Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, April 20, 1942, Image 1

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Medford mail tribune., April 20, 1942, Page 1, Image 1

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1942)

Page of 8 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (2.7 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Page of 8 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextLtt ITOUR Answer to Bombl be BONDSI Buy Dtltnt Bond! to Stamps lolV Conlhbaf u Hi simiata of jrour nallua. ratrtollim. four ewa arlf-pro. lrctln. demands that I'OU da faur part NOW! 1 Uae The MAIL TRIBUNE Want Ad Way Quick Results t Small Cost Tribune FORD Full Associated Pros United Press Thirty -seventh Year. MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, APRIL 20, 1942. NO. 23. Med Burma oil Fields BhsttJij INDIA r I BURMA r a.. W CHITTAOONO l km i & hA MAGWE"eeTONGOWINGIl-Vw n l)thagava."' S3 irsA J n sH,lNOM' 'Benqal. ) rS oua'J ) THAILAND JUL yRNGOONjL ,.. BASStHvQ" JfMOUlMlIN v&LuflJ Gulf r Martaban v, 9 "? I ' rn MILES T. British engineers destroyed the Yenangyaung oil fields as Jap forces (black arrows) advancing up the Irrawaddy river (1) pushed allied defenders back to a point north of Magwe and threatened to split the British and Chinese forces at Thagaya and thereby endanger the Chinese flank. The main Chinese army is under heavy attack by Japanese columns striking up the Sittang river and is threatened with being cut off by other Jap invaders driving at the Shan States from News Behind The News By Paul Mallon Washington, April 20. The Germans have opened their drive on the Near East In Vichy. The point in lifting their puppet Laval into the driv er's seat at this time is discern ible in the poll cles he set forth at once one policy in particular. La val wants re st o r a tion of ram Maiion French col onies. It was clear he was not talk ing about Indo-China which is in the hands of the Japs, or Equatorial Africa, which is held by the Free French. Plainly he wanted Syria, where the British are standing guard against Hit ler's hopes for conquest of the Near East oil fields. If Laval can get Syria for Hit ler, the nazis. will have won a PI a,aitiiiaji ft bigger military objective than aaV . u ; A .Via kilila frrint in Russia. It is a plot of typical nail de sign, involving treacherous use of the French fleet, although the honor of France has been pledged that those ships would not be turned upon the British or upon us, the honor of France is to some extent in nazi nanas. France no doubt has more naval strength in the Mediter ranean than the British. If La- r val can get Darlan to send these neutralized ships forth to occupy Syrian ports, it is doubtful that the British will be able to stop them. Such a conquest has an excellent chance of success. And while it would be done in the name of France, Hitler's soldiers would be moving to ward Cyprus before the first A French war vessel had dropped " anchor in Syrian ports. Thus nazi Germany, blocked so far from reaching oil by the Russian army, and stopped by the vastness and insistent neu trality of Turkey, has schemed a flank attack through Vichy to reach the same objective. A DMIRAL DARLAN, the new commander-in-chief of land. sea and air forces, is the only figure apparent in Vichy who mieht stand asainst this nazi (Continued tm Pas Pour) Myrna Loy Readies For "Renovation" Reno, April 20. (P) Film Actress Myrna Loy is staying at a gust rancn at Washoe Pines, 20 miles south of Reno, to estab lish legal residence preparatory to seeking a Nevada divorce from Film Producer Arthur Hornblow, Jr. Accompanied by her maid, the actress arrived bera early Sunday. 7 V r'A LASH I SHAN STATES) r1- Thailand (2). 10 Per Cent Minimum From Every American Is Defense Bond Aim Washington, April 20. (JPh Every American who receives an income will be urged to in vest at least 10 per cent of it in war bonds or stamps. Treasury Secretary Morgen thau, announcing that quotas would be set for each of the nation's 3,070 counties begin ning May 1, said "ten per cent of every company payroll is the minimum war bond goal." Bond sales, which soared to $1,000,000,000 in January, have dropped off recently to about $500,000,000 a month. The treasury said the quotas would be "revised and stepped up" in the months after May, and that it was the plan to reach every person in the United States who received income of any sort though it recognized that "some people, because of family circumstances, cannot af ford to save 1 per cent of their income, while other persons can afford an even higher percent age." Fuel Gas Rationing Required As Floods Rupture Pipe Lines Denver, Colo., April 20. (JP Rationing of natural gas cut ting off fuel for cooking and heating In many homes con tinued today in a dozen Color ado and Wyoming cities while Dressure along a flood-broken pipe-line was slowly built up through an emergency oy-pass. Tired, mud-covered worxmen who had struggled for two days nt the site of the break in nor thern New Mexico, completed welding a six-inch emergency nine to the main 22-lnch line last night. The pipeline, which brings gas from Texas fields, was sev ered Saturday by flood waters roaring down normally-dry tor- rumpa creek, 20 miles nortnwesi of Clayton, N. M. Prolonged rains and scattered snow sent streams but of their banks in eastern Colorado, inun dating farm lands of the Platte river valley. Rock slides blocked several mountain htahways. From three to four feet of nnur marooned more than 50 persons in the Cripple Creek nivide-Florissant area of cen tral Colorado. Men on horse back carried 20 to safety. FORMER SPEAKERS TO BE SINGER PALLBEARERS Portland. April 20 W rioht fnrmer sDeaken of the nninn legislature were named todav as honorary pallbearers for the funeral of Joe Singer veteran legislature sergeant-at mi here tomorrow. They are Robert N. Stanfield, K. K. Kubli, Denton Burdick Jnhn Carkin. Raich Hamilton Frank Lonergan, Earl Snell and Robert S. Farrell, Jr. Singer died In a hospital here Saturday. pfifi n r n Is Pierre Laval's Word . lo French PRO-AXIS CHIEF J E Rapproachement Between France, Germany Condi tion for European Peace. Vichy, Unoccupied France, April 20. (P) Pierre Laval, new pro-Axis chief of the French government, told the French people today that declaration of war against Germany was a "crime," that Britain, "after hav ing let us down in the fight now is treating us as an enemy," and that "rapproachment between France and Germany is the con dition for peace in Europe." In a broadcast appealing for support, Laval insisted he had "no responsibility whatever in the misfortune which has befal len us." Nothing To Fear He urged the farmers to "till their soil with the same passion as you would use to defend it," and told workers "you have nothing to fear, but everything to hope, from the regime which is being born. . . This war car ries in itself the veritable germs of revolution." He riromised to "do every thing to try to bring about the salvation of the country." The first broadcast by the new chief of government came after the first formal cabinet meeting at which Marshal Petain nresided. The speech was maae against a background of unrest, empna sized by the German announce ment that 30 hostages had been condemned to death at Rouen in connection with a railway wreck in which many German soldiers were killed. Tribute To Conquerors "When I snoke in the name of victorious France (as premier before the war) I never thought to humiliate Germany," Lavai said, "and I must pay this tn hiitu tn our conauerors: that they have never tried to numuiaie France. 'I do not speak to Germany in the language of the van quished." Laval asked: Do you accept mai wim RHtish helD you will be SUD- mittpri tn system which will hrinir vou into misery, or do vnu want to be integrated into new Europe where our honor and vital interests woum De re spected?" J "I warn you, n 'ncrainst all rumors that this pol icy is only possible at untold sacrifices and untold humilia tions. . . "I can only tell you that tne situation is grave." Laval promised the peasania h would do everything to re duce to a minimum the restric tive measures operating against them. r.vm time we can do it witn- out risk to the country we shall try to give you back the free dom to which you are so justly and so profoundly attached," he said. E PUT ON WORKERS Washlnelon. Aorll 20. (AP) The navy announced today that a cturt of inquiry had placed full responsibility for the disastrous Normandie fire In New York February B on employes of the Robins Drydock and Repair com pany of Brooklyn, N. Y., which was converting the former French liner into a troop trans port named the U. 5. S. Laiay ette. An official summary of the naval court's report said the "di rect and sole" cause of the fire, which led indirectly to the cap sizing of the 83,423-ton ship, was "gross carelessness and utter vio lation of rules of common sense," by the company's workmen The court recommended that proceedings be instituted against the Robins company for damages U. the full extent of liability. The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is limited to 800 fellows and 130 foreign honorary members. N0RMAND1E BLAW1 j- jnn Qf War On 'azis Was Crime NAVY TAKES OVER BREWSTER PLANTS HEADEDJYALIENS Dissatisfaction With Man agement Cited as Reason for White House Order. Washington, April 20 F The navy, acting on orders from President Roosevelt, today took over plants of the Brewster Aeronautical corporation at Long Island City, N. Y Newark, N. J., and Johnsville, Pa. This action, White House offi cials explained, was taken over because of "dissatisfaction with the management." Presidential Secretary Steph en Early did not explain on what the dissatisfaction was based, and he added that "I don t think there is any labor trouble." R. J. Thomas, president of United Automobile Workers un ion and a member of the presi dent's labor war board, said after a White House conference Thursday that the union had informed the FBI that there were a large number of aliens in the Brewster management. It was through the instrumen tality of an executive order. dated Saturday, that the author ity for the navy's taking posses sion of the plants was given. rne order said this was "deemed essential" because the the construction of "essential war materials." CENTRAL PT JILL Approximately 20 men, com posing the yard crew at the Southern Oregon Sugar Pine company mill at Central Point walked out on strike this morn ing when the management re fused to reinstate an edgerman who had declined to work the night shift, according to Chaun cey Florey, mill manager. The mill is still running, how ever, Florey said, and the crew from another plant will be brought in to continue the ship ment of vital war orders. The company posseses an A-l-A priority rating and has orders for lumber to be used in the re pair of Pearl Harbor. Employed by the company in its two mills and In the woods are 150 men. JIM THORPE BIDS F( Eugene, Ore., April 20 (JP) Jim Thorpe, famed Indian atn lete, today applied for the post as head football coach at the University of Oregon. It was regarded as foregone conclusion, however, that John Warren, freshman coach, would be named by the athletic board tonight to succeed Tex Oliver and Vaughn Corley, who follow ed each other into the navy in rapid succession last week. Thorpe, believed by many sports followers to have been the greatest athlete of all time was decathlon and pentathlon champion in the 1912 Olympics, played major league baseball with the New York Giants and 'or 25 years played and coached .ootball. BASEBALL American New York at Philadelphia postponed, weather. First game: Washington Boston Wilson and R. .10 - 4 H. 15 8 Early; Dobson, Ryba and Conroy. National Boston 2 7 0 Brooklyn 9 11 2 Early, Spahn, Tost and Lorn berdl. Kluttz; Higbe and Sulli van, Dapper. QUIT AT ADA A: POELLNITZ OF Medford Woman Succumbs In Hospital After Accident Near Savage Rapids Dam Mrs. Ada A. Poellnitz. SO. a long time and well known resi dent of this city, died in a Grants Pass hospital Sunday afternoon of injuries sustained early Sat urday morning, when the auto in which she was riding with Rob ert Swoape of this city, plunged off the Pacific highway, two miles south of Savage Rapids dam. Mrs. Poellnitz made her home at 1121 East Main street. Her husband, Dr. R. W. Poellnitz, passed away here in 1932. There were no eye-witnesses to the accident. Shortly after wards motorists arrived while Swoape was pulling his com panion out of the overturned car. According to Deputy Cor oner Carlos W. Morris, the state police officer Investigating, re ported evidence of high speed, as there were skid marks on the pavement for a distance of 300 feet. The auto had careened in to a roadside ditch and continued for another 200 feet before drop ping oft a small embankment and overturning. According to Sheriff Syd I. Brown, Swoape and Mrs. Poell nitz were returning from trip to Josephine county. Disfrict Attorney George W Neilson said an inquest would be held probably tomorrow, Swoape, according to the au thorities, claims Mrs. Poellnitz was at the wheel. Mrs. Poellnitz was born Janu ary 22, 1892, in Joe county, Kan sas. She leaves to mourn her mother, Mrs. Flora Welch of Medford, and three brothers, M. S. Welch of Klamath Falls, Harry Welch of San Francisco and O. D. Welch, residing In Nevada. Private service will be held at Perl's funeral home at 10:30 a. m. Wednesday, the Reverend R W. Coleman of the First Chris tian church, officiating. Inter ment will be in Medford I.O.O X. cemetery. PIEPEOOlAD REDDING C OF C Ashland. April 20 Dean Piener. manager of the Ashland chamber of commerce, resigned todav to become secretary of the Redding, Calif., chamber. Pleper, who has been mana ger here since September, 1940 said his resignation will be ef fective May 16. He said he also is resigning as secretary of the Oregon Commercial Secretaries association, a post to which he was elected a week ago Satur day. Mr. Pleper, is a former Med ford resident, having served as correspondent for a number of out-of-town newspapers here for some time beiore moving to Ashland two years ago. Axis Peace Offensive Scheduled This Summer! New York, April 20. An axis peace offensive Is due to be launched this summer. Di rector Archibald MacLeish of the Federal office of Fact and Figures told more than 600 pub lishers and editors at the annual luncheon of Associated Press members today. MacLeish, who is also librarian of congress, emphasized that one of the principal weapons vital to the defeat of this forthcoming offensive of the axis partners was the one that journalists were trained to use ideas and words. "You have realized for a long time and for a longer time than most of us that an axis 'peace' offensive is In the cards for next summer," he told the editor. "A "peace offensive' is an of Xensivt in political warfare, and Japanese Still Trying To Figure Origin Of Raiding War Planes ' By Clyde A. Farns worth Associated Press War Editor. With the Japanese still trying to figure out how they were bombed In their own islands Saturday, the united nations drew up plans today for an Australia - southwest Pacific and the struggle but still indecisive turn against Chungking reported that Chi nese troops swooping down from the northeast had recaptured Yenangyaung, Burmese oil cen ter, and in two days of bitter fighting had released a British force of several thousand from Japanese encirclement. Chines Join Brltlin Chinese Infantrymen who had been defending the eastern wing in Burma, Joined British tanks which had been, helping on the western wing and together they executed the limited counter- offensive which regained Ye nangyaung. The RAF made a sweep oi 200 miles alung the west Bur ma coast in which the airfield at Basscin, on the Irrawaddy delta, was damaged and motor launches, small barges and a schooner strafed. The British also reported raid ing a Japanese-held airdrome at Allanmyo, along the Irrawaddy north of Prome, and credited the American volunteer group, the Flying Tigers, with destruc tion of two Japanese planes over another airfield. Manila Points Bombed As if trying to regain face lost In the bold daylight assault on the homeland, Japanese gun ners on Bataan peninsula and at Cavite opened Intense fire yesterday on the United States' insular forts in Manila bay Fort Mills on corregldor and nearby Hughes and Drum. Return fire silenced at least three enemy batteries and broke up truck and troop concentra tions on Bataan. Five dive- bomber raids were made on Corregldor, apart from high level attacks there and on Fort Hughes. One plane was downed. General Douglas MacArthur and aides discussed offensive plans today with Australia's prime minister, John Curtin, at Canberra. It was the first of series of facilitating confer ences between him, as con firmed commander for the unit ed nations in the southwest Pacific, and Curtin, In his con current capacity as defense min ister. The specific subject was "high ly confidential." 40 Jap Planes Lost American and Australian air men chalked up 40 more Jap anese planes destroyed aground and in two raids at Rabaul, New Britain, Japans kingpin Inva sion base facing Australia. This was the score of raids Saturday and Sunday, the Sunday results also including damage to at least one Japanese ship in Rabaul harbor. Japan showed signs of Jitters over the homeland attack. Two more alarms sounded yesterday. evidently with no real basis, and Domel, Japanese news agen cy, said the government was trying to control "baseless ru mors" concerning the Saturday smashes. By their latest official ac count, the Japanese appeared fairly convinced that the raiders were United States medium bombers launched by three war ship-shielded aircraft carriers Declares MacLeish political warfare Is warfare fought with the weapons journ alists and publishers are trained to use the weapons of Ideas and words. It can be met and turned only by employment by the most skillful and effec tive employment of these same weapons. And it Is the press, in a country which puts it reli ance on a free and Independent press, which has that skill and can employ it." New York. April i0.4Pi A message from the editor of the Honolulu Star .Bulletin saying "we expect to continue publish ing an American newspaper In American territory in spite ot hell and Hirohito' was ap plauded today by Associated Press members, holding their 42nd annual meeting here. based counteroffensive in the in Burma took a favorable the enemy. War Bulletins Washington. AprU 20 P The navy reported today that an American submarine oper ating In the western Pacific had made a surprise attack on a Japanese submarine and had damaged 11 with torpedo fire. Washington. AprU 20 m Corregldor was bombarded heavily today by Japat.es guns of 240 millimeter caliber (about nine inch), the war de partment said, reporting that "some casualties and some damage resulted." from considerable distance east of Japan with instructions to bomb Tokyo, Yokohama, Na- goya and Kobe and then con tinue on to landings in free China. It also appeared, from earlier reports, that the venture was a great success. U. S. Still Silent ' The United States was still officially silent on the raids. To accept ths latest Tokyo version at its face value, there were about 10 planes In all and only on of these went down in Japan and this because of en gine trouble. The crew of five was taken prisoner, Tokyo said, and subjected to searching ex amination. Tokyo's designation of the raiders as medium bombers of an army type and Implication tnat they came from aircraft carriers seemed contradictory unless the carriers had a secret method of launching them In considerably less than the run way they normally require. It was not impossible, of course that Japan had been at tacked by both land-based and carrier-based craft. In London the possibility that the raiders came from advanced positions in the Aleutian islands was widely discussed and an Italian newspaper expressed the opinion that the planes were from bases In Soviet Russia secretly cedTfd to the United States. The Japanese Interest In ques tioning the prisoners from the plane reported downed seemed to indicate that Tokyo itself did not know all the answers. A Chungking dispatch said that the raiders had arrived safely at their destination, but did not Identify It. Chungking declared Saturday that the raid ers had not flown from Chinese bases. Heavy fighting continued on the Burma approach to India, with the British, now helped on the right wing by Chinese reinforcements, reported hold ing their ground at Taungd wlngyl. No on eouM aav vrt whpfhr invasion of India, or Australia,! or possibly both at once, was next on japan s timetable. SIDE GLANCES BY TRIBUNE REPORTERS Harvey Cassman, Central Point night watchman, thinking he had a prowler on his hands, much amused when the stranger turned out to be Sid Bristow in search of a flashlfght Officer Clyde Flchtner being kidded about missing the oppor tunity to write out a certain gentleman's traffic ticket Janet Mann garbed in a hilari ous "victory garden" outfit for the Junior Guild style show to night. Joe and Elizabeth Rlnard, go ing rural with the purchase of a house In the country and want ing friends to call them "Bruce and Joan" after a radio program. J "A House in tha Country." People F BIG FIELD PIECES Reds Only 18 Miles Front German Field Headquar ters on East Front. By the Associated Press Smolensk, which has served the German high command as field headquarters for the east ern front, was reported within range of Russia's big guns today, and the central front army of Gen. Gregory Zhukov, savior ot Moscow, was said to have ad vanced to within 18 miles of thej city from the northeast There was thus a possibility that the Red army's initiative on the central front had carried tha war within the vision of Adolf Hitler himself as an odd sort of birthday present, for Berlin said the fuehrer passed the day, his 53rd anniversary, at eastern hedquarters "in Immedlata charge of operations." Turmoil Grow . The turmoil in the new Europe; at Hitler's back was depicted in report of an attempt last night to assassinate Jacques Doriot, one of the backers of Hitler-spon sored Pierre Laval, and in an of ficial announcement that 30 more French hostage had been ordered shot In occupied France. A bomb hurled In theater at Rennes, in Brittany, while Dor tot wai lecturing, dropped in front of the stage, A woman picked It up and tossed it Into the orchestra pit where it ex ploded with harm to no one, ac cording to an announcement by the French popular party which Doriot heads. These advice flowed through Vichy where Laval, as the new chief of government, la now in stalled. Besides 30 hostage doomed at Rouen, 80 more execution wera threatened If person guilty ot attacking a German troop train were not turned over for punish ment by April 23. In addition, 1,000 "communist, Jew and sympathizer" were ordered de ported to eastern Europe. The reprisals followed a famil iar pattern. In similar cases last week In ths Calais - region, 33 French lives were taken by the) Germans. The advices on the Smolensk: operations came tn Moscow press) dispatches via London and it was Reuters wh'.ch placed the ad vancing Russians so close to Smolensk. Concurrently, Russian sources also reported new attack along the Volkhov river south ot Len ingrad and against the Finn, be tween lake Ladoga and Onega. Hitler was said by the Rus sians to be trying to put the old blitz back Into the air war with attack by as many as 50 planes against single secret objective. The signs were that ha had marshalled the bulk of hi air force on that front,' at the ex pense of his air strength in west ern Europe. Poor visibility over tha continent last night, how ever, caused a pause in the Brit ish offensive In the west. Radio Highlight! (Pacific Wartime) Another program on behalf ot the war effort starts on the blu at 7 p. tn. Wednesday. Pre sented as "Three-Third of A Nation" on behalf of the war production board, it will, wiUi music and drama, seek to ac quaint Mr. and Mrs. America with the urgency ot the produc tion drive and to depict how they can help tha nation' tight for victory. Tonight: Talks, blue, 6. Radio Forum, Rep. Mary T. Norton, "Labor Legislation;" MBS, 7:19, Safety Council Award dinner, Joseph R 'Eastman. Blue 0:30, boxing, Bob Mont gomery vt. Joey Peralta, Phila delphia. Eugene, April 20. Rob ert L. White, two and a halt old son of Floyd W. White, Eugene, wa instantly killed her Sun day when hi father accidentally backed a truck over him.