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•% FORECAST ** 1 + W g\I remember I k-^~ umtttgintt iiinntutQ mar ™sr jOL. 77;—NO. 54_____WILMINGTON, N. C., THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 1944 _FINAL EDITION _ESTABLISHED 1867 Bill Providing WorkOnLocal River Passed 6 MONTHS AFTER WAR Sets Aside $1,500,000 For Port Of Wilmington, And Cape Fear River By HOWARD SUTTLE (Star-News Washington Bureau) WASHINGTON. March 22.—More than two million dollars are au thorized for new North Carolina rivers and harbors projects, includ ing approximately $1,500,000 for port of Wilmington and Cape Fear giver improvements, in the rivers and harbors bill which was passed by the House today. Most of these projects are au thorized in the measure to be in augurated six months after the war has ended "unless the construc tion of such project has been rec ommended by an authorized de fense agency and approved by the president as being necessary or desirable in the interest of the na tional defense and security.” Some vere included in plans for imme 1 diate construction, but which were 1 postponed following Pearl Harbor. mume cnoi luumueo The North Carolina projects au thorized in the bill do not include waterway and harbors mainte I nance funds totalling more than j f.'TC.GGO. embraced in the War De partment civil functions appropria I fan bill alreadv enacted by Con j ss and now awaiting President | Roosevelt's signature. Exactly $508 900, not including a stare in the $320,000 set aside for H the inland waterway from Norfolk 1 io Beaufort Inlet, was appropriat I ea in the civil functions bill for I maintenance and operation of ex I isting projects in North Carolina, j These projects are itemized as fol j Cape fear River at and below I Wilmington, $200,000; Cape Fear I above Wilmington, $22,000; Wil H nfngton survey fund, $5,000; More I head City Harfcci, $50,000; Water I may from Cape Fear to Winyah I Bay S60.000; waterway, Beaufort 1 to Cape Fear, including waterway I tc Jacksonville. $150,000; Beaufort || Harbor. 817,500; Silver Lake Har | tor. $4,900, B The Wilmington Harbor - Cape B Fear river impiovement projects in the rivers and harbors bill to ;ai $1,465 000, while an additional $'3,000 is authorized for improve ments on the Northeast Cape Fear. Other rivers ana harbors projects b the post-war authorization meas ure: ' Waterway from Cape Fear t o Winyah Bay, $11,000: Beaufort Jacksonville-Cepe Fear waterway, Continued on Page Two; Col. 2) _ VOLUNTEER OCD WORKERS CITED Service bars have been present ed to 54 volunteers in the New Han cver county Civilian Defense Coun cil- it was officially announced Wednesday. Those receving bars for 5,000 hours of volunteer service were Louis J. Poisson. C. David Jones md William A. Stewart. Bars were awarded to Mrs. Julia M. Osborne and Charles H. Casieen for 2,000 hours, and 1,000-hour bars went to Mrs. Mabel A. Dexter, F. P. P'Crowlv, E. L White and L. L. Palmer. J The following received bars for 500 hours of service: Mrs. Eliza beth Little, Mrs. Louisa Jones, Mrs, Ann Burr. Mrs. Effie Burney, Mrs. Nannie K. Brown, Mrs. Mary Strange, Mrs. Viola Poisson, Mrs. Mary A. Norris, Mrs. Bernice Jones, Mrs. Frances Curtzweiler, Mrs. Ruth Cronly, Mrs. Leona Car roll- R. L. Binson, E. M. Bernry, J- L. Duffy, E. W. Dunham, J. ' Durham, Harry F. Farrow, Aaron Goldberg G. W. Gore, Wil burn Hayes, H A. Huggins, K. E. Johnson. E. T. Jones, W. C. Jor dan. Haywood S. King, Clarence 1 Myers. H. L O’Neill, R. M. hadrick. Jr., Tempie Powell, M. A Preslar, B. L. Prince, Decatur h Robinson, E C. Ruark, T. A. hrepard, Fred Smiley, Harry E. ®ow, Ashley 1 -ft. Amand, Al flPfl Qtr^i__ t XI7 Wol+rvn Marion Westbrook, J. L. White, ' A Whitney and MeC. B. Wil son. lr a note accompanying the serv bars, State Director R. L. Mc Millan informed C. David Jones, '•bm.ngton commander of the Citi Zfns Defense Corps: ‘‘For the Gov ernor, for this once and for my kindly experts to everyone who jweives the service bar congratu a'-°ns and appreciation for faith and effective service.” DISPLAY CONTEST PLANNED IN CITY Miss Foster Says Mer chants Have Done Out standing Job Here Miss Cordelia Foster, of the Tide Water Power company, who is in charge of the Red Cross War Win dow Display contest, announced Wednesday that in comparisor with other cities, Wilmington mer chants have done an "outstanding job, and have been most coopera tive, even in the face of man power shortages, in sponsoring window displays for the Red Cross drive, even when the Easier sea son is one of their best window feature periods.” Miss Foster said that when win dow displays could not be in stalled, merchants were glad to feature the Red Cross posters in prominent places. Tuesday, March 28, the contest comes to a close, and window dis play winners will be announced. Sears Roebuck and Company has featured on their sales floor an attractive display. Miss Foster disclosed yesierray that Belk-Wil liams Department store has an in side display, as well as an at tractive window. Twenty - seven otner estaDiisn ments have entered the display contest, Miss Foster announced. They are: Gregg Hardware Co., James Sta tionery Co., Blake Electric Co., Todd Furniture Co., Pender Furn iture Co., Wilmington Furniture Co., Finklesteins, X-Dept. Store, S, H. Kress and Co., Firestone Co., A. H. Yopp Piano Co., Crawford’s Store, Cinderella Booterie, F. W. Woolworth Co., Fashion Center, Sally Frocks, Rehder, Florist; Efird’s Department store, The Ju lia, LaMode Shop, Sutton Council Furniture Co., Kingoff’s Jewelers, Cannon Shoe store, J. C. Penny Co., I. Shrier and Son; Fashior Shop, F. W. Woolworth. Gloria Given $3,000 For Traveling Costs, Gotham To California NEW YORK. March 22.—(IP) _To visit her sick husband in California. Mrs. Gloria Laura Morgan Vanderbilt Di Cicco today was granted $3,000 for traveling expenses in surro gate’s court. Her husband, Lt. Pasquale (Pat) Di Cicco, U. S- Army, was reported convalescing from an illness. The heiress has been allow ed $89,250 for maintenance and other expenses beginning Jan. 1. That must last until next Feb. 20. PRESIDENT GETS UNRRA MEASURE Resolution Pledges U.S. To Aid Reconstruction Of World WASHINGTON, March 22.—fff)— Congress pledged 1he United States today to contribute Its time, effort and money to rebuild the health and welfare of war-wracked nations once they are liberated from the axis yoke. Legislation committing the U. S. to a big role in the United Na tions Relief and Rehabilitation Ad ministration (UNRRA) was ap proved finally and sent to the White House for President Roose velt’s anticipated signature. The House adopted, 285 to 58, the conference report which the Senate passed yesterday, but only afteu a last-minute fight over two possible facets in the program: The shipment of farm machinery aboard, and the possibility of UN RRA participating In anything of a religious or political nature in foreign' countries. Rep. Luther A. Johnson (D. Tex.) told critics that any safe guards that are needed could be written into a bill appropriating thp monev. The approved measure author izes a $1,350,000,000 American con tribution to a world “kitty” for relief and rehabilitation of the lib erated countries but actually does not provide a cent. An appropria tion bill will have to be passed before UNRRA can make any ex penditures or commitmepts. In addition to providing a major share of the world pool of money, the U. S. has its representative, Hebert E. Lehman, as chairman of the UNRRA. He was elected by the United Nations’ represen tatives at a conference in Atlantic City, N. J. Representatives Calvin Johnson (R.-IU.) and Reed (R.-N.Y.) raised the point of the use of farm ma chinery. Johnson reiterated that UNRRA proposes to allocate thou sands of pieces of farm machinery in foreign countries and he pro tested that it is needed more here. Rep. Luther A. Johnson count-; ered that in his opinion there wouldn’t be any liberated coun tries “for some time.” When this liberation takes place, he said, the military demands for steel will drop proportionately and the as sumption then would be that the farm machinery problem would be eased. -V Ceiling Strawberry Prices To Be Higher WASHINGTON, March 22. —(IP)— OPA Administrator Chester Bowles told Congressmen from strawberry producing states today that ceilings for berries to be announced within a few days will be considerably higher than had been contemplat ed. __ GroundForces Will Get Many orps Men NQUIRY IS SEEN r. - ; ilistments Of 17 - Year Olds In Air Corps Is Suspended By Army WASHINGTON, March 22.—(A’)— Confronted with unfilled draft quotas and a general shortage of ground forces, the Army an nounced today the transfer to ground duty of 36,000 young men who had been earmarked for air training. Meantime, a high military offi cial reported that draft boards had been failing for 13 months to meet the calls of the armed forces, and asserted that “the time has arriv ed when we ust have the fighting men we need.” Counter-Claim This statement was the latest de velopment in a tug of war be tween the armed forces and in dustry and agriculture for the services of thousands of young men under 27. An aviation indus try official countered with a claim that blanket cancelations of draft deferments granted the young men would cripple war-necessary air lines. Plans for Congressional inquires into charges that the draft has been used as a lever to force farmers into the government agri iulture program gave the situa tion a new twist. The Army Ail Forces also an nounced the suspension of enlist ments of 17-year-olds in its en listed reserve,’ saying that under the circumstances it is inadvisable to hold a reserve beyond.immedi ate requirements. It was an nounced, however, that airforce applications from youths of 17 still will be accepted and training will not stop. For 13 Months Cumulative shortages in induc tions since July, the War Depart ment s«ld, have .maade it neces sary to use every available man tor pending operations. The mili tary official, who declined to per mit use of his name, put the draft shortage even further back, say ing it had run for 13 months. General H. H. Arnold, chief of the Army Air Forces, testifying before the House Military Commit tee on a bill to give army status tc the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS') set the induction deficit at “over 200,000.’’ The 36,000 released by the Air Forces are men who have com (Continued on Page Eight Col- 8) _v_ LAND DEFENDS SHIPYARD FEES WASHINGTON, March 22.—— A stout defense of fees paid opera tors of government-owned ship yards came today from Chairman Emory S. Land of the Maritime Commission, testifying before a House committee investigating re ports they are excessive. “These shipbuilders have done one of the greatest managerial jobs in all history,'’ Land declared, adding that the commission's fee policy was the most economical and most productive one that could have been adopted. The merchant marine subcom mittee, headed by Representativ Capozzoli (D.-N.Y.), called the hearing +o consider data compiled by its investigator'' showing that 19 companies operating 23 govern ment - owned yards had earned $174,944,051 in fees as of Novem ber 30, 1943, and, under existing contracts, would ultimately receive fees of $228,234,832. The yards cost the government $371,960,113, and committee inves (Continued on Page Eight; Col. 7) RAF Follows Up Strong American Raid On Berlin With Smash At Frankfurt No army on the offensive can expect to win uni ess its supply line is safe from enemy attack. This is true of our campaign in Burma, which is being led by Lt. Gen. Joseph Stilwell, whose engineers have completed the Ledo Road, called the toughest road building job in the world. This was the fac tor which assured success in the present drive which trapped thousands of Japs in the Hukwang Val ley (see inset). Eventually the Ledo Road will form a junction with the much-disputed Burma Road, ovei; which supplies will be haulsed to our Chinese allies. In addition, it will shortcut to Chungking, China’s wartime capital. In the theatre commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten a possible move might be in the direction of the Kra Isthmus (arrows) and Sumatra. This would pave the way for the re capture of Singapore and its great naval base and Sumatra, from where the Japanese are getting much-needed tin and rubber. . . _ JAPANESE MENACE IMPHAL JUNCTION Enemy Columns Make First Penetration Of Indian Territory NEW DELHI, March 22. — UP)— Japanese columns have made their first penetration of India and are pushing on westward through the Manipur mountain country in the direction of the key road junc tion of Imphal, 30 miles away. The Japanese drive into India was announced by Allied head quarters today in a communique which stated little except that the enemy “continued to move to the west.” Imphal is the southern terminus of an all-weather road that winds 175 miles north through the Naga hill country to a junction with the India-Assam-China supply line, Al lied jugular vein in' the Burma theater Gen. Sir Claude J. E. Auchin leek, commander in chief for India (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) -V PAUL, TREASURY COUNSEL, QUITS WASHINGTON. March 22.—(A>)— Randolph Paul, who advocated higher wartime taxes than Con gress has been willing to enact, resigned today as general counsel of the Treasury. The 54-vear-old attorney told President Roosevelt in a letter of resignation that it appeared “I can contribute little more at present in this special field.” Mr. Roose velt accepted the resignation with “great regret” and told Paul his services had been “o£ the highest value of your country.” There had been reports even be fore the recent Congress-White House row over taxes that Paul was in a mood to leave the Treas ury. He and Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau were said to have seen eye-to-eye at all times although both advocated greatly increased wartime levies. However, Paul denied to news men that there had been any rift between him and Morgenthau, adding that “it was just a matter of everything being pretty well on its way,” meaning that tax mat ters were virtually settled for the time being. He fought against enactment of the Ruml pay-as-you-go tax plan, as originally presented, and op posed a sales tax. Russians Take Important Fortified Railway Town LONDON, March 23.—(JP)—The Red army hurled back the Germans at the southeastern end of the Ukrani^an bat tleline — the Nazis easternmost extension in Russia— yesterday by capturing the important fortified railway junction of Pervomaisk, driving to the approaches of Voz --'Anpspnslc +n thp smith past, anrl rearh JAP DESTROYER SUNK BY PLANES ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Southwest Pacific, Thursday, March 23.—(#)—A Japanese de stroyer and two small merchant men have been sunk by Allied bombers off Aitape, Nlew Guinea, northwest of Wewak, headquarters announced today. Aitape is in a sector where con siderable enemy shipping has been noted recently indicating efforts to supply wavering garrisons. Headquarters also reported an other unopposed raid on isolated Rabaul, New Britain, during which 133 tons of explosives were dropped. In the St. Matthias islands, whose invasion Monday complet ed the isolation of Rabaul, Ma rines have strengthened their po sitions at Emirau without encount ering any Japanese opposition. Light enemy resistance was over come in the initial landings. On the ground front below the Japanese New Guinea coastal base of Madang, headquarters said that Australians in the interior have sent patrols to within seven miles of Bogadjim. Bogadjim is an out post for the defense of Madang and is located about 20 miles to the south of that base. To the northwest of Madang, large forces of bombers blasted enemy personnel, supplies, barges (Continued on Page Two; Col. 4) i-1 President Roosevelt, Down With Head Cold, Showing Improvement WASHINGTON, March 22.—(^)— President Roosevelt, who has been confined to the living quarters of the White House all week with a head cold, was described by aides tonight as showing continu ed improvement. The President, for a third day in a row, however, had no en gagements and worked quietly in his study. ing a point eight miles from Ni kolaev on the estuary, Moscow announced today. On the northwestern end of the 500-mile line a fierce pitched bat tle with fresh German reserves flung in for a counter-attack re sulted in the liquidation of detach ments of two German guards divi sions, the midnight Soviet commu nique said. More than 1,000 men were killed and many prisoners and much booty captured in the battle, which the Russians located as near Pod zamchye. Podzamchye, 13 miles east of Brody in old Poland, was reported captured last Sunday. The late bulletin, recorded by the Soviet monitor, said hundreds oi Germans were drowned in the Bug river when the Russians, in a two-day battle, cracked care fully erected German defenses around Pervomaisk. Moving in from the east and the south the (Continued on Page Eight; Col. 7) \T JURY IS PICKED IN CHAPLIN CASE LOS ANGELES, March 22. —(/P) —A jury of seven women and five men. most of whom appeared to be in their forties and some in their graying or balding fifties and sixties, was selected today to try 54-year-old Charlie Chaplin on a Mann Act indictment. Prosecution and defense agreed on the jury’s membership late on the second day of the comedian’s trial on charges that he transport ed 24-year-old Joan Berry to and from New York City with immoral intent. As the gray-clad, defendant lis tened and watched intently at the counsel table, U. S- Attorney Charles H. Carr used five of the six peremptory challenges allot ed the government. Chaplin’s lawyer, Jerry Giesler, employed nine of the defense’s ten challenges. The prosecution used three chal lenges to remove prospective jur ors with roundabout film connec tions but allowed a film produc er’s caretaker to remain on the jury. Carr did not disclose who the first government witness would be OTHER AREAS HIT 13 Bombers, Nine Fighters, Reported Lost In Great U. S. Assault LONDON, Thursday, March 23. —®—American heavy bombers, escorted by powerful fighter for mations, struck Berlin through heavy flak yesterday, losing 13 bombers and nine fighters, and the RAF followed up with a strong smash at Frankfurt and unspeci fied other German targets in the night. The Berlin station said in a broadcast shortly after midnight that “strong British bomber for mations bombed places in the Rhineland.” This enemy report was promptly confirmed in Lon don, with identification of Frank furt as the major '-bjective. Amer ican heavy bombers had attacked the Frankfurt area Monday. Fifth In 19 Days The American daylight attack yesterday on Berlin was the fifth in 19 days and the heavy bomb ers were estimated to have drop ped 1,500 tons of explosives. They encountered no fighter opposition, hut the flak was extremely heavy. The assault was by “strong di visions” of Fortresses and Liber ators, a communiaue from U. S. Army headquarters announced, adding that the planes “met n» opposition from German fighters, although anti-aircraft fire over Berlin was intense.” The lack of aerial resistance was reflected in the announcement which, instead of telling of the shooting down of dozens of Nazi fighters, said only that “one heavy bomber taking off from an air field was destroyed by our fight ers.” Military targets still standing In Berlin as well as factories and transportation facilities in the sur rounding area were pounded by the big bombers, although some of the formations were forced to drop their explosives by instru ment through *hick clouds and could not observe results. The American armada was esti mated at between 500 and 750 bombers and between 750 and 1,000 escorting craft. The communique said “very strong forces” of Musing, Light continued on Page Two; Col. 7) STUDENTSENTER ROW AT E.C.T.C. GREENVILLE, N. C., March 22. —(iP)—East Carolina Teachers Col lege’s student body, holding a call ed meeting tonight, adopted a resolution calling upon Governor Broughton to refer the matter of “alleged mishandling of college funds by Dr. Leon Meadows” to a body of state officials “higher than the board of trustees of' the college, and if necessary to the state courts for a just decision.” The student body, headed by Miss Dorothy Lewis of Farmville. jnet after a petition had been cir culated and signed today asking that the meeting be called “be cause of the dissatisfaction among students and the spirit of unrest on the campus because of the man ner in which the entire matter has been handled.” The board of trustees of the college exonerated Dr. Meadows, head of the college, of any charges made in a report from the state auditor’s office that he had not satisfactorily accounted for col lege and student funds totaling $13,636.34. The decision was ren dered at a meeting of the board yesterday. ‘25 Pound’ Raleigh Baby Weighed Only 15 Pounds, 3 Ounces RALEIGH,'•March 22—(TP)— The birth of a baby girl, at first reported to have weighed 25 pounds, at St. Agnes hospi tal here last night, was reveal ed tonight to have weighed 15 pounds and three ounces. Dr. Thomas F. Cathcart, the attending physician, said to night that a check of the scales used to weigh the baby revealed a 10 pound deficit. An autopsy was performed on the infant’s body tonight and the correct weight is certified. The child, born to a Negro couple, died approximately 12 hours after birth. Allies Advancing Slowly Through Cassino Rubble ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Na ples, March 22.—(if)—Allied infan trymen, fighting with everything from flamethrowers to bush knives advanced slowly tonight against bitter German resistance and se vere terrain handicaps in the bat tle for Cassino and the eastern Slones of Monastery Hill. Field guns supported the foot troops from close range. The Germans were ejected from several more of the fortified build ings at the southwestern corner of the ruined town and Fifth Army troops wired and mined the newly captured areas to prevent enemy infiltration. Allied artillery was hauled up to day to blase point-blank at fanatic German parachute 1roops clinging to the ruins of the Continental Ho tel and a half-dozen other buildings at the southern edge of Cassino as the fight for that Nazi stronghold rose to its wildest pitch. Behind this raking fire, battle hardened New Zealand infantry sloggued forwan foot-by-foot, of ten engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat. At the end of a week of savage fighting the Germans still were resisting with a ferocity th? has characteri i their defense > the road to Rome. Fighting fully as bitter rag' *!y the steep slopes of Monaste’ A* ^ west of Cassino, from whi V v man guns and mortars pu» rific fire into +he battle r ^ more Nazi counter-atta 5* Allied-held Castle Hill, ^ above the rubble of Cassino, flung back today. ‘(The German - controlled Rome radio announced that +he Nazis would withdraw all military instal lations from Rome and “further deviate” military traffic from the Eternal City “so that responsibility for bombing Rome will remain en tirely with the Allies.” The Ger mams declared Rome an open city last Aug. 14, when they said all military installations had been withdrawn.) President Studying Vote Measure WASHINGTON, March 22.—(A1'— President Roosevelt today began study of the service vote bill in the light of a poll of governors which turned up a 19-19 tie of “ayes” and nays” on the question of ap proval or probable approval of use oi Federal ballots as provided in the measure. Executives oi nine states were non-committal and the White House had yet to receive a reply from Governor Olin D Johnston of South Carolina. Mr. Roosevelt conducted the poll to help him decide whether to ap prove or veto the bill which gives nrioritv, preference to state bal lots instead of the Federal ballots which he recommended ..to Con gress. He indicated he would make up his mind on the basis of whether the new legislation would mean more or less voting by those in uniform. The bill would permit use of Fed eral ballots only by service men and woman overseas and only in cases where they apply for a state ballot by Sept. 1 and do not re ceive one by Oct. 1. Texas and Vermont gave the President assurance today they will allow use of the supplemen tary ballots, raising to seven the number of states where no doubt remains that such ballots can be used. The others are California, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida and Kansas. The governor of Alabama said, Federal ballots would be accept able if the service vote bill is Con stitutional, and governors of the following states said they either eypected or would recommend au thorization to approve the Federal blanks; Utah, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Indiana New Hampshire, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Nebras ka, Maine, Oklahoma and Connec ticut. On the other side of the ledger were advices that no action has been taken or is planned to au thorize them in Nevada, Iowa, Ida ho, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia, Arizona Wisconsin, Colo rado, Minnesota, Ohio, Montana and Mississippi. Governors of North Dakota, Tennessee, Wyom (Continned on Page Eight; Col. 6) |$10 Will Support A Fighter Six Months —Help The Red Cross Today