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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 1943)
CM J ' Weather Tuesday maximum tem perature 47; minimum S3; river JS; rainfall,' none. Cloudy Wednesday and Thursday. Occasional snow flurries aver mountains In extreme southwest portion. Little temperature change. sum: LKD LDQOn POUNDDD J65I DOS SI nil i The legislature in 1941 made an appropriation for the use of the state board o control in purchas ing farm lands to be used by the State hospital in growing vege tables and other crops to supple ment production on the bench lands near the hospjtal and at Cottage farm. Lands that could be irrigated were desired, and af ter a careful check of available acreages the board purchased 400 acres in Polk county on the river bottom below Eola. Part of this land has been leased by the hos tiital f oi manv years and was known as the Colony farm. The investment was $60,000. . ; Sec Boy Mills of the board of control has given me production figures for the land for the two seasons. For the first year, the cross income was $28,914. For 1943 the gross was $41,752 to which should be . added $750 in come from rent of a portion of the tract, or a total of $42,502. Some produce was sold, the rest was used and is priced at market prices.- As most of the work is done by inmates of the hospital the expense was not large; so it is evident that the state has profited by the purchase. Of course farm prices have risen, but the state would have had to buy the vege tables, fruits, etc. if it had not grown these crops. Next year it is expected that the income will be larger because the state acquires for the first time full possession of 30 acres now in hops and has contracted to sell the hops on favorable " terms. Just to show the variety and volume of production as well as its worth I add the crop report for 1943 as given by the board of control office: (Continued on edi torial page.) Rent Control Group to Chase Landlords Salem's new rent control com mission is not waiting for regis trations to determine who are the city's owners of rental property but Is preparing now a list to be checked against registrations this weekend to determine who has vi olated the new ordinance by fail ing to file with the rent control of- Cce Merril D. TOhlingt chairman, revealed Tuesday. ; ; "We , are going to issue war rants for arrest and put them in to the hands of the police for any who haven't registered by dead line time," Ohling declared as he pointed out that by Tuesday only 327 Salem landlords, or less than XtS per cent of -the total, had regis tered their properties. Salem's "rent control ordinance was enacted in good faith," Ohling said. Property owners spoke only in its favor while it was under consideration by the council, were anxious to have it rather than OPA, members of the committee pointed out Tuesday. They now may register or expect to be brought into municipal court and fined if plans of the commission are carried out Tarzan's Spouse Seeks Divorce x LOS ANGELES, Dec. 28 (JF) Johnny Tarzan" Weissmueller today was sued for divorce by the former Beryel Scott, San Francis co socialite, who charged that he treated her with ""grievous cruel ty." They separted December 20. . Mrs. Weissmueller requested all their community property, valued at $200,000, and $1650 monthly alimony and custody of their three children, John Scott, 3, Wendy Ann, 18 months, and Heidi Eliza beth, 5 months. She estimated the actor receives $30,000 annually for his movie work. Gov. Snell Says Walker Plan9 Modification Wouldn't Go Far By RALPH C. CURTIS , Even If the legislature in spe cial session would, and could in time, modify the "Walker plan" of income tax reduction so as to collect next year $10,000,000 or $15,000,000 additional to finance postwar projects, that sum would not go very far toward ameliora tion of the maximum unemploy ment a sudden cessation of the war might create, Gov. Earl Snell told a committee of Multnomah county legislators which conferred with him here Tuesday. - Conceding that this and the , other "emergencies" pointed out by the delegation deserved se rious consideration. Got. Snell indicated that he would confer : -With the taxation committees of '- the legislature to determine . whether a definite program' could be worked out, sufficient ly worthwhile to warrant call . lng a special session. On the ' basis of the present oatlook, a -special session Is not warranted, : , fce flatly declared. ? ' Not all members of the commit tee of five positively advocated a I7clal session. They were near NINETY-THIRD TEAR Army Comtrols Ml Carriers Roosevelt Express Hope for Privat . Operation of P' gt? Lines By William $ -acock WASHINGTON, Dec. railroads can be turned back to private operation soon was expressed by President Roosevelt today as the army, on his orders, extended its control to all major carriers and prepared to use troops to run trains if necessary. Mr. Roosevelt was not specific at his press-radio conference, however, as to the surrender conditions. He was asked if the carriers would be restored to private management if the three operating brother- Steel Workers' Hopes Mount For Settlement PITTSBURGH, Dec 28 -VP)-Most of the more- than 170,000 steel workers idle since midnight December 24 returned to their jobs today, with some of their leaders claiming victory in the first round in the battle of the CIO United Steel Workers union for a wage boost of 17 cents an hour above the ceiling fixed by the -little steel" formula. Reports from nine states where scores of mills were closed showed more than 125,000 had returned by nightfall with others expected back when operating conditions permitted. The American Iron and Steel Institute in a tentative estimate said about 125,000 tons of steel was lost by the work stoppages. Philip- Murray, president of the. (Turn to Page 2 Story G) Smuts Suggests New League Bar Enemies NEW YORK, Dec. 28-(P)- A new and uncompromising league of nations which would bar mem bership of enemy countries "until they have been cured of their dangerous obsessions and distorted outlook," was urged today as a basis for permanent world peace by Field Marshal Jan Christian Smuts. The 73-year-old premier of South Africa proposed that the league serve as a model when the "big four" of the United Nations the United States, Britain, Rus sia and China assume leader ship and responsibility for defense of the peace to come "while the new world organization is being built up." Smuts, a member of the Bri tish war cabinet, proposed that the defeated enemy nations be placed "under proper .guardian ship" for a "period of convales cence," which he said would "do them good," before they could be admitted to the new organiza tion. ; The premier, who sat at the Versailles peace table, assailed cri tics who held the covenant of the league had gone too far. unanimity however in asserting that 75 per cent income tax re duction scheduled for 1944 by the tax commission in line with the Waler formula was much: deeper than the legislature contemplated. Issues of the 1943 session were rehashed as Rep. John Hall ac cused the tax commission of "mis leading" the lawmakers by pre dicting Income and excise tax re ceipts of $13,000,000 for the cur rent year, when as it has turned out they are nearer $21,000,000. i t Sen. Coe McKenna listed, as projects : upon which the state might profitably expend the "ad ditional ? r funds, construction of new and fire-safe state hospital and penitentiary buildings, stream purification on a statewide basis, reforestation, and vocational re training of shipyard workers to fit them for other employment. I . McKenna said it was true that he proposed to advocate a special election on the sales tax bill which he fathered in the regular session, believing itshould not be voted on at the time of the general elec tion; but that he would refrain (Turn to Page 2 Story Fl I 12 PAGES . 28 (AP) Hope that the nooas wmcn naa not done so agreed to arbitration of their wage dispute. The question was too "iffy," he replied. "Will the government keep the railroads for the duration of the emergency?" a not her reporter asked. Mr. Roosevelt said yes, but when asked whether the emer gency ment the duration of the war or the strike threat, he re plied that he wanted to turn the' carriers back to private operation as soon as he could. In response to another ques tion, he said a rail strike would come under the Cpnnally-Smith act. This law makes it a criminal offense to conspire to strike, or encourage a strike, in a govern ment-operated war facility. Mr. Roosevelt also told the con ierence ne nopea to appoint a committee to get labor and rail road management together on the question of an order that advance ments among railroad personnel be without discrimination as to race. , Seventeen southern railroads and tertnuiala": replied " that they were ' prevented by I union con tracts from complying. They chal lenged the authority of the fair employment practices committee, The president observed that there had been progress on the subject of racial problems in the past ten years. The idea, he said, (Turn to Page 2 Story A) British Give Scharnhorst Sinking Tale By ROGER GREENE LONDON, Dec. 28-CiT- Ger many's 26,000 - ton battleship Scharnhorst, outwitted and trap ped, sank in the Arctic sea under murderous salvas and torpedoes from the mighty battleship Duke of York and a force of royal navy cruisers and destroyers. A flaming salvo from the cruis er Norfolk sent the Scharnhorst fleeting into the Arctic murk; a broadside from the 35,000 - ton Duke of York sent her reeling des perately; then four destroyers trapped her and slowed her with three torpedoes and finally the cruiser Jamaica moved in with the salvo that sent the nazi raider to the bottom. An admiralty communique gave the official British version of the day-long battle Sunday the most dramatic surface battle since the destruction of the nazi battle ship Bismarck in May, 1941 and disclosed that the home fleet suf fered only .a few casualties and slight damage. The Russian-bound convoy the Scharnhorse attemp ted to attack escaped unharmed. Some survivors of f the sunken German battleship were picked up. At least four destroyers In two main formations and four cruis ers trapped the nazi vessel and hounded her into position for a crippling blow from the Duke of York, which was covering the con voy from a distance, i The British force was under the immediate command of Admiral Sir Bruce Eraser who was aboard the Duke of York. McNutt Seeks Hangover Halt WASHINGTON, Dee. ' 2S.-(iF) The only work the government wants to see halted ever the New Year holiday Is hangover construction.' Chairman rani V. McNatt of the war manpower commission today appealed to American workers not only to work as us ual on New Year day, bat also to 1 ore" . traditional celebra tions the night before. "I suggest that the workers of America get a fall night's sleep on New . Year eve.', the miC chief said. Salem. Oregon, Wednesday Morning. December 29. 1943 Hell Diver f'" ' - & 0;;:--:;-:-:-'..";.;-.-; :l -:: :- . " : ,-:--.:.:"'-X;:...:i;::' -x'tyysX: 4---&--;?:?. r'fi ' - : - . : -. .;.;. , .-.v.-.-xs-.-. .-. . -M-.-.w. a --.' . . , X- -a v. .v. . . v. , . . . , x-f'.-: M-.v..:.. . ....... . . . . . . - .- ; s:-.v.-. : . :-.: - m .-::; :.x-v:-v..--n .s . - - - o ..-.j. . . . . ... .:.-.: : .; . . jc, V : - J ' ''jf , :: . -y-:uvtssAfs;w y..:v-m"'. f : X """ir" 1 . Hl ' T.. : ...y,. 't' vv--'& j 'adav- "L"'" ' ' " ' " : , , ' :...y-V;.,TT,..,-..- -.-.-....-. ..x.: ..... ' 'i.i- -s.t .f.,. ..tj-i.- Test experts at the Cartlss-Wright factory, Colombas. Ohio, prepared one af the navy's new super diva bombers, a Hell Diver, for its first flight. Other Bell Divers are ia the backrrennd -with wings "folded. This plane. Intended for aso on all types -of carriers, boasted new diving flaps, folding wings and wing tip slats and carries two bombs Instead! of one. (AP wirephoto.) Reds Take Near Rumanian Border By JAMES LONDON, Wednesday, Dec. 29 ian army, sweeping through 60 moving winter offensive, has forced the Teferev river and cap tured Korostishev, 16 miles east of Zhitomir, in fierce street fighting and at the same time is pushing southwestward toward the border of Rumania, 115 miles away. Another important Russian shock force beat back 18 German US Weap ons. Carriers Flay Japs, Knox By HAMILTON W. FARON WASHINGTON, Dec American secret weapons, plus the world's largest fleet of aircraft carriers, are driving the Japanese back from 'bases captured In the enemy's ' Initial lunge out Into' "the Pacific. This was disclosed today by Secretary of the Navy Knox who revealed at the same time that an American destroyer was sunk and a small coastal transport damag ed by enemy bombs Sunday in the invasion of Cape Gloucester on New Britain island. That landing is part of the 'campaign to knock out Rabaul, Japanese key base in the south Pacific. The destroyer was not identi fied nor was Knox able to give the number of casualties. The sink ing of the destroyer brought to 134 the number of American na val craft lost since the war start ed. Knox provided little Informa tion on the secret weapon or weapons which he said the navy has developed during the" last year and put into service against the nazis and the Japanese. "In the field of new weapons, or secret weapons," he said In reviewing the year, "the navy has by no means been idle. The Japa nese especially have felt the sting of weapons which although greatly improved, nevertheless are of conventional types. Japanese and (Turn to Page 2 Story H) 'Watch on Rhine' Chosen Best NEW YORK, Dec. 28 -JP) Se lection of Warner Brothers' "Watch on the Rhine" as the best motion picture of 1943 was an nounced today by the New York film critics. Paul Lukas was voted as the best actor, by the critics for his performance in "Watch on the Rhine," while the choice for the best actress was Ida . Lupino for her role in The. Hard Way," an other Warner production. George Stevens was named the best di rector by the critics for his work on "The More the Merrier," the Jean Arthur-Joel McCrea comedy produced by Columbia Pictures. ' The critics also voted a special award to the United States army signal corps for its "Why We Fight" series and its "Report from the Aleutians." Scroll towards will be presented to the winners. . Germans Lose 232 Planes Against RAF LONDON, Dec 28 -(P)- The Germans- lost 232 of their valu able fleet of night fighters in at tempting to defend German cities against RAF attacks this year, as against only 3 in 1942, the air ministry announced tonight The increase this year probably developed because there have been nearly twice as many British sor ties as In 1942 and because Ger man night fighter strength has been doubled over the western front, ' , Warms Up for First Flight Korostishev, M. LONG - P) - The Soviet second Ukrain more communities in its fast- counter attacks and killed more than 1200 Germans as it captured several populated places in north ern White Russia, who were bear ing down toward this German fort ress from the north and east, were fives miles away In one sector. Far to the north, in the Dnie per bend, more than 33 German tanks and 1000 men were de stroyed after a tense engagement north of Kirovograd in which a German attack with large forces of infantry and tanks cracked up against a deadly Russian artillery and mortar barrage. The Moscow midnight commun ique, recorded by the Soviet Mon itor : from a broadcast, said ' the Germans were forced to withdraw to their original positions in this area. In the Kiev area the soviet of fensive, now In its sixth day, has wrested back fully half the ground the Germans had pain fully won in six costly weeks of counter-offensive. The Germans were falling back so rapidly they were forced to abandon 76 big guns, 10,000 mines, 30,000 shells, nearly a million cartridges and 100 tracks to the Russians, who also took a considerable number of prisoners. Thirty-six German tanks and self-propelled guns were destroyed and six were captured. The Moscow daily radio com munique reported at least two more towns captured to the south (Turn to Page 2 Story E) FDR Dismisses Fourth Term, Slogan Tieup By HOWARD FLIEGER WASHINGTON, Dec. 28.-VP)-President Roosevelt dismissed as picayune today a question wheth er his new win-the-war slogan adds up to a fourth term aspira tion. The president said a new doc tor Dr. Win-the-Wa r was called in to take care of the United States after the war started be cause old Doctor New Deal, a specialist in internal disorders, wasn't equipped for the emergen cy Job. He said Dr. Win-the-War now has the 'patient back on his feet but he 'won't be fired until the war is won. "Doesn't this all add up to a fourth term - declaration? a re porter asked during a news con ference discussion of the admin istration's farewell to its "new deal slogan. ,. " c Obviously irritated, . the - presi dent said the fourth term hadn't been under discussion and de scribed the question as picayune. Then, smiling once, more, he de scribed the word picayune as a grand one and said he knew the questioner wouldn't mind because he had to say something like that. "I 'don't mean to b picayune," a woman reporter put in, -tsut I'm not clear about your parable. I always thought of the new deal as dynamic Do you have to leave off to win the war, or was the pa tient cured?" t . f The president replied .that, the new deal was called into take care of - the nation's internal ills in 2933. After the wart he said, there will have to be a new program to meet new conditions. . ; " It is clear, he added, that we must plan so the. conditions . of 1932 won't come back. - US Tanks Move To Airdrome ; On New Britain By LEONARD MILLIMAN Associated Press War Editor Tank-paced American marines have driven to within a mile and a half of New Britain's strategic Cape Gloucester airdrome, Gen. Douglas MacArthur announced Wednesday. On other fronts of the widely scattered battle of the Pacific, the navy announced, bombers again raided the Japanese-held Marsh all islands while submarines pen etrated deep into enemy waters to sink 12 more ships, badly need ed for Japan's extended supply lines. In the newest big air battle of the southwest Pacific, 37 Japan ese planes were shot down over the Arawe sector of the south western shores of New. Britain, while American infantry pushed back new enemy counterthrusts. : On the northwest shores of New Britain, marines ? beat off four strong Japanese counterattacks in their four and a half mile ad vance toward the Gloucester air drome, within easy range of pri mary Japanese holdings on the Bismarck archipelago. US Seventh air force bombers carried the raids on the mid-Pa cific Marshall islands into the 19th consecutive day, blasting the air base and anchorage at Wotje atoll Sunday with SO tons of bombs. Simultaneously,. Adm. Chester W. Nimitz announced Tuesday that (Turn to Page 2 Story C) Doolittle Takes Air Command In Britain By W. H. MOBLEY WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 -OP) MaJ. Gen. James H. Doolittle, whose strategic air force slammed a gate across the enemy's supply routes and smashed his bases be hind him to make Tunisia a trap for nazi armies, is taking over direction of American air forces in Britain as the time for cross channel invasion approaches. The assignment .was announced by President Roosevelt . today along with other major shifts in the high command, including as signment of L.L Gen. Jacob I. De vers, former American comman der in the European theater, as commander of American forces in the Mediterranean area and dep uty to Sir Henry Maitland Wilson, over-all commander there, i The president announced only that Doolittle had been shifted to head the 8th air force there. But with American strategic bombing of Germany from Britain or any other base already assigned to Lt Gen. Carl Spaatz, and over-all air command in the invasion from Britain in the hands of Air Mar shal Sir Arthur Tedder, the pros pect arose that Doolittle's chief assignment might be the tactical task of hammering out an inva sion road barely ahead of the land ing barges and holding an air um brella over them. . Yes, There Are Nylons, But : f PORTLAND, D (C. taV-fcP)-There's nylon hose to be had. "I girls bat dont rush. YouH i have to pay from S3 to IS a pair, find the black market that car ries It, and dodge the law, te boot. Bat the coveted stockings are aroand, McDannel Brown, chief district affJee f price adminis tration (OFA) enforcement at- torney, disclosed today. ;The black market for the hose, be lieved smurrled from Mexico,' Is net exten&sve here and no ar rests have been made. 1m said. Price 5c Germans (Claim Ortoma -Fallem To Canadians Fresh Division Uses Flame-Thro wers to Halt Advance of Allied Troops By Wes Gallagher ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Algiers, Dec. 28 (AP) The Germans threw another fresh division into the mud and blood of the Italian front today in a de perate effort to halt relentless allied attacks which are prying the nazis loose from their grips on the road to Rome and on the flaming, flattened port of Ortona on the Adriatic sea. (Tuesday's German high command communique said nazi troops had evacuated the ruins of Ortona and had taken up new positions northwest of the town after inflicting heavy losses on attacking Canadian forces. Hours afterward there was no confirmation from allied headquarters. O : Fourteen German divisions (per - haps 200,000 men) now are known to be engaged in the fighting across Italy. Yesterday the enemy employed great numbers "of flame throwers all along the Eighth army front and literally estab lished a wall of fire before Ca nadian infantry and tanks fight ing forward in the northern out skirts of Ortona. An allied field dispatch said German troops still clung to a few buildings at the city's edge after a solid weeks of house-to-house fighting, but were being gouged outxmethodically. Ortona, now a shambles, was a small town of 9000 before the war swept through its streets. It is 11 miles down the Adriatic coast from the major port of Pescara, main objective of the Eighth army's drive up Italy's east coast. x American troops ef Lt. Gen. Mark' W. Clark's Fifth army looked down from the last dom inating heights of the Samacre mountain range into the streets of the fortified village of San Vlttore, six miles east of Cas sino, and prepared for another vicious battle to wrest this key point on the Via Casilins from German hands. After ousting the nazis from' the last two peaks on Samucro and firmly consolidating their hold on this important feature, American patrols pushed down the southwest slopes to learn that San Vittore was elaborately defended from that side, as well as from its Libri valley approaches. The village must be taken before Clark's troops can plunge on toward Cas sino, which is 70 miles by broad highway from Rome. Southwest of Castel San Vin- cenzo, near the center ox uie Ital ian front, a fierce battle was re ported raging for a ridge called Catenella Degli MainardL Other allied troops seized a height in (Turn to Page 2 Story B) Allied European Air Raid Thought Started LONDON, Wednesday, Dee. zS-i?3) Seven axis continental radio stations went off the air last night, .indicating an allied air raid on German-held Eu ro pe.- The stations were located at Lnxembarg. Friesland, Bremen, Calais,' Paris,: Hllversnm and IiRe. Taxpayers to Vote in Spring, Postwar School Building Plans Postwar plans of the Salem school board, presented to and ap proved by representative citizens from 14 organizations at a two and one-half hour session Tues day night,- will go before taxpay ers of district 24 next spring as first steps toward the dual finan cing - are taken.. , ::; The taxpayer vote "c is contin gent upon formal school board ac tion. However, concensus of opin ion last night was that the estab lishment of a sinking fund should be proposed by ballot, such a fund probably to be raised by a levy not: to exceed the six mills cut from the levy by the income tax offset the past year. . Six mills levied ever the next five .- years woald raise, npon the torrent tax base S348,C39. Should the city's population ex pand to 50,000 within the next 10 years this sum would, not be suf ficient to provide all the needed system improvements' and the se cond method of financing, the bond -issue, would be required. By ; 1950, Salem school district's No. 237 1 - , . Kome Bombed ies, Nazis Gaim LONDON, Wednesday, Dec. 29 (JF)A German news agency broadcast recorded today by Reu ters said Rome was bombed at noon yesterday. There was no confirmation of the report from any allied source. (Earlier, another Berlin broad cast heard by the Associated Press reported an air battle over north ern Italy yesterday. By the Ger man account,, which was wholly without confirmation, nazi fight ers shot down 19 of 25 fighter escorted US heavy bombers.) The German news agency broadcast asserted allied planes dropped heavy bombs on the out lying quarters of Rome in yester day's reported attack. The agency reported that hits in the residential quarter of Gar batella near the Basilica of San Paolo destroyed several houses. left numerous dead, and injured many, while near Centrocelle, east of the city, several persons were hit by bomb splinters and about 50 were wounded by machinegun fire'' Collapsing houses in Pietrallata, northeast of the capital, were said to have killed or Injured several persons. 1252 Missing From Schools Salem school absences totaled 1252 Tuesday, in comparison with Monday's high of 1265, Supt. Frank B. Bennett reported Tues day nighV-to directors. Absences in considerable number may be anticipated during the next three weeks, he said the Marion county health department had advised. although indications are that the heaviest of the influenza is prob ably past. " Mrs. Mildred Query, who has been on leave, will return to the system next week to replace Miss Lucille Grant, who has resigned as first grade teacher at Highland. bonded indebtedness will be wiped away under the current scheme of payment Today it Is approxi mately $411,000. Total which may be raised by "bonds is $900,000. When the new high school wu built, the district bonded itself to the limit and still was unable to complete that build ing as planned. Among the projects listed for postwar construction are several which were part of the original plans for the senior high build ing: the central heating plant to serve both senior high school and Parrish junior high school build ins; a small banquet room; mu sic room and small auditorium." ". Parrish junior high school, too. would have, under the proposed plan, additional gymnasium space so that its students might havo daily gymnasium training (they now have use of the gym every fourth day), cafeteria space and an auditorium. ;. Funds would t provided i c? additions to currently crowded cle (Turn to Page 2 Story D) t n a ii DV All