Newspaper Page Text
Utlttttttglim Ulonting £>tar North Carolina’s Oides' Daily Newspaper Published Daily Except Sunday R. B. Page. Publisher_ Telephone All Departments 2-3311 Entered as Second Class Matter at Wilming ton, n. C.. Postoffice Under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879 SUBSCRIPTION RA1ES BY CARRIER IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY Payable Weekly or in Advance Combi Time Star News nation 1 Week.» -30 $ .25 * .50 1 Month .-. 1-30 1.10 2.15 3 Months.— 3.90 3.25 6.50 6 Months . 7.80 6.50 13.00 l Year . 15.60 13.00 26.00 (Above rates entitle subscriber to Sunday issue of Star-News)___ ' SINGLE COPY Wilmington News .— ®c Morning Star ... ®e Sunday Star-News ..— IOc By Mail: Payable Strictly in Advance 8 Months . $2.50 $2.00 $3.85 B Months . 5.00 4 00 7.70 1 Year. 10.00 8.00 15.40 (Above rates entitle subscriber to Sunday issue of Star-News)_ ’ ~WILMINGTON STAR (Dailv Without Sunday) 8 Months—$1.85 6 Months—$3.70 1 Year—$7.40 When remitting by mail please use check or U S. P O money order The Star-News can not be responsible for currency sent through the mails. ____ MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS AND ALSO SERVED BY THE UNITED PRESS FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1946 TOP O’ THE MORNING Unless we have the willingness To see c.head a star And follow it—perhaps in vain, We stay just where we are. Fred Winslow Rust. Beach Parking Inadequate The beauty contest at Wrightsville Beach sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce, which was such an ex traordinary success, revealed the dis tressing fact that Wrightsville, despite its undisputed attractions, is sadly lack ing in parking space. It is reported that patrons not on hand early had to leave their cars as far away as Station 1 and walk to Lumina. To be sure the attendance was larger than is usually to be found at special events there, but Wrightsville is grow ing and if its ambitions are fulfilled the spectators of the beauty contest will be greatly outnumbered by persons at other public attractions as time passes. The leaders at the resort will find their work better rewarded if they start now on an intensive campaign to open adequate parking reserves so that all patrons of their entertainment features will not again have to wralk the better part of a mile to Lumina or any other place designed for large gatherings. Wrightsville cannot hope to take ad vantage of its opportunities to become one of the leading South Atlantic re sorts unless it provides ample accom modations for the auto trade as w7ell as for vacationists requiring living quarters. Leave It To The Jury To make our position clear at the start we confess we could not condemn a fellow mortal to death if it was our misfortune to be a member of the jury in a murder case. At the same time we find it equally difficult to condone a compromise between the prosecution End defense by which it is stipulated that life imprisonment will be substi tuted for the death penalty in exchange for a written confession of guilt by the tulprit. The reference, of course is to the case of William Heirens, the 17-year old boy who has orally confessed in Chicago to the slaying of two women and the revolting kidnap-killing of jroung Suzanne Degnan and attempt to extort ramsom from the dead child’s father. This oral confession made in the presence of witnesses is as convincing when the witnesses give their evidence in court as any document the youth could dictate and sign. Since this confession has been made the Heirens youth should be brought to trial. If the jury sees fit to recom mend mercy to the court, a life sen tence without privilege of parole after thirty years could then be imposed. But the question should be left for the jury to decide, as intended by the common law, and not become a matter of bar tar between opposing counsel. Too many criminals go free because *f anteroom dickering. f * Georgia’s Shame Because Georgia has seen fit to se lect Its governors by a unit system which closely resembles the Electorial College, Eugene Talmadge—he of the red suspenders, fiery temper and dic tatorial disposition—is destined to be that state’s next chief executive. It will be his fourth term in the State Capitol. Because of the state’s extraordinary election custom, under which small rural counties may actually control elec tions, it is not the man who polls the largest popular vote but the man who carries the greatest number of units who rides into this high position. James V. Carmichael was leading Talmadge by many thousands in the popular vote when this was written, but trailed Tal madge 156 to 220 unit votes. With 410 units, Talmadge was already well ahead *» of the 206 required for election. In Georgia as in most Southern states, the November balloting is a mere for mality. Nomination is tantamount to election. So Georgia is destined again to exist under the domination of the plan who counts himself the supreme power in the state, who in the past has set aside the law in favor of his whims,who has all the evil instincts and selfish desires of a Huey Long and in his previous administrations aped the King fish, particularly in removing duly elected executives and turning their offices over to his favorites with com plete disregard of the legal aspects of his actions. Now that he has a mandate to govern again, not from a majority of the people but by virtue of a strange election rule, he is to be expect ed to show increased totalitarianism and Georgia seems destined govern mentally to become a little Germany under a little Hitler. There is but one hope for the state. It rests with the legislature. If he has not acquired control of that body and exceeds his legal power, as he did so shamelessly in the past, the legislature could remove him by impeachment pro ceedings, and relieve the state of the incubus his election will have imposed upon it. Rent Control In the midst of buyers’ strikes and ! congressional controversy which leads nowhere the question of rent control, the most essential need for an Office iof Price Regulation, is not receiving the official attention it deserves, save in isolated cases. It is in effect in some form in several states and at least one city. The city is Los Angeles, not Wil mington, where, however, both realty agents and owners generally have not taken advantage of the chance OPA’s death offered to inflate rentals. New York, New Jersey, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts have taken action extending rent control. Similar action is reported in Iowa and Alabama. Control in New York has been taken over by state officials through pro visions of legislation signed by the gov ernor three months ago. The state en actment provided for a $12,000-a-year commissioner and appropriated $1,000, 000 for administration. The law ex pires June 30, 1947. In the District of Columbia, residen tial rent control has been contiued by act of Congress until the end of 1947. Washington, D. C., rents are controlled by a Rent Control Administration in dependent of the OPA, which had jurisdiction over rents throughout the rest of the nation. New Jersey legislation provides for rent increases up to 15 per cent over OPA ceilings. State action is au thorized to penalize landlords who ex ceed the authorized rent boost. Massachusetts rents have been frozen at OPA ceilings by the gov ernor who said he acted under his war powers because “an emergency exists.” Rent control action by the governors of Iowa and Alabama was reported. Governor Cherry of North Carolina, enjoying equal war powers, has chosen to adopt a “watchful waiting” policy. Two Appointments The City Council, following City Manager Benson’s recommendation, has appointed Mrs. Mary Southerland to the office of city clerk, and D. B. Padgett to be city auditor. Both worked under Mr. Benson, Mrs. Southerland for fifteen years and Mr. Padgett for four. Each, therefore, has experience in the duties now assigned them to perform. On the score that the person on the ground, familiar with the job and field of service, is preferable to a stranger, whatever the stranger’s fitness may be, the Council has acted wisely, the more so as both appointees will still have the advantage of Mr. Benson’s counsel. Both have the best wishes of the Star in their new undertakings. Fair Enough By WESTBROOK PEGLER (Copyright, by King Features Syndicate, Inc.) NEW YORK, July 18.—Thanks to some young veterans, members of the American Veterans Committee, Inr , I have a copy of the official bulletin, reporting on the recent first national convention ir. Des Moines. Two of the three were reluctant to let me have it, one of them remarking irrelevantly tha they were not communists, although he, him. self, might be called a pink. I then pointed out that theirs was not a secret society—or was it?—and that it should not be difficult to get a copy from (he national headquar ters just by asking. I think this sensitiveness is due to the pres ence of communists in the organization and the raising of the issue of communism at a meeting of the metropolitan council of the A.V.C. in New York, last May. This bulletin devotes ar entire page to a juvenile boast about the press coverage of the Des Moines convention but the bulletin, itself, is more informative than all the cur. rent stories that I read in the daily papers. Much of this journalism was propaganda for the A.V C. larded with jibes at the undeniable misconduct of the American Legion at many of its disorderly national conventions between wars. The bulletin contains five photographs of Charles Bolte, the national chairman, four of Gilbert Harrison, the v'ce-chairman, three of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr., two of Henry Wal lace and one of Walter Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers of the C.I.O. In this repetition of the pictures of leading personali ties in the dominant political faction of the A.V.C. I observe a resemblance to the edi torial character of union publications, notably The Pilot, of the National Maritime Union, which often carries half a dozen cuts of Joe Curran, the president. The tendency here is to aggrandize the persons in power and pro mote their policies in an official publication technically devoted to the Interests of the or. ganizaticn. Mr. Wallace, now 58 years old, definitely did not serve in the Second World War and his biography makes no mention of any serv ice in the first one. Mr. Reuther, born in 1907, obviously could not have served in the first one and did not serve in the second one although he was just 35 at a time when many other American rren of the same age dropped everything to join up. Eeth Wallace and Reuther addressed the convention and their remarks, serving their own political fnterests, are reported to the extent of hajf a page. The head on the Reuther story reads, ‘“we’re with you,‘ Reuther tells convention delegates.'1 The text contains no reminder that Reuther certainly was not with them in camp or at the front during the war or that his union ran up a shocking record of strikes and slowdowns in automobile and airplane plants. Anticipating the resentment of war veterans against this phase of the U.A.W.’s per formance, Reuther, in April of this year, pro posed a bonus ot not more than $3,500 for veterans without overseas service and, for overseas veterans, a minimum bonus of $500 and a maximum of $4,500. He also proposed unemployment salaries for veterans who may be thrown out of work bv union strikes and the Des Moines convention adopted this idea in its platform. That plank calls for $25 a week for 20 weeks "for unemployment of all kinds, including time lost due to labor dis putes.’1 In Reuther’s case it will be seen that his union, with its enormous taxing power, would ingratiate itself with war veterans by tapping the public treasury for strike benefits, tra ditionally the responsibility of the striking union, and campaigning for bonuses. The bul letin says the convention rejected a bonus proposal but that, I think, is a misleading interpretation of the resolution. It said the A.V.C. would fight for a bonus if certain conditions are r.ot met by Congress which obviously cannot be met. These are effective price control, guaranteed employ ment for every citizen and veteran and low cost housing for all. Some of these conditions are so ambiguous that the A.V.C. can say that they have not been fulfilled,whatever Congress might do. Then, having made a mere gesture of patriotic rejection of the bonus, the group, at r.exi yen » may come out for something like Rcuther s bonus plan. Inasmuch as the A.V.C. professes to appeal to the more intelligent veterans I am puzzled to find so transparent a device set before them as an honest renunciation of the bonus. Nevertheless the official summary flatly says the convention "voted against” a bonus. The bulletin, as I said, is informative and this is true in a negative sense, as well, the case ol Ken Pettus being an example. Ken Pettus, formerly of Seattle, now of Chi. cago where he is a news editor for the National Broadcasting Co., and writes other radio material, is described as a veteran of 21 months’ Army service in the Pacific where he was "successively sports editor, .eature editor and managing editor of the Tokyo edition of Stars and Stripes.” The Associated Press reported from Tokyo last Match 3 that General Douglas MacArthur had approved the removal of Kenneth L. Pet tus of Chicago, from the post of magazine editor of Stars and Stripes on the ground of “questionable integrity ana discretion.” It oc. curs to me that this uras pertinent matter which could be omitted from the bulletin’s biographical story only at the risk of good faith between the bulletin and its readers. The A.P. said MacArthur’s inspector general had said he found evidence that Pettus had “flavored” his writings with "communistic thought.” Pettus denied that he ever had been a communist. The case caused a great stir. One of the vox populi letters elicits a re sponse which provokes but does not satisfy a legitimate curiosity. A veteran objected to the promotion of financial contributions from “well-heeled liberals” and proposed that the A.V.C. instead "seek active organizing as sistance from labor unions.” The editors re’ plied that thus far such gifts from "welh heeled liberals” had made possible the or ganizing work. However, there is no list of REVIVING THE PATIENT BRITAIN’S ECONOMIC ! AND FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES f ■ —» . ■ I-I T~ /JCJrjCS/tt In This Day Of Contest And Prizes Beauty Has Become Fa irly Regimen ted By JOHN SIKES It has been my intention, since Tuesday night, to call upon Miss Mary Jarman and pose a few per. tinent questions whose answers I might set down on this page. Miss Jarman, as you young men must know particularly those young men wbr are members of the Wilmington Junior Chamber of Commerce, is the young lady who bears on her light-brown locks— I am taking these locks for granted because it hasn’t been my fortune to meet the lady—the heavy, heavy hangs over her head crown of "Miss Wilmington of 1946.” But because, in examining the pictures of the 12 young ladies from here who competed for the title, I selected Miss Jarman as the one most likely to win the judge’s accolade even before the judges got around to viewing her, I have felt a hesitancy in getting around to trying for an interview for fear my motives might be suspect. Therefore, 1 shall put off to a later date, if ever, my quiz. But I do want to pass a few remarks, not only upon Miss Jarman, who should, if her person does not be tray her pictures, go far in the beauty business, but also upon all young ladies who cherisn an ambi. tion to go inlo moom pitchers or the modeling business. (1 under stand that Miss Jarman gave as one of her goals in life training in the Powers School for Models.) Being a bit cranky, I suppose, I’ve always hated to see any young lady win a beauty contest. For letter box IDLE SCHOOL BUSES rO THE EDITOR: There are several hundred school buses inactivated in North Carolina during the hot summer months and left neglected to bleach their yellow bodies in the sun rheir engines are given no atten tion and their tires bear a steady and devastating burden. In the Ball Park on Thirteenth any one can see 52 of these neglect ed vehicles, costing several thous and dollars of the tax-payers hard earned and reluctant dollars. If this demonstration of waste or abuse of motor cars is needed, either by youth or old age, we are unaware of it. Very truly, LINDSAY RUSSELL. Wilmington, N C. July 18, 1946. (The Star is advised that care and maintenance of school buses when they ire not transporting pupils to and from ichools is a charge upon the state. The Star also learns a caretaker is employ sd to service the buses during the long summer vacation.—The Editor.) these contributors and their gifts which a sincere joiner could check against the common roster of well known communists of Hollywood and New York who would be un likely to assist any organization that was not, in their opinion, go ing their way. The A. V. C. frankly announces that it is trying to raise “one million dollars to get one million members.” That would be one dol lar a head and cheap, too. But there does seem to be a practical admission here that, given enough money and efficient propaganda and organization, a pressure group can round up the American veteran and herd him into any political corral. that matter I’ve always regretted to learn that any friend of mine’s daughter, sister, wife, or sweet heart has made the grade in the movies. I do not wish to be misunder stood. I hold no grudge against any beautiful young lady who be comes a successful model or ac tress. I am as pleased as the next one to behold these lovely girls. But it is just that once a girl learns from an acclaiming throng of admirers and a few discerning judges that she is beautiful she almost immediately divests her self of any naturalness she may have had in the first place. She becomes a showpiece with her head thrust through the clouds of flattering vapor she mistakes for affection. She is kept constantly on a pedestal much in the manner of a statuette which may possess beauty but no life. I do not happen to be one of those who think any single model is beautiful. As a class they are beautiful just as a class any col_ lection of lifeless ornaments is beautiful. But once a girl has gone into the beauty business, which has become quite a large industry in this coun. try, she seems to lose sight of the fact that she once breathed the same air as Ihose who once were her fellows. She becomes a part of a tableau that is forever posing. She cannot walk in the natural manner she was brought up to walk but she must forever glj^e as if she always walked with books on her head. She cannot permit herself even one unmodel like shriek of joy, or sorry, be cause such might gravel her throat and this would be bad if she got the call to go into those moom pitchers. (Lauren Bacall simply proves this rule by having been the exception who was made to screech for hours on end because the movie moguls wanted her to have a husky voice as a buffeter for that tcughy, Humphrey Bo gart.) And she cannot smi|e naturally, once she’s come to the top of the beauty business She must always smile the same teeth-flashing smile that is the trade-mark of the dental cream ads. In short, the gal who gets to the top in the beauty business loses all individual personality with which she was endowed. She must eat, sleep, talk, walk, and act just exactly as the hundreds and hundreds who have managed to reach ihe top in the business. The beauty business has reached the assembly line stage of the automobile business. And, just as is the case with automobiles, the beauty assembly lines turn out maidens who are all precisely alike. This, of course, is not directed at Miss Jarman in particular. I hope she goes on to Wilson and becomes Miss North Carolina and then to Atlantic City and becomes Miss America. I’m just pointing out to her some of the pitfails that lie ahead; pointing them out fatherly if you please, but, I think, cynically. It would be a downrignt shame if one so pretty as Miss Jarman were to spend the rest of her life being nothing more individual than Miss This or Miss That. And hav. ing to flash the same smile, day in and day ou? with never a varia tion. And who, ycu have my permis sion to say, asked ma to gather up my wisdom and hand over to a gal who might like the tinsel that makes up a greater part of glam, our? Nobody. I’m just weary of see. ing so many naturally pretty girls going into a beauty factory and comnig back out again as if they were all pouied from the same mold as thousands of other Beau tiful Girls. McKenney On BRIDGE By WILLIAM E. McKENNEY America’s Card Authority Tournament bridge eliminates luck in the cards because all pairs play the same hands. There is naturally an element of luck in the way the cards are played, al though a judge once ruled that the element of luck in duplicate was in the position you sat at the table; and that the play of the cards did not involve luck, as that was either good or bad play. However, Jay T. Feigus of Brooklyn, N. Y., thought that he was exceptionally lucky on to day’s hand. At most tables South and West had passed, North bid one heart, East two diamonds, and South then bid two spades. With South the declarer at four spades, and the five of diamonds opening, declarer had to lose two diamonds, two clubs and a heart — down two tricks. A slip in defense might set the contract only one. Feigus said he intended to bid one heart, but by mistake said a spade, which the next hand promptly doubled. When his part ner bid four spades, Feigus real ized his mistake but decided against taking a stab in the dark with five hearts or four no trump. He won the opening lead with the ace of hearts, took three rounds of trumps and led the jack of hearts, East winning. East could have cashed the ace of clubs at this point, but he was still trying to defeat the hand and led the six of diamonds. Feigus won with the ace and discarded dummy’s losing clubs and diamonds on the four good hearts. * * * If East had opened the jack of diamonds, he could have put his partner in to lead through the club. Thus this East-West pair also would have set the contract two tricks. Bridge players know there is no luck in where you sit at the table, and there is ample proof of the judge’s point that the play of the hand is all skill. Felgus A A3 ¥ A 10 9 6 4 2 ♦ A84 A K 7 ♦:?62 A 10 8 T’ ¥ K Q 5 3 I?,9A. ♦ K J 10 6 AJ 10 65 A A Q 9 3 2 A K Q 9 7 5 4 ¥ J 8 ♦ 732 A 8 4 Tournament—Neither vul South West North East P*ss Pass 1 A Double «A Pass Pass Pass Opening—V K 19 Doctor Says— VACATION HELPS MIND AND BODY BY WILLIAM A. O’BRIEN, ^ Every vacationer should re, ' to his job in better physical * mental condition than when k left it. But too often vaca'ior.s ,? spoiled due to excessive indulge In outdoor activities fc,- those »-* normally lead sedentary i;vej Personnel directors mslj- tk , a vacation is a time of preparat * for the job ahead, and not » - ward for past service. It is wise to take j vaca,:-, every year unless yo caa away from your work every a, for a definite period of time J;. who retire after years of av-„ service without ever having tali'* a vacation may have missed'5 great deal, fcx ever;. :.e needs get away from his problems jor' while so that he may return »-• attack them with renewed vigor The shorter working-week, *;M provides w e 1 1-adjus‘ed pe:s!->' with an opportunity to comeback after the two-day rest pe-^ with increased enthusiasm <-■ their work. As the morning ;s best part of the day in which - get work done, so the first pa of the week is the most prod°L tive. The busy mother whe finds 0 impossible to take a vaca-’ away from her family should ir lize the organized community ac tivities provided for child ca” and recreation. It is unfor.ur.a j that so-called good neighborhoods in our cities often do not hi s playgrounds for their children. !s have the more congested dis tricts. Father and mother should have an outing for themselves from time to time, away from the «;. dren. Most vacation accidents »jn v* prevented by practicing the n « oi saiety and by using common sense. The average drowning oc curs because the victim became panicky after finding himself in deep water. Every youngster should learn to swim, and all of us should be able to give artificial respiration to those who have suffocated in the water. It takes time for a heart to pick up its slack and adjust itself to heavy physical exertion. Persons with normal hearts on a vacation may indulge in strenuous sports if they are in good physical condi tion, but those with weakened hearts often develop heart failure from the same activities. Change your daily schedule while on vacation. Early ris ing will allow you to enjoy the beauties of the morning, and you may rest later, during the heat of the day. Moderation is the best rule on vacations. The office-worker profits most from getting out into the open, spending his idie hours on the beach and indulging in a certain amount of physical activity, The heavy worker gets the most bene fit from taking it easy and catch ing up on his reading and sleep. Illness results from consuming infected foods in the summertime, for bacteria tend to multiply in food during hot weather. Proper refrigeration and thorough cook ing of food wwl obviats these dangers. City-dwellers who are accus. tomed to drinking properly-pro duced pasteurized milk should remember that they may become ill from drinking inSec’ed raw milk in the country. It may tas'e all right and look all right, yet contain disease germs. In case oi doubt, use the milk for cooking or home-pasteurize it. Religion Day By Day By WILLIAM T. ELLIi rememberabi.f: words To write sincerely great, words that will be remembered is tne highest achievement oi art author. In a world of dull writers it refreshing to come upon a Pss' sage that sparkles and glows truth and good craftsmanship. Such a quotation I find in * re; cent article by the distinguished Pittsburgh divine, Rev. Dr. Hugh Thomson Kerr, long the pastor d Shadyside Presbyterian church, and a leader in denominational activities. He was addressing preachers and teachers, us!ng skill fully the art of alliteration- Hi* words are worth remembering a'-3 memorizing: “We are sent Not to preach sociology but vation; Not reform but redemp'mn: Not culture but conversion; Not progress but pardon: Not the new social order nut "* new Dirm; Not revolution but regeneration, Not renovation but rev. Not resuscitation ba: r - surree tion; Not a new organization 5u; a ne t creation; Not democracy but the Gospeli Not civilization but Christ. We are ambassadors not diplo mats.” Bestow upon us, 0 Spirit of Goi an ear for the hearing of grcjt truth, greatly expressed. Amea. _ QUESTION: Are the kidney-' af fected in persons addicted ‘.o d' :-' .ANSWER: No. Kidneys are not affected by alcohol. The rr.os harmful effect of alcohol ia »s the brain.