North Carolina Newspapers

Wilmington Wonting §tar North Carolina's Oldest Daily Newspaper Published Daily Except Sunday By The Wilmington Star-News At The Murchison Building B, B. Page. Owner and Publisher 1 Telephone All Departments' DIAL 3311 Entered as Second Class Matter at Wilming ton, N. C., Postoffice Under Act ot Congress at March 3, 1879. SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY CARRIER Payable Weekly Or In Advance Combina Time Star News tion 1 Week .$ -25 * -20 * -3«> 1 Month .. 1-W 90 1-50 3 Months .. 3-25 2.60 4.55 6 Months . 6.50 5.20 9.10 l year .13.00 10.40 18.20 News rates entitle subscriber to Sunday Issue of otar-News_ BY MAIL Payable Strictly in Advance Combina Star News tion 1 Month .-75 9 50 3 -90 8 Months . 2.00 1.50 9.75 6 Months . 4.00 3.00 5.50 1 year . 8.00 6.00 10.00 News rates entitle subscriber to Sunday issue ot Star-News Card ot Thanks charged tor at the rate of 25 cents per line. Count Pve words to line. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Is entitled to the exclusive use ot all news stories appearing in The Wilmington Star. MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 1942 With confidence in our armed forces—with the unbounding de termination of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph —so help us God. —Roosevelt’s War Message Star-N ews Program To aid in every way the prosecution of the war to complete victory. Public Port Terminals. Perfected Truck and Berry Preserving and Marketing Facilities. Seaside Highway from Wrightsville Beach to Bald Head Island. Extension of City Limits. 35-Foot Cape Fear River channel, wider Turning Basin, with ship lanes into industrial sites along Eastern bank south of Wilmington. Paved River Road to Southport, via Orton Plantation. Development of Pulp Wood Production through sustained-yield methods through out Southeastern North Carolina. Unified Industrial and Resort Promo tional Agency, supported by one county wide tax. Shipyards and Drydocks. Negro Health Center for Southeastern North Carolina, developed around the Community Hospital. Adequate hospital facilities for white. Junior High SehooL Tobacco Warehouses for Export Buy ers. Development of native grape growing throughout Southeastern North Carolina. Modem Tuberculosis Sanatorium. TOP O’ THE MORNING And in despair I bowed my bead; “There is no peace on earth,” I said, “For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to men!” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep. The Wrong shall fail The Bight prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men!’’ —LONGFELLOW. -V Chemical Raiment Synthetic materials have been so well de veloped that it is almost possible to be dressed in raiment manufactured from “foreign” sub stances. There is, for example, “wool” made from milk; “silk” from wood pulp and cotton lint ers; jewelry from resins and “leather” from rayon fabric coated with a laboratory magic material called pyroxylin. Glass, too, is used in fabrics and as an insulating, cushiong filler for shoe soles. The National Geographic Society has been looking into synthetics and discloses some in teresting facts concerning their use. The so ciety’s budget of information is that: “Synthetic styles can provide the American girl with a hat of cellophane, and dress, un derwear, and gloves of rayon. She can sport Nylon stockings and imitation alligator shoes. Her “jade’ bracelets or ‘ivory’ beads would look like the real thing. Her artificial leather handbag probably would have a plastic frame. Synthetic musk could perfume her artificial silk handkerchief. “Japan recovered from heavy losses in her silk' trade by becoming one of the world’s leading rayon producers. Italy makes large use of ‘Lanital/' a half-wool and half-casein cloth. And Japan is said to have a new dress goods made of seaweed. Germany has been depending on synthetic textiles for years. “Rayon, made of wood pulp or cotton lint ers, is the ‘big boy’ of artificial fabric ma terials. Last year, the United States used al most eleven times as much rayon yam as real silk for purposes that formerly demand ANONYMOUS LETTERS The Star-News Is always pleased, to receive letters from its readers, written for publication, bur will reproduce none that are anonymous.p, ed raw silk. Raycm filament yarn production was 388,729,000 pounds. “In addition, as a substitute for wool and linen in suits, dresses, and upholstery, this country used over 99,000,000 pounds of staple fiber rayon (rayon cut in much shorter strands than those of rayon filament yarn). United States rayon production in 1940 was surpassed slightly by that of Japan and considerably by Germany’s. “Plastics more and more are sweeping the field of clothing accessories. Among these are plastic-tipped shoe laces, dress trimmings, eyeglass frames, zippers, and costume jew elry. “The chemical laboratory also has had a revolutionary influence on dyes and fabric finishes, which contribute to the smart ap pearance and wearing qualities of clothing. Today’s textiles would be short of color if artificial dyes were not available. The test tube also has produced the chemical mix tures which, when applied to fabrics, make them water-, moth-, and mildew-repellent, as well as flameproof.’’ -V Civil Liberties In Crisis In such an emergency as the United States face:; today we are confronted by two grave dangers which might, if not removed, ulti mately overthrow the freedoms of democracy. One of the dangers is that in a time of crisis national security makes necessary cer tain curbs upon freedom of speech, of the press and of assembly. The second is that public hysteria might demand of the govern ment unreasonable restrictions. Of the two, the second is the most serious, for there is less danger that public officers would override the freedoms of a protesting people than that intolerant public opinion would demand suppression of all minority rights. Dealing with this situation, Dr. Robert E Cushman, of Cornell university, in a recent broadcast offered six proposals which he des ignated a program of principals and action. They are worth pondering: First: There must be common agree ment that dangers to the public security will call for heavy sacrifices from the citizen, and that some of these will take the form of restrictions upon the scope of his civil liberties. This is one of the inescapable costs of war or the threat of war. These sacrifices should be cheer fully made. Second: The Government must be neither soft-handed nor soft-hearted in dealing with spies, traitors, saboteurs, obstruc tionists, or those who in any way seek to block or impede our national defense effort. Our laws must be made adequate to deal with these enemies of the State, and these laws must be sternly and fairly enforced. Third: Laws which restrict freedom of speech, press, or assembly in the inter ests of public safety, together with the enforcement of such laws by executive and judicial officers, should carefully pre serve the right of free public criticism of public policy and public officials. This right of free criticism—which is not to be confused with obstruction or incite ment to disobedience—is essential to the preservation of fundamental civil liberty. Fourth: Whatever restrictions upon civil liberties are demanded by the national safety must be formulated and enforced by the officers of government, not by the amateur efforts of private citizens. If our liberties must be curtailed, let it be by the regular and orderly processes of the law. Officials whose duties require them in any way to limit the traditional civil liberties of the people must be held to the strictest accountability. Fifth: The government itself should steadily emphasize by word and by deed its intention to give our civil liberties the maximum of protection. It should lend no encouragement to those seeking to un dermine them. The President and the Attorney General have repeatedly pledged the protection of civil liberty. Finally: The individual citizen should strive to cultivate in his own mind a thoughtful tolerance for the opinion of those who disagree with him, even in a time of public danger. If he is intelligent he must realize that not all people can be made to see and feel alike and that it would not be a good idea if they could. Upon such a widespread spirit of toler ance rests the ultimate fate of our civil liberties and our democracy. -V Distinguishing Mark The thing that distinguishes this country from others is that it was built by “little guys.” They came here from everywhere to es tablish freedom and escape tyranny. They landed in a wilderness. They were often cold and hungry. They seldom became rich. But they kept the faith. They built the homes and cleared the land and riased the children. They fought the wars of the past, just as they are fighting this war. The little guys were proud and strong and confident of the future, and the great land in Which we live is their gift to us, the little guys of the present. Little guys built the industries of this coun try. They saved a few dollars and put them into a store or a bank or a factory of some kind. They took chances. Much of the time they lost, but that didn’t dismay them. They saved a few more dollars and took new chances. They didn’t laugh when some vis ionary came along with an idea the wise acres said, was obviously insane—the tele phone, for instance, or the automobile, or a plan for lighting homes with electricity. There might be something in it, they thought, and they played the long shot. For the visionaries with the ideas were the same kind of people —little guya trying to get ahead, little guys trying to build and create. And some of them went from shacks to mansions in a year or two, and a year or two later were back in the shacks, starting again. They always start ed agsfln. It was in their blood, their bone, their character. The little guys didn't give up. All of this country is a monument to the little guy. All of our industries, our farms, our homes, our resources—the little guys did the work. They went into the oil fields and brought out the black gold. They dug in the earth and gave us our coal and metals. A few became famous, but the' millions remained unknown. They worked and died in obscurity, but this country is an everlasting monument to their deathless spirit which lives on. -V Washington Daybook By JACK STINNETT WASHINGTON, Jan. 11.—There has been a great deal of talk aboat the death of partisan politics. I will have to plead guilty to having, on occasion, put in my two cents worth on that score—but not any longer. I have been a-visiting up on the Hill and Pm here to report that the old political hatchet is only buried‘on one subject—the winning of the war. Since December 7, I haven’t been able to find a congressman (or woman) who doesn’t want to win the war. But after that- agreement ends—and the basis of par tisan politics is disagreement. • • * In the first place, this is election year and the seats of 34 senators and all of the mem bers of the House, of course, are at stake. That means campaigns—and campaigns mean “issues.” When one begins to look for these, he finds there are plenty of them. Some of these issues, a lot of them, are coming up in Congress before election time comes around. But there will be others and many of those in the immediate offing will be continuing. For example, there is the prosecution of the war itself. No one questions the solidarity of England, but when things go wrong with British progress in the war, there are quite a few M. P.’s who are happy to stake their political necks on questioning Prime Minister Churchill. That’s probably only a sample of what can happen here. The “outs” aren’t going to forget how many political noggins fell AFTER England entered the war. As Republican National chairman, Rep. Jo seph W. Martin put it: “This is no time for abuse or criticism. It’s a time for pointing out. We, like every one else, are 100 per cent for winning this war but, like they do in England, we will reserve the right to com ment when it can honestly be done. The party of the opposition is of greatest importance.” * * * “As for specific issues which are likely to develop into lusty political battles: (1) Price control legislation, particularly as regards farm prices, wages, and administra tion of the act. The big guns already are firing on this one and it’s pretty much a battle royal. The farm bloc, the laborites, the anti Leon Henderson-ites, the anti-labor group, the anti inflationists, and the middle of-the-roaders make it a glorious melee. (2) The drastic reduction in non-defense spending with many congressmeen battling to save their favorite agencies. (3) Legislation banning strikes in war in dustries and probably along with it a tighter control of management profits and operations. This may pop to the front again any minute —any minute that labor or management show signs of gelling out of line. (4) Congressional committee investigations to unearth any possible graft or favoritism in government contracts and to determine where the arms program is falling down, if it is. (5) The gigantic tax program. Probably no one questions the vast amount of money we have to raise, but don’t think for a minute there isn’t going to be hot argument about the methods of raising it. (6) The fight to save small industries from complete annihilation and legislation to reme dy or relieve labor and industrial dislocations. I could mention a lot of minor issues that may loom large before the year is out, such as the complaints against the progress of ci vilian defense; and daylight saving, which was one of the big political squabbles of World War I and is certain to bring some political roars from the farm belt. But that should be enough to convince that the second session of the 77th Congress isn’t going to be entirely a chorus of yesses. 1 -V Editorial Comment TAR HEEL INDUSTRIAL GROWTH (Florida Times Union) North Carolina is putting on a demonstra tion in industrial development from which other Southern States can learn a good lesson. Secretary of State Thad Eure announces that a survey of the records of his department indicates that the year 1941 has been “crowded with activity, much of which has involved the issuance of charters in new businesses. During the year 661 domestic corporations were chartered with an aggregate authorized capital stock structure of more than $40,000, 000 and certificates of domestication were is sued to 106 out-of-state corporations, whose aggregate authorized capital stock structure amounts to $919,000,000. This exceeds all records of the department for previous > ears. In 1940 the total for foreign corporations was $115,000,000. This, the Secre tary of State says, is an excellent index for the regard in which North Carolina is now held by foreign capital seeking new territory within which to engage in various businesses. A minimum of the “fly-by-night” type of business is indicated by the work of the depart ment in its regulation of the issuance, regis tration and sale of securities in the State. Violations reported, investigated and prosecut ed during 1941 equalledHhe record low, and, ac cording to Mr. Eure, North Carolina holds first place in the Nation with fewest securities law violations reported. From this record he concludes, and his de partment claims, that in North Carolina there is less fraud being practiced upon the invest ing pulic than in any other State. Viewed from any angle, the record reported from Raleigh is one that any Southern State would be glad to possess. Some others may be able to show a larger aggregate capital stock structure, but wide diversification and spread of the new industries is indicated by the 661 charters issued. That is evidence of the fact that North Caro lina’s department of industrial development is proceeding along wise and sound lines, and making a marked succes of the program the State has been pushing in recent years. Diversification and decentralization of in dustries is a national need that has been claim ing increasing attention, especially since ’the depression descended upon the country follow ing the crash of 1929. Subsequent experience convinced economists that industry should be spread over the country in smaller units in order to absorb a larger proportion of local unemployment and use more of the raw mater ials available at the source. North Carolina’s apparent success toward achieving that goal should provide an interest ing example for further study. How the 661 domestic corporations chartered in 1941 have been distributed, the materials they use, the numbers of workmen employed, markets for the finished products, and the profits made therefrom should Drovide an interesting and profitable jstudy. ALSO GIVING HIM THE SHIVERS!_ Interpreting The War Japanese Penetration Of Borneo Inevitable BY EDWARD E. BOMAR Associated Press Analyst Despite the stinging blows dealt by American and Netherlands air men, keeping the Japanese out of the rich Borneo oil fields appears too much to hope for at Hie start of the long-expected invasion of the East Indies. With the force of the foe’s south ward drive unspent after five weeks of the struggle, the meas ure of success for the defenders is the price they can exact in enemy soldiers and ships, and the extent to which they destroy oil supplies and wells. Like the Philippines, Borneo and the neighboring island of Celebes, unfortunately are vulnerable out posts. More encouragingly, how ever, telling air attacks attest that Japanese warships now are well within the range of heavy bomb ers operating from secure bases in Java, northern Austrlia or else where. But until additional bombers reach the scene and slender land forces are augmented, military re alities overwhelmingly favor con tinuation of the enemy drive. To safeguard an island empire almost as wide as the United States, the Butch must rely for the time being on probably no more than 120,000 troops, largely native, an air force of a few hun dred planes, and a relatively tiny navy, bolstered by what British and American reinforcements can be spared from the fight for Sin gapore. Before the Pacific war, it was understood that only the main is lands of J ava and Sumatra would be defended in force. This plan may have been altered, but only a relative handful of troops were available to battle for the oil fields around Tarakan and Balikpapan, on Borneo’s east coast. A Selectee’s Diary.September 30 Tarakan, object of the most in tensive initial onslaught, is more than 800 miles from the nearest Netherlands’ strong point, the naval base at Surabaya. In the attempt to effect a quick conquest of the southwest Pacific, Japan is believed to be using be tween 20 and 30 first class divi sions, comprising possibly a half million men, supported bf almost the entire naval air force, a con tingent of army planes and the bulk of the navy. Most of this invasion force pre sumably was hurled against the Philippines and Malaya, but am ple strength remains for the thrust against Borneo. Massed for the Indies offensive in the Philippine’s Gulf of Davao alone, where Amer ican and Dutch bombers attacked, was a single naval detachment stronger than the entire Nether lands colonial fleet. American fliers last reported it included a battleship, six cruisers, two destroyers, eight transports and numerous other vessels. Other craft had been seen there earlier. The Indies’ suface craft include four cruisers, and 12 destroyers, aside from more than 50 torpedo boats. Facing the defenders is a stem test of their announced determina tion to apply the torch to the Borneo oil fields, the island’s most productive, and to destroy refin eries and pipe lines in the hope of denying the oil to the Japanese tor a year or more. The hopeful side of the picture is that almost every day sees Ja pan’s limited strength spread ever more thinly while the advantage of treacherous surprise dwindles, defending bombers are increasing ly favored by geography, and al most certainly reinforcements are beginning to arrive. Is That So! BY WILLIAM HITT Central Press Writer There are no snakes in New Zea land, according to a natural history magazine article. Maybe that’s be cause those Japanese ’chutists have not yet penetrated that far south. People who keep their mouths closed live longer, says a noted medico. Hmm, folks in the Axis countries found that out long ago. Men talk more in their sleep than do women. Zadok Dumbkopf guesses that's because it’s their only chance. An eastern university has es tablished a course on how to fish. The baffled students prob ably never know whether they’re cramming for an exam or are enjoying a vacation. The Dutch have pulled the neat est trick of the war. They have con verted a score or more of Jap sur face vessels into non-rising subma rines. A leopard does not change his spots and neither, sadly com ments Grandpappy Jenkins, does a Christmas tie. A puzzle to which no one probably will ever discover the answer is just what is the Jap anese interpretation of what constitutes international law. If the Dutch continue to sink many more Nipponese vessels the floor of the ocean will soon wear the label: “Made in Japan.” Zadok Dumbkopf says we’ll get our a,utos back with a break in the Axis. i The battleship set afire by American bombs in Davao gulf is the third to be sunk or crippled and a few more such losses would be staggering to Nippon’s naval supremacy in the Far East. 1 Clapper > • . Watches Washinstnn BY RAYMOND CLAPppn WASHINGTON, .. Even though this is the bi«. war budget of any nation any tin I’m not going to try to write =7' thing about it, because it js il‘:" too big for my finite grasp I don’t know how you am rnak. ing out trying to digest them * gantic chunks of news that t coming out of Washingtor but I'1' dizzy. It is like trying to fi J? an understandable pattern out nt a convulsion. And this is a c ° vulsion we are going through F°f from being able to understand we shall be lucky indeed if we c-} only keep our balance as it whin, us around with its demoniacs force. » » » SEMINAR For two hours the other dav r sat with other Washington eorres. pondents in President Roosevelt’, office while he explained the War budget. More important to me than anything he said was the fact tha* he was holding the conference, or seminar as he calls it. He had just feven engaged fot two weeks in the wearing confer, ences with Churchill and the strain of the loss of Manila. That verv morning Mr. Roosevelt had g0ai to congress and delivered his mes sage calling for the unprecedented program of war production. He re. turned to the White House about 1 o’clock. After lunch he undertook to explain the war budget in order to assist the Washington reporters who would be writing their dis patches about this complicated ar ray of figures. For two hours he tried to reduce the matter to simple terms for us. He patiently answered questions, some intelli. gent, some not, and some only rep. etitious. Though he must have been unbelievably tired and pressed with critical business, he neve showed impatience and he stayei with it until all questions were ex hausted. I left thinking not much about the budget but a lot about whether a man who could go through that performance with such patience and good will had very much ot the dictator stuff in him after all. If he were of the dictator stripe, he surely would not have used pre cious hours just so the public might better understand what the govern ment was trying to do. Dictators don’t explain. They tell you. » * * SYMBOLS ON THE BOOKS I had a feeling, too, that Mr. Roosevelt was coping with as tronomical figures with t h e same sense of being unable to grasp them that we all exper ience. Dollars are now only sy mbols on the books. A budget of 59 billion dollars is not anything yon or I or President Roose velt can comprehend literally. It is hardly more than a way of saying that we must have a whole lot of weapons. It is a way of trying to say that about half of the effort of the Ameri can people must be put into the war. Yon might as well say we are going to use up 59,000,000, 000 ergs on the war. The question, where is the money coming from? Doesn't make much sense either, I People asked that question I when Hitler was building his I war machine. They said he couldn’t find the money to pay for it. Hitler didn’t think in terms of money. If he had, he never could have done it because by thinking in terms of money he would have put himself into a straitjacket. He figured how many planes he needed, how many tanks. He set out to round up the mater ial. He built the factories and did the work. He thought only in goods and men at work. * * * WAR TAKES ALL In America we have to figure that aside from a bare living, prac tically everything else goes in* the war. The war will take it one way or another. It will take a clev er man to escape. Our earnings, after a modest liv ing, will go into war bonds and taxes. In spite of price control probably will have considerable in flation to take away part of our earnings. Luxuries and semi-lux uries just won’t the made, or n they are made they will be taxe heavily, to try to keep us from buying them. And in spite of it, we’ll find. 2 the people of England have four under worse hardship, that life s.u is worth living. -V As Others Say It WHAT IS PROPAGANDA? Part of the confusion of thoug^ in this country can be t aced to unfortunate looseness in use of word “propaganda.” Propaganda is a zealous Pr'-P gat.ion of one’s opinions. It can Jekyll, or it can be Hvde. ^ opinions propagandized may “ predicted on malicious falsenoo * or on absolute truths. This distinction is what mas. the movie investigation so None of the isolationist sera has had the grit to suggest that a objectionable films did not po the truth. jt. One would gather from the P tures that Hitler is quite a 1° which he is. What s wrong ^ letting the people see the :rut ’ j Boise, Idaho, Statesman. JUST LOOKS THAT WAT According to a bulletin frorn . 'Russian front, retreating Germ are said to be taking a numoe Russians with them. Maybe it J looks that way with the Russ so close behind them.~Chn f Science Monitor.