OTP
TO
Our . triple alliance isn't work
ing at smoothly as Ashland's bas
ketball team did last week. Rus
sia, Britain and the United States
claim to be shooting for the same
basket, but they do not engage in
much . teamwork. Lend-lease is
working, with the United States
on the giving and Russia on the
receiving end. But when it comes
to coordinating the politics of the
war there are obvious gaps. Hence
the -word not yet confirmed that
the big three, Churchill, Stalin
and Roosevelt may have another
meeting Is regarded as a hopeful
sign that better cooperation may
be obtained. :;.'.
Secretary Hull seems to have
prevailed at Moscow with rather
enlightened ideas of the war's po
litical strategy. What really hap
pened at Teheran is still cloaked
in mystery. But after the banquets
and the mutual praise and the of
f i c 1 a 1 announcements Russia
. seemed to go off on its own tack
snapping at Willkie in -warning
that Russia alone should settle
questions regarding its eastern
border; and last week extending
recognition to Badoglio's govern
ment without consultation with
the western allies, and to the great
discomfiture - of the liberal:, ele
ments in Italy whom we should
"look to as the real hope of that
unhappy country. 1
Journalists are s c o 1 d i n g at
Roosevelt and Hull asserting that
; our country j lacks a foreign poli-
cyj It -is true we have made many
f zigzags in policy -which are hard
to understand; but perhaps part of
the obscurity is that Washington
is trying to appease both" Russia
and Britain. And may that policy
itself not be a mistake?
We should assert our owf prin
ciples and press for their accep
tance. We should insist on estab
lishment of democratic regimes in
liberated countries, i We should
hold to the principles of the At
lantic charter that this is not a
war of territorial (Continued on
Editorial page)
Burma Battle
To Be Biggest
"I By PRESTON GROVER
- 1 NEW DELHI; India, March 20.
- -jflVA Japanese . off ensive from
remote bases of the upper Chind
win aimed at an invasion of India
and disruption of the allied sup
ply line over the Burma hump to
China apparently was developing
today into the biggest battle in
' this theater since 1942.
. Admiral Lord Louis Mountbat
ten's southeast Asia headquarters
announced yesterday that the Jap
anese had crossed the Chindwm
' in force at several places, and to
day it was disclosed ! that a hard
battle lasting two days had been
fought in the Tiddim area on the
southern Hank of the Japanese
thrust : '.
Although the communique said
the JaDanese were forced to with
draw after severe casualties in the
i Tiddim action, it reported Jhe
- ceneral situation unchanged.
The Japanese objective obvious-
, lv was to break through the iun
gle wall along the Assam frontier
of India and strike into the rail,
air and river line which feeds al
lied suDDlies not only to Lt Gen
Joseph W. Stilwell's Chinese and
Americans in northern Burma but
also to Maj. Gen. Claire L. Chen-
nault's US air force in China.
Striking northward along the
west bank of the Chind win, one
' Japanese column evidently was
aimed at ImDhal. British base in
India. Another column, striking
from betwene Homalin and Tim
anthi farther . north, was headed
westward.
' ' Allied commanders appeared to
feet as much enthusiasm as an-
) prehension at the" new Japanese
offensive, however.
Vernon Barnard Listed
TTounded in Action
WASHINGTON, DC, Mar. 20
The name of Pfc. Vernon B. Bar
nard of Silver ton. Ore., was am
ong the list of 451 men wounded
in action in the Mediterranean
area. He was one of three whose
homes are in Oregon. Others were
from Portland or southern Ore
gon. Barnard's mother; Mrs. Grace
Bunch, 908 South Water street,
Silverton, was listed as his near
est relative. . "
Nsri -Shipping Attacked
By British Coast Guns
LONDON, March 20-flVBrit-
lsh heavy artillery on the soutn
coast fired HO rounds at German
chmninff in the Dover strait be
tween 9:57 and 11:13 pi m. tonight,
it was officially, announced,' and
German gun quickly replied,
bringing on one of the sharpest
rmcs-channel duels In months.
The British announcement said
results of the bombardment were
rot yet available. ,
V
NINETY-THIRD YEAH
rsn
AM v.
Uk
rames
Nazi Bases Fall
To Reds on Bug,
Dniester Rivers
By TOKf YARBROUGH
LONDON, Tuesday, March
21 J Russian troops have
captured the east bank oerman
base and rail junction of Mog
ilev - Podolski on1-the Dniester
river and hurled aside two Ru
manian divisions trying to bar
the Soviet .surge into pre - war
Rumania; a Moscow communi
que announced early today. -
Premier-Marshal Stalin in an
order of the day also announced
the fall; of Vinnitsa, the German
Bug river stronghold . 60 miles
northeast of Mogilev - Podolski,
and the communique said other
Soviet troops driving on Lwow in
old Poland seized 50 villages, in
cluding! Korsov, only 56 miles
northeast of that big axis com
munications hub.
Moscow dispatches said the
red army was within sight of
the Carpathian mountains, roll
ing thronth shattered German
lines i with such astounding
speed that the liberation of the
entire southern Ukraine now
was almost a foregone conclo-'
sioa V: -
Atacking on a 500-Hmffe front
from old Poland to the Black sea
near the encircled port of Niko
laev, the Russians said their troops
had swept through 115 more towns
(Turji to Page 2 Story A)
Soviets Deny
Helsinki Raid
MOSCOW, March 20-()-The
soviet information bureau denied
tonight t a German radio report
that soviet planes bombed Hel
sinki Again yesterday and this
perhaps indicated that Russian
Finnish! peace negotiations might
be continuing.
The fact that the Russians are
not bombing Finland and are
careful jto make it clear that they
are not doing so may mean that
they still hope for peace.
Nazisj 'Evacuate'
Pigeons to Brussels
LONDON, March MVAbout
45,000 pigeons have been 'evacu
ated from Belgian coastal towns
and brought to Brussels," Berlin
radio said tonight, while "about
the same number of pigeons were
brought to other parts of the
country.?. Berlin did not explain
whether this was ; a measure
against espionage or against hunger.'-
v'i. ' N'J-
Freedom
' it- ; . - . - -
1 : ' '
Assured
Postwar Sewer Tal Lev
."Mfvt'j.; : :v. i ..,-1 , ... , ,.A -
Comes Before Council
The city postwar planning com
mittee's three-mill, three-year
levy for the new sewer disposal
system ; which came out of the
hopper in ordinance form provid
ing for city park and playground
improvement and expansion in
addition to the less-aesthetic
though I generally accepted waste
evacuation project was merely one
stream from the eruption which
kept Salem city council in slight
ly seething session three hours
Monday night -
City f fathers emphatically sat
upon any plan to merge the build
ing inspector's and city engineer's
offices f with a saving of $36 a
year, offered . to pay up to - $ 175
for an assistant for Engineer Har
old Davis but voted down a salary
ordinance which would have paid
Davis (now engineer and street
commissioner as well as emerg
ency building inspector) $250 and
an assistant $200 a month.
Though representatives of the
committee which drew the char
ter amendment and of labor,
which has to date opposed It, ap
peared ready to defend and decry
the manager-council form of gov-
Finns Reject
Soviets Terms
For Armistice
BULLETIN . I
i STOCKHOLM,; March tl-(JP)
The Flanlsh fovernment an.
noonced today that it had re
jected Soviet Russia's conditions
for an armistice; bat declared
that lt still was trjin to estab
lish peace between the two na
tion. I : BULLETIN 1
f LONDON, Taesday, March 21
(JPy-A Renters dispatch f r o m
Stockholm today) said the Hel
sinki radio broadcast - today a
Finnish communique saying the
government had found Itself un
able to accept Soviet! Russia's
armistice terms.
It was not Immediately jjclear
from 'the dispatch whether the
Finnish; communique closed the.
door to further negotiations or
whether the Helsinki - govern
ment : was attempting to obtain
more favorable terms. j
I The announcement wai the
first official statement issued by
the Finnish government jjwith
respect to Its' attitude toward
the Soviet demands.
olo.
ges
Oil Line; Action
By JOHN M. HlGHTOWER
WASHINGTON,! March tO-UP)
Military advocateslof the pj-opos
ed multi-million ; dollar jtrans
Arabian oil line ate preparing to
tell congress, it wa learned Jtoday,
that the project should be Under
taken immediately J. 1 ,
These representatives of : the
war and navy department and
the joint chiefs of; staff wil base
their contentions, Jit was tinder
stood, on these twip points: j
fl. Delay might cost American
companies their ! present coniplete
domination of oil bights id the
Rich and Saudi Arabian fields.
2. Unless it is started asl soon
as possible it will hot be reidy to
delivers oil when the postwar Eu
ropean! market opjens up. j Con
struction is estimated to reqv ire at
least 18 months, jj
Their views wil be presented
to the senate's special : oil
mittee this week. f-
com-
iWithbut going into the merits
of, the project Vfc'hich hasj been
condemned by oil I industry lead
ers as a "possible breeder of fu
ture wars," its backers, are de
scribed i as considering ;thef time
element this way: 1 f I
Xing Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
has been hard pressed ' fori cash
since the war began. His prewar
economy was supported mainly by
Moslem pilgrimages! ? Mecca. The
war all but stopped the pilgrim
ages. .. .-: - ; f :;. ; j
The British government, with
the aim of aiding ' pro-allied and
strategically-located neutral, has
(Turn to Page, Story fa)
IV
eminent, no one spoke or was
given an opportunity to speak on
the subject. The Ordinance) pro
viding that the matter ' bet sub
mitted to a special election: May
19 was sent, without even council
comment, to the ordinance com
mittee. , - j s v
A resolution outlining a policy
of' sick leave ' for city employes,
assertedly based on the policy now
hv use by the water commission,
was taken apart and discarded as
"too complicated." ; I
The ward 2-ward 6 affair, in
volving a new, precinct which in
cludes portions of both wards, was
s o n t - directly to ;the ordinance
corrmiittee. likewise, a resolution
to .turn all air raid protection
monies Into the city's emergency
fund and "discontinue the crea
tion of further expenditures' for
civilian defense met no opposition.
Nft gala to the emergency fund:
Approxlm ately f $4000, which
means that the city. will cease to
pay a portion of the civilian de
fense office rent and salary
The firemen's retirement' and
pension bill aroused no argument
i (Turn to Page 2 Story D)
nary
Trans
AraDian
PCUNDDD
Satan. Orecon, Tuesday
Cassirio
Struggle
Continues
Allies Advance :
House to H6use
In Bitter Fight ;
By JOSEPH MORTON r
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS,
Naples, March 20--tightirig
with everything rom bayonets
to roaring 155s, British troops
pressed forward in a furious
house-to-house battle on the,
western, fringe of Cassino to
day after blasting the Germans1
out of the ruins of the hotel
Continental'
The fifth army men also re
tained the initiative in a death
struggle on the lower slopes of
Monastery hill, where thf enemy
had ; the advantage of high
ground. f ;
An allied officer painted a
harsh picture of the situation, say
ing the Germans not only . had
been able to reinforce their fierce
ly - resisting troops in the ruins'
of Cassino itself, but had in vi
cious counter-attacks again , re-
captured hill 165 just west of the
town. This important height has
changed hands several tinies since
the allies launched their! big as
sault last Wednesday.) '
German troops who; had defend
ed the Continental jaotelifortrejjjs;
fanatically for several daysftn-
ally raised a white flag and sur
rendered late yesterday after New
Zealand tanks had closed, in vir
tually to shotgun ranje. They had
eaten little for two d4ys, but they
still were surly and confident, and
wheri they were removed to the
rearf last night carrying their
own wounded on litte "s they still
kept in step. J j
The troops defenc ing Cassino
are members of the Virst German
parachute division,! commanded
by Lt. Gen. Richard P eidrick, who
once! rejected a group of i-eplace-ments
on the Adriatic front be
(Turn to Page 2Story F)
South Santiam
Gets Big Snow
1 Eight inches of snow f fell on
Seven Mile hill on the South San
tiam, Sunday according to infor
mation from the state- highway
junction relayed through Detroit
on the North Santiam, last night.
! The highway crews worked all
Sunday night -but almost all . of
the cars got through, the junction
crews reported. It was considered
a peculiar storm in that hiost of
the snow fell below ;the summit.
: Half x an inch of snow f fell at
Silver Creek Falls 'Sunday, ac
cording to members of the state
police who made a trip there. This
was said to have been metre than
fell there all winter; ' -f -.
j SCIO. March 20,-Snow j imped
ed traffic on the South Santiam
highway Sunday, according to Mr.
and Mrs. John Merrit who made
a trip to Bend Saturday,! one of
the balmiest days since Septem
ber. They returned Sunday In the
snow! storm, twice as long was re
quired to make the return trip
and many stalled cars were
passed. - , j. -
- Dri X T. Hosch, Bend physician
and former member of the state
legislature, returned: home Sun
day after a visit to his farm here
and encountered many stalled
cars, according to word received
here.!- V :wf -;
Snell Receives Copies
Of Soldier Vote Bill
Governor Earl Snell Monday re
ceived copies of the soldiers'- vot
ing bill as finally approved by
congress. j I
The governor said he s would
confer with Attorney General
George Neuner and ask ior an
opinion as to the legality of the
proposed federal ballot jf ,
President Roosevelt recently
telegraphed Governor SneH, along
with all other governors, - asking
whether the ballot would be ac
ceptable to their states. Most of
the governors already have replied.-.
s r
; i , i . i
TOUNDDD J651 . . I. ' - '
Morning. March 21, .1944
Hit Jap Ships
Lt. .Henry Kortemeyer ef Salens,
j wha led a formation at Mitchells
In the attack an Japanese ships
I
If
j
la the four-day battle tke4.Eed otners to break tin an t.
wmm. - I
US Bombers
am
At Frankfurt
t a i. :'. . ' .
I By W. W. HERCHER
LONDON, March 20 -()
Fighter - escorted US Flying
Fortresses and Liberators, thun
dering through pea soup clouds,
bombed military targets in the
frankfurf area today in the maU
eration of a dav which
saw between 1 600 and "' 21 00
British-based allied planes1 of
all types in the air against the
Germans. - j
"The formation which made the
400-mile trip i to Frankfurt was
described in a US army communi
que as "medium sized." It con
sisted of between 250 to 500 bomb
ers escorted by even stronger forj-
mations of Thunderbolts, Light
nings and Mustangs of - the US
eighth and ninth air forces. j
; Six American bembers and;
eight fighters failed to return,!
the war bulletin said, while the
escorting fighters brought down!
four . of the German planes of)
- the few encountered In 1 the
dense clouds. j
The formation flew in weather
so bad that the crews of the bomb
ers sometimes could not see the
ships flying beside them. Driving
unerringly to the targets the bombf
ers again used instruments to drop
their loads through the clouds:
The Frankfurt radio " network
(Turn to Page 2 Story B)
Navy Reports
2 Ships Lost
WASHINGTON, March 20
The navy 1 today reported loss of
a 2000-ton submarine rescue ship,
the Macaw, and a 1300-ton dej
strbyer escort vessel, the Leopold,
first of its type to be sunk.
The; Macaw went down after
striking a coral reef in the Pacific
February 13, while the Leopold,
one of a huge fleet of escort ships
built to combat U-boats in the At
lantic and Mediterranean, sank in
the Atlantic March 10 as the rer
suit of an "underwater explosion,"
the) navy said,.- '
- Lt Cmdr. Paul W. Burton, of
Asbury Park, NJ, skipper of the
Macaw, was listed as missing; as
was Cmdr. - Kenneth Coy Phil
lips of Glenbrook, Conn skipper
of the Leopold. j
The navy didn't say how many
casualties resulted. - ;
Bank Avarded
Airport Bonds j
City of Salem airport refund
ing refunding bonds,' series 1944,
totaling $39,000 principle will go
to the First National bank of Port
land, which offered $100.01 for
each $100 worth, maturing reguf
larly semi-annually, those matur
ing from '45 to '43 draw IV pef
cent interest, .those from ; '50 to
5t, one per cent. The dty is to
provide records in evidence suffi
cient to meet requirements of le
gal counsel. There were three
bidders for the bonds,' which will
be Issued to recall two 1833 re
funding series drawing hiaher interest'
US Fliers
Sink Five
Jap Ships
Enemy Attempt
To Reinforce j ;
We wak Broken
By OLEN CLEMENTS
AN ADVANCED -NEW UI
NEA AIR BASE, Tues, Mar. 21
(P-" In one of the hottest sea
air fights since the battle of the
Bismarck sea a year ago, fast
American bombers sank at least
five Japanese ships and dam-
a. a. I ,1.. . ! .
tciui uy me enemy xo rein
force battered Wewak and grow
ing Hollandi farther up the New
Guinea north coast. 1 ,
' Fliers who participated la the
fevr-day rnnalng battle estimat
ed that seme 1500 Japanese were
killed er drewned. j
The battle began last Wednes
day night 00 miles northwest of
Hollandi and ended late Sunday
afternoon 40 miles off the! coast
of Wewak, which is 250 statute
miles southeast of Hollandi, as
the last battered Japanese, ship
went down before the hard jtlows
of 35 low-flying medium and light
bombers. , j
Fifth airforce fliers told of see
ing many Japanese swimming in
the water after the last ship sank.
The Japanese, some floating on
debris and others supported - by
cork life jackets. Tired at the
swooping Americans, with j their
pistols in one last desperate; ef
fort to avenge their losses. ;j i V -;
.The official version of the bat
tle claims that the following Ja
panese shipping was sunk: I j one
6000-ton freighter, one 4000-ton
(Turn to Page 2 Story C)
"v'.t"':; '.
Tito Forces
SlnyUOO
LONDON, March 0-;P)-Yugo-slav
partisans of Marshal! Tito
(Josip Broze) have slain more' than
1,700 Germans and Chetniks and
taken more than 700 prisoners in
recent heavy fighting, the fierc
est of which has raged for six days
in northwest Bosnia, a communi
que, announced tonight
The communique from the free
Yugoslav ! radio said the Germans
had launched a new offensive in
northwest Bosnia, but that an en
emy - drive in Srem had jbeen
"completely defeated and"! that
the J6th partisan division! had
been battling for nearly a week
against another attack in jSem
berija, Bosnia.
The enemy seized three towns
in this area, the bulletin said,; but
the partisans recaptured one of
these - Koraj and killed 250
enemy soldiers.
US World
Proposed
By JAMES I J. STRZBIG
Associated Preta AviaUoa Kditor)
WASHINGTON, March 20
Senator McCarran (D-Nev) j-pro-
posed today -that the United States
enter the international air trans
port field with a billion dollar
corporation open to participation
by all existing airlines. - i : -
McCarran embodied that Idea
in - legislation which would: ! re
write completely aviation law, es
tablish a civil aeronautics "author
ity to replace two present agen
cies, assure state control of intra
state flying and provide a so-called-bill
of rights" for private fliers.
-The proposal Jor a single Amer
ican flying company to carry! the
American flag abroad attracted
most attention, since Jt resembles
a ' plan ' which . Pan Ametican
Airways, Inc, Is understood to fa
vor and which is opposed by all
but one (United Air Lines) of the
present 'air carriers. The other
seventeen airlines haVe united in
an 'airlines committee for United
States air policy to oppose i Pan
American's views. ' i
; Briefly, McCarran's plan for a
cccpany ta t taowa M All
Price) 5c
u y Ea V
JFormeF
Resists Invasion
. t. . i , ' . . . , J l
In j S harp
Germans Prepare Last
Ditch Stand Against
OnrRushing Red Army
; By Richard R. Kasischke
LONDON, Tuesday, March 21 (AP) Sharp
fighting between Hungarian and German troop was
reported f today as dispatches from neutral European
capitals declared that naxi armed forces had occupied
Hungary j in preparation for a last ditch stand against
the on-rushing red army, j
Advices from Stockholm declared that Hungarian
leaders were attempting to rally nationwide resistance
agaist the Germans and the London Daily Mail said
Hungarian military authorities had broadcast this mes
sage via an unidentified radio station early this morn
ing: . - : . ; ; -:
"We have suffered our, first dead in the fight
against the invader, our former ally. The fight must
and will continue." .! '
O,
WLB Settles
Labor Dispute
At Starr Fruit
SEATTLE, March 20JP)Set
tlement of a dispute between
Starr' Fruit Products, inc, of Sa
lem, and the AFL Cannery Work
ers Federal Union local was an
nounced by the 12th regional war
labor board today.
The union's request for a closed
shop was denied, George B. No
ble, board Chairman, said, but a
wage adjustment was made retro
active to September 24, 1943.
Modified wage increases were
granted to j Reinholdt & Lewis
company employes of Salem, re
troactive to February 22," 1943.
Rates approved: bookkeeper and
stenographer $28 . ,to $31.50 per
week; shade manufacturer and in
staller, box? inspectors, stencilers
and packers, painter's helpers, 95
cents per hour; jig operators, riv
eters and" common laborers, 80
cents; sawyers and nailers,
$1.12 painters, $1.15; .foreman,
$1.25. ; .:
Curtin, Prime Minister .
Of Australia to Visit US
WASHINGTON, March 20 -P)
Diplomatic sources announced to
night that Prime Minister John
Curtin of ' Australia - would visit
the United States shortly at the
invitation ot President Roosevelt,
Air Transport
by Senator
American' Flag Lines is this: . -
A federally chartered corpora
tion with a working .capital of
more than $1,000,000,000; partici
pation to be open to all com
panies' presently certified by the
civil; aeronautics board except
those' in Alaska. "SiJ-' "-.-.y .-
Class A capital stock,; the vot
ing stock, would be issued in an
amount totaling $200,000,000 and
could be purchased only by air
lines, with a minimum purchase
Of $5,000,000 and a maximnrn 0f
$50,000,000. f, . ;
Class B stock, non-voting, would
be issued only in exchange for the
assets - of - class --A stockholders
which art Used in foreign ? air
transportation and which would be
useful to the all American flag
line. This provision would make
possible acquisition of equipment
from United States companies now
flying across the borders, such as
Pan American, American Export
Airlines, American Airlines and
United Airlines.
The corporation would operate
only outside of the continental
United States. Transfer of voting
(Turn to Ttz 2 Story C)
Weather
Monday maximum tem
perature 54, minimum IS.
Precipitation, a trace. River
J ft :l
Fair Taesday with heavy '
" frost or freezing tempera- '
tares early Taesday mora-.
lag; " Wednesday fair east ;
portion; Increasing eloodl-.
aeos west portion; alowlag -rising
daytime temperature.
No. 303
'Partner
The Brev-clad divisions jur
reported to have marched in late
Sunday night desptte Hungarian
opposition. . i va-i
! An Associated ' Press-'dispatch
from Ankarffaaid , a diplomat
there, who declined to be' named,
positively confirmed the German
occupation. ;
A Stockholm dispatch said Hun
garian Regent Nicholas Horthy,
Foreign Minister Jeno Von
Ghyczy, and the chief of the army
general staff, Gen. Granz Szom
bathelyi, apparently were Hitler's
prisoners in the reich.
The nazi troops were reported
to be meeting resistance from
Hungarian troops as they marched
in ;from old Austria on the north
and from Rumania on the south,
and a secret Hungarian radio sta-"
lion, presumably backed by Pre
mier Nicholas Kallay, was said to
have-begun urging people actively
to oppose the Germans.
i A Hungarian in Stockholm said
the three Hungarian leaders were
j (Turn to Page 2 Story E)
Pucheu.Gives
Own Execution
Fixing Order
By JOSEPH DYNAN
ALGIERS, March 20.-P)-De-
clining to be blindfolded and him
Fight
self shouting the command to fire, .
Pierre Pucheu, former Vichy in
terior minister, died .at dawn to
day, sentenced by a special French
military tribunal that found him .
guilty of treason. f 1 -
i A few hours later, a special tri
bunal condemned a young Tunis
Ian native to death for treason and
imposed, prison terms - on three
Other defendants All were former
members of the African phalange,
which recruited and . sent troops
jto the Russian front during Vichy
rule as members of an anti-bolshevik
legion.
; Pucheu, a prominent industrial
ist who was convicted for alleged
collaboration with the Germans,
had vehemently : told - the . court -that
condemning him would "plant
the first -stake in a civil war" in
France, and had shouted that "this
is not a ccfurt of justice; It is a
political COU0."; -;. -:;:-:-.Xr''f:'rr
Pucheu died on a barracks pa
rade ground soon after 4 a jn. His v
execution was witnessed, by a
representative of the court, two
attorneys and a chaplain whom
Pucheu thanked for their .aid, and
the special prosecutor, Gen, Pierr
Weiss, whom Pucheu cursed, oth
er : witnesses - said...-' -. J - .
; He was granted his request to
command the firing squad him
self. .He also asked that his body
be returned" to France after the.
nation's liberation. His widow and
four children are said to be un
der house arrest in Paris.
: Newspapermen were not noti
fied of the scheduled execution,
and no public notice of the exe-'
cuUon was published.
4i