Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 45, Number 249, Decatur, Adams County, 22 October 1947 — Page 1

FW- N°- 249.

By | Kitfee On '■wood Reds HU njßrman Thprnas jmi«Data Oh At Le*79 0n File W4gJ ßton. Oct. 22.—(UP) — , ._L« j. | ’ a,n *' l Thomas said , , ? 7Hh. ■ ■ rh an activi sfa»'\ijHnit’- 1 i - :i ' "complete data z Jersey Republican disclousure as the comday hjariagg into movieland Reds. oniflanmiiiittee." he said, “has : records on ComI afflHsttin Hollywood. “It has complete data on at least 79 Os them and will place the material in the record either some ttm* this week or next.” Thomas disclosure interrupted testaaay by James K. McGuinness, Me iro-Goldwyn-Mayer executive who testified that Hollywood ■sninunists supported California liiviatimi strikers before the war although the late President Roosevelt “had condemned the strike.” Theßriite. at the North American AViacon Corp., was broken when U? S. troops took over the McGuinness. Irish-born veteran screenßwiiter. said movie writer John Woward Lawson and others sent ■umiraging telegrams to strikes# at the plant. HeMnness said he was a member ofßhe executive committee of the umßoii picture alliance for preservatftn of American ideals. He Jaiil the organization was io combat within our own the menace of Communi,raSß' 1° a decree- Fascism.” But,pf (Guinness added, he had seen no evidence of Fascism in the j Qusgti ■ si about Communism in his oHm studio. McGuinness said: “1 do:. think its the whitest place in Hollywood. We have our share bf Communists.” As th ■ hearing began, Thomas 1 announc'd that actor Robert Tay;jHßuld not testify until this n—an announcement that d a stir of disappointment women spectators in the ucus room. nness identified film writing, “considered to have list leanings,” as screen Ring Lardner, Jr.. Stewart, Collins, Hy Kraft, and issein. id Alvah Bessie, a writer, wn around Hollywood as a Ist party “hatchet man.” Bessie was a former movie r the Communist magazine asses.” is interrupted to say that ists had wormed their way into the movies but also i>or, education, and the ent. id that since un-American s subcommittee hearings rivood last, spring, there i “a growing awareness in on picture industry of this >f Communism.” iid he thought Warner and Paramount Studios 1 quite successful in their I JHBs to bar Communist infiliSjgn. feferring to testimony yesterday b y writer Rupert Hughes that Ehad threatened to theaters if they shownunist films, McGuinbad “heard that threat iast.” ommunists have been uccessful” in pushing Page 8, Column 6) T o isont Mills Appointed y, of 317 North Ninth >een employed as incommerce and music mt Mills high school. Juntingtor. county, he years of teaching exI during the war was Woyed at the General Electric in this city, later accepting as accountant for the ■J ra ' Soya company. succeeds Arnold Conrad, the Pleasant Mills ■*>on to accept a post in the ■hnereial department of the DeW r junior-senior high school. ' ■b Weather fair and mild tonight; Thursincreasing cloudiness; oc■sional rain and cooler ex- ■ northwest portion in

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

City Chairman

Harry Hebble, above, has been appointed city Democratic chairman for the Decatur city election November 4. Harry Hebble Named Democrat Chairman Will Lead Campaign For City Election Harry Hebble, Decatur councilman and prominent party worker, is the new Democratic city chairman, it was announced today. Mr. Hebble was named to the position last night by Gerald Vizard, Adams county Democratic chairman, during a short organization meeting of city Democratic leaders. Mr. Hebble stated today that he would contact all city Democratic precinct chairmen today to lay groundwork for the final Democratic campaign plans in anticipation of the apprbaching city election. Mrs. Jane Wasson, an employe of the city water department offices, was named secretary-treas-urer of the city Democratic organization and began her duties immediately. The city organization is expected to be especially active in the less than two weeks time remaining before the election, Tusday, November 4. 0 Boy Scouts Entertain Decatur Lions Club Members of Lions troop 62, Boy Scouts entertained members of the Decatur Lions club in the weekly meeting at the Knights of Pythias home here last night. The Scouts of the troop, under the direction of Scoutmaster Lowell Smith and his assistant, Marion Drum, demonstrated a number of training techniques, etc. Robert M. Blackburn Dies In California Injuries Fatal To Former Decatur Man Robert M. Blackburn, aged about 72, died at Veterans hospital at Sawtelle. Calif., Tuesday morning at 10:30 o'clock following an accident which occurred a week ago today. He was standing on the sidewalk across from his home waiting for traffic to slow down so he could cross to his home when two cars collided. One of them jumped the curb and caught Mr. Blackburn, crushing his head between two poles. It was thought he had a chance to recover but complications followed and the end came yesterday. Ratch. as he was familiarly known here, was a native of Fort Wayne but came here with his parents when a lad. He graduated from Decatur high school and for a number of years was employed as a salesmman by Foley & Company of Chicago. He was a first lieutenant in the commissary department during the first World War and was a Scottish Rite Mason. He was an unplre in the old Federal Baseballe league. His father, Robert B. Blackburn, was for years a pension attorney here. Following the latter’s death, Mrs. Blackburn and her two sons, Ratch and George, moved to Los Angeles, where a daughter, Mrs. Tester, and other relatives resided. The brother and sister survive. Funeral services will be conducted Friday morning at Veterans hospital chapel, with burial in the Veterans cemetery at , Sawtelle. The announcement of his death came in a telegram from a friend, J. O. Sellemeyer. __

Forest Fires Cause Damage Across Nation Fourth Os Homes In Maine Town Leveled By Disastrous Fire By United Press Millions of dollars ju tinder-dry forests from Minnesora to Maine went up in smoke today as drought in the mid west and too much rain in Florida and the northwest further threatened the nation’s food supply. California was the only state to report normal rainfall. Even there farmers reported slight damage to fruit crops by unseasonal rains. New England was hard hit by the freak fall weather, with more than 100 raging forest fires sweeping through timberlands and villages with property damage estimated at $2,000,000. There has been uo substantial rain for 21 days. More than 300 dwellings, two hotels and a school have been leveled. Three thousand firefighters battled the fires from Bar Harbor, Me., in the north, to Waterford, Conn. Hardest hit was the town of Kennebunkport, Me., of 2,000, where one-fourth of the dwellings were destroyed, one man was killed and three were missing. Lack of rain which has parched the southwestern wheat belt continued today with cloudless skies and above normal temperatures gen eral throughout the region. The weather burea said no relief was in sight. The governor of Kansas, the greatest wheat producing state, predicted that if rain does not fall soon, next year’s crop yield be only 90,000,000 bushels — le>| than one-third of this year’s crop of 294,000,000. By contrast, Florida, which has been hard hit by two hurricanes this month, has suffered crop losses from floods estimated at $30,000,000 by agricultural commissioner Nathan Mayo. The rich sugar cane land in the everglades area is still under water and army engineers forecast that it will not be fit for planting for another 60 days. The Pacific northwest also was suffering from too much rain. So far this month 5.69 inches of rain have fallen, threatening the record of 5.73 set in 1943. Floods in rivers In western Oregon and Washington have caused only slight damage to farmlands so far, but growing conditions were reported “far from ideal.” Snow blanketed Great Falls, Mont., while only a few hundred miles away the residents of South Dakota squght relief from 95- degree heat. Temeratures yesterday in the nation’s two largest cities broke records for the date, with 85 degrees in Chicago and 82.5 in New York. The forst forest fires in years were reported in the northwoods of Wisconsin and Minnesota where no extensive rains have fallen during the long Indian summer. o —- State Board Begins Study Os Budgets Few Revisions Made In Initial Attions Few changes were made up to a late hour today as representatives of the Indiana state board of tax commissioners reviewed the budgets of the various taxing units in Adams county. The county rate remained unchanged at 59 cents. The Berne school levy was cut one cent to make a $2.40 total, but the one cent cut from the $1.24 poll tax levy had been recommended previously so that the amount would be devisible for spring and fall tax payments. Township rates unchanged are: French, $2,58: Hartford, S?C,’ 7 N Jefferson, $2.88; Preble, SI.BO and Union, $2.82. The Monroe budget was not complete and the representatives asked for more information. Wabash and Washington township budgets were to be reviewed early this afternoon. Cuts in poor relief rates changed levies in Blue Creek, Kirkland. Root and St. Mary's township. In Blue Creek, the poor relief was cut from 11 to 9 cents, making the total $2.36; in Kirkland from 8 to 5 cents, making the total $2.98; in Root from 6 to 4 cents, making the total $2.20. (Turn ITU Page 8, Column 7) & 9 ®

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, October 22, 1947

Critic At Communism Probe J* l /i John Charles Moffitt, Esquire Magazine movie critic, as he testified before the Congressional un-American activities committee’s, probe into Hollywood communism. Moffitt said he joined the “AntiNazi League” at the behest of Herbert Biberman, a director and producer, because he was in sympathy with the Spanish Loyalists. He said he was amazed at the first meeting he attended, to find the group addresses as “we Communists.” (International Soundphoto.)

File Remonstrance To Improvements Oppose Sidewalk, Curb Improvement Remonstrances against the proposed curb and sidewalk improvements on both sides of Line street from Winchester street to the Nickel Plate railroad were filed last night with the city council. Petitions for the construction of curbs and sidewalks on both sides had been filed sometime ago with the council. The remonstrance against the improvement on the west side of the street was signed by W. J. Schumacher and 10 others, while that against the construction on the east side was signed by Frank, Krick and nine others. They were referred to the street and sewer committee and city engineer. Carl Striker, local contractor, appeared before the city council last night, asking that the city adopt an ordinance requiring the licensing of all contractors. Such an ordinance, along with the appointment of a building inspector, would insure better workmanship and would be especially effective in conjunction with the establishment of a city planning commission. City attorney Henry B. Heller was authorized to investigate the matter. A rural electric line extension agreement between the city of Decatur and Edward Shoe was approved and placed on record. 0 Spencer Man Dies Os Accident Injuries Lebanon, Ind., Oct. 22 —(UP) — Injuries suffered in the collision of a tractor and an automobile four days ago near Jamestown were fatal yesterday to Logan Goldman, 52, Spencer. He died at Witham hospital.

Decatur Community Fund Will Open Annual Drive October 27

(Editor’s note: The Decatur Community Fund. Inc., was organized in 1943 for the specific purpose of combining all drives for funds into one. Since its organization, the Fund has collected and disbursed some $65,ff00. It is estimated. conservatively, that double this amount would have had to be collected by separate drives to accomplish the same results. This is the third of five articles concerning the Fund's participating units. The fourth wH! appear tomorrow night.) Youth Recreation Youth recreation, yes, and adult recreation too. This organization is entering its third year of activity in the community. The main objective is to encourage various clubs to organize and sponsor outside recreational activities of all kinds. Besides assisting in the organization, they help financially by purchasing necessary equipment. The association has had difficulty in the past purchasing good equipment of the right kind; however, they expect this year to be able to really “go to town.” The Community Fund has awarded youth recreation a total of $1,500.

Schools Close For Annual Institute All public schools in the city and county will be dismissed this afternoon for the balance of the week, to permit teachers to attend the annual institutes. Regular classes on Thursday and Friday will be abandoned and will not be resumed until next Monday morning at the usual time. Most of the teachers will attend the northeastern Indiana teachers’ conference at Fort Wayne, while some will go to similar events at Indianapolis, South Bend and other places. o— Riles Here Friday For Richard Teeple A First Os War Dead Rites Here Friday Graveside services will be held at Ift a.tn. Friday at the Catholic cemetery for T-Sgt. Richard J. Teeple, the first of Decatur’s war dead, killed in action overseas, to be returned for burial. The services will be conducted by the Very Rev. Msgr. J. J. Seimetz, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic church, and Adams Post 43, American Legion, will hold military services at the grave. The body will arrive via the Erie railroad at 12:57 p.m. Thursday and will be taken to the Zwick funeral home. The remains will be accompanied by T-Sgt Frank J. Korenowski, official army escort. Sgt. Teeple, son of Mr. anjl Mrs. David H. Teeple of North First street, was killed in China in a plane crash May 28, 1944, while serving as a chief engineer in a bomber attached to Gen. Chenault’s China Liberators. The Veteran joined the army air forces Aug. 21, 1942, and after graduation from the Harlingen, Tex., gunnery school, went over(iTurn To Page 5. Column 8)

It is expected that S7OO will be spent for hard surface tennis courts, more shuffleboard courts, additional slides, swings and play equipment of this type; SIOO for improvement of present horseshoe courts and installation of lights; S4OO for improvement of additional playground sites, including South Ward location; S2OO for playground supplies such as sand, new swing chains, etc.; SIOO for maintenance of present equipment. The activity of the association is mostly “behind the scenes.” It might be said they are the needle that adds pep to other programs and “injects a financial hypo when necessary.” Take a two-hour tour of Decatur’s residential streets —to see a group of teen agers or younger playing in the streets is really an oddity. But our playgrounds are full. For the safety of our youth, for the parents’ peace of mind, for the good of the entire community, this association hopes to make our playgrounds so inviting and so well equipped that all our youth will want to play at the playgrounds instead of the street. • The Deeatur Community Funds' annual drive starts Oct. 27. Plan now to subscribe one day’s pay per year.

Argentina Expected To Follow Other Countries In Break With Russia

Declares Supplies Os Sugar Plentiful Industry Declares Fears Unwarranted By United Press Housewives feared today that sugar prices will jump when controls are lifted Oct. 31 but spokesmen for the sugar industry said the scare is groundless. Sugar is the only item still controlled and many women Have been buying huge supplies, believing that prices will follow those of other decontrolled items in the upward spiral. Wholesalers across the nation have reported increased demands. One said he had “only 200 bags)of bulk sugar left out of 10 carloads,” he said that many jobbers were out of sugar and described the situation as “serious.” Hoyt C. Bonner, vice president of Lamborn and Co., Inc., one of the nation’s largest sugar brokerage companies, offered a reassuring note. "There is plenty of sugar for the housewife,” he said. “She has been scared into heavy buying by general talk of inflation and high prices,” he said. "I can see no reason for a price increase after Oct. 31,” Bonner said. “The price will be determined by the matter of supply and demand, and supplies are plentiful.” Rumors that housewives were hoarding flour because they feared a return of rationing were discounted by spokesmen for the milljng industry. Petty Smith, official of the Standard Milling Co. at Chicago, said there had been no noticeable evidence of hoarding. He said that during the fall when more mien bake at home, there is a normal increase in business, but that sqles this year did not appear to be above normal for this time of year. Herman Steen, vice president of the Millers National Federation, said that buying had been irregular throughout the country with a big turnover of such grocery items as flour and canned meats in northern metropolitan areas, but only normal buying in other sections. o

To Name Commission For City Planning Ordinance Adopted By Decatur Council The city council, in regular session at the city hall last night, adopted a resolution establishing the formation of a city planning commission. effective immediately. The ordinance sets out that the state law relegating authority to the city council to approve the formation of a commission was effective August 20. 1947. The ordinance itself declares, “In order to improve the present health, safety, convenience and welfare of our citizens, and to better plan for future development of our community to the end that the street and highway systems may be carefully planned, that our community centers may grow with adequate highway, street, utility, educational, religious and recreational facilities and environments and that the needs of agriculture, industry and business may be recognized along with the future growth of our city, that residential areas may provide healthy and pleasant surroundings for the family life and that the growth of our city may be commensurate with and promotive of more efficient and economical use of public funds,” the ordinance has been adopted. Section two of the ordinance sets out that the commission shall serve in an advisory capacity to the present established boards and officials and section three provides that it shall be a seven-man commission. Three of these will be appointed by the city council from the city government and four citizens will be named by the mayor, with not more than two from the same political party.

Decision Due Today To Scrap Poultry Days Food Committee In Conference Today On Industry Plan Washington, Oct. 22 —(UP) — Food conservation chief Charles Luckman meets with his sevenmember executive committee today to decide whether to scrap poultryless Thursdays. One agriculture department official was on record as saying he expected the committee to make the change. The agriculture department, it was learned, already has prepared a reporf showing that the substitute program worked out by th.r poultry industry probably would save more grain for Europe than chickenless and turkeyless days. The plan would not affect the noegg rule for Thursdays. If poultryless days are junked, it would be the first major overhaul of the program outlined by President Truman three weeks ago to save an extra 100,000.600 bushels of grain for Europe by next July 1. Chickenle'ss and turkeyless days have been under fire ever since they were adopted. The food committee itself first voted them down eight to five and then reversed itself when the president said he thought they would be of value. The agriculture department report was certain to have an important bearing on the committee’s decision. Luckman has no food experts on his staff and leans heavily on the various federal agencies for technical advice. Assistant secretary of agriculture Charles Brannon said at Pittsburgh yesterday that he expected the food committee to wipe out poultryless Thursdays within 24 hours. A final decision was not expected before late this afternoon or early this evening. Committee sources said the executive committee probably could not get together to go over the agriculture department's data until late afternoon. Luckman put in a hurry-up call for the excutive committee meeting after the poultrymen offered him what thfcy called a “last ditch” proposal to save 30,000,000 bushels of grain between now and April 1. The poultrymen offered to reduce theii* flocks by 100,000,000 birds by January 1, cut broiler production 25 percent below last year, reduce their egg laying flocks by 20,000,000 birds and practice strict feed conservation. In addition, the nation’s grain feed manufacturers said they would eliminate the use of better grades of wheat which are suitable for shipment aboard. They could not estimate how much grain this would save. , The poultry people told Luckman (Turn <Tto Page 8, Column 7)

Annual Observance Os Navy Day Planned Adams Post To Hold Observance Monday Plans for the annual observance of Navy Day at Adams post 43, American Legion, next Monday night at 8 o'clock at the Legion home were announced today. H. Vernon Aurand. chairman of the naval affairs committee of the Legion, in charge of the event, said that a special film, depicting submarine warfare during World War 11. has been secured through the Fort Wayne navy league for the program. The movie will be shown by Lowell Smith, local projectionist, with equipment from the Decatur juniorsenior high school. An appropriate luncheon, featuring sea food, is to be served following the meeting by a committee named recently by pHet commander Charles Morgan. While all Legionnaires are asked to attend the meeting, Mr. Aurand issued a special invitation to exnaval veterans to be present.

Price Four Cents

Chile, Following Break In Relations With Soviet, Moves On Own Communists Buenos Aires. Oct. 22 — (UP) —The first hint that Argentina might follow the example of Brazil and Chile in breaking off relations with Russia appeared today in Buenos Aires newspapers. Except for the communist La Hora, the newspapers splashed the’ Rio De Jaaeiro and Santiago developments in huge type reserved for the most important events. The attention of the nation was focused on the presidential train traveling north toward th» Bolivian frontier, where president Juan D. Peron and president Enrique Hertzog of Bolivia will meet 'omorrow. Foreign minister Juan A. Bramuglia was accompanying Peron. Therefore it was ualikely that any action would be taken by Argentina before the preside®; aml foreign minister return. Chile and Argentina worked, and still were working, in close concert on the communist problem. Reports circulated insistently last week that Argentina might join in an ABC bloc — Argentina. Brazil, Chile — in breaking with Russia. There never was any official confirmation. But diplomats who expressed the belief that Argentina might break with Moscow pointed out that Santiago’s decision yesterday came without any previous preparation of public opinion. As in the case of the expulsion o< two Yugoslav diplomats from Chile, Argentina was informed at once of the break with Russia and CzeeboMovakia Iw a ilvreel telephone call from the govern ment hftuse in Santiago to -the Casa Rosada or executive man ion in Buenos Aires. Curb Communists Santiago. Chile. Oct. 22 —(UPI — Chile, having broken diplomat ic relations with Russia and Czechoslovakia, proposed today to curb its homegrown communists under the far-reaching emergency powers act. Police and detectives already were assembling in Santiago metropolitan headquartes to hunt down and arrest communist leaders and members of the communist central committee, as well as labor union officials known to he communists. Forewarned, most of these were believed to have already gone underground. President Gabriel 'Gonzalez Videla and his cabinet decided last night that the communist leaders of Chile and the five communist senators and 16 deputies in con(Turn To Page 8. Column 6)

Further Plans For Driver Course Here Test Lanes Marked, Auto Nearly Ready Preparatiohs for the beginning of the driver’s training course at the Decatur junioreenior high school are rapidly nearing completion. Phil Sauer, city street commissioner, yesterday directed work of “marking off” test lanes on streets near the school building to be used in the course. Sylvester Everhart, who will serve as instructor, said that the mto to be used in the course has been lettered and that of dual controls is now being awaited. The auto, a new Ford, is being loaned to the school by the Brant Motors, Inc., of this city. Regulations require that it be used a minimum numbers of hours weekly and only for the training course. The course is offered as part of the safety subject on the school curriculum. o Jaffa Is Rocked By Powerful Explosions Jerusalem. Oct. 22 — (UP) — Two powerful explosions rocked Jaffa tonight, injuring three Arabs and causing damage estimated at. thousands of dollars. Police believed the Arab underground had bombed shops selling Jewisb-produced goods.