The Wilmington morning star. [volume], August 12, 1944, FINAL EDITION, Image 1

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

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I-01" ~7‘ NQ~ 175----. WILMINGTQN, N- C > SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1944 . FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1867
Roosevelt Visits
Aleutian Islands
president sans From
For Surprise Trji
ALEUTIAN ISLAND
laved)—(A3)—President Roo
a "surprise visit today and i:
he saw. He said he was thri
It was the President’s first trij
t# the Aleutians, made on his firs
Pacific traveling of the war. H<
came by warship, by way of Hono
lulu. The Chief Executive praisec
members of the armed forces par
ticipating in the Aleutian campaign
and constru'tiou program. He sail
Hey had drirc.i out the enemy anc
had built mw military naval anc
air bases on or.ee remote, barrer
islands in an incredibly short time.
Accompanied by Vice Adm.
Frank Jack Fletcher, commander
of the North Pacific, the President
made a tour of the island’s instal
lations.
tt. v/ip co .-I a uri cn fViat +V»«
people back home could see what
had been done.
The Japanese, he said, would
never again be able to threaten
North America with an Alaskar
invasion.
Mr. Roosevelt’s impromptu re
marks were made at an informal
lunch at an enlisted men’s mess,
'where he made a noon stop during
the inspection tour.
He said he considered some parts
of the United States overpopulat
ed and predicted that many sol
diers and sailors would seek new
homes in Alsaka after the war.
The territory’s great size and
known resource, he added, invited
settlers.
The President did not discuss
any specific war plans for this or
any other theaters. Neither did he
comment on the national political
campaign, in which he is the na
tional Democratic nominee for a
fourth term.
All of those eating lunch with
the Chief Executive—except the
Navy base commandant and the
army post commander—were en
listed soldiers, sailros and marines.
A proportionate number of Negroes
were mixed throughout the long
mess hall.
The chatty, Smiling commander
in-chief ate from the navy regula
tion, metal serving tray. He was
seated between two youthful pri
vates first class—a red - haired
Marine from Arkansas and a trim
soldier from New Jersey.
William Goff, the 19-year-old Ma
rine whose father is foreman of
the ice company at Batesville, Ark.
conversed easily with the President
in response to questions.
The 20-year-old soldier, Ferdi
nand Rutcher, of Irvington, N. J.,
provided and lighten an after
lunch cigarette for the President.
He grinned happily when his flint
lighter worked on the first try.
Another member of the armed
forces singled out^by the President
during the day for special notice
was a navy nurse. She was Lt.
(j-g.) Margaret Richard, whose
family, formerly of Baltimore, now
lives at Woodside, Long Island, N.
Y.
Mr. Roosevelt stopped the line
of inspection tour automobiles in
front of the Navy dispensary,
where the blue-uniformed nurses
stood at attention with other ofi*»
cers and men of the hospital unit.
Lieutenant Richards, called to
the side of the President’s auto
mobile, answered questions con
cerning operation of the dispen
sary,
--V
BUDGET ADOPTED
AT WRIGHTSVILLE
The WrightsviUe Beach city coun
cil officially adopted a general
lund budget of $65,613.46 and a
water department budget of $18,
7 for the fiscal year of 1944-45
5; a meeting Thursday night, it
"as announced yesterday.
A tax rate of $1.60 for the fiscal
)esr also was adopted.
‘terns in the budget are: gen
'7 administration $8,815; public
wildings, $2,000; police department
*'.567.80; fire department, $6,600;
unitary department, $9,450; street
apartment, $16,570; debt service,
77°; contingent fund, $3,720.66,
a total of $65,613.46. In addition, the
PPropriation for the water depart
ent of $18,024, brought the total
t0 $83,637.46.
r -v
Wtnnabow Man Drowns
In Northeast River
The body of Ray Kye, 23, of
innabow, who drowned early
■ , erday afternoon near Rones
stand on the Northeast Cape Fear
a!ver had not been found last night
J, ‘ti30, according to officials of
c sheriff’s department.
Witnesses state that Kye, who
'as employed by the McMillan
j un'hei company, was approach
"8 « lumber barge in a small
,°at when the craft capsized. Fin
y McMillian, Jr-, 15, made an
futfle'Pt to rescue Kye, but it was
A Coast Guard patrol has been
fagging for the body since 5 p.m.
“Bterday.
His troops now were in a position
to ..swing around Lake Peipus and
force a German withdrawal in the
Narva sector north of the lake,
and drive straight westward to the
Baltic and split in two the 30 Ger
man divisions estimated to be
trapped in Estonia and Latvia by
another Russian spearhead driven
through to the gulf west of Riga,
Latvian capital. .
A midnight bulletin said the
fresh spurt in the north was begun
after a massive artillery prepara
tion which dazed the Germans i*
their strong dugouts. Then Red in
fantryment swarmed in and dis
lodged them, killing at least 1,500
and capturing 300. The 30th Na£i
infantry division was among the
units routed the supplementary
ommunique said.
Postwar Kf/.
State'^11
____ ^
$35 BILL REJECTED
Coalition Votes To Have
No Federal Standards
For Pay To Jobless
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11.
—(fP)—With a Republican
southern Democratic coalition
in command, the Senate pass
ed overwhelmingly tonight a
“states rights” postwar re
conversion bill after rejecting
49. to 25, the Murray-Kilgore
measure setting up federal
standards of unemployment
compensation.
The vote on final passage wa* 55
to 19.
(North Carolina’s Sen. Robert R.
Reynolds voted against the George
amendment. The state’s other Sen
ator, Josiah Bailey, was paired for
the amendment.)
The approved measure, sponsor
ed by Chairman George (D.-Ga.)
of the finance copimitte, sets up
an Offce of War Mobilization arid
Reconversion under a presidential
ly-appointed director to coordinate
planning for the gigantic switch
back to a peacetime economy.
It embraces a provision extend
ing post-war unemployment com
pensation coverage to 3,500,000
employes of the government, in ad
dtion to the millions now covered,
but leaves the fixing of rates to
the states. Under it the govern
ment would reimburse states for
payments to ex - Federal workers
and set up a Feeral fund to guar
antee the solvency of state unem
ployment systems.
The rejection of the Murray-.Kil
gore bill, setting up a much broad
er Office of War Mobilization and
Adjustment, came on an indirect
vote by which the Senate substitu
ted Drovisions of the Georse hill
for sections of the rival measure
[which included the Federal job
plan. ' .
In an eleventh * hour effort to
overcome opposition, the Murray
Kilgore bill proponents reduced •
from $35 to $25 a week the pro
posed maximum benefits payable
under its terms.
But, with the votes in their poc
kets, and the White House keeping
hands off, the opponents of the
White House keeping hands off,
the opponents of the measure were r
in no mood for a compromise.
The George bill now goes to the
House for action with indications
that it will be referred to the ways <
and means committee for consid- *
eration early next week. i
It provides for a demobilzation ]
setup which sponsors say carries *
out recommendations of the Han- 1
cock report drafted at the sugges
tion of President Roosevelt. The s
director of the new agency would *
work with an advisory board of 12 1
members, thre each from industry $
labor, agriculture and the public. i
A joint committee of Congress £
Would maintain a “continuous sur- {
veillance’’ over the demobilization 5
program.
Absent from the bill were AFL- !
CIO proposals under which work- E
ers would be given six months vo- c
cational education at government 1
expense wth payments for subsis- {
fence while going to school. *
•*r r
PUSH ON JAP BASE
SOUTHEAST ASIA COMMAND J
HEADQUARTERS, Kandy, Cey- J
Ion, Aug. 11.—UP)—Chinese troops ^
and Kachin (Burmese) levies have £
driven seven miles south of cap- f
tured Myitkyina in a new push 0
toward Bhamo, Japanese base on p
the Irrawaddy river 73 miles far- f
ther south, Allied headquarters e
announced today. s
BIG AMERICAN ARMORED OFFENSIVE
THREATENS TO TRAP 100,000 NAZIS
REPORTED FLEEING WEST OF PARIS
_ PUTTING THE FINGER ON TOKYO ; I ]
TRUCKING FIRMS
SEIZED BY ODT
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11.— {/Fl -
The government tonight seized 10!
midwestern truck companies em
broiled in a strike of 25,000 drivers,
established a federal manager anc
ordered all the ftren back to work
immediately to avert a traffic bot
tleneck that was rapidly endanger
ing movement of military sup
plies.
President Roosevelt ordered the
seizure at 5:30 p.m., eastern war
time. He assigned the Office of De
fense transportation to conduct the
$50,000,000 segment of the truck
industry until the controversy is
settled and said the weight of the
Army would be behind ODT in
its task.
The strikers quit work last week
after the companies refused to pay
a seven-cents an hour wage in
crease ordered by the War Labor
Board. The operators said they
couldn’t afford it unless they got
financial relief from the govern
ment.
Col. J. Monroe Johnson, director
of ODT, said his organization was
taking over actual operations at
midnight and from that time on
the men would be paid the au
thorized wage boost. Back p a y
from November, .when - the WLB
order was handed down, will be
given to the drivers only from the
future net operating revenue of
each company Colonel .Johnson
said.
Ci,ty Planning Job Up To People,
Expert Tells Joint Civic Meetipg
“The responsibility for eco
nomic as well as physical plan
ning for your postwar com
munity lies with your local gov
ernment officials. The planning
board must assume the leader
ship, but it cannot do the job
unless you back it up,” Walter
Bulcher, executive director of
the American Society of Plan
ning Officials, told 140 busi
nessmen and local government
representatives gathered yes
terday afternoon at St. Paul’s
parish house to hear him.
"No expert can plan for you.
He can only assist you to de
termine your resources,” Blu
cher. emphasized.
‘There is no use to talk of
physical improvements until
you make your economic plans.
' You must find out what you
can afford, then make a defi
nite drive ahead.”
Blucher told the men that
what happens to the city, eco
nomically, when the war is
over depends altogether on
‘what you want to happen.”
He laid before them the sta
kttics and the facts that prove
Wilmington’s decline between
the years of 1920 and 1940, or
until the war stimulus arrived:
‘During all these years Wil
mington was standing still or
declining while other Southern
cities were going ahead.”
‘This happened because you
permitted it to happen; yoi
didn’t put up a fight to prevent
it,” he told them. j
‘If you think you were fac
ing competition in the period
between the wars, you may‘be
sure that competition will be
nothing to compare with what
you will see when the war. is
over,” he declared, pointing to
specific plans of specific com
munities with which he is fa
miliar.
‘Competition between cities
is going to be cut-throat,” he
assured them. ]
‘Are you going to stand still
and take what is happening to
you,; or are you going to do
something about it?” Blucher
queried.
‘!I can’t analyze ■ your ills.
You have got to discover your
resources. From appearances,'
you have transportation faci!-!
ities. good climate, a certain
pool of labor. You may also
take into consideration resour
ces throughout the country,
within neighboring counties,
within the state and within
neighboring states in the form
ulation of your plans.”
The attitude of the citizens
can be the greatest asset; he
pointed out by way of illus
tration. A great community
spirit, and a postive conscious
plan will dictate the pace, Blu
cher told those who heard him.
' He described community think
ing that reflects exclusively
the attitudes of either “the
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 5)
Invasion Spotlight
Probes Philippines
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS SOUTHWEST PACIF
IC/ Aug. 11.—(A5)—'The Philippines stood today in the full
glare of the Allied invasion spotlight. Guam, likely spring
board for an American amphibious strike into the northern
end of the archipelago, was completely in American hands.
iiijnuunuu, a jjuicuuai icxiiviiiig -
spot-at the southern end of the
Philippines, was under, air attack
for the first time since the fall
of Corregidor.
The American determination to
retake the Philippines and totdrive
Japan to unconditonal surrender
had been reiterated by President
Roosevelt following a conference
at Pearl Harbor with Gen. Douglas
MacArthur, Adm. Chester W. Nim
itz and other top - ranking Paci
fic commanders.
Also significant was the an
nouncement of Vice Adm. Rich
mond Kelly Turner that headquar
ters for Pacific fleet and troop
amphibious forces had been estab
lshed on Saipan, deep in Japan’s
inner island defenses.
Saipan, 125 miles north of Guam
in the Marianas, will be headquar
ters, Turner said aboard his flag
ship in the Marianas, “until I ca
move farther west,or northwest,”
West of Saipan are .the ;Philip
pines: ahd ' China:. :To the North
west is Japan:
Guam, the first American insu
ar possession seized by Japan,
was retaken.a-t.a cost of.7,247 cas
ualties, including >1,214 dead, Ad
miral Nimitz reported. The total
was far below that on Saipan, first
Marianas and to be: conquered
in the bloodiest ground •.campaign
in the Pacific. The U. S. casualty
lisp tor Saipan was announced as
16,MS. ;
B-29S REPORT
GOOD RESULTS
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11— W —
B-29 SuprefOrtresses chalked up
“good” results, in their twofold
smash yesterday at Japanese war
industry in Sufatra and the Nip
ponese homeland, the 20th Bomb
er Command reported today. It
said, three of the aerial giants are
missing and a ^fourth was forced
down in friendly territory.
A “Medium” force of the great
planes was used in each attack
one hitting Japan's greatest source
of oil the Piadjoe refinery at Pal
embang; Sumatra, and the other in
dustrial targets at the shipbuilding
center of Nagasaki on Kyushu, one
pf the enemy’s home islands.
. The assault-on Palembang was
described officially _ as “the long
est hombing mission ever under
taken.” The . attackers took off
from “bases .in the Southeast Asia
Command.” -T VW ...
CENSORSHIP LAW
TO BE CLARIFIED
WASHINGTON, Aug. 11.— Ml —
A congressional move was started
today to clarify the soldier voting
law to permit freer circulation of
I n e w s, pictures and speeches
among the troops.
Work was begun on an amend
ment designed to give Army and
Navy authorities wider discretion.
Under interpretations of present
law, the circulation of various
newspapers, movies, books and
other material is restricted.
In the newest application of the
law, several hundred thousand
copies of the “Official Guide to
the Army Air Force” were banned
from sale at post exchanges. The
ban was ordered because the
guides contained a pen portrait of
President Roosevelt captidhed
“Commander in Cnief of tne Ar
iny cum iiav)'.
“There is a question as to wheth
er the picture violates Title V (of
the soldier vote law) now that the
President is a candidate,” said
Maj. Gen. Aexander D. Surles,
chief of Army public relations.
As it now stands, Title V car
ries a prohibition against Feaeral
distribution of propaganda bearing
on a national election, and Surles
said it was “difficult” fox the Ar
my to interpret this section.
7nree C/.S. Prisoners
Executed By Japaneie
DOCTORS D!Sf«AR<JE
THREE POLIO CASES
Only two cases of infantile -pa
ralysis are, not under quarantine
in New Hanover county. Dr. A. H.
Elliot, city-countv health officer,
reported last night. r'>»
The first two cases of poliomye
litis recorded in this county were
Randolph Charter of Lake Forest
and-Edward Meade of Sunset'Park,
who have been discharged by phy
sicians. The third case, James
Rchardson of Ivey Drive, is now
a patient in; the emergency polio
hospital at Hickory.
■ The latest cases. Carmille
“Micky” Thomas of Grace street,
who underwent treatment at James
Walker Memorial, hospital, was re
moved to her home yesterday, and
Jean Taylor of Masonboro Sound,
who has not been admitted to the
hospital, are the only remaining
cases under quarantine.
WASHINGTON, Aug/ 11.—UPl
—The' J apariese ’have executed
three American, 'prisoners of
war on a charge, that they kill
ed a police officer after es
-caping-from a prison camp in
Manchuria.
The Navy, disclosing details
of the deaths today, said the
Japanese foreign office had re
layed the 'information through
the American Red Cross.
The sentence of death, im
posed by a mlitary court up
on the three Americans, was
carried out July 31, 1943.
Those executed, the Navy
said, were:
Marine Sgt. Joe B. Chastain,
24, son of Starling E. Chastain,
Waco, Texas; Marine Corporal
Victor Paliotti, 23, son of Mrs.
Julia Paliotti, Cranston, R. I.;
Seaman Frank Meringolo, 21,
son of Demetrio Merngolo,
Brooklyn. N. Y.
The Japanese gave this ver
sion of the cases
; v , •_ / t • •. • •
Held captive in a Manchuri
an prison camp, the trio escap
ed on June 21, 1943, and head
ed for the Russian border. For
eleven days they sought to get
out of Japanese territory, but
finally lack of sufficient food
made them desperate. They
halted a police inspector and
asked for something to eat, as
serting that they were German
fliers whose plane had crash
ed. The inspector and two Mon
gol companions insisted upon
seeing the crashed plane.
“Enroute, according to t h e
Japanese version,” the Navy
said, ‘‘One of the prisoners kill
ed the inspector with a kitchen
knife and another seriously
wounded one of the Mongols.
“The other Mongol fled and
later succeeded in arresting
the prisoners with the aid of
local inhabitants.
“The three prisoners were
tried before a military court
and were condemned to death.”
BRAD] ’S TANKS
MOVING AT WILL
Enemy Apparently Unable
To Parry Blows Rained
Down On All Sides 4
SUPREME HEADQUAR
TERS ALLIED EXPEDI
TIONARY FORCE, Satur
day, Aug. 12.—(IP)—U. S.J
tanks battled to close a 33-'
mile escape gap on an esti
mated 100,000 Germans re
ported in retreat west of Pa
ris last night while other
wide-ranging armor struck -
out suddenly from Nantes,
burst across the Loire river
barrier to southern France
and plunged ten miles be
yond. *
American armor, in apparent’
control of the field, was lashing
out in every direction across the.
■ s
northern plains of France and no^
where did the Germans seem atilsi
to parry the rain of blows, such
as this new one across the Loire.
“The great bulk of the German
forces in northwest Europe are iifc
a bad way,’’ Gen. Sir Bernard L.
Montgomery, chief of Allied
ground forces, messaged his troops
in France. “We are ‘round behind
them in many places and it is.
possible some of them may not
get away.’’
Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley’s
forces striking north from Le Mans
were closing in on the entire Ger
man Seventh Army—which once
boasted over 30 divisions—and thp
Paris radio- declared they already
had driven through Alencon, 33
miles south of where Canadian
forces were fighting before Fa
laise.
At the southern end of the front,
his thrust across the broad reach
es of the Loire Within 24 hours
after the river port of Nants fell
still had encountered no resistance
in strength.
American troops were mopping
up along the north bank between
Nantes and Angers, which also
was captured yesterday, but ther«
was no word of any crossings.
As the Germans were confront
ed with the same sort of peril
with which they bewildered the
French in the 1940 lightning war,
captured troops reported that Field
Marshal Gen. Guenther Von Kulge
had given the signal for a general
retreat.
This was apparent from an ar
ray of field dispatches reporting
a march of conquest through Nor
mandy, including British advances
along a six - mile front east ol
Vire and their capture of the hill
top fortress of Thury - Harcourt,
14 miles south of Caen in the rug
ged country known as “Normandy’s
Switzerland.”
Allied medium bombers pounded
away at the German anti-tank
screen which has held up the Ca
nadans before Faiaise, but even
this enemy stand might be a cov
ering action for a general withdraw
al.
General Bradley kept his drive*
radiating from I.e Mans cloaked
by almost complete silence, leav
ing the enemy guessing at which
might be feints and which the big
punch capable of dealing them a
knockout.
(Available information indicated
Paris might not be one of the im
mediate objectives of the sweeping
American advance and that the Al
lied command was pursuing the
primary aim of any well directed
campaign, to destroy the enemy
armies.
(Thrusts in the Paris direction
might be merely feints to divert
enemy forces from more impor
tant battlefields. Headquarter*
maintaine da close and mysterious
silence concerning reports of prog
ress on the road to Paris which
named several cities as having
been reached but which remained
without official confirmation.)
-V
Mad Nazi Commander
Drives Men To Death
WITH THE U. S. FIRST ARMY
IN FRANCE, Aug. 11.—<2P)—St.
Malo’s mad commander, Col. An
dreas Von Aulock, fought on to
day, squandering the lives of hi*
men in a futile battle despite the
third truce sinc-e the siege of St.
Malo citadel began.
During this morning Von Aulock
appealed for medical supplies and
parties tearing white flags cross
ed 200 yards of no-man’s land.
Five minutes after the truce th*
battle was resumed amid a roar at
cannon firs.
c.
Honolulu In Cruiser
> To Alaskan Bases
BASE, Alaska, Aug. 3—(De
sevelt paid this Aleutian base
i turn, was surprised by what
lied and gratified.
'¥
Pender Jury
OrdersShaw
To Be Held
BUHGAW, Aug. 11.—UP)—Ac
cused of the murder of Mrs.
Violet McGaskill Gore of Kel
ly, who died July 8, allegedly
as the result of an abortion, Dr.
Colin Shaw, prominent Atkin
son physician, late tonight
was ordered held for action by
the Pender county grand jury
after a coroner’s inquest.
The jury held that'Mrs. Gore
came to her death as the re
sult of an abortion performed
by Dr. Shaw.
Dr. Shaw, who was arrested
two weeks after the woman
died on a warrant charging
murder and criminal abortion,
continued at liberty under the
$5,000 bond he posted after his
arrest.
The grand jury will meet
Monday, September 25, when
the next criminal term of Pen
der county superior court con
venes.
Dr. W. D. Corbett of Duke
University hospital testified
that Mrs. Gore came to her
death from a tear in the womb
in combination with infection
and hemorrhage. He said she
had been four or five months
pregnant.
Dr. Corbett further stated
Mrs. Gore had a normal womb
for a mother of one child. He
(Continued on Page Two; Col. 8)
TO TRAP 300,000
LONDON, Saturday, Aug. 12.—
(tf)—A Red Army yesterday smash
ed 15 1-2 miles through German
lines in southern Estonia in a re
newed offensive aimed at strang
ling possibly 300,000 trapped Nazi
Baltic troops, while other powerful
Soviet units hurled back the enemy
on a 100 - mile front northeast of
Warsaw in a great wheeling move
ment_that swept to within 15 miles
of imperilled German East Prus
sia.
Gen. Ivan Maslennikov’s Third
Baltic army collapsed German
lines on a 43-mile front in Estonia
from the edge of Lake Peipus to
a point within 115 rryles from the
Gulf of Riga, and captured 200 lo
calities, among them the impor
tant rail and highway junction of
Petseri, Moscow 'said.
| UUs scene at the historic three-day conference of President Roose velt and, members of the Pacific High Command at Pearl Harbor shows
Admfrnl Chester Nimitz, commander of the-/Pacific fleet, pointing oat, on a huge map. moves to he made to knock out Japan. Note the point
er—ft aims straight at Tokyo. At left is Gen. Douglas- MacArthur; commander Qf-the southwest Pacific area. Also looking on with the Pres
ident is Admiral William D. Leahy, FDR’s personal chief of staff. . “ —v * r- ,