American Tteeps Are DriYing Toward Gabes; French Hash ing Into Sousse; Axis Shipping- Sank In Med iteranean; Effort Be ing- Made To Keep Rommel From Joining Forces In Tunisia London, Dec. 80.—-United States troops were reported to a Reute re dispatch today to have advanced to within 40 miles of G»fe—, strategic Tunisian port lies approxi mately midway batween Axis-held Tripoli and Tunis. The direction of the advance was not stated, bq£ delayed field dis patches received last night disclos ed that an American task force was operating on the southern Tunisian front and told of a recent raid on Maknassy, 56 miles northwest of Gabes and 40 miles from the coast al road and railway, in which 21 Italians were captred. There was no further word con cerning the situation northeast of Medjep-El-Bab, where ft.'nttfrdds gain ed by the Allies upo|k a "ridge six miles from the town ja fighting Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were disclosed in an Allied com munique yesterday to have been re linquished. (The Associated Press erroneous ly identified the forces in this with drawal as American. The Allied communique, issued first in Wash ington and then from Allied head quarters in North Africe, said they were "our units." Earlier dispatches concerning the attack and holding operations said they were executed by a famous British guard regi ment.) French troops in central Tunisia and American forces to the south were reported advancing slowly in a three-way drive upon the coastal road. Mud generally bogged the main Allied forces near Tunis. The French forces supported by Allied tanks and planes, were re ported to have cut an important road south of Pont-Du-Fahs, 30 miles south of Tunis, yesterday, and to have beaten off a violent German counterattack except in one sector where the Nazis were said to have advanced slightly at the cost of heavy losses. French headquarters in North Af rica said another force of their troops, further south between Pi chon and Kairouan, had improved its position. This force is driving toward the coast at Axis-held Sousse. British patrols operating against Marshal Rommel's troops west of Wadi Bei El Chebir, a Libyan gulch itself 180 miles east of Tripoli, de stroyed some enemy vehicles yester day, a Cairo communquei said. Naval torpedo aircraft were de clared to have sunk a southbound Axis merchant vessel off Pantellaria island while bombers successfully attacked dock areas of Tunis and Bizerte the same night. Boys and Girls Learn Welding at NY A Free Farmville and Pitt county boys and girls between the ages at 16 and 25 yean who wish to have an important jwrt in the nation's war effort aa war workers are now offer ed an opportunity to secure such training without cost in the Na tional Youth Administration's resi dent centers throughout North Caro lina, according to aa appounce ment by Thomas H. Broughton, NY A jroject manager. Young men and women interested fn enrolling in these courses of training are urged to make applica tion at once to the Personnel Officer, N. Y„ Greenville. As a result Dr. Turner; February 28, Honorable Pat M. Neff, president of Southern Baptist Con vention. The speakers for March will be: March 7, Dr. R G. Lee, pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tenn.; March 14, Dr. Lee; March 21, Dr. Lee; March 28, Dr. Ellis A. Ful ler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. Study Government Market Pin Form Of Cooperative Would Eliminate Mid dlemen Washington, Dec. 30.—Visoalisb* the establfcdunent of * federally financed marketing system through their food and farmers would receive mora, Chairman Palmer (D-SC) at the Heose Agriculture Committee said today the committee would un dertake a study of the proposal short ly after Congress convenes vnext vtoek. '0e\ would be to^ermfaie htm much of nation's food bill go«s to "Middlemen," bat out of it prob ably wouki come recommendations for overhauling the entire maiksfc wishes h Pr0mae "Opes fulfilled, ** "" T* fMtttBe- A New Year is beginning now^Mniy everyone joins The Enterprise in the hope that every aim of our National Defense wrf^e realfced, and that peace wiU be reborn J. Tom Taylor Funeral Saturday Died at His Home Here Following Illness of Several Years Funeral services for J. Tom Taylor, age 70 yean, were conducted at 8:30 o'clock Saturday afternoon, Decem ber 26, 1948, from the home at 207 East Home Avenne with the Rever sed C. B. Mashliinn officiating. Mr. Taylor died Friday night after an illness at several yean. He waa a native of Greene Coun ty and had made hia home is Farm - ville for the put 18 yean, having been engaged in the livestock busi nees until his health fbrced him to retire. Mr. Tqrtor waa a member of the First Christian Church of Farm ville, North CarbMna/ - Surviving are his wife, the former Bessie of Wayne County, and two MIsb Sue Taylor of the home, and Mlaa Alice Taylor, of New Bent, N. C.; one brother, D. W. Taylor, and several nephews and aiaaaa. Active pallbearers were as follows: Edward Speight, Edenton, N. C., Herbert Biggs, Golds bo ro, N. C., D. G. Allen, Faimville, N. C., Alfred Smith, Griftcm, N, C., George W. Windham, Harmville, N. C., and William E. Rasberry, Farmville, N. C. Honorary pallbearers were as fol lows: George W. Davis, Cecil Lilly, R. T. Norville, J. I. Baker. JP. M. Dail, T. W. Lang, E. C. Beam an, J. W. Holmes, W. A. McAdams, G. W. Windham, B. S. Smith, R. L. Smith, C. L. Ivey, A. F. Joyner, R. D. Rouse, F. A. Darden, A J. Flanagan, J. W. Mo ye, J. O. Pollard, Haywood Smith, J. B. Taylor, R. O. Lang, J . M. Stansill, J. W. Joyner, Dr. W. M. Willis, R. LeRoy Rollins, W. A. Mar tin, M. G. Thome, G. M. Holden, R. A> Joyner, Walter Jonas, E. C. Carr, Dr. R. T. Williams, C. F. Bancom, G. R. Smith, John B. Lewis, J. H. Moore, Ed Naah Warren, L. P. Thomas, W. C. Askew, Lloyd Smith, C. L. Barrett, Hugh Barrett, R. G. Barrett, W. A. Barrett, J. W. Baas, R. E. Belcher, A. W. Bobbitt, J. T. Thorns, T, E. Barrow, G. W. Burnett, J. C CoriMtt, F. M. Da via, Jr., John D. Dixon, David Harris, F. G. Du pree, Jr., Leon Eaaon, Milton Eason, R N^Frt&ian, J. C. Gibba, E. W. Godwin, A J. Greene, Frank Harper, J. H. Harris, E. C. Holmes, W. C. Holston, M. V., Horton, C. H. Joyner, R. H. Knott, C. L. Beaman, Horace Lewis, Jack Lewis, R. T. Martin, T. B. MizeUe, A C. Monk, J. Y. Monk, Jr., George Moon, B. E. Moore, R. R Newton, R. A. Parker, J. H. Pay lor, L. T. Pierce, J. B, Roberta, G. A. Rouse, F. G. Smith, Jack Smith, O. G. Spell, & <0. Tay lor, L. E. Tumage, Z. M. Whitehunt, J. E. Wilkerson, J. T. Windham, A. G. Cayton, Bennie T. Wooten, W. C. Wooten, J. R. Go wan, Joe Moore, L. T. Lacaa, J. A. Gregory, R. B. Fields, J. R. Pippin, William E. Galley, ant Paul L Ferretti. ggg: ./ .-j I ' MRS. MAMIE H. LOVIC Mi*. Mamie H. Lovte, 61, wife of B. H. Lovic, died at the home of her daughter, Mrm. Thad Lewis at Foun tain late Saturday night. Funeral service* were held Mon day at 3 p. m. from the home of her mother, Mrs. George W. TUfhmaa, at KJnston. The Rev. C. B. Mash tarn, pastor of the Farmville Chris TOE HOME FRONT mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmtmmmmmtmrnmmmmmemmmm in n n i (For Release Dec 84.) As the war prugnwwi the Allies no longer are caught napping at any point, however obscure it may ap pear in the grand strategy of the United Nations. If it is surprising that American light tanks are re ported in action on the jungle-en closed strip of New Guinea Beach, how much extraordinary must have been the means of getting them there. On the economic front our govern ment must be equally far-seeing. More than 60 million pounds of seed, for example, have been destined for planting on foreign soil, under Lend - Lease arrangements. Some of these seeds Are supplied tx> areas occupied by.our troops, who will raise fresh vegetables when they aren't fighting. Grass seeds are sent to new air fields for surfacing barren strips. But the bulk of the seeds go for foods to feed the peoples of Allied lands in desperate need of them and to replant farmlands lately freed from Axis control. And seeds take up less shipping space than produce in any other form. Civilians Will Not Benefit. Although American farms must raise a great deal more crops of many kinds in 1943, civilians must not expect to benefit by the increase. Our armed forces will need much more of all that is raised, and so will our Allies, England, Russia, and the French in North Africa. For not only is food, as it supports fighting men, a direct instrument of warfare, it is an essential bulwark of civilian populations in war time. The hatred felt by the people of occupied Europe for their Nazi oppressors is fed by the pangs of hunger, their hopes of liberation and of ultimately getting food from us strengthen their re sistance and definitely aid the Allied cause. The plight of starving millions abroad and the fearful conditions un der which many of our soldiers an fighting in jungle and desert should awaken in all. of us at home the willingness to take cheerfully the slight discomforts and minor hard ships which necessarily go with a war of this kind, especially the in conveniences connected with ration ing and other restrictions of scarce goods. jLne cuinoimm hvuikb ui uuiuwub of Americana, in motoring and heat ing, particularly among those living along the Atlantic Seaboard, helped our army land in North Africa and attack the Ajqg, bat the total quan tity of these products needed for a continuing campaign ia enormous, and will require the service oI a fleet of tankers. For this reason, the Army has spnt an urgent plea to civilians to save gasoline and fuel oil in every way possible. At the same time, the Petroleum Adminis trator has warned that several areas in the East have only enough motor gas for essential need*—supplies in storage have been drained by non essential driving beyond previous estimates. t&jjLr Efforts Made To Conserve Oil. Although fusl oil rations have been increased Iff per cent in 18 Middle Western States, every effort is being Two Vessels Sunk When U. Sw Airmen: Bomb Cargo Fleet Washington, Dec. 80. — American aircraft, operating from Hendttwn field on Guadalcanal, in the Solo mons, strafed and bombed a fleet of enemy cargo ships off the island and sank two enemy vessels the Navy Department reported today. Simultaneously, the Navy, in its communique, reported that army and marine troops had killed more than 150 Japanese with a loss of only four men killed and one wounded. The attack on the cargo vessels' occurred at Wickham anchorage Mi the southeast coast of Vangvtm is land in the new Georgia group of the Solomons, approximately 120 miles northwest of Henderson air field. The communique reported also that fighting marines in an ex change of artillery and mortar fire, destroyed an enemy mortar and a machine gun position. The text of the communique No. 288. oouwi rgcmc: (Ail aates are east Longitude). "1 on December 27th: "(A) Army and marine corps troops on Guadalcanal killed 114 Japanese in patrol skirmishes with the enemy. U. S. casualties during these encounters were two killed. "(B) U. S. Marines, in an ex change of artilley and mortar fire, destroyed an enemy mortar, a ma chine gun position and killed be tween 90 and 40 Japanese. The Ma riens later ambushed and kiled 11 more of the enemy. Marine casual ties were two killed and one wound ed. "2. On December 29, U. S. planes made two attacks on enemy cargo vessels in Wickham anchorage on the southeast coast of Vangunu is land in the new Georgia group on the Salomons. Bombing and straf ing resulted in the sinking of two of the enemy vessels." The fleet of Japanese cargo ves sels at Wickham anchorage appar ently was attempting to bring in supplies to the harassed Jap forces in the Solomons. The report of the attack came a day after Commander Dwight H. Dexter, 41 year old Coast Guard Of ficer, just back from the Solomons,' told a press conference that the Japanese fores there were weak ening. V "Judging from my experience there," he said, "I believe the Japs now have 41 they can do to eons- i bat starvation tad disease, much lees worry about the little bit' of hell the Marines are gftifig them, too." V : 'V." ■ • tai«iI I. A Call