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■^^ZnoT.%. ~ : Ja^y. WILMINGTON, N. C., SUNDAY, JULYTT943 FINAL EDITION PRICE FIVE CENTS
EMBLEM OF
INDEPENDENT
I, f -
Proudly flying above the deck of a U. C. aircraft carrier is the flag that is a symbol of the inde
pendence for which a band of courageous men pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred hon
>r’Vi" years ago, and of the freedom for which Americans fight today. (OWI Photo.)
City Notes Fourth Of July Holiday;
War Workers T o Continue Production
„ x.
TRAVEL RESTRICTED
Retail Stores, City And
County Governments
Take Holiday Monday
Celebration of Fourth of July j
week-end. which will be extended
to a holiday on Monday for most
Wilmingtonians, will be modified
as visitors are not expected in
large numbers because of already
overcrowded living accommoda
l tions and at nearby beach resorts
I and gasoline restrictions prevent-j
||ing most residents from leaving)
mthe city.
f Officials of the New Hanover)
War Price and Rationing board re
ported Saturday that “too many
people have made all sorts of ex
cuses this morning to get gasoline
for traveling this week-end. In
most cases, gasoline ration cou
pons were refused.”
All housing facilities in the city
and at the beaches are believed
to be filled this week-end. as many
reservations for the holiday sea- ,
son were made far in advance.
AH retail store members of the
Greater Wilmington Chamber of
Cimmerce will observe a holiday
Monday, which will not affect oth
er “closing” days during the
week.
j The city hall and all offices
housed in that building and the
county court house will be closed
Monday. The Recorder’s Court
will be in session for the disposi
tion of jail and traffic cases.
Postmaster Wilbur R. Dosher
said the postoffice will give its
regular holiday service, with postal
windows open only from 11 a. m.
to 12 o'clock. One city mail de
livery will be made and none in
the rural areas.
Tne shipyard will be closed to
day with the exception of the
of maintenance crews, but
°Porate as usual on Monday.
Most departments of the Atlantic
oast. Line Railroad company will
aKe a holiday Monday.
others to observe a holi
h -londay are the Alcoholic Bev
h,.f Control stores, the city’s
canbks and the Carolina Motor
Deters Lauds Power
Of United Nations
LONDON, JULY 3.— </P) —
Lieut. Gen. Jacob L. Devers
declared in a July Fourth
message to his troops tonight
that “we are looking forward
to a world in which there will
be a lasting freedom guaran
teed to the world in the At
lantic Charter by our great
leaders.”
The commander of U. S.
forces in the European theater
of operations added:
“I do not believe that in all
history can be found a strong
er confederation of nations
than now united in a common
effort against the axis and
this union will continue, I am
sure, beyond eventual victory
and be an instrument for
moulding the peace.”
CATHOLIC WOMEN
WILL MEET TODAY
Bishop McGuinness Will
Celebrate Mass At C. D.
Of A. Conference
Delegates from five North Ca
rolina cities will attend the sev
enth annual State conference of
the Catholic Daughters of Ameri
ca today at St. Mary’s Catholic
church, Fifth and Ann streets.
Solemn mass will be celebrated
at 11:30 o’clock wifn the Most
Rev. Eugene J. McGuinness, bi
shop of Raleigh, in charge. The
sermon will be delivered by the
Rev. Eugene Livelsberger, of
Burlington, state chaplain of the
Catholic Daughters of America.
Luncheon will be served at The
Tavern at 1:30 o’clock, followed
by a business session. The Rev.
J. H. 'r'evlin, assistant pastor of
St. Mary’s church, will deliver
the address of welcome.
The one-day meeting will be
presided over by Miss Elizabeth
Bullard, territorial deputy. Mrs.
C. D. Maffitt is grand regent of
the Wilmington court.
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 7)
L^avis Chief Denies Beer
Causes ‘Black Mondays’
the ^ could be further from
ltibufpjh, than the statement at
!n ii", .’° a Lutheran minister
W-i gt°n to the etfect that
to C;imP Davis had gotten
w ,Blae^ Monday” due to
iiers !ld dissipations of our sol
lr1(j CaUsed by drinking beer
nrjjbip11^’ anc* that the camp is
Lionel * Tuesday ”
ifficer t 'r ' Pott:s> commanding
lette, p Camp Davis, said in a
#r g* c^vea yesterday by May
The p B- Cameron.
tht J:v' Carl Fish*r, pastor of
Shurch + Matthew’s Lutheran
at the last regular meet
ing of the City council which voted
the ban of beer and wine sales on
Sundays, quoted a commissioned
officer as saying that nearly all
service men who come to town
during the week-ends return to
camp with "hangovers,” and that
Mondays in camp are “blue Mon
days”—rapidly becoming “black
Mondays,’ because of the inability
of the soldiers to work efficiently.
This statement was immediate
ly questioned and Mayor Cameron
told the assemblage of city coun
cilmen and citizens that he in
(Contlnued on Page Two; Col. 5)
F.R. FORGETS HOLIDAY
Senate And House Ar
range To Get Back On
Same Jobs Monday
(By The Associated Press)'
The peacetime practice of tak
ing an extra day off when the
Fourth of July comes on Sunday
will be lost this year in the dust
of America’s highspeed war pro
duction.
Full-time working schedules over
the July 3-4-5 week-end are in
order for Joe the war plant work
er although banks, many stores
and other establishments will be
closed tomorrow.
The War Production Board said
it had received promises of gen
eral adherence to Chairman Don
ald M. Nelson’s request that w7ar
workers celebrate Independence
day on Sunday only instead of car
rying the holiday over into Mon
day.
The President and congress also
decided to continue production and
forget the holiday.
The White House let it be known
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 6)
LUMBER~WORKERS’
SUBSIDY STUDIED
Three U. S. Agencies Con
sider Plan To Overcome
Labor Shortage
WASHINGTON, July 3. — W* —
A proposal 1.0 provide a guaran
teed weekly wage to lumber work
ers. partly through a federal sub
sidy, to overcome an acute man
power shortage, is under study by
three government agencies.
D. C. Speaker, the mythical Dis
trict of Columbia figure who rep
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 4)
WEATHER
FORECAST
NORTH CAROLINA: Little change
in temperature Sunday except
slightly warmer west portion.
(Eastern Standard Time)
(By t: S. Weather Bureau)
Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m.. yesterday.
Temperature
1-30 a. m., 70; 7:30 a. m., 71; 1:30
p. in.. 81; 7:30 p. m.,77. Maximum 82;
minimum 69; mean 75; normal 79.
Humidity
1-30 a. m., 95; 7:30 a. m., 90; 1:80
p. m., 65; 7:30 p. m„ 69.
Precipitation
Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30
p. m.. 0.00 inches.
Total since the first of the month,
2.00 inches.
Tides For Today
(From the Tide Tables published by
TJ S. Coast and Geodetic Survey)
High Low
Wilmington - 1L06A 6:05A
Masonboro Inlet-8:50A 2:49A
9:02P 2:50P
Sunrise 5:05 a. m.; sunset 7:27 p. m.;
moonrise 6:54 a.; moonset 9:00 p.
Cape Fear River stage at Fayetteville
on .July 3, at 8 a. m., 13.6 feet.
(Continued on Pa*e Nine: Col. •)
Railroad Pay
Raise Dispute
Given To F. R.
Sharfman Refuses Vinson’s
Request That Board Re
consider Increases
OFFICIALS CLASH
President May Appoint
New Group Or Order Old
One To Re-Convene
WASHINGTON, July 3—(IP)—A
new administrative dispute was
dumped on the White House door
step today when I. L. Sharfman,
chairman of the Railroad Emer
gency board, turned down flatly
Stabilization Director Fred M.
Vinson’s request that the board
reconsider its recommendation for
an 8 cents an hour wage increase
for non-operating railway em
ployes.
Sharfman told Vinson in a let
ter that he was without authority
to reconvene the board. At a
press conference, he added that
the stabilization director “is try
ing to tell us how to settle the
dispute and we are the only ones
having that authority.”
The board, Sharfman said, had
recommended to the President
what it deemed to be a fhir and
reasonable settlement, and there
was no point in reconsidering it.
Opposed Award
Vinson set aside the award on
the grounds that it violated wage
stabilization policies. In a memo
randum opinion, he suggested that
the board might use a test as to
whether wages are “substandard”
in reconsidering the matter.
Sharfman, professor of econom
ics at the University of Michigan,
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 1>
chennTultTees
BRIGHTER FUTURE
Head Of U. S. Air Force
In China Looks Forward
(To Raids On Japan
HEADQUARTERS U. S. 14TH
AIR FORCE, China, July 3—I®—
Major General Claire L. Chen
nault said today in an address
commemorating the first anniver
sary of the United States Air
forces in China: “I sincerely hope
that during the next year you men
will fly over Japan itself many
times before the first firecracker
explodes July 4, 1944.”
“We are starting a new year,”
Chennault declared. “Things will
be different before it ends.”
He recalled that on July 4, 1942,
the American Volunteer group
completed a “remarkable and
outstanding chapter in American
aerial history.” He told the air
force ground crewmen and head
quarters staff that “you strafed
and bombed 35 important Japa
nese bases and numerous other
targets of opportunity. You made
them pay a high price for the
raids they made on American
bases in China.”
“In the past year,” Chennault
continued, “not only have you
saved thousands of lives by pre
venting the Japanese from drop
ping bombs on Chinese towns and
cities as they once did unham
pered, but you have taken an im
portant part in the defeat of the
enemy on the Hupeh front—a re
treat that is still going on under
the relentless pressure of Chi
nese ground troops supported by
American and Chinese planes.
“For that work, the first of its
kind since American planes came
to China, you have received not
only the thanks of the Chinese
leaders but also those of the Chi
nese Soldiers on the ground who
no longer fear the sound of mo
tors overhead—they know they’re
American or Chinese.”
“You have earned the gratitude
of these men who have fought six
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 3)
REACH NEW PEAK
Planes Pour Tons Of Ex
plosives On Palermo,
Catania, Cagliari
USE MANY CRAFT
Nearly 100 Liberators
Take Part In Raid On
‘Heel’ Of Italy
ALLIED HEADQUAR
TERS IN NORTH AFRICA,
July 3.—(IP)—The allied as
sault on Italy’s military air
fields rose to a new peak of
fury yesterday when heavy
and medium American bomb
ers from North Africa and
the Middle East swung across
by daylight to pulverize four
important bases on Sicily and
the Italian mainland.
Only a few hours earlier
heavy British night bombers
had poured scores of tons of
high explosives and fire
bombs on the battered cities
of Palermo and Catania, Sic
ily. and Cagliari, on Sardinia.
The attack on Palermo was
termed “heavy and successful,”
with two-ton blockbusters heading
the destruction.
In what a U. S. communique
described as “a sudden intensifi
cation of the attack,” nearly 100
four-engined Liberator: of the
middle east Command swarmed
over the “heel” of Italy to drop
more than 400,000 pounds of
bombs on Axis airdromes at Lecce,
Grottaglie and San Pancrazio
all within the aerial defense zone
protecting the bit Italian naval
base at Taranto.
It was the biggest offensive ac
tion yet staged by Liberators of
the Cairo command. Three were
lost as clouds of German and Ital
ian fighters rose to defend their
home fields, but 12 Axis planes
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 1)
THREElN VESTMENT
FIRMS HIT BY SEC
‘Fraudulent Practice s’
Charged To Investors
Syndicate, Others
MINNEAPOLIS, July 3.—(-D—
The Securities and Exchange Com
mission moved today in Fedeial
district court here for a restrain
ing order to halt what it termed
“fraudulent practices” on the part
of Investors Syndicate of Minneap
olis and two associated firms hav
ing assets of more than $200,000,
000.
The SEC said it was the biggest
case it had ever handled.
In a statement, E. E. Crabb,
head of the three firms, said, “be
cause of the nature of these
charges, which we firmly deny, this
action does not question the sol
vency of these companies and no
certificate holder needs to be dis
turbed as to the soundness of his
investment.”
Hearing, scheduled today, on the
SEC motion for a temporary re
straining order, was postponed un
til 10 a. m. Friday by Federal Dis
trict Judge Gunnar H. Norbye at
the request of syndicate attorneys,
Business of the firm is “frozen”
pending the hearing.
Named in the 16-count complaint,
filed Friday, were Investors Syndi
cate and Investors Syndicate of
America, Inc., both Minnesota cor
(Continued on Page Nine; Col. 7)
Planes Provide Complete
Cover For Allied Convoy
LONDON, July 3 —(#)— Carrier-1
borne and land-based planes, team
ing to provide “complete shore
to-shore air cover” spanning the
Atlantic, have helped bring a valu
able convoy over that dangerous
sea “without interference from
powerful forces of U-boats,” it was
announced today.
A joint admiralty and air min
istry communique described con
tinuous air protection against sub
marines declared that in attacks
over a two-day period recently one
U-boat was destroyed, another was
probably destroyed, and “others
may have been damaged.”
The escort carrier H. M. S. Ar
cher and her planes took up the
task of air protection between the
time that the convoy moved out
of range of land-based planes on
the western side of the Atlantic,
and reached the range of land
based planes on the western side
of the Atlantic, and reached the
range of those based in Britain.
The convoy crossed “a few weeks
ago.”
Today’s announcement followed
one two weeks ago saying that
British naval and air units had
(Ccmtinned on Pago Two; Col. S)
Allies Down Eleven More
Jap Planes Over Rendova
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS
IN AUSTRALIA, Sunday, July
4.—(fP)—By sea and air the
Allied invaders of the central
Solomons have thrown back
Japanese attempts to interfere
with the Pacific offensive, hav
ing increased to 134 the total of
enemy planes downed and driv
en off enemy ships bent on
shelling Rendova, it was an
nounced today.
Eleven more enemy planes
were downed on Friday and
Saturday over Rendova where
the Americans landed on Wed
nesday within five miles of the
Japanese air base at Munda
which quickly underwent shell
ing from Allied shore batteries.
Today’s communique also told
of continued Allied efforts to
conquer the New Georgia area.
Allied ships poured shells in
to enemy positions on Vangu
nu, an island off the southeast
ern tip of New Georgia.
On the western arm of the
Pacific drive, four Japanese
Zeros and a bomber were de
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 3)
Senators Accept House
Demand T o Abolish NY A
VOTE IS 39 TO 33
Argument Of Senator Tru
man Fails To Save 8
Year-Old Agency
WASHINGTON, July 3. —(IP)—
Congress agreed today to kill the
National Youth Administration.
The decision to end the agency
which was created eight years
ago as a work relief organization
came when the senate accepted by
a 39 to 33 vote a house demand
that NYA be given only $3,000,000
to finance its liquidation at the
end of 1943. Originally, the senate
had voted the agency $48,800,000
to continue operation for the fis
cal year ending next June 30.
The argument of 'enator Tru
man (D-Mo) of the senate’s war
investigating committee that NYA’s
program of training youths for
war industry work is “absolutely
essential” failed to save the a
gency. Opponen’s of NYA, includ
ing Rep. Short (R-Mo.), had con
tended NYA was inducing youths
to leave farms for work in ship
yards and was engaged in “silly,
crazy, cock-eyed” activities.
Nearing Accord
The provision abolishing NYA
was written into a $1,136,000,000
appropriation bill for labor-securi
ty programs. Agreement of the
house and senate on the NYA
amendment brought the two hous
es a long step nearer final ac
cord on the appropriation measure,
one of a group of big money
bills to supply funds for the fis
cal year started three days ago
and over which congress has been
in dispute.
The senate postponed final ac
tion on an $850,000,000 farm ap
propriations bill after Senator
Reed (R-Kans) protested against
surrendering to house demands
for abandonment of federal insur
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 2)
REDSFRUSTRATE
NEW NAZI THRUST
Drive On Central Front
Positions Halted By Ar
tillery, Infantry
LONDON, Sunday, July 4—UP)—
A German thrust toward Russian
positions., on the central front be
fore Smolensk was frustrated yes
terday by Soviet artillery and in
fantry units, Moscow announced
early today in the regular midnight
communique.
The bulletin, broadcast by the
Moscow radio and recorded here by
the Soviet monitor, reported ex
changes of artillery, mortar, ma
chine gun and rifle fire in that
area, where a German withdraw
al was admitted yesterday by Ber
lin after the renewed skirmishes of
recent days.
Russian troops were said to have
wiped out about a company of Ger
mans, silenced several artillery and
mortar batteries and destroyed half
a dozen machineguns.
One German unit which attempt
ed to penetrate Soviet positions ran
into a mine field, the communique
said. Many enemy troops were
blown up and the rest were killed
by machinegun and rifle fire be
fore reaching the Russian lines.
Moscow also reported a combined
sea and air attack in the Black
Sea in which Russian warships and
planes were said to have sunk a
German transport and a »otor
barge.
Rome Admits Palermo
Has ‘Ceased To Exist’
NEW YORK, July 3— UP) —
Rome radio admitted tonight
that the Sicilian air and naval
base of Palermo has “ceased
to exist” because of the pound
ing of Allied air attacks.
The broadcast, recorded by
NBC, said Palermo had been
struck by “many times more
bombs than can be counted”
and is now useless.
Another Rome radio broad
cast complained that the Al
lies were not “playing fair.”
The American and British in
their bombing attacks, the ra
dio said, are using the formu
la:
“When your opponent is down
and out — kick him in the
teeth.”
tighteTmid:west
GAS CURBS URGED
"
Senate Committee Also
Asks Wider Authority
For Secretary Ickes
WASHINGTON, July 8.—UP)—
Tightened restrictions on gasoline
use in the midwest — so that some
of its motor fuel may be sent to
the east — were recommende dto
day by a senate committee which
also urged broader authority over
all oil problems for Secretary Ick
es.
The committee, headed by Sena
tor Maloney (D-Conn) and appoint
ed to investigate gasoline and fuel
oil shortages, said the outlook for
relief was not good.
"We must plan for the worst and
hope for the best,” it said.
Oil and gasoline shortages along
this seaboard and in other parts
of the United States must be re
garded as chronic wartime condi
tion, its report asserted, adding
that military demands are Increas
ing so greatly that they are likely
to absorb completely any additional
oil brought to the east by new and
old facilities.
"Setbacks with respect to any of
the new means of transportation
might create a serious shortage,”
the committee said. "This is bad
news for the entire country as well
as for the east coast.
‘The middle west will undoubted
ly have to suffer more severe ra
tioning in order to share its supply
with the states which are giving
up theirs to the armed forces. The
far west, with demand and supply
now precariously In balance, could
overnight be placed in a situation
equivalent to that of the eastern
seaboard as a result of intensified
operations in the Pacific.
‘‘The northwest is even more iso
lated than New England and could
(Continued on Page Nine; Col. 3)
INITIAL CLASH
May Culminate In Major
Sea Battle If Nipponese
Enlarge Forces
ALLIES ADVANCING
Soldiers And Marines Are
Driving Toward Enemy’s
Air Base At Munda
WASHINGTON, July 3.-.
(#>)—American warships ly
ing in wait pounced on a
Japanese force which tried to
shell Rendova island last
night, the Navy disclosed to
day, drove off the attackers
with heavy gunfire.
This fifht, started by three
enemy light ci’uisers and four
destroyers, probably is but
the first of a series of brushes
between American and Jap
anese sea squadrons which
may culminate in a major
sea battle if the Japanese
throw more and more units
into their efforts to stem the
allied South Pacific offensive.
Air and land fighting continu.
ed meantime, with Army and Ma
rine forces on the Solomons front
driving steadily toward the ene
my’s Munda air base, and Ameri
can and Australian forces in north
west New Guinea tightening their
ring of positions around the stra
tegic air field at Salamaua.
Double Threat
Like Salamaua, Munda Is sub
ject to attack from at least two
sides — by army groups in Ren
dova island and by Marines press
ing up from the south of New
Georgia island where they already
have captured Viru harbor. The
attack by warships seemingly was
an attempt on the enemy’s part
to harrass and delay the Rendova
phase of the operation.
The Japanese thus were trying
to accomplish with naval vessels
under the cover of darkness what
they had failed entirely to do by
heavy air attack on the day the
army landed on Rendova. At that
time they lost 101 planes of a
force estimated at more 110. What
damage they may have suffered
in the sea skirmishes was not re
ported here.
All the communique said was:
“On July 3 (Saturday Solomons
(Continued on Page Nine; Col. 5)
ALLIElCONTiNUE
RAIDS ON EUROPE
Attack Trains, Barges, Oil
Tanks In Nazi-Occu
pied Europe .
LONDON, Sunday, July 4—(^1—
A strong force of planes—presum
ably Royal Air Force bombers —
flew out over the southeast coast
early this morning bound for some
place in occupied Europe.
The last, time RAF bombers were
out in strength was the night of
June 28 when they attacked Co
logne and Hamburg.
The bomber movement followed
widespread sweeps over France,
Holland and Belgium yesterday by
RAF light bombers and fighter
planes which struck at enemy ob
jectives by daylight for the third
consecutive day.
The air ministry said Bostons,
Typhoons, Mustangs and Spitfires
attacked locomotives, railway
switches, barges, oil tanks, fac
tories, gun positions and a plant
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 3)
Giraud En Route To U. S.
To Talk With Roosevelt
RIO DE JANEIRO, July 3.— VP)
—General Henri *Giraud has pass
ed through Natal enroute to the
United States, an O Globo dis
patch from there said tonight.
The co-president of the French
committee of national liberation
is on his way to visit Washington
in response to an invitation from
President Roosevelt.
Natal is an air base on the
South Atlantic route between the
United States and Africa.
In a statement for release on
July 4, Gen. Henri Giraud said
that “in the work which the Amer
icans have taken upon them
selves to maintain, the French
people, traditionally devoted to
the same aspirations, associate
themselves with all their means
and all the strength of their soul
and heart.
“At the moment of my depart
ure for Washington I send my
most ardent and sincere greet
ings to the President of the great
republic of the United States on
this American national holiday. I
hope to renew them to him by
word of mouth io»- ”
AMERICANS DRIVE OFF JAPS
TRYING TO SHELL RENDOVA;
ALLIES BLAST SICILY, ITALY
-M * -