Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 43, Number 303, Decatur, Adams County, 26 December 1945 — Page 1

XLIII- No. 303.

SOLID AY LABOR TRUCE (JOKES TO AN END

[imunique On [ Three Meet [led Today K rn e$ Extends Bid K Ministers To K ft In Washington J... 26-* (UPI - The |K |r< . (oh ipn ministers held |K J.f (oiin.il meeting of till- ■ ,totnv bomb peace treaty K,,,,,,.- t"'iay t" ra’iry the K < 3 fri ll communique <ovth. i-oic-s '>n which they agreement. ■ three principals ami their »< nf into conference p ni lo wind up their |K.. ami iiiiiuil communique Hh u >i a drafting committee ■ rrio'l all day yesterday and thin morning. permitting, I'. 8. secof ..iat< James F. Byrnes K British foreign secretary lleviti were expected to ■fMooiow hy plane tomorrow. Kruv to culler reports. Byrnes ■ sMduled to fly directly to Hrnitid States without stopK nit in I’aris to discus* • role in 'he eastern Euro K peace treaty negotiations K”*-< tried unsuccessfully to Kb Fren* It foreign minister Kq>* llldault by telephone Kv-Kp-ma'i- «our<os in Moscow Kcu*-i confident that France Kg adhere to the peace treaty Kml< outlined by the big Kw*. (levin and Soviet forM oimniosar Vyacheslav M Kk) held a 6% hour meeting K.'lirit longest session of the ■lranwhile. It was disc dosed in Klaz-on that Byrne* had in■t the British and Russian for M ministers to hold their next Kway meeting in the United ■im capital, around March 15.) ■s- final "onimunlquo was exM to cover a wide range of l*lt. Tin- results p discloses. »t*r, may not equal in tmpor»the thr • tmas eve announceI that the (jig Three have kd agreement upon piar.j to IIP peace ircaties fay Ilonin Nonzaiy. Bulgaria, Finland Jteiy I radio Moscow commentator Ike pea c- treaty agreement *»» eloquently for the possib■es overcoming (he dlfflc'il««ndin.- in (he way of Anglo u-Aineric .in cooperation," He J Hun the announcement "has ■ trraiiy t 0 the spirit of Hap tow that prevails thia victori in the Soviet Union.") ant! Betin planned to * ’•*’ for Washington and Mxhccrtiy after th communl- » bailed. *lB received the French n;n tow. Georges Cutroux. »*;stc*;- ” ■ '»lk in which Catroux *“ ! "X rare him the Fren-.h ■* in the Big Three plan for * ‘J participate In drawing Wtoinal draft o f a peace troaM Italy, hut not those with ■ 8 « Hungary, Bulgarin and - was understood to have . *° Hie role propraed for I; Big Thrj*=»that of an Invlt* for the 21-nvtlon peace that will he held after " "2°. Co,un ’" »"> Persons Injured 1 Train Collision *•**)<. Minn , Dec. 26—(UP—fev Per * on ’ were f * h »n two Great Northern T'* 1 ? train* collided. w ‘he Bemidji Luth- , L* 1 "’ 11 Vid Rudolph Anderhis. Mlnn - ®n«i Joseph wC’ Cmn< * Fork *' N - n " a , * K ’ tin **** ••riotwly hurt. One tan ••Abound from Duluth, 10, " Hrand Forks and the m. ,*’ •astbound from Grand 10 rhtiuth. kt? | RATUR X READINGS 9-m w 25 kiw. 26 fjo • - ...... 2d * *• 25 »MI. * tAT H6R ** eM eoWtr

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

Gas Explosion Kills Three In California Bunts Barbara. Calif., Dec. 26— tl'Pt —Three bodies were removed from the debris today after a l.utane gas explosion wrecked the Pepsi Cola lain ling works and 20 apartments locsted on the second floor. Firemen searched the ruins for additional bodies, police said, Holliday Death Toll In Nation Approaches 500 California Leads Rest Os Country In Violent Deaths By United Press The nation counted a total of 470 dead today in the wake of the Christmas holiday At least 24S persons were killed in traffic accidents over Ice-coated highways, and an additional 222 met violent deaths in shootings, suicides, falls and other mishaps. California led the rest of the! country with 47 traffic and 24 miscellaneous deaths for a total of 71 in the four-day holiday period. In the Los Angeles area alone. 33 persons died on the highways Texas, biggest state geographically, had the second highest violent death toll. Twenty-six of the state's total of 46 deaths were traffic fatalities. Fifteen of Texas' 20 other accidental deaths were described officially as murders Other states with high number of holiday deaths Included Pennsylvania with 44, Connecticut with 27 and New York and Missouri with 24 each. In the upper half of the nation, where freexing rains and slippery highways took a high toll of holiday dead, state police reported fewer accidents with gradually rising temperatures. Tragedy hit hard at Fayetteville. W. Va . yesterday when five of the 10 children of Mr. and Mrs. George Sodd<-r burned io death in an early morning fire The parents and four other children narrowly encaped when the blaze completely leveled their two-story frame 1 home. Weathar Betters By United Press Heavy snows and icing conditions which prevailed throughout much of the midwest and northeast over the Christmas holiday almied today, with temperatures iTurn T.» t’aar Z. Column 81 . o Rebecca Stauffer Dies This Morning Funeral Services Saturday Morning Mr«. Leslie Rebecca Stauff.r. 69. who lived her entire life on a farm five and one-half miles northeast of Berne in Monroe tawnship. died at 9:15 a. m. today at the Adams county memorial hospital after a three weeks illness. She was born February 4. 1*76. the daughter of John and < aroline Kuhn-Duer. Her husband. Frederick Stauffer, died six years ago. She was a memeber of the Gross Evangelical and Reformed church at Berne Surviving are the following children: Mrs. Anthony Meyers. Henry Stauffer, Mr*. Merlin Ro** Oottlieb Stauffer and James W. Stauffer. all of Decatur; Mrs. Kenneth Hawkins of Milford. Noah of Cheatnut. 111.. John of Bluffton rural route. Mr*. Eleanor DeArmond and Mrs. Harold Van Camp, both of Fort Wayne. Mr*. Clarence DeArmond. at home, and Amos Stauffer of Monroe: 33 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren: one brother. James W. Duer Fort Wayne, and two sister*. Mrs. Rozantha Wataon of Albion. Mich., and Mrs Goldie Smith of Manton. Mi<•!>Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a. m. Saturday at the church, with )Uv. C. A- Shmidt officiating. Burial wiU be in the MRE cemetery The body will be removed from the Yager funeral home to the residence Thursday evening.

Home For Christman -And Just In Time, Too • e - - L f "’I" * * s TMB RATTLEWAGON ÜBB WASHINGTON, lined with happy Ol's home for Christmas. I* shown a* it 75 mile-per hour gale. —

Eleven Japanese Are j Sentenced To Death Sentenced For Moss Executions On Woke Kwajaiein. Marshall Inlands Dec.| 26- i VIM—Two high ranking Japanese naval officers and nine codefendants were sentenced to death by hanging by a V S. naval ’ court today for executing 96 Anterlean civilians on Wake Island in, 1943. Five other Japanese wen- sentenced to prison terms of five years to life Hear admiral Shlgematau Sakaihats, former Japanese commander on Wake, and his executive ofnc-.tr. Lt, Commandr. Solchl Tachibana. stood at attention as interpreters read the sentences. Before the verdict was announced, Sakalbara defiantly demanded that Americans who conceived and I carried out the atom bomb attack on Japan la- tiled “As we are about to receive a decision hy an American court." lie said through interpreters. “I would like to request that the people who planned and c arried out the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan should he regarded in the same light as we" The 16 Jaisßese were coavicted of machine-gunning the Americana on n lonely beach of Wake island the night of Oc t. 7. 1943. The victims, employes of Pan American Airways, had been forced to work for the Japanese for 22 months after Invasion of the island The Japanese c laimed the Americans had become a "menace" liecause they had outside radio connections with U. B. forces. L. William P. Mahoney. I'SNR. In summing up for the prosecution, branded the executions a» “every bit as loathsome as those that took place on Bataan." Describing the executions, as pieced together from testimony of Japanese witnesses. Mahoney said: "Just after sunset, by the light of a young moon, the helpless Americans were led from their barracks solely on the order of one man—Sakalbara. "Then they began a march to(Turn To Psge 4. Column fl _O_._ — 37 Bus Passengers Escape Asphyxiation Denver. Dec 2«-(VP)-Th!rty-seven passengers narrowly escaped asphyxiation today, when carbon monoxide leaked from the eghaute* of a bus en route here Lamar. Colo. Four passengers were taken to the Denver general hospital for emergency tr"stment The hue driver did not notice the leak until aeveral passenger* became ill aa they alighted at Denver.

ONLY, DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY,

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, December 26, 19 45.

BULLETIN Pineville, Ky.. Dec. 26— (UP) —An explosion at a mine of the Kentucky Straight Creek Coal Co. near here early today trapped between 30 and 50 miners. Five rescue crews were attempting to reach the men who were working about two miles from' the mouth of the drift mine. Motorists Warned Os Driving Hazards State Police Repeat Warnings On Roads ' Colder weather and snow flurries prevailed again today In Adams county after rain and sleet had made roads dangerous Monday night and all day Christmas. Several automobiles were forced Into ditches near Decatn/ Monday night and Tuesday but no serious mishaps were reported. Because the sleet and ice was general, a number of people planning to join their families in Decatur for Christinas were unable to negotiate their plans. The temperature at 9 o'clock this morning was 26 degrees above zero and a hard crust covered the old snow as new flurries started. Streets and sidewalks were slippery and highway officials warned motorists to travel with caution. All main roads were open today, but icy spots j prevailed on most of them. Repeat Warnings Indianapolis. Dec. 26 — (l ; Pt — Indiana state police repeated safe driving warnings today after slush and sleet on Indiana highways froze into glassy sheets last night. Nearly all motor transportation was halted yesterday as the state experienced its worst Christmas day weather since 1935, when a blizzard tore down on Indiana. Many bus lines, with schedules cut yesterday because of treacherous highway conditions, were expected to remain out of service today. Slate troopers reported that roads in southern Indiana were (Turn To Page 4. Column 7> O — French Government * Lowers Franc Value Paris, Dec. 26 — (UP) — The French government has decided to lower the value of the franc to a rate of 119.10 to the V. S. dollar and 480 to the British pound. It was announced last night. The official rate had hern 50 to the dollar. The devaluation was expected to Increase French exports.

Local Stores Close Two Days Next Week To Observe Holiday Monday And Tuesday Clerks and employes of most ! Decatur stores will take a Iwo-day holiday In observance of New Years, laical stores will close Sitnrday night and reopen Wednesday morning at the usual time, it was announced today by the retail committee of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce The committee has sug gested the two-day closing decision to local stores and a majority will close. Several other neighboring cities, including Fort Wayne, also will observe the same (losing program, it was said. Some local merchants were taking their annual inventory this week and store clerks also were busy with the usual Christ mas exchange problem Most factories in Decatur will observe the New Years day holiday next Tuesday, operating only with skeleton fire and plant protection groups. Al! local stores wore closed yest erday. following a la >t niinutf rush of Christmas shoppers Monday afternoon The police and fire departments operated w ith regular crews and the Citizen's Telephone Co. operated as usual. Other business anti industrial places werA closed with the exception of fire protection groups. —— o Return Coast Guard To Peacetime Role Guard To Return As Branch Os Treasury Washington. Dec. 26 (TIM The Coast Guard, which played an important war role as part of the navy, will tie returned next month to Its peacetime pisltion as a branch of the Treasury Departmeat, it was learned today. Preliminary details of the trans fer a!ready have been worked out by the Treasury and Navy departments. A conference may be held later this week between Navy Secretary James Forresta! and Treasury Secretary Fred Vinson to arrange a specific transfer date. The shift will be announced formally by President Truman. The Coast Guard was transferred from the Treasury to th- Navy hy an executive order of President Roosevelt on Nov. 1, 1941-. Since that time, the coast guard participated in every major amphibious operation, supplied invasion troops, directed air sea rescue operations. guarded ports and super(Turn To Pago I. Column J)

Auto Workers Pickets Bar GM Executive Out Os Plant In Michigan

President Enjoying Christinas Vacation Braves Bad Weather For Air Trip Home K ciisax City. Mo., Dec. 26 <1 Pt President Truman raid today that hire major prono'incemrlit of the New Year would lie a "stale of the nation" radio address early In January on bls over-all leglal.ilive program. Mr. Truman made the statement to correspondents who met him In his federal building offhe* after he had made his second Chr'stmas visit in IK houru at the* home of his 93-year-old mother, Mrs. Martha Truman. A correspondent remarked that he understood the- address would Im- “anti-labor" and asked th- President whether such an understanding was correct. The President replied It would not Im- that, at all. diemlMlng any Much possibility with that brief re mark The President said be would return to Washington in accordance with his original schedule, which calls for him to leave h<-re at 8:30 am tCHTI Friday. He was returning. h< ! said witn a grin, not liecause there were any particularly pressing mailer* awaiting him but simply liecause ,ie knew his <i'<<k wo-ild lie piled high with work he wanted to get oil of the way It had tieen announced before he- left Washington that the preslI’ent would eat three Christmas dinners yesterday: one with his own family, another with his mother, and a third with his aunt. His late arrival made that impossible. however, so he- will have 'he remaining two of his dinners today and tomorrow, The president finally reached the- Kansas City municipal airport al 4 .14 p m. c ESTi after a nearly six-hour Christmas day flight from the capital He left Washington In hl* big C 54 transport, the Barred Cow. at 12:06 p. m. After rejecting White House advice that he travel by train because of the bad weather He- originally was to have* taken off at 8:30 a. m Secret service* spokesmen ex(Turn To Page ?. Column 3> o Press For Action On Truman Program Congress To Return To Session Jan. 14 Washington, Dec. 26 tl'Pi Congressional leaders agtceel today to pres* tor action on President Truman's legislative program aa soon as congress returns Jan. 14 ftcim its holiday te<e -■> At the top (if th*- list they placed the President’s request for additional unemployment compensation, universal military training, labor dispute sac t nnding boards and merger of the armed forces Prompt action also was expc*cted on legislation to rescind some 9&1.300,<M)0.M0 in war appropriations. Congress passed such a bill before the recens hut Mr Truman vetoed It because of a rider to transfer U. 8. employment service offices to state control Congressional sources believed Mr. Truman would win his first veto challenge to congress. They felt the house might override thepresident and again pass the vetoed rec Ission bill but that the senate would sustain him. Sen. Scott W Lucas. D„ 111., a leading proponent of early return of U. S. employment services to the states, scald he might drop his fight as result of the veto. He was doubtful If the senate would override the president's action Rep Albert J. Engel. R„ Mich , whn favors prompt return of em pkiyment services, aaid the pre*(Turn To Paca 3, Column 4)

Probe Hospital Fire Fatal To 17 Patients Christmas Eve Fire Cause Os 17 Deaths At Hartford, Conn. Hartford. Conn. Dec 26 cUP' • State tire marshal Edward J Hickey said today that a panic ky iiur«e at the Niles street hospital dropiM-d a fire extinguisher in attempting to put out a bllzang ( he ist mses tree- on Christmas eve and fled the buliding. leaving an outside door o|h n Hickey said the flames, which killed 17 persons, were driven into the* upper floors by the draft of air * The nurse discovered the fin*’ in the- hospital office, he* said, unci I took one of the four available fire ■ extinguishers, all of whic h were In working order. "Be lost her head," Hickey said i and dropped the cotainer, turned and fled to summon help "When she went out the- front door she left the outside tfeor open and that draft of air from the outside just whipfeed the flames and smoke up the stairway and the |>eople upstairs were* suffocated before- help could get to them" Hickey's disclosure came as an official Investigation Into the lire, whic h caused the deaths of 17 aged men and women, was interrupted Icy a summons from Gov Raymond E B.clwin who said lie had talked with Hickey and state health c om-i missiotier Btaliley If Oslmrn alccott "what steps we could tuke to organize- a state* wide* survey and study of safety regulations and precaulions " Hie key laid till inspec tlon of tile Nile* street hospital had been muck* December 7 and that conditions were found to “conform with all existing regulations" He said th(* doors had been changed ho as to swing outward and that all four fire extinguishers were in gocwl order. A stairway in the rear, leading from the third flcMir to the ground level, he* said, was enclosed and "provided the* best kind of a fireescape." What action would follow the inquiry. he ■aid. “depends tl|»c>ii what we develop." Members of the Hartford X'lty (Turci To Pass 1, Column 71 ..... o . Ernest Bradtmueller Is Taken By Death Funeral Services Friday Afternoon Ernest Bradtmueller, 78. retlr- • cd Allen county farmer, died Christmas niornlnr at the* Lutheran 1 hospital In Fort Wayne after a two months illness of complications. 1 He* was born In Adams township. ' Allen county, January 8. 1867. the* son cW Ernest and Hanna I’rangeI Brandtmqeller. lie* had resided In 1 Marion township. Allen county, 1 for the (gist 3a years. Ills wife. 1 Anna, (irec-edcd him in death He wu a member of tha Bt. 1 John's Lui her aii church Surviving are two brothers. Hen- ' ry of Marion township and Fred ’ of Fort Wayne, and four sister*. • Mrs. Bophla Kolenberg of Allen ■ county Mrs Minnie (Jick of Fort Wayne. Mrs. Fred (>a*'lmeyer of 1 Ossian and Mrs. Henry Nahrwald 1 of New Haven One brother and • two slaters are deceased 1 Funeral service* will be held at 1 2 o'clock Friday afternoon at the* • St John's Lutheran churrb. with the Rev. Herbert Baumann offic- • let Ing. Burial will lw> in the church cemetery Friends may c-alj at (he ' Zwlck funeral home after this ev ening.

Price Four Centi

Negotiations Are Resumed Between Labor, Management In Wage Difficulty By United I’rvss CIO united auto workers pickets barred a General Motors executive from a company garage at Flint, Mich, today as an unofficial hoik dy labor truce c-ame to an end. Another executive managed to drive through the pbket lines uncl Into the garage on th** third try. No one was injured in either Incl* dent. The company announced, mean* while that about 25.<t<>« of Its SO.* 000 non-striking office workers had crossed picket lines and reported foe work The UAW resumed negotiation* with the lilg auto manufacturer* over demands for a 3o pen ent wage increase. . Heading Hie schedule* was it meeting with officials of the strikebound General Motors Corp, which administration leade s hopecl i might affect a settlement applic* I able to the industry sa a whole. 'n>dayji c-.c»nfer*-nc-e. dedicated ' io disc iisslon of I cc al plant griev* I nnc-ea. also was expected to consld* I er tile question of higher wages, i bash- issue- in disputes keeping 498.000 U. 8. worker* away from their jolt*. PresMent Truman’s fact-finding Committee last week gave the par* ties until Friday to settle their dispute without government inter* venlion. Bimilar wage negotiations witlt the Ford Motor Co were recessed until Jan. 8. In Washington, the aclministru* tlon reportedly had advanced (dan* for overhauling it* empioyment. wage stabilization and labor conciliation service* to sac ilitate handling of (metwar work stoppages. The reorganization was most: notable in the <ase of the war labor iMiard. whic h has about cleacrd it t docket and will retire* from th*» public »*-cne n week hetue A natIona! -a . stabilization Ingin! ha* Iw-en set up to carry out provision* of the stabilization net until iieXt June 3" For the nio-l part, the labor « ene wa- * haracteclzed by a post* holiday letdown However J I. Ca-e Co. employes In four cftle* were scheduled to go on strike to* day culminating a long dispute. Union officials said some 7.0011 worker* In the company's Farm Equipment plants In Rockford and Rock Island. 111. Racine. Wl«. and Burlington, la. were affected by the work Stoppage. At issue went union demands for maintenance of lllenilcership. dues checkoff, grbl* trathm and wage -ncrease 3 . Formula Rumored Washingtun. Itec. 26 tUPt —• Official confirmation was la* king today for a report that President Truman's fact-finding panel in tho General Motors strike had already evolved a general formula for settling the dispute. Panel members were out of town on holiday visits and cither labor department officials denied knowledge- of a pncpcMH-d formula that would provide wage increases o| 15 to 24 percent. Increased produci tivity and ban unauthorized work i stoppage-* Government official*, however, were hoping that the 18 percent wage inc rease for a 40 hour week granted by Sinc lair Oil Co., to th** i oil workers union tCIOt would provide a general pattern for settlement of the wage dispute* In the oil and other Industries. British Commandos Founder Is Dead l/cndon. Dec. 26 tUPt Ixtrd Keyes, founder of the British cc*m- ’ mandos and admiral of the fleet, died today of a lung affliction bo I suffered while observing the American invasion of la*yte in Gen. Douglas MacArthur’a return to tho , Philippines. The death of the first Baron Keyns. who as Roget John Brownlow Keyes became a peer In 1948 and chose to retain his family name, was attributed to cardiao asthma. He vaa 73.