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V0L.E-NOJ.-~~ WILMINGTON, N. C., SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 1941 ~ ~_PRICE FIVE CENTS
FOR ASSAULT UPON TOBRUK
Say 44,868
Were Taken
At Bar di a
2,041 Officers ‘Counted*
Among Prisoners; Huge
Booty Captured
SHELLING IS BEGUN
Graziani Makes No Effort
To Come To Aid Of Be
leaguered Garrison
By ERIC BIGIO
CAIRO. Jan. 11.—W—Italy’s
Marshal Rodolfo Graziani made no
move today to relieve his belea
general garrison at Tobruk 80
miles inside Libya, but the British
moved up troops and guns under
massive air protection and plopped
shells into the seaport’s semi-circle
of defenses from four carefully
placed batteries.
The guns of Tobruk replied, but
aside from these artillery dules
there was no fighting on the fourth
day of the siege.
RAF Is Busy
RAF patrols were out all day
yesterday on the road west of To
bruk leading to Derna, where Brit
ish mechanized ground forces also
are operating, but there was no
conclusive engagement with Fas
cist airmen.
Despite his tremendous losses
Graziani still has a considerable
army to the West, but the fact that
it is not coming up leads the Brit
ish to believe that Tobruk will fall
as did Bardia, Salurn and Sidi Bar
rani before it.
The size of the Tobruk garrison
is not known here but it is believed
smaller than that of Bardia. The
latter turned out to be considerably
smaller than that of Bardia. The
(Continued on Page 3; Col. 1)
TAKING OF SHIPS
AGAIN DISCUSSED
British - Aid Bill, Some
Say, Will Give That
Power To F. R.
By REX INGRAHAM
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11.—Wl— A
study of the administration’s Brit
ish aid bill led some legislators to
the conclusion today that it would
empower President Roosevelt to
seize foreign merchant ships in
American ports and turn them
over to Britain, if he desired.
There were 266 such vessels—
refugees from the war—tied up in
American ports on Jan. 1. Ronald
Cross, British minister of shipping,
recently said frankly that he was
casting “covetous eyes’’ on the
Axis ships among them.
In turn, spokesmen in Berlin and
Rome indicated that it would be
regarded as an act of war if the
United States made these cralt
available to Britain.
Most Congress members took tjie
view that the extent of power pro
posed for President Roosevelt was
a delicate question of law, but
Chairman May (D.-Ky.) of the
house military committee told
newsmen the administration’s bill
would “without question” confer
power on the President to take
over the ships if they were neded
(Continued on Page 3; Col. 6)
CANADA TO BUILD
AIRBASES FOR U. S.
Safe, Year-Round Airway
To Alaska Is Promised;
Sites Approved
Bv wade WERNER
OTTAWA, Jan. 11.—I/P)—Con
struction of a series of air bases
between the United States border
and Alaska, to provide a safe year
round airway to Alaska for Ameri
can pursuit planes is planned py
the Canadin government, it was
reported today.
The bases will be built by Can
da, it was said, but will be avail
able for the use of U. S. military
planes.
A commercial route to Alaska
already is being flown winter and
summer, but military pursuit
planes of short range need better
(Continued on Page 3; Col. 6)
AAA AAA AAA AAA
London; RAF Hits At Italy
---- M '5
Roof Guards
Foil Effort
Of Luftwaffe
Swiss Town Undergoes 5
Alarms As Bombers Fly
Toward Turin
PORTSMOUTH RAIDED
Much Damage And ‘Sev
eral’ Deaths Caused By
Attack On Port
By DREW MIDDLETON
LONDON, Jan. 11.—(/P)—This cit
adel of Britain stood firm tonight
against an onslaught of hundreds
of fire and explosive bombs drop
ped by squadrons of heavy Ger
man bombers in a short but in
tense raid.
The attack threatened but never
achieved the destruction done in
London's great fire of 1940—the
fire blitz” Dec. 29 on the "City,”
London’s crowded, old financial dis
trict.
Termed Failure
If. as it - seemed for a while, the
Luftwaffe was trying to repeat that
devastation on an even wider scale,
observers said it failed.
Volunteer fire watchers and
fighters rallied as incendiaries
hurtled down. They extinguished
fires which were so bright for a
time that you could read a news
paper on the blacked out city’s
roofs.
An Associated Press reporter saw
at least 50 incendiaries swish to
the ground at one time and start
rows of bright blue lights. One by
one they went out as firemen
reached them.
The dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral
once again stood out impressively
against the flaming backdrop. But,
unlike tire earlier raid, the main
blazes were speedily put out, even
in sections where there are no
residents or night workers and even
though there were more pla,nes
and more bombs in a shorter time.
(Continued on Page 3; Col. 4)
DEFENSE ‘BOOM’
TO GROW SWIFTLY
Passage Of F. R.’s Budget
Would Speed Industrial
Tempo Greatly
By FRANK MacMILLEN
NEW YORK, Jan. 11.—(#>—When
President Roosevelt this week pre
sented a budget providing for arms
expenditures that may run to more
than SI.000.000.000 a month before
mid-1942, he practicaly presented
industry with a blue-print for the
greatest production in American
history.
The factories of the United States
are running at the swiftest pace on
record. Standard indices of produc
tion. such as that of the Federal
Reserve board, are topping the
Peaks of 1929.
Net defense spending is only, get
ting under way. The government
t Continued oil Page Two; Col. 7)
WEATHER
FORECAST
(>nh Carolina; , j^ajr, partly cloudy
Slin,!:>y and Monday; slightly warmer
]|! ''nth portion Monday and in moun
‘:".us Sunday.
s,,i:th Carolia, 'Georgia and Florida:
J :g. continued cool Sunday; Mond’ay
’ M tiy cloudy, slightly warmer.
(By C. S. Weather Bureau)
( d-teorological data for the 24 hours
M'uiug 7:30 p. m. yesterday.)
Temperature
1 n: m. 32; 7:30 a. in. 32; 1:30 p. m.
6 • ::'0 p. ni. 39; maximum 45; mini
1,11 31; mean 38; normal 46.
If umidity
a. m. 68; 7:30 a. m. 76; 1:30 p. m.
*' ' ::’>0 p. m. 57.
Precipitation
1 >tal for 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m.
Ju mches. Total since first of the
a-,J,lth 0.77 inches.
Tides For Today
' I I'om Tide Tallies published by U. S.
L"i!St and Geodetic Surev.)
v , High Low
'• •iuuiio-ton _ 9:04a 3.46a
» 9:21p 4:27p
Nasonboro Inlet_ 6:45a 12:31a
7:05p 1:09p
in rise 7:18a; sunset 5:23p; moonrise
MG nioonset 6:17a.
u^er stage at Fayetteville 11
^Continued on Page Two; Co!. 5)
HALIFAX GREETS HOPKINS IN LONDON
Harry Hopkins, President Roosevelt’s personal representative in Great Britain, got his first taste, of ivar
as soon as he arrived. He stepped into London from a blacked out train in the midst of an air raid. He's
seen above, left, in London with Lord Halifax, who was recently named Britain’s ambassador to the U. S.
Nazi-Italian Air Force
Claims Hits On Warships
IN SICILIAN CHANNEL
Rome Makes Much Of Nazi
Aid, But Nazi Report
Subordinates It
By The Associated Press
ROME, Jan. 11.—Four British
warships have been hit in a new
joint German-Italian aerial offen
sive against British Mediterranean
sea power—an action said unoff
icially to be “continuing”—the
Fascist high command announced
today.
In a communique stressing the
“fraternal, close cooperation” of
the Nazi air force in this first
action for the Germans in the
Mediterranean, the Italians gave
these as the results of the attack:
Carrier Torpedoed
An aircraft carrier hit by an
Italian aerial torpedo; a cruiser
struck by two heavy bombs from
Italian dive bombers; a second
aircraft carrier hit by heavy Ital
ian bombs; one of these aircraft
c-rriers hit also by both heavy
and medium German bombs; a
destroyer hit by the Germans.
The German high command’s
communique subordinated the
Mediterranean action to its next
to-last paragraph; made no speci
fic mention of the Italians other
than that implied in the phrase
that Nazi fliers “participated;”
and said -nothing of German-Ital
ian fraternity. The communique
announced that German fliers had
scored hits on “two warship units,”
and mentioned nothing about any
Italian successes.
The Italians acknowledged that
British fleet .guns and British
planes offered a “violent” reac
tion to the German-Italian assault,
which occurred on yesterday in
the narrow Sicilian channel, but
claimed nevertheless:
“ All ou rplanes returned to
their bases.”
The first clash, in the Medi
terranean engagement, the Italians
reported, took place 10 miles north
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 4)
Shipyard Site Here
Not Yet Selected
Though no decision has yet
been reached as to the exact
location of the shipyards which
will be erected here to build 24
ships in the next 24 months,
Capt. Roger Williams, vice
president of the Newport News
Shipbuilding and Dry Dock com
pany, told Tile Star-News last
night, “We’ll be ready to go
when the whistle blow’s.”
Captain Williams said no site
has yet been decided upon but
added, “We have plenty of in
formation and we are working
011 it.”
“We still like Wilmington 100
per cent,” he said and indicated
the site for the shipyard, which
will have six or eight ways, will
be decided upon and announced
within the next few days.
How soon work of construct
ing ships is begun depends upon
the selection of a site and the
amount of work which would
have to be done in getting it
ready for the erection of the
ways, fitting piers and shops.
AIRCRAFT STRIKE
. THREAT IS ENDED
Defense Commission Agent
Secures Compromise In
Fairchilds Row
NEW YORK, Jan. 11.—<-3?>—A
threatened strike settled by compro
mise, workers of the Fairchild Air
plane and Engine corporation plant
will consider next week ratification
of a proposed contract which ended
; a dispute involving production of
$7,750,000 worth of military aircraft
engines.
The deadlock, which had kepi
negotiators almost steadily in con
ference for 36 hours, was broken
early today! Shortly thereafter, John
Continued on Page 3; Col. 2)
Senate Committee Favors
F. R. British - Aid Bill
WASHINGTON, Jan. 11—(i>)—A
poll indicated today that the ad
ministration could count on a ma
jority of the Senate foreign rela
tions committee to support its leg
islation giving President Roosevelt
broad powers to send war supplies
to nations resisting “aggressors.”
Eight committee members said
they were for the measure; four
declared against it? four said they
had not made up their minds, and
five were either unavailable or
made no statement.
Before the committee acts, how
ever, two new members will be
chosen to fill vacancies and the
leadership certainly will pick ap
pointees who favor the program.
In addition, it was indicated that
the administration would receive
the votes of at least three of those
now uncommitted making a total
of 13 of 21 members for the meas
ure.
The house will act first on the
legislation, and on meeting Monday
will have to settle a dispute over
which of its committees should han
dle it.
The military committee decided,
15 to 4, today to demand control
of the measure, which already had
been assigned to the foregn affairs
committee.
Chairman Bloom (D.-N. Y.) of
the latter group said that there was
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 5)
WEATHER DELAYS
WORK AT CAMP
Freeze Hampers Concrete
Pouring ; Other Activity
Is Being Pushed
HOLLY RIDGE, Jan. 11. — Old
Man Weather is playing pranks
with the workers and the work at
Camp Davis, dealing out a slap
here and giving a helping hand
there.
Last week rain mane a morass ol
some of the roads and increased the
troubles encountered in draining the
huge pocosin which is the camp site.
This week cold, dry, windy weather
came and dried out the four-square
mile area, but that, too brought
problems.
The low temperatures hampered
the pouring of concrete^ so that it
was only from 75 to 50 per cent bet
ter than that of last week.
And the winds, drying out the
camp site, picked up the sand
trompled by the feet of some 3,400
workers, and blew it into the faces
of other workers.
The miniature sand storm caused
considerable discomfort, but the
workers wiped it from their eyes
and worked on, for speed is the
watchword of the camp as It rises.
Tomorrow an officer from the of
fice of the constructing quarter
master in Wilmington is scheduled
to arrive in Wilmington and to
come here for a tour of inspection.
Meanwhile plans for increasing
the tempo of the work were made
and calls were issued through the
North Carolina Employment Serv
ice for skilled carpenters, power
linemen and surveying rodmen.
They were urged to report to the
NCSES office here.
Despite the fact the low tempera
ture slowed the work of pouring
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 5)
F. R. IS CONFIDENT
BILL WILL PASS
President To Spend Week
End Relaxing At Home
In Hyde Park
By DOUGLAS B. CORNELL
HYDE PARK, N. Y., Jan. 11.
—(f)—President Roosevelt was de
scribed by aides today as confi
dent that Congress would grant
him the unprecedented powers pro
posed in an administration bill to
authorize the lending or leasing of
billions in war equipment to Brit
ain and other “democracies.”
Mr. Roosevelt rested at his home
beside the Hudson, apparently re
lying on the word of democratic
congressional leaders that the leg
islation would be approved.
Asked whether the President was
confident that the legislators even
tually would enact the bill, one
White House official replied: “oh,
certainly.”
There was speculation in some
quarters that the measure was
framed broadly enough to allow
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 6)
Greeks Now j
Moving On
Berati Base
More Italians Captured,
Much War Material Is
Reported Seized
MOPPING UP KLISURA
Roman Hold Upon Tepeleni
Reported Weakening In
Athens Dispatch
By The Associated Press
ATHENS, Jan. 12.—(Sunday)—
Mopping up operations, in which
the Greeks have captured about 100
more Italians and additional quan
tities of war material, were report
ed by the high command today.
Although its communique men
tioned only “restricted local cleaning
up operations,” dispatches from the
front reported progress Saturday
from captured Klisura toward Berati
under cover of low-flying Greek ana
British warplanes.
Heights Occupied
Heights dominating tlie road to
ward Berati, about 30 miles north
of Klisura were reported occupied
with the capture of additional pris
oners and materials, among which
the communique listed 10 18-pailli
meter mortars, “many machine guns
and automatic rifles.”
An earlier Athens radio report
had said the Greeks found 400 Ital
ian dead in one part of the aban
doned Klisura lines and that many
wounded, abandoned in the retreat.
(Continued on Page 3; Col. 5)
UNC NEWSPAPER
RAPS TEXTBOOK
Daily Tar Heel Says His
tory Chosen On Basis
Of Politics
CHAPEL HILL, Jan. 11.— W—
The Daily Tar Heel, student pub
lication at the University of North
Carolina, said today that scores
of educational leaders had charged
the state Board of Education with
RALEIGH, Jan. 11. — (/Pi —
Thad Eure, secretary of state
and a member of the State
Board of Education, denied to
night that the board had played
politics in the selection of a his
tory text for fifth grade students.
He also denied that the choice
of the book, written by Jule B.
Warren, secretary of the North
Carolina Education association,
was in any way against the
washes of the State Textbook
commission.
playing politics in the selection of
a history textbook for fifth grade
students.
In a copywrighted article writ
ten by the paper’s managing edi
tor, Charles Barrett, 'senior, of
Raleigh, the paper asserted:
1. That a text book written by
two university professors—Dr. A.
(Continued on Page 3; Col. 4)
MILD INFLUENZA
WIDELY REPORTED
Outbreaks Of Near Epi
demic Proportions Are
Sweeping Nation
BOSTON, Jan. 11.—UP)—Hundreds
of New England businesses car
ried on short-handed today as <a
grippe epidemic confined thou
sands to their beds and forced the
closing of scores of cshools.
In Massachusetts at least, the
•disease apparently had reached its
peak. Dr. Paul J. Jakmauh, state
health commissioner, said, no new
reports of increasing infection had
been received for the past 24
hours.
The ailment described by some
health officials as a mild form
(Conitnued on Page Two; Col. 2)
TO THE WHITE HOUSE SHE WILL GO
Dolores Frances, above, nine-year-cld Washington, D. C., miss, has
iiad her share of tough luck. She contracted infantile paralysis when she
was 18 months. Now it’s her turn for good luck. Chosen as a youngster
typical of those aided by the Infantile Paralysis Foundation, she will be
Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s guest at a White House party for women
executives of the Foundation. Though still under treatment, Dolores
can now walk without braces.
Fire Losses Here Cut
To One-Third Of Average
COOPER FILES REPORT
Losses Of Last Five Years
Total $389,261 Against
Previous $1,283,000
Fire losses in Wilmington have
been cut greatly in the five year
period ending 1940, according to
the annual report of the Wilming
ton fire department made public
yesterday by Mayor Thomas E.
Cooper, commissioner of public
safety under whose jurisdiction the
department falls.
In the period 1921-26, the report
reveals, the fire loss in the city
was $1,283,000. In the period 1936
40 it dropped to $389,261.76.
Increased efficiency within the
department, brought about by its
modernization by Mayor Cooper,
is credited with the reduction in
the annual report, writen by Chief
J. Ludie Croom.
“Your first step to increase the
efficiency of the department was
an asset to the department, ena
bling us to receive fire alarms
correctly and faster ’’ the report
says. “This was done by replacing
a 45-year-old alarm switchboard
with a new ten-circuit Gamewell
switchboard, also the installation
of the Vocalarm along with the
new switchboard has proven a
great asset to the department in
(Continued on Page 3; Col. 3)
BURGWIN NAMED
BAR EXAMINER
State Council Names Wil
mington Attorney For
3-Year Term
RALEIGH, Jan. 11. — (TP) — The
council of the North Carolina State
Bar has ordered the disbarment of
B. S. Hurley of Troy, who served in
the state senate in 1935 and in the
state house of representatives in
1937 and 1925, Edward L. Cannon,
secretary, said tonight.
At a meeting here, the council
named to the board of law examiners
for three-year terms: K. O. Bur
gwin of Wilmington Irving E. C.
Carlyle of Winston-Salem, and
Charles W. Tillett of Charlotte.
At the request of the petitioner,
the application of E. H. Smith or
Southport for the restoration of his
license was continued until the next
meeting.
The council ordered trials of C.
W. Beaman of Wilson, S. R. Lane of
Roch.Square a/id W. G. Gorham of
Morehead City, Cannon said.
At the request of several members
of the bar, the council decided to
hold a hearing before its next meet
ing on “Canon D,” which relates to
the practice of law by solicitors and
judges of inferior criminal courts, in
the other criminal courts of their
county.
Reds Say New Treaty
With Nazis Not Warlike
By The Associated Press
MOSCOW, Jan. 11.—The govern
ment and party press of the Soviet
Union spoke out sharply today in
justification of the new economic
deal between Germany and Russia
and rebuked British and American
statesmen who may consider it
warlike.
Furthermore, the newspapers an
nounced Moscow will make addi
tional trade treaties in 1941 as she
pleases, with nations both at war
and at peace.
“It is time,” said an editorial
in Izvestia, the government organ,
that the world understands the U.
S. S. R. follows an “independent
policy and will continue to follow
it.”
Both Izvestia and Pravda car
ried editorials which cast some
new significance on the expanded
German-Russian trade pact signed
here Friday, under which Germany
is supposed to receive, principally,
increased supplies of Soviet wheat.
(Buenos Aires sources have indi
cated that Russia is sending a
mission there to buy much Ar
gentine wheat. This might be trans
shipped to Germany).
“There are,” said Izvestia, “in
Britain and the United States some
leading statesmen who believed
that the United States in full con
formity with international law and
the position of neutrality, may sell
(Continued on Page Two: Col. 3)