Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / Feb. 8, 1941, edition 1 / Page 1
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Served By Leased Wire Of The p^————————— ASSOCIATED PHESS Dedicated To The Progress Of y/ith Complete Coverage of WILMINGTON Siaie and National News Southeastern North Carolina --- ESTABLISHED 1867 Plan Provides For Election During March Will Be Offered Jointly by ! New Hanover County’s Two Representatives JAVCEES SPONSORED IT Action Is Result of Petition Signed by 2,400 Citizens; Hearings Offered Rep. John R. Morris said last ,,ight that he and Rep. Jack Le Grand will introduce a bill in the state house of representatives Mon day calling for an election on the proposal that AVilmington adopt the city manager-council form of gov ernment. The bill will he introduced joint ly by tlie two New Hanover repre sentatives, he said. r, I iuviuca uiciinm The measure, which is backed by the Wilmington Junior Chamber of Commerce, provides for an election on the city manager question to be held some time in March. Exact date for the election is to be decided by the county board of elections, Rep. Morris said. Rep. LeGrand said that the peti tion circulated by the Junior Cham ber of Commerce was signed by approximately 2.400 qualified elec tors. "Any group of citizens that large in number is certainly en titled tor a hearing,” he said. Both representatives said that if anyone wants a hearing on the bill to notify either o fthe two so that they may set a date for it. The Junior Chamber of Commerce started its campaign to secure a city manager form of government last fall. Officials of the organiza tion stated that they hoped to call an election and decide on the ques tion soon so that, in the event of its passage, the officials under the new form of government would be able to take office at the ex piration of the present terms of officials now in office. The bill to be introduced in the legislature merely calls for a vote on whether or not Wilmington will have the city manager form of government or retain its present commissioner form. Under the man ager form of government, a board of councilmen will employ a mana ger to run the affairs of the city, with tile Mayor to act in an ex officio capacity without authority. WEYGAND TO KEEP BASE FROM NAZIS General Makes Pledge that Germany Will Not Get Tunisian Station VICHY, France. Feb. 7—Iff)—A pledge by General Maxime Wey gand that Germany will get no Tun isian base from France was pub lished widely today through the unoccupied zone—on orders from 'he government. This statement, made in a radio broadcast from Algiers by the Vichy government’s African Gen eralissimo, was injected into the French-German political crisis at * time when Admiral Jean Darlan, the navy minister, was on his way hack from Paris with the latest word on the position of Pierre La vah ousted vice-premier. It was reported here that Lava], on whose return to the government I (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) Soup In Sky Lands Her A Film Test When airline stewardess Joan Bar rett served lunch 10,000 feet over Cleveland she caught the eye of a movie talent scout whose studio summoned her to Hollywood for a film test. She’s pictured arriving. Little did she think, etc. LYNCH APPOINTED HOME GUARD CHIEF Other Officers for Local Unit Will Be Appoint ed in Near Future The appointment of Capt. James B. Lynch as commanding officer of the Wilmington Home Guard unit was announced in Raleigh yester day by Brig-Gen. J. Van B. Metts, adjutant-general of North Caro lina. A first and second lieutenant are to be appointed for the local unit in the near future. Capt. Lynch said last night that Gen. Metts yesterday authorized him to go ahead with plans for or panizing the Wilmington Home Guard, which is to have an enlist ment up to 50 men between the ages of 18 and 45, who are not sub ject to active military duty. He said that he will take up or ganization details at a meeting of the Wilmington Light Infantry Monday night and that enlistments will start in the near future. The Home Guard will be formed around the W.L.I., which tradition ally has been the nucleus for all home guard units in Wilmington. The Home Guard will perform the duties of the state militia and will be subject to the call of the Governor any where in the state. The state is laso making arrange ments to provide arms and equip (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) Intentions Of Pocketbook Robber Apparently Good Ill: degree of honesty of a urse-robber here is hard to deter “lne, but it’s certain that his in lenti°ns are good. Thursday afternoon Mrs. Hugh hfrentine, of 605 Dock street, re eirhtliat her P°cketbook had j le" been stolen or she had lost ' "bile shopping on South Front street. purse contained $1.92 in cident i.some keys, papers and in its-terday a box was found in ®i coui'thouse> near the sheriff’s ce’ inside the carefully wrap ped box was Mrs. Turrentine’s purse and inside the purse was this note: “Please find enclosed your pock etbook. Regret loss of money. A friend broke and in need. Will pay back $1.92 as soon as I land a job.” Signed—“An Honest Man in Need.” Nothing else but the $l.f2 was missing from the * pocketbook, which was returned to Mrs. Tur rentine. “And I’m willing to bet two to one that the fellow pays her back,” an officer commented. British Take Bengasi And Trap Italians Attempt to Crush Through English Cordon South of City Ends in Disaster GENERALS ARE TAKEN City, With Excellent Har bor, Will Provide Excel lent Base for British CAIRO, Egypt, Feb. 8.—(Satur day)—CP)—A desperate Italian at tempt to crash through a British cordon south of Bengasi ended in disaster with all Italian resistance in that city wiped out and the shat tered fragments of Marshal Grazi ani’s army fleeing west across the central Libyan desert, it was of ficially reported today. The British high command said bu Italian tanks were smashed, ‘‘heavy losses’’ inflicted, and a "large num ber” of prisoners taken, including an army commander, a corps com mander, and many other senior of ficers. "In operations leading up to the capture of Bengasi, an armored formation made a forced march of 150 miles in 30 hours, brushing aside resistance enroute to close the last line of retreat,” a British com munique said. Hemmed In "Surprised by the speed of this brilliant exploit the enemy endeavor ing to withdraw from Bengasi found themselves finally hemmed in. ‘.Numerically superior Italian armored forces supported by infan try and artillery then made deter mined efforts to break through our cordon. "Every attempt was repulsed with heavy losses to the enemy. After sixty of their tanks became battle casualties the enemy finally ceased fighting.” In addition to the prisoners, the British said, quantities of war ma terial of all descriptions also were captured. Bengasi, vital port city at the crossroads between eastern and cen tral Libya, was taken by one column of British troops Thursday, and pre (Continued on Page Two; Col. 8) TRAFFIC DRIVE IS BEGUN HERE Round-Up Of Crashers Of Red Lights Is Started By City Officers Initiating their campaign to re lieve downtown traffic congestion by rigid enforcement of traffic laws, police yesterday "cracked the whip” on signal violators, arresting ten motorists for illegal passing of stop lights at the intersection of 17 and Market streets. Eight arrests during a 60-minute period during the morning were made by Charles H. Casteen, assist ant chief of police and Officer J. A. Anderson between 6 and 7 o’clock (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) WEATHER FORECAST North Carolina: Mostly cloudy, colder east and central portions Saturday: Sunday partly cloudy and continued rather cold. (By II. 8. Weather Bureau) Meteorolgoical data for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday: Temperature 1:30 a. m. 47 : 7:30 a. m. 48: 1:30 p. m. 48; 7:30 p. m. 47; maximum 57; mini mum 45; mean 51: normal 47. Humidity 1-30 a. m. 91; 7:30 a. m. 100; 1:30 p. m. 88; 7:30 p. m. 85. Precipitation Total for 24 honrs ending 7:30 p tn 1.45 inches: since first of month 1.66 inches. Tides For Today (For Tide Tables published by U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey): High Low Wilmington Masonboro Inlet-4:39a 11:07a Sunrise 7:04a: sunset 5:49p; moonrise 2:46p; moonset 4:04a. Cape Fear river stage at Fayetteville on Feb. 7, at 8 a. m., 10 feet. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) Private Tailer Private T. Suffern Tailer takes in ventory in Fort Dix, N. J., ware house. Six-foot 200-pound New York socialite and internationally known amateur golfer is assigned to quartermaster corps. ——— ITALIANS PROTECT U. S. EMBASSY Soldiers Stand Guard Dur ing More Student Street Demonstrations ROME. Feb. 7—UP)—Italian troops protected the United States embassy tdday during more student street demonstrations, marked, this time, by open demonstrations of brotherly love between German and Italian men of arms. Italians displayed absorbing in terest in the congressional course of the British aid bill and Colonel Charles A. Lindbergh editorially was patted on the back for his opposition to it. Uniformed Fascist students, with some Germans, paraded through Rome's streets in protest against which they called “enemy lies" about disorders between Germans and Ital ians in Italy. Apparently they did not attempt to march on the Amer ican embassy; in a similar demon stration yesterday, they likewise turned off on another street before reaching the building, on the Piazza San Bernardo. Although actual anti-American demonstrations among the well-dis ciplined Fascist students thus far have failed to develop, observers re called that similar pickets of troops were posted around the Soviet Rus sian, British and French embassies in the past when the policies of those countries displeased Italians. The last show of military protec tion, for the British and French embassies, occurred last June 10, (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) Nazi Invasion Of Bulgaria Feared Near Train Service Is Restricted Amid Reports Germans Planning Drive FUTURE IS UNCERTAIN Highly Reliable Informants Say Turkey Has 20 Di visions on Border SOFIA, Bulgaria, Feb. 7.— (IP) — Bulgaria ordered a new restriction of train service tonight amid wide spread reports that the German army was planning to enter this Foreign Minister Ivan Popoif, taking cognizance of such rumors, was understood to have told par liament members at a private meeting that he was unable to say “What may lie in the future.’’ Raiders Flood Sofia. The foreign minister’s statement was made as rumors of impending German action flooded Sofia. One traveler from the Rumanian frontier said German troop activi ty indicated an intention of mov ing soon, perhaps in 8 hours. But an American traveler said a pontoon bridge being laid across the Danube had 'not been com pleted, and that troop movements across the river from Rumania in to Bulgaria would not be possible In - the nears* futmm At any rate, residents along the Bulgarian bank of the Danube said all was quiet at a late hour to Amidst the fog of rumor this much was known definitely —Bul garia for the second time in a month curtailed passenger train service on routes toward the Ru manian, Greek, Yugoslav and Turkish borders effective tomor row. While it was announced that the curtailment by 30 per cent of the trains on these routes was to per mi transportation of new Bulgar ian troops called this week to re place others on duty, observers said the same action could be taken to prepare for an emergen cy. Curtailment of service two weeks ago, it was explained, was to permit repair of locomotives. Highly reliable political infor mants said Turkey possibly has 20 (Continued on Page Two; Col. 6) GREEKS REPULSE ITALIAN ATTACKS Fascist Advance Post Re ported Captured as Al banian Fight Continues ATHENS, Greece, Feb. 7.—(#)— Two Italian counter-attacks upon Greek positions along the Albanian front were repulsed today, a Greek government spokesman reported tonight. An Italian advance post was cap tured, he said. In the war at sea, he declared that the Greeks had lost not a single ship, either in the Mediter ranean or Aegean since the begin ning of hostilities, and in the last (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) Waves Of British Planes Bomb Germans In Franee | LONDON, Feb. 7.—t!PI— Roaring through choking channel mist, waves of Royal Air Force bombers caught the Germans off guard to night and dumped heavy caliber explosives for two hours on t h e Germn-held coast of France. The RAF seemed to concentrate on Boulogne, across the channel from Dover. Parachute flares from the at tackers gave the first inkling to coastal observers in England that a raid was on. They were the first warning to the Germans too, for it was only when the flares were seen that Nazi searchlights went into action. ] Weather conditions had made i the possibility of an attack tonight extremely slim. j The Strait of Dover was wrapped in the worst fog of the year all day and tonight athick mist still lay along the French coast. But above the mist the flashes of exploding bombs, the bursts of German anti-aircraft shells and streams of tracer bullets lighted the French coast almost without pause during the raid. The bomb flashes were reflected even in the shop windows of one English coastal town. During the day the fog blotted out visibility beyond a few yards and confined German aerial ;hrusts over England to two lone •aiders. At a late hour no night activity lad been reported over any part >f Britain and London enjoyed its ifteenth raidless night out of the ast 19. 3 Britons Sing: “Thanks, Mr. Roosevelt” Thanks, Mr. Eoosevclt. It's swell of you. For the way you’ve help ing us to carry on . . .” sing British soldiers in the photo above. They’re pictured being led in the new song by American film stars Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon (song sheets in hand) at London's new Eagle club. Plans For Reserve Works Projects Begun By F. R. IS LOOKING TO FUTURE Would Be Used to Absorb Defense Workers When Emergency Is Over WASHINGTON, Feb. 7— (A1) — Plans for a reservoir of public works projects, to be held in readi ness to absorb defense workers once the present emergency ends, were initiated today by President Roosevelt. Workers by the thousands have been given jobs turning out wea pons of war, and he told a press conference the administration was trying to guard against what might happen to them when the fighting ends and their jobs finished. All Types Congress will be asked, the Presi dent said, to authorize all types of works projects—hospitals, hous ing, airports, roads—with emphasis on those that will give the gov ernment a chance to get back some of its capital investment. These projects, Mr. Roosevelt said, will be put on a shelf and pulled out when they are needed to take up the slack in defense employment. Immediately after his press con ference, he talked over the part highway construction would take in the program with Thomas Mac Donald, federal roads commissioner. He discussed the program also with William Green, President of the American Federation of Labor, who called at the white house to urge that the national resources planning board consider immedia tely the matter of supplying work, when the emergency is over, for (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) Wat Interpretive BY KIRKE L. SIMPSON The fall of Bengasi, an event which knocks Italy out of East Libya, came so swiftly as to sug gest complete disintegration of the fascist amy in North Africa. Details of the-British bag of pris oners are lacking; but reports Erom the British grand headquar ters at Cairo indicate wholesale surrenders. There seems little pos sibility that the Italians can make mother stand in North Africa. Morale Law Their defeat by Britain’s desert ‘blitzkrieg” is too crushing and complete not to indicate wide spread disaffection in Italian anks. Bengasi underscores anew he British conviction that Italian irmy war morale is low, that the Italian public’s acceptance of the (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) i John R. Morris Plans Apartments at Beach Plans for sixteen apartments to be built on North Shores, new development on the North ern extension of Wrightsville Beach, are nearing completion, John R. Morris, representative m the legislature from New Hanover county, announced last night. Morris said he plans to erect two eight-apartment houses in the new development and will install heating systems which will make them attractive year around places of residence. HOUSE APPROVES PENSION MEASURE Senate Slated to Consider Bill, Carrying Big Appro priation, Monday RALEIGH, Feb. 7.—iff)—By a vote of 105 to 0 the state retire- 1 ment bill to provide pensions for 1 school teachers and other state employes cleared the house today and went to the senate for final action. The upper chamber is scheduled to consider the measure, carrying an appropriation of $1,676,076 a year, at its session Monday night The proposal has already received a favorable report from the senate education committe in joint ses sion with the house group. House members protesting against certain features of the bill served notice, however, that they would introduce a supplemental bil to remedy the objections they (Continued on Page Two; Col. 7) Amount Of Aid F. R. May Give Set By House Amendment to Lease-Lend Bill Presented by Admin istration Leadership MOVE IS BIG SURPRISE Republican Proposals to Forbid Transfer of Arms, Ships Beaten Down BY RICHARD L. TURNER WASHINGTON, Feb. 7.— (A; — The administration leadership to night suggested and the house quickly adopted a sharp limitation on the extent to which, under the lease-lend bill, President Rocoevelt may transfer to other nations American military and naval equipment already on hand or ap propriated for. The limit fixed was one tenth of total appropriations for defense lor the fiscal year 1841. The exact fig ure was left subject to some dis-' pute but all agreed that the appro priation total lay between $12,000, 000,000 and $13,000,000,00. Hence * the transfer limitation is from $1, 200,000,000 to $1,300,000,000, to be determined exactly later. Must Compute Value Thus, as the bill stood at the close of the day, the value of any present naval or military equip ment or equipment provided for in the vast appropriations heretofore made will be computed before it can be sent to England. And no more than about $1,300,000,000 worth of it may be so transferred. The amendment proposed by the leadership did not stipulate how the valuation was to be arrived at. Its proposal came, nevertheless, as a stunning surprise to all fac tions in the chamber. Througout, a long day of haggling over amendments, minor and major, the leaders had obdurately op posed any further concessions to critics of the bill. In fact, before the day’s session began, they an (Continued on Page Two; Col. 5) CAPPER ASSAILS BRITISH AID BILL Says Enactment of Measure Will Take U. S. into the European War WASHINGTON, Feb.. 7.— Ml— Senator Capper (R-Kan.), urging defeat of the British-aid bill, said ionight its enactment would “take the United States into the Euro pean war, in spite of everything ve can do.” The Kansas republican, a mem per of the foreign relations com nittee, said he was more concern id about this measure than any ither that had come before con gress during “my 22 years in the senate.” His criticism of the bill vas broadcast by Columbia broad iasting system. Noting that he had supported many proposals by President Roosevelt, Capper said he opposed (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) ARMY ORDERS WASHINGTON, Feb. 7.—MT— Army orders today: Majors Donald Q. Harris, FA, Spartan burg, S. C., to Fort Benning. Marvin E. Kennebeck, DC, Philippine Dept., to Fort Bragg. Vickery Says U. S. Faces ; Great Shipbuilding Job NEW LONDON, Conn., Feb. 7.— (jT)—Capt. Howard L. Vickery, U. S. N., a member of the United States Maritime commission, as serted tonight that America was “in for a truly tremendous ship building program.” That program, he said in a pre pared address at the Coast Guard academy here, would “satisfy the needs of this country” if supple mented by “centralized shipping control.” Capt. Vickery asserted, however, that America did not have enough ships to carry a five-fold increase ji exports to Great Britain, which f he said one expert had contended was necessary if we were “to as sist Britain to defeat the totalitari an powers.” ’ "If they were to be provided,” ' he added, “they must come large ly from American shipyards in a* shipbuilding effort which would make the present attempt look puny.” He said the present program would swell the number of work ers in the shipbuilding industry from 126,000 in November, 1940, to 388,000 by November, 1942. Tha (Continued on Page Two; Col. $), J V
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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Feb. 8, 1941, edition 1
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