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 <rf the
lard from the greatly .increased num
ber of hogs that will be marketed.
Vote To
Rubber Agency
—__- ,,
Washington, July 22.—-The Senate
passed t measure today to create an
independent agency for the produc
tion of synthetic rubber from grain
alcohol despite admiaiafcration pro
tects against interference with War
Production Board control of the rub
ber program, p' , - '3
The measure now goes to the House
where the Rule committee haa given
approval to an identical measure
sponsored by Chairman Palmer (D
S. C.)
^"Majority Leader Bartiey read a
statement from Donald M. Nelson in
which the war production chief con
tended that creation of a separate
rubber agency would be a "rash act"
authorizing diversion of critical ma
terials from vital war needs tie con
WAR IN BRIEF
—1—
German offensive imperils gate-'
wa« to rich Caucasus and rich Volga
basin as Nasi* drive to environs of
Rostov and threaten Stalingrad. Ros
si™ lines bold in Voronezh area.
British ImperiaJ Eightk Army
launches general of/ensive against
Axis fortes in Egypt. Outcome of
fighting not decisive yet. Royal Air
Force driveq Axis planes from sky.
Gravity of Rnsshrt situation em
phasized as Soviet Ambassador Lit
vinov confers with President Roose
velt and clamor for second front
groin' in Britain.
Royal Air Force blasts vital Ger
man inland port of Duisburg with
heaviest explosives.
Chinese report new successes in
fighting in Central China as Allied
planes batter Japanese bases over
wide area.
Senate farm bloc wins rubber bat
tle by sponsoring passage of bill to
take control of synthetic rubber made
from farm product* from authority
of WPB.
Gas Rationing
Now In Effect
. _ :
Washington, July 22.—Motorists in
Eastern states began purchasing
their gasolfcie today by the new cou
pon rationing system.
To aid those late in applying for
the coupon books, the Office of
Price Administration authorized fill
ing stations to furnish gasoline un
til July SI to regular customers who
agree to turn in their coupons when
they obtain their books.
The service stations, however, will
be "held responsible" for such sales,
said Paul M. CLeary, deputy ad
ministrator/ explaining thai they
must turn in the coupons to dis-'
tributors in order to replenish their
own tasks.
The OPA officially valued the
coupons.of A, B, and C, books at
Sour gallons each, at 1% gallons in
D books for motorcycles and at 5
gallons for S-l and S-2 books for
trucks, buses and t&xicabe.
Royal Air Force
Attach German
r City of Doisburg
Fifty Two-Ton Bombs
Are Dropped on River
Port As Reds Raid
Koenigsberg
London, July 22.—A force of 800
Royal Air Force bombers damped
mere than 50 trwo^on "block-destroy
ing" bombs and Other high explosivee
last night on industrial Duisburg and
the world's largest river port nearby
while the Russian air fprce struck at
German military power at Koenigs
berg, East Prussia. —
Giving the . Germans little rest
from air raids, British Spitfires flew
over the channel this afternoon for
the fourth successive day's raid on
objectives in occupied territory, in
cluding Dunkerque and Le Tou
quet. The planes attacked railway
engines, factories, |a gunboats and
barges, the Air Ministry reported.
The ministry said the raid on
Duisbucg, the heavies* by the British
since the 1,000-plan* attack on Bre
men June 26 and the first night
raid on the Rhur city since July 18,
cost the British 13 bombers. li
But, the Air Ministry added with
a note of satisfaction, "really good
Area" were loft biasing in Dui&erg
itself and in the dock area of the
river port, Dsisburg-Rhurort, Just
north e# the city at the confluence
of the Ruhr and Rhine riven.
$ ■ Attack Successful. , .
QuicklyWin Entire IBM
of Jesus' and Make
Progress on Other Sec
tors; Royal Apr Force
Drives Axis Planes
From Sky; Outcome of
Drive Not Dedsive Yet
Cairo, July 22.—British Imperials
launched an offensive all along the
35-mile Egyptian front early today
under ewer of a Royal Air Force
onslaught that haa rooted Axis pi an if
from the sky, and quickly wn the
entire "HOI of Jams'' in the north,
made considerable headway in the
center and gtinad slight gioond in
the sooth deepite fhnt Axis emitter
attacks.
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's
Africa Corps was repotted lesistisg
fiercely in alhthrce sectors, partica
larly in the south, near the edge ef -
the Qattara Salt Depression, and
fighting raged throughout the day.
The Imperials swung to the at
tack on the north, central and
southern sectors this morning just
after the RAF rlimarad a week
long assault by srattering a 1,000
truck Axis reinforcement caravan,
blasting supply ships and pien at
Crete across the Mediterranean and
heavily bombing the Libyan port
of Tobruk.
In winning all of Tel El Eisa—
the "Hill of Jesus "—the Empire
forces restored th*>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
<town Tuesday. They presuaUWy
were encountered on the Grate raid.)
The RAF had one of its biggwt
field days of the North African war,
routing at least three Axis truck