North Carolina Newspapers

•-. -- - ^ FORECAST: 4 \ + 4 ^ T 4 immsm umiwjtmt fflmiumj fnsu* ' ~ V0L 81.—NO. 105~ ’ WILMINGTON, N. C„ MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1947 ESTABLISHED lift Army XS-1 Flies Faster Than Sound flights At Speeds Somewhere Above 660 Miles Per Hour, Reaching New Altitudes Vouched For By Aviation Paper $ -^ WASHINGTON, Dec. 21—(U.R)—j I*,/United States Air Force’s ‘ , rocket-engine plane, the XS-1, has broken through L ’‘supersonic barrier” to fly faster than the speed of sound, Aviation Week magazine will re port tomorrow. plights at speeds somewhere above 660 miles per hour, and which reached new record alti tudes have been made "several” times during the last month at the Air Force desert 'light test center, Muroc, Calif., jbe publication will assert. "Xo official announceme \t of sUCh flights, which would con stitute one of the greatest feats jj aviation history, has been made by the Air Force, nor did Air Force officials comment im mediately. According to the magazine the first supersonic fligK^" tory was made by C' K "<■< Yaeger, Air Fore' r ^ says that “sevei a-Cv0 -»t penetrations” of ti bar rier have been made v, test pi lots Howard Lilly and Herbert Hoover. “Flights were timed by radar tracking at altitudes of 40,000 to 70,000 feet, setting new altitude records for airplanes,” the. mag azine will say. The highest previous altitude ever reached by a piloted plane was 56,046 feet, a record set by Col. Mario Pezzi of Italy in 1938. The highest man has ever gone is 72,394 feet, an altitude attain ed by Capt. Orville Anderson and Capt. Albert Stevens of the U. S. Army in a free balloon flight near Rapid City, S. D., on Nov. 11, 1935. McMahon Urges Overall Speed On Marshall Plan AMERICAN BOARD WILL HUNT SCRAP Eight Man Mission To Leave For Germany To Seek Steel, Iron WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, — W _ An eight-mar, mission will to Germany this month to hunt iron and steel scrap that can1 be brought back to relieve a bottleneck in steel production in j steel id ldod rhr hh rr har tatat i in the United States. Secretary of commerce Har-j riman announced today the in 'ustry-government mission, to sail from New York December 30, will: 1. Determine the quantity and location of scrap in the posses tion of the U. S- occupation forces, and the feasibility of bringing the critically short material to this country. 2. Report on the possibility of obtaining rubble and other scrap from Germany for use in Ameri can steel mills. Harriman described this as another step to “assist and en courage industry in locating po tential sources of scrap at a time when maximum steel production See AMERICAN on Page Two MANILA THIEVES STEALING JEEPS Army Authorities Concern ed Over Growing Thafts From Camps MANILA, Dec. 21—W—U. S. Army sources disclosed today that organized rings of thieves are stealing more than 100 Army vehicles—mostly jeeps— every month . While this is far below the 800 monthly average shortly af hberation, headquarters expres sed concern over the recent •harp increase, particularly in view of the small number of ®its assigned to the Philip pines, lessening opportunity for theft. Lately the thieves have been flopping American personnel af See MANILA On Page Two The Weather SOUTH CAROLINAPartly cloudy and Monday. Tuesday mostly cloudy J™ toninued mild. Light showers late night or Tuesday. NORTH CAROLINA — Partly cloudy *»o partly cooler Monday. Tuesday ™»tly Cloudy and little change In tem perature Light showers late Monday « early Tuesday. FORECAST Meteorological data for the 24 hours "toe 7:30 a.m. Today. , Temperatures . •» a.nr. «. 7:3e am. 43. 1;30 p.m. 45; P m. 44. •'ax;mum 43 Minimum 39. Mean 42; mrmal 43 Humidity e.,r 8 m- «; 7:30 a.m. 84; 1:30 p.m. 87; ua P m. »6. , , Precipitation if 81 foT the 24 hours ending 7:30 a-m. \ ir-ches. I». e the first of the month — * inches. m Tides For Today :j c t . Tide Tables published by ■ Cpas: and Geodetic Survey). High Lour mgton 4:50 a.m. - a.m Masoni, S;09 p.m. 12:09 p.m. Mboro l:,]et 2;21 a.m. 8:50 a.m. j„rr. 2:39 p.m. 9:12 p.m. 1-23 t,1&e i:14: Sunset 5:07; Moonrise Moonset 1:31 a.m. 1 a.m _ge at Fayetteville, N C., at '-,S" WEATHER on Page Two j SHOPPING DAYS LEFT - - - - -* Connetic Democrat Fears Possible Rus sian Dominance WASHINGTON, Dec. 21—W— Senator McMahon (D-Conn) urg ed today that the Marshall plan of European aid be sped to pre vent “all of Europe from coming under the dominance of Russia.” Agreeing, Senator Baldwin (R Conn) that the alternative to helping the 16 Western European non-Communist countries might mean the paying out of $66,000, 000,000 a year for national de i fense. The two lawmakers, who dis ' agree on many issues, spoke ! jointly in a radio program for the Connecticut Forum of the Air. A third senator, Elbert D. Thomas of Utah, told another radio audience (station WE AM): j “All ihe resolutions passed by Congress can do no good toward establishing stability in Europe j till Europe itself is ready to act.' The Senators spoke as the Sen ! ate Appropriations committee prepared to start hearings Jan uary 7 on the Marshall plan of spending $17,000,000,000 for the four year recovery program sub mitted to Congress by President Truman Friday. The originator of the plan, Secretary of State Marshall, rested meanwhile at Pinehurst, N. C. White In Accord Senator White (R-Me), the Re publican flood leader, predicted over the week-end that Congress finally would agree on just about the overall plan Mr. Truman ad vanced. However, the fight may be long. Senator Ball (R-Minn) ob jected to committing the nation in advance to such a tremendous undertaking. Others all object ed to tackling the job on more than year at a time basis. Senator McMahon said today See McMAHON On Page Two i - FOOD HANDLERS RETURN TO WORK Labor Peace In Italy As sures Christmas Bread For Citizens ‘ ROME, Italy, Dec. 21-La bor Minister Amin tore Fanfani announced today that the na tional strike of food workers had ended on terms satis factory to both sides, assuring Italians of bread for Christmas, Three hundred thousand work ers in the food industry agreed to go back to work after their negotiators and industry repre sentatives reached accord on payment of dismissal indemni ties. recognition of seniority rights and extra holiday pay. The workers, members of the Commists-led General Labor Confederation, left their jobs in basic food producing and pro cessing plants at 10 a.m. yester day. Only enough food handlers remained on che job to assure a temporary supply of bread milk and fresh meat, but they could be pulled out on a mo ment’s notice. Union officials said the strike See FOOD on apage Two -4 . .... GOP-Sponsored Anti-Inflation Measure Faces Possible Veto As “Meaningless”; AFL Unions Agree To Call Off Strike ► - Three-Man Panel To Weigh Dispute Government Concila Tors Avert Threat 01 WU Walk-Out WASHINGTON, Dec. 21. —<U.R> — Three AFL unions tonight agreed to call off a scheduled na tionwide telegraph strike after the Western Union Telegraph company agreed to submit the wage dispute to a fact-finding panel, it was disclosed tonight. Informed sources said official announcement that the strike has been averted would be made shortly. The unions agreed to call off the strike, which they had threat ened to start “at any moment,” after federal mediators persuad ed the company to let a three man public panel investigate the wage issue. Informed sources said the pub lic panel would be appointed by1 [Cyrus S. Ching, director of the federal mediation service. The panel will have no power to make recommendations. It will merely investigate and make a formal report on the wage is sues. Turned Down Before Union leaders previously had agreed to a similar proposal but t’ e company turned it down. The unions are asking a 15 cent hourly wage boost for their 50,000 members. It was said the unions called off their strike at least until the fact-finding panel has made its report. The break came after day-long negotiat: s sponsored by Ching and his federal conciliators. The conferences got underway at the Labor Department at 10:30 a. m. EST, with one federal la bor official expressing hope that some way could be found to “move the negotiations from dead-center.” Some nine hours later, after See PANEL On Page Two CHRISTMAS FOWL RUINED BY BLAZE: Forty Thousand Pounds Of Turkey Go Up In Flames At Charleston CHARLESTON, W. Va., Dec. 21 —(ff)—Forty thousand pounds of Christmas turkeys went up in smoke today in one of two fires which vept two West Virginia cities and caused an estimated loss of $850,000. The turkeys were in the Char leston plant Armour and Company where loss was esti mated at $500,000. A business block in the coal city of Williamson, 90 miles to the southwest, was burned out in the other fire which also re sulted in injuries to thr^e men Loss was figured at $350,000. - The Charleston fire broke out shortly before midnight in the two-story Armour warehouse. J. F. Nelson, manager, estimated the value of the building at $300,000 and the contents at $200,000. Seven fire companies finally brought the fire under control at 1:30 a. m. but only the shell of the warehouse remained. Firemen said the blaze was ex ceedingly hard to fight because cf the inflamable nature of the building's contents—including a carload of lard. Lard Fans Fire Nelson said besides the turkeys and lard, the firm also lost a carload of corned beef and a large supply of harps, sausage and other meats. In Williamson, a father and his two sons were hurt while trying to save Christmas mer chandise from their department store which was destroyed. They yere 74-year-old J. M. Berman opd his -ons, Morris, 47, and Irwin, 42. The Williamson fir« also de See CHRISTMAS On Page Two If Your Tummy Is Tired Good Old Oysters Are It WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.—W— For the jaded appetite and the tired tummy of the Christmas New Year holiday, try an oyster. This is the suggestion of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which is still trying doggedly to get people' to eat more seafood and less fowl even though Presi dent Truman’s food conservation committee dropped th?t part of its grain-saving program. “Oysters, being readily digest ed, are particularly adapted to use during the Christmas season of heavy eating,” a Fish and Wildlife service news bulletin an nounces. “In cocktails, they whet the ap petite for the treat to come. For the main dish, they combine su perbly with the fol as oyster stuffing. “Oyster stew or oyster bisque is a favorite supper dish for the holdiays.” j In case anyone wants to know more, the fish and Wildlife Serv ice has a lot of recipes. STAR-NEWS “BOSSES’ ’ENJOY ANNUAL PARTY—The camerman snapped the above picture yesterday afternoon at the Cape ' Fear club second and Chestnut streets, during the Star-News employes party given by Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Page and Rye Page, Jr., Publishers of the two papers. Shown left to right: J. Walter Webb, General manager; Mrs. J. L. Allegood, wife of the advertising man ager; R. B. Page, Mrs. Page and Rye Page, Jr. (Staff Photo)_ EMPLO ES ENJOY STAR- EffS PARTY Publisher, Wife Hosts At An Annual Feast; Bonuses Distributed Approximately 150 employes and their guests attended the an nual Christmas party of the Wil mington Star-News yesterday at the Cape Fear Club, second and Chestnut streets, with Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Page, and R. B. Page, Jr., co-publisher as hostesses. Christmas bonus checks were presented the employes by R. B. Page, publisher of the papers. The checks represented ten per cent of the net earnings of the company during the past year. Employes received varied amounts dependent upon th ir length of service and the amount of their regular earnings. Publisher Page announced that the same bonus plan would be in eliect during 1948. Ecah em ploye with one year’s sex /ice on the staff will receive an appro priate share of the ten per cent net earnings during next year. Guests began arriving at 12 o’clock yesterday and following a coctail hour the banquet ras served at one o’clock. The speakers table was center ed with silver painted «milax See EMPLOYES On Page Two ACCUSED MARINES FACE NEW COUNTS Highway Patrolman From Kinston To File Holdup Charges Today Two of the three men being held here on charges of highway robbery and attempted murder of a local taxi operator on No vember 20 are wanted for the armed robbery of a service sta tion operator of near Kinston, State Highway‘Patrolman Z. L. Spruill of that city said last night. Warrants were slated to be sent here today for Cecil R. Hos rner, 17-year-old ex-Marine with a bad conduct discharge, and Pvt. Gerald Lee, 18, of Camp Lejeune and Toledo, Ohio, Hos mer is a native of Birmingham, Ala. Meanwhile, Jack L. Rabe, 18 year-old Marine private from See MARINES on Page 1 Initial Trader List MayHave500Names TEACHERY BURNS ASH, Dec. 21. — Fire to night completely destroyed the two-story teachery here after firemen fought the stubborn blaze for two hours. Damage to the building and contents including personal belongings of approximately 18 men and women teachers, many of whom are away on vacations, was placed at $40,000 by Su perintendent of schools J. T. Denning. Martin C. Freidman is principal of the Ash $chopl. The building is owned by the board of education of Bruns wick county. UNDERPRIVILEGED WILL HAVE PARTY J a y c e e s , Resturanteers To Combine With Feed For Needy Tuesday will be the big day of the year for the underprivileged children of Wilmington as they will be entertained and feted by local businessmen under the aus pices of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, with a visit from Santa Claus thrown in at a party at the Community center. A delicious Christmas dinner, including the traditional roast turkey and cranberry sauce with ice cream dessert, will be donat ed by 28 members of the New Hanover County Restaurant as sociation. Jaycees will furnish transporta tion for the underprivileged chil dren to the various restaurants in the county immediately after they have been entertained at a free movie at the Manor theater, which is being given «. jurtc_y of Manager H. S. Luther. The picture will begin at 11 a. m. Tuesday. After stuffing themselves with the delicious Christmas dinner, the children will be conveyed to the Community center, where at 4 o’clock in the afternoon a visit from Santa Claus with gifts and candies and fruits will be the feature attraction. Cooperating Cafes The following New Hanover See PARTY On Page Two Along The Cape Fear The historical nature lover who writes Along The Cape Fear did not say enough of Green field Lake in Autumn. He men tioned the stately cypres trees festooned with Spanish moss guarding the lights and shadows of the five miles of shore line. Perhaps he should have added that this cathedral of cypress with its organ pipes of nature sighing in the breeze was about the oldest spot in Wilmington. Some of the cypresses show signs of advancing age where the green foliage had turned al most black in centuries of imi tation of sacred trees of the an cients. Doubtless some of the cypress wonderland of Green field Lake was there long before the British Revolution when old Wilmington revolted at the un just Stamp Act first imposed by William II. (in a Charles II re vival.) Cyrpress trees similar to the ones in Greenfield and Lake Forest areas have stood for cen turies, as the famed trees of Rome removed by Eugenius IV estimated at 1100 years old. BHE Rome removed by Eugenius IV estimated at 1100 years old. BHW cause of its value and durability the ancients considered a cy press plantation a handsome dowry for a young lady of noble birth. Perhaps some conservationist of natural resources could tell us whether the gloomy, fore boding, yet stately cypresses of Greenfield Park, now beautified by the city, are sentinels of his hory. At least, as the ALONG THE CAPE FEAR , writer sug gested, it is one 4pot that in Autumn should never be forgot ten by citizens and historical vi sitors, not even the Freedom Train visitor! of December 10th. Agricultural Department May Release first Quota This Week WASHINGTON, Dec. 21. —<U.R> — The Agriculture Department probably will publish sometime this week an “advance list” of 500 to 600 trader- who had big holdings in the commodity mar kets on some “sample” day or days of the last two years, it was disclosed today. Senate investigators, for whom the list is being compiled, mean - hile called on Edwin W. Pauley, special assistant to Army Secre tary Kenneth C. Royall, to sub mit “without further delay” the books and records on his own market operations. The uproar over commodity speculation was touched off by the charges of Republican Presidential aspirant Harold E. Stassen that Pauley and “other administration insiders” were cleaning up in the grain ex changes. J. M. Mehl, chief of the Agri culture Department’s Commodity Exchange Authority, told the United Press it was “extremely v.nlikely” that his small staff would be able to complete work this week on the full list of 12,000 to 15,000 traders, large and small, whose market operations have been recorded by the government during 1946 and 1947. But he said the agency “prob ably” will get out a first install ment of “500 to 600 names,” showing who held large amounts of commodity futures cn a given market day, or days. Such a list can be compiled See LIST On Page Two MERRYCMBTMAS WAS HIS MONIKER Mobile Hotel Clerk How ever, Thought He Was Just Being Nice MOBILE Ala., Dec. 21—W— A young man walked up to the clerk last night and said: “Merry Christmas.” “Merry Christmas to you,” the clerk replied. The man stood looking at the clerk. “ Is there something; I can do for you?” the puzzled clerk ask ed. “Merry Christmas,’ the man re peated and gave the clerk an in quisitive look. Vernon Weldy, the clerk, said the situation was getting out of hand when the man explained that he wanted a bridal suite, See MERRY on Page Two ATTACK ON GIRL BRINGS GUN FIRE Jews Mow Down Two British Army Men In Heart Of Jerusalem JERUSALEM, Dec. 21—OJ.R)— Jews with tommyguns shot down a British lieutenant and ser geant-major today o none of Jerusalem’s busiest avenues and one Arab and three Jews were reported killed in scattered new disorders from Safad in the North to Lydda in the C juth. The British sc' lers fell grave ly wounded with 10 slugs in their stomachs ofi King George avenue, a few hundred yards from tiie Jewish agency build ing. The Irgun Zvai Leumi tele phoned the United Pres-, that its agent-, shot them and said: “This is retributio. for the crim minal assault of a Jewis1 girl in Jerusalem last week by British soldiers.” Robert Stern, a British Jew who was public informati m offi cer until recently, was shot dead in the Talhbieh quarter of Jeru salem. Curfew For Area An Arab was killed and two others wounded in a shooting scrape at Safad in Northern Palestine. The British immedi ately clamped another curfew on the area. A Jewish truck driver and his assistant were stabbed to death between Tel Aviv and Jerusa lem. They were killed and their See ATTACK On Page Two KEROSENE BLAST TAKES SIX LIVES Majority Of Camden, South Carolina Rural Home Wiped Out CAMDEN, S. C., Dec. 21.—VP)— Six members of a family died to day of burns suffered when a kerosene can exploded in a room of a rural frame dwellin gin near by Bethune community yester day. The dead were identified by C. C. Kornegay of the Grainger Kornegay Funeral home as: Mrs. Maebelle Melton, 47, Ce ceil S. Melton and Clayton C. Melton, 13, her sons, and Ronny Lee Melton, Mrs. Melton’s eight-month-old grandson. Funeral services for these four, Kornegay said, will be held to morrow at 11:00 a.m. at the Pleasant Hill Baptist church near Bethune. Other victims identified by Kornegay were Mrs. Ella Melton Wright, 17, daugheter of Mae belle, and Ella’s baby, Mildred Louise Wright, one year and See KEROSENE on Page 2) Newspaperdom Mourns A Friend; Hellinger Dies By ALINE MOSBY United Press Hollywood Correspondent HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 21.—<U.» —Film producer-newspaper writ er Mark Hellinger, the first tale spinner about the little guys in show business, died today of a heart attack. He was 44. Hellinger died about 2 a.m. in the arms of his wife, ex-Ziegfeld follies queen Gladys Glad, at C'^ars of Lebanon hospital. He had been taken there two hours earlier. The sudden death of one of the youngest movie makers shocked Hollywood, which ten years ago welcomed the famed Broadway columnist from New York. Hel linger, after a stretch at screen writing, had barely had a start at producing movies with the same down-to-earth twist that touched his short stories. Hellinger was one of the most prolific writers of all time. He turned out more than 6,000 short See NEWSPAPERDOM on Pace 2 [ - Sen. Wilson Says Bill Kids Public Former Iowa Governor Lends Staunch Support To Democratic Ideas WASHINGTON, Dec. 21. — — A midwestern Republican Senator accused his party lead ers today of “trying to kid the public” with their anti-inflation program, and a Democratic Congressional source said Presi dent Truman is undecided whether to approve or veto it. Sen. George A. Wilson, form er governor of Iowa, said his party’s stop-gap plan to curb high prices “doesn’t mean any thing.” ‘I’m not in favor of kidding the public,” he told a reporter. ‘This bill won’t accomplish anything, and anybody who studies it will soon find that out.” Wilson, givng unexpected support to Democratic claims Congress acted “too little and too late” to cut down living costs, was one of three GOP lawmakers who voted against the plan. The others were Sens, Wayne Morse, R., Ore., and William Langer, R., N.D. Truman Debates A Democrat, who sometime* takes a part in White House thinking, said Mr. Truman iq debating whether to sign or re ject the Republican “quckie* answer to his drastic, ^lQ-point program which called for emer gency price, and consumer rar tioning controls. But it was as sumed he would approve it a* “better than nothing.” He probably won’t make up his mind, it was said, for ‘several days.” He has 10 days to think about it. Whatever he decides to do, this source said, Mr.Truman will probably iell the country See WILSON On Page Two POLICE HOLDMEN OVER GANG RIDE Bound, Gagged “In former’’ Escapes From Speeding Automobile CHICAGO, Dec. 21 —(U.R)—Po lice seized three men today for questioning about a gang ride— the result of a battle over Christmas loot—from which on# of two intended victims escaped by plunging from the gang’s speeding car though he wa« bound and gagged. Police were making a city wide search for the second vic tim, but believed he had been slain. They commented that the case was “similar” to the gang murder a week ago which end ed with four men dead and two wounded seriously. The man who escaped from the one-way ride was identified by police as Joseph Radek, 22. He is in the Bridewell (county jail) hospital in a serious condi tion from a gang beating and injuries suffered in the plunge from the car. He said he knew his missing companion only as “Eddie.” He told detectives that Eddie, also bound and gagged, still was In the kidnap car when he manag ed to lean against the door handle and fall out as the car sped through the city’s South west side at 60 miles per hour late Friday night. Has Record Police Lt. Orrin Ross said Ra dek had named Richard Galin ski, 25, as one of three men who engineered the ride. Ross said Galinski has a police record. Galinski and two other men were taken into custody for questioning. Ross said he did not think the other men had any connection “with the ride,” but knew Gal inski well. Galinski, Ross said, “claims he doesn’t know from nothing.” Deputy Chief of Detectives Aiken said the gang ride fol lowed a quarrel over the divi See POLICE on Page Two And So To Bed The sports minded people of Civitan club were discus sing their past scores and present standing in the bowl ing league. Apparently enough play ers had not been turning out and so Les'ie Boney, bachelor and tennis player himself, gave a brief suggestion as a remedy for this obstacle. Boney said: “The game of love is never postponed on ac count of darkness.”