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Served By Leased Wire Of The __ ASSOCIATED PRESS DPMPMHPD WIDE WORLD nLPlLPlDLII » Complete Coverage Of PEARL HARBOR Stale and National News -- AND BATAAN VOL. 75—NO. 205 ' - - -j--- ESTABLISHED 1867. 0. S. lo Begin Gas Rationing in£astMay!7 Motorists Will Be Issued Cards Good For Average 2 1-2-5 Gallons Week PLAN IS TEMPORARY More Comprehensive Sys tem Will Be Installed After July 1, 1942 WASHINGTON, April 22. (TP)—A “meal ticket” system of gasoline rationing, with average motorists allowed from 214 to 5 gallons a week, will be instituted by the gov ernment in 17 eastern states and the District of Columbia on May 15, it was disclosed today. The Office of Price Admin istration announced the plan was a temporary stop-gap pending establishment of “a more elaborate and compre hensive coupon rationing sys tem" about July 1. Automobile owners will be issued gasoline rationing cards during a three-day registration period be ginning May 12. Operators of trucks and other motor vehicles “easily recognized as commercial vehicles” will not be required to obtain ration cards and their pur chases of gasoline will not be re stricted. OPA said the ration cards would resemble meal or commutation tickets a nd would contain 7 squares, each representing a unit of gasoline which the ticket holder ould be entitled to buy anytime between May 15 and July 1. The number of gallons in each “unit” will be announced shortly before May 15 and may be changed later, depending upon the supply situa tion. Service station attendants will tear off, mark or punch a square for each unit of gasoline delivered to a ration card holder. Scant Luxury Driving Taking effect on the eve of the summer vacation season, the plan will permit only a bare margin of luxury driving and will force mo torists to choose between using their automobiles for vacation trips or daily transportation. Thus a motorist may, if he wish 's buy all of his ration card units u one time. However, if he uses (Continued on Page Three; Col. 2) AMERICANFORCES MASSED IN INDIA Johnson Assures Indians Of U. S. Help; Burma Po sition More Optimistic By PRESON GROVER NEW DELHI, India, Apr. 22.—W) -The Japanese are throwing into the battle of Burma all the power ful forces which overran Malaya, British quarters said tonight, but the bitter British-Chinese resis tance is spoiling the time-table of conquest and giving the Allies a chance to mass sea and air power for the salvation of India. Tending strongly to support this view, Louis Johnson, head of the U. S. Advisory Mission to India, told a press conference today: “U. S. troops already are in In dia and more will come.” 'The dispatch did not make clear whether he referred only to the American air forces in India under Maj. Gen. Lewis H. B re r e t o n, vhich already have pounded hard *t such Japanese footholds as the Andaman islands.) "The cost of all American troops will be borne by my government and besides that we are going to (Continued on Page Five; Col. 4) Blanket Price-Freezing1 Order Expected Tuesday As Curb Upon InfkMcn: WASHINGTON Apr. 22.—UPt A blanket freezing of vir tually all prices at last month’s (levels) probably will be pro claimed next Tuesday as part of the administration’s drastic anti-inflation program, authori tative sources said today. The price order, affecting re tail, wholesale and factory prices, is to be announced by administrator Leon Henderson, these sources said. This would follow immediate ly upon the announcement by President Roosevelt of his com prehensive curbs for rising prices, expected next Monday. The price order would be a vital part of this program and represents abandonment of the technique of controlling prices by individual items, which many consider a failure, in fa Rationing Of Sugar Will Begin May 5th Consumers To Register May 4-7; Government To ‘Hit Chiselers’ WASHINGTON, Apr. 22— UP) — Sugar rationing will start Tuesday, May 5, Price Administrator Leon Henderson announced today, warn ing that the government would “hit chiseiers, and hit them hard and fast.” Final details for the registration of household consumers at grade schools May 4-7, inclusive, were made public in a formal rationing order which provides half a pound of sugar a week for each person during the first eight weeks of ra tioning. A 50 per cent cut in sugar use by restaurants and other food services was decreed. Other com mercial and institutional users— bakers, bottlers, confectioners, ice cream and dairy products manu facturers and the like—will get 70 per cent of their 1941 consumption. The wholesale, retail, industrial and institutional sugar purchasers will register April 28 and 29 at high schools throughout the coun try. Restrictions were set on the amount of sugar which could go into each can of packed fruits and vegetables and other foods, but no limitation was placed on the total amount of 1942 food crops which may be packed. One adult from each family may apply for war ration books for every adult and child in the fam ily. Stamp No. 1 will authorize its holder to buy one pound of sugar during the period May 5-16; Stamp No. 2, will be valid May 17-30; No. 3, May 31-June 13; and No. 4 June 14-June 27. The amount purchaseable with each stamp after June 27 will be announced later. It may remain the same or be increased or low ered, depending upon the supply. Heavy Fine Henderson issued a reminder that violations were punishable by a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment of Oiie year. Further, violators may be required to sur render all their staltips and in the case of retail, wholesale and in dustrial consumers, sugar purchase certificates may be withdrawn and the violator prohibited from getting any other materials sub ject to ration or allocation. “A few chiselers can do a great deal of harm both to the opera tion of rationing and to the morale of the nation,” Henderson said. “The country is in no mood to let chiselers get away with it. Our policy will be to hit chiselers, and hit them hard and fast.” Consumers having less than two pounds of sugar per person in the family cupboard will get their ra tion books with all stamps intact; those having two to six pounds will have one stamp torn out for each pound over two; those having more than six pounds will not get ration books immediately but will have to apply for them when the house hold hoard is exhausted at the pre scribed rate of use. Persons not members of a fam (Continued on Paso Two; Col. 8) Nazis Free French Hero, ButSlaughterl5Hostages VICHY, France, Apr. 22.—W— [he Germans freed today the one french hero of the battle of "ranee, Gen. Rene Jacques Wolphe Prioux, whose sacrificial itand enabled the British to escape it Dunkerque, but at the same 'me they announced execution of ttore than 15 hostages in reprisal [r the continued assassination of merman soldiers. It was announced officially that >3 - year - old General Prioux had Deeri released from captivity and returned to France “for reasons health.” (But it appeared that “*e Germans and Pierre Laval, new chief of the Vichy government, had decided on this as a bid for popular French support for furth er “collaboration.”) By contrast, Lieut. Gen. Ernst Von Schaumburg, German military commander of Paris, disclosed in a grim proclamation dated yester day that five hostages “responsible through solidarity” for the killing of a German soldier and bombing of German army officers April 2 had been shot and that the same fate had befallen 10 others for the killing of a member of the German (Continued on P»ie Two; Col. 7) vor of tt}< Berna’’ { Wa Wt. The . would ^ * V consumer goods wu iobable excep tion of fo. it was authorita tively learned, and would per mit sellers to charge the high est price which they charged in March but no higher. The President placed the final formulation of his pro gram ahead of all but the most necessary war tasks and in structed his secretaries to hold his appointments to a mini mum — those of a ‘must” nature only—so that all the fime possible could be devoted to what obviously is one of the (Continued on Pare Two; Col. S) BITTER FIGHTING RAGES IN BURMA Chinese Engage Japanese In Hand-To-Hand Battles North Of Loikawa CHUNGKING, April 22. — C5>) — Heavy fighting on all fronts in Burma with Chinese and Japanese engaged in hand-to-hand battles north of Loikawa, on the Salween front above the Thailand frontier, was announced today by a Chinese communique. American "Flying Tigers” shot down another Japanese plane over the Pyinmana section to the west. The communique indicated a con siderable advance by the Japanese with fighting going on north of Pyinmana and Loikawa, both of which previously were held by the Chinese. North of the west bank of the Salween, where they threw armor ed forces into the drive toward Madalay to flank the long slant ing Chir.ese-British line from the rear, the Japanese started an at tack Sunday morning under cover of aircraft. "At dawn the following day the Japanese launched strong attacks on Loikawa, where the Chinese un der the most difficult conditions offered stubborn resistance, engag ing the enemy in hand-to-h and fighting. "Both sides suffered heavy cas ualties. "One Japanese column reached a point two miles north of Loikawa in an attempt to encircle the Chi nese, but the Chinese are counter attacking and trying to check this movement.” On the central Sittang front, the Chinese said, there was fight ing north of Pyinmana, the former Chinese position, despite vigorous resistance in which three Japanese tanks and one armored car were destroyed and many casualties in flicted. A more favorable situation was reported in the west, or Irrawaddy front, where the Chinese said they were “mopping up remnants” of the Japanese south of the oil fields of Yenangyaung which they occupied in a counter-attack with the British. -V Senator Capper Will File For Reelection WASHINGTON, April 22.— UP) — Senator Arthur Capper (R-Kan) an nounced today he would seek re election this year. The Kansas nom inating primary will be held Au gust 4. WEATHER FORECAST NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTH CAROLINA—Slightly warmer Thurs day. (EASTERN STANDARD TIME) (Meteorological data for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday): (By V. S. Weather Bureau) Temperature: 1:30 a. m. 55; 7:30 a. m. 53: 1:30 p. m. 64; 7:30 p. m. 56; maximum 68: minimum 52; mean 60; normal 64. Humidity: 1:30 a. m. 89; 7:30 a. m. 79: 1:30 v. m. 43; 7:30 p. m. 63. Precipitation: Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m., 0.00 inches; total since the first of the month, 0.87 inches. Tides For Today: (From Tide Tables published by U S Coast and Geodetic Survey): High Low Wilmington - 3:10a. 10:44a. 3:42p. 10:53p. Masonboro Inlet---12:30a. 7:08a. l:08p. 7:23p. Sunrise 5:31a; sunset 6:49p; moonrise 11:36a; moonset 12:59a. Cape Fear river stage at Fayette ville on Wednesday at 8 a. m.. 10.55 feet. (Continued on P*»e Three; Col. 8) V French Staff At Embassy Bolts Laval — Officials In Washington Revolt Against Collabo rationist Policy ONE JOINS DEGAULLE Laval Accused Of Being Seectd By Grmany To Rule Over France WASHINGTON, 'Apr. 22.— Wl — The revolt in French official quar ters here against the collaboration ist policy of Pierre Laval flared up anew late today when Etienne Bur in Des Roziers, second secretary at the French embassy, handed his resignation to Ambassador Gaston Henry-Haye. He was the fifth member of the French embassy and consular staff to quit in protest. Earlier this aft ernoon, the embassy counsellor, Leon Marchal, followed up his res ignation by appearing at Fr e e French headquarters here and an nouncing his loyalty to the cause headed by General Charles De Gaulle. Describing Laval as “The man appointed by Germany to rule France in the interest of the in vader,” Marchal bitterly repudiat ed the collaborationist leader’s ap peal for the support of Frenchmen. “It is hard to believe,” he said, “that on the very day when new hostages fell before the German firing squads a French voice should have absolved the aggressor of the crime of having brought about the war, in order to praise the most barbarous regime Europe has known since the start of Chris tianity, and in order to advocate a policy of confidence toward a country which has constantly be trayed all its promises and which knows no law other than that of brute force.” Hull Silent Secretary cf State Hull did not comment specifically on the resig nations, saying he had just heard of them, but took occasion to “re iterate that I have the fullest con fidence in the patriotism and the wisdom and the love of liberty of the French people.” Hull added that “it is in the light of these characteristics which they undoubtedly possess that it is trag ic to see an attempt to seize the leadership of the French people by elements at Vichy which are avow edly in favor of a surrender to the Axis nations contrary to any real French sentiment to that effect.” Besides Marchal, those whose resignations were disclosed today included Baron James Baeyens, first secretary; vice consul Andre Fiot, and Charles Benoit of the embassy’s code section. Both Marchal and Baron Baeyens are married, the latter to an American wife — the former Mary Clark of San Francisco. Fiot and Benoit have lived in the United States for some 20 years. Whether the procession of resig nations among Ambassador Henry Haye’s subordinates foreshadowed a complete rupture of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vichy remained a subject of conjecture tonight. Officially the position was that the United States Ambassador William D. Leahy was under orders to return to this coun try at once, while relations with the Laval government were on a day to day basis subject to new de cisions which might be taken by the United States in the light of new developments. , In this connection Undersecre tary of State Sumner Welles made clear earlier this week that such decisions might not await the actual return of Leahy from Vichy, j BRITISH COMMANDOS EXECUTE DARING RAID ON BOULOGNE, CATCH GERMANS UNPREPARED Black-Faced Attackers Go Ashore, Carry Out Their Mission And Return LONE SENTRY IS SLAIN English Return With All Men, Weapons; German Flag Ship Is Sunk The following is an eye-wit ness story of the British com mando raid on the Boulogne area of the occupied French coast written by a British cor respondent for Reuters and the Associated Press. Bv ALAN HUMPHREYS LONDON, April 22— “Halten!” This was the only word spoken by the torch-swinging German forming a one-man patrol—the first to challenge the commandos—during their two-hour reconnaissance ex cursion near Boulogne early today. Tommy guns spat. The torch went out. We heard no more. Veiled in night mist the British craft crept silently inshore. The commandos plopped into the shallows and waded to the beach. They were wearing action make up—black-face. All wore sneakers except one officer who had a pair of carpet slippers kept in place with elastic. As he clambered over the side he muttered: “I intend to invade France in comfort.” While we were off the beach searchlights flickered nervously. Signs of Disquiet The Nazis were showing signs of disquiet. As we advanced we could hear whistles but instead of being met by machine-gun fire the comman dos covered several hundred yards to the safety of sand dunes at the top of the beach without incident. Then there was action—but the commandos were not involved. It was the naval forces of light craft which had brought the com mandos on this job. The little ships were lying off, waiting to bring the commandos back. They were engaged by Ger man anti-aircraft and smaller craft The commandos were getting on .with their assignment very quiet ly. All the fireworks came from the sea. These fireworks also caught the attention of the German beach defenders. Their suspicions had been arous ed by the presence of our n ava 1 force. They were so engrossed that the commandos had swept across the sand and were at the beach wire before they met machine-gun fire. We had the initiative until the moment when we tvithdrew—t h e Germans were always fighting where they were compelled to. We penetrated the enemy de fenses over a frontage of 800 yards. Fire Over Heads Much of the machine-gun fi r e was enfilading the beach over the heads of our men. As it dawned on them that a raid was being made the Ger mans fired a shower of very lights. British patrols went out and con tacted enemy strong points, cut ting communications and thereby (Continued on Page Two; Col. 6) Today and Tomorrow _ BY WALTER LIPPMANN -- The Forgotten Men With the appointment of Gover nor McNutt and the War Man Pow er Commission we can perhaps be gin to see in a new light and some what more clearly the many labor questions which the country has been discussing. A long step has been taken towards universal serv ice for war: Governor McNutt is specifically directed to recommend the legislation which will be neces sary to supplement the powers that Major General Hershey has already developed in regard to de ferment under the draft law. Now when a country moves toward uni versal service, the peacetime labor problem is transformed into the war-time manpower problem. As that change takes place, all the stock issues in industrial relations are changed, and many of these issues are superseded. It is, there fore, not only reasonable but very necessary for Congress and for the public to pause for a reappraisal of the actual situation. In the broadest terms, the essen tial difference is that the old labor problem in war industry has re volved around the hiring of men and women by private employers, > whereas the new manpower prob lem will revolve around the con- j scription of men and women by the government for service to the nation. The difference is so far reaching that it will take us all some time to adjust our minds to it. * * * Yet what has happened recently in the agitation about the forty hour law shows how confusing it is to think as we have usually thought about the labor problem. From all parts of the country there is a very strong attack on the forty-hour law (Continued on Page Three; Col. 4) Diver Trapped Seeking Body" His airline fouled, police diver Thomas Walsh breaks surface, trapped between barge and retaining wall on the New Yoi’k waterfront. Rescuers struggle against tide to push craft from wall. The diver had descended to search for body of Sergt. Patrick Walsh, undercover squadman, revealed to have been murdered in 1939 when he tried to prevent a holdup.—(Central Press.) Reds Open Two Gaps In Finnish Defenses Grave Defeats Inflicted Up on Finns In Attempt To Stem Russian Advance KUIBYSHEV, U. S. S. R„ April 22.— (A1) —The Russian Karelian armies freshly reinforced by re serves, pushed through two break throughs in the Finnish lines tonight in violent fighting, and Red army dispatches said the Finns had suf fered grave defeats in an exhaust ing attempt to stem the Russian advance at any cost. With the vast German-Russian front a quagmire in many sections, the northern battles, while not, on a major scale, appeared to be the hardest and most significant. (Hel sinki dispatches attested to the ferocity of the Russian drive against the Finnish lines, although claiming that the Finns were stand ing firm. The Finnish dispatches said the Russians had made 150 attacks along the Svir river in two weeks, using six divisions. The main fighting is going on in the Svir river area of Karelia between Lakes Ladoga and Onega, and the primary Russian objective is to free the lower sections of the Murmansk railroad to clear the way for move ment southward of U. S. and Brit ish supplies now accumulating at Murmansk). In one sector of a three-day-old breakthrough, the Russians were widening the gap in small but sure advances; in another, where the Finns had fortified a town, a Red army unit found a weak spot at a junction of the Finnish troops, threw reserves into the breach and compelled the Finns to retreat -with heavy losses in a night assault on the flank. Without China U. S. Could Lose Says Luce ROCHESTER, N. Y„ April 22.— CP)—Without China the United States could lose the war in the Pacific and “probably would” Pub lisher Henry R. Luce declared to day. “Wherefore,” he said, “let us be humble—and wherefore let us be proud that fate binds us to so great and to so noble a people as the Chinese.” Addressing a Chamber of Com merce luncheon in connection with the University ow Rochester’s two day conference on the Far Eastern front, Luce, publisher of Time, Life and Fortune, added: “Whether or not we might win or lose the war without China, it is absolutely certain that without China we cannot achieve a victory, .that is, we cannot, in any sense win ’:he peace ” <if PANAY DEFENDERS ARE FORCED BACK Indications Point To Japa nese Invasion Of Is land Of Negros WASHINGTON, Apr. 22.— W — Fighting bitterly against over whelming numbers, American-Fili pino troops on the island of Panay were forced to withdraw from their positions at Lambunao in the mountainless interior of the island, the War Department announced to day. At the same time, new attacics were launched by the enemy against defense lines in Antique, the west coast province of Panay, and the spreading tentacles of Jap anese conquest pointed to the neighboring island of Negros as a communique reported an enemy air reconnaissance of that island. The attacks in Antique province were started by enemy columns from San Jose De Buenavista, the southwest coast towm at which landings were made two days ago. The columns were driving against American-Filipino forces making a stand at San Regimio and Valder rama, to the north and slightly inland. At Lambunao the defenders were forced to withdraw after days of pounding by a heavy enemy force driving inland from the southeast coast of Panay. Lambunao lies about 25 miles north of Iloilo, where the enemy made one of the two initial landings on Panay April 16. (Continued on Page Five; Col. 1) Have Things Their Way From Moment Of Land ing Until Departure NAZI WEAKNESS FOUND Attack Shows Germans Not Fully Fortified On Chan nel To Combat Invasion LONDON, April 22(tf3) British commandos led by 30 year-old Lord Lovat caught the Nazis flat-footed about Boulogne on Dover strait early today and spent two hours cutting communica tions, shooting up strong points and spying out the land before withdrawing with every man and all their weapons. All in black-face, comman dos—representing 53 British regiments—had things pretty much their own way from the moment they waded ashore and shot the lone sentry who challenged them. At this point, which might have been expected to be the strongest held of any along the occupied coast of the continent, the com mandos penetrated the Nazi de fenses along an 800-yard frontage eyewitness accounts said. The Germans detected the naval craft which had put the comman dos ashore, and a brisk battle en sued at sea—perfect cover for the commando advance. When the Nazis did wake up and start a tatigp of machine-gun fire —enfilading the beach, much of it was over the raiders’ heads, said some of the one-time game-keep ers, woodsmen and deerstalkers who make up “Lovat’s scouts.” The commandos quickly cut com munications and thus prevented a general alarm. “We were lucky,” said Lord Lovat, the 15th baron of that old Scottish family, who formed his own scout corps two years ago. It was only after the commandos had left, taking their few casual (Continued on Page Two; Col. 8) AXISPLANESHARD HIT AT MALTA RAF Fighters And Ground Crews Destroy Or Dam age At Least 37 Craft AXIS PLANES PI FW VALLETTA, Malta, Apr. 22.—10 —At least 37 Axis planes were de stroyed or damaged in heavy ene my thrusts at airdromes and the harbor area on this British island base yesterday and today, it was reported tonight. Three raids were made today and the British said three German planes were destroyed and four damaged. Thirty planes—17 bombers and 13 fighters—were reported destroy ed or damagd during daylight raids yesterday. The heaviest attack yesterday came at 6 p. m. when a consider able number of bombers hit at sir dromes and the harbor area. RAF fighters destroyed on* bomber and one fighter in that at tack, the British announced. Five other Axis planes were reported damaged. The British said the enemy planes met intense anti-aircraft fire as they dived in waves to at tack. The anti-aircraft artillery was credited with destroying three planes and damaging four others. The other planes were reported destroyed or damaged in two ear lier raids yesterday. 3 Madagascar Is Reported Under ‘Reign Of Terror’ - M----— LONDON, Thursday, Apr. 23.— (#) — Madagascar, the strategic French island lying athwart the Allies’ vital cape route to the In dian ocean ports and the middle east, was reported today to be un dergoing a reign of terror in the enforcement of New Vichy orders to imprison Free French sympa thizers. A dispatch to the Daily Express from Tananarive reported orders from Pierre Laval, Vichy’s new “chief of government,” led to ter roristic practices in the island. The Express’s correspondent said that since the Japanese had broken into the Indian ocean hun dreds of DeGaullists had been ar rested by Vichy police under Ges tapo orders and they were trying to round up the rest. Officials ex pressing antipathy to Japan or Germany are immediately dismis sed^^ffte correspondent said, de claring the governor-general’s, sec retary was among those thrown in jail. • Declaring the great island is a prize for the first comer to take, the correspondent said: “Madagas car is not being defended against (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1)
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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April 23, 1942, edition 1
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