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YQLJ4.—NO. 110.---WILMINGTON, N. C., WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 1941_;_FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867~
Is Empowered
To Take Over
Any Factories f
Knudsen, Hillman, Stimson
And Knox Will Serve As
Members Of Office
TO PUSH PRODUCTION
Members Of Body Stress
Urgency Of Defense Prob
lem, Ask Cooperation
By RICHARD L. TURNER
WASHINGTON, Jan. 7.—UR—To
hasten tho production of war ma
terials for both the United States
and Great Britain, President
Roosevelt today formally establish
ed the new four-man "office of
production management" with
broad authority, including the pow
er to take over any industrial
plants considered non-cooperative.
As working heads of the new
agency, he appointed William S.
Knudsen, former president of Gen
eral Motors, and Sidney Hillman,
CIO vice presiden. Both were mem
bers of the old advisory defense
commission. Knudsen will be di- L
rector general and Hillman asso- '
ciate director general and they I
will act, Mr. Roosevelt said, as a J
team or partnership in wielding ,
the tremendous powers at their dis
posal. Secretaries Stimson and
Knox of the war and navy depart
ments, respectively, are members
ex-officio.
(The President had announced
last month that he intended to set /
up the new agency, but his execu
tive orders issued today gave hith
erto undisclosed details of the
agency’sauthority.
Explains His Orders
After Mr. Roosevelt had explain- /
ed his orders at his regular Tues
day press conference a reporter
asked: “Mr. Roosevelt why is it
that you do not want to appoint a
single responsible head for the de
fense program?”
The inquiry pointedly recalled,
recent charges that the defense
program was bogging down for the
lack of a single responsible admin
istrator.
The President, in obviously good
spirits, anyway, laughingly an
swered that he had appointed a ‘
single head. The name of the new
official, he said, was Knudsen Hill
man. The two were in absolute
agreement, he added, as to what
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 7) i j
REPORT ON HOME
GUARD IS FILED
-! . ' i
Defense Council Committee
Files Recommendations
With Chairman j
The Home Guard committee of
the Wilmington Defense Council
yesterday recommended to Mayor
Thomas E. Cooper that the Wil
mington Light Infantry be given
priority in the forming of a Home
Guard here and that Capt. James
B. Lynch be named the captain of
the unit.
A meeting of the committee, ap
pointed recently when Mayor Coop,
er named the Defense Council, was
held Monday afternoon in the of
fice of Wilbur R. Dosher, chair
man. Those attending were Dosh
er, J. B. Edwards, Leo Sykes rep
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 8)
^ ^ A A A A A AAA AAA
Deems Murray Is Arj sted On Murder Charge Here
Charged With
Killing Kelly
With Truck
Coroner’s Jury Had Return
ed ‘Accidental’ Death
Verdict Month Ago
EVIDENCE IS OBTAINED
Sinclair Says Witnesses
Claim Defendant Ran
Over Kelly In Street
A death, termed “accidental” a
month ago by a coroner’s jury,
last night had developed into a
case of murder against J. Deems
Murray, of 924 N. Fourth street,
as the city plainclothes squad said
it had uncovered startling evidence
of foul play.
Murray, a 50-year-old truck
driver, was arrested late yester
day afternoon and charged with
the slaying of James A. Kelly, 69,
a night watchman and former
deputy sheriff of 111 Walnut street,
on December 7, District Solicitor
David Sinclair said.
Evidence Secured
The solicitor said the officers
had secured evidence that Kelly
was shoved away from the side of
a truck by Murray who then inten
tionally ran over him in the street.
No motive for the slaying was
revealed by Solicitor Sinclair but
officers said it “involved a case
of jealousy.”
Murray was being held without
bond in New Hanover county jail
last night pending further investi
gation by the city detectives.
Body Found Dec. 7
The crumpled, battered body of
Kelly was found about 6 o’clock
on Saturday evening, December 7,
at the intersection of Fourth and
Nixon streets by a police patrol
car, responding to a wreck call,
police said.
His ribs badly fractured and one
of his lungs punctured, Kelly was
i
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 6)
BRITISH USE U. S.
PLANES IN LIBYA
American-Made Craft Do
‘Exceptionally Good Work’
In African Drive
CAIRO, Egypt, Jan. 7.— (£)—
American planes made their first
appearance with the British Near
Eastern forces in the present of
fensive in Libya and have done
“exceptionally good work,” a
Royal Air Force official disclosed
tonight.
The first to go into service here
were Martin bombers. While only
small numbers are being used so
far, observers said they seen?
adapted to the desert air warfare,
which offers many special prob
lems, such as navigating in sand
storms and screening sand out of
the mechanism.
The current arrivals of Ameri
can aircraft in Egypt were de
scribed as a “trickle,” which air
officials said they hoped would
grow steadily.
Air chiefs here are highly satis
fied with the RAF’s performance,
I (Continued on Page Five; Col. 6)
I ! Will Be Speaker
OTIS M. MULL
MULL IS ASSURED
OF SPEAKERSHIP
George Ussell, His Oppon
ent, Nominates Him At
Democratic Caucus
RALEIGH, Jan. 7.—GF>—O. M.
M. Mull of Cleveland county to
night was assured of election as
speaker of the house when his op
ponent for the office, George Uz
zell of Rowan, nominated him im
mediately after the democrats had
been called to order for their cau
cus.
iOn Uzzell’s motion, the nomina
tion of Mull, 60-year-old lawyer,
farmer and textile mill operator of
Shelby, was made unanimous.
He will be elected when the
house convenes at noon tomorrow.
This will be his fifth term as Cleve
land county representative. He
came to the house first in 1907
and returned in 1919, 1929, and
fifth term, had indicated up to the
\ time of the caucus that he would
not withdraw from the race. He
has claimed support by 61 house
members—57 votes were necessary
for nomination—and Mull had said
he had about 100 votes.
Democrats of both houses cau
cused tonight—the first actual
grinding of the 1941 legislative ma
chinery.
The republicans, with but six
members in the house and two in
the senate, did not hold caucuses.
Senate democrats nominated
Senator John D. Larkins, Jr., of
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 2)
BUS1NESSJRADE
BODIES TO MERGE
Better Business Club De
cides To Join The Cham
ber Of Commerce
TIip membership of the "Wilming
ton Better Business club last night
'oted to merge with the Chambei
°t Commerce, which is now under
goino revision in order to revita
lize it.
Tf>e club accepted the invitation ol
Kari'iss Xewman, chairman of th<
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 6)
I Southeastern N. C. Shows
60,059 Population Gain
The ten counties of Southeastern
North Carolina have a combined
Population of 396,887—a gain of 60,
over the 1930 population of 336,
^-3. according to an official release
yesterday from the Bureau of Cen
su® in Washington.
Cumberland county had the largest
increase over the past decade, a
|ain in population of 31.2 per cent.
runswick county had the lowest
Sain, 8.3 per cen^_
in the population of cities, Wil
wirigton showed a 1940 population
of 34,407 as compared to 32,270 in
J30—a gain of 3.6 per cent. For
’’K' Preceding decade of 1920-1930
Islington had a population de
'■ease ot 3,3 per cent.
County populations for 1940 were
as follow*;
Bladen—27,156, as compared to
22,389 in 1930—a gain of 4,767 dur
ing the 10-year period. The increase
was 21.3 per cent as compared to
13.1 per cent for the preceding
decade.
Brunswick—17,125, as compared
to 15,818 in 1930 or a gain of 1,307.
The increase was 8.3 per cent as
compared to 6.3 per cent for the
1920-30 era.
Columbus—45,663, as compared to
37,720 in 1930 or a gain of 7,943.
The increase was 21.1 per cent as
compared to an increase of 25.2 per
cent for the preceding decade.
Cumberland—59,320, as compared
to 45,219 in 1930 or a gain of 14,101.
The per cent of increase was 31.
(Continued on Page Three; CQl. 5)
WILLIAM C. BULLITT
bullitt Speaks
AT CHAPEL HILL
Says U. S. Must Give Demo
cracies AH The War Ma
terials They Need
- i
CHAPEL HILL, Jan. 7.—UP)—Wil
liam C. Bullitt, former American am- 1
bassador to France, declared tonight j
“we know that the surest way to de
feat the axis powers is for us to go '
to war in support of Great Britain,
Greece and China” but that the
American people “at this moment”
prefer to take the risk of a totalita
rian victory '‘rather than go to war.”
To diminish that risk, Bullitt told
the international relations club of
the University of North Carolina, the
United States must give those na
tions “what they need—not what we
think w'e can comfortably spare.”
He listed “merchant ships, war ves
sels, airplanes, . guns, munitions,
steel, wheat—all that we give will be
used in defense of our own se
curity.”
In his first speech since he re
signed from government service,
Bullitt declared:
“We hate war and because of that
hatred the question of entering this
war as a national policy does not ,
even arise.
"we Know mat ue suicoi ^
defeat the axis powers is for us to
go to war in support of Great Brit
ain, Greece and China, but we hate
war so much that we prefer to take
a chance on the ability of the Brit
ish, the Greeks and the Chinese to
defeat the dictator powers without
direct military assistance from us.
“We know what the consequences
of totalitarian victory would be for
us, and we are taking this risk with
our eyes open.
“Unquestionably, the people of the
United States at this moment pre
fer to take this risk rather than go
to war.”
Bullitt, who more than two months
ago advocated that arms production
be put on a “war-time basis,” said
that aiding Britain, Greece and
China involved slight danger of war.
"It is so greatly to the advantage
of the totalitarian states to have us
stay out of war while they are at
tempting to conquer Great Britain,
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 2)
WEATHER
FORECAST
North Carolina, South Carolina and
Georgia: Partly cloudy with slowly
rising temperature Wednesday and
Thursday.
(By TJ. S. Weather Bureau)
(Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday.)
Temperature
1:30 a. m. 32; 7:30 a. m. 30; 1:30 p. m.
45; 7:30 p. m. 37; maximum 46; mini
mum 29; mean 38; normal 47.
Humidity
1:30 a. m. 48: 7:30 a. m. 57; 1:30 p. m.
42: 7:30 p. m. 50.
Precipitation
Total for 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m.
0 00 inches. Total since first of the
month 0.77 inches.
Tides For Today
(From Tide Tables published by U. S.
Coast and Geodetic Survey.)
High Low
Wilmington- 5:47a 12:35a
Masonboro Inlet- 3:36a ^SSa
Sunrise 7:19a; sunset 5:19p; moonrise
1:46p; moonset 2:45a.
Cape Fear river stage at Fayette
ville on January 7, at 8 a. m„ 13
feet.
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 2)
British Take*
Army Airport
Near Tobruk
Troops Seize 40 Italian
Planes Grounded As Re
sult Of RAF Action
DEFENSES ARE TESTED
British Reveal Three Black
shirt Commanders De
serted Men At Bardia
CAIRO, Egypt, Jan. 7.— Wl —
Advanced forces of the British
army were declared officially to
day to have thrust almost 70 miles
rvwuv KJJ. 1U11CU uaiura IVJ uv-v. UJJJ Uiv.
military airport serving Tobruk,
he main Italian base in Libya, and
seized 40 fascist planes grounded
here by RAF action.
Some of the fast motorized unite
ised thus far so successfully in
his desert offensive were report
:d almost at Tobruk’e gates, dart
ng in here and there to test the
norts outer defenses.
Operations Satisfactory
The British command itself put
he situation in a sentence:
“Operations toward Tobruk are
iroceeding satisfactorily.”
Tonight British general head
luarters asserted that three black
ihirt (political militia) command
:rs deserted their troops during
he unsuccessful Italian defense ol
Bardia, thus leaving "the regular
army) commanders to fight on.”
No details were given.
Nothing was said officially here
ibout the total number of Italian
;roops now put out of action, but
official quarters in London esti
mated that 94,000 had been ren
iered “ineffective”—70,000 prison
ers plus the dead, wounded and i
missing.
vumiuaiiu Ait
In announcing that the Tobruk
airport—at El Adem, some 15 miles
:o the south of Tobruk itself—had
oeen abandoned and fell without a
struggle, the British thus indirect
ly laid claim to an effective com
mand of the air at least along the
sntire 70 miles of coastal area
Erom Bardia.
The approaches to Tobruk’s har
oor were declared cut off by Brit
ish warships; the coastal road in
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 3)
ITALYDETERMINED
TO STAY IN WAR
Editor Gayda Says Nation
Intends To Fight On
As Axis Partner
ROME Jan. 7.—(IB—Italy let it
be known today that, in spite of
her defeat at Bardia and President
Roosevelt’s plan for increased
United States aid to Britain, she
intends to fight on to the finish
as an Axis partner.
“However gigantic the British
empire’s resources appear on pa
per and the promises which the
United States brings alongside
them, the Axis’ means are more
immediately and more powerfully
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 3)
Senator Rowe Off to Legislative Wars
State Senator Roy Rowe, of Burgaw, representing the district comprised by New Hanover and Pender
counties, is shown climbing into the cabin of a local airplane at Bluethenthal Airport for a flight to Ra
leigh for the opening of the North Carolina State leg islature today. Senator Rowe is an ardent amateur
pilot and uses air travel whenever possible in his bu siness. He arrived in Raleigh yesterday afternoon.
Also shown in the picture is James Pennington, of the airport.
Bank Service Planned At Holly Ridge;
70 Officers Are Ordered To Camp Davis
- ¥_* --
PERMISSION IS ASKED
Low Temperature Retards
Pouring Of Concrete At
New Firing Center
Gurney P. Hood, state commis
sioner of banks, announced in Ra
leigh yesterday that the Wacca
maw Bank and Trust company had
applied for permission to establish
a teller’s window branch at Holly
Ridge, where Camp Davis, an anti
aircraft firing center, is being con
structed, according to an Associat
ed Press dispatch.
In its request the tfenk stated
that 3,000 men are at work at the
camp now and that it is estimated
that 6,000 men will be employed
within the next three weeks.
The daily payroll is expected to
be approximately $30,000.
Work Continues
Meanwhile, work went ahead
steadily at Camp Davis yesterday,
with a strong wind helping con
siderably to dry out the land,
made muddy by rains last week.
The low temperatures, however,
delayed the pouring of concrete on
several buildings and the con
tractors do not expect to pour any
concrete in a great quanity until
the temperature rises.
With water pouring in where
workmen were digging foundations
for several buildings, it became
necessary yesterday to install
pumps to keep the water pumped
out as fast as it flows in. Due to
the bogginess of the upper side of
the camp site it was also neces
sary to build a special road for
the hauling of materials and sup
plies.
Further developments yesterday
included the setting up of a saw
shop for the cutting and re-fabri
cating of raw lumber being hauled
here. The shop, 126 by 244 feet,
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 5)
Bulgaria Looks To Reds
For War Or Peace Answer
SOFIA, Jan. 7.—(iP)—Bulgaria
looked to Russia again tonight for
in answer to whether German troops
massed along the northern frontier
mean war or peace.
Premier Bogdan Philoff’s return
Erom a “health trip” to Vienna shed
no official light on the situation.
He hurried from the station to his
office without commenting on the
threatened Nazi march across his
country toward Greece and the
Dardanelles.
Informed quarters, however, be
lieved reluctance of both Russia and
Germany to antagonize each other
it the expense of their “mutual
tolerance” would bring about a
stalemate in the situation, as it did
last fall when Bulgaria was able
to resist Berlin demands for adher
ence to the Axis’s Balkan bloc. |
Thus reports from German sources
in Belgrade that Russia had con
sented to a passage of Nazi troops
across Bulgaria in exchange for a
free hand in Finland ahd Moldavia
were regarded as a “trial balloon.’’
“If there were ten per cent of
truth in all the rumors abroad about
Bulgaria, there would be none of the
tranquillity you see all around,’’ a
high government source remarked.
Nevertheless, Germans continued
to mass forces in Rumania along
the Danube frontier with Bulgaria.
Rumanians were said to have been
instructed to establish gasoline de
pots throughout the country by
February 1, an order characteristic
of German thoroughness.
Trainloads of collapsible barracks.
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 3)
SOME TO REPORT SOOh
13 Will Arrive After Com
pleting Tours In Philip
pine Department
The War department in Washing
ton yesterday assigned 70 officers
to Camp Davis, anti-aircraft firing
center being developed at Holl>
Ridge, with 56 of the group being
ordered to report about February £
and 13 upon completion of their pres
ent tours of duty in the Philippine
department.
Among the 56, drawn from various
stations, were Lieutenant Colonels
Robert T. Chaplin, James C. Rut
son, Ernest R. Barrows and George
W. Dunn, Jr.; four majors, 2£
captains, six first lieutenants and
14 second lieutenants. The group be
ing transferred from the Philippine
department, included Lieutenant
Colonels John B. Martin and Louis
H. Thompson, Major Harold W.
Smith, two captains and eight first
lieutenants.
Lieutenant Colonel Ferdinand F
Gallagher was ordered to report at
Camp Davis on January 21.
In addition to the officers m.rned
above, Army orders issued yester
day also included:
MAJORS
John M. England, CAC, Fori
Hancock, to Camp Davis.
John E. Adkins, Jr., CAC, Fori
Barrancas, to Camp Davis.
Clem O. Gunn, CAC, Fort Bar
rancas, to Camp Davis.
Melton A. Hatch, CAC, Fort Tot
ten, to Camp'Davis.
Harold W. Smith, CAC, Philip
pine Dept., to Camp Davis.
CAPTAINS
Clair McK. Conzelman, CAC
Philippine Dept., to Camp Davis
Lewis S. Kirkpatrick, CAC
Philippine Dept., to Camp Davis
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 3)
Brown Praises Naming
Of Camp For Gen. Davis
RALEIGH, Jan. 7.— (/P> —Col.
Thomas W. Brown, head of the
N. C. State College Military De
partment, today praised the ac
tion of the War department in
naming the Holly Ridge anti
aircraft firing base for the late
Brigadier General Richmond E.
Davis, a native of North Caro
lina.
General Davis was commander
of Colonel Brown’s brigade in
Hawaii in 1923-25, and Colonel
Brown was under his command
at Fort Lawton, Seattle, Wash.,
in 1927-28.
Colonel Brown described Gen
eral Davis as “a good soldier”
and a “brilliant, master mathe
matician.” Naming of the base
for him, the colonel said, was a
"just tribute to a great North
Carolinian and a great Amer
ican.”
CAPITAL PREPARES
FOR INAUGURATION
Broughton And Other State
Officials Will Be Sworn
In Thursday
' RALEIGH, Jan. 7.—UP)—Raleigh
decked its streets in patriotic hunt
ing today for the inauguration Thurs
day of its first native son to be
come governor.
Flags and banners made Fayette
ville street an avenue of color from
the capitol to Memorial auditorium,
where soon after noon Thursday J.
M. Broughton will be sworn in as
governor and other state officials
will also take their oaths.
Officials announced that every
thing was ready for the biggest in
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 3)
War
Interpretive
BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON
Britain’s official comment on
President Roosevelt’s “help-our
frierals” speech strikes a ringing
note of confidence that the critical
corner of the war has already been
turned.
“Fresh encouragement” has
come from the United States, the
London statement said, “at a time
when there is good cause to be
lieve that the tide of war, is turn
ing.”
Behind this lies the conclusion of
British war leadership that Italy
has already been knocked out of
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 2)
Greek Destroyers Shell
Valona, Return To Bases
ATHENS, Jan. 7.—!#)—A squad
ron of Greek destroyers has churn
ed into the Adriatic, penetrated by
night into the Albanian gulf of Va
lona and shelled the Italian-held
city with 60 rounds without even
so much as sighting Italian war
craft, the Greek marine ministry
announced tonight.
(Greek destroyers have been
built both in Italy and Britain).
Then, said the communique, the
squadron loafed back to its bases
“at reduced speed.”
The action was reported to have
taken place on Sunday night, and
coincided with another RAf bom
bardment of Valona, in which fires
were declared left burning in
v/arehouses and elsewhere on the
waterfront
Now, Greek military reports say
the Greek forces are menacing
Italian land communications be
tween Tepeleni and Valona, ma
jor southwestern Albanian seaport.
Tonight the Greek military
spokesman said the Italians had
evacuated 35,000 sick and wound
ed from Valona alone and that
since the outbreak of hostilities Oct.
28 the fascist losses could be count
ed “in the tens of thousands.’’
(In Belgrade, it was reported
that the wreckage from the Italian
steamer Geneva, including 500 bar
rels of naphtha, had been found
on the Yugoslav coast near Bar.
This presumably is one of two Ital
(C'outiiiued on Page Five; Col. I>, (