Newspapers / Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, … / April 14, 1943, edition 1 / Page 1
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Served By Leased Wire Of The ^t^d^ _ ASSOCIATED PHESS fTTTf * ry . BPMPMPrD SSS 1 itWlUTttttt^ vtsr ^AMDBATAAH^ VOL. 49.—NO. 1Z5_ WILMINGTON, N. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 1943 FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867. MCARTHUR SOUVmf WARNING ON Ef 7 SEA CONCENTRATION hearAUSTRALIA J Allied General Says Pow erful Units Within Strik ing Distance must control skies Defenders Must Maintain Superiority In Air To Hold Land ALLIED HEADQUAR-j TERS IN AUSTRALIA, Wed-; nesday, April 14.—(IP)—Gen-j eral Douglas MacArthur, whose planes have blunted two big Japanese aerial thrusts at New Guinea by shooting down 76 of the ene my, warned today that pow erful Japanese naval forces are within striking distance of Australia which can be held off only if the Allies keep command of the skies. “The Allied naval forces can be counted upon to play their own magnificent part but the battle of the western Pacific will be won or lost by the proper application of the air-ground team,” his state ment said. First Line Of Defense He asserted that.“the first line of Australian defense is our bomb er line” and “the range of our air force over surrounding waters marks the stretch of no man’s sea which is the measure of our safe ty.” His statement, coming on tne heels of a warning by Gen. Sir Thomas A. Blarney that the Jap anese have massed 200,000 first line troops in the arc of islands above Australia, was issued on a day when the communique from his headquarters made clear that once more the Allies held the aeri al initiative. Today’s communique told of a heavy raid at low level by Allied four-motored bombers on Japan ese shipping in Hansa bay on the north coast of New Guinea, during which a 10,000 ton ship was left (Contained on Page Two; Col. 6) COLUMBUSYOUTH DIES IN MISHAP 15 Year Old Boy Suc cumbs From Exposure After Boat Capsizes WHITEVILLE, April 13. — Le Grand Hyatt, 15-year-old White ville youth, died shortly before 4:30 p. m. Tuesday, victim of exposure, after the boat in which he and four high school companions were sailing capsized on Lake Wacca maw around 11 o’clock Tuesday morning, and the group was forced to cling to the sides of the small vessel for five and a half hours. High winds tossed the boat over approximately one mile from shore throwing the occupants into the water. They were forced to grab the sides of the vessel and to hold ; fast until rescued by A. F. Gold-j ston, who happened to pass the scene in his own boat at 4:30 p.m. Although suffering from the shock of the experience, none of the four who were brought in alive required hospitalization. According to the story of the rescued boys, it was necessary for them to support LeGrand Hyatt (Continued on Page 10; Col. 5) U. S. Bombers Striking Hard At Jap Airfields WASHINGTON, April 13.— WP>—American bombers are striking repeatedly at Japan ese plane concentration centers northwest of Guadalcanal, the Navy reported today as evidence mounted that the Pacific war is approaching a crucial new phase. A communique disclosed five attacks against enemy bases in the Solomons Sunday evening and Monday. American fighter planes strafed Rexata Bay, si lencing anti-aircraft positions. Flying Fortresses attacked Ka hili. A Catalina patrol bomber raided Munda. Avenger torpedo bombers and Wildcat fighters bombed and strafed Vila and nearby Ringi cove in the central Solomons, starting fires. All these are points which the Japanese might use in building up their air strength in the northwestern Solomons for such raids as their 98-plane attack on Guadalcanal last Wednesday and their 100-plane assault on Pori Moresby, New Guinea, over the week-end. That such concentrations aye in progress not only in the Sol omons area but also in the is lands north of Australia is a fact on which practically all authorities have now agreed — although there is a question as to whether they are primarily offensive or defensive. • General Sir Thomas Blarney, chief of Allied ground forces in Australia, said there today that the Japanese had not only mass ed a great air force but also (Continued on Page 10; Col. 4) COU BIRTHS i NCREASING 35 Per Cent More Babies Born In 1942 Than In Preceding Year There were 35 per cent more babies born in New Hanover coun ty last year than in 1941, figures compiled by the county health de partment revealed Tuesday. By contrast, the death rate for New Hanover county’s greatly in creased population was only 20 per cent higher than that for 1941. .According to a report made by Dr. A. H. Elliot, city-county health officer, the total number of births recorded for 1942 was 2,283; 1,549 babies were born in the city and county in 1941. The numer of deaths in 942 was 897; in 1941, there were 748. The record also shows that births during the first three months of the current year are considerably in excess of l^st year’s high totals. There were 723 children bom in the first quarter of the year. Of the babies bom in 1943, 531 were white and 192 Negro. Deaths for the three-months pe riod, January, Feruary, and March, have totalled 216. Thus the difference between the number of births and the number of deaths this year is 507, it was explained. Because there are no accurate (Continued oh Page Two; Col. 1) Plans Are Complete For Annual Meeting Of Commerce Group Plans for the annual meeting of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, to be held at 7 o”clock Thursday night in the St. Paul’s Luther an church parish house, have been completed, according to F. O. Fockler, secretary of the organization. Some 200 members of the chamber, and their wives, are expected to be present. Features of the dinner meet ing will include the introduc tory speech of E. A. Laney, president; Mr. Fockler’s an nual report; introduction of the chief speaker by H. A. Marks; the address of James Gheen, prominent public relations counsellor of New York City; and invocation by the Rev. James Lawson. Mr. Gheen, nationally known authority on public relations effort, is described by Mr. Fockler as "a business man with a keen sense of humor." PRESS BOYCt r HEARING ENDED Fifteen Large N. Y. City Stores Fined For Action Toward Newspaper NEW YORK, April 13.—®—Fif teen of New York city’s biggest department stores and the Retail Dry Goods Association of New York were fined a total of $80,000 in federal court today on charges that they conspired to boycott the New York Times because the newspaper gave notice of increas ed advertising rates effective in May. Counsel for the stores and as sociation entered pleas of nolo contendre and were given 48 hours to pay their fines of $5,000 each. “The New York Times did not initiate the investigation, nor did it file a complaint with the anti (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) ASSISTANTCHIEF OF POLICE NAMED Capt. J. F. Jordan Promot ed To Post; Fire Depart ment Men Elevated Captain J. F. Jordon, veteran Wilmington police officer, was pro moted to the rank of assistant chief by the City Civil Service commission Tuesday night in a series of police and fire depart ment promotions. C. W. Shackle ford, commission secretary, re vealed after the meeting. Lieut. John Davis, head of the department’s traffic squad, was made a police captain but will retain the leadership of the traf fic squad, Mr. Shackleford said. Both promotions, he said, will carry an increase in salary. Acting on the recommendations of Fire Chief J. L. Croom, the commission made the following promotions: Captain L. R. Frost, now in charge of the fireboat Atlantic, to fire inspector. Lieut. C. H. Register to captain in charge of the fireboat. A. Russ to lieutenant on the fireboat. Lieut. H. W. Ebert to captain. Commenting on the promotions of Captain Jordon and Lieutenant Davis, City Manager A. C. Nich ols said last night: "We are gratified that the Civil Service commission saw fit to con (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) Community Center For Maffitt Village Is Given FPHA Approval The Federal Public Housing au thority has approved the construc tion of a $50,000 community com mercial center for Maffitt village, huge war housing project of the Housing Authority of the City of Wilmington, Henry R. Emory, ex ecutive director of the local au thority, said Tuesday. He said the commercial center Was the first of three such build ings projected for construction on shipyard working housing projects here. The second center is also Planned for Maffitt village, which ' ill provide homes for some 5,000 shipyard workers when complet while the third is scheduled to he erected on Lake Forest, white shipyard worker housing area at Greenfield lake. Bids on the first structure will be asked as soon as plans are com pleted by the architects, Lynch and Foard of Wilmington. Of masonry construction, it will contain space for a postoffice, gro cery store, drug store, shoe shop, and similar establishments. Funds will be provided by the FPHA. Residents of Maffitt village, lo cated south of Sunset Park and approximately one mile from the North Carolina Shipbuilding com pany are handicapped, Mr. Emory said, in that no commercial es tablishments are readily available to the project. The same is true of Lake Forest, he said. The authority is hoping, he said, that the Wilmington postoffiee will see fit to establish branches in the three community commercial centers to serve shipyard workers and their families living on the projects. A move to establish a branch office at Sunset Park, because of the tremendous increase in popu lation there due to the proximity of the shipyards, has been underway here for some time. The separate establishments • in the Maffitt village center will be leased to private individuals to be ; operated under housing authority j supervision. ' i. Local Women Sell $13,437 In War Bonds Booths Placed In Down* town Stores Report Good Sates Here HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVE Students Purchase $4, 868.93 In Issues During First 2 Days In the first two days of the Treasury - sponsored Sec ond War Loan ‘drive here, booths sponsored by the Wo men’s division of the War Savings staff have sold a to tal of $13,437.50 maturity value war bonds, Mrs. Bere niece Stellings, county chair man of the group, revealed Tuesday night. A second drive report showed that students at New Hanover high school have purchased $4,868.93 in War bonds and stamps during the first two days of the thirteen billion dollar April 12-30 cam paign. County Quota High The quota for New Hanover county for the War Loan drive, whose motto is “They Give Their Lives, You Lend Your Money,” is $2,594.00 in government bond pur chases, exclusive of purchase by banks. The report on the bond booth sales, sponsored by various wo men’s organizations here, showed that: The booth at Efird's, operated by the Eastern Star under the di rection of Mrs. Lula P. Warwick, has sold $7,824.40 in bonds and stamps during the first two days. The booth in the postoffice lobby, sponsored by the volunteers of the Wilmington Army Information and Filter center and operated under the supervision of Mrs. R. C. Gray, sold $3,580.40. The booth at Belk’s, operated by the Ministering Circle under the direction of Mrs. Winder Hughes, sold $2,900. The booth at Penny’s, operated by the Social Service league under the direction of Mrs. J. M. Dan iels, sold $152.70. And a fifth booth, opened in Woolworth’s late Tuesday after noon by member* of the Junior (Continued on Page Two; Col. 5) -V RED CROSS HAS BUSIEST MONTH Home Service Unit Aids Record Number Persons Here In March Reflecting increased Red Cross activity in the community, the home service division of the local Red Cross chapter in March serv iced more individuals and families than in any other previous month in the division’s history, Mrs. EJm ma D. Howell, home service sec retary, declared Tuesday. According to Mrs. Howell, there were 129 new individuals and fam ilies to whom special Red Cross services, of one type or another, were administered. In addition, there were 237 fam ilies and individuals who had re ceived assistance previously a n d j who sought Red Cross aid again. Of the total number of persons helped, 27 were given financial aid. There were 199 office interviews with clients, 13 office reference interviews, 45 home interviews, and 25 reference calls out of the office made by the home service division. WEATHER FORECAST North Carolina: Cooler today. (EASTERN STANDARD TIME) (By U. S. Weather Bureau) Meteorological data for the 24 hours ending 7:30 p. m., yesterday: Temperature 1:30 a. m., 65; 7:30 a. m., 58; 1:30 p. m., 70; 7:30 p. m., 67; maximum, 72; minimum, 56; mean, 55; normal, 61. Humidity ' 1:30 a. m., 82; 7:30 a. m., 64; 1:30 p. m., 1; 7:30 p. m., 79. Precipitation Total for the 24 hours ending 77:30 p. m., 0.00 inches. Total since the first of the month, 6.72 inches. Tides For Today (From the Tide Tables published by U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey). High Low Wilmington-5:00a a 5:31p 12:26p Masonboro Inlet —-2:40a 9:13a * 3:21p 9:33p Moore’s Inlet - 3:45a 9:18o 3:26p 9:38p New Topsail Inlet- 3:50a 9:23a (Elmore’s) - 3:31p 9:43p j Sunrise. 5:42a: sunset. 6:42p; moon rise, 1:19p; moonset, 2:28a. (Continued on Page 10; Col. 6) GERMANS’ TUNISIAN HOLD FAILING FAST UNDER ALLIED FIRE American and British Fo orces Joined In Tunisia j n Br*tis,h armored car Patrols (left) and American soldiers (right) pause to exchange greetings at the Gabes-Gafsa road where units of L4eut. Gen. George S. Patton’s U. S. Army Second Corps were joined by a coljumn from Gen. Sir Bernard L. Montgomery’s Brit ish Eighth army April 7 after Axis Gen. Rommel’s Mareth line defenses were broken. This picture was radioed from Cairo. NEW METER ZONE TO BE DISCUSSED Establishment Of Addition al Two-Hour Spaces To Be Considered The establishment of an addition al two-hour parking meter zone here wil be one of the matters pre sented to the city council for dis cussion when the council convenes for its bi-monthly meeting in the city hall Wednesday morning at 10 o’clock. The first two-hour zone is now operating on Chestnut street be tween Second and Third streets and, City Manager A. C. Nichols said Tuesday, two prospective sites for the second zone are now under consideration. The first is on Second street, ad jacent to the present zone, and the second is on Market street, be tween Dock and Water Both prospective zones have their ad vantages. Also to be presented to the coun cil Wednesday is a prospective or dinance, drafted by City Attorney W. B. Campbell, which would out law begging here. The proposed ordinance calls for the abolition of “the business of, or soliciting of alms within the city limits’’, except by permit in special cases which have been rec ommended by the North Carolina (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) Hugh MacRae, Local Realtor, Ends Work With Shipyard Board Hugh MacRae, prominent Wilmington realtor and busi ness man, announced Tuesday night that he had submitted his resignation as a director of the North Carolina Shipbuild ing company to Captain Roger Williams, president of the firm. His resignation from the 10 man board, of which Bruce B. Cameron is the only other lo cal member, will presumably be acted upon at the annual meeting of the board of direct ors which is scheduled for next Thursday. Mr. McRae gave no reason for submitting his resignation. He was one of the leaders of a group of local citizens who played a prominent part in the establishment of the yard here by the Newport News Ship building and Drydock com pany two years ago. r--i NOTICE! If your carrier fails to leave your copy of the Wil mington Morning Star, Phone 2-3311 before 9:00 a. m. and one will be sent to you by special messenger, j -. Final Cleanup Believed Near In Tunisian Fight WASHINGTON, April 13.—(fP)—The final cleanup of Axis forces in Africa is almost in sight, it was indcated to day, and the capital began to talk anew of greater battles to come — on the continent of Europe. Just over five months from the onset last November, the Anglo-American nutcracker attack in Africa is closing its steel-shod jaws on its ultimate objective, the Tunisian hump. With that wrested from Axis hands, Allied control of the central Mediterranean could be established, shortening by thousands of miles the voyages of Allied sea transport to all fronts. The grim threat of' the Nazi submarine campaign could be incalcuably lessened; pos sibilities of a speeded up cam paign against the Japanese would be brighter. And new jump-off places for Allied invasions of Hit ler’s continental fortress would stand available along the Mediter ranean. There are broad hints in press advices from Allied military head quarters in North Africa that all of that may be closer to realiza tion than any authorized military spokesman has yet cared to pre dict. Presumably reflecting Allied staff estimates, front line news j reports strike a note of confidence that the end of the Axis in Tunisia and in all Africa is only a matter! of a few weeks, at most. That confidence of speedy vic tory was also reflected by Under secretary Robert P. Patterson of the War Department, testifying to day before the House Military com mittee, although he described the battle as “merely a preliminary skirmish” in the war as a whole. “Eisenhower’s armies are doing well in North Africa,’ he said. “They will drive the Nazis and the Italians into the Mediterranean or force their surrender.’ Yet he warned that rich terri tories seized by the Axis in Europe and the Far East are the “chief battlegrounds” of the war, where the conflict is yet to be joined. Testifying in support of national service legislation, he said: “The means of victory are in (Continued on Page 10; Col. 5) FOE DISLODGED NEAR SMOLENSK Russians Hurl Germans From Fortified Positions Of importance’ LONDN, Wednesday, April 14. —Russian patrols thruting forward on the Smolensk front; dislodged the Germans “from for-i tified positions of great impor tance,” Tuesday, while to the north on the Leningrad sector the Soviets have turned back an out break of Nazi tank and infantry attacks with “heavy losses” to the Germans, Moscow announced ear ly today. Several score Germans were killed by Russian patrols that pushed across a river and snaked through mine fields in the heavily fortified Smolensk sector west of Moscow to seize the strategic but unidentified positions, said the midnight communique as record ed by the Soviet monitor. Two companies of German infantry were wiped out by artillery and infantry fire, it added. n the Leningrad front “Ger man infantry supported by tanks attacked our positions continuously j during the day,” but all these i (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) ' FORGINGJFORWARD British And Americans Driving Ahead On All African Fronts NO BATTLE OBSERVED Axis Shows No Indication Of Joint Decisive Fight With Pursuers allied headquar ters IN NORTH AFRICA, April 13.—(/P)_The Axis Tu nisian bridgehead was shrink ing rapidly today under pres sure of general Allied advan ces at the south and north western sides of the envelop ment box being drawn up be fore Tunis and Bizerte, and nowhere along the front had the enemy shown any dispo sition to attempt a decisive stand. Everywhere, the Allied forces were making progress. The British Eighth Army and part of the British First Army, moving up inexorably from the south, beat on be yond Sousse and Kairouan, smashing at Marshal Rom mel’s rearguard while his main bodies were withdraw ing through the Enfidaville line, which runs inland and northwest from the sea. Allies Punch Through Enemy Battlefront advices late this aft ernoon said Allied armored units punched through meager enemy rearguard defenses below both Enfidaville and Djebebina, towns 17 miles apart and 30 miles south I of Tunis. , (The Allied-controlled Algiers ra ; dio broadcast that the Allies had occupied Enfidaville, 27 miles north of fallen Sousse. Substanti ally all of the Italian Vittoria di vision had been captured, it was ! said.) As British First Army advance patrols drove north in the direc tion of Djebebina. an important inland road junction, French troops mopping up the Grand Dor sal range captured Djebel Kera choun, 12 miles southwest of Dje bebina. The Eighth Army, advancing along the coastal highway from Sousse, pushed back the enemy rearguard which attempted resist ance near Lake Kelbia. The French forces announced the capture of almost 1,000 Axis prisoners. To me north, other units of the British First Army, striking out in the Medjez-el-Bab sector only ■about 40 miles from Tunis, swept over a number of hill vantage points. In London it was estimated that in pulling back into a rough rectangle before Tunis and Bizerte Rommel and the northern Tunisi an Axis commander. General von Arnim, would have at their com mand an aggregate of about 210. 000 men, 150.000 of them Germans. (The German radio, modifying i an earlier melancholy tone, claim | ed that Axis tank and motorized I forces had thrown in counterat tacks above the Sousse-Kairouan area which had “inflicted heavy losses and forced the British to withdraw.”) While the Axis land forces thus were being pressed into an ever narrowing area, the Allied a i r ! fleets continued to strike power i ful and crippling blows on the | enemy, extending the assault to ' enemy airdromes around Tunis. In what the Allied communique (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) Citizens Urged To Cooperate In Coming Clean Up Campaign If crowded Wilmington is to re main a community, disease-free and clean during the war emer gency, it is imperative that citi zens back, “with full cooperation” the forthcoming clean - up cam paign scheduled for next week, members of the campaign com mittee said Tuesday night. “We are urging citizens of the town to begin their individual cam paigns to clean up their premises, both yards and houses, immedi ately, so that their deposits of trash and garbage will be ready for city trucks early next week,” E. A. Loney. chairman of the committee, declared. “This is not a superficial at tempt to beautify Wilmington. It [ is a concentrated effort to make this community a sanitary place in which to live. “The flow of persons into our city, a place already crowded, can mean but one thing: We must keep streets and yards absolutely clean if the health of all our citizenry is to be protected,” Chairman Laney said. Mr. Laney pointed to the fact that vital war industries here can not afford the loss of man hours that may result from a wave of disease brought on by lack of sani tation. Investigation by the committee! has disclosed that many sections of the town are "almost disgrace ful” with their clutter ol trash and| debris. There are even public buildings in the city which are said to be “in dire need” of scrub brush and paint. The campaign committee has not overlooked the fact that it is not possible to purchase quanti ties of materials for wholesale painting, papering, and refurnish ings here at the present time. “But we do insist that there is not a home, a trailer camp, a public building anywhere in this community that cannot afford the effort of scrubbing, cleaning, and trash-removing. ” Lack of sufficient personnel and facilities in the city sanitation de (Continued on Page 10; Col. C) a
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