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Clonal with
atonal light rale tonltbt ant
Friday, Little chaiiie la tern
perature. Temp.
Hlihnt refter-ay t
Ixme-t this mornlnf 40
rreclpiUiUoB put Uln,.
United Pi Full Leased Wire
Uni!ed Pr-aa full Leased Wire
Tbirty-eighth Year
MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1943
NO. 233
X
Weather
Medfo
News Behind
The News
By Paul Mallon
ft
use m
IT
Washington, D. C, Dec. 23
Russian strokes near Nevel and
at points south are being herald
ed a' the
1 a u n ehlng of
the winter of
fensive to
carry Stalin to
Berlin by
spring but
they are not
quite that, not
yet.
So far, they
are discernib
ly only open
ing phases of
rrnnl Hallo
what may de
velop Into a general offensive.
Exaggerated notions of the
moves so far spring largely from
the Berlin radio which has been
playing them up (for its own
purposes, no doubt) far more
than Moscow. .
EVERYTHING depends on the
weather. If the reds can get
a moderate cold, dry spell be
fore heavy snows pile in roads
and fields, and the bottom of the
thermometer limits the mechan
ical objectives, they conceivably
could swing into a decisive win-
Iter campaign. But winter offen
sives in Russia can have only
Very limited successes. Long,
swift sweeps are. impossible.
- The Russian break-through
south westward from Nevel, for
Instance,, has, as its ultimate
goal, Riga and the Baltic shore.
The nazis knew it was coming.
' The very spot was designated
by this column as far back as
newspapers of November 24,
just as the break-through north
of Dnepropetrovsk which broke
the back of the Germans In the
south last summer, and, in fact.
the American invasion of North
Africa, Sicily and Italy were
forecast. ' '
. , - This is not done of secret in
formation, but upon sound mlll
, tary advice concerning obvious
strategic points for attack. Thus
, a drive from the region of Nevel
. i(Conj- oa . -"--...
" Br United Press
; ' The winter's second Arctic
cold wave gripped most of the
nation today, moving Into the
east and south coast states, but
the possibility of a white Christ
inas appeared remote.
The U. S. weather bureau at
Chicago said most of the country
would be clear of snow for
Christmas. Traces of snow will
be found only in Northern Mich
igan, Minnesota and in northern
New England, the forecaster
said.
The mercury dropped a few
more degrees at the cold air
mass left the Dakotas and Min
nesota and moved across Wis
consin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
and Pennsylvania. The fore
caster said it would reach the
Atlantic states tonight.
By Christmas Day, he said,
there will be considerably mild'
er weather fdt all sections of
the country.
Canton, N. Y., was the na
tion's coldest spot today with a
temperature of 25 degrees below
zero. '
COUNTER-REVOLUTION
, REVEALED, IN BOLIVIA
Santiago, Chile, Dec. 23. (U.R)
Victor Paz Estenssoro, head
of the new revolutionary gov
ernment of Bolivia, revealed to
day that counter-revolutionaries
attempted unsuccessfully to
overthrow his regime soon after
it came into power last Monday.
In a telephone interview with
the United Press, Estenssoro
said the counter-plot was led by
Col. David Toro who served as
president of Bolivia from May,
1936, to July, 1937.
SIDE GLANCES
By
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
r ti. O. (Doc) Boomer submit
ting a bill for $5 to Herb Cratn
for "professional services render
ed" during s recent attack of flu.
Pauline Abiayne Champlin en
thusiastically describing the good
qualities of her snappy WAVE
uniform.
Postmaster DeSouza wishing
that the owners of numerous
gloves, fountain pens, umbrellas
and one pair of basketball trunks
would call at the office for them.
All-Out Air Smash
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Hap shows how tha Allies' two-day, all-out air offensive has smashed
targets from Bremen In Germany to Eleusis airfield, Athens, and closed
tha wrpnqftr Faas.
IGHT
WITH NIP FLIERS
Chungking, Dec. 23 (U.R)
American fighter pilots blasted
a Japanese raiding fleet out of
the skies in a furious dogfight
over a forward U. S. air base in
China yesterday, destroying or
damaging 45 of the 58 enemy
planes engaged, at a cost of one
American fighter, a communque
revealed today.
. Five other American planes
were damaged in the battle and
a transport on the airdrome was
wrecked but Ma, Gen. Claire L.
Chennault's Flying Dragons ac
counted for 11 Zeroes and four
bombers definitely destroyed, 13
Zeros and three bombers prob
ably downed, and 11 Zeros and
three other bombers damaged.
Bombing Bobblad
So effective was the Ameri
can interception that the enemy
bombing formation was able to
inflict only minor damage to the
airfield installations, in addition
to the destruction of the trans
port. (A Tokyo broadcast heard by
the United Press in San Fran
cisco said Japanese planes "se
verely damaged" an American
airdrome at Kunming yesterday
and shot down 18 intercepting
U. S. fighters. Only four Japa
nese planes were lost, according
to the enemy version.) .
No Christmas Rush
For Marriage Here
So far there has been no
Christmas rush at the county
clerk's office for marriage li
censes. December applications
to date have been average, with
eight issued one day last week
for the highest of the, month.
The final week of the year, in
the past has been a brisk one
for matrimonial ventures.
"New Deal" Tide Outmoded
President Roosevelt Feels
Washington, Dec. 23 (U.R)
President Roosevelt feels that
the term "new deal" which
has Identified his administra
tion since he became chief ex
ecutive In 1933 Is now out
moded and should be discarded
in favor of some new slogan
more reflective of the war ef
fort, the White House said today.
Questioned about reports that
Mr. Roosevelt wsnted to aban
don the term "new deal," White
House Secretary Stephen T.
Early said this was so. .
"The phrase was born back
in the days of 1932 emergency
and It was the slogan through
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erlla
GERMANY
POLAND
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YUGOSLAVIA
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IF
BALTIC BASTIONS
Moscow, Dec.. 23. (U.R) Rus
sian armies closing against the
Baltic front bastions of Vitebsk
and Polotsk have trapped many
thousands of Germans In the
marshlands ' below Nevel and
now are wiping them out In
fierce battle of annihilation.
field dispatches said today. .
The swift advance of Gen.
Ivan C. Bagramian's Siberian
veterans enveloped, a number of
German garrisons, which .stood
pat under the illusion that they
were safe ' behind their '"iron
wall" defenses, front ' reports
said.'
Crush Trapped Foe
While the bulk of the first
Baltic front troops drove on to
within striking distance of
Vitebsk and Polotsk, foundation
stones of the German defenses,
powerful detachments remain
ed behind to crush the trapped
Nazis, , , .
The German command threw
large forces of tanks and planes
into frantic efforts to break the
Soviet rings around the Harri
sons south of Nevel. But they
failed to check the Russian cam
paign of reduction marked by
what the press called "terrible
hand to hand combats.
Panicky Nazi garrisons which
threw their full weight against
the Red army cordons were re
ported beaten back mercilessly
to await the death blow.
At one point a Soviet batta
lion surrounded 1,000 Germans,
who counterattacked repeatedly
in an effort to rejoin their main
forces. Russian Infantrymen
beat them back with rifle butts.
spades and knives, finishing off
hundreds in their trenches.
Oregon State College library
contains 200,000 volumes.
the campaign," Early said. "This
is now IB. 3."
Asked recently -what he pre
ferred in place of "new deal,'
Mr. Roosevelt suggested "win
the war."
The discarding of the slogan
orougnt qu.cK Republican re
tort Harrison E. Spangler, chair
man of the Republican National
committee issued a statement
Inquiring whether "the leopard
can cnange nis spots.
"Evidently Mr. Roosevelt thinks
so when he tells the press that
ne wants to get away 'rom the
tattered emblem "new deal',"
bpangler said.
-7 HUNGARY
liana ' w
BIG FORMATIONS
SMASH SITES OF
Heaviest Assaults Since
1940 In Effort to Knock
out Hinted Rocket Attack.
London. Dec. 33. (U.R) Brit
ish bombers, in what London
newspapers called in banner
headlines "a blitz on the Rocket
coast," carried the heaviest as
sault on northwestern France
since 1940 well into its fourth
day today with heavy smashes
at areas . where . the Germans
have been reported setting up
secret weapons ; to bombard
England.
This - afternoon great forma
tions of aircraft, flying above
the clouds, - roared out across
the straits in the direction of
Dunkirk, and RAF Typhoons,
carrying bombs, swept out to
ward France flying so low that
ey appeared to be skimming
e water. . . , -
For Hours '
For' the last 98 hours the RAF
has been hammering hard at the
Pas De Calais area where, ac
cording to neutral dispatches,
the Germans are preparing bat
teries of Rocket guns.
London newspapers, giving
banner headlines to the assault
across the channel, referred to
the. attack as a "blitz on the
Rocket coast" and also called
the fortified area of northwest
ern France "the secret weapon
coast." J w ' -v - ,.
Iu-tfer '-today mediunt bomb
ers took up the attack on the
'Rocket- coast"' which RAF
heavy bombers carried through
last night. ....
The offensive appeared to be
approaching the violence of that
which wrecked German- pre
parations for- an- invasion f
Britain in 1940. . -
iVettf Radio .Tubes' '
Forthcoming Soon
' Washington, Dee. 23 (U.I.
The War Production board to
day moved to correct a situation
whereby thousands of radio sets
have been "blacked out" by lim
ited supplies of radio tubes.
The board announced that at
least 4,900,000 tubes of critical
types for civilian receiving sets
have been scheduled for produc
tion in the first quarter of 1944.
Officials added that tubes will
continue to reach civilian out
lets In Increasing quantities as
the new program progresses.
Fields' Gardener: t
' ' Pronounced Sane
Hollywood, Dec.' S3 (U.R)
Gaetano Falclanl, 35, former
gardener for British comedienne
Grade Fields, today was pro
nounced sane by the same Jury
which several days ago convict
ed him of first degree murder
in the slaying of pretty Violet
van Someren, 33, Miss Fields'
former secretary.
Under the verdict . Falclanl
faces a life sentence reeom
mended by the Jury, unless a
motion for a new trial is
granted.
Raid On Kunming
Costly For Japs
Br united Press
The Chungking radio reported
today that defense fighters and-l
anti-aircraft gunners shot down
more than 20 of 9S Japanese
planes which attempted to at
tack Kunming yesterday.
Many bombs fell on a south
eastern suburb of the city, ac
cording to the broadcast record
ed by the United States foreign
broadcast Intelligence service.
WAC LIEUTENANT IS
GRANTS PASS GIRL
Lt. Dorcas "Shelton," report
ed in yesterday's paper to be a
Medford girl stationed in a WAC
unit at Dallas, Texas, was Iden
tified by a local friend today as
Dorcas Sheldon of Grants Psss,
Her nam was incorrectly
speOed In a press release, and
efforts made to locate local rel
stives yesterday were without
avail. Lt Sheldon attended
school In Grants Pass, and was
a reporter on tha Courier there
tor several years.
F. D. R. Calls on Management, Unions
To Let Him Settle Railroad Dispute
Railroad Union Heads Confer With President
3
0
Mema TafapAAfnJ
Arriving at the White Rouse for a conference called by President Roosevelt In an effort to avert a nation
wide railway strike scheduled for Dec. SO are these five members of oparatlng railroad brotherhoods. Left
to right are T. O. Caahen, president of AFL, switchmen's Union; H. W. Fraser, president of the Order of
Railway Conductors; A. P. Whitney, president of the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen; Alvanly Johnston,
head of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers; and D. B. Robertson, president of tha Brotherhood of
.,' Locomotive Firemen and Englnemen.
s
New York, DeeJ 23 (U.R) A
labor leader and six, Chicago
gangsters, convicted of conspir
acy charges to extort $1,000,000
from the film industry, were at
liberty : today under $100,000
bail each until December 30
when they will receive sen
tences that may range up to 10
years in prison. - . . .
A federal court jury of nine
men and three women found the
group guilty last night after de
liberating slightly more than 10
hours.
Defendants were Louis Kauf
man, business manager for the
Newark ' local of the Interna
tional Alliance of Theatrical
Stage Employes, and six former
members of the Al Capone gang,
John Roselll, Louis Campagna.
Phil D' Andrea, . Francis Marl-
tote,, Paul De Lucia and Charles
Gloe.' ....
Three other men were Indict
ed with the group last March
One of them, Frank Nlttl, an
other Capone follower, shot him
self the day the indictment was
handed down; Nick (Dean) Clr
cella pleaded guilty and charges
against Ralph Pierce, also a re
puted member of the Capone
gang, were dismissed last month.
The principal government wit
nesses were William Bloff and
George E. Browne, former offi
cials of the Iatse and both serv
ing terms for extortion. Tlfey
testified that the seven defend
ants had shared in the receipts
from a $1,00,000 shakedown of
west coast movie studios, which
Bloff and Browne said was to
keep the union members "In
line."
LATE DELIVERIES
ON PARCEL POST
Delivery of parcel post Christ
mas packages will continue Fri
day evening until midnight ac
cording to an announcement to
day by Frank DeSouza, Medford
postmaster. Christmas Day
there will be one parcel post de
livery made In the city, the
postmaster said, and special de
livery packages and letters will
be taken out both Christmas
Day and Sunday.
While the mall has been
heavy, the load has been much
more evenly distributed than In
Lpast years, Mr. DeSouza stated,
ana aaaea mai inis was aue con
lderably to the early mailing.
Each day the crew, even though
reduced in size because of Influ
enza, has been sble to handle
that day's business with no accu
mulation of carry-over, he said.
t - i ii & M tk i .1 ' ; ill i
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mtummm I r n lair 1 1 -i ai------a-a---aaajL,
Nazis Driven From Ortona
In House to House Battle
' Allied Headquarters, Algiers, Dee. 23 (U.R) Canadian assault
forces have carried the bloody battle of Ortona into its final
phase, driving the Germans from most of the Adriatic port Into
its northwest outskirts in house to house fighting, it was re
vealed toaay...... .,.
FLU FATAL FOR
OF
Eugene, Ore., Dee. 23. (U.R)
Dr. Donald Milton Erb, 43, presi
dent of the University of Oregon,
died at 1 p, m. today from a se
vere case of influenza and pneu
monia after being taken to a
local hospital with a heavy cold
Tuesday.
The : educator, who . became
president of the University at
the age of 37, ic 1938, to be the
institution's youngest president,
went to a hospital Tuesday with
a heavy cold. He had worked
at his office until last Friday.
Blood transfusions, penicillin
and sulfa drugs failed to save
his life.
Erb was born Aug. 3, 1900, at
Brooklyn, N. V. He was educat
ed in public schools of Wooster,
O., and Chicago. He graduated
from the University of Illinois,
receiving his bachelor of science
degree in 1922 and his master of
science degree from the sai
school In 1924. . .
He received his master of arts
and doctor of philosophy degrees
from Harvard.
While at Harvard he was ap
pointed a Thayer fellow and won
the coveted RJcardo prize for out
standing work In economics.
He came to the University of
Oregon in 1927 as assistant eco
nomics professor and returned
in 1930 as professor. He was asso
ciate professor at Stanford uni
versity and later acting head of
the sociology and economics de
partment there.
While at Stanford in 1937 he
was hired by the Oregon state
board of higher education to re
place Dr. Clarence Valentine
Boxer.
He was the seventh president
of the university.
His wiaow is the former Rox
ane Catherine Stewart of Quia
cy, 111. He is also survived by
two daughters, Barbara, 19,
sophomore at the university, and
Elizabeth Jean, 11, and parents,
Mr and Mrs. John Lawrence
Erb, New York city, where his
father is a nationally known or
ganist and composer.
a ft ,yfc.i
- r. - - ..cv;. - ,vj,1i - . -V
v ff aaaaaj . mm , a, via. tiv w a-ge v
the German defenses in Italy
crumbled under British Imperial
pressure, . American troops bat
tling to lay open the Rome road
slogged through the rain-soaked
mountains above Cassino to cap
ture two more commanding
heights. .
French forces manning the
Fifth army front northwest of
Venafro came back strongly aft
er suffering a slight reverse and
scored new gains to the 3,000-
foot mountains.
Canadian units spearheading
the ceaseless assault by Gen. Sir
Bernard L. Montgomery a
Eighth army had all but cracked
the extreme northeastern end of
Marshal Albert Kesseling's
transpenlnsula line.
Slowly but Inexorably the
tank-supported Canadian shock
units battered through the
streets of Ortona, the Adriatic
anchor of the German line,
wrestling from the desperately
resisting Nazis all but the ex
treme northwest edge of the
town,
The Germans, fighting with a
desperation born of necessity
threw parachute units Into the
Adrlatio battle to fight as infan
try. They knew full well that
If they were forced back along
the coast their entire position in
Central Italy would be threat
ened and their Rome defenses
laid open to a possible flanking
attack.
F.R.
Washington, Dec. 23 U.R
The White House said today
that President Roosevelt's radio
sddress to the nation end the
armed forces tomorrow will
have the widest broadcast cir
culation of any speech he has
ever made.
Mr. Roosevelt's speech Is
timed for 12 noon PWT from
his home at Hyde Park, N. Y.
It will be carried by all Ameri
can networks and overseas.
Members of the American
armed forces throughout the
world will be able to hear the
address either when It is deliv
ered or when It is rebroadcast
tomorrow night at 7 p. m. PWT.
FEED IMPORT DUTIES
LIFTED FOR PERIOD
Washington, Dec. 23 U.R)
President Roosevelt today signed
a bill which lifts for three
months the import duties on feed
for poultry and livestock. . The
measure is designed to alleviate
the present shortage of domestic
feeds.
FROM PRESIDENT
'- a
Decision "Within Law of
Land" Promised Quickly
if Interest Will Accept.
Washington. Dee. 23 (U.R)
The nation's railroads and
the largest of five operating
unions today accepted an offer
by President Roosevelt to sat.
tie their wsge dispute Lmmadl.
ataly and avert a general
atrlke scheduled for Dec 30.
The union,-which acceded
io Mr. Roosevelt's wishes,
voiced earlier In the day at a
White House conference, was
the . Brotherhood of Railway
trainman, headed by A.' F.
Whitney and -.presenting
nearly 130.000 oi the 9504)00
operating employes.
- Washington. Dec. . 2Slim
President Roosevelt today called
on railroad management and
labor to let him decide their
wage dispute immediately, and
warned that "the war cannot
wait and I cannot wait."
Acting peremptorily to avert
. general strike called -ior Deal :
80, Mr. Roosevelt exacted from
rail and union officials an agree
ment to let him know their
answer by . 3 p. m. EWT "If
possible."
Within Lsw !
"I want to know,", he told
conferees summoned to tha
White House, "whether you ob
ject to my deciding this contro
versy immediately and whether
you wUl abide by my decision,
which, of course, must be with
in the lsw of the land." '
"The war cannot wait,"' Mr.
Roosevelt said,' "and I cannot
wait. American lives and Amer
ican victory are at stake.
Mr. Roosevelt' phrase, "with
in the law," apparently meant
that he has no intention of
maklng any wage award which -would
be in conflict with the
nrtlonal stabilization act and
the little steel formula.
Insists On Speed
His Insistence upon a speedy
response appeared to indicate
that he was prepared to take
strong measures if the unions
and railroads rejected his offer
of arbitration. Such measures
conceivably could take the form
of government seizure of the
roads, for which Mr. Roosevelt
would have the precedent of
World War I.
The rail and union officials
had been In conference earlier
In the day, seeking a wage for
mula acceptable to them and
the government, when they were
celled to the White House. It
was understood they told tha
president thy had been unable
to reach an agreement
Railroad Crisis
In Next Months
Washington, Dec. 23. U.F0
Director Joseph B. Eastman of
the office of defense transporta
tion said today that rail trans
portation faces a crisis In the
next few months, but that "If we
can get by safely, we will be
over the hump for the rest of
the year."
Eastman told a senate inter
state commerce subcommittee
that the coming months would be
critical because of Increased
troop movements and industrial,
food and grain shipments which
will "place a heavy strain on the
railway facilities."
TWO THIEVES
Boston, Deo. 23. (U.R) Police
searched today for two thieves
one who stole a hearse end an
other who stole harp.
MO PAPER DEC. 2t
In order to conserve paper
under the government's ra
tioning program, the Mail
Tribune will not publish on
SundyecemberB
EM
'-Fi.