North Carolina Newspapers

rT^BvLeased Wire Of The - associated press . REMEMBER Wilh Complete Coverage Of PEARL State and National News_ HARBOR! -- ESTABLISHED 1867. far Labor Board Set Up By Roosevelt With 0Sides Represented 0) 8. Davis, Chief Of Na Lj Mediation Board, 'CdHeadOf Unit 0 ADJUST DISPUTES %,oeelTjo Enforce Peaceful Settlement Of All Troubles Presldelnt tonight a National tffiti';ehor board with William H. ^ chairman of the National »•«* new board has 12 mem J? four each representing the vL industry and employees. PUrfwas set up to adjust labor ££ and avoid strikes and S so that there might be o interruption of a vast flow of °armachines and equipment from imerica’s industrial plants. The executive order said that national interest demands hat there shall be no interrupt ion of any work which contributes o the effective prosecution of the Ths procedure for settling dis ,mes threatening to interrupt war vork was provided: 1, The parties at issue shall resort first to “direct negoti ations or to the procedure? provided in a collective bar gaining agreement." 2. Failing to achieve settle ment through such a negoti ation. t h e labor depart ment's conciliation commis sioners must he notified, if they have not intervened al ready, 3. Should conciliation fail, the secretary of Labor must certify the dispute to the War Labor hoard. However, the hoard, in its discretion, after consultation with t h e secre tary, may take jurisdiction over tile dispute on its own motion. Thereafter, the board may use mediation, voluntary arbitration or irbitration under rules established >.v it, to effect a settlement. In addition to Davis, these other, lubl'c members were named: Vice-Chairman George W. Tay or. professor of economics at the diversity of Pennsylvania, and impartial chairman for various in ustries; Frank P. Graham, presi ent of the University of North (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) tESMTEN FOR DRAFTEES deferment For Dependents Re-Examined; Certain Felons May Enlist RALEIGH. Jan. 12.— Iff —Draft owrniWaVf ftlghtened regulations ens erment for depen omewhat rp? of.work' and have ert n 1 axed others t0 ahow te lid f5 °f felons t0 enter ervice hpa orces‘ state selective ay C eat,(3uarters announced to lepoUrTi U Was said' That AhdeLfJrenCy ,oward men S ‘SWOuld replaced “Distances °f their cir' •een instructed fn boards have if deferred rPMj°t eview the cases ret! registrants. egistrant" sud1^ prov'de that no ;-A .deferred t be PUt in ‘lass tats) if ho because of depend ,n or after spn^UUied a dePendent «s he is a f,ember 16- 194°. lon "'hich enn„ ;° piesent informa nt he did notT‘nhS t0 IoCal board “ot(ier to nhta hange his status “ the registrant deferment «4ttt on n: of accluired a de 941. he should afleP Hecember 8, 8“> Sta? ?„V!™ ™: ces the board that c„. Leather I’ORtii ^HEt'AST: ;»..«. .,fw%:B"“") 0°. »• in.’ 42^i„av-' ■iiJ: 1:30 p- ln “l-6; mean Sh- ! Xlm,,m S2; min j. m Hamidit°y J,lal 46 ":3° P- V 7560 a‘m- 5°;l:30 p. m. Si for ini'0^0 inches'4to't0'|r* enainS 7:30 ' month i oh l?tfl since tlie first 'nd ^SfCveylf hy TI- S' 'm'ngton _ Higli Low Usonbo,. . T-i'S5- 1:07a. Inlet ®:»2.P- l:4Bp. W: - I1:24»- 10:46a, *t|. * 1 :'8a; Rmi. r .4:38p. 10:56p. 1 moonset o..,1t r >-2lp; moonrise tt*«Uiiiie4 < 80 **«« ^e; Col. ,) I U. S. EAGLE Former newspaperman and now a member of tire American Eagle Squadron flying for the RAF, Eugene Melvin Potter, of Chicago, is credited with downing two Ger man planes over the English chan nel. He has been with the RAF for a year. RALEIGH CHOSEN FOR OPM OFFICE Contract Distribution Job To Be Handled There, Says Anderson RALEIGH, Jan. 12.—(JV-Raleigh will be the state headquarters fcr :he Office of Production Manage ment’s contract distribution, it was announced today by James T. An ierson of Raleigh, state director at the office. Anderson said that the office space for the state headquarters would be secured by the Office cf Emergency Management in Wash nton. Meanwhile the Raleigh of iice will not be open for business. Charlotte has had an office of 3 PM contract distribution, and the Eharlotte branch will serve as the clearing house for the state on 3PM matters until the Raleigh leadquarters . can be opened. Andersen said that the Charlotte office personnel would be bolstered immediately to take care of its ad ditional responsibilities. Additional OPM branch offices may be opened in the state, if conditions should warrant, he added. Anderson’s first official act was the announcement of the oppoint ment of Cecil E. Bell of Raleigh as assistant to the state director of OPM contract distribution division. Bell has served as assistant indus trial engineer to Anderson in the state department of conservation and development. -V Identification Bureau Reports Active Month More than 650 persons were fin gerprinted and photographed dur ing December by the New Hanover bureau of identification, according to its report made Monday after noon to the board of county com missioners. Of the persons whose identities were taken, 100 were of city police men, deputies, and c-her officials for the purpose of civil identifica tion, 250 of persons working on de fense jobs, ten of applicants for the civilian air patrol, and 250 of per sons arrested for crime. The bureau during the month also took pictures of scenes follow ing automobile accidents in which a fatality occurred and in two hom icide cases. _ _8 Germans Hit By Pl ease V ‘Against Adolf In Europe “BATTLE WITH LICE” Unr'est Reported Spread ing In Germany As Well As Conquered Lands By the Associated Press Disease, disunity and military disaster stalked the once conquer ing legions of Adolf Hitler today and, barring surprises, seemd to be hastening the day of Hitler ism’s ultimate defeat. Hundreds of additional doctors and nurses were reported by the Berlin correspondent of a Swiss newspaper to have been rushed recently to the eastern front to combat a wave of vermin-spread typhus, both among the wavering troops in Russia and behind the lines in conquered countries. German troops were reported engaged in a “battle against lice.” Reliable sources in London de clared that dissension in the Nazi high command—primarily a split over the reverses in Russia—now had spread to the navy with a sharp disagreement between Grand Admiral Erich Raeder and his submarine chief, Vice Admiral Karl Doenitz, over the way the Battle of the Atlantic is going. The London Star also quoted a Moscow broadcast that Field Mar shal General Wilhelm Keitel, chief of the Nazi high command, sud denly had been taken ill. The Kei tel report has not been verified. Berlin itself added a footnote to with an announcement that all for mer officers of the Norwegian air force and navy had been ordered arrested because some 100 of their number had escaped to England to fight for liberation of Norway. Newspapers reaching Vichy from Bordeaux told of the execution of a Frenchman by a Nazi firing squad for possessing firearms, while at Douai, Nord department, (Continued on Page Two; Col. 7) -v Sumner Welles Lands At Pan American Meet RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 12—(A*) —Sumner Welles, United States undersecretary of state, and other Pan American delegates arrived here by airplane today for the conference called to settle the western hemisphere’s stand in the World war. The talks begin Thurs day. Delegates of Cuba, Mexico, Co lombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay were here, and Ar gentina’s foreign minister, Enrique Ruiz Guinazu, planned to fly here tomorrow aboard a special plane. Representatives of the other coun tries were expected also tomorrow. Hundreds of Brazilians applaud ed when Welles stepped out of the airplane and was met by U. S^ Ambassador Jefferson Caffery and Brazilian Foreign Minister Oswal do Aranha. --V New Hanover County Has Big Cash Balance New Hanover county has a hand some cash balance to its credit, the sum of $562,563, as of Decem ber 31, according to the report made by J. A. Orrell, county audi tor, to the board of commissioners at its meeting Monday morning. Mr. Orrell reported that the bal ance on November 30, 1941 was $523,276, that during December $131,110 was received into the county treasury and $91,822 paid, a net increase of $39,288. Synthetic Rubber Plan For Country Announced ■ — 1 WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.—Wl—A $400,000,000 government program for production of synthetic rubber —designed to make the United States independent of the Far East for all military and many civilian rubber needs—was announced to day. Jesse Jones, Federal Loan Ad ministrator, disclosed the plan fol lowing a conference in which Presi dent Roosevelt approved It. Under the plan, Jones said, enough synthetic rubber will be coming out of American factories in 18 months “to supply all military and limited civilian need* ” Jones told a press conference that he anticipated there would be enough rubber at that time to make new automobile tires available to the public. The new rubber factories will be designed to produce about 400,000 tons of synthetic Jobber per year I and, Jones added, “if it develops that more is needed, the capacity will be provided.” In addition to these factories, the nation will have, the official ex plained, about 90,000 tons per year of other synthetic rubber from fac tories already operating or under construction, plus some natural rubber from South America and Africa and from the rubber-bearing Guayule shrub which grows wild in Mexico and Texas and has been cultivated to some extent in Cali fornia. Jones pointed out that in 1941, the greatest rubber consumption year in history, the nation used about 750,000 tons of rubber with out stinting -civilian demand. The new artificial rubber is tc be made primarily by the Buta diene process, which uses crude (Continued an Face Two; Col. 1). J* JAPANESE BOMBARDMENTS PA VE WAY FOR BIG PHILIPPINE THRUST; 3 ENEMY SHIPS SUNK OFF INDIES -— # American And Australian Fliers Wreak Havoc On Jap Warcraft DUTCH HOLDING OUT Authorized Spokesmen Say Oil Fields Will Be Fired If Necessary BATAVIA, N.E.I., Jan. 12. (/P) — Flying Dutchmen and their allies (apparently Amer ican and Australian pilots) were declared officially to night to have struck two Japanese cruisers and two trans ports, and shot down four planes in trying to smash Japanese footholds on Borneo and Celebes south of the Philippines. The situation was obscure in the bitter ground fighting at Tarakan, island oil center off northeastern Borneo, and at Minahassa, the north eastern part of Celebes where Japa nese sea-borne troops and parachut ists landed early yesterday. “Operations in the Minahassa area are being continued.” the communi que said. “No further particular’s can yet be given at the present about the attack on Tarakan nor about the strong resistance with our troops continue to offer.” Tokyo claimed the surrender of Tarakan and the capture of Menado, main oity of Minahassa. An informed Dutch source in Lon don asserted that the loss of all Borneo and Celebes was probable “unless heavy Allied sea and air re inforcements arrive quickly.” , The garrison at Tarakan was said to be "only a demolition party which had been ordered to destroy oil facilities.” The importance to the Allies- of retaining Balik Papan, another oil center and Dutch naval base 300 miles south of Tarakan. was em phasized by this Dutch source. He said Allied bombers operating from that point could interfere effectively with Japanese attempts to utilize Tarakan’s oil deposits, and stem the Japanese sea and air push south and west toward Java and Sumatra. Allied airmen were reported using a group of 50 secret jungle air dromes in their blows at the Japa nese. The fields, well-camouflaged from the air, are inaccessible by road, and are serviced by a fleet of American-made planes. Two Australian planes and one Dutch naval aircraft were acknowl (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) HRSTAffi CLASS TRIES GAS MASKS Sergeant Council Speaks " On First Aid For War Burns Combatting the effects of flesh burns from thermite bombs and methods of donning and using gas masks by civilians were high lights of a lecture last night by Sergeant Junius Council, attached to the Chemical Warfare Division a Camp Jackson, a class of first aid students and prospective instruc tors in the office of the local Red Cross unit in the custom house. Mrs. Robert Tate, chairman of the first aid committee of the Red Cross who was in charge of the meeting, aided the Army officer in distributing the examination speci men gas masks amofig the 45 stu dents present. Though the general tone of the lecture was serious, as befitted the subject, there was some laughter evoked at the ap pearance of several individuals while wearing the mask. That persons injured by inhaling mustard or ether gasrr, must avoid all exercise was emphasized by the spea'rer. It was stated that former ly those affected had been urged to walk if they could but exper ience haT shown the result had been increased tearing and irrita tion of the membranes of the nose and throat. Those administering first aid should place the injured on a stretcher and with as little movement of the body as possible carry them to a place where fur ther arid more advanced treatment may be given. That the effects of blister gases such as Lewisite may be delayed as long as 24 hours may deceive the unwary, the sergeant stated, but first aid must be prompt to be effective. Even those handling the victim may be themselves serious ly affected from contacting the gas in the injured one’s clothing. The hands of those helping the gassed should be frequently washed with hot water and soap. U. S. SHIP SUNK IN DUTCH INDIES WATERS The 8,000-ton United States liner Ruth Alexander, operating in the Far East, was attacked by an enemy bombing plane in Netherlands, East Indies waters and sunk with loss of one life, according to a Navy communique. Survivors reached port safely, carrying four injured.—C.P. Phone photo. t ----*-X—-—___-±- _ EXPLAINS NEW DRAFT Director of Selective Service, Brig- Gen. ‘Denis B. Hershey speaks before the National Press i.iub in Washington. He said the nation's manpower for present military needs would, probably come from men in the 21 to 37 group. He also declared he had warned local draft boards not to indiscriminately classify men be cause of the emergency'. AIR RAID TEST UNSATISFACTORY State’s Observation Posts Not All On Job; Breaks In Service Noted Officials at the Wilmington Dis trict Warning Center area head quarters here Monday night were none tod well satisfied with the results of the emergency test of air raid observation posts over the entire Wilmington information region from 10:30 a. m. to 4 p. m. Monday. “Under the circumstances, the reports from the observation posts that were heard from were satis factory. Immediate steps will be taken to learn why all posts did not report and a report of the test will be made to the proper civilian authorities,” one of the officers said. Fifty-eight of the "spotter” posts, manned by civilians and estab lished to detect the presence of enemy aircraft, failed to report to the Wilmington center. If the test had been a real air raid it would have meant that there would have been large “blanks” in the air defenses of the state through which the planes might well have slipped. According to the instructions is sued before the test, the observ ers in the Wilmington information region, -which includes both the Raleigh and Charlotte fitter areas, were to have manned their posts at a signal from the center here to the chief observers, transmit ted by the chief telephone opera tor in each town. During the course of the test, the posts were to report to the center here by telephone. -V Auto Tax Stamps Go On Sole This Week WASHINGTON. Jan. 12—UP)—'The Internal Revenue bureau said to day that the federal auto tax stamps would go on sale at post offices and revenue collectors of fices beginning the week of Janu ary 12. instead of January 26 as originally announced. This, said Internal Revenue Com missioner Guy T. Helvering, was for the convenience of motorists and to avoid congestion at the sales points. The initial $2,09 tax is payable not later than Febru ary 1. The stickers for the first tax are good until July 1, when new ones will be sold at the rate of $5 a year for motor vehicles. BRITISH FALLING BACK IN MALAYA Japanese Advance To Within 150 Miles Of Singapore Defenses SINGAPORE, Jan. Air raid warnings were in force almost continuously this after noon but in the downtown area, only British fighter planes were seen in the sky. Some bombs were dropped in outlying areas after midday. SINGAPORE, Jan. 12.—(/P)—The Japanese, striking with remorseless land and air Dower, were acknowl edged by the British today to have pressed the defenders of Singapore back to a line only about 150 miles north of that Far Eastern defense bulwark. Kuala Lumpur, the bitterly de fended rubber center in Selangor State and capital of the Federated 'Vlulay States, apparently had been lost but the communique did not specifically announce it. The British said severe fighting continued in the Selangor area, how ever, although “our troops have been withdrawn to positions north o( Seremban.’’ On the north-south railroad to Singapore and a connecting line of 24 miles to Port Dickson, the nearest harbor, Seremban is 35 miles south east of Kuala Lumpur which is sec ond only to Singapore itself as Ma laya’s biggest city. -V_ Savings Accounts Not To Be Seized, Says Morgenthau WASHINGTON, Jan. 12—(/Pi Secretary of the Treasury Hen ry Morgenthau, Jr., denied to day that the government had any plan or intention of con fiscating savings deposits. He gave reporters a state ment saying: “In view of recurring rumors that the government is plan ning to confiscate savings ac counts, Secretary Morgenthau today entered an emphatic de nial that this was so. “ ‘I wish to state most em phatically that there is no foun dation whatsoever for such ru mors,’ Mr. Morgenthau said. “ ‘The federal government does not have under considera tion any proposal regarding the confiscation of savings depos its in this country for any pur pose. “ ‘Furthermore,’ he added, ‘any one circulating rumors of this character is acting against the welfare of the nation.’ ” NEW OCD OFFICIAL Partial reorganization of the Of fice of Civilian Defense to expe dite its work, while leaving Mayor LaGuardia in charge, is seen in the appointment of Dean James M. Landis of the Harvard Law school as executive officer. Lan dis has resigned his Harvard job to devote full time to the OCD. COLD WAVE BREAK PREDICTED TODAY Low Of Only 36 Degrees Forecasted For Early Morning Hours Gradual moderation of the cold wave is expected in Wilmington by Paul Hess, local weather bu reau forecaster, who said late Mon day night he did not expect the thermometer to drop below 36 de grees in the following 24 hours. Wilmingtonians, after buffeting the urusual cold for more than two days, were cheered Monday morning as the temperature rose rapidly from a 26 degree minimum shortly before daylight to a 52 high shortly after noon. The bright sunlight made the weather seem warmer than it was. Fair skies are predicted again for today. Although the temperature last Sunday fell to 17 degrees it was not as cold as a similar period in January, 1940, Mr. Hess recalled. The temperature fell to 14 degrees on the 28th of January, that year. The recent cold siege, which was ushered in by nearly an inch of snow and some sleet,- was remark able in that no major auto acci dents or other calamities occurred during the period. The snow which still remained in shady places Monday morning disappeared dur ing the day. Roosevelt, Farm Leaders Set For Price Showdown - M WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.— (iP> - President Roosevelt, balked thus far by an adamant Senate farm bloc in his efforts to obtain one man control over price-fixing, un dertook personally today to fore stall House acceptance of some agricultural provisions of the Sen ate-approved price regulation bill. Reported to be standing firm in his opposition to dual control over ceilings on farm commodities, the President arranged to confer to morrow morning with a five-mem ber bi-partisan House committee which will meet with a similar Senate group later in an attempt to compromise differences in the price measures passed by the two chambers. The President was said to have reiterated to his legislative lieu tenants at the weekly White House conference this morning his de sire that a single administrator | be given full authority over all 'prices. There was no mention at that time, it was said, of a pos sible veto ca the measure. The Senate directed that r.o price-fixing order on agricultural commodities should become ef fective until approved by the sec retary of Agriculture. Mr. Roose velt had voiced opposition to such a provision in letters to Senators Barkley (D.-Ky.) and Brown (D. Mich). Brown tontended that var ious other limitations forced into the bill by the farm bloc" would permit food prices to rise 25 per cent above present levels. The President’s call for a con ference went cut to Reps. Steagall (D.-Ala.), Williams (D.-Mo.i, Spence (D.-Ky.), Wolcott (R. Mich.) and Gifford (R-Mass.) The Senate conferees who will (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) U. S. Army Transport Is Sunk In Alaskan Seas; All Are Saved FOE USING RESERVES VfacArthur Hits Back With Heavy Artil lery Fire WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.^ (&)—Destruction by fire ol the Army transport Cliveden in Alaskan waters was re* ported today by the War de partment. The ship, a combination passenger and freight vessel of 7,314 tons, was said to ba a total loss, but all personnel were saved. The cause of the fire is be ing investigated, the War de partment said, without indi eating whether it was be lieved to have resulted from enemy action. ALL-OUT THRUST WASHINGTON, Jan. 12.— UR — The Japanese heavily shelled and bombed American - Filipino posi tions today in what may be the initial phase of an all-out attempt to crush general Douglas MacAr thur’s army and free the bulk ,ot their Philippine forces to support the Dutch Indies invasion. The Americans were hitting back, the war department report ing in a communique that "a heavy artillery battle is in progress along the entire front.” For some days, the Japanese have been bringing fresh troops to this front north and west of Manila in apparent preparation for an of fensive. That this was beginning was in dicated not only by the artilljry action but also by a report from MacArthur that “ground activity is increasing.” Enemy bombing raids also were made on the American fortifi cations in Manila bay but word was lacking as to their success. MacArthur advised only that “air attacks are being renewed.” The Philippine commander also reported that the Japanese were attempting to suppress the use of radio receiving sets by civilians in Manila in order to keep them from hearing American and British broadcasts. In that connection, it was dis closed here that former Senator Harry B. Hawes of Missouri made a short wave broadcast to the Phil ippines this week-end at the re quest of Colonel WilliaVn J. Dono van, coordinator of information. Hawes, a champion of Philippine independence when a member of the senate, told the Filipinos to (Continned on Page Two; Col. 6) CHINESESCORE ON FOUR FRONTS Chuncicingr Dispatch Tells Of 100 000 Jap Army Completely Crushed (By The Associated Press) CHUNGKING, Jan. 12.—The of fensive of China’s far-spread armies has scored new successes on foul ttidely scattered fronts against a Japanese foe who is preoccupied with other wars in the Philippines Malaya and the Dutch East Indies it was announced today. At the same time strong Chines* forces were reported moving into Rurma where they will be in posi tion to join with their British Allies in a flank attack on Japan in Thai land- and Indo-China. Christopher Kharman. of an ambulance unit who had just made a trip over the Burma road, said the highway was clogged with crack Chinese troops moving westward with tanks, motorized ar tillery. Bren guns and light weapons. Indicating a disastrous finish to Japan’s third Changsha campaign, the Chinese said they had utterly smashed the force of 100.000 which had set out to capture and keep that Hunan provincial capital. In the final 24-hour battle of entrap ment 8,000 Japanese were killed or wounded and ' 1,000 captured, the Chinese said. With ? 000 miles of front from which to choose for harassing at -acks and counter-offensives, the Chinese also reported a new thrust In Honan province, 350 miles to the north, where the entire Japanese position along the long-contested Lunghai ^railway south of the Tel low river apparently was menaced. '! i