ftn
leioJMANl
TO
1ME
Weather
forecast: Partly cloudy to eloady
wltli rain, thowera tonieht
and Friday. Colder tonieht
and Friday. Temp.
Highest yesterday 54
Lowest this morning 43
Precipitation M
Thirty ninth Year
CHAIRMAN AVERY
REFUSES ACCEPT
FEDERM ORDER
Roosevelt Statement Says
Confidence in WLB Un
dermined by Company.
Chicago, Dec. 28 (U.R) The
federal government, acting un
der orders of President Roose
velt, took possession of Montr
gomery Ward and Co. proper
ties in seven cities today but for
the second time this year Sew
ell Avery, chairman of the
firm's board of directors, re
fused to accept the executive
order.
MaJ. Gen. Joseph W. Byron,
director of the special services
division of the Army Service
Forces, served the order at 9:50
a. m. CWT affecting Ward prop
erties in Chicago, Detroit, Jam
aica, N. Y.; St. Paul, Minn.;
Denver, Colo.; San Rafael, Cal.,
and Portland, Ore.
The firm had refused to abide
, by War Labor - directives . on
wages and maintenance of mem
bership in all the cities named
in the order.
Injunction Awaited
Avery said he refused, to ac
cept the order and Byron await
ed, action on the government's
request for an injunction in fed
eral court at Chicago restrain
ing company officials from in
terfering with government op
eration of the properties.
Mr. Roosevelt in a statement
on the 'Montgomery Ward seiz
ure said the confidence of em
ployers and workers in the
wartime structure of settling la
bor disputes was being threat
ened "by the consistent and
willful defiance of its decisions
by the head of one of the great
est corporations of this country
Sewell Avery, . chairman of
the board of Montgomery Ward
and Company."
"This company, under Mr.
Avery's leadership, has waged
a bitter fight against the bona
fide unions of its employes
throughout the war," Mr. Roose
velt said, "in reckless disregard
of the government's efforts to
maintain harmony between
management and labor."
Others May Strike
The President said there was
a threat that workers in "some
of our most critical war plants
(at Detroit) may join" a strike
against four Ward stores in the
Detroit area.
"Strikes in wartime cannot
be condoned, whether they are
strikes by workers against
their employes or strikes by
employers against their govern
ment," he said. "All of our
energies are engrossed in fight
ing a war on the military bat
tlefront. We have none to spare
for a war on the industrial bat
tlefront." Avery was closeted in his
paneled office with army offi
cers and declined to amplify his
refusal to accept the order.
Avery's previous refusal to
accept a presidential seizure or
der came last April 26 when
the government seized the Chi
cago properties of the plant for
the first time. The next day he
was carried from his office by
two soldiers.
SNELL SILENT ON JAP
RETURN TO COAST AREA
Salem, Ore., Dec. 28 U.PJ
Gov. Earl Snell had no com
ment today on the policy of his
administration toward the re
turn of Japanese-Americans to
the west coast, scheduled to
start next week.
The governor said he believed
that it would be better for no
public statement of policy to be
made at this time, and said he
wanted to await any further de
SEVER mm STOKES SEIIEI
iimb iiiSEifELFS border
velopments.
MEDFORD
OnlUd Prm
Rioters Smash
J. W '0Stl "T .Tl,
Overturned counters and smashed merchandise displays Utter the floor of Montgomery Ward Co.'s Dear
born. Mich., store after a crowd of allesed store workers' union members led a 15-mlnute rampage through
the floor aisles. The union claimed thai."strike-breakers Imported by the company tried to stop the picket!
. " nd. egHkMidie4j4usa, :-;.v:&:.s:iki.
Presidential Order Violates
Constitution Declares Avery
Chicago, Dec. 28 U.R) The
text of Sewell Avery's state
ment on the position of Mont
gomery Ward and Company in
its seizure by the. government
follows:
The order of the President of
the United States to effect the
seizure of the property ana
business of Montgomery Ward
is a violation of the constitution
of the United States, which the
President pledged to uphold and
defend. A congress, which is
the sole lawmaking authority
under the constitution, has giv
en the President no power to
seize the non-war business of
Montgomery Ward.
The purpose of the President's
order is to enforce, by an exer
cise of arbitrary power, orders
of the War Labor Board which
the court have declared to be
advisory and legally unenforce
able. The courts have held that
any one who refuse to comply
with orders of the War Labor
Board is not defying a command
of the government, and that,
since the orders are merely ad
visory, no government official
has the right to impose punish
ments on those who do not com
ply. The President's order does not
arise from any failure on Ward's
part to pay fair wage rates.
Wards policy is,, and has been,
RUSSIANS STRIKE
London, Dec. 28 (U.R) Soviet
armed forces, striking directly
west from embattled Budapest
toward Vienna, captured several
inhabited places north of Szekes
fehervar and took 600 more
prisoners, a Moscow communi
Que said tonight.
Red army troops in northern
Hungary also captured the rail
town of Szecesny , 41 miles
northeast of Budapest and 18
southwest of the Czechoslovak
ian rail hub of Losonc.
Two additional suburbs of
Budapest were occupied as the
Soviets tightened the vice around
the eastern and northeastern
sections of the Hungarian capi
tel. They were Cinkota, three
miles to the east, and Dunakeszi,
less than five miles to the north
of the east bank of the Danube,
Full Lund Wire
MEDFORD, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEfoER 28, 1944
Montgomery Ward
to uav wages as high as or
higher than those paid by other
employers in the community for
similar employment. , Ward's
only objection to any of the War
Labor Board's wage recom
mendations has been in those
instances where the board has
arbitrarily demanded that
Ward s substantially increase its
rates above those of its compe
titors in the highly competitive
retail field.
The President has ordered the
army to restrict the liberties of
Ward's employes by imposing
upon them a closed shop in the
form of union maintenance.
"Brass Hats" At
Wards Serenaded
, . With Phonograph
Denver, Dec. 28 (U.R) In
the retail store of Montgomery
Ward and Co., here today, the
tune "The Army Has Made
A Man Out of Me" -blared
loudly.
The piece was played over
and over again at the store's
record counter.
"I think it very, very ap
propriate," said Mrs. Verjean
Perkins, clerk at the record
counter, "with all the 'brass
hats' around here."
She referred to the six army
officers who walked into the
retail store and assumed its
control at 8:50 a. m.
Mrs. Verjean explained that
she was the wife of a soldier,
stationed in Denver.
San Francisco, Dec. 28 (U.R)
John Lhrman Sumpter, 22-year-old
ex-soldicr from Cuth
bert, Ga., was held here today
for Los Angeles police after
walking Into the local office of
the Federal Bureau of Investi
gation and confessing to the
murder of pretty New York
Heiress Georgette Bauerdorf
last October 12.
Sumpter, who holds mental
discharge from the armed
forces, said his home was in
Cautcbbert, Ga.
Detroit Store
(Acme Telephoto)
GREEK PREMIER
TRIPLE REGENCY
- Athens, Dec. 28 (U.R)
Prime Minister Winston
Churchill and Foreign Secre
tary Anthony Eden left for
London today to recommend
to King George of Greece the
appointment of a regency in
accordance with a decision
reached at the Greek
conference.
peace
Athens, Dee. 28. (U.R) Pre
mier George Papandreou was un
derstood without official con
firmation today to have sent his
resignation to King George of
Greece and suggested the ap
pointment of a three-member re
gency.
Archbishop Damaskinos, ap
parently presuming that he will
be appointed a regent, began
sounding out associates regard
ing the selection of someone to
form a new government. Some
quarters were understood to fa
vor a "colorless" government
composed of Greeks not hitherto
prominent in politics.
Some royalists were reported
trying to block the appointment
of Damaskinos. The king him
self has been cool toward the re
gency proposal, but the weight
of the British foreign office ap
parently was behind the arch
bishop.
Chaplin Trial In
Recess For Day
Hollywood, Dec. 28 (U.R)
Principals in Charlie Chaplin's
paternity trial rested today
while the Jurors pondered the
intricacies of red blood corpul
scles, about which they were
scheduled to hear more when
the defense calls Dr. -V. L. An
drews as its final witness to-
SEVEN PAY FINES FOR
MINOR TRAFFIC COUNTS
Seven persons, charged with
minor traffic violations, such as
no warning device, no operator
licenses, and void foreign license
plates, paid fines yesterday in
Justice W. P. Tucker's court.
The sheriff's office is now Is
suing temporary license stickers
for cars and trucks. So far there
has been nothing resembling a
rush. January 1 is final date for
procuring next year's license. ,
'S
TAKEN IN CHARGE
BY ARMY
Portland, Ore., Dec. 28 flJ.R)
Army officers today took over
control of the Montgomery
Ward branch in Portland, with
Manager O. W. Huddleston de
claring the seizure was "highly
illegal," but that he would co
operate with the army officials.
There was no demonstration
or incidents accompanying the
posting of government seizure
notices at all plant entrances
and the presence of a lieutenant
and private at t h e main en
trance.
Capt. Howard E. MacDonald,
a transportation corps officer
from the Seattle port of em
barkation, assumed temporary
charge and said Huddleston was
co-operating in every way.
Denver, Dec. 28 (U.R) S I x
army officers today walked into
the Denver retail store of Mont
gomery Ward & Co., Inc., and
seized control of its operations
at 8:50 a. m. -
A statement released through
the officer hV'charge of publio
relations at the store,' Capt.
William W. Garner, said that the
only purpose of the military
possession was to "see that war
labor board directives are com
plied with immediately."
Denver, Colo., Dec. 28 (U.R)
Charles E. Henry, . interna
tional representative . of the
United Retail, Wholesale and
Department Store Employes of
America, CIO, here today said
that the union was prepared to
cooperate with the federal gov
ernment in its action in the
Montgomery Ward St Co., case,
L
Condition of Circuit Judge
Herbert K. Hanna, patient in St,
Vincent's hospital in Portland,
was described this afternoon as
critical, in a brief message from
the United Press bureau in Port
land. The judge was rushed to
the Portland hospital yesterday
afternoon by ambulance upon
advice of his local physician and
is under the care of Dr. Laurence
Selling there.
Judge Hanna was taken ill last
week and when his condition be
came worse Sunday, was taken
to a Medford hospital. Mrs. Han
na, the judge s brother, Leon
Hanna from San Francisco and
a nurse accompanied the Judge
to Portland.
Doughboys Rescued From Bastogne Siege
Not Too Happy Over Fight Interruption
By Robert Richards
United Press War Correspondent
Bastogne, Belgium, Dec. 27
(U.R) An American relief col
umn has lifted the week-long
German siege of encircled Ba
stogne, but the rescued dough
boys aren't overjoyed about It.
They are a little peeved that
others are going to horn In on
their personal fight with the
Germans.
"Of course, we aren't talking
about armor, mind you," ex
plained T4 Dominic J. Rochet-
to, 23, of Spring Valley, N. D.,
"we're always plenty glad to
see the armor and the air corps,
but we don't need no infantry
help right now."
Experience Told
Rochetto and four buddies
told us what it was like fighting
inside the pocket while they
leaned against their Garands in
the shadow of a shell-blasted
building.
American tanks had officially
Tribune
United Pr
Full
YANKEE FORCES
TAKE NEW TOLL
OF JATVESSELS
41 More Ships Sunk or Dam
aged; Superforts Stage
Attack On Tokyo Suburb.
By United Press
American air and naval forces
sank or damaged 41 more Ja
panese vessels, including 15 war
ships, in widespread attacks
throughout the Pacific and the
Japanese reported a new Super
fortress attack on their home
land today in the wake of a
heavy B-29 assault on the Musa-
shino aircraft factory in Tokyo.
Ibarakl Bombed
A Japanese domestic broad
cast said a "minor" formation of
Superfortresses from the Mari
anas dropped "some incendiary
bombs" in Ibarakl prefecture on
the island of Honshu, just north
of Tokyo, today.
The big four-englned bombers
were revealed to have scored
12 direct bomb hits in yester
day's attack on the Important
Musashino works in the indus
trial suburbs of the Japanese
capital.
The toll of Japan's waning
seapower was taken by U. S.
bombers, ' submarines, and sur
face craft in attacks ranging
from the southwest Pacific
theater to the Volcano islands,
750 miles south of Tokyo.
' An abortive bombardment of
American positions on Mindoro
in the Philippines cost the Ja
panese - three destroyers sunk
and a battleship and a cruiser
damaged. New enemy naval at
tacks designed to disrupt the
American timetable In the Pa
cific were expected, however, as
the Japanese repeatedly have
pointed to the Philippines as the
crucial battle area.
Freighters Sunk
American planes also' sank
four freighters and a coastal ves
sel in the Philippines and ad
ded three other merchantmen
elsewhere In the southwest Pa
cific. The heaviest toll of Japanese
shipping was revealed by the
navy department, which said
that American submarines oper
ating in far eastern waters sank
si enemy snips, including a
large Japanese aircraft carrier
and seven other combat vessels.
U. S. Liberator bombers again
hit Clark field near Manila for
the third successive day to raise
the toll of enemy planes there in
three days to 124.
American warships from the
raciric tieet again hit Iwo Jima
in the Volcanos Tuesday for the
second time in four days. A Ja
panese gunDoat was blown up
and a landing craft set afire in
me DomDarament, which was
concentrated on coastal defenses,
Two U. S. vessels suffered minor
damage.
Tungsten for the first time is
being mined commercially in
North Carolina. .
lifted the siege at 8:10 p. m.
yesterday with their arrival at
Bastogne's outskirts. Trucks,
jeeps and other vehicles
rumbled into the battered city
in force today.
Rochetta was speaking again.
"Mostly we minded the rain
and the snow and the cold. God
bless the C-47s (air transports)
and Thunderbolts. They really
kept us going when things got
tough.
"There were times when we
had to ration our ammunition,
but we just shot straighter and
made it last."
"We didn't have too much
trouble with those Jerries,"
chimed in Cpl. Thomas Mulli
gan, 23, of Detroit.
"Hell, our outfit knocked out
103 of their vehicles the first
two days of action and we
would have banged a lot more,
but our ammunition got so short
toward the end we quit firing on
convoys, saving it for the
Leased Wir
NO. 236.
CHURCHILL PARTY;
HITS GREEK GIRL
Machine Gun Bullets Zip
Near British Party; Sec
ond Attempt in 24 Hours.
Athens, Dec. 28 U.R) Brit
ish sources said today that ma
chinegun bullets believed fired
in an assassination attempt
missed Prime Minister Church
ill and other British authorities
by 30 yards yesterday, but
wounded a Grek girl probably
latauy.
It was the second time in 24
hours that Churchill has missed
death in Athens. On Tuesday,
nearly a ton of dynamite was
found fused in a sewer beneath
the Great Britain hotel, British
and Greek government head
quarters. Fighting Still Rages
Fighting still raged in Athens
and northwest Greece. Addition
al areas of southeast Athens
were cleared during the morn
ing. A British armored force
was sent 16 miles south of the
capital to round up 150 mem
bers of the rebellious ELAS.
British informants charged
that machine-gunners undoubt
edly were aiming at Churchill,
Marshal Sir Harold R. L. G.
Alexander, supreme allied com
mander for the Mediterranean
theater, and Lt. Gen. Ronald
Scobie, British commander in
Athens, when they opened fire
ROBERHYLE, jr.
WRITES OF WOUND
Pfc. Robert r. Kyle, Jr., ton
of Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Kyle,
Sr.. 609 South Oakdale avenue,
was wounded In action on the
European battlefront about the
middle of December and is now
in an army hospital in England.
First news of Pfc. Kyle s wound
ing was received In a letter from
the young man which arrived
yesterday.
The young man, 19 years old
In August, wrote that a shell
fragment entered his neck be
low the chin and emerged near
the ear, but that the wound had
not imoaired his speech or abil
ity to swallow. He was high in
his praise of the care given
wounded men both at the front
and in the hospital and wrote
optimistically of his recovery,
Pfc. Kyle, who had been
serving with the 100th infantry
division in the 7th army, was
awarded the purple heart short
ly after arriving at the hospital,
He arrived in France for duty
Oct. 20 and was on the battle
front from Nov. 2 until the time
of being wounded.
krauts."
"Those Germans were too
young for us," added Pfc. Ray
mond Derosier, 24, of Hartford
Conn. "They were just kids.
Yesterday - me and two other
guys captured seven and killed
five before they knew we were
even near them.
"It's all In knowing how, mis
ter. You Just got to learn this
fighting business right."
The doughboys' attitude re
flected that of their commander.
Only 24 hours after Bastogne
was surrounded, he received an
ultimatum from the German
commander.
The American reply was clas
sically brief and to the point,
"Nuts'" he said.
Then It was that the Ger
mans turned loose everything
they had. It dldn' phase the
Americans, but the heavy artil
lery and anti-aircraft guns
shattered virtually every build
ing inside the city.
SEIZE INITIATIVE
AND AJTSPEAR TIP
Rundstedt Admits Change
in Tactics on 35MI. Front;.
Echternach Retaken.
Paris,. Dee. 28. (U.R) Ameri
can troops have seized the initia
tive on both flanks and at the
tip of the Belgian-Luxembourg
salient, supreme headquarters
announced today, driving back
the westernmost spearhead three
miles and surrounding thousands
of Nazis east of Celles.
A broadcast Nazi dispatch
from Marshal Karl von Rund
stedt's headquarters admitted
that the Germans had lost the
initiative on a 35-mile front be
tween Bastogne and Echter
nacht, and had "gone over to
the elastic defense of their
flank."
Eichternach Retaken
The Berlin radio said the Ger
mans had lost Echternach, south
ern anchor, post of the base of
tne salient, which supreme head
quarters revealed only today had
been in enemy hands.
On the basis of SHEAF re
ports as of noon yesterday, hard
fighting doughboys won their
biggest defensive victory since
the enemy attacked when they
shoved back- the spearhead
aimed at Dinant on the Meuse.
capturing several hundred pris
oners and a number of tanks and
other armored vehicles.
Despite murky weather which
grounded most of the tactical air
forces, almost 2,000 Flying Fort
resses, Liberators and fighters
struck from Britain at 10 key
ran yaras, Dridges and other
links in the German transport
network on which the break
through forces depended.
Hit Rundstedt's Rear
For the sixth . straight dav
Eighth air force bombers struck
at Rundstedt's rear. More than
1200 big bombers crashed un-
ward of 2500 tons of explosives
on the supply and reinforcement
hubs west of the Rhine.
American troops were Dress
ing home attacks on both sides
of the German corridor, and ap
parently were whittling down
its 20-mile waist between Bas
togne and Manhay.
Although the Germans still
were fighting bitterly, for the
moment at least they were fight
ing to hold - their sensational
gains rather : than to extend
them. j
Supreme headquarters reveal
ed that the counterpush against
the southern side of the German
bulge had gained an average of
10 miles since it Jumped off from
at. east-west line througB Arlon
live days ago.
Further gains appeared prob
able on the basis of the German
admission of an "elastic defense"
the usual Nazi terminology for
an uncertain situation and some
times constituting an acknowl
edgement of a retreat.
The German dispatch from
Rundstedt's headquarters, which
did not concede the relief of Bas
togne, said that the big road
junction was the center of "one
of the most violent tank battles
since the beginning of the in
vasion." It identified the American
units encircled at Bastogne as
the 101st airborne division, the
Tenth armored division, and
"remnants" of the 28th infantry -division.
A light snow was falling this
morning over much of the bat
tle zone, and temperatures were
somewhat higher.
A front dispatch said the Ger
mans continued building up
strength in the Monschau forest,
on the north side of the base of
the salient, and were believed to
have placed a large number of
troops in position with an espec
ially strong concentration of self
propelled guns.
SIDE GLANCES
By
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
Senator Earl Newbry and
various friends making a fruit
less search of the Newbry neigh
borhood for the senator's lost
tooth.
Floyd Scott attempting to
solve "The Case of the Missing
Christmas Present" by accusing
Selective Service employees of
of the crime.
L. P. Mathes in from Central
Point with interesting data on
the coming Legion post installa
tion. NO PAPER MONDAY
Following long-established
custom the Mai) Tribune will
not publish on Monday, New
Year's day, in order to permit
employes to enjoy the holiday
In their homes.
r