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Served By Leased Wire Of The ASSOCIATED PRESS BENENBER NEWS AND FEATURES DP«„f Wiih Compieie Coverage Of rtAHL nAADUll Slate And National News AND BATAAN 1°^ 76~N°‘ 24--—_WILMINGTON, N. C., MONDAY, JUNE 28, 1943 . FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867. Mine Workers May Be Ready To Enter Pits Leaders Of UMW Believe That Most Of Men Will Begin Work Monday RESUMPTION IS VITAL Many Steel Mills Crippled By Recent Walkout Of Coal Labor PITTSBURGH, June 27.— (/P) — Leaders of the United itline Workers were optimis tic today that most of the country’s miners would re sume production of war-vital coal tomorrow, putting an end to the third crippling stop page of production within a period of two months. Immediate resumption was essential to relieve slumping steel operations in the great Pittsburgh mill area, which already has lost ( through de creased production, more than [ 2(1,000 tons of steel ingots I needed to make implements jot war. Fourteen blast fur naces were down in Pennsyl vania and two in Alabama. Steel Companies Hit Steel - company owned mines, which produce fuel for the furna ces. were among the properties most seriously affected by the miners' walkouts. In many mining villages of Penn sylvaia and other states of the Appalachian region the men who b-ing up the coal from the under ground met Sunday to discuss go ing back to work. Early reports from the troub lous western ad central Pennsyl vania bituminous fields were fav orable. a dozen or more units vot ing this morning to return to the job. These included several which have not worked since June 20. Five in Ohio voted Saturday to return. William Hargest, secretary-trea surer of District 5, Pittsburgh, said: ' Things are going to look better I with the early shifts tomorrow — a whole lot better. I am hopeful that everybody will be back.” UMW organizers were in the fold, going from town to town, to urge the hundreds of locals back, foe leader who asked that his ire not be used said there was possibility some locals “very an 7" over the outcome of nego tontinued on Page Two; Col. 2) -V LABOR SITUATION UNCHANGED HERE /!ity May Be Classed In Critical Area In Next Six Months The Wilmington area, along with Burlington and Charlotte, all areas where war-industry activi ties are concentrated, remains a section where labor stringency is evident according to the War Manpower Commission’s latest analysis. Wilmington’s labor status re mains in Group two of the commis sion's data. Group two is said to indicate that the area is a po tential section of labor difficulty, one where labor shortages could conceivably develop within a six month period. There are no sections in North Carolina marked by labor acute •tess, the survey shows. On the lontrary, the Asheville, Durham ™eigh, Durham-Winston-Salem, (Continued on Page Three; Col. 2) WEATHER . FORECAST *°RTH CAROLINA: Local Show *rs and thunderstorms. 'Eastern Standard Time) , L:. S. Weather Bureau) 3'teoroI°gical data for the 24 hours iR2 7:30 p. m., yesterday. , Temperature a._ m.. 27; 7:30 a. m., 81; 1:30 8;j; 7:30 p. m, 74. Maximum 85; ■ lrn’Jm 73; mean 79; normal 78. I,,. Humidity t r a 85; 7:30 a. m., 83; 7:30 Y . Precipitation ; al for the 24 hours ending 7:30 Vk 0 06 inches. 527 ■ 'since the first of the month, inches. (tv, . Tides For Today t, c ,he Tide Tables published by • Coast and Geodetic Survey) fcilmino+ High Low min8ton 6:26 a. m. 1:19 a. m. 7:02 p m. 1:30 p. m. Onbo>0- 4:25 a. m. 10:31 a. m. Suni.k- , „4:5e P. m. 11:15 p. m. ho,*- 5*03 a. m.; sunset, 7:27 p. m.; Can. % 2:2d a-: moonset, 4:02 p. t» Sunrt ar Elver stage at Fayetteville Jnday. at 8 a. m„ 10.30 feet. "•“otinued on Page Three; Col. 2) U-Boat Beware! This Convoys Loaded Foaming away from the convoy it is guarding, a U. S. Coost Guard Cutter dashes off to investi gate a report of a Nazi submarine’s presence in the area. Dead astern, the convoy ships are silhouetted against the horizon while a coast guardsman stands handy to the racks of deadly depth charges that flank the stern gun. Heroic measures have reduced the U-boat peril considerably. (International) 2 Ships Destroyed In Atlantic After Respite Of 19 Days (By The Associated Press) After a lapse of nineteen days, the Navy announced last week the sinking in the West ern Atlantic area of two ships with a possible loss of 57 lives. One, a United Nations mer chant vessel went to the bot tom of the Caribbean sea with two casualties and the of’— of similar type, and of United States registry, went down off the United States East Coast. Fifteen of a crew of seventy , were landed at Charleston, S. C., from that ship. While Navy officials warned against over confidence regard ing the submarine situation, optimism was noted in marine circles by an announcement by the British government last week of a reduction in the war risk insurance rate, from 15 per cent to 12 1-2 per cent on voyages between America and India, east of Cape Comorin on the southern tip of India. ACL’S REVENUES UP 125,726,230 Road Shows Increase In Income For First Five Months Of 1943 Operating revenues realized by the Atlantic Coast Line railroad during the first five months of 1943 represented an increase of $25,726,230 over the intake for the same period last year, according to a report of the firm’s activities. On the other hand, the Coast Line has had to pay out in taxes $18,045,000 more money, January through May, than in the five month period of 1942. The statement of revenues and expenses revealed that the May operating revenues, in the amount of $13,923,150, were $4,120,051 high er than for the same month last year. Elaborating on May business, the survey listed $7,790,191 in oper ating expenses; $6,132,959, net op erating revenues; $4,000,000 requir ed for taxes; $2,132,959, operat ing income; $521,186 net amount paid for rent of equipment and joint facilities; and $1,611,773. net railway operating income. During January, February, March, April, and May the com pany listed $68,286,390, operating revenues; $32,843,833, operating ex (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) Congress May Get Right To Meet During Recess WASHINGTON, June 27.—(/P)—Leaders of both ma jor parties propose to reserve to Congress the right to re convene duing the imminent summer recess without wait ing for a call from the White House. They disclosed today that a recess resolution, the terms of which include the right of the minority leaders, as well as those of the majority, to call Congress back, is ready for adoption before the lawmakers leave for a vacation sched PLAN IS SOUGHT FOR SUBSIDIES Administration Leaders Seeking Way To Make Direct Payments WASHINGTON, June 27 — (JP>— Administration leaders were re ported attempting today to salvage from the wreckage of their food price roll-back program Congres sional authority for direct subsi dy payments to farmers instead of processors to hold down living costs. Both Houses have voted to pro hibit further payment to proces sors to cut back the retail prices of meats, butter and coffee—a de cision expected to be nailed down this week with agreement on the language of a bill extending the life of the Commodity Credit Cor poration for two more year*. Reportedly resigned to accept ance of such a prohibition, War Mobilization Director James F. Byrnes and Price Administrator Prentiss Brown were said to be appealing to Congressional lieut enants for action leaving the way open in the bill for subsidy pay ments to farmers to accomplish the same purpose. As the measure was approved by the Senate Saturday, it would con tinue payments to encourage pro duction of vitally needed crops, for transportattion and for mine ral production. An amendment pri marily banning food price-reduc ing payments, also would bar oth er subsidies unless specifically approved by Congress. The Senate also attached an amendment by Senator O’Mahoney (D-Wyo) transferring subsidy powers to the War Food Adminis tator, which O’Mahoney said in directly authorize subsidies to farmers if they are voted subseq uently by Congress. (Continued on Page Three; Col. 3) uled to run to about September 13. Significantly, the resolutioi comes at a time when relations be tween President Roosevelt and the national legislature are complicat ed by conflict over such matters as the war disputes act and subsidj payments. House Majority Leader McCor mack of Massachusetts, however, made a point of explaining thai this “unusual but justifiable” pro cedure was necessary because 01 the war with its accompanying uncertainties. Under normal procedure, Con gress canot reconvene during < recess unless recalled by the pres ident or unless it has fixed bj resolution a specific date for re convening the next regular session. But under the procedure decided upon by the leaders, the recessed Congress may go back into sessior at any time upon: The call of Speaker Rayburn and Vice President Wallace. The request of the majoritj leaders in the two houses. The request of the minaritj leaders. The inclusion of the minoritj leaders in the wish of those whc may request recall of Congress was made at the behest of Senate Republican Leader McNary o: (Continued on Page Eight; col. 6) Serious Food Shortage Forces Cafes To Close “Closed. No food. Sorry,” read the words of a sign posted on the front door of one of the city’s largest feeding establishments at 6 o’clock Sunday afternoon. By nine o’clock Sunday night it was virtually impossible to find accommodations in restaurants anywhere in the uptown area. Be fore one Front street eating place a line of approximately 25 people waited at the late supper hour. At nine o’clock, two large cafes on Princess street were closed to customers. One had the blinds rolled down and the “closed” sign conspicuous; a second was ready to lock the establishment for the night, as the chef reported early closing a necessity “because the food was out.” Citizens were peering in, or sauntering away discouraged. At the farther end of Front street in another of the city’s larg est restaurants, only substitute chicken sandwiches were available to crowds of soldiers and civilians jamming the place at nine o’clock. Still farther down the main thor oughfare one of the smaller eating houses, recently opened, was dis pensing the remainder of its food supply to heavy crowds; however, there was no butter, milk, nor tea. The management reported no ice in the place. One of the restaurants several blocks from the heart of town said that a few persons were turned away because of plate shortage around 8:30 o’clock. One establishment, also a num ber of blocks from the center of town, declared that it was able to furnish food as late as 9 o’clock. It was reported that several small shops, accustomed to sell ing sandwiches and.snacks on Sun day, were closed because beer sales were prohibited under the city’s new Sabbath ban. Although Sunday eating in Wil (Continued on Page Three; Col. 6) Walter Lippmann Says: French Political View Still Unknown To U. S. BY WALTER LIPPMANN No objective or remotely com plete report on the French politi cal situation has as yet been pub lished here, nor, it would seem, in Great Britain. The heaviest dis count must therefore be placed on the reports from Algiers, Lon don and Washington. Perhaps this state of affairs can be justified on the grounds of military expediency. But the American people do have the right to know that in this af fair they are not being informed by an independent journalism and to be on notice, therefore, that they must treat with the utmost reserve the superficial, trivial and ex parte commentaries which pre tend that the issues in this great business are personal and temper amental. This has to be said now because it is certain that the situation cre ated in North Africa this last week by the Anglo-American in tervention is in the nature of things unstable. It is so unstable that it may have consequences which only informed and con vinced public opinion in the United States and in the British Isles can repair. For the funda mental fact is that the two gov ernments in Washington and Lon don have during this week taken the momentous action of impos ing their will upon the men charged with organizing and lead ing the French movement of na tional liberation. The officially inspired interpre tation of this action is that a troublesome and politically ambi tious outsider, named Charles de Gaulle, has been suppressed so that General Giraud, surrounded by single-minded patriots, may devote his whole attention to fighting the enemy. But this in terpretation is simply the same primary fallacy which has viti ated so tragically United States diplomatic policy in regard to France. For if General de Gaulle were a mere troublesome outsider, it would not have been necessary, and indeed it would have been foolish, to let him go to Africa in the first place. The reason he was allowed to go is that he has become increas ingly and ever more intensely the acknowledged leader of the over whelming mass of the French na tion. Therefore, the unification of the French for effective participa tion in the war and the peace is impossible without him. The rea son that General Eisenhower was directed by Washington and Lon aon to say tnat tne rrencn na tional Committee in Algiers could not decide the problems of French authority and French command is not that General de Gaulle is a troublesome outsider but, on the contrary, that his strength among Frenchmen, including General Giraud’s own lieutenants on the committee, has been growing irre sistibly. The ground on which our ac tion has to be justified is that ’-''s demand for the reform of the French Army is disturbing to th-' older French officers who happen to be in command of General Gi raud’s troops. It may well be true that General de Gaulle tried to insist on moving too rapidly in purging the French Army of offi cers who led it to a catastrophic defeat: in the hierarchy of the French Army he has been for many years as right, as impatient, and no doubt as tactless, as the late Billy Mitchell was in the old American military hierarchy. But we must not allow ourselves to forget that he is the grep'-st (Continued on Page Eight; col. *> Germany Battered By RAF; Messina Again In Flames; Reds Bag 211 Axis Planes SICILY IS BLASTED Middle East Air Force Pounds Lifeline Of Besieged Island HUGE FIRES STARTED Latest Assault Wave Guid ed By Blaze Left By Flying Fortresses ALLIED HEADQUAR TERS IN NORTH AFRICA, June 27. — (A3) — For the third time within 36 hours Allied bombers swept across the Mediterranean from Afri ca Friday night to heap explo sives on the battered port of Messina, military lifeline of the besieged island of Sicily. British heavy bombers of the Middle East Air Forces (probably American - built four - engined Liberators), sustained th'e mighty aerial assault on the Italian city, drawn to their target oy iires left raging only a few hours previously by an armada of more than 100 American Fly ing Fortresses from the North African command mak ing the heaviest attack of the Mediterranean war. AF Wel lington bombers opened the offensive against Messina on Thursdav night. New Fires Noted The latest blow at the vital rail road ferry terminal, through which the bulk of military supplies from the Italian mainland must pass, was reported by a Cairo communi que to have started new fires near oil tanks and in the vicinity _ of Messinas main railway station. Not a bomber was lost from the foray. American fliers who parti cipated in Fridays daylight Fort ress raid said the entire city “seemed to erupt” under a down pour of bombs and expressed opin ion that Messina’s usefulness to the Axis was about ended. The intensified bombing attack was accompanied by broad hints from German and Italian sources that Allied forces in the Mediter ranean were massing for a great blow at Italy. Today’s Italian com munique, broadcast by the Rome radio, declared that Axis torpedo planes attacked an Allied convoy (Continued on Page Three; Col. 5) Railway Center At Orel Raked By Soviet Fliers LONDON, Monday, June 28. —UP)—Russian troops made a reconnaissance in force” yes terday south of Orel, big Ger man base and possible offen sive springboard, Moscow an nounced early today to a com munique which also said that Soviet airmen and gunners de stroyed 211 German planes in the past week while losing 74 aircraft. Russian planes bombed the railway junction at Orel and German airdromes on the night preceding the action, ac cording to a Moscow radio re port received by the Soviet monitor, apparently paving the way for Sunday’s s t r o n g thrust. In the reconnaissance stab the Russians explored the en emy’s defenses and installa tions, setting them up for Sov iet artillery fire which de stroyed a German artillery battery, seven mortar batter ies, and 26 machine-guns, said the midnight bulletin recorded by the Soviet monitor. Russian scouts also were ac tive at other points along the strangely quiet eastern front where Moscow dispatches esti mated that the Germans have massed 230 divisions, or ap proximately 3,450,000 men. But there was as yet no hint from either side of any large-scale offensive operations. On the front west of Moscow the Soviet communique said a German scouting force had been dispersed, and Soviet ar tillery had knocked out an en ;my artillery battery and sev en machine-guns. Northwest of Moscow, on the so-called Kalinin front which includes Velikie Luki, the com munique said that' 400 Ger mans were killed recently in (Continued on Page Three; Col. 2) COLORADO TOWN TORN BY BLAST Two Carloads Of Munitions Explode; Fire Chief Badly Wounded GRAND JUNCTION, Colo., June 27 —UP)— A freight train fire touched off two carloads of muni tions today, splattering shrapnel over the western end of Grand Junction and terrorizing residents awakened by explosions which jarred the city for more than four hours. Fire Chief Charles Downing, struck by shell fragments, was hurt so seriously an arm had to be amputated. He needed two blood transfusions. Downing was the only serious casualty. The origin of the fire was not immediately determined, but di vision point officials of the Den ver and Rio Grande Western rail road said it may have started from a hot box on one of the two munitions cars. Shrapnel pierced windows and roofs, and some fragments were picked up more than a mile from the fire. Bob Walraven, a railroad work er, was standing on a caboose at the depot, about a half mile from the explosions, when a jagged piece of metal struck him, possi bly fracturing his jaw. The burning cars were Isolated from the rest of the train but rapid-fire explosions kept firemen, soldiers and volunteers away- from the blaze. “I heard the first few explosions and went down there,” said Joe Lowe, Grand Junction newspaper man. “Firemen were around their truck, but they were not able to get close to the fire. “Flames were beginning to creep through the floor of one of the cars and the firemen pulled their truck away, afraid of the shells.” Downing was standing at the corner of a warehouse when a shell landed 36 feet away, burrow ing into the ground. The shell ex ploded, and some fragments knocked Downing backward about ten feet, at the same time gashing (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) U.S. GOODS WIN ECONOMIC FIGHT American Commodities Shipped To North Af rica Aiding Allies WASHINGTON, June 27. — Uf) — American goods have won a major victory of economics in North Afri ca as well as valuable fighting Allies for the United Nations, lend lease Administrator E. R. Stettini us, Jr., reported today. And to add another cheering note, he indicated that the cost of civilian supplies would turn out to be negligible—a $50,000 000 out lay with $25,000,000 already repaid by Frerch authorities and arrange ments being made for repayment of the remainder in the near fu ture. The report recounted that when General Dwight D. Eisenhower led his British-American forces into North Africa he found the econo my of the whole country virtually stagnant after two years of Axis looting, and the French and Arab population saturated with Axis propaganda. “From a purely military point of view,” the report said, “it was important to win Arab good-will so that the natives would hinder Axis secret agents and paratroopers who might try to cut the Allies supply line to Tunisia by destroy ing bridges, railroad tracks and highways. Considerable civilan labor was needed also to augment military personnel m perfecting tne Allied supply line. If the Arab natives proved unfriendly, General Eisenhower would have been com pelled to use additional divisions of troops in perfecting and guard ing his tenuous supply lne. “Lack of imports and Axis si phoning of local goods had strinped the markets. Many shops were closed for lack of wares and those open had little to sell. Even peo ple with plenty of money could buy practically nothing, and there was no incentive to work and earn money, to harvest and sell food crops, or carry on other normal business. “A vital part of the Allied mili tary program was the creation of a Fighting French ally. A reason ably contented civilian population was essential to the creation of this new French army, and a sound (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) U. S. May Plan Attack To Immobilize Kiska WASHINGTON, June 27. — (if) — Six battering raids on Kiska point ed strongly today to determination to immobilize the Japanese garr son there from the air, probably in preparation for an invasion by land troops. Medium bombers—Army Mitch ell’s and Navy Ventura’s—taking advantage of a break in the weath er which had slowed operations in the Aleutians for several days, roared over the island in the half dozen assaults Friday afternoon. With them sped Lightning fight er planes ready to beat off any attempted interception as the bombers dropped their loads. But the aerial resistance did not de velop. Bombs blasted into the Japanese camp area on the island—last ene my foothold in the American is land chain. Other bombs struck among gun positions and probably put some Japanese anti-aircraft pieces out of action. 5, The raids followed by only a comparatively few hours three at tacks by Liberators heavy and Mitchell and Ventura medium bombers carried out against Kiska Thursda. In those raids results of the bombings could not be as certained because of fog and low hanging clouds over the rocky, hilly island. Other airmen meantime carried on their continuous round of smash ing assaults on *the Japanese in the Solomon islands area, blasting four principal enemy bases without the loss of a single United Stats plane. Big Liberator bombers sent their bombs down on the enemy base on Ballale island in the Shortland is land area of the Solomons. Sev eral large fires were raging as they returned to their base. At about the same time, the Navy reported, another group of (Continued on Page Eight; col. 4) - \ AIR BATTLE RAGES Allies Carry Non-Stop Of fensive Into 2nd Week Over Europe FOE GETS NO RESPITE Mosquito Bombers Strike At Many Areas In Oc cupied France LONDON, June 27.—(#)— British bomber fleets roared over Hitler’s European Fort ress for the eighth consecu tive night last night to batter targets in vest and northwest Germany. Carrying the mightiest non-stop aerial of fensive of the war into its second week, it was announc ed today. Mosquito bombers and KAr fighters pounded and strafed enemy air fields, radio sta tions and communications lines in France at the same time and rounded out the night’s work by shooting down two German fighters near Paris. Other planes continued the assaults by daylight today with large scale sweeps over northern France shortly af ter dawn. These raiders de stroyed three enemy planes. S Nazi Planes Downed The prey ol two Messerschmitt 190s and a Focke Wulf-190 were shot from a group of 36 counted by Spitfire pilots over St. Omer. Wing Commander J. E. Johnson bagged his 19th plane in the sweep. No British plane was lost. Coastal command Beaufighters, escorted by Spitfires, attacked southbound Nazi shipping off the Dutch coast during the afternoon and the Air Ministry said they probably damaged three escort vessels and a supply ship. An observer in one of the Beau fighters said heavy flak made ac curate observation difficult but as the attackers turned away dense smoke was pouring from two of the armed escorts. Another pilot said he opened up on two merchant ships with his cannons and then attacked both of them again with his machine-guns from a height of 100 feet. The escorting Spitfire pilots re ported they hit every enemy fight er seen near the convoy, downing two of them and damaging several others badly. One of the British planes failed to return. The Nazi-controlled Vichy radio said in a night broadcast recorded by the Associated Press that “nu merous squadrons of Anglo-Ameri can planes have been over France today” and declared the Allies used all types of planes from single seater fighters to four-engined Fortresses. Meanwhile, it was a compara tively quiet day over Britain, al though an unidentified plane prompted a brief daylight alert in the London area. One enemy plane was destroyed off the southeast coast in the forenoon to go with the day’s bag of five enemy fight ers in offensive operation*. The Air Ministry said the night flying planes also laid mines in enemy waters. Ths same phrase was used in the initial description of the action which breached the great Moehne and Eder dams May 16, but it generally refers to the dropping of floating explosives in ship channels and harbors. The communique did not specify any of the targets attached but said the entire night’s operations were carried out with the loss of only one bomber. The German radio reported that ‘‘a few enemy planes carried out harassing flights over western and northwestern Reich territory last night,” but declared that ‘‘no bombs were dropped.” Another Berlin broadcast, record ed by the Associated Press said American bombers attempted to attack Bremen in daylight yester day but were beaten off and 26 of them shot down. It declared that (Continued on Page Three; Col. S) NOTICE! If your carrier fails to leave your copy of the Wil mington Morning Star, Phone 2-33!l before 9:00 a. m. and one will be sent to you by special messenger. ■■ —'
Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, N.C.)
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June 28, 1943, edition 1
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