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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1945)
nn nrrrn mm 1 (Story in Column 2) CRT 8CSE3DQB i ."Weather i I lu Franc lac J Ef cm .. i Salem 1 Portias f Seattle ; Oct II 111 '" -' - i : - ' ,.- " -t. -..-' " a '.' Max. Mia. j'Balra .57 JS I JM .45 tl I JN . zS trace U M trace .47 tl trace TO) COOS WiUMctt rtrcr S fC S . NEMETY-FOUHTH YEAR 10 PAGES Sot em, Onqoxi, Tuesday Moraine, February 20 1945 Prlcfi 5c No. 233 In his message to the legisla ture Governor Snell recommend ed that revenues from the liquor administration be covered directly nTr3 n ni l ! 7 mm J being transferred under legisla tive appropriation direct to the public ; welfare fund. A bill to cany i out - this recommendation was introduced, but at last report it was laid on table in committee, having failed to . receive enough support to bring it out on the floor for consideration. While there was a criss-cross of fears respecting public welfare fi nancing under such a change, act ually the "secret weapon" which has done much to stymie the bill is the liquor lobby. Liquor inter ests want the dog-tag of public welfare and old age pensions tied to liquor revenues in the belief that this gives them a potent ar gument in the event of some fu ture battle over prohibition. . The question should be settled from the standpoint of public fi quor control or prohibition is not involved. The public would be sensitive to the money argument .whether the revenues go into ine general fund or into the welfare ' fund. From the standpoint of pub lic finance and of policy the gov ernor's recommendation seems sound. The bill surely merits dis cuss ion on the floor The fears over the ..change are . rt nld. offa rtMV ions (who really sponsored the measure originally) have been warned that old age grants would - luuer by uic iiiaugc. vii uib vua- -a 1 1L -1 -41- et hand guardians of the treasury fear that if public welfare includ I ine old - ase assistance is taken ' over - - (Continued on Editorial Page) Superforts Bag In Tokyo Raid : U. S. PACIFIC "FLEET HEAD QUARTERS, Guam, Tuesday, : Feb. 20-P)-The biggest Super fortress raid of the war Monday on Tokyo resulted in the destruc tion or. damaging . of 66 enemy planes, bringing the total since the first B-29 attack on Honshu (To kyo's island) last Thanksgiving day to 732. Maj. Gen; Curtis Lemay, head ing the 21st bomber command," dis closed today that in Monday's big strike, delivered in support of the marine invasion of Iwo Jima, 750 miles south of Tokyo, the big bombers shot down 21 enemy fiehters. probably destroyed 20 nd damaged 25. Three B-29s were lost. The Superforts, which obtained food bombing results on targets which included the Makajima Mu aashina aircraft . factory, added their bag of 68 to the more than C50 enemy "planes destroyed or damaged by carrier planes which hit the Tokyo area Friday and Saturday. German . Prisoners Working in France; PARIS, Feb. 1 -JP)- France lias " put 48,000 German prisoners ef war to work helping to repair -he damage f war. " These prisohers were taken by the French First army. France hopes soon to have at her dis posal 80,000 additional prisoners taken by Americans.' " 66 Nip Planes Doubt Expressed Tltat Liquor Investigation Will Get Anywhere But Continuance Likely Br WeadU Webb Manatinf Editor, Tha Statesman The four republicans- and one ' democrat named to investigate Oregon's liquor j business might deny it, but there were indica tions ' from sources close to the , committee today that it would prefer now more than ever to call off the whole $25,000 probe. ' That preference if there is one nd If it was made vocal would . give plenty of ammunition to those - who purport i to see irregularities In the purchase of ,29,378 barrels : 6t Kentucky whisky for $3,225,000. For that reason it may never be expressed. And for that matter, there is no precedent for any rec mrbendation 'to cancel such probe, anyway, . ' But it is generally understood there was a feelinr mat the com mittee had . arrived no place : in three hearings; that a fourth audit f thi affair doesn't seem likely to uncover much, if anjrthing, that hasn't been covered by three pre vious ones; and that cries of white-wash" would not be much Late Night Life Hit By Order Byrnes5 'Request' Has Teeth; Will Conserve Fuel WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.-(JP)-A mdnight curfew was proclaimed today for night clubs, theatres, road houses, saloons and all other "places of entertainment" through out the nation. The action, taken by war mob ilzation director James F. Byrnes becomes effective February 28, and is expected to make New York's Broadway r and countless other amusement centers look like deserted villages after the stroke of twelve. Byrnes' mandate took the form of a "request" to operators of en tertainment places, from swank night spot to neighborhood movie, to have their patrons out and, the doors locked up by midnight Same As Law But Byrnes invoked manpower controls to make compliance, to all intents, obligatory. He said he weuld - ask the war manpower commission, to "deny ceilings to any places violating this request.' This would deprive such, estab lishments of employes. The war production-board, the office of ..defense , transportation and the office of price administra tion also were asked to aid the WMC as far as possible in enforc ing the "request." . Byrnes said his purpose "is pri marily to save coal consumed in heating and in providing electric ity. But it will also be helpful in ' the fields of transportation, manpower and in other ways." Places of entertainment were defined as all night clubs, sport arenas, theatres, dance halls, road houses, saloons, bars, "and other similar enterprises, whether pub lic or private, excluding restaur ants engaged exclusively in serv ing food." Closing at midnight means that patrons shall leave in time to permit full closing by that time, the Byrnes announcement said. "The war manpower commission will be requested to deny ceilings to any places violating this re quest," the statement said. Montgomery Tours His Fronton Jeep WITH BRITISH AND CANAD IAN TROOPS IN GERMANY, Feb. la-i-Field Marshal Mont gomery and Gen. H. D. G. Crerar of the Canadian First army toured the front in jeeps today as their forces were clearing Goch, most important road hub in this north ern -sector of the Rhineland. The field marshal and Crerar, who is commanding the northern offensive, waved nd smiled to the troops as they viewed the results of the 12-day old drive. The troops, morale high, responded loudly. louder now than later and at lessl cost. - - ..." s...; Yet, some feel there would alf ways be a doubt if the probe was-1 n't carried through. The auditing firm of Smith and Kimberling of Portland has been retained on a pay-by-the-day basis. Other audits were conducted by the Arthur Anderson and Lesher firms, in connection with the pur chase, and by Washington state. The latter, which came to light last October, caused such a furore it contributed to the overthrow of the administration in that state but it didn't show much beyond the contention that .Harry Collin of Toledo; O.who held options on the Waterfill & Frarier and Shaw rum distilleries and with whom the states dealt in the Joint pur chase, profited by around $900,000. Testimony of witnesses in Ore gon thus far liquor commission ers Hugh . Kirkpatrick, Paul Crooks and George P. LiDey and Administrator T. ? Ray Conway has been to the effect that Oregon needed the liquor to thwart black markets and meet a legal demand; LJUJ Political Qash Threatens iQong! Sessipn; By Jab at Civilian Life Is S pTough Agrees War jVejt From Kansas; PORTLAND, Feb. l-m-Cm- Ian life is tough- agrees Gordon Keith Anderson, 23, Sunflower, Kanl overseas war veteran who Was burned while helping to res cue persons from the Tacoma ; ho tel in last Saturday's fire. Enroute home,1 Anderson got; off a bus here this )norning and Was slugged, robbed of $40 and badly ut on the wristsLl While a nurse 1 sewed up fhis wounds, he told police "I'm plumb tired out." He telegraphed to his family to get bus fare home to Kansas. ' Yank Mortars arms a Of Intramuros MANILA, Tuesday, Feb. 20-Hfl3) Manila's Fort William McKinley was! seized Sunday as heavy mor tars began tearing apart the outer walls of the Intramuros where; the cornered Japanese defense garri son is holed up for a bloody final stanL.'. . !)! ' - .1 Some of the 7000 civilians held as hostages within the ancient In tramuros (walled city) may have reached freedom already. At least a few were reported to have' fil tered to the waterfront and es caped in small boats. Japanese fire; from the walls is still heavy, however. ; I Mortars were taken across, the Pasig river on pontoon bridges and put to work tearing chunks out of the thick outer .wall oi the intra muros so tanks and infantry can move in. ! s Three days ago, the Japanese commander was asked to liberate the civilians within the walled cityij No formal answer has! yet been received, ijf Fort McKinley, at the southern outskirts of Manila, was entered by llth airborne and first cavalry spearheads. Other Yanks, swarm ing lover Corregidor, mopped, up the ! Japanese defenders and pur sued enemy remnants on Bataan. Morse in Top Spot WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.-ff)-Senator Morse ! (R-Ore) presided over the senate during part of to day's session at the invitation of Vice President Harry Trumaft. It was the first time Morse had oc cupied the chair. ' I British Children Return TrNTOW Fib; 19-jlPV-AnnroT imately 700 children have retuVn ed ito England ' from America, where they went when England wan under attack in 1940. i 5 e that the state -would profit to the extent of $4,500,000, and that if anyone got any , extra money it wasn't,anyone connected witty this state.. . r; iU -:y:iT: The witnesses also have testified that the Office iof Price Adminis tration, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and members of the state board of control were fully in on the transaction, s . The investigation was asked by Gov. Earl Snell in his biennial message because, he said,! com ments regarding . the : Kentucky purchase reflected on men of In tegrity and should not go unchal lenged. , -; il - '- The legislative action authoriz ing the probe also was permissive in r regard to ' transactions other than, the Kentucky deal, but there was no indication yet that the com mittee intended to widen its scope to that extent ; r The- committee - includes t Sen. Paul Patterson and Angus Gibson and; Reps. Henry Semon, Ralph Moore and Harvey Wells. All bu Semon are republicans. mi Walls ie Demos Ired Portland Clerk Bill for Registrar Is j Passed ; Firemen's Pension Approved :The 43rd legislature was well on the way to a record-length ses sion today - unless Rep. James Gleason of Portland rescinds from his expressed determination' to ask that every bill from 1 to SO pages, be read in' full when it comes up for final passage. j Gleason's ire was aroused Mon day when the republican-dominated house voted 40 to 18 (detailed vote $ on page 10) to create a new appointive office of registrar of elections in Portland and take away the election authority now held by County Clerk Al Brown, democrat, of Multnomah county. Asks "Call of noose" j ,i Other tactics, also apparently retalitory, included action by Rep. Jack! Bain of Portland, democrat, in demanding repeated "calls of the house" -thus delaying final votes on bills until absent mem bers are rounded up or the "calf is rescinded by majority voteT Hie delays left the house' far from' finishing its Monday calen dar. : " j . ' ' ". : ' J The. clash was precipitated on measure calling . for appoint- of elections by three Multnomah county commissioners, by Donald R. Van Boskirk, Multnomah coun ty republican chairman and signed by the republican members of OSS Multnomah legislative delegation. ! Democrat'-Opponents failed, top, to eliminate the emergency clause Which would place the measure in immediate' effect and thwart ef forts at a referendum vote. (Regis tered democrats outnumbered re publicans in Multnomah county bjr fl,000). j'. I Most vociferous opponent was Rep, Warren Erwin, Multnomah democrat, who mentioned "politi cal machinations, chincanery and manipulation," spoke of "shocking conditions . j. . due to one-party Control," and likened'the Portland republican group to such demo cratic organizations as the Tom Pendergast machine of Kansas City and the; Keiley-Nash tribe of Chicago. He called Brown an "efficient county officer ... not k politician. J - Will Fight In Senate Multnomah democrats indicated they would continue in the senate their fight to eliminate the emer gency clause, even though the sen ate also is predominately repub lican, 1 A; motion to re-refer the meas ure; to committee for removal of the clause, failed 40 to 18. Monday's session in the house also brought the 27 to 21 passage ox the oft-entered firemen's pen sion bill which now foes to the senate. I - (Legislative news page 10). Boomerang Rocket Bomb Heads Back Toward Germany AN EIGHTH AIR FORCE BOMBER ' STATION, v England, Feb. 18 -()- A boomerang Y-2 rocket bomb startled Eighth air force airmen over Holland today. ! Members of a large formation of Fortresses saw the rocket spiral upward, then' head back toward Germany. i i 'V "At first we cpuldn't believe ft." said Capt Frank Emory, Mount yernon. Wash, v "The rocket shot up, then slowly curved in the op posite direction." Sgt. Wayne J. Seifer j Killed in Germany The name of. SSgt Wayne 3. Seifer, son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Seifer, Gervais, was included ! in a list of Oregon men killed in ac tion In, the European war theatre Just released.-, . . -- j Sergeant ; Seifer was killed 1 la action in Germany, December 13. his parents have been notified ;by the war department ' ; ; 1 Qoudy . j- today with intermittent light rain showers in the mid-Willamette valley area) predicts U. S. ; weather bureau, McNary field, Salem. . Key stone Third Expands Assault Tines, Takes 7 Towns ' -.' : I -- ! - By AnsUa Bealmear PARIS, Feb. 19 -()- Scottish troops and tanks virtually cleared the Siegfried line keystone of Goch tonight, and ' east of that town 14,000 .other forces battled south a mile and a half in a drive threatening? the rear of the wav eringfenemy defenses of the Ruhr 5 'i basin. ... . ; iln the center of the western front the TJ. S. Third army ex panded its; assault lines in the Eifel mountains to 55 miles, en gulfed seven more German towns and hacked clear through the three-mile deep Siegfried line Ion a seven-mile sector south of the Rhennish Prussian gate at Bit burg.. i , I . - I . One division went over to the attack farther south in the Mo selle valley and ! gained a mile to a point.' near Muzingen, five miles inside the reich. f The U.- $. Seventh army cap- p" as it fought back into Germany's Saar basin six miles southeast of the prov ince's capital of Saarebryeckenj in t limited attack. The Roer river on the u.a First -and Ninth army fronts In the area of Aachen was dropping slowly, ; The reservoirs - upstream feeding the flood were expected to be drained within several days, and the river above the reservoirs also was receding as the effect of recent thaws .waned. Rumors Insist Nazis Pulling Out of Italy ROME, Feb. 19HP)-Tresh re ports that German forces already have begun . withdrawing from northern Italy came from the Swiss-Italian frontier tonight, but the allied i command maintained silence on the subject l From Chiasso, Swiss border town, came word that fascists; in northern Italy frantically were seeking means '. of assuring their own safety as nazi troops began filtering northward. Previously there had been reports that Ger man units from Italy already were in action oh the Russian front, i The newspaper Der Bund I of Bern, Switzerland, said Hitler or dered the I evacuation begun last week and that four divisions al ready were inovmf through the Brenner Pass and toward Gratin Austria. . . $i;000&00Fi4e Slrilces Joliet JOUET, 111 Feb. 20-(ff)-Flre, driven by a strong southwest wind, 'destroyed; 10 buildings and was-spreading toother structures in the Industrial area early today. There were .' no . early 1 reports; . of deaths or injuries. , rf .-- Chief Roy Mygren of the Joliet department said the blaze started in a sample room of the Ruberoid company, roofing manufacturers. Unofficial I estimates placed dam age in excess of $1,000,000. i ' Equipment was summoned from the neighboring El wood ordnance plant, E. Joliet, and Lockportl Texas Bill Would End Qosed-ShoTj . AUSTIN, Tex Feb. lt.-ifl-The house of representatives state Uf fairs committee favorably report ed tonight a bill outlawing closed shops in Texas.. It was approved by a voice vote. -i.c- u " j S The motion to table the motto by which the bill was reported Was lost by a Vote of five to twelve By Rep. Marshall O. Bell, of San Antonio, and C E. Nicholson of Port Arthur, the bill makes it un lawful fof an employer to dis criminate ? against worker i for reason of membership or non membership ia labor uxdonJ Of Goch Cleared Marines Land f (TATUTf MM IWO JIMA $ ZKortgohi ; WRAIWA A fS Komo Rodt T08IISHI tubKhi, POINT Shaded area indicated beachhead I ading Iwe Jima, Japanese . base 75t miles sooth ef Tokyo. The Americans had reached the southern endf an air field. and had penetrated the air field's eastern Reds Capture Vistula River . .. - X i " i y , . . I Fortress Town of N owe; Germans LONDON, Tuesday, Feb up to six miles, yesterday captured the Polish Vistula river fortf ress town of Nowe (Nuenburg); Berlin said that other Soviet forces temporarily had. captured Guben, key road hub 51 'miles An early morning Soviet Nazis Boast ! Of New Sub, j Air Weapon LONDON, Feb. 19--German broadcasts boasted today of al leged successes for the new, mid get U-boats and hinted at a new secret air. weapon possibly to district home attention from mili tary setbacks. C . ' Moscow radio and other conti nental sources reported disorders in bomb-blackened Dresden and Saxony towns imperilled by the soviet offensive. Public demonstrations occurred in Dresden, Chemnitz and other towns against the dispatch of volkssturm men to fight In Sile sia, a Moscow broadcast said, and an ti -nazi slogans have appeared on walls In Dresden calling tor "an end of Hitler and this war.'? Slav Leaders Return I LONDON, : Feb. U The Moscow, radio, quoting a delayed dispatch of the official soviet news agency, Tass, said tonight that Premier Ivan Subasic and other members of the Yugoslav government have arrived In Bel grade from London. - . Resolution to Sm SewerVoted Dotcn The Salem city ' council b a vote of sevens to five. last night refused to adopt a resolution di- reeling tne severing oi me &xnc Oak Village sewer line from the city sewer and Ire-referred it, to the sewer committee directing that a. public hearing be held; I The plight r of ;Rosedale ; resi dents, within the city limits. Where basements are repeatedly flooded, while the "city attempts to I take care of Lone Oak . Village outside the city limits, was stressed by councilman favoring adoption of the resolutionr I :- - :j v, i ?, Other ' councilmen . urged less haste, in which they were aup ported by -Rich Reimann and sev eral other property owners in the Lone Oak Village, Reimann inti mated that property owners land the corporation would resort to the courts relying on the contract with the city. Alderman David O'Hara said "We are Just going to try; it may be we are stuck for . Oregon Motor Stages were giv onrlivo Jima KIT A HO POINT TACHIWA POINT E3 wo by United States narines m defeases. AF wlrephote map) J0 - (P) - Russian troops, advancing 47 miles south of Danzig, while southeast of the reich capital. bulletin said 1500 enemy troops also were slam as they tried to break out of encircled Grudziadz, 10; miles south of Nowe. . Enemy broadcasts said Nazi i - i counterattacks later expelled the Russians from Guben and also re captured the strongholds of Som merfeld, Sorau and Sagan, on a 35-mile front southeast of Guben. Moscow's communique did not mention that vital sector, where the First White Russian and First Ukraine armies under Marshals G. Zhukov and Ivan Konev were trying to weld their flanks secure ly in preparation for an all-out blow toward Berlin. ' ' v f Berlin said that while Kohev's troops were fighting their way abreast of Zhukov's men along the Oder bend southeast of the capi tal, Zhukov was pouring 'masses of, men" into the Berlin front, get ting ready to launch a heavy blow from his .bridgeheads across the Oder between Kuestrin and Fuer stenberg. fThe storm will break very soon, one German broadcast said. Enemy broadcasts also said that Marshal . Konev'i southern wing had penetrated the area - of Lau ban, west bank Quels river town 12 miles east of Silesia's second city of Goerlitz, which is on the road to Dresden and IS miles from the Saxony frontier where it Joins the Bohemian border of Czecho slovakia. en 60 days to find another park ing place for their buses now kept on the streets near Marion square, and a similar time to move their garage, when the council adopted $ j report of the public ' utilities committee. Objection of residents to noise from the all night ga rage operators was the basis of the report .. jA representative of the stages company said it would "be diffi cult to find another parking place in the allotted time and that if they must move' the garage they would not be able to refuel their buses In town, from 12:15 -un. to 6:15 ajiu Lawrence r N Brown, city attorney,, asked for an inter pretation of the ordinance under which it was adopted, said there could be no objection to putting gasoline in the buses. Making, re pairs at night bad brought ob jections from the neighbors, who said noises were offensive and continuous. . - . j - (More on page 2) ... I - . ' ! :; i JP --I-: Counter Attaching byCouncil Nips Offer Savage Defense Tokyo Concedes 20,000 Yankees Already Ashore By Elmont Waite US PACIFIC FLEET HEAD QUARTERS, Guam,. Tuesday, Feb. 20.HE-Thousands of fma rines of M a J. Gen. Harry Schmidt's Fifth marine corps "are taking Iwo island," A dm. Chester1 W. Nimitz said with conviction today, although front line reports made clear the battle is fierce and is costing considerable lives. - Tokyo radiotonceded that: 20, 000 marines already have been put ashore and said "the enemy is constantly bringing up rein forcements and landing them," Nimitz, whose last communique said the leathernecks had carved out a beachhead 4,500 yards long and 500 yards deep on the south east coast in a drive which! has reached one - airfield,- expressed confidence in the success of th operation in a message to the- fleet f Ntmlts Confident ' lie said in his message that th same skill, courage and teamwork displayed by carrier pilots I over Tokyo "are now being displayed by. forces which are taking Iwo island only. 660 (nautical) miles) l from i Tokyo." I The statute rail distance is. 750. . f , .' i . Broadcasts ' today from Guana all agreed a costly and : savag battle is raging on the tiny island ! In the volcano group. . I Nimitz' message to the fleet said . display of the same qualities iiow j bearing fruit in the current bper- ations "will bring success When our troops land in Japan itself. ) The marines landed Monday morning. , In a broadcast two hours j later from the bridge of Vice Adm, . Richmond Kelly Turner's flagship, Don Pryor, representing the com bined networks, said there! had been a continuous "vast display of fireworks." I ; I 1 to him "like a garbage scow - W serviceable but without charm."! ( He said the marines had to drive up straight rocky hillsides to reach a plateau "and the' Japa are showing that they won't let go without a bloody fight" Welders Vote To Keep Idle! p ; SEATTLE, Feb. 19 -fJP)- $trik- ing welders at the Todd Pacifia shipyards here, after a weekend of conflicting orders in which they were ordered fint to return to work and then . to remain oa , strike, voted tonight to continue their walkout j The vote announced by the Se- ' attle local 9f the United Brother hood of ' Welders,' Cutters; and Helpers was 173 to 89. ' ( Early today the strikers,! who have been out in a jurisdictional riienut with K ATT. XJJA--. -' union since February 9. establi&h. 1 ed picket' lines at the two Todd Pacific 'yards for the first tune. ' i The pickets did not attempt. going to work and tonight ' the yard management announced that a total of 419 welders had return ed to work from the 100(1 who went on strike. . Japs Preparing To Stop Invasion CHUNGKING, Feb. 19 -ff) Gen. Ho Yin Chin, Chinese chief of staf estimates the Japanese have thrown up 50 divisions, or two-fifths of their army on the Chinese mainland, Into efforts to prevent any American landing oa the Chinese coast, a the - Central News agency said today, j ' : Ho, commanding the new Chin ese' field headquarters at! Kun ming, ; said .. this did not ; include the Kwantung army of 22 divi sions stationed in Manchuria, and . said" "we are making new dispo sition of troops and planning an effective offensive to collaborate with allied movements - toward victory." . ; . , : "