Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, December 28, 1942, Image 1

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Medford mail tribune., December 28, 1942, Page 1, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Texti Let YOUR Answer Te Bomb Be-DOrfDSI Wat Bondi aa etaana TOUAV Coatrlkute uthtnt effort mt four Halloa. Patriot' aaa. fast " aair-amariHM, Cm The MAIL TIinaiTS Want Ad Way Oulck Rata Us . At Small Coat Medford TRIBUNE aemandi I bat (00 tfa jaw part NOWI United Preaa full Uwd Witt United Pi aaa full LnHd. Win Thirty -Beventh Year. MEDFORD, OREGON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1942 NO. 240 F IE IftllLILIly KM aaa - . w mm Kelly's 'Comment rxora Washington, D. C Pf wer Pool Quiz Sought by Pierce Lehman Naming Seen F.R. Error Soldiers May Aid With 1943 Crops s . Br Jaha w. Kelly Washington, D. C, Dec. 28 The power pool embracing Grand Coulee, Bonneville and the private utilities of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Utah (and -the municipally owned plant at Eugene) which hat been a life-saver recently to the government projects and cer tain private companies, is a de vice of the private companies to filch the government power and undermine the two projects on Columbia river,, according to Walter M. Pierce, government ownership advocate, in his swan song in congress. Mr. Pierce, who failed to make the grade in the November election, has re 1 quested the federal power com mission and federal trade com mission to investigate this power pool. ' The pool is the result of pro posals initiated by several large power companies to increase available power during the war. At first Dr. Paul J. Raver, Bon neville administrator, opposed the Idea, but the energy from Coulee and Bonneville Is now mingled with that from the priv ate utilities and the municipal plant. Story of the power pool appeared in the house organ of PGE company in Portland, No vember number, and promptly excited the suspicions of Pierce. He made quite an issue of it in the Congressional Record of De cember 14: said citizens of Washington and Oregon should I learn why their resources are being siphoned out from under them and taken to Idaho, Mon tana and Utah to supply indus trial plants that would not have been possible if their locations had been based on available power capacity, This - house organ ("Bull'a Eye"), in an effort to prove patriotic accomplishments, ad mits an unlawful application un der the Bonneville act. It ad mits displacing payrolls in the Columbia river basin and mov ing such opportunities into the (Continued on Page Pour) An appeal for Victory Recrea i tion Volunteers to attend Camp White parties was made today by Mrs. Marjorie Pena of the Outpost Mrs. Pena is particu larly interested in signing up a number of Medford girls and women to attend holiday parties scheduled for the camp this week. Tomorrow evening a party is planned for the 21st field hospital, Wednesday a dance is planned for Service Club No. 1 and Thursday a New Year's eve formal dance is to be held at Service Club No. 2. Mrs. Pena states that recrea' tional volunteers must be more than IS years of age and Amer ican citizens. Any woman Inter ested is asked to call the Out post, S76S. SIDE GLANCES By TRIBUNE REPORTER Dorothy Hoppe being all of a dither about a certain piece of pink paper. Deputy U. S. Marshall Paul Hanlin learning how to do the family washing. George McBee eliminating 'Tubby" Dean as suspect In the robbery of his establishment the culprit having climbed through a tiny opening to enter the place. TO FOR UNIFICATION Mutually Willing To Cooper ate De Gaulle Calls On Eden May Visit F.D.R. London. Dee. 28 (U.R) Radio Vichy broadcast e t patch by Marshal Hanri Phil lippe Pttaln today denouncing French collaboration with the allies in North Africa, and then the radio announced that the council of ministers had deprived Gen. Henri Giraud oi his French nationality. London, Dec. 28 (IMS Gen. Charles De Gaulle, Fighting French leader, and Gen. Henri Honora Giraud, new French chieftan in Africa, have been Negotiating for 48 hours on uni fication of all French, Empire forces and have already pledged their mutual willingness to co operate with one another, re liable informants said today. Negotiations were now center ed on arrangements for an early meeting between De Gaulle and Giraud, and it was blieved in some quarters that It might take place in the next 10 days. De Gaulle Bees fcaan De Gaulle called at the foreign office today and talked with Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, who had been unable to attend yesterday's conference be tween Prime Minister Winston Churchill and De Gaulle. ' There were unconfirmed re ports that De Gaulle also would go to Washington to confer with President Roosevelt, and might be accompanied by Gen. Georges Catroux, Fightint French leader for the Middle East, It was believed that De Gaulle might go to Africa to confer with Giraud, newly elected French high commissioner In succession to assassinated Ad miral Jean Francois Darlan. Washington, Dec. 28. (U.R) Secretary of State Cordell Hull said today that greater unifica tion of the various French elem ents would result from the leadership of Gen. Henri Honore Giraud of French North Africa. Hull said that Giraud's leader ship "will go far to assure the common victory with the restor ation of French liberty every where." AMERICAN PLANES IN BIG OFFENSIVE ON TUNISIA FRONT 'London, Dec. 28 U.B Fly ing Fortresses and the newest, deadliest American fighting planes were believed engaged today in a supreme offensive to utterly wreck axis communica tion lines and transport in Tunisia. The German controled radio Vichy said there had been vio lent fighting in Tunisia for the last 24 hours. . Allied North African head quarters announced that United States bombers and fighters re sumed their smashing attacks against the Port of Bizerte and Sfax, on the Tunisian east coast. Saturday. Apparently there had been a break in heavy winter rains, holding up the allies both In the air and on land. Flying Fortresses sank two large vessels and a small one, damaged a medium-sized ship and scored hits with heavy bombs on the docks at Sfax. Radio Vichy broadcast early today that one American bomber and two fighters had landed In Portugal and been Interned. A United Press dispatch from Lis bon said an A Ira cobra, with two pilots in It, had landed on the International airfield. Byesvllle, O., Dec. 28 (UJD Three coal miners were trapped while approximately 30 escaped safely today following a gas ex plosion at the Byesvllle Coal Co Bin Food Rationing Fails To Spark Jap Navy Planes Claim 14 Yankee Machines Downed Tokyo, Dec. 28 (Japanese Broadcast Recorded by U.P. in New York) Imperial head quarters announced today that Japanese luival fighter planes had shot down 14 of 20 Ameri can planes over Munda, on New Georgia island in the Solomons. r "Japanese naval fighters on Dec. 23 intercepted more than 20 enemy planes coming from the area of Guadalcanal Is land and shot down 14, of which six were unconfirmed, over Munda, New Georgia island," a communique said. HOMES TO MAKE CAPITAL TRIP IN VAN DYKE'S PLACE Fred C. Homes, of Ashland, stockman and farmer, was select ed today by the county court, as state representative pro tem from Jackson count, to fill the vacancy cause' by the absence of Attorney Frank J. Van Dyke, of Ashland, representative-elect. who is unable to attend legisla tive session starting January 11 next, because of army duties. The appointment will be formal ly made by the court tomorrow. Homes was recommended to the county court by the republi can county central committee. R. F. Kyle of this city was also an avowed candidate, and the choice between the two was re ported close. A petition bearing the names of 80 Ashland resi dents was filed In behalf of Homes. Homes, a native of Iowa, re ceived his education In the pub lic schools of that state, and the old Southern Oregon Normal school at Ashland. He received a teacher's certificate, and for a few years was employed by the Southern Pacific railroad. Since 1901, he has engaged in farming ana stocKraising, operating a 900-acre wheat ranch, and a dairy farm in the Bellview dis trict. He is county chairman of the Agricultural Adjustment Ad ministration and has been active in Grange and civic affairs in the south end of the county for years. He is past exalted ruler of the Ashland Elks, president of the Bellview Telephone com pany, active In the Ashland Chamber of Commerce, and the republican party. He is S3 years oi age. UP SEASON TOTAL TO Rainfall of 4.68 this month. In eluding yesterday, brought the seasonal total for the past four months up to 17.S0 inches, an all-time high, according to the federal weather bureau staff at the airport The season's total is 10.62 Inches above normal, it was stated. It was pointed out that Novem ber's record-breaking rainfall of 8.62 helped materially to boost the season's figures. This was more rainfall than In any other single month since records have been kept starting In 1011. De cember figures were slightly mote than normal. Rains of the past week have flooded many fields and pastures of rural areas, causing farmers to fear some of their fall sown grain will be "drowned out." Country roads are also In bad shape from excessive rain. Both orchard Ists and farmers would welcome sunMne, so they can catch up with their work. AROUND FOE; E NEW GAINS Defenders Press Ahead On All Sectors In Night Of Bitter Fighting, Is Word. Moscow, Dec. 28 (U.R) Rus sian forces narrowed the gap today in a second ring- around 22 German divisions already trapped between the Volga and the Don and a Soviet commu nique reported new Red army gains on five other sectors from Rzhev to the Caucasus. Front dispatches said Soviet troops had occupied the1 stra tegic towns of Solonetzky, 75 miles west of Stalingrad, and Brukov, several miles to the south, strengthening the pocket in which upward of 300,000 Axis troops were penned. right In snow. Cold In a night of bitter fighting, the Russians had pressed ahead on all sectors, battling the snow with temperatures ranging far below zero. . .. Solonetzky, taken by the Rus sians as they tightened their vise around the Don-Volga pocket, is on the Chir river, several miles north of the Stalingrad-Kharkov railroad and 18 miles west of Surkovikino. Birukov is 18 miles south of Chernlshevsky on the Kharkov-Stalingrad line and due south of Solonetzky. The second ring around the pocketed Germans started 12 miles north of Kotelnikovsk, between the Stalingrad-Tokho- retsk railroad and the Don. The Russians reached these positions yesterday after driv ing the Germans back 24 to 30 miles in four days of vi cious fighting. The circle swung northwestward across the Don through Chepurin to Birukov and northward, to Solonetzky. Then it followed the north- northwestern course of the Chir river until it hinged on Col.- Gen. N. F, Vatutin s armies forging southward on the mid dle Don front. Soviet columns moving down the west bank of the Don, south west of Stalingrad, were ad vancing westward now, moving between the Stalingrad-Khar kov railroad and the southern arm of the Don. They captured Vodyansky, 10 miles west of the river, and moved on to Birukov. Southwest of Stalingrad, the Russians recovered most of the advanced positions they had held prior to a fierce German counteroffensive started Decem ber 12. They advanced six to nine miles yesterday. SERGEANT SHOOTS SELF Hamilton Field, Cai., Dec. 28 (U.R) A board of officers to day was Investigating death of Tech. Sgt. George Ward Clark, 37, of Chicago, 111., who appar ently shot himself in the chest last night with his service re volver. Officers said there was no evidence of foul play and that companions of Clark re ported he was cheerful when he went to bed. Hoarding Will be Useless, Warning by Mrs. Roosevelt Washington, Dee. 28. (U.R) Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt said today It would be useless for people to hoard canned goods at this time because no one can buy enough to last through the emergency. "I hope people don't go out and buy and buy," she told a press conference. "It won't do them any good anyway, because they will be asked to declare what they have when rationing goes into effect." A reporter commented that many people might not declare all they have on hand. 'Then,' Mrs. Roosevelt said, Announcement Buying Parade T E One Coach Pushed Over Em bankment Trains Re routed Over Medford Line Oakrldge, Ore., Dec. 28 (U.R) An avalanche derailed eight cars of the Southern Pacific's northbound Klamath train late last night. Injuring eight per sons, some of them navy per sonnel. Two , dining cars were most seriously damaged. One was pushed over a 30-foot embank ment, apparently when struck by a large tree uprooted by the landslide, A dining car steward, Frank Pilcher, of San Jose, suffered two broken legs. Southern Pac ific officials in San Francisco re ported. All passengers were trans ferred from the derailed cars to the first nine cars, and the fore shortened train continued. Other traffio on the line was rerouted. Names of the injured were not ascertained immediately. Five passenger and one freight train were being routed through Medford today while the track was being cleared at the accident scene for resumption of traffic on that line. Three of the passenger trains were south bound and two northbound. It was expected the trains would be back on their normal run tomorrow. The avalanche, apparently loosened by recent rains, struck the train near Wickopee, a sid ing 20 miles above Oakrldge in the Cascade mountains. IT With the American Air Forces, China, Dec. 26 )Delayed) U.R Seven Japanese planes were destroyed today in a brief air battle over the rugged western Yunnan mountains as the enemy tried to retaliate for repeated raids on bases in Burma and Indo-China. Even as the Japanese raiding force was being shot down in flames, American bombers again were over Lashio, Important Japanese base in northern Bur ma, blowing up warehouses and wrecking the enemy airport. Two American fighter planes were shot down in the mountain clash, near an advanced Ameri can base, but the pilot of one was known to be safe. It was the second Japanese at tempt this week to retaliate for the attacks against Lashio. which Brig.-Gen. Claire L. Chen nault's bomber command now has raided three times this week. "their neighbors will probably complain about the things they have. It's wonderful what your neighbors know about you. Any way, hoarding Is stupid, because no one can possibly buy enough of any one thing to last until the shortage la over." Mrs. Roosevelt said that while the White House will not hoard any supplies, the housekeeper will continue a long standing practice of buying staples in large quantities. This practice, Mrs. Roosevelt said, is widely recognized by housewives as being more econ omical than piecemeal buying. GOOD SENSE ACT AS DETERRENTS Government Requirement of Declaration On Hoarded Goods Also Seen Helpful. By United Press The common sense and patri otism of America's food merch ants and housewives combined today to prevent a serious run on foodstuffs which will be ra tioned under the point system In February! A United Press survey cover ing all sections of the country showed only Isolated instances of rushes on canned goods. For the most part the public and storekeepers were taking the announcement yesterday by Sec retary of Agriculture Claude Wickard in stride. Capital Exception One of the few exceptions was at Washington, D, C, where gro cers reported a serious run on canned goods. Several stores were jammed a few minutes after opening with customers demanding canned tomatoes, fruits, and peas but grocers lim ited purchases to one or two cans of each item per customer. Retail grocers reported that limits on canned goods pur chases voluntarily imposed sev eral weeks ago were serving to restrain buyers from hoarding in some cases. The great majority of reports were that there was no unusual buying this morning during the first business hours after the government announce ment. The government requirement that hoarded canned goods be declared before a ration book is issued also served as a deterrent to selfish buying. Want Pork and Beans A run on pork and beans and pineapple developed in Dei Moines, la., and stores quickly limited purchases to two cans per customer. 4 Heavy buying of canned fruit luices was reported by one store in Philadelphia, and other stores there reported slight rushes for canned goods particularly peas and corn. But these were small blots on an otherwise satisfac tory picture. Mrs. Rose Marie Klefer. seer. tary of the National Association or Retail Grocers in Chicago, in cluding ou.uuu small grocery aiure owners, attacKed the an nouncement of rationing as pre mature ana warned that It would bring about "Just what iney want to avoid unfair dis tribution. federal authorities pointed out that a complicated adminis tration must be set up to con trol rationing and If the public were not notified, rumors of rationing might leak out and cause hysterical buying. This wouio result in unfair advan tages to certain groups who secured inside information. STILL POURS IN Don't feel concerned If you haven't yet received Christmas gifts you expected from diatant relatives or friends, for parcels are still pouring Into Medford postoffice and will probably con tinue to do so for several more days. Postmaster Frank DeSouza said that 400 sacks of Christmas parcels were received Sunday and were being delivered today and that incoming packages were being taken to their destination as quickly as possible. A goodly number of the tem porary Christmas employes arc being retained to help In the rush, and will be kept until all ! parcels are delivered, be said. V" T' - " "" .,---' e .4 V-- .Ll. nv Sj . -ma iresMrtv ,.- aaras- ' .' a--1 1)irtfiTrw r v - In this (UmpM of battle action In the South Pacific an American Navy plana, foreground, has landed askew on Its carrier or has been disabled by a near bomb bunt. A column of am oka In the background rises front planes, possibly Japs, which crashed into the tea during the tight. Phot from Official U. B. Mara newireeL P-38's Prove Their Mettle In Fierce New Guinea Fight By Son Caswell ' United Press Staff Correspondent Somewhere in New Guinea, Dec. 28 (Delayed) UJ9 Lock heed P-38 Lightning pilots, in one of the fiercest air battles of the New Guinea campaign, today had the chance for which they had long been waiting to show their stuff as fighters. SEE NO RUSH FOR Announcement of the forth coming point system for ration ing by the government caused no particular rush on Medford grocery stores a survey of local large groceries shows. Managers of the Big Y, Groceterias and Safeway stores all said this noon that so far there had been no noticeable rush to purchase canned goods. "There has been no run on canned goods at this store", stat ed Lester F. Nielsen of the Big Y. "Buying has been noticeably heavy however over the past 90 days. Indicating that people an ticipated the rationing." "It's a little too early to say what effect the announcement will have locally," M. H. Hall of the Groceteria said. "We had a few large orders late y ester day afternoon, but these did not seem to be on any one commod ity Just routine orders. How ever, It the trend follows that caused by coffee and sugar ra tioning, we will have a rush Our stores had no trouble sup plying coiree until the rationing was announced when we were cleaned out in a few days." He added that perhaps the appeal to patriotism made by government officials, and experience, had combined to forestall a rush for canned goods. M. J. Maulsby, manager of the West Main street Safewav store, reported that there was no unusual buying at his estab lishment. He offered the In tor. estlng theory that had the an nouncement been mads at u. other time than immediatolv following Christmas, the result might have been different. Many people had no spare cash, due to the heavy Christmas buy ing, he said, "and therefore were absolutely unable to make heavy purchases had th.v .n desired." Purchases of cannpd goods have been unusually heavy for the past two or three months, he also said, tending to offset the effect of the rationing announcement BOMB MEMENTO Salem, Ore., Dec. 28 01.(9 A SOUVenIr Of tha arll Knw ing near Brookings Sept. 8 was received by Governor Charles Sprague today from Lieut Gen. John L. DeWltt head of the Western Defense Commany and Fourth army. The memento con sists of a fragment of the bomb, engraved and mounted on wooden pen tray. V 5V;.3iy v " ii e .. .'"?.. -" ' i"? dam Talaakaw The Lightnings, previously used for patrols and reconnaut sance, streaked to the front after an ale alarm and In one brief clash at altitudes from 18,000 feet down to 8,000 feet, 12 of them shot down IS Zeros and dive bombers. (Today's communique official ly placed the score at IS Japan ese planes out of a formation of 42.) Two Zeros tried to decoy the swift, twin-fuselaged and twin engined Lightnings to low levels, while other enemy planes hid in a cloud layer 20,000 feet up. The Lightning pilots didn't fall for It. - All the Zeros and dive bomb ers then plummeted from the clouds and Jumped the dozen Lightnings at 18,000 feet. By the time the battle was down to 5,000 feet, the remaining Japan ese decided they had had enough and sped for home while other allied fighter units were still rushing the fray. Second Lieut, Kenneth C Sparks, BlackweU, Okla., had the roughest trip, downing oqo Zero and one dive bomber but received damage to his plana that made landing difficult "My flight hit the main group of about 30 Japanese planes at 12,000 feet over laud," Sparks said, "but we milled out over the sea. I got a Zero on my first pass, setting bis motor afire. "Then I climbed back to 12, 000 feet and began working on a dive bomber. Suddenly I dis covered five Nips on my talL They hit my left motor, dis abling it, and I started diving away. "On the way down, I found two Juicy dive bombers in my sights. I saw my tracers entering the cockpit of one of them. My shots must have killed the pilot because' the bomber Just went straight down to the Jungle. However, his rear gunner still was alive and shot up my nose wheel." The Lightnings have a tricycle landing gear. Washington, Dec. 28 (UR) The Navy reported today that 214 officers and 80 enlisted members of the Women's Naval Reserve reported for duty in departmental offices here last week to release men from desk work. Radio Highlights Washington, Dec. 28 -0J.P5 Vice-President Henry A. Wallace will speak at 8:30 p. m. (PWT) tonlsht over the National Broad casting Co. network on "Amer ica's Part in World Reconstruc- ' tion." The speech, which will originate here, wiU be In connec tion with observances of the 88tb anniversary of the birth of the late President Woodrow WUtoo.