . a spectacular escape from era-; pled France In a British sub marine . just before the allies -entered north Africa, and Im mediately on his arrival In north ,. Africa Issued an : appeal to all . -French nationals to rally to the allied, cause. . the, killer as he leaped over the admiral's body and attempted to escape.' '.;'.'! -. ' The first of the two shots which struck Darlan wounded him In the mouth and the second pene trated a lung. It was this , shot which proved fatal. A communique Issued by French authorities here said it was not known whether the assassination was "of German or Italian origin." The communique said the na tionality of the man who -killed the former commander of an Vichy forces was not known. (Reuters reported that a broad cast from Algiers identified the assassin as a 20-year-old French man.) - . Despite the shock of the high commissioner's death, and the manner In . which he died the city of Algiers maintained com plete order. The French com munique mentioned, however, "the Indignation of the popula tion." - . i Gen. Jean Marie Bergeret, for mer secretary of aviation and now member of the imperial council which Is governing north Africa, announced that Darlan's death "demands that we unite all French forces for the only fight that counts today, the liberation of France. All attempts at dividing the population will be crushed.' The text of the communique is sued by the French authorities follows: 1 ; i ,. ' f Admiral Darlan, high commis sioner for French Africa, was s sasainated this (Thursday) after noon soon after S o'clock at the offices of the high commissariat. "He died on the way to ths hospital. . ' ' , . "The assassin was arrested on the spot. ' "Complete order, retns in Al giers notwithstanding the c:r.:r-l indignation of the population. . "The assassin was Immediate ly interrogated bat his rar.ie is as yet unknown. It 1j net ir e va whethev - the ; assasslaatioa - was -"of Germaa tr lUHan orisln. The nationality of tie assassin is ta known. s 'At the same tl".s il.e t."'. : I f ret headquarters issued tlse tc-Vf .'.n communique: - . "Admiral Dorlr n, hf :h t (Turn to Tzzi 1 ."-) Leader i