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ASSOCIATED PHESS WILMINGTON
Will c"®Plsle Cov«a9i °f And Souiheaslern North
Slate and National Newi Carolina
\QLj^rm: ^--- WILMINGTON, N. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1941 FINAL EDITION ESTABLlSHEPlt867
F. R. Flans
To Protect
U. S. Ships
Indicates Vessels Carrying
War Supplies in Red Sea
To Be Guarded
says it is THE LAW
May Escort Freighters, Es
tablish Patrols or Arm
The Merchantmen
WASHINGTON, April 15.——In
terse but apparently historic re
mark President Roosevelt ^indi
cated today that American mer
chant ships carrying war supplies
through the newly-opened Red sea
route to Egypt would have armed
protection.
He was asked at a press confer
ence whether it was the policy of
this government to protect its ships
wherever they go, so long as they
s;av out of the combat zones de
fined in the neutrality act. He re
plied that that was the law.
He did not say to what law he
referred, but other officials ex
pressed belief I meant interna
tional law which, they said, pro
vided for the freedom of the seas.
Although the president refrained
from going into details about meth
ods of protecting ships, naval men
said several courses were possible
if the government should decide
upon them.
Escorts Mentioned
They mentioned actual escorts
by United States naval vessels, as
signments of such vessels to patrol
specific areas of the seas to see
that no harm comes to American
merchantmen, the use of airplanes,
and the arming of the merchant
men themselves.
The President had told report
ers. however, that he knew of no
discussion of arming merchantmen,
except talk by orators.
In the senate meanwhile, Senator
Tobey (R.-N. H.) arose to inquire
whether his resolution to prohibit
ihe use of the American navy for
convoy duty was being “smoth
ered” by “persons in high authori
ty, such as the White House.”
1 The measure is awaiting action
m the Foreign Relations commit
tee. Angrily, Senator Barkley of
Kentucky, the democratic leader,
replied that he had had no discus
(Continued on Page Twelve; Col. 4)
F.D.R. PLANS NEW
HELP FOR ALLIES
Harry Hopkins Recognized
As ‘Supervisor’ of Vast
Lease-Lend Program
WASHINGTON. April 15.—W—
With Harry L. Hopkins officially
recognized for the first time as
“supervisor" of the vast lend-lease
program, President Roosevelt to
day was reported to be planning
new moves to aid nations battling
the Axis.
Outlays thus far announced for
assistance to Britain and Greece
"ere expected to be expanded soon
to include help to embattled China.
President Roosevelt told his
press conference that Chinese
needs were being analyzed and
'hat some supplies designed for
that country already were being
processed. He had conferred during
the day with Dr. Hu Shih, Chinese
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 2)
’ ■' ■■■■ I ■ ■ ■■
^prge Greets Gargoyle
__irnfm* ~ —
King George, on tour of English coast defenses, must think Orson
Welles designs British troop costumes. This weird creature is a camou
flaged soldier ready to scare Nazi invaders out of their wits.
Three Buildings Burned,
14 Damaged In Fire Here
BIG AREA THREATENED
Damage From Flames on
North Eighth Street Esti
mated at $10,000
Fir© which for a time threatened
to engulf an entire negro section of
the city late yesterday afternoon de
stroyed two homes and a large ware
house, severely damaged three other
houses and partially damaged 11
other dwellings in the vicinity of
North Eighth street and the railroad
tracks.
It was the city’s worst conflagra
tion this year, and only work by vir
tually every city fireman utilizing
all but two pieces of the fire depart
ment’s equipment kept the blaze
from razing a much larger area.
Fanned by Breeze
The fire started in a negro two
family dwelling at 709 North Eighth
street, a frame building, and fanned
by a slight breeze, quickly leaped to a
similar building at 707 North Eighth
street and to a large warehouse
building, recently used as a mechan
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 3)
CAROUNA POWER
TO BUILD ANNEX
Plans $3,000,000 Addition
To Cape Fear Plant in
Chatham County
RALEIGH, April 15.—A sec
ond $3,000,000 addition to the Caro
lina Power and Light company s
Cape Fear Steam Electric Gener
ating plant was authorized here to
day by the firm’s board of direc
tors, L. V. Sutton, president and
(Continued on Page Five; Col. ->
Night Parking Is Banned
On Nut, Water Streets
Enforcement of a city ordinance
Prohibiting night parking on Nut
ani Water streets—route of a spur
freight line of the Atlantic Coast
Ernes - and plans for regulating
Pay-time parking on the narrow
horoughfare through city ordi
nance were announced yesterday
Mayor Thomas E. Cooper.
Effective immediately, parking
e ween 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Nut
na Water streets between Bed
, r°ss and Nun streets will be pro
fited. To enforce the existing
romance, Mayor Cooper yester
day instructed Police Chief Joseph
rp0,f ^ to have traffic officers ar
st PPerators of cars found parked
houre stree*,s during the 11 night
cat) l*16 same time, Mayor Cooper
ne i,e liad instructed City Attor
J' William Campbell to prepare
hih(necesaary ordinance to pro
sir! me parking on the west
of Nut and Water streets be
Veen Red Cross and Nun. This
in e’ tlle Mayor explained, was
(r!adacc1Prd with recommendations
I corn i a traffic expert retained
I Ciiv'" yt thc city to survey the
traffic-flow problem.
Enforcement of the night - time
parking ban, the Mayor said, was
being resumed at the request of
ACL officials who complained that
parked automobiles on railroad
tracks extending through the ware
house district of the city were
calling serious interruptions of
service.
The Mayor also announced that
the Tide Water Power company,
operators of a bus service using
city streets, had acceded to a po
lice department request to keep
more than one bus at a time off
a given city block. The bus com
pany’s compliance with the police
request came after a conference
between Police Chief Hourk, Traf
fic Lieutenant John Davis and
transportation officials of the pub
lic carrier.
Under terms of the agreement
reached by the city and the bus
company, bus drivers have been
instructed to keep their buses at
least one block apart in the down
town district, thus eliminating
what police traffffic officers have
frequently described as one of the
principal reasons for congested
street traffic.
Sun Shipbuilding Firm
To Build 72 Tankers
CHESTER, Pa., April 15.—m
—John G. Pew, president of the
Sifn Shipbuilding and Drydock
company, said today the com
pany, within a few days will sign
a $180,000,000 contract with the
V. S. maritime commission to
build 72 oil tankers.
“We expect to complete all 72
ships in two years,” Pew assert
ed. “The keel of the first one
probably will be laid about July
1. The first tanker will be
launched in about nine months,
we hope.”
Twelve new ways will be built
by the company to speed con
struction of the ships, estimated
to cost about $2,500,000 each. In
addition, Pew said, it is likely
10,000 workers will be added to
the payroll within a year.
LEGION ORATORS
COMPETE TONIGHT
Three High School Students
Will Take Part in Sec
tional Meet Here
The sectional championship of
the American Legion National Or
atorical contest will be held to
night at the High school auditori
um as three High school students,
survivors of entries of a dozen
southern states, compete for the
right to enter the national finals
Friday night at Charleston, S. C.
The winner of tonight’s compe
tition here—one of four sectional
finals being conducted this eve
ning throughout the United States
—will represent the south in quest
of a $4,000 college scholarship of
fered annually by the American
Legion to the High school student
adjudged the best orator on some
subject concerning the constitution
of the United States.
Harris Proctor, of Durham, who
yesterday afternoon won the five
state regional finals at Charlotte,
(Continued on Page Nine; Col. 7)
WEATHER
FORECAST
North Carolina: Mostly cloudy: show
ers and cooler in north and west por
tions Thursday and in the mountains
Wednesday afternoon or night.
(By U S. Weather Bnrean)
(Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday).
Temperature
1:30 a. ml 67; 7:30 a. m. 64; 1:30 p.. m.
86: 7:30 p. m. 73; maximum 89; mini
mum 61; mean 75; normal 62.
Humidity
1:30 a m. 71; 7:30 a. m. 65; 1:30 p. m.
33; 7:30 p. m. 45.
Precipitation
Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30
p. m. 0.00 inches. Total since the first
of the month 1.98 inches.
Tides For Today
(From Tide Tables published by U. S
Coast and Geodetic Survey).
High Low
Wilmington- 1:20a 8:37s
Masonboro Inlet-ll :31a 5:26a
_ 5 :36p
Sunrise 5:40a; sunset 6:44p; moonset
9:51a. _
Cape Fear river stage at Fayette
ville on April 15, at 8 a. m., 13.98
feet.
(Continued on Pagi Twelve; Col. 5)
Nation Is
WarnedBy
Dr. Durant
Declares Decadence From
Within Is the Greatest
Peril to Democracy
POINTS TO THE PAST
Philosopher Cites Need for
More Discipline in the
Home and School
Decadence from within—not con
quest from without—is democra
cy’s most imminent peril.
So warned Dr. Will Durant, one
of the greatest of modern philoso
phers, last night to a Wilmington
audience at the High school audi
torium, speaking under the aus
pices of the Community Forum.
Drawing striking parallels from
the pages of history to force home
the sobering reflection that demo
cratic civilizations of the past have
crumpled from within before be
ing conquered from without, Dr.
Durant decried the declining Amer
ican birthrate as the greatest sin
gle contributing factor to deca
dence.
Marching Same Path
“We are, as a nation, as a peo
ple, marching the same path of
self-destruction that preceded the
collapse of democracy in early
Rome, that led the way to the
downfall of democratic* Greece,
that undermined France. Democ
racy tends to corrupt itself, first
politically, then morally. A declin
ing birth-rate is a positive evi
dence of that corruption.”
Of the remedy, the noted speak
er was not so sure.
“Perhaps we need less freedom;
less freedom morally, perhaps,
even, less freedom politically. Cer
tainly we need more discipline;
more discipline in the home, more
discipline in the school. And above
all, we need a return to that re
ligious faith which drives ..man to
ambition—ambition to create his
kind, to create a family and to
make his world a better one for
his children,” Dr. Durant declared.
“Lessons From History” was the
subject of Dr. Durant’s highly ip
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 4)
BRITAIN ADMITS
LOSS OF CRUISER
Claims New Bomb Hits on
Or Near Two Nazi Bat
tlefronts at Brest
LONDON, April 15— Wl—Britain
acknowledged the loss of one of
her newest cruisers tonight, but
claimed destruction of a 10,000-ton
tanker bound for a Nazi-occupied
port and new bomb hits on or near
Germany’s two 26,000-ton battle
ships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst
berthed at Brest.
The 5,450-ton cruiser Bonaven
ture, completed in the 1939-40 pro
gram, was sunk on convoy duty
by a torpedo, the admiralty an
nounced. The date, location and
the number of casualties were not
disclosed.
The Bonaventure was the fifth
cruiser acknowledged by the ad
miralty as lost since -the war be
gan. The others were the Effing
ham, Curlew, Calypso and South
ampton.
Other officially acknowledged
losses to date in major warship
classes are one battleship, two air
craft carriers, 39 destroyers, in
I (Continued on Page Twelve; Col. 6)
Germans Drive Deep Into Allied
Front And Reach Siatista Pass;
Report British In Full Retreat
NAZIS BOMB BRITISH
.
Planes Attack Greek Coast
As Transports Move in
And Out of Harbors
GERMANS AT LARISA
Reich Paper Hints That
Balkan Hostilities May Be
Terminated Soon
BERLIN, April 16—(Wednesday)
—OP)—German reports early today
pictured British- forces in Greece
as in full retreat with some com
mentators declaiing it was a
“rout” under terrific bombardment
of the Nazi air force.
The Greek coast was bombed re
lentlessly, the Germans said, as
British transports move into and
out of harbors, and German pres
sure was increased on the Greek
British defense line running from
Albanian corner to the Aegean sea.
REACH LARISA
The Columbia Broadcasting sys
tem’s Ankara correspondent broad
cast last night that German tank
squadrons had broken through the
defense line to reach Larisa and
that Greek forces admitted their
southward withdrawal would con
tinue.
The correspondent, Winston Bur
dette, also said “it appears that
British calculations have already
been upset and it is reported that
eight empty transport ships left for
Greece yesterday from Alexandria,
(Egypt).”
MAY TERMINATE FIGHTING
Whille authorized sources would
give no details on developments of
the North African campaign, they
described the situation there as
“not unfavorable to us.”
The commentary Dienst Aus
Deutschland, which has close for
eign office connections, dropped a
hint that Balkan hostilities may be
terminated within a short time.
Commenting on what it termed
the British withdrawal from the
Greek front, Dienst observed that
“the effects of this step may soon
become noticeable.” v
The fate of the Greek army also
will be greatly influenced by the
| (Continued on Page Nine; Co!, 5)
I _
COUNCIL TO TAKE
OFFICE ON MAY 31
Campbell Expresses Opin
ion Terms of Commission
ers End on That Date
City Attorney William B. Camp
bell said yesterday that he had writ
ten a letter to H. G. Carney, chair
man of the city board of elections,
stating that in his opinion, the terms
of office of the three city commis
sioners would expire on May 31, and
that the councilmen elected on May
6 will ta'ke office on that date.
His letter to Carney follows:
“You have requested me to con
sider and give you an opinion upon
the following questions:
“1. When will the members of
the council to be elected under the
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 4)
Stimson Hints Army May
Be Sent Out Of Americas
WASHINGTON, April 15.—(A>)—
Secretary Stimson. one of several
ranking officials to testify at con
gressional hearings on defense
problems, strongly intimated today
that it might become necessary for
the United States to wage war, in
its own defense, outside the
Americas. .
“Our forces must be prepared
for the possibilities of war in many
and varied terrains,” he told the
special senate defense committee,
“it being quite uncertain in what
part of North or South or Central
America, or even possibly other
regions, it ultimately may be
necessary to use force in the de
fense of this country and its pos
sessions.”
Meanwhile:
Before the house naval commit
tee, Secretary Knox opposed anti
strike legislation but spoke favor
ably of action to require a “cooling
off period” between a strike call
and the actual walkout.
Robert P. Patterson, the under
secretary of war, following Stim
son on the stand, told the senate
committee that the army’s light
and medium tanks were “superior
in speed, armor and weapons to
those of any other nation,” and
said American pursuit planes were
better than Europe’s best.
Testifying before the house mili
tary committee, Donald M. Nelson,
OPM purchasing chief, said that
when strikes are threatened, pub
lic opinion should be brought to
bear on the situation. The defense
mediation board, he said, had done
a “perfectly amazing job.”
Stimson gravely warned the com
mittee that the country was facing
“a dangerous emergency” which
may “be very prolonged.” He in
timated that it may become neces
sary to subordinate civilian needs
to the military program to a great
er extent than has been true of the
past.
The army’s training program,
he continued, contemplates a five
year period covering “many suc
(Continued on Page Six; Col. 7)
-*
Food For Unoccupied France
. * «$&&&, ^
At a Staten Island, N. ¥., pier, flour is loaded into the hold of the
French liner Leopold, which will carry one of two cargoes for unoccupied
France. The sending of more food may depend on how these two cargoes
are distributed and utilized.
Mexico Shaken By Quake;
Heavy Casualties Feared
COLIMA IS IN RUINS
■
Damage at Capital Esti
mated at $1,000,000;
Huge Fires Started
MEXICO CITY, April 15.— UP)—
The city of Colima was reported
half in ruins tonight with prospects
of a large casualty list as the re
sult of an earthquake that shook
the south half of Mexico today
and inflicted damage estimated at
$1,000,000 in fires and other de
struction here in the capital.
The destruction in Colima, about
375 miles southwest of Mexico City,
was reported to the government
press office in wireless messages
saying many of its 15,000 inhabi
tants were injured.
Dead In Ruins
These reports, coming from the
Colima State Military Garrison,
said it was feared numerous vic
tims were dead in the ruins.
President Avila Camacho imme
diately ordered military and civi
lian planes to hasten tonight and
tomorow morning to Colima with
medical supplies and doctors.
The forests around Colima were
reported burning and a dam at
the city’s water plant collapsed.
Colima was in darkness, the ra
dio dispatches said.
Troops have been rushed from
zone headquarters in the Pacific
port of' Manzanillo to reinforce
Colima police.
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 5)
CHANGE IN DRAFT
AGE CONSIDERED
F.D.R. Says No Decision
Reached, Matter May Be
Taken Up in June
WASHINGTON, April 5.—®—
President Roosevelt told reporters
today that War department and
congressional committees had un
der study the advisability of chang
ing the draft ages later in the year.
Any change wouuld be predicat
ed on a showing that the present
range of 21 through 35 had pro
vided sufficient man power and
adequate technicians.
, The President said no decision
had been reached and the* senate
and house committees njight take
up the matter in early June, so
there would be plenty of time for
legislation if any is deemed
needed.
These observations came in re
ply to a question whether the min
imum age would be lowered to 18.
The President said bo% ends of
the age limits might be changed,
indication that if adequate man
^Continued on Page Six;' Col. 4)
Germans Renew Air
Attacks on London
LONDON, April 16.—(Wed
nesday)—(IfI — German bombs
crashed in one London district
early today, trapping several
persons in wreckage and caus
ing some casualties.
One German raider crashed
in flames in a south coast area.
The bombing here was the
second reported in a night dur
ing which German raiders
were heard over most of Eng
land. The other bombihg was
at a south coast town, where
damage was reported not ser
ious.
BRITISH AND AXIS
FIGHT FOR SALUM
English Stave Off Attacks
by Destroying 22 Planes
And 15 Tanks
CAIRO, Egypt, April 15.—(JPI—
A wide-open battle rocketed back
and forth through the Egyptian
border village of Salum tonight
while, 80 miles to the west in the
beleaguered Libyan port of Tobruk,
the British announced they had
t‘aved off ferocious attacks by de
; oying 22 Axis planes and 15
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 3)
PASS HUGE OBSTACLE
Nazi Forces Invade Vlacho«
Klissura Pass During
Earlier Operations
ITALIANS ARE TAKEN
British Holding Line on the
Right Throw Back Nazi
Mechanized Forces
ATHENS. Greece. April 15.—(Al—
German troops smashing deep into
the allied left and center on the
northern Grecian battle front
reached the western outlet of Sia
tista pass today, the Greek govern
ment spokesman announced to
night, and thus surmounted a for
midable obstacle in their thrust to
the south.
The pass, which is at the town of
that name some 50 miles within
Greece, provides an opening in a
6,000-foot mountain range beyond
which lies a stretch of considerably
easier country.
(The spokesman’s language indi
cated what was not expressly stat
ed: That the Germans had tra
versed the pass and were free be
yond it.)
Occupy Pass
In earlier operations, it was add
ed, the Nazis had occupied the
Vlacho-Klissura pass, which lies
some 20 miles to the north ol
Siatista.
The Greek command said “or
dered movements of our troops
towards new positions” were car
ried out in Western Macedonia,
that local Italian offensives in Al
bania were thrown back with ser
ious losses, and that 10 enemy
planes were shot down during the
day.
The Greek spokesman said four
officers and 100 men were cap
tured by the Greeks following the
German-Italian operations in
Northern Greece and in Albania.
He said the Italians were re
pulsed in attacks north of the Aoos
(Continued on Page Five; ol. 6)
ACL REPORTS BIG
NET INCOME GAIN
AH Officers and Directors
Are Elected at Meeting
Of Stockholders
RICHMOND, Va„ April 15.—!#)—
The Atlantic. Coast Line railroad
company reported a gain of $1,019,
462.50 in net income for 1940 over
1939, at the meeting of stockholders
and directors of the railway here
today.
The road’s 1940 net income
amounted to $1,823,536.82, com
pared with $804,074.32 a year ago.
Operating revenues in 1940 were
$50,087,983.60, as against $47,099,
287.24 in 1939, a gain of $2,98,
696.36, while operating expenses
totaled $39,567,508.55, or 2,895,728.40
more than the 1939 total of $36,
671,780.15.
The road reported that tonnage
moved over its line in 1940 was
20.91 per cent above the 1939.
There was a gain of 14.73 per
cent in passengers carried and
220.8 per cent in revenue.
Officers and directors were re
elected. f
Four Killed, 25 Wounded
In Harlam Mine Shooting
MIDDLESBORO, Ky„ April 15.
—iB—A hail of bullets on a dark
mountainside road killed four men
—including the president and vice
president of a coal mine — and
wounded possibly 5 others today
in this month’s third ' life-taking
outburst of violence in southern
Appalachian coal fields.
Eight wounded men were taken
to hospitals from the scene of the
shooting near the Kentucky-Tennes
see line, on a road leading from
Middlesboro to the Fork Ridge
Coal company mine in Tennessee
about one mile from the border.
The dead:
C. W. Rhodes, 48, of Middlesboro,
president of the mine company and
of the American association, a bi
tuminous mining group which
founded Middlesboro.
E. W. Silvers, 45, Middlesboro,
vice president and treasurer of the
Fork Ridge company.
Bob Robinson, 38, Tazewell,
Tenn., a deputy sheriff of Clai
borne county, Tennessee, and a for
mer Tennessee highway patrolman.
Sam Evans, 48, a miner em
ployed at a mine nearly in Ken
tucky. i
No arrests had beeh made late
today.
Bell County Attorney Walter B.
Smith investigated at the scene
which literally touched the state
line at a point five miles souhwest
of here. A roadside line marker
was riddled by bullets.
The killings set a new high for
the number of fatalities in this
southeastern Kentucky section dur
ing any single phase of the oft
recurring and oft-bloody troubles
arising from labor difficulties.
Nine deaths have occured in the
region during The current work
stoppage of Appalachian area
mines following the failure of ne
gotiations of the United Mine Work
ers (CTO)with operators for a work
contract to succeed one which ex
pired April 1. On the day of the
expiration a mine guard was shot
fatally in Harlan county and the
next day gunfire cost four lives
at the Crummies Creek mine, also
in Harlan county.
Patrolman Guy Harrell of Mid
dlesboro, said today’s shooting oc
curred after approximately lOtJ^au
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 1)