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Ess.™I TUT ciiiJhA .ueufCt '“,c:r;'.£"z.-' I F1C 3UWIJM _ntflw — isBTMii pocnr eaw ^^@®isEes amis is>imiAsinmzte __ vnL 15.—NO. 52.___ WILMINGTON, N. C., SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1943_FINAL EDITION _PBICE FIVE CENTS Five Railroad Unions Order Strike Ballot $tep Taken To Point Up Demands For Substan tial Wage Increases rEjECT 4-CENT HIKE Robertson Says 'Hundreds And Hundreds’ Have Urged Strike Call CHICAGO Oct. 23—UR—A nation ;de 4rike vote among 350,000 ‘•hers was ordered today by '“officials of the five operating railroad unions to point up their demands for substantial wage in creases. General chairmen of the five la br organizations voted unani ffl0USjv 'to poll the rank and file on the” walkout question after they had decided to reject a pay hike pf four cents an hour proposed tv an emergency board last •ronth. The workers asked a 30 or cent raise, with a minimum increase of S3 a day, ten months a;o, and they deemed the board's suggested UUUM cli: Uiaun. Will Prepare Ballots Delegates to the joint meeting pranged to appoint three men jma each union to prepare and tribute the strike ballots. Offi i,;.5 estimated the results would h known in 20 or 30 days. Some inkling of the sentiments of members throughout the coun try was provided by David Robert son, president of the brotherhood of locomotive firemen and engine men, who reported “hundreds and hundreds" had sent messages ad vocated a strike call. If the members vote for a strike, a spokesman said, a date will be set and the next move will be up to the government. The govern ment presumably would take all steps necessary to forestall para lysis of the carriers at a time when they are transporting un precedented loads of war mater ial. Adopt Resolution The labor leaders adopted a resolution maintaining the overall cost of living had gone up almost J 25 per cent since January, 1941, ] the date used in the controverted little steel tormula, while food costs alone had soared more than 40 per cent. The strike referendum will be conducted among members of the brotherhoods of locomotive engi neers, locomotive firemen and (Continued on Page Nine; Col. 3) m imirnss N.C. BOARD TESTS' Twenty-Three Wilmington Women Included On List Granted Licenses RALEIGH, Oct. 23.—OB—A rec ord "class” of 434 graduate nurses passed North Carolina board of nurse examiners examinations con ducted in Raleigh and Winston ■ alem August 24-26 and have been licensed. Miss Bessie M. Chapman, board secretary, said today. Miss Chapman said 475 nurses reported for the exams, which was r-e largest group ever to report, and the 434 who passed conse nted the largest number ever li ce«s«> at any one examination. Many of the new licensees will ]°ui either the Army or Navy 1-use corps within a few weeks, she said. . ^ ®y-one nurses were registered 1 ^cognition of their registration ln other states. Elenore Cutlip of the Duke Uni versity Hospital School of Nursing Continued on Page Seven; Col. 3) I_GOING, GOING, GONE_ (U. S. Army Air Force Photos From NEA) This is the death story of a big four-motored Focke-Wulf Kurier : raider that was caught at sea by an American Liberator on anti submarine patrol. The cross on its side made a fine target for the Liberator’s bullets as the German plane twisted and turned in evas ive maneuvers. But it was finally shot out of the sky and crashed flaming into the sea. Broughton, Darden Call j Tobacco Market Holiday! -— *-J SEEK BETTER PRICES Governors Ask Warehouses To Close Wednesday, Thursday, Friday RALEIGH. Oct. 23 —(ft—Govern or Broughton, acting jointly with Governor Darden of Virginia, to night called for a sales holiday in the three mule-cured belts in an effort to halt declining tobacco prices. The governor said he and Gov ernor Darden are asking ware houses to close Wednesday, Thurs day and Friday, at least. During this period, Governor Broughton said, eviry effort will be made to raise prices, particularly for lower grades of tobacco. SHARP DROP The action was taken following a conference here today between Governor Broughton and tobaccon ists. Governor Broughton called the session after prices on lower grades of tobacco dropped as much as 16 cents a pound this week. The tobacconists passed a reso lution suggesting that a holiday be called for at least two days and to continue as long as the two governors deem necessary. The tooaccomsts aiso asuea mai Representative Harold Cooley, who was present, confer with other North Carolina Congressmen and the Commodity Credit Coopera tion in an effort to halt further price declines. The congressmen were asked to request CCC to re store former buyer allotments and to restore tobacco prices to their former levels. At Wilson,’N. M. Schaum, chair man of the U. S. Tobacco Associa tons’ Sales committee, said nc action would be necessary by his group if the two groups of the two governors called the holiday. In opening the meeting, Govern Broughton said that farmers whc cooperated with a governmenta: request to harvest food, feed anc fiber crops before marketing theii tobacco “have been penalized be cause of the price declines.” “If the situation continues,” he said, “confidence of farmers ir their government will be shaken.' From each of the three belts— old. middle and new bright—camt reports of sagging prices, the opin ion generally was that recently reduced buyer allotments caused buyers tc concentrate on bettei grades, passing over the lower (Continued on Page Nine: Col. 4) 30-Hour Week Urged For Post-War Period NEW YORK, Jet. 23—W— R. J. Thomas, president of the United Automobile Workers of America (CIO), said today a 30-hour work week was the greatest single factor to in sure employment for ali in the post-war economy. “I see the 30-hour week as the greatest single means of putting every able-bodied man and woman, who wants to, to work at top skill,” Thomas de clared in an address before the 21st annual fall ■ jnleieuce of the New York Women’s Trade Union League here. Thomas, who claims to rep resent more than a million workers in the automotive-air ‘ craft industries, said “the greatest share of women in our union are in aircraft. I ^ expect to lose a half-million people after the war, for as I sec it, the aircraft industry will be cut at least 75 per cent.” -V LANDIS ASSAILS PRICE-ROLLBACK Declares Program Is De signed To ‘Rally Fourth Term Votes' WASHINGTON, Oct. 23. —UP)— The Administrative-Congressional wrangle over subsidies rolled on today with a Republican lawmak er’s accusation that the price rollback program is designed to “rally fourth term votes.” Indications that the administra tion will reject my attempts at compromise on the subsidy issue were seen by farm bloc legisla tors in a fresh protest from econ omic stabilization director Fred M. Vinson that proposals to fix prices by legislative enactment would make price control “ad ministratively unworkable.” As Congress waited President Roosevelt’s special message on sub sidies .to keep retail prices down. Rep. Landis (R-Ind) declared that the country’s greatest need is in creased production and fair prices. “An adequate supply of goods,” he said in a. speech prepared for the radio (CBS-10:45 P. M. EWT). (Continued, on Page Two; Col. 5) WEATHER FORECAST NORTH CAROLINA: Slightly warmer Sunday and Sunday evening. Cane Fear River stage at Fayetteville at 8 a. m.f on Oct. 23, 9.04 feet. WASHINTGON. Oct. 23. —(/Pj— Weath er bureau report of temperature and rainfall for the 24 hours ending 8 p. m. Station High Low Free. Sb* - 1 I S Chicago -—— 4o 45 0.00 Cleveland - 4a 45 o.OO Detroit —■— ■ 7o o4 016 Fort Worth - 72 o.OO Galveston^--— • s2 50 0.00 ■ Kansas City - B3 37 o.OO . Louisville - Bf) 49 o.OO Memphis - B- 64 0.00 Miami - 81 55 0.00 ■ Mobile - R1 64 o.OO New Orleans --- 47 o.OO New York - « 4(; o.OO Norfolk - 4g 43 o.OO Pittsburgh - g9 40 o.OO Richmond -- -- 50 0.55 St. Louis - 7g 49 o.OO Savannah - - n 54 o.OO Washington - 72 47 0.00 Wilmington - babor Turnover In Vital Industries Shows Drop »^'e labor turnover in the Wil ^ "ton area has dropped in es j industries as a whole at east 25 Per cent in the past 90 ofn’ Felix A. Scroggs, manager • b. Employment Service, said Saturday, e.5'S ii§ui'e, he said, includes „h®p u aVis and Fort Fisher, have shown only a small ttaVoease in turnover due to the the ; necessary to get to jobs and mostV>fe„v°f persons employed, or ip 1 whom accept work more ss on a temporary basis. Pisher anrt °f Camp Uavis> Fort the pmri d construction projects, lr,inZ10yment turnover in Wil dropned e“ent,al industries has cent 5 per cent to 40 per Th, °ggs *dded. employment official ex plained this was caused by jobs being less plentiful in Wilming ton than at one time and the chance of a person net being able to be Employed on another job here immediately if he terminates. At one war plant in the Wil mington area, Scroggs said ter minations dropped below 150 last week, and another essential firm here has not had a termination in three weeks. Sixty days ago the employment office daily received 30 to 40 re quests for statements of avail ability from employes in essential industry, while on Friday it only received seven such requests. The War Manpower Commis sion’s employment stabilization program was credited by Scroggs for the drop in labor turnover her*. 88 Men Perish In F;/^ter & /> <8* m <s,i lar w /— One ^ssels Explodes Following Collision Off Florida Coast 28 MEN ARE SAVED Coast Guard Races To Scene After Persons On Shore Sound Alarm PALM BEACH, Fla.. Oct. 23— (,T>—Two blacked-out tankers col lided off the Florida coast in the darkness Wednesday night and 88 men perished in the flames which spread from the explosion of one of the vessels laden with thousands of gallons of aviation gasoline. The navy permitted announce ment of the disaster today after investigating salvage possibilities. Twenty-eight merchant crewmen and members of navy gun crews were saved, most of them leaping overboard as the flames whipped over the decks and spread out over the water. Sound Alarm persons asnore neara me explos ion and saw' the towering flames and gave the alarm which sent Coast Guard craft racing to the scene. One of the ships, northbound and riding low' in the water with the weight of the gasoline, had 43 crew men aboard, including seven naval gunners, and only seven men sur vived. The other tanker, southbound in ballast, was manned by a crew of 73, including 25 gunners, and 21 reached safety. Most of those on deck perished instantly. Christopher P. Finley, 28, of Mi ami, third assistant engineer aboard the empty tanper, was at his post at the time of tire crash, at 10:50 a. m. "I knew something terrible had happened,” he declared, “but ev ery hand in the engine room stayed at his post, and that saved a lot of lives. Explosions Follow ‘‘Tw'o explosions followed imme (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) MAYOR PROCLAIMS ANNUAL NAVY DAY Cameron Calls For Observ ance By Wilmingtonians On October 27 Mayor ±jruce a. uameron issued a proclamation Saturday, asking for observance in Wilmington of Navy Day on Wednesday, October 27. A complete Navy Day program of arrangements is nearing comple tion under the leadership of John A. Sheehan, chairman. Partici pation In the observance of Navy Day is being askfed of the schools, churches, USO clubs, merchants, and the general public. The mayor’s proclamation fol lows in full: “Whereas, by official designation October 27 has been set apart as Navy Day; and “Whereas, the Secretary of the Navy has officially designated the Navy League of the United States as official sponsor to obtain appro priate observance of Navy Day; and “Whereas, the Navy League of the United States has called upon the people of the nation to devote some time during the week of Octo ber 24 to October 30 to appropri ate celebration of the accomplish ments of our Navy, and particular ly on October 27 pay respect to (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) RUSSIANS TAKE MELITOPOL AND DRIVE TOWARD CRIMEA; NAZIS IMPROVE ROME LINE w ---- ^ * IN NEW POSITIONS Thrown Back By Fifth Army After Launching Bitter Counter-Attack COSTS ARE HEAVY Allied Planes Press Home Attacks On Troops, Gun Positions BY EDWARD KENNEDY ALLIED HEADQUAR TERS, ALGIERS, oSt. 23— (/P)—Field Marshal Gen. Al bert Kesselring’s forces, al though thrown back by the Fifth Army after launching a fierce tank-led counter-at tack in the Alife region, dug in firmly today in their new positions on the Massico Ridge-Mount Matese line sol idly blocking the road to Rome. The hard counter-attack was one of the sharpest the Germans have put in since their attempt to drive the Fifth army back into the sea four days after landing on the beach at Salerno. It cost them dearly. A number of Nazi tanks were knocked out by the deadly fire of American artillery, but the fury with which it was launched was an indication of the Germans’ determination to hold their new line stubbornly. Advances Two Miles The Eighth Army also frustrat ed a counter-attack near Monte cilfone and then advanced two miles, taking Lupara, which dom inates high ground in central It aly. An Allied communique detailing yesterday’s land developments hinted further action was in pro gress on the Fifth army’s front by saying that the gain made in taking a commanding height in an unidentified area was being “ex ploited.’’ The object of the German coun terthrusts was to disrupt Allied of fensive actions and the Germans invariably launch them just be fore they think the Allies are about to deliver a blow. Allied aviation ranged the battle area, lending its invaluable sup (Continued on Page Nine; Col. 5) NANCYDEMARIGNY DISCLOSES STRAIN Girl Torn By Cross-Cur rents 01 Family Trag edy During Trial — NASSAU, Bahamas, Oct. 23—(JP) —Comely Nancy Oakes de Ma rigny, a 19-year-old girl torn by the cross-currents of a family tragedy which finds her husband on trial for the murder of her father, began to show the strain of her bitter experience today. But in the cage-like prisoner’s dock of the Bahamas Supreme court, Alfred de Marigny still grinned confidently while his at torneys sparred expertly with wit nesses summoned to connect him with the slugging and burning last July of Sir Harry Oakes, who (Continued on Page Two; Col. 3) Allies Close Jap Escape | Route On Huon Peninsula --- 1 BY C. YATES McDANIEL ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTHWEST PACI FIC, Sunday, Oct. 24—(/P>—Jap anese hopes of reaching the New Guinea coast on the Huon peninsula in strength were blasted Friday by determined attacks delivered by Australian group troops and American bombers. These attacks blunted the enemy spearhead and forced him to fall back from the vil lage of Katika westward to a deputh of 1,100 yards toward his inland jungle strong posi tions at Sattelberg. The Australians, who thus closed the narrow corridor which Japanese earlier in the week had driven to the coast about five miles north of Al lied-won Finschhafen, counted more than 510 enemy dead. While these units' of the Aus tralian Ninth division succeed ed in blocking the coastal out let of escape for considerable enemy forces, American-flown Mitchells swept over the rear areas. The sowd destruction with their bombs and more than 55,000 rounds of 50 cali ber machinegun fire. (Continued ou Page Nine; Col. 7) YugoslavPatriots lake Four Slovenian Villages SCORE NEW GAINS j Others Involved In Heavy Fighting With Nazis Near Mount Chakor LONDON, Oct. 23.—UP)—Yugoslav partisans under the dashing young lawyer-general. Petar Dabcevis, to day were involved in heavy fighting with Nazi motorized units in the vicinity of Count Chakor on the Montenegran - Albanan frontier, while other patriots captured four villages in southwest Slovenia. A communique of the Yugoslav liberation army reported the fall of the strategic Slovenian centers of Kopriva, Visnyvrh, Novi Grad and Gradisce, hamlets which are im portant because they command lines of communication in a diffi cult mountainous area. Strike Along Rail Line The partisans also struck suc cessfully along the railway line serving the territory between the j Sava and Danube rivers in eastern j Croatia, said a war bulletin broad-j cast by the free Yugoslav radio. i German motorized and tank for ces were under almost continuous attack in the Croatian province of Lika, near Jezerana. and near Dol ny-Lapac. The partisans also sank a German ship off the Dalmatian coast. The communique reported that two enemy tanks were destroyed in the fighting on the Montenegran Albanian frontier. Gen. Dabcevis’ command there consists of units of the second corps. The youthful general won a military reputation fighting in the republican army in the Spanish civil war. rin the snntheastern Balkan front the Germans claimed they occupied Stampalia, another in the Dodeca nese island group 28 miles south west of Cos, freeing a large num ber of German prisoners held there by the British since late Septem ber. Claims of the island’s capture yesterday lacked Allied confirma tion but if the German propaganda (Continued on Page Nine; Col. 6) 20 meTkilled IN PLANE CRASH Craft Falls At Fort Ben ning While On Night Parachute Mission FORT BEJNNING, Ga., Oct. 23.— Wl—Twenty officers and men were killed last night when an Army transport plane crashed at Lawson Field here while on a night para chute mission the public relations office announced today. The dead included two officers and three enlisted men of the Army Air Corps and 15 enlisted men from the parachute troops here. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from Lawson Field, pub lic relations officers said. They reported it was a routine flight to permit the paratroopers to make a night jump, now a part of their regular training. Fire broke out wben the plane crashed, trapping all occupants. The list of dead and next of km: Air Corps personnel: 2nd Lt. Gerald A. Scfafer, Pitts burgh, Pa. „ 1st Lt. Milton W. Grieg, Balti more, Md. Sgt. Robert W. Farmer, Dayton, O. ‘ Pfc. Donald M. Schroeder, Los Angeles, Calif. (Continued on Page Two; Col. Z)'\ Tripartite Conferees Continue Discussions MOSCOW, Oct. 23—(/Pi—The foreign affairs executives of the United States, Britain and Russia held their fifth day of meetings today. The United States has been fully informed over why for eign secretary Anthony Eden of Britain saw Premier Mar shal Joseph Stalin Thursday and later Russian commissar of foreign affairs Vyacheslav Moltov. Hull conferred for the sec ond time this week with Chi nese Ambassador Fu Ping Sang before today’s meeting. He also seen the Mexican am bassador, the Australian charge d’Affaires, and Canadian min ister. REDSMAYRESUME POLISH RELATIONS Reported To Have Agreed To Take Up Dealings With Exiled Regime LONDON. Oct. 23—(.P)—A Berlin broadcast, quoting the Stockholm Tidningen, said today it had been learned that Russia had agreed to resume diplomatic relations with the Polish government-in exile in London. XYUSMci U1UAC X C-lcHlUilS W1 III me Polish government April 26, ac cusing it of acting in concert with the Germans in pressing charges, originating in Berlin, that the So viets had slain 10.000 Polish offi cers near Smolensk. Thg German broadcast, record ed by the Ministry of Informa tion, said the Stockholm newspa per carried the report in the form of London correspondence saying the Russians had handed a memorandum to the U. S. and British ambassadors in Moscow recently. This German account was simi lar to some stories published in London. The Russians here said they knew nothing about it. The Poles answered only: “Ask your ambassador to Moscow—he should know.” It was reported that the So viets, as one term of the agree ment, would recognize all Poles from western Poland now in Rus sia as Polish subjects, but would (Continued on Page Nine: Col. 8) ' PURSUE GERMANS Soviets Are Racing To Cut Off Crimea At Perekop And Kherson 20,000 NAZIS LOST Fall Of Key City Under mines Entire German Strategy In South LONDON, Sunday, Oct. 24 —</P)—The Russian army captured the key city of Me litopol after 11 days of street fighting and swept on south ward today through the flat, muddy plains toward the Cri mea. Moscow reports said Soviet motorized columns swung out in pursuit of the Germans in a race to cut off the Crimea at Perekop and Kherson after smashing the last-ditch Ger man* stand in Melitopol. The Germans lost mere than 20,000 men in their vain attempt to establish a winter line in the ravaged, city and a triumphant Moscow communique, recorded by the Soviet monitor, described Nazi losses as “extra ordinarily heavy.” Battle In Streets The Germans had rushed infan try divisions, tanks and artillery into the city, hoping to halt the Russians, but bitter hand-to-hand fighting forced back the defenders street by street. More than 4,000 Germans were killed in the last day alone while 57 tanks and 18 guns were wrecked. Large quan tities of war material were cap tured and several hundred pris oners taken. ine fall of Melitopol yesterday undermined the entire German defense strategy in the south. Ahead of the Russians were 135 miles of indefensible steppes lead ing to the mouth of the Dnieper river. Premier Marshal Joseph Stalin announced the victory in a special order of the day describing Meli topol, on the Molochna river and the main railway into the Crimea, as “the most vital strategical cen ter of German defenses” on the southern front. Guards Approaches The city “guards the approach es to the Crimea and the lower reaches of the Dnieper,” Stalin pointed out in his triumphant an nouncement, perhaps indicating e intends to send his armies with out pause into the Crimean penin sula, where It is estimated a Ger man force of about C00,000 men is entrenchd Today’s victory definitely shat tered the German front from Za porozhe to the Sea of Azov, which Hitler apparently had planned to hold as a continuation of the al ready-broken Dnieper line. The triumph also brought a new threat to th( large German armies cornered approximately 50 miles to the northwest in the great bend of the Dnieper. Russian armies driving down behind these forces from the north made further pro gress today. The Soviet daily communque, re corded by the Soviet monitor, re ported continuing advsnces both scuth and southeast of Kremen chug, where they last were report ed but 15 miles from the ore center of Krivoi Rog, and south of Pereyaslav, where they began (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) Eisenhower Warns Nation Faces Long Victory Road NEW YORK, Oct. 23—(tfl—Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, speaking from Algiers on a war bond pro gram, warned the people of the United States tonight that “it will be a long, long way to final vic tory, over a rough, bitter road.” Secretary of Treasury Henry Morgenthau, Jr., who also spoke from Algiers over the same pro gram broadcast by CBS, said the American people had over-sub scribed the Third War Bond drive by nearly 54,000,000,000. Gen. Eisenhower declared: “This is a hard war, a bitter, bloody war. Make no mistake. It will be a long, long way to final victory, over a bitter, rough road. Our men know it, and are ready for it. But they want to be assured above all else that the home front is behind them.” The general said the success of the recent Third War Bond drive had cheered the soldiers on the fighting front but added that there were times when the men worried about home front support. “I think my men would like me to be brutally honest and tell you that sometimes in the past they have worried about how you feel,” Gen. Eisenohwer said. ‘‘They know that it is your war as much as theirs.” Morgenthau, who is touring U. S. military establishments, also asserted ‘‘that final victory is a long way off,” and the fight “will be hard and bloody.” He added: “The least we can do is to supply our troops with everything they need until victory is won.” (Continued on Page Nine; Col. fi) Great Fleet Of British Bombers Attacks Kassel LONDON, Oct. 23—(iP)—A great fleet of British four-engined bomb ers penetrated a heavy screen oi fighters and murky weather last night and dropped 1,500 long tons of bombs in an effective attack on the German armament city of Kassel, losing 44 bombers on the mission. A subsidiary force hit Frank furt and the small but swift ply wood Mosquito bombers raided the Cologne area. The RAF's losses on the Kas sel raid raised the total for the month to 163 in nine major opera tions, but the Air Ministry de scribed the blow as highly effec tive. Returning crews brought back photographs showing huge fires they left burning under a pall of smoke filling the skies for a height of more than three miles. The Nazis threw up an unusu ally heavy fighter force to check this latest phase of an air bom bardment running through both day and night, but the British were out in what was described as “very great strength” and the tonnage equalled or exceeded the 1,500 long tons dropped the last time the city was hit, on Oct. 3. The 44 downed planes repre sented the heaviest loss to the British bomber command since the Aug. 31 raid on Berlin, when 47 aircraft were missing, but the number was under the RAF’s rec ord loss of 58 suffered in the Aug. 23 attack on Berlin. Still torn by the Oct. 3 pounding (Continued on Page Nine; Col. 4) A
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Oct. 24, 1943, edition 1
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