Nose of Nazi Spearhead Pushed Back 15 Miles by Yanks
Weather
forecast: Bhowen t o n 1 ff h t.
Clearing and colder Saturday.
Temp.
HI ft) t yeitercUy - 4t
Low tit thia morning mi, it
Thirty ninth Year.
Japs Scent New Philippine Invasion
BIG YANK CONVOY
IN MINDANAO SEA
.30 Transports and 20 War
ships Reported Westward
Bound; Honshu Bombed.
By United Press
Tokyo disclosed new Amer
ican aerial assaults on the Japa
nese home island of Honshu to
day and reported that a big
American convoy of 30 trans
ports and more than 20 cruisers
and destroyers was sailing west
ward through Mindanao sea, pos
sibly for a new invasion in the
Philippines.
An enemy broadcast said un
designated American planes were
raiding the south-central section
of Honshu, site of the large in
dustrial cities of Kobe and Osa
ka, in the wake of three attacks
on the same area by single B-29
Superfortresses from bases in the
Marianas.
Two Raids
The Japanese claimed that two
of the raids were made on the
"eastern sector of the capital,"
but did not specify whether
Tokyo itself was hit.
Reported presence of the
American convoy in Mindanao
sea following recent Japanese
speculation that Gen. Douglas
MacArthur was getting ready for
amphibious landing operations
against 'Luzon, principal island
of the Philippines.
A Tokyo communique claimed
that Japanese planes had sunk
six large American transports
and heavily damaged two others
in attacks yesterday.
While the Japanese were
growing uneasy over the U. S.
sea and air assaults, Vice-Adm.
Marc A. Mltscher, former .com
mander of task force 58, pre
dicted at Pearl Harbor that the
Japanese fleet would be liqui
dated in 1945 "if the present
rate of attrition is maintained."
Jap Unease Growl
"By next summer, the Japs
will be sitting on a decidedly un
easy seat, in their empire,"
Mitscher said in his first inter
view since returning from Wash
ington to Pearl Harbor for a new
but secret assignment.
Operations in the Philippines
went into a temporary lull, with
U. S. troops continuing to mop
up northwest Leyte. An addition
al 912 enemy dead and 16 pris
oners were counted Wednesday.
There was neither ground nor
air activity on Mindoro.
The Japanese reported that 10
Lightning and Warhawk fight
ers bombed and strafed the sub
urbs of Hanoi, capital of French
Indo-China for a half-hour yes
terday, but claimed only "in
significant damage" was caused.
FIVE INCHES SNOW IN
REGION OF FISH LAKE
Five inches of snow fell yes
terday and last night at Fish
Lake, a telephone report to the
Medford Irrigation district of
fice here said. This is a sign of
possible heavier falls in the
higher regions, according to
Manager Ed Judd. Fish Lake and
Four Mile Lake are the main ir
rigation sources of this district.
Both flanks of floxy Ann were
snow covered today, as were the
neighboring foothills, and snow
fell in the Siskiyous and the
Upper Applegate country. Auto
ists were warned to use chains
over the Siskiyous as the high
way is slippery.
SIDE GLANCES
B?
TRIBUNE REPORTERS
The Rev. Harry Hansen un
able to account for one day lost
out of his reckoning for the
week.
. Harold Brown explaining the
lack of garages on some of his
far-flung rentals.
The genial P. M. DeSouza giv
ing a new reporter a bum steer.
Walt and Betty Allen solemn
ly asserting they like their hew
home. Myrtle Point.
Happy New Year, readers
(both of you).
Medford
United Pr
TWO U.S. ARMY HOSPITALS
BOMBED BY NAZI PLANES
Br United Pins
Dispatches from the western front today reported that German
planes had bombed two American army hospitals, one in north
eastern France and the other in Belgium.
Both hospitals were marked plainly with Red Crosses, the dis
patches said. The crosses on the one in France had been painted by
the Germans themselves when they used the same buildings for a
hospital during their occupation of that area.
American casualties were caused at both hospitals.
In the Belgian bombing, the bombs landed on a brick build
ing between two big red crosses, burying patients, doctors and
nurses under tons of debris.
A nearby ambulance from another field hospital was bombed
while evacuating battlefront casualties. -
The bombing was carried out by two German JU-88's at high
altitude on a day when visibility
The fact the enemy planes tried twice previously and scored
near misses was vlawedby hospital attaches as definite evidence
the Germans vyere going all-out in ruthless warfare. This type of
warfare during the present offensive already has brought the mas
sacre of captured American soldiers and the murder of women, old
men and children in captured towns,
SOLDIERS ADMIT
SALE OF TOBACCO
ON BLACK MARKET
Paris, Dec. 29 (U.R) .T w o
hundred enlisted men and two
officers who were arrested by
the army's criminal investiga
tion department in late Novem
ber and early December have
confessed receiving more than
$200,000 from the sale of stolen
American cigarets in the black
market, the army disclosed to
day. Ma). Gen. Milton A. Reckord,
provost marshal for the Europ
ean theater, termed the viola
tions the worst kind of sabotage
and disloyalty.
The offenders, he said, would
receive .the stiff est possible sen
tences in line with army policy
which has brought earlier flour
ishing black market traffic un
der control in Paris.
Operations of the arrested
men, however, Reckord said,
constituted "only a minute frac
tion!' of the traffic which early
this month caused widespread
cigaret shortages on the front
and in rear areas and made
American cigarets available in
most Paris bars, cafes and hotels.
Among those arrested, Reck
ord revealed, were a few "small
time Chicago racketeers," but
the majority were simply ordi
nary American youths "who
succumbed to the temptation for
easy money."
BY POCKET VETO
Washington, Dec. 29 U.R)
President Roosevelt today killed
by "pocket veto" the bill to abol
ish the . 221,610-acre Jackson
Hole National Monument in
Wyoming. He said abolition of
the monument would deprive the
the people of the benefit of an
area of national significance
from the standpoint of naturalis
tic, historic, scientific and rec
reational values.
In a statement Issued at the
White House, Mr. Roosevelt said
he recognized the seriousness of
the tax problem facing Teton
county, Wyo., through the, re
moval of lands within the monu
ment boundaries from the tax
books.
COOS BAY VOTERS FOR
RETAINING NEW NAME
Coos Bay, Ore., Dec. 29 (U.R)
Map makers were happy to
day the new name of Coos
Bay for Marshfleld Is going to
stay Coos Bay.
The newest election followed
a lengthy controversy over name
changing in the Coos Bay area.
An original merger plan for
Marshfield and North Bend un
der the Coos Bay name was de
feated, then Marshfield by it
self changed over to Coos Bay
at the general election Nov, 7.
Petitioners asked the city coun
cil to hold one more election,
and the count was 684 for re
taining the new name and 583
against.
full LHHd Wire
MEDFORD,
was perfect. ..
New Schedules On
Withholding Taxes
Effective Monday
Washington, Dec. 29. (U.R)
The bureau of internal revenue
today reminded employers and
employes that new withholding
tax schedules will be effective
on all wages and salaries paid
on or after Jan. 1, regardless of
the pay period covered.
Under the new set-up, some
taxpayers will find more with
held from their pay, some will
find less and some will find no
change. . The Individual's full
year tax bill as finally computed
will be the same-as heretofore,
but there will be less difference
than at present between what
has been withheld and the
amount finally determined as
due.
The lessening of this disparity
will mean that there will be few
er adjustments at the end of the
tax year.
Yank Soldiers of
Jap Ancestry Are
Praised By Ickes
Washington, Dee. 29. (U.R)
secretary of Interior Harold L.
Ickes said today that American
soldiers of Japanese ancestry
had 'fashioned a magnificent
record of service" and told them
that "all good Americans are
proud of you "
He said their fighting record
demonstrated "that Americanism
is not a matter of race or an
cestry." Ickes went on to say that the
recent removal of west coast Ja
panese exclusion orders was a
well-earned recognition of the
evacuees' loyalty "in the severest
test that any group of Americans
has ever had to face."
BROADCASTING SAID TO
BE SERVICE TO PUBLIC
Washington, Dec. 29 (U.R)
Chairman Burton K. Wheeler,
D., Mont., of the senate inter
state commerce committee said
today that any new radio regula
tory legislation should be based
on the principle that broadcast
ing is a public service supported
by advertising and not primarily
an advertising medium.
The public service theory, he
said in an interview, is "what
the people want and what con
gress should insist upon."
LESS LENDLEASE
Washington, Dec. 29. (U.R)
The War Food Administration
reported today that lend-lease
food deliveries during November
dropped one-third below October
and were less than half the ship
ments during November of last
year. The November deliveries
totaled 467,500,000 pounds com
pared with 1,015,900,000 pounds
in November last year.
TRAGIC CRASH
Sacramento, Dec. 29 U.R)
Don Mayo Ellis, 28, of Wapato,
Wash., was killed Instantly and
his wife, 26, died en route to a
hospital following a collision of
two cars near Lincoln, 25 miles
north of Sacramento.
JAP SUB "FATHER" DIES
London, Dec. 29 (U.R) The
German Transocean news agency
reported in a Tokyo dispatch to
day that Adm. Nobumasa Suet
sugu, known as the father of the
Japanese submarine force, died
today. No details were given.
OREGON, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1944
OF LEGISLATURE
Speedy Organization, Atten
tion to War-time Duty Ex
pected; Most Posts Filled.
Salem, Ore., Dec. 29 (U.R)
Oregon's state legislators are ex
pecting to settle down rapidly to
a serious war-time session after
disposing of the preliminary or
ganization, when they meet for
the 1945 biennial session.
The posts of president of the
senate and speaker of the house
are virtually assured to Howard
Belton, Canby farmer, and Eu
gene Marsh, McMinnvllle, re
spectively. They are expected
to be named at a legislative
caucus the day before the ses
sion opens.
W. 'F. (Fred) Drager, who has
held the position of chief clerk
of the house of representatives
for many years, will open the
session, but will be unable to
continue the work past the first
day. He is now. In war work in
Portland.
Two Candidate's
Chief candidates to succeed
Drager are Romeo Goulet and
Clarlbel Buff, both of Salem.
Goulet is a former representa
tive from Marion county. Mrs.
Buff was Drager's stenographer
during several sessions. ,.
Three other of the important
house clerk positions are ex
pected to go to those who held
them last year. They are Patricia
Sylvers, Eugene, assistant chief
clerk; Edith Bynon Low, Ban
don, calendar clerk, and Rich
ard Wilson, Salem, reading clerk.
Mrs. Zylpha Burns, Portland,
seems to be assured of re-election
to the post of chief clerk
of the senate. Two persons are
seeking the job of assistant chief
clerk, to succeed Mrs. Elizabeth
Glatt, Portland, who has re
tired. They are Mrs. Nettle
Spalding, Salem, and Miss Gene
vieve Cooper, Portland. The job
of senate calendar clerk is ex
pected to go to Pearl Schaeffer,
Portland, while Gordon Barnard,
Enterprise, seems assured of the
reading clerk's position. He took
the job during the 1943 session
when Elbert Bede, Portland, had
to retire because of ill health.
JAP MORALE DIPS
Moscow, Dec. 29 (U.R) The
government newspaper Izvestia,
in a review of the situation in
Japan, reported today a marked
deterioration in public morale
and the political setup as a re
sult of Japanese defeats by the
American armed forces and
Superfortress attacks on Tokyo.
Izvestia said Japanese news
papers now are calling upon the
government to restore civil
right. As an example, it said
the Asahi recently insisted that
the government "renew and re
organize various organs In order
to guarantee freedom of the
press and freedom of speech,
and thus provide effective na
tional unity."
"The time to lecture the peo
ple on the national crisis Is
past," the newspaper Mainlchi
was quoted. "The people don't
want to listen to such lectures."
MORE HIGHWAY FUNDS
WANTED BY COUNTIES
Salem, Ore., Dec. 29 (U.R)
A bill which would provide that
the counties of Oregon would
receive 20 per cent of the State
Highway Commission road
funds, with a minimum of $2,
800,000 yearly, will be Intro
duced to the 1945 legislature,
the Oregon County Judges ex
ecutive committee voted at a
meeting here.
The counties at present get
15.7 per cent, with a minimum
of $2,000,000.
Sacramento, Calif., Dec. 29
(U.R) Robert A. Hclnze, second
oldest employe of the state
prison system, was appointed
warden of Foltom prison last
night by Gov. Earl Warren.
TO
ARMY OFFICERS
Company Says Records Are
Available if Federal Men
Wish to Inspect.
Chicago. Dk SB Aim
Montgomery Ward . and Com
pany reiusea toaay to turn over
its books to the army officers
named bv the ffnvprnm.nt in
operate the company's facilities
in seven ciues under a preslden
trial seizure order.
H. L. Pearson. vIpa nrocMunt
and treasurer of the wholesale
ana retail store firm, said he
woiua not give up the books, at
least not until he hart tallreri n
Sewell Avery, militant chair
man or tne board of directors,
who has challenged the govern
ment's rieht In tnlca n" hs
plants. Simultaneously, at a
court hearing, attorney for the
company said the firm would
not compjy witn any mandatory
orders for turning over the
books but added that they were
accessible if the government
representatives wanted to come
in and' look at them.
No Eviction
Meanwhile, at Washington
Attorney General Biddle said
there would be no attempt to
evict Avery forcibly.
Biddle said Avery was "per
fectly harmless.", and -.when ask
ed why he . was less harmless
now than a few months ago
when he was carried out, the
attorney general added:
"He always was harnless. I
guess we are following a new
technique this time."
Avery had said earlier that
the only way the government
could keep him from the com
pany's Chicago headquarters
would be to throw him out or
"fence" him out .
Portland, Ore., Dee. 29 (U.R)
Assurances of cooperation
from union officials and man
agement heads today produced
"business as usual" conditions
at the Portland branch of Mont
gomery Ward & Co., seized by
the army yesterday along with
Ward properties in other major
cities.
Army officers will be on duty
at the Portland plant 24 hours
daily but the company officials
will be in their usual capacities
and the only evidence of the
seizure were sentries at the en
trance and notices on the doors.
MILWAUKEE IS FIRST TO
REACH WAR BOND QUOTA
Washington, Dec. 29 (U.R)
Milwaukee is the first among
eight competing metropolitan
centers to attain 100 per cent of
its Sixth War Loan E Bond drive
quota, the treasury reported to
day.
The competition will continue
until final figures for the Sixth
War Loan are issued after New
Years.
Ickes Disgruntled By F.D.Rs
Policies May Quit, Says PM
Washington, Dec. 29. (U.R)
The newspaper PM reports edi
torially that Secretary of Inter
ior Harold L. Ickes' is so dis
tressed, by some of President
Roosevelt's policies that he may
resign from the cabinet if the
situation fails to change.
The report states, specifically,
that Ickes considers himself
"muzzled", by . the state depart
ment and therefore has been
compelled to decline an Invita
tion publicly .to. denounce the
Spanish government of General
issimo Francisco Franco at a
Madison Square Garden rally to
be held next week
This rally is being organized
to sponsor a demand for a break
in diplomatic relations with
Madrid.
In response to a United Press
Inquiry whether he had been in
vited to speak at the anti-Franco
rally, Ickes replied. "I have been
invited and if I were not holding
an official position I would be
glad to co up and say what I
ns Full
Our Turn
HAHiiT TJnethTS T
Uuvolii maajtricht -t
Sr. Trend Tenant j Etckwtllirf '
Wovre AACNlhi
iMIin Hmtol L
yl yf Ironist. Molmd7'f
V.ndrei.. VC0rl9n0V .Vlrtoi. ""
o .'oM'"V i'o FRANCE Jf
American counter-blows nip off Up of German drive toward Meuse, en
circle a panzer lorco between Celles and Rockelort, while to southeast
Third Army drives Into fiastogne to rescue Americana and score other
(ami in flank. Germans are revealed holding Echternach.
Attorney Denounces Chaplin
As Liar. Despoiler of Women
Hollywood, Dec. 29 (U.R) In
as lashing a denunciation as has
ever been aired In a courtroom,
77-year-old Joseph Scott today
assured jurors that Charlie Chap
lin : was the father of - Joan
Barry's baby and a reptile, a
runt, a cockneyed cad, a liar, a
Svengali, and a despoiler of
women in the bargain. -
Hammering away at his final
argument In the movie struck
red-head's paternity case with a
torrent of oratory that echoed
down the long corrldars of the
OFFICES, STORES
In observance of New Year's
Day almost all places of busi
ness In Medford will be closed
Monday. The county courthouse,
city offices and banks will be
closed as well as most shops.
Some federal offices, Including
the Rogue River National Forest
service and the Crater Lake Na
tional Park service, are required
to remain open for business un
der a wartime ruling, the only
holiday for the year being
Christmas. There will be no Is
sue of the Mail Tribune.
Celebrations are planned by
lodges and churches for New
Year's Eve and Monday, and the
annual New Year's Eve party of
the Elks lodge, for Elks only,
will be held at the temple Sat
urday night. Many dinners and
other gatherings will be held in
valley homes Sunday ana Mon
day. have thought for some time
about that gentleman. But in
view of my official position, I
have declined."
PM does not suggest that the
state department actually Inter
fered with any address Ickes had
prepared, or that he even had
sought its advice. The implica
tion is that Ickes took one look
at the men placed in charge of
the state department by Mr
Roosevelt since the election and
decided it would be futile to ex
pect them to approve what he
would like to fay about Franco.
Ickes was one of the new deal
stalwarts frustrated when Presi
dent Roosevelt gently balked at
accepting Vice-President Henry
A. Wallace as his 1944 running
mate. His unhappiness and
that of many other top flight ad
ministration supporters was .In
creased when Mr. Roosevelt
nominated to high state depart
ment office a number of men
who did not even claim to be
new dealers.
6UNE
Leassd Wire
NO. 237.
to Attack
hall of Justice, Scott stormed,
stomped, and spat as he told the
awestruck seven women and five
men of the jury that Chaplin
was ji genius with a lousy mem
ory, while Miss Barry, although
uncommonly pretty, was a girl
of very limited intelligence and
could not possibly have made up
her story.
Chaplin, he said, was a strut
ting tin god to whom intimacy
with a woman meant no more
than a plate of ham and eggs to
anyone else.
"Sex," Scott lisped . as he
minced before the Jury box in
sarcastic mimicry of Chaplin.
"is not that important In my
life."
"It happens so often with so
many different people."
"All this girl wanted was for
this man to give the child a
name . . .'please . . . please ,
please," he wept as he swept
from rage to tears.
With Scott's argument con
cluded, Defense Attorney
Charles E. MilUkan will begin
his final argument Tuesday
Then comes rebuttal. Not before
Wednesday will the jurors get
a chance to decide whether
Chaplin is the father of baby
Carol Ann, Scott said.
SLIGHTLY BETTER
Slight Improvement In the
condition of Judge Herbert K
Hanna, a patient in St. Vln
cent's hospital, Portland, was re
ported this atternoon from that
city. A wire dispatch from
United Press stated "condition
Judge Hanna very slightly im
proved, but . remains seriously
ill. Doctor has some hope."
Judge Hanna, presiding judge
of circuit court in this district,
was taken to the Portland hos
pital Wednesday after having
been a patient In a Medford hos
pital since Sunday and was
placed under the care of Dr.
Laurence Selling there.
One Case Typhoid
On Health Report
One case of typhoid fever. In
Ashland, and two cases of scar
let fever, both In the Prospect
area, were reported to the coun
ty health officer during the week
ending December 22, the weekly
report shows.
Other diseases reported were
two cases of measles, one In
Prospect and one in Medford
three cases of pneumonia, two
In Medford and one in Ashland
one case of chicken pox in Gold
Hill and three cases of septic
sore throat, two in Medford and
one In Ashland. Reported from
Camp White were three cases of
recurrent malaria and five cases
of trench mouth.
9
PAWS ARMY
AT F0TC FLANK)
Threat to Meuse River Line
Definitely Lifted; General
Withdrawal May Follow,!
Paris. Dee. 29. (U.R) Amort.
can forces todav nunnhri tha
nose of the German salient back
a good 13 miles, lifting any cur
rent threat to the Meuse rivnr
line, and Lt. Gen. George S. Pat
ton's fighting third army ham
mered solid blows Into the under
llank of the German bulge in
an effort to force a general Ger
man withdrawal.
By United Press
American forces nnunrfoA 4nfn
the flanks of the German salient
in Belgium from north nnH nnh
today, closing to within less than
10 miles ot a junction, which
WOUld- SDlit the ennmv m half
and cut off all the troops In the
western part of the bulge.
The Germans were under pres
sure from three sides along the
ISO-mile perimeter of their cor
ridor as they fell back from the
Meuse and faced the advance ot
First army troops from the,
Grandmenil-Manhay area In the
north and the third army from
Bastogne in the south.
Reds in Budapest
Two red armies In Humum
were moving toward the Aus
trian border on a 90-mile front
on both sides of the Danube as
a battle of annihilation con
tinued Inside Riirianoct nrlln
said massed Russian artillery
ana airplanes naa opened a de
vastating bombardment of tba
capital. The trapped German
garrison mew up all bridges over
the Danube and whnln
of the city were In flames.
The Italian front was reported
quiet on all sectors.
Field dispatches from tha
western front said the Germans
naa lost the initiative every,
where around their Belgian
Luxembourg corridor and were
struggling to pun back Into' sj
better defensive position.
" Elimination of a pocketed
Nazi panzer regiment of about
3,000 men east of Celles was re
ported with tha los
its armor and transport. Mora
than 1,000 Germans surrendered
and the greater part of the others
were believed tn hm k..H
killed.
LI COL GREENE
EON LEAVE
Terminating 34 months' duty
in the South Pacific, Lt. Col.
Fred W. Greene arrived in Med
ford yesterday for a brief leava
with his wife, son and daughter,
at the family home, 1716 East
Main street. Col. Greene reports
January 7 at the Command and
General Staff school, Ft. Leaven
worth, Kan., where he will ba
stationed for a time.
The colonel, with the army
quartermasters' corps, spent two
months in the Philippines just
before returning home, and suf
fered a slight wound from which,
he is now fully recovered. Ha
left the Philippines for New
Guinea and boarded a plane for
Honolulu and the United States
from there.
586 MARRIAGE PERMITS
ISSUED OVER PAST YEAR
Marriage licenses Issued in
Jackson county during the past
year, up to noon today, totalled
588, the county clerk's office re
ports. This Is 398 less than in
the record breaking year of
1943 when the total was 964.
Dan Cupid's business that year
was augmented by the nuptials
of scores of soldiers stationed at
Camp White whose brides cama
from all over the land.
The 1944 total will likely ba
Increased by end of the year ap
plications this afternoon and Sat
urday. The clerk's office closes
at noon Saturday.
USE V-MAIL MORE, IS -PLEA
VOICED BY OWI
Washington, Dec. 29 (U.R)
The Office of War Information
appealed to the public today to)
make greater use of V-mail In
1945 to conserve "critically
needed" transport space.
V-mail, the OWI said, Is the
best way to assure a steady flow
of letters to servicemen.
NO PAPER MONDAY
Following long-established
custom tha Mall Tribune will
not publish on Monday, New
Year's day, In order to permit
employes to enjoy the holiday
In their homes.