. . . .
I LANE COUNTY'S HOME WEWSPAPtft
ray Soid)sI1ds Lta LiifldluigsliiifflifeDi
EUGENE, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 1945
NO. 80
food Research
unds Dropped
House Group
irtion of the house appropria-
committee in eliminating
1S0 for wood waste research
the department of agricul
Ys budget, brought quick pro
j In congress Wednesday from
Harris Ellsworth of this Ore
'. .Vin manned nlans
district. r .
toration of the appropria-
a by the senate.
,r...uhile. army and navy
13, are supporting wartime re
FTi. i- -noH waste at the For-
Cproducts laboratories in Madl-
iKa! reaction to me nuuse
.umittee's blow at wood chem-
j,l a felpnhnnp call to
-rr inciuucu - .--i
EUrth from Herbert J. Cox,
Entary-manager of the Willam-
jt Valley LUmDCi men o oyv'-
. hn was advised by the con-
Zmn that Ellsworth hopes to
Lure restoration of the research
wropriation in me um
-es before the senate appro
ritions committee, thereby mak
r(the matter a subject for later
fflworth further made known
L intention to work for some
Ctwar arrangement for regular
lancing of wood waste research,
b the time when army-navy
bdi are no longer avaiiaDie.
rumination of the item by the
ouse committee was blamed by
Inorth upon lack of under
aiding of western problems by
irtm congressmen.
EUworth and Congressman
acr D. Angell both testified at
fci committee hearing, that un
Es the appropriation is made
km will be vast amounts of po-
itially valuable forest products
Luted.
They urged establishment of
kd research labortories in tr.e
hcilic northwest.
The house committee appioved
total agriculture budget of
11)3.801,932, compared with $753,-
M24 for 1945.
An administration request to
ok down the $300,000,000 AAA
rsp loan program of 1945 to
MO.OOO.OOO for 1946 was rejected,
jtretary of Agriculture Wickard
tied the reduction, War Food
'.ininistrator Marvin Jones op
tad it.
The committee Increased loan
flhorizations for veterans nnd
the rural electrification ad-tinlstration.
Japan Fears Invasion
After Attacks On Fleet
By LEONARD MILLIMAN
Associated Press "War Editor
A thousand or more American carrier planes trapped the
elusive Japanese fleet in the Inland sea, crippled 17 warships,
sank or damaged 13 merchant vessels and destroyed 475 air
craft in a two-day foray that jolted the enemy into excited
prepartions today for the inevitable battle of Japan.
A jubilant communique from Adm. Chester W. Nimitz
announced "Crippling damage was inflicted on the Japanese
fleet" without loss of a single American warship.
- . . . . Radio Tokyo reported Vice Adm.
WMC Action
In New Bedford
Under Attack
By MARVIN L. ARROWSMITH
Marc A. Mitscher's carrier forces
were within 60 miles of the home
land and would return (or further j
attacks. Government spokesmen
said new fortificaUons were being
built throughout Japan to repel an
invasion, the army was preparing
to take over private property, fac-
WASH1NGTON Marph 91 lPl 1 ,VC,I: """ uireu un-
-ewer
ly evacuated areas 01 lOKyo wouia
be demolished jis firebreaks to
lessen damage from Superfort
STILL SERVING Here Is the old city hall safe, just sold, and
beside It is City Recorder John Fields, in whose office it stood. The
safe was used by the city as early as 1909 and probably earlier. It
still bears the name of Underwood Brothers Ben and David who
used it back In the seventies. (Wiltshire photo and engraving)
Venerable Safe Retires From
City Hall To Take Private Job
ortland Eases Up
Jo'Conchie' Terms
PORTLAND, March 21 U.
liberalized policy in dealing
conscientious objectors was
lOrce in th Pnrtlanrl femoral
fat today.
t'deral Judge Claude McCol
4 revealed the new procedure
ii-year-oia Kenneth
Tlvlnr a ir-...n t
Pt!on for the duration of the
f Jnd six months thereafter,
w to exceed 10 years.
Menders of this sort previous-
f MVS TfaUra lll
i .. ' -..v. ivumjr jail
pieatiary terms and have been
FJMed to the custody of the
- -.wiiiey general.
41-. A
... ijntu uic
PJ " Portland will be turned
U the federal probation
If" the U. S. district court
p their activity will be deter-
-s probation officitls. In
" bcing aligned
lie Desluoeri05U hospital
By ROCH BRADSHAW
The mammoth old safe at the
city hall, which has served Eu
gene business firms and the city
since very early days, has been
sold to Irish and Swartz. It re
quired an "engineering job" by
the Couch Transfer and Towing
service to move the massive affair
from the office of City Recorder
John Fields, down-a stairway to
the ground outside. City Manager
Deane Seeger advertised for bids
and Irish and Swartz won the
deal with a bid for $310, Seeger
said Wednesday.
City records which had been
kept in the safe are now housed
in the reinforced concrete vault
in the office of City Engineer
W. C. Clubb. This vault extends
down to the basement and the
lower portion is used by the
water board, in charge of J. W
McArthur. Lester Hulin and Darwin Brls
tow dug back in their memories
and old records and provided a
sketch of the old safe's history.
Used In Seventies
The earliest recollection of Its
use was back in the seventies,
and unconfirmed rumors say that
it was brought to Eugene around
the horn In a sailing vessel. There
users Underwood Brothers Is
still painted on the safe. Hulin re
calls that Ben and David Under
wood came to Oregon before 1860.
Ben came to Eugene in 1860 and
practiced law. He was one of the
most . brilliant attorneys of the
time, Hulin recalls, representing
the county in the state legislature
and' being active in civic affairs.
He built one of the finest early
day residences here, about where
the Oregon hotel stands, in the
center of spacious grounds. It
cost approximately $20,000.
David Underwood was In busi
ness in Cottage Grove before
coming to Eugene, after which the
brothers were connected with the
Eugene flour mill, where they
probably used the old safe in the
seventies.
David'Underwood died Aug. 14,
1882, only 11 days after brother
Hen had passed away.'
I Served Wells Fargo
The safe also was used at one
time by Wells Fargo, which had
an office in the old Wilkins drug
store building located in the gen
eral area where the Tiffany and
Babb blocks stand. The drugstore
was run by former Mayor F. M.
Wilkins, pioneer druggist who
is no authority as to accuracy of died a few years ago at the age
these reports, however.
The name of one firm of early
feees Go Home
HVi GT0N March 21 ura
- s juurney nome will be-
MOIl fnr .
C, ! nven by the war to
K e"stAfrica- India
?lai5 ' the United Nations
-- renaotliUUon adminis-
tiA-. i 0SM today that
cl 'h lie trans,er of
Tfen , n gypi to ineir
on Grecian islands.
(feather
htlr.lth" Breau Forecast:
r-ni rain north. .n 4
rnd Thursday; colder east
Ltai
titan, u- I M1'mum tem-Fmj-
""day morning. 36
isdar y-'"'um temperature,
Is iiv deSrees; precipita
Period ending at
3 r Wed."elay .19 of an
fcltri'.. w,"arnetl river
'.C 7 a.m. Wednesday,
rb. ,.. r
I ns,, aonsei iriui:
', rn -m- and 7:28 p.m.;
ieT.-
l . m ,
' a. ,
10:14 p. m.
U P. B.
! of 93.
R. Bryson of the Oregon
liquor control commission here
recalls that the old safe was used
in the city hall when he took of
fice as city recorder about 1909.
It was In the office of City Treas-
WAHINfTTON. March 21 I urer Frank Reisnor. now deceas-
(U.R) Cheap power will determine I ed. The city hall then was locat-
Aluminum Industry
Likes Northwest
the future location of the alum
inum industry, and that location
probably will be the Pacific
northwest, the senate small busi
ness committee was told Monday
by Dr. Paul J. Raver, administra
tor of the Bonneville power ad
ministration. Raver said nearly one-third of
the national output of aluminum
has come from the power supply
of Bonneville and Grand Coulee
dams in the past four years.
ed on a site Just west of the
county jail. The city offices were
located upstairs and below was
the fire department.
Hulin is historian of the Lane
County Pioneer association .or
ganized in 1883.
Darwin Bristow, who has been
ill in a hospital for over a year,
is the grandson of Elijah Bristow,
who built probably the first log
cabin in Lane county at Pleasant
Hill.
me war manpower commiS'
sion's policy of forced transfer of
labor was touch and go today.
The whole national system of
moving workers from low to high
priority war jobs is endangered,
officials acknowledged, .as a re
sult of a statement that it was
used in New Bedford, Mass., to
demonstrate a need for national
service legislation.
The statement was made by
WMC's national labor-management
committee, whose function
is to help formulate manpower
policy and to make recommenda
tions to the commission. Members
signing it represented labor, in
dustry and agriculture.
In a statement replying to the
committee's charges that he four j
times had turned down recom
mendations for settlement of the I
dispute, WMC Chairman Paul V.
McNutt said no plan agreeable
to all interested parties had been
submitted yet.
No Alternative
He added that when one is re
ceived the forced release will be
suspended, but that in the mean
time "I have no alternative but to
continue application of the na
tional WMC program of war ser
vice trausfers in New Bedford."
The committee loosed its bar
rage late yesterday against, the
so-called forced release program
ordered for the Massachusetts
community and thus far shunned
there.
In a statement splitting with
McNutt, the committee declared
WMC appeared to have been used
as a "catspaw" and New Bedford
as a "guinea pig" by "certain
government officials In Washing
ton who favored national service
legislation."
Compulsion
The committee, also referring
to "WMC proposals ruled out by
a war department representative,"
said further that the New Bed
ford program apparently was an
"attempt to persuade the country
and congress that the voluntary
system had broken down and that
compulsion must be accepted."
Senate and house conferees now
are attempting to reach a com
promise on manpower control
legislation.
The forced release program,
which the WMC committee said
should be revoked immediately In
New Bedford, was ordered into
'effect there to channel .about 200
textile workers to jobs in Fisk
and Firestone tire cord plants.
raids.
In Philippines
Conquest of the Philippines
quickened. Guerillas captured San
Fernando, important port north of
Manila. The U. S. 40th division
on Panay advanced 25 miles to
Join strong guerilla forces, reached
the edge of flaming Iloilo and cap
tured its airport. Conquest of Ba
silan island was completed with
the capture of Isabela In a com
bined amphibious and overland
operation.
The months-long hunt for Ja
pan's fleet reached a climax Mon
day when carrier airmen found
principal units of the surviving
imperial navy hiding in the 240
mile long Inland sea.
Many enemy aircraft were
brought down in persistent at
tacks on Mitscher's ships. One
American warcraft was heavily
damaged and a "few others re
ceived minor damage." All with
drew under their own power.
Bomb Formosa
Philippines-based aircraft car
ried their supporting heavy raids
on Formosa airdromes, 500 miles
to the southwest, into the third
day. "" ,". ' ;' ... t
Heavy air attacks were also
made on main Japanese concen
trations in northern Luzon; It was
in this general area that guerillas
seized San Fernando on Lingayen
gulf.
British and Indian troops had
reportedly i reached as far as 20
miles south of Mandalay.
Maj. Gen. Willis H. Hale, com
manding army air forces in the
Pacifio, intimated that long-range
Mustang fighters, already based on
newly conquered Iwo Jima,. would
soon be escorting Superforts in
raids on Japan,
Reds Crowd
Toward Stettin
In Berlin Drive
MOSCOW, March 21 The
1st White Russian army, now in
possession of virtually the entire
cast bank of the Oder from the
Baltic to Its confluence with the
Neisse, crowded siege artillery to
the very edge of Stettin today
after wiping out the enemy's Alt-
damm bridgehead.
The menace to Berlin grew
hourly as Marshal Gregory K.
Zhukov probed many places along
the river, seeking springboards
for his next big attack east and
northeast of ruined Berlin.
Marshal Ivan S. Konev still is
engaged in liquidating trapped
garrisons in Breslau and Glogau
on the upper Oder, but has moved
additional units of his 1st Ukraine
army group to the Neisse line
southeast of Berlin.
Final Kill
In East P ussia, Marshal Alex
ander M. Vasilevsky, for two
years chief of staff of the red
army, was staging the final kill
In a dwindling German pocket
along the coast southwest of
Koenigsberg.
Disclosure that Vasilevsky had
taken over the 3rd White Rus
sian army front after the battle
death of Gen. Ivan Chcrniakhov
sky was made in Marshal Stalin's
order of the day yesterday salut
ing the capture of Braunsberg,
one of the two German bastions
in the pocket.
Vasilevsky's seizure of Brauns
berg gathered 4.000 prisoners into
the bag. That figure Is expected
to be more than duplicated when
the nest of resistance in nearby
Hciligenbeil is crushed.
At Altdamm
Zhukov took Altdamm with one
fierce lunge after a series of hard
actions had reached this suburb,
less than five miles from Stettin
proper. Front dispatches said an
aviation engine factory with more
than 1.000 new engines intact, an
airplane assembly plant and a
torpedo factory were among the
booty.
(Far to the south at the lower
end of the eastern front, two or
more Russian army groups were
reported by Berlin to be driving
toward the mountainous area of
southern Germany and Austria
where the nazis, according to some
reports may make a final stand
after defeat on the relch's north
em plains,
(Berlin said Marshal Feodor I.
Tolbukhln, .has -hurled 200,000 of
his 3rd Ukraine army troops and
supporting armor into an offen
sive through northwestern Hun
gary, with advance forces already
plunging beyond Tatr, 10 miles
southeast of the big D.iiube river
stronghold of Komarom. This is
the direct route toward Vienna.
Saar-Palatinate Stands ;
Take 100,000 Germans
By JAMES M. LONG ;
PARIS. March 21. (AP) The 3rd army, continuing it
spectacular race which has turned the German stand in th4
Saar and Palatinate into a disastrous debacle at a cost that
may mount to 100,000 nazi casualties, smashed into the city
of Ludwigshafen today. j-
The same armored divsion which has played an anony
mous role in the current drive from the Moselle, dashed Into
Mannheim's twin city, which is one of the greatest chemical
producing centers of Germany.
Mannheim, just across the Rhine from Ludwicshafen. la
160 miles from Munich in the heart of southern Germany
:1 4 11 i..i: . i ..... J
aim iniit-o Hum me siaiuug poini 01 me onensive.
But
ID CROSS
I mm )
r , 1 K 7500O' I
p n
(50000- I
TOEUND
l ane County lioal (102,040.00
Today's Total I 78,297
'Kiss And Tell' Opens At Very
Little Theatre This Evening
t.. rniTtf MAimsnN
Tonight (Wednesday) at 8:15,
the Very Little Theatre will raise
the curtain on its presentation of
"Kiss and Tell," one of the bet
newer comedies, which helped to
keep a nondescript Broadway sea
son from being dull.
The salty humor of the dialogue
and situations which stud the
piece combine with a decent plot
and amusing characterizations to
make "Kiss and Tell" a must-see.
Under direction of Mary Staton
Krenk and Adele Griffith, the tal
antii fact ha RiTioolhed out into
a performance that showed amaz-
ingfv lew iiaws ai ine u,.-.-,
rehearsal Tuesday niRhl.
Headed by Roberta Quigiey asj
the indefatigable Corliss, charm
ing but unreckoning daughter of:
it., .h.miina htit harassed Arch-1
ers, the players fit into their roles ,
like ceiiy oraoie miu warning
...: r,.an fhtt Hrnnn Dexter ,
the boy-next-door is wholly con-1
vmrtng (ties L,uan ncnmiau. i
Heroine Rorjerta r.as oecn ia-
Mr4 in riramatir productions
since she was 12 she was par
ticularly noiame in iuuui
Wood" and "Vineear Tree." but
u at her best in "Kiss and Tfll."
And then there's Moronica the
dog, In real life, she belongs to
the Staton family, and she won
the try-outs for the role In a
waddle, because she had all the
qualifications "beautiful, fat as
a pig, and full of fleas." Her legal
name is: Wallis Warfield Spencer
Simpson Windsor Staton she
straved to the Staton home about
She time King Edward VIII de
cided he preferred his American
lady to the English throne.
Dr. Robert Horn, as Father
Archer, and Lewis VoRlcr as Pvt.
F.hrhardt (whose eyes keep Cor
liss' head swimming she can't
decide whether they resemble Ty
rone Power. Van Johnson or
Charles Boyer) both are veter
ans of earlier VLT and campus
productions, and have worked in
various University Theatre plays.
Dale Frederick, the Lennie of
the piece, was outstanding in
Horace Robinson's "Heaven Can
Wait." Lennie, is Corliss' brother,
and complicates things by falling
in love with Mildred, the girl
down the block.
Reservations for "KUs and
Tell." which will be riven Wed
nesday, Thursday. Friday and
Saturday nigh:, are available at
the Willamette Street Market,
phone 128.
West Lane Merger
Meetings Called
County Superintendent L. C.
Moffitt announces a series of pub
lic meetings next week In west
ern Lane to discuss the proposed
five-district merger of elementary
schools in that area. The sched
ule: Westlake, Monday March 26;
Florence, Tuesday, March 27;
Cushman, Wednesday, March 28;
Portage, March 29. Idlewyld peo
ple are asked to attend any one
of the other meetings most con
venient. All meetings start at 8 p.
m.
Merger of the five grade school
district would carry with It the
present Siuslaw Union high dis
trict, making one combined dis
trict with a tax valuation of
close to $1,100,000.
Construction of a new grade
school for the area Is considered
urgent. A six-room plant is
planned on a site which the Flor
ence district has already acquired
and cleared. Estimated cost, with
full equipment is $50,000.
Russia Denounces
Treaty With Turkey
MOSCOW, March 21. OT)
Soviet Russia last night de
nounced her 1925 treaty of friend
ship and neutrality with Turkey
and declared "serious Improve
ments" were needed In the pact.
"Admitting the value of the
Soviet-Turkish treaty for the pur
pose of upholdmg friendly rela
tions, the soviet union neverthe
less considers it necessary to state
that as a result of deep changes
occurring, especially during the
second world war, this treaty
does not correspond any longer
with the new situation and it
is necessary to make serious im
provements," said an announce
ment from the soviet commis
sariat of foreign affairs.
Veteran Health
Officer Retires
PORTLAND, March 21 (U.B
Dr. Harold M. Erlokson today
headed Oregon's public health
activities as Dr. Frederick D.
Strieker retired after a quarter
century as the state's public
health officer.
Dr. Erickson has been Strieker's
assistant and was promoted by
Gov. Earl Snell following Dr.
Strieker's resignation In January.
The outgoing executive will re
main on the staff in an advisory
capacity for at least a year, it
was announced.
Dr. Strieker had a staff of five
men when he took office in 1921
but now the department employs
about 100. The two-year state ap
propriation at that time was
about $35,000. The department
now administers a million dollar
budget in state and federal funds.
In recent years, Oregon has ris
en to top slate for healthy chil
dren, has the best infant mortality
rate In the nation, and has cut the
rate of mothers' deaths In child
birth to one-third.
Pace Slows In
Red Cross War
Fund Campaign
By MARIAN LOWRY
Only slight gains were record
ed on the Red Cross war fund
thermometer here Wednesday,
with the figure of $78,297 reach
ed nearly $24,000 below the Lane
county goal of $102,000. This was
the total released by the general
drive chairman, William H. Lush,
and his committees at the third
progress report luncheon, Wed
nesday, with the Lions club meet
ing. x
Of the $78,297 In to date, $98,516
are from Eugene city divisions,
$19,781 from county groups.
The Wednesday total was only
about $5000 ahead of Tuesday's.
"It will be a big pull to get that
figure over the $102,000 hump this
week, but the committee workers
are making every effort to
achieve that end," Lush said.
Climaxing the big push in the
drive this week will be the final
progress report luncheon Thurs
day noon in connection with the
Active club meeting, Eugene
hotel. At that time Lush and his
workers hope to see the $102,000
quota mark passed with all di
visions, city and county, giving in
reports.
Sly To Talk
Featurinz the Red Cross part
of the program will be a short talk
by Major Robert E. Sly, wno is at
his home here now following
nearly three years as a prisoner
of the Japanese In the Philippines.
Sly states he is not much for
this talk business but says he's
"been out of it" for quite a time
Lane Farm LaborCamp Okayed;
Mexican Help Will Be Imported
None On Route f, Eh?
Well, We Wouldn't Bet
At last Route F has to admit
a defeat it has no maple trees
for mple syrup.
And to kinda rub It In, J. M,
Niehswander. route 3, Hadley
ville area, sent a jug of the
maole syrup to Billy Maddaugh
and a report on the take for
the season.
Says Nighswander:
"Have just finished 47 gal
lons. Sap running since Feb. 25.
. . . Best run 1 ever saw. . . 23
gallon the first day from 10
trees, five large and five small
ones. . . good flavor, but not
like two years ago that was
the finest ever. . . Yours for
Bigger and Better Route I I."
A central camp for farm labor
ers will be maintained at Coburg
this season as In years past, it was
decided at a meeting of the Lane
county farm labor committee,
held Tuesday afternoon at the
4-H building on the county fair
ground. Mexican nationals will also be
brought here this year to help
with different crops.
Tne farm labor committee had
invited t'vo groups of farmers to
attend this meeting, one being
Uiose in the Coburg area intcrest-
Coburg grange hall at 8 p
March 26 to discuss location and
other matters and to take steps
to get the project under way.
Last season there were 52 tenia
at the camp and a total of 639
workers were housed there at dif
ferent times.
Mexicans Again
At an executive committee
meeting following the general
meeting it was voted that the
Mexican nntlonals be brought
Here again this year end that a
sponsoring committee be formed
as was done last year to handle
the matter. It was brought out
.. ,i , 1 UIC II1HI
CO. in me jarm laror camp ana i . ij:-,i .. ,.,ni
k. nih. ini.ri.H i- hi.in. th. that the indications are there will
Mexican nationals.
Favors Central Camp
After a discussion of the gen
eral labor situation a vote was
taken upon the question of
whether to have a central camp
or to permit farmers In that area
to set up camps on their own
premises and furnish the equip
ment. The vole stood 15 in favor
of the central camp and two for
the individual camp plan.
J. R. Beck, leader of the farm
labor project of the extension
service at the state college, said
that the budget for camps is not
be applications for more of these
laborers than last year.
While American migrants and
Mexican nationals will be em
ployed on many of the farms
of Lane county this year, it was
brought out that local people will
continue to be the most important
factor In the county's farm labor
sllu.Hion. The farmers were urg
ed to start now In arranging for
local labor to harvest their crops.
It was generally agreed that at
least 90 per cent of the labor on
Lane county farms this year will
come from local sources.
Tuesday's meeting was presided
as great as last year and that the ' over by Truman A. Chase, chair.
farmers would have to furnish the man of the farm labor committee,
grounds rent free and help In the O. S. Fletcher, county agent, co
expense of setting up the camp. operated with the comml'.lee in
A meeting will be held at the ! arranging for the meeting.
BEE PAC4 BLOWS STORY
PAGE 6
Britain Says
U. S. Agrees
On Pole Policy
LONDON, March 21 WR) The
British government declared its
solidarity with the United States
today in pressing for the forma
tion of a new Polish government.
Minister of State ' Richard K.
Law said the British and Ameri
can attitudes were Identical on
the Polish, problem. Some observ
ers saw in his statement a con
firmation of unofficial reports
that Russia Is at odds with the
western powers on the matter.
Law was substituting in Com
mons for Foreign Secretary An
thony Eden, who was In Glasgow
to make a speech on British for
eign policy.
The British government Bnd
public have been disturbed in
creasingly over the failure of a
Moscow committee to report pro
gress toward the establishment of
a new Polish government. The
committee comprises Foreign
Commlsar V. M. Molotov and W.
Avercll Harriman and Sir Archi
bald Clark Kerr, American and
British ambassadors to Russia.
Answering a question whether
any progress had been made to
ward forming a new Polish gov
ernment, Iaw said:
"The government fully under
stands the importance which the
house attaches to these most im
portant negotiations. Tho prime
minister or foreign secretary will
make a statement at the earliest
opportuno moment."
as elsewhere LL Gen.
George S. Patton's men found the
Rhine bridge there had been de
molished. The structure which
connected much-bombed Ludwig
shafen and Mannheim was one of
the most imposing along the Rhine,
Two German armies, the 1st and
7th, either were wiped out or
doomed except for scattered ele
ments. ;
At supreme headquarters, It was
estimated that the swift 3rd army
of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jt,
alone had herded an estimated
30,000 nazis into prison pens in 41
hours as it and Lt. Gen. Alexan.
del- M. . Patch's 7th army closed
new traps which might boost the
overall total of captured in the
whirlwind campaign to 75,000. ';
The 7th army, driving up from
the southern bases of the Saar
land and Palatinate, did not even
tabulate its prisoners beyond the
first 6,000. . ;
Cities Topple
i ( i .1(1 .1 1 Ctrl 1 i !... A.n HU.
hard-hitting Americans 27 'divi
sions in nil n, nan,lu Ann AAA
... u . . w. i.bni ij .VU.UUU II,
were advancing speedily,
Tho German -hold on the west
bank of tho upper Rhine was nar-
rnwffrl In n l5.mil- ........ u-'.
...... c.ov gap uw
tween the Karlsruhe and Lud-
wigsnaien areas and It appeared
doubtful whether the wounded
wehrmnrht rnnlrl cn.nn- tnn.iu
enough men from the defeat to
iimn inuticriy me vauiaua line
east of the river.
The Germans flew their last re
maining bridges on the Rhine,
leaving stragglers west of the river
to death or capture.
In Rout
Except for a 30-mile stretch be
tween Plrmasens and Lauten
bourg where the Germane clung
to fragments 4 the Siegfried line,
the enemy was in complete rout.
Nazi forces were surrounded ia
thr A nlnr and HiMatmaJ , tlk
, , ' v-viinA -m
Imminent encirclement elsewhere.
The large Saarland city of Neu
kirchen (40,500), where steel and
iron works and coal pits abound,
was believed to have fallen,. al
though there was no specific word.
The 1st army fighting east of
the Rhine lengthened its bridge
head to 25 miles in a push along
flat tank country leading 12 mile
to the southern limits of the Ruhr
Germany's greatest arsenal ana.
The U. S. 9th, British 2nd and
Canadian 1st . were - massed lit
mighty strength on the lower
Rhine opposite the Ruhr, which
Gen. Eisenhower said last night
"will become a deathtrap." ft
U. S. 15th and the allied lit air.
borne armies were in reserve, to
far as was known,
Shell Troops
Patton's artillery already wai
shelling German troops In some
places in the Valhalla line beyond
the Rhine.
More than 7,000 allied war
planes raked the relch. They con
centrated on targets in and around
the threatened Ruhr as if isolating
it for capture or a sealoff.
The rich Saar valley, with it
steel mills and vast coal deposits,
was won, taking from Germany
her third largest industrial sector.
Some divisions advanced IS
miles or more a day. The de
struction of the German force!
was so complete lt seemed doubt
ful that Hitler's army could rally
for a stand In strength east of the
Rhine where greater offensive
currently were in the making. '
Coat Future Dark
WASHINGTON, March 21. 0J.FD
The soft coal wage conference
went Into "indefinite recess" to
day. Both union and operator
forces said ft was uncertain when
they would resume negotiations.
Their present contract expires
In only 10 days. Signs of early
government Intervention were increasing.
Prices Basis For f
Food Row-Bowles :-
WASHINGTON, March 21 01
Price Administrator Chester
Bowles said today that "we re-'
main the best-fed nation of the
world," but he acknowledged that
civilian meat supplies will be.
shorter this year. ' '
Testifying before the senate!
banking committee, Bowles as
serted that the American meat ln-
stilute, representing the majority
of packers, is attempting to "capii
tnlize" on War Mobilization Di
rector James F. Byrnes' statement
on the meat situation "by using It
ns a basis for an attack on price
control."
"Thanks to the extraordinary
efforts of our farmers, and in spite
of the tremendous food needs of
the direct war effort," he said,
"we remain the best-fed natlon
of the world, wartime or peace-'
time.
"Certainly civilian meat will
be shorter than at any time during
the war but that arises from 'he"
extraordinary needs of the war
effort. Moreover, and this is the
vital point, the shortage would
not be relieved In any degree by
higher returns to the packers.
'OPA will not be stampeded
Into giving price Increases."
The meat Institute had con
tended that government price
control policies were largely re
sponsible for the shortage. -a
i
QUAKE IN TURKEY '
ANKARA. March 20 (Delayed)!
U.R Several towns in southern
Turkey were shaken by earth
temblor today. Early reports in-,,
dicated many buildings were de-,
stroyed and the dead and injured
might number in the hundreda.