North Carolina Newspapers

Served By Leased Wire Of The au. ■s 1 HUrnmuj mar VOL174—NO. 286 ______WILMINGTON, N. C., FRIDAY, AUGUST 1, 1941 FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867 Jap Apology For Bombing Is Accepted INCIDENT closed Relies Announces Surprise Decision Following Con ference With President ‘ WASHINGTON, July 31— OS’) — Sumner Welles, acting - secretary of state, announced tonight the United states had accepted official apolo gies of the Japanese government on the bombing of the U.S.S. Tutuila at Chungking, China, and that the incident was regarded as closed. Welles made the announcement after consultation with President Roosevelt. The official apologies 4>f the Jap anese government, together with an offer to pay indemnities for the bombing of the gunboat and to take measures to prevent such incidents m the future, were made late today be Admiral Kichisaburo Nomura, Japanese ambassador. expressed Regret In answer to queries concerning' the ambassador’s visit, Welles said the envoy had called on official in structions and had expressed the re gret of the Japanese government. “ Re added that thte Japanese gov ernment viewed the incident as en tirely accidental. The Tokyo government, Welles said, has informed the United States of concrete and detailed measures which it has taken to prevent a re currence of such incidents. In addition, Welles said, Japan of fers to pay indemnities’ in full for any damage as soon as the neces sarv investigations have been com pleted. As the ambassador left the state department, after conferring ten minutes with Welles, he told news papermen he was making every ef fort to improve relations between the United states and Japan. “I’m doing my best,” he said, ‘‘to iron out difficulties and maintain good relations between your country and my country.” Earlier, Japanese officials at Tokyo had hurriedly expressed re grets but, until tonight, the United States government had taken the position that the incident was not closed, The importance which had been attached to the bombing was em phasized by Welles’ disclosure that he had summoned the Japanese en voy to the State department yes terday and at the same time in structed the American ambassador It Tokyo to make representations. Japs Hurry Apology TOKYO, July 31.—The highest of ficials of Japan’s foreign ministry cast aside diplomatic routine today to make a full and hurried apology to the United States for the Chung king bombing of the little American tunboat Tutuila—even before such »n apology had been formally de manded. IT. S. Ambassador Joseph C. Grew (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) Heat Wave Continues To Grip Wilmington The Wilmington area tinued in the grip of a less mid-summer heatA.^^^Ej the month of July t terday, with the mean . ture for the day eight t. %gS$pr$ above the normal 7° Mercury reached the day, at about I early as 1:30 a. m., however, the, thermometer was hovering in the eighties. Humidity at that hour was 92 per cent, eight below the saturation point. STATE OFFICIALS HIT PROSTITUTION Imprisonment Promised lor Women Found Plying Pro fession in Defense Areas RALEIGH, July 31.—UP)—Dr. Carl V. Reynolds, state health officer, today broadened the campaign against prostitution in defense camp areas to include the entire state. Furthermore, he said, “we do not propose simply to arrest pros titutes and leave the higher-ups un molested, but to start with the ‘madam’ and close her doors. There is not going to be any delay or dilly-dallying about this mat ter.” Dr. Reynolds said a federal law will be invoked in the effort to stamp out prostitutions in military camps and maneuvers areas, and he called on state and local law enforcement agencies to cooperate in the campaign elsewhere. To Rid State “So far as we are concerned, v/e are going to see that every means is invoked to rid North Carolina of these women, a large (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) ENGINEERS SET FOR CONVENTION Technical Subjects Relat ing to National Defense to Keynote Affair An annual two-day summer con vention of the North Carolina So ciety of Engineers and the North Carolina section of the American Society of Civil Engineers will be inaugurated this morning at 10 o’clock as registration of delegates gets underway at the Ocean Ter race hotel, Wrightsville beach. Mayor D. J. Herrin of Wrights ville beach will welcome delegates (Continued on Page Three; Col. 3) Finn Port Bombed By British Admiralty Announces Pol Germans Found Press 11.—The British le war to arctic heavy air attacks on port of Petsamo as well Norwegian port of Kirkenes, Admiralty announced today, carrying out the government’s policy of striking at the Germans wherever they are found and pre paring the way for passage of Brit ish supplies to Russia. The RAF simultaneously renewed its offensive against Germany and German-occupied territory on the continent after a several days’ lull caused by bad weather. The arctic raids were made Wed nesday. Fleet bombers from an aircraft carrier—which must be accompanied by a protecting flotilla—concentrat ed on harbor works at Petsamo and caused “generally great damage” to port facilities there despite strong fighter and anti-aircraft opposition, the Admiralty, said. ’ Meet Resistance At Kirkenes, where especially heavy resistance was met, the naval bombers cored two hits on the 1, 460-ton German warship Bremse, before the war a gunnery training vessel, according to an Admiralty communique. At least four supply ships were hit, the Admiralty said. The British acknowledged that 16 of these naval aircraft were lost in the two attacks and said that four German planes were shot down. (The Germans announced that 40 British naval planes launched the attack, and that 28 were destroyed.) The Finnish legation in London remained silent, but “representa tions” were looked for. It was re organized in informed quarters that the attack may stiffen the Finnish government’s attitude toward Bri tain and force it to follow German orders and ask for the recall of the British minister in Helsinki. The RAF raids on the continent were resumed Wednesday with an attack on Helgoland Bight, off the German northwest coast, continued through the night with attacks on the Aachen and Cologne regions of western Germany and on Boulogne, in German-occupied France, and re sumed again this afternoon as bombers and fighters struck out for the French coast. German shipping between Bou logne and Calai was reported at tacked, in addition to land targets. 500 Canadian Soldiers Wreck Amusement Center TRURO, N. S., July SI.—UP)— Five hundred angry Canadian sol diers from Debret military camp charged through a cordon of 50 mili tary police tonight and tore an amusement show apart because a sol dier had been wounded in a fgiht. Booths and games were wrecked, trucks turned over and a merry-go round smashed in the riot. A strong guard kept the troops away from the ferris wheel—the only piece of show property which remained in tact. Senator Reynolds Renews Demand For Immediate Airways Hearing By HOWARD SUTTLE Washington Bureau ’WASHINGTON, July 30.—Charg ";S 'placid acquiescence” by the ;V:1 neronautics board in denying lirmail and passenger service to Atlantic coastal defense cities not low being served, Senator Robert '• Reynolds, of North Carolina, 0liay demanded that hearings on 'ending applications of airlines to octend service to this area be held ,ePtember 15, as scheduled. Senator Reynolds, chairman of e Powerful senate military af ?‘rs committee, told Acting CAB - a|rman Edward Warner that company that has been WEATHER „ forecast farm11 P*ro,ina' Partly cloudy and "’ith scattered thundershower; lta!' and Saturday. ru * ■ S. Weather Bureau) Hrol°gical data for the 24 hours ® 1 ;30 p. m. yesterday). ' Temperature . s.-°,a- m- 81; 7:30 a. m. &; 1:30 p. m. aorn 'c! !• m- 86; maximum 94; mini “ 601 mean 87; normal 79. 1 .-)ft Humidity 2-7 qa m* 92 5 7:30 a. m. 88; 1:30 p. m. ’ p. m. 76. Total , Precipitation for the 24 hours ending 7:30 f the9,09 inches. Total since the first fte month 7.79 inches. |pi,„ Tides For Today !. p0nJi ^i^e Tables published by U. ast and Geodetic Survey), !ll,inston- 3-fga 11:28a Ias«uboro Inlet_ 1:42a 8:05a :02]?ri!e 5:23al sunset 7 :i3pP; moonrise p’ moonset 12;09a. ».KmVer,;!ta*e at Fayetteville at 8 Thursday, 10.5 feet. Continued on Page Four; Col. 3) sincere in its endeavor” to obtain a peAnit to serve Wilmington and other Atlantic coastal defense cities is Canadian Colonial airways, now operating between New York city and Montreal, Canada. The line, which serves New England cities, is asking extension of its route to include Atlantic City, Norfolk, Elizabeth City, Wilmington, New Bern, Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, Charleston and Nassau, in the Brit ish Bahamas. “Unfair to Others” The acting CAB chairman about ten days ago notified Senator Rey nolds that the board had declined to set a hearing date on the peti tion of Canadian Colonial for tem porary permit to serve the pro posed route, on grounds that to set a special hearing on a request for a temporary license would be ‘unfair” to other lines with ap plications on file to serve the At lantic coastal defense cities not now receiving airmail and pas senger service. v In support of his contention that Canadian Colonial is entitled to( primary consideration in the fight between lines to obtain the per mit, the senator charged that East ern airlines, National airlines and a proposed Seaboard airlines had not become interested in such a route until the former had filed an application on July 1, 1940. He pointed out that leaders among the citizens of the Atlantic coast cities seeking service had,, about nine years ago, organized and approached Eastern Airlines in an attempt to obtain service. The organization later became nown as the Atlantic Coastal Cities Air Service Association, headed by Mayor Henry W. Lock wood, of Charleston. These cities, he said, cooperated in “vast expenditures inx the con struction of lateral airports pre dicated upon the specific promise of the government and Eastern airlines that they would, at an early date, be the recipient of a trunk line air system through that territory.” This promise, he as (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) CITY’S MANAGER TO ARRIVE SOON James Wallace Expected Here This Week-End; Takes Office Monday The arrival of James G, Wal lace, recently selected as the first city manager "in Wilmington’s his tory, is awaited this week-end by councilmen who selected the for mer Bangor, Me., executive from among 30 applicants. Mr. Wallace, a native of Maine, is expected to arrive Saturday or Sunday and to begin his duties Monday. No ceremony or formal induc tion'' into office is planned for the •new executive, Mayor Hargrove Bellamy has announced. For the first week during his stay Mr. Wallace is expected prin cipally to engage himself, with the (Continued on Page Two; Col. 6) JAPAN’S NEXT THRUST?—Recent dispatches say Japan may try a push into the rich section of Siberia north of Nippon’s puppet state, Manchukuo. Map shows principal cities of the area which Japan might attack. City’s HRO Named Model For Southeastern States Designation of rthe Wilmington homes registration office as a mod el for homes registration office directors and chairmen in the south eastern states was announced yes terday by Sigurd Nylander, Alba ny, Ga., field advisor for the di vision of defense housing coordina tion, office of emergency manage ment. That the Wilmington homes reg istration office has been selected as a model for the southeastern states was announced in a letter from Mr. Nylander to Lieut. J. E. Treadway, director of the local HRO. Established May 15, the Wilming ton HRO is credited with having maintained a reasonable rent scale and' Sectiring accommodations for many who came to the city for Dirork on emergency and related projects. The letter also stated that di rectors from home registration of fices at Macon, Columbus, and Al bany will visit the city shortly to observe operation of the Wilming ton HR(J. Cities from which the HRO di rectors are coming are experlenc At Macon is located Camp Wheel er, at Columbus is located Fort Benning and at Albany is an ad vanced flying school. The letter to Lieut. Treadway from Mr. Nylander read, in part: “In view of the excellence of the the work that has been done in Wilmington by yourself and the chairman of the Wilmington HRO committee, George W. Jeffrey, 1 have taken the liberty of designat ing your office as a model for HRO directors and HRO chairmen in the southeastern states. “Within the next few days offi cers from Macon, Albany and Co lumbus will be visiting your office for the purpose of picking up ideas and pointers on the operation of your office and it would be ap preciated if you would inform them of the manner in which you and the committee have taken hold of the program. I am especially interested in having them absorb as much in formation as possible in a short length of time, on your public re lations activities as well as office procedure. “They have been directed to re port to you on arrival and it would be appreciated if you would ar range for the HRO chairman to confer with Mr. Jeffrey. “I am looking forward to a visit to Wilmington in the near future and trust that your office is work ing as successfully now as it was during my last visit to Wilming ton.” 1 Japanese Army In Indo-China Said Equipped For Quick Action BY 'FRANK L,. MARTIN, JR. SAIGON, French Indo-China, July 31.—<A>)—A fully-equipped Japanese army of crack troops, obviously ready for action and taking nothing for granted, formally occupied Saigon today and with smart precision took up strategic positions. It was obvious to trained observ ers that Japan had sent a first-class army to occupy military bases in southern French Indo-China in ac cordance with the agreement be tween the Tokyo and Vichy govern ments. In equipment, discipline and effi ciency the military outfits sent here were recognized as among Japan’s best. The army which arrived is a fighting army and not for exhibition. The Japanese army, navy and air force are working together and pro ceeding in a serious and business like manner, apparently not taking it for granted that there would be no opposition. ' The Japanese are not depending upon local food, housing and- trans portation. They brought their own motor trucks, gasoline, foodstuffs, tents and a wide variety of other equipment. At all points along the 500-mile stretch of Indo-China’s southeast coast from Tourarie down to Saigon the Japanese occupation troops seem prepared to go into action if neces sary. A Japanese destroyer is berthed 50 yards from the Majestic hotel, where Japanese army officers are maintain ing their headquarters. The commander of the Japanese air force in Indo-China is expected shortly with the first sqtfifdron of bombers. The Japanese officers seem to be leaning over backward®, at least for the present, to establish themselves as well-disciplined military folk. Similarly, Frenchmen called upon to cooperate with the occupiers do so with few words. Those evacuating homes on 24 hours’ notice get out without open protest, The private' and business life of Americans and Britons so far has remained unaffected. But already a Japanese civil army of business men is buying all avail able cotton for quick delivery to Ja pan and also is negotiating for rub ber, minerals and other products in this area. Super Economic Board Selected By Roosevelt By RICHARD L. TURNER WASHINGTON, July 81.—(A1)—A super-board to direct America’s eco nomic offensive against the Axis was established today by President Roosevelt. At its head, he placed Vice-Presi dent Wallace, long a student of eco nomic strategy and of vitally af fected affairs of the«Latin Ameri can nations, and to its membership, he named the Secretary of State, Treasury, Agriculture and Com merce and the Attorney General. An accompanying executive order gave the new agency a long list-of formal duties and responsibilities. In reliable quarters, it was learned, meanwhile, that its activities would include such things as: Handling the frozen assets of the Axis powers, keeping a close watch on 1,800 firms in Latin America recently blacklisted as over-friendly to Germany or Italy^ watching ex port controls designed to keep es sential war goods from reaching the Axis nations, and recommending anti-trust suits to disestablish Axis influenced monopolies here. Important Post Several significant things were noted about Mr. Roosevelt’s order creating the economic defense board. One of these was that any of its members but Wallace might be represented by alternates. Thus the Vice President, presumably, was expected to devote a major portion of his time to the work of the board. In some quarters, it was suggest ed that Wallace was chosen so that the agency might be headed by one with a sufficiently high rank in the government to arbitrate differences of opinion between various depart ments on the proper course to pursue. # . (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) SEVEN RED DIVISIONS DESTROYED IN NORTH SA YS BERLIN COMMAND RUSSIANS RETALIATE \ ... . Moscow Insists Smolensk Still in Russian Hands; Enemy Falls Back (By The Associated Press) MOSCOW, Friday, Aug. 1.—Strong Red army counter-attacks have hurl ed the German invaders back with heavy losses in the bitterly contested Smolensk approach to Moscow, the Soviet Information bureau reported today. In an enthusiastic communique, it said, “specially stubborn fighting de veloped in the Smolensk direction, where our troops by counter-attacks threw back the enemy with heavy losses. / "We captured prisoners and booty. Our air force, cooperating with land troops, dealt blows to enemy mechan ized units and infantry.” This latest counter-thrust came, according to private Russian a.dvices. after the Soviet forces had staved off 42 gigantic German attacks in the Smolensk sector since July 16, al ways retaining control of the key city wtiich the Germans claimed more than two weeks ago had fallen. Elsewhere along the front ,the 40th day of the war found Russian troops still fighting the Germans in the same familiar sectors, the Soviet communique said. These ware around Porkhov and Novorzhev, roughly 150 to 200 miles southwest of Leningrad; and Zhitomir, the western approach to the Ukranian capital of Kiev. Harry L. Hopkins, representing President Roosevelt, last night talk ed for two hours with Premier Jo seph Stalin at the Kremlin in their discussion of Soviet needs of Ameri can supplies and equipment to resist Germany. Hopkins also saw Commis sar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov. Nazi Air Raid A few hours after Hopkins’ second talk with Stalin, German bombers again tried to attack the capital as they did the previous night. Only one or two broke through to start several small fires among homes, a communique said, but these fires were put out quickly and no mili tary objectives were hit. Besides supporting the Smolensk counter-offensive, the Red air force was credited with downing 15 Ger^ man planes the previous <Say— Wednesday—at a cost of eight Rus sian craft, destroying 12 more on airdromes deep in the German rear, and with a dive-bombing attack which sank one German patrol boat and heavily damaged a second in the Baltic Sea. On the basis of these reports of general successes, Russian inform ants began to speak of the war as developing into a campaign of at traction which they predicted would break the strength and hearts of tlie invading Nazis. Soviet authorities said the front still was not stabilized in the World (Coptniued on Page Three; Col. 3) Russians Readying Offensive 3,000,000 Reservists Be ing Equipped for Gigan tic Counter Assault By DREW MIDDLETON LONDON, July 31.—Iff)—The Red command is preparing a counter offensive of more than 3,000,000 Russian troops to begin within two weeks if by then it is deemed that the German invaders have expended their reserves, Soviet military informants declared here today. .Russian reservists, it was said, are being assembled and complete ly equipped for this prospective push. The thrust, if it comes, will be headed by great masses of tanks and armored cars covered by fight er and bomber aircraft, it was added, but it was indicated that this would be the only similarity with the German advance into Rus sia. Red tanks, it w a s explained, would be kept in the closest con tact with infantry and cavalry— this to prevent the Germans from repeating the Soviet maneuver of yielding to tanks and then closing in behind. A Russian source claimed hat German morale already was shaken. Smiling broadly, he add ed: “In our propaganda to the German troops we are showing (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) ‘WASTE’ CHARGES HURLED IN DEBATE Administration Accused of Extravagance as House Begins Tax Bill Study WASHINGTON, July 31.—(A5— Charges of “New Deal prodigality and waste’ and demands for re ductions in non-defense expendi tures marked nearly five hours of desultory House debate today on the new $3,529,200,000 tax bill. At' times only a dozen represen tatives were on the floor, an d when the discussion touched on appropriations, Rep. Cooper (D. Tenn.) declared that the time to talk about expenditures was when appropriations bills were up, not (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) LENINGRAD MENACED Nazis Predict Early Siege of Old Czarist Capital; Finns Are Aiding By The Associated Press BERLIN, July 31.—The pressure of German and Finnish armies on Leningrad, second city of Russia, increased by the hour tonight, and speculation arose as to whether the city soon will be placed under actual siege. Reticent German military lead ers made no specific claims and indulged in no predictions as to the fate of Leningrad. But mili tary dispatches reported that sev en additional Soviet divisions had been destroyed by the Germans in the northern sector, and news that the Finns were making steady cor ollary progress gave the impres sion that the two-pronged advance on Leningrad was moving toward a climatic point. The German armies are moving in from the south; in Estonia, the high command said today, they threw back the Russians in the latest operations. The Finns are descending on Leningrad from the north. Reported destruction of the Rus sian divisions was described by German military correspondents as “successful culmination of a German encirclement movement.’’ In addition to thousands of prison ers, the Germans said they cap tured here 50 cannon, 68 trucks, 7 anti-aircraft batteries, 23 anti-tank guns and some tanks. In addition, there were increas ing reports that larger and small er Red army units were being cut off from the central Leningrad de fense zone. Finns Participate Dispatches from the regions where the Finns alone or Finns and Germans are operating stressed the difficulties of the terrain and told of some instances in which the retreating Russians dmiched forests with napthia, then ignited them with artillery shells to form blazing barriers to the German Finnish advance. It was asserted, however, that the natural obstacles of the coun tryside present an even greater problem to the Russians than to their attackers. The Russians, it was explained, are falling back and must move their heavy equipment through roadless forests and rough country if they want to save it; the Finns, on the other hand, have time to bring up their machines of war. The problems in this theater of war are new to Soviet strategists, it was contended, since the fighting is in the summer, while almost all the Russian campaign against the Finns was conducted in the win ter of 1939-40, when heavy equip (Continueil on Page Three; Col. 2) Gasoline Service Stations Will Close » 12 Hours Nightly Beginning August 3 WASHINGTON, July 31.— <2P) — A night “blackout” for 100,000 gaso line service stations from Maine to Florida was proclaimed -today by Secretary of Interior Ickes, ef fective Sunday, August 3, to meet the predicted petroleum shortage in the East. Stations in the Atlantic Seaboard states would be closed from 7 p. LOCAL OPERATORS PONDER CONTROL Majority of Distributors Contacted Here Willing to Close Oil Stations i I, « A desire to cooperate in the re quest of Secretary of Interior Ickes that gasoline sales be curtailed from 7 p.m. to 7a.m. seven days a week beginning Sunday was ex pressed last night by Wilmington service station operators, although many were waiting on others to take the initiative in announcing they would close in the effort to conserve petroleum . “I want to do all I can to help,” one operator declared, “but there are likely some that won’t close voluntarily. “Naturally,” he stated, “I don’t think it would be fair for some to remain open and others to close.” Many of the service station ope rators were expecting wholesale distributors to offer suggestions. There is no organization or associ ation in Wilmington embracing all (Continued on Page Four; Col. 2) \ m. to 7 a. m., seven days a week, under this action, until the oil emergency abates or other curtail ment methods are adopted. This was the first step toward compulsory restrictions on the use of motor fuel, and Ickes, the de fense petroleum coordinator, warn, ed that other measures, including possible use of ration cards, might be necessary ‘‘unless this first ac tion achieves results.” The coordinator expressed hope, however, that the “blackout” would emphasize to the public “the seriousness of'the situation,” that voluntary curtailment in the un essential use of motor vehicles would obviate any need for more rigid compulsory measures. tTp to Industry Responsibility for effectiveness of the service station closing was placed squarely up to the indus try. Suppliers of gasoline were re quested to “take such action, in cluding the refusal to make further deliveries of motor fuel, as may be appropriate in cases of continu ed and deliberate failure on the part "bf any re :ailer to observe the recommendation.” While expressing doubt that the government had the power under existing statutes to prosecute vio lators, Ickes voiced confidence that the petroleum industry and the in dividual service station operators would cooperate fully. He pointed out that the industry marketing committee for the Atlantic Sea board district itself had recom mended that the “dispensing of gasoline at all retail outlets in district one (Atlantic Seaboard) be confined to the hours of 7 a. m. to 7 p. m. seven days a week.” The coordinator described the j area through which the ‘‘blackout’* would be effective as follows: Throughout the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massa chusetts. Connecticut, Rhode Is land, New .Jersey, Delaware, Mary land, North Carolina, South Caro lina, Georgia, the Peninsula of Flo rida, the District of Columbia, and all marketing areas in or east of the Appalachian mountains in the states of New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, and such additional marketing areas in said states where any substantial part of the motor fuel supplied is either produced in any of said states, or shipping into such areas from any point east of such areas.” The coordinator’s office said the exact line between the areas to close at night and those to operate (Continued on Page Two; Col. 7) ‘Too Hot for Crime*, Claim Local Police Police last night unofficially credited heat for the past few days with a reduction in crime. “It’s too hot for crime,” one officer said, mopping his perspi ration-beaded brow. Th&t complaints received by the police department and the number- of charges filed has re duce*. was clearly evident. For the past two nights com plaints received by police have been at a minimum. Yesterday, five traffic violation cases were filed in recorder’s court and two more were to be filed today from offenses developing in the day’a businejui *