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- " State and National News
VOL 79. NO^ WILMINGTON, N. C., FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1946 ~ ESTABLISHED 1867_
APPEAL TO EISENHOWER
War Probers Switch
To May In Questions
WASHINGTON, July 25—(JP)
_Xhe Senate War Investigat
ing committee pieced together
Thursday a story of how Rep
resentative May (D.-Ky.) ap
pealed to General Eisenhower
on behalf of a munitions mak
e's son facing court martial
for disobedience — prepared to
ask May poiniblank Friday:
"Why0"
Switching suddenly from its
inquiry into May’s part in the
wartime business affairs of a
munitions combine, the commit
tee called two generals to a
private session to find out more
about the case of Capt. Joseph
H. Garsson, who was granted
clemency after being found
guilty.
One was Maj. Gen. Alden H.
Wait!- chief of Chemical War
fare service, identified by the
committee as the bearer of the
first of two letters address
by May, chairman of the Hous.
Military committe, to Eisen
hower, then Supreme Allied
commander in Europe.
Secured Transfer
The other was Maj. Gen. Wil
liam N. Porter, former chief
of that service. The committee
said he secured young Gars
son’s transfer to the chemical
warfare service. Porter’s name
has figured prominently in the
testimony thus far as the com
mittee delved into the com
bine’s business affairs and into
gay parties.
So, too, have those of the
Garsson brothers — Henry and
Murray — promoters of the
combine. It was Murray Gars
See PROBERS on Page Five
BIKINI’S FLOOR
NAVAL JUNKYARD
Terrific Power Of Atom
Bomb Sends 11 Ships
To Bottom
BY JOSEPH L. MYLER
United Press Staff Correspondent
OFF BIKINI ATOLL, Friday,
July 26—(U.R)—The floor of Bikini
lagoon was a junkyard of naval'
might today, testifying to the terri
fic power of the underwater atomic
bomb whose explosions sent 11
vessels to the bottom and heavily
damaged at least four others.
The oil-covered, radioactive
waters of the lagoon still ncevented
a closeup survey of damage to
what was an 87-ship target array,
but the tonnage scoreboard for
the first two controlled tests of
ihe bomb's power against naval
strength heavily favored this sub
marine burst. The score thus far
was two to one.
Go To Bottom
Thursday's blast at 8:35 %. m.
(5:35 p. m. Wednesday EDT) sank
a battleship and an aircraft car
rier totaling 59,000 tons, three land
ing vessels and a concrete yard
oiler. Five submarines officially
"went to the bottom” during the
upheaval. But whether they were
split and sunk by the force of the
blast or merely jerked loose from
their airtank moorings was not im
mediately known.
The impression was forced on
observers that this was a real test
of the bomb’s ability #to deal a
knockout blow to a fleet.
What had happened to the ani
mal “crews” showered with radio
active gas and spray and 1,000,000
(m) tons of water geysered over
the ships they "manned” was not
yet known.
Official score
This was the official score thus
far:
Sunk: Battleship Arkansas, air
craft carrier Saratoga, cement
yard oiler 160, two landing crafts
tanks, ianding ship (mechanized)
60.
Possibly sunk: Five submarines,
the Piiotfish, Apogon, Skipjack,
Sea Raven and Dentuda.
Damaged: Battleship Nagato,
battleship New York, destroyer
hughes, attack transport Fallon.
Task force commander Vice
Aam. W. H. p. Blandy announced
he was not yet certain that the
submarines sank due to “any
structural damage from the bomb
burst.” He speculated the air hoses
leading from surface buoys were
cut when a huge wave moving at
WO feet a second raced out from
Jte burst. That may have flooded
the undersea craft’s ballast tanks
Poison Waters
Twenty of the observer ships
during the explosion waited
■Sbt to 15 miles from the lagoon
. ^ bikini on Page Fite
RIME'S MEDITATIONS
By Alley
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To KOTcH UP ON MAM
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Ret- u. s. Pat omc«)
400 MAY SECURE
SHIP JOBS HERE
tiring For Layup Basin To
Begin Between Aug.
1 And 15
Hiring of some 400 local work
ers for the Maritime Commission’s
Brunswick River ship layup basin,
will begin between August 1 and 15,
it was announced yesterday.
The announcement was made
by Harold M. Hinkle, local manag
er of the United States Employ
ment Service, who said that Capt.
A. G. Ford, Maritime Commission
officer in charge of personel, told
him yesterday that was the period
for commencement of the task of
staffing the job, which will con
tinue indefinitely.
Stand By For Call
Hinkle pointed opt that persons
who have made applications for
the jobs, may stand by for their
call, sometime between the two
dates.
It has been unofficially estimat
ed that one and one-lf men will
be required per ship, when main
tenance of the large number to be
stored here, is begun.
Unofficially also is the announce
ment that ultimately there will be
approximately 500 ships stored
here in branches of the river,
dredging for which is rapidly near
ing completion, according to local
engineers.
There is some question among
local officials as to whether the
basin will accommodate 500 ships.
Peak Storage
In the event that this number
of ships are eventually stored here,
local persons numbering about 400
are expected to be employed, at
"peak” storage season, Hinkle
said.
Total employment of about 750
people is expected, Hinkle said,
but it was explained that some
of the personnel will be brought in
from other cities for special tasks
to be performed in connection with
the huge task.
However, the manager said the
bulk of all employment on the
job will be local labor. Some 400
applications for the jobs have al
ready been received here, Hinkle
said.
Urgently needed immediately are
See SHIPS on Page Five
Oral Arguments
Wilmington Morning Star
Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, July 25. — Oral
arguments in the southeastern
states air routes case, to determine
which of about a dozen airlines
will be granted new air routes to
Wilmington and other southern
cities, will begin before the Civil
Aeronautics board on August 26,
the CAB announced Thursday.
Although CAB examiners have
already recommended that State
Airlines, of Charlotte, be given
routes linking Wilmington with
both in-state and out-of-state cities,
the competing airlines, including
South East Airlines, have filed ex
ceptions to the examiners’ report.
After hearing the oral arguments,
the CAB is expected to render a
decision in the case in late fall.
■ --
TRUMAN SIGNS NEW OPA LAW INTO EFFECT
JjglLE WARNING OF POSSIBLE TAX RAISE;
REACHES PUN COOPERATIVE EFFORTS HERE
Two Counties
To Seek New
Trade Plans
AH Beaches In Area To
Form Mutual Benefit
Agency
WHITE IS SPEAKER
Local Organization Brings
Groups Together For
Meeting
The beaches of New Han
over and Brunswick will co
operate to show the resort
loving people o f Eastern
United States that this is the
point to come for a vacation
whether in winter or summer.
This was decided last nighf in a
meeting of representatives of the
five beaches which call Wilmington
a focal point—and the Wilmington
Chamber of Commerce was asked
to take the lead in unifying the ef
forts of these beaches to bring this
cooperation about.
All-Year Resort
Called by the Wilmington Cham
ber, representatives of bolder,
Long Beach, and Caswell in Bruns
wick, and Wrightsville, Carolina,
Wilmington, Kures, and Fort Fish
er met and formally set up a meas
ure to develop an organization to
coordinate the efforts of all the
beaches in developing an all-year
resort for this section of North
Carolina.
Set off by a speech by E. L.
White, president of the Wilming
ton Chamber of Commerce, the
See BEACHES on Page Five
BOOST IN SALARY
PASSED BY HOUSE
Measure Also Would Make
Congress Eligible For
Pensions
WASHINGTON, July 25. — UP)—
The house Thursday night passed,
229 to 61, a bill to boost salaries
of congressmen, make them elig
ible for pensions, and overhaul
the machinery bv which they work.
The tradition-shattering measure,
among other things, slashes the
number of house committees from
48 to 19 and of senate committees
from 33 to 15.
seek Compromise
The senate passed similar legis
lation June 11. The two versions
will be sent to a senate-house con
ference committee for adjustment
of differences.
The senate measure would in
crease the yearly pay of members
from $10,000 to $15,000, but the
house voted to limit the raise to
$12,500 annually.
Under the house version, howev
er, a $2,500 yearly, tax-free expense
fund for members would be retain
ed. Under the senate’s bill this
allowance would be abolished.
Refuse Proposal
The senate measure also provid
ed for an $8,000-a-year adminis
trative assistant for each legisla
tor, but the house refused to ac
cept this proposal.
The house rejected by a voice
vote an amendment by Representa
tive Judd, Republican of Minneso
ta, to provide a $6,800-a-year assist
ant. It also turned down by a 116
See SALARY on Page Five
Today and Tomorrow
Editor’s Note: While Mr.
Lippmann is on his vacation
his space will be filled by the
Alsop column.
By STEWART ALSOP
WASHINGTON, D. C.( July 25.
If present plans work out (always
a big if) the Nation will shortly
be confronted with the unfamiliar
prospect of a federal government
hell bent on economy. The Tru
man Administration intends to
make the best of a bad job with
the compromise price control mea
sure. It has certainly aroused no
wild enthusiasm in administration
breasts, but Truman’s advisers be
lieve (perhaps the wish is some
what father to the thought) that
it can be made to work, o n two
conditions. The first is that every
possible anti-inflationary measure
other than price control be taken.
The second is that the regrettable
tendency of the administration to
split apart at the seams be halted,
and that all the top men be some
how bludgeoned and savaged into
working together as one team to
fight inflation.
Crises Of Pain
To meet the first condition, plans
are now on foot (although they
have not been finally approved) to
slice federal expenditures really
drastically even by as much as
five billion dollars. Such an enor
See ALSOP on Page Two
_All Set For Derby Tryo uts Today
Among the shiny new cars ready for
the races in the Wilmington Soap Box
Derby to be held next Wednesday on the
Rankin street course, is that of 11-year
old Billy Land, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wil
liam H. Land, 2307 Princess street road.
Billy is a Chestnut Heights student and
- I
will enter the seventh grade this fall. Fol
lowing his tryout this morning at 10:30
o’clock the racer will stand by in readi
ness for the local official elmmation races
t i "■ .. • •
SERVICE CENTER
SEEKING MONEY
Budget Session To Be Held
Here Again Today On
Requests
Financial requests from the pro
posed Veterans Service center and
the James Walker Memorial and
Community. hospitals highlighted
the first joint budget session of the
city council of Wilmington and the
New Hanover County Board of
Commissioners yesterday.
The second session will be held
today.
Beek 56,two
The VCS delegation asked for a
joint city-county anriual contribu
tion of $6,000 for support of the
proposed center, a clearinghouse
for veterans’ problems. Under the
plan, all veterans' agencies would
be assembled under one roof.
The delegation was composed of
Leonard Barrett, assistant state
service officer of the State Vet
erans’ commission; William Stew
art, Jr., Wilmington American Le
gion Post commander; James Hol
ton, first vice-commander; and
Lawrence Snyder, Legion veterans’
adviser.
No Definite Action
The city and county board prom
ised to consider the request but
took no definite action on the mat
ter.
W. D. McCaig, hospital board
chairman, appeared next before the
joint meeting with a request for
$39,214.86 fo financing the Commu
nity hospital. The amount, if grant
ed, would be split three ways—
$31,514 for a regular allocation,
$6,700 to make up for the 1945-46
deficit, and $500 for purchasing
new laboratory equipment.
Asks Contribution
Speaking in behalf of the James
Walker Memorial hospital board,
Dan Penton asked for a total con
tribution of $43,600.
See MONEY on Page Five
TRIALS TODAY
Derby Drivers May
Make Try-Out Runs
Official Soap Box Course Will Be Closed To
Traffic For Two Hours This Morning;
Inspections Due Monday
By JACK C. IAJNAN
If you should happen to see an odd Chevrolet, Buick or
two—or maybe a billy goat pulling motorless racing auto
mobiles along the streets this morning—don’t be alarmed,
or too much surprised Mr. and Mrs. Wilmington. .
For dollars to doughnuts, it will be one or more boys,
The Weather
FORECAST
South Carolina—Partly cloudy and con
tinued hot Friday; widely scattered thun
dershowers in afternoon.
North Carolina—Friday, considerable
cloudiness and not so warm, with scat
tered thundershowers.
(Eastern Standard Time)
(By U. S. Weather Bureau)
Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p m., yesterday.
Temperatures
1:30a 76: 7:30a 77; l:30p 89. 7:30p 82.
Maximum 92; Minimum 73; Mean 79,
Normal 79.
Humidity
1:30a 94; 7:30a 89; 1:30p 58; 7:30p 88.
Precipitation
Total for the 24 hours ending 7 :30 p.m .
0.00 inches.
Total since the first of the month,
15.22 inches.
Tides For Today
(From the Tide Tables published by
U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.)
High Low
Wilmington _ 7:45a 2:42a 1
8:24p 2:46p
Masonboro Inlet _ 5:30a 11:41a
6 :08p
Sunrise 5:19; Sunset 7:18; Moonrise
3:02a; Moonset 6:03p.
Cape Fear river stage at Fayetteville,
at 8 a.m., Thursday—15.1 feet.
See THE WEATHER on Page Five
Along The Cape Fear
PRIZE PACKAGE — The mail
man brought us a letter yester
day which is really a prize pack
age. Almost all the letters we get
are prize packages, but this par
ticular one strikes us as being
just about the priziest one we’ve
ever been fortunate enough to
have addressed to us.
It’s so good, in fact, that we’re
going to print it exactly the way
the writer wrote it. The writer,
by the way, is Mr. W. C. Cronen
berg, of 406 Castle street, the old
Cape Fearian who has appeared in
this column before.
Without wasting any more of
your time with our inadequate re
marks, we shall turn you over now
to Mr. Cronenberg and some in
side stuff on Cape Fear lore the
existence of which we never knew
about before:
» • •
“I fear I may break into your
column again. I have been read
ing, with a great deal of interest,
about the old Bijou theater.
“How did the Bijou happen to
locate in Wilmington? My narra
tive here may not be 100 per cent
correct, but to the best of my rec
ollection it happened thus:
“Fox Howard had a partner,
Percy Wells, and no one has
brought out exactly how he fits
into the picture, especially as
Percy Wells was a native son of
Wilmington, and I think his father
was a steamboat engineer on the
old Cape Fear river itself.
“In years gone by it was not un
common for Wilmington to enter
tain street carnivals with their
varied attractions. It so happened
that one of these carnivals be
came stranded in Wilmington, and
“The Treat Train Robbery” was
an attraction playing in a tent, I
believe, at Front and Market
streets in front of the S. & B. Sol
omon Dry Goods company.
“Fox Howard operated this at
traction. Percy Wells was also with
this carnival aggregation, billed
as “The Great Percino, the Dare
Devil of the Air,” and he was an
aerialist of no mean ability and
nightly thrilled the crowds at Front
and Market streets, his parapher
nalia (a trapeze) being set up in
front of the Robert R. Bellamy
drug store, now Tom's pharamacy.
“Well, stranded folks have to
eat, so the vacant lot upon which
the present Bijou now stands was
rented, and the Howard and Wells
See CAPE FEAR On Page Two
prospective starters in tne Wil
mington All-American Soap Box
Derby, having their home-made
racers towed to the “Derby
Downs” course on Rankin street
for test runs this morning.
Street Closed
Track Director C. H. Casteen
has promised to have all traffic
diverted from the Rankin street
“Derby” hill this morning from
10 o’clock until noon in order that
some of the forty-odd boys from 11
to 15 years of age who will com
pete next Wednesday for the right
to represent Wilmington at the Na
tional finals, may test their cars
over the actual Derby course.
However, the starting ramp,
from which all official race heats
next Wednesday will be started,
will not be in use this morning,
but boys who wish to do so, may
start their cars at 11th street and
ru.-i the Derby course to 13th street
on the Rankin street hill. A small
detail of police will be on hand to
provide necessary safety precau
tions and Clerk of the Couise Adam
Smith with an assistant or two will
be on the scene to clock time for
those who want a close check cn
the speed of their racers.
Entries Coining In
With the big Soap Box Derby now
less than a week away, entries are
still coming in to Derby headquar
ters and prospects now look bright
for a starting field next Wednes
day for some fifty box-built cars.
First races to be run off will be
eliminations in the class B divi
sion and the first heat is definite
ly set for 10:30 a.m., when Chief
Starter Gil Pickard will send the
first three cars away on their
dash to the finish line. Class A
See DERBY on Page Five
President Agrees To Bill
That “Falls Far Short"
Truman Hints That New Taxes May Be In
Order; Prices, Except Those Exempted,
Revert To June 30 m
WASHINGTON, July 25.—(AP)—President Truman
signed the new price control act “with reluctance” Thurs
day—and with a notice to Congress that if it proved inade
quate, he will call a special session to strengthen it and
perhaps raise taxes.
The bill was signed into law at 4:05 P. M. (Eastern
Standard Time). At that-moment the rent and price ceil
LOCAL BAPTISTS
TO SCAN OFFERS
Group To Attend Special
Sess'on Of Convention
In Greensboro
New Hanover County Baptist
church officials and laymen will
go to Greensboro next Tuesday to
attend the special session of the
Baptist State convention, and de
cide whether the association will
accept the’ $12,000,000 Smith Rey
nolds proposed endowment and
move Wake Forest college to Win
ston-Salem.
A chartered bus accommodating
about 33 passengers has been em
ployed to take delegates to the
convention which will be held in
the First Baptist church, Greens
boro, the Rev. G. H. King, minis
ter of the Winter Park Baptist
church, and president of the New
Hanover county Wake Forest alum
ni, said yesterday.
Convention Leaders
Among those attending the con
vention from Wilmington will be
the Rev. Mr. King, Dr. Sankey Lee
Blanton, who has accepted the post
of dean of Wake Forest’s School of
Religion and pastor of the cam
pus chapel, and about 15 other lo
cal Baptist ministers
Ttie cne-day convention is ex
pected to be attended by about
10,000 Baptist church members
from the state’s 2.667 churches,
which have a combined member
ship of 567,000, according to the
Rev. Mr. King.
Johnson J. Hayes, judge of the
middle district Federal court, for
mer Gov. J. Melville Broughton
and the Rev. R. A. Herring, min
ister of the First Baptist church
in Greensboro, are expected to pre
side at the convention discussions,
and assist with conducting the vot
ing which will determine whether
Wake Forest remains where it is
presently located, or moves to Win
ston-Salem.
Attractive Advantages
The Rev. Mr. King pointed out
that negotiations for moving the
college have been underway for
some time by the Reynolds family
and other Winston-Salem people,
who have offered “attractive” ad
vantages to the college in the event
that it is moved.
He explained also that moving
the college will require about four
years time, during which period,
the college plant would have to
be built in the Twin City while the
college is in progress at Wake Foi
est.
He said that the Wake Forest
plant would be retained by the
Baptist denomination, and used for
denominational interests, either as
a future home for Meredith col
lege. or as a branch center for the
Southern Baptist Theological Semi
nary, or some other advantageous
purpose.
The special bus bearing a part
of the Wilmington and New Han
over delegation, will leave Winter
See BAPTISTS on Page Five
STORES DESERTED
Buyers’ Strike Slows
Down Detroit Business
DETROIT, July 25— (£>)—One of
Detroit’s outlying shopping centers
looked somewhat like a deserted
village Thursday as a roving picket
line enforced a buyers’ strike.
Mostly women and children, the
pickets carried such placards as
“Be Wise, Don i Be Like One Who
Buys,” “Don’t Buy Today,” and
“Get In the Mood, Don’t Buy
Food.”
Stores Idle
Meat markets, groceries and
other stores along Dexter boule
vard found little patronage and
many of the clerks stood out on the
streets watching the reactions of
potential shoppers.
The picjcet line grew in size as
the day wore cn. Numerous small
boys and girls took over the picket
ing when their elders stopped for
lunch.
Shoppers Stopped
One elderly woman stopped
housewives as they approached
stores asking. “Haven’t you' seen
it in the newspapers that we aren’t
supposed to buy anything today?”
And one little girl, asked by a
passer-by whether she was “getting
See BUYERS on Page Five
9
ings which lapsed June 30 went
back into force, except on items
specifically exempted.
Two hours later the President
sent a message to Congress to
place on the record a statement
that the measure "falls far short’’
of being one with which his ad
ministration could g*u ar a n t e e
"stable prices.”
Offers Promise
But he said that "while the pres
ent measure by no means guaran
tees that inflation can be avoided,”
it offers enough promise that he
was willing to accept it and try.
Then, he declared that because
of its "defects” and "the months
of delay” by Congress in passing it,
“it is all the more apparent that
more extensive use of the power to
allocate scarce materials may be
required and that sterner fiscal
and monetary measures than would
otherwise be called for may prove
to be necessary.”
He called upon consumers and
businessmen to cooperate with the
government’s efforts in "the battle
against inflation," and delivered
this closing remark:
Battle Inflation
"If it appears that all the efforts
of the government and the people
will not be enough under the pres
ent legislation, I shall have no al
See TRUMAN On Page Five
SOLONSR r
RFC EXTENSION
Famous Lending Agency
Would Be Curtailed ,
By House
WASHINGTON, July 25 —fU.R)—
The House Banking committee
Thursday rejected a requpst to ex
tend the Reconstruction Finance
corporation for five and a half
years and recommended instead
that its life be continued until
JJuly 1, 1947 — a little better than
five months.
Committee members hoped to
avoid a controversy in the closing
days of the present Congress which
mikht spell permanent death for
the agency when its present author
ity expires next January 22.
RFC General Counsel John D.
Goodloe gave the committee a
lengthy explanation of the reasons
why the agency shougl be continu
ed for the longer term. But the
group decided that it might be
wiser in the light of recent criti
cism of RFC to seek House ap
proval of the short-term extension
at this time.
Agency Under Fire
The agency is under fire from
both comptroller general Lindsay
Warren and congressional commit
tees for Its wartime accounting
practices. Also, some of Its recent
loans have been challenged by
some House members.
The Senate on June 29 unanimous
ly approved a resolution to extend
the life of the agency to June 30,
1952 — approximately five and a
half years. The resolution stipu
lated that Its lending powers were
being continued only until June 30,
1949.
gee RFC On Page Fira
And So To Bed
As Airport Manager Jesse
C. Parker, Jr., and one of his
staff were driving through the
airport the other night, the
lights of iheir car suddenly
flashed a prowler.
Since prowlers aren’t allow
ed at the airport they proceed
ed cautiously to apprehend
him.
While Parker kept the Hghts
trained squarely into the prowl
er’s tight-blinded eyes, the
staff member crept around be
hind him (the prowler).
The tactic worked perfectly.
In a few minutes the prowler
—a full-grown opossum—was
captured and lodged securely
in the back seat of the car. j