were
SLdS
(W
at
Weather
Forecast: Partly cloudy tonlcht
and ThurHar with Utile
change In temperature.
Tamp.
Hlfhert Terterday 4
Lowest tils morntas 21
Precipitation last 24 hrs.a nona
Thirty ninth Year
Yankees Ram Across Erf t
Furious Conflict Near
F
WITHIN 6 MILES
OF KEHASTION
Swift Attack Captures High;
way Bridge Intact; Nazis
Move Up Armored Units.
Paris, Feb. 28 (UP.) Ameri
can tanks and troops rammed
across the Erft river line at three
points within 'sight of the Rhine
today and were locked in a fur
ious battle for .Modrath, 6VS
miles from Cologne.
The Erft river, last water bar
rier before the Rhine, was
breached at three points directly
west and west-southwest of Co
logne by armored task forces of
two and perhaps three American
1st army divisions.
Bridge Captured
V One assault column hurdled
the Erft on the main Dueren
Cologne highway, while two
others swept across the river on
either side of the road.
So swiftly was the attack that
one highway bridge across the
Erft was captured 'Intact-by
Yank infantrymen. A second
bridge nearby was blown up by
the retreating enemy.
The German rallied swiftly,
however, and at last reports
were fighting desperately from
house to bouse for the east bank
town of Modrath. German ar
mored units moved up from the
Rhine to meet the attack and
American staff officers predict
ed that the battle now Joined
would settle the fate of Cologne
The 104th "Tlmberwolf" and
8th division already were across
the Erft in force, and field dis
patches Indicated that units of
the 1st infantry division also
were moving in on the 8th's
"V southern flank below 'Modrath
, Gladbach Taken
Elements of the 1st division
speared seven miles southeast of
Dueren to capture Gladbach.
To the north, the American
9th army, operating under a se
curity blackout, was rolling up
the German defenses on the
western fringe of the Ruhr val
lev aeainst slightly stiffened en
emy resistance, and Duesseldorf
vug rennrleH under direct ar-
tillery fire.
At the southern end oi me
allied offensive front, Lt. Gen.
Georse S. Patton's American 3rd
army forces captured the pivotal
road center of Bitburg in a drive
apparently aimed at the Moselle
valley and the central reaches
of the Rhine.
In the U. S. 1st army's ad
vance across the Erft river
American flying columns liber
ated more than 5.000 slave work
ers held by the nazis in Blatz-
heim and Kerpen, on the west
side of the river.
Most of the workers were
Poles and Ukrainians, and it was
believed the sudden - American
attack had caught the Germans
before they could evacuate them
Pfc. Lucius Lull
On Wounded List
Pfc. Lucius Lull of Medford
has been wounded in the Euro
pean war theater according to a
wire release from Washington
D. C. Pfc. Lull Is listed with se
lective service board No. 2 and
next of kin Is given as Mr. and
Mrs. L. W. Lull, route 2, box
228.
Three Oregonians
Among Released
Three navy men from this
state were among those listed by
the navy yesterday as having
V-been released from Japanese
prison camps In the Philippine
islands. Listed were Jack Black
F 1c, McKenzie Bridge; Rich
ard C. Busch, coxswain, La
Grande; Lee G. Mills, gunner,
Portland.
Medford
United Prat
Former Old Ranger
Of Radio Sued By
Restaurant Buyers
Hollywood, Feb. 28 (U.R)
Sampson MacDonald, 60, origin
al "Old Ranger" of the radio
show "Death Valley Days," to
day went on trial for $6,125
damages claimed by two girls
who said he sold them a Holly
wood restaurant he did not own.
Mary Mugerdlchian and Deba
Sharoian, both 21, of Davenport.
Ia., said they paid the actor $800
for what they thought was title
to the restaurant, and learned
later they had signed a two-year
lease instead.
The place wasn't worth $800
anyway, the girls added, because
it was so infested with rats that
the health department closed it
after they had operated it seven
weeks.
STORE WINDOWS
TO
OF
E
In the interest of the 1945
Red Cross war fund drive, a
committee from the ' Junior.
Chamber of Commerce will
stencil drive slogans on the win
dows of business establishments
tonight and tomorrow morning
it was announced by Red Cross
officials today.
The slogans will read "Keep
Red Cross at bis side" and "Give
Now Give More Red Cross."
It is stated that the stencil ma
terial will be washable and that
anyone objecting to the signs
may request that they not be
used or remove them at once.
Drive workers are hopeful that
the majority of the city's busi
ness places will leave the slo
gans on until the drive closes.
In charge of the project are
Lester Higenbotham, chairman
of the junior chamber war serv
ice activities committee and
Carey Thompson, who will su
pervise the window marking.
aeriaFTleets
TEAM IN ATTACK
London, Feb. 28 U.B Two
great fleets of American and
British bombers teamed in heavy
attacks on rail and industrial
targets in northwest Germany
today, the 16th straight day of a
record air offensive against the
reich.
More than 1.100 Flying Fort
resses and Liberators escorted
by about 350 Mustang fighters
attacked rail yards and factories
at Kassel, Soest, Schwerte, Hag
en, Slegen, and other German
towns.
British Lancaster heavy bomb
ers carried out a concentrated
oitav nn tha Nnrdstern Benzol
plant near Gelsenklrchen in the
Ruhr.
Romanian Premier Resigns,
Red Envoy Surveys Turmoil
Br United Press
Gen. Nicolae Radescu has re
signed as premier of Romania
the Bucharest radio said today
Moscow announced, meanwhile
that Soviet Vice Foreign Com
mlssar Andrei Vlshinsky Is In
Bucharest, the scene of purge
of pro-nazi elements.
Radescu reportedly resigned
as a result of the tension be
tween his government and na
tlonal democratic front fortes.
VishJasky'a visit to til Ro
FuU Leased Wlr
MEDFORD, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1945
MOUNTING LOSSES
'USE UNREST IN
JAP GOVERNMENT
German Reports Say Depu
ties Demand Session to
Consider War Situation.
London, Feb. 28 (U.R) Ger
man reports from Tokyo said
today that members of the Japa
nese lower house met Tuesday
to demand a parliamentary ses
sion to consider the "present
serious war situation."
"The lower house expects a
statement by the government, In
particular with regard to war
measures which have been de
cided upon recently," a broad
cast Transocean dispatch date-
lined Tokyo said.
"In addition it was learned
that the lower house will ask
for immediate concrete measures
for the protection of Japanese
war industry and the population
in view of the recent large scale
allied air attacks." - .
Tokvo Attacked
: 'Since parliament adjourned on
Teh. 8 the Americans have at
tacked the Tokyo area heavily
with Superfortresses and carrier
borne nlanes.
1t also is expected tnat xne
government will make clear Its
view as regards the lormanon
of a new political unity party,"
Transocean said.
Rnmnra of nautical unrest ana
uncertainties in government
quarters within Japan have been
circulating for some days. A re
organization of the Japanese cab
inet hna heen predicted freely on
the basis of the reponea strut:
and the failure of the Japanese
to counter effectively the mount
ing American blows.
London, Feb. 28 (U.R) Prime
Minister Churchill in effect won
sab to 25 vote of confidence
in commons today wnen me
house voted down an amend
ment by rebellious conservatives
denouncing the urimea corner-
ence decision on Poland.
Today's vote on the Polish
amendment compared with the
340 to 7 vots of confidence the
house gave the government after
the last war debate.
The balloting was a prelimin
ary to the technical vote of con
fidence which Churchill has de
manded on his government's
part In the Crimea meeting of
the Big Three. That will come
late tomorrow at the end of a
three-day debate of foreign af
fairs. Churchill will take his case
back to the house tomorrow In
a second speech expected to be
eln about 3 p. m. PWT. Com
mons then wlU vote on a specific
motion approving the Crimea
decisions.
mania capital was not explained
officially, although lt followed
soviet complaints that Radescu
had not compiled fully with
armistice terms for complete
purge of pro-fiazl elements.
An earlier Bucharest broad
cast had said the prime minis
ter's government was proceeding
with the purge demanded by the
Soviets and with punishment of
war criminals as proof of Its
"desire to speed up fulfillment
of one of the most important
clauses of the arjnjjtice,
CHURCHILL WINS
CONFIDENCE VOTE
'1WJ,S& V.a
River;
Cologne
L
SLATED IN HOUSE
Food, Dairy Committee Re
ports Favorably on First
of Two Controversial Bills
Salem, Ore., Feb. 28 (U.R)
Opening skirmishes in the battle
of milk control were due in the
Oregon House of Representatives
this week as the House Food and
Dairy Committee reported favor
ably yesterday on the first two
of a series of four milk control
bills.
Meanwhile the House Alco
holic Control Committee dragged
a series of Senate liquor bills
off its table and will consider
amendments to the bills which
may make them acceptable to
those who oppose them in their
present form.
Drink Bill Held
The Senate Alcoholic Traffic
Committee still held a bill call
ing for scrip purchase of liquor
in private clubs. . -;
The milk control bills (HB's
370 and 371) provide for a
strengthening of the law regard
ing grading of milk and the' set
ting up of standards of quality
for both pasturized and unpas
teurized milk. HB-371 says that
the grades of milk shall be based
upon the healthy of the mllk-glv-lng
animals, the physical facili
ties of the dairies and process
ing plants, the sanitation of
dairies and plants and the qual
ity, and condition of the milk as
shown by Inspection.
Another bill, which Is expect
ed to come to the floor of the
House soon, Is the one over
which most controversy is ex
pected. The measure (HB-234)
provides for the compulsory pas
teurization of all milk and milk
products (except cheese) which
comes fro:n herds certified disease-free.
Testing Prescribed
Periodic testing of cattle Is
also prescribed in the bill, and
the Department of Agriculture
is given additional regulartory
powers. A companion bill (HB-
369) supplementing the other
measure, is also expected soon.
The House Insurance Commit
tee passed out a bill (HB-390)
which would place domestic In
surance companies In the same
class as foreign ones as far as
paying an insurance premium
tax is concerned. All such taxes
are reduced from 2V to 2 per
cent, and annual license fees are
raised from $10 to $50.
Yesterday the House passed a
revised edition of Gov. Earl
Snell's requested tax study com
mission measure (SJR-2) which
creates a 13-member group to
Investigate Oregon's tax struc
ture with th aid of "assistants
with recognized knowledge ot
taxes." No appropriation Is pro
vided In the measure as passed,
and three tax commission mem
bers are included on the com
mittee. Find Woman's Head
In Clump Of Brush:
Husband Questioned
Washington, Feb. 28 (U.R)
Police today identified a brown
haired head found in bushes
near Dranesvllle, Vs., as that
of Pearl Corens, 30-year-old war
department employe.
Mrs. Coens had been missing
from her Bethesda, Md., home
since February 12, Virginia po
lice are questioning her 43-year-old
husband, Henry H. Corens,
a Washington automobile paint
er. Police said Mrs. Corens and
her husband had quarreled fre
quently before her disappear
ance. - Sixty per cent of the popula
tion of Guatemala Is of pure
looiaa descent.
American
--5 tS'
0.1
- "' : .i ;.v-
. mi iir if I '
Mcma lelcpnoio
Ducking tun as German artillery shells whistle overhead, a patrol ot the American Firm Army advances
through rubble in street of Duren, Germany, less than ID miles Iruiu Uulugiw. Their objective Is a buildui
slidutriug sums lieiuimi muueis, Bigiai Uurps radw-leieunutu.
Roosevelt Home From Conference
Foresees Ultimate Reduction of
Armament
' Washington, Feb. 28 (U.PJ I
President Roosevelt returned to
day from his "historic Crimea
conference so inspired by ' the
Big Three's progress toward a
durable peace that he could for-
see ultimate armament reduc
tion by the major allied fight
lng powers.
. But he feels that Germany
and Japan must be on trial for
perhaps BO years or more before
being re-admitted as equals to
the society of nations. Mean
time, they must be restrained
by force if necessary. His full
report will be made to congress
tomorrow at 9:30 a. m.
Ten Day Voyage
The president returned to
American soil last night, land
ing at an east coast port aftei
a 10-day voyage from Algiers
aboard a heavy American cruis
er which went within a few
miles of enemy submarines strik
ing at allied shipping off Gib
raltar. He then proceeded to
Washington by overnight train,
arriving back In the White
House early this morning.
In his message to congress
which will be broadcast simul
taneously to the nation, Mr.
Roosevelt will tell how he,
Prime Minister Winston Church
111, Premier Josef Stalin and
their top advisers met In the old
Livadia Palace of Czar Nicolas
II on the Black sea and develop
ed plans for a three-way opera
DEVILDOGS
Guam, Fb. 28 (U.R) U. S
marines straightened their lines
across Iwos central plateau in
no-quarter battles today prepara
tory to a general assault toward
the mountainous north coast,
(A Tokyo broadcast heard by
the Australian information de
partment listening post said the
Americans "at last are showing
signs of victory on Iwo. )
(The Tokyo Domel Agency, In
a broadcast recorded by the
FCC, claimed that the Japanese
were "holding their own at their
respective positions" against an
American general offensive that
began Monday. It said the garri
son had Inflicted 1,500 casulttes
between Monday noon and Tues
day night and estimated total
American casualties In the Iwo
campaign at 20,000.)
LEND-LEASE SIGNED
Washington. Feb. 28 (U.B
The United States and France
have signed lend-lease agree
ments, including one under
which the French will receive
goods and materials for postwar
use, the State Department an
A I
nounced todjy.
Tribune
U&IHd Prm Full Lud Wis
Troops Drive on Cologne
,m-i : v ... ;- -v w
J4
af
i T aitanT .v. !
by Main Allied Powers
Hon to squeeze the last life out
of the German military machine
He will tell also how they also
built the foundation of an in
ternational organization which
can squelch future wars before
they start.
President Hopeful
In news conferences aboard
his ship while coming back
across the Atlantic, the president
was openly buoyant about the
achievements of the meeting ai
Yalta. He looked to the United
Nations conference at San Fran
Cisco in April to produce a pes
manent International organize
tlon which will have unpreced
ented success In keeping the
world at peace.
The president plans to attend
the San Francisco conference In
person, either at the start or the
close of the meeting to make
what he described as a speech
of greetings in the role of host
And he expects another meeting
with Churchill sometime after
the United Nations conference
Mr. Roosevelt left Washington
on the night of January 22. Dur
ing his 36 days away from the
nation s capitol, he covered
about 14,000 miles which Includ
ed stops at Malta, In Russia
Egypt and Algiers. In addition
to his eight-day meeting with
Churchill and Stalin, he also
conferred with King Farouk of
Egypt, Emperor Haile Selassie
of Ethiopia and King Ibn Saud
of Saudi Arabia. He made most
of the trip by cruiser, but flew
from Malta to Yalta, and from
Yalta to Great Bitter Lake, in
the Suez canal.
Arms Cut Seen
As his ship approached the
American coast, he spent an
hour with three press association
correspondents who joined his
party at Algiers, going over the
accomplishments of the Yalta
conference. He made these spe
cific points:
1. He looks forward to a time
after the war when armament
of all nations, Including the
United States, England, Russia.
China and France, will be de
creased. 2. Germany and Japan shouldi
i . i i .j.j . i -1
assembly of United Nations
members, but only after ' they
have shown a definite trend
away from militarism. This pos
slbly will require more than 80
years of concrete proof.
3. Until Germany and Japan
have made considerable, unmis
takable progress toward peace
keeping forms of government,
the United Nations should, by
force If necessary, see that they
are utterly Incapable of arming
or preparing for war In any man
ner.
4. A plan of American Rut
slan-Engllsh occupation of Ger
I mnny has been worked out, but
'111 lonaiK A k AttBHHlaJ annAFl.
'will have to be changed accord-
NO. 287.
S3
1
At
lng to the degree of French par
ticipation in the occupation.
6. The BJg Three meeting and
the later conference between the
president and Churchill at Alex
andria, Egypt, were concerned
with Europe and not the Pacific.
In fact, the president said the
Pacific situation Just did not
com up In hit later talk with
Churchill. It did not arise In the
tripartita conversations because
Russia Is neutral toward Janan
and this country .is respecting
that neutrality..
6. The people of the United
States, particularly In face of
European successes, too often
blow hot and cold about the war
In the Pacific. The actual sltua
tlon is that even once Germanv
Is defeated, we face a long, hard
war in the Pacific. This fact, the
president said, needs particular
industrial emphasis In this coun
try.
Mr. Roosevelt's forward view
toward a time when the five ma
Jor allied powers can cut down
the size of their war machines
was not meant as any prospect
for the near future. He stressed
repeatedly the fact that we have
yet to win the war and that
there is much work and fleht
Ing to be done before final vic
tory.
T
TOKYO RAIL HUB
Guam, Feb. 28 (U.R) Sn
perfortress.'s apparently knocked
out Tokyo's big Ueno rallwav
station and freight marshalling
yarns in raids which left 240
blocks of the Industrial heart
of the city destroyed by fire.
reconnaissance photogra phs
snowed today.
Fire sta ted In last Sunday'
B-29 raid swept across the sta
tlon. It was believed the yards
were rendered Inoperable, at
least temporarily when the
flames hai died.
The Ueno station handles ap
proximately 300 elevated trains
dally. It Is one of the three larg
est in Tokyo.
The photographs showed that
240 blocks 29.074,000 square
feet were burned over after
the Sunday strike. It was the
biggest raid of the war on the
Japanese capital.
Grants Pass C-C
: Manager Resign
Grants Pass, Feb. 28 E. H
Elliott, secretary-manager of the
Grants Pass Chamber of Com
mcrce for the past year, resign
ed his position, effective today
E. S. Heydenburk, . president
announced. No one has been
named to iuccee4 SlUott, b Mid.
SIDHT OF (DUST,1
White Russian Army Cap
tures Neustettin, Anchor
Base;Thaw Causes Floods
T ,n n n n 1Ph 9R film Mow' '
shal Konstantin K. Rokossov-
fikv'a 2nd Whlta Ruinn i-m
today captured the central Pon
peranum anchor base of Neu
stettin in a Baltic-bound drive
mat inreatened to trap nun
dreds of thousands of German
troops. '
Marshal Stalin issued a ana.
clal order of the day announcing;
the capture -of Neustettin and
Prechlnu, 24 miles to the north
east, which he described as "lm
portant communications center
and powerful strongholds In th
uerman aeiense or fomeranla."
The Berlin radio reported
earlier that the Rnrman .n.
had evacuated Neustettin, which
naa Deen outflanked by tha
Soviet drive Into central Pom.
erania.
In Sight of Sea
(The British rariln
unofficial report from Moscow
as saying tnat Russians leading
the drive across Pomerania now
were in sight of the Baltic.)
A thrust to thn amiiM
seal off eastern Pomerania, th
uanzig iree state, and the north
ern Part Of the old Polish onrrl.
dor.
MOSCOW AinnfohM ' mmlA a.
kOSSOVSkv's tanlca hinV.kni.
Infantry and self-propelled gum
were pusning across the flooded
plains of Pomerania toward tha
Baltic and ranlHtv
the German coastal corridor.
soviet front dispatches said
spring thaw In Pomerania had
broken up the ice on many riv
ers ana lanes. Great patches ot
the German provinces were
uooaea or marshy. i
In rull Retreat
Tha Germans were in full rm.
treat, a Soviet
said. More than 2,000 of the en
emy were killed in the early
Phases Of tha Idvanra nhila
22 German tanks, 48 guns and
even armored troop carrier
wem aesiroyea.
The wlde-iwlnfflnv i.t
sweep was similar to thoaa
woisn cut orx Latvia last Octo
ber and east Pruaaln aar1l l
the winter offensive.
oerman broadcasts reported
that another Soviet pninmn
farther west hnrl
Pyrltz area 23 miles below
stettin.
Moscow remained Hon 4 rr
the progress of fighting on tho
iruuis east ana southeast of Ber
lin for the fifth straight day,
but said the 1st Ukrainian army
naa Cleared 12 more city blocks
In the southern part of encircled
Breslau. capital of Silesia. Rr.
iau station also was captured. .
L
FAILSjyOUSE
Salem. Ore.. Feb. 2ft fll m
One of the first of the long
,ieries of school ' bills to coma
to the house floor suffered de
feat today, with possibility lt
may be reconsidered In the next
three days.
The bill (H. B. 80 taxation
and revenue committee) pro
vides for creation of a govern
ing board for rural school dis
tricts to handle finances. It pro
vides for local "equalization"
aCCOrdlnff to (too. CUnm Freneh
chairman of the committee.
Kep. John Steelhammer's bill
to strengthen the law relative to
tha enforcement nt tha enin.ln-
the-slow amusement devices reg
ulations passed the house today.
The bill (H. B. 383 a aiih.
stltute for H. B. 354) provides
tor license fees on such machine
to be paid on a quarterly rath
er than a yearly basis, and would
allow the posting of license
wnicn cover several machines,
rather than one license on each
machine.
LOSTJNPACIFIC
Washington, Feb. 28 (U.R)
The navy today announced tha
loss of the American submarines
Shark and Escolar. They have
failed to return from war patrols,
presumably In the Pacific.
A total ot 39 U. S. submarines
have been lost and a grand total
oi 267 naval vessels oi all type.