Served By Leased Wire Of The r——————— ASSOCIATED PRESS Total Nei Paid Sanday Star-News Circulation With Complete Coverage Of Last Sunday .16,188 Slate and National News Same Sunday last year 12,091 __i- Increase .4,097 \(H.. 7L——,—-----,_WILMINGTON, N. C., MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1941 FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867 Throngs Observe Holiday NO FATALITIES Police Declare Great Week End Crowd ‘Sanest’, Most Orderly in History New Hanover county celebrated one of its sanest three-day holiday periods in modern historp, police officials of all municipalities a greed without a single automobile fatality reported up to a later hour last night. Thousands upon thousands of people jammed the highways lead ing to and from Wrightsville and Carolina beaches, but police agreed that it was one of the most olderly masses ever encountered wit ar rests being confined largely to drunks and minor traffic violators. Concess onaries at both beaches, as well as hotels and rooming houses, hailed the week-end crown as nearly equivalent to that of July Fourth with an average greater throng expected to arrive through out the day today. Practically every available room was reported taken at leasing ho tels at the two beaches, with man agers agreeing that the turnout ex ceeded all expectations. Traffic Heavy Railway and motor bus compa nies reported that their traffic had been enormous, with managers of each refusing to even fathom a guess at its magnitude. While beaches were regarded as over flowed at most sections, Wilming ton nevertheless experienced a mild holiday. Streets were almost deserted of traffic, believed due to the fact that hundreds of office and defense in dustry workers had taken advant age of the long week-end to visit with friends and relatives out of the city. Part of the quietitude could be laid directly upon the fact that three and five-day furloughs issued at Camp Davis had allowed thous ands of soldiers would have other wise came into the city to return to their homes for£ a day or two with relatives. It was known defintely that 6,000 men alone went to New York city and Chicago by rail, with addi tional thousands taking busses to more easily accessbly cities. There was, however the throngs of soldiers at the beaches with more thah 500 reported at Carolina Beach and more than a thousand taking advantage of the surf at Whightsville to escape the torrid heat which settled over the city yesterday. Business office workers at the Atlantic Coast Line railway stated that they had been “so busy” that they hadn’t had time to think about the record-breaking throngs of travelers who vacationed in the nation’s capital and other cities along the northern Atlantic sea board. Pome To Mountains. Still other thousands from this city took advantage of respite from their desks to take trips to western North Carolina and the Mountains. All city, county, state and federal offices were closed Saturday noon, not to open until tomorrow morn ing. giving government employes their last chance for a three-day rest before thanksgiving holiday. Wilmington police, meantime, Were kept on the run answering calls against disorderly drunks and vagrants who imbibed too freely over Saturday night and yesterday, the jail was crowded with minor offenders and even were expected offenders and even more were ex pected today. The usual Monday session of re c.or£duers court, usually the heaviest ot the week, will not be held this morning a session of court due to open at 10 o’clock tomorrow morn ing. Entire Area Peaceful Southeastern North Carolina counties last night reported that .e had, not been a single fatal accident in the territory despite car-jammed highways throughout he area. There were but four such •amities in the entire of North arohna, according to an Associ ated Press dispatch. Peace officers of all sorround (Continucd on Parrs Three; Col. 6) WEATHER V. ,, „ forecast Par?h. ,Car,olil,a ar>d South Carolina; Ttipsri.i-..an(* warm Monday and trs Tuesday^e*y sca^ered thundershow er 'By U- S. Weather Bureau) en Finance Committee, is sche duled to reach the Senate floor Wednesday. It ontains $456,000, 000 more in estimated levies than the bill which passed the House, but leaders predicted that the Sen ate would make few changes in the Finance Committee bill. Other farm-mind"’ lawmakers, most of whom are opposed to writ ing price maximur on farm prod ucts into the price-fixing legisla tion, indicated they would support Smith’s attempt to revise the freez ing measure. 2 ‘Le ion of Veterans* Becomes Sole French Political Organization By The Associated Press VICHY, Unoccupied France, Aug. 31.—Marshal Petain estab lished today the “French Legion of Veterdhs and Volunteers of the National Revolution”—an authori tarian coalition of his followers reminiscent of Hitler’s Nazis and' Mussolini’s fascists. In effect, the legion became, by the declaration of the old Marshal, its president, France’s only func tioning political party. The backbone of the organization is the older French Legion of War Veterans, but with the chaage of name membership was broadened to include all Frenchmen who sup port the Vichy regime. Organization of the broadened legion was a sequel to repressive measures taken against opposition to authority in both occupied and unoccupied zones. 2 PRESIDENT PLANS LABOR DAY TALK Will Address Nation To day; Expected to Summa rize Defense Progress By DOUGLAS B. CORNELL % HYDE PARK, N. Y„ Aug. 31.—(JB PresidentRoMev|U bjg|g ^Rilay-address which may offer an important presentation of his views on foreign policy and tthe defense program. The ten-minute speech, to be broadcast at 1:50 EDT tomorrow aft ernoon will coincide with the second anniversary of the start of the war in Europe. Taking note of that fact ir Washington Friday, Mr. Roose velt had hinted that he might have something appropriate and signifi cant to say. The chief executive set aside the enti afternoon to work on the ad dress. It will represent his first re port to the American people since his dramatic conferences at sea with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Mr. Roosevelt’s ten minutes on the ai rwill conclude an hour’s pro gram. arranged by the Office of Pro duction Management. The program will ave an international scope with Ernest Bevin, British labor minister speaking from London. Additional speakers will include Sidney Hillman, associate director of OPM; William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor; and James Carey, secretary of the Congress for Industrial Organiza tion. The labor aspects of the day and program raised the possibility that Mr. Roosevelt might devote a por tion of his statement tomorrow to the matter of defense strikes. But White House officials said the Pres ident had told them no decision has yet been made on the scope of the address. The chief executive will speak from his own room in the Franklin D. Roosevelt library here. WALLACE SEES REVENUE IN PARKING METERS HERE City Manager Cites Statistics Showing De vices Have Yielded Income For Im provement of Police Departments Wilmington can expect more than a fair share for its money when and if the city council gives final ap proval of the parking meter plan whereby between 300 and 500 of the devices would be installed on the main streets of this city’s business area. Pacts and figures have been hand ed City Manager James G. Wallace showing where cities throughout the nation have profited handsomely from the installation of the devices. While it has been definitely stated by city officials that the machines were not being- sought as a pro ducer of revenue, but merely to re lieve the parking situation, as much as $20,000 was realized in one city from the time the meters were in stalled until they were paid for through the 72-25 division of income on which terms they would be pur chased here. This money was real ized from only 415 of the devices. All revenues dei ived from the parking funds taken from the FINLAND MAY WITHDRAW FROM RUSSIAN CAMPAIGN; GERMAN AD VANCE STOPPED NAZIS HURLED BACK Soviets Say Invaders Foiled in Repeated Attempts to Cross Dnieper mo rale, men and machines of war In the fighting now general al&ng the enormous front were reported at the start of the eleventh week of the struggle. Without detailing the present sit uation on the battlefront, the first communique of the day told of all-night fighting and said that the Germans lost 3,000 men killed and wounded and 25 tanks, 32 field and anti-aircraft guns when the Red air force thwarted an attempt at a pontoon-crossing of a river identi fied only by the letter “D”. On the far-north front, the Red army was said to have killed 1,200 out of a picked German force of 1,500 troops sent to capture the city of “N*\ A dispatch to Izvestia said the Red troops won their battle against (Continued on Page Three; Col. 4) meters will be put back into the po lice department for the relief of traffic problems that present them selves to the police department. Figuring an annual take of $50,000 from the machines once they are completely paid for by the city, this amount would enable a substantial enlargement of .the police depart ment personnel, City Manager Wal lace pointed out. This will be drastically needed in Wilmington in the next several years with the population growing •t its present pace. Under the plan now before the commission, at least 300 of the ma chines would be placed about the streets in the business area. The price of the parking would be one cnt for 12 minutes, or a nickle for a full hour. Out of the money thus received, the city would retain 25 per cent of the total with the remaining 75 (Continued on Page Three; CoL 3), Nazis Report Leningrad Defenses Are Weakening (By The Associated Press) BERLIN, Aug. 31.—On this last day of the second year of the Euro pean war touched off by Germany’s operation against Poland the battle planes of the Luftwaffe ranged far east of the Dnieper river in Rus sia and German land forces resist ed what appeared to be secondary Red army counter-thrusts in the Gomel sector. Odessa, Soviet Black sea port and naval base, held out agaihst a bitter siege. Fighting naged about Leningrad, the second city of the U. S. S. R., but Berlin sources said its defenses were apparently weak-, ening. • In the far north, German-Allied Finland had reached approximate ly what seemed to be her war aims—a return of frontier regions she lost to Soviet Russia in the 1940-Moscow-Helsinki peace treaty —and there were questions in some quarters as to how far hey people would care to go into the third year of the conflict. The German high command communique from Adolf Hitler’s headquarters stressed Finnish progress and made no mention of German action at all on the Rus sian front today. Credit Finn Troops “As already reported in a spe cial announcement.” it said. “Fin nish troops administered a destruc tive defeat to Soviet forces in heavy battles in the vicinity of Viipuri (Karelian Isthmus city 75 miles northwest of Leningrad) and on Aug. 30 won back the town itself. “At the same time the Finnish troops made impressive gains of territory on the Karelian Isthmus in the direction of Leningrad.” German dispatches declared that these Northland fighters had chas ed the Russians back on the Isth mus to what was the Russian-Fin nish border before the Soviet at tack in 1939 and DNB stated that, northeast of Lake Ladoga, Finns had passed the old boundary in an operation which conceivably could menace Leningrad. (The old Karelian isthmus border was about 40 miles northwest of Leningrad; the boundary east of Lake Ladoga was some 200 miles 0tway.) Russian forces, however, still held Hango, the old n®/al harbor on the Gulf of Finland. Finnish policy apparently is un settled and it was not disclosed here whether the nation would be satis fied with the recovery of her terri tory or continue in the Axis-led “European fight against Bolshev ism.” Red Counter-Attacks German dispatches again men tioned Russian counter-thrusts in the middle sector of the eastern front, but asserted that they flat tened out against a stonewall de fense. Russians were said to have lost 30 tanks in one attack. In another segment of the same sector. Germans reported taking 2, 170 prisoners. From the northern front came re ports that the Russians had planted thousands of land mines to hinder the advance on Leningrad. On a front held by a single Ger man army corps it was declared that engineers had eliminated 1,100 mines In dangerous hours of toil. RAF Bucks Pea-Soup Fog To Hammer Nazi Targets LONDON, Aug. 31.—U!)—British aerial squadrons struck overnight £t German bases in Cherbourg and along the Netherlands coast, de spite weather officials—described as unfavorable,'^and made fresh firusts against objectives in occu pied France today. Blenheim bombers and RAF fighters roared across the mist hrouded English channel after dawn and informed sources said argets included railway commu nications and a Nazi airdrome. Fragmentary reports indicated one German fighter was destroyed nd one British plane was missing. In operations last night, the air ninistry said, bomber command aircraft attacked docks at Cher bourg and aircraft of the coastal command bombed ground defenses near the Dutch coast. “Two aircraft of the coastal com mand,’’ it said, “are mfssing.” (The German high command de clared that its naval artillery “shot down eight pursuiters on the Dutch coast and three British planes on the Norwegian coast” and that ground defense guns had forc ed a 12th raider into a crash land ing. It was acknowledged that “individual British bombers last night penetrated into Northwest Germany.”) The British ministry of home se curity said there was nothing to report today and "only a few ene my aircraft were over this country last night.” (Berlin sources said night-flying Germans had effectively bombed the southwest section of Ramsgate, a railway, maritime and aerial center at the mouth of the Thames. (“Battle planes last night bom barded various harbor facilities on the British east coast,” a Berlin communique said. “Additional air attacks were directed against air ports in Middle England.”) In fact, the air ministry report ed that there was little opposition (Continued on Page Three: Col. 7) Germans In Stampede To Leave Fallen Iran BY DANIEL DeLUCE TEHERAN, Iran, Aug. 31.—W)— The vanquished government ol Iran announced today the expecta tion that British-Russian military operations would stop and “the cause for the peoples’ anxiety will soon be removed” as a result of talks with Allied representatives. United States Minister Louis G. Dreyfus, Jr., accepted a role of intermediary at the request of German Minister Ettel for 700 Ger man Nationals harbored at the summer legation in suburban Shmran. Ettel asked Dreyfus yesterday to seek assurances from the British and Russian governments for their safety. Dreyfus expressed willing ness to convey the request to Lon don and Moscow. Greater Economic Aid To Central American Republics Asked of U.S. WASHINGTON, Aug. 31.—(St— The United States was urged today to extend economic as well as po litical and military assistance to the Central American republics to assure their continued stability and thus provide added protection to the Panama Canal. In a special report prepared S|>r the Foreign Policy association, a private research organization, A. Randle Elliott said the strategic po sition and economic resources of these countries have necessitated a reevaluation of them in ‘‘terms of the totalitarian challenge'1 to the Western Hemlsnhara.' f (The British radio quoted the Reuters news agency as stating that well-informed sources in Sim la declared. “The German com munity, apart from the legation and some technicians, will have to leave within a week, x x x The Allies will reaffirm that the meas ures taken were not directed against Iran, but against the men ace of German intrigues in the country”)^ An air raid scare here Saturday developed from an odd mixup in a land officially again at peace after four days of fighting, but a com munique indicated the underlying reason was that the Iranian air force, among all arms of the serv ice, was most imbued with a de sire to defend Iran to the end. False Air Alarm Two Iranian planes, whose crews took off against orders, and a So viet craft on a leaflet-dropping mission appeared simultaneously over the city by a coincidence, of ficials said. Iranian anti-aircraft batteries were ordered to fire upon the Iran ian planes to force them to land, they said. The rattle of shrapnel falling from the exploding anti aircraft shells led to an erroneous announcement that the city was bombed. The Soviet embassy expressed satisfaction with the explanation that the batteries fired at the Iran ians and not at the Red army plane and reported forwarding, a mes sage to.Moscow urging ho bombing r«DrisaI» . REDS EXTEND FEELER U. S. Ambassador John Winant Understood Cen tral Figure in Move (By the Associated Press) LONDON, Monday, Sept. 1.—Rus sian • initiated peace negotiations with Finland in which John G. Winant, United States ambassador to London, is the central figure, were reported under way today by the Stockholm correspondent of the Daily Mail. The correspondent said that Pre mier Joseph Stalin himself made the opening move by ordering with drawal of Red army forces from the Karelian isthmus frontier between Russia and Finland. These reports were not confirmed in any official quarter. American embassy sources who could be reach ed early today said they were un able to confirm or deny that Winant figured in the negotiations. In Helsinki, the Finns officially denied rumors abroad to the effect that the Helsinki government itBelf had started negotiations for a med iated peace. “Without Foundation" The Finish statement described such reports as “without founda tion,” but left unsaid whether the Russians might have taken the initiative. There were indications from Ger many that the Nazis felt the Finns might come to terms with Stalin. Berlin dispatches said there were questions in some quarters there as to how far Germany’s northern al ly against Russia might care to go. now that the Finns have all but reached what seemed to be their war aims—a return of frontier re gions lost to the Soviet Union in the 1940 Russian Finnish peace treaty. Advices from the German capital described Finnish policy as appar ently unsettled and It was not dis closed there whether the Helsinki regime would be satisfied with re covery of her territory or continue the Axis-led “European fight against bolshevism.” The Daily Mail correspondent cabled the following from Stock holm: “Mme. -Alexandra Kollontay, Sov iet ambassador to Stockholm, has telegraphed Moscow that the Finns apparently want peace but she her self is taking no part in any nego tiations. “Reports of Finnish peace feelers have been sweeping Stockholm ful some days now. In Winant’s Hands “The negotiations at present are said to be centralized in the hands of Mr. John G. Winant, American ambassador to London. ‘‘American diplomatic circles 1n Stockholm will not confirm reports that the United States minister to Helsinki, Mr. (H. F. Arthur) Scho enfeld, has been approached as to the possibility of Washington as an intermediary between .Finland and Russia. “in Helsinki, it is significant that the British legation st^f' are allowed complete freedom of move ment within the city limits.’’ « Before this Stockholm report was received interest was aroused in London by the suggestion of a Finnish newspaper that Finland shortly might seek a separate peace with Russia, now that territory lost to the U. S. S. R. had been largely regained. An authoritative source said he believed the report was in accord with the wishes of Finland but that she might find herself ‘‘in an awk ward position” with Germany. Helsinki dispatches quoted the newspaper Savo as saying, "it is possible that operations in which Finnish troops are concerned will terminate shortly with die driving out of Russian troops from territory ceded last year.” Informed quarters expressed be lief that the Finnish recovery of Viipuri might be the logical point to seek withdrawal from the war. But since that might release Rus sian troops for service elsewhere (Continued on Page Three; Col. 3). Laval, Deat Improve; Full Recovery Seen For Collaborationists VERSAIELES, Occupied France, Aug. 31.— MP)—Physicians to Pierre Laval and Marcel Deat, targets of an assassin’s bullets last Wednes day, said today that the two men could be considered almost out of danger. Of Deat, Rightist editor of the Paris newspaper L’Oeuvre, they said: ’‘Considering that only 72 hours have parsed since a grave operation, there is every reason to suppose he has been saved.” Of Laval, France’s foremost ad vocate of collaboration with Ger many, they said: “Improvement permits every hope he willibe saved ”