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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1942)
Let YOUR Te Bomb Be BONDSI But war Buaaa aa lluipt TODAY Coatrlkate u lb war Karl mi your natloa). Patriot lata, loot mwu rlf-protcrtloa. demmndi that XOL ma your part SOW! Dm The MAIL TBIBOKI Want Ad Way Quick Results At Small Coat Medford TRIBUTE UnlUd Pre Full Lwtd Wlra United Praaa Full Lease Thirty-seventh Year. MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1942. NO. 242 mm r HI HE .,i : . M Kelly's Comment Prom Washington. D. C. Army Preparing For Big Landing Small Flat Tops Will Be Fatter Farm Mobilization Set for Jan. 12 By Jaaa W. Kelly Washington, D. C, Dec. 30 Whatever the army is preparing for, It is something big .and a military secret. The army has been having built hundreds of barges In the northwest, larger than anything of the kind ever planned in the past. Officially, these are known as landing barges, and landing barge is one used by the marine corps and the navy to put marines and armed sailors through the turf to establish a beachhead. Many of these barges are of steel and exceed 300 feet In length and draw nine feet of water. They are self-propelling, being equip ped with a couple of engines In the rear. The bow Is blunt and can be lowered. These landing barges are suffi ciently large and seaworthy to carry the heaviest artillery, tanks or other equipment possessed by the army. They can move into any theatre of action in any part of the globe where the army re quires them. They are sen-sum cient; they are independent of transports or cargo carriers ana can accomoany a convoy. From the ways of the great shipyards east of Vancouver such heavy- duty sea monsters as these have been sliding Into the Columbia in recent months. Being barges, they have not attracted the pub licity accorded the freighters ana oil tankers In the same area. From the vicinity of Port An geles south In Puget Sound to a vard or two in well equipped harbors on the Oregon coast barges are being constructed as STALK TAKE Four Big Ammunition Dumps Fall to Russians Red Offensive Seen in North, Moscow, Dec. 30. (U.R) The Red army cut its way through 30,000 German troops southwest of Stalingrad today, seized a di visional headquarters, and rolled on toward the rich prize of Ros tov, key to the Caucasus. Four big ammunition dumps fell to the advancing Russians and large numbers of Axis pris oners began trudging toward the rear lines from Kotelnikovski, captured by the Russians yes terday. (There were indications that there might be another Russian offensive soon on the northern end of the 1,100-mile battle line. A Berlin dispatch to the Swed ish newspaper Nya Dagllgt Al- lenhanda reported that Soviet trucks were streaming across frozen lake Ladoga, restoring land communication with be sieged Leningrad. German ar tillery was shelling the Ice, the dispatch said.) Tanks led the night assault that defeated the 30,000 Ger mans southwest of Stalingrad. aaaaaaam a aaaaaa . Ill mi C-'i " i W 4 r"1 ' ' ' I'i J-V O - ' War Industries Hard Hit- Crest of 37 Feet Expected at Pittsburgh by Night. Aw imUphato Ai news comes that the fighting French leader Is now negouaunv w,m General heart Honors Ulmua, new Prenca caleitaln In Airica, central Cnaiies De uauue, right, la auown cnaiung witn aa uniaenuiied guest at a recent luncueun given in De cauiies honor In Louaoa ay lot jumw Anwriema treat AMoriaiinn of ran. HOSPITAL CHIEF OF 25 IN STAFF Salem. Ore.. Dec. 30 (U.R) A proposal that the legislature rapidly as possible. The navy, I be asked to take steps to enlarge as well as the army, has scores under contract. Some are of steel and others of wood. AS the last of the landing barges allocated to Vancouver have been completed that yard is now engaged on the Job of build ing a new type of "flat top," or airplane carrier. About 550 feet In length, these carriers are to be powered with engines that will give them a speed better than or equal to that of a sub- ( Continued on Page Pour) London, Dec. 30 (U.R) The British Eighth army massed armor and artillery west of Sirte today, and with both sides bogged down in the Tunisian mud, it appeared that the next Allied blow in Africa would fall 1 on Marshal Erwin Rommel's weary, retreating Afrika korps. British patrols broke across Wadi Bel El Chebir, 185 miles east of Tripoli, a middle east- em command communique an nounced, and the Afrika korps yielded one of the three possible defense positions on the Libyan etviat Haw rains reduced land and air activity in Tunisia to the minimum, but It appeared cer tain that Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's advancing Eighth army would get in the next big punch against the Axis. Shipbuilding Takes Place Over Lumber A$ Oregon Industry SIDE GLANCES By TRIBUNE REPORTER Elevatorman Robert Wolfe vowing that in all his 30 years In Medford he had never seen o much water. George Hiles displaying a slightly illuminated orb and claiming that he had a perfect excuse for same, friends under standing, however, that he is on some rationing board, somewhere. the state hospital staff by some 25 employes was presented to the state board of control today in a letter from Dr. J. C. Evans, superintendent of the Institution. In presenting the letter, Koy Mills, board secretary, informed the board that agitation to In crease the personnel of the hos pital staff had been rising since 47 of the institution's patients were killed when roach powder accidentally was used In place of powered milk in preparing a meal of scrambled eggs for more than 400 Inmates. Dr. Evans" letter, requesting also that salaries of the hospital staff be increased as of Jan. 1, 1943, took notice of the current manpower shortages but suggest ed that the legislature provide for staff additions which could be made when suitable employes are available. . . More Room Needed In addition. Dr. Evans asked for housing facilities for the new heln and urged that construction be started as soon as possible to relieve crowded conditions at the hrtsnital. The Nov. 18 tragedy Itself was discussed briefly by the board members. State Treasurer Leslie Scott suggested that the basic cause of the fatal mistake was the fact that the poisonous roach nowder had been stored in food storage room. Gov. Charles A. Sorasue and Secretary of State Earl Snell agreed but pointed out that the poison had been stored in the basement room by the staff dietician, who resigned to take position at Camp Adair soma time before the tragedy. Doriot Would Edge Laval From Power London, Dec. 30. (U.R) Neu tral dispatches from France said today that Jacques Doriot now was openly trying to usurp Pierre Laval's place as Nazi pup pet dictator. , . Doriot recently has declared that he and his French Fascist party were the only true colla borationists in Franca, the dis patches said. Sliced Bread Ban Won't Prevent Pressure for Higher Retail Roof Washington, Dec. 30 (U.R) Leaders of the baking Indus try said privately today that the government's order prohibit-, ing certain bakers' practices Including the sale of sliced bread to absorb an increase In the price of flour would not eliminate pressure for higher retail ceiling prices on bread. Their statement came alter me government authorized an aver age 10 per cent increase in flour prices and banned certain bak ing practices which Secretary of Agriculture Claude R. Wickard la confident will reduce baking costs and prevent Increased bread prices. Bakers' representatives aald, however, that the prohibited practices were not the chief cause of the pressure for higher bread prices. They asserted pri vately that whatever savings are achieved by them would be negated by the steady increase in the price of edible fats and other products used In bread making. "MANKIND UNITED" HEAD RELEASED UNDER BOND Los Angeles, Dec. 30 iU.R) Arthur L. Bell, asserted head of "Mankind United," and 15 oth ers held In county jail on sedi tion charges, today were released on bonds totaling $77,000 posted in Federal Judge Harry A. Holl zer's court. Oakland, Cal, Dec. 30 (U.R) The Albany race track grand stand and clubhouse have been surveyed by architects for pos sible future conversion into housing units for overflow Rich mond shipyard workers, Ford Harvey, secretary of the plan ning commission, aald today.. STOCKADE ESCAPE F Ursula Parrott Helped Sol dier Out of Miami Beach Pen is Charge at Hearing. Salem, Ore., Dec. 30 U.R) Lumbering, Oregon's chief peacetime Industry, was out stripped by over $12,000,000 by the shipbuilding industry in the third quarter of 1842, state un employment compensation com mission 'wage' reports revealed today. Disclosing that higher figures from every principal industry had more than doubled the total payroll subject to the unemploy ment compensation act in the past year and a half, the com mission released figures showing that shipbuilding had gained from 3517,817 in the first quar ter of 1941 to 842.823.499 for the third quarter of 1942. Lumber ing in the same period gained from 817,157.235 to 830.464,182. The total report for the two com parative periods was $68,873,493 for the first quarter of 1941 and $160,391,394 for the third quar ter of 1942. Pittsburgh, Dec. 30 0J.B The second worst flood in the history of this district surged over western Pennsylvania to day as rampaging rivers and streams overflowed their banks following heavy rains. War Industries were hard hit by the flood waters as were hun dreds of homes and business es tablishments. The American Red Cross set up emergency head quarters as hundreds of families were evacuated from their homes in the face of the rising waters. Crest Due Tonight The weather bureau predicted a crest here of between 38 and 37 feet by midnight tonight the highest- since the St. Patrick's day flood of 1936 when the riv ers reached 46 feet and caused damage of more than $150,000.- 000. Floor stage Is 25 feet. The rivers here passed 32 feet at noon and continued to rise at the rate of .6 foot an hour. As the swollen Allegheny and Monongahela rivers poured their burden into the Ohio . at the Point" in downtown Pittsburgh, the weather bureau warned com munities down the Ohio to pre- nara for "extremely" high ter. A crest ol between en ana 49 feet by tomorrow was pre dicted for Wheeling, W. Va., where flood stage is 86 feet. "A level of 48 feet would overflow Wheeling island, where 10,000 persons live. The national parks yielded 6,473.855 pounds of scrap metal In 1942, or enough to fill more than 75 freight cars. Columbus, Dec. 30 (U.R) The Ohio river neared flood stage at several points today as swollen tributaries poured water in low land areas, forced 350 families to evacuate homes, threatened hun dreds of others and Inundated sections of at least 20 highways in central and southeastern Ohio. Industrial Deaths . Top Fighting Loss Philadelphia. Dec. 30. U.R The nation's workers and indus trialists today were told that more men and women were killed In Industry this year than the U. S. armed forces have lost since Pearl Harbor. In addition, .said Col. John H. Stilwell, president of the Na tional Safety council, the time lost through accidents in the first seven months of 1942, would have built 111 light tanks, 22 bombers, or 44 fighter planes. Miami, Fla, Dec. 80 (U.B Ursula Parrott. 40. noted novel ist and magazine writer, today was ordered held for the Dade county federal grand Jury on charges that she smuggled a soldier out of military stock ade in the back seat of her auto- nrobile. Miss Parrott pleaded not guil ty to the charges in a prellm'n- ary hearing before United States Commissioner Roger E. Davis, Her bond was set at $1,000. The arvnd iury convenes Jan 4. The writer wa. lateen into custody by federal authorities last night and charged with aid- l-a soldier. Pvt. Michael Neely Bryan. 22, of Germantown, Te:in., to escape from military stockade at Miami Beach. . Narcotic Suspect The federal bureau of Investi gation reported that Bryan waa wanted in New York on a nar cotic charge. Miss Parrott'a at torney said that she waa an Im portant witness in the case, federal authorities refused to reveal the nature of the narcotic counts agaii.st the soldier, who Is held by military police. If convicted. Miss Parrott could be sent to prison for maximum -of three years and fined not more than $2,000. The defendant, who said she preferred to be known as Miss Parrott, talked freely with porters as she left the building She said she had known the S'dier "for a great while." She id they became acquainted in New York. Before he went Into the army, he was a guitar player in Benny Goodman s orchestra, and once .played in Artie Shaw a band, she said. When asked her present mari tal status, she replied: "Let s skip that. This Is em barrassing enough as it is." She has been married four times. War Bulletins London. Dee. 30 0JJ9 Four persons. Including two women and a child, were killed and several others were in Jured when three Focke-Wulf-190 fighter planaa bombed aouthwest English coastal town from low. level today. The Carman also swept the town with machine guns and cannon. A block of tenements was ahaitered and several more victims were believed trapped beneath the debris. London. Dec. 80 (U.R) American heavy bombers at tacked the German submarine bate, at Lorlsnt this afternoon, a Joint communique oi the U. S. army headquarters and the British air ministry aald. Formation oi enemy lighten which attempted to Intercept the bomber were fought off and number were destroyed, the communique . aald. Three Amerlan bomber are missing. AMERICANS, JAPS IN SHARP CLASH ON GUADALCANAL Between 155 and 165 Nips Slain U. S. Planes Sink Two Enemy Cargo Ships. Washington. Dec. 80 (U.R) Allied artillery ha shelled enemy position on the heights about mile northeast of Madjas El Bab In northern Tu nisia which were captured by Allied force Christmas eve and later lost, the war depart ment announced today. Washington, Dee. 30 (U.R) U. S. marines and army troops, continuing their war of attri tion against the beleaguered Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, In two sharp skirmishes on Sun day killed between 155 and 165 of the enemy with a loss of only four Americans killed and one wounded. The navy also disclosed In a communique that on Tuesday, Island time, American planes sank two Japanese cargo ahipa in two attack on Wickham an chorage, on the southeast coast oi Vangunu Island In the Solo mon group. Vangunu Island I 120 mile northwest of Guadalcanal, from whence the American planes presumably operated. The disparity between the losses In the Dec. 27 land fight ing strengthened the belief that the Japanese on Guadalcanal are steadily deteriorating a the result of the six-weeks blockade which the U. S. navy and air force have clamped on that Island. FRENCH TOLD TO WATCH FOR ALLIED INVASION London, Dec. 30 (U.R) An Al lied spokesman warned' the French people by radio today "to stand by In event of an Allied invasion. He advised them to move If they live near railway centers, factories, workshops, repair shops and coastal zones. Those for whom It would be impos sible to move, should demand adequate air raid shelter, he said. Washington, Dec. ' 30 (U.R) The Office of Price Administra tion today liberalized automobile rationing regulation to permit person engaged In any galnfuf occupation who can ahow need, to buy new 1941 or earlier model cars which have gone less than 1,000 miles or new 1942 cars with a list price of $2500 or more. Effective Jan. 8, 1943, appli cants for ration certificates to purchase such models only have to show a need for a car In trav eling to and from their work or In doing such work. The present restricted occupational eligibility classifications no longer will ap ply- It Is hoped that this not only will Improve the transportation of persons buying these automo biles, OPA said, but that addi tional can will be brought Into the used car market. At the same time OPA an nounced the release from the government reserve pool of all new car with a list price of $2500 or more. Convertible and soft top can also were released for sale to rationing certificate holder. New Delhi. Dec. 80 (U.R) Heavy bomben of the 10th U. S. air force scored direct hit on two Japanese supply ships In the Rangoon area and left one in flames, it was announced today. All' plane- returned to their base safely. ' " The Royal air force, battel Ing Japanese bases In Burma, bombed the airdrome at Toun goo, 150 miles north of Rangoon, and raided an enemy air field at Monywa, west of Mandalay. up-statefLoods American Soldiers Conservative Best Behaved of Any Army Men in World Portland, Or., Dec. 80 W Sections of four highways were closed by flood water of the Willamette river and it tri butaries today. Crest averging mora than two feet above flood stages were ex pected by tomorrow night at Harrlsburg, Eugene, AlDany ana Jefferson, the U. 8. weather bur eau warned. The swollen Sent lam river. which stopped traffic on the Al-bany-Nyssa artery, was expected to (tart subsiding by nightfall. however. The Dallas-King val ley, Corvallis-Albany and Bells-vue-Hopewell secondary high way were covered by floods In the valley lowlands, It was reported. Navy-uniformed Kenneth Wat son back on furlough and greet lsf, old friends at the pogtolfict. EARLY PAPER FRIDAY . In order to permit employes to enjoy a partial holiday on New Year's day, the Mail Tribune will go to press at nnn. By Joseph Laltln United Press Correspondent. ' Washington, Dec. 30 (U.R) The American army drinks beer and whisky conservatively and is the best-behaved army in the world, the Office of War Infor mation said today in a compre hensive report on drinking -conditions in and around training camp and posts. The 15-page report, based on detailed surveys of drinking habit In practically all areas where there are large troop concentrations, was drawn up by OWI investigators and was im mediately interpreted in many quarters as a rebuke to dry who have raised the prohibition question. No Apology Needed "The American soldier need neither curtain lecture nor apol ogy,'' the report said. "He be haves well; he trains well, and in the farflung places of . the earth he is fighting well." Not only Is the American army more orderly than any other present army, but It also drinks vastly less than the American army of 1917, due mainly to the "healthy and sensible arrange- meilt OK acrvui . per cii. 1 beer in camp, the report said. "In the last war camp were bone dry," it said. "As a result, bootleggers did a thriving busi ness." Sale of 3.2 beer by post exchanges, the report laid, pro vide soldiers with mild relax ation, minimize hard liquor drinking, i easily controlled and keeps troops out of trouble. But there wa no Indication that beer sale lower the total num ber of abstainers since sods pop still Is the most popular army drink. "The American soda pop habit will wear no man's collar," the report said. Tall Stories Blamed The OWI tnvestlgaton, who talked to army officers, chap plain, and civilian authorities and visited all major troop areas except Florida blamed "tall stories and sensational gos sip" for the mistaken Idea that the percentage of drunkenness among soldiers Is high. - . 'There Is drinking In the army." the report said, "there will continue to be drinking in the army. The approach of the military authorities to the prob lem Is not prohibition but con trol. It is legal for a civilian to take a drink In this country; it would bej discriminatory to deny the same right to the soldier who ha already relin quished many privileges the civilian considers his rights... This American army may or may not be the best In the his tory of armies, but it Is certainly the best behaved." The report found conditions wone In some areas, especially In the south- and southwest where camps and posts for tens of thousands of men were thrown up almost overnight far from large citiej, bringing Dacn conditions of the "careless fron tien." But It praised the work of both army and civilian author ities in meeting the situation, particularly the military police who during the last war were considered by the soldiers as enemies, but have found now that "there is more In penua sion than In the butt-end of blllyclub." M. P. Best Friend "The M. P. 1 the soldier's best friend In strange commu nities and the Intelligent soldier knows it." the report sdded. The report noted that "there seems to be definite correla tion between adequate recrea tional facilities and soldier so briety" fact found not to be true in sections of the south and west where no large cities are within traveling distance of large camps. 'The result 1 that payday and weekend see thousands of liberty troop descend on small communities which are Ill equipped to take care of them. Soldiera fill the street and the railroad stations and the public parks. They Jam the movie the atres and the cafes. They walk the streets all night because there are no hotel rooms and sometime out of preference be cause they are hunting fun . . . The plain fact 1 that many of these soldiera have nothing on their mlnda and time on their hands. One result of boredom is the pile of empty bottles in the alleyway; another la a busy weekend for the military po lice." But despite these conditions, the Investigator found that the best selling beverages around ramus are coffee, milk, malted milk and soft drinks; that ap proximately 7 out ot every 100 soldier drink no alcoholic bev erages even on payday; that an other 34 drink nothing stronger than beer. Men Seek Their Level 'This Is a civilian army, as a selective service army must be," the report said. "Men do not change character when they put on a uniform. If they drank as civilians they will probably drink as soldier but probably not so much. If they found their fun (n tawdry places a civilian, they will hunt out the tawdry places a soldier. Particularly In large cities, troops tend to seek their own level of amuse ment," The Investigators gave these examples of conditions in spe cific areas: Camp Crowder, Mo. About $1,000,000 was psld out to troops on the October 31 pay day. That night only 16 were arrested for drunkenness in Jop lin, the nearest big town less than one arrest for every 1,000 aoldler. Keesler Field. Ml. Only five soldier were arrested for drunkenness at Biloxl the night after payday. "Army paynlght is rarely the Klondike brawl that rumor makes It." Randolph Field, Texas Fly ing csdeU, who "can't take chances on benders." get 30 days' Imprisonment and lose two-thirds of a month's pay for drunkenness. Only four repeat ed after the first court-martial, and courts-martial for Intoxica tion at the field are only one sixth ot one per cent of the military personnel. LI San Francisco, Dee. 30 (U.P3 The lumber schooner Port Orf ord ran aground and later sank dur ing a snowstorm in Chatham, Alaska, Consolidated-Olyrople Lines, agents for the Port Or ford Lumber company, reported today. Capt. Joseph Bretaen, Seattle, and his crew of 27 men escaped in lifeboats and were reported safe In Alaska. A cargo of lumber and sup plies were lost with the ship. The Port Orf ord, It was reported, sank In deep water after It was pulled free near Point Gardner. PATRICIDE FREED AFTER TELLING JUSTIFICATION San Bernardino, Cal., Dec. 30 (U.R) Donald Rodger, 14, waa released by sheriff officers to day after telling how he shot his fsther, Matthew Jenkins Rodger, IS time with a .21 rifle for beat ing hia mother. "I Just couldn't let him hurt her any more," he told Deputy District Attorney J. P. KntuL
