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ESTABL1SHED 1867
NAZI ARMADA NEARING
COAST AFTER ENGLISH
SINK TROOP TRANSPORT
BRITISH PLACE MINES
German Transport Is De
stroyed With Loss Of 300
Of 500 Men Aboard
LIGHTHOUSES CLOSED
Fleet, Including Battleship,
Moves Out Of Baltic
Into Skagerrak
OSLO, April 9.—(Tuesday)—UP)—
Alarming reports were received here
early today that a German armada
of 125 armed ships, including a pock
et battleship and several heavy
cruisers, was approaching Nor
wegian shores, perhaps to strike
back at the British fleet which yes
terday mined Norwegian waters and
sunk a German troop transport
with the loss of 300 of. the 500 sol
diers aboard.
The Norwegian admiralty ordered
every lighthouse on the Norwegian
coast blacked out, and Norwegian
radio stations from the Swedish
coast to Bergen on the North Sea
were shut down.
Reliable sources said the armada
was made up principally of trawlers
and coast guard ships, but also in
cluded either of, the 10,000 ton
pocket battleships, the Admiral Von
Scheer or the Luetzow (formerly the
Deutschland), and several heavy
cruisers and many destroyers.
Moving Into Skagerrak
The fleet was just off the Danish
island of Lesoe, these sources said,
apparently making slow progress
out of the Baltic into Skagerrak
along Norway’s south coast because
of the lighthouse blackout. It was
presumed the German fleet did not
wish to approach the dangerous
shores in darkness.
The Copenhagen newspaper Poli
tiken reported in a special dispatch
from Oslo that the vanguard of 100
or more German warships had been
sighted approaching Oslo fjord.
Erik Seidenfaden, special corre
spondent for the Politiken, told of
flying over Skagerrak late yester
day, and wrote:
"I myself saw from a plane over
Oslo fjord a vanguard of eight tor
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 6)
reynolkTurges
BAN ON MEXICANS
Would Restrict Number Re
siding In U. S. To Number
Of Americans In Mexico
WASHINGTON, April S—(S’)—
Senator Reynolds (D-N.C.) proposed
legislation today which would re
strict the number of Mexicans resi
dent in this country to the number
of Americans living in Mexico.
Asserting that thousands of Span
ish loyalists had migrated to Mexi
co since the Spanish civil war with
a view to entering the United
States and participating in com
munist activities, Reynolds said
Mexico had become “virtually a
colony of Soviet Russia.”
Reynolds said that Mexicans were
“usurping” jobs that should be held
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 4)
SHORE GUNS ARE BUSY
Cruiser Included In One Of
Four Ships Seeking To
Enter Oslo Fjord
AIR BATTLE REPORTED
Norway Snaps Telephone
Communication With Re
mainder Of The World
NAZIS INVADE DENMARK
NEW YORK, April 9 —(Tuesday)
The New York Times early today re
ceived from its Copenhagen corre
spondent advices that the Germans
had occupied that city, .
(At 12:15 a. m. EST the Associated
Press had been unable to contact
its Copenhagen bureau since. 9:47
p. m. last night.)
The Times correspondent, Svend
Carstensen, also reported that three
cruisers had landed troops at Mid
dlefart, Denmark, immediately oc
cupying the adjoining streets.
He also reported “German troops
crossed the Danish frontier.”
STOCKHOLM, April 9—(Tuesday)
_ (^>) —High authoritative quarters
early today confirmed reports that
four foreign warships had attempted
to force an entrance into Oslo Fjord,
water gateway to the Norwegian
capital.
The invaders were reported re
pulsed by shore batteries.
These quarters said that one o(
the attacking ships was a heavy
cruiser.
The attack took place about 12:39
a. m. (6:30 p. m. Monday, EST), aid
was over within a short time.
Heavy Fire
The engagement was marked by
heavy bursts of cannon fire.
Thereafter the invaders were said
to have retired into the darkness.
Some informants said the warship
attack was accompanied by an air
battle above the darkened gorge be
tween Norwegian fighting craft and
unidentified foreign warplanes.
Details of the air battle were not
at once known but apparently the
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 5)
The European
War Situation
(By The Associated Press)
STOCKHOLM — Authoritative
quarters confirm report that four
foreign warships attempted to
force an entrance into Oslo
Fjord, water gateway to the Nor
wegian capital, repulsed by shore
batteries; Norwegian planes also
fight off foreign warplanes;
identity of attackers nit ascer
tained in darkness.
OSLO—German naval armada
off Danish coast apparently
headed for Norwegian waters,
reliable reports say; British sub
marine sinks German transport
off Norway’s southern coast few
hours after Britain sows mines
in Norwegian territorial waters,
300 German soldiers, 80 horses
lost when ship sinks; Foreign
Minister Kolit protests mining,
demands removal of mines “at
once.”
LONDON—Britain stands fast
on mine-laying, official broad
cast says 15 German ships trap
ped by mines; admiralty and air
ministry reported unsuccessful
German aerial attack on Scapa
Flow naval base.
BERLIN — Germans report
several hits scored in Scapa Flow
• raid; government takes role of
‘‘icily cold” observer of Allied ac
tion in Norway’s waters and de
tention of dynamite-laden British
barges in Rumania.
GERMANS OBSERVE
TWO NEW MOVES
Reserve Decisions On Min
ing Of Scandinavian Wa
ters, Seizure Of Barges
BERLIN, April 8—(TP)—The Ger
man government tonight played the
part of an “icily cold" observer of
the two latest dramas in the Euro
pean war—Allied mining of Scan
dinavian territorial waters and Ru
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 7)
Sinking Of Nazi Troop
Vessel Costs 300 Lives
NAVAL BATTLE LOOMS
British Submarine Signaled
Transport To Halt Be
fore It Destroyed Her
ARENDAL, Norway, April 8. —
UP)—The sinking of the German
“mystery transport Rio De Janeiro
off Norway’s coast today with the
loss of 300 of the 500 Nazi army
men aboard gave rise tonight to
speculation whether the largest sea
battle of the war was in the mak
ing.
Nava! observers wondered wheth
er there would be a great clash be
tween the British biockaders and a
German fleet of between SO and 100
vessels reported moving toward the
Skagerrak, narrow arm of the
North Sea between Norway and
Denmark.
Speculation Heightened
Such speculation was greatly
heightened by the confusion of re
ports of naval action, most of which
were not borne out.
No confirmation could be obtain
ed of reports received at Lillesand,
down the coast from here, that two
German submarines had attacked an
armed British vessel off the coast
and that one submarine and the
British ship had been sent to the
bottom.
Nor was there confirmation of the
report that two German subma
rines had been sunk.
Sounds of heavy firing out at sea
were reported by residents along
the shore of the Skagerrak during
the day.
Telling of the sinking of the Rio
De Janeiro, the surviving lookout
was quoted as saying he did not see
(Continued on Page l\»ur; Col. 5)
SHIP SINKS AFTER
VIOLENT EXPLOSION
200 Men Lost When Uni
dentified Craft Goes Down
Off Coast Of Norway
LONDON, April 8.—UP)—A Reu
ters (British) dispatch from Oslo
tonight said possibly 200 men were
lost from an unidentified* ship
which sunk after a violent explo
sion about noon today off Lillesand
on Norway’s southern coast.
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 7)
Retailers,
Servicemen,
ATTENTION!
Want Ads will work for you
every day in any kind of
weather. They will find new
customers for you every week
in the year. They’re not "fair
weather” workers, they make
their regular visit to the homes
of the 50,COO readers of the
Star and News every day.
For as l:ttlc as 24c a day (15
words 30 days $7.20) they will
fiftd buyers, tenants, or service
customers for you.
Call 2800 To
Start Your Want Ad
Charge It
May Give New
Presidential
Puzzle Clues
Backers Of Third Term Are
Challenged By Garner’s
Supporters In Illinois
DEWEY FACES BATTLE
Lieut. Governor John Stelle
Proclaims Himself Gov
ernor Of Illinois
WASHINGTON, April 8.— (JP) —
Primary balloting tomorrow in Illi
nois and Nebraska may give the
country new clues to the 1940 presi
dential puzzle.
In Illinois, Thomas E. Dewey is
unopposed in the republican pri
mary, backers of a third term for the
President are challenged by the sup
porters of Vice President Garner.
In Nebraska it is the Roosevelt
slate which is unopposed; Dewey
forces there must see if they can re
Ipeat the victory they scored over
Senator Arthur Vandenberg of
Michigan in the Wisconsin primary
voting last week. '•-*— -* "
Want Big Totals
Therefore, Dewey men in Illinois
are concentrating on rolling up a
vote of a size sufficient to justify
their contention that Illinois is
drifting away from the democratic
party. Nebraska democrats, know
ing that the total of the votes cast
for the President will be set against
the combined Vandenberg-Dewey
ballots by those who seek to gauge
'he trend of politics winds, are equal
ly anxious to run up a big total of
Koosevelt ballots.
Capital politicians were inclined to
the belief that the quarrel within
the Illinois democratic state admin
istration would have little effect on
the presidential primary. Lieutenant
Governor John Stelle, "insurgent”
candidate for the gubernatorial nom
ination, proclaimed himself acting
governor because, he said, he desir
ed to relieve the ailing Governor
Henry Horner “of the duties which
he cannot perform.”
Horner, challenging this, issued a
statement that “I was elected gov
(I'ontinued on Page Two; Col. if)
PERMISSION GIVEN
FOR COASTAL FAIR
Sheriff Jones Will Act As
Judge Of Girl Shows,
Gambling Joints
—
The county commissioners yester
day granted Coastal Fairs, Inc., per
mission to stage an exposition here
in 1S40 but added an exception in
the contract regarding girl shows
and gambling joints.
The board provided that should
any gambling joint or strip-tease act
he introduced on the midway, it,
ahmg with the entire fair, will be
closed up.
V'. A. Peschau, secretary of
Coastal Fairs, Inc., told the board
that a committee from the Ameri
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 4)
j~WEATHER~ 1
FORECAST
x"nh Carolina: Partly cloudy and
s lightly cooler preceded by showers
!'! northeast and extreme east portion
Tuesday; Wednesday fair, slightly
warmer in west portion.
'Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday).
Temperature
a- m. 62; 7:30 a. m. 63; 1:30 p.
‘‘ ''C 7:30 p. m. GO; maximum 71;
nill,una 60; mean 66; normal 60.
0. Humidity
J a. m. 73; 7:30 a. m. 100; 1:30 p.
■ '2; 7:30 p. m. 77.
T Precipitation
a ui°. 1f0r 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m.,
■ inches; total since first of month.
U--J inches.
Tides For Today
Wiir High Low
'1 rillngion -10:55a 6:04a
. 11:14p 6:05p
■s°nboro Inlet _ 8:39a 2:40a
Knri . 8:51p 2:50p
I liil «rlie ^:4^a; sunset 6:39p; rnoon
| ' ,) ;da; moonset 8:30p.
ft l' 01ltinued on Pa^e Two; Lol. 4)
Questioned On Union Racket Charge
. (NBA Telephoto)
. Following charges by newspaper columnist Westbrook Pegler that
Miami’s Bartenders and Waiters Union “is a racket of the new Capone
inob,” State Attorney G. A. Worley summoned to his office, where
they are shown above, Danny Coughlin (left) A1 Capone’s Drother-in
law and caretaker of the Capone Miami estate; and A1 Berlin (right),
husiness agent of the union.
Destroyer Roe Arrives
For Three-Day Call Here
IS CLOSED TO PUBLIC
New Shi>>, Built In Charles
ton, Is Tied Up At
Southeastern Docks
Within 10 minutes of the sched
uled time, the U. S. S. Roe, the U.
S. navy’s newest destroyer, arrived
at the Southeastern Shipping Serv
ice docks here yesterday afternoon.
The desiroyer at first intended to
tie up at the customhouse wharf,
but a last-minute radio message
from naval headquarters in Wash
ington ordered it to dock elsewhere,
the main reason being that naval
authorities thought the facilities
were better at the Southeastern
wharf.
Closed To Public
And shortly after the ship ar
rived, a statement was issued by
Lieutenan t-Commander R. M.
Scruggs saying that the public
would not be allowed to go aboard
the destroyer.
“It’s not that we wouldn’t be glad
to have them,” he said, “but general
visitation on all navy ships has
been stopped since the war started.
“I’m sorry, but there is nothing
I can do about it. It’s navy orders,”
he said.
The officers and men were enter
tained with a dinner dance at the
Cape Fear Country club for the of
ficers and a dance at the Cape Fear
armory for the men.
The dance at the armory was
open to the public and the dinner
dance at the club was open to mem
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 4)
OLD RIVER ROAD
WORK ADVOCATED
Appeal For Improvements
Made To Powell By The
Chamber Of Commerce
Another appeal for improvements
of the old River road between Wil
mington and Southport was made to
A. F. Powell, Jr., district commis
sioner of the state highway and pub
lic works commission, in Whiteville,
yesterday by the chamber of com
merce here.
“The improvement of the highway
Is justified from industrial, agricul
tural and tourist viewpoint s,” the
letter from the trade body stated.
Recently $4,500,000 was appro
priated for road improvements in the
state, with a certain amount or
about one half of the total set asi.le
for recognized federal and state
i (Continued on Page Two; Col, 6)
Germany Is Rushing
Soldiers To Baltic
LONDON, April 9-—(Tuesday)
—(A5)—The Daily Mail's Amster
dam correspondent reports that
Germany is rushing troops to the
••Itic, adding that neutral ob
servers in Berlin saw troop
trains leaving the Stettiner sta
tion for the Baltic garrisons ot
Stralsund, Swinemuende and
Stettin.
STATE CAMPAIGN
BEGUN BY COOPER
Candidate Indicates Better
Education Will Be Key
note Of Campaign
Mayor Tom Cooper began his
state-wide sound truck tour yester
day from the New Hanover High
school, the largest in the state, which
was built when Cooper was chair
man of the New Hanover board of
education, after indicating that
more and better education will be
a keynote of his campaign for gov
ernor.
Just prior to beginning his tour,
Cooper conferred in front of the high
school with a number of educators
and people interested in education.
During the conference Cooper
discussed the need for a better pay
schedule for the teachers of North
Carolina, especially the need for
raising the ceiling of the present
pay schedule and regarding teachers
who improve their ability through
further training and through ser
vice.
He also discussed with them the
teed for a retirement fund for the
:eachers of the state, the best means
pf operating such a retirement fund
md legislation to make the teach
(Continued on Page Two; Coi. 6)
I-.— p
Nazi Planes
Bomb Scapa
Flow Station
British Claim Third Raid
Within Month Does Not
Damage Shipping
TWO PLANES DOWNED
Civilian Buried Under De
bris By Powerful Bomb
But Is Not Injured
LONDON, April 9 (Tuesday).—
UP)—German warplanes dropped in
cendiary and high explosive bombs
in their third raid within a month
last night on Britain’s Scapa Flow
naval base, the air ministry report
ed early today. At least two Ger
man planes were shot down, the
British said, and a third was be
lieved brought down before the at
tack ended.
The raid, which came while the
Allies stood fast in their defiant
mine-laying in Norwegian territorial
waters despite vigorous Norwegian
protests, resulted in no damage to
shipping, the British added.
Civilian Escapes Injury
A civilian was buried under the
debris caused by a high explosive
bomb, a communique added, but
suffered no injury beyond shock.
The statement issued by the air
ministry and the ministry of home
security said;
“During a raid on Scapa Flow
yesterday evening a number of in
cendiary and high explosive bombs
were dropped. No damage was
caused to warships or other ship
Ping.
"A civilian was buried under
debris by a high explosive bomb
but sustained no injury beyond
shock. There were no other casual
ties.
“Small fires were started in the
heather by the incendiary bombs
which fell on the moorland and the
roof of an outlying farmhouse was
damaged by the fire of high explo
sive bombs wliich fell near. No
other damage to property was
caused.
Planes Shot Down
“It is now known that two of the
enemy aircraft which took part in
the raid were shot down by the
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 4)
DYNAMITEBARGES
SEIZED ON DANUBE
Nazis Charge British With
Plot To Blow Up Nar
row River Gateway
BUCHAREST, April 8.—t-T)—De
tention of a fleet of dynamite-laden
British barges, charged by Germans
with being designed to blow up a
narrow Danube gateway and block
a German supply line, today electri
fied southeastern Europe with the
fear war soon might spread to this
quarter of the world.
Rumanian police, acting on a tip
saia to have been supplied by the
pro-Nazi Iron Guard, halted. the
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 4)
.Visits Here
JOHN P. BROOME
BROOME INSPECTS
HOUSING PROJECTS
Regional Director Of USHA
Satisfied With Progress
On Local Units
John P. Broome, director of the
United States Housing Authority’s
Region Four, of which Wilmington
is a part, paid a brief visit to Wil
mington yesterday and visited the
two local low-rent housing projects
under construction here.
Broome, who arrived in the early
afternoon from Kinston, which has
recently organized a housing au
thority, expressed satisfaction with
the progress of the two local proj
ects. He left for Charleston late in
the afternoon after conferring with
Dr. W. Houston Moore, chairman,
and H. R. Emory, executive direc
tor, of the local authority.
Upon his arrival in the city,
Broome conferred with Dr. Moore
and Emory. The two local officials
then escorted him to New Brook
lyn Homes, 246-unit negro develop
ment, where he conducted an in
spection under the guidance of Les
lie N. Boney, architect. Later the
party inspected construction work
at Charles T. Nesbitt Courts, 216
unit white porject, under the guid
ance of James B. Lynch, architect.
After the conference with
Broome, Emory said a rent sched
ule for New Brooklyn should be
ready for announcement within a
few days, after which tenant selec
tion will begin immediately.
Graf Spee Officers Are
Confined By Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, April S.——
All the officers of the scuttled Ger
man pocket battleship Admiral Grai
Spee were herded aboard the Argen
tine naval transport Pampa today
as a precaution shortly after dis
covery that at least eleven officers,
who have been “guests” of the Ar
gentine government since Decem
ber, had disappeared.
Last Saturday the government,
indignant over the escape of three
officers, ordered the remaining of
ficers and the higher ranking mem
bers of the crew confined to the
Martin Garcia naval base in the
river Plata, 80 miles from here.
The naval ministry announced the
officers, including Captain Walter
Kay, the German’s ranking officer,
had been removed from a naval ar
senal to the ship. Later they will
be taken to the. naval base.
COURT REFUSES TO REVIEW NLRB ORDER
AGAINST REPUBLIC STEEL CORPORATION
WASHINGTON, April 8.—
(AP)—The national labor rela
tions board won one of the big
gest victories of its history to
day when the supreme court re
fused to review a board order
directing the Republic Steel cor
poration to reinstate and pay
back wages to thousands of
participants in the bloody “lit
tle steel” strike of 1937.
The order was upheld last
Nov. 8 by the third circuit court
of appeals at Philadelphia and
thus the supreme court, in
turning down the company’s
petition for review today, per
mitted the order to stand.
Labor board officials said
that a plan was underway for
putting a staff of checkers in
the field within two weeks to
work on back pay claims of ap
proximately 9,000 men. Both the
labor board and the company
said that most of the former
employes affected by the re-in
statement order had already
been re-employed. Therefore, the
company added, today’s decision
will not “involve any serious
re-employment problem.”
The order against Republic,
tlie largest “reinstatement case”
ever decided by the board, said
that the corporation was guilty
of unfair labor practices and
ordered it to disestablish certain
“dominated” unions and to re
employ with back pay workers
declared to have been discharged
for union activity.
William F. Donovan, a district
director of the CIO’s Steel Work
ers Organizing Committee —
which called the strike in May,
1937, after Republic and other
independent steel producers had
refused to bargain with the union
—said at Cleveland that the
court’s order was “the greatest
victory ever achieved by organ
ized labor.” He predicted that
the company would “rna’A
peace” with the SWOC and that
the decision would lead to “100
per cent organization in all the
Republic plants.”
The corporation has pending
in federal district court at Cleve
land a suit for $7,500,000 in
damages against the CIO and
affiliates for extraordinary ex
penses it said it incurred during
the strike.
The court’s action today in
cluded refusal to hear a petition
by a group of unions of Repub
lic employes known as the “Cen
tral Council of Steel Plants” for
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 3J