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Served By Leased Wire Of The Total Net Paid ASSOCIATED PRESS STAR • NEWS CIRCULATION With Complete Coveraoe Of Yesterday •••••••••• State and National News Same Day Last Year. 14,422 __ Increase . 4>UD0 U)L-J4—NO. 277--- WILMINGTON, N. C., TUESDAY, JULY 22, 1941____FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867 Congress Divided On Bill Reaction Greets President’s Request to Boost Army, Keep Selectees (t'resifk'iit’s Message on Page Three) By WILLIAM R. SPEAR WASHINGTON, July 21.—UPl—A sharply divided Congress today re ceived from President Roosevelt an urgent appeal that it declare a national emergency so that army selectees, National Guardsmen and reservists can be kept in service. Mr. Roosevelt asserted emphati cally that "the danger to American safely . . . today is infinitely great er” "than it was last year when these troops were called to the colors for service expected to last only a year, and he urged that they not be mustered out now. He also recommended “because of the swiftness of modern events,” that Congress remove the restric tion which now limits to 900,000 the number of selectees that can be enrolled in any single year. The army as a whole could not be increased beyond the force of 1, 725.000 now contemplated, how ever, unless Congress appropriated funds for more troops. Its present strength is about 1,500,000. Emphasizes Time Mr. Roosevelt’s appeal, empha sizing that “time counts,” was di rected not only to Congress, in the form of a message, but to the people as well with an unprece dented resort to a vocal recording which permitted radio stations to broadcast his words in his own. unmistakable accents. He ex plained in preface to the recording, that he felt his message “should be made available to ns many of our citizens as possible,” for their information. Immediately Chairman May (D. Kv.) of the House Military com mittee introduced two resolutions to retain the army in service and to remove the limit on the num ber of selectees, but making no declaration of an emergency on behalf of Congress itself. “As Necessary” One resolution provided mac mr. Roosevelt might call up an unlim ited number of selectees “to serve for such period beyond 12 months as the President may deem nec essary in the interests of national defense.” It also provided that the duty "may be similarly extended by the President to such period of time as he may deem neces sary in the interests of national defense.” The other resolution extended “til enlistments, appointments and commissions of limited time or tenure which now exist or which may hereafter exist in the army, ’ including those of guardsmen and reserve officers, until six months after the termination of the un limited national emergency which the President already has declared. At the same time Senator Thom as (D.-Utah) of the Senate Mili tary committee introduced legis lation which would provide a dec laration of national emergency but restrict the President’s authority under it to the mere retaining in service of selectees and guards men. Thomas’ resolution also would permit selectees to waive the restriction against sending them outside the Western hemi sphere. Mr. Roosevelt remarked in his message that he was “not asking (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) U. S.-MADE PLANES RUST UNDER TRI-COLOR—Purchased by France before Vichy, these American-made pursuit ships got as far toward their destination as the island of Martinique. There the Hitler-dictated peace caught them; and there they have been for more than a year. Reportedly, there are se veral hundred of the planes at Martinique, and it it is no secret that Uncle Sam is keeping a close eye on them, too. In an enemy’s hands, these American sky-fighters could b e dangerous to the U. S. Vice Leader Denied Mercy; Nets 22 Mouths On Roads Terming the defendant “the lowest form of human being,” Judge Alton A. Lennon yesterday sentenced W. A. Somerset, found guilty in re corder’s court of operating a house of prostitution, to 22 months on the roads. Somerset drew 18 months on the morals charge and an additional 4 months were added when he was convicted of violating liquor laws. Three young women, arrested with Somerset in a police raid Sunday morning and charged with vagrancy and prostitution, drew sentences to CAROLINA POWER HEARING BEGINS Public Utility Charged By U. S. With “Writting Up” $23,920,000 Valuation RALEIGH, July 21.OF)—Charges that the Carolina Power and Light Co. had “written up’’ its books to show $23,920,000 in excess of prop er plant valuation were made to day at the opening of the Federal Power commission hearing which, counsel for both sides agreed, might last several weeks. Norman B. Gray, conducting the hearing for the commission, denied at the outset a company motion that the case be dismissed. The company has been ordered to show cause why the $23,920,000 item should not be placed in an adjustment account and written off, reducing its book valuation from the present total of $97,000, 000 to about $73,000,000. Counsel for the commission said if such action were taken, as rec ommended by commission investi gators, most of the utility’s $25, 000,000 of common stock would be worthless. The majority of this (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) taling 23 months. The women plead not guilty to the charges, and when offered the opportunity to change their pleas before sentence was passed, one, Dolphia Ford, did so and was sentenced to five months. The others, Mary Taylor and Elsie Hayes, declined to change their pleas and were meted terms of nine months each. Somerset, on the stand, testified that the women worked as cooks and maids in his “boarding house” at 402 North Fourth street. Aaron Goldberg, attorney for Som erset, requested that the sentence be suspended and his client be permit ted to leave the county, but the re quest was denied. “No sir,” Judge Lennon said, “I can’t do that. I intend to do my ut most to break up the vice racket here. I consider the defendant to be in the category of the lowest form of human being.” All the defendants were granted a ten-day stay of sentence under bond. A number of other cases were tried at yesterday’s session of the court, mostly of a minor nature. The court adjourned at 6:05 p. m. York Masons Commence Annual N. C. Conference WAYNESVILLE, July 21.—— York Rite Masons began their sum mer session with a brief ceremony this morning and visited the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this afternoon. They paused at the park en trance and paid tribute to the late Trov T. Wyche for his influence in having a marker erected there as a Masonic shrine. C. B. Shulenberger of Raleigh, grand master of the Grand Council Royal and Select Masters, presided over the first assembly. The Masons will visit Beech Nut gap tomorrow, the highest point the Blue Ridge parkway reaches in this section._ 1 State Department Hears New Axis Move May Engulf Portugal, Spain _ — *■- ——-— by j. c. stark WASHINGTON. July 21.—UP)—A vraming by the United States that Germany was planning military ttioves against other free nations Europe centered speculation snew tonight on the Atlantic pos sesions of Spain, Portugal and strategic French North Africa.. .Refusing to name countries or ?1Ve details, Sumner Welles, act lnS secretary of State, said the WEATHER v „ FORECAST ■'Orth Carolina: Partly cloudy and armer Tuesday and Wednesday. v fBy U. S. Weather Bureau) Meteorological data lor the 24 hours '"™g 7:30 p. m. yesterday). ,Temperature ST•'-.oX m- 75; 7:30 p. m. 76; 1:30 p. m. lm’m,1 -1 P- m-81: maximum 87; mini um '•!; mean SO; normal 79. i Humidity in. 96; 7:30 a. m. 92; 1:30 p. m. ’ 7;30 p. m. 76. T„,„, „ Precipitation _ 6 i!jJ. 0: the 24 hours ending 7:30 it. “■ 000 inches. Total since the first the month 7.39 inches. IP Tides For Today _ itrom Tide Tables published by tJ. east and Geodetic Survey). Wilmington_ sS J*asonboro Inlet_ BhHia 12:07a Srniy . 6:24p 12:08p B-47n. sunset 7:20p; moonrise ,a’ moonset 5:57p. a RmVer,.staBe at Fayetteville at S ' 14.15 feet. Continued on rage Two; Col. 2) government had evidence that new Nazi steps of aggression were con templated against some remaining independent states in Europe. Spain, Portugal and North Africa were named as next possible Ger man objectives by General George C. Marshall, army chief of staff, in testifying on selective service legislation before the Senate Mili tary Affairs committee last week. “You can see Spain, Portugal and North Africa covered very quickly,” Marshall said. “Each move leaves the Axis forces more and more ready for another move.” president’s View From President Roosevelt today also came a warning that the dan ger to national safety was “in finitely greater’’ than it was a year ago. Both the President and Welles made it clear that other American republics could count on full sup port from the United States in re sisting any Nazi moves below the Rio Grande. Welles announced that Bolivia had been assured of all assistance by the United States in any inter national incident that might grow out of the suppression of an al leged Nazi coup in that country and the expulsion of the German minister by the Bolivian govern ment. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) BALLOON SCHOOL TO BE RELOCATED Barrage Training Unit Will Be Moved to Paris, Tennessee Camp Davis will lose in November its barrage balloon school, at pres ent the only one in the country, of ficers at the camp said yesterday. The outfit will be moved to a per manent balloon training camp at Paris, Tenn. Col. Robert Arthur has been com manding officer of the barrage bal loon training center at Camp Davis and has also been commandant of the barrage balloon school. In connection with the removal to Paris of the center, it was an nounced that Major John N. Dwyer will move to the Tennessee site to serve as liason officer representing Col. Arthur in construction activity. The reason for the removal of the center, to which there are now 2,500 men assigned, is that Paris offered a location which is off the country’s main air traffic lanes. Thirty barrage balloons are now at Camp Davis and experiments with their use are reported progressing satisfactorily. AMERICA JOINS ALUMINUM DRIVE Nation Responds With En thusiasm As Metal Cam paign Depletes Pantry By The Associated Press Out of that greatest of all store houses—the American kitchen pan try—came such a stream of old pots and pans yesterday that defense of ficials quickly revised their esti mate of what Mrs. Housewife could do to “keep ’em flying.’’ The government’s aluminum sal vage campaign was launched with a goal of 20,000,000 pounds. But scattered reports of the first day’s collections so exceeded expectations that officials at Washington head quarters began to talk of 30,000,000 or even 40,000,000. Everybody appeared to be taking part, and with enthusiasm, in the drive for old metal to be given the government and turned into air planes, tank and battleship parts, and other weapons. Unions in Tacoma. Wash., built a huge collection bin in the middle of the city’s busiest street intersection. Chorus girls in New York City turned out to help Boy Scouts, fire men, police, and members of civic organizations who, in the metropo lis, as elsewhere, were gathering the donations. The housewife’s discarded kitchen ware was the backbone of the mounting scrap heap but there were scores of other articles—old auto mobile parts, toys, a few artificial limbs—even parts of a German fighting- plane. Mrs. Wales Latham, national president of Bundles for Britain, turned in the partial remains of a shot-down Messerschmitt plane at New York. A watch company there gave 15,000 old watch housings and at Cincinnati another watch com pany donated a like number. A woman in Philadelphia turned over 15 aluminum disks used for home recording and commented: “I’m tired of hearing myself talk.” In many communities, there were special inducements for the children —and others—to join in. A Cleveland dairy gave an ice cream cone to each child donating a utensil. Mayor Clyde Tingley of Albuquerque, N. M., had his hank supply him with bright new nickels to be turned over to children in exchange for any old piece of alum inum. The St. Louis Cardinals an nounced that any used aluminum article would be the admission price for women at a special Ladies Day game Thursday with the New York Giants. Several theaters there accepted aluminum as a ticket of admission. Senators Authorize Seizures Bill Would Give President Power to Take Property For Emergency WACSJaiiNtjXUlM, juiy zi.—cox— Legislation granting the President powers to requisition private proper ty “to promote the national defense and to overcome shortages” was ap proved by the Senate after a stormy session today. The proposal, passed on a voice vote and sent to the house, would authorize the chief executive to draft military and naval materials, ma chinery, tools or materials necessary for the manufacture of such articles. The President could requisition pri vate property only in the event of “immediate and impending” need in the defense program and then could invoke the draft powers only after having exhausted all other efforts to obtain the necessary equipment. Fixed Compensation Compensation for the seized ar ticles would be fixed by the Presi dent on a “just and fair” basis, and owners would be permitted to buy them back at the end of the defense needs. The powers would be effective dur ing time of war and national emer gency but would expire June 30, 1943. Senator Chandler (D-Ky.), floor manager of the bill, told the Senate the proposal was necessary for the success of the preparedness effort, and Democratic Leader Barkley termed it vital for defense. Chandler’s support of the measure drew Senator Wheeler (D-Mont.), the declaration that the Kentuckian “wants to go to war tomorrow.” Chandler and Wheeler engaged in a shouted exchange, the Kentuckian expressing resentment “at being call ed a warmonger” and Wheeler deny ing “that I am or ever have been a pacifist.” Senator Barkley, in pleading for the measure, said the country was facing some dangers which could not he discussed in public, whereupon Senator Smith (D-S.C.) asked: “What is this real menace? The Senator talks as though we were in war.” Barkley replied that we were not at war, but that if we should have to face a war he wanteci to be pre pared for it. “I voted for one war, and I hope to God Almighty that I won’t have to vote for another one,” he said. "But if war is a la«t re sort, I will not shun it.” Wheeler’s Charges Wheeler said “British agents and royal refugees” and subversive in fluences” should be run out of the country. He said British “propagandists” were “trying to tell us to send men to their war and that congress (Continued on Page Two; Col. 5) COLLISION SENDS MAN TO HOSPITAL R. W. Smith, Jr., of Winter Park, Seriously Hurt in Intersection Accident R. W. Smith, Jr„ of Winter Park was seriously injured yesterday aft ernoon when his car collided witi one driven by Benjamin Mills, Jr., of Leland, at the intersection of 16th and Orange street. Patrolman L. E. Sikes reported that Mills’ car, proceeding north on 16th street, struck the right rear door of Smith’s automobile, causing it to overturn. Smith was driving east on Orange street. Smith was carried to Jarties Wal ker Memorial hospital, suffering from a possible fracture of the spine, internal injuries and lacerations. His condition was describe-! late last night as “fair.” The accent occurred at about 4:30 o’clock yesterday afternoon. OPM Creates Three Pools To Supply Defense Power WASHINGTON, July 21.— W — Through creation of three gigantic power pools in critical areas? the Office of Production Management reported today it had obtained the 1,000,000, kilowatts of electricity necessary to run the new govern ment-owned plants which are to produce aluminum and magnesium for bombing planes, tanks and warships. Power resources of the North eastern states, the Southwest and the South will be linked into huge regional power grids, it was an nounced, so that the surplus ener gy in each area may be diverted to the cities where defense pro duction has created a power short age. Pools Solve Problem Co-directors William Knudsen and Sidney Hillman of the OPM said that the pools would solve the problem of providing energy for the new plants announced last week, which are to add 600,000, 000 pounds of aluminum annur/ly to the nation’s output of the light metal. Three of the seven contemplated plants are to be in the areas in volved in the power network: One in Massena, New York; one at Lister, Ala., and the other at an Arkansas location. Four other plants are to be built on the Pa cific coast, where expansions of Bonneville, Grand Coulee and Boulder Dam hydro-electric capa city are under way. Knudsen and Hillman also an nounced that OPM would take complete responsibility for the na tion’s power supply for defense, and appointed J. A. Krug, former TVA manager, to be head of a new special power unit of OPM. (Continued on Page Two; Col- 1) BERLIN CLAIMS ARMY DESTROYS HUGE UNITS OF DEMORALIZED FOE RAF Steps Up Assaults On Vital German Centers By The Associated Press LONDON, July 21.—The aerial offensive against Germany’s west ern front, marked again today by swarming cross-channel attacks, is but the prelude for the heaviest air raids in history which the RAF will launch against Germany in the next three months, it was as serted authoritatively in London. There is wide speculation in Lon don on the extent of RAF attacks on German fortifications across the English channel on the French coast. Large-Scale Landing? Some quarters hold such attacks are preliminary to some large scale landing by the British, but it is more reasonable to assume CANAL TRANSIT IS RESTRICTED Foreign Vessels Are Denied Passage Through Pana ma ; Japs Hit Hardest WASHINGTON, July 21— UP)— A drastic restriction on foreign ship ping through the Panama canal was disclosed officially today, and Japa nese vessels apparently were af fected most by the action. Sumner Welles, acting secretary of state, said that all shipping agencies have been notified of an order by canal authorities restrict ing or prohibiting transit of mer chant shipping for the time being to permit urgent repairs. Whether all shipping was affected v-as not revealed, nor did Welles indicate how long it would take to complete the repairs. A group of Japanese ships, after a week-long wait at the canal for transit from the Atlantic to the Pacific, was sailing southward, ap parently on the long route home ward around Cape Horn. Long Journey Five vessels which had waited a week sailed for Rio de Janeiro yes terday and two other more recent arrivals at the canal left for an undisclosed destination. All were presumed to be going around the Cape to the Pacific. One Japanese captain, displaying a cable from Tokyo saying that the canal was closed, laughed and pointed at other ships moving through. Authorities at the canal de clined to say why the Japanese had been denied transit. The Japanese embassy made rep resentations last week to facilitate clearance for two Japanese vessels which had been delayed in sailing from American east coast ports and one ship awaiting transit through the canal. Welles said at that time he under stood some canal repairs were be ing made and that the delays to other ships were due to local condi tions rather than to any concerted action to hamper Japanese ship ping. _ :hat the British are merely trying io smash German guns which shell channel convoys. Since the majority of these guns are railway-mounted it is assumed that they are well hidden when not in action. The British bombers probably are trying to destroy the tracks by which they are brought into firing positions and to batter the fixed-mount, short-range can non which would stand in the path of any British attempt at a land ing. As the nights lengthen attacks on a scale “which will make Cov entry look like a pinprick’’ will be aimed at German industry from the industrial Ruhr valley to Frague, capital of dismembered Czecho-Slovakia. It is presumed that big Boeing bombers and Consolidated Libera tors—two of the heaviest weapons in Britain’s aerial armory and both American-made—will lead the as saults. In the number of planes engaged and the»weight of bombs dropped me aitacKs wiu surpass mose which, the British say, distributed 7,000,000 pounds of bombs on Co logne, Bremen and the Ruhr from June 16 to July 10. No Slackening As the raids increase in range and strength there will be no slackening cf the daylight offensive aimed at attrition of Luftwaffe fighter strength and German coast wise shipping. There is every indication that these forays, which among other things are said to have sunk or dam aged more than a quarter million tons of shipping in the last two' weeks, will be doubled in intensity. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) DAVIS REQUESTS PARKING CHANGE Says Traffic Conditions On Waterfront Streets Are “Terrible” Lieut. John H. Davis, head of the police department’s traffic control division, in a report yesterday termed traffic conditions on Water and Nutt streets “terrible ’, and rec ommended that an ordinance be passed prohibiting parking on the east sides of those streets. Bad traffic conditions, Lieutenant Davis said, were caused by the nar rowness of the streets, parking on both sides, and the railroad tracks which run down the west side of the streets. Yesterday, according to the re port, a fire truck responding to an alarm from Water and Chestnut streets, was unable to get through because of a box car standing on the tracks and a parked automobile on the other side &f the street. Frequently a car must wait until one proceeding in the opposite direc tion has traversed an entire block before it can proceed, the report said. DISPUTED BY SOVIET Russians Tell of Holding Entire Saliant; Luftwaffe Bombs Leningrad (By The Associated Press) The Germans claimed today their troops steadily were surrounding and destroying important blocks of the huge Soviet Red army, but the Rus sians merely reported heavy fighting still raged in the Keyareas guarding the roadways to Leningrad, Moscow and Kiev. A Russian communique Issued early today named the battle areas as Nevel, Smolensk, Novograd-Vol ynski and Seversk, and said a Nazi air attack on Leningrad had been beaten off. Soviet fighters were de clared to have shot down 11 Nazi planes in the first attempted attack on Leningrad and 10 German planes in the second foray. The town of Severcsk appeared for the first time in the official war report but it did not indicate any significant change in the front. Seversk is about 10 miles inside the 1938 Soviet frontier with Latvia and about 60 miles northwest of Polotsk. Planes Inflict Losses The German news agency DNB said German planes inflicted severe losses on Russian troops concentrat ed in the Shimsk-Novgorod sector 100 miles south of Leningrad, as well as successfully raiding Red air bases up and down the long front. ■ A German high command report that there was a specific advance by German-Rumanian-Hungarian forces on the Ukraine front in the south was disputed by a Budapest radio announcement that heavy rains had held up Hungarian troops. The picture left by Moscow was of violent fighting in relatively static and familiar battle areas with the Russians generally holding their long-assaulted positions and able to claim that one of their greatest al lies, Time, was taking a more im portant position. The Soviet command’s communi que simply reported a continuation of heavy action in the Polotsk-Smo lensk salient before Moscow and in the Novograd Volynski area fronting Kiev in the Ukraine. Elsewhere— and this included the approaches to Leningrad—it was declared that up to Monday afternoon there had been no late significant action. Unofficially, the Russians declared that Smolensk, the strategic city at the Red center only 230 miles short of Moscow, still was in their hands, thus disputing last week’s German announcements that it had been cap tured and overrun and inferentially claiming that the main Nazi thrust had made no real progress,in several days. Tell 1)1 Battle German military spokesmen, ex panding on a high command com munique reporting the destruction of numerous encircled Russian troop bodies, spoke of "a big, destructive battle” to the east of the Stalin line fortifications and repeated the famil iar assertion that the whole of the Soviet defense was crumbling. The Russians, they said, were in similar case to that of the French and British after the Maginot line (Continued on Page Two; Col. 5) High Ranking Bolivian Officers Linked With Nazi-Ins;ired Revolt . --- SON OF STALIN TAKEN BY NAZIS Germans Claim Soviet Pre mier’s Eldest Captured In Smolensk Action BERLIN, Tuesday, July 22.—Iff) —Authoritative sources claimed to day that Joseph Stalin’s son, Jacob, had been taken prisoner by the Germans. The oldest son of the Soviet pre mier was captured July 15 near Ljosno (Liozno), Russia, with a number of other officers and sol diers taken by German panzer forc es under the command of General Rudolf Schmidt, the sources said. Ljosno is between Vitebsk and Smolensk on the Moscow front. Jacob Stalin was said to have been born March 18, 1908, at Baku, the son of Stalin’s first wife. Jacob formerly was an engineer but de cided later to become an officer. He went through artillery academy in Moscow in two and one-half instead of five years and held the rank of first lieutenant in the 14th Howitzer artillery regiment of the 14th Soviet panzer division when taken prisoner, German authori ties said, LA PAZ, Bolivia, July 21.—UP)— Defense Minister Gen. Miguel Can dia returned from Cochabamba province tonight and reported to President Enrique Penaranda on the arrest there of several high ranking Bolivian military officers in connection with the energetic investigation of an alleged Nazi conspiracy to seize power. Herman Schroth, a German citi zen and former manager of Lloyd Aereo Boliviano, also was among those arrested in Cochabamba as well as several civilians. Over the week-end the government declared a state of seige and arrested three newspaperman and former Finance Minister Victor P a z Estenssoro, and ordered the expulsion of the German minister, -Ernst Wendler. A German legation spokesman said Wendler would leave tomor row for Antofagasta, Chile. President Penaranda, who fa vors close cooperation with the United States in Western hemi sphere defense plans, met with his cabinet just before General Candia reported. xvcpui i. aims r uuuu The newspaper Ultima Hora charged that “a substantial quan tity of arms and ammunition had been imported through a Germar firm and cached in several prov inces.” Three clandestine radio trans mitting stations, one of which was in the German legation, were u»ec by the alleged conspirators, the [newspaper said Deputy Carlos Gonzalo Saaved ra, leader of the Republican So cialist party which enjoys the greatest popularity in Bolivia, re turned today from Buenos Aires and declared his party’s full en dorsement of President Penar^n da’s action. Nazi Contacts Ultima Hora said the govern ment had learned several months ago that the plot’s Bolivian lead ers had been in close contact with the German legation. However, it added, it was only recently that the government was able to ob tain documentary proof, whereupon (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) Leaps Overboard To Avoid Flames Tom Carlton had his choice be tween fire and water yesterday and promptly chose the Cape Fear river. Tom was pouring gasoline into the fuel tank of a boat docked at the Tide Water Service sta tion, when the engine burst into flames. He went over the side without delay. iNegligible damage was done by the fire, the cause of which was undetermined. Firemen advanced the theory that the blaze "a# due to static electricity.
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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July 22, 1941, edition 1
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