Dedicated To The Progress Of ™" — WILMINGTON Served bY Leased Wire of the And Southeastern North ASSOCIATED PRESS Carolina With Complete Coverage of State and National News - ★ * ESTABLISHED 1867. CONTINUA TION OF NEW DEAL PLANS, NA TIONAL UNITY ALSO PROPOSED -- CALLS FOR NEW TAXES Asks For Extension Of Au thority To Reduce Tar iffs By Agreement PLEDGES^ PEACE AIMS Budget Will Include Reduc tion In All Major Items Except Defense Text of President Roosevelt's message to congress is on page three. BY RICHARD L. TURNER WASHINGTON, Jan. S. — UP) - A stronger national defense financed by new taxes, a continuation of New Deal policies, and a national unity reinforced by “calmness, tol* erance . and cooperative wisdom,’1 were urged upon congress today by President Roosevelt, in a message personally delivered to the newly convened session. Tnese things, backed by an exien sion of the administration’s author ity to reduce tariffs by agreement with other countries, should be suf ficient, be said, to protect the na tion against any tendency toward dictatorship at home and “wci id wide forces of disintegration’’ as well. Pledges Peace Aims For the rest, Mr. Roosevelt pledged anew his determination to keep the United States out o£ the war abroad, and let it be known, to the ironical cheers of the republi can membership, that the budget to be submitted tomorrow would in clude a reduction in all important items except that of national de fense. House and senate and crowded galleries heard the President’s ear nestly delivered message with evi dent interest and intentness. There was a great cheer as he entered the packed house of representatives chamber, and another as he fin ished. There were cheers, toe, for Vice-President Garner, but the mightiest ovation of ail came when, the speech ended, Mr. Roosevelt turned and clasped hands with Gar (Continued on Page Four; Col. 5) MURPHY EXPECTED TO GET COURT JOB — Definitely Slated To Be Ap pointed To Supreme Court By President WASHINGTON, Jan. 3— W—De spite his recent statement that he thought others were better quali fied, red-haired Frank Murphy is definitely slated to be appointed to the supreme court, it was learned authoritatively today. Solicitor General Robert H. Jack son is to be elevated to attorney gen (Continued on Page Five; Col. 2) ussians Red Thrusts In Southern Urea Halted Ski Troops Pick Off Sur vivors Of Defeated Army In The Frozen North BIG ATTACK EXPECTED lied Airmen Conduct Raids On Towns In Southwest ern Part Of Country By THOMAS F. HAWKINS WITH THE FINNISH FORCES \;;\i’ LAKE IvIANTA, Jan. 3. (jpi_Swift and silent Finnish ski troops struck in the border snows todav to pick off, one by one, the landful of survivors of Russia’s defeated army in this frozen north country while their comrades in tie south stood their guard against massed Soviet thrusts. Victors in the • greatest single battle of the war. the hardy Fin nish lumberjacks had easy pick ings finishing off the 2,000 wan dering, half-starved remnants of the 17.000-man Red Russian divi sion which tried to sever Finland’s wasp-like waistline and failed. Attack Reuulsed Matching these efficient opera tions. the Finnish high command announced that a heavy Soviet in fantry attack on the Karelian isth mus had been repulsed ‘‘-with heavy losses." This Soviet thrust in the south appeared to bear out reports in Finland that the Red army, chaf ing under repeated setbacks, was massing seven divisions — about 105,000 men — for an attempted knock-out blow against the Fin nish Mannerheim line. ' (Reliable information in Mos cow said that the Russians were speeding seasoned Siberian fighters to positions opposite the Finnish defenses.) Coupled wth the land attack were Russian air raids on Turku and Hanko in southwestern Fin land. it was announced officially (Continued on Page Five; Col. 4) UJUffcK ANSWERS LENNON’S BLAST City Board Refers Judge To North Carolina Law On Beer Licenses Replying to a blast made from the bench of recorder’s court Tuesday morning in which Judge Alton A. Lennon commented that he wished the city commissioners had the cour abe clean up some of the beer joints in Wilmington, the city com missioners yesterday referred the lodge to the North Carolina law7, ' pc b they said, places the responsi bly more on his shoulders thar theirs. 'em t™ not try]11S to lock horns i, Lennon,’’ Mayor Thomas Uoper sai(} at the weeWy meet. Sjan° rb°rS tlia city commis wiih I - * "ou^ rather lock arms and i4n/Tfig^.~t crime, tin- ;as 1 am ,n favor of let I e Dwyers interpret the law (Continued on page Four. Co] 6) -4 Seconds . -..... .H jrsn? mi i Tired alter being mayor of Memphis for five long seconds, Edward H. Crump, right, leaves on a well-earned vacation, firing snowballs at spectators. The political overlord took the oath of office at the railroad station and then resigned to make way for Walter Chandler to take the job: Occupancy Of Remodeled City Hall Planned Soon NEARING COMPLETION Wade Says Building Is Ex pected To Be Put Back Into Use In February Remodelng work on the old city hall is now nearing completion and will be ready for occupancy at some time during February, J. E. L. Wade, city commissioner of public works, said yesterday. All the insid^ walls have been erected and all but one or two have been plastered and painted. Now under way is the laying of the ter razzo flooring in the main hall on the second floor. Doors Arrive The bronze doors for the front of the building have arrived and will be erected within a few days. The commissioners decided sev eral days ago to leave the walls in side white and unpainted. They said it would both improve the inside ap pearance and would leave additional funds, possibly enough to provide the public library with a new set of book shelves, which, they agreed, are sorely needed. The self operating elevator will probably be the last part, of the building to be completed. It will be operated from the ground floor to the library through the push button system. The city will not be required to hire an. operator. “When completed, "Wilmington ians will be surprised at the beau ty of their public offices,” Com missioner Wade said. The entire structure, with the exception of the Thalian hall, is being refur bished. Plan To Merge Wire Companies Opposed NEW YORK, Jan. 3.—(AP) The American Federation of La bor, in a caustically critical statement, announced “vigor ous” opposition today to a pro posal of the federal communica tions commission to consolidate the Western Union and Postal Telegraph e mpanies. The Commercial Telegraphers Union, AFL affiliate which, it said, was tho “dominant trade union in Western Unjon,” termed the proposal a “merger stampede, cold-bloodedly pushed by a CIO union rendered des perate by fear of its liquida tion.” The merger was suggested in a report by the FCC to the sen ate interstate commerce com mittee. FINN WAR THREAT NOTED IN GERMANY Nazis Told Of Possibility Of General Conflict Over Little Nation BERLIN, Jan. 3.—(IP)—Nazi Ger many’s public was told for the first time tonight of the possibili ty of a general conflict over Fin land. An editorial commentary from the Soviet Russian military organ, (Continued on Page Five; Col. 3) School Board To Ask Funds For Repairs Decides To Appear Before County Commissioners And Urge Action HOGGARD CITES NEEDS Says Failure To Provide Money Results In Cost ly Deterioration The board of education, meeting ir the office of Superintendent H. M Roland last night, decided to appeal before the county commissioners Monday to urge action on the long standing request for funds to make “urgently needed” improvements and repairs at Hemenway, Cornelius Harnett, Wrightsboro and othei schools. Dr, John T. Hoggard, chairman said all members of the school board expressed the opinion that the coun ty board’s failure to make available the funds requested last July ‘‘has resulted in costly, accumulative de terioration.” Item Reduced Dr. Hoggard said that at the same time the school board budge' was adopted last summer, the capita! outlay item (for general mainte nance-and roVelne - repairir> was re duced in the sum of $3,000 aftei the county board had agreed that the sum could be replaced when the bonds were issued.” The school board chairman saic that needed repairs have been de layed from week to week in an ticipation of action by the countj board, and added, “the months have dragged by and we simply can’; (Continued on Page Five; Col. 4) CITY WILL ASSIST IN DRAINAGE WORK Join County In Sponsoring Project To Drain Green field Creek Area The city commissioners yester day agreed to join the countj board in sponsoring the project oi draining the creek leading from Greenfield lake to the river in or der that the land surrounding the property occupied by the Taylor Colquitt Creosoting company maj be dried out, the expenditure noi to exceed $1,800. The board's decision came aftei much discussion in which all were agreed the city should cooperate but in which there was disagree ment regarding from where the money should come. The motion was passed only aftei stipulations of Commissioner Wad< that the drainage project is' in ne way to curtail or prevent the com pletion of WPA projects undei Way. _ Fights Wage Tax A $1(1-a-week shirt factory work er, Mrs. Jennie Dole, a widow, seeks to have invalidated the new one and a half per cent income tax on the pay envelopes of all Philadelphia workers. Her court ac tion is backed by the C.I.O. DEATH SENTENCES UPHELD BY COURT Five White Men And Three Negroes Scheduled To Die In Gas Chamber RALEIGH, Jan. 3.—(TP)—Death sentences imposed on five white men an