Ho
' One 8-mlnute blast on sirens and whistles
' li the ilgnil for blackout In Klamath
Falls. Anothar long blast, during black
. out, la a algnal lor all-claar. In pracau
; tlonary periods, watch your itraat lights.
ml
. By FRANK JENKINS
pKSULTS of tlio fighting In
, Tunisia aro not too clear to
day, but no doubt remains that
tlio battlo Is a big one. With
plenty more to coma.
A Gorman spokesman says:
"Only tlio overture of the great
British offensive Is behind us."
w
MONTGOMERY lilt the Mnreth
line hurd at its strongest
i point and broko throuiih. But
9 Rommel promptly counter
attacked and rcgulncd most of
his losses. As nearly as one can
judge from the confused ells
patches, tlio British hero were
driven buck nearly to their start-
ln(t point, but retain a toe-hold
t the village of Marelh.
' That's what Churchill tells the
house of commons, and he's
about the most reliable and real
istlc roporter we have.
BUT Montgomery had another
.trll H - V. I . Un.i.
At the same time he bucked
the Gorman line at Mnreth, ho
tent flanking column 100 miles
oi more around the German
right end, and this thrust seems
to have had hotter luck. It is
reported today to be only eight
miles from the. villugo of El
Hnmma, which is 20 mllea due
l west of Gabcs and thoreforo
f must be holding the point of a
wedge driven deeply Into the
German positions. (Bolter see
your map.)
- The village of 1 Hamma Is an
Important crossroad and also has
several German airfields.
TVHEN Montgomery struck to
1 the south of the Mnreth lino,
our own Goncrnl Pntton and his
Americans headed toward tho
coast in Rommel's rear, hoping
lo close the mouth of tlio sack
on him.
. Patton reached Maknassy (see
your map) yesterday, and
SEEMS TO HAVE HELD his
.gains against hard German
counter-attacks. Ho is oven re
ported today to havo PUSHED
ON five miles boyond Maltnassy,
I bringing him within about 28
miles of tho beach.
fHE Germans tried to stop Fat
: ton by hitting his rlght-flnnk,
and Harold Boyle, AP corres
pondent who was on tho spot,
says thoy throw everything they
, had Into tho attempt,
They attacked through a nar
row pass, with armed forces, but
tlio Americans held tho hills on
both sides and seem to have
slaughtered tho German tanks,
including soino of Rommel's big
Mark Vis.
QN tho whole, Rommel hasn't
!, too much to feel good about.
He stopped one drive, but two
others made progross against
him.' And the Americans, stop
ping the best he could send
against them, pulled tho draw-
k string of tho bag a llttlo tighter.
' (Remember, this battlo of Tu
nisia won't bo won or lost In a
day.)
..
fOOD news comes from tho
, V South Seas,
- Our air scouts discovered a
concentration of 2150 Jap planes
ON THE GROUND at Rnbnul
and blasted thorn In a prc-dawn
attack that lasted an hour. Tho
Japs aro reported to hnvo LOST
a substantial part of their plnno
pack.' Two hundred and fifty
enomy planes "ain't hay."
Glvo tho credit to tho daring
and ability of our air fighters.
' .
"THE Russians today aro rcport
' cd to havo pushed up to with
in 40 miles of Smolensk.
' Tho Germans havo got across
tho Donets east of Kharkov In
forco several times, but each
time they have boon thrown
back They aro using tholr stand-
ard text-book tactics of throw
ing heavy tank forces against a
narrow front, hoping to break
through and fan out In tho Rus
sian rear, .,
. Red Star (Russian army nows
paper) says they havo used as
: high as 200 tanks on a mllo-wldo
t ' (Continued on Page Four)
Record A creage in
Spuds Forecast by
New Developments
An all-time, high In potato
was Indicated for the coming wartime production season today
as a result of two developments the assurance of an Increase In
fertilizer supply and the announcement that potato growing will
bo permitted on Tulo lake leased lands under certain conditions,
Tho fuvorublo news on fertilizer followed a meeting late yes-
torday at which an additional 1300 tons for tho basin was assured
from a government source. Meanwhile, the secretary of inter
RAF TRADES
NAZ1PLANES
Hit, Run Raids Made
On English
Coast
AT U. S, EIGHTH AIR FORCE
HEADQUARTERS, SOME
WHERE IN ENGLAND, March
24 !) United States heavy
bombers knocked down 62 Ger
man tighten positively In lost
week' raid on Vegesack, near
Bremen, plus 20 probably shot
down and 23 damaged, It was
disclosed today by MaJ. Gen. Ira
Eakcr,
LONDON, March 24 (P)
Trading punches with the Ger
mans across tho English channel,
allied airmen struck again this
morning at enemy targets in
northern Franco as nnzl war
planes resumed hit-and-run raids
on coastal districts of Britain.
Heavy explosions west of
Boulogno rocked houses in the
Folkestone area after formations
of allied pluncs had streaked
across tho channel.
Tho burst of daylight activity
provided a follow-up to night at
tacks by RAF flgntcrs on railway
communications In northwest
Germany and occupied territory.'
Shuttle Raids
As tho allied daylight raiders
kept up a regular shuttlo service
across na .-ow Dover straits,
high-flying Germans,-using tho
mist as cover, crossed tho British
(Continued on Pago Two)
Man Killed by
Train Monday
Near Crescent
William H. Dclbrucgge, about
SO, thought to bo a caretaker for
ono of tho mountain resorts In
the Crescent area, was killed
somctlmo early Monday night.
His body was found noar Cres
cent on n railroad track. Dr.
Gcorgo H. Adlcr, county' cor
oner, stated Wednesday that rail
road officials were not able to
learn circumstances surrounding
Dclbrucggo's death.
Tho mans body, badly mash
ed and with a partly severed
(Continued on page two) ' I
PUNCHES WITH
Dan Ehrheart Receives
Oak Leaf Cluster Award
For extraordinary achieve
ment in tho air In battlo zones,
Tech. Sgt. Dan E, Ehrheart of
Klamath Falls received the Oak
Leaf cluster today In lieu of an
additional award of the Distin
guished Flying Cross.
Word of tho award came from
general headquarters in the
Southwest Pacific area. Wen
who received the Oak Leaf wore
veterans of moro than 200 hours
each of dangerous ' operational
flying . and previously had re
ceived tho DFC for 100' hours
of operational missions -and tho
nlr medal for 50 hours. Tho mis
sions Included bombing attacks
against enemy bases, sea
searches and long-range photo
graphic and reconnaissance
flights.
Young Ehrheart had previous
ly received the Purple Heart,
(Continued on Page Two) .
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE FIVE CENTS
mm.
acreage for the Klamath basin
ior's office lifted the prohibition
against growing of spuds on gov
crnmcm-owncd leased land In
tho basin. These incidents fore
cast a spud acrcago In excess of
21,500 the previous all-time
record for the basin set in 1937
It was roughly estimated 1300
acres of leased land moy bo
pluntcd to potatoes. The recla
mation burcou will permit sub
leasing of tho leased land to qua!
Ified local farmers having avail'
ablo adequate machinery, Los
sees will notify tho bureau by
March 20, tho area they wish to
crop to potatoes.
Wlllnrd Noble, member of the
national fertilizer advisory com'
mlttee, told potato grower of
the Klamuth basin that ho had
Just received word from Wash
ington that 500 additional tons
of 18-20 ammonium phosphate
and 800 additional tons of 10'
18-8 fertilizer will be available
to growers for this year's plant
ing.
This statcmont was made at
a meeting of representative po
tato growers ana leriinzer deal
ers of the bnsln at meeting
ruesaay aiternoon at the Klanv
atn county chamber -or com
merce.
From Canada
Noble said that the fertilizer
to bo provided is in addition to
tho 60 per cent of 1942 16-20
fertilizer supply already allocat
ed to local growers. He pointed
out that inasmuch as tho add!
tlonol fertilizer comes from
Canada, there is always a de
gree of uncertainty about the
amount and the time of deliv
ery.
Growers had previously point
(Continued on Page Two)
Klamath Spuds
Freed of Army
Sale Only Ban
Remainder of the Klamath
basin's big 1942 potato crop
can now be sold through usual
channels, following the lifting
ot requirements that all pota
toes here of No. 1 grade be sold
to the army.
John McMullen, associated
marketing specialist of the
quartermaster s corps, an-
nounced that farmers are now
free to sell their potatoes on
the commercial markets. On
February 16, tho army notified
growers and dealers that no
Klamath No. 1 potatoes could
bo sold except to the army.
, It was estimated that about.
possibly 1000 carloads of pota
toes of all types from last year's
crop remain in tho basin. Rapid
shipment of theso potatoes are
now expected In view of the
rapid ceiling decline after May
1. Total shipments for the sea'
son aro expected to hit 7500
carloads or moro.
Tech. 8gt. Pan Ehiheait
1 $rl
v
IN THE SHASTA-CASCADE WONDERLAND
KLAMATH FALLS. OREGON, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 24, 1943
a n
IP 1 ip 'mL
Four man of Uncle Sam's navy axe honor guests in Klamath Falls this week, entertained by
the Commanaos wnne on leave irom Mare Island Hospital. Standing, lett to right, Floyd Col-
glasier, 2nd Lt. Mary Truelovt,
Snipes. Seated, Tech, Sgt. Mary Beth Hammond, Mrs. Louie Serruys, Commando Mother, Sup
ply Sgt. Call Blwer and Wayne Fogelstrom.
' i
Blazing Action Stories
Told by Commando Guests
" Vivid stories of blazing action
in the Pacific fighting were told
hero today by wounded sailors
brought to Klamath Falls by the
Commandos, young women s
service organization.
Visiting here until Fridoy
morning, these four young men
wear service ribbons showing
duty in the Mediterranean,
China and at Guadalcanal. Two
ot the sailors are guests at the
Clarence A. Humble home and
two at the George C. Burger rest'
dence.
James (Jimmy) Snipes, mach
inist's mate 1c, is 32 years old,
and was in three major engage
ments in .this war before being
wounded. He has served in the
United States navy for 14 years
and his home is at Jacksonville,
Fla. He served in the Nicara
guan campaign in 1927, and has
had two years European duty in
southern and northern Europe
During World war II he
served on .the destroyer "World
War I," which was recently re
conditioned for marine raider
service. He served under the
command of Colonel Jimmie
Roosevelt, son of the president of
the United States, for the marine
raiders, which was a suicide
FBI Looks Into
Defective Steel
Plate Charges
WASHINGTON, March 24 ItP)
1'ne : justice department war
frauds unit has begun to look
into the story ot defective steel
plates turned out by the Carne
gie-Illinois Steel corporation
plant at Irvin, Fa., an official,
who declined direct quotation,
said today.
An observer for tho unit has
attended hearings being conduct
ed by a senate investigating com
mittee and arrangements have
been made to obtain the com
pany's records, this official said.
Ho' added that the department
intends to "develop" tho case.
Meanwhile the senate war in
vestigating committee looked
today to the war production
board and the United States
Steel corporation to ferret out
those responsible tor delivery of
sub-standard steel plates to the
government from the Carnegie-
Illinois Steel corporation plant
at irvin, Pa.
Chairman Truman (D-Mo.) de
clared the highest responsibility
(Continued on Page Two)
Meat Rationing
Turn to Page 6
An Important meat ration
ing story, together with a
table ot points, will be found
today on Pago 6. Tho table
is prepared for clipping for
household reference. ,
fo)
Hooray! The Fleet's In!
Raymond Russell, 1st Sgt.
squadron at the start. James
praised Colonel Roosevelt, saying-
Jta 'was right in the front
ranks at all times with. his men.
"We made eight or nine
raids on outlying Japanese is
lands and communications, five
of these were under gun tire
from shore batteries installed on
islands," said Snipes. "On the
morning of September 4, three
heavy Japanese cruisers and two
heavy destroyers came into
Guadalcanal bay and started
shelling Henderson field. Imme
diately the Japs opened fire
and we opened fire on them. The
(Continued on Pago Four)
Government Gets
Flour Millers on
Price Fixing
CHICAGO, March 24
sixteen Hour milling corpor
ations, eleven of their execu
tives . and their national trade
association were indicted by the
federal grand jury here today
on charges of conspiracy to fix
prices ot packaged family flour
sold throughout the Unit ed
States.
The Indictment set forth that
approximately 45,000,000 barrels
of family flour are sold annual
ly in the United States and 81
per cent of this amount is milled
by members of the Millers Na
tional Federation, the defendant
trade association,
Packaged family, flour is that
sold ordinarily for use in homes,
as distinct from bulk bakery
flour. The Indictment charged
that in spite of variables among
the defendants in their' cost 'of
producing . packaged flour, the
defendants met from time . to
time and agreed upon a uniform
schedule of price differentials
to be applied to the various
sizes of packages in which fam
ily flour is sold..
Roseburg Boy, to
Represent Oregon
In FFA Contest .
PORTLAND, March 24 (Pi
Russell Cary, Roseburg, will rep
resent Oregon in the regional
Future Farmers of America ora
torical contest here April 26.
. Ho won the state champion
ship in finals before the Fort-
land Rotary club yesterday. Mil
ton Richardson,' Junction City,
was second, and Jim Rogers,
Pendleton, third.
', HOUSE ACCEPTS
WASHINGTON, March 24 tfP)
The house accepted late today
the senate version of a measure
nullifying President Roosevelt's
$25,000-atter-taxes limitation of
wartime salaries and substitut
ing a modified celling fixed by
legislation. Senate ratification
is now a formality.
NEA FEATURES
Number 9753
am
Eleanors Karspeck and James
ALLIES BATTER
250 Enemy Fighters,
Bombers Blasted
In Pacific
By VERN HAUGLAND
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
IN AUSTRALIA, March 24 (By
A growing concentration of Jap
anese air power in the Southwest
Pacific was smashed yesterday
by a pre-dawn bombing ot three
airdromes at Rabaul, New Brit
tain, in which more than ' 250
Nipponese fighter and bomber
craft felt the weight, of 54 tons
of explosives and incendiaries,
allied headquarters announced
today.. .
Reconnaissance discovered the
massed planes Monday and the
bomber fleet went to work on it
in an hour-long raid before day
light Tuesday, "in the face of
fierce anti-aircraft - and search
light barrages ... . . in a series of
coordinated strikes," the com
munique said.
No Allied Loss
Not an allied bomber was lost
although some were damaged,
and a 10,000 ton transport was
added to the bag when return
ing bombers sighted it oft Cape
Gazelle and set it afire, it was
declared. ...
The enemy planes were nested
at Lakunai, Vinakanau and Ra
popo airdromes.
"Fifty-four tons of bombs
ranging from 2000-pounders to
fragmentation incendiaries were
dropped; on runways, dispersal
areas, ' installations, searchlights
and gun positions for one and a
half hours," the communique
stated. "Fires immediately broke
out in all the target areas, rising
and multiplying as our aircraft
increased their pressure, ' col
umns of smoke reaching thou
sands of feet into the air."
It was indicated that a sub
stantial proportion ot the Japan-
(Continued on Page Two)
Death Ends Career
Of Canadian Pacific
Railway President
MONTREAL, March 24 (CP)
Death has ended the distin
guished career of Sir Edward
Wentworth Beatty, 65, transpor
tation executive whose work in
industry, finance, education and
publio affairs won him interna
tional fame as one ot Canada's
ranking public figures.
He died late last night as his
heart failed under the strain of
an illness that had forced him to
resign a year ago as president of
the Canadian Pacific Railway
company afteriplmost a quarter
century ot service, -
AIR STRENGTH
If
Axis Counter Blow
Confuses Situation
About Mareth Line
By DANIEL DE LUCE
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN NORTH AFRICA, March 34
(AP) Concerted countersmashes by axis armor and infantry cre
ated a very confused situation today where units of the British '
eighth army were rammed into the Mareth line, but in the El
Guetar sector had met with decided reverse against American
tanks and troops threatening Marshal 'Erwin Rommel's lifeline
to northern Tunisia.. ......... , .
((In London Prime Minister Churchill told the house of
commons that Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery's eighth army -
N ON
TO
Germans . Cross River
. But are Repulsed
By Soviets
By EDDY GILMORE -"
' MOSCOW, March 24 ( The
red army clung tenaciously' to
day to its positipns on the north
ern Donets river,, seating back
every effort of the Germans to
establish themselves on the east
ern, bank,, and on (he. central
front soviet troops plunged on
toward Smolensk, capturing
more settlements in. their ad
vance.' '
. The Germans crossed the Don
ets river" in force east of Bel
gorod last night, but the mid
night communique reported they
were driven back from a town
they had seized on the eastern
side of the river.
Lull. In Crossings . .
There have been no- Indica
tions that such a mass crossing
has been repeated during the
last few hours although there
have been more attempts. -
(Today s German high - com
mand communique broadcast by
the Berlin radio-told of a bat
tle in the Leningrad area.- It
said that a "defensive battle
south of Lake Ladoga is - con
tinuing with unabated violence.
The soviet onslaught, supported
(Continued on Page Two)
Operators Reject .
Miners Proposal
To Extend Contract .
NEW YORK, March 24 ()
Southern Appalachian coal
operators rejected . a . United
Mine Workers proposal today
that negotiations for a new
wage contract be extended for
30 days .after April 1 on
retroactive basis.
NEW YORK, March 24
Northern Appalachian soft coal
mine operators and the United
Mine Workers agreed today to
continue the mines in operation
for 30 days after April 1 on a
retroactive basis. The present
contract expires March 31.
NORTHERN
DONETS BASES
Elks Provide Ambulance for
Local Unit of
The keys to Klamath's newest
emergency equipment, a mod
ern, completely equipped indus
trial ambulance, will be pre
sented by the Elks club Thurs
day evening to the local platoon
ot the Oregon Women's Ambu
lance corps.
The presentation will be made
by Frank Peyton, retiring exalt
ed ruler, and will be accepted
by Captain Kathleen Livingston
of Company L, following a din
ner at which members, of the
ambulance corps will be guests
of the lodge.
Major Helen Rlnaudo of Port
land headquarters company and
Marlon George ot Echo, major of
Co. L, to which the local platoon
is attached, will be here for the
presentation ceremony and will
also be honored guests of the
Elks. .
Since August, the ambulance
corps has been . handling all
welfare, cases, in .the county,
March 23 High 17, Low IS
Precipitation aa el March 17, 1943
Stream year to data ......13.11
Last Year 10.06 . Normal .....8.81
laui
tthad lost most of the bridgehead
it had driven through the Mareth
line and that axis defense posi
tions in that sector were largely
restored..
Germans Repulsed'
(Churchill said he spoke from
information later than that pub
lished, in morning . newspapers.
Informed quarters surmised that
Churchill's statement and today's
allied headquarters communique
from North Africa, which said .
German counterattacks in the
area of Mareth village had been
successfully repulsed, referred to
different periods of time in a
fluid and unsettled battle. These
quarters said they did not know .
which information was the lat
est. (Mareth village, in the Mareth
line, is about 20 miles from
Gabes. Early broadcasts from
Algiers radio today reported ad-'
vanced elements ot Montgom
ery's forces were within 13 miles
of Gabes, but these reports were
not supported by any other
source.) ' w
" -In extreiiiely-haflghtlng the
British who had driven a bridge
head through the Mareth line in
a frontal assault near the coast
succeeded in repulsing all efforts
of the Germans to dislodge them,
from the area of Mareth village,
an allied headquarters commun
ique said today. J
Americans Near Sea ....
East of El Guetar where Lieut.
Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., and
his Americans were- within an
hour's-drive of the sea, -dispatches
from the front said the
Americans from their positions
(Continued on Page Two) )
McNaryVireHits
Navy Base Rumor
But Talk Persists
Hot naval base talk In Klam
ath Falls was. doused with cold
water Wednesday v when the
chamber of commerce received
a telegram from Senator Charles
L. McNary stating that the navy
department informed him lt con
templated no development on
Upper Klamath lake at this time.
The wire came in response to
a chamber Inquiry, but rumor
persisted that something was in
the wind. , Reports from labor
circles that steps have, been
taken to assure a labor supply"'
for the rumored base gave rise
to hew talk on Wednesday, and
some observers Insisted the base
was oh its way, regardless of
McNary's wire.
A big convoy of trucks in the
city Wednesday , morning was
made up of vehicles going to
distant destination, it was
I learned.
Oregon Corps
numbering about, 60 to date, giv
ing the members practical ex.
perlence in emergency work, but
their efforts have been handl
capped by lack of modern equip
ment.
. Several months ago, the Elks
lodge came to the rescue, mak
ing the Klamath platoon a gift
of a $3000 ambulance which ar
rived here about a week ago. It
was purchased through J. W.
Kerns and was shipped from Chi
cago. A siren was donated by
Orlle Kennerly, merchant police
man, completing the equipment.
The ambulance will be parked
in front of the Elks temple
Thursday afternoon from 1 un
til 8 o'clock, with members of
the corps In attendance, where
it may be viewed by the public.
Trustees of the Elks lodge,
who were particularly helpful in
securing the ambulance, were
Bert Hall, Dr. Lloyd, Goble and
Dr. Cecil Adams. -