IlVuwlVlnr,nnlnrlrrr""""""""""""""""""""""
On 8-mlnut bUil on siren and whittles
! th slgnl for blackout In Klamath
rIli. Another long blat, during a black
out, li a ilgnal (or all-clear. In precau
i tlonary perlodi, watch your itrttt light.
March IS High SI, Low 30
Precipitation aa oi March 10. 1S43
Straam year to data 13.4.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
IN THE SHASTA-CASCADE WONDERLAND
NEA FEATURES
Laet yaar .....9.92 Normal ...
8.S4 I
PRICE FIVE CENTS
KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1943
Number 9747
on
jy
mm u u
(A
Jn n7
mum
1
.i -
By FRANK JENKINS
TN tho South Sen toduy, Mac
Arthur's planes are still pound'
Ins away at the Jap transports,
cargo ships, etc. thut are build'
Ins up reinforcements In the
Islands to the north of Darwin
our outpont at tho far north'
western tip of Australia,
, Ambolnn, on tho Island of
Ceram, and Dobo, on tho Inland
of Aros Eilandcn, scorn to bo
the chief Jap concentration
points. These Islands, along
With Timor, which Is otton mon
Otloned in the dispatches, lie
around the Dundn Sea. This area
i. ........ i . l . - inn . n unit ! I -.. I.
west of Darwin.
: Ambuina Is a former Dutch
naval base, which Inn now been
converted Into a Jnp base,
rov should consult your
V map here. T h I s new
danger zone lies to the north
-est of Australia, whereas the
bulk of the recent fighting hus
been in the Islands to the north'
east. There Is minor Interest In
the fact that there is oil In the
Island of Coram, where the naval
base at Amboina Is located.)
RECALL here thut for weeks
before the thrilling battlo of
the Bismarck seu, In which the
Jnp lost 23 ships and 15,000 to
30,000 men, we wcro hearing
similar reports of Jap concentre
tlona in their adjacent Islands.
Or It seems likely that another
Jap assault Is Impending this
time to the northwest of Aus
iralla,
e
fTHE fighting in Russia todny Is
, following the pnttern of re
cent days.
The Russians are advancing
toward Smolensk, along the
WEST bonk of tho Dnieper river,
which they have already crossed.
They seem to bo advancing in
considerable force, and have not
yet been seriously checked
; South of Kharkov, the Ger
mans are todoy attempting to
force a crossing of tho Donets
river, and some of tho heaviest
fighting of the year is reported'
There are still strong Intimations
that the Germans have the do
fending Russians outnumbered,
sskboth In men and In tanks,
W , They're using dive bombers
nd tanks in tho typical Ger
man blitz tactics. They're still
taking the initiative In tho fight
ing. ;
i
iA GAIN y o u should consult
your mop.
1'' It will toll you that so far the
v Germans aro holding at about
tho same point in the far south'
Whcro they succeeded In stop'
plng tho Russians In the winter
fighting of a year ago that Is,
it a point between Taganrog and
Rostov.
, It seems obvious that they are
hoping to hold here again, so
that again they may have a
jumplng-off point tor a drlvo at
the Caucasus and its oil. To
keep this springboard, they seem
to bo willing to loso territory In
tho north even, possibly, their
DSrcat base at Smolensk,
' That will glvo you an Idea of
the store they set by tho Cau
casus and its oil riches.
VTOTE tho uso hero of "seem
V and "appear" and similar
qualifying words. Wo outsiders,
who do not know tho true Insldo
facts, can only guess at what Is
In the wind, basing our guesses
dh what hnppons from day to
day. 'Any outsider who at
tempts1' to mnko a posltlvo pre
diction Is merely going out on a
Imb.),
. " : ,
JN Tunisia, the weather is still
' bad !and as these words are
Written only air and ground
patrol activity are reported. Tho
big battle that Is shaping up
there hasn't got under way in
earnest as yet.
; It WILL get under way sooner
or later,
QfTHERE'S an interesting talo
, from London today to tho ef
fect that De Gnullo will soon
meet Glraud In Africa. Glraud
rriado a friendly gesture In a
speech tho other day, and (more
m (Continued on Pago Two)
' I
Battles
W TiPjJ Starayap-T 0 200
iifATVIA iffpJI 1 STATUTE MILES
ef oscow
C If S RfwjV Vyazma1 . J
lH Y nkSTAUNGRAD
RUSSIA
STATUTE MILES
On thft cantral front (top map), massed Russian troops (shading), forged westward on a
drlv aimed at Smolanski while on tha southern front (bottom map). Nasi force (shading),
war rportd to hare recaptured Kharkov. Solid Unas are approximate bsttltfronts.
BATTLE OF
FLAWiKBinERLV
U. S. Warships Bomb
Jap Positions
At Vila .
By The Associated' Pre 'v
The now battle of , Burma
flomod with greater intensity to
day as British headquarters re
ported 30 hours of fighting along
tho Moyu river, 12 miles north
of Rathedaung, while American
filers ranged far and wide over
the Japanese-conquered territory
to bomb railway bridges, high
ways and truck convoys.
in the Solomons, tho navy re
ported, U. S. warships bombard-
(Continued on Poge Two)
Dissatisfaction
With Pay Scales
Cause Absentees
WASHINGTON. March 17 (JTi
Harold J. Gibson, American Fed
eration of Labor representative
of Pacific coast aircraft workers,
torn the house labor committee
today "dissatisfaction with pay
scales Ib the principal cause of
absenteeism."
He said "our work should be
put on a military basis, because
tho workers then would receive
more than they are making now.
after deductions."
"You mean you are willing to
accept military pay?" asked Rep
resentative Worloy (D-Tox),
"Yes," Gibson replied. "Our
pcoplo are getting less than mil
itary pay and they would wcl-
como the change In status. They
would mako more and receive
furloughs which would enable
them to attend to personal af
fairs, something they do not re
ceive now."
Frozen Cabbage Poor Meal
Say Two Runaway Youths
A steaming bowl of cereal
looked mighty good to two teen
ago boys who had existed on
frozen cabbago for three days
following thoir escape from the
Woodbum training school near
Salem, Tho boys are now re
covering from their experience
in tho Klamath county jail await
ing arrival of authorities.
Tho great out-of-doors appeal
ed to tho 16 and 17-year-old
boys last Saturday morning.
They hid out all day and at 10
o'clock that night stole a car
near Hubbard. Armed with a
rubber, hose, they siphoned gas
from various machines and made
their way east. Thinking they
were taking tho road to Idaho
they found themselves on the
Waplnltla cut-off and eventually
In Bend, One mllo north of
LaPlno, late Monday morning
thoir car quit on them and cold,
Raging On Two Ruiilon Fronts
Reds Bang New Wedge at
Key Base of Nazi Attack
By EDDY GILMORB
MOSCOW, March 17 P) The
red army has smashed another
wedge westward toward the
German key base at Smolensk,
It was announced In the soviet
noon communique todoy, with
the capture of tho railroad sla
tion of Igorlevskaya. and the
district center of Vskhody. --' '
To the south, however, the
German massed a great num
ber of. tanks and motorized la
fantry, supported by a strong
force of dive bombers. In a major
effort to cross the northern
Donets south of fallen Kharkov.
Furious Fighting
Furious fighting was reported
through tho small elbow of the
river near Izyum, 70 miles south-
cast of Kharkov.
It was stated here that there
was reason to assume that the
German tank force battering at
the northern Donets line was as
strong as, If not stronger than,
mo units wnicn figured promt
nently In the Kharkov region.
Tho weather and land condl-
Farm Bloc Willing
To Sell Reserve
Wheat for Feed
WASHINGTON, March 17
(AP) With serious feed short
ages threatened in eastern sea
board and west coast deficit
areas, the congressional farm
bloc today appeared willing to
authorize the government to
sell 100,000,000 bushels of re
serve wheat for livestock feed
at price levels below those
which the bloc has been insist
ing on.
Edward A. O'Neal, president
oi the American farm bureau
federation and a leader of
groups which . have demanded
parity prices for farm' products,
said the senate was being urged
to pass a house-approved bill
which would permit govern
ment wheat to be sold for less
than coin parity prices,
hungry and weary from two
nights In a car, they hitched a
rldo with a passing motorist and
told their story, asking that ho
got In touch with tho proper
authorities to tako them back to
school,
Tho runaways were left at a
Gilchrist service station whcro
an army man, G. J. Robertson,
picked them up and brought
them to Klamath Falls. They
were mot by two state police of
ficers and H. J. Hendrlckson,
Klamath county juvenile officer.
.First meal given the boys was
fruit and hot cereal. This did
not satisfy them after a three
day fast, but officers were going
easy. Two hours later . they
were given a second hot meal
and again at dinner. Hot food
and a warm bed looked pretty
good to the youngsters. Wood
burn officials are expected late
Wednesday,
T
RUSSIA
tlons were reported good for
mechanized warfare and it was
indicated that the current strug
gle was as fierce as anything
which has taken place for
months.
(The German high command,
In a communique broadcast by
by-the Associated. Press, said
that ''The enemy forces encir
cled southeast of Kharkov were
compressed In the narrowest
area and are approaching their
annlMlation."
Claims Nasi Advance
.(The Germans also claimed
advances In the Belgorod area
and reported heavy fighting In
the Lake Ilmen area where, the
war bulletin said, "the Soviets
vainly surged against the Ger
man front for entire days)'
By taking Igorlevskaya. 25
miles north of Durovo on a sour
railway branching off from the
main Smolensk-Vyazma line, the
Russians added another town to
their triumphant march west of
the Dnieper river.
Durovo Is midway between
Vyazma and Smolensk on the
mam rail line,
The soviet army aDnarentlv
has a considerable force west of
the Dnieper.
The advances were contested
bitterly by the Germans, the
communique said.
"The enemy Is trying to hold
on to nis defenses and is put
ting up a fierce resistance nnrt
forming new defense lines," it
ueciarea,
Copco Employes
Get $4500 Back
Wages Under Rule
Retroactive navmentx Intnl.
Ing approximately $4500 will be
distributed to about 65 union em
ployes of the Klamath division
of tho California Oregon Power
company as a result of a war
labor board decision this week,
It was estimated Wednesday.
The WLB granted a general
wage increase of 7 J per cent,
rctroactlvo to October 1. On
straight timer that amounts to
approximately $68 for each em
ploye affected. Considerable
overtime was involved, it was
learned.
The wage Increases will be
currently effective in March, and
amount to about $875 a month
added total pay so long as the
Increase Is sustained.
Grange-Sponsored
Public Power Bill
Gets Green Light
OLYMPIA, March 17 (f)
By a supreme court decision to
day, opponents of initiative 12,
the grange sponsored public
power measure, have 80 days
within which to obtain 30,000
signatures of legal voters to pe
titions, In which case tho Initia
tive will be referred to a vote
of tho people in 1044 by refer
endum. ' - '
Americans Strike
Heavily At Japs
On Kiska, Munda
WASHINGTON, March 17 &P) The heaviest series of air
attacks ever made on Japanese-held Kiska. island in a single day
was carried out Monday, the navy announced today, when Amer
ican planes raided the Aleutians base six time between dawn
and dusk.
In the South Pacific, meanwhile, light naval surface forces
bombarded Japanese positions at Vila in the Munda airbase area
of the central Solomon islands. Thl waa the third time that
American warships have penetrated Into the enemy sector of
tne Solomons to bombard shore
Japs Lie
While the navy was thus re
porting on recent actions, Elmer
Davis, director of war informa
tion, told a press conference that
only five Japanese out of 15,000
escaped death or capture In the
battle of the Bismarck sea March
2, when 22 Japanese warships
and other vessels were destroyed
by allied air might
About 100 Japanese escaped
drowning and reached shore,
Davis said, but of this handful
only five escaped.
Davis gave the lie to recent
Japanese broadcasts that' the
United States had suffered se
rious naval losses In the South
Pacific.
All Losses Announced
"Every one of our naval losses
has been announced and by no
stretch of the imagination can
they be called serious."
Navy communique - No. 314
said:
"North Pacific
"1. On March 15th, heavy and
medium army bombers, with
Lightning (Lockheed. P-38) and
Warbawk (Curtis? P-40) support,
carried" out six heavy bombing
(Continued on Page Two)
ALLIES STRIKE AT
Japanese Reported, to
Be Concentrating
Troops
The Tokyo newspaper Asahl
said today that Japan expects
th U. S. air force to bomb
industrial districts of Japan
this year or, at th latest, next
yaar and appealed to the popu
lation to b prepared.
The account, , broadcast by
the Berlin radio quoting a
Tokyo dispatch, was recorded
by The Associated Press.
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
IN AUSTRALIA, March 17. (IP)
Allied planes struck widely at
enemy sea transport and bases
yesterday in the developing bat
tle of the island fringes around
Australia where the Japanese
are reported concentrating
troops,.
General MacArthur's airmen
seeking to finish off a three-ship
Japanese troop convoy which
(Continued on Page Two)
Service Men Get
Extra Exemption in
State Income Tax
SALEM, March 17 (P) Per
sonal Income tax returns filed
with the state tax commission by
any man or woman member of
tho nation's armed forces, includ
ing Joint returns of husband and
wife filed by either, will be al
lowed the additional $3000 ex
emption voted by the recent leg
islature in house bill 146, signed
during tho session by Governor
Snell, Earl L. Fisher, commis
sioner in charge of. the income
tax division, said today.
British Navy Sinks
Two Supply Ships
LONDON, March 17 (AP)
British light naval forces man
ned by Norwegians sank two
enemy supply ships in a daring
raid into a Norwegian fjord at
Floreo harbor last Sunday, the
admiralty announced today.
One large supply ship broke
in two and sank immediately.
The other victim, of medium
size, burst Into flames and was
seen to sink later,. Both ..had
been torpedoed.
positions at or near Munday.
GiHAUD DROPS
LAWS AGAINST
DEWS, MASONS
Pictures of; Petain are
Removed From
Stamps
LONDON, March-17 m
The Algiers radio said tonight
that Gen. Charles da Gaulle,
leader ot tna Hgntlng French,
was en route to Algiers' to
conlar w i t h Gen. Henri
Glraud on means ef uniting
; U Ttanchmen ' fighting; s tha
axis.. . y'
. i Giraud, French Ugh ectaW
znissioner. of - North - Africa,
called, f or such' a conference In
hi speech Sunday repudiating
th Vichy -Garnian . armistice
and repealing .Vichy' oppres
sive laws.
- Th committee of the fight
ing French met yesterday and
the announcement, was their
answer to Giraud' appeal. .
By WES GALLAGHER 1
ALGIERS. March: 17 m
Gen. Henri Giraud Issued '-de
crees tonight repealing 62 .-dis
criminatory laws imposed by
Vichy against, the Jews, restor
ing elective ' municipal . assenv
blies and giving back offices
and jobs to those removed be
cause they were free masons.
The North, African command
er in chief also placed native
born Jews and Arabs on the
same- basis by repealing the
Cremieux decree.
The decrees lifted legal dis
crimination from about 300,
000 Jews 100,000 in Algeria,
62,000 in Tunisia. 110,000 in
Morocco and the remaining, in
west. Africa.
At the same time discrimina
tory laws were removed, it was
revealed that postage stamps
bearing Marshal Petain's like
ness were being withdrawn and
(Continued on Page Two)
Gardeners Urged
To Attend Meeting
At Fremont School
The city gardener, putting in
his first Victory plot, is urged
to attend a meeting Wednesday,
tonight, at 8 o'clock in the Fre
mont school auditorium at which
time O. T. McWhorter, extension
horticulturist from Oregon State
college, will be present to an
swer questions.
MCWhorter will discuss proper
planting ' time, , suggested crops
and fruits and vegetables pecu
liar to this section of the state.
The public is urged to attend.
A similar meeting was held Tues
day night at Altamont Junior
high school. . i
Pilot Killed in
Navy Patrol Plane
Crash Near Seattle
SEATTLE, March 17 (AP)
The pilot of a single-seater
navy patrol plana stationed at
the Sand Point naval air sta
tion was killed today as the
plane crashed and burned in a
wooded area near Bothell,
northeast ot here. His name
will be withheld, 13th naval
district headquarter announc
ed, until notification of the
next of kin.
The plane was one . of three
on-a morning patrol flight. '
Wasteland Wanderer
; M V i
it B
Relative in Utah believed he
was killed in World War 1, but
Donald Matheson (above), 51,
told Sheriff - Ray Marty of
Trinidad. Colo., he had been
wandering Arizona and Cali
fornia desert ever since he re
turned from oversea 24 years
ago. A cousin, Scott Matheson
of Sale Lake City, was trying
to gain. ' him admittance to a
vateran' hospital.
Betty Hagelstein
Dies Tuesday in
Fall From Horse
Betty Jean Hagelstein, 8-year-old,
daughter of George Hagel
stein, well known Algoma dairy
man,-was -killed Tuesday after
noon when" .she fell from' her
horse' in a pasture near the fam
ily home. Betty Jean was rushed
to. Klamath. Falls but . cued. en
route. - . : , ;
;. The- child,. . youngest ot three
daughters, had ridden, the horse
many times and the animal was
considered '-'quite gentle. It . is
thought thtt the horse became
frightened when other animaUrin
the field started running. - :
iv; Surviving1 Betty 'Jean are her
parents, two older sisters, Doro
thy. May ' and Ruth . Evelyn, and
her grandfathers, Emile Schiesel,
formerly of Klamath county and
now residing in Medford, and
John Hagelstein of Algoma. ' Fu
neral services, have been tenta
tively set for Friday from the
chapel of the Earl Whitlock Fu
neral home. Betty. Jean was
born July 13, 1933, in Klamath
Falls, and had spent her entire
life in the Algoma community.
Chamber Asks
Investigation of
Loggers' Food
REEDSPORT, March 17 ()
The Reedsport chamber of com
merce today wired the Klamath
Falls OPA office asking a field
man to investigate reports that
many Reedsport loggers plan to
leave the woods because of cur
tailed food rations.
Wires also were sent Senator
McNary and Rep. Harris Ells
worth. .... .
Loggers complain . that meat
has become so scarce that woods
men who carry lunches cannot
get enough heavy food to sustain
them during long shifts. '
The chamber said cookhouses,
logging camps and timber cruis
ers all voiced the same com
plaint. ' '
AFL Chief Opposes Bill
To Draft Civilian Labor
WASHINGTON, March 17
(AP) . Declaring the Austin
Wadsworth bill to draft civil
ian workers raises an issue of
free labor versus slave labor,"
William Green, president of the
American Federation of Labor,
opposed the legislation today as
imposing "involuntary s e r v i-
tude " on the nation s man and
woman-power.
Appearing at a senate mili
tary committee hearing on the
measure, the AFL chieftain
said he assumed it "is predi
cated on the assumption that
there is a dire necessity for
compulsory labor in order ef
fectively to prosecute the war."
ueny Assumption
"I : categorically den y the
truth of that assumption," he
EIGHTH AW
! HITS NAZIS
IN TUNISIA
Beaverbrook Declares
. Bizerte Conquest
Not Far Off '
By ROGER GREENE ?
Associated Prats War Editor
: A Berlin ' broadcast reported
today that Gen. Sir Bernard L.
Montgomery's British 8th army
had launched an assault against
the 60-mile-long Mareth line in
Southern Tunisia, ' and Lord
Beaverbrook declared in London
that "I think " the conquest .of
Tunis and Bizerte Is not far off." :.
' DNB, the German - news
agency, said the British struck
against ' the old French-built
Mareth ("Little Maginot") de
fense works last night.
"The scale, of fighting can
not be judged by reports so far
available, - but Berlin quarters
believe this is major attack,"
DNB said.
Offense Intensified " .
; ' An Algiers, broadcast report.
ed in London said preparations
for an "imminent allied offens- -ive"
to drive approximately 250,-
000 German and Italian troops
out of Tunisia were being in
tensified. ,
1 "The hour is approaching
when axis forces will be driven
out of North Africa," the broad
cast said, i
i Other reports said the 8th
' (Continued on Page Two)
Senate Votes to
Defer Farm Help
From Induction
! WASHINGTON, March 17 (IP)
The senate voted 51 to 24 today
for legislation- directing local
draft boards to defer from mili
tary service all men employed
substantially full time on farms
raising essential war crops.
The legislation-receiving this
vote was submitted by Senator
Johnson (D-Colo.) as a substitute
for a blanket deferment bill
originally introduced by 40 sen
ators. In effect, the Johnson pro
posal would freeze agricultural .
workers on the farms, directing
their reclassification for active
service if they transferred occu-.
pations without authority from
the local board.
: The secretary of agriculture
would be given wide authority
to classify essential crops, but
present regulations requiring de
ferred workers to fill certain :
specified . units of production
would be eliminated. ;
FSA Needs Dairy
Cows in Program
PORTLAND, March 17 (AP)
The farm security administra
tion is about ready to offer a
reward for information about
dairymen selling first-rate cows
for slaughter, Regional Director
Walter A. Duffy said today.
Farmer orders for 1500 dairy
cows go begging in the depart
ment of agriculture's dairy con
servation program In the north-.
west, he said..-
added, "It has not and cannot
be established that the absence
of compulsion of labor Is a fac
tor in retarding production.
' "It is my firm and studied
conviction ' that such delays as
there have been were prompted
by conflicting governmental
policies and not by failure of
any segment of our working
population voluntarily to per
form the jobs that have to be
done." -
Senator Holman (R-Ore.) In
terrupted Green's testimony at
one point . to charge that be
cause of strikes men in the
armed forces had been denied
some of the equipment they
needed to fight. Ho said the
committee had been Informed
-. (Continued on Payfe Two)