Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1943)
f : r VW QOQUB . Thsnday naTiafinns -f -snlnlmvm 24; river -.1 foat. Partly clouiy Friiay wlih snow flurries " ever moun tains la sosthern part at arday; cloudy with rain la west portion early Saturday with snow ever mocstaias. Net much change In tea perstmre,' POUNDDD 1651 inZIZTT-THCD YEAH 10 PAGES Salem, Orogon, Friday Morning, December 31, 1943 Prlc Sc The Western Pine association is f SV jte - Xmys. S. Vi7lVV .. Ill IV. U. VK ducers of pine lumber in the three northwest states. It maintains of fWi in Portland, but its activity goes considerably beyond the us ual trade association efforts to protect and promote the interests of Its members. It maintains research laboratory, also in Port land, which is in charge of Albert Herman- This laboratory con ducts experiments and tests inten ded to help producers get more ut of their product and consum ers to get better results from its use.- As a result of-the experimental work in the Portland laboratory it is announced that the associa tion will put up a pilot plant in Bend designed to produce resin, turpentine, fat and fatty adds from pine waste. It will be an in- dustry-f lnanecd undertaking. Without benefit of government tubsidy or loan. If the plant Droves commercially successful other plants can be built in pine manufacturing centers over the northwest Thus the pine people are trying to utilize their waste by extract ing valuable by-products from it, the same as the fir people are making a start toward producing- alcohol from fir waste, with plant scheduled for Springfield or tugene. ' As time goes on- we will come to look on the tree as a source of raw materials for chemical com pounds and not just as timber, lumber and fuel. Its cellulose is already used extensively to pro duce . plastics, rayon, munitions, etc; The lignin which binds the cellulose together is a mystery material, whose practical value is till hinff investigated wltn promising prospects. s (Continued on editorial page) In Both Oceans By RICHARD R. KASISCHKE J LONDON, Dec. SO -if)- The Victory-spurred royal navy sougnt xnor unit- of -- Hitler's 'thinning surface fleet tonight after the Bay of Biscay battle in which the Brit ish reported the sinking of three nazi destroyers at minor cost and the Germans countered with the unsupported claim that six Brit ish destroyers were sent . to the bottom and two cruisers damaged. ' The - admiralty acknowledged only minor damage - to the two light cruisers Glasgow and Enter prise and the loss of two planes In the running action against .the German flotilla of 11 destroyers, in Its , final stage the action was handled by the two British cruis ers with aerial support, the Brit ish said. No mention has been made by the British that any of their fle etroyers participated in the Bay of Biscay action which followed the sinking by air action Monday of a laden nazi blockade runner. Communiques from both sides in dicated that the action had ended. , The admiralty said the surviv ing eisht nazi destroyers had been dispersed and fled and that some were damaged. By LEO BRANHAM - ' LONDON. Dec. li'-UPV- The royal navy, which brought Its most successful war year to a climax with the sinking of the - German battleship Seharnhorst ' and three nasi destroyers. Is be ing employed La increasing force , in the , Pacific because of the heartening torn in the battle ef the Atlantic, the admiralty said tonight In a review of 1943 epe rations. . The review reiterated that Britain's worldwide commitments extend to the Pacific" and said that "the strength j of the royal navy is being brought increasing ly to bear on this theater as a result of the improving situation In European waters." . Despite the widening scope of its tasks, including participation In the record S26-ship armada which carried the invasion-forces to Sicily, the royal navy com pleted its fourth year pf war with out the loss of a single capital ahip or aircraft carrier. IT cuiuci tuau u wo f Dry New Year - The weather bureau in a special forecast Thursday, said "New Year's eve and January 1 will be dry, meteorologically at least, over all sections east of the continental divide" and that "unusually pleas ant weather for this time of year prevails over the entire country" except in California. ' In California, the bureau said, rain, with snow in the mountains, has been falling intermittently for several days." V , - i The bureau laid temperatures re seasonal in western sections and that the recent cold weather is snodaxating in the east. Royal Navy Seeks Enemy ; . 4T- rv r JUL. WK. Moid- 22 Divisions Fall Back 1300 Towns Taken I By James M. Long LONDON, Friday, Dec. 31 (AP) A routed Ger man army of 22 divisions perhaps 300,000 men reeled back toward the Polish and Rumanian fron tiers early today, abandon ing thousands of vehicles and more than 100 big guns, as the Russian first Ukrainian army in the greatest soviet offensive of the winter pushed through a 189-mile breach in the heart of the ' German east wall. Over 300 communities were caputred yesterday making 650 in two days and 1300 in seven days by the Russians who now were 43 miles from the pre-1939 Polish border and 90 miles from the Dniester river frontier of Ru mania as they plunged forward in the Korosten-Berdichev area beyond Kiev, it was announced by Moscow. One of the mostfmportant of the many towns taken was "Kaz- atin, a rail Junction IS miles be low Berdichev. Kazatin's capture dealt a major blow to German communications in the entire southern Ukraine. Premier Marshal Joseph Stalin said the Germans were "routed" in a special order of the day yes terday triumphantly summarizing the first six days of the most suc cessful Soviet action since the Dnieper line was broken. He an nounced that the red army had advanced from 30 to 60 miles to capture more than 1000 towns and hamlets through Wednesday. Later information in the Mos cow communique and its midnight supplement recorded by the Soviet monitor gave this pic ture of the long Russian front (Turn to Page 2 Story C) Canned Goods Point Free WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 P) The public will be able to buy canned green and wax beans and a number of frozen fruits and vegetables-4t- January without surrenderBCfany ration stamps. Canned peas "and tomatoes have lower point values., i Rationed jams, preserves and marmalades, however, are hiked two points to a total of eight for a pound jar in the new processed food values announced today by the office of price administration. All of the changes are effective Sunday. - With most frozen fruits and vegetables made point-free, these items are expected to move more rapidly out of storage to east a critical shortage of freezer space for the great amount of pork now pouring to market. . " i . ' . " Al Smith -Receives Birthday Honor NEW YORK, Dec. 30-(fls)-For-mer Gov. Alfred E. Smith, 70 years old today, received a special apos tolic benediction from Pope Pius XII and congratulations from Pre sident Roosevelt and Gov. Thom as E. Dewey of New York. ' The, i benediction, conveyed to the 1828 democratic presidential nominee by -Archbishop Francis J. Spellman, was imparted in a let ter written by Archbishop Amleto G.' Cicognani, apostolic delegate to the United States. Fish Outlook Good WASHINGTON, Dec. SO HT) Ar 1944 fish production in the United States and Alaska of four billion or more pounds, exceeding 1942 and 1843 yields but below the i approximate ; 4,400,000,000 -pound normal production, was forecast today by Interior Sec retary I ekes, fisheries coordinator. Ma US Landing IS. I As S - s J; Smoke poured from an American (LST) landing ahip tanks from a Jap hit In an air attack at a south Pacific Island In the combat xone where the boat was unloading supplies. A sister ship stood by with Its crew playing water on the burning vessel. (AP wirephoto from marine corps.) Marines Crack Cape Gloucester Defense; Bougainville Belted Airdrome Falls To Yanks; Flame Throwers Used : , By DEAN SCHEDLER ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD QUARTERS, New Guinea, Friday, Dec. 31.-JP-Hard-hitting United States marines have cracked stub born Japanese defenses to capture the vital airdrome at Cape Glou cester, New Britain. The leathernecks final assault put them in full possession of the two air strips at noon yesterday, just four days and a few hours after their Sunday's invasion landing at Borgen Bay. Details of the final hours of the battle were meager, but Gen. Douglas MacArthur's communi que announcing the victory said that "following an intense air preparation our ground forces took the positions by assault" A headquarters spokesman said an air assault on two successive days had softened up the line of Japanese pillboxes for the ma rines, who used flame throwers to clear out strong points which sur vived aerial, bombing. "Many hundreds of Japanese dead are in the area," the spokes man said, adding that American losses were "slight." The airdrome area and its per imiter were plastered Wednesday morning by artillery and heavy and medium bomber and attack planes. By nightfall that day, the marines had taken the first air strip. The airdrome contains two landing strips, one running east (Turn to Page 2 Story E) Hydroelectric Body Has Intervention Power if Hobd River Voter&Pa&s Proposed PUD Issue By RALPH C. CURTIS How small a tail can wag the Oregon dog? Gov. Earl Snell has announced, particularly In reference to the Oregon War Dads proposal that the "Walker plan" income tax amendment be modified and some millions of dollars recaptured for postwar projects expenditure, that "there will be no special session" of the legislature. ; ; That would appear to leave high and dry the Hood River county delegation which recent ly came here to advocate a spe cial session for amendment of the PUD law, so as to check mate the Hood Elver PUD'b 9175,000.000 scheme to take over all privately - owned power sys- . terns in northwest Oregon If not the entire state.! ; The delegation may have been borrowing trouble. ; The approxi mately 1 2000 voters of ; the PUD may say "no" - when they vote January 7. A spirited campaign is under way and the immensity of the scheme may be causing some of those orchardists to look care fully before they leap.: Of that, more anon. For the moment the question Is:' Can this tiny PUD containing within its borders pro perty valued at $10,000,000 or Craft Burns From Hits by Japs -"Zmtf'ir -x..:-:.:: y Happy New Year, Boss By the Associated Press "I have the honor to present the Gloucester airdrome tode' com mander in chief as a New Year's present," Lt Gen. Walter Krue ger, commander of the sixth army to which the marines are at tached, messaged to MacArthur. Continuing, he remarked, MI praise the gallantry of the ma rines, the splendid cooperation of the air and naval units. Adm. King Says Pacific Thrust Planned Soon By HAMILTON W. FARON WASHINGTON, Dec 30 JP) A tremendous offensive against Japan is planned in 1944, it was made clear today by Adm. Ernest J. King who said the United Na tions will begin shifting their power from the Atlantic to the Pacific theater even before the final defeat of Germany. The tall, raw-boned naval commander-in-chief stood before a chart in his office, using a cigar ette holder as a pointer, to give in an interview the frankest dis cussion of the Pacific war yet to come from a big naval figure. These were bis main points: (Turn to Page 2 Story H) thereabouts, determine the power Dolicy for more than half the people of Oregon, without any comeback from the hundreds of thousands of affected citizens? ' The PUD law says a district may acquire and administer pro perty "within or without, or part ly within and without, the district, and , . . sell or dispose of such property." Advocates of this pro vision when it was enacted said it was needed to give a PUD ne cessary authority to own trans mission lines and the like, and would not be utilized indefinitely to extend a PUD's services; but there it is. ' . : However, the PUD law is a bul ky document, and among its many provisions is this: 7"1 , "Prior to the completion of the purchase or construction of a utility, as herein defined, ne , control, either expressed or Im plied, Involving an obligation on the part ef the district in excess of $5000, shall become binding until approved ... by i the - (state hydroelectric) commission, and It shall be unlawful for the board (PUD directors) to make any payment under any such contract until same has been ap proved." --;..':; -- Whether that provision was In v 1 1 Last Big Island In Solomons " Gets Pounding By;tvXRN HAUGLAND v 7 south pAcnrc a l l i ed HEADQUARTERS, Friday, Dec 3 l-A)The Americans have be gun to throw the military book at the hapless Japanes on Bou gainville including airplane bel ly tanks and paratroopers. Headquarters reports today were crowded with actions in tended to accelerate the Japanese retreat from the last big Solomon Island barring the southwestern approach to Rabaul. Included was the spokesman's assertion that over Rabaul itself, Solomons based American planes have shot down 113 enemy fighters in daily strikes since December 23. The belly tanks were dropped by Warhawk fighter planes fly ing along the enemy-held east ern coast of Bougainville, starting gasoline fires. The paratroopers went into ac tion to help clean out Japanese from a strong point, at the upper end of the beachhead held by Americans on the west -central coast at Empress Augusta bay. After most of the Japanese were ousted Tuesday from an area 600 yards east of the Torokina river mouth, the paratroopers went in against, the 30 remaining Nippon ese soldiers. They killed half of these. The others fled. American casualties were listed as one dead, four wounded. These were other highlights: (Turn to Page 2 Story F) tended to cover such a situation as this is perhaps debatable, but again, there It is. : ' f,: On its face, it gives the nyaro- electric commission authority to veto, on its merits, any feature of the Hood River PUD proposal including the Guy C Myers con tract, as well as any specific pro posals to purchase Pacific Power & Light, Portland General Elec tric, Northwestern Electric and perhaps other utility systems. In the creation of a PUD, pre liminary petitions are filed with the . hydroelectric commission and it la required to make investiga tions and hold hearings. Even though the commission's report on its Investigation may be unfavor able, - an ; election mutt be called on creation of the district if the sponsors still ' desire to : proceed. In this respect the commission's powers are only advisory. f However the commission does have definite power to veto the proposed re-grouping of units in a PUD, if the vote bus been fav orable in some and unfavorable in other areas. Thial veto power was ' not exercised in' the case of the Hood River PUD when the vote in the city of Hood River was unfavorable The PUD was (Turn to Page 2 -Story D) US Planes Bombard Germany Raid Follows Up Night Attack - On Nazi Capital By ROBERT N. STURDEVANT LONDON, Friday, Dec. 31P) A record force of approximate ly 1500 American planes blast ed targets in southwest Ger many yesterday as its part in possibly the most sustained air assaults of the war which saw at least 3000 British and Amer ican war planes over Germany and occupied territory in the past 24 hours. . The American daylight attack yesterday, which also set a re cord for the deepest penetration by escarting fighter planes, some of which flew the entire 1100 mile round trip, came a few hours af ter RAF night raiders dealth Ber lin a shattering new 2240-ton blow. , A joint US Eighth air force air ministry communique issued early today said that 23 German fighters were destroyed while the American force lost 22 bombers and 12 fighters for a total of 34 planes, in fights raging across France in Germany. ! RAF, dominion and allied fight ers flew supporting sweeps for the giant American operation and ac counted for four of the nazi fight ers shot out of the sky. The Amer ican fighter planes got eight while 11 .were felled by the gunners of the US "heavy bombers. The ob jective of the American bombing mission was not announced. : Blasting .their targets through clouds, the 'American Fortress and Liberator' airmen employed once more a remarkable new naviga tional instrument which permits the bombardiers to hit targets they cant see. The losses, while com paratively small for the forces in volved, nevertheless accentuated the reports of returning crewmen of numerous fighter attacks and air engagements. The American operation came only a few days after : the an nouncement of the establishment of a high command for the allied (Turn to Page 2 Story B) Allies Achieve Air Superiority By W. W. HERCHER LONDON, Dec. SOTVThe al lies have achieved air superiority in every theatre of the war and sent planes on the offensive all around the. world, the RAF an nounced today. In a triumphant review of the aerial war of 1943 Britain's air arm said the year's fighting pro duced these victories and accom plishments In various fields of op eration: (1) Nine of Germany's 21 maj or industrial cities with popula tions of more than 250,000 each have been "so seriously' devastat ed that in all probability they have been forced for some time ta consume more than they pro duce. (2) Many more U-boats have been destroyed by the coastal command in 1943 than in the three previous years . together. The whole of the North Atlantic is : now covered by . shore-based aircraft, the report said. : ' . (3) Magnificently complete air support was given allied ground forces in Africa, Sicily and south ern Italy. Lumber Output Drops WASHINGTON, Dec SO.-P)- Lumber production this year es timated . at 32,500,000,000 feet, wiU be 10 per cent below 1942 output, the lumber suryey com mittee said tonight in a quarterly report describing the lumber economy as tight" Vichy Police Watchful " By the Associated Press ' Reorganization of the Vichy po lice to "Preserve France from the impending threat of civil war vai reDorted last Thursday night by radio Vichy which said; unrest and alarnv-probably stirred by the expected a 1 11 e d invasion- were spreading through France. Refuses Unimi Limitatibns y As Binding i Brotherhoods Expected"1 To Stand Pat on Overtime; 10 o'CIock Deadline Set . By Joseph A, Lof tus , WASHINGTON, Dei. 30 (AP) President Roo sevelt advised the 15 nonoperating railroad union ft today he is prepared to issue a ruling on their wage de mands but declines to be bound by tbe limitations they set forth in their acceptance of arbitration. The president asked for an answer by 10 a.m. if his basis of procedure is not expected to stand their ground and insist that overtime is the only issue inasmuch as they have accepted the 4 to 10-cent increases. Overtime was not an issue when the 4 to 10 cents was approved by Stabilization Director Fred M. Vinson. Fight Through . By WES GALLAGHER ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Al giers, . Dec- 30.-(fl3-A m e r 1 c a n troops fought, through, the atreesJ of the demolished village -of San Vittore today, blasting out a path to the strategic city of Cassino on the main Inland highway to Rome, while victorious Canadian forces pressed on beyond Ortona on the Adriatic coast to within nine miles of Pescara. " (The German news agency DNB In a broadcast recorded by the Associated Press said that the al lies had made a "leap frog" land ing on the Italian west coast be hind the German lines near the mouth of the . Garigliano river. The broadcast said the action was localized before the allies could reach the Appian way, the coast al road to Rome.) San Vittore, on the southern base of Mt Sammucro six miles from Cassino, was reduced to rub ble by a terrific American artil lery bombardment yesterday be fore Lt Gen. Mark W. Clark's in fantry left its foxholes and char ged into the village. An American patrol pseviously, had penetrated into its streets, only to be driven out by fiercely resisting nazis. Canadian troops in the two days since Ortona's fall had swept across a wide area west of the town and were reported ap proaching the valley of the little Testore river. Infantry was push ing along the coastal road to Pes- (Turn to Page 2 Story G) Aluminum Plants Close, Not in West WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 Several small aluminum plants will be closed "within the near future,' because of a surplus of the metal, a war production board official said tonight. A. "H. Bunker, in charge of WP- B's aluminum and megnesium programs, said that "possibly 15" aluminum pot lines : would be closed. Potlines produce aluminum from alumina. -.'.": ; j' Told of a report in congression al circles.' that most of the 'shut downs would be in the west, Bunk er said he would be "astonished? if many were in the west. He men tioned plants at Messina, NY., and Burlington, NJ as possibilities. They use coal while the western plants are operated by hydro - electric power from government plants. . Irons, Bath Tubs . . To Be Produced r ' i yi A SHI NGTON, Dec SO -iJP) The nation's war economy passed a major milestone today when or ders were issued for the manu facture' of 2,000,000 electric irons and 50.000 bath tubs in 1944 the first Important resumption of ci vilian manufacture since, the war started. " v .' ; Production of both items was halted early In 1942 to preserve short supplies of strategic metals. acceptable. The unions are . The carriers contend now that if there is to be an allowance for overtime, consideration must be given to the 4 to 10-cent increases because the 10 cents was allowed to eliminate' substandard condi tions and would not have been necessary if payment was to be made for overtime. The president advised the un ions the 4 to 10 cents would not be reduced, but added: "If I am to arbitrate the question of what should be given for overtime in the future, I could not be debarred in advancei from. . considering whether or 'not there is merit li the carriers' contention." -Chiefs of the three operating unions wnxrvcancelled strike au thorizations only after government seizure of the nation's railroad system, accused -the administration of delay and mishandling of the wage dispute. The joint statement was issued by top officers of the firemen, conductors and switchmen short ly after the war department de clared that it could not return the railroads to private management as it desired because at least two of the unions had merely postpon ed their strike cancellation orders for the period of government con trol rather than cancel them. They also charged that two oth er operating brotherhoods, who capitulated first, had struck them "a stab in the back." The j statement disclaimed any responsibility for . the taking over of the carriers, and asserted that "for five days we and other re sponsible representatives of our unions were waiting for some rep resentative of the administration to make some move in the direc tion of an adjustment." The statement by Robertson, Fraser and Cashen quoted Presi dent Roosevelt in taking over the. railroads as saying "I cannot wait, the war cannot wait." The trio protested, heweve that from December ZS nntt December 29 "the admlnlstra tlon arranged no meeting with the chosen . representatives ef the three organisations Involved in an effort to reach a peace ful settlement." They added that the national mediation board had taken juris diction of the dispute "under the clear provisions of the railway labor act, and, if the board had (Turn to Page 2 Story A) Blood Donor Quota Needed Blood donor registrants are needed.in Salem today if the cap- ital city la to meet its quota Tues day when the mobile blood plas ma ' unit calls here. Red Cross workers said Thursday. With only 134 donors, Salem failed this week for the first time to meet its quota. Although it is expected to provide 140 pints each Tuesday, when everything works smoothly, 160 pints of blood can be taken here. Approximately 20 of last Tues day's donors came from Sweet Home' and Lyons. "Without them we'd have been left far behind indeed," declares E. J. Scellars, Red Cross blood donor registrant. . Persons willing to donate blood should call Red Cross offices, 9277, today to make appointments and to receive instruction- for next Tuesday. , . . .