WEATHER
Fair to partly cloudy and con
{jaufd c°o1 Monday night and
j Tue»ti-»y
(Lire ffluv&s - Kettus
Largest Daify Circulation of Any Newspaper in North Carolina in Proportion to Population
GOOD AFTERNOON
*Th» office wag on an off-day
roso to remark that Italy uemed
to bo off-Tuni* in ita latest inter*
national »ong and dance act.
VOL. 57—No. 302
HENDERSONVILLE, N. C., MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1938
__3_
SINGLE COPIES, FIVE CENTS
MUSICA OPERATED MONTREAL ARSENAL
^ rT" "t* 'f* ¥ ¥ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ T T T ▼"TV
andon Puts Monroe Doctrine Above Politics
(1SSIES
linn
IIULK1G
;.S. to Make "Last
Ditch" Fight for
Solidarity
;ay argentine i
TAN D DEFINITE
;n. IVru. Dee. 19. (UP)—'
r.i -..ted States is prepared to
L • . "lust ditch" for a dec
1;..: \ of continental solidarity
r :hv eighth Pan-American con
that will pledge the 21
i: ican republics to joint re
t against "non-American"
p. t it was reported last
I* S Secretary of State Cor
t . will insist upon a dec
iratii'ii. over Argentine objec
c•.« that specifically differen
i: - . r.veen aggression from
it- , the western hemisphere
i. • :-American quarrels. Ar
r.t.r.a has opposed any project
• :::-g for unity against "non
u.aan" countries, contending
■t. conference statement of
i.:arity should make no refer
ee o continents.
A: unimpeachable source with
United States delegation
the United Press that the
R.ach between Washington and
Lenos Aires on the w- • ling of
le declaration, which Argentina
fcs sought to shear o: all strong
L'guage directed by implication
tiinst the European dictator
luntries, was "fundamental on
hich there can be no conipro
, t, »#
Reports of the United States
ade came after da>-long ef
ts by Peru and Brazil to rec
v the American and Argen
e viewpoints. Today was ex
i■•■'! to revfal Argentina's re
L n to the stiffening United
attitude.
Earlier, former Governor Al
K M. I.andon of Kansas, in a
i: j speech and in an exclusive
tr: view, castigated European
ian regimes. The latter,
i".: :: said in the interview, are
i ifioiind on the democra
ts ;:t present but they can not
■ • foi long because they
t- ..M-d on false theories that
ft .ml to collapse.
"I'emocracies are facing their
t retreat in history," Lan
-ai 1. " That can not be ig- (
out neither can it be ig
this is only a tempo
situation. Not a single re
- :<• '-conomist believes the
.an-' philosophy of eco
can succeed. It is ba>ed
L •ad will not permanently j
Mure.
As these totalitarian regimes1
4 • a; , democracies again will
ascendancy. Hut by the
their ascendency comes
democracies must have1
c -ci the lesson not to neglect
1 ' mity to stretch the,
■ fellowship to all man- ]
Id."
'•>> Republican presiden
^ .are and titular head of
j k 0. P., who is a member'
American delegation, in a i
speech Sunday afternoon I
'■va.« re-broadcast in the1
j; States by the National
, : ; g company, warned of
• N'az:sia and Communism
Americas. He pleaded for
v ' solidarity based on
?.";r..-.:,ies of the Monroe Doc- i
; - : cited the danger of
. "e described as a tight by
"isms" for control
'■ n hemisphere.
- always unite against)
aggression." he said.
•' ans—all of us—from j
to the Straits of j
nave nothing in com
tiiiued on page three)
'Ian I hristmas
Event Thursday ,
K»r Mills River
S Hutchison, pas
' ;i< River Presbyter-i
; .nounces that on
■ ■ruber 22, at 7:30
i.-.ior. intermediate
i : " • departments of the
>"/a then- will present
i. . m "Christmas Can
Service," under the j
{ ' f Mrs. F. A. Bailey.
' invites the people of
. ' of the commun-1
• bt present.
<
Picturing Alaskan Rescue Drama
Hole's how two sourdough trappers went to the rescue of 18 men
on the wrecked trader. The Patterson. 011 the bleak and ro^ky
shores of Cape Fail weather. Naval planes from the »?ew bas:. at
Sitka carried the trappers Tom Smith and Vic Manville to Lituya
Bay. From there the two men went overland 25 miles in an attempt
to lead the crew out to the open waters of Lituya Hay, where the
coast guard cutter Haida waited.
FRENCH DEPUTIES CHEEK WHEJN
TOLD NATION WILL BLOCK ANY
ITALIAN MOVE FOR COLONIES
CHAMBERLAIN
TO UN TEST
Labor is Planning
No Confidence
Motion |
LONDON. Dec. 19.—(UP) —
Prime Minister Chamberlain to
day warned Germany that it
would be a "tragic error" to mis
take that Britain's efforts to pre
serve peace for a sign of weak
ness. Chamberlain sounded the!
note of warning in a vigorous de
fense program of appeasement
toward totalitarian powers.
LONDON, Dec. 19. (UP)—The !
Labor party today proposed a
blanket lack of confidence vote J
against the government's foreign |
policy.
As signs multiplied that Prime
Minister Chamberlain is harden
ing his attitude toward dictators,
Hugh Dalton was delegated for
the Labor party to move "that
this house has no confidence in
the foreign policy of his majes
ty's government."
Passage of such a motion, how
ever, was inconceivable because
of the big conservative majority.
It also was indicated that gov
ernment spokesmen would make
it plain that Chamberlain's policy
would continue, but would be
stiffened by the demand that both
Hitler and Mussolini do some
constructive work toward Euro
pean appeasement.
Will Not Give Up
Any Colonies
to Italy
PARIS, Dec. 19. (UP)—For
eign Minister Bonnet, shouting
above the frenzied cheers of mem
bers of the chamber of deputies,
today said France would never
surrender an inch of her terri
tory anywhere to Fascist Italy.
"Any surprise move intended
to oblige France to cede territory
can lead only to armed conflict,"
Bonnet said.
It was an unequivocal and ap
parently final answer to the agi
tation in Italy for the surrender
of French territory to Mussolini's
aspirations in the Mediterranean
and Red seas.
DUCE FAILS PUBLICLY
TO MENTION TUNIS
CARBONIA, Sardinia, Dec. 19.
(UP)—Premier Benito Mussolini
yesterday avoided any reference
to Italian territorial demands
against France when he spoke to
30,000 Fascists and miners while
dedicating this new autarchial
"coal city" only 120 miles from
French Tunisia.
Standing in the Lictor tower of
Carbonia's town square, II Duce
devoted his first public pronounce
ment since the first cries of "Tu
nisit! Corsica!" were raised by
the Fascists to a mild account of
how this mining town of 12,000
inhabitants was built in a year in
malaria-infested swamps.
Foreign diplomats who had
awaited Mussolini's speech to
learn whether he would give of
ficial backing to the anti-French
demands believed that a discreet
warning by Great Britain had
served to restrain II Duce from
(Continued on page three)
SWEEPING CHANGES PROPOSED
IN SOCIAL SECURITY SET UP
BY ITS ADVISORY COUNCIL
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.—
(UP)—The White House an
nounced today that President
Roosevelt will send to congress
early in January a special mes
sage dealing with improving the
social security act.
Stephen T. Early, secretary
to the president, said the mas
sage would deal with extending
the coverage of the act and the
strengthening of its provisions.
By MACK JOHNSON
United Press Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19. (UP)
The advisory council on social se
curity last night proposed sweep
ing changes in old age pension j
provisions of the social security
act, chief among them that the
federal government join employ
ers and employes in financing
costs of the old age program.
The recommendations were con
tained in a formal report based
on a year of study and were re
quested by the senate finance
committee to aid it in determining
whether the social security «ci
should be amended.
Administration leaders already
have laid plans for revising the
act in an attempt to check-mate
so-called crackpot pension schemes
which President Roosevelt has de
nounced as "short cuts to Utopia."
Other important changes sug
gested by the council call for
start of c.d age benefit payments
beginning January 1, 1940, in
stead of two years later; provi
sions embracing widows and or
phans, and a $200 limit on death
benefit settlements.
Contrary to expectations, the
report did not propose increases
in the present old age benefit
scale which ranges from $10 to
$85 a month.
Changes suggested by the
council include:
1. Payment of benefit to sea
men, employes of national and
federal reserve banks, and work
ers in non-profit religious, charit
able and educational instructions.
(Continued on page three)
i> <j
Driver is Absolved;
Funeral Held
Today
ONE OF SEVERAL
ROAD MISHAPS
One man was killed and a num- |
| ber of people injured in several
highway accidents over the week
end.
Gay Banks, 52, died in Patton
Memorial hospital early Sunday
morning: of injuries suffered
when hit by an automobile on
the Haywood road about 7 o'clock
Saturday night.
D. G. Jackson, Jr., 12, was in
Patton Memorial hospital today,
and his father, D. G. Jackson, Sr.,
and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Jackson
were given emergency treatment,
at the hospital after two trucks!
collided on the old Spartanburg
road Sunday afternoon about 61
o'clock. ,
In addition, two trucks collid
ed on the Asheville highway
about 6:30 o'clock Saturday
night, but, as far as was learned
this morning, none of the occu-:
pants was injured.
Officers reporU*d_. today > tVvcfc.
Banks was attempting to stop a
truck driven by Leonard Dill and
stepped into the path of an auto
mobile driven by Ulysses Ran
dolph Bell.
Bell was absolved of blame by
Coroner J. F. Brooks, who said
after an investigation that the
accident was unavoidable, -i—
Banks came to Henderson
county about 20 years ago from
Madison county. He was a farm
er of the Etowah section and
served at one time on the county
road board.
Officers said today that Banks
was in Asheville Saturday morn
ing and borrowed a Chevrolet
coupe from a brother, Gross
Banks. Banks, they said, left
Asheville about 9 o'clock Satur
day morning and was to return
not later than 2 o'clock in the af
ternoon. y
The officers were continuing a
search today for the car, which
had not been seen since Banks
left Asheville.
Funeral services for Banks
were held this morning at 111
o'clock at Pleasant Grove church!
with Rev. C. E. Blythe and Rev.
W. S. Hutchison officiating.
Pallbearers were Richard Ham- (
ilton, Walter Gray, Vick Orr, j
James Drake, Eli Dalton and i
Mitchell Bell.
lie is survived by his widow;]
three daughters, Ruby, Goldia,
and Sylvia Banks; seven sons, j
Creed, Watson, Anderson, Walter,
Charlie, William Leonard and D.
C. Banks, and two brothers, Carl
C. and Gross Banks, both of
Asheville.
At Patton Memorial hospital
today it was stated that young
Jackson would be discharged to-1
day. ]
He was injured when a Ford
truck, in which he was riding
(Continued on page three)
PRESBYTERIAN
MEN TO MEET
The Men's club of the Presby- j
terian church will hold its regu
lar monthly meeting tomorrow j
night at the church house.
Supper will be served at 71
o'clock after which Mr. F. 0.
Clark of the~Farmers Federation,;
Asheville, will be the speaker of,
the evening.
IjOW temperature io« .......
23 degrees.
SATURDAY •
i Maximum temperature—48 de
grees. Minimum — 29 degrees.
Mean—38.5 degrees. Day's range
—19 degrees.
SUNDAY
Maximum temperature—52 de
grees. Minimum — 36 degrees.
Mean—44 degrees. Day's range—
16 degrees.
Normal mean temperature for
December—39.2 degrees. Rain
fall to date—.40 inch. Normal
I rainfall—5.46 inches.
Women in the Coster Case
INFORMER
Eleanor Lockne informed Wash
ington officials on the true iden
tity of "George Vernard," fiscal
a^ent of McKesson & Robblns,
for wnom she worked as secre
tary. She indicated he was real
ly Arthur Musica, one of three
brothers involved in a 191.'*
swindle.
}
MYSTERY WIDOW
Possible new mystery in the j
tangled McKesson & Robbins !
case is the true identity of Mrs.
Frank Donald Coster. The flc- !
titious "Who's Who" reeord of 1
her suicide husband gave her !
maiden name as "Carol Jenkins
• Schiefflin of Jamaica, L. I."
WEED QUOTAS
ARE DEFEATED
County Joins Other
Sections to Kill
Plan
Henderson county burley to-1
bacCo producers on Saturday vot
ed in opposition to the establish
ment of national tobacco quotas.
The election was held at the of
fice of the county farm agent. !
Only slightly more than half •'
of the growers in this county I
eligible to vote on the question j
balloted. The vote was 32 against I
national marketing quotas and 17 j
in favor of the quotas.
A total of 91 farmers in Hen-1
derson county were eligible to j
vote and only 49 went on record
with ballots.
In 20 Western North Carolina!
counties farmers voted 5,792 to |
2,6(50 against the establishment
of marketing quotas. Of these 20
counties 11 voted against and 9'
for the quota establishment.
Madison county, with the larg- i
est number of burley producers, (
voted against the plan by more >
than 2 to 1.
CROP CONTROL
FOES ELATED
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19. (UP)
Opponents of the administration's
crop control program hailed re
jection of marketing quotas for
1939 by tobacco farmers as an
indication of dissatisfaction with
the New Deal's farm policies.
AAA officials minimized the !
defeat of the proposed tobacco j
quotas on the grounds that the :
growers are not in as difficult a
plight as cotton farmers who are '
faced with declining prices, rec
ord surpluses, and bumper crops.:
Almost complete .returns from
Saturday's referenda showed that
neither growers of burley nor
dark tobacco in 14 states gave the
necessary two-thirds vote to make
the marketing program effective, j
On December 10 similar re- j
strictions were voted down by
rice and flue-cured tobacco grow
ers while cotton growers by a
majority short of last year's,
agreed to invoke restrictions.
AAA official^ said that tobac
co growers have had "good mar
keting" conditions and prices and
that they want to "go it alone"
next year without federal re
strictions. Rejection of a market
ing quota means that growers of
crops involved cannot obtain fed
eral loans next year if prices faill.
As a result of the referenda,
tobacco growers will be free to
market all their crop next year I
without paying the two-cent per
pound penalty tax on dark type
marketed in excess of quotas. The
penalty on excess marketings of ■
the other types would have been
half the market value.
Legion Auxiliary
Plans Made for
Needy's Baskets
Mrs. Frank Yarborough, presi- j
dent of the American Legion Aux
iliary today requested all mem
bers to leave their donations of
food, clothes and toys at English
Shoe store, opposite the post-!
office. Food especially is needed,,
she said. The members will meet j
at the Legion home Wednesday.
morning at 10 o'clock to prepare '
the baskets.
P.-T.A. MEETING
IS POSTPONED
The East Flat Rock Parent
Teacher association meeting for
December has been postponed, it
was announced this afternoon, on
account of the holiday closing of
school there on Wednesday of
this week. Announcement will be ;
made later with regard to the i
date and arrangements of the as-,
sociation's meeting.
Fire Department
Is Called Twice
The fire department answered
two calls yesterday, small dam
age resulting in both cases.
In the morning the department
answered a call at a negro home
on First avenue.
A call in the afternoon was an
swered at the home of Henry
Reid, corner Beech and Pace
streets.
U.S. LOANS FOR
INDUSTRY ARE
UNDER ATTACK
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19. (UP)
Acting Comptroller General R. N.
Elliott today charged that the
Farm Security administration, in
lending money to cooperatives for
construction and operation of silk
hosiery mills was competing both
with private industry and the
farmers themselves, since the hos
iery \vould compete with domestic
grown cotton as material for
hoSo.
Gifts to Needy to be
Made Follow
ing Carols
The Rev. George Pennell, as
president of the city ministers as
sociation, which has in charge the
preparation of a program to be
given at the community Christ
mas tree Saturday night of thia
week, today announced that the
program will open jit 7:30 o'clock
Christmas eve, with carol singing
led by J. C. Coston, and express
ed th*. hoao that churches in
the city and county will send del
egations to take part in this car
ol service.
Rev. Dr. D. E. Camak, pastor
of the First Methodist church, will
offer the opening prayer.
Rev. Dr. L. T. Wilds, pastor of
the Presbyterian church, will read
the scripture.
The Rev. Mr. Kesterson, Bap
tist pastor, will also offer a pray
er.
Two more carols will follow
and Mayor A. V. Edwards will
make the address of the occasion.
Following this will be the dis
tribution of gifts to needy fam
ilies, concluding the program.
SR. GIRL SCOUTS
ARE TO GATHER
Senior Girl Scouts will meet
Tuesday evening at 7 o'clock
with Mrs. R. S. Gibbs, Jr., at her
home, she announced today. At
tention was called to the fact that
the girls are to bring with them
lanterns and sleigh bells. The
senior girls are also asked to
bring in all the money that has
been obtained in the sale of
Christmas cards, while each girl
is reminded that she is to bring
an inexpensive Christmas gift.
32 Are Killed in
Brazilian Wreck
RIO DE JANERIO, Dec. 19.—
(UP)—Thirty-two persons were
killed and sixty injured last
night in a train crash on Central
Do Brazil railroad in the state of
Minas Geraes.
The crash occurred when a
runaway freight struck a passen
ger express.
WHITE RUSSIAN EMIGRES IN
PARIS CHEER MOVEMENT FOR
FREE UKRAINE AND NEW 'CZAR'
PARIS, Dec. 19. (UP)—More
than 1,500 White Russians, gath
ered in Paris to acclaim 21-year
old Grand Duke Vladimir as the
"czar presumptive" of all the
Russias, yesterday cheered the,
new Ukrainian independence!
movement as heralding the first
major blow to the Soviet regime J
which drove them into exile.
The members of the "Union of j
Russian nobility," meeting in a
solemn ceremony at the Maison
de Chimie only a half-mile from
the Soviet embassy, said they re
fused to serve as "tools" for Ger
many or any other foreign power 1
in striving for a Ukrainian state;
of 40,000,000 or 45,000,000 peo-1
pies carved out of Poland, Rus
sia, Rumania and Czechoslovakia.
They are friendly to Germany,
they said, only because the Nazis
are foes of Bolshevism.
They greeted the agitation for
an independent Ukrainia, how
ever, in a hope that subsequent
developments might lead some
day to collapse of the Soviet re-1
gime and re-establishment of the
Czarist throne.
Asserting that he "remains
faithful to the principal of Rus
sia's territorial integrity including
the Ukraine," Duke Vladimir de
nied reports that while in Ber
lin he would confer with Chan
cellor Adolf Hitler on a reported
Nazi plan to offer him the re
gency of an independent Ukrain
ia.
Despite Vladimir's denials feel
ing persisted in Paris that his vis
it to Germany might not be en
tirely unrelated to the Ukrainian
independence movement.
He said in his denials that:
1. The Czar of all the Russias
cannot reign over one Russian
province.
2. The Ukraine is only a fron
tier region of Russia.
3. The Ukraine is the birth
place of the Russian empire and
cannot be detached.
4. The Czar cannot permit in
fringement of Russia's territorial
integrity.
HELD LIKELY
SCENE OF HIS
ARMS TRAFFIC
Had Munitions De
pot in Montreal
for 5 Years
SIX INQUIRIES
MERGED IN ONE
NEW YORK, Dec. 19. (UP)—
McKesson and Robbins vice pre»i
dent, Frederick Wingerslcy, rs»
realed today that Philip Musica
in the role of drug company
president, F. Donald Coster, had
attempted to purchase 1,250,000
army rifles as recently as last
spring in connection with the mu
nitions traffic he built up—as an
ilicit sideline.
NEW YORK, Dec. 19. (UP)—
The big scale munitions traffic
which Philip Musica biiilt up as
F. Donald Coster, president of
McKesson, Robbins, Inc., may
have been centered in Montreal,
where he operated the old United
States government arsenal, the
attorney general's office disclos
ed today.
Investigators reported that Mc
; Kesson and Robbins had operat
ed the munitions warehouse in
; Montreal for five years,
j This''disclosure was made by
i Assistant AttOraay General Jo
seph Ruggierl, who: went to Mon
treal in an attempt to find 18
million dollars worth of assets
which Musica, as Coster, falsely
| listed in the records of his com
i pany's crude drug department.
Ruggieri testified at the hear
ing today as six federal investi
gating agencies merged their in
quiries into Musica's shadowy
dealings.
NEW YORK, Dec. 19.—(UP)
Federal agents, noting the fre
quency with which McKeaaon and
Robbins trucks had been hi-jacked
during the reign of F. Donald
Coster as president of the huge
drug firm, last night investigated
the possibility that he had been
stealing his own drugs.
His connections with bootleg
I gers during the prohibition era,
j when he used a hair tonic business
for diversion oi alcohol into illicit
channels, would have provided an
excellent opportunity for arrang
ing the wave of hi-jacking against
McKesson and Robbins trucks
which occurred during 1934 and
1935 for a total loss approximat
ing $250,000.
The hi-jackings, occurring in
New York state and Connecticut,
might have served a twofold pur
pose for Coster, since they would
have reduced taxes, while permit
ting him t« share a personal cut
with the gangsters.
Coster, who, as the notorious
Philip Musica, swindled New York
banks of $1,000,000 in pre-war
days, leaned heavily in recent
years on George E. Dietrich, the
Musica brother who was assistant
treasurer of McKesson and Rob
< bins. Dietrich had a wide acquain
tance among former bootleggers,
particularly in Bridgeport, Conn.,
near which Coster lived. Bridge
port bootleggers, it was said last
night, used to itiarvel at Diet
continued on page three)
5 Shopping Doys
Till Christinas
W^HfibcP COtMCgriCuT
.A&NAMkPHtfAtfN** MArflMG
GOOO IH A 0lO WAS/
T OOMNG BACK TO CHEIST
^ MAS riVB TEAM AGO—
Repeal's arrival was still being
toasted. . . . Japan was pray
ing for heir to the throne. . . .
Year's outstanding personality
in sports, the Giants' Cart Hub*
bell. ... A red-headed Con
necticut lass named Hepburn
was making good in big way.
. . . "Let 'Em Eat Cake" was
wowing New York. . . . Radk
fans' pet hate was jazz, pot
showed. . . . Bolivia and Para
guay rowing over Gran Chaco