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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1942)
Good Morning Ban's tip Laka toot af your valoabla lima this aiera Inf to na4 tt Want kit. It Keep 'Em Flying Buy Defenaa Stomp or Bond, from your bank. m rings r4 loan moc tat loot, tore, paper rarrlert, or port office Mr an aid. Medford Tribune rouia pj jo well. II jaa H tlard It would not b necessary to ra the Ad. full Associated Preee United Pr Thirty-sixth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1942. NO. 269. lav "PffufP a i7ri?rrnp i i 1 1 1 ii 1 1 1 1 j ji f III llllalllll i i News Behind The News by Paul Mallon Washington, Jan. 31. The White House is doing a little quiet footwork on some slow- wittea generais around the war d e p a r tment. They are be ing kicked up stairs, where they will not be in the way of the war ef fort. Whether be cause of the Roberts report or other devel- Pan Mallon opments, the president appar ently has decided to use his in fluence for the further removal of war casualties, wounded most ly by Inertia, near the top, only he has the influence to do it. Shifts he has started constitute White House policy. Only question is whether he can er will go far enough. Many officers who failed in maneuvers have been given leading posi tions in camps. There they still are not beyond a certain ability to do harm. US government, without an nouncement, has turned loose an army of economists to think about the second most Im portant question before us the post-war world. Most of them . are still thinking. A few fancy notions about improving the world standard of living have so far fulminated forth, but now comes the first one with handle bars on it. - . - Mr. Hull's respected economic iy adviser, Herbert Feis, tosred this one out for the January Issue of "foreign affairs," just as a per sonal notion to be debated. He thinks the trade restrictions which ruined the world after the last war could be corrected If this country created an an nual foreign exchange fund of say $3,000,000,000 or $4,000,000. 000 (about one-third of the an nual new deal average cost of government) as a basis for for eign trade operations. m He would have each nation set up similar fund. We would allocate a certain portion of our fund for their purchases here. As they used these amounts, they would have to give us a credit for an equal amount to buy from them. (Feis presup poses all currencies will be re latively stabilized for these (Continued on Pag Sii) War Bulletins London. Jan. 31. (AP) Brltiih bombart scored two di rect hits on the biggest ship of an 8-ihip German convoy off the Frisian islands today, the air ministry announced. A single German plane " bombed the Scottish southeast coait tonight, causing two cas ualties and slight damage. Day light raiders attacked a place In East Anglis but their bombs fell harmlessly. Mew York. Jan. 31. (AP) The British radio said tonight that Russian submarines have sunk 43 ensmy vessels total ing 170.000 tons. The broad cast was heard by CBS. London, Jan. 31. (API The Rome, quoting dispatches from Stockholm, said today that a quarter of Copenhagen, the capital of German-occupied Denmark, had been des troyed by fire. London. Jan. 31. (API Foreboding tension was re ported mounting throughout Norway tonight on the eve of the delayed ceremony eleva ting Vldkun Quisling to the German-designated title of "prime minister of state." London. Jan. 31. (AP) A report received by the army said today that a heavy rain storm recently saved a large allied convoy which since has arrived at Singapore carrying planes, troops and materials. I "Sixty Japanese planes. the report said, "appeared menacingly and it looked as U Just as thay were ready to swoop down the heaviest rain storm ia weeks broke and the ships were blotted out." mum rat TO ISLAND FORI FOR LAST STAND Causeway Dynamited, And Long Siege Awaited Retreat Carried Out. . By C. Yates McDanlel Singapore, Jan. 31. () Jungle-weary British imperials gave up the fight in Malaya to day, withdrew into the hot, tight little Island of Singapore and prepared for a long and wasting siege in a desperate bid to hold this last inch of the Malay barrier until reinforce ments arrive to reverse the tide of Japanese conquest. "Our task is to hold this fort ress until help can come, as as suredly it will come; this we are determined to do," said a proclamation of the Singapore Commander, Lieut. Gen. A. E. Percival, who called for ruth less steps against the enemy both within and without. "Any of the enemy who sets foot in our fortress must be dealt with immediately," he de clared. "The enemy within our gates must be ruthlessly weeded out. "There must be no more loose talk and rumor-mongering. "Our duty is clear: With firm resolve and fixed determination we shall win through. "For nearly two months our troops have fought an enemy on the mainland who has had the advantage of great air su periority' and considerable free dom of movement by lea. "Our task has been to impose losses on the enemy and gain tim tn nahle the farce nf the )fllll tn h mni-entraterl for this struggle in the far east. "Today we stand beleaguered in our island fortress." The final retreat of Austral ians, Scottish highlanders, Brit ish, Sikhs, Gurkhas and Mal ayan militia was carried out last night from a line which has ex tended across the Malay jungles from IS to 40 miles north of this Island. The transfer of this force of undisclosed size across Johore strait was aided by units of the British navy, and under the protection of the air force, but the Japanese did little to inter fere, probably because the sud den withdrawal was a surprise to them. (The British radio said war ships played an important part in the evacuation while the RAF flung a "protective um brella overhead." The broadcast was heard by NBC). Causeway Blown Up Then when the last truck and tank had rumbled across, the mines which had been set under the half-mile long causeway connecting the island with the mainland were set off, and chunks of the structure were hurled into the sky. Defending the approaches to this fortress on which Britain has lavished $400,000,000 In re cent years, the British in seven weeks of exhausting warfare had beat a retreat of 350 miles through the swamps, streams and rubber groves of Malaya, regularly outflanked by the in filtration tactics of Japanese snipers landed on each coast each time a determined stand was made on a natural line of defense The Japanese now have all the rich rubber and tin re sources of Malaya, and the question was whether they can also reduce this fortress and thereby win a free passage into the Indian ocean and a strong position from which to attack Java, the citadel of The Nether lands East Indies. The fall of Singapore would permit Japanese air and naval forces to sweep into the Gulf of Martaban and possibly choke off not only the source of sup ply for the Burma road to China, but also undo the work which has been accomplished in building up a threat to Japan's flank in Burma. TERRIBLE New York, Jan. 31. (APV The war has struck at the very heart of the winter sports in dustry it has curtailed skiing 'in Switzerland. .. Three Arrested in Espionage i . ,.-a. Arrest of three residents of Beverly Hills, Calif., Dr. Hans Helmut Gros (right), 34, and his wife. Frances Goellert Gros (left). 31. and Albert Curt Reutar (center), 56. on charges of espion age act violation in sending information to Germany was reported by the FBI. All are held in lieu of $5,000 bond each. The FBI said Dr. Gros, native American, is a college in Berlin. NAZI ANCHOR IN Bf SOVIET DRIVE - - i iJ , Moscow, Sunday, Feb. 1 (AP) The Russian army has cap tured Berestovoya, 115' miles west of German-held Taganrog and 30 miles north of the Sea of Azov, in a smashing blow threatening the southern Ukraine anchor of the nazi defense lines, the Red army newspaper Red Star reported today in a war front dispatch. Red Star said a full-scale of fensive had been in progress on this southern flank of the 'tre mendous front for several days, with the Germans subjected to day and night pressure. Berestovoya is 30 miles north of Ossipenko (Berdyansk), port on the Sea of Azov, and halfway between Melitipol and Mariupol. Apparently the Russian forces employed in this new thrust by passed Tanganrog itself in an effort to outflank and trap the German garrison there. It was to Taganrog that the German forces retired after the Soviet counter-offensive had blasted them out of Rostov, the gateway to the Caucasus. Earlier reports said Russian troops had broken through the German lines in the Ukraine and are racing forward after cap turing 200 villages, while in the northwest ski-mounted artillery is enabling the Red army to wade deep into enemy-defended terri tory, Russian war reports said today. OFF CALIFORNIA San Francisco, Jan. 31 (P) A blimp patrol was established over the central California coast line today, augmenting the alert watch of attack and bombing planes and surface craft. In making the announcement the navy's 12th district com mandant observed "it has been demonstrated that the blimp can not only spot for and direct other fighting craft, but has a definite fighting power of its own with both bombs and gun fire." Especially effective against undersea boats, the non-rigid aircraft are referred to by navy men as the dread of submarine commanders. They can never, drift and spot the enemy, and in spite of severe weather they can maintain flight for long hours. Those based here are 246 footers, driven by two engines. Depending on the task assigned, they carry a crew of from seven to nine men, the navy said, and they bear depth bombs as well at ether weapons. - - - NEW DEAL PLANS SENATE ADVISED Secretary WIckard Shows Hand Senate Bloc Anp ered By Stand. Washington, Jan. 31. (AP) The senate farm bloc heard from Secretary of Agriculture WIck ard today that the administra tion could and would apply pow-1 erful curbs to farm prices should wartime forces start -them soar ing. Senators attending the senete agriculture committee's four hour questioning of the cabinet member said they learried that the administration proposed to use its power to buy and sell commodities to hold farm prices down. They admitted that this power, conferred In the price control bill, was such that farm prices probably could be held to parity and their victory in the legisla-1 tive fight over the price con-1 trol act nullified. I The farm bloc succeeded in writing into the price control bill a prohibition against price ceilings on farm commodities ! lower than 110 per cent of par- ity. rarity is t!ie price at which a farm product' has the same purchasing power in terms of non-farm products that it had in : a base period, usually 1909-14. I President Roosevelt, In sign- ing the price control bill, said that "most farmers realize that when prices go much above par-; ity danger is ahead." Some senators obviously were ' angered by what they learned j from Wickard. j Senator Smith (D.-S. C.) as serted that the "new deal" is taking it out on the farmer while permitting other prices "to soar to the moon." Senator Thomas (D.-Okla.) said it was clear from Wickard's re port that the administration In tended to place government owned surplus commodities on the market or dispose of them in such other manner that the prices could never rise to the ceiling position. "They are circumventing the price control law," said the Ok- lahoman. "They are not pro posing to let farm products even reach parity." 13 ALERTS 1I DAY Valletta. Malta, Jan. 31. (AP) Thirteen alerts were sounded on this much-bombed bland fortress within 24 hours ending at 8 o'clock tonight. No casualties and only slight dam age was reponcu. mail, Dimm ed more than any place on earth, has had more than 1,500 alerts since the war started. Investigation graduate of the military medical llf ARTHUR'S FORCE HALTS JAPANESE, TAKES PRISONERS Washington, Jan. 31. (AP) General MacArthur reported to day that in addition to holding off the Japanese, his forces have been taking some prisoners. After a 48 hours lull, during which the enemy made ready for another large scale assault, there hap been "sporadic fighting," he advised the war department. Determined efforts to Infiltrate the Batan Peninsula defense line were rebuffed, and in the course of these actions the prisoners were taken. As for a number of days past, there was virtually no enemy activity in the air, he said. It was MacArthur's first report of prisoners captured, and some thought the effect might be to restrain the Japanese from such brutal treatment of American prisoners as the general com plained of a wee kago. On Jan. 23, he informed the war department of "several in stances" of Japanese violation of the International convention re lating to captured prisoners of war. Japan had announced her intention to abide by that agree ment. MacArthur said that on Jan. 12, the body of a Filipino scout, Fernando Tan, had been found face down in a stream. His hands had been bound behind his back and he had been bayoneted sev eral times, and he had obviously been "thrown into the stream to die." The text of today's communi que follows: "There was sporadic fighting on the Batan peninsula during the past 24 hours. Determined enemy attempts at infiltration through our lines were frustra ted. Some Japanese prisoners were taken. "Practically no hostile air ac tivity was noted." WILL END TODAY New York, Jan. 31. TV The British radio said that the state of war between Germany and Norway will be declared officially ended when Vidkun Quisling is elevated to "prime minister of the state" today at Oslo. The broadcast, heard by CBS. also said that "ail leaves for German soldiers have been can celled." Washington, Jan. 31 (P Secretary of Labor Perkins said today that civil non-agricultural employment In the United States rose to a record peak of 40,940, 000 in December. - .? t SNELL WILL E Y Hot Race For Governorship Seen Home Owners First, Is Pledge. Portland, Jan. 31. (AP) Sec retary of State Earl Snell today announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for gov ernor." Snell has served two terms as secretary of state and under a new law would not be eligible to seek re-election. He will oppose Governor Sprague, who announced last year that he would seek re-election. Snell, whose candidacy is ex pected to result in one of the warmest GOP gubernatorial pri maries in many years, served in four regular and special sessions of the legislature before being elected secretary of state. He was speaker of the house in 1933. He formerly lived In Arlington where he was a garage owner and wheat rancher. Snell's campaign statement de clared he favored abolishing the state tax commission, revising assessment and tax methods and giving first consideration to home owners. Reduced local taxes and elim ination and merger of boards and commissions were included in his platform. WARSHIP LEASING Washington, Jan. 31. W) A record $26,495,265,474 naval sup ply bill won approval of the sen ate appropriations committee to day, but not before members had acted to prevent the transfer of any of the navy's big fighting ships to other nations. Because, members said, of re ports that the administration planned to lease some war ves sels to Latin-American countries, the committee voted to limit pre sidential authority over the transfer of ships to smaller types built under a $1,000,000,000 al location for emergency construc tion. The 1,789 vessels In this cate gory might include destroyers, mosquito boats, convoy vessels and others of this type. Tacoma, Jan. 31. (AP) The U. S. war production board late today stepped into the Puget sound shipyard welders-AFL la bor controversy with a flat state ment that the war board expects all shipyard welders to serve their country by remaining at their posts, and declaring "a strike in the shipyards while our nation Is at war and American lives are at stake is Intolerable," according to a telegram received here by R. J. Lamont, president of the Seattle-Tacoma Ship building corporation. TIRE THEFTS" IN IL Portland, Ore., Jan. 31. JP) Police reported Increasing tire thefts in Portland today. An automobile store discov ered 33 tires valued at $600 had been stolen. One motorist reported a tire taken from his car while it was parked downtown, and a truck owner said a wheel and tire were stolen from his yard. Eugene. Jan. 31 Ot Ed O. Boehnke, Eugene, announced to day he would seek the Repub lican nomination as congress man from the fourth Oregon district - Interpreting The War News By Kirke L. Simpson (Wide World War Analyst) The united nations-axis strug gle Is at a crisis on the Pacific front almost as grave for the al lies as it was for England in that black June of 1940 when France fell. Even so, the essential fact Is that England weathered that storm. The tight little isle stands today, stronger and better prepared to fight for freedom than ever before. It is the sym bol of Hitler's greatest defeat. Not even his retreat in Russia yet has like significance. Can besieged Singapore or the menaced Dutch colonial empire in the far Pacific similarly sur vive against all the Japanese have done or can do? That is the dominant question. Prime Minister Churchill, Britain's sturdy and courageous war captain, did not undertake to answer it when seeking par liamentary approval of both his own leadership and of the strategy that exposed empire Pacific outposts. He would make no promise except that of ultimate victory. That frank acceptance of personal responsi bility, and readiness to take the bad with the good, lost him no confidence votes. Churchill sought no refuge be hind the several circumstances in the far Pacific he could have noted to lighten the gloom. He did not minimize the danger to Singapore, to the Netherlands Indies, to Australia. Nor did he set out the measures taken or concerted with Wasl.h.gton to stem the . ipanese attack beyond repeating that reinforcements had arrived in the southwestern Pacific war zone. There Is other evidence of that. The admiralty's acknowl edgement of loss of an empire destroyer, in a running fight off the Malayan coast is one such item. Japan also lost a destroyer in that action. It increased the toll American - British - Dutch forces are taking of sea craft which the enemy can 111 spare in a battle that has Just begun in those seas. Tokyo knows that. The very scope of the expanded Nipponese drive to master the rich Nether lands Indies even before the Singapore and Luzon resistance centers have been cracked has an element of desperation in it. It emphasizes the vital time element for Japan. It is now or never for the nazi-minded Tokyo war pundits. It is all or nothing for them, and every moment of delay in Malaya and the Philip pines or in the passages to the Java sea is to the advantage of the allies. Indianapolis, Jan. 31 OP) Apparently feeling his commu nity was too complacent,' a rnnntv civilian defense director wrote to Indiana civilian de fense headquarters: "Would it be possible to have a hnmb dronncd in our county to have the people realize this country is at war?" The state committee replied: "We're saving all bombs for Tokyo." BULLETIN An East Canadian Port. Jan. 31 JP Thirty-two sur vivors of the crew of a British freighter, the latest victims in the German submarine war against Atlantic shipping, have been brought here alter U-boat sent three torpedoes Into their ship killing 10 men. They spent II hours tossing in an open lifeboat in the freeiing cold of the north At lantic before being picked up. They said the second torpedo came as they were towering their lifeboats. One of the boats was smashed and six man died o! the concussion or were so stunned they drowned. Four ware pulled aboard the second lifeboat. Four of them died later of wounds er exposure. Survivors said the subma rine surfaced briefly, than disappeared. BATTLE NAVAL Scorched Earth Greets In vadersAllied Supply Lines Menaced. Rangoon, Burma, Jan. 81 HP) The picturesque Burmese teak and rice port of Moulmeln fell to the Japanese shortly after dawn today and British de fense forces Which hH h.M out against attack after attack aroppea Deck to the west bank of the Salween river. There apparently they manned the first main defense line of surma, mocking the course of the Japanese-Thai drive toward Rangoon, port for the road to Mandalav and the hark- to China. Batavla. N. E. I.. Jan. SI im Furious battle on land, sea and In the air flamed today between the Dutch defenders of Ambolna( me L.asi mates second naval base, and a Japanese invasion force which struck with great strength into the strategic bas tion on the archipelago's eastern flank. (An Australian communique said Japanese troops were trying to clinch a beach head from a fleet of four transports, three cruisers and six destroyers.) While the transports edged close to shore, Japanese cruisers and destroyers poured shells in to the island; bombers and fight ers pounded Ambolna port itself in furious force and, a com munique said, "the battle was raging everywhere." Asore the Dutch were en- gaged in a race with time to lay waste the facilities which in the hands of the enemy could menace the main Indies-Australian communications of the) united nations and facilitate in vasion of Java and North Aus tralia. Flames from demolitions on the island licked at the sky and it was announced officially that "all preparatory destruction of vital points In Amboina and vici nity was ordered and immedi ately carried out." The island is in the Molucca group which forms a barrier be tween the Molucca passage from the north and the Banda sea to the south. On the west Is Cele bes; on the east, New Guinea. The Australian naval base of Port Darwin is 634 miles to the southeast, Java not much farther to the southwest and the island of Timor lies only 350 miles distant. By Thursday It was apparent from reconnaissance that the Japanese, bleeding from the pounding they received at the hands of Dutch and American planes and warships in their abortive attempt to force the Strait of Macassar, direct route to Java, were maneuvering for a thrust down the Moluccan passage. In the Macassar waters to the west a Japanese armada had been battered and halted with nearly two score warships or transports sunk or damaged and Its only achievement an empty invasion of Balik Papan, east Borneo oil port where the Jap anese found oil fields and refin eries in embers from the torch of the Dutch scorched earth policy. The first attack on Ambclna began Friday morning with two hours of assault by Japanese bombers and machine-gunning fighters. A church and a school were destroyed and a radio sta tion damaged slightly, but the population escaped casualties. BAY AREAlARS AIR RAID ALERT San Francisco. Jsn. 31. WV The fourth Interceptor command flashed a preliminary yellow alert signal at 7:03 p. m., Indicat ing that unidentified aircraft were operating somewhere in the San Francisco bay region. At 7:25 p. m. 22 minutes later the all-ciear was Cashed.
