CERHANsOFFENSIVE SMASHES TO HIA1 CAUCASUS GATEWAY Nazis Only 25 Miles From Rostov; Volga Basin Also In Peril; Russians Continue To Hold Ground At Voronezh Moscow, July 23.—Germany's mas sive drive against the Lower Don has crashed through the Russian de fenses to the Novocherkassk area 25 miles northeast of Rostov, gateway to the Caucasus, and the Tsimlyan skaya region, 100 miles upstream, the Soviet high command announced today. The most disastrous Red army set backs of the six-week German of fensive were acknowledged official ly in a communique disclosing that the menace to the oil wealth of the Caucasus and the Stalingrad in dustrial heart of the Volga basin had grown enormously. With the battle raging practically at the gates of Rostov and far up the Don near the eastermost reaches of its Big Bend, the German van guard had within its grasp the ap proaches to both the Caucasus and the Volga, and threatened to slice off the southeastern bulge of European Russia. The new positions represented a German advance of 50 miles down the Moscow-Rostov railroad to the area of Novocherisassk, which is on the line and slightly north of the j Don, apd an apparent drive of 120 miles southeastward from the Mil-1 lerovo region of Tsimlyanskaya. German Claims. (The German high command claim ed that the Don had been crossed on a wide front above its juncture with the Donets, 70 miles above Rostov, which evidently embraced the Tsimly anskaka area. It said organized Rus sian resistance hid "collapsed" in the Rostov zone and Axis troops "stand before the fortified bridge head extending in a semicircle before the city.") "On Wednesday our troops fought battles with the enemy in the areas of Voronezh, Tsimlyanskaya and Novocherkassk," the high command said in one of its gloomist an nouncements of the 13-month-old war. The Red army apparently con-, tinued to fall back on Roetov, since the communique conceded that in the Novocherkassk area, by order oi the high command, our troops re treated to new positions." The battle was reported raging furiously on the Novocherkassk front, which the, German armored and motorized forces were revealed to have reached two ftey* ago. In one sector, the communique said, "our troops •engaged in heavy fighting with superior enemy forces for two days and more than 1,31 of the enemy were h^ftd." infantry waged a bloody defense at the northeasterly rail way approach to Rostov also suf fered heavy tossed, the high com mand admitted. Soviet plane covering the retreat before a so far irresistible German onslaught Wasted- ceaselessly at en emy columns, tanks and infantry con centrations. . lffiy German tanks, 67 truck loads of troops and supplies and several fuel tankers were destroyed in the bombings, the official report said, while the Soviet land forces "dispersed and partly * considerable number at Hitlerites. . — " Victory Gardens Should Include FaO Vegetables War is not a seasonal affair; neither should the Victory Garden be restricted to summer vegetables, de clares H. R. Niswonger, Extension hortirulturist of N. C. State College*. Surveys have indicated that more than 90 per cent of North Carolina's 278,276 farm families planted bigger and better gardens in the spring. "But," says Mr. Niswonger, "a real Victory Garden is one that produces a year-round supply of vegetables and small fruits for the farm family." With this definition of a Victory Garden in mind, the Extension hor ticulturist reminds farm people that "now-is the time to begin preparing the soil for a fall garden." He says that a fairly wide variety of vegeta ble crops will grow-well in the late summer and fall under average North Carolina conditions. Crops recommended for the fall garden, and suggested planting dates include: Collards, sow seed now to produce plants to be set in September in most parts of the State; carrots, plant this week and next week in the Piedmont and mountains, and August 1-15 in the Eastern part of the State; snap beans, plant in the East and Piedmont about August 1; leaf lettuce, plant in August in the East and mountains and in Septem ber in the Piedmont. Other crops for the fall garden are: Beets for roots and greens, plant ^tagust 1 in the Piedmont and mountains, and August 20 in the East; mustard, kale and tendergreen, plant over the entire State in Sep tember and October; winter spinach, August and September in the Pied mont and mountains, and August to November in Eastern Carolina; radishes, August in the mountains, and August and September in /the East and Piedmont. * Probably some of those objectors are not so conscientious as they are contentious. Grave Russian Situation Brings Crisis to Allies Soviet Ambassador Con fers With President Roosevelt; More Aid For China Also Em phasized Washington, July 22.—The grave peril confronting Russia was em phasized today when Soviet Ambas sador Maxim Litvinov conferred with President Roosevelt, presumably on the imperatyfe'need far Allied action to relieve the hard-pressed Red armies. Litvinov said he could net discuss what he and Mr. Roosevelt talked about and he muttered "No" to all questions relating to a second Euro pean front. * - - His White House visit, however, followed by only a few hours dis closure that he had made new and urgent pleas to other Cnited Na tions officials here for Allied opera tions on the continent, and a blunt assertion by sources close to the Soviet Embassy that Russia's situa tion it so dangerous the Allies face the gravest crisis since Dunldri^. . These developments preceded a Imi,! mi , . If *>,_ 1A J meeting oeiween mr, Kooseveit ana ttie Pacific War Council devoted to ascertaining,, that China "put up tfi€ hftfit figiit. thai c&ji bfi ' against Ja£rL " geared for a sfcab-fi against Russian Siberia. iV , " ' ' I ■ Continued Chinese resistance defi nitely ties in with any second froa! strategy, since China would be cal culated to forestall any large-seal* Japanese drive into Siberia and thus prevent a diversion of Russian strength which naturally would en on the coincided witt R. A. Joyner, manager of the Pitt and Greene Electric Membership Cor poration which operates 256 miles at electric lines serving 1070 farm®* and 80 commercial establishments in this area will leave July 26 for the National REA headquarters at St. Louis, Missouri, where he will attend the 20th oonference of system super intendents and managers during the week of July 27th. More than 60 superintendents and managen from the North and Middle Atlantic sea Board hare been invited to attend. REA Administrator Harry Slattery and other nations! officials will ad dress some of the sessions, while others will be given over to round table discussions in which the men attending and members of the REA technical staff will exchange infor mation in the town-meeting style. The part REA systems are playing in the war effort, with special emphasis on the use of electricity in producing food and relieving the farm labor shortage, will be subjects for discus sion. With the use of vital war ma terials curtailed, ideas and plans for home-made electrical equipment adapted to farm use will be exchang ed and discussed. REA systems all over the country are now serving Army landing fields, air beacons, naval and marine bases, ordnance plants, a large mid western aluminum plant, as well as numerous small industries producing war equipment. "This will be my first visit to the new REA national headquarters since it moved from Washington to St. Louis as a part of the Federal Gov ernment's wartime decentralisation program," said Mr. Joyner. "While I'm there, 111 be able to discuss first hand specific problems of the Pitt and Greene Electric Membership Cor poration system with REA officials." The Pitt and Green Electric Mem bership Corporation has been in oper ation four years this past March and during this time, it has met all in dsring this time, it has met all inter est and principal payments when due, has made 114,000.00 advance pay ments on its loan to the Rural Elec trification Administration and bought 19,000.00 Defense Bonds, Series F. This speaks for itself — that said cooperative has been operating on a sound basis, Mr. Joyner has been connected with the Cooperative since its first eneri zation and has been General Manager since April 1, 1040. D. T. Harris has been Distribution Superintendent since July 1, 1940. CONSERVATION War production strength of the Nation's. farms was increased last year by application of AAA conser vation materials far above those of any previous year. FOUNTAIN NEWS (By MBS. M. a TELVKKTOM) Miss Haiel Ovens is visiting friends in Winston-Salem. Earl Trevathan, Jr., a student of U. N. C. spent a few days with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. G. E. Treva than. Mrs. Robert Fountain, Jr., spent Thursday in Raleigh." Mr. and Mrs. M. E. Smith spent last week visiting Miss Ruby Oden in Washington. Misses Ann Marie and Martha Harden Jefferson and James Lane Jefferson and Miss Esther Mann Cobb of Knetopa, have returned from a few days stay at Wrightsville " ■ Mlirf (For Release July 21) V President Roosevelt told Ms press conference he ij considering asking to keep down the cost of living, in ST'mSt^be'kS^'in line, he said. The one criterion thai most be kept In mind is «iut It costs the average family to Hv» "'v - : v: The War Labor Board announced a formula for a National wage stabi lization policy designed to maintain workers purchasing power at Jan uary 1941 levels. The Board said "as a general rule workers are en titled to 15 percent more wages than they had on January I, 1941, to meet the increases in living coats from that date to May 1, 1942. Workers who have received an increase of 15 percent or more during that period will not be entitled to raises except in cases where their rates still are sub-Btandard and a raise is necessary to wipe out inequalities." ' The WLB ordered an increase of 44 cents a day, retroactive to last February, for 157,000 "Little Steel" workers. The union had asked $1 a day increases. Hie Board ruling also provided maintenance of union mem bership and a checkoff of union dues. President Roosevelt, referring to the Board's "Little Steel" ruling said the entire National problem of wages is relative. In production of an article like steel an increase of 5 percent in the wages would not force up the cost of living 'nearly as much as a comparable increase, for instance, in a canning factory that produces food, he said. The WPB reported 2,73£ trucks truck trailers and miscellaneous v,ehicles were released to civilian and to holders of Government exemption permits during the week ended' July 11. Knee March 9, when the ration ing program became effective, almost 62,000 vehicles in all categories have been released to these two group3. The OPA authorized. local war price and rationing boards to permit use of any reasonable amount of sugar for home canning .providing four quarts of fruitf will be canned with each pound of sugar. The War Front. , , A Communique from Cairo, Egypt, reported Maj. Gen. Lewis H. Brere ton, formerly commander of the U. S. Army Air Forces in India is now Commander of U. S. Air Forces in the Middle East. Gen. Brereton said American heavy bombers carried out 21 tactical missions in 36 days with the loss of only three U, S. planes. The Navy announced " 13 Japanese ships have been sunk or damaged since June 3 in Alsatian waters, and at lecuft' rfeven enemy aircraft have been destroyed. The Navy said U. S. casualties in that theater to date are approximately 44 military and naval personnel killed, 49 wounded and one civilian employee killed. The Navy reported damage inflict ed on the eatvy during the Battle of Midway June 3 to June 6 included: approximately 4£00 Japanese killed or drowned as compared to U. S. losses of 92 officers and 215 enlisted men; 20 enemy ships of all classifies tions sunk or damaged; and an ani mated 275 Japanese aircraft destroy ed. The U. A. Carrier Yorktown was put out of action and the Destoryer Hammabn was torpedoed and sunk. Caribbean defense Commander An drews said "Measures for action against enemy submarines in this area apparently are proving very ef fective" and anticraft warning sys tems are greatly improved in the Panama Canal Zone. The Navy an nounced the sinking of 20 more Unit ed Nations Merchant vessel by enemy submarines. I •; foreign Keiauonu , [ President Roosevelt formally pro claimed a state of War with Hungary. Kumania and Bulgaria, making Na [ tionals of those countries residing in the U. S. subject to regulations gov erning other enemy aliens. The Presi j dent announced Lend-Leaae War Aid extended by the U. 8. from March 11, 1941—when the program began I to June 30, 1942, amounted to *5,205 I million of which the June total was |708 million, highest monthly total In the 26 month* of the program. The State Department said the U. S. signed mutual aid agreements | with Czechoslovakia and Norway, 1 Winging to nine the number of such The Department also the Vichy French Govern has turned down two offers by Roosevelt to provide a safe for the French Naval units Service. Forces, 1 Mayor Davis Urges Urging every man, woman and child in Parmville to Hasten the day of victory by salvaging needed scrap materials, Mayor George W. Davis today pledged full support to the local salvage campaign. V ; "By turning over to the Salvage Committee of Farmville every avail able pound of old materials, we all can mwkft a direct and helpful con tribution to our national victory ef fort.;-'" ■'$*■ ' . - "Every 60 pounds of steel means 106 mm. shell; a discarded doorknob will help make dozens of cartridge cases; 26 tons of steel w91 make another tank. ~ "I call upon every resident to search his home carefully from cellar to attic, looking for scrap iron and steel, copper, braes, sine, aluminum, rubber, rope, borlap. Every one of these materials is needed today by American industry for manufacture into weapons and equipment for our armed forces. "There are many tons of valuable scrap in Parmville. We must collect every pound of it and see that it gets into America's war plants. Our steel mills, tank factories, shipyards, airplane plants and other war in dustries are already exceeding their former production records. We can help them attain even higher produc tion by sending them all the scrap materials we can find. "As you search for scrap in your own home, remember that the scrap you are looking for will give our armed forces more weapons to win a quicker Victory." Bumper Crop Requires Earlier Hog Marketing * North Carolina farmers may face serious hog marketing trouble unless they start their animals to market earlier than usual this year, accord ing to H. W. Taylor, Extension mark eting specialist of N. C. State Col lege. Growers are expected to send a fourth more hogs this fall and winter than they have ever marketed before from October 1 to April 1. If they should attempt to market in Decem ber and January the normal per centage of this increased number, packing plants and transportation facilities would probably be taxed beyond capacity. Taylor pointed out that growers should not depend upon increased plant capacity and more' trucks and railroad livestock cars to handle the greater peak marketings. Such in creases would require more rubber and tires and large amounts of steel that the Nation needs for its war machines. ' For this reason, the marketing specialist', explained, farmers should plan now'to avoid some of the rush of marketing that normally oomes in December and January. Ifcey can do this by starting earlier. However, Taylor continued, in mak ing plans for marketing more hogs early this year, farmers should also plan to market their hogs at good weights. They should sell as early as practicable, hut should not ship light, unfinished hogs unless un avoidably. „ ■ r..',.' a r■' Governm'ent purchases are taking up a large port of the bog crop, to prices should cause little worry to growers. It is probable that for a year beginning next October, the Government will be buying about 80 percent of the pork and half Lr five-mile northern salient running westward from El ^lametn. This was the scene of fierce fighting last week when Field Marsh#. Rommel's troops won a foothold on the ridge,* but failed to dislodge Imperials from the dominating heights. AD Sectors. . Tanks and heavy artillery wen reported engaged in alt sectors aa the British launched their first general attack of the present cam paign simultaneously at all points. Despite the Imperial progress, ft was emphasised that it was too early to say a "definite general re sult" had been achieved of that a full-scale counter-offensive was un der Way to drive the Axis oat of Egypt - . f Reports of the battle on the northern sector said that for sev eral hours the tide swung to and fro beftwe Australian troops suc ceeded tn occupying all of Tel El Eisa, including the railroad station JusCwest of the ridge. In the center, it wns remaled, South African and Indian traopa took the initiative last night to p*ve the way for the general assault, and by eariy morning had progressed "some miles" around the western edge of the strategic Rnweisat Ridge. It was in this sector that the main armored battle was expected to develop. The RAF spread an umbrella over the battle areas, although hampered until mid-morning by Ipw-lying dust clouds churned up by the grand ac tivities. There were reports ef slight enemy air activity in contrast with the absence at Axis planaa from the sky yesterday. The fighting in the south swirled about the El Taqa plateau and Cobel Kalakh hill where the Imperials mads some progress against the strongest Axis positions. .. .Ji'Cii . ' Only four German . Messerechmitt ;» fighters, which fled without s fight, and one Italisn bomber, which was blown to piece? over.the coast near Sidi Barrani, Libya, were encoun tered by the RAF over the desert front all day Tuesday, it was re vealed. ^ (An RAF communique said two additional enemy planes, in addi-. tlcn to the Italian bomber, were shot