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__WILMINGTON, N. C., WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1940 FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867
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Nazis ' . Raid On British Industrial Belt
Midlands Towns
Suffer \Another
Coventry9 Attack
- M ■■■■■-' ■ ■ —
BIRMINGHAM HIT
At Least Three German
Planes Reported Shot
Down During Assault
attack1n~waves
London Escapes Heavy
Damage As Ground Guns
Put Up Big Barrage
LONDON. Nov. 20. — (Wednesday)
p,_german bombers, attacking
n endless waves overnight, subject
,a two midlands towns to what ob
servers called “another Coventry”
and showered bombs on at least a
lozen oilier points in Britain’s great
industrial belt.
(German sources said the Nazis
nere dropping thousands of bombs
jf au caliber on armament and sup
ply centers of Birmingham,, large
British manufacturing city in the
midlands. The censor in London,
iowever, refused to permit identifi
■ation of any attacked town.)
Still In Progress
The raid, launched at nightfall,
Kill was in progress early today.
At least three German planes were
■eported shot down during the night
■aiding.
Apparently using “""uu -
signpost to point their way north
vest into the midlands, the first
nave of about 100 Nazi planes cross
id the southeast coast at dusk. Wave
ipon wave soon followed in the face
if a lashing anti-aircraft barrage.
London itself escaped with lighter
than-average bombing although the
firing of her defense guns was as
leavy as ever.
The night inxaders not only struck
it the midlands but also fanned out
iver a wider area, smashing at the
jig west coast port of Liverpool three
limes before midnight.
Raiders were reported over north
west and northeast England, Eas'
Anglia, southeast and northeast Scot
2nd and Wales.
Early reports of destruction in the
(Continued on Page Four, Col. 6)
BATTLESHIP FIRE
IS EXTINGUISH!
damage From Flames On
Half-Finished U. S.
Craft ‘Negligible’
CAMDEN. N. J... Nov. 19.—Wi
^ fire below decks of the half
(ompleted battleship South Dako
2-second on the 35,000-ton war
;hip since construction began tw<
(ears ago — was quickly extin
luished by workmen today ane
he New ork Shipbuilding com
?2ny said damage was “negligi
)le.”
(The fire was the third on i
partly-finished naval vessel in thi
L'nited States this week. Flame
at caused little damage brofc
Jlontinued on Page Four, Col. 4)
TERRIFIC ATTACK
Planes From • Bases In
France, Belgium, Holland
[Take Part In Raid
FIRES STARTED
Berlin Claims English De
fenses Ineffective Against
Formations
BERLIN, Nov. 20.—(Wednesday)
—(#■)—'The English midlands city
of Birmingham apparently suffer
ed the same fate as Coventry in
a heavy German bombing attack
last night, reliable informants
here said today.
Thousands of bombs of all cali
ber were dropped on the arma
ment and supply center* of the
British industrial city, it was
stated.
(Coventry, indusrial city near
Birmingham, was largely laid
waste in a terrific overnight at
tack last Thursday night and Fri
day morning. German sources
said at the time that similar at
tacks elsewhere could be ex
nortpd ^
Begins Early
The attack on Birmingham be
gan early last night, German sour
ces said, with planes winging from
bases in France, Belgium and the
Netherlands to strike in large
units as the weather steadily im
proved.
The German sources expressed
confidence of a highly successful
action against important targets
in the city.
More han 20 “large” fires were
visible after the first waves of
bombers passed over the city,
hese sources added.
The English defenses were said
to be ineffective and unable to
disturb or break up the large Ger
man formations.
London and other cities of the
southern counties also were at
tacked in the course of the night,
these sources deciared.
Informed quarters acknowledged
at the same time that British
bombers were over Germany, but
asserted that they had failed in
an attempt to attack Berlin itself,
having been “dispersed” and forc
ed to turn back short of the city.
LAWRENCE SPEAKS
AT BAPTIST MEET
Many Reports Are Present
ed At Annual Convention
In Charlotte
' CHARLOTTE, Nov. 19.—UP)—The
' approximately 1,500 clergymen and
laymen attending the 110th State
Baptist convention spent a bysy day
with reports and other business to
day and tonight heard an address by
1 Dr. J. B. Lawrence of Atlanta, Ga.,
: secretary of the Home Mission board.
> “We must make the religion of
■ Jesus triumphant at home if we
(Continued on Page Two)
I British Air Attacks Cut
Krupp W orks’ Production
19. — Iff) — The
gcampaign has cut
: the Krupp arma
'.y half, wrought a
u ion” of industry
mas many and so
ire r - titles that crops
ields : 1sred in German
oday nistry declared
,as . announcement
er-offe, n n aerial <fcun'
ence • thodical vio
1 daim - 1 -omPanied by
ifle-timo x 4!’ ’don Europa,
tossing " fr the Atlantic
quarely 10 'een bombed
Iretnen 1 ivi its dock at
Three se
actory ■ :l vast Krupp
'rermany —
have been knocked out of action,
said the ministry, and even tha1
part of the plant still in service
is short of supplies and raw mate
rials because of the widespread de
struction of railway junctions.
One “particularly heavy bomb,’’
the account went on, smashed
through to wreck a Krupp under
ground workshop. As a result, il
added, some departments had tc
be closed and others transferred
to other cities.
Supporting its claim to major
damage to Nazi industry general
ly, the ministry mentioned these
successes:
Four big buildings of the Un
ion Chemical factory on an island
at the jjunction of the Oder and
Moil rivers at Stettin smashed.
- vtfV- A -*■
' *
,<v
i #\^tion
• v
Of vommerce
Body Planned
Resolution Adopted A t
Meeting Of Members And
Interested Citizens
COMMITTEE IS NAMED
Group Will Receive Sug
gestions And Report At
Meeting In 30 Days
A movement seeking to promote
means of revitalizing the Wilming
ton Chamber of Commerce was
launched at a public meeting of the
trade body’s members and interested
citizens last night in the superior
courtroom.
The group passed a resolution for
the appointment of a committee,
composed of ten representative citi
zens, to consider plans for reorgan
izing the trade body, enlarging its
membership, increasing its revenue,
and passing on other appropriate
Committee Named
The resolution provided for the
appointment of the following com
mittee : C. B. Parmele, chairman;
Pat O’Crowley, J. G. Thornton, E.
A. Laney, W. D. McCaig, W. A. Fon
vielle, H. A. Marks, John Carter, E
B. Bugg, and Frederick Willetts.
The resolution requested that the
committee members hear sugges
tions from interested citizens, com
pile a formal report, and make spe
cific recommendations for revitaliz
ing the organization at another pub
lic meeting to be called by the com
mittee within 30 days.
The resolution follows: “Resolved,
that it is the sense of this meeting
that the Wilmington Chamber of
Commerce should be revitalized in or
der to better take advantage of the
opportunities presented for the de
velopment of Wilmington, its
beaches, and trading territory.
“And to that end, a committee
consisting of the following be and is
hereby appointed by this meeting to
formulate plans for the reorganiza
tion of the Chamber of Commerce,
(Continued on I*age Two)
NATIONALIST BODY
OUSTED BY SWISS
Government Orders Disso
lution Of Group Known
As ‘National Movement’
BERN, Switzerland, Nv. 19.—UB
—The Swiss government tonight
ordered the dissolution of the^ to
talitarian group known as the “Na
tional Movement.”
This was the government’s an
swer to the movement’s “request’
for recognition as “standard bear
er of new political and social
ideas.” _
Der Bund of Bern, an organ
which frequently expresses the
(Continued on Page Four, Col. 5)
WEATHER
forecast
NrthoaCrUy0linc?oudUrinlethealiSferior
Wednesday, with
gSE? s^rwL^ltion^
west and north portion Wednesday.
(By U. S. Weather Bureau)
(Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday).
Temperature
1-qo a m. 43; 7:30 a. m. 43; 1:30 P.
m1 64 - 7:30 p. m. 57; maximum 64;
minimum 41; mean 52; normal 55.
Humidity
1-30 a. m. 86; 7:30 a. m. «; 1:30 p.
m. 58; 7:30 p. m. 75.
Precipitation
Total for 24 hours.ending 7:30 p. m.,
none; total since first of the month,
1.55 inches.
Tides For Today
High Low
Wilmington - 0J7a 7H8a
Masonboro Inlet-10:54a 4:51a
11:28p 5:35p
Sunrise 6:50a; sunset 5:06p; moon
rise 10:16p; moonset 11:12a.
Cape Fear river stage at Fay
etteville, N. C., at 8 a. m., Novem
ber 18, 18.4 feet.
(Continued on Page Six; Col. 5)
-—— ■---1
Jaycees To Press Drive
To SecureNames Asking
City Manager Plan V ote
Members of the Junior Cham
ber of Commerce at a meeting at
the Tide Water assembly hail
last night made plans for an in
tensive drive this week to secure
the number of names necessary *
on a petition to call a vote on
the proposed city manager form
of government for Wilmington.
Approximately 800 more names
are needed on the petition before
it can be submitted to the county
board of elections.
Tonight, Thursday and Friday
nights members of the Jaycees
will make a house-t,:-house can
vass in the different wards in an
effort to secure enough signa
tures on the petition fhit week.
In addition anyone wishing to
ask for a vote on the proposal
may sign a petition at the Jay
cees headquarters on Princess
street during the day and at
night until 10 o’clock.
Following the canvass a meet
ing will be held the latter part
of the week to check on results
of the campaign to date.
The petition being circulated
by the Jaycees is as follows:
To the County Board of Elec
tions of New Hanover County:
We, the undersigned qualified
voters of the City of Wilming
ton, respectfully petition your
honorable body to cause to be
submitted to a vote of the voters
of the City of Wilmington, the
following question:
“Shall the City of Wilmington
adopt the form of government
defined as plan ‘D,’ as it is de
sired by petitioners and consist
ing of a mayor, city council of
five members elected at large,
and a city manager, according
to the provisions of the chapter.
Municipal Corporations, in the
Consolidated Statutes, articles
nineteen to twenty-three, inclu
sive, or remain under the" pres
ent form of government?”
John Lewis Kaps vrreen;
F. R. Renews Peace Call
- * -
vvtmn nn a mm »V A AV I . _ . _ . _ _ ^ __ ___
mi a rLAtt rLA«
Meet Recommends CIO
Continue Present Policy
[Toward Labor Unity
ATLANTIC CIT, N. J., Nov. 19.
—(£)—A tumultous session of CIO’s
annual convention, whipped into a
cheering frenzy during a bitter at
tack by John L. Lewis against
William Green and the AFL lead
ership, served notice late today
that there would be no immediate
peace overtures to the rival labor
camp.
In a fighting angry mood, with
the cheers of the packed conven
tion hall sometimes drowning out
his words, Lewis blasted a pro
posal by Sidney Hillman’s clothing
workers’ unionfo r immediate con
ferences to explore labor peace
possibilities
11 WOU1U UC a. waaic ui txiixc,
he declared, "to raise the hopes
of the millions of people in this
country by making it appear that
there is any possibility of peace.”
When Lews finished, the con
vention adopted a recommendation
that CIO continue its present pol
icy toward labor unity. This in
cludes the maintenance of a stand
ing committee for any conferences,
and continuance of CIO’s plan for
organizing mass production work
ers into one union for each indus
try.
Frank Rosenblum of the amalga
mated clothing workers told the
delegates earlier in the session
that he was not satisfied with the
progress CIO had made in the past
year, and added:
"We want to explore the possi
bilities for peace and if we can
get peace, we want it.”
Warms Up
Lewis warmed up to his speech
by recalling -that David Dubinsky,
of the International Ladies’ Gar
ment Workers’ union, one of the
founders of the CIO, had left to
go back into the AFL fold.
“Where is Dubinsky today?”
said Lewis. “He is crying aloud
ganization. ..
mated, and they say: ‘Peace. Ain’t
now for the AFL to abandon the
(Continued on Page Four, Col. 5)
ArrtAL AINdWLKfcU
AFL Asked To Favor Legis
lation to Outlaw Reds As
Political Party
By JAMES MARLOW
NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 19.—UP)—
President Roosevelt today called
upon labor’s leaders “■with the inter
est of the nation at heart” to find
a peaceful solution of the problems
dividing their followers into opposing
camps.
AFL President William Green sent
immediate assurance to the execu
tive that the American Federation ot
Labor was willing “anywhere, anj
time, any place,” to discuss negotia
tion with the Congress of Industrial
Organizations now in convention at
Atlantic City.
“Country Above AI1”
“We as a people today have tht
common determination to put oui
country above all else,” the president
said in a letter to Green read at
the AFL convention here.
There was no indication here that
a similar message had been sent tc
the CIO.
Before the President s message
was read a resolution was introduced
asking the AFL to favor legislatior
to outlaw the communists as a poll
tical party.
Another resolution aske d tha
Green’s salary be raised from $12,
000 to $25,000 as AFL head, the same
sum paid John L. Lewis, head of the
CIO, by the United Mineworkers.
Urges Unity
Emphasizing the need for nationa
unity in any "emergency which
might be forced upon us,” President
Roosevelt said:
“Among the things which laboi
will contribute, I venture to suggest
is an unselfish, a far sighted and s
patriotic effort to bring about a just
and an honorable peace within the
now divided labor movement.
"Labor leaders with the interest
of the nation at heart and the ad
vantage of their followers in mind
can, I am sure, find the way tc
reach such peace.”
City Plans To Present
Request For Truck Lane
The city commissioners made plans
yesterday to appear before the state
highway and public works commis
sion in Raleigh December 11 to re
quest that Wilmington be given a
truck route for oil and gasoline
transportation around the city.
Mayor Thomas E. Cooper, who re
quested the hearing will head the
delegation, which will include W.
Louis Fisher, commissioner of fi
nance, James E. L- Wade, commis
sioner of public works, W. B. Camp
bell, city attorney, and Alan A. Mar
shall, assistant city attorney.
Present route for truck is down
Third street and the city commis
sions have offered a proposed route
that would take the trucks away
from the business district.
Highway commission officials in
Raleigh said that the proposed re
routing would necessitate about two
miles of paving and would cost “sev
eral thousand dollars.”
Representatives of the city re
cently had a “very satisfactory” con
ference with A. F. Powell, of White
ville, district highway commissioner,
relative to the construction of a
truck lane around the city. At that
time, Powell suggested that the city
commissioners appear before the He
cember meeting of the state highway
and public works commission anc
present their request.
U. S. Studies
Greece’s Call
For Airplanes
Difficult Problems Stand
In Way Of Meeting Greeks’
Call For Help
TIME ELEMENT VITAL
Athens Says Friends Should
Not Be Mislead By Sue
cesses thus rar
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.—Ufl—In
response to an urgent appeal from
Greece, the United States tonight
took under consideration the ques
tion of supplying planes and other
war material to that hard-fighting
Balkan country.
Difficult problems stood in the
way of meeting the Greek request,
however. Foremost among these
was the question whether military
material could be spared, without
reducing the amount being fur
nished to Greece’s ally, Great Brit
ain.
The time element also was im
portant in view of a widely held
belief here that Germany was pre
paring to move down the Balkan
peninsula to relieve the difficul
ties of her Axis partner, Italy.
Sumner Welles, acting secretary
of State, announced Greece’s ap
peal for aid, which he said was
made both through the American
legation in Athens and through the
Greek minister in Washington.
Greece asked, he said, for the
opportunity to purchase certain
aviation material and munitions in
this country.
He told the Greek minister, Cim
on Diamantopoulos, that the re
quest was received with the mos
sympathetic response on the part
of the government, Welles said,
but that it was a question that
would have o be determined by
other branches of the government.
It was referred immediately to
these authorities for their decision,
Wlls said.
Greece has been a small pur
chaser of arms in the United
States, obtaining only $85,000 worth
of bombs and similar explosives so
far this year.
The application of the neutrality
act last week to the Greek-Italian
conflict put Greek urchases here
on a “cash and carry” basis.
In addition to other questions
there was the problem of deliver
ing supplies to Greece. Although
that country has merchant ships
which might be used to transport
the supplies, Great Britain pre
sumably would have to furnish the
naval vessels for convoy across
the Atlantic and through the Medi
terranean.
The whole problem thus was re
garded largely as one for British
authorities to work out in connec
tion with their own purchasing pro
gram here. 1
APPEALS TO FRIENDS
ATHENS, Nov. 19.—(«—Greece
appealed today to her Allies and
friends among the “free countries”
(Continued on Page Four, Col. 7)
War
Interpretive
By KIRKE b. SIMPSON
The inclusion of King Boris of
Bulgaria in Hitler’s current con
ferences with European and Rus
sian statesmen may indicate thal
a new military stroke is in prep
aration.
A German marcV. through Bul
garia to Italy’s aid in Greece could
very quickly reverse the astound
ing spectacle of Italian frustration.
However, it would oper a two-way
war corridor across Bulgaria, and
no doubt Britain would take im
mediate advantage of it.
Would Expose Oil
Bulgarian entry into the war,
actively or passively, would ex
pose Germany’s most vital war
resource, Rumanian oil, to instant
British air attack because the Brit
ish then would be free to fly across
Bulgaria from their bases in
Greece. And the one obvious and
understandable element in Hitler’s
policy on the Balkan front from
(Continued on Page Six; Col. 4)
Elected President
DR. JOHN R. CUNNINGHAM
DR. CUNNINGHAM
HEADS DAVIDSON
Pastor Of Winston-Salem
Presbyterian Church Is
Elected President
DAVIDSON. Nov. 19.—W—Dr.
John Rood Cunnngham, 49-year
old Pastor of the First Presby
terian church of Winston-Salem,
was elected president of Davidson
college today to succeed Dr. W. L.
Lingle, resigned.
Dr. Lingle, who became presi
dent of the college in 1929, ten
dered his resignation in June, 1939,
to become effective in Maythis
year but agreed to continue in the
offce until a successor had been
chosen.
Announcement of Dr. Cunning
ham’s election was made by Dr.
J. McDowell Richardy, of Decatur,
Ga., chairman of the board of
trustees, after a called meeting
to hear the report of a nominating
committee headed by J. Archie
Cannon of Concord.
Dr. Richards said that Dr. Cun
ningham would be notified offi
cially sometime in the near future
and that the nomnating commit
tee would contnue to function un
til Dr. Cuningham’s decisio was
received by the trustees.
“If he accepts”, said Dr. Rich
ards, “we presume that the date
of his takig office will be de
termined by conferences with Dr.
mittee”. He added that he thought
it would be around February, 1,
1941, when the second term of the
current school year begins.
Dr. Cunningham is a native of
Williamsboro, Mo. He received his
Bachelor of Arts degree from
Westminster college, Fulton, Mo.,
and was trained for the ministry
at the Louisville (Ky.) Presby
terian Theological Saminary. He
holds the honorary degrees of Doc
tor of Divinity from Westminster
and Doctor of Laws frm King
colleee Bristol. Tenn.
He was ordained a minister in
1917 and has held pastorates in
Grenada, Miss., Gainesville, Fla.,
Priesitolo, Tenn., and Winston-Sale
where he took over his present
post in 1936.
From 1930 to 1936 Dr. Cunning
ham was president of the Louis
ville Seminary. 5
DAVIS RESIGNS
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.— (JP) —
President Roosevelt announced to
day the resignation of Joseph E.
Davies as special assistant to the
secretary of state and his selection
as chairman of the committee in
charge of the President's third-term
inaugural ceremonies.
Step Is Seen
As New Drive
Upon Britain
German Force Of 300,000
In Rumania Seen As Pos
sible Guide To Trend
NEW DIPLOMATIC WAR
German-Bulgarian Drive
Into Greece May Be ‘Ef
fected At Any Hour*
BUDAPEST, Hungary, Nov. 19.—
UP)—German and Italian diplomacy,
which axis spokesmen call “a form
of war,” appeared tonight to be di
rected toward a new agreement
among Hungary, Rumania and Bul
garia as a prelude to a fresh cam
paign against the British empire.
The German army in Rumania, es
timated by conservative neutral ob
servers at more than 300,000 and
possibly 500,000 men, is a possible
Italian sources in Rome asserted
that Bulgaria and Rumania would
join in forthcoming war moves of
Germany and Italy and that Spain’s
decision would become known after
Spanish Foreign Minister Serrano
Suner. fresh from conversations yes
terday with Reichsfuehrer Hitler,
reached Madrid.
May Seek Acceptance
A Rome dispatch said that L’Av
venire, Italian newspaper, gave red.
ence to a Belgrade report that So
viet Russia would seek to gain Turk
ish acceptance of the axis plan for
southeastern Europe.
Bulgaria’s reward for cooperation
would be an outlet to the Aegean,
through Greece, while Spain would
give Gibraltar and perhaps more of
Morocco — this was the hypothesis
generally agreed upon by observers
in Rome and elsewhere.
A Rome dispatch said diplomatic
circles believed Germany would seek
Spain’s permission to occupy the
west coast of Morocco to complete
the western Mediterranean jaw of
the “vise" with which the axis
would try to squeeze the British.
Tied In with these were the as
sertions of diplomatic sources at
Bern, Switzerland, that a German
Bulgarian drive into Greece toward
the Aegean “may be effected at any
hour.”
Greeks Take Steps
A Greek spokesman at Bern de
clared that the Greek high command
had taken all necessary steps to meet
such an attack. Foreign military
observe.VS believed, however, that
Greece would need Turkish aid.
Of the bare facts, there were fore
most:
Disclosure that King Boris of Bul
garia secretly interviewed Adolf Hit
ler last Sunday;
Announcement that Hungary’s
premier and foreign minister, Counts
Teleky and Csaky, would see the
axis foreign ministers, Joachim von
Ribbentrop and Count Galeazzo Cl
ano. at Vienna tomorrow, and
Announcement that Rumania's
premier, General Ion Antonescu,
would folio wup Rome conferences
with a trip to Germany on Friday.
Only Yugoslavia seemed to have
been left out of the axis’ current con
ference diplomacy but this Balkan
kingdom already had pledged eco
nomic and political cooperation.
___ 1
NO COMMENT
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.— (-S’) —
President Roosevelt sad today he
had no comment on the post-election
speech in which Wendell L. Willkie
called upon his supporters for "loyal
opposition” to the administration.
House Votes, 191 To 148,
Against Ending Session
BY RICHARD L. TURNER
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19.—(A>)—
The house refused to end this ses
sion of congress today, voicing by
a 191 to 148 vote a feeling that so
long as the foreign crisis continues
congress should stay on the job.
By its action it upset the plans
of democratic leaders, who,
brought up the adjournment reso
lution. The leaders thus were pre
sented with an outright defeat on
the first test 0f their strength since
the election of two weeks ago.
Their reverse was caused by the
defection of 44 democrats. These,
including particularly democrats
from the West, combined their
votes with those of a solid republi
can minority to block the adjourn
ment move.
President Roosevelt told report
ers, in response to questions, that
the vdte against adjournment did
not make any difference to him.
He has stated that the question
was one for congress to decide.
Asked whether he would "find
something for congress to do," he
replied merely that more Army
and- Navy -promotions were coming
along all the time. No additional
defense measures are in prospect,
he added.
A sigificant result of the vote
was that the senate, too, was held
■in cession to face the issue of ap
proving, rejecting or laying aside
the highly controversial Walter-Lo
gan bill. Under the constitution,
(Continued on Page Six; Col. I).