North Carolina Newspapers

forecast ' I BEMEMBEB North Carolina—Fair and continued rather cold Thursday, Continued cold ___ _ _ hiiiiiAM Thursday night with slightly warmer PEARL HARBOR tomneratures in extreme west portion. I ilHIIl* UniUlVU rich* to locally heavy frosts. Friday increasing cloudiness and wanner with AIVA DATA HIV light rains in mountains during after- AMU BA IA AH S noon. _ vOlTw^-NO. 42 " WILMINGTON. N. C.. THURSDAY, MARCH 9,1944 - FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867 _ I Water Rates Increased By Wilmington Council Rv action of the city council Wednesday morning, city water " were advanced, effectve ra . 11 to bring about an estimat *?Vn D’er cent increase in the total Avenue of the Water and Sewer ThfTncrease, which It is said ., cause relatively little advance . lhe individual consumer’s bill, f „ heen made necessary by the 1'aLPCt of a $40,000 deficit in the department by the end of the fis C The* measure Passed the coun’ ., bv a three-to-two vote, with „ B. B. Cameron, and Coun dmen Robert S. LeGwin and Robert R- R°me0 favoring -fee increase, and Councilmen Garland I Currin and W. Ronald Lane op ®'osing it “at the present time.”, leGwin introduced the motion, .ri was supported by Romeo. Currin and Lane indicated a de ■ to watch operation of the water and Sewer department, as . „njt separated from other city departments, for a period of sev eral months to a year before a change in the rates is effected. According to a statistical memo randum prepared by City Mana ger A. C. Nichols, users of the minimum water rate will witness no increase; however, the mini mum has been dropped from 4,500 gallons per month to 3,750 gallons, under the new plan. Users of from 3,000 to 6,000 gallons per month will pay an additional 18 cents; those using up to 15,000 gallons, 45 cents more each month; those above 30,000 gallons, 72 cents more a month. The new prices, it was pointed out, will still keep Wilmington’s rate considerably below the aver age for 174 North Carolina cities. For example: The average mini mum for the 174 cities is $1.17, whereas Wilmington’s minimum charge will be $1; Wilmington’s gallonage allowed under the new (Continued on Page Seven; Col. 4) DEMAND FOR FR’S FILES IS DROPPED Committee Fails To Back Up Counsel’s Request In REA Probe WASHINGTON, March 8.—(#)—A Sen?,;e Agriculture Subcommittee declined today to back up its coun sel's demand for access to White Houseflies on efforts to oust Harry E. Slattery as Rural Electrification Administrator. Tie decision not to press for lie White House records was an nounced after the committee had abandoned formally its plan to cite Jonathan Daniels, Presidential as sistant, for contempt. The Dan iels case was dropped after the White House aide, with President Roosevelt’s approval, answered answered committee questions yes terday on his efforts to persuade Slattery to resign. Previously he had declined to talk about matters which he said concerned his con fidential relations with the Chief Executive. Before taking action to drop con tempt proceedings, the sub-Com mittee got into the record a state ment from Daniels, that he saw “no effort on the part of this com mittee to embarrass the Presi dent.” Daniels, on the stand again today, gave that answer to a ques tion from Carroll Beedy, commit tee counsel. Senator Gillette (D.-Iowa) said after an executive meeting of the committee that the group had de cided “that no effort will be made to subpoena those files,” because members believe the records would show nothing pertinent to the in quiry into REA. He said Daniels had answered all questions on the matter satis factorily. Beedy asked Daniels for the complete files at the close of (Continued on Page Three; Col. 5) Free Button Service Is Offered At Davis By Red Cross Workers CAMP DAVIS, March 8 — Chevrons, patches and buttons sewed on free while yon wait will be a new series offered GI’s at this post on Saturday afternoons in the game room of Service Club One. Beginning flu's Saturday, Red Cross work e’s from nearby communities will brandish needle and thread from 1300 until 1700 to relieve soldiers of troublesome sew ■Bg chores. The first Camp Davis “sewing circle” will be fonr women from Wallace, N. C., 4nu on nmowing Saturdays other groups will be brough "We through arrangements Blade by Mrs. John D. Robert son, chairman of the Red Cross Council for this area. The -amp navis special service Office is cooperating with the Red Cross Council by furnish 'Bg space and a sewing ma JBnne for the new service. GOP PARTY HAILS COLORADO WIN Claim Election Shows Trend Of People Against The ‘New Deal’ WASHINGTON, March 8.— W) — Republicans rejoiced today over another special Congressional elec tion victory—this time in Colorado where a business man defeated a war hero-political neophyte. Demo crats, while unhappy, refused to concede that it indicated a nation al trend. Republicans have won eight of the ten such elections held since the general elections of 1942 and five more are coming up. They now have 210 House seats against 216 for the Democrats, with 218 a clear majority. But they have no hopes of organizing that branch this year through future special elections. The GOP leaders are counting on winning the 19th Illinois district seat vacated by the death of a Republican, Rep. Wheat, and be lieve they have a good chance of capturing one of the four Demo cratic vacancies, the 2nd Okla homa where Rep. Nichols resigned. Special elections also must be held in the 3rd Alabama, 4th New York, and 7th Illinois. Rep. Halleck of Indiana, chair man of the National Republican Congressional Committee, saw in the victory of Dean M. Gillespie, Denver Republican business man, over the Democratic nominee, ma jor Carl E. Wuertele, wounded and decorated World War II flier, evi dence that the people are “through with the new deal.” Halleck said that of late the peo ple “have struck at the new deal and its sponsors . . .whenever and wherever they have had the op portunity” and added the issue in Colorado was clearly drawn — he called it “constitutional govern ment vs. bureaucratic dictator ship.” Republican National Chairman Harrison E. Spangler recalled he had predicted a Republican presi dential victory in November. He said he would repeat that forecast on the basis of the Colorado vote and recent returns from New York’s 21st district where a demo crat won by a reduced margin in a Tammany district. A Democratic spokesman* Victor Hunt Harding, executive secretary of the Democratic House Cam paign Committee, made no attempt to hide his disappointment, but said in all special elections so many local factors are involved that it is “difficult to detect a gen eral trend.” -V FIRE CHIEFS MEET SALISBURY", March 8.—<-3*)—1The North Carolina Fire Chiefs Asso ciation opened its annual conven tion here today with approximate ly 100 chiefs, about one-half the departments in the state, attend ing. -V AIR RAID WARNING LONDON, March 8.—Iff)—An air raid warning was sounded in London tonight. U. S. Armada Of Over 1,600 Bombers And Fighters Raids Smoking Berlin; ‘W4ous Battle’ Raging In Ukraine _it _ ___¥ - RAIL Nazis ing Tanks, Guns And {Trucks, Stuck In Mud LONDON, Thursday, March 9.— UP)—Moscow announced early to day that a furious battle was rag ing in the town of Staro-Konstan tinov, a “vital c lemy base” in the southwestern Ukraine, after the Red army yesterday battled its way into the suburbs and, 30 miles to the southeast, captured the dis trict center of Chemi-Ostrov on the Odessa-Llow railway. More than 3,000 Germans were killed, two regiments of German infantry routed and 100 communi ties were captured by Marshal Gregory K. Zhukov’s First Ukrai nian front forces, said the mid night Moscow bulletin, recorded by the Soviet Monitor from a broadcast. Vital Enemy Base “Retreating under blows of the Soviet troops the Germans are abandoning tanks, guns and trucks in the mud,” it said. “Particular ly fierce engagements are going on in the area of the town of Sta ro-Konstantinov, which is a vital enemy base.” German counter-attacks with hastily gathered infantry and tank forces were defeated by the Red army troops which captured Cher niostrov, the Russians said. In an other sector the Germans counter attacked with about 100 tanks, but were declared thrown back with 42 tanks destroyed. Far to the north in Estonia the (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) ir END OF YUGOSLAV QUARRTOEEK LONDON, March 8— W) —The Yugoslav family quarrel between the cabinet of King Peter and the forces of Marshal Josip Broz nearing etaon shrdlu cmfwyp sh (Tito) appeared tonight to be nearing a solution with the arriv al in London of two of Peter’s ministers, Ivo Cicin, Finance, and M. Grisogongo. They came at the “urgent invi tation” of the British government, and others—possibly including the young king, himself—are expect ed shortly for further conferences. There are indications that unless the Cairo regime agrees to back the Partisan forces of Tito and rids itself of its anti-Tito elements, it may forfeit Allied recognition. A solution is considered likely either if Peter ditches his cabinet and joins Tito, or if he reshuffles his cabinet to inclus Partisan members and eliminates Premier Bozhidar Puric and Gen. raja Mi hailovic. Longergan’s New Trial On Murder Charge Set To Begin On March 20 NEW YORK, March 8—(ff)— Wayne Lonergan’g second trial on charges of killing his heir ess wife, Patricia, is sched uled to begin March 20, it was learned today from the office of District. Attorney Frank S. Hogan. It also was learned that the case has been assigned to a section of general sessions court presided over by Judge James Garrett Wallace. _ Judge John J. Freschi, who presided at the stormy first trial—which ended with dis missal of the special jury panel last Friday, had expressed hope he would not be called upon to serve again. _ Pacific Is Grave For Truk Attack Hero The flag-draped body (arrow, right) of a naval machine-gunner killed by anti-aircraft fire over Truk in the Carolines is tilted atthe edge of his carrier’s flight deck at sea in the Pacific as riflemen stan d poised to fire the farewell salute. Note the dead man s crewmates grouped near the body, his shipmates in ranks at attention, the band ready for the traditional roll of drums. (International soundphoto) U. S. CARGO FLEET WORLD’S LARGEST Merchant Marine Bigger Than That Of All Allies Combined WASHINGTON, March 8— (A1) — Rear Admiral Emory S. Land declared today that the United States merchant marine is bigger - that—of-' &U the--other United N allions combined, and should be preserved after the war even if some of the ships have to be laid up. The War Shipping Administrator appearing before the House For eign Affairs Committee in behalf of an extension of the Lend-Lease Act for another year, said the U. S. cargo fleet is bearing the bulk of the shipping responsibility in tVio war. He said that the total outbound “dry” cargo from this nation last year, 42 per cent was lend-lease material. Less than 2 per cent was “lost”, he said, compared with 5 per cent in 1942, and the volume was bigger. Land joined Leo Crowley, For eign Economics Administrator, in advocating extension of the Lend Lease Act. Any change, the Ad miral said might imperil the sup ply of Allied forces in the “com ing hour of decision.” Crowley reported a steadily in creasing volume of reverse lend lease, mostly from the British Commonwealth but some frome the French National Committee, Belgium, The Netherlands, Rus sia and China. At the beginning of this year, he said the United States was receiv ing reverse lend-lease from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and India at the rate of $2,000,000,000 a year, nearly double that for the year ended June 30, 1943. Last year, Crowley said, Rus (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) -V SWANCUTT’S GUN SPREE IS PROBED RIVERSIDE, Calif., March 8— (/P)—1The deaths of three persons— two 18-year-old girls and a River side policeman—were laid by a coroner’s jury today to 2nd Lt. Beaufort Swancutt. The verdict climaxed a drama tic story of the shooting last Sun day night by 1st Lt. Elizabeth G. Klein, chief nurse at the camj hospital, who was near the two officers, Swancutt and 2nd Lt. Harry J. Light, and the girls, Dor othy Douglas and Lourdine Liver more in the officers club. “I saw one girl falter and col lapse,” Lt. Klein told the inquesl jury. “Then the other girl slump ed to the floor.” She said tha1 Swancutt had the gun. The mothers of the two victims were in the courtroom. Arthur B. Simpson, 34, the po liceman, was shot to death in suburban Arlington after Swancutl had forced an Army sergeant a1 gun point to drive him from the camp. , , Previously the camp’s command ing officer, Col. Earle R. Sarles, announced that the 31-year-old Swancutt, who has a wife and twc children in La Crosse, Wis.; would be tried before a military court on murder charges. Bismarck Sea Virtually Held By The Allies Now ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Southwest Pacific, Thursday, March 9.—(A1)—-The Bismarck Sea, strategic body of water that symbolizes control of the South-South west Pacific, now is virtually an Allied lake. The southeast entrance through narrow St. George channel leading past Rabaiil is f'ommsnded bv Am-* erican warships. The southwest gateway, through the Vitiaz Strait between New Gui nea and New Britain, has been dominated for sorfie' time by Al lied ground forces on both flanks, as well as by Allied warships. Yesterday, Gen. Douglas Mac Arthur announced Allied forces had full control of Los Negros island in the Admiralty group to the north and that Momote airfield there was ready for use. That places an Allied airbase within range of Japanese whipping seeking to enter the Bismarck Sea from Truk, to the north, or from the northwest. It virtually closes the Bismarck Sea to enemy ship ping for Allied planes easily can patrol the comparatively short over-water distances between Mo mote and Kavieng, New Ireland, to the east, and between Momote and the New Guinea coast to the south west. Further strengthening the Allied grip on the southern flank of the Bismarck Sea, American ground forces advanced 110 miles along the northern shore of New Britain toward Rabaul. This advance was paced on the southern shore of the island by an American push of 24 miles eastward from Arawe toward the Japanese base of Gasmata. These overland advances and seaborne thrusts brought measura bly nearer fulfillment o< MacAr thur’s pronouncement, immediate ly after the surprise landing on Los Negros last week, that “the end of the Bismarck campaign is now clearly in sight.” Marine units of the First Divi sion sacrificed warship protection for speed and surprise in their leap - frog advance around ene my . held shores to within five (Continued on Page Three; Col. 4) TT BRITISH MINERS REACH AGREEMENT LONDON, March 8— (fl> —Maj. Gwilym Lloyd George, minister oi fuel, removed one of the chiel obstacles to settlement of a strike of 80,000 Welsh coal miners to night by accepting an agreement between the miners and the opera tors permitting extra pay for those working in excessive dust and water. At the same time, Lloyd George agreed that “certain other matters concerning allowances peculiar to South Wales would be considered” after the men have gone back to work. More than three-fourths of the rich coal fields which supply one sixth of England’s fuel have shut down as a result of the strike, which was spreading rapidly. Only about 20,000, miners still were at work. The miners’ answer was not ex pected before tomorrow but of ficials expressed the hope that a back-to-work movement would be started whcih would restore by the end of the week coal produc tion of 65,000 tons a day lost through the strike. ENEMY ATTEMPTS U)S NEGROS PUSH U. S. Marines Consolidate Positions On North ern New Britain By LEONARD MILLIMAN Associated Press War Editor Ineffectual Japanese attempts to seize the offensive in the battle for Los Negros island in the Ad miralty group were battered down by American troops who have killed at least 1,500 of the defend ing garrison, General Douglas Mac Arthur reported today. A more powerful attempt by a strong force of Japanese moving out from Talasea failed to keep United States Marines from con solidating their newest beachhead on northern New Britain. The en emy counterthrust from Talasea came Monday against Marines who landed five miles away on Willaumez Peninsula, less than 170 miles from Rabaul, Sixth Army troops advanced three miles on the third battle front on the shores of the Bis marck Sea, giving them control of 35 miles of the northeast New Gui nea coast line from Saidor, where their invasion started ten weeks ago. (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1) -V HEROIC SCOUTING OF RANGERS TOLD By RICHARD G. MASSOCK NAPLES, March 8.—(B—A grim secret kept locked in the hearts of Allied troops in Italy for over a month now has been placed in the record of heroic but hopeless “last stands.” This new chapter concerned two lost, battalions of Rangers who set out on what for them was a rou tine assignment to “raise hell” in Cistema di Littoria at 1 a.m. on Jan. 30 and by noon of that day had been swallowed into oblivion. Even now all that is known of their fate is the fragmentary pic ture framed by the few who re (Continued on Page Seven; Col. 7) Commentator On Paris Radio Says Wednesday Is Day For Invasion LONDON, March ' 8—(IP)— Jean Paquis, commentator on the German-controlled Paris radio, said tonight: “This is the last week of three years of patient waiting. Next Wednesday, unless Churchill changes his plans, the Anglo-Americans will have landed in the west. The great Anglo-American offensive will have begun.” At FINLAND REPLIES TO PEACE TERMS Answer Believed To Have Requested Opportunity For Negotiation STOCKHOLM, March 8.—OP)— Finland has formally replied to Russia’s peace terms, it was reli ably reported tonight, and Swedish circles speculated that the an swer probably asked for an op portunity to negotiate such ticklish points as tha internment of Ger men troops now within Finnish borders. The Finnish government’s note was dispatched to Moscow yester day, a creditable source said, af ter it was prepared for delivery last Friday and then held up, pre sumably to incorporate changes. The note was believed carefully phrased to avoid any break in contact between Helsinki and Moscow. Both Swedes and Finns here ex pressed the opinion that Finland would seek to negotiate the Ger man problem, which Finland has said is impractical so long as the Norwegian back door is open, and questions involved in the Soviet demand for restoration of the 1940 peace treaty, which would entail yielding Viipuri and the demobi lization of the Finnish army. The Stockholm Aftonbladet said earlier that Rickard Lindstrom, Swedish editor of the Morgon Tid ningen, had talked with Russian legation officials on the armistice terms and was expected to go to Helsinki. There had been specula tion that he might be playing the role of an intermediary. The Finnish press lately has fol lowed a more modified tone after the first, fierce attacks on the terms, which some papers char (Continued on Page Two; Col. 1) ‘GOOD RESULTS’ 83 Enemy Aircraft Are Knocked Down By AlKed Aerial Fleet LONDON, March 8—(ff)—'U. S. Flying Fortresses and Liberators with a tremendous fighter escort, which made up an armada esti mated at between 1,600 and 2,000 planes, struck at Berlin today for the third time in five days with what a conservatively - worded American communique called “good results.” Out of the huge fleet 38 bomb ers and 16 fighters were lost, but the escorting planes alone knocked down 83 enemy aircraft; gunners aboard the bombers destroyed oth ers yet ur.tabulated. Factory Is Disclosed The communique named the Erk ner ball-bearing factory in an east ern Berlin suburb as one of the primary targets for “a concen trated attack by divisions of B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Libera tors of the Eighth Air Force” and said that other industrial and military targets in the capital area also were bombed. Ten thousand high explosive bombs and 350,000 incendiaries were cascaded down upon the ruined capital, the communique disclosed, and this devastating load was estimated at approxi mately 2,000 tons. In plunging 600 miles into the heart of the Reich again, the American air fleet proved its abil ity to pound back within two days from the savage battle it fought along the same route Monday, when a record of 68 U. S. bomb ers were lost and a record of 179 enemy aircraft were shot down. Losses Are Reduced The fact that today’s losses were reduced almost half—38 bombers cut of a force of probably 800 to 1 OOO—indicated the strain that the repeated Allied attacks have plac ed on Germany’s air defenses. The two great American punches at Berlin this week have (Continued on Page ^Three; Col. 3) TT POISON GAS USE IS NOT EXPECTED WASHINGTON, March 8.— UP — If the Nazis choose to use poison gas, American military men think it may be employed first against any Allied attempt to land inva sion forces in western Europe. In general, the War Departments at Washington and London incline to the belief that the Germans will not try again the weapon they used in World War I, this view being predicated apparently on the be lief that the Allies are equipped to beat the enemy at his own game. But there are experts in gas war fare who look upon the chance for use of toxic gases as at least 50-50. Their thought is this: With the war going against him. Hitler might, in desperation, de cide on gas, particularly to aid in repelling invasion. First, he may reason, correctly or incorrectly, that if he uses lethal gas only against troops, the Allies would react in kind, turning it only (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) Britain Reported Ready To Agree To U. S. Domination Of The Pacific LONDON, March 8.—UP—A guar aniee of United States post - war domination of the Pacific in the form of island bases — stepping stones to security against future Japanese agression was reported °day to be one of the topics likely 0 be discussed in the forth-com nS British - American talks here, t is expected that this subjecl i , 1 . be explored on a preliminary asis when Edward R. Stettinius, • S. undersecretary of state, at; r‘ves- Probably late this month, foi * review of the problems of th« "° countries, and discussed ir Sfeat detail in aviation conferences f which Joseph C. Grew. formes American ambassador to Japan, is likely to outline the United States’ basic needs. The timeliness of the discussion is emphasized by the approach of a Congressional debate on renewal of the Lend - Lease Act, a subject which, on the basis of past experi ence, is sure to provoke a legisla tive demand for the acquisition of bases in advance ofany peace con ference. Stettinius will bring to the con ference his background of experi ence as a Lend - Lease administra tor and will have available re search on island bases which was ordered undertaken nearly a year ago by the House naval sub-com mittee. With the importance of the com ing conferences underscored by the expectation that they will last at least three weeks, well . informed Britons declared there would be no limitation on the scope of the discussio is, saying, "the sky’s the limit.” Thus the coming get -together —a sign of the increasing effort of both countries to clear away doubts regarding each other’s ob jectives — will be interwoven with the economic and political prob lems of Allied and Axis countries and neutrals, including one having diplomatic discussions so delicate that reports of them are banned from publication. (Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) Fly Says FCC In Clear Regarding Dec. 7 Attack WASHINGTON, March 8.— (ffl — Japanese workmen employed at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard may h&ve supplied the enemy flee* with the vital information which made the Dec. 7, 1941 attack so success ful, a House committee was told today. The possibility that the Japanese obtained their information on the disposition of ttie ships in the har bor and the weather from that source was suggested at hearings of the LEA committee investi gating the Federal Communica tions Commission. FCC Chairman James L. Fly said it was -quite improbable” that enemy short wave transmit ters supplied the information; that most likely it went from the Japa nese consulate to Tokyo "over the regular channels” of cable and wire which were not censored. Representative Magnuson (D. Wash.) remarked that there were “hundreds” of Japanese employed at the yard and any one of them might have been able and willing to keep the consulate informed. The discussion came about when Representative Miller (R.-Mo.), a sharp critic of Fly, asked him to say bluntly whether he or the FCC felt responsible in any way for - $ part of the blame of the attack. Fly protested that his agency was in» the clear, that it worked with the military authorities through 1941 and spread a radio detection network over the whole area with out finding any clandestine opera tions. A Navy academy graduate, Fly said radio intelligence would have been extremely valuable to the Japanese fleet but that it was not imprative. U. S. task forces strike successfully without such short wave aid from within the enemy’s lines, he pointed out. Miller hinted that the FCC gave a U. S. task force in Alaskan wa ters wrong information about the location of Japanese combat ships with unfortunate results. He asked Fly if he knew what happened to the group of American destroyers and light cruisers. The chairman said he knew nothing about the incident, and classed it with the other charges which he described as “funny if they weren’t so seri ous.” The whole Pearl Harbor situa tion at the time of the attack is now the subject of a new Navy report which is being put togeth er, Magnuson disclosed. He didn’t know, he said, when it will be com pleted. 4 9