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FORECAST ---— -* REMEMBER WILMINGTON AND VICINITY-Part ly cloudy today with moderate tempera- PEARI* HARBOR Temperatures yesterday: AND BATAAN VOLtI-—:NO. 202---:- WILMINGTON, N. C„ WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 1944 FINAL EDITION ESTABLISHED 1S67 __ r"" __ w ▼ L — ------— --——-— I fide Water I Stock Plan I To Be Filed I SEC WILL GET PAPERS j| firm’s Recapitalization B Set Forth In Proposal fl Given Commission fl The Tide Water Power B Company is today filing with m t],c Securities and Exchange || Commission of Philadelphia fll fi recapitalization plan, ap I proved by a special meeting fl jjf the firm’s board of direc 9 tors, which proposes that all fl outstanding first mortgage B bonds of the company be re 1 funded with new V/z per fl cent bonds and $1,000,000 fl new So preferred stock. I the announcement was made B yesterday by Warren W. BeU, I president of the local utility. ■ The plan also provides that the I outstanding $6 preferred stock and N common stock be exchanged for 93,393 shares ol new common stock. This new stock will be is sued 95.432 shares to the holders of the present preferred stock—4 shares of new common for each share of old preferred, while the holders of all of the present 115,789 shares of present common stock will receive 3,461 shares of the new common stock, Bell said. Bill also pointed out that in view of the preference upon liquida tion of the outstanding shares of So preferred stock, and the exten sive accumulated and unpaid divi dends thereon, together with the restatement of capital assets of the company contemplated by the plan, it is clear that the holders of the $6 preferred stock are in substance owners of the ultimate equity of the company. Accordingly, he explained, it is highly desirable more correctly to reflect the status of the outstand ing S6 preferred stock through the issuance therefor of shares of new common stock as contemplated under the plan. Furthermore, he declared, the company’s funded debt consists of first mortgage bonds in the prin cipal amount if $6,065,500, with an interest rate of 5 per cent or $303, 275 per annum, as compared with 3‘i per cent on $4,500,000 or $157, 500 under the proposed issue of new bonds and 5 per cent on $1, 000,000 or $50,000 per annum divi dend requirement on the new Pre ferred stock. it was disclosed by Bell that the company deems it advisable, both in the interest of the stockholders of the company and its consumers, to reduce the burden of interest *nd improve the company’s fi nancial position. The Securities and Exchange Commission on August 25 insti tuted proceedings directing Tide Waier to file with it a plan of re capitalization which should in clude provisions for taking certain action which would effect com pliance with the Public Utility Holding Company act. Tide Water Power company, Mr. Hell said, is hoping for a prompt approval by the commission of its new plan, in order that the plan may be submitted to present pre ferred stockholders for their con sideration, and in order that stock nulders. many of whom are local residents, may receive dividends 011 new stock at an early date, r. . --V-~ American Submarine Goes Down In Pacific WASHINGTON, Sept. 12— (A.— Another American submarine — me Gudgeon—has been lost from me underseas fleet which has whittled the Japanese cargo carry lng strength down to the point ™ere sampans and barges now must be used by the en^my to m°ve supplies and men. The loss, the 29th submarine •nice the war started, was an nounced by the Nr.vj today with out any details. However, she Presumably was last assigned to me campaign against shipping in jjpanese waters. Yanks Aid German Street 17. S. Army medical corpsmen dress the wounds of German soldiers who were caught in the open by Allied machine gunners near Mons, Belgium. Natives of the town (background) stand bv and watch. (AP Wirephoto.) Battleships Blast Palau •-+_-: SOUTHPORT YEGG GIVEN 8 YEARS SOUTHPORT, Sept. 12.—A sen tence of eight years on the roads was given in Brunswick Superior court this morning to Plata Wil liam Bennett, 22, of Kings Moun tain, who pleaded guilty to charges of breaking into and entering four local business establishments. Bennett was arrested about 3 a. m. Sunday by Police Chief Otto Hickman in front of the Southport Service station which he reported entered and ransacked. The Kings mountain man also entering Mack’s cafe, from which $20 was stolen; Watson’s pharmacy, where $2 was removed from the register; and Leggett’s pharmacy, from which $28 was stolen. Chief Hickman reported that Ben nett had confessed to him he broke into a five-and-dime store at More head City about three weeks ago. Bennett arrived in Southport two weeks ago from Morehead City. He was employed on a shrimp boat owned by Capt- Robert Willis. The trial of Tom Long, white res ident of Shallotte, charged with the murder of Ace Galloway, Negro, has been continued to the next term of Superior court. The defend ant is unable to stand trial now be cause of an infected foot. Only one case has reached the jury so far this session. Burnice Hill, Negro, was found guilty of in cest. The judge has not yet passed sentence on him. -%T TRAPPED GERMANS BEING ANNIHILATED * ROME, Sept. 12.—Iff)—Twenty thousand trapped Germans, rem nants of the 19th army, are being ground to bits and destroyed be tween the American Seventh and Third armies in pockets extending from the Belfort gap westward 12o miles, Lt. Gen. Alexander M. Patches headquarters said tonight. Official announcements showed the Seventh army was makng rap id progress in crushing German forces west of Belfort Americans driving northwest from Vesoul reached Port-Sur-Saone, about 33 miles west of Belfort. Between Ve soul and Gray, Americans ad vanced north of the Saone river m many places. French units moving north, and northwest from Dijon occupied Si. Seine L’Abbaye, Val-Suzon and Couriivron without resistance, far ther to the east. Orville and Cliam plitte were taken against only slight opposition._ Japanese Base Bombarded Like Guam Isle Before Invasion Started U. S. PACIFIC FLEET HEAD QUARTERS, Pearl Harbor, Sept. 12.—(JP)—Mighty battleships of the Pacific fleet, such as pulverized the defenses of Guam in the last tew days before invasion, yester iay joined in the daily blasting of Palau, Japanese base 600 miles cast of the Philippines. Adm. Chester W. Nimitz an nounced today that the big battle ivagons had added their heavy jjuns to the weigh, of the attack. Previously, on Sept. 6, cruisers and lestroyers had shelled the islands. The announcement came less dian 24 hours after Nimitz report ed that the Third fleet, under Adm. William F. Halsey, had struck its iirst blow against the enemy—a de vastating attack on Mindanao, in the Southern Philippines. Reference to battleships in to day’s report recalled that three days before the invasion of ,puaih \Timitz first announced that the luge combat vessels were spelling that island in the southern Marian as. Carrier planes bombed Guam Eor 16 straight days prior to inva sion and warships shelled it for ten days- Five days before the as sault forces hit the beaches, the battle wagons began shelling the island. I The dreadnaughts went into ac tion against Palau yesterday (west longitude time) as part of a new series of aerial and surface at tacks. A two-day lull for Palau on September 7 and 8 was followed by a new three-day strike, the first of which occurred Saturday (west longitude tme) and was announced yesterday. Today’s release by Adm. Chester W. Nimitz’ headquarters-said that carrier aircraft continued sorties Saturday and Sunday, dropping 120 tons of bombs gt Babelthuap on North Anguar island and at South Peleliu island. More than 150 rockets were fired by the planes in the same attacks-" The shelling began - the second day with battleships and previous ly mentioned cruisers in the opera tion. Targets of .the bombers and the ships included buildings, gun emplacement and coastal defenses. Aircraft found a small cargo ship near the islands on Sunday apd sank it* and damaged another. The navy did not specify but it is entirely possible that the same carrier planes involved in the new series of raids were used in the hard blow against Mindanao in which the Japanese lost or had, damaged 89 surface ships and 68 aircraii. -Lire r<uaw - only 592 miles from Mindanao and both targets would be in range of the bombers if the carriers did not move. The Navy release also detailed a single plane raid on Iwo Jima, a rocket attack on Pagan, a 72-ton bomb raid by' army planes on Truk, Marine neutralization strikes against Jaluit, Maloelap and Mille islands on Sunday. -V Drops Nickel In Meter, Gets In Auto And Dies Immediately after dropping a nickel in a downtown parking meter yesterday morning George Allen, Negro, was seized with a heart attack, sat back down in his car and died. At the time °f his death, Allen’s car was parked between Front and Second Sts., on Grace St. JAPAN’S DEATH BEING PLOTTED QUEBEC, Sept. 12.— MV— Presi dent Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill, in conference with the highest military experts of t h e i r nations, got down today to the “real business” of the Quebec war council—plotting the utter destruc tion of Japan’s dwindling power. For the second successive day all possible official stress was laid on the idea that the deliberations here are predominantly military and directed chiefly at crushing Japan. But Mr. Roosevelt’s map room in the governor - general’s resi dence mirrowed the march of Al lied armies everywhere ant$ was not confined to the Pacific theater. The president and Prime Minis ter talked privately during the morning. They posed for pictures and Churchill watched Mrs. Roose velt put Fala, the White House Scottie, through some typical dog tricks. Then they called in thei: army, navy and air commanders for an afternoon session with maps and papers behind the thick, stone walls of Quebec’s old citadel. Aft erward the chiefs of staff returned to their Chateau Frontenac' Head quarters to prepare specific rec ommendations for action. The strategy of th ecentral Pa cific apparently was perfected long ago. Evidence that it is in opera tion may be seen ir the increased tempo of softening - up aerial as saults on the Philippines. With Formosa and the easterr bulge of China perhaps the nexi objectives, there was reason to sus. pect that the conference here was devoted largely to working out ar rangementa for two things: Closing the gap between Allied forces in the Netherlands East In dies and those in Ceylon, Indie and Burma. - Stepping up. British participator in the Asiatic fighting, in fulfill ment of commitments Churchil has made publicly, once Germans is hammered to her knees. The presence here of Lord Leath ers, British war transport minister gave support to the possibility tha consideration was being given t< the problem of massing sufficien British shipping for ultimate trans fer of large segments of Britain’! fighting forces to the Far East (Continued on Page Three; Col. 1 -iV tala Umolds tricks For Prime Ministei QUEBEC, Sept. 12.—<a>>—Fala the presidential scottie, wen through all his tricks today foi Prirhe Minister and Mrs. Chur chill. Mrs. Roosevelt put hin through his paces after a forma picture taking at the Citadel. The scottie sat up and begge< for food, rolled over on commam and when Mrs. Roosevelt lj>ent an< extended an arm, quickly jumpec over it. Jaycees Will Sponsor School Ticket Sales Tile Junior Chamber of Com merce decided in it? weekly meeting last night to sponsor the sale of season tickets for Kew Hanover high school ath el‘c activities this year. These tickets will be good for all sports, including football, bas ketbali and baseball. Home games with Wilson, nHeigh, Goldsboro, Hamlet ®nc* Oxford Orphanage have ^een scheduled for the foot j team. There Is one open <iat» lejt. The JayceesL^are formulating > plans to stagf a wastepaper drive sometijpe in October. Elliott 0’Neal?read a paper at the meeting on the history of paper, its part in the prose cution of the war, and the role it will play later in the re habilitation of the peoples of Europe. Four entries are being sent to the Civic Club tennis tourna ment on September 18 by the Jaycees. They , are Winston Gray, Carrell Tinsley., Elliott O’Neal and Claude O’Shields. European War Flashback ■_U__ I I ..... ——^111 - — — — • By The Associated Press enemy wiih their backs to the Sept. 13, 1918 — Supported by Wotan-Hindenburg line, the French, the American army Sept. 13, 1940—Several bombs wiped out the St. Mihiel salient, dropped on Buckingham palace in gaining all of their objectives London but the king and queen, ahead of schedule and leaving the in the north wing, escaped injury. 1 American Armies Invade Germany On Two Fronts; 3rd Blow Being Readied NAZIS DECLARE BIG RED DRIVE NOW UNDER WAY Fall Of Lomza Apparent As Russians Improve Their Positions LONDON, Sept. 12—(^P)— Fall »of Lomza, guardian of the southern approaches to East Prussia, appeared im minent tonight as the Rus sians announced improvement of their positions south and southwest of that besieged Polish city, while the Ger mans declared gigantic Red armies had begun the su preme drive aimed at break ing through the north Polish front. The Soviet communique, one of the shortest in months, told merely of taking some additional towns near Lomza, from which the Red Army was only 2 1-2 miles distant Monday night, and told of a deepi/r penetration into Hungarian - held Transylvania in cooperation with the Romanian army. It was silent concerning such a great northern offensive as the Germans described. If such a new all - out push ac tually was in progress, Russian si lence would not be unusual, Mos cow. usually delaying such an nouncements until it has solid and general gains to publish. The German DNB Agency said violent russian attacks were launched east of Warsaw and north | east of Warsaw and northeast of I Russian - captured Ostroleka in the direction of the German frontier, apparently meaning East Prussia, which the Russians announced ear ly Tuesday had been penetrated by Red Army patrols. Other German broadcasts told of heavy fighting west of Lomza, stra tegic road junction guarding the southern approaches to East Prus sia 20 miles away. The Russians Monday announced capture of positions within 2 1-2 miles of Lomza, but tonight said only, “south and southwest of Lom za our troops fought engagements with the enemy in which they im proved their positions and captured proved their positions and captured Another Red Army has been drawn up in a semicircle around Warsaw for 44 days. A Polish un derground communique distribut ed in London said General Bor’s Po. lish forces and the Germans were ( engaged in hard street fighting for every house in the center of War saw and that the Poles had re ceived arms dropped by some Brit ish and Allied planes from Italy Sunday night. Moscow dispatches said there were indications of resumed Soviet activity northeast and north of Warsaw which .should develop into a principal battlefield shorty. Bet ter weather, after a rainy, foggy period, enhanced the Red Army’s prospects and brought the Red air force out in strength to support the offensive. The Germans said another Soviet (Continued on Page Three; Col. 6) TT LUFTWAFFE AGAIN DEALT HEAVY BLOW LONDON, Sept. 12.—(/P) — The 1 embattled Luftwaffe rose up again ' today for another fierce battle with almost 1,000 strongly escorted U. S. heavy bombers, striking at oil and industrial targets in *he Reich for the fifth straight day and again the American fliers inflicted a hea vy toll on the Nazis’ dwindling aif force. A communique late tonight an nounced 105 enemy planes were destroyed — 79 in the air and 26 on i the ground—giving tRe Nazis a ; loss of 280 planes in the last two ' days during which the German ■ force has chosen to risk its careful i ly hoarded fighters for an all-out 1 defense of the fatherland. The Americans also suffered 1 losses—43 heavy bombers and 17 l fighters, bringing the two-day cost l of battle to the U. S. air force to 1 91 Fortresses and Liberators and 46 fighters. Beach Site Suggested For War Prison Camp Anxious to hear the City Council’s reaction to their petition asking that the old Marine hospital site at Eighth and Nun Streets be utilized for the housing of war prison ers, a delegation of fertilizer dealers is expected to appear before the council today. * In an interview last night, Mayor holand C. Lane and City Manager A. C. Nichols discussed the pro posal and declared that they did not believe it a good idea to place prisoners of war in the center of the city, as the location of the pro posed site would indicate. Howev er, they were in accord with any plan offering fair cooperation to concerns utilizing prison labor in their plants. It was pointed out by Nichols and Lane that there are adequate facilities at the abandoned army camp inland from Carolina Beach on the old Fort Fisher road, ap proximately 12 miles from the pres ent prison camp site on the Caro lina Beach road to house as many as 3,000 prisoners. The only argument expected to arise from such a plan is the fact that there is no central heat ing unit at this site. Each indivi dual house is heated by a separate stove. Nevertheless, the city manager and the mayor said tha. if such an arrangement isgood enough for American soldiers, recently evacu ated from the camp, they could see no reason why war prisoners should not accept the’ same hous ines. The matters has not been made an issue, however, and the fertiliz er dealers who appear at the coun cil meeting today are expected to bring plans in accordance with their previous petition that the Marine hospital site be used for war pris oners. They previously said that the present site on the Carolina Beach road is too small to ade quately care for a large number of prisoners. There are now about 280 German prisoners in the camp. The decision on the results of the prolonged hearing held several weeks ago by the council concern ing the application of the Atlanta Cafe, 925 North Fourth street, for a beer and wine sales license, also is expected to come before the group today. Mayor Lane said last night that if the matter arose, there probably would be little time for other business. The council previously denied the application to the concern, but fol lowing appeal by the establish ment’s attorneys, the hearing was granted. Due to the decision several weeks ago of William A. Stewart not to accept the position of juvenile judge, this matter may also be brought to the attention of t h e council today. However, Mayor Lane said'last night that he did not expect the appointment of a new juvenile judge at the meeting today. -V United Nations Conclude Armistice With Romania LONDON, Wednesday, Sept. 13— {&—The Moscow radio announced today that an armistice has been concluded with Romania, with Russia. Great Britain and the Unit ed States signing on behalf of all the United Nations. The broadcast, recorded by the Soviet monitor, said that U. S. Am bassador W. Averill Harriman, British Ambassador Sir Archibald John Clark . Kerr and Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov partici pated in the negotiations, which were concluded yesterday. MAN SHOT IN LEG ON PRINCESS ST. While passersby goggled their eyes, J. B. Stafford, 30, of Route 3, Snow Hill, was shot in the leg at 8 o’clock last night in front of the Stag lunch at 111 Princess St. Police arrested C. H. Meredith, 36, of 104 Red Cross St., and charg ed him with the shooting, cause of which was not immediately deter mined by officers. Meredith was charged with as sault with a deadly weapon, carry ing a concealed weapon and shoot ing firearms within the city limits. He was lodged in the New Hano ver county jail and placed under $500 bond. W. D. Howell, of 220 North Sec ond street, was listed by police as a witness to the shooting. Stafford was admitted to James Walker Memorial hospital shortly after the incident. Attaches report ed him to be in a satisfactory con dition _v_ Mac Arthur’s Bombers Batter Dutch Celebes GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, Southwest Pacific, Wednesday, Sept. 13.—(A*)—Snowballing Allied air power pounced on Dutch Cele bes Sunday with a record 202-ton bomb raid and laid waste Halma hera’s airdromes and supply dumps in another of the steady attacks which are easing the way for a return to the Philippines. Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s com munique also disclosed that Far Eastern Airforce planes had struck elsewhere with power and pre cision along a wide arc stretching from Palau east of the Philippines deep into the Moluccas. They sank one medium-sized freighter, forced another ashore and destroyed or damaged four other enemy ves sels. AMERICA TO HELP ENGLAND ON FEET WASHINGTON, Sept. 12—UHi—'The State department was revealed to day as seeking the restoration of England to a strong economic position as quickly after the vic tory in Europe as possible. GERMAN FORCES OF NG ONLY K DEFENSE Eisenhower Says Battle For ‘Holy Soil' About To Get Started LOND($N, Wed., Sept. 13. TP)—The American First ar ny carried the war onto the ‘holy soil” of Hitler’s Reich 'or the second time in 24 lours Tuesday, driving at east six miles eastward be yond the Belgian border city if Eupen and plunging into the Nazi homeland against relatively minor resistance. This second penetration of Ger many was 65 miles north and slightly west of the invasion path way nothwest of Trier which other First army units blasted into Ger many Monday evening from Luxembourg. Other American forces were at the German border at a third point, massed in Luxembourg within a miles of the Siegfried line, and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, ad vising inhabitants of the Nazis’ Ruhr and Rhineland border regions to evacuate immediately, announced that “The Battle of Ger many is about to begin.’’ Southward in France the Ameri can Third army hammered out new bridgeheads across the bloody Moselle river, cracking the Nazis’ powerful defenses and at one point between Nancy and Pont-a-Mousson foreing a full-acale German with drawal. Far back of these blazing battle lines British troops with the Canadian army captured the long invested and important channel port of le Havre. The invasion of Germany from Eupen was 10 miles south and slightly east of Aachen. Though this reputedly is one of th most heavily-guarded zones of the Sieg. fried line, first indications were that the Yanks made their move against only moderate resistance from a scattered series of strong points rather than from a consoli dated string of defenses. Both here and in the Trier region to the south the Allies were moving into Germany over routes taken after the 1918 armistice when the occupation forces marched in. The Americans then moved through Trier, which was headquarters of the Second division, and the Bri tish marched eastward from TCunen. The second penetration of Ger man soil was made by armored elements of Gen. Courtney H. Hodge’s’ first army, Associated Press Correspondent William Smith White disclosed tonight in a dis patch datelined "with armored forces of the first U. S. army in Germany. ” There was little news of the force which had made the first invasion near Trier, northeast of Luxem bourg, beyond the early announce, ment that it had fought its way at least five miles into Hitler’s "Holy Soil.’’ After this first invasion wa» made at 6:20 p.m. Monday, the second force “broke into Germany at 2:51 p.m. today,” White wrote from the front. Strong American tank forces drove in from the west, the penetration being described as“re connaissance in force.” There were medium tanks, infantry and engineers under command of Lt. Col. William B. Loveiady of Soddy, Tenn., all moving swiftly on a day of brilliant sunlight and weather ideal for Allied planes. In an earlier dispatch from Eupen, five miles from the Ger man border. White had told of th* cold, hostile attitude of the citizens of that town. Although Eupec ap pears in Belgium on most map3, (Continued on Page Three; Col. 4) Red Cross Committees Alerted For Hurricane The Red Cross Disaster Pre pardness committee of New Hanover county was alerted yesterday by Edward W. Carr, chairman of the committee, in case the Atlantic hurricane off Miami should strike here. The step was taken at the request of- Col. J. J. Staley of Atlanta, general field repre sentative of the American Red Cross, covering the eastern area of North Carolina. Colonel Staley called Carr from New Bern, where he was at the time of his notification from headquarters in Atlanta to alert committees. In the event that it appears that the storm may strike here, Carr has asked that all mem bers of the shelter, transporta tion, food, clothing, motor corps, staff assistance, nurses aids, and registration sub com mittees report immediately to the Woodrow Wilson hut. The same precautionary steps are being taken in all coastal towns in eastern North Carolina and South Caroling. \ V Great Hurricane Heads Northward MIAMI, Fla-, Sept. 12.—(£>)— The great Atlantic hurricane ' turned toward the northward tonight, the weather bureau re ported, and an alert for the Florida coast was cancelled. Residents of the Georgia and Carolina coasts, however, were urged to watch for further ad vices on the storm, in which winds were estimated up to 140 miles an hour. The fiercest hurricane chart ed by the weather bureau in several years was said in a 9 p. m. advisory to be centered about 400 miles east of Palm Beach. Teteorologists said it was moving at the time between northwestward and northward after swinging away from a prevous westerly route. “Highest winds near center estimated by aircraft pilot at about 140 miles per hour,” the advisory continued. “Winds of hurricane force extend over a large area about the center and gales cover an area 500 miles in diameter. “It now -appears, certain that the Bahama islands will escape full hurricane winds, but gales will prevail over the northeast ern islands tonight and dimin ish Wednesday. The northward turn will car ry the storm well east of Flori da. and hurricane alert is con celled on the Florida coast. “The Carolina and Georgia coasts should remain on the alert for further advices.” Floridians sighed in relief at the change in direction. Resi dents along the south Florida coast had been waiting for the (Continued on Page Three; Col. 2)