Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 179, Decatur, Adams County, 31 July 1945 — Page 1

|| Else Is Chores!

XLIII. No. 179.

,023 JAP SHIPS, 1,247 PLANES WRECKED

Warns Ml Winter In Coldest jjftvs Only Solution Of Miners Baroni Armed Forces i W®liin-li>n. July 31.—(UP -Socof Interior Harold L. Ickes he Senate war investigating Jttee today that next winder g ‘ the coldest of the war” nnjufficient miners are quickly Id from military service to e coal production. s would be true,” Ickes said, if we did not send a pound minous coal to Europe.” ins urged that we send 6,tons of bituminous to Euriout one per cent of a year’s 3Hl::>; States, he continu-'d. “prodigious things” t > fuel to run the war. ‘ E® l 1 ,lot a P resti( ligitator p'Seitiier are any of the memfe.®'f tlie solid fuels administraKMtaff" he said. “We have no BeO wands, and we Can not prcihiKoal without coal miners. No can. bHßthey are not forthcoming, ' S®B ul,lic n,ust be prepared to KrtM the bottom of the fuel bin fc®er before, and even burn the iij of the bin itself if it hapbe of wood.” E K war department has declini -■B®f ,| r io give special considera£iiM) release of coal miners. ' ferWE' told the committee that manpower in the mines produce this “fuel year,” Buhiß began last April 1, 575,000,- ' the. estimated need of 600,tfe>®) tons of soft coal, and 43,P HBd of the estimated requireg’i.'Bof 55,000,000 tons of hard ■ Hese figures point definitely deficit of 37,000,000 Kfißeiwern what we can produce we shall need,” Ickes E doited States sends coal EuMropc without the release of feußary miners, he added, the MHHBy faces “an ever greater I ■^5 Pn, y borne than is indi- » the 37,000,000 ton deficit." I G& : only answer to our producis more miners." asserted. “There has been ■ Kdy deterioration of mine lasince 1941, when the number of mine employes F'Bfc-i oVtr 545,000. Preliminary KSWicsTor 1944 show the average to be 461,000, and in 1945, gWIM t 0 6Ustain a net loss of told the committee that he gßrtcatedly begged the military to stop drafting coal minwSut that he had consistently arguments. "j’Bd now,” he eaid, “we are at PBnint where our only hope of ° ur own production prob--10 HK» io release men from milit! EST rvice ai ’d we cannot solve |rW* n problem, we cannot conM” rn To Page 2 Column 3) tES Air Patrol Tonight ■''■Rgß members of the civil air IfB 1 38 We " as interested the new classes being if! K|v a >'e requested to meet this at 7:30 p.m. at the Mc- ' I.' ■, air ‘ fie ' (i ’ ' ocated at the ip' of U. S. highway 27 and ji! rW" important announcement F ■ lnade at tl,is meeting will be |, ;jl R erest 't° both members and r ,^r( ' liv e members. I Be local CAP flight is fortubeing able to start trainttlis time when an air strip / developed and is in opera- ' lllll(j r the supervision of a J^^B f 'ut flight instructor, who is //(^^H bt officer in charge of all E2lr' tivities in the Decatur I '■ officials of the CAP stated. iuKJI 'oembers are asked to be full uniform CRAT THERMOMETER ■BMPERATURE reading a ‘ ni - — 70 lit Jr a,m - - 72 I ■ - 72 | ■ P,rn - 78 ImS WEATHER 1 ir and continued warm to- [ «•<» Wednesday.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Utility Valuation Increased $63,895 Report Is Received From Indiana Board The Ifidiana state tax board has sent to county auditor Drew’s office the valuations of utilities for Adams county. The report came through earlier (than usual this year and the force at the local office appreciates the extra time this gives in preparing the annual budget. The breakdown gives Blue Creek township $56,387 utility valuation as compared to $46,949 this year, gain of $9,438; French. $65,100, gain $4,914; Hartford, $25,396, loss $5,157; Jefferson, $12,761, gain $1,428; Kirkland, $263,020, gain $7,750; Monroe $307,955, gain $24,607; Preble, $421,668, loss $7,682; Root, $437,720, gain $24,450; St. Mary’s $514,687, loss, $5,831; Union, $8,332, gain $1,343; Wabash, $188,306, gain $6,875; Washington, $724,172, gain $10,320; Berne, $1(17,149, lose $34,234; Deca-tur-Root, $73,03’4, gain $3,056; De-catur-Washington, $342,548, gain $6,105; Monroe-Monroe, $18,732, gain $1,924; Monroe-Washington, $965, gain s2l. The total utility valuation is' $3,648,707 for this year, t. total net gain over 1944 of $63,895. A further breakdown of the valuations shows the Citizen’s Telephone company 1,194 miles at $215 per mile: Cralgville Telephone Co., 149 miles at S3O; Hoagland Tel. Co., 4 miles at $10; Home Telephone Co., 47 miles at $331; (Farmer’s Mutual 10 miles at $56; Preble Tel. *Co„ 50'.20 miles at $100; Star Telephone, 15 miles at S6O; Ohio Association Tel. Co., 49.10 miles at $64; Indiana Bell, 83 miles at s3l; United Tel. Co., Inc., 371.10 miles at $55; Pullman Company, 38.98 miles at $410; Railway Express, 55.71 miles ait $19.25; Western Union, 237.02 miles at ssl; Jay County Rural Electric Corp. $13,255; Erie Railroad, $897,68'4; Pennsylvania Railway, $698,289; G. 11. & 1. $59,778; N. Y„ Chicago & St. Louis, $641,937; Indiana Service Corporation, $396,935; Northern Ind. Public Service, $147,560; Indiana and 'Michigan Elec. Co., $800; Indiana Gas Dit. Co., $100; Buckeye Pipeline Co., $105,*895; Panhandle East. Pipe Line, $151,680; AlleniWells Co. R. Elec. $212,100.

Senator Predicts Less Meat In 1946 Reduction Forecast By Senator Wherry Washington, July 31. —(UP) — Sen. Kenneth S. Wherry. R., Nebr., predicted today that there will be even less meat for civilians next year than there is now. lie based his statement on two factors —a short corn crop and no appreciable reduction in the size of the armed forcee. ,Wherry told reporters the lower red point values for certain cuts of meat in August do not necessarily mean there is “really” more meat. He explained that a seasonal increase was to be expected at this time of year and that better distribution also had helped. “But we won’t have any more meat next year than we have right now,” he said. "In fact, we’ll have less. “This year’s corn crop is the shortest in history. And—at the same time, we’ve got a larger army today than we’ve ever had.” Wherry is a member of the Senate small business subcommittee which is conducting an investigation into the “food side of redeployment. Army and navy officials were summoned to testify today on their ■food needs for the Pacific wai as well as the probable effects of redeployment move on western rest 11 vfi nt c; Leon Bosch, assistant director of the nPA food rationing division, said yesterday that the army and OPA already were conferring on the "intensified” problems faced by western eating places. Bosch eaid western restaurants were confronted with a tWo-fbld problem. The first is finding room enough to accommodate the jam business. The second may be that (Turn To Page 2, Column 3)

Confab Close Is Delayed By Stalin Illness Conference Os Big Three Expected To Close Late Today Potsdam, July 31— (UP) —The big three were expected to hold what may be their final conference today after a two-day delay caused by a slight illness of Premier Stalin. (A London dispatch said Prime Minister Attlee was expected to return to London in time sos the opening of the new parliament tomorrow and might arrive in the British capital tonight.) Stalin was confined to his Berlin quarters Sunday and Monday by his physician for what was described as a “slight indisposition”—presumably a slight cold or indigestion. There was no explanation why official spokesmen told newsmen that the three leaders were continuing to meet during the period while Stalin was unable to attend the sessions. Soviet foreign commissar V. M. Molotov met with President Truman and Prime Minister Attlee on behalf of Stalin SundAy. Molotov also conferred with U. S. secretary of state James F. Byrnes and British foreign secretary Ernest Bevin both Sunday and Monday. The conference originally was scheduled to have ended yesterday with an important communique, but Stalin’s illness prolonged it through today and possibly tomorrow. Although delay first was disclosed last night, heavy censorship at the top made a major mystery out of it by banning all mention of the reason for the interruption. It was believed that the three chiefs of state will have major decisions to make on explosive problems relating to the Japanese war and occupation of Europe. Truman To England London, July 31—(UP)—Well informed Whitehall sources said today that President Truman will land in British soil late this week and be greeted by King George. Informants reported that the king will go to some British port, probably Plymouth, to welcome Mr. Truman to Britain in a meeting unprecedented in royal history. Indications were that the meeting would occur Thursday or Friday. The king originally was scheduled to leave London by special train tonight, the Whitehall sources reported, but the plans were changed because Premier Stalin’s indisposition delayed the Potsdam proceedings for two days. The Times of London said Prime Minister Clement R. Attlee (Turn To Page 6, Column 6) o Mrs. Mary J. Mahan Is Taken By Death Funeral Services Thursday Afternoon Mrs. Mary Jane Mahan, 23, wife of Jack Mahan, of Decatur route 5, died late Monday afternoon at the Adams county memorial hospital. Death was attributed to complications following the birth of a daughter July 23. She was born in Cleveland, 0., September 22, 1921, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd H. Bunker, and had resided in Decatur for the past year following her marriage. She was a member of the First Methodist church at Cleveland. Surviving are the husband, the daughter, Judith Ann; the parents, one sister, Mrs. Thomas Warnke, of Cleveland, and two nephews. One brother, is deceased.' Funeral services will be held at 3 o’clock Thursday afternoon at the Black funeral home, with the Rev. Paul W. Schultz officiating. Burial will be in the Decatur cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7 o’clock this evening.

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Tuesday, July 31, 1945.

Tells How Russia Could Help

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IN A NEWS DISPATCH Capt. John Craige recalls that at the Potsdam conference Stalin was reportedly reminded of reasons why Russia should enter the war against Japan. Pointing out that Japan would be faced by the same sort of two-front war that wrecked Germany, Captain Craige suggests two things that Russia could do to greatly shorten the war and lick Japan. These are indicated above: (1) launching a high-powered Red Army drive into vulnerable Manchuria, and (2) permitting United States naval and air forces to operate in the Sea of Japan.

Adams Co. Women Thanked For Robes Red Cross Chapter Thanked For Gifts Appreciation to the women of the Adams county Red Cross for making bath robes for wounded servicemen hospitalized in the Pacific war area, was iecelved al local headquarters from Nannie B. Harris, Red Cross field director, stationed on hospital ship “Dogwood” somewhere in the Pacific. Her letter to the Red Cross women reads: “I wish to acknowledge receipt of your bath robes. I wish it were possible to convey to you the gratitude of the sick and wounded servicemen for those cool and comfortable robes which are such a (blessing in this tropical weather. I realize that it musit have been a tremendous undertaking to have made all those robes, but I am certain that your kindness and labor has been fully compensated. After being away from home and all that represented consideratcncss and love, it must be a wonderful feeling for those men to wear a robe made in United States by their women. They examine? the label, Adams county chapter. When the man was from your state he really bragged. I suppose it seemed just a bit more personal and dearer to him. “Thank you so much for your big contribution toward the wounded servicemen’s need and comfort.” The robes were made of a light weight washable cotton material, Mrs. Ed Bauer, chairman of the sewing division of the local Red Cross stated. The local women are now engaged in making 100 more of the robes and sewing 1,500 pair of washable bed room slippers for the servicemen. The shipment of robes referred to in the above letter was made last year. Senator Bushfield Is Critically 111 South Dakota Solon Stricken On Train ■Huron, S. D„ July 31—(UP)— Sen. Harlan J. Bushfield, R., S. Dak., suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage today shortly after boarding a train. His condition was described as “very critical.” Senator Bushfield, who will he 63 Aug. 6, was enroute home to Miller, S. D. He was returning from Washington where he had participated in the United Nations Charter debate in the Senate. A former, governor of South Dakota, Bushfield had stopped off here. He was stricken shortly before 1:3« a.m. (iCWT) just after he had boarded a train for Mil(Turn To Page 2, Column t)

Three Youths Leave For Active Service Three Adams county youths left Decatur this morning for active induction into the nation's armed forbes. They recently were accepted under the army’s special re-examination program for youths 18-25, and will be assigned to limited service. t Those who left today were Richard Paul Gehrig, Zane Elmo Musser and Charles R. McClenahan. o ._ Artillery Pounds At Jap Rearguard Units Japanese Continue Borneo Withdrawal Manila, July 31. —(UP) —Australian artillery pounded today at Japanese rearguard units northeast of the Sungei-Wain river, north of Balikpapan on Borneo, as enemy troops continued their northward withdrawal. U. S. 13th airforce and Australian planes strafed airstrips at Jesselton and the area near Bandjermasin, and attacked enemy ground forces in northwest Borneo. Seventh fleet search planes ranging over the Formosa area sankone junk and damaged four others. In a night attack 20 other junks were strafed in the Pescadores. Fifth airforce bombers and fighters in shipping sweeps off southeast Korea destroyed or damaged two tankers, five freighters, a lugger, and penetrated inland to destroy a locomotive, derail a train, and strafe an airdrome in the southern sector. Seventh fleet aircraft damaged more than 100 junks, strafed an enemy ground column, destroyed motor transport, and attacked river craft and communications along the China coast. To the south, other planes damaged harbor and airdrome facilities in French IndoChina. East Indies Australian bombers and fighters attacked air faciliti ;s in the Celebes, and strafed water and motor transport in the Halmaheras. Another (Seventh fleet search plane sank a coaster and a heav-ily-laden barge in Mandar bay on Makassar strait. In the Bismarcks U. S. marine and New Zealand pilots sealed several tunnels near Rabaul, on New Britain. o — Mont Harden Funeral Wednesday Afternoon John C. (Mont) Harden, 82, native of Adams county, died suddenly Sunday at the home of a daughter in Dayton, O. Surviving are three daughters, a brother. Rose Harden, of Decatur, and a sister. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Thoma funeral chapel in Bluffton, with hurial in Fairview' cemetery at Bluffton.

Jap Industrial Centers Are Warned By Leaflets Os Pending Destruction

Spanish Government Expels Pierre Laval Former Vichy Head Leaves Barcelona BULLTIN Paris, July 31—(UP)—Pierre Laval landed from Spain today at the Hersching airport near Linz, Austria, and was taken into protective custody by the United States army, it was announced officially. Madrid, July 31—(UP)— Pierre Laval was expelled by Spain today and took off in a plane from Barcelona airport on the first lap of what probably will be a trip back to France to face trial for his life. The plane flew east out over .the Mediterranean, presumably for Bolzano, Northern from which the former Vichy premier had fled to Barcelona last May in the hope of finding refuge from Allied justice. But he entertained no delusions that he ultimately would be turned over to France. He told newsmen yesterday: ‘“1 guess if Petain can face the music, 1 can, too.” (A Paris dispatch said France was making hasty preparation to receive Laval with the possibility that he may be called to testify in the final stages of’the trial of Marshal Henri Philippe Petain. (Spain informed France that she had decided to send Laval out of the country by the same means by which he had entered. Paris said it. was hoped that he would land in Northern Italy to permit the French .to make arrangements to bring him back to France with the maximum possible security against assassination.) The plane was the same German Junkers in which he arrived •European war. Two German airin Spain in the closing days of the men piloted the plane and Laval was accompanied by his wife. Up to the last minute, he protested vigorously against his expulson. He and his wife spent an uneasy night on a couch in a han-

(Turn To Pagie 2, Column 4) o New Beer Dealer To Take Over Tomorrow New Distributing Company Is Formed The Adams Distributing company, with Ben McCullough of St. Mary's township, as manager, will take over tomorrow as county beer distributors, it was announced today. Final details and transfers are being completed this afternoon with the Fred Mutschler Distributing company, who, since 1933 was the beer distributor in the county, and the ODT office in Indianapolis. The new beer distributor has leased the refrigeration plant, office space and unloading dock space at the former Mutschler Packing company plant, south of Fornax street, from Mrs. Faye Mutschler, the owner. The new distributor purchased four trucks from the Mutschler Distributing company. The beer distributor’s license has been issued to the local company by the Indiana alcoholic beverage commission, effective <at once. For the past 60 days the Mutschler Distributing company operated on two 30-day permits issued by the commission. Mr. McCullough is a former Republican trustee of his township and is well known in the county. It was understood that a corporation was being formed to operate the distributing company, but the names of the other stockholders were not revealed.

Marshal Petain Is Defended By Gen. Weygand Former French Army Head Makes Strong Defense Os Petain Paris, July 31. — (UP) — Gen. Maxime Weygand defended Marshal Henri Philippe Petain today as a faithful guardian of France’s interests and negotiator of an inevitable armistice which made possible the relatively bloodless American invasion of North Africa. Weygand, generalissimo of French forces in the debacle of 1940, told a tense and eager high court jury that Petain in November 1942 sent repeated messages to Admiral Jean Darlan ordering the cessation of French hostilities against the Americans. The old and ailing general, fresh from long imprisonment in Germany, testified at Petain’s treason trial that Pierre Laval ordered the French to resist the American invasion without the knowledge of the old marshal. The defense fired its heavy artillery in calling Weygand for impassioned appeal on behalf of Petain, for whom he said he had only “veneration and admiration.” For hours Weygand declaimed the cause of France, as if the nation itself were on trial amidst aliens. He unwound a dramatic sto'-y of the crumbling of the French defense s, France’s helplessness against the onrushing tide of Nazism, and the armistice which he said was dictated by dire military necessity. Weygand, leaning heavily on his cane and brusquely refusing permission to testify from a chair, told a story of France’s downfall that was studded with these highlights: 1. —The Americans would have “paid dearly” for the invasion of North Africa without the French cooperation for which the armistice opened the way. 2. —Petain using the armistice terms as an argument, refused a Nazi ultimatum on June 16, 1940, demanding that France hand over certain bases. 3. —Weygand himself was solely responsible for declaring Paris an open city. 4. —Petain’s first step in connec(Turn To Page 6. Column 4)

Lewis Hoile Dies Os Heart Attack Monday Prominent Farmer Is Taken By Death Lewis F. Hoile, 60, prominent Root township farmer, dropped dead of a heart attack Monday afternoon on the farm of Karl Boerger. Mr. Hoile was assisting in threshing and was helping to load a wagon when he suffered the fatal attack. He was born in Root township April 3, 1885, the son of Frederick and Caroline Boknecht-Holle, and was a lifelong resident of the township. He was a member of St. Peter's Lutheran church. He was married to Caroline Franke February 22, 1908. Surviving in addition to the wife are six children: Hilbert of Hoagland, Mrs. Bernice Stoppenhagen of Hoagland, Miss Stella Hoile of Root township, Lt. Donald Hoile, serving with the U. S. air forces in the Philippines, Mrs. Alice Moses of Decatur and Elgene Hoile, at liome; four sisters: Mis. August Bohnke and Mrs. Hugo Gerke, both of Root township, and Mrs. Clara Dornseif and Mrs. Enoch Heckman, (Turn To Page 2 Column 3)

1 Buy Wor Sovinfls Bonds And Stamps

Price Four Cents.

Pre-lnvasion Raids By Rampaging Third Fleet Blast Enemy Shipping, Planes Guam. Wednesday, Aug. I—(UP) —American Superfortresses warned 12 Japanese industrial cities by leaflet today that they were next on the B-29 fire bombing list, as the rampaging third fleet was revealed to have destroyed or damaged at least 1,023 enemy ships and 1,247 planes in 21 days or unparalleled pre-invaeion raids. A fleet of Superforts, dropping 720,000 “death list” leaflets on the 12 cities with a combined population of 1,300,000 repeated during the night the first bold pre-raid announcement made to the Japanese by the 20lh Air Force four days ago. Citizens of 11 middle-sized war centers were warned then to flee for their lives, and six of the cities were promptly bombed. Four of the cities were re-visited with leaflets today. The grim message from Maj. Gen. Curtis E. LeMay followed a during pre-dawn surface bombardment of Shimitzu, 100 miles southeast of Tokyo by destroyers of the ithSrd fleet, carrying the sea-air offensive into its 22nd day. Warned to evacuate in the face of the dreaded fire bombs were the citizens of Hakodate, on Hokkaido; Kurume, on Kyushu, and Mito, Ilachioji, Maebashi, Toyama, Nagaoka, Nishinomiya - Mikage, Maizuru, Otsu, Fukuyama and Nagano, on the main island of Honshu. Os these, Hakodate, Kurume, Nagaoka and Nishinomiya-Mikage were warned for the second time. The Honshue cities of Tsu, Aomori, Ichinomiya, Ogaki and Ujiyamada and Uwijima on Shikoku were devastated Saturday, 24 hours after the original leaflet announcement. Koriyama, on Honshu, was the 11th city first named. Destruction by fire of the 12 doomed cities would cost Japan another group of her important mid-dle-sized rail centers, ports, and manufacturing cities, filled with airplane, steel, aluminum, precision instruments, chemical, and naval ordnance works. Already 53 home island cities •have been fired and largely destroyed by the rampaging B-295. Carriers of the fleet’s famed task force 88 went under another security blackout’ off the burning Japanese coast in preparation for new blows. Their planes had destroyed or damaged no fewer than 60 ships and 138 planes yesterday alone in sweeps from Tokyo to Kobe. Radio Tokyo said the task force included at least 14 carriers and. was believed cruising off the Izu peninsula on the east coast of Honshu, it estimated 1,600 Allied planes attacked the central Honshu area during a 13-hour period yesterday. Other carrier and land-based (Turn To Pago 5, Column 4) Hundreds Os Dead Fish Found Here Dead Fish Floating Down St. Mary's Hundreds of dead fish are floating down the St. Mary’s river, from a point north of the Marshall street sewer in this city, an investigation by police chief Ed Miller revealed today. Along the east bank where the river turns under the old Smith bridge, and around the island in the center of the stream, many fish had been washed ashore. Bown stream past the bridge over U. S. highway 27, northwest of the city, fish couid be seen. There were croppies, carp, suckers and small catfish in the stream. No one had an authoritative answer why the fish died, except to suggest that acid or poisonous mat(Turn To Page 4, Column 7>