WEATHER
North Carolina—Fair and moder
ately cool today and tonight fol
lowed by partly cloudy and slight
ly wanner Friday.
Tshk
Hhelhy Bnily
Starsz
CLEVELAND COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1894
TELEPHONES 1100
- State Theatre Today -
“NEVADA”
Robert MITCHUM
Anne JEFFRESYS
VOL. XLIII-52
ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS
SHELBY, N. C.
THURSDAY, MAR. 1, 1945
TELEMAT PICTURES
SINGLE COPIES—6c
Red Drive May Have Cut Off Large Section Of Eastern Pomerania
l***** ***/***# **# ####„
Tokyo Repo rts Palawan Island Invaded
Two Thirds Of Iwo Jima
Now In American Hands;
Supplies Are Parachuted
U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEADQUARTERS, Guam, Mar.
1.—(iT*)—All but the northern third or rocky little Iwo Jima
was in American hands today as the marines, their special
supplies parachuted from transport planes, fought to clear
the vital central plateau.
Front dispatches said the Third
division Devildogs already had
crossed the plateau In places and
were moving downhill for the first
time since D-day, 11 days ago.
The battle for the pillbox-stud
ded central plateau was termed
a decisive operation by MaJ. Gen.
Graves B. Ersklne, whose Third
division Marines overran the main
village of Motoyama, Just beyond
the captured central airfield, In a
gain of several hundred yards yes
terday.
They reached a third airfield,
Motoyama No. 3 which was under
construction when the Americans
landed Feb. 19.
The Marines had artillery, naval
gun and close air support as they
drove ahead more than 500 yards
all along the two-mile battle line
against the toughest, cleverest de
fenses encountered anywhere In
the Pacific.
"HELLS SUBURB”
Associated Press Correspondent
J. M. Lindsay called the terrain :
"Hell's Principal Suburb.” I
An important supply problem i
was licked yesterday as U. S.
transport planes flew in low •and
dropped supplies on the captured
southern bomber field, Motoyama
No. 1. Red and green parachutes
landed special parts and medical ,
supplies flown from the Marianas
In response to a hurry-up call.
See TWO-THIRDS Page 2
1
Air Offensive In
18th Straight Day
Nearly 2,000 British And American Heavy Bombers \
Join In Smashes Against Reich i
LONDON. March 1.—(#*)—The massive allied air as- !
sault carried through its 18th straight day. More than 1,800 <
U. S. and British heavy bombers smashed almost simultan
eously' acainst at least ten targets in the Reich.
MEAT POINT
VALUESRISE
New Program Will Be
Stiffest Since Ration
ing Began
WASHINGTON, March 1—UP>—
A red-point food program, termed
“the stiffest since rationing be
gan’’ goes into effect Sunday. It
assigns higher values to a wide
range of cheaper beef and poj-k
cuts.
The OPA, announcing this today,
tempered the bad news somewhat
with two and three-point-a-pound
reductions for choice beef steaks
and roasts. These, however, are
scarce in most parte of the coun
try.
The general tightening up re
sults, Price Administrator Chester
Bowles said, from "heavy military
requirements and the fact that
hog marketings are running be
low previous estimates”
While prevailing point value*
for all lamb and most veal re
main unchanged along with the
current 24-point ration cost of
butter, these boosts, for example,
have been ordered:
Hamburger and bacan go from
four to six points a pound. So
does beef chuck, up from three
points. Short rib* go from one to
three points, boneless brisket from
two to four, and flank meat from
three to five.
Among pork cute, end chops are
See MEAT Page 2
Allied Warships
Said Massing At
West Burma Port
SAN FRANCISCO, March 1—(IP)
—The Blue network intercepted a
Tokyo radio broadcast last night
which said Allied warships were
massing at the British-held West
Burma coast port of Akyab.
The broadcast also said the 14th
American Airforce in China and
the Chinese Airforce are being
heavily reinforced. v ^
t
More than 600 RAF Lancasters /
and Halifaxes struck two rail and
oil cities In Western Oertriany, {
while more than 1,200 American
heavies attacked a chain of eight <
railway centers In the southern
Reich which serve three Nail bat
tlefronts.
Before noon, the V. S. Ninth
Air Force lashed out with al
most 1,000 sorties ahead of the
biasing western front. A force
of 560 fighter bombers battered
Neuss, cross-Rhine suburb of
the Ruhr’s Duesseldorf, In the
path of the Allied ground drive
in the west.
Before worsening weather crip
pled air operations shortly after
noon, the Ninth Air Force alone
had plastered German retreat lines
and troop movements along the
Rhine all the way from Neuss to
the Moselle Valley ahead of the
U. S. Third army drive.
Havocs, Invaders and Marauders,
375 strong, blasted eight conunu
See AIR OFFENSIVE Page t
WHAT’S DOING
TODAY
6:00 p.m.—Second round of
Cleveland county basketball
tou tiament begins at armory.
Coi/tinues through evening.
7:00 p.m.—Kiwanis club meets
at Hotel Charles.
FRIDAY
12:30 p.m.—Rotary club meets
at Hotel Charles,
UNANIMOUS:
Biennial Finance Bill
Is Passed By House
DAT mnu UTavAk 1 //D\ TV.- I TJt -u - »— -*— *
biennial finance bill, which Chair
man John H. Kerr, Jr., of the fi
nance committee said would raise
1129,675,028 undei* present estimat
es, passed the house today on sec
ond reading 107 to 0, after the
adoption of nine clarifying amend
ments.
Kerr said the bill would raise
866,340,014 the first year of the
next biennium, and $63,335,014 the
second year. It will mean a re
duction of $2,185,000 under the o
rlginal bill as recommended by
the advisory budget commission.
will be substantially in balance,
since appropriations total $131,
086,161. He reminded, however,
that the emergency war salary
schedule called lor the expenditure
ol $8,800,000 If such funds were
available. If that should be paid,
the state would spend $130,886,161
In the general fund. But if that
fund is not paid, the budget will
be out of balance only $1,411,133,
which should be made up with rev
enue higher than estimated.
. See BIENNIAL Page l
\
l
CAPTURE WOED
CLOSE ROUTI
ro CHINA SEA
MacArthur Reports Vir
tual Destruction Of Japs
On Corregidor
/VIOLENT~BATTLE'
MANILA, March 1.—;(yp)—
American invasion of Palawan
island, the occupation of
vhich would go far toward
sealing off Japanese holdings
:n the southern Philippines
?rom across to the south China
lea, was reported today by
rokyo radio.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur made
10 reference to such an operation
n his Thursday communique which
announced virtual destruction of
;he trapped enemy garrison of 6,000
>n Corregidor island in Manila Bay.
The enemy radio said that
a regiment of Yanks—possibly
3,004 men—landed at 11 a.m.
Wednesday on Palawan, 250
mllss soathweot of Manila.
The unconfirmed report told a
• I»W»VMV WMVV«V ••• WQ* VWH>
If substantiated, Palawan would
le the 16th Island invaded by Mac
trthur's forces In the Philippines,
rhe island, 275 miles long and 25
idles across at its widest point, is
he dividing line between the Sulu
,nd South China seas.
iOUTH CHINA SEA
In American hands it would place
Jnited States forces along more
han a 600-mile stretch of the China
ea extending from Lingayen gulf
n western Luzon in an arc to
See CAPTURE Page 2
"hina Wants
CONSTITUTIONAL
GOVERNMENT
CHUNOKINO, March 1. —(Jf)—
i national assembly to inaugurate
onstitutional government will be
onvened Nov. 12 subject to ap
iroval of the Kuomintang (Nation
.1 people’s party) Congress meet
ing in May, President Chiang Kai
hek announced today.
He said the Kuomintang would
eturn supreme power to the peo
ile through the instrumentality of
he national assembly and mean
while would prepare to admit other
larties to a share in the govern
nent.
“But I definitely cannot abdi
ate to a loose combination of
lowers," said Chiang.
The generalissimo disclosed that
o meet the fears of the commun
sts his government had expressed
willingness for the duration of the
war to place an American general
n command of. the communist
orces under Chlang’s overall com
mand if the U. 8. government could
gree. He said the communists re
ected this offer.
Bulletin
LONDON, March 1—(>P)—Bri
tain’s house of commons to
night gave Prime Minister
Churchill a unanimous 413 to 0
vote of confidence.
STAR EDITORIAL:
ONE HOUR AND 36 MINUTES
There is not the least doubt but that Cleveland county
will meet its quota in the Red Cross drive which opened
today. This is the drive in which the people of this county
are asked to give enough for the whole year to operate the
Red Cross for the short space of one-hour and 36 minutes.
Here is how much it costs to do the work of mercy car
ried on by the Red Cross:
One second_$7
Ten seconds_$70
Fifteen seconds_$105
One minute_$420
Five minutes_$2,100
We put those figures down advisedly because we know
j that some Cleveland people will want to calculate their con
I tributions in time. They will want to have a part in that
hour and 36 minutes which Cleveland will give.
No it is not a question of will Cleveland meet its quota.
We know that it will. But how quickly can it do the job?
In that little more than an hour and a half the Red Cross will
comfort many homesick fighting men; help scores of wound
ed soldiers, take food to war prisoners or do a thousand
other works of mercy.
In making up our minds to deliver that precious time
to our fighting men, we ought not to require much more time
than we re giving, do you think?
PRESIDENT WARNS:
U. S. Responsible For
World Collaboration
Holds Firm Belief That Good Start Has Been Made On
Road To World Peace
WASHINGTON, March 1.—(A*)—President Roosevelt
told congress and the nation today that America will have to
take the rseponsibility for world collaboration “or we shall
have to bear the responsibility for another world conflict.”
Mr. Roosevelt said he returns home from his long
journeys “with a firm belief that we have made a good start
on the road to a world peace.”
WOULD (MAW
AGGRESSION
Inter-American Confer
ence Favors Declaration
Of Chapultepec
MEXICO CITY, March 1—m—
Far-reaching resolutions commit
ting the American nations to en
force peace, tighten their political
bonds and cooperate to make the
South American continent an in
dustrial horn of plenty today ap
peared headed for approval by the
Inter-American conference.
Principal among them is the
“Declaration of Chapultepec,”
which calls for joint American
and Latin-American armed as
sistance to stop actual or po
tential aggression in the hemi
sphere.
The form in which the Chapul
tepec instrument finally will come
before the convention remains at
issue. It was learned on the high
est authority yesterday that the
U. S. delegation had drafted a
compromise pledge to Latin Amer
ica on the use of armed forces to
crush aggresion in this hemi
sphere.
MODIFY TEXT
This would modify the text pre
sented to the conference commit
tee Tuesday, which provided for
See WOULD Page Z
John F. Schenck, Sr.
Is Seriously III
John F. Schenck, sr., pioneer
and prominent textile manufac
turer and business man of Cleve
land county, is critically ill at his
Lawndale home following a recur
ring attack suffered this week af
ter an earlier paralytic stroke. At
tending physicians today reported
him resting a bit more comfort
ably.
I
''•""***6 «* nvit v* i/uc UV/Uov
chamber at a joint session of the
two branches of congress the Pres
ident said in a personal report on
the Crimea conferences that the
Allies will not desist for one mo
ment “until unconditional surren
der” is won.
“The German people, as well as
the German soldiers,” he asserted,
"must realize that the sooner they
give up and surrender, by groups
or as individuals, the sooner their
present agony will be over. They
must realize that with only com
plete surrender can they begin to
reestablish themselves as people
whom the world might accept as
decent neighbors.”
Unconditional surrender of Japan
is as essential as the defeat of
Germany “if our plans for world
peace are to succeed,” he declared,
adding that Japanese militarism
must be wiped out as thoroughly
as German militarism.
SUCCESSFUL
Mr. Roosevelt went before con
gress with his personal _ report on
the historic conferences with Mar
shal Stalin and Prime Minister
See U. S. Page 2
HAMMOCK SELLS
AUTO BUSINESS
H. M. Hammock, for the past
eight years operator of Hammock
Motors as local dealer for Oldsmo
bile and International trucks and
formerly Cadillac, has sold his
business to Herman W. “Shorty”
Roberts and B. P. Sherer, who will
operate it as Roberts’ Sales and
Service under the active manage
ment of Mr. Roberts.
The same organization and ser
vice staff will be maintained in the
old Hammock stand at 312 South
LaPayette.
Mr. Hammock in making the
sale said that he has no immediate
plans to re-enter business but
would probably return actively to
the local automotvie sales and ser
vice field.
SOVIETS CRASH
THROUGH INHA
DEFENSE LINE
Germans Forced Into Re
treat South Of Bublitz;
City Taken
SURGE TOWARD BALTIC
LONDON, March 1.—(7P)—
The Russians have crossed the
Inha river defense line east of
Stettin in their offensive to
ward the Baltic, the German
high command said today, and
Moscow dispatches said a
large section of eastern Pom
erania appeared to have been
virtually cut off.
“Col. Gen. A. K. Sokolsky’s ar
tillery has the Danzig-Stettin
coastal railway under fire in sev
eral sectors and there is no traf
fic moving from east to west,” said
a Moscow dispatch from (JP) Cor
respondent Eddy Gilmore.
The German communique said
Marshal Gregory Zhukov’s First
White Russian Army forced the
crossing of the Ihna.
Further east, the Germans said.
Marshal Konstantin Rokossovsky’s
Second White Russian Army forc
ed the Germans into another re
treat south of Bublitz, 22 miles
from the coastal railway, whose
capture me Kussians announced
last night.
Gilmore said Kolberg, Koeslin
and Schlawe, a string of cities
spaced 25 miles apart from south
west to northeast on the Stettin
Danzig railway appeared to have
been cut off from one another by
artillery fire brought within range
by Rokossovsky’s armored and
motorized swoop.
CAVALRY SUPPORT
Tanks and mobile infantry were
receiving cavalry support in the
northward surge toward the Baltic.
Large formations of Red air force
Stormoviks threw battered German
army and Volkssturm units into
confusion.
On the Berlin front, Moscow dis
patches said there were indications
See SOVIETS Page 2
NATiONENJOYS
MILD WEATHER
By The Associated Press
March arrived like a lamb today
but the lamb’s rival in the old
adage of March 1—the lion—was
near the country’s border and
roaring for a chance to change
climatic conditions.
Mild weather, with temperatures
above normal, prevailed over most
all sections of the nation. The
only sections where the lion—rep
resenting disagreeable weather —
had any claims to victory over the
meek lamb were over parts of New
England and in northern Minne
sota where light snow was report
ed, and in extreme south Texas,
which reported light rainfall.
The Chicago weather bureau
predicted temperatures in the 60's
over south central states today;
in the 50's in the lower Missouri
and Ohio valleys, and 35 to 40
north to the Canadian border.
The spring-like weather, fore
casters said, will be broken tomor
row when a cold snap moves into
I Minnesota and spreads into the
midwest sections. Temperatures will
drop 20 degrees and more by to
morrow night, forecasters said.
Batt Says War Production
Must Continue Full Speed
niiw xuKH., Marcn i. —(tr)—
William L. Batt said today war
production must continue lull speed
lor “big military landings” in the
Pacilic and land lighting on per
haps the European scale.
The Army and air lorces will have
to be “pretty completely re-equip
ped” to light Japan, the War Pro
duction board vice chairman said
in an address prepared lor a Ro
tary club luncheon.
Batt announced staggering
figures on America’s produc
tion—now equal to that of "all
our Allies and enemies com
bined—but forecast that Ger
h
many's rail will permit less than
a 20 per cent reconversion to
peacetime goods.
“I can tell you that our military
men may not use much of the
equipment they have employed in
Europe against the Japanese,” Batt
said, since other types of material
are needed and the task of assem
bling and reshipping across the
world is "simply not practicable.”
Batt disclosed in his address that
this country has sent 28,471 heavy j
bomber’—Liberators, Fortresses and
the huge new Superbombers—into
SM BATT r»ge 2
Doughboys Five Miles
From Cologne; German
Defense Lines Breached
PARIS, March 1.—(/P)—Powerful First Army forces
poured today through breached defenses within five miles
of Cologne, placing the great Rhineland metropolis under
siege.
To the north, the Americans of the Ninth Army burst
closer to the Rhine banks and increased the peril to the
fabulously rich Ruhr in gains still masked by security silence.
The German communique said the Ninth Army was at
Grevenbroich, 11 1-2 miles southwest of Duesseldorf, and on
both sides of Rheydt, a city of 80,000 which adjoins Munechen
Gladbach 15 miles west of Duesseldorf. Both are five miles
beyond last reported Ninth Army positions.
The enemy said officially that breakthrough attempts on
both sides of Rheydt and Grevenbroich, a main Erft river
crossing, were foiled by Germans fighting “on a coherent
line running from west of Duelken (five miles northwest of
Muenchen Gladbach) to the Erft and reaching the Roer
Capt. McBrayer
Urges Support
For Red Cross
Capt. John Z. McBrayer, who
told, a graphic story of seeing the
Red Cross effectively on the job
aiding service men in China, In
dia, North Africa and wherever
Uncle Sam sends them, voiced the
hope that Cleveland county would
support whole-heatredly the War
Fund drive but would never have
need at home of Red Cross assist
ance as some 200 campaign work
ers swept into action following this
morning’s kick-off breakfast.
Capt. McBrayer, who lost a leg
in China, hit hard and straight
from the shoulder in behalf of the
Red Cross which he pictured at the
side of every service man doing
what it can to ease his worries
and suffering and proving itself an
angel of mercy wherever there is
trouble on the many fronts of this
war. He praised the morale build
ing work of the Red Cross and he
dispelled some of the criticism he
said had been thoughtlessly and
even falsely directed from some
quarters at the fine work it is do
ing.
ARMY OF WORKERS
An army of workers went at once
to scouring the city in response
to Chairman Willis McMurry’s
appeal for a quick clean-up of the
business district, while Mrs. Rush
Stroup as woman's chairman call
ed for the same prompt handling
of the residential areas by the four
women’s divisions.
Chapter President Dale R. Yates
praised the organization which had
been marshalled by Mai Spangler,
sr. Both predicted that Cleve
land’s quota would soon be met.
Nazi Raiding Parties
Strike Across Senio
ROME, March 1. — UP)— German
raiding parties, striking across the
Senio river south of the Russi
Lugo road, about 17 miles inland
from the Adriatic coast, have driv
en Eighth army troops from some
of their positions, Allied head
quarters announced today.
Allied forces promptly counterat
tacked and took a number of pri
soners, but part of the German '
forces still remain on the east bank 1
of the stream.
south of Dueren.”
The American Third army astride
the Moselle valley crashed well past
the outer defense of Trier, reach
ing the vicinity of Irsch, 2 1-2 miles
from that oldest of all German
cities.
Trier, one of the stoutest fortress
cities in western Germany, was im
minently threatened with encircle
ment. Columns fanned around its
battlements on the southeast, south
west, west and northwest.
Canadians and Britons fought
strongly with armor to break the
enemy’s last ditch stand in three
places of the Hovhwald gap be
tween Weeze and Gervenheim,
within 22 miles of the great Rhine
port of Duisburg and less than ten
of the Ruhr city of Wesel across the
Rhine.
The Canadian and American
Ninth armies were within 25
miles or so of a junction which
might trap thousands of Nazis
west of the Rhine.
Allied warplanes were keeping a
vigilant "watch on the Rhine” for
signs of a mass retreat eastward
and shot up clusters of river barges
and tugs at one point.
A wholesale withdrawal of Field
Marshal Von Rundstedt’s mauled
and bleeding armies has not yet
begun across the river, AP Cor
r ipondent Roged D. Greene re-'
ported from Field Marshal Mont
gomery’s headquarters.
SWELLING ASSAULT
First army tanks, self propelled
guns and infantry with bayonets
and flamethrowers rumbled across
the Erft River before Cologne into
several bridgeheads in a swelling
floodtide of assault power. Armor
fanned out. Infantry widened the
crossings under heavy artillery fire.
A prisoner reported that German
troops before the Ninth army had
been ordered to fall back east of
the Rhine.
First army field officers told
AP Correspondent Don White
head they were expecting only
a delaying action before Co
logne, a ravaged city of 768,000,
and that there was no indica
tion that the Germans had been
able to mobilize sufficient
strength to contest seriously the
great offensive cutting 35 miles
deep into Germany.
Nearest First Army troops to
Cologne were on the main highway
from Dueren well east of Modrath
where a new Erft river bridgehead
See DOUGHBOYS Page 2
TWOOFNAVY’S
NEW SUBS LOST
WASHINGTON, March 1.—
(IP)—Two of the Navy’s newer
submarines, the Escolar and the
Shark, are overdue and pre
sumed lost with their crew of
approximately 65 officers and
men each.
The 1.525 ton submersibles, com
missioned last year, both were
under command of their first
skippers: Comdr. Edward N.
Blakely, West Los Angeles, of
the Shark, and Comdr. Wil
liam J. Millican, of Coronado,
Calif.
The Navy announcement of
the losses late yesterday did not
reveal the area, but presumably 1
it was in the Pacific.
The losses raised to 39 the'
number of United States sub- ' |
marines lost from all causes S
since the start of war, and to
267 the number of naval vessels
of all types lost. 1