FLIER ENVISIONS CHRISTMAS DAI (Continued from Page One) because they know their equipmer but because they take a persom pride in everything they do to kee Punchin’ Judy coming out of he Saipan corner ready for every nei round. “Of course. Boss Raynes and hi ground crew make all this possibl by their daily sweating over th Puncher’s engines and other con plicated equipment. And do no think they are forgotten—not whei the cigars are distributed. All thes men and many others who drov the Nips from this island and buil runways are helping to make thi new year victorious and its nex Christmas a happier one for al #f us. "You can picture us runninj around out here on Christmas Da; in the usual khaki shirt and short: combination, boning turkey foi Christmas dinner and getting a bif surprise out of the packages yoi have filled to the last officia ounce. Undoubtedly there will be i version of eggnog in circulation— for those who bring thei% own. And, most surely, a spontaneous Christ mas carol or two. The chapel tents will be more than filled—the at tendance increases with each pass ing Sunday. • Though l won t De snaring Ju dy's first Christmas with you, I will be happy with this and little thoughts—you swinging mistletoe over the unsuspecting in the door way; you reaching high to put the Star of Peace atop an evergreen and you digging Judy out from un der a pile of bright Christmas wrappings. “So many a Merry Christmas to you and Judy, darlings, and the proud grandmas and grandpas whom you will be hostessing at Christmas dinner. Love, Don” Thompson's crew includes: Co Pilot, Second Lt. Raymond J. Rood, Mobile, Ala.; Flight Engi neer, First Lt. Philip N. “Plumb er” French, Portsmouth, N. H.; Bombardier. Second Lt. Charles H. McKinney, Spencer, Tenn.; Navi gator, Second Lt. Randall C. May dew, Salinas, Calif.; Radio Opera tor. Sgt. Robert J. Strong, Harri son, N. Y.; Gunners, Sgts. Edwin Burkhart, Washington, Ind.; Mer rill W. Staller. Twelve Mile, Ind.; Dan Bartok, Mt. Olive, 111.; Wil liam Cloud, Galena Park, Tex.; Corp. Waterman J. Davis, Sumter, S. C.. and Crew Chief, Tech. Sgt. Walter Raynes, of Winfield. West Va. -v_ BYRNES STOPS HORSE RACING I Continued from Page One) needed 300,000 more workers than they have. The “crackdown” on businesses which disregard manpower regukt tions was taken in two steps. First, Byrnes asked the War Manpower Commission to intensify its drive to establish employment ceilings in areas of labor short* ages. Under such ceilings, the WMC tells a business—manufactur ing plant, laundry or tavern, for instance—the total number of workers it may employ. Then, Byrnes asked the War Pro duction Board to put “teeth” into the manpower regulations since the Manpower Commission has no au thority itself to enforce its ceilings. The WPB did this by invoking for the first time in the war its broad priority powers. These permit it to withhold from a business materials, transporta tion and any other product subject to priority control. As invoked, the WPB can use the power whenever it “makes a find ing that materials or facilities are not being used most effectively for the prosecution of the war as a result of failure to comply with an employment ceiling or hiring regulat'on of the War Manpower Commission.” The WPB announced these con trolling policies: Before action against an employ er, the Manpower Commission must certify that he has refused to comply with a ceiling or hiring regulation “within reasonable time after he has been notified of his failure to do so.” After such certification, hearings will be ordered before a compli ance commissioner to determine whether there is proof of failure to comply. Only in event the commissioner found such proof would the WPB’s priority sanctions be applied. In creating this machinery, Byrnes noted in a statement that the purpose of the ceilings is to as sure that war plants get sufficient manpower. “The vast majority of establish ments and employes throughout the nation are cooperating whole heartedly with the War Manpow er Commission in accepting em ployment ceilings as essential to war production,” he said. “I am sure that we can con tinue to establish these ceilings in most instances through nego tiations with the establishments and services concerned and with their employes on a voluntary basis. “However, I am unwilling to ask for the voluntary acceptance of ceilings by the many withopj be ing prepared to take positive measures to enforce ceiling's on the very few who are unwilling to thus contribute to our war gi, fort. I am sure that our people want and expect our war plants to be fully manned.” ' Obituaries MRS. CAMMIE WELLS Funeral services for Mrs. Cam mie Wells. 49. of Rocky Point, who died at 7:30 p. m. Thursday in James Walker Memorial hos pital, will be held today at 3:30 p. m. in the home of her daugh ter, Mrs. E. M. Westbrook, of Castle Hayne. The Rev. C. C. Myers and the rtev. C. R. Taylor will officiate. Interment will follow at the Guyton family cemetery in Rocky Point. JOSEPH HALL McGOWEN Joseph Hall McGowen, 78, died yesterday morning in his home in Watha after a long illness. He is survived by two daughters. Mrs. M. B. Daniels, of Wilson, and Mrs. H. C. Player, of Fayetteville: one son, Joseph H. McGowen. of Watha. one sister. Mrs. J. O. Bryan of Chattanooga, Tenn.. and one brother, W. B. McGowen, of Tur key, as well as by eight grand children. Funeral services will be held to day at 3 p. m. in his home. Inter ment will be at the Mt. Holly ceme tery near Watha. -V Service on 134 miles of rail lines in the Dominican Republic was sus pended in 1941 and the roadbeds were converted into highways. RUSSIANS GAIN IN WEST DRIVE (Continued from Page One) tacks of large formations of ene my tanks and inflicted heavy losses in manpower and equip ment.” Among the Hungarian towns which the Russians listed as cap tured along the Ipoly river was Tolges, 100 miles southeast of Vienna and but 72 from Bratislava, capital of the German puppet state of Slovakia. Southwest of Budapest, on the front between the Danube and Lake Balaton, the Russians an nounced they again had gone on the offensive in the area of the city of Szekesfehervar and now were engaged in heavy fighting with large enemy tank and in fantry formations. The Germans acknowledged Fri day that the Russians were only two miles from Szekesfehervar. Saturday night they said these at tacks had "'increased to unparal leled strength.” and estimated that on that front and in the Ipoly Sag sector the Red Army was using 18 infantry divisions and three mechanized corps. -V BLY WAR BONDS AND STAMPS CITY PUBLISHES s YEARLY REVIEW i __ < (Continued from Page One) ditures, presented in percentages, * the booklet contains a brief but ' definitive account of the city fi- ' nance department’s accomplish ments during the fiscal year. Wil mington is shown to be safely in ' the black, with an operating sur- * plus of $96,198 and a cash balance, including special funds, of $312, 396. 1 The city’s sinking fund, building j toward the retirement of $1,000,000 * in bonds due to mature in 1948 and i 1955, has grown fourfold in three years and stands now at $613,509. The bonded debt has been raised $600,000 by the issuance of low in terest waterworks bonds and low ered by the calling in of old bonds. The civic minded resident will swell with pride to read (on page 11) that his city’s real and per sonal property, in toto, is valued at $41,943,724. The tax-rate on this, incidentally has been lowered from $1.40 to $1.35 per hundred dollars, despite increased operating costs. Partially responsible for this was the collection of $144,151 in back taxes this year. Handling the swollen war-time population of the city has brought in its train new municipal moves varying from the employment of a full time juvenile court case-work er to the letting of the largest sin gle engineering contract in Wil mington’s history, the order to lay the King’s Bluff pipeline over 15 miles of troublesome terrain in search of a new supply of salt-free water. The estimate on this was $1,325,000. Rivalling this was another water and sewerage project, the construc tion, completed recently, of the John H. Sweeney filtration plant and pumping station, for which he Federal government put up half the $640,000 cost and which met and mastered its first emergency in a matter of days thereafter—a December fresnet whose 6,200,000 gallons of water in a single day would have swamped the old 5, OOO.OOO-gallon plant. In the report, described by au thor Rippy as an attempt to give Wilmington citizens a fair, accu rate and comprehensible account of city department functions and the disposition of taxpayers’ mon ey, provocative details of the workings of the engineering, re creation, protective inspection and city-planning departments, as well as those mentioned. There is also a complete roster of boards and administrative workers and more than a hint of what the municipality intends to do in the postwar era. The booklet was produced by Jackson and Bell, Wilmington printers. -V Michael Arlen the English nove list, was born Dikran Kuyumjian, at Rustchuk, Bulguria, Of Armen ian parents. la'WlsrUfMSSDtfMSKMIMJda ‘Too Bloody Obstinate’ To Give An Inch, Yank Jroup Defies Nazi Push WITH AMERICAN ARMIES ON THE WESTERN FRONT. Dec. 23. —(A3)—“Too olocdy obstinate’’ to give an inch, embattled American Doughboys held a solid line on the northern flank of the German penetration inio Belgium this morn ing despite powerful and repeat ed attacks. On the southern falnk, the situa tion was more fluid, witfi another town reported in enemy hands and Field Marshal von Rundstedt in creasing his tank pressure at this point of the slowing drive. about _ Why Worry and suSer any longer if we lr " help you? Try a Brook, ThkntS!d Air Gush:on. This marvelous annli “"“t forms' of m?TU.ciJ> e rupture is GUARANTEED to bring you heavenly comfort and sernrit„ springs h or men, women and drMrsh“SLM'i,cr cheap. Sent on trial to prove it iw?i PrabV Beware of imitations Write'for V idlJs|«s! Res^fe’AltcomKwndenc^Conff^^l'S mm mm lusStg-'^ .mkMk ITT I Medal Is Given To Hero’s Widow | The posthumous award of a Distinguished Servi ce Cross, second highest Army honor, to Capt. John R. Garrabrant, of Wilmington, is pictured here in the recent presentation of the medal to his widow, Mrs. Emily Reckling Garrabrant, by Brig. Gen. J ohn T. Kennedy, Fort Bragg commander. Present at the ceremony in the First Presbyterian church were (left to right, background) Norwood Westbrook, the Rev. Dr. William Crowe, Jr., Robert Strange, M r. and Mrs. E. C. Garrabrant. the captain’s parents, and his younger brother Billy, and Mrs. R. C. Cantwell, his sister. (Army Signal Corps photo) GUARANTEED WATCH REPAIRING Quick Service We Teach Watches To Tell The Truth 5 The Jewel Box _ 109 N. Front_ Saunders HOLIDAY STORE HOURS: Sunday, Dec. 24th 9 A. M. to 1 P. M. * * * Monday, December 25th CLOSED ALL DAY ¥ ¥ ¥ Tuesday, Dec. 26th Open 8 A. M. — Usual Hours 108 N. FRONT ST. Old Santa Couldn't 2)o I if we could turn old Santa loose, 'with in* structions to be particularly good to each of those who have been so thoughtful of us, we believe the jolly old gentleman would have a difficult time in getting around this year. That's why we are so anxious to extend our sincere good wishes to all, and to wish for you and yours all the joys and happiness that you so richly deserve. 16 S. Front St. Deep in our hearts, each of us has a secret Christmas hope. What more can we wish you, than that your hope come true? And for the coming year we’d like to see the fulfillment of every desire you hold dear. THE SEASON’S GREETINGS TO ALL! 108 North Front __ . •" °' V°U u8sanW'«s- 4 bo***' ^ to PCW***S SMS°" at 4„t ^ opo^Nl0,aV''nP"«^^^ • ,rb *e va » . be'^ ° * JR? ''°'w \oov'^M