,I,L FORECAST ' REMEMBER r . PEARL HARBOR p' _' I AND BATAAH -— _ WILMINGTON, N. C„ TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1944 FINAL EDITION [.A. Matthes, If P Official, lies At Home hcSw1,Fo" Civic Leader rt,d A3WthX 74; chair 11 the board of directors ft Tide Water Power Co of the owners of fd(fnrd Cotton mills, died at B m. yesterday at his 5:40 198 Forest Hills drive, Sing a short illness. was stricken with a heart at .ftftoon Saturday and suffer d another Sunday night from hirthe never rallied. . Mr Matthes had been in declin , ftalth which had forced semi bf/'nt from business and civic 1£ tor the past several aC Previous to that time, he fas president of the utilities com 1 v havmg been associated with f, since May. 1922, when he came Wilmington from Laredo, Tex 8 Formerly active in many phases of the community s civic life, he as a past president of the Rotary club had served in past years as an officer of the Wilmington Cham ber of Commerce and was immedi at» past president of the Surf Club. ge' aiso was affiliated with the Cape Fear club the Cape Fear Country club, the Frying Pan Boa: ciub and Carolina Yacht club. During the Feast of Pirates obser vance, he was one of the leaders' 0? the organization and was vice president of the Wilmington Base ball Association when the city was represented in professional base ball, The development of Greenfield Late into one of the South’s out standing beauty spots was another of Mr, Matthes’ interests. During the height of the depression, he was a leader in establishing and maintaining a work-relief program fiat resulted in the construction of the scenic driveway around the lake. Mr. Matthes also was active in fee Masonic Order, having been a member of the Blue lodge and Royal Arch organizations, in addi tion to the 32nd degree, Scottish Bite Consistory, and a member of Sudan temple of the Shrine. He was a member of the First Presbyterian church. „ Bom on a farm near Illinois Grove, Marshall county, Iowa, on February 8, 1873, he attended school in Iowa and New Mexico and completed his education at the University of New Mexico and Le lad Stanford University at Palo Alto, California. He began his career with the Santa Fe Pacific, at Albuquerque, J'U After serving with a number d Western railroads, he entered fee public utility field in August, (Continued on Pag2 Ten; Col, 4) -V mm heads REAPPOINT ALL OFFICE HOLDERS •AH officers under the jurisdic tion of the Board of County Com missioners were reappointed for ! months term at the annual ^organization meeting of the «rrl yesterday. Taey were: Addison Hewlett, “airman of the board; James M. ™11, vice-chairman; Thomas K. woody, clerk; Marsden Bellamy, county attorney. G. Long, superintendent of the Waty home and farm; Geo. I. tfandal,, keeper of Oak Grove cemetery; W. a. Whitney, care *?.o£ courthouse clock; J. W. "“me and H. C. Garrison, “ortaouse janitors: F. Porter Da ^raham Koonce, special i ^ ^solution was passed by the “d asking that tax listers be (vTet* ta,*oing a farm census, “fflmissioners Hewlett and Har ;; Gardner said that census in c eres with the tax lister’s work, missicmer Lewis Coleman said ,, e thought the farm agent ‘ d handle the census. • Moody added that the re Is inaccurate when filled out Page Three; Col. 1) Joseph C. Grew Named State Undersecretary WASHINGTON, Ded. 4.—(£>)—Direction of the Na 10ns foreign affairs, already under a new Secretary of State, was put almost entirely in new hands today by M sweeping top-level shakeup. The resignation of three old-line officials were acceptt with regret but without explanation, and President Roose f annm'ntorl —_ Joseph C. Grew Adolph Berle RIVER AND PORT BILL PASSAGE IS BELIEVED LIKELY By ALLEN J. GREEN Star-News Washington Bureau WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 — Pros pects for the $498,000,000 rivers and harbors bill, which contains $1, 500,000 for Wilmington harbor im provements, brightened today as the Senate deleted, 37 to 31, the once-rejected $66,000,000 Tennes see Tombigbee project. Sponsors of the bill, however, heard a threat by Sen. George D. Aiken (R. Vt.) to filibuster the rivers and harbors bill into obliv ion Unless he is allowed to attach his St. Lawrence Seaway amend (Continued on Page Three; Col. 2) DeMiUe To Quit Air Before Paying Union Political Assessment HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 4.— UP) — Cecil B. De Mille, movie and radio producer, said in a statement to day that he will give up his week ly radio program “rather than pay one single dollar in political tribute which acknowledges that I am no'longer a free man.” The American Federation of Sa dio Artists assessed its members $1 to oppose proposition 12 on the November California ballot. The proposition, which was defeated, was described on the ballot as being the “right of employment, free from interference because an employe does or does not belong to a labor organization.” The director has another week —the deadline is one hour before his coast-to-coast show goes on the air—to pay the assessment. to aid Secretary Edward R. Stet tinius. Under Secretary — Joseph C. Grew, blue - blooded Bostonian, career diplomat and first-hand student of Japan, where he was ambashador for nine years prior to Pearl Harbor. Assistant Secretary—William L. Clayton, of Texas, who rose from an $8 a week stenographer’s job to the world’s largest cotton mer chant. Assistant Secretary — Archibald MacLeish, poet, soldier, and editor who now is librarian of Congress and once headed the Office of Facts and Figures, forerunner of OWI. Assistant Secretary — Nelson Rockefeller, grandson of “John D.” and now coordinator of inter-Am erican affairs. The appointments put heavy em phasis on economic affairs in for eign policy. The only experienced diplomatist in the list sent to the Senate for confirmation is Grew. Clayton, who formerly headed the cotton brokerage firm of An derson, Clayton and Co., Texas until recently was surplus , war property administrator, but serv ed notice he would not take charge of the job of disposing of such property under a newly-enacted law, which he considered inade quate. Tn his State Department post he will be in charge of economic affairs. MacLeish will have charge of cultural and public relations. Rock feller will oversee Latin-American relations, with an assignment also to integrate the work of his pre sent office into the State Depar ment while terminaing its strictly wartime activities “as war condi tions permit”. The three assistant secretaries whose resignations were accepted are Adolf A. Berle, Jr., 49, Breck inridge Long, 63, and G. Howland Shaw, 51. -V SOONG IS NAMED CHINESE PREMIER Brother Of Madame Chiang Assumes Duties Of Regime CHUNGKING, Dec. 4.—UB—For eign Minister T. V. Soong, brother of Mrs. Chinag Kai-Shek, assumed the duties of Premier of China to day in a popular move apparently paving the way for a working agreement between the Central Government and the Communists of North China. Soong’s attitude toward the Com munists is known to be moderate, and his accession to greater influ ence comes coincidentally with unconfirmed reports of an agree ment in principle between the two parties to wage a common war again:'. Japan. Soong, who stepped into his new post with his appointment as act ing president of the Executive Yu an in succession to his brother-in law, H. H. Kung, is regarded in Washington and London as posS sibly China's most, capable dipfo mat and statesman. ? Kung previuosly had resigned is finance minister and had been suc ceeded by O. K. Yui, former mayor of Shanghai. Kung retains his jfost as head of four Chinese govern banks. Although Chinag Kai-shek re mains president of the Executive Yuan, and, therefore, actually the country’s premier, it was felt that the appointment of Soong as his “right-hand man” would enable the commander in chief to concen trate more fully on his military tasks. Soong is popular throughout the country, and his appointment will strengthen the Central government immeasurably in the present criti cal military situation. Navy To Honor Drydock Builders At Rite Today Four Navy captains ana a com mander will arrive here by plane at 11 a. m. today to participate in ceremonies at which the Tidewater Construction Co. of Norfolk, - will receive a Navy certificate of com mendation from Vice Admiral Ben Morrell, (CEC), U. S. Navy chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, Navy Department, Washington, in recognition of outstanding work in the construction of drydocks heVe. The ceremonies will be held at noon at the construction site on the Northeast Cape Fear river. John S. Gregory, executive vice president of the firm, will accept the certificate from Capt. Kirby Smith (CEC) U. S. N. R„ acting for Admiral Morrell. • The eighth and last drydock to be built here, the ARDC-12, will be christened by Mrs. L. U. Noland, Jr., of Baltimore, daughter-in-iaw of Tidewater Board Chairman L. U. Noland. Her matron of honor will be Mrs. Jessie Stocker, daugh ter of Tidewater President H. D. Hinnan, of Newport News, Va. Attending from Washington will be Captain Smith, director of con struction department, Bureau of Yards and Docks; Captain Philip Lemler and Captain Bernard E. Manseau, Bureau of Ships; Cap tain Emil H. Praeger, Bureau of Yards and Docks; and Command (Continued on Page Three; Col. 2) ,-U t Soviet Army Stanfe^ At vC«. — Japane.: forces driving westward through Kweichow province have forced a crossing of the Chialao river, about seven miles south of the railroad town of Tushan* 75 miles southeast of Kweiyang, Bur ma Road junction, the Chinese high command said tonight. The communique said Chinese forces repulsed two enemy col umns Saturday morning at a pass 17 miles south of Tusahn and that more than 400 Japanese were kill ed and large quantities of supplies captured. Sunday morning, the communi que said, the Japanese, after be ing heavily reinforced, smashed through the Chinese defenses and across the Chialao river where heavy fighting still w a s in pro gress. The high command acknowledg ed last night thac the enemy had invaded Kweichow province as far as the Tushan area. Capture of Kweiyang would place the Japa nese in a position to strike either toward Chungking, 200 miles northwest, or toward Kunming, 300 miles southwest, and would be a serious blow to the supplying of China via the Ledo-Burma road. -V_ JAP BASES BOMBED U. S. Continues Attack To Stop Raids< On B-29 Ports WASHINGTON, Dec. 4. — (£>) — United States planes are continu ing to attack enemy bases in the Pacific from which Japanese bom bers take off to bomb American Superfortress fields in the Mari anas. A Pacific fleet communique to day reported Seventh Army Air Force bombers and Navy planes raided enemy bases in the Bonins and Volcano islands on Friday and Saturday. Yank Artillery Pounds Vital Saar Basin City; U.S., Jap Warships Sunk -- w -:-----★ -- TWO DESTROYERS LOST IN BATTLE Another Enemy Vessel Be lieved Damaged In Engagement GENERAL M’ARTHUR’S HEADQUARTERS, PHILIP PINES, Tuesday, Dec. 5.—(/P) —American and Japanese naval forces each lost a de stroyer in a sea and air clash in Ormoc gulf off Leyte Sat urday night, headquarters reported today. In addition, another enemy destroyer was believed damaged. The majority of the American crew members were rescued in a daring action by far-roaming Cat alina patrol planes with fighter protection. The engagement mark ed a major action in the expanding battle for the Ormoc corridor. uren. Douglas Mac Arthur s com munique said the American de stroyer probably was sunk by a floating mine. Seamen voiced the belief the vessel was hit amidships by an aerial torpedo. The American naval force steamed into the gulf in the face of air attacks and shore fire. Ameri can destroyers daringly penetrated Ormoc bay for the first time last week, shelling the enemy supplv and reinforcement port of Ormoc. To reach Ormoc, the vessels had to skirt Leyte island stealing along the enemy-held shorelines and slic ing through narrow passages and daring mine-sown waters. The enemy force engaged Satur day night was believed to consist of three destroyers. Six Japanese planes were downed by anti-air craft fire in the operation. Allied air attacks, in which Roy al Australian Air Force planes par ticipated, were stepped up in con continued on Page Thrr ; Col. 5j -V YANK SUBMARINES SINK JAP CRUISER AND A DESTROYER WASHINGTON, Dec. 4. — (A5) — Japan, on the losing end of a war of attrition, has lost another light cruiser and a destroyer to the far-ranging United Sates submarine fleet. A Navy communique, reporting this today, also announced that 18 enemy merchant type ships—cargo, tanker and transport vessels — were included in the latest bag by submarines operating in the dis tant Pacific. To date 12 enemy cruisers and 40 destroyers have been sent to the bottom by American subma rine action. Japan has suffered heavily in losses of cruisers and destroyers types critically need ed by the Nipponese navy to screen and support the movement of its batlteships and aircraft car riers. These are sinkings only by sub marines, they do not include others accounted for by surface ship gun fire and aircraft attacks. In the second battle of the Philippines, nine Japanese cruisers were sunk and six others so badly damaged they may have gone down. Of the nine sunk, three were sent down by submarines, the rest by air and surface attacks. Of 82 Japanese warships sunk by submarines since Pearl Har bor, 52 have been in the cruiser or destroyer categories. Japan entered the war with about 45 cruisers and 125 destroyers. She has lost to Allied submarine, sur face and air action about 200 de stroyers and approximately 70 cruisers.__ ' FOE HURLED BACK IN BOLOGNA AREA Counterattacks Repelled With Heavy Losses To Germans ROME, Dec. 4.—UP)—Fog-shroud ed German counterattacks against American positions south of Bolog na have been knocked back with haeavy losses to the enemy, it was announced today simultaneously with the disclosure that the Nazis’ employment of Italian Fascist foops on this front had proved a dismal failure. JL XlC CUCIIIJ 3 J. a. U V- O L vuumvi thrusts were launched yesterday in the Bombina and Monte Bel monte areas in the central sector. Despite the fact that fog and rain grounded Allied aircraft and enabled the Germans to press home their attacks, they were in each case hurled back before they reached the Yank lines. Allied headquarters disclosed that Italian fascists who were tak en to Germany for training and then thrown into combat in Italy a month ago had been surrender ing by the hundreds. Additional hundreds were said to have desert ed to Italian patriot forces operat ing in northern Italy, while others simply went home, taking their German - made equipment with them. The failure of t h e experiment has increased the already grave manpower problem of the Ger mans in this theater. They are confronted with the necessity of bolstering their depleted divisions facing the Bsitish Eighth Army around Faenza and Ravenna near the Adriatic and at the same time keeping a sufficient force south of Bologna to prevent an American breakthrough to the Po valley. -V— Army-Navy Football Game Souvenirs Held Product Of Japanese WASHINGTON. Dec. 4. — (JP) — Souvenir footballs sold at the Ar my-Navy game last Saturday, the House heard today, were stamped “Made in Japan.” The disclosure was made by Re presentative Anderson (R-Calif), who wanted to know “how come?” What organization or individual, the Californian asked, had “the intestinal fortitude” to handle the ribboned minatures. “Let’s start another scrap drive,” he suggesed, and dump all such souvenirs into it. GERMAN AVIATION SCHOOLS CLOSING Gen. Eaker Says Bombing Has Destroyed Nazi Oil Supply ROME, Dec. 4.—UP)—Germany is suffering such a drastic fuel short age as a result of Allied bombing attacks on her refineries that some Nazi pilot training centers havei been closed down and the enemy’s bomber force has been "practical ly abandoned,” Lt. Gen. 1 r a C. Eaker, Mediterranean Air Force commander, declared today. An increasing numoer or uraiian tanks and trucks are being cap tured in perfect condition, but with their gas tanks dry, as Allied ar mies press across the enemy’s western border. Berlin physicians, except for a few in outlying dis tricts of the Geiman capital, were given no fuel allowance in August, Eaker said. Disclosing that he now had more big bombers at his disposal in the 15th U. S. Air Force than ever before, Eaker said that “German targets are due for the greatest weight of bombardment they have e~'er received, and the winter weather will not protect them.” While conceding that opposition over Germany was stronger lhan ever before, he said he thought it would be possible to maintain a loss rate of less than two per cent on bombing runs to the Reich. Eak er made it plain that his force was prepared to wage a long and re lentless battle to smash German industries and morale. The experience of one captured German student pilot was offered as typical of the enemy’s fuel short age. “At his trainng school of 600 students. 30 aircraft were avail able,” Eaker said. “Because of lack of fuel, however, the number of daily flights was restricted to 1C. At the end of August training was suspended. -V AIR STRIP SEIZED Chinese Complete Canture De spite Enemv At Bhamo ————— 9 WITH CHINESE TROOPS AT MOMAUK. North Burma, Dec. 3.—(Delayed)—(Jf)—Chinese infan try, inching forward with heavy supporting artillery fire, has com pleted ci pture of the air strip out side Bhamo, 170 miles northeast of Mandalay. Despite six-foot ditches and glid er blockades, the First American liaison plane landed-to bring out casualties. ’ATTON DRIVES DEEP IN ICH liegfried Line’s Big Guns Fail To Shake Ameri can Grip PARIS, Dec. 4.—(/P)—The J. S. Third Army lashing out ilong a 21-mile front drove orward today more than two niles to within six and a half niles of the Saar basin’s greatest industrial city of saarbrucken, and hammered t with eight-inch artillery. The French cities of Forbach .nd Saareguemines, screening this Jerman city of 135,000 population ive miles to the southwest and iighty miles southeast, also were ihelled as the lines tightened in ide and around the vital basin md its war factories. The 00th Infantry Division was iriving on Saarbrucken from the iouthwest, the Fifth Division was ittle more than four miles from he Saar river eight miles to the vast, and the Sixth Armored enter id Die'oling, five and a half miles fotn Saareguemines. Beating off counterattacks by an ;nemy alarmed at the rising men ace to his coal mines and factories, ;he Third hurled mere tanks and nfantry into its expanding Saar river bridgehead at Saarlautem and fought deeper into the Sieg fried line. The line’s big guns blazed away at Saarlautern and tried in vain to knock out its captured Saar riv er bridge. But Lt. Gen. George 3. Patton's troops seized control Df most of the Saar’s second city against staffer resistance and ex tended their grip on the west bank of the river to 16 miles. As the mighty Allied win-the war winter offensive thundered in to another week, the Germans were driven across two other river bar riers farther north. The U.S. Ninth Army drove to the Roer river at Julith as all or ganized resistance in that strong hold west of the river collapsed. The British in eastern Holland crushed the last German salient across the Maas river opposite (Continued on Page Three; Col. 6) -V SOMERVELL FAVORS POSTWAR BONUS TO LOYAL WAR WORKERS WASHINGTON Dec. 4. — (IP) — Endorsing a postwar bonus for war workers who stay at their posts, Lt. Gen. Brehon Somervell warned Congress today that the manpower problem “must be lick ed this month.” The Army’s chief of Service Forces told the Senate War Inves tigating Committee there has been no suffering yet by boys on th« front because of the production lag, “but we are apprehensive for the future.” Conceding that there have been instances when troops have suffer ed from lack of ammunition, hn said these were due to transportae tion and other difficulties. “But, unless manpower is found to meet deficiencies in critical i items like tires, ammunition, hea vy artillery, radar, batteries and bombs, textiles and assault wire, we have every reason to expect a shortage at the front,” the gray haired general declared. Somervell expressed hope that the agreement of the American Federation of Labor and the Con gress of Industrial Organizations to aid the Army in recruiting work ers on a Nation-wide basis would provide the answer. By this means, coupled with prohibitions against increased ci vilian production in critical labor areas, and the scaling down of civil an production in some factories, le declared, “I anticipate we can ick this thing.” ■ ■■ ■ " x* t “Boy! You should see the secre ary I got with a STAR-NEWS iVant Ad!” \ y 4,000 Allied Planes Hit • German Railway System • t LONDON, Dec. 4.—