North Carolina Newspapers

The Sunday Star-News Published Every Sunday By The Wilmington Star-New. At The Murchison Building K. B. Page, Owner and Publisher Telephone All Department. DIAL 2-3311_ Entered as Second Class Matter at Wilming ton, N. C.. Postoffice Under Aet ol Congress of March 3, 1879. _ SUBSCRIPTION RATES BY CARRIER Payable Strictly in Advance Combina Time Star News tion 1 Me*th ..* 110 * .90 $ 1.50 » Month. .. • >1(J ! JS 10.40 u.» News rates entitle subscriber to Sunday issue of Star-News BY MAIL Payable Weekly Or In Advance Corobina X,-, Star News Won ! Month. ... J.0O 3.00 5.50 1 Year ..•#.#•###•••••••• 8*0® 6.60 10.00 News rates entitle subscriber to Sunday issue m Star-News Card of Thanks charged for at the rate of SB cents per line. Count five words to line. the associated press b entitled to the exclusve use of all news atories appearing in the Wilmington Star News. “ SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 1943 With confidence in our armed forces — with the unbounding de terminatien of our people—we will gain the inevitable triumph — so help us God. „ —ReoseveltV. War Message Our Chief Aim To aid in every way the prosecu tion of the war to complete vic tory. _ __ THOUGHT FOR TODAY Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrec tion and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. —JON. 11;25. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above. —COLOSSIANS 3;1. -V Round and Around It is one thing to know that we have the right to expect as much food per capita for Wilmington as anywhere in the United States, but something else to get it. C. Hillman Moody, Federal Food Distribu tion Administration’s North Carolina supervi sor, puts the responsibility on the shoulders of manufacturers and distributors. He told Wilmington wholesale and retail dealers, as sembled at the Chamber of Commerce to hear his message, that if they are discriminated against they should so report to the govern ment agency, which in turn would pass the word along to the manufacturers and dis tributors, and see if some of the surplus in other sections may not be shipped here. Without questioning Mr. Moody’s abstract conclusions, it is still possible to point out that Wilmington has been going short on food for a long time, that the manufacturers and the distributors are well aware of it and if the federal food administration has not dis covered it, it is due to blindness, deafness and obtuseness. The situation has been repeatedly placed before OPA authorities in Washington, without benefit of the hungry. According to the published report of what transpired at this momentous conference, we •re reminded of the old refrain: “Round and round the vinegar cruet the monkey chased fee weasel.” -V Jeffers Vs. Patterson When William M. Jeffers absented himself from his job as president of the Union Pacific railroad system and went to Washington to bring order out of the chaos that existed in the nation’s rubber program, his sacrifice was greeted with acclaim, and his expert serv ices were welcomed with extraordinary glee. At the same time some observers, already familiar with the mental processes and crack pot practices of bureaucrats, who fear that Mr. Jeffers’ very efficiency would be a stumblingblock in his path and foresaw that whatever his progress, he would meet such opposition and criticism that he would be forced in self defense to quit his vital post and resume his railroad work. It appears that these persons had the right view. Mr. Jeffers has experienced all the dif ficulties the bureaucrats could create for him. He has been criticized at every turn and al most on every hand. Despite the fact that he brought the manufacture of synthetic rubber to the point where mass production may be definitely counted on in less than a year, the Office of War Information saw fit to issue a garbled report which Mr. Jeffers declares misrepresented the situation, and on top of that Undersecretary of War Robert P. Pat terson has injected a new point of controversy Which seems to place the rubber administra tor in a bad light before the people as willing to place a handicap upon the Army. The Jeffers wrath is easily understood. It is equally easy to understand why he should demand a showdown which must lead to his or Mr. Patterson’s resignation. He is Said to V « * have called the Patterson statement “the most violent and unprovoked attack which a public servant has ever had to sustain.” He calls for an investigation to get at the “real facts.” There can be but one outcome to this. The inquiry must be held, and it must be thorough. Somebody’s head must fall in the basket. It only proves what we have contended be fore that bureaucracy is our greatest national curse, and that our war effort cannot reach its highest level of achievement as long as the bureaucrats remain in the saddle. -V Allied Air Power There have been many evidences of the ef fectiveness of the Allied air attack on Ger man^ and Nazi-held countries, none of which is more convincing of the value of aerial warfare than that it is costing Hitler a hun dred and fifty locomotives a month — far in excess of his replacement capacity. In con junction with the destruction wrought in his war industries, this loss is of inestimable worth to his enemies. * Hitler is not only finding it harder and hard er to keep war implement production up to the level required by his forces. He is also less and less able to transport such tools as can still be turned out to battle areas. With pro duction and communication both suffering heavier handicaps by bombing raids from Al lied springboards, Hitler cannot continue to keep his mechanized forces on the move in definitely, and mechanized warfare is the only kind he knows how to wage. The waning Nazi strength in Russia is one evidence of the crip pling effect of the Allied air war. It is not only in isurope mat nmeu an power is proving its mettle. When a fleet of Allied fighter planes can destroy a convoy of twenty mammoth, six - engined Messer schmitts loaded with troops and gasoline in the Gulf of Tunis in not more than ten min utes, it is obvious that Hitler’s air forces are being subjected to as heavy drain as his war industries and communications. He lost not only this score of Messerschmitts but ten escorting planes as well, and not one of the men aboard, sent to reinforce Rommel’s weakening defense in Tunisia, or a gallon of the precious gasoline he needed so greatly for his tanks, touched Tunisian soil. The Allies’ air umbrella over the Strait of Sicily and all that section of the Mediterran ean over which Hitler has sought to get sup plies and men to Rommel and Von Arnim has all but cut off the enemy’s communica tions between Europe and Africa, a fact which brings the victory in Tunisia nearer. Altogether, the Allied air power is a chief factor in the war drama now nearing its final curtain for Hitler. This is the more hearten ing because when the war started Hitler had what seemed to be overpowering air forces and his foes had to start from scratch. -V Showdown With Finland It is not that we love Finland, but victory more, that Washington has cracked down on the Helsinki government, virtually withdraw ing our diplomatic staff and all but severing relations. The underlying purpose is to encourage the Finns to make a separate peace with Russia and drop out of the war. By the means em ployed to this end it is hoped to offset the pressure Hitler has brought to bear to force them into another and bloodier offensive against Leningrad and to give up more sup plies for the Axis forces everywhere. Hitler’s threats, it is understood have in cluded complete occupation of Finland. If this should come, Finland would be reduced to a state of vassalage resembling that existing in Italy and Norway. Perhaps by refusing to go on as an Axis ally, the country might receive some help from Russia to resist a gestapo in vasion. Certainly there would be substantial help from the United States and Britain. That the Finnish attitude has changed since the Helsinki government threw in its lot with Hitler is evidenced by Mannerheim’s declara tion that Finland will spill no more blood and sacrifices no more soldiers in another cam paign against the Russians. How the present move by Washington will turn out is not clear, but in view of the fact that Finnish leaders are disgusted with their bargain with Hitler, and also because they are quite capable of reading the signs of the times correctly, it is reasonable to think that they will shape their course more nearly in ac cordance with the wishes of the United Nations and leave Hitler to his fate. -V Might Stay In Town Many Wilmington residents have rented their beach cottages to workers in war in dustries and officers of the Army. The ar rangement has been helpful in partially solv ing the area’s housing problem. Now, with summer approaching, some of the owners are notifying their beach tenants to vacate, that the owners and their families may occupy the property through the warm months. They are well within their rights in so doing, but it may be questioned if they are doing their patriotic duty in the war emergency. The families they evict will be unable to find other quarters. Houses, apartments, even rooms are lacking, Wilmington and its suburbs are overcrowded. It does not answer to say that these people should have stayed home in the first place. Army officers must go where they are sent and without full working staffs industries working on war contracts could not fulfill their obligations. They are here because they are needed. If Wilmingtonians feel it necessary to oc cupy their beach cottages this summer and insist that tenants move out, would it not be a kindly, patriotic move merely to exchange residence with them, allowing the tenants to occupy the town homes while the owners live at the beach? If this is too altruistic, why not stay in town, and leave the beach tenants where they are? -V Fuehrer And Duce Agree The Berlin radio, reporting on a recent Hitler-Mussolini conference, said that “com plete agreement was reached on all measures to be taken in any respect.” One newspa per’s story was captioned “Hitler and Duce ‘Agree’ Again.” Obviously that heading was tailored to fit a space. Otherwise the story could have been told in less words and more accurately by saying simply “Duce Agrees Again.” The man-bites-dog story will come when the report on such a conference can be head ed: “Duce Disagrees With Hitler.” --V Inside Washington By CHARLES P. STEWART The foreign minister of Spain, Francisco Gorrjez de Jordana, included an exceedingly peculiar remark in his recent offer of Ma drid’s “good offices” toward the restoration of peace among the world’s warring powers. Count de Jordana, to be sure, mentioned no particular country by name, but he did take the trouble to emphasize the Spanish judgment that “Communist is a threat” against which “western Europe should unite.” Now, imagine, after such a remark, what chance me man wno mane h would siana in an attempt to mediate between the Axis and the United Nations, with Communistic Russia as one of the latter! Presumably the count spoke for Caudillo Francisco, Spain’s dictator. That El Caudillo thinks he could make his country a major power and solidify his own regime by get ting in as pacifier of the pending conflict is clear. Undoubtedly Franco WOULD add greatly to his prominence if hg succeeded at it, but it is hard to understand how he hopes to make a good start by antagonizing the Soviets at the very outset. Of course, there is the possibility that Fran co assigned to his foreign minister the task of initiating negotiations and that the count botched the job, but if he is in his right mind, it is difficult to comprehend the thoroughness of it. Had the Spanish offer been made without inclusion of the jab at Communism it would have been perfectly understandably. The im pression has been growing for some time that Adolf Hitler foresees his finish unless he can manage to end the war by some sort of a compromise. While there is no likelihood that Caudillo Franco could arrange one for him, it is conceivable that he would think of Fran co as a suitable stooge to make the attempt. Yet it seems impossible that Adolf himself is crazy enough to believe the chances of an appeal to the rest of the United Nations would be improved by so gratuitous a thrust toward Russia. Caudillo Franco unquestionably has been worried increasingly by the prolongation of the war. Spain is too nearly in the midst of it. It is liable to be side-swiped any minute. Its dictator, too, is obviously fearful of a Communistic rampage when the Allies final ly win, assuming a clean-cut victory, with the Russians among the triumphant fighters. For one thing, he has a large Communistic element at home — extreme radicals but not of his type or Fuehrer Hitler’s or Duce Mus solini's. Rather they classify as democrats, though of a tremendously exaggerated pattern. He had a desperate struggle vanquishing them when he gained control a few years ago, and surely is convinced that they will tear loose again at the first opportunity, such as would be afforded by a Nazi-Fascist over throw, accompanied by the complete disor ganization of his totalitarian Spanish Falan gists. That Franco expressed more or less of this idea to Foreign Minister de Jordana, in out lining to the latter his plan for a negotiated peace, with Madrid doing the negotiating, is possible. And perhaps the count put it con siderably too literally in submitting his over tures to the belligerents. Incidentally, El Caudillo is well known to be decidedly anxious over Latin America's almost unanimous sympathy with the anti Axis democracies. Spam is very dependent, indeed, sentimen tally and commercially, upon the good will of the inhabitants of the New World’s south lands, and Argentina is the only one of the 24 of them that is not at least pro-democra tic, not to mention the several which have declared outright war against the Axis. And even Argentina is not Axisly over-dependable, in view of the direction the war is taking. Portugal, adjoining western Spain, is as anti Axis also as any of the other democracies. Portugal is not big enough to deal formi dably with the Spaniards, but it has a sea board and some offshore islands that can be utilized most advantageously by the larger democracies and its discussions with their various capitals are on a highly friendly basis. All in all, it is quite evident why Caudillo Franco yearns for a cessation of world hos tilities and will do his best to promote it if he can. -——V QUOTATIONS The most difficult problem is the deconta mination of the educational systems of the axis nations themselves.—U. S. Commissioner of Education Dr. John W. Studebaker * * * We have fostered the idea and the practice of a community of good neighbors. The in ternational law to which we submit ourselves is not an international law of the Americas alone, but is the law of civilized nations every where.—Secretary of State Cordell Hull. * * * . Business must take an increasing interest m government, but it must have a positive piogiam. It must follow the real American Jdea, that we like to get things done; that accomplishment and production is the first order of business.—Dr. Warren Roberts, OPA economist. * * * People today make the sins and faults of church people an excuse for not going to church. The church has a holiness beyond the virtues or faults of the people who worship there.—Dr. William E. Gilroy, editor of Ad vance & AFTER YOU, MY DEAR ADOLF! Interpreting The War BY GLENN BABB The war moved swiftly last week toward the grand climax and con clusion ot its African chapter while the two great contending alliances sped their preparations for the next, the European phase. Secrecy naturally hid most of these preparations but there were increasing indications that for the great armies and air fleets being trained and equipped in Britain, the United States and North Africa the zero day was rapidly approaching. Hitler for his part continued the mustering of his forces, the allot ment of missions and quotas to his satellites and Quislings, the strength ening of the walls of his European fortress. Soviet Russia, In the face of evi dence that another mighty German offensive is in the making, repeat ed to her allies her insistance that there must be a second front in Europe soon to ease for the Red army the burden of standing up to the greater part of Hitler's military power. There was good reason to believe that the allies, while keep ing aid to Russia in weapons and supplies close to the top of their priority lists, were straining every sinew to produce the only form of help that will satisfy either the Russians or themselves, the inva sion of Europe. Rommel Leaves As an indication of how the war is moving from the Africaai to the European phase came General Alex ander’s announcement of evidence that Marshal Rommel had left the African scene. A captured document showed that the spectacular com mander whose fame is so closely linked with the sky-rocket rise and fall of axis fortunes on the south ern shores of the Mediterranean has given way to Von Arnim as com mander in Tunisia and his ‘'present whereabouts and new appointment, if any, are (unknown,” Alexander said. Rommel may have been recalled to command the defense of Italy now that Africa is lost, he may be in disgrace; lie may be ill. It was a good week for the Unit ed Nations. There was steady if not spectacular progress toward victory in nearly all theaters and in Tunisia the allies scored brilliantly as they moved in for the kill. United States forces, in the back ground during the recent weeks in which the storied Eighth army and the veteran First a*my made Tu nisia pretty much a British show, came back to share fully in the re sponsibility and the glory. Units of the American Second Army Corps, brought from the far south in a march which evoked British praise for its efficiency, took over the northern end of the allied line with the task of driving through the worst terrain of the whole 130-mile front toward Bizerte. Americans Gain Toward the week-end the Ameri cans, skilled veterans now in the type of slugging, hili-to-hill fighting that makes up the Tunisian cam paign, delivered their attack and their first day's achievement was a six mile gain against bitter resist ance along the road to Mateur and Bizerte. All around the slowly contracting perimeter of the besieged axis bridgehead it was much the same story. The allies began last week (he tough, bloody job of storming the arc of hills enclosing the coastal plains on which Rommel and Von Arnim are making the final stand for the axis in Africa. The initial progress was good. General Montgomery’s Eighth army began this phase with an at tack characteristic of this superb fighting machine, delivered Monday night just as the moon reached its full. Although the enemy apparent Hamilton Is Ideal Spot For Refugee Conference Hamilton, Bermuda’s capital and chief port, now the scene of the Anglo-American conference on the war refugee problem, normally thrives on tourists and trade, says the National Geographic Society. Sunshine, blue skies, flowers and quiet have been local staples. Named for one of its royal gov ernors, the community was incor porated in 1790. Its biggest lift, however, came a quarter of a century later when it was made the island capital by transfer of government offices from St. Geor ges, only other town in the islands at that time. Not until 1897 did Hamilton achieve official stature as a city. Stirred by Queen Victoria’s Dia mond Jubilee, the colonial par liament decided that the capital had come of age as a first class municipality. Hamilton’s civic planners had an eye to the future, laid out the town in a gridiron pattern, as sured easy flow of traffic with 50-foot streets. Travelers of a later day saw pleasant vistas in looking up and down palm-fringed, shrub lined streets, feasted eyes on the inviting wares of Canada, England, and Europe displayed in windows of fashionable shops, strolled with plenty of elbow room when taking in the sights. Grown to a city of 3,000 people, Hamilton impresses visitors with its cathedral, its parliament build ings, its block of administrative offices, its governor’s residence atop Mt. Langton, its home cen ters — Fairyland, Spanish Point, Bailey’s Bay and Paynter’s Vale— its parks museums and aquarium. A daughter’s desire to honor her father blessed Hamilton with the money to build a new city hall. Hamilton’s official face was red when the Governor named the highway to a costly reclamation project “March Folly Road.” Bermuda island, site of Hamil ton, is one of 360 pin-point islands clustered in the Atlantic east of South Carolina and north of Puerto Rico. Named for their discoverer the Spaniard Juan de Bermudez who looked them over in 1515, they were no man’s land until 1609 when a shipwrecked party of Virginia-bound colonists found refuge on their shores. Bermuda was made the official name when the Crown took over the Govern ment in 1684. A base in the Great sound gives the United States a mid-Atlantic outpost 640 miles east of the near est point on the American coast, Cape Hatteras. Bermuda is 673 miles from Norfolk, 697 from New York, and 668 from Boston. Near est land east of Bermuda is the Azores island group. 2,065 miles across the Atlantic. The vast coral reef encircling the whole Bermuda group is a cushion between the storms of the two-mile deep At lantic and the sheltered waters of the Great Sound. ly had massed his strongest units against the Eightli army front, the 30-odd miles running west from the coast, Montgomery tore loose his coastal anchor at Enfidaville, storm ed through a series of mountain strongholds and late in the week reached a line six miles to the north. Between the Eighth army and the Americans, General Anderson's First army carried the allied line forward to the last hills looking down on the Tunis plain and Fri day conquered Long Stop hill, only 28 miles from Tunis. Altogether it was a week of such progress as to inspire speculation as to how much longer the Germans and Italians could stand such hammering, es pecially the continuous, merciless, steadily more intense blasting from the skies, the greatest air offen sive axis forces ever have had to endure. Russian Front On tlie Russian front the war flared into temporary fury iri the western Caucasus, where it appear ed the Germans were trying to ex tend their small bridgehead, prob ably as a jump off point for an of fensive. But after a week of violent assaults, delivered by fresh troops under strong air cover, the Ger man pressure was suddenly relaxed. Moscow said the attacking units had been “bled vrhite,’’ losing 5,000 dead with nothing to show for it. ±iaa the Germans been successful this fighting might have developed into a full scale offensive, but at the week’s end it was clear that the big spring drive was yet to come. The indications were, how ever, that it could not be far off and that Hitler would gamble again on a mighty attempt to destroy Russian resistance before the allies land in Europe. Neutral European quarters heard he was assembling a striking force of 5.000,000 men of which the best part would be thrown against the Red army. Heavy Russian air bombardments of east Prussian cities on the prin cipal supply routes to the eastern front indicated that the Red com mand believed such forces already were moving to battle stations. The principal change in the Pacif ic war picture was the disclosure that American forces had occupied some of the Allice islands, a mic roscopic archipelago on the western flank of our supply lines to the southwest Pacific and only 400 to 500 miles from the Japanese - held Gilbert group. This move heighten ed expectations of imminent spec tacular events in the Pacific and gave assurance that American forces would continue their steady pressure on the enemy behind the necessary veil of secrecy. Another bit of evidence of the same kind was General MacArthur’s disclosure that allied ground forces were operating, probably in patrol actions, only six air line miles from Salamaua, the big Japanese base on the eastern New Guinea coast. Jap anese garrisons in that region are under continuous pressure and with their lines of supply and reinforce ment made hazarduous by the allied air force their situation is not a happy one. The great arc of Japanese island bases above Australia was kept un der the same steady punishment from the air that has persisted for weeks but all indications were that the enemy was massing more men, planes, ships in (hat area. BARBS In serving a course dinnei* nev er try to make both ends meat. * * * With the price steaks are bring ing, cattle should be the laugh ing stock of the country. * * * Children are young people who run everything around the house except errands. » * * If money could talk, the 1943 dollar could tell some strange tales 10 years from now. * * * The quickest way to silence a group of women is to ask who is the eldest. * * * The freezing of millions of workers on their job will help kreep the war production program from being a frost Civilian Defense Timetable BASIC TRAINING COUrsf* New Hanover High school ™ 109 at 8 p. m. ro°m Fire Defense A Monday, May 3rd and ever, ,, weeks thereafter. ' Uvo General Course Tuesday, May 4th and ever' weeks thereafter. 0 Gas Defense B Wednesday, May 5th and even two weeks thereafter . 7 If you hear or observe anvthjn, suspicious in character report it promptly to: Wilmington Police, 5244. Wrightsville Beach Police. 7504 Carolina Beach Police, 2231 Captain of the Port, 2001. County Defense Council Sheriff, 4252. U3' -V As Others Say It GRACE MEMORIAL BRIDGE In naming the Cooper river bridge for the late Mayor john P. Grace, the state legislature gave recognition to the man prin. cipally responsible for construe^ tion of the great link between Charleston and the territory to th east. Not only did the bridge onl up a section long suffering lack of communications, but it ; an important part of a north and south system of highways that fa. cilitate the movement of tourists and other traffic in peace, and military vehicles in war. Time, the great healer, has sen ed to close many of the wounds suffered in the political battles ,f the past. The News and Courie opposed Mr. Grace in politics, but it does not begrudge a deserved tribute to his memory in attach::; his name to the bridge which his faith and vision largely caused to be constructed. For twelve years Charleston puli, tics have been fairly peaceful, a, d the old lines of Grace and anti Grace have practically disappear ed. It is meet and proper that the good men do be remembered after them, while their enmities are for gotten with the passing of years. • Charleston News and Courier. GOB HUMOR A shipwrecked sailor spent near ly three years on a desert island, and one morning was overjoyed to see a destroyer in the bay and a boat pulling off for the shore. As the boat grounded on the beach, an officer threw the sailor a bundle of newspapers. “The captain’s compliments,” said the officer. "Please read through these and then let me know whether you still want to be rescued "—New London, Conn., Sub-Base Gazette. STAY AT HOME The Transportation Director call? for the elimination of all “strictly non-essential travel” for the dura tion. He estimates that 25 per cent of the people who crowd the cars are traveling for “no necessary purpose, formerly aimless travel for the sake of going somewhere." Why not stay at home and get ac quainted with your family arrl neighbors?—Raleigh News and Ob server. CATTAILS FOR KAPOK Near Milwaukee a plant built by a battery company is beating cat tail heads into fluff (“tvpha”' for use in dozens of articles which once took kapok—life preserver?, pillows, quilts, sleeping bags, in sulation material. The new' industry means a tidy winter cash income for Wisconsin farmers who collect $2 per 1.000 spikes. Tests show that twenty ounces of cattail fluff will support eigh teen puonds of deadweight in wa ter for more than a week.—Wall Street Journal. SOME RECEIVERSHIP Discussing Europe after the war. a leading light of the local legal fraternity was heard to remark today. “Boy! what a receiver ship!”—H. V. Wade in the Detroit News. LOOKING BACKWARD Youngest brigadier general m American Army now is 35 yea' - old. What would Joe Stuart. Stone wall Jackson. Robert Ransom an other Confederate generals v.-.ie commanded divisions and coipa i , their late 20's and 30’s think la this’—Winston-Salem Journal. -V Y ou’re Telling Me The term “banker’s hours' ra turally will disappear il that pro posed world bank becomes a lac Because of its global ramification it will have to be open 24 hours day. ! ! ! Grandappy Jenkins reminds us that what the last robin oi spring loses in the way of PUD' licity it more than makes up in comfort. ! ! ! Too bad more race horses aren’t like the Italian Army. » always runs true to form, ill A Canadian seer predicts that Fuehrer Hitler’s and Duce Mus solini’s goose will be cooked °. November. Swell — that shorn make our Thanksgiving turitej taste all the better. ! ! ! Victory Garden Dictionary “TOMATO BUG: A six-legged, winged saboteur.” ! ! ! A poet calls April rains Springtime’s "tears of joy Sometimes we wish Mother Nature wasn’t so emotional.