Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 108, Decatur, Adams County, 7 May 1945 — Page 1

K/| Else Is Chores! _

iiXLIU- No. 108.

BRITISH SAY TOMORROW WILL BE V-E DAY

■jap Ships fctroyed By Ly Bombers Sparing Strike Made SBy U. S. Land-Based -Bplones On Shipping May 7- (VP) - The ; of more than 20 enemy Slnnt ships remained today ■ vil|Pll ,e of a daring strike by IS. n avy land-based planes on Japan's most guarded sea . ships, ranging ’from large Mrs to small cargo vessels, Me W:' s,e<l by llle “ aVy b ° mb ' IM;,, ] (l w level sweeps over Mhima and Korea straits, be- !■ Korea and Kyushu, and in Sea off western Korea. ■ tW e of nearly 50 superfortstruck near the same area .K- in a new attack on the : suicide plane bases on |Km The targets were the M . at Kanoya, Ibuski, Oita Early reports said good were obtained in the raids. ™ the shipping attacks in the home waters during the a^K ktl „l. the navy bombers defir',"'^H| y sank four vessels, includtwo large oilers, and heavily at least Hi other cargo A number of the latter were left burning and sink1 Chester W. Nimitz anthat heavy units of the Ms. Pacific fleet, in conjunction Mi carrier planes and landBti aircraft, continued the of Okinavja, al- ■ Haugh his communique gave no g report of the 10th army I on Naha, capital of the I Iront dispatc!l disclosed, howI |H er ’ that tllrec thousand JapIB 36 uere killetl Tllursi,a y night Friday morning when they out of hidden caves and |H: : - in the first large counti since American troops | on Okinawa. gHritr Japanese backed the attack a fierce artillery barrage, SH which they hurled approxii lines in two days. But assault was completely reby massed army, marine ■ SB* naval guns, mounting prob- ' <he heaviest array of fire IMwr ever assembled in the iKitie. ~ ■ °~ ' uiMomniissioners Meet iJM> Monthly Session " e county commissioners mer a;^B’ he May session today, the foredevoted to the cheeking lowing of elainifl. for hard surfacing a stretch of road in French starting from a point a “done-half west of the emuthcoiner of the township on state y QE ’ thence north a mile, was SK Chattcy Yoder and other is4^E reate ’ Pfoperty owners. The |^E, Pa “ es in front of a church nittei,y ' the P etit ’<> n e*ated. ? ession was indicated, as were on the docket. Wortugal Withdraws 3r 3Zi Recognition Mtbl'X j^ ay 7 ~<UP)—Portugal B. ?I ." s cognition of the Ger- • cu, t : nn,ent last n 'ght and |Es hclnZ ° f a!> German IM'operK’ J lmg «re consulate. wiuTT 6111 eaid the prop ’ ’Mnied cn L . helti until an (»terBLnt thaTi ° n ° r any ° ther gov ’ M lif d natioL ! reCOg,lized by ,he ■'Many. tlOns is set up in Ger1M» h »a s n t»? Cema!,t said the ac ’ JM ,fi “niem7 l 7 beCaUSe a central Germany no longer I WeratT HErmometer 9 8:! »: E m ATURE READ 'NG ■h!' ; - 54 ■ ill Noon ' gg 1 S Bho * Eath ER ! knight e ? , and thunderstorms : US *** Pwtin- T extrerne southIHi.kvwiii... , Tuetd *y morning. jIH Miwii; " ,p ln north and west

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Pastor Returns «—W'l ’ • . I i 1 ■ ■ i The Rev. F. H. Willard has been returned for his third year as pastor of the First Evangelical church of this city and the Calvary Evangelical church, near Decatur. Rev. F. H. Willard Is Returned Here Evangelical Church Pastor Is Returned The Rev. Francis H. Willard, pastor of the First Evangelical church in this city and the Calvary Evangelical church near Decatur, was returned for his third year as pastor of the local charges at the closing session,of the annual liX’angelical convergence Sunday. The Rev. Willard has been pastor here since May of 1943, coming here from Dayton, O. Assignments of pastors were made at the closing session Sun day afternoon, held at the Crescent Avenue Evangelical chlirch in Fort Wayne. The Rev. M. W. Sundermann, former Decatur pastor, was returned to Avilla, and the Rev. R. W. Loose, also a former local pastor, was assigned to Van Wert, 0., after two years on the inactive list. The Rev. Willard announced today that the administrative council of the First Evangelical church will meet Tuesday evening at 7 o’clock. Communion Services At Methodist Church iDr. M. O. Lester, pastor of the First Methodist church, announced today that communion services will be held at the church at 7:30 p. m. on the day of the official announcement of V-<E day. in event of announcement being made during the night, the celebration of communion will be held the following evening.

Ivetich Funeral Tuesday Morning Mrs. Helen Ivetich Dies Saturday Night Funeral services will be held at 9 o’clock Tuesday morning at the St. Mary’s Catholic church for Mrs. Helen Ivetich, 54, who died 'at 9:30 o’clock Saturday night, at her home on South Thirteenth street. The Rev. J. JSeimetz will officiate, and burial will be in the Catholic cemetery. Mrs. Ivetich was born in Agrom, Yugoslavia. May 1, 1891, and had lived in Decatur for the past 32 years. She was a member of the St. Mary's church and the St. Mary’s sodality. She had been in failing health since her son, James, was killed when his airplane crashed in a field near the Ivetich home July 4, 1941. Surviving are the husband, James; two daughters, Misses Josephine and Anna, both at borne, and a sister, Mrs. Joseph Rozich of Chicago. Two sons and one daughter preceded her in death. The body was removed from the Gillig & Doan funeral home to the residence this afternoon. The ladies of St. Mary’s parish will meet at the residence this evening to reel® the rosary.

Orders Nazi U-Boals Io Cease Hostilities Adm. Doenitz Orders Subs To Return Home London, May 7—(UP)—Fuehrer Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz today ordered Germany’s U-boat fleet, most potent weapon left the shattered Reich, to cease hostilities and return to port. The order, revealed by the German - controlled Flensburg radio, said continuation of submarine warfare was impossible from the bases that remained in German hands in Norway and France. Some 300 or more U-boats probably were immobilized by the order, most of them in Norway and the remainder in isolated French ports. Upwards of GOO others carrying crews totalling 20,000 men have been sunk by the Allies during the war. Doenitz's action ended nearly six years of what probably was the most destructive sea offensive ever waged. Exact Allied tonnage sunk by U-boats has not been revealed, but it probably was in eight figures. Victims ranged from tramp freighters to the British battleship Royal Oak. Radio Flensburg said Doenitz’s order was dated last Friday. Doenitz, first as a submarine commander and later as commander in chief of the German navy, was the master-mind behind the U-boat campaign. He sent his crews out with orders to “Kill! Kill! Kill!” In an order of the day to U-boat crews, radio Flensburg said, Doenitz told his men that they had "fought like lions.” “Crushing superiority has compressed us into a very narrow area,” he said. “Continuation of the struggle is impossible from the bases that remain.” o High Court Rules On Portal-To-Portal Pay

Holds Federal Law Requires Payments

Washington, May 7 —(UP) — The supreme court, ruled today that the federal wage-hour law requires soft coal miners to be paid portal-to-portal travel time wages. The court made the ruling in a 5 to 4 decision in the case of the Jewell Ridge Coal Corp., operator of two bituminous mines in southwest Virginia. The firm had appealed from a decision of the fourth circuit of appeals holding that coal miners must be paid portal-to-portal wages to “the elastic processes of collective bargaining.” It said that a mandatory portal-to-portal system would wreck the entire war-time working agreement of the industry. The miners, represented by the United Mine Workers, argued that the supreme court had established portal-to-portal as a rule of law when it held last year that the wage-hour act covered travel time for ironore miners. They contended that no legal distinction could be drawn between working conditions in the ironore and the coal mines. The new wage-hour contract between the nation’s soft coal miners and operators provides for payment of underground travel time. The supreme court ruling makes what operators and miners Had agreed on in collective bargaining a statutory right. The portal-to-portal pay issue, however, has been a stumbling block in current negotiations between hard coal miners and op(Tuirn To Page 4, Column 7) 0 Increases Approved By County Council The county council approved all the appropriations for the per diem allowances to county officials and increases for deputies, as provided for under the new law. The allowances were previously approved by the county comjiissioners and total more than $7,100 for the year. Several of the increases are based on a yearly salary basis and othets by the month, retroactive to April 1.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Monday, May 7, 1945.

Truman And His New JNaval Aide mui lireiiiiiii I ; JU Ah M MmMI 111 * -W ■ fMKM 1 Mir ■ / KI fj£f. WSW&WIm' iK ■SMIBSwSSBb " ,v is i r i ’ [*• '■ w- . - > -1 Eti.i,.- —it... . •■■■ LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE with President Harry S. Truman is his new naval aide, Capt. James K. Vardaman of St. Louis. The newly appointed aide to the president is a veteran of World War I and served in France for two years as an artillery captain. He was commissioned a lieutenant commander in the naval reserve in 1940 and was on active duty in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily, having been wounded in the latter campaign. In civilian life, he served four years as regional director of the RFC in St. Louis.

Polish Arrests By Soviet Discussed Big Three Meeting Urged On Problem London, May 7 — (UP) —Diplomatic sources said today that President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill already were taking up with Premier Stalin the mysterious Soviet arrest of 1G Polish underground leaders. Official British quarters, meanwhile, urged another personal meeting of the big three to settle all aspects of the Polish problem, the biggest controversy threatening Allied unity. Although no arrangements were believed yet made for a big three conference, British authorities said the need for high-level discussion had become urgent with Russia’s disclosure of the arrests. Diplomatic sources said the arrested men were among those who had been recommended by United States and Britain to the Soviets for inclusion in the proposed Polish provisional government of national unity. A foreign office spokesman said the names of less than half the arrested men are known to the (Turn To Page 2, Column 1) 0 Sgt Don B. Abnet Seriously Wounded Jefferson Township Soldier Is Wounded S/Sgt. Don B. Abnet, 2G, has been seriously wdunded in action in Germany, according to reports received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Abnet, of Jefferson township. The parents received letters Friday and Saturday from their son and a war department telegram Sunday stating that Sgt. Abnet had been wounded, although no date was given in any of the messages. The wounded soldier was with the infantry in the First army in Germany at the time he was wounded, his letters said, and he is now in a hospital in England. He was shot in the right arm, the bullet entering his chest. The muscles between his elbow and shoulder were cut and the nerves severed. Sgt. Abnet has been in the army more than three years. He served in the Pacific war theater for two years, and after being home on furlough in February of 1944, was sent to the European war zone.

Decatur Churches Plan Services On Victory Announcement The Decatur ministerial asso l ciation, meeting this morning, made plans toy the appropriate observance of V-E day. In event the official announcement of the end of the European war is made before 6 p. m., services will be held in each of the churches at 7:30 p. m; the same evening. In the event of announcement during the evening or night, church services 'will be held the following evening at 7:30 o’clock. Services in all the churches will be of prayer and thanksgiving for the Allied victory over the Axis powers in Europe. Aussies And Dutch Advance On Tarakan Battle Toward Rich Tarakan Oil Fields Manila, May 7. —'(UP) —Australian and Dutch troops battled toward the rich Paomesian oil fields on Tarakan island off Borne today after capturing the predominant hill in the center of Tarakan town. The oil fields, just east of the town, already were burning from Japanese demolitions or shells from Allied destroyers which were bombarding the enemy positions with day and night barrages. Using tanks, flame-throwers and demolitions, the Australian and Netherlands Indies native troops stormed through an intricate system of pillboxes and interlinking tunnels to take Tarakan hill in tne heart of the city. Two other Australian columns,.in converging drives from the east and west, captured the island’s airfields three miles northwest of Tarakan. The encircling movement drove the Japanese from their mined defenses around the airport and Gen. Douglas MacArthur said that Australian engineering units already were repairing the field. Allied bombers and tightens continued the neutralization attacks on Borneo’s airfields and shipping lanes in support of the campaign on Tarakan. Five coastal freight(Turn To Page 5, Column 7) O Three Local Men On Federal Petit Jury (Arthur D. Suttles, 'Charles D. Teeple and George Brewer have been summoned as members ot the federal petit jury, which convened today in Judge Swygairt’s court in Fort Wayne. The suit will Ibe tried before the jury.

German Radio Reports The Surrender Os All Remaining Nazi Forces

President Truman Withholding Any Announcement On Allies' Triumph Washington, May 7. — (UP) — President Truman said today that he was withholding any announcement in reference to the surrender of enemy forces in Europe until arrangements cou]d be completed for a simultaneous statement here, in London and in Moscow. "I have agreed with the London and Moscow governments,” he said, “that I will make no announcement with reference to the surrender of the enemy forces in Europe or elsewhere until a simultaneous statement can be made by the three governments. “Until then, there is nothing 1 can or will eay to yhu.” The president’s statement was directed to the crowd of press and radio reporters that besieged the White House for news. Jonathan Daniels, White House press secretary who released Mr. Truman’s statement, would not comment on the announcement by the British ministry of information that tomorrow would be treated as V-E-Day in Britain with Prime Minister Churchill speaking to the British public at 8 a. m. (CWT) .0morrow. The White House earlier had repeated its announcement of more than a week ago that Mr. Truman would make a broadcast to the American public on V-E day. It steadfafitly refused howpvpr, to say when the broadcast would be made. In view of the arrangement for simultaneous announcements, and Churchill’s decision to speak tomorrow it seemed likely that Mr. Truman also would make his proclamation tomorrow. Shortly before Daniels talked with reporters, he conferred with Elmer Davis, director of the office of war information. Davis said he had come to the White House “to get some documents that I will need in my business.” Davis would not identify the documents. It seemed a fair assumption that they included textual matter to be broadcast to the world by OWI once V-E day is proclaimed officially. Concerning new peace reports from abroad, Daniels confined himself to the statement that “the fact is that there is no official announcement at the White House at this moment.” (Turn To Page 4, Column 8)

Celina Man Is Fined As Reckless Driver Charge Filed Here Following Accident Ralph Fickert, of Celina, 0., was fined $lO and costs, amounting to S2O, in Mayor John Stulls’ court this morning, on his plea of guilty to reckless driving, following the charge placed against him by city police. Fickert was driving south at midnight Saturday on U. S. 33 on Mercer avenue and side-swiped four autos parked on the east side of the "street. Police estimated the damage to his car and to the other four at about S6OO. In court today, Fickert told Mayor Stults that a tire on his car went dowp, which caused his auto to swerve to the side, striking the parked autos. ' Mayor Stults stated that city police had declared war on speeders and reckless drivers. Shifts have been made on the force so that two policemen will be on duty during the evening and up to midnight. A patrol will be maintained and anyone seen violating the traffic laws or city ordinance will be apprehended, the mayor explained. Heavy fines and possibly jail sentences will be meted out to those convicted of traffic violations, officials declared.

Late Bulletins London, May 7 — (UP) — Marshal Stalin announced’ tonight that Marshal Ivan S. Konev’s first Ukrainian army had captured long-besieged Breslau, capital of Silesia and main industrial • city of eastern Germany. Madrid, May 7 — (UP) — Spain has severed diplomatic relations with Germany, it was announced today. Rome, May 7 — (UP) — Kurt Schuschnigg, former premier of Austria, has been liberated from a German concentration camp, it was disclosed today. Schuschnigg’s wife also was rescued with him, along with former French Premier Leon Blum and Mme. Blum. Utrecht, Holland, May 7 — Anton Mussert, leader of the Dutch Nazi party, was captured by Allied troops at his headquarters in Utrecht today. — London, May 7 — (UP) — The Swedish home radio service said today that an Allied naval force of 48 ships has been sighted at the entrance to Oslo Fjord and that a landing on Norwegian soil is expected at any moment —: Hard C9al Miners Defy Ickes Order 72,000 Pennsylvania Miners Remain Idle Wilkes-Barra, Pa.. May 7.—(UP) -—Pennsylvania's 72,000 anthraciie miners were idle today : defiance of an order from solid fuels administrator Harold Ickes that production at the government'seized mines be resumed this morning. Ickes’ order, issued when he took possession of the mines at I the direction of President Truman I last Thursday, set today as the I deadline for resumption of work. I It went unheeded as the miners waited word from United Mine Workers president John L. Lewie on when they should resume production. The joint committee of anthracite mine operators and the United Mine Workers meet at 1 p. m. CWT in New York today to continue negotiations for the new wage contract. The conferees met briefly yesterday and recessed without issuing any comment. Union spokesmen here said they received no direct order from any government agency to end '.he strike which began with the expiration of the anthracite wage contract at midnight laet Monday. A “general body” meeting representing employes of the mine colliery local unions of the Glen Alden Coal Co. voted yesterday at Plymouth. Pa., to ignore any government order to resume operation. The mines are in UMW’s district 1. George O'Rourke, secretary for the general body, said the action represented the opinion of some 19,000 miners. He said similar action was expected from districts 7 and 9 of the UMW. — —o — V-E Prayer Service At Catholic Church It was announced yesterday that a thanksgiving prayer hour would be held at St. Mary’s Catholic church, following the official announcement that the war had ended in Germany. If the announcement is made before evening, the service will be held that same day in the evening. If the announcement comes during the night, the service will be held the following evening.

Buy War Savings Bonds And Stamps

Price Four Cents.

British Ministry Os Information Reports Churchill Broadcast On Tuesday Morning London, May 7 — (UP) —The British ministry of information said tonight that tomorrow “will be treated as victory in Europe day.” A German broadcast today reported the surrender of all remaining German forces in Europe. The Flensburg radio said it was making the announcement by authority of Admiral Karl Doenitz and the German high command. A British ministry of information statement this evening said that “tomorrow, Tuesday, will be treated as victory in Europe day, and will be regarded as a holiday.” Prime Minister Churchill will broadcast at 3 p. m. (8 a. m. CWT) tomorrow and King George at 9 p. m. (2 p. m. CWT) tomorrow’. A speaker identified as German foreign, minister Count Ludwig Schwerin Von Krosigk announced over the Flensburg radio at 2:09 p. m. (7:09 a. m. CWT) that the High command of the German armed forces had surrendered unconditionally all “lighting German < troops’’ today. The order for surrender was given by Fuehrer Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, the broadcast said. It came on the 2,074th day of the European war. Thmirh thp stirreßidcr order I was not confirmed immediately, ii presumably covered the almost 1,000,000 German troops still bolding out in Norway, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Yugoslavia, the French coast and the channel islands. Only an hour earlier, the BBC in its Danish service broadcast a report that the Norwegian garrison had capitulated. Speedy confirmation of the surrender of the other German forces was expected. The semi-official British Press association said the hour of the V-E announcement was being arranged “at this moment” in telephone conversations between London, Washington and Moscow. Schwerin Von Krosigk’s announcement. was carried over the German station at Flensburg on the German-Danish bol’dej'. Though behind the Allied lines, Flensburg was declared an open city by the Germans earlier this week and apparently has not been occupied by Allied forces. "German men and women!” Schwerin Von Krosigk began his dramatic announcement. “The high command of armed forces has today, at the order of Grand Admiral Karl Doenitz, declared the unconditional surrender of all fighting German troops. “After a heroic fight of almost six years of incomparable hardness, Germany has succumbed to the overwhelming power of her enemies. To continue the war would only mean senseless bloodshed and futile disintegration. “The government, which has feeling of responsibility for the future of its nation, was compelled to act on the collapse of all physical and material forces and to request of the enemy cessation of hostilities.” A transcript of Schwerin Von Krosigk’s remarks was recorded by BBC and rushed to 10 Downing Street, where the cabinet was in session under Prime Minister Churchill. Once the joint Washington-London-Moscow announcement of V-E day has been released, Churchill will broadcast the news from the cabinet room at 10 Downing Street and afterwards may speak from the balcony of the ministry of health building overlooking Whitehall. The greater proportion of German forces already is in Allied- - hands following piecemeal surrenders along the western front. The German armies in northern Italy surrendered last Wednesday, those in Denmark, Holland and northwest Germany on Saturday and those in western Austria Sunday.