Medford mail tribune., March 16, 1942, Page 1, Image 1

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MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, MARCH 16, 1942.
NO. 306.
IBB
Ul
K
Mi
MS
News Behind
The News
by Paul Mallon
Washington, March 16 The
key to the whole world war sit
uation is on the Russian front.
It will be turned one way or the
other within 60 to 90 days.
If Hitler's last desperate ef
fort this spring fails to destroy
the red army and reach oil,
reasonably prompt counter ac
tion by the United Nations could
force him to
his knees. Ja-
' S J pan could not
if long continue
the war with
out the dis
tracting assist
ance of her
Berlin ally.
But if the
reds are elim
inated from
this war as a
form! d a b I e
Paul Mallon
force this
spring, Japan and Germany will
rule the rich resources of two
continents. It will be the world
against the U. S. and Britain. A
devastating conflict of many
years duration would be the
least of the live possibilities.
This realistic interpretation is
apparently moving current pol
icy of our government. Aid to
Russia has recently been rushed
through both oceans. A sign
that the Nazis know the im
portance of this aid was given
when Hitler moved the Tirpitz
up the Norwegian coast.
""THE reds are supposed to be
mustering a secret army of
.a million and a half men (91
'divisions) to throw in upon the
Nazis massing for a spring drive
on the south Ukrainian front.
The idea is to get the jump on
the Germans, throw them off
balance, before they can get
their own offensive going.
The tale, however, seems to
be Just a little too well known.
It has been sweeping out of
Stockholm, Bern, Vichy and
even London. No doubt the reds
have organized something along
this line. Question is whether it
is as strong as these sources
have represented.
An ideal spot for such an at
tack exists, south of Kharkov.
The reds have outflanked the
Germans north of the city and if
they can drive a salient in south
(Continued on Pago Pour)
Freight Rale Boost
Delay Is Ruled Qui
Washington, March 18 (IP)
The interstate commerce com
mission denied today the peti
tion of the office of price admin
istration for a postponement of
the effective date of freight rate
increases on certain commodi
ties. The OPA had asked post
ponement from March 18 to
April IS.
Earlier the railroads had told
the ICC that the OFA petition
for postponement of the effec
tive date of freight rate in
creases on certain commodities
had no merit and asked the
commission not to abdicate its
responsibility.
Radio Highlights
(Pacific War Time)
Tonight: Blue 6, Rep. C. A.
Wood rum on "Need for Econ
omy": MBS 7:30, music that en
dures, Sen. Taft, speaker.
Tuesdav: The' war 5 a. m.,
NBC, CBS. BLU, 5:45 NBC, 5:55
BLU, 8 CBS, 7:00 MBS, 7:15
BLU MBS, 8 MBS, 8:15 MBS, 9
CBS MBS, 10 Blue, 10:45 NBC,
11 MBS. 12:15 P. M., CBS, 1:45
CBS, 1:55 BLU, 2 MBS, 3 CBS,
3:25 NBC.
SIDE GLANCES
BT
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
OGold Hill merchant Norman
lail looking worried while try
ing to drive his pick-up through
Medford's noonday traffic.
Harry Wilson displaying
large agate which was found in
1917 on the Eagle Point desert,
pcred by "the indecision, the re-
r
ruim nnum
IN ONE
OTHER
Both Planes En
gaged in
Training
Burned.
Routine Night
Motor, Wing
Pendleton, Ore., March 16
(JP) Four army airmen, includ
ing the pilot and co-pilot, were
killed and two injured in the
crash of a B-17 bomber three
miles south of Gowen field at
Boise, Ida., Col. Frank W.
Wright, commander of the Pen
dleton airbase, announced this
afternoon.
Another B-17 which went
down in the rugged Blue Moun
tains 20 miles south of Pendle
ton, will not be reached until
late todr.y by a crash crew of
21 men and doctors sent from
the Pendleton base.
Both snips were stationed here
and were engaged in routine
night training flights.
At Bo:se the dead are:
Second Lieut. Charles S. Hos
ford III, Butier, Penn., pilot.
Second Lieut. Duane T. Cros
thwaite. Pleasant Ridge, Mich.,
co-pilot.
Pvt. Harold L Gilliam, Ever
ett, Wash., crewman.
Pvt. Arthur L. Schifper, ad
dress unknown, crewman.
Injured are:
Sgt. Morton L. Howard, route
8, Danville, Penn., radio opera
to, f-actured leg and dislocated
right ankle.
Corp. George A. Gurlack, 65
West Street, Danbury, Conn.,
engineer, possible fracture ribs
and punctured lung, condition
serious.
The ship had signaled with its
lights and was circling to land.
Col. Wright explained. Coming
in on the wrong runway, the
pilot was radioed to make an
other attempt and apparently
did not see the wooded hills on
which the plane crashed. The
left motor and left wing were
burned and the fuselage broken
apart.
SALES TAX.UNFAIR
Washington, March 16. (AP)
The treasury department esti
mated today that a general five
per cent retail sales tax with no
exemptions would yield $5,018,
000,000 in new revenue, but re
newed its objections to that type
of levy.
A sales levy has been suggest
ed by the National Association of
Manufacturers and was proposed
today by the Brooklyn chamber
of commerce.
At the specific request of the
house ways and means commit
tee, Randolph Paul, tax advisor
to Secretary Morgenthau, gave
committee members statistics on
various types of sales taxes and
said in a memorandum:
"For a variety of reasons, any
type of general sales tax would
not affect all taxpayers uni
formly. . . . Even though levied
on all items at a uniform rate, a
sales tax of whatever form is
unuxeiy lo aiiect all prices
equally.
Probe Promised in
WPB Dillydallying
Washington, March 16 (IP)
A congressional investigation of
the recently created war pro
duction board was promised to
day to examine charges that the
arms program was being ham
pered by "the indicision. the re
sistance and the caution" of
some WPB officials formerly
connected with industries that
must be converted to military
purposes.
The train of events was touch
ed off Saturday night by the
abrupt resignation of Robert R
Guthrie, head of WPB s textile
division, and two of his aides.
Guthrie charged that his ef
forts "to hurry the con-ersion
of as many industries as possi
ble to the war effort have met
with continued resistance with
in the WPB" from those previ
ously connected with "the af
fectcd industries."
Sub Victims Rescued in
, . T'-j
s rm? s
V? - i'L
IlLL ILL. &
Four sailors whose ship was tho victim of an axis submarine In the Caribbean nimbly
leave the two little rafts on which they lived' for lOTen days to board the rescue 'vessel
which took them to Philadelphia.
F
GARRGTED AFTER
LATE HOUR PARTY
Portland, Ore., March 18.
(AP) Police traced today the
few clues left them by the
strangler of 28-year-old Mar
garet Gwen Ponssen, Portland
stenographer.
Her naked body, covered neat
ly by, a quilt, was found last
night in her apartment, in which
there was no evidence of a strug
gle and only one thing was out
of place.
That was a missing lamp
cord. Deputy Coroner Gideon
Snook said it probably was used
to garrot the woman, then was
carried off by the slayer. He
said there was no evidence of
criminal assault.
Of the woman, police knew
little.
They said her parents were
Mr, and Mrs. Philip Ponssen,
Seaside, Ore. A sister was also
believed to live at Seaside. Mrs.
John B. Shank, apartment house
manager, said the woman had
lived alone since a divorce two
years ago.
Carl Magnuson, another apart
ment tenant, said two men were
at a party in the woman's apart
ment, but left at 2:30 a. m., when
he complained of noise. He could
not identify them.
The deputy coroner fixed
death at 8 a. m., and police said
anyone might have gained ad
mittance to the apartment
through a back door, which was
unlocked,
MURRAY, LEWIS
Pittsburgh, Pa., March 16
(IP) Hometown friends and as
sociates of Phil Murray said to
day the breach between the CIO
president and John L. Lewis has
so widened an open showdown
between the two seems immi
nent. Some of Murray's closest
friends said they are convinced
Lewis, head of the United Mine
Workers, has been moving some
time to have that union desert
the CIO and become the nucleus
of a third labor movement.
These sources declare Lewis
has been quietly tightening his
reins over his union with the
idea of forcing Murray out of
his $18.000-a-year Job as its vice
president. That Is the only sal
ary Murray draws, although he
is president of the CIO and of
the steel workers organizing
committee.
8ET MILK HEARING
Portland, March 16 UP)
The Oregon milk control board
today announced thaUa public
hearing on creation of a fluid
milk supply for an army can
tonment in the Corvallis area
has been set for Corvallis next
Monday.
War Contract
Unlimited Work Week Sought
Washington, March 16 (IP) Legislation to limit profits on
war contracts to a maximum of six per cent and to suspend
federal statutes prescribing max imum hours of work was intro
duced in the house today by Rep. Howard Smith (D-Va) and
Chairman Vinson (D-Ga) of the house naval committee.
Their action followed reports 11 '
oh the floor by nearly score of
representatives that they were
receiving thousands of letters
from their constituents demand
ing Immediate action on labor
legislation.
Smith is the author of a house
approved bill to ban strikes in
defense industries, which was
passed before this country's
entry in the war and which is
still pending in the senate.
The measure's declaration of
policy said that in the prosecu
tion of war work "there should
be no limitation by law or by
contract upon hours of work"
and "no individual should re
ceive, at the expense of his gov
ernment compensation in excess
of that paid as straight time
under prevailing law.
The declaration also said that
it is "the inherent and inalien
able right of American citizens
to work" without being requir
ed to maintain membership in
"or pay tribute to any person,
association of organization."
TIRE RATIONING BOARD
ASKS RETURN "PART C"
The local rationing board to
day requested tire dealers to re
turn the "Part C" of the Certifi
cate of Purchase to the local
board within a period of three
days, except in the case of mail
orders, which may take the re
quired time. The board stressed
this request should be complied
with as the "Part C" is greatly
needed in the work of the board.
Hitler Revises His
Now Plans to Crush Reds In
Berlin, (from German broad- ,
casts), March 16 OP) Adolf '
Hitler appealed to the German !
people yesterday for new sacri
fices and warned them "a hard
struggle" lies ahead, but pro
mised a crushing victory over ;
Soviet Russia during the coming i
summer.
Speaking at memorial exer-:
clses for , Germany 's war dead,'
Hitler also predicted the ultl- i
mate defeat of what he called
President Roosevelt's attempt
to "build a new alien world."
Politicians, army generals,
wounded soldiers and war wid
ows crowded into the Zeughaus
imposing old Berlin arsenal
used as a military museum to
hear Hitler's address, which also
was broadcast to the nation.
The German leader made a
special trip from his headquar
ters on the Russian front to at-
Caribbean
Profit Control,
I
Ashland, March 16 (IP) Cal
vin Martin, 17, injured in the
turning over of an automobile
he was driving here Saturday,
was reported critical today.
Hospital attendants said he
had a broken back and internal
injuries. Earlier it was thought
he was not seriously hurt. Lau
ren Bushness and Dale Hibbs,
who were riding in the car,
were not injured.
Police said Martin lost control
of the car at a rough intersec
tion of Fourth and B streets.
Start Bus Service to
Corvallis Cantonment
Salem, March 16. (AP) Ore
gon Motor Stages began service
today from Albany and Corvallis
to the Corvallis army canton
ment site. Public Utilities Com
missioner Ormond R. Bean an
nounced Saturday he had grant
ed the line a permit.
Bean's announcement did not
mention the company's proposed
service from Salem to the canton
ment. The Salem chamber of
commerce is considering organi
zation of a bus line to operate to
the cantonment.
Fuehrer Fearful
Declares Wellet
Washington, March 16 (IP)
The new Importance of Adolf
Hitler's speeches, Acting Sec
retary of State Sumner Welles
told a press conference today,
ties In the fact that "there Is
implicit in every word and
every phrase .Hitler's own
recognition of his Impending
downfall."
Welles added that It was
only natural that Hitler In his
latest speecji should have re
ferred to the kind of world
In which President Roosevelt
and the American people wish
to live In as a "new, detest
able, alien world."
tend the state ceremonies; later
he reviewed units of the army,
navy and air force and placed
AUSIHHW
JAPS GATHE
FOR HEAVY BLOW
Fear Partially Offset By Ru
mors of Counter Offen
siveSub Wreaks Havoc
By Clyde A. Fsrnsworth
Associated Press War Editor
Reports current in Australia
of Japanese troop movements
from China in an ominous gath
ering of offensive power, which
Australians assumed was point
ed at them, were partially offset
today by talk pf air and sea
counter-offensives against Ja
pan, Fourteen Japanese bombers
struck again at Darwin, capital
and port of the vast northern
territory and potentially one of
the few remaining naval strong
points of the united nations in
the southwest Pacific.
Reassuring word of a United
States assault on Japanese com
munications with a vast fleet of
submarines as its spearhead was
published in the Australian
press but with no authority for
the report.
This particular hope was un
doubtedly nourished by an
nouncement of the arrival of a
united nations submarine at
Perth, Australia's main western
port, after a 15,000-mile, 60-day
rampage through Indonesian,
Philippine and Malayan waters,
leaving an average of 1,000 tons
of destroyed Japanese shipping
in its wake each day.
The hope of a United States
British aerial offensive against
Japanese territory itself .was
based on the promise of Air
Marshal Sir Richard Peine,
RAF chief in India, but whether
such a Joint effort could be
started in time to help Australia
was left unanswered.
Australia and her allies al
ready are locked in a battle for
the island approaches to the
thinly settled continent which
stands as the last great barri
cade to Japanese conquest in
the southwest Pacific.
Australian observers said that
allied bombers were helping the
Royal Australian air force accel
erate the assaults on insular
bases seized by the Japanese on
the way to Australia but that
the need for reinforcements was
still urgent.
United nations strategy was
increasingly concerned with the
future relations of Japan and
Russia. Some reports said that
the U.S.S R.'s Siberian forces
and naval bases were ready for
instant action against any Jap
anese attack.
Corvallis, March 16 (IP)
The American soldier is so
much better fed than the aver
age civilian that there is no
point in giving him vitamin
capsules, Dr. Margaret Fincke,
Oregon State college food spe
cialist, told fellow scientists at
the Oregon state biology collo
quium Saturday.
Victory Timetable
wreath on the war dead memor
ia' In Unter den Linden.
He acknowledged frankly
that the German armed forces
had met unanticipated obstacles
; In Russia after achieving victor
ies which he said had "no par
allel in history." Winter, for in-
: stance, he said, came weeks
earlier than expected.
"But one thing we know to
day," Hitler declared: 'The Bol
sheviks who could not defeat
the German troops and their
allies in one winter will be annl
hilatingly defeated by us in the
coming summer."
! Russia's only hope of ultl
! mate victory. Hitler said, van
i ished when her armies failed to
Inflict upon Germany a "Napo
leonic" defeat In the snow and
cold of a winter he described as
the worst In 140 years.
Hitler reiterated assertions
that "Jewish and capitalist con
spirators" had caused tha war
War Bulletins
Washington. March 16 (IP)
The war department re
ported today that nine army
fighter pianos destroyed throe
Japanese aircraft in a fight
north of Australia. One Amer
ican plane was lost in ram
ming an enemy fighter.
communique said.
The engagement took place
Saturday when nine Ameri
can pursuit pianos of the
Curtis P-40 type encountered
a large flight of enemy bomb
ers escorted by fighter planes.
London, March 16 (IP) K
single raider which broke
through the coast defenses
and gave London its first day
light alarm in almost a year
was chased away today with
out dropping bombs and the
mid-day life of the city wont
on without missing a boat.
Mow York, March 16 (IP)
Neutral Chile's first ship
lots was revealed by the third
naval district today with an
nouncement that a freighter
had been sunk by an axis
submarine with a heavy loss
of life possibly 27 men.
(Dispatches from Santiago,
Chile, identified the vessel as
the Tolton. of 1,856 gross
tons.)
High Court Upholds
Power Commission
Valuation Practice
Washington, March 16 (IP)
In an opinion holding constitu
tional the 1938 federal natural
gas act, the supreme court today
left the federal power commis
sion free to adopt proposal ad
vocated by President Roosevelt
for valuing public utilities for
rate making purposes on the
basis of the amount "prudently
Invested."
Chief Justice Stone delivered
the unanimous opinion that up
held a power commission order
directing the Natural Gas Pipe
Line company of America and
Texoma Natural Gas company
both of Chicago, to reduce their
rates sufficiently to lower oper
atlng revenues by $3,750,000 an
nual'y. The Justice department had
asked the tribunal to give Judic
ial sanction to the prudent in
vestment theory of valuing util
ities and to overrule an 1898 de
claim, hold that the reproduction
cost was an essential element in
arriving at a fair valuation.
COORDINATOR COMING
FOR TUESDAY PARLEY
Salem, March 18 (IP) State
Civilian Defense Coordinator
Jerrold Owen conferred today
with county defense councils in
Roseburg and Grants Pass, and
will meet tomorrow with the
council In Medford. He will be
in Klamath Falls Wednesday.
BILVERTON HAS FIRE
Silverton, Ore., March 16 (IP)
Fire destroyed the Beck service
station and store today. Origin
of the fire was not determined
immediately.
Summer
and laid much of the blame
upon President Roosevelt.
"In what kind of a world the
American president wishes to
live is a matter of complete In
difference to us Germans," he
said. "But his aims to organize
Germany or even the European
world In accordance with his
own needs and to build a
detestable new al'en world will
not only fail but bring about the
collapse of his own world."
Hitler referred disparagingly
to the Riom trials of French
leaders charged with responsi
bility for France's fall.
"The characteristic of this
trial," he said, "Is that not a
single word of guilt of those re
sponsible for thu war is men
tioned and nothing but inferior
preparation for war is talked
about. We see in this a mental
ity incomprehensible to us, but
which, perhaps, is better than
anything else In revealing the
causes of the new war."
AT AXIS BASE ON
TURKEY'S FLANK
Action Underscores Pros
pect of German Invasion
Attempt to Middle East.
By Clyde A. Farnsworth
AP War Editor
The British smashed at an axis
base on Turkey's Mediterranean
flank over the week-end, indi
rectly underscoring the prospect
that if the Germans do not get
going in Russia they may try
to turn Turkey into an invas
ion route to the middle east.
Whether there was an overt
threat to Turkey at that axis
base, the Italian island of
Rhodes, could not be ascertained
from the British report of tho.
raid, which spoke only of "ob
jectives" bombed at two places
on the Island.
Turkey Pressed
Turkey, a non-belligerent al
ly of the British, is under con
siderable German pressure to
join the "new order" in Europe
without a fight. Rhodes lies on
ly about 15 miles from the near
est point of Turkish territory.
Berlin reports of the war in
Russ'a was marked today by an
admission that Germany's cen
tral front had been cracked tem
porarily at one point.
Coinciding with the strikin '
German admission of the Red
army's driving power was a Mos
cow report via Stockholm that
Russian parachutists had cap
tured fortifieM positions behind
the German lines near Smo
lensk German attempts to moo
up the parachutists had failed,
a Swedish correspondent wrote.
Nasi Lines Broken
The most astonishing of the
latest reports from the war in
Russia was Berlin's bald admis
sion that the Red army had
breached the German line on
the central front during a heavy
snowstorm and that "heavy de-
tensive fighting developed
there."
That appeared In special an
nouncement of the Hitler com
mand while the regular com
munique admitted that the Rus
siena had renewed mass attacks
against German forces on the
Kerch peninsula of Crimea.
From the Russian side cams
reports that liberation of tha
great industrial center of Khar
kov, on the southern front but
north of the Crimea, was Immi
nent. JAPS CLAIM 400
YANKS CAPTURED
Tokyo (from Japanese broad
casts), March 16 UP) Four
hundred American troops were
captured by the Japanese at
Bandoeng, central Java, and
100 more in eastern Java, a Do
me! dispatch said today.
All are now prisoners of war.
It was said.
War material seized from tha
Americans included 93 automo
biles, 8 field guns, 10 machine
guns, 390 automatic and regular
rifles and 80,000 rounds of am
munition, the dispatch said.
British war material captured
by the Japanese is still being:
counted, it was said, but so far
It includes C30 automobiles, 74
guns, 90 machlneguns and 6,0C
rifles.
TORNADO KILLS 8
Danbille, III.. March 16 ff)
Eight persona were killed In
tornado that cut across eastern
Illinois today, striking hardest
north of here at the village of
Alvln, where at least four were
killed and perhaps two score
hurt Four others were killed
in Champaign county.
Reports were that most of the
buildings In Alvln, a town of
339 population, were destroyed
and at least three burned when
fires started In the wrscjuf a, ,