i -
nrrp I s efCH if ff Nothing to Say
State employes around the re
tirement age of 65 are regarding
the new system of retirement an
nuities with mingled, feelings.
Some who are ready to quit are
happy at the prospect of receiv
ing a monthly check, although the
date when payments under the
act will begin is still indefinite.
(The law makes the effective date :
July 1, 1947 or the legal termina
tion of the war, whichever is
later). Others who are not ready
to retire iew with apprehension
the time when they must.
The system however is one
which when it gets to working
will be beneficent to employes
and satisfactory to the state as
employer.
Most retirement systems set 65
as the age for retirement, though
tome set 60 for women. In the
case of persons in particular occu- up 0f President Truman's decon
pations, like firemen, the age is trol program.
usually 60 or 55. Thus we look
forward to a dav when most of
the people past 65 will be pen
sioners. Part of the retirement annuity
DhilosoDhy perhaps carries the
, thought of having older people
vacate Jobs in order to give em
ployment to young men and
women. This grows out of the
experience 01 aepression aajs
when many were unemployed. I
believe it is quite probable how
ever that this idea will play us
false, because of the changing
age pattern of our people.
In a recent statement Dr. Louis
I. Dublin, statistician of the Met
ropolitan Life Insurance co. said
that careful forecasts indicated
that hy 1960 nearly one-third of
our population will he 43 years 01
age or older, and that by the end
of the century two-fifths of our
population will
(Continued on editorial page)
Churches Plan
Services over
Yule Holiday
Several Salem churches will hold
Christmas eve services tonight and
many services will be held
throughout the city on Christmas
day.
St. Paul's Episcopal church will
have 11 p m. Christmas eye serv
ices with a 20-vo4cevhor partici
pating and a candlelight service
will-.be held by the First Metho
dist church "at the same time.
A solemn high mass will be held
at St. Vincent's Catholic church
at 6:30 a.m. Christmas day and
masses will be at 8, 9, 10 and 11
at St. Joseph's Catholic church
will have masses at 8, 9 and 10:30
a.m. Wednesday.
Among churches planning spe
cial Christmas observances are '
the Central Lutheran church, w ith 1
' r -
an an 11 a. m. Christmas day cnarges. rceniai projects must De
serice: the Calvary Chapel Full heM 30 das for veterans.
Gospel church, with an 8 p. m. Under the new program, non
Chnstmas eve program: Christ veterans may obtain permits to
Lutheran, with a 7:30 d. m. ! build homes for their own occu-
-i : . . i i r 1
v iii i . 1 1 1 ii cc ciou ct i . in. ;
Christmas day service: St. John's '
Lutheran, with Christmas day
services at 9:30 a. m. and 10:45
a. m.
Christmas will be the main
theme of many other regular
Wednesday night prayer meetings
held in Salem churches.
61 Injured as
Trains Collide
ORTONVILLE, Minn., Dec. 23-(jP)-Sixty-one
Christmas travelers
were injured, 1 1 of them seriously
enough to require hospital treat
ment, in the collision tonight of the
Milwaukee road's eastbound coast j
train, the Olympian, and a freight j
train a mile east of Waubay, S.D.
F. R. Dowd, div ision superinten- I
dent for the road at Aberdeen, S. I
D.. said the two trains came to-
gerner on ine mainline wnen tne
freight overshot a siding. Both
locomotives, a baggage car and
four freight cars left the rails, he
said.
Animal Crackers
-By WARREN GOODRICH
"Frankly, dearie, I wmddn't
trust that waxed mtutache,"
NINETY-SIXTH YEAH 10 PAGES Salerm, Oregon, Tuesday Morning. DKtmbM 24. IS45 Price 5c No. 231 ' lXiOi 1
; : UkT A:
Rent Unit
Finances
Loosened
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23-t;P)-The
federal housing agency an
nounced tonight liberalized financ
ing for builders of rental housing
simultaneously with the removal
of a number of controls over the
housing industry.
The action was one of a series
1 in wnich government agencies
scrapped a series of industrial
controls in a pre-holiday speed
Charges Reduced
In liberalizing rental housing
monthly carrying charges on FHA
insured mortgages, which had the
effect of extending the average
maturity for such mortgages from
27 years and 7 months tow 32 years
and 7 months- on the ba.MS of a 4
per cent interest rate. The reduc
tion was made by lowering the 2
per cent initial minimum principal
payrnent to lper cent, with
subsequent principal payments re
duced accordingly.
The agency said too that it
would provide a means for ad
justing its insurance commitments
to meet fluctuating construction
costs and was studying means to
protect builders against decreased
: earnings after the current housing
shortage is relieved,
j Al N conference
Revision of housing controls
was announced earlier at a joint
news conference by Federal Hous
ing Expediter Frank R. Creedon
and National Housing Adminis
trator Raymond M. Foley.
Removed were the old cost ceil
ing of $10,000 on houses built for
sale and a ceiling price require
ment. These conditions will be at
tached to the granting of a house
building permit under the new
system:
The dwelling must be suitable
and intended for year round oc
cupancy. The total floor area must
be limited to 1500 square feet,
which officials said was sufficient
for an ordinary three-bed room '
house. 1
Only the number of fixtures
normally used in equipping one
bathroom may be installed
Builders of dwellings for sale
to veterans are required to hold
them for veterans for 60 days
after completion.
Rent Oiling Due
Rental properties must be sub
mitted to FHA for establishment
of a rent ceiling based on cost.
Instead of a flat ceiling of $80 per
month, the average for an entire !
; a l tj a oo : a i
P'"-"11 1 15 "t,u Per
P'us 3 per room in service !
nanev anrl for rnntrurtinn unrier
. . ,
some oiner circumstances.
Driver Held in
Hit-Run Cases
State police at Albany are
holding Ivan Clark of Parkdale.
who allegedly was driver of a
hit-run car involved in accidents
at Salem and Albany last night.
Clark's license number was ob
tained by a witness at the scene
at Hoyt and South Twelfth sts...
in Salem, where a car operated
UJ A UllJ UdUCI JL V 13 Id tfVC. W aid
struck by a hit-run car, the Sa
lem state police office reported
The number was broadcast and
Clark was picked up in Albany
shortly after the second accident.
IWlll ta (OI(I iNlsIlt
. 401 C 1 V. Ut I UUUUIUdll, 4- T 4-iKTC:
ror ailta IJaUS in Salem reported to 'police at about mid-
j night that the glove compartment
A 25 degree low temperature of his car had been smashed, but
is predicted for tonight by Mc- that he did not notice anything
Nary field weather station. Low- missing. Two flashlights, a earn
est low temperature of the month, j era and a deck of cards were
this would make for Christmas found in the boys' possession
eve several degrees colder than j when they were arrested. The
last, which was rainy, expei ienc-: youthful pair is being held in jail
ing .41 inch of precipitation. j pending further investigation.
Vancouver Youth Charged with
Murdering 17-Year-01d Girl
VANCOUVER, Wash., Dec. 23
iA)-A 16-year-old high school
athlete was charged with first de
gree murder today in the stabbing
of a girl when she resisted his
advances.
He was Joseph Henry Maish, a
high school sophomore who had
never been in trouble before. Su
perior Judge Charles W. Hall re
manded him to criminal court and
the murder charge was filed at i
once.
D. M. Gilpin, Clark county chief
probation officer, said the boy.
son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred F.
Maish. admitted knifing La Dona
Toscas, 17, .Saturday night in the
Eight Women, Three
List of
Salem's r Courteous Driver'
"
Mrs. Frank: A. Waldorf. 115 Lee st Is shown receiving the major
grand prize a 17-jewel wristwateh at the conclusion of The
Oregon Statesman-Warner Brothers Courtesy Driving campaign.
Presenting the award is Secretary of State Robert S. Farrell. Jr..
head of Oregon's traffic safety division. Between " them is the
camellia given Mrs. Waldorf for winning first in one of the It
daily campaigns. ( Photo by Don Dill. Statesman Staff photographer)
Amnesty Board
TnR JI Q
1U11CV1CU tJo Ui
Conchie Cases
WASHINGTON. Dec 23 -A
In a pre-Christmas move toward
possible clemency for some per
sons convicted of violating the
draft act. President Truman to-
1 Hav wt nn a thw-mpmhpr anl-
rf tn review all such i
nnrL ir-ticn
. .
In recent weeks demonstrators.!
some of 1hern clad sumbolicaIly I
in prison stripes, have been parad
ing before the White House de
manding release of "conscientious
obiectors still in U. S. prisons."
The While House emphasired
n o w e e r
that conscientious ob
jectors comprise only a small pro
portion of the 11.000 cases which
the new board, headed by Former
Supreme Court Justice Owen J
Roberts, will review. The board
i was directed to recommend ex -'
ecutive clemency in "deserving"
cases.
Cars Prowled
By Loeal Boys
Two 15-year-old Salem boys
admitted KUHt of 12 to 14 car
v 8ll cprnmitted within a
few hours last night, on a trip
from Paulas Bros, cannery to
Parrish junior high school, city
police report.
Arrested at about 11 o'clock
last night, none of the boys' acts
were reported by the victims un
til an hour after their arrest, po
lice said.
kitchen of the house where she
roomed.
Gilpin said the boy ran to the 1
police station to give himself up ; sweeping post-war reorganiza
and told this story: j tion of the Soviet Union's eco-
He called at the home of Pete , nomic planning system involving
Tamia,' where the girl roomed, to i more planning powers for L'.di
see a friend, Ted Tamis. The girl ' vidual ministries,
was alone, practicing on a type- Under the new decree, which
writer. He left, then returned via relaxes the strict centralization
the kitchen door. When the girl of riming activity prevailing
resisted him, he picked up a 12- ! here luring the war, individual
inch Das try knife and stabbed ! ministries will submit economic
inch
her five times. i
The girl, - who came here two , rather than quarterly and will
weeks ago from San Francisco to have new authority to modify
be near her father, a cafe chef, j production assignments to enter
ran next door, where she died in ' prises under their control within
the arms of Mrs. Cecil Beedie. 'limits aa circumstances require.
Grand Prize Winnersrrli r?;cc
Polite Driver
r Just Tries to
Obey the Law9
Mrs Frank A
Waldorf of 1150
Lee st . Salem, winner of the
major grand prize in The Oregon
Statesman - Warner Brothers
Courtesy Driving campaign,
thought "that certainly is a srand
surprise.-' when informed by The
Statesman of the judges' action
"But I didn't know I was be-
ing extraordinarily courteous; I
just try to arive as xne law savs.
Mrs. Waldorf, who lived in
Woodburn many years, was
awarded a 17-jewel wristwateh
on the basis of a courtesy record
listed elsewhere in The States
man today. She is the wife of
Frank A. Waldorf, locomotive en
gineer for the Southern Pacific
who operates the dayligKTVciiesel
yard engine in Salem. She com
mented last night that perhaps
one reason for her careful driving
rests with the fact her husbd
for years has mentioned the court
esy which he said the S. P. has
I stressed in its campaign to be
"the friendly line."
Mrs. Waldorf has driven for
nearly 24 years with one minor
accident which her husband says
; "certainly was not her fault."
Waldorf also commented that
; "she's a better driver than I am."
Mails Getting
Back to Normal
B. Daugherty, superintend-
E. B. Daugherty, superintend
ent of mails at the city post of
fice, announced last night that :
mails were gradurlly sliding back) The Oregon Statesman-Warner
to a normal flow with a cancella- ; Brouiers campaign held the en
tion yesterday of 77.000. dorsement of high state and city
He also indicated that most I officials from its inception, and is
Christmas cards delivered from credited with markedly improv-
ii.. w u,i wuum w mow irom.mg traffic conditions
w horn you didn't expect to re- streets.
CCI e n I
No deliveries, except specials.
will be made from the office on ;
Lnrisimas nay tnougn mail will
be received, as usual, up till 6
p.m. tonight. First class Christ
mas cards that are incorrectly
addressed are being given direc
tory service. Daugherty said.
Soviet to Expand
Planning Bureaus
MOSCOW, Dec. 23-OPH
The
Soviet government decreed today
plans to the government annual! ly
rJ3enn on
Traffic Experts
Judge Tops in
Driving Courtesy
Eight women ar.d three
were announced today as
men
wm-
ners of the grand prizes in The
Oregon Statesman-Warner Broth
ers Courtesy Driving campaign,
with Mrs. Frank A. Waldorf of
..p - ..., WVVm in 1
Usl-
Most of the 11 grand award!
went 1o the drivers who placed
first in the daily campaigns. !
Records of the entire 100 daily
winners were thrpwn into the !
pool for the grand prizes, how- ,
ever, and in re-evaluating their
good deeds the campaign's judges
traffic experts from the office
of the secretary of state found
T -4 C -1 : 4U I
some of the second-place daily
winners also entitled to sharein
the grand awards.
The grand prizes went to driv
ers from Salem, Turner, Perry -dale
and Detroit.
Merchant Donations
The cooperative effort toward
driver-consciousness was made billions of yen. The ministry pro
possible through Salem merchants' ceeded slowly with its estimates,
donations of prizes valued in ex- Relief on Way
cess of $1000, and was designed Relief trains speeded through
to reduce the expectable pre-hol- '' the choked railway system, c.irry
iday accidents .and make traffic ing supplies to the 24 prefectures
in Salem more pleasurable. out of Japan's 47 which felt the
In addition to Mrs. Waldorf, "Hock of Saturday's gigantic earth
woo w. aw-aiueci ine major
grand prize a 17-jewel Harvel
wristwateh from Slevens & Scm
the 10 grand prize winners were
announced as follows (all prizes
who was awarded the major
are available at The Statesman):
First: Mary Jane Weinberg,
5TSI-. V f -1, r, i , , 1 Col-m n-norol
tire and tube," State Tire Service.
ie
m
Second: E. J. Seharf, Perryda!
(Dishes, service for 8, Salem
Hardware.)
Third: Mrs. Albert Switser. 3845
Silverton road, Salem. (Sandwich
grill and fly rod. Sears Roebuck.)
Fourth: Mrs. Harold F. Chris
tiansen, route 2, box 110, Turner.
( Permanent wave. Larsen's Beautv
Studio.)
Fifth: Dora H. Burrough. 2395
N. Front. Salem. (Pendleton robe,
B.shop's Clothing.)
a t .
tliill. 1 1 d . v la I r n . rx-, a.wjj
S. c
suitta
Se
S. 23
Elfst
Eighth
Serv
room heater. McKay Chevrolet. )
Ninth: James Brandt, route 6
box 431. Salem. (Table lamp
Court Street Radio.)
Tenth: Mrs. M
I Dnnkn
. iJUUKI J 1 1 . "A"
ommercial. Salem. (Airplane junction granted just before Lewis 1 r . . ' ' , ' '
ase. Miller Mercantile.) i called off the walk-out. T? : were mart ud in the fall of
venth: Mrs J. H. Hann. 196! Still before the high court is ' 'r'''K', , U 1
rd st. Salem. (Table lamp. 1 the appeal ot Lewis and his United V . '
rom s ) I Mine Workers against convictions i i: i..ir uhim-.
' . fV O C lilt VSAOC I AC I i A ul Bv-n n
: R. E. Vincent. Dool.ttle ! and M. 510.000 in fines for viola-To ' w' " "
ice station. Salem. (Electric . tions of the preliminary restrain- ' ...
troit. (Andirons, Doughton Hard- ' that rederal Judge T. Alan Golds
ware.) borough was within his rights in
(A recapitulation of the win-' issuing his restraining order.
ners courtesy-records is on page
4, as is the list of new claimants
" I
to the daily awards and the ca
license numbers of drivers whose
prizes still await them at The i
Statesman office).
All winners Hoth diilv and
a io ;,i ..rar4ii. I
rm,rtv- cV,nU.i .hirlUl1h the crucial first 24 hours of
. . ... . : f4.. j i
o'liiiiuuiiuii i" ii diiiL aiei, aim
all are entitled to certificates for
1,1,1 '
an 8 by 10 browntone photograph
at Bishop-Moderne.
In addition to the merchants
noil i vr i a utniui ? v-'i 1 1 1 tt diia
awards, those who gave valued
prizes in the daily campaign were
F. A. Doerfler 8c Son (first prize,
camellia). Army and Navy store
(second, three pairs nylons). Gen
eral Petroleum (third, 10 gals,
gasoline, oil change, lubrication),
J. C. Penney Co. (fourth, um
brella), Hamilton Furnituref fifth,
car vacuum), Heider Radio (six
th, album of records), Yeater Ap
pliance (seventh, flashlight), The
Pike (eighth, half gallon ice
cream), Elsinore theatre (ninth.
and tenth, two theatre tickets).
r.iinrH Fndarmnt
Salem I
Official observers have express-
ed regret that "we just couldn't
be everywhere at once." because
correspondence to The Statesman
has indicated many good deeds
went unheralded. Judges who
still prefer to remain anonymous
commented that "it was real
pleasure to read the kind of re
ports from which we had to
choose winners."
City police offered the only
solace to men for the 8 to 3 ra- i
tio against them in the list of
winners the police said at least
it could be said there were more
women than men driving Salem
streets during the shopping hours
when observers in the courtesy
campaign were on duty.
Weather
Mx.
. JS
... 43
Kin.
2S
2S
Precip
saleai
Portland
.00
trace
0
M
San Francisco 64 40
Chicago - 41
New York 43 35
Willamette river: SI feet.
FORECAST (from U S. weather bu
reau. McNary field. Salem I : Partly
cloudy today with some clearing In
afternoon arid night Fog In morning,
lifting la early afternoon. Highest
temperature 43. Low SS
NipOuake
M. V-F M M. JIllOVO
To 1,088
TOKYO, Tuesday. Dec. 24. (vV
The official cafualty toll for Ja
pan's great earthquake and tidal
wave disaster reached 2,395 to-
night including at least 1,088
dead as all agencies strove to get
quick aid to nearly 300.000 home
less in bitter winter weather.
The official figures came from
the home ministry, which said 1
1.088 were dead, 165 were missing. I
and 1.142 were injured by its last'
compilation made at 1 1 o'clock last j
night. It placed the number of I
homeless at 94,669.
Kydo High 1,125
Kyodo news agency previously
had listed the dead at the even
higher figure of 1,125. and its
total of injured closely tallied with
that of the ministry's, although its ,
figure of 104 mis.Mng was lower.
Supreme headquarters' health
and welfare section in its inde
pendent survey put the casualty
total at 2.051982 dead, 266 miss
ing and 803 injured.
It was believed that the prop-
i ertv damage figure would reach
movement
The homeless, estimated unoffic-
ially as more than 100.000 stoic
ly dug in to salvage possessions
from the mud and debris of their
homes or huddled around fires
built out in tne Pti-
! .
i Scope of Lewis
I M-
Case Widened
By High Court
WASHINGTON.. Dec. 23 -0-
The sunreme rnr 3oruH ,o. .,
to broaden the basis on which it
j will judge the government's legal
move against a coal strike. It de-
cided to hear an appeal by John
I. Iwi, frr,m tK ilrl.-, ; .
i - " . . ipoi s j f 1 1
'junction superceded.
! It wa ooihi ,.r th c..r,m
e " "K1'! cs i j tit
court to h3v H.cr.c-H f ih.
' "
! car ipr anneal hv moro v
... . " - " -' J . . . . . t j iiuiuillE f
Quads Born
To War Bride
BALTIMORE, Dec. 23 - Al)
BALTIMORE, Dec.
1'ieir
lives safely passed, the
.1 1 - 4 1 . . . .-i ,
V fw's- friaries
j iiriiij. ji., d niiuMi war oriae,
' and their mother were reported
"setting along very well" at St.
When weighed for the first time
late today, the only girl of the
foursome tipped the scales at 3
pounds 55 ounces, and the boys
weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces, 3
pounds 12 ounces, and 4 pounds
even.
Their collective weight was 13
pounds 11 ounces.
Dr. George Bowyer. the attend
ing pnysician, gave uie babies "a
very, very good chance" of sur- !
vival. and the mother, the former
Dorothy Geast. of London, was re
covering rapidly. Her only anes
thetic during delivery, said Dr.
Bowyer, was the hand of the at
tending nurse.
ELLIOTT ON WAV HOME
LONDON, Dec. 23-;p)-Elliott :
Roosevelt and his wife-arrived by i
P,ane at Northolt airport, near
London, tonight on their way home
from a tour of the Soviet Union. 1 der existing circumstances.
Gen. Clay Irate a.s French Set Up
Custom Barriers in Saarland
By Richard Kastsebke
BERLIN, Dec. 23. -HA)- The
American
and French military)
governments in Germany were at )
odds tonight over the French ac- l
tion in sending 1,200 men into the
coal-rich Saarland to set up a
customs barrier between the Saar I
and the rest of Germany
Lt. Gen. Lucius D. Clay, deputy
American military governor charg
ed that the French move con
stituted "an entirely unilateral ac
tion which was not presented to
the allied control council."
The French, who desire separa
tion of the Saar from Germany or
at least its economic integration
with France, contended officially
that their action was an anti-black
market operation designed "to pre-
vent the exporting of food pro-1
1 s?r 2
WASHINGTON. Dee. 23 George
8. Messersmith, Americas ana
buudor to Argentina. wh re
turned here today with "absol
utely nothing to say" on reports
that he is seeking a showdown
with Secretary of State Byrnes w, Kt.r,t by William H. Newton,
on Argentine policy. Byrnes ha Scripi s Howard staff writer rep
backed Spruille Braden" 'get resenting the combined World
tough' policy with Argentina Press,
which Is contrary U the opln- Officers Hurry Aboard'
ion held by Mesoersmlth.
'Yule Present'
Bride Denied
Silverton Man
One of the "saddeft perse. n ii
London" last night was Irene
Oehler, Knglish war-brid of
Harry Oehler of Silverton, whose
schedule) plane (light to America
"as a Christmas present" was can
celed because of bad weather.
A transatlantic plane carrying
25 hastily recruited CI brirles. one
bride-to-be and 25 children of
former American servicemen as
forced by ocean storms to turn
back over Ireland and return to
, f.mri,,n afir mmnletino a .h,,rt
u T I rhri 1 1 i .
d lat rdcht
..c,jj, ,
Saddest People
The wives, denied a Christmas
reunion with their husbands in
the United States, were "the sad
dest people in London," an air
port official said as the plane re
turned to Heathron field.
The passengers were sent to
hotels for the night and weather
nrmilt.n0 will vtnrl ih. fl.H.
again unjdj . mc trip was to nave
: i 11 . . . i
been a Christmas present for the
wives, who until yesterday had
been on waiting lists for sea
I ,ra"spjr' . , . T ,
0TIh,4,r LIJ,Ill- the 7-
rnonths-old son whom Harry Oeh-
,er fs ,nev" a
perted by her husband for sev-
; s Jl
m et a i a a
. me -year-oia veteran
hen living at the home of
has
his
I parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leslie
rioklo. CI N.nrt.n V, L . I.
i "t"" ' . . r i.as urr n wt.i n-
ing with Mr. Oehler at the Oehler
Lockers and has been building a
home for his bride on Silver
street. Oh, well maybe . New
Year's.
BrHkr, Txift to
Decide Entrant in
Presidential Race
WASHINGTON,
Dec. 23-c7!)-l
Taft said to-
j Senator Robert A.
night that he and Senator-elect
John W. Bricker will sit down to-r
gether soon to decide which shall
bid for Ohio's support in a pos
sible race for the Republican pres
idential nomination in 1948.
HLs words to a reporter seemed
to commit him or Bricker as a
potential candidate
Earlier in the day, friends of ;
1. : - n 4 Z' ' 1 . I 4 l . 4 41 I
Bricker said at Columbus that the
senator-elect wants an early de
cision whether he or Taft should
steP aside coming rac e.
BrirKer oul OI la"s way for
the latter's , -unsuccessful bid for a
nomination in J940. Taft returned
the compliment for Bricker in
1944.
JEWS VOTE TO SKIP MEET
BASEL. Switzerland. Tuesday,
Dec.
24 4')-The World Zionest
congress voted 171 to 154 today
against participating in the Lon-
don conference on Palestine un-
ducts from the Sarr and an influx
0f currency intn th. territ.rv
, . . ... . .
" - 'rc.gn or-
fice spokesman supported the
French action, saying that it was
a step against currency manipula-
tors and black marketeers and that
the French had informed the for
eign ministers council in New
York that such action was contem
plated. But Clay, obviously irked by the
action, declared:
"Under quadpartite government
of Germany any action like that
taken by the French without plac
ing lt before the allied control
council for consideration is a uni
lateral action.
There was no immediate reac-
tion from the Russians.
Vessel
Departs
Dairen
WASHINGTON; Dec. 23 -P)-The
state department tonight
sought full details on "verbal
ultimatum" issued by Soviet mili
tary authorities ordering a U. S.
navy craft to leave the Port of
Dairen, Manchuria, within 20
minutes or risk unnamed con
sequences. A state department spokesman
said the department was awaiting
a report on the incident' from H.
Merrill Benninghof, American
consul general at Dairen.
The spokesman ad.Sed that If
a report were not forthcoming
xhorllv Ihs Hmrtmil iiiij4
; prtgs '
A dispatch from Dairen said
the American ship, an unarmed
war-time troop landing craft,
pulled tut after receiving the
Russian ultimatum. Th Hikintrh
Under Soviet pressure, the ship
departed so hurriedly that its
I commanding officer, L.t. (jg) Ray
C. White, of Solver City, N. M.,
j and the American diplomatic
j courier, Harris H. Ball, of Amaiil
I lo , arrived on board only nt the
j last minute before the vessel left.
I The dispatch quoted the Rus
sian commander, Maj. Gen. V. U.
I Kt7hanof f, as sending word to
the ship that "unless you leave
within 20 minutes we will not be
.esponsiUe for the conoquenres.-
The navy department here with
held immediate comment, faying
only that the crjff. the LC1L
(landing craft infantry large)
1090 left Dairen Dec 21 (Dec. 20,
V. S time) on its return trip to
the American base at Tsingtao on
the north China const
Even before the order for the
American vessel to lc;ive, Kor- f
zhanoff had refused to permit hi)
V . V"-"-" " o
American businessman to deb.uk,
despite the fact that he carried
,uU fl''1',anf' from V S authori-
1 ,les
Soviet troops have occupied Dai
ren, the fmet searxtrt in Man
churia, Mme the Japanese .ur
render. Red aimy forres still con
trol the city, although the Chinese
-Russian treaty of 1945 called for
its designation as a free port.
carried Mail, Supplies
n,"J ",,l,ru "Tn on
tstr i
ember 18 carrying diplomatic
mail and supplies for the U. S.
, consulate, and requested permis
sion to remain in port 41 hours.
Without comment, Soviet authori
ties accepted the request.
The vessel remained in hi bor
two additional hours while B n
ninghrff sought permission for
the American bu.sinessmin, Jese
L. Poole, of Atlanta. Or , repre
senting the Standard Vacuum Oil
Co. to !o ashore. Almost im
mediately, the Soviet "ultimatum"
was presented.
The incident recalled a recent
charge by Edwin W. Pauley, U. S.
reparations commissioner, that
the Russians h.id virtually "sealed
off Dairen during their ncret
operations in stripping key in
dustrial machinery from Man
churia. Pauley said his inntion
group had been unable toobt;.in
the necessary credentials to visit
Dairen, either from Soviet or local
authorities.
Indo-Chinese
War f Serious'
"A HIS, Dec 23. -(P)- French
troops, supported by pl.ines and
1 tanks, battled through the main
streets of Hanoi todjy in their
showdown fight for control of
northern Indo China. An official
proclamation expressed fear that
warfare might soon erupt in south
ern Indo China and thus engulf all
of the rich empire ouiost.
Leon Blum, interim president-
premier of France, told the French
. ...
national assembly here that the
situation was "serious" and might
grow worse. He promised a policy
of firmness and said ru was rush
ing the famed armored warfare
specialist, Maj. Gen. Jacques Le
Clerr, to the troubled far eastern
colony.
2 Bodies Found in
Quebec Hold Fire
QUEBEC, Dec. 23.-(CP)-Twt
persons were burned to death to
night when fire,wept the Mount
Royal hotel on lower-town Hen
derson street here.
Firemen fought the flames for
three hours from ice-laden lad
ders before the three-alarm blaze
was brought under control.
The fire department officer in
charge said other bodies might
still be in the debris.
( n SHOPPING 1
I U DAY LEFT