WEATHER ~ ' " ~~
wilmington and vicinity—Fair ■■■ ft H'l^n __ -' Served By Leased Wires
srjfTfr: tue 6i iu mIwv** ctad-mewc -“ss—
I I I §L II 111 I :::|:^^ •-I'TJA W% m 111 f* Mil united press
m ™ ViV V^P ■ lft ftP'C ft ft*. IN IfcW'ft ft ■ W WBV With Complete Coverage
- — ^As?luirP r-, — r-^CT—~nc-,n„ _ "1 _ C— ** ™ ™ ~ " ^ W W State and National New*
. — -- --^jflTlnlli P@ffiT (gflW ©P PIs?@@®[IIir&Mr5) PfLfgAgy taii^ -—
V0I; l!)-~7l^l5jl_ ... _____ WILMINGTON, N. C., SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1947 SECTION A—PRICE TEN CENT!
GOP Outlines
25 Point Plan
In Next Session
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27—(/P)—Senator Taft (R-Ohio)
ga. today the Senate Republican Policy committee will
coivider, along with anti-inflation and foreign aid proposals,
s0jne 25 other issues.
They include such controversial domestic issues as tax
reduction, anti-poll tax legislation and proposals to raise the
minimum wage rate.
Taft supplied the following list of measures which he
said are being pressed on the committee, which he heads,
bin explained that the decision on their disposition v^ill be
Jti 1 I tliC \*vjxxxxxxx v • ]
\ Civil Service retirement }
Vl'ii, w! he said he personally
woiild “like to get out of the
v.ay " by an agreement on the
{urn. of the bill.
2, The House approved Mundt
bill 10 authorize the foreign in
formation service in the State
Department.
3. A House approved anti-poll
tax bill.
4 A proposal for statehood for
Hawaii, which Taft said will be
covered by specific recommen
dat; ins by Senator Cordon (R
Ore) when the latter returns
from Hawaii by January 20.
5. Federal aid to education.
6. A Housing bill on which
Taft said he hopes to get all
elements to agree, and which he
thinks should be passed in the
new session.
7. The railroad reorganization
bill now on the Senate calendar.
8 A measure creating a de
partment of health, education
and security, also on the Senate
calendar.
9. A long range agricultural
program to supplement the
price support law which expires
at the end of 1848.
10 Proposals for compulsory
military training.
11. Federal aid to states for
health programs.
12. A Fair Employment Prac
tices Act, on which Taft said the
Senate Labor committee will re
sume hearings January 16.
13. A minimum wage increase
proposal on which the labor
committee also will hold hear
ings
14. Income tax reduction,
which must start in the House.
15. General revision of the tax
laws, also starting in the House
16. Social security expansion,
on which the House must act
iirst.
17 Extension of military trade
to Latin American govern
ments.
18. Proposed extension of tl]e
Reciprocal Trade Agreements
Act.
19. The Urossrr Din 10 revise
the Railroad Retirement Act.
il). Legislation for the admis
sion oi European displaced per
sons.
21. A measure returning to the
states title to tidewater oil
lands.
22. Anti-lynching legislation.
23. The regular series of ap
propriation bills.
24. The legislative budget.
25. Extension of controls over
grains used for distilling.
Taft omitted from his list leg
islation to approve the St. Law
rence seaway pact with Canada
but Chairman Vandenberg (R
Mich) of the Foreign Relations
committee already has said that
issue will be brought to the Sen
ate floor early in the session.
The Weather
Forecasts Until 7:30 P.M. Sunday
VOR WILMINGTON AND VICINITY:
Fair and continued cold today and to
riowest temperature 33 degrees in
city. 28 to 33 degrees outside; Sunday
fair and somewhat warmer, highest tem
perature 54 degrees; moderate northwest
winds today, diminishing tonight and
becoming westerly Sunday.
FOR NORTH CAROLINA: Partly
cloudy today, tonight and Sunday; warm
er Sunday.
for SOUTH CAROLINA! Fair and
wanner today and tonight; Sunday part
ly cioudy and warmer.
Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7 ;30 a.m. today
Temperatures
1:30 a.m. 40; 7:30 a.m. 33; 1:30 p.m. 48;
<:30 p.m. 46.
Maximum 52; Minimum 32; Mean 42;
Normal 48.
Humidity
. 1;30 a m. 58; 7 ;30 a.m. 69; 1:30 p.m. 33;
1'30 p.m, 42.
Precipitation
Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30 a.m.
0-00 inches.
Total since the First of the month—
5-50 inches.
Tides for Today
{From the Tide Tables published by
4‘ Coast and Geodetic Survey) Dec.
. High Low
"igton _ 10:13 a.IV. 4:36 a.m.
10:24 p.m. 5:26 p.m.
Ma-y-nboro Inlet 7:55 a.m. 1:35 a.m.
8:17 p.m. 2:23 p.m.
be 7:17; Sunset 5:11; Moonrise
;l; m.: Moonset 8:17 a m. j
i{ * stage at Fayetteville, N. C., at
8 5 r.' , Saturday,-feet.
ml temperatures for the period
,,. ii-,30 p m. last night.
JII-MING TON _ 52 32
““'kngton _ 22 18 0.12
,f)tte _ 52 23
-:,ago __ _ 42 24
'A e- _ 69 27'
orth__ .77 38
11' a on_ 72 36
Ja oneiile _ 62 40
J City_ 55 33
West _ 68 62
J\''"-<viiie _ 52 24
f-'tti,- Bock _ 70 35
Angeles_ 83 58
Vs■■■■Phis _ 66 27
,!r: o'ian_ 69 27
- _ 64 52
Aev. Orleans _ 67 36
York_ _ 34 25 0.12
S' ‘Ik _ 63 32
£! ‘‘adelphia _ 37 30
n1 '.'urgh _ 31 26
‘J: ‘‘load, Me. __ 27 22 0.08
{fK ntond _ 46 26
?a’ Antonio__ 72 32
rr- Francisco_ _ 59 38
5’ amah _ _ 62 36 •
£ean|e - ... 51 40 0.85;
va M - _ 66 45
'ok .burg _ 69 26
''Arlington . 42 32
ITALIANS SIGN
CONSTITUTION
Ceremony Heldin Palazzo
Giustiniani
Saturday
* ________________
ROME, Dec. 27 —(&)—Presi
dent Enrico De Nicola signed
the constitution of the Italian
Republic today in the library of
the palazzo Giustiniani. The
charter will become effective as
Italians welcome tne new vear.
After De Nicola signed, Um
berto Terracini, communist
president of the constituent as
sembly, and Premier Alcide de
Gasperi added their signatures
All members of the govern
ment except white-Deardei 71
year-old Ludovico D’Aragonu,
minister of posts and telegraph,
were present.
De Nicola came to Rome from
Torre Del Greco on the bay of
Naples, where he had been
spending the Christmas holi
days. De Gasperi, who was suf
fering yesterday from a slight
attack of influenza, rose from
a sick bed to be present.
While the signing ceremony
was in progress communists
mobilized their forces through
out Italy for a new assault on
De Gasperi’s middle-of-the-road
government. Italy has ex
perienced two months of almost
incessant communist - inspired
violence and strikes.
The communist-led “congress
ol congresses’’ met today. This
session brings together execu
live bodies elected in recent
longresses which have laid
plans for revolutionary move
ments in factories and on the
and.
Tomorrow the national coun
cil of the communist-dominated
general confederation of iabt.r
will meet in Rome. There wil
oe a simultaneous gathering of
mmmuList party card holders
m Rome province.
TRUMAN SIGNS
HOUSING BILL
Appropriates $750,000,
000 To Insure
Loans
7 ASHINGTON, Dec. 27.—'A5) -
^resident Truman today signed
Leg -.at:on increasing oy 4><rt,
399 000 the authority oi the Fed
enl Reusing administration to
insure loans on housing con
struction.
The loans are made under
title VI of the Federal Housing
Act.
Federal housing adminis
tration officials said that the
new authorization will make pos
sible immediate resumption oi
‘effective aid to private indus
try in providing urgently needed
housing for veterans.”
The measure, passed in clos
ing days of the special session
of congress, increases the in
surance authorization $250,
300,000 at once and makes
another $500,000,000 available up
to March 31 at the discretion of
President Truman.
FHA stopped processing title
71 applications from home build
ers when the original $4,200,000,
300 authorization ran out in late
November
VET ENGINEER KILLED
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Dec. 27.
—(U.R)—Roy W. Stone, 77, retired
locomotive engineer with 53 years
of service in the cab, was struck
and killed here last night by a
fast passenger train as he crossed
the tracks.__
!Fifty-l*|s*s£ Persons Die In Snow Storm
That Sweeps New York And Northeast;
10,000 Turkish Students Protest Reds
Police Save
Red Embassy
From Mobs
Five Professors Forced To
Resign From Ankara
University
ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 27 —
(U.R)—An anti-communist mob of
nearly 10,000 led by angry stud
ents clashed with police and
firemen today in a pitched
street attle which forced the
resignation of five university
professors.
Only a firm stand by a
hastily-mobilied force of 500 po
lice and firemen prevented the
mob from attacking the Soviet
embassy.
The demonstration, climaxing
a week-long anti-communist
campaign in the Ankara news
papers, compelled the dismissal
of four allegedly communistic
Ankara university professors
and the resignation of Dean Sev
ket Ai Kansu.
The demonstration began in
an Ankara suburb, where mem
bers of the National Students’
league assembled a crowd and
started a march through the
city, carrying banners denounc
ing red college teachers and
George Dimitrov, communist
premier of Bulgaria
Growing in sie and fury as it
progressed, the mob surged to
ward the Soviet embassy
Police cordoned off the street,
protecting the embassy from the
mob. The rioters then nade for
the university, where they
smashed windows and marched
on the dean’s office, where a
(Continued on Page 2; Col. 7)
GREEKGUERRILLA
BATTLE RAGES
Konista Is Center Of Bit
ter Fighting Last
Night
ATHENS, Greece, Dec. 27 —
(U.R)—The battle between guerril
la and government forces for
Konitsa raged without decision
through its second day today, as
the government prepared more
stringent curbs on Communism
Neither side succeeded in
gaining a significant advantage
in the battle for the key Greek
road center near the border of
communist - dominated Alba
nia, reports in the Athens press
indicated.
The Greek army announced
that 102 fighters on both sides
were killed in the first 24 hours
of the battle, and added hat
civilian casualties of the gerril
la bombardment of the town
were “considerable”
Meanwhile, government au
thorities closed down ihe com
munist weekly Rioslast Red
newspaper published in Athens
—while the cabinet debated a
proposed law which would make
Communism a crime.
The new law being considered
by the cabinet would outlaw
communist - controlled organi
tions such as the leftwing po
litical coalition EAM and the
Communist-controlled organiza
Communist party youth move
ment pron, and authoried the
discharge of Communistic gov
ernment employes.
The measure, proposed by
Justice Minister Christos Ladas,
'was considered certain to be ap
proved by the cabinet. After
that, only the signatures of
Premier Themistocles Sofou
lis and oher government lead
ers would be required to make
it a law.
Thirty-Two Said
Missing In Typhoon
MANILA, Dec. 27 —UP)—'Thir
ty-two persons from the sunken
Danish liner Kina were counted
as missing tonight in the after
math of a typhoon whose full
toll still was hidden by wide
spread destruction C? communi
cations throughout the central
Philippines.
The total dead and missing in
the storm stood at. 49, but might
go higher as isolated areas re
ported.
Twelve passengers and 17
crew members of the 9,823-t o n
motor vessel were named by
the agents as safely ashore at
Calbayog and Dinalio point on
the west coast of the island of
Samar after taking to life-boats
and rafts before dawn Friday
when the ship broke up on rocks
five miles offshore.
Capt. Aage Hjernum, 30 of his
crew and one passenger were
still missing. Some may have
reached safety, but several days
will be required to check "Sea
side villages afoot.
Among those saved were
three American women em
ployes of the U. S\ War Depart
ment in Japan, who had booked
passage for Europe in Shang
hai. They were the Misses Ada
Espenshade of Chicago Anne
Malek and Louise S. Rosso.
PICKETS FOR AMNESTY PICKET THE WHITE HOUSE
BPO^\r‘.7 ..• ..r.ir'iiim
MEN DRESSED IN STRIPED UNIFORMS march in front of the White House in
Washington, urging general amnesty for violators of the Selective Service Act. The
demonstration was sponsored by the Comm ittee for Amnesty. (AP Wirephoto).
Airlie Mansion Reported Sold
To W.A. Corbett; He ‘Denies’ It
-1 _ __ __—
SOME 3,500,000
CHILDREN FED!
UN Agency Report Made
Public Last
Night
LAKE SUCCESS, N. Y„ Dec.
27.—(ff)—Some 3,500,J00 of Eu
rope’s hungriest children art. now
getting some food through the
United Nations International
Children’s Emergency fund, the
agency ^reported today.
Children are now being fed in
Austria, Bulgaria, Czechoslova
kia, Finland, Greece, Hungary,
Italy, Poland and Rumania, said
Maurice Pate, executive direc
tor of the fund.
Food also has been shipped
to Albania and Yugoslavia, he
said in a statement, for child
feeding in 1948.
Plans also are being made to
get aid to some 290,000 French
children “for whom an urgent
appeal has been made.”
, Aid also will be sent to chil
C en in China and other Far East
ern areas, Pate said.
Operations are being financed
by contributions, principally
from governments, of approxi
mately $39,000,000.
The United Nations appeal for
children will sponsor a world
wide fund raising campaign in
1948. Pate urged public support
for it. Funds raised through the
appeal will go principally to the
child feeding project, he said.
By PHIL WRIGHT
Staff Writer
In spite of persistent rumors
to the contrary in circles
supposedly in the know, W.
A. Corbett, Wilmington in
dustrialist last night would
not deny or admit that he
was purchasing the Airlie
mansion, adding “nothing will
be confirmed concerning the
deal until the latter part of
hext week.”
It was said in authoritative
circles that Corbett was pur
chasing the mansion as a gift
for a daughter. Corbett said
“I have what information
there is about the purchase
in my pocket, but I’m not
ready to talk” as he refused
to confirm the report.
According to informed circles,
negotiations between Corbett
and owners of the estate, are
“practically completed.”
Meanwhile Bud Taylor, who
for years has served as superin
tendent of the large estate which
embodies a grand Ante-Bellum
mansion, showplace, and former
home of the late Mrs Harry
Walters, said that he would not
be at liberty to tell anything
about the reported transaction.
However, reliable sources ad
mitted that “several interested
paries have obtained, over the
past several weeks, private en
tree into the estate where they
stayed for hours, apparently
(Continued on Page 2; Col. 6)
City Plans To Back
ACL Train Petition
Unless an earleir session of the city council is called,
City Manager J. R. Benson said last night that the local
governing body would act Wednesday on a resolution urg
ing that the Atlantic Coast Line railroad be allowed to dis
continue its Wilmington-Portsmouth train, which the rail
road said is necessary if it is to continue the present Wil
mington to Rocky Mount schedule.
Meanwhile Peter B. Ruffin,
president of the Chamber of
Commerce, said that the
Wilmington Merchants associ
ation and the Chamber have
already drafted letters to the
North Carolina Utilities Com
mission, which previously denied
the ACL the right to stop trains
48 and 49, the Wilmington-Ports
mouth run.
ACL officials have said that
both trains 48 and 49 and traing
45 and 46, the Wilmington-Rocky
Mount run have been operating
at a loss, but they said they
wanted to continue the operation
of 45-4 and discontinue 48 - 49
because fewer passengers use
the latter train and because it
has lost more money than the
Wilmington-Rocky Mount sched
ule.
Schedule 45-46 was placed in
operation during the war as an
emergency service, the officials
said, and the company was al
lowed to discontinue the run
when the war ended.
But because the Wilmington
Rocky Mount train allows local
businessmen to travel to N e w
York Ciyt for buying and to re
turn to Wilmington within 48
hours, Ruffin said “it is in the
interest of local merchants that
Chicken Raised
In A Bottle
At Kannapolis
KANNAPOLIS, Dec. 27.—
W—People who are puzzled
by miniature ships in bot
tles would go to see Vic Har
rington and Buford Efird at
Landis. They have a chick
en—a real live one—in a
bottle.
They put the chicken in
the bottle when it was tiny
and when it grew up it be
came happy in its unusual
home. ..Two vents provide
plenty of air and the chick
en rests on a wire on which
are placed food and water.
the train be allowed to continue
operation.”
The railroad petitioned the
commission to discontinue the
Wilmington - Portsmouth run,
planning to keep trains 45-46 in
operation. However since it was
not allowed the petition, the ACL
officials said they will be forced,
because of financial losses on
both schedules, to discontinue the
Wlmington - Rocky Mount train.
HIGHWAY DEATH
RULED ACCIDENT
Lejeune Marine Held
Blameless In Jack
sonville
JACKSONVILLE, Dec. 27.—Of
ficers tonight held blameless M
Sgt. J. B. Nelson, Camp Le
jeune Marine whose auto struck
and fatally injured a 25-year
old Onslow county man, Friday |
night after two women, com
panions of the dead man told
how he insisted on “walking in
the middle of the highway at
night.”
Investigating officers said that
dark clothing worn by Sam Hen
ry Jenkins, nearby resident of
Jacksonville, prevented Nelson
from seeing him in time to avoid
hitting him with his automoble
as Jenkins walked with two
women companions on the high
way near Holly Ridge.
The accident occured about
9:30 o’clock as Jenkins and Mrs.
Edith Rochelle and Miss Thelma
Shepherd walked on the road
about a mile north of Holly
Ridge, according to the two
women. They told investigating
officers that Jenkins “insisted
on walking in the middle of the
road” while they clung to the
outer edge of the four lane high
way.
The women were residents of
Folkstone.
Nelson was said by officers to
have been alone in the automo
bile when the accident occured.
NEW BERN FARMER'
CONFESSES IN DEATH
OF WILLIAM NORRIS
NEW BERN, Dec. 27.—(U.R)—
Police said today they had ob
tained a confession from Earl
Humphrey, Vanceboro farmer,
in the axe-killing of William C.
Norris.
Officers quoted Humphrey as
saying he struck Norris in the
head in self defense after his
neighbor attempted to attack
him with a knife. Police said the
killing took place Dec. 20.
FREEDOM TRAIN
MONTGOMERY, Ala., Dec. 27.
—(U.R)—The Freedom Train stood
on a siding here today only a
few blocks from the Alabama
capital where Jefferson Davis, in
1861, took the oath of office as
president of the Confederacy.
New Record Set
As 25.8 Inch Fall
Cripples Services
300 Funerals Postponed; All Buses Stopped!
Thousands Of Cars Snowed Under; ‘Grav
est Emergency’ Reported Last Night
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
At least 55 persons perished in Friday’s great Atlantic
seaboard snowstorm, which crippled New York city with &
25.8-inch mantle it was disclosed last night.
The storm’s human toll was counted Saturday as thou
sands of workers toiled to remove deep drifts from rail
and highway thoroughfares and the storm moved out over
the ocean toward Canada’s maritime provinces with a final
light sifting of snow over the New England coastline.
Packing of the snow reduced somewhat its depth in
many areas, but made more difficult the job of cleaning
important arteries. In the most severely hit area—south
eastern New York and Connecticut—thousands of automo
biles remained embedded in drifts, and only tentative re
sumption of bus and interurban train service was achieved
SPECULATOR’S
NAMES DEMANDED
House Investigators Seek
Names From An
derson
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.— (U.R)
—House investigators demanded
tonight that the Agriculture De
partment produce the names of
200 federal employes the depart
ment supposedly investigated
last fall for speculating on the
commodity markets.
The demand was made in the
name of a special house com
mittee looking into commodity
market speculation. It also
asked for specific information
on charges that federal em
ployes in Chicago have set up a
“speculative pool” for dealing
in commodity futures.
The requests were made in a
letter to Secretary of Agricul
ture Clinton P. Anderson by Rep
August H. Andresen, R., Minn.,
chairman of the special com
mittee.
Andresen told reporters this
information concerning the 200
federal employes came from a
“very reliable source.”
CLAIMS SOVIETS
PLAN NEW FIGHT
Marshall Plan Said Target
In Europe During
March
PARIS, Dec. 27—OT—Well-in
formed political sources said to
night the communists are pre
paring a new coordinated move
against the Marshall Plan in
France, Italy, Greece, Turkey
and Austria and the French gov
ernment is expecting the action
to begin in March.
The formation of a communist
state in northern Greece was
the preliminary move for more
serious action coordinated by
the cominform (communist in
ternational information bureau),
said this informant who is close
ly linked with the French gov
ernment.
The form the communist
drive will take was still a mat
ter of conjecture, he added, but
it may be a new widespread ef
fort to tie up France and Italy
wave in an effort to hinder Eu
ropean recovery and neutralize
especially with a new strike
the effects of American econom
ic aid.
Iron Lung Salesman,
Cash Still Missing
Mystery continue! last night to
cloak the whereaboms of C. D.
Crump, r. ;ssing irui lung sales
r.an and $4,000 he .s reported to
have on his person following his
checking out of a Wilmington
hotel last Monday.
Crump came to Wilmington
and with police approval wras to
set up an iron lung here and so
licit funds for the purchase of
two lungs for use by the fire and
police departments.
His brother, V. C. Crump last
night told the Star-News that the
missing man had $3,200 he had
A
collected in other cities toward
iron lungs and $800 of his own
when last seen.
Crump was to have driven to
Charleston from Wilmington in
his 1940 Cadillac club coupe but
according to the brother, V. C.
Crump and police, he did not ar
rive there.
Meanwhile police are continu
ing their search.
The brother here said he fears
foul play and that he is a partner
of the missing man in the iron
. business. He came to
Wilmington from Fayetteville
last night to press the search,
For New York City, the snow
fall was the heaviest on record,
eclipsing the famous blizzard of
1888.
. By Saturday afternoon, the 26
mch depth measurement at La
Guardia field had shrurk to 23
inches, and Boston, despite ad
ditional light snow, reported a
depth reduction from nine to
NEW YORK, Dec. 27.—W)
Edward J. Delvin, presi
dent of a large New York
funeral concern, estimated
today that some 300 funerals
had to be postponed because
of the city’s record snowfall.
Devlin said, however, some
cemeteries are expected to
be open for burials tomor
row, but funeral corteges
will be limited by agree
ment of funeral homes to a
hearse and one automobile.
eight inches. However, ths
storm’s final fall added an inch
to the cover at Eastport, Me.,
bringing it to 11 inches there.
The storm’s aftermath include
ed serious fires in Portland,
Maine, Philadelphia, Pa., and
York, Pa., where firemen were
hampered by snow-clogged
streets, and all firemen in New
York city were kept on 24-hour
duty in what officials termed
the “gravest emergency” in the
fire department’s history.
At one time, all New York
city bus transportation was at a
stand-still, and suburban train*
stalled, marooning passenger*
in many instances.
Air travel in and out of New
York ceased completely for
many hours, and trains to and
from other parts of the country
were delayed in arriving and de
(Continued on Page 2; Col. 2)
PALESTINE DEAD
NOW TOTALS 500
Arab, Jewish War Rages
Atop Mount Of
Olives
JERUSALEM, Dec. 27 _
Hagana, the Jewish defens*
army, lashed back at the Arab*
today and Palestine’s sputtering
communal warfare claimed lit
more lives — eight Arabs and
four Jews.
The day’s killings brought to
379 the Associated Press death
count in Palestine since the Nov
29 United Nations decision to
partition Palestine. The tally for
the entire Middle East was 500.
Palestine police, in their first
public count of casualties, said
316 persons had died since Deo
ls but added all deaths may not
have been reported to them.
Violence actually began on Nov.
«Uv7.
In today’s action a Hagana
striking force raided the Arab
village of Silwan on the famed
Mount of Olives, police said.
Two Arabs were killed, two
were wounded and five houses
were destroyed.
Hagana clashed with 10
armed Arabs in a house in the
strife-torn area between T e l
Aviv and Jaffa and the body of
an armed Arab was found after
the firing ceased.
In Jerusalem a groUp .*£
Arabs attacked a
orphanage, throwing ”ana
grenades and firing small arms.
Hagana sped forces K g!
S’ bg P^/Hdarglnaffluad
Arabs before re no easual
arrived There orphanage, b t
ties inside b was wounded
Jewish Pais«
by the Arabs
t