The Wilmington morning star. [volume], June 02, 1943, FINAL EDITION, Image 1

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State And National News BATAAN
VOLjTC^rNO‘ 2jj.---------WILMINGTON, N. C., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1943 „ PINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867.
House Passes
Compromise
Tax Proposal
Measure Provides For 75
I To 100 Per Cent Abate
ment To Public
20 PER CENT LEVY
Withholding Portion Of
Taxable Part of Wages
Is Provided
WASHINGTON, June 1.—
(IP) — Pay-as-you-go for Am
erica's 44,000,000 individual
income taxpayers became vir
tually certain today, as the
House passed and sped to the
Senate a compromise meas
ure poviding 75 to 100 per
rent abatement of one year’s
taxes and imposing a 20 per
cent levy against the taxable
portion of wages and salaries,
effective July 1.
Quick Passage Expected
Quick passage was expected in
the Senate, and Administration
leaders said President Roosevelt
I would let it become law.
1 The 256 to 114 House vote rele
gated to history the bitterest part’*
legislative battle of recent years,
in which House Republicans sup
ported and Democrats opposed
various versions of the Ruml plan
to skip an entire income tax year.
The bill received the votes of 89
Democrats and 167 Republicans,
while 99 Democrats, 12 Republi
cans and three minor party mem
bers opposed it.
Today’s action was on a com
promise, devised after legislative
machinery fell into a four-months’
stalemate on the Ruml issue. Rep.
Knutson (R.-Minn.) described the
compromise as “75 per cent of
the Ruml plan.”
The bill provides:
1. 100 per cent abatement for
each taxpayer owing up to $50 in
taxes for the one year, 1942 or
1943, in which he had the smaller
taxable income.
2. A flat $50 abatement for each
person whose aDatement year
(1942 or 1943) tax bill is between
$50 and $66.67.
3. An abatement of 75 per cent
for all persons with an abatement
year bill over $66.67, with the re
maining 25 per cent to be paid
half on March 15, 1944 and half
on March 15, 1945, in addition to
current taxes, (Persons in the $50
to $66-6" classification also would
pay off their small remaining debt
f in two such installments).
.4 segment of Democrats waged
a last ditch battle against the
compromise. Rep. Forand (D.-R.
I.1 declaring “this compromise is
nothing but the Ruml plan in a
new dress,” and Rep. Disney (D.
Okla.) saying “this is sorry busi
ness.”
in the one-hour debate, Chair
man Doughton (D.-N. C.) of the
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 8)
Temperature Rockets
To 92 Degrees With
No Relief In Sight
Aided by extremely high humidi
ty. the thermometer soare dto 92
degrees Tuesday to cause resi
dents an extremely uncomfortable
day, weatherman Paul Hess re
ported Tuesday night.
According to Mr. Hess, the day
" as the hottest of 1943.
Brief showers in the afternoon
tailed to bring relief and the out
look for Wednesday continued along
channel—-“hot and hw
fiud”,
Oldtimers of the city cheerful
i parked to newcomers who
. the heat, hard to take, “this
1 anything, wait until August-’.
WEATHER
North r , FORECAST
humid LaroJma: Continued warm and
,J®asfern Standard Time)
MetpLyi S- "eather Bureau)
•Mini 7°,°„eical data for the 24 hours
5 ‘ .-w p. m., yesterday.
130 Temperature
f, ®" 75; 7:30 a. m„ 79; 1:30
Mniri,, 7:30 p. m., 80; maximum, 92;
.m‘ 74; mean, 78; normal, 75
Humidity
P m a;,m” 88; 7:30 a- m., 79; 1:30
41; 7:30 p. rn., 79
Total r Precipitation
Pi- wf0r.the 24 hours ending 7:30 p.
of’thp Ce ,nches5 total since the first
e month,_ 3.55 inches.
(Fi-nm Tides For Today
U. S r the Tide Tables published by
°ast and Geodetic Survey).
as, >“»- ”»« k
glon - 9:24a 4:14a
1,asaabo™ Inlet _ ?:;Ha
Inlet- 7:19a linp
®moTre\Sai! Inlet- ’:24a l':22a
Sunricf" - 7:43p 1:23P
8:03a- ’ 5:01a: sunset, 7:19p; moonrise.
’ Mn°i1Set’ 7:05P
1 T,mes Eastern Standard)
’HiJV?: rJver stare at F*y*tte
feet. Tufsday, at 8 a. m., 10.40
KtatflniH* on Page Three; Col. 7)
/
OPA Orders Canned
Milk Rationed To
| Conserve Supplies
Red Coupons Must Be Used For Purchases
Of Commodity; Point Value Placed At One
Coupon For Large Size Can
WASHINGTON. June 1-—(A>)— Ra
tioning of canned milk was order
ed tonight by OPA, acting without
warning to conserve diminishing
supplies for babies.
No actual restrictions were plac
ed upon the purchase of evapo
rated and condensed milk for adult
use, but canned milk will take
red coupons, and most adults are
expected to save the coupons for
■ meat, butter or cheese.
I The point value was piacea at
one per pound, which means that
the common tall can, 14 1-2 ounces,
will cost one point. The common
small size, 6 ounces, will be two
for a point. Since the minimum
rationed purchase is one point,
however, anyone who buys a single
small can will still have to pay
a full point.
The order was made effective at
midnight tonight. OPA said it was
issued at the request of the War
Food Administration because pro
duction of canned milk has fallen
25 per cent below expectations and
because of huge Army, Navy and
lend-lease requirements. Officials
explained one reason for smaller
production is a trend to divert
milk into various manufactured
prbducts.
OPA said specifically that no ex
tra points, beyond the standard
16 per person per week, will be
made available to ordinary con
sumers for the purchase of canned
milk, since babies are eligible for
their own ration books, and gen
erally parents have been buying
meat for themselves with the
baby’s red coupons. This will still
be possible for parents of breast
fed babies and infants drinking
regular milk, and even those in
fants who feed on formulas requir
ing canned milk will not use all
their points. The latter usually
use one tall can per day, which
would take seven of the child’s
16 weekly points.
exceptions were made for per
sons with special diets and for
hospitals. Local ration boards
were authorized to grant extra
points in these cases, upon doc
tors’ certificates. Persons living in
remote areas where fresh milk is
unavailable also may request ex
tra points.
Rationing of canned milk has
been touch-and-go for about a year
and many communities had vol
untary rationing last fall. The sit
uation was eased for a while by
release of some Army stores and
by seasonal production gains.
Officials expressed belief that
considerable canned milk has been
hoarded by consumers but made
no estimate of these stocks.
175 MERCHANTMEN
BUILT LAST MONTH
Shipyards Of Nation Set
New Record In Ves
sel Production
WASHINGTON, June 1.—OP)—
Merchant shipyards of the United
States delivered 175 vessels aggre
gating 1,782,000 deadweight tons
in May, a new record.
The ships included fifteen 16,
000-ton tankers and 120 Liberty
ships, the Maritime Commission
said in announcing the total to
day.
Rear Admiral Howard L. Vivkery
told a press conference that pro
duction now has reached a rate of
approximately 20,000.000 tons an
nually, more than 1.000.000 tons
above the 1943 production goal.
These are deadweight tonnage
figures, which the commission re
gards as the most accurate of the
several methods of giving ships a
size. Roughly a ship will carry car
go equivalent to its deadweight
tonnage.
Vickery reported that the dry
cargo merchant fleet of the Unit
ed Nations has increased each
month since August, and now ex
ceeds the tonnage at the outbreak
of the war.
He added, however, that the
United Nations tanker fleet is not
as large as at the start of the war;
but in recent months has gained
consistently.
Asked for comment on a state
ment by James F. Byrnes, director
of War Mobilization, that this
country is now building merchant
ships four times as fast as they
are being sunk, Vickery said:
“We did quite a bit better than
that last month.”
To provide greater tanker ton
nage to carry petroleum products
to the world’s war theatres, Vick
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 1)
SHIPYARD WORKER
IS ELECTROCUTED
C. L. Cox, Concord Native,
Killed While Working
On Freighter
C. L. Cox, 30-year-old electrician
for the North Carolina Shipbuild
ing company was killed when he
came into contact with a live wire
while working in the engine room
of a Liberty freighter at the yards
Tuesday morning, Coroner Asa W.
Allen said Tuesday night.
He termed the death accidental.
Coroner Allen also said that an
autopsy had revealed that C. L.
Keith, 18-year-old welding train
ee at the shipbuilding company
who died Monday night had suc
cumbed to coronary thrombosis.
Cox, the coroner said, was burn
ed across both arms by the elec
tric current. He said that artificial
respiration was administered for
several hours without success.
The body will be sent to his
home in Concord for burial.
Keith, the son of Mr. and Mrs.
P. A. Keith of Fuquay Springs,
was stricken about 7:30 p. m.
Moylay as he was practicing weld
ing. He was rushed to James Wal
ker Memorial hospital where he
died at 9:15 p. m. ‘
NORTHEAST GETS
GAS SLASH AGAIN
17 Per Cent Cut In Value
Of B And C Coupons;
Other States Studied
WASHINGTON, June 1—(*—'The
Office of Price Administration
ordered a 17 per cent slash today
in the value of “B” and “C” cou
pons in the Northeast and took oth
er drastic steps which Administra
tor Prentiss M. Brown described
as “tough.”
Beginning at midnight, these
gasoline rations will be worth 2 1-2
instead of three gallons from
Maine to Virginia.
Brown directed rationing boards
to deny applications for additional
rations of gasoline to restore mile
age lost as a result of the reduc
tion; revoked a provision allowing
up to five gallons to service men
on furlough, and ruled against sup
plemental rations from applicants
living “within a reasonable walk
ing distance” of the work regard
less of car pools and lack of other
means of transportation. The only
exceptions will be made in cases
of physical disability, or to trans
port heavy equipment such as
tools.
Brown also disclosed that the
petroleum adminstrator is study
ing the sur-'v situation in the Car
olinas, Georgia and Florida to de
termine whether “B” and “C”
coupons should be reduced there.
The value of “A” coupons already
reduced in line with the rest of the
east, but they are not affected by
the current ban on non-essential
driving in the Northeastern states.
Today’s action left basic “A”
coupons at three gallons in the
Northeast. The period of validity
of these coupons, however, already
had been stretched out to give a
motorist only about 1.4 gallons a
week.
Brown acted after Secretary
Ickes informed him that the June
gasoline allotment for the East
Coast civilian use in June must
be reduced from 356,000 to 326,000
barrels a day.
Brown said all the steps he took
were necessary to hold civilian
consumption in the East to 356,
000 barre1 " day, in view of the
increased summer demand for gas
oline on farms, and greater de
mands by war industries.
Brown conceded the reduction in
“B” and “C” co”oons would work
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 1)
ps
S.
es
Land Fighting On Attu
Moves Toward Final
Clean-Up Of Snipers
DESTROYER IS SUNK
Tanker And Several Cargo
Vessels Are Destroy
ed In Pacific
-- /
WASHINGTON, June 1.—
(A5) — Destruction of seven
Japanese ships by American
submarines, striking vigor
ously at the enemy’s supply
lines, was announced by the
Navy today as land fighting
on Attu moved toward a fi
nal cleanup of the remaining
scattered pockets of enemy
resistance.
A communique on the wan
ing battle of Attu disclosed
that more than 400 Japanese
were killed in a single night’s
fighting. This clean-up in the
Chichagof harbor section ap
parently left only weak, com
paratively minute groups of
enemy soldiers to be cleared
out of the northeastern end
of the North Pacific island,
around Cape Khlebnikof, to
make the conquest of the is
land complete.
Lage Tanker Damaged
A second war bulletin reported
on submarine operations, announ
cing a destroyer sunk and the fol
lowing auxiliary vessels also de
stroyed: One large tanker, one
large cargo ship, two medium
sized cargo ships, one small car
go ship, and one medium sized
transport. In addition a large tank
er was listed as damaged and pos
sibly sunk.
Naval men here consider the
submarine campaign against ene
my supply lines to have the clos
est relationship with the island
fighting such as that which has
been in progress on Attu since
three weeks ago today. They em
phasize that the enemy’s steadi
ly weakening maritime strength
directly controls his ability to main
tain farflung island outposts while
on the other hand the American
assaults on such places as Attu
tax his overseas supplies facilities
to the limit.
A Navy communique reported
that three separate columns of
American soldiers had joined for
ces on the shores of Chichagof,
thereby apparently consolidating
the American hold on the whole
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 1)
WPB Lifts Trouser
Cuff Ban But Only
Short Wen Benefit
WASHINGTON, June 1.—(fl>)
—The War Production Board
today lifted its ban on cuffs
for men’s trousers, but hast
ened to explain that' short men
probably will be the only ones
to benefit from the action.
Restrictions on the length
of trouser legs—a 32 waist reg
ular is allowed a 35-inch in
seam — remain unchanged.
Thus, WPB said, ver few
men will have the necessary ,
five inches at the bottom of
the trouser leg to turn up for
a cuff. Some may be able to
get a simulated cuff, however,
since that takes only a three
inch turn up.
The WPB said the cuff re
striction had accomplished its
prime purpose of recovering
enough excess wool cloth from
19,000,000 pairs of trousers to
make an extra 300,000 wool gar
ments this year.
500,000 MINERS ARE IDLE;
OPERATORS REJECT LEWIS’
PLAN FOR TEMPORARY HIKE
'—»
Avenue Of Emptiness
When the Eastern seaboard’s gasoline crisis hit New Yorkers the double-barreled blow of “no
pleasure driving’’ and “busless Sundays, here’s how it affected Fifth Avenue.
Chinese Enveloping Jap Troops
Falling Back In Hunan Province
ARNOLD OUTLINES
BOMBING PRORGAM
Chief Of Air Forces Speaks
To West Point
Graduates
WEST POINT, N. Y„ June 1 —
(jP)—Gen. Henry H. Arnold told a
graduating class at the United
States Military Academy today
that the present bombing of Ger
many and Italy will end the war
ouicker and “in the end save hun
dreds of thousands of lives.”
“The Germans, the Italians —
and, yes, the Japs — see the
handwriting on the wall. Our plans
call for bombing to destruction
their factories — their transporta
tion and communication systems—
their U-boat yards — the indus
tries making their critical items—
and they don’t like it,” the com
manding general of the Army Air
Forces said.
“They can’t take such destruc
tive day and night hammering.
They are crying for us to stop.
Their morale is already beginning
to crack.”
Among the 514 graduates who
heard him were 206 flying cadets.
Each cadet was commissioned a
second lieutenant upon graduation.
Ridiculing Axis propaganda com
plaining of the killing of women
and children, General Arnold said:
“They are trying to make us
hesitate in the creation of a pow
erful air arm — to make us pull
our punches. To all this our an
swer must be — yes, war is a
ruthless business and you have
made it far more horrible. But we
are going to end it soon — by
bombing military objectives con
sistently and with the maximum
destructive power that we pos
sess.”
Conceding that bombs often miss
their tragets. he asserted:
“Don’t let me give you the idea
that we are setting out deliberate
ly to bomb large cities or recrea
tion resorts where civilians, wo
men and children are congregated.
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 6)
CHUNGKING, China, June 1.—(fP)—The Chinese, ex
panding one of their greatest victories of the war, were
thrusting forward tonight over a great central China front,
enveiloping Japanese troops falling back in North Hunan
province and annihilating a Japanese regiment and addi
tional mixed cavalry and engineering forces which had
sought to cover the enemy’s retreat in southern Hupeh pro
vince.
The invader, suffering as well from extraordinarily
powerful Allied air action which was officially declared to
have driven him from the sky over the Hunan-Hupeh fron
tier region, was being thrust back
generally along a 300 mile arc run
ning from the Tungting lake region
of northern Hunan westward
around the main Japanese base
at Ichang and then northeastward
to the Hupeh-Honan border area.
Southwest of Ichang, five Japa
nese divisions earlier had been
declared “completely routed’’—fa
tally encircled and erased as a
military force.
Following up this initial major
triumph, a communique of the
Chinese command announced:
“In southern Hupeh, the ene
my’s 116th regiment and a portion
of the mixed cavalry and engi
neering units covering the retreat
of the 13th (Japanese) division
were surrounded by our forces at
Lishutang, six miles east of Yu
yangkwan, and completely anni
hilated. The Chinese troops cap
tured an immense quantity of war
supplies.”
It was added that enemy rem
nants had been “thoroughly mop
ped up” west of Ichang and that
the Japanese there were “facing
further encircling assaults.”
“In north Hunan, Japanese
troops who retreated toward
Wangchichang have been surround
ed and the battle of annihilation
is proceeding.”
The Chinese - Allied '(American)
air forces were said by Chiang
Kai-shek’s command to have been
in strong, unending action along
the Hupeh-Hunan border, having
“inflicted immense damagg on the
enemy.”
“The enemy’s air strength.” the
communique went on, “thus has
been greatly reduced and his
planes practically made no ap
pearance today.’
Only in Shansi province, well to
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 6)
County Commissioners Approve Plan
To Purchase Land Adjoining Airport
In a session marked by consid
eration of several important mat
ters county commissioners voted
Tuesday afternoon to obtain au
thority from the Federal govern
ment to purchase, upon cessation
of the war, 20 acres of land ad
joining Bluethenthal airport.
Request of the government to
permit the buying of the land has
been advocated by the Civil Aero
nautics Authority in the interest
of full development of the project,
for civilian use, after the war. At
the present time, a portion of the
territory is occupied by buildings
essential to the government-con
trolled airport.
“We are reasonably sure that
we will be able to buy the land
after the emergency,” Chairman
Addison Hewlett assured the
board. He declared that full in
vestigation of cost to the county
would be made before any agree
ment. In appealing for passage
of the measure, the chairman en
visioned for the commission “an
air field the importance of which
we ourselves cannot now realize.”
The Rev. James H. Butler pre
sented to the commission a reso
lution, passed by the last meeting
of the Wilmington Baptist Asso
ciation, cali:’ " for a ban on beer
sales during Sunday, the same ap
peal heard this week in a meeting
of the city council. Commission
ers deferred action until the Al
coholic T overage Control law can'
be studied by Attorney Marsden
Bellamy, but three members indi
cated that if the city favored the
ban they would “go along.”
However, the board was explicit
in stating that it did not intend
to prohibit beer and wine sales
between the hours of 11 p.m., Sat
urday and 7 a.m., Monday, in the
county unless the city planned
similar action.
The Baptist explained that they
would hammer at the “menace”
of beer and wine sales on the
Sabbath “until something is done.”
The city council has promised
vote on the matter Wednesday
week; it was reported at the com
missioners’ meeting that three
city council members, a quorum,
will support the ban.
A delegation of women from the
Kure’s Beach area headed by Mrs.
B. C. Davis, told the commission,
through a petition and verbal ap
peal, that a deputy sheriff for the
section is “an absolute necessity.”
Reporting lists of insults, and
decrying drunkenness and use of
profane language in the beach sec
tor, they admitted that “when we
women go out, we have to go in
threes and fours.”
“Don’t send us a weakling,’
they told the board. “We need a
strong sheriff with plenty of
nerve.”
Supporting a motion made by
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 4)
A
1,000 NAZIS DIE
UNDER RED GUNS
Sharp Engagements Re
ported In Caucasus With
Foe Repelled
! LONDON, Wednesday, June 2.
—(#i—Thusts by air, artillery, and
ground troops sparked action on
the Russian front Tuesday, bring
ing death to nearly 1,000 Germans,
the Soviet midnight communique
reported today, while a news
broadcast told of sharp engage
ments in the Caucasus in which
Nazi counterattacks were beaten
back.
The communique, recorded by
the Soviet monitor, said simply
that ‘‘fighting continues” north
east of Novorossisk in the Cau
casus, but a Tass agency broad
cast declared that several charges
by German infantry and tommy
gunner were smashed there with
“heavy losses” to the enemy.
Fierce fighting still was flaring
at the German Kuban foothold,
but its scale was not disclosed.
The Tass dispatch, recorded by
the Associated Press, told how one
battery of Soviet 66 millimeter
guns withstood “double blows”
dealt by German planes and guns
that “ploughed up the whole
ground” around the gun. The So
viet gunners fought on, it said,
and later dispersed an attacking
battalion of German troops.
The German radio, in a report
of Monday fighting in the Kuban,
said a village was captured from
the Russians in the eastern sector
and held against Russian counter
attacks, while "German Stukas all
day long attacked Soviet reserves
and batteries.”
Four hundred Germans were
killed in fighting on the western
front, said the Soviet midnight war
bulletin, and Russian scouts dis
lodged the Germans from a strong
point. In another sector a Ger
man reconnaissance in force was
reported hurled back with 96 Nazis
left dead.
In the Lisichansk area 125 miles
southeast of Kharkov, the com
munique continued, “our troops an
nihilated nearly a company of Hit
lerites,” and wrecked fortifications
and Russian gunners shelled a con
centration of enemy tanks and in
fantry, disabling five tanks and
inflicting casualties on the troops.
The noon communique had re
ported repulse of two strong coun
terattacks by the enejny in this
area Monday night.
Mortar gunners wiped out about
(Continued on Page Five; Col. 4)
ICKES MAKES PLEA
Latest Deadlock Takes
Place On Heels Of
Call To UMW
NO REPLY IS SIGHTED
Mine Workers’ Head Makes
No Comment On Ap
peal From U. S.
WASHINGTON, June 1.—
(A5)—While 500,000 miners
remained idle, the deadlock
in their wage negotiations
tightened tonight when the
operators rejected the United
Mine Workers’ proposal for
$1.50 a day as a temporary
settlement of the portal-to
portal pay issue.
Both sides announced the
impasse in negotiations an
hour after Secretary Ickes, as
fuel administrator, had called
upon President John L. Lew
is of the UMW to order the
miners to end their work
stoppage which Ickes termed
a “strike against the goven
merft.” r
While saying that Lewis
cannot escape responsibility in
the crisis, the government’s
chief mine boss said “a few
powerful operators deliberate
ly opposed a compromise.”
To Be Considered
Lewis did not immediately re
ply to Ickes, but told reporters the
demand for a return to work was
“a matter to be given consider
ation.” »
The operators, replying to Ickes,
said “we do not feel that we can
accept any responsibility for the
delays which necessitated inter
vention by agencies of govern
ment. This responsibility is that
of‘ the United Mine Workers, who
have refused to recognize the wage
stabilization policies of the gov
ernment as reflected in the laws
of the United States and execu
tive orders of the president.”
The joint wage negotiations
recessed until tomorrow with an
announcement from the operators
that they have called upon the
War Labor Board for further di
rections.
Lewis told a joint press con
ference that the miners’ propos
ed temporary settlement, except
for the amount of money, was of
fered by Secretary Ickes last night
in a conference with Lewis and
Charles O’Neill, representing the
northern operators.
Ickes did not propose any speci
fic sum, the UMW president said.
Here is the proposal:
“That, this joint conference
agree upon a temporary basis of
payment of $1.50 per day on the
question of portal-to-portal. Sucn
payment be made effective from
April 1, 1943, for all underground
and outside men and continue on
such basis to a date agreed upon.
“That, a commission oe appoint
ed, equal numbers representing
each side, to survey the time re
quired for travel time and se
cure factual information on the
subject and report to a reconven
ed session of this joint conference
tor final determination and set
tlement. This temporary agree
ment not binding upon either par
ty beyond 30 days from the date
of the reconvened joint confer
ence.
“All other questions referred to
the joint conference by the War
Labor Board be accepted and be
come final under the terms of the
temporarj and permanent agree
ment for the life of the contract.”
Besides objecting to the amount
of money, O’Neill said the opera
tors were unwilling to make any
payment now that would not be
final. He said the operators were
bound by a War Labor Board or
der to make any final agreement
retroactive to Aprl 1 and would
abide by that. But he objected to
| making a payment now for a speci
fic period without knowing the
amount of retroactive obligations
that would still be accruing.
“When we pay a sum during an
(Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)
NOTICE!
If your carrier fails to
leave your copy of the Wil
mington Morning Star,
Phone 2-3311 before 9:00 a.
m. and one will be sent to
you by special messenger.