FORECAST:
j
Wilmington and vicinity: Consider
able cloudness today, colder with oc
casional light rain tonight; Friday,
Considerable cloudiness and colder.
"" VOL. 8L—NO.~9o! ~ WILMINGTON,^'. C., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1947
troops Guard
Assemblymen
french Lawmakers Move
Jo Give Premier Power
Over Strikes
p\PJS, Dec. 3—I1?)—Debat-!
1 behind a cordon of steel-hel-!
..,er[ troops and police, |
National Assembly
franct » . . ,
.pared emergency legisla
tion tonight to arm the govern
„ nt against sabotage mass dem
. rations and stinks.
Warned of a possible ueinon
s,ration against the government
s' ,he place De La Concora just
front of the Assembly build
m • ‘ ■ high police official said,
government stationed troops
iiijbile guards and police in a
pio-square gordon blocking off
A,1 traffic while the Assembly
was m session.
Floromand Bonte, Communist
j-nutv denied reports that the
Communists had planned to
^Erc’.j on the Assembly.
When no demonstrators ap
-eared, traffic was again allow
ed to pas- through the area, but
th,.' steel-helmeted forces, es- ■
tiinated at several hundred, re- j
trained in place. Their show of
rt,.en„ht seemed impressive'
enough to meet any eventuality, j
First Duty
Julep Modi, interior minister,
• ,]d the Assembly forces had
. stationed around the build-'
,r.g "to keep a certain number |
U. strikers from surrounding the '
gjurn Palace (National Assem- j
i)ly.'"
"FIp first duty is to permit
the National Assembly to deli
oerate in tranquility,” he said.”
The rest of France, however,
■ as not as calm.
Strong military forces were
required during the day to
wrest the Southern city of Be- j
tiers from the control of several |
thousand strikers who last night j
alter several hours battle had
captured all public buildings ex
cept the city hall and the sub
prefecture.
PALMETTO FARMER
GIVEN JAIL TERM!
!"i Court Convicts!
■n Of Forcing Negro
To Work
Florence, Dec. 3. —(U.R)— John;
Ellis Wilhelm of Hartsville, S. i
C„ accused of holding a Negro
v/orker in virtual bondage for
almost a year, drew a year and
a day federal prison sentence
ar.J a $500 fine today for vio
lating the field hand’s civil lib
erties.
I
Peonage and kidnaping char
ges against Wilhelm and his fa
rt/. James Fred Wilhelm, both
prosperous farmers, w ere
dropped alter the younger man
Waded guilty to a charge of
ho!sting the civil liberties slat
UlC.
Evidence brought out a hear
ing before U. S. District Judge
J. Waites Waring showed that
th Negro James Dewitt, quit
a field Land on the big Wil
helm farm in Darlington county !
about a year ago.
The younger Wilhelm had De
' rtl a/rested for “violation of a
labor contract,” witnesses tes
tified, but the Hartsville mag
istrate's court ruled such a pact
-legal and Dewitt was freed,
fen days later, however, it
« chargee , Wilhelm accosted
See FARMER on Page Two
The Weather |
_ I
Sl'B FORECAST !
'■0ai. CaroJina—Cousideragle cloud
Thursday and Friday. Colder Fri
ar^ coide; with occasional light
* v. ponion Thursdav night.
‘^o^tina—Considerable cloud
:.e ■ i Tht:rfdHy and Friday. Colder
:'"r-a<' ^igh*. and Friday with oc
~onal ']'M rain Thursday night.
FOR VTA ST
tli-*.1IDITT
. 92; 1:30 a.m. £0; 1:30 p.m.
■ ' ■"» P-m. 10.
PRF flPIT A TIAV
0
11BES FOR TODAT
' V ‘ rTable-; published by
<-Oas: and Geodetic Survey.
high low
.ttu 2:22 a.m. 9:36 am..
2:59 p.m. 10:19 p.m.
Lni^f v).oo « w,
(J6~~shdpp]ng~days~left)
Services To Be Cut
At Local Hospital
-- I
Board Issues Prepared Statement After
Meeting Over Mass Resignations
Of 38 Registered Nurses
The board of directors of
the James Walker Memorial
hospital here last night, after
meeting in a closed session
issued a prepared statement
notifying the public that the
“services of James Walker
Memorial hospital will be
necessarily curtailed on Dec.
13.”
The statement followed
notification by the 38 grad
uate nurses on the staff earl
ier today that they would re
sign in two weeks.
The statement continued'
that should the situation
change in any respect, such
information will be promptly
brought to the attention of i
the public.”
The remainder of the four
page statement only reiterat
ed the hospital's stand on the
question, and contained noth
ing new looking toward a set
tlement of the situation.
Meanwhile, the medical
staff of the hospital is
sued a prepared statement
condemning a “strike against
the sick as unbecoming to
■ the nursing profession.”
The hospital's statement
went on to quote a letter sen*
the nurses after it had rece*
See SERVICES on Page Twu
Week Of Rededication |
Proclaimed By Mayor
PARKING HALVED
■f
RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 3. —
(P;— The Department of Pub
lic Safety gave a modest spin
to the inflationary spiral to
day.
It doubled the price — or
halved the time, rather — on
the downtown parking meters.
Beginning at 9 a. m. tomor
row you’ll get only 30 minutes
parking for a nickel.
Safety Director Richard R
Roster said that “in effect we
are doubling the amount of
available parking space in the
shopping area.”
— But not for the guy with
two nickels.
RUSSIANS START
RUN ON BANKERS
Fear Of Ruble Devaluation
Creates Feverish Buying
Sprees
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3—iP'—
rhe State Department’s “Voice
pf America” radio beamed over
seas in 23 languages tonight
report that Russians have start
id wholesale runs on banks and
;tores in Moscow and other So
viet cities because of fear the
ruble is losing its value.
The report was attributed to
travelers just returned from
Russia and was not immediately
confirmed by Moscow news dis
patches or otherwise.
Crowds anxious to exchange
;he Soviet currency for any dur
able goods were besieging shops
last week to buy dry goods,
jewelry, rare books or any other
physical goods, the report said.
Many stores were reported to
lave .closed their doors for “re
pairs" or “inventories.” Savings
banks in Moscow, the radio said,
lave limited withdrawals to
100 rubles a day.
The radio said rumors were
widespread in Russia that the
Soviet government was prepar
ing to issue new currency, ef
fective Dec. 5, which would wipe
out the present currency.
20-Cent ’*’alue
This has an official exciiange
rate of 20 cents in American
money but has a varying pur
See RUSSIANS on Page Two
CAFE BLAST ENDS
LIFE OF ONE MAN
Two Others Injured In Ex
plosion At Charlotte’s
Rendezvous
CHARLOTTE, Dec. 3—OW—
One person was killed arid two
others were injured one of them
critically, tonight when an ex
plosion wrecked a small down
town cafe.
Oliver Kerr of Charlotte was
pronounced dead on arrival at
a hospital. His wife’s condition
was described as critical. The
condition of Fred Azer, the third
injured person, was not immedia
tely determined. All were from
Charlotte.
The blast knocked out win
dows in the restaurant, known
as the “Ftendezvous”, and in
two adjoining buildings.
Cause of the explosion was
not immediately determined.
There was no fire._
White Calls On Citizens
To Participate In Pro
gram Here
In connection with the release
yesterday of the official pro
gram for the week of rededica- j
tion prior to the arrival of the
Freedom Train here Dec. 10,
Mayor E. L. White issued a
proclamation urging all citizens
of the city to participate in the
ceremonies and events constitu
ting Wilmington Rededication
week.
The mayor's proclamation fol
lows :
Whereas, the system of gov
ernment which we enjoy as
Americans is being tested by the
historic events of this critical
period of world history; and
whereas, these times call for
loyalty to American traditions
and faith in their enduring
character; and whereas, a na
tional program of “Rededi
cation” to American ideals and
principles is being conducted 'by
a non-partisan citizens’ move
ment known as The American
Heritage Foundation, sponsored
by the Attorney General of the
United States and endorsed by
the President of the United
States; and
Whereas, said program was
designed to create a greater
awareness of the unique bless
ings of the American heritage
and to raise the level of citi
zenship through more active
participation by individuals in
the affairs of their government;
and whereas, said program in
cludes the tour of the Freedom
Train, carrying the most signifi
cant exhibit of original Ameri
can documents, and provides for
“Rededication” programs by:
each community visited by the.
Freedom Train; Now, therefore,
I, E. L. White, Mayor
of Wilmington, do hereby pro
claim a week of rededication to
American ideals and principles
for the City of Wilmington to be
gin on December 4 and end on
December 10 and to be known
as Wilmington rededication
week, and I do hereby urge all
citizens and organizations in the
City of Wilmington to participate
in the ceremonies and events
constituting Wilmington rededi
See REDEDICATION on Page i
BOMBER CRASHES
NEAR RICHMOND
Four Men Jump Out
Of Plane To Safety;
One Found
—
—RICHMOND. Va.. Dec. 3
i —(U.R)—An Army B-25 bomber
crashed 20 miles from here to
day after all four men aboard
jumped by parachute but only
one man was found immediately \
the Richmond Army Air base an
nounced tonight.
1 Capt. E. M. Branch, public re
lations officer, said the co-pilot
whose name wras withheld, was
picked up by a motorist and driv
en to nearby Providence Forge.
Branch quoted the co-pilot as
saying he bailed out with the pil
ot and two crewmen minutes
before the Mitchell bomber
crashed in a densely wooded
area.
An air search for the three
missing airmen was stopped by
darkness soon after planes took
off from the field here.
Ghostly Goings-On Give
Cagey Curates Concern
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Dec. 3
—UP)—Lutheran Bishop Torsten
Bohlin ordered tonight a “selen
itic investigation of certain
ghostly disturbances” at a lone
ly vicarage in Jamtland prov
ince where apparitions report
ed seen over the past 20 years
included a woman in gray and
three old ladies knitting on
a sofa.
The bishoo said five clergy
men of the Lutheran State
church who have lived succes
sively in the vicarage near a
deep forest over a 20-year
period told him the main spec
tre was the woman in gray.
A visitor to the vicarage said
he saw the three old ladies
dressed in old-fashioned clothes.
The haunts were more apt to
appear when the moon was full,
die bishop quoted the clergy
men as saying, and one old
rocking chair frequently was
See GHOSTLY on Page Two
British Use Gunfire To Break Up
Arab Mob Assault On Jewish Area;
House Group Clears Aid Measure
Rules Committee
W 1 Mpaeiire On
That
All
/ ^ & ope In Day
»SHINGTON, Dec. 3—
^ —The House Rules com
mittee, prodded by warnings
that Russia could take all Eu
rope by force “within 34
hour s,“ today cleared the
$590,000,000 emergency for
eign releif bill for final House
action.
____ I
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3—-'/P'—
Chairman Eaton (R-NJ) of the
House Foreign Affairs commit
tee declared today that Russia
is out to conquer the world, and
his committee produced figures
to show that the Soviets have an
army of 4.050,000 to hein in the
attempt.
Eaton appeared before the!
House Rules committee to get'
clerance for the opening of de
bate tomorrow on a bill authoriz
ing $490,000,000 in emergency,;
stop-Communism aid to France, j
Italy, Austria and China.
“What could stop Russia from j
taking over all of Europe in 241
hours?“ asked Rep. Cox (D-Ga.(,i
a member of the Rules commit- j
tee.
“Not a thing,” Eaton replied.
Prepared By Army
The estimate of Soviet military
strength was prepared by the
Army department and made pub
lic by the Foreign Affairs com
mittee, which said Russia was
trying with “fear” and “despera
tion” to prevent the U. S. from
strengthening Western Europe.
Some members cited the im
plied Soviet menance as a rea
son for raising the emergency re
lief fund to the $597,000,000 al
ready authorized by the Senate
for the three European countries
only, leaving aid to China until
later.
But the Foreign Affairs group
stood by its own figure, saying in
a report.
“We must not fall into the So
viet trap of bleeding ourselves
See RULES on Page Two
STAFF GENERALS
ARE CONCERNED
Spokesman Says Members
Fear Russian Attempt
To Gain Bridgehead
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3—(U.R)—
The Army general staff was dis
closed today to be gravely con
cerned about the possibility that
civil war in Palestine max’ give
Russia a chance to move tne
Red Army into the Holy Land
and establish a long-coveted
Soviet bridgehead on the Med
iterranean.
A high army officer, who de
clined use of his name, predicted
bluntly that Russian troops will
occupy Palestine within a few
months under the pretext of put-j
ting down partition-inspired con
flict between Jews and Arabs.
He said the general staff is giv
ing the situation its closest at
tention.
But Sen. Walter F. George,
D., Ga., a veteran member of
the Senate Foreign Relations
committee, took sharp issue
with such forecasts. He said it
is “unfortunate to ascribe such
motives to Russia at this time.”
George told newsmen he was
confident the United Nations will
be able to handle the Palestine
situation by creating an Inter
national Security Force, and ad
ded that the army officer’s
See STAFF on Page Two
Along The Cape Fear
IF SANTA KNEW — It is not
often that this column digresses
from its more staid reporting the
happenings current and historical
in the Cape Fear valley.
However, since the Christmas
season is near at hand—and since
Santa Claus is in the heart of
everyone—it might not be amiss
to tell what happened in the
Coast Line waiting room yester
day when a little boy approached
a stranger and asked for a nickel.
The youngster was observed by
Mrs. Helen Galloway, executive
secretary of the Travelers’ Aid
Society .
Mrs. Galloway said that she
saw the three-to-four year old tot
amble over to the telephone
booth, pick up the receiver, but
got no response.
He then came out, walked up
to a man. and asked sincerely:
“Mr., will you loan me a
nickel? I want to call up Santa
Claus.”
Francis Church, the great ed
itor of the New YorK. bun, oi
course had such faith in mind
when he wrote his famous ed
itorial to “Virginia” assuring her
that there was. and always would
be. a Santa Claus for those who
believed.
That was many a year ago that
Church wrote his editorial, but
it applies today to all the Vir
ginias and the tots such as the
one in the Coast Line depot yes
terdav.
The little tot’s faith, of course,
would make Santa Claus happy
if he only knew about the inci
dent.
CLOUDS OF SMOKE RISE in the background as Arab mobs—often numbering up to 5,- i
000—engage in an orgy of looting, robbing, shop-wrecking and rioting in Jerusalem. A number of !
automobiles were set on fire during the Arab protest against the United Nations partitioning of
Palestine into Arab and Jewish states. Zionists were reported to have broken through a police
cordon to fight back. __(International Radiophoto)
Broughton Blasts Interference
In Race Relationship Problems
A'ETS ADMINISTRATION BULLETIN
FORBIDS FEEDING OF SEA GULLS
SEATTLE, DEC. 3—^—Bulletin No. 130 of the Seattle j
regional office of the Veterans Administration, titled “Feeding
of Sea Gulls,” reads:
“It has come to the attention of this office that V. A. em
ployes have been placing food on window sills and other pro
jections for the purpose of attracting sea gulls. This practice
results in distraction from their regular work as well as marring
the appearance of the building.”
To wit: “Effective immediately, no V. A. employe will
place any items on window sills or other projections which
might attract sea gulls. All supervisory personnel will take
necessary steps to insure compliance.”
SKY-HOPPERS’ JOYRIDE
ENDS WHEN COPS TAKE
THEM ON THEFT COUNT
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3. —
'.Tt—Three high school youths
who liked to fly around at
night were arrested today for
stealing an airplane.
Police said the joy-hoppers
— aged 15, 16 and 18 — got
an airplane away from, and
back to an airport three times
before they were caught.
Their final flight was a 15
minute trip over Washington
last night.
The pilot was the 16-year
old, who made the success
ful night trips although he
had but 10 hours instruction.
The boys’ names were not
disclosed.
KIWANIS DEMANDS
TAXES REVISION
Club Members Join Move
ment To Advance Indus
trial Progress Here
, _ f
Following a report by Kiwan
ian John H. Farrell on the meet
ing of Wilmington service club
leaders with Rotarians on Tues
day, the Wilmington Kiwanis
club yesterday unanimously ap
proved a motion by Harry Solo
mon and Fred Little, demanding
that the city council and county
commissioners take steps to re
vise the present tax structure in
order that high tax rates will not
stand in the way of Wilmington
securing more industrial enter
prises.
The motion which was ap
See KIWANIS On Page Two
MARSHALL SENDS
DULLES TO PARIS
Secretary Of State Alarm
ed Over Future Of Big
Four Meeting
LONDON, Dec. 3. —tU.R)— Sec
retary of State George C. Mar
shall, fearing that the French
crisis may wreck the Big Four
Foreign Ministers and slow his
European recovery plan, today
instructed John Foster Dulles of
his delegation to go to Paris and
consult high French leaders.
Dulles, Republican foreign poli
cy expert and a key member of
Marshall's delegation, leaves for
Paris tomorrow by plane if the
weather permits or otherwise by
boat and train.
He is under instructions to talk
to Premier Robert Schuman and
Gen. Charles De Gauile, the
emerging Right-Wing anti-Rus
sian strong man but not, it was
believed, the Communists.
De Gaulle returned urgently
to Paris tonight from his country
home in Eastern France as soon
See MARSHALL On Page Two
NEGROES OBTAIN
ACL RESTRAINER
Brotherhood, Southern
Railway Also Cited
Against Discrimination
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3—
A preliminary injunction was
signed today against the Brother
hood of Locomotive Firemen and
Enginemen, the Southern Rail
way and the Atlantic Coast Line
to restrain them from discrimina
ting against Negro firemen in job
assignments.
Justice Alexander Holtzoff of
the federal district court broaden
ed the injunction to include 10 of
See NEGROES on Page Two
Former Governor Tells
School Men State Can
Handle Situation
Taking a slap at the recent re
port of the President's civil lib
erties committee, former Gov. J
Melville Broughton, a candidate
for United States senator in the
1948 primary, said here last night
that the state does not want “out
side agitators" to upset its race
relationship.
“Race relationship in North
Carolina, is better than in any
other state in the United States,
and we’re going to solve our race
problems here, if outside agita
tors will only let us alone,"
Broughton told an assembly of
150 city and county superinten
dents and their guests at a ban
quet at the New Hanover high
school last night.
Discussing possible federal aid
to education, which he said that
all thinking people of North Car
olina want, Broughton said, “If
federal aid has come with the
conditions of this recent report
(of the civil rights commission,
which recommended no aid if
segregation of races is continued
in the schools), then North Caro
lina does not want it!”
In enlarging on his topic, “Edu
cation in a New Day,” Broughton
said that “North Carolina cannot
do the job that’s got to be done
with its present facilities. For
virtually eight years there has
See BROUGHTON On Page Two
RAILROADS ASK
NEW RATE HIKES
Nation’s Carriers Request
Three Per Cent Boost In
Freight Charges
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3—■'Pi—
The American Railroads today
asked the Interstate Commerce
Commission to approve a three
percent freight rate increase,
bringing to 30 percent the total
rate increases asked since July.
If granted, this would add approx
imately $2,037,000,000 to the na
tion’s annual freight bill,.
This is the figure the railroads
estimated is needed to meet ris
ing costs of operations resulting
from wage increases of 15 1-3
cents hourly already granted to
members of the conductors and
trainmen’s brotherhoods, plus
costs of similar raises pending
with three others.
Prior to filing of today’s peti
tion with the ICC, the railroads
had asked a 17 per cent rate hike
See RAILROADS on Page Two
Blue Blood’s Black Book
Bans “Boodle” Bad Boys
NEW YORK. Dec. 3.—(SPI—The
pages of society’s little red and
black book banged shut today
with a Cushing, a Vanderbilt and
a Topping left on the outside.
But the deficit caused by these
deletions in the 1948 Social Reg
ister were made up by the ap
pearance of several newcomers
— whose recently acquired
spouses have all the blue blood
necessary for a line in the little
book.
Omitted this year is Harry
*
Cushing 4th, who married act
ress Georgette Windsor. George
Vanderbilt, who married Anita
Zabala Howard, promptly fol
lowed his brother, Alfred Gwyn
ne Vanderbilt, out of the regis
ter pages. The taboo also landed
on Henry J. (Bob) Topping, who
married actress Arline Judge
after Arline divorced his brother
Dan.
In the register this year by
See BLUE On Page Two
Heavy Casualties
; Mark Two Clashes
Large Lumber Yard Fired
Endangering Shell Oil
Plant
JERUSALEM, Palestine, Dec.
3^*11.R'—Fresh rioting broke out
tonight in Haifa, the great Oil
port of Palestine. Arabs and
Jews earlier fought an hour-long
engagement i- the Jaffa-Tel Aviv
no man's land and British troops
broke up with gunfire an Arab
mob assault on the Jewish quar
ter of Jerusalem.
Arabs, re-emerging in Haifa
after riots earlier in the day,
set fire to a big Jewish lumber
yard not far from the Shell com
pany oil storage tanks on th*
outskirts.
All available fire fighting
equipment was sent to the scene,
advices said.
Ten men — seven Araos ana
three Jews—were reported kill
ed in the fighting in the border
area between the twin cities of -
Jaffa, which is Arab, and Tel
Aviv, which is Jewish. Thirty
two men. 23 Jews and eight
Arabs, were reported seriously
wounded.
Hundreds Injured
This brought the unofficial toll
of casualties in two days of dis
order in Palestine riots over the
country’s partition to 23 killed
and 102 wounded. Hundreds more
have suffered minor injuries.
British authorities here, after
urgent representations by leading
Jewish organizations, were under
stood to have promised tonight to
move in forcibly to end rioting.
A Jewish Agency spokesman
reported that Sir Henry Gur
ney, chief secretary of the Pale
stine government, told Isaac Ben
Zvi, president of the Jewish Na
tional Council, that the riots took
British police and army men by
surprise but that they intended
to keep the peace from now on.
The seven hsitoric gates of the
old city of Jerusalem were locked
fast tonight, confining 30,000
Arabs and 5,000 Jews inside the
See CASUALTIES On Page Two
PRESIDENT FLIES
TO FLORIDA CITY
Chief Executive Starts
Five-Day Vacation At
Key West
KEY WEST, Fla., Dec. 3.—
President Truman began a trop
ical vacation in a setting of palm
trees and warmth today.
The bright hot sun that greet
ed him was in sharp contrast
to the cold, murky weather he
left behind in Washington this
morning.
The President arrived here at
1 P.M. EST after a flight of four
hours , 48 minutes in his old C-54
airplane, The Sacred Cow.
He landed by Boca Chica Na
val Air base about 10 miles from
the city of Key West, and motor
ed to the submarine bast nearby
where he will make his home
for the next five days.
Mr. Truman drove from the
airfield in a slick, black convert
ible with the top down. With him
were Fleet Admiral William D.
Leahy, chief of staff to the Presi
dent, and Capt. C. C. Adell,
commandant of the Boca Chica
base.
Driving through the city,
many of the President’s old
friends — he has made two
previous trips here—lined the
streets with flags and cheered.
School children were out en
See PRESIDENT on Page Two
And So To Bed
In discussing ‘‘return e i
gagements” for speakers in
his address before the as
sembled city and county
school superintendents here
last night, former Governor
J. Melville Broughton told
the following storv on him
self.
“When I was a young man
teaching a Sunday school
class in Raleigh, I followed
the custom of such teachers
in speaking at various State
institutions. After making an
address before a group of
persons in the State asylum
for the insane at Dix Hill,
which was well received, I
had a request for a ‘return
engagement’ by the superin
tendent which pleased me
very much.
“ ‘The inmates said,’ the
superintendent then told me,
‘that you seemed more like
one of them than any other
speaker we have ever had out
here.’ ”