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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (May 20, 1945)
Use The Mail Tribune Want Ad Way Quick Result! At Small Coit Weather FORECAST: Sunday Partly cloudy and tllf htly warmer. Temperature; Hlchest Yeiterday 3 Lowest this Mornlnf ..WHW 45 Tribune MEDFORD United Press Full Leased Wire United Pies Full LMHd Wire Fortieth Year MEDFORD, OREGON, SUNDAY, MAY 20, 1945. No. 50. JAP RESISTANCE Allied Offensive In Pacific Closing On Foe Cities Raked By Bombs. Guam, Sunday, May 20 (U.R) Japanese resistance on Okinawa showed the first signs of crack ing Saturday as U, S. 10th army marines and 'diers threw their full w';" 1 against 3trong enemy defei. along the entire five mile line In the bloody struggle. By United Press Chinese troops recaptured the east C '"a port of Foochow and open. 3 an invasion gateway to east sia while American forces on C-inawa continued an all out assault against the cracking Japanese defense line Saturday. .'oochow fell in one of the greatest victories of the Chinese in almost eight years of war. A nine-day battle ended Friday when the Chinese conquered the city, won an airfield to the south and opened a port where American troops could land for a thrust into the Asiatic main land. Only 515 miles west of embat tled Okinawa, Foochow is one of China's largest ports. Washington, May 19 (U.R) A very large force of Super fortresses smash i heavily at the Japanese industrial city of Hamamatsu today while small er groups hit Tokyo. Tk 20th air force said the mission was directed at fac tory areas in both cities, both en tl home island of Honshu, but f at because of bad weath er most of the force passed up the capital to concentrate their i ..ion on Hamamatsu. The Japanese" could see the al lied Pacific offensive closing on her homeland. In six of her ma jor production centers, an area almost equal to that of Boston was in ruins after great B-29 strikes. This week alone Nagoya and nearby Hamamatsu were blasted with 9,100 tons of bombs unloaded by more than 1500 Superforts. One-fourth of Nagoya, heart .1 Japan's aircraft industry, was destroyed. A total of 59.58 squat- miles of six cities in cluding Tokyo, Osakaka, Kobe and Nagoya have been swept by fire. Enemy resls'.jnce on Okinawa still ':iou3 and by no means broken, showed signs of crack in i 'e. the weieht of Ameri can arms. Marines and soldiers fought side by side along the blazing five-mile front.. Flame throwing tanks paced their slow march across the island's south ern ridges and hills. Japanese counter-attacks and suicidal defense stands slowed the advance. Hand-to-hand fight ing went on at some points. A pulverizing naval aerial land bombardment poured into Jap anese defenses but the enemy still managed to throw back enough artillery fire to make the going extremely to. h'. TEN AlYllTS VETS OF UPHILL FIGHT WITH JAPS Washington, May 19 (U.R) Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson named 10 Army Divi sions today which are "veterans of the uphill war against Japan in service extending back three years." Four of these the 7th, 27th. 77th and 96th are now fight ing in the Ryukyu Islands. The 7th Division, composed principally of men from Cali fornia, Oregon and Washington, was the first to recapture Amer ican territory taken by the Jap anese when it conquered the en emy on Attu. It later captured Kwajalein and took part in the campaign on Eniwetok before making the landing on Okinawa. The 96th Division, with men principally from the middle west and the gulf states, also saw serv ice on Lcyte before going to Okinawa. Two Divisions which have been fighting in the early fall of 1942 are the 32nd ana ist inian try. They took part in the Pa puan campaign on New Guinea. The 41st, with men from Wash ington. Montana. Oregon and Idaho, saw action on Luzon in' the Philippines as well as Pala wan. Mindanao and the Sulu l- ' - (Acmm lelcphoto) On a ridge two miles north of Naha City, Okinawa, Marines battle strong enemy forces oefore tne position was captured. Here amid shellbursts and rifle fire, the Leathernecks prepare for the drive on the town. Marine Corps photo TITO'S STAND ON TRIESTE PUT UP TO ALLIED RULE Rome, May 19 (U.R) Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander, allied comma.ider in the Mediter ranean, charged today that Mar shal Tito of Yugoslavia was at tempting to establish territorial claims on Trieste and part of Austria by "force of arms" in a manner "reminiscent of Hitler, Mussolini and Japan." Alexander explained in a five point statement to allied troops in his theater that he had failed to reach agreement with Tito on the withdrawal . of Jugoslav forces from Trieste and that the matter had been referred to the American and British govern ments. "It is our duty to hold these disputed territories as trustees until thejr ultimate disposal is settled at the peace conference," Alexander said. Correspondents in Rome view ed Alexander's statement as pos sibly the final effort to prevent bloodshed among allied troops over occupation of the areas in dispute. "In this situation I have tried my best to come to friendly agreement with Marshal Tito but did not succeed," the state ment said. "The United States and r 'tish govcimcnts have therefore taken the matter up directly with Tito. The soviet government has been kept fully informed. London. Sunday, May 20 Agency said today that Marshal (U.R) The Yugoslav Telegraph Tito of Yugoslavia expressed re sentment and surprise" at Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander's statement charging him with using methods similar to Hitler, Mussolini and Japan in attempt ing to establish territorial claims on Trieste and part of Austria. Chicago, May 19 (U.R) Two Chicago trucking companies filed a $1,000,000 damage suit in federal district court here late today against the Independent Chicago Truck Drivers' union whose threc-day-old strike has tied up shipment of food and vi. tal war materials in the Chicago area. The suit was filed as leaders of the union were en route to Washington to appear at a hear ing tomorrow on a summons from the National Labor Rcla tions board. Sen. Newbry Named To Tax Study Body Salem, Ore., May 19 (U.R) Sen. Earl T. Newbry of Ashland was named todav as a legislative member of the Tax Study Com' mission created by the 1945 Ore. gon Legislature. He served as chairman of the Taxation and Assessment Committee of the Senate. HONORARY DECREES Portland. Ore., May 19 (U.R) The University of Portland will confer four honorary Doc tor of Laws degrees at com' mencement exercises Sunday MaV 27. the Rev. Charles C Miltncr. C. S. C, president, an-iof pedestrians. Injuring six worn oouactd. today. i n ad Jostling many ethers. Marines Battle for Naha STALIN'S LETTER Premier Holds Only Solution On Crimean Decisions Fear Sealing Off. London, May 19 U,R) Polit ical observers today found Mar shal Jvjepf Stalin's statement of what Russia wants in any reor ganization of the Polish govern ment as no new basis for break ing the Big Three deadlock on the Polish question. Stalin gave his views In a let ter, to Ralph Parker of the Lon don Times, released in Moscow late Friday night. Ha reaffirmed the stand which Russian diplo mats ha.e been taking for months since the Crimea confer ence. He expressed belief that the Polish question could be solved "by agreement among the allies," but only on the fulfill ment of certain conditions. Some observers believed that publication of the letter has deepened the rift between Rus sian a.id Anglo-American author ities on what to do with a future government of Poland. As to the actual question of the reconstruction of the Polish government, it can be solved only on the basis of the Crimean (Crimea conference) decisions as no deviation whatsoever from these decisions can be permit ted," Mr. Stalin wrote. It was thought highly signifi cant that Stalin put into, writing his fears that an attempt was be ing made to seal Soviet Russia from the rest of Europe by a belt of buffer nations. Men who have dealt closely with the Russians for the past year feel that really close co operation betweei. the Sov Union and the western powers will bo difficult until Russia is c nvinccd that no attempt is be ing made to seal her off from the west. Bend Roadster Has Ownership Record Salem, Ore., May 19 (U.R) Henry L. Reed of Bend has a 1929 roadster now in its 29th ownership, an all-time record for the Oregon Motor Vehicle Department. The runner-up car has been owned by only 26 dif fcrent people. Gen. Patton Issues Buy Bond Statement Washington, May 19 (U.R) Here is a seventh war loan drive statement by Gen. George S Patton, Jr., commander of the Third U. S. army in Europe: "I saw a. American die of battle wounds. You will agree that buying at least an extra $100 war bond is a lot easier way to pay for victory. SEEK LOST BOY Great Falls, Mont., May 19 (U.R) The most extensive hunt fcvei to be carried on in this area was being conducted here tonight as more than 500 Great Falls rcstden searched for three year old Clyde "Scotty" Bell, missing from his home since yostirday afternoon. TROLLEY HITS CROWD Portland, Ore., May 19 (U.R' A streetcar in downtown Port land veered through a switch today and bowled over a crowd City Y IN BOLD RESCUE Aboard Adm. Mitscher's Flag ship. May 18 (Delayed) (U.R) Two navy seaplanes boldly land ed in Japan s inland sea in the midst of enemy vessels and un der the fire of shore batteries to rescue a carrier pilot and his gunner in one of the most daHng actions of the war, it was dis closed today. Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher, whose carrier task forces nave swept right to Japan's shore, said the daring rescue missions next will include that of recover ing pilots "right out of the em peror's fish fiofld on the imperial palace grounds." It was the first rescue from the inland sea. Earlier, a de stroyer had steamed Into lower Tokyo bay to bring out other downed Americans. The airmen Drought back to fight again were Ensign John M or res, Haverhill, Mass., and Aviation Radioman 3c Cletis Leo Phegley, Fristoe, Mo. It was "one of the most excit ing" rescue missions of the Pa cific war, Mitscher declared. WEST AND SOUTH GET FREIGHT CUT Washington, May 19 (U.R) The :.uth and much of the west won a 10 per cent basic freight rate reduction today, thus achieving victory in a long fight to scrap inequalities which they contended have hampered their industrial growth. At the same time, the east was handed a 10 percent rate increase. This action was taken by the Interstate Commerce commission in a ' ision that followed six years of investigation. It or dered establishment of a uniform freight classification system for the -entire nation. NEW LINE-UP Los Angeles, May "1 (U.R) A city accustomed to cigarette, butter and other war-inspired lines witnessed something new tonight. More than a half dozen contractor's representatives are "in line" until 8 a. m. Monday when doors of the Federal Hous ing Administration office will open to issue permits to build 1.10D new homes in this area QUAKE HITS MEXICO Mexico City, May 19 U.R) A sharp earthquake, with its epic center in the Pacific 943 miles west of Mexico City, shook Mcx ican Pacific coast villages at 1:56 p. m. Mexican time today. No n.orts of severe damage were received, the Tacubaya ob serve y. said. ERNIE HONORED AGAIN Portland, Ore.. May 19 (U.R) A niece f the late columnist Ernie Pylc, Babettc Johnson will christen a troop transport bearing his name at a Vancouver launching in June. She is student at Southern Methodist university. ALL OUT OF NAMES Albany, Ore., May 19 (U.R) After finding names for nine daughters and three brothers, Mr and Mrs. Luis Guticrres are having trouble finding a name for the latest arrival, a nine pouiid eutt. CENSORS REVEAL WHITE HOUSE NO. 1 ' - TARGET OF ENEFJARKET DEALINGS Air Raid Shelter S Built, With T u n v io Treasury Vault Washington. May 19 (U.R) A cloak of secrecy was lifted today from the story ofvextensive pre cautions taken to safeguard the life of President Roosevelt dur ing the European war years. Censorship regulations pre vented earlier disclosure of how laborers worked 24 hours a day for three months to build a $60, 000 White House air raid shelter which was a massive cube of steel and concrete. The shelter, started less than a month after Pearl Harbor un der the east end of the White House, occupied a space about 40 feet square. The ceiling was nine feet of heavily reinforced concrete. The walls and the floor of the same material were seven feet thick. While the shelter was being built, a heavy concrete tunnel was run from the White House to the treasury, where vaults were available as shelters until the main refuge could be com pleted. The new shelter was designed on technical information and ad vice from British experts who had refined shelter plans during the London blitz. Plans for the shelter went for ward when the war and navy de partments expressed the opinion a few days after Pearl Harbor that the enemy would regard the White House as the No. 1 target in this country. JAPAN INDUSTRY CENTERS ROCKED AS 21st Bomber Command Head quarters, Guam, May 19 (U.R) Great fleets of B-29 Superfort resses, now rocking Japan with attacks as devastating as those which wrecked German war In dustry, have wiped out an area in six major Japanese produc tion centers almost equivalent to that of Boston, it was dis closed today. In the past six days alone, Na goya and the nearby city of Hamamatsu were rocked by 9100 tons of bombs dropped by more than 1,500 Superfortresses, and officials said the attacks would grow heavier until Japanese war industry has been paralyzed. It was disclosed that a total of 59.58 square miles of six cities has been destroyed in the past two months. That would be the same as wiping out Kansas City, which has an area of 59.4 square miles, or almost all of Boston, with an area of 65.9 square miles. Individual destruction by cities was not available, but it was known that Nagoya, Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe were the hard est hit of the Japanese produc tion centers, with approximately one-fourth of Nagoya, site of Japan's biggest aircraft factories, in ruins. Honshu Coast Ships And Train Wrecked Guam, Sunday, May 20 (U.R) Shorcbascd American aircraft ranged the south Honshu coast pressing the United States war of annihilation against Japanese shipping on May 18 and 19 while ca.'rier planes swept through the northern Ryukyu chain. Search Liberators and Priva teers from fleet airwing 18 sank a trawler and damaged six small cargo vessels, a sailing vessel and wrecked a train. Fleet Ad miral Chester W. Nimitz an nounced today. WAR BULLETINS Guam., May 19 (U.R) (Via Navy Radio) The quality of Japanese pilots has deterior ated so much since the rugged days of Midway and Guadal canal that a single fast carrier airgroup has compiled a score of 140-0 In eerial combat dur ing the last 60 days. V'r hington. May 19 (U.R) The navy disclosed tonight thai the New Mexico's skipper, a h . -nking V rh visitor, and 3 others were killed tn a Japanese bomb hit the 2S-v 'd bs'.'tr.'iip and it it iiiit was wound. O.P.A. LAYS RATION "UDDLE TO BLACK Mountain of Bogus Stamps Seized Vinson Plans Subsidy For Meat.. Washington, May 19 (U.R) The Office of Price Administra tion said tonight that its special agents warring against black markets have captured enough illegal ration currency "to have crippled, if NOT wrecked, the gasoline, sugar and meat ration ing programs." For 10 months, OPA said, these agents have been "striking directly at the black market's big-time criminal leaders," hun dreds of whom have been ar rested. By seizing mountains of bogus or stolen stamDS and coupons, OPA said, the agents have saved for legitimate consumers 75, 582,663 gallons of gasoline, 415, 505 gallons of fuel oil, 764,275 pounds of sugar, and 55,245,789 pounds of meat. These statistics supplied addi tional evidence of the vast scope of black market operations which, notably in meat, have aggravated civilian shortages all over the country. Meanwhile, new government effort tn a 1 1 e v i a t e the meat shortage evoked .expressions of disappointment from cnairmen house food committees. The new federal moves includ ing a $40,000,00U-a-year suDsiay for rattle feeders were an nounced by War Mobilization Di rector Fred M. Vinson last night, in addition to the new subsidy, Vinson said existing subsidies for beef and pork packers would be increased and that other steps would be taken to improve meat distribution and check its move ment to black markets. Thn Aerlculture Department meanwhile, predicted a five per pntit rirnn in farm food produc tion this year which would re duce civilian supplies to a point only two to four per ceni ouuv pre-war levels. Now York. May 19 (U.R) Four Bhips carrying more than 5,000 soldiers returning from Europe reached New York and Staten lslana piers iuihk"i. BULLETIN (Nioht Games) Portland. Ore.. May 19 An explosive ninth Inning tonight gave Los Angeles a 5 to 2 win over Hie league-leading Portland Beavers, with all seven runs coming in the final inning to hreslc a scoreless deadlock. Charlie Adams snatched the victory from Portland's Don Pul forj, with Los Angeles having slightly the best margin on hits, ft tn 6. Even with the loss, Portland's double win over the Angels last niBht eave them a 6V4 game lead over the racmc i.oasi icaguu field. Los Angeles .... .... 5 8 Portlnnd 2 6 Red Adams and Greene. I'm- ford and Eddie Adams. Seattle, May 19 (U.R) San Francisco Seals evened their three-game local scries with Se attle tonight in the Pacific ooasi leneue race when they took tun advantage of a sixth inning loss of control by Rainier pitcnor Glenn Elliott, to clinch a 9-3 victory. R. H. finn Francisco 8 15 3 Seattle 3 8 2 Joyce and Sprlnz; Elliott, Mc Laughlin and Sucme. Ear. Diego 6 8 3 Hollywood 8 116 nrlllhcart. Ferguson (8) and Ballingcr; Smith and Hill. American By United Press The St. Louis Browns took their second strnikht night game from the New York Yankees, 4 to 7, and shoved tho Yankees down into third place in the American league. A sixth-inning wild streak cost Al Gcttcl the game. He walKed three men, hit a batter and then Pete Gray long fly sent the final run across. Tex Shirley was the winning pitcher. Night games: New Yjrk 2 11 0 St. Louis 4 7 1 Gettel, Zuber (0), Bevens (7) , f ....... l'I. W..III..... inn. I viltrj.Min, nniiiv.v, uviiiiiga worth (7; and Uaucuw. 5000 MORE YANKS Offenbacher Hen Mothers Kittens An old white hen, belong ing to Herman Offenbacher, Applegate district farmer, is now mothering four orphan kittens, with all the fussy care she would bestow upon her own brood. The mother died shortly after the kittens were born. For a couple of days, Mrs. Offenbacher fed the kit tens with an eye-dropper, and the old hen adopted them, and nestles them under wings. The kittens are now big enough to drink from a dish. They rush out from under her wing when called, and hasten back when their meal is finished. The old hen is very fond of her foster charges. Offenbacher reports the old hen did not have much luck this spring, trying to have a flock of her own, and thinks she took charge of the kittens to satisfy her thwarted mother instinct. 14 JAPS DIE FOR LOSS IN PACIFIC Wa - Ligton, May 19 U.R From the beaches of Guadalcan al to the outskirts of Naha on Okinawa, the score has been 14 to 1. That ratio of Japanese dead to U. S. fishting men killed was re porttl tonight by the Office of War Information. In the first official account of combined U. S. losses for amphi bious operations in the Pacific since this country took the offen sive in August, 1942, OWI said that 33,429 Americans have been killed in action, 125,447 wound ed and 4,175 missing up to May 9. Those losses were contrasted with an estimated 488,697 Japa nese killed. Of the total, Gen. Douglas MacArthur's forces ac counted for 237,256 Japanese in the Philippines alone, at a cost of 10,432 American lives, the OWI report showed. OWI did not disclose how many American prisoners the enemy has taken but reported that U. S. forces have captured only 10,000 Japanese In three and a half years of fighting. The figures on which the 14 to 1 ratio of dead was based did not include Australian losses, OWI said, although enemy cas ualties credited to them were included in the estimated Japa nese losses. However, thousands of Japanese merchant and naval losses were not figured in the estimate of enemy dead, cither. Most of the naval losses resulted from American fleet operations. EXTRA DRESSES TO EUROPEAN NEEDY Mexico City, May 19 U.PJ The newspaper La Prensa paid today Mexican customs officials had developed a scheme for re lieving the European clothing shortage. The paper said special women inspectors had been attached to the customs offices to investigpte cases where women entered Mexico wearing two or three dresses over each other to avoid paying duty. The offenders will be stripped down to their bottom dress and the extra clothing will be col lected and sent to Europe. Freedom Too Much For Old Tough Guy Lansing. Kan., May 19 (U.R) "Old Bill" Latrasse, notorious train robber, escape artist and convicted murderer who es caped from the Kansas state prison here Thursday, returned to the comfort of the peniten tiary hospital today. "I was, lust too old to make II," he told Warden Robert Huds peth, Old Bill was found lying on the ground outside a shack near the Lansing city limits by a passerby who heard his feeble cries for help. Attendants said the old man was apparently "in bad shape" from a fall suffered In descend ing tho prison wall. LONG SHOT WINS New York, May 19 (U.R) Harford, almost 49-1 Irf the bet ting swept past a field of six from last place within 100 yards of the wire today to score a ( stunning photo finish victory in the $5,000 Rowe Memorial atl Funlico. - - SOVIET ACCEPTS SECURITYP LANS No. Difference On Principle But Moscow Changes In Wording. San Francisco, May 19 (U.R) The Soviet Union has accepted in principle the American com promise formula on, the regional Security Issue but has suggested certain changes in its language, it was learned tonight. Russia's instructions to Its delegation on how to vote on this controversial issue were conveyed to representatives of the Big Five late this afternoon at a hastily-summoned meeting by Soviet Ambassador Andrei A. Gromyko. It was reported that there were no real differences in sub stance between the Soviet and American approaches to the is sue, and that the Soviet sugges tions appeared to accept the real ly big hurdle recognition of tho principle of the right of self- defense, individually or collec tively. The Regoinal Issue has pla gued this conference for mora than two weeks. For 10 days the U. S. delegation debated it be fore deciding how it felt regional agencies like the inter-American system should be linked with tha world organization. The compromise American formula proposed that the world organization should be consid ered paramount. But it recog nized also the right of self de fense of a nation or a group of nations historically bound to gether in event the world Secur ity Council fails to maintain peace and an attack occurs. The Latin American nations agreed to this and all of the big powers except Russia accepted It without delay. But the Russian delegation had to cable Moscow for instructions. The issue has been postponed from day to day since last Tuesday while await ing the Russian reply which came today. ALL BUT 18 OF 69 ARTICLES IN NEW COURT OKAY San Francisco, May 19 (U.R) The United Nations conference committee on the world court revealed today that it has ap proved and completed action on all but 18 of the proposed 69 articles In tha new court statute. This announcement came as the conference began a new phase with the first open meet ing of one of its four commis sions. Commission IV on ju dicial organization met for an hour in the Sar. Francisco opera house to hear progress reports from its two committees on the court and on legal problems. The meeting "played" to packed gal leries. It was the first confer ence session open to the public since May 2. LIFT PRODUCTION BAN ON 'REEFERS' Washington, May 19 (U.R) The War Production Board to night lifted a three-year ban on manufacture of household gas and electric refrigerators and au thorized priorities to make 630. 000 of them this year. These refrigerators will be added to the nation's dwindling stockpile for essential users such as hospitals. The general public may not have the chance to buy new refrigerators until early next year, the WPB said. With the lifting of the ban, effective July 1 manufacturers will be permitted to make re frigerators above the authorized 1945 quota if they can obtain the necessary materials without WPB assistance. Seventh War Loan Drive "E" Sales to date $155,575 Quota $1,067,000 Total Salei to Data $458,088 Quota $2,087,000