The Wilmington morning star. [volume], February 20, 1942, FINAL EDITION, Image 1

About The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990

Image provided by: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library, Chapel Hill, NC

                
C7bY Leased Wire Of The -^
associated press REMEMBER
Yfiib Compleie Coverage Of PEARL
ctafe and National News
sif - - 1 HARBOR
^T^Ti02 ----
--—-- -- ESTABLISHED 1867
WLAND JAVA
CITY RAIDED
lY JAPANESE
^ Army Headquarters
footed And Some Dam
,(1 Is Inflicted
„ s TROOPS ARRIVE
O^sBelieved En Route;
Heavy lee** "fhctad
On Enemy Snips
BY WITT HANCOCK
t? A T A VI A, Netherlands
East Indies. Friday, Feb. 20
EasL _ 4 fighter-escorted
Japanese bombing attack on
the inland Java city of Ban
d«n£. headquarters the
Netherlands East Indies
Z was disclosed this
Sin? following announce
m0Irlf American troops
fjS American filter
and iwinber pilots now stand
sioiilier-to-shoulder with oth
er United Nations reinforce
^ffte^Allied troops worked to
«etlier in preparation tor the Jap
inese offensive expected against
fe last major allied position 1
fc South Pacific except Australia
E Japanese bombers and 20 fight
ets attacked Bandoeng and inflict
ed some damage.
Bomber Shot Down
Dutch fighters got into the air
ctompfly, and there followed aerial
Luting in which one Japanese
bomtems declared probably shot
down, two Dutch fighters were
| lost the pilot of one saving him
seli by parachute. The attack was
yesterday.
Another disclosure today was
till eight Japanese bombers and
one fighter were shot down in a
Wednesday attack on Soerabja, the
Java naval base. One allied fithter
ms lost, the pilot saved by para
chute.
Hi arrival of the Americans,
described as "a relatively small
number" thus far. and of other
expeditionary forces of the United
Katas was announced with the
sxplanation that while these con
sents were "by no means large
sough vet” their presence in this
ist and greatest Pacific bastion
(the Dutch "serves as an indica
te that the Netherlands Indies do
lot fight alone.”
He heartening disclosure was
Dade through the Dutch News
Ijency Aneta concurrently with a
lommunique of the Duich com
rand making clear that precious
me was yet being bought by the
efenders of the southern section
f Sumatra, and with an authori
se recapitulation showing that
“ invader’s march southward,
tough almost uninterrupted, had
ost him heavily in men and ships.
1$2 Ships Struck
One hundred and eighty-two Jap
® ships had been sunk or dam
"Pt0 14 in the entire
heater' 11 was stated. This
* ibe heavy enemy losses
1C"*W on Fate Four; Col. 5)
1CKT 0F FREN H
ttlCHALLENG D
^ In ‘War Guilt
rial Take Offensive
At Riom
C',Tu,jOR hkxbv
' (® Unc,ccuP>etl Prance, Feb.
t Under ^a”°e s suI)reme court
Slion Vlsement tonight the
by imnr °Wn constitutionality
lole Petain 1°at.10n* that of the
l,cb mm .?gime’ after a violent
9s Le 11 led b-v former Pre
l'adier *«. and Edouard
' 0Pening0 flve defendants, at
rar guilt” , .'sslon °f the French
Thus aj * ’■
! resf<ai4mtvrifal opened t0 fix
ance, tj,. My for the defeat of
ad third^pr ?“.Sed Baders of the
j t0* th? « fanned the tables
;ht °f the ^roffensive against the
After a h .°®t to try them.
O'eeutor resP°nse from the
? !et up Snl-e’SUed the court
Aidants J ecif,ca|'ly to try the
W'ty of th« p P J.‘ *° consider the
i 0t com laWS- ,he »
?1soum , 1,1 £. announced a de
^etirst lto P,ven soon.
*ali bet^een p ame in a dramatic
e ^melio ien' Maurice Gus
teetalissimo,'a,tfd formcr allied
to ‘be no, r,i ' other defend
,!e of Prance'.01', whether the
Political. do£eat was mili
‘ tesolnte voice1?'11 111 quavering
,* declaration
to trig] anything t0 do
tolioued 0 Sai<1 he Was d°
“ 0,1 Pa*. Tlr ,
* PwelTe; Col. S>
s
T ----
Japanese Driven
Into Bilin River
RANGOON, Burma, Feb. 19.
— (SP) —British Imperial troops
counter-attacking from the west
bank of the shallow and winding
Bilin river drove a new Japa
nese assault force back into the
stream today in the heaviest of
fighting.
Both Japanese and British
paid heavily with lives — the
invader in trying to consolidate
a bridge-head across the stream;
the British fighting desperately
to hold them back in these dis
tant approaches to Rangoon.
Some Japanese shock troops
yesterday had crossed the Bilin
in small boats and fought their
way up the west bank in hand
to-hand combat, and the position
of these troops tonight was not
explained. Many of the boats,
however, were known to have
been broken up in mid-stream
by British artillery fire or seared
with machine-gun bullets, and
once ashore, the invaders met
the hottest fire.
-V
PAY RAISE VOTED
FOR SERVICE MEN
Senate Would Pay Those
In Foreign Service 20
Per Cent More
WASHINGTON. Feb. 19.— <-T> —
The Senate voted unanimously to
day for a £0 percent increase in
the base pay for enlisted men and
10 percent for officers serving in
the Army and Navy in foreign lands
and in the Philippines, Midway Is
land and Hawaii.
Then the Senate immediately
passed by voice vote a House bill
providing continued pay for all
members of the armed forces and
government civilian employes who
arc reported missing or are in
enemy custody'.
The base pay increase was pro
posed by Senator Clark (D-Mo.) as
an amendment to the House bill
He told the Senate a similar increase
was provided in World War 1.
The- increase would apply to “any
enlisted man or warrant officer in
land, air or naval forces” and to
commissioned officers in those
forces “for any period of service in
the Philippine Islands, Midway Is
land, Hawaii, or in an'y place out
side of the United States which is
not a part of its territories or pos
sessions.”
The measure thus would not ap
ply to members of the armed forces
in continental United States, Alaska,
and Puerto Rico.
Base pay for the Army and Navy
ranges upward from $21 a month for
enlisted men. Commissioned offi
cers’ base pay ranges from that of
a second lieutenant, $120 4 month.
The Senate Naval Affairs com
mittee reported that the “missing
persons” pay bill was necessary to
provide for dependents of persons in
enemy custody or whose where
abouts is undetermined.
Besides members of the armed
forces, the Senate was told, there
were many civilian employes of the
health service, geodetic survey, and
War and Navy departments who
were reported either missing or in
enemy custody in the Philippines.
The bill now goes back to the
llTiuse for action on the Senate
amendments.
ANTI PROFANITY DRIVE
NEW YORK, Feb. 19.—(£)—The
anti-profanity league asked Presi
dent Roosevelt in a letter made
public today to “order or request”
the nation on George Washington’s
birthday to refrain from profanity
for the war’s duration.
U. S. Plan *w
ForOlfensiTf:
Stimson Says
Strength Will Not Be Dis
persed To Combat Coast
al Island Raids
EXPECT SUCH FORAYS
Roosevelt And Advisors
Study Means To Speed
Ship Construction
By RICHARD L. TURNER
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.— Iff) —
Secretary Stimson said today the
nation was massing its forces for
the earliest possible offensive and
would not disperse its strength to
combat such coastal raids as the
German attack on Aruba, the
Dutch oil island.
Forays of that character, the
Secretary of War told newspaper
men were to be expected “all
along our coasts” and at “other
places.” Demands from “thought
less persons” that the country’s
forces be scattered to meet, them
were foreseen, he said, but "yield
ing to that pressure would be the
surest way ... to lose the war.”
While the cabinet member was
assuring the people that the United
Nations would “seize every oppor
tunity for counter-attack and the
offense, and every opportunity for
surprise,” President Roosevelt
was deep in a discussion of an
essential preparation for such
strategy — the shipbuilding pro
gram.
Study Shipbuilding
A group of high officials, in
cluding Admiral Emory S .Land,
eluding Admiral Emory S. Land,
Donald M. Nelson, the chairman
of the War Production Board, con
ferred with the chief executive
Two principal purposes were in
mind, a spokesman said: how to
increase the program and how to
speed it up.
The shipbuilding program has
been progressing rapidly, and is
as far along as any phase of the
war effort, but in some adminis.
tration quarters concern has been
expressed at the extent of recent
losses along the Atlantic coast,
particularly the destruction of
tankers.
Stimson s statement on the pos
sibility of enemy attacks along the
coastlines and elsewhere, followed
closely upon President Roosevelt’s
assertion of Tuesday that under
certain circumstances, New York
could be shelled and bombs
dropped on Detroit.
In combination, these statements
were taken as meaning obviously
that coastal communities must
take their chances because for the
present there are too few men
and materials to allow spreading
them along hundreds of miles of
coastline, and simultaneously
massing them for attack.
In this connection, it was re
membered that the submarine
shelling of Aruba did little dam
age ashore, and that Japanese
submarines had several times
shelled installations on outlying is
lands of the Hawaiian group with
no effective result.
On Front Line
“We are on the front lines our
selves now,” Stimson said. “We
can’t buy our way out; we can’t
produce our way out; we can only
fight our way out by hard intelli
gent fighting.”
He recalled previous demands
for protection of t he country’s
coasts or borders—against a fleet
of four Spanish cruisers, reported
at large in the Atlantic in 1898,
and against Mexicans in 1911. In
the latter instance, figures show
ed, he said, that if all available
forces had been deployed along
the Mexican border there would
have been two soldiers for each
mile. His meaning that there was
(Continued on Page Four; Col. 4)
Ration Board Members’
Oaths Are Held Invalid
----
Not a single member of the New
Hanover County Ration Board has
taken a valid oath of office, ac
cording to word received here yes
terday by members of the board
,from the Office of Price Admin
istration, which returned declara
tions to the members with instruc
tion to them to comply.
Each member of the Ration
Board, according to form, took their
oaths of office before T. A. Hen
derson, clerk of the New H over
county Superior Court, whose sig
nature and seal was affixed before
the papers were forwarded to At
lanta to the regional office.
But that was the incorrect pro
cedure, according to the Atlanta of
fice, whose officials said the oaths
were taken improperly. Instead of
going to the clerk of the court,
the regional office said, “the oath
of office must be executed in the
presence of a notary public. Ap-j
proval by postmaster, justice of the
peace, clerk of court, etc., is not
acceptable.”
So, it seems, according to mem
bers of the board, who were cha
grined, the oaths will have to be
taken again, and this time before a
notary public and not one holding
the office of clerk of the court.
In this connection one member
shrugged his shoulders and declar
ed, “This is one on me. If my
memory serves me correctly the
late Calvin Coolidge was sworn in
as President of the United States
by a justice of the peace, his fath
er, at his farm house in Vermont."
-V
DESTROYER SUNK
LOtfcoN, Feb. 19.— <#> —Loss of
the British destroyer Gurkha was
announced by the Admiralty to
night. No details were published
immediately.
^ ^ led Three
v'i« 'rimes By Japanese
-
SSDJVEi, Australia, Friday,
Feb. 20.—(/Pi—Japanese bombers
and fighter planes struck twice
yesterday at Darwin on the
northern coast, reportedly kill
ing 15 persons and injuring 24,
and the raiders returned this
morning to smash a third time
at the vital Allied naval base.
Arthur S. Drakeford, Austral
ian air minister, announced Hie
third raid had occurred but said
details were awaited.
However, considerable damage
admittedly was inflicted in
yesterday’s pounding — some of
it on service installations at the
port which ranks second in im
portance to Soerabaja in the
Dutch East Indies now that
Singapore and Amboina have
fallen.
Drakeford has been consider
ing the recall of Australian air
men from other parts of tne
British Empire to defend The
Homeland.
-V
JUDGE ROUNTREE
DIES THURSDAY
Funeral Services * Today
For Prominent Lawyer
And Jurist
Judge George Rountree, one of
the most prominent lawyers of
North Carolina died at his home,
2 N. Eighteenth street, February
19 at 10:30 a. m. after a sickness
of about ten days. He was a former
judge of the Superior Court of
North Carolina; one of the founders
of the North Carolina Bar Associa
tion, and in 1906 was President of
that association. He was a learned
man, charming of address, gener
ally dignified, and of the strictest
integrity and easily amoijg the
most distinguished members of the
profession in the South. One North
Carolina historian properly defined
Judge Rountree as a man of fine
attainment and character and con
structive deeds of achievements,
adding: “In business, politics, and
the law, the name of Rountree has
been one of honorable distinction
in this region for a long period of
years.”
Judge Rountree was born at Kin
ston, Lenoir County, July 7, 1855.
His father, Robert Hart Rountree
was one of the wealthiest business
men of that secion, with interests
in North Carolina and New Yoik,
and who provided every possible
educational opportunity for his son.
His early education was received
at private schools, and at seven
teen years of age, he entered Beth
any College Bethany, West Vir
ginia. Judge Rountree remained at
Bethany one year and then matric
ulated at Harvard University from
which he graduated in 1877, with
the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
He studied law under Judge
George V. Strong, of Raleigh, and
was admitted to the practice of
law in the Lenoir County Superior
Court, 1878, but because of failing
health temporarily abandoned that
profession and engaged in business
for the next several years. Busi
ness was uncongenial and, in 1882.
he resumed his law practice, be
coming associated with his uncle,
A. J. Loftin, under the firm name
of Loftin & Rountree. He continued
in this firm until 1890, when he
removed to Wilmington, then the
largest and busiest vity in the
state, and promptly nfecame one
of the leading members of the New
Hanover County Bar. In 1899 he
became associated with J. O. Carr,
a former member of the legislature
from Duplin County, and a lawyer
of exceptional ability, under the
firm name of Rountree & Carr.
This partnership was destined to
become one of the most notable
and successful in the State. In 1913,
however, the partnership was in
terrupted by Governor Locke
Craig’s appointment of Judge
Rountree as a judge of the Super
ior Court'and the following year
1914, he was re-elected for the full
term of that position. Because the
judgeship entailed an almost con
stant absence from home he re
signed in 1916 and resumed his
(Continued on Page Two Col. 1)
WEATHER
FORECASTS:
NORTH CAROIJNA — Slowly
rising temperature Friday.
SOUTH CAROLINA — Contin
ued rather cold Friday.
(Eastern Standard Time)
(Meteorological data for the 24 hours
ending 7:30 p. m. yesterday):
(By U. S. Weather Bureau)
Temperature:
1:30 a. m. 45; 7:30 a. m. 45; 1:30
p. m. 44; 7:30 p. m. 40; maximum 47;
minimum 40; mean 44; normal 48,
Humidity:
1:30 a. m. 94; 7:30 a. m. 87; 1:30
p. m. 43; 7:30 p. m. 36.
Frecipitatlon:
Total for the 24 hours ending 7:30
p. m., 0.00 inches; total since the first
of the month, 2.14 inches.
Tides For Today:
(From Tide Tables published by U. S.
Coast and Geodetic Survey):
High Low
Wilmington _ 1:13a. 8:25a.
1:38p. 8:42p.
Masonboro Inlet _11:16a. 5:03a.
11:34p. 5:23p.
Sunrise 6:51a; sunset 6:00p moonrise
10:00a; moonset ll:17p.
Cape Fear river stage at Fayette
ville at 8 a. m., Feb. 19, 25 feet.
(Continued on Page Twelve: Col. 6)
Senate Votes
Pension Bill
Repeal, 75-5
Action Follows Widespread
Protest Against Benefits
For Congressmen
NOW GOES TO HOUSE
Increase Of 20 Per Cent
In Pay Voted Men In
Foreign Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.—UB—In
response to angry criticism from
all over the country, the Senate
voted tonight, 75 to 5, to scrap
the “pensions for congress” law
and then decided to give the na
tion’s fighting men abroad a raise
in pay.
Exactly one month after it voted,
42 to 24, to grantpension privileges
to members of Congress, the Presi
dent, vice president and cabinet,
the chamber reversed itself in re
sponse to widespread reaction that
included a “bundles for congress”
movement and other barbed crit
icism.
Only five senators voted against
the repealer, which now goes to
a House which seems anxious to
approve it. The five “no” votes
were cast by Senators EaFollctte
(Prog.-Wis.), Nye (R.-N. D.), Wall
gren (D.-Wash.), Clark (D.-Idaho)
and Mead vD.-N. Y.).
Service Pay Raised
Soon after the vote, the cham
ber accepted a suggestion from
Senator Clark (D.-Mo.) and voted
for an increase of 20 per cent m
the base pay for enlisted men and
10 per cent for officers serving in
the Army and Navy in foreign
countries, and in Midway, Hawaii
and the Philippines.
This, explained Chairman Walsh
(D.-Mass.) of the Senate Naval
committee, was in line with action
taken during the last World war
This measure and- the pension
repealer were all wrapped up in
a bill continuing for one year the
pay of civilian and military per
sonnel captured or missing in con
nection with the war. The whole
measure was sent to the House
for action.
After a sharp fight, the chamber
slapped down, 49 to 22, an attempt
by Senator Dowr.ey iD.-Calif.) to
attach a repealer granting a $30
a month pension to all citizens
over 60 who are certified by states
as needy individuals.
Dcwney presented his plan de
spite opposing arguments, includ
ing a warning by Senator George
(D.-Ga.) tha_t the people want no
wrangling ovgf pensions for any
group at this time.
“Before this war ends,” he said,
“crepe will be on the door of a
million homes in America, and the
people know it.”
“Let’s do/one thing at a time,”
Senator MbKellar (D.-Tenn.i said.
“Let’s save our government first.
What good would that extra money
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 5)
TWO dTasfast
W NS COLLIDE
Two Trains And Several
Passengers Injured In Ac
cident On Seaboard
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Feb.
19.—(iP)—An engineer and a fire
man were killed, two other train
men and several passengers were
injured today when two fast tour
ist trains operating between Mi
ami and New York were wrecked,
apparently in a head-on collision
seven miles south of this resort
center.
At least five cars were tele
scoped and three burst into flames
after the diesel-type engines crash
ed on a curve 60 miles north of
Miami. The flames were brought
under control by firemen from
nearby Boynton and Delray and
the trapped passengers rescues.
Division Trainmaster William G.
Guess of the Seaboard Air Line
at Jacksonville said J. W. Brown
ing of Plant City, Fla., engineer
of the Northbound Sun Queen, and
T. A. Goode of Tampa, Fla., fire
man of the Miami-bound Orange
Blossom special, were killed in
stantly.
A railway official said L. N.
Hayes of Tampa, engineer on the
Orange Blossom, was injured seri
ously. Ed Sullivan of Waldo, Fla.,
fireman on the Sun Queen, was
also hurt slightly, as were G. L.
Green, a baggage master; J. E.
Dixon, baggage car employe, and
Manuel Ebo of Brooklyn, N. Y.,
a steward.
Dr. Thomas F. Riley of Clifton,
N. J., was one of the first pas
sengers brought to a hospital here.
Mrs. Riley, who was with him on
the Orange Blossom bound for Mi
(Continued on Page Twelve; Col. T>
BRITISH GOVERNMENT
SHAKE-UP ELEVATES
CRIPPS TO CABINET
U. S. Bombers Attack
Sub In West Indies
BY CHANDLER DIEHL
ST. NICHOLAS, Aruba,
Dutch West Indies, Feb. 19.—
VPI—United States bombers, al
ready aloft on patrol when an
enemy submarine sent shells
crashing into the mammoth
oil refinery here in a new at
tack at dawn today, dropped a
load of heavy explosives so
quickly as to make the pilot
hopeful that the U-boat was
damaged.
No damage or casualties
were reported on this isle at
noon, hours after the attack.
Today’s attack was a renew
al of Monday’s raiding which
resulted in the sinking and
damaging of several shallow
draft tankers used in bringing
oil from the Venezuelan main
land to the Mammoth refin
eries here.
The new attack was directed
only at refinery objectives.
A submarine standing three
or four miles off the southeast
corner of the island rocketed
three flares over the island at
about 5:35 a. no., lighting up
the targets, and followed with
a series of about five shots of
about 3-inch size. All of them
fell short of the tank farm and
refinery and did not explode.
The bombers swung into ac
tion at this point and the sub
marine made a crash dive.
One of the U-boat shells hit
on land near the advanced po
sitions of the United States
troops who are here cooperat
ing with the Dutch in the de
fense of the important oil prop
erties. Another hit the refin
ery’s library building.
Hit Quarters
Still another hit a 32-room
bachelor quarters building
where I was spending the
night.
I awakened to the crash of
the shell which crackled like a
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 3)
Americans Mark Up
Air, Sea Victories
w
Six Jap Planes Shot Down
Over Soerabaja; Subma
rine Sinks Freighter
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19.— <» —
American fighter planes, striking
effectively in defense of Java, have
shot down six Japanese aircraft
over Soerabaja while in the China
sea a United States submarine has
sunk a 5,000-ton enemy cargo ship.
These successes were reported
late today in War and Navy de
partment communiques, and aside
from their immediate effect' on the
battle for the Dutch East Indies
appeared significant for two rea
sons:
The War department said 16
army P-40 pursuit planes took part
in the air fight with 27 Japanese
craft over Soerabaja, Dutch Naval
base. This was the largest number
of these craft yet reported in a
single action.
The Navy’s report was the first
mentioning American submarine
activity in the China sea since a
communique of January 26 said a
submarine had torpedoed an enemy
aircraft carrier in the battle of
Macassar Strait.
One Plane Lost
One American airplane was lost
in the fight with 25 Japanese heavy
bombers and two fighters which at
tacked Soerabaja in four waves,
but the pilot parachuted to safety.
The American shot down five
enemy bombers and one fighter.
Earlier the War department dis
closed ' that the Japanese have
brought flame throwers to Bataan
for use in their expected all-out
assault On General Douglas Mac
Arthur’s army.
MacArthur advised, a War de
partment communique said, that
American-Filipino forces captured
several flame throwers along with
three pieces of enemy artillery and
a quantity of ordnance and signal
equipment in a local action.
It was the first mention in a
communique of flame throwers, the
weapon which the Nazis employed
with deadly effectiveness against
France's Maginot line.
In the German technique, flame
throwers were used to drive the
defenders from the embrasures, or
(Continued on Page Twelve; Col. 4)
Two Killed In Blast
At Ordnance Plant
LAPORTE, 1ml., Felt. 19.—f/P)
—Two men were killed and four
others hurt today in an explo
sion on tile shell-loading line of
the Kingsbury ordnance plant,
six miles south of here.
Major Leslie S. Solar, execu
tive officer in charge of the
plant, identified the dead as
First Lieut. William H. Payne,
(age unavailable), a reserve of
ficer attached to the United
States public health service and
Leon Calhoun, 25, of Walkerton,
Ind., a plant employe.
The injured, all workmen,
were Dehnar Pointer, 25, of
Wellsboro, Ind.; Edward Gras
ham, 33, of Walkterton (former
ly of Topeka, Kan.) Richard
Branzelle, 30, of Highland Park,
III., and Iatuis Knapp, 46, of
Lakeside, Mich.
SUBS ATTACK SHIPS
AT PORT-OF-SPAIN
Two Vessels Rocked By
Blasts But Remain Afloat,
Army Announces
PORT-OF-SPA1N, Trinidad, Feb.
19.—(#1—Two ships at anchorages
in the gulf of Paria off Port-of
Spain were damaged last night by
explosions caused apparently by a
U-boat attack, U. S. Army head
quarters announced today.
The blasts flung a great sheet
of flame into the sky and caused
a blackout in Port-of-Spain when
officials cut off the electric power
supply.
Both vessels remained afloat and
no one aboard was injured seri
ously.
The U. S. Army announcement
said:
“There were two explosions in
the Gulf of Paria anchorage off
Port of Spain about 11:4 p.m. on
the night of Feb. 18. Two vessels
were damaged but both remained
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 1)
Camp Davis Payroll
Runs Million Month
In the last seven months of 1941
the Finance office at Camp Davis
disbursed $12,300,000, of which $7,
000,000 was paid to officers and
enlisted men stationed on the post,
the payroll running $1,000,000 per
month, according to a report com
piled by Capt. A. G. Alexander,
Finance officer.
The seven months mentioned in
the report constitute the period in
1941 during which Camp Davis was
served by a full-fledged Finance
office. From February until May,
1941, before the camp was fully
manned, there was only an agent
finance office on the post, not auth
prized to handle officees’ pay and
purchases. Disbursements in those
four months amounted to $100,000..
Pay of enlisted men was the
largest single item on Captain Al
exander’s report for the final seven
months of last year, totaling $4,
500,000. Officers’ payrolls amount
ed to $2,500,000 and civilian pay
f--—
was $1,000,000. Under the heading
of miscellaneous expenditures on
the report was 5300,000.
Such expenses as supplies, equip
ment, rentals, subsistence, new
buildings and general improve
ments, all listed on the report un
der the heading of purchases, to
taled $4,000,000.
The high month as far as dis
bursements were concerned was
December, when $2,200,000 was
paid out by the Finance office.
Captain Alexander’s staff is com
posed chiefly of enlisted men, most
of them former civilian account
ants and clerical workers. The of
fice is one of the busiest on the
post, leaking out payrolls for offi
cers and enlisted men is the Fi
nance office’s biggest job, often
necessitating overtime work, but
considerable time is also spent on
travel pay. civilian pay, and pur
chases. 3
7
Former Ambassador To
Moscow Made Lord Privy
Seal, Commons Leader
IS ANSWER TO CRITICS
Churchill Also Names Lyt
telton Minister In Charge
Of Production
BY DREW MIDDLETON
LONDON, Friday, Feb. 20.
—(^P)—Sir Stafford Cripps,
former ambassador to Mos
cow and a rising star in Brit
ish politics, was named Lord
Privy Seal and House of Com
mons leader by Prime Minis
ter Winston Churchill today
in a cabinet reshuffle dictated
by parliamentary criticism
over Britain’s recent military
reverses and by the approach
of vital spring offensives.
Oliver Lyttleton, known as
“one of Winston’s bright
young men,” was made minis
ter of state in charge of pro
duction to supplant the dyna
mic Lord Beaverbrook, who
declined to join the new war
cabinet on grounds of health.
Beaverbrook, who organized
Britain’s aircraft and tank produc
tion, will go to the United States
to carry on the task of pooling
the resources of the United States.
Lyttelton, who has been min
ister of state in the Middle East,
will join the war cabinet, reduced
from nine to seven members, and
will exercise “general supervision
over production.”
Replaces Attlee
Laborite Sir Stafford replaces
Clement Attlee as lord privy seal,
and will take the place of Church
ill himself in facing a House of
Commons which has shown in
creasing resentment over the fact
the prime minister has not shorn
himsef of some of his portfolios.
Attlee, in response to dominions’
demaris for representation in the
war cabinet, becomes secretary of
state for dominion affairs.
Dropped from the war cabinet
were the veterans. Sir Kingsley
Wood, chancellor of the exchequer,
and Arthur Greenwood, labor min
ister without portfolio.
The hold-overs who will direct
British strategy at a crucial mo
ment in history include Prime
Minister Churchill, who remains
as defense minister and first lord
of the treasury, Attlee, Labor Min
ister Ernest Bevin, Foreign Sec
retary Anthony Eden, and the lord
president of the council, Sir John
Anderson.
Churchill disarmed his oppo
nents, gathering for a bitter house
debate over British war reverses,
by announcing the changes in
which he gave way on all major
points save one—that of his own
(Continued on Page Three: Col. 6)
CITY EXTENSION
PLANS ENDORSED
Commission Offered Full
Cooperation Of Chamber
In Undertaking
Chamber of Commerce directors
in a meeting Thursday afternoon
unanimously endorsed t li e city
council's proposed extension of the
Wilmington city limits and offered
full cooperation of the organization
in the plan.
Councilmen Edgar L. Yow and
Robert LeGwin were appointed by
Mayor Hargrove Bellamy earlier
this week to study the expansion
so that the groundwork might be
laid before the proposal is brought
before the federal government's
regional planning board.
City limit extensions must be ap
proved by the general assembly,
the next session of which is in
1943.
Postmaster Wilbur R. Dosher and
General Frederick Smith, Camp
Davis commandant, were voted
honorary Chamber of Commerce
memberships by the directors, and
the civic affairs committee and re
tail merchants division were ap
pointed to study methods of reliev
ing traffic congestion during the
downtown "rush” hours.
Chamber President Albert E.
Jones presided. John E. Morris,
executive secretary, said that the
display window in the organiza
tion’s office will be utilized by a
series of local industry exhibits.
The first one, which is to be ar
ranged by the Southland shirt
manufacturing company, will be set
up Monday.