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Y
CANADIAN FIRST
SIEGFRIED LINE
B nllU -1 A . I l -I
3 Dttiue ui uermany unoer
i Way; Nazi Resistance Is
Spotty Towns Taken.
Paris, Feb. 9 U,R The big
push has begun.
From Holland to the Alps,
Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower is
hurling American, British and
French .troops into the climactic
battle of Germany.
The aim is to destroy Ger
many's fighting forces before
summer in conjunction with the
red army's offensives in the
east.
Best guesses place German
strength in the west at 80 divi
slons. But even these are under
strength and probably total few
er than a half million men.
., Paris Feb. 9 flJ.R) Armored
and infantry divisions of the
Canadian first army broke into
the northern flank of the Sieg
fried line today in a full-scale
offensive that carried forward
almost five miles on a six-mile
front aimed squarely at the Ger
man Ruhr and Rhineland.
Advancing steadily behind a
screen of flame-throwing tanks.
veteran British and Canadian in
fantrymen spilled over the Ger
man border southeast of Nljme-
gen and drove several spear
heads deep into the Reichswald
forest.
Vanguards of the attacking
force were reported, half-way
through the forest early today,
imperiling the twin strongholds
of Cleve and Goch that form the
northern anchor of Germany's
west wall.
First army paratroops, fight
ing as infantrymen, were re
ported to have pushed almost
five miles into the forest from
the west to within about four
miles southwest of Cleve and
5V4 miles northwest of Goch.
German resistance, . softened
and in some places paralyzed by
a thundering allied aerial and
artillery bombardment, showed
few signs of stiffening this morn
ing, 24 hours after the start of
the offensive that promised to
set the whole western front
blaze.
. Aerial ' reconnaissance Indi
cated, however, that the Ger
mans were recovering from their
Initial surprise and were begin
ning to rush reserves into the
threatened area.
At least seven towns, two of
them German, were captured in
the first 12 hours of the ad
vance and one allied column on
the northern flank of the assault
line was reported less than three
miles from the Rhine crossing
town of Mlllingen.
Seven towns were captured
before nightfall yesterday, two
of them on German soil, and
more than 1,000 dazed nazl pris
oners were rounded up.
Heavily - censored field dis
patches indicated the allies were
moving forward unchecked this
morning against spotty resist
ance, well beyond the officially
announced gains.
Headquarters spokesmen made
it clear that the big push was on
to break open Germany's west
ern front in co-ordination with
the red army march on Berlin
WATER DISTRICTS
, J. M. Spencer, Ashland, has
been named secretary-manager
of the Medford Irrigation Dis-
trlct and W. D. Steadman, Phoe
nix, has been named to the
same position In the Rogue River
'district, both appointments to
become effective March 1. Both
succeed Ed N. Juddfor IS years
manager of both districts.
Since 1929 Spencer has been
manager of the Hermiston dis
trict and prior to that was man
ager of the Eagle Point district
He has been employed as inspec
tor of Reeder dam at Ashland
and has been engaged in railroad
and highway construction.
Steadman for 13 years has
been superintendent of the Ro
gue River district and is we 1
acquainted with its needs and
system and is well-known in the
valley.
Judd plans to retire to the
construction business and will
continue to make his home here.
t CHECK PRISON RUMORS
m Calgary, Alta., Feb. 9 0J.R)
Officials today checked re
ports that Nazi agents in Ccr
man prisoner of war camps
killed several fellow inmates to
prove that Nazi faith was sacred
. wherever Caimani oaths
Medford
United Pits
Thirty-ninth Year
First Allied Prisoners Freed
I psaal ammammmummimmmimAix&
Gaunt young men who had been strapping soldiers when the war started, officers with deep
lines carved in their emaciated faces, men hobbling with canes and men too ill to walk, enter
the grounds of an evacuation hospital after their daring rescue by American Rangers and Filipino-
guerillas from Cabanatuan prison camp, Luion.
15
DEAD IN WORST
- STORM IN YEARS
Boston, Feb. 9 (U.R) , One
of its worst blizzards in -recent
times dropped 12 to 14 inches of
snow on New England today,
paralyzed virtually all transpor
tation, and cost at least IS lives.
Thousands of ' persons were
marooned. Work stopped at
many shipyards and war plants.
Enormous snowdrifts, piled up
by a raging northeast wind, pre
vented night shift workers from
reaching their homes and day
shift . workers from reaching
their jobs.
The Boston and Maine railroad
appealed to the army for troops
to clear its tracks. '
Power and light wires were
down over a wide area. The
Providence, R. I., weather sta
tion had been able to communi
cate only occasionally during
the night with Boston headquar
ters. It was. reported that traffic
in Providence was severely ham
pered. '
Portsmouth, N. H., had no
transportation. Workers were
unable to reach the navy yard.
Even the main highways were
snow-clogged.
There was neither bus nor
taxi service in Portland. Me.,
and few hardy workers dared the
10-foot drifts in the streets to
reach the ..vast New England
Shipbuilding Corp. plant in
South Portland.
Boston had an official snow
fall of 14 inches two inches
more than in the St. Valen
tine's day blizzard of 1940 that
crippled the area for nearly a
week. The total snow now on
the ground in Boston proper
was 19 inches.
. By United Press
The Saigon radio acknowl
edged today that "important
material damage" was caused
in the city and nearby Pnom
penh Wednesday when an esti
mated 70 B-29 Superfortress
raided the French Indo China
naval base.
The disclosure was contained
In an "official" communique
broadcast by the Saigoa radio
and recorded by FCC.
The broadcast said 170 per
sons were killed and 490 wound
ed in the two cities.
Charleston, W. Va., Feb. 9.
(U.PJWest Virginia's legislature
was on record today as the first
state law-making body to recom
mend that freedom of the press
around the world be guaranteed
at the ivemational peace con
ference.
Full Leased Wire
BIG THREE MEET
ENDS NEXT WEEK,
Moscow, Feb. 9 U.R) The
Big Three Conference, it was
believed, today, is "amphibious.
partly on land , and partly
aboard ship:
The exact site of the confer
ence was still secret beyond its
location in the Black Sea irea
and was expected to be kept se
cret until the meeting is over.
Announcement that the con
ference has concluded was ex
pected next week. '
Speculation on the site varied
among dozens .of Black- Sea
coastal towns stretching from
Odessa to Batum, all far remov
ed from possible outside inter
ference. Either from shipboard or from
shore Marshal Stalin is able to
maintain close contact with Su
preme Headquarters on the prog
ress of the Red army offensive
Since a ship could not accommo
date all the foreign ministers,
chiefs of staff and their staffs it
was believed that the conference
is "amphibious" with meetings
both on land and aboard ship.
The American and British am
bassadors to Moscow and the
chiefs of the Anglo-American
military missions here are at the
meeting.
They are not communicating
with Moscow during the confer
ence. U. S. Ambassador W. Averill
Harriman, accompanied by his
daughter, Kathleen, and his
staff, went south by rail some
time before the opening of the
meeting. Sir Archibald Clark
Kerr, the British ambassador,
followed about a week later.
Two More Wives of
Conductor Located
San Francisco, Feb. 9 (U.R)
The box score on the multiple
marriages of sad-eyed trolley
Conductor Francis Harrison Van
Wie rose to 14 today, with dis
closure of two more weddings
without benefit of divorce, in
addition to his admitted 12
wives.
California bureau of vital sta
tistics records show the "Casa
nova of the car lines" married
Edna Ruth Eastman, then 31. on
December 12, 1917, in Oakland,
Cal. the same year he wed ad
mitted wife number three, Ade
line, In the same city.
BACKS BIG THREE
Chungking, Feb. 9 (U.R)
The Influential liberal Chinese
newspaper Ta Kung Pao today
editorially urged strengthening
of Sino-Soviet relations in view
of the "Big Three" conference
and Russia's future role in the
defeat of Japan,
New York. Feb. 9 (U.R)
Stocks were narrowly Irregular
at uie opening toaay.
MOSCOW REPORTS
tttttt. a hi 1 1 xv 1 1 x ' a uiuTa -s- ii . n, f h mm mm mm mm. m mm mm m I
V- . gVq-.ju-g . . UnlUd Press Full Leased Wire 1 1
MEDFORD,
In Philippines
4r
CONWAY EXPLAINS
LIQUOR PURCHASE,
STATES-REASONS
Kalpm. Or ' TTph Q HIP)
The - Oreznn loint legislative
committee, appointed to invest!
gate the 1943 purchase of two
Kentucky distilleries by the Ore
eon and Washington Hmmr ran.
trol commissions for nearly $7,
500,000, today considered evi
dence presented at its first meet
ing.
Rav ' Conwav. sprrptflrv anH
administrator of the Oregon
commission, told the committee.
headed by Sen. Paul Patterson,
tnat the commission had felt
that the law under which it op
erated made it mandatory for It
to ODtain the liquor demanded
by the public.
The idea of the nureh as was
first originated late in Septem
ber of 1943. Conwav sairi. Hp
reported that linunr stnrlt.
at an all-time low in June of that
year, when only 12,000 cases of
whiskey were on hand, and the
mommy rate of consumption
ran around 50,000 cases.
He save three chief rpasnns
why the deal had been made:
i. .Partly to satisfy the large
and increasing demand for do
mestic Whiskevs whlrh urprp rmf.
ting scarcer after tha fariarai
government had ordered manu-
lacturmg stopped.
z. For financial profit.
3. To lessen croulncr hlnpir
market operations.
The purchase had the appro
val of the flt.tnrnev
Oregon and Washington, the
uregon Board of control and the
office of price administration.
T
P
Dr. W. W. F. Kresse, sen
tenced from Medford last Octo
ber to four years and nine
months at McNeill Island for II
legal narcotics sales, was criti
cally injured recently when hit
in the stomach by a flying board,
causing an intestinal rupture,
according to word received from
Mrs. Kresse, who is now making
her home at The Dalles.
Kresse's condition is such that
his wife cannot see him, accord
ing to the message received by
friends here. He was employed
in the carpenter shop at the
prison st the time of his injury
Rome, Feb. 9 (U.R) Patrols
advanced several hundred yards
to strengthen fifth army post
lions Id the Serchio valley in the
west coastal sector, headquarters
aid today. Minor clashes were
reported along other fronU.
OREGON, FRIDAY, FEBI
JAPS INMANILA
Enemy Herded by Buckeye
Division Tokyo Reports
New Landing Made.
Manila, Feb. 9 (U.R) The
Battle of Manila entered its last
and bloodiest phase today as
American infantrymen swarmed
across the Paslg river to root
out and destroy the Japanese
trapped in the southern half of
the city.
Doughboys of the 37th (Buck
eye) division crossed the Pasig
in amphibious tanks and on pon
toon bridges late Wednesday
and quickly established a wide
bridgehead on the south bank
opposite the Malacanang Palace.
The Japanese put up only
weak resistance along the river
bank, but they . stiffened later
Wednesday night and fought
back savagely with mortars, ar
tillery and rifle .fire.
Their position was rapidly
disintegrating, however, and it
was believed that all organized
opposition would- be crushed
within a very few days at most.
The advancing 37th was deep
into the southern- half of the
capital early today and herding
the Japanese survivors back
slowly into the waiting guns of
the U. S. 11th airborne division
moving up from the south. ,
- The main boeV of " tti. llth
airborne was reported slightly
north of Nichols field Wednes
day night.
Radio Tokyo Friday Indicat
ed that a second column of
American troops are on the
verge of entering Manila from
the south, but the broadcast
failed specifically to acknowl
edge -that Gen. Douglas Mao
Arthur's forces have crossed the
Pasig river from the north.
Broadcast Glum
"It is a hard, cold fact that
the city of Manila has not fal
len," Arthur Feldman, Blue
Network correspondent, report
ed in a broadcast from the Phil
ippines Friday.
"The Japs are fighting hard
for Manila. The Jap defenders,
while in the death throes of
their defense, are nevertheless
conducting a reign of terror,
death and destruction which
still continues.
"It should be pointed out that
the enemy's program of pillage
and destruction is so wanton
that it has passed way beyond
the stage of destroying Military
objectives.
"I believe It will be some days
before any victory parade
swings down the Avenida
Risal."
T
IN KOBE ATTACK
Washington, Feb. 9 (U.R)
A lone B-29 Superfortress bomb
ed Japan's main seaport of Kobe
early today, the sixth straight
day that one or more of the big
bombers has attacked the city,
radio Tokyo said.
Tokyo also reported that an
other B-29 made an hour-long
reconnaissance flight over the
Kanto district, which includes
Tokyo and Yokohama, without
dropping bombs. The broadcasts
wer recorded by the FCC.
From advanced Pacific head
quarters came an announcement
that army Liberators had bomb
ed Iwo, 570 miles south of
Tokyo, for the 82nd and 63rd
consecutive days Tuesday and
Wednesday. Results of the raid
were not disclosed.
Other bombers attacked Haha
island in the Bonins Wednesday
and left- three large fires bum
ing. Tokyo said both Iwo and
Haha also were hit again y?s
terday,
CIRCULATION GAINS
New York, Feb. 9 (U.R)
Dally newspaper circulation in
the United States reached 45,
954,838 In 1944, a 3.4 per cent
Increase over 1943 and a new
htpii, according to the 1945 Edi
tor li Publisher yearbook.
9, 1945
DEM TALK HELD
WORD TO Fl TO BE
FIRM WITH JOSEF
Or Risk Foreign Policy Dis
pute In Congress;Sees To
talitarian Trend at Home.
By Lyle C. Wilton
United Press Correspondent
Washtnirtnn. Fph 0 (IIP)
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey's Lin
coln dav snaerh lnnkprt tnrlav
like a warning to President
Roosevelt tn driva a firm nnlltl.
cal bargain with Premier Josef
v. Stalin. The alternative would
be to risk a major foreign policy
dispute with well organized Re
publicans. -
Dewey spoke here last night
at the Statler hotel before about
1200 party leaders. He made a
double-barrelled attack on Mr.
Roosevelt's home and foreign
policies. He endorsed the foreign
policy program of Sen.. Arthur
H. Vandenberg, R., Mich., which
is under such bitter attack in the
domestic communist press as to
suggest that Stalin would balk
at it.
The reaction of congressional
leaders In the audinnra tfpnnr.
ally was enthusiastic. For ex-
AmvtlA Cn' V . l C M
oi XNeDrasKa, republican whip,
thou Gilt Dewev nut thm Rnnco.
velt administration on notice "to
do a better job in foreign rela
tions." :
v. Dewey. didn't (jet a- 100 per
cent endorsement, however. Sen.
Raymond Willis;- R., Ind was
lukewarm on the foreign policy
section of Dewey's speech but
agreed With his discussion nn
domestic affairs. ..
Mr. Roosevelt dnnhtUss is
aware now of Stalin's Ideas on
the Vandenberg plan. He and
the Soviet Union leader are in
conference in the Blarlr spa arpn
with Prime Minister Winston
unurcmil. The Vandenberg pro
posal was In two parts:
1. An immediate Anglo-American-Chinese
treaty to keep Ger
many and Japan permanently
disarmed.
2. Agreement nnur that nnlltl.
cal settlements in Europe made
or Deing made In various liber
ated countries be subject to gen
eral review after the war.
The communist press inter
prets this latter provision as
sabotage of the Teheran
ments reached in 1943 by Mr.
nooseveit, Churchill and Stalin
In their first conference. Some
others internrpt It a.
tion against communization of a
large part of Europe. The com
munist press says that is non
sense. If Dewey can make the
Vandenberg plan stick as formal
Republican doctrine, it may be
up m me president to obtain
Stalin's agreement to postwar
re-examination of European po
litical questions. The alternative
COUld be a bitter anri hml.h.
political contest In this country
over me snape and scope of post
war security machinery,
RUSSlANlLIEF
CLOTHES NEEDED
Governor Earl Snell has call-
ea tor aid in the current state
wide clothes drive for Russian
Relief, labeling
"an opportunity to aid humanity
mm me unuea war eriort." Snell
said, that the return of 70,000,
000 Russian neonle to
homes in liberated territory with
only the little clothing they are
wearing has hdded to an alraariv
urgent emergency. ."That the
ume 10 act is now is shown in
the recent appeal direct from
the American ambassador," he
concluded, in a statement to the
relief committee,
E. H. Hedrick, superintendent
of schools asserted today that
me drive in Medford and Jack
son county will close this week
in all schools where classroom
have made their nuntas. hut will
stay open in schools where
rooms nave not reacnea meir
goals Into next weeX.
Chicago, Feb. 9 tu.ru Grain
futures displayed a mixed trend
today.
Catching Up
fSr:
k1
S. ...... " y
George W, Weedon, Laaranda,
Ore., special policeman for con
tracting firm when he was tax-
en by Japs on Corregldor, spends
the first minutes of his freedom
after rescue from Cabantuan
prison camp catching up on his
reading.
2 YRS. EXTENSION
BIG TRUCK LAWS
VOTED BY SENATE
New Barber Price Law To
Replace Invalid One In
troduced, t
Salem, Ore., Feb. 9 (U.R)
A two-year extension of the
"big truck" laws in Oregon pass
ed the senate today after a move
failed to make the extension for
four years.
The two year vote was unani
mous but the Upper House split
id to 1U against a minority com
mittee report that war-time ex
perience with the larger trucks
justified a permanent ex
tension. The majority report
was accepted and the rulos sus
spended to permit immediate
passage of the bill (SB42) to the
house.
Sen. Frank Hilton, Portland,
vainly argued the truck and
trailer limit of 60 feet in length
and 71,250 pounds in weight
provided in bill had worked out
to. advantage in the three war
years and . should be permanent
because highway officials agreed
no excessive highway damage
has been caused.
Salem, Ore., Feb. 9 (U.R)
The recent Oregon Supreme
Court decision that Invalidated
the minimum Barber price law
brought a new bill (SB18S) Into
the senate today to remedy de
fects and reinstate minimum
price scales.
The court held the Board of
Barber Examiners was deprived
of its powers when 70 per cent
of the barbers could petition for
minimum prices in a county
The new bill, submitted by the
Senate Labor and Industries
Board, permits- the Board to ac
cept petitions and then accept,
alter, reduce, or reject the sug
gested price scale, or make
changes anytime thereafter from
investigation of possible inequi
ties. Another new senate bill
(SB186) would remove graduated
scales for Circuit Court Judges
salaries to a flat $6,000 per
year In all counties. Previously,
Judges In counties over 30.000
population received $6,000 be
tween 19,000 and 30,000, $5500,
and less than 18,000 $5,000.
London, Feb. 9 (U S The
British radio reported today that
W. H. Donald, famous adviser
to Gtn. Chiauir r"'-5in:k, had
been released froir interment In
Manila. ;
Weather
ForMutt Partly eloody toalffct
and Saturday. Foggy Satur
day morning. Slightly warmar
Saturday.
Tmp.
......... ;.iHiH7 a
i,owci: urn morning , .. 35
xNO. 272.
FRANKFURT, VITAL
BERLIN BASTION
Frontal Attack on Capital
Objective; After Collapse .
Oder Defenses.
London. Feb. 9. (U.R) Th
Soviet high command reported
tonight that the red army had
surrounded Arnswalde, big rait
junction 40 miles southeast of
Stettin, and the Baltic coastal
town of Elblng In East Prussia.
London. Feb. 9. flip) Mna.
cow and Berlin reported today
that Russian assault forces were
storming Frankfurt from bridge
heads on the west hank nf h
Oder on both sides of the key
stone base 33 miles east of Ber
lin. '
The fall nf FranVfort .n1J
collapse the Oder river defense
line before Berlin and bare the
capital itself to frontal assault
Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov's
spearheads across the Oder were
probing westward behind an
earth-shaking bombardment of
Russian artlllKrv ma.,t m a.-
east bank of the river, Moscow
uispaicnes reported.
The German hi oh
only reference to the sector be-
lore cenin said that the Ger
mans "succeeded in narrowing
down or eliminating by counter
attack several enemy bridge.
heads."....
A supplementary Berlin broad
cast reported violent battle
both north and south of Frank
furt, and Moscow dispatches said
the Nazis were throwing all
available strength Into an effort
to wipe out the Soviet foothold
Which damned a nlnnm
strategic city.
on either aide of the Oder
Berlin front. Sflvlat irmln.
swinging westward to protect
iiukuvb nanus, threaten tha
Baltic port of Stettin, and hew
out expanding pockets west of
the Oder In Silesia.
Swedish refugees who fled
Berlin to their homeland report,
ed that inhabitants expect the
red army to reach it "within a
week or two." More than 300,
000 Berliners have left the city
since the Russians arrived at th
Oder, they said.
The Nazis not only admitted
that fierce street fighting was
under way in Kuestrin, but said
that the Soviets had encircled
the fortress town by linking up
two bridgeheads on the west
bank of the Oder. Kuestrin lie
on the east bank 3R mil... An.,t
.N, V. .
Berlin.
SENATE PASSAGE
OF GEORGE BILL.
CALLEDTRADING'
Washington, Feb. 9 (U.R)
Rep. Eugene E. Cox (D Ga.),
said today that senate passage
of the George bill resulted from
"horse-trading with the presi
dent" on the nomination of
Henry A. Wallace to be secre
tary of commerce.
The bill would divorce tha
Reconstruction Finance Corp.
and other federal lending unit
from the commerce department.
It has been passed by the senate
and approved by the house bank
ing committee. Cox's statement
was made during a house rule
committee hearing on how and
when it should be considered in -the
house.
The administration force de
sire enactment of the bill in be
lief that It would clear the way
for confirmation of Wallace.
Th hparlng was featured b"
several verbal clashes between
Cox, a rules committee member,
and Banking Committee Chair
man Brent Spence (D., Ky.)
Spence insisted that senate pas
saga of the bill had nothing to
do with Wallace's nomination
although he conceded the nom
ination might have prompted in
troduction of the bill.
The committee finally ad
journed after deciding to resume
th hearing next Wednesday, .
3