FH r
mum
Weather
Tuesday
maximum
ted
peratnre 34,
ium 23.
Mver -J ft,
Partlv cloudy
west por-
tlon with rain late
Wednes
day. Partly cloady
Thursday
with shewers In
eest por
lion; little' change
ta tern
POUNDDI
1651
peratare.
(Sill
aw Til II . t i rs I III l 1 II III! I I I
V . ipAVViX; rJ H i: II III
iii I
King George, say London dis
patches, is recovering from an at
tack of influenza. e is Just one
of thousands of Britishers who
have been suffering from a new
epidemic of flu. A similar epi
demic is reported in eastern Unit
ed States. So far the west has not
been affected seriously (busi
ness of knocking on wood).
Naturally news of a flu epi
demic revives memories of the
disastrous epidemic which swept
Europe and America in 1918.
Health people as well as ordinary
citizens have been fearful of an
other outbreak in this war. The
word to date is that the current
Influenza is not in virulent form,
either In Europe or in this coun-
'try; and one authority says that
this may, head off a more serious
"lype by immunizing the people.
I In the cast epidemics have been
spread by the wars. The move-,
tnent of troops and peoples, the
disorder in living conditions, the
debility caused by exposure and
poor nutrition have given a fer
tile sround for germs of disease,
Svnhllis. for instance, which may
have been introduced to Europe
from America, was spread. by the
movements of armies in the 16th
century. In the last world war
tvDhua took a heavy toll in the
Balkan countries, almost decimat
ing the Serbian armies.
i The influenza of the last war
was first called "Spanish influ
enza," because it was thought to
he of Spanish origin. It got its
entry into this' country at Boston,
and then spread rapidly all over
the land. It numbered its victims
by thousands in army camps and
among civilians. One character
istic which is recalled is the speed
of its development. A person took
down with the disease and died
Jn Just a day or two. People grew
frantic as whole households be
came ill at the same time. Hos
pitals were crowded, nurses and
doctors overworked, with many of
them sick with the same disease.
Gauze nose masks were recom
mended and in some cities re
quired. People went around wear
ing packs of gauze over noses and
mouths to filter breath and catch
the germs. The gauze itself would
goon (continued on editorial page)
Knox Confident
Navy Is Master
In Pacific
By HAMILTON W. FARON
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 JP)
The US navy has grown so con
fident of its mastery in the Pa
cific that Secretary Knox might
just as well have said today, "Tojo
Here we come:"
8 "We are getting ready to drive
home some hard blows," Knox
'told reporters, a statement that
would not have been heard for
military security reasons a year
go.
Now, Knox had no hesitation
Jn saying that "the preliminaries
re over.
Where the new blows will land
was, of course, not disclosed. They
may hit in the Marshall islands,
under constant air attack since
US forces took over the Gilberts.
; Knox persistently expresses
wishes these days that the Japa-
1 (Turn to Page 2 Story E)
School District
May Seek Tax
Settlement
4 When the city of Salem and the
county of Marion have reached
t settlement, as they probably
ill by March 1, 1944, on the wa
fer system properties tax, then
. school district No. 24 will ask for
$he same sort of agreement and
rill be prepared to pay the $896
principal due the county on cer
tain Bush and senior high school
properties.
: : School directors, believing the
Segal questions at issue the same
x as those involved in the water
system question, indicated Tues
day night that they would con
tinue to wait until the entire
Question had been threshed out
between city and county.
; The taxes were levied and as
sessed but had not been billed
vhen the lands were sold to the
school system. Payments was held
tip pending litigation in the water
System case, considered identical.
- &J7Wr? Scats
SHOPPING
fJ) DAYt LEFT-J
I -TDHliUBEoyT V?
imiETY THIBD YEAR
Jaluit,
otje
Are Hit
Allied Air Power
Strikes Again
At New Britain
. By Leif Erickson
PEARL HARBOR, Dec.
14 -( AP) Two new at
tacks on Japanese bases in
the mid-Pacific Marshalls
at Wotje and Jaluit by
army and navy heavy
bombers were announced
today by Pacific fleet head
quarters. Seventh army air force
four-engined bombers de
livered an attack yesterday
on Wotje, the principal fortified
base of the enemy in the more
than 20 Marshall atolls. One raid
er was damaged by anti-aircraft
fire but none ofthe crews was
injured.
Two navy fleet air-wing Lib
erators .went in at low altitude
Sunday at dusk to hit Jaluit. This
attack was made on the same day
as another against Jaluit by Sev
enth AAF bombers.
, One pilot was wounded and
both planes, sustained. . damage
from machinegun fire.
' These raids 300 miles north of
the American-won Gilberts -continued
a series now moving into
the second month.
Jaluit, one of the most frequent
targets, is an enemy air base on
the southern rim of the Marsh
alls. Wotje, which has a deep an
chorage for ships in Christmas
harbor, is near the center of the
group.
Fleet headquarters also report
ed light night attacks by enemy
planes Saturday and Sunday on
(Turn to Page 2 Story C)
Oregon Pays
First Warrant
Aside from some technical and
legal details, Oregon's share in
the purchase, jointly with Wash
ington state, of a couple of Ken
tucky distilleries was half com
pleted Tuesday when the state
treasury department ordered the
transfer of $1,400,000 of liquor
control commission funds to the
Commerce Trust company, Kansas
City. Mo., for the escrow account
of the Shawahan Distillery com
pany, Inc., in payment for shares
of distilling stock.
The warrant was drawn by Sec
retary of State Robert S. Far
reU, jr. A second warrant in the
amount of $1,825,000, in favor of
the Waterfill-Frazier Distilling
company was expected to arrive
today.
The ; liquor commission expects
to receive 31,000 barrels of whisky,
Washington receiving a like
amount. They propose to dissolve
the distillery corporations and sell
the other physical assets to Hen
ry E. Collin of Toledo, O.
PGE Rate Cut
Not to Affect
Part of Salem Area
Reductions in Portland General
Electric company rates, ordered
Monday by Public Utilities Com
missioner George H. Flagg, will
have no effect on charges in Sa
lem, West Salem, Silverton, Wood
brun and ML Angel, Flagg de
clared today. These cities, he ex
plained, I are already receiving
from the company the Bonneville-
plus rate.
Five per cent reductions may
be anticipated In Aurora, Donald,
ScottS Mills, Gervais, Hubbard,
Turner and St Paul, while Port
land, ! McMinnville and ; probably
more than 100 other Incorporated
towns and cities' residential rates
will be reduced approximately 10
per cent, '
Slight reductions only may be
anticipated r in unin corpora ted se
tlons of this area receiving the
Bonneville-plus rates, according to
m
Flagg.
10 PAGES
of"
o. A
r -
-
Nazi Loss
Mounting
In Italy
Canadians Take
Ortona in Drive
Toward Pescara
By EDWARD KENNEDY
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS,
Algiers, Dec. 14 -P- Thowing
reserves of armor into a des
perate counter attack against
Canadian troops fighting yard-
by-yard toward the seaport of
Pescara, the Germans have suf
fered heavy losses in tanks and
men from the fire of Eighth
army artillery concealed in the
hills, it was announced today.
The nazi command resorted to
this costly measure in a futile
effort to prevent the reinforced
Canadians from closing in on the
road junction of Ortona, 11 miles
below Pescara on the Adriatic
coast.
Shaking off this and similarly j
fierce nazi counter - assaults, the !
Canadians continued, doggedly to
win the heights overlooking Or
tona. The whole current thrust
of the Eighth army up the Ad
riatic coast hinges on the Cana
dians' success in taking Ortona.
A New Zealand division was
reported attacking - nazi positions
on high ground on the left flank
of the Canadians in an effort to
relieve some enemy pressure in
the coastal sector.
On snow-covered hills farther
inland, where Gen. Sir Bernard
Montgomery's Eighth army Is
pressing toward the provisional
capital of Chieti, Indian troops
broke into Germans positions for
limited advance and took 50
prisoners. The w earner was over
cast throughout the battle area.
Activity on Lt, Gen. Mark W.
Clark's Fifth army front again
was limited to' artillery duels and
patrol movements.
Bad weather again kept the big
bombers idle, but the tactical air
force ranged over the enemy's
supply lines behind the battle
front and knocked out a number
of bridges. American Mitchells at
tacked a German oil depot at the
Yugoslav port of Split and blasted
warehouses at Sibenik, farther up
the coast. Two allied planes were
missing.
Sec. Hull Flays
'Neighbor9 Criticism
WASHINGTON, Dec. U.-VP)-Secretary
of State Hull tonight
labelled "unfair and unfounded"
a charge by Senator Butler (R
Neb) that the United States is be
ing played for a profligate sucker
in Latin America.
Hull declared that the charge
was "calculated to injure" the
whole good neighbor policy.
In a hotly-worded reply to crit
icisms voiced by Butler after a
20,000-mile tour of Central and
South America, Hull praised the
Latin republics for their contri
butions to the allied war effort.
School Board Planners
Skeletonizing a possible five
year plan for improvement of Sa
lem public educational plants, the
special planning committee of the
city school, board Monday night
sought and received authorization
to call in interested non-board-members
for a full discussion of
the proposed projects.
Representatives of various or
ganizations'' from which sugges
tions might be expected to come
will be invited to meet with the
board two weeks hence, Decem
ber 28. From the loosely-knit
committee thus organized, school
directors expect to secure a plan
which may be given public hear
ing before it gets on any ballot.
i Briefly, the plan suggested by
e committee as one possibility,
presented to the entire board
Monday night by SupL Frank B.
Bennett, is: ' T
By vote, a sinking fund could
be established and developed with
a levy of 5 mills, which would
net at the close of " a five-year
period approximately $450,000
should the tax base of the district
remain essentially unchanged.
This year's -levy 'Is 'down mills
because of the income tax offset
, Such a fund could not provide
Salem. Oregon. Wednesday Morning, December 15, 1913
Attorney 1. H.VanW inkle
Dies Suddenly Tuesday
Isaae Homer Tan Winkle, 73,
attorney general of Oregon since.
1920 and a member of the Wil
lamette university law college
faculty since 1905. as instructor,
dean and finally dean emeritus,
died late Tuesday night at his
home, 145 North 17th street In
poor health for a number of
years, he nevertheless continued
to perform his duties aa attor
ney general and was at his of
fice as usual on Tuesday.
Bora on a farm near Halsey in
Linn county December 3, 1870, I.
H. Van Winkle was a member of
a pioneer Oregon family. His pa
ternal grandfather, Isaac Van
Winkle, had come across the
plains.-in 1859; his father, Isaac
Newton Van Winkle, a native of
Missouri, engaged in mining in
Idaho for a time but later farmed
near Halsey. I. H. Van Winkle's
mother was Elizabeth A. (Pearl)
Van Winkle, daughter of James
Pearl who had crossed the plains
in 1852.
I. H. Van Winkle's early edu
cation was gained in the Halsey
schools and he taught school in
Linn county before entering Wil
lamette university, where he at
tained a bachelor of arts degree
in 1898 and a law degree in 1901,
being admitted to the bar that
same year.
He began practice in Salem.
Earlier he had been deputy as
sessor of Linn county.
His connection with the state's
legal department began in 1904
Eden Reports Teheran Meeting
Means to End War, Build Peace
, . By RlCHAllD .m.SSOCK ' ,
LONDON, Dec. 14-(3- Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden today
brought the house of commons e promise of the war's shortening
and prospects of enduring big-power collaboration for lasting
peace from the middle east conferences of President Roosevelt
... Oand Prime Minister Churchill with
. . I President Chiang Kai-shek, Pre-
Kommel to Halt
Anti-Hitler
Army Moves
By ROBERT BUNELLE
LONDON, Dec. 14.-UP)-Field
Marshall Erwin Rommel, sent to
shaky northwest Europe as a kind
of anti-Invasion chief, may be
given supreme command of the
German army in an effort to fore
stall an anti-Hitler peace plot by
Junker generals, refugees with
close underground contacts in
Germany said tonight.
There have been repeated hints
of such a move, along with indi
cations that Field Marshal Karl
Von Runstedt Is slated for remo
val from command of western de
fenses, which he has held since
April, 1942. Von Rundstedt is sen
ior among German military aris
tocrats recurrently reported wait
ing for a strategic moment to at
tempt an anti-Hitler coup com
bined with a -merciful peace" bid
to the allies.
all the improvements needed. Nor
could a bond issue under the cur
rent $800,000 to $900,000 bond
margin provide for all needs.
However the $456,000 could be
gin to provide. Should state or
federal matched monies programs
be developed at the close of the
war it might go far toward meet
ing at least current requirements.
The - plan proposed to voters
should specify which projects are
most necessary.
To the postwar planning com
mittee of the board, these im
provements seem, to require im
mediate attention:
I. A central heating system for
Parrish and the senior high school
buildings. Parrish boilers will have
to be replaced in the next few
years, engineers have advised the
school administration; the senior
high building's heat is provided
by furnace and boiler room direc
tly beneath the platform of the
auditorium, operating with a roar
discouraging to any performer. By
building a central, beating plant
and Including In the extension
room for a small auditorium, .the
system would 4 be provided with
a classroom for band and orches
tra and for dramatics, with a small
! - ' . .
I ' '
1 X
! f,v. '
i t-,'.
I
' ' t . s
L H. VAN WINKLE
when he became a law clerk In
the attorney general's office. In
1910 he was appointed first as
sistant attorney general, holding
that office until 1913, and again
from 1915 until 1920.
In that year he was appointed
attorney general by Gov. Ben
Olcott upon the resignation of
George M. Brown. That same
year Van Winkle was elected to
the office and subsequently was
reelected in 1924, 1928, 1932,
1936 and 1940.
Following graduation he was
(Turn to Page 2 Story B)
mier Stalin and President Inonu
of Turkey.
In a "message of good cheer,'
he reported encouragement among
allied leaders at the outcome of
their three conferences of "world
significance," whose "value could
hardly be exaggerated," yet he
cautioned the cheering chamber
against "easy optimism," for the
very magnitude of the plans to
beat Germany and Japan, he said,
"will call for immense effort in
the coming months from each and
all of the United Nations."
Speaking at length in the ab
sence of Churchill, who still is
engaged in important work in an
undisclosed "sphere where he now
is," Eden said "the war will be
shortened" by "close coordination
of all our military plans."
The foundations were laid at
Teheran, he said, for the cre
ation ot an "international or
der firmer in strength and unity
than any enemy could seek to
challenge." Plans far mere com
plete than were ever before
formulated la war have been
made for the defeat ef Japan,
gainst whose forces, Eden said,
the. British wevld ficht te the
(Turn to Page 2 Story I i
Offer 5-Year Slate
banquet room where the furnace
room is now located and with an
enlarged cafeteria in the high
school building.
n. An enlarged Parrish junior
high school building. The exten
sions could run merely to audi
torium and additional gym and
physical education space, but this
would preclude any further ex
pansion there and might at a lat
er date necessitate construction of
a new junior high school building
since the present structure is pret
ty well filled with its 900 pupils.
If enough additional classroom
space could be added so that shops
could' be moved under the same
roof: with the rest of the school
and so that an additional 400
600 pupils could be accommodat
ed much of the problem of a pos
sible large growth of the city
within the next 10 years would be
solved. At the tips of the class
room wings the additional gyh
nasium space and the proposed
auditorium could be constructed.
V UL, , ? Additional - elementary
school space as t needed, without
construction of s w buildings.
Still ' nebulous; the plan, for such
expansion Would call for building
on of classrooms to present build
ings.
ew
Yugoslav
Battle
Flames
Nazis Hurl Six
Divisions Trying
To Take Balkans
By WILLIAit SMITH WHITE
LONDON, Dec. 14-(JPy- Yu
goslavia flamed tonight into a
major battlefield as the Ger
mans hurled six divisions, (per
haps 90,000 men) into one sector
alone,' and Foreign Secretary
Anthony Eden disclosed - that
Britain was helping the Yugo
slav army of liberation "in ev
ery possible way," with the Rus
sians, also going to its aid.
Marshal Josip Bros (Tito) de
clared in a broadcast communique
that 1500 hazis has been killed as
his partisan troops threw back
assaults in eastern Bosnia, where
the bulletin said the Germans had
concentrated six divisions for a
great battle against the partisans'
third corps.
Saluting Moscow's decision to
send a military mission to Tito's
new government, Eden told the
house of common that a British'
mission had been in Yugoslavia
since last spring and would , work
as a team with the Russians.
On the battlefront the action
was heaviest in Bosnia .where the
Germans struck furiously seeking
to secure the approaches to the
main railway running the length
of Yugoslavia through Belgrade,
but it also was erupting in the
Montenegro-Serbia" border' area
of Sanjak and in Dalmatia.
"Heavy fighting is going on,"
Tito's radio said, listing four bat
tle areas where ; 1500 Germans
were killed and many more
wounded.' One German tank-supported
column captured Plevlje in
combat in Sanjak, it added.
Three towns Duvno, Livno
and Grahovo were lost in heavy
fighting on the Dalmation-Bos-nian
border, the communique said,
but Livno was recaptured by the
partisans in a counterblow.
Social Security
Per Cent Frozen
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 HPy
With social security tax receipts
outstripping benefit payments by
a ratio of more than six to one, the
senate finance committee voted to
day to hold payroll contributions
by employes and employers at the
current rate of one per cent each
throughout 1944.
The proviso, championed by
Senator Vandenoerg (R-Mich.)
for the third successive year, was
tacked onto the tax bill, now cal
culated to add about $1,922,000,000
annually to existing revenues. In
the absence of congressional ac
tion, the social security levy would
advance automatically to 2 per
cent January 1.
With such a plan for the imme
diate future, the : bond tnargin
could be saved for new construc
tion, should the city grow as much
as 50 per cent within the next
10 years, in which case the next
plan might include construction of
a south Salem high school.
On the other hand, should the
city , not grow so that such con
struction is required In Immedi
ate post-war years, the district
could plan replacement of the old
Washington and Grant school
structures.
A wholesale replacement pro
gram for both these old schools
might so tie up funds that none
would be available for expansion
or to bring present buildings into
more economic operation. ; '
Most important part of the en
tire j program, according to the
committee which brought in the
first plans, is the fact that the en
tire district should understand the
projects, should approve, what
ever is planned and that monies
should not be so allocated as to
binder meeting certain immediate
requirements, which may not "be
clearly labeled as such until , the
funds are at hand. , ; -
Price 5c
! fDft
mem
Cherhasy,
Mm
or
Position . Falls
Northern White Russia I
Is Center of New Battle
But Reds Retreat at Kiev 1
- . By James Long
LONDON. Wednesday.
Russians have captured Cherkasy, last major, German
bastion on : the middle Dnieper and perhaps have.
opened a new major offensive in northern White Rus-
siavbutj Moscow -announced today, they -j Were force!
back from Radomysl, 55 miles West of Kiev, by a fierce
German drive to retake the Ukrainian capital. , j
. . . More. than 6000 Germans Were killed in the last
days of the stubborn fighting for Cherkasy, a German
strongpoint south of Kiev which guards important, rail- ,
way communications. -ji j-. ' ' jj J
Fighting raged for everjr street, every basement,"
Typhoons Hit
North France,
West Germany
LONDON, Dec. 14 - VP) - RAF
Typhoons bombed unspecified
targets in northern France in day
light today, after RAF mosquitos
had lunged through German de-
Lfenses last, night to blast, western
Germany v4r the fourth consecu
tive night."
While the Typhoons were out,
coastal command Beaufighters pa
trolling off Norway smashed an
enemy flying boat. One of the pa
trol aircraft was reported missing.
The American -. heavy bombers
yesterday downed J4 enemy fight
er planes, while the escorting
Thunderbolts an d Lightnings
were 'credited with knocking
down another: The 15 nazi fight
era destroyed yesterday brought
the bag of the US Eighth air force
so far this month to 187, probably
nearly as many as the Germans
are able to assemble for replace
ment, in a two-week period.
The raid over northwestern
Germany yesterday cost the
Americans five big bombers. In
other raids Monday allied losses
were two medium bombers and
two fighter planes.
Carrier Use
Due in Pacific-
CHICAGO, Dec. 14.-(ff)-Rear
Admiral Dewitt C. Ramsey, chief
of the navy's bureau of aeronau
tics, said tonight, that carrier
based planes would constitute the
spearhead, of America's westward
drive in the central Pacific.
' "Through the use of carriers in
large numbers we can concentrate
in any given area an overwhelm
ing air superiority,", he said in a
speech , prepared for delivery to
the Illinois Manufacturers asso
ciation. -
"The possibility, always exists
that the Japanese carriers will
challenge our advance, but the
sooner we can force a decisive
engagement with them the bet
ter.' We can afford to lose ship
for ship and they can't."
Ask Home Rule
Of Farm Labor
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 -JPf
Demands for more "home rule"
in handling the farm. labor prob
lem prompted the house appropria
tion committee to send the 1944
financing program back to a sub
committee today to determine
where centralized authority should
stop and state and local respon
sibility begin. I .
In general the committee was
agreed on the need of continuing
the farm labor program but un
decided how to split up the re
cruiting task between the war food
administration and the agriculture
extension services, s which are
largely local in character."
i. Congress has only until Decem
ber 31 to decide the issue. Ex
penditures, have not been author
ized, beyond that date, ;A ww.
row 223
Dec. 15 ( APV-i The
rl t
I ' 1 M ,r
GeinniiiMM
Osaid the Moscow midnight ; com
munique. "Trying at kllj jcosts to'
hold - CherkasyJ the enemy con-
stantly
serves."
brought
up
fresh re-
But .German! resistance melted
under Russian pressure coming
from two directions and the Ger
mans were cleared from the! town,
leaving considerable Waj. mater
ials and prisoners on! Russian
hands. ,
Berlin radio
reports told of a
drive far! to the
new : Russian
north near Nevel about 70 miles
from the Latvian boirder -where
Gen.: Andrei I. Yeremenko, defen
der- t f , Stalingrad, Was j on the
move with six infantry! divisions
and two tank corps, j j !
The ' Germans1 admitted thev
had been forced 1 to gjve up some
positions. The Russians, Who rare-
ly announce an
offensive Until
they have made
did not mention
important;! gains,
the area.
But in the Kiev bulge, where
Moscow dispatches foisde clear
that the Germans were bring
ing up still more ianks ! from
the deep rear and were In po
sition to make a serious bid for
Kiev,- the Russians! fell back
from the highway Junction of
Radomysl to ! the east ( bank of
the Eteerev river.
Southwest of j Malin, Ion this
fighting front of about: 25 miles
the Germans attacketi with four
regiments - of j infantry and 160
tanks. After several'
hours'! fight
ing they were flung back,;! losing
600 men and 18 tanks. Soviet air
craft were pounding German con
centrations, destroying some tanks
and about 200 Germin trucks.
(Turn to Page 2 fStory! A)
Stalest
for
Sporfs Ileus
Popular Interest
bontthues
keen in the field!
of sports.
Back from fight hq fronts
comes word of '. ovr fcold-
ier want to kjwwr Jiow
tneir lavorite teams are
doing. '
The Statesman
Page Is Top"
upetate dallies.
Sports
lambng all
All Light-
tier, our sports editor,; won
his- spurs in athletics :Wm-
sell He has a;
knack at
writing too, Tlaat's why
all local sports
for The Stat
sports news.'
'cms reach
- ' ! .
imanior
For "A "Start
Cdl 93
And 'Asli
For
CIRCULATION
DEPARTSIENT
r!