Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 47, Number 27, Decatur, Adams County, 2 February 1949 — Page 1

I|. XLVII. No. 27.

NORWAY JOINS WEST POWERS IN COLD WAR

Mouse Passes Hired Primary Measure Today ? I Flood Os More Than 150 New Measures j I Introduced Today Feb. 2 — (VP) — Indiana house passed today sent to the senate the Demo1' P° lic y establishing a IBMLrovide primary to nominate llßndiiiates for governor and V. S. ®’■The vote was 97 Io 1. The lone OHssenter was Rep. Charles T. R.. Garrett. mu was passed as the house S|H)t down to business after a flood OB ,n ° re ,lian 50 npw 1)ills p° ure( ' ilB"’ tlle |p ß> sla,ure ' among them || ■senate bill to increase gross in- **■:>-... tax exemptions and a house JKii to license coin vending ma- _ ]| ■ The number of bills introduced |B ni>p ” ie lepislatufe began its Jan. 6 passed the 500 mark the flurry of activity opening IBday's round. Then the house ■■nd senate, accused earlier this in a partisan political skirlßi;|l ° f si ° win ? <iown ,he * aw ' iHaking machinery, dug into a IBtk of measures up for second ■nd third reading. I ■ Author of the income tax exempfßoii measure was Sen. Willis K. jHatchelet. R„ Angola. He sug?Bestei that exemptions be raised IB' lllll Y 3 900 to $5,000 for retailers from SI,OOO to $2,000 for indiincome earners. I I Reps. Carrol M. Dennis, D., Grove, and. Harold E. Korn. Fort Wayne, proposed that the |Mtate license coin vending machat the rate of {25 a year to what Dennis said would be |Home 300,000 machines. The bill that the money go into state general fund to help |Kwet deficits in the operation of government., I I Another new bill was the sevsoldier bonus measure to be in this session of the leg Authored by Sens. WesMalone, R„ Clinton, and John I)., Li'tle York, it carried suggestions regarding the bofrom the American Legion ■the disabled American veterans the Veterans of Foreign Wars, provided a top of S7OO in the of payments but said nothabout how to finance the bo IB |us - || Other new senate bills would: | | 1. Permit cities to build and water works and sewage as one unit. (BeamanK vans). ■ I * Urge the governor to apMp'iint more women to boards and Commissions and departments of ■Government and issue a proclama■tion urging local governmental ■units to do likewise. (Gardner.) ■I 3 ' Permit towns to sell sewer ■funds to federal government with ■out offering them to the public ■•Evans.) ■I < Clarifies and simplifies issu■an<e of county bonds. (Beaman ■Enns). Bl 5. Requires cities to have bi ■Partisan police forces. (Beaman ■Makowski.) SI *• Split nfotor vehicle funds o’ ■ a basis of 10 percent to cities, 24 ■horrent to counties and 66 percen' ■’outate. (Stem’.e). ' ■ I ■ Force township trustees to I 'Turn To rn tr Mg) ■frank Giesler Is ■ Lions Club Speaker ■ rrank feeler, director o’ the -'■ i " ri i p n company laboratory at Van B ert - 0., was guest speaker at ■ evening's meeting of the ■ •“.iiur Lions club. He spoke on ■ of the Van Wert cheese ■ ; *nt. which he said is now the ■ -*reest in the world, and exp’ained ■ ' * Processes used in manufactur ■ ,r;t cheese. ■ Mr Giesler Invited Lions club Hv-T^ er * ,o tour and * ns P ect ,he ■ Wert plant, and provided them IJ ’ * an, Ples of the various types ■*■ ‘heese produced there. The Bating was In charge of Dr. H. ■ I WEATHER H 1 5 /^ Cr **** , *® cloudiness tonight, S owin g mostly cloudy and K * ,rm er Thursday. Light snow i lke, r extreme north late toK n, 9ht and early Thursday. ,

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

County Draft Board Into New Quarters The Adams county draft .board is moving to new quarters in the second floor rear of the Sutton jewelry store building, in was announced today by Walter J. Bockman, chairman of the board. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 12 noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office is closed all day Saturday.

Railroads And Unions Unable To Reach Pact Ask Presidential Fact-Finding Board Now Be Reconvened Chicago. Feb. 2 — (UP) —The nations railroads and 16 unions agreed in an unprecedented move today to ask that a presidential fact-finding board be reconvened to settle their wage hour dispute. The unions, representing 1,000,000 nonoperating worker.!, and the railroads announced that they were unable to reach an agreement on their own. There is no provision under the national railway labor act for calling in the fact-finding board after it has once issued its recommendations for a settlement. But the action, taken on the initiative of the railroads and unions themselves, apparently meant that any strike threat would be held in abeyance. Under the railway act the unions have been free to strike since Jan. 17. she fact finding board appointed by President Truman last October, recommended a 40-hour work week for the employes, to replace the present 48 hour week, and a seven-cent hourly pay raise. While there is no precedent for recalling the fact-finding Ifoard aan agency to attempt settlement, it was believed that government authorities would consent to the move in hopes of maintaining railway labor peace. Neither the unions nor the railroads, however, said they would accept the factfinding board as the final arbiter in the dispute. Presumably, the board would attempt settlement along the lines of its previous wage and hour recommendations. G. E. Leighty, chief negotiator for the 16 unions, and D. P. Loomis, top negotiator for the railroads, announced the plan to recall the board jointly. They said they would telephone its members late today to ask hem to come to Chicago for conferences. "Meanwhile,” Leighty said. (Turn To Pmsr Six)

Sewer Assessment Rolls Submitted Submitted Tuesday At Council Meeting The preliminary assessment rolls on the Hi'yard and Rambo sewer improvements were submitted to the city council Tuesday night by city engineer Ralph E. Roop. Preliminary assessment on the Rambo project was set at $715.25, and on the Hilyard sewer at $683 - 34. Remonstrances on the assessments will bo heard at the council's next meeting February 15. The council also approved a contract for rural line extension be•ween the city and Calvin and Vernon Andrews and Kenneth H. Reed, of Washington township. Scaled bids on material for street and alley repairs will be accepted by the board of public works and safety until 7 o clock February 15. Liquid asphalt, approximately 50 tons of bituminuos coated aggregate, and crushed stone, all .in conformity with specifications of the state highway depahment. are to be purchased. in addition to the material, contractor’ may bid on ths price per hour for the rental of. a tiwctor and maintdner. roller, suto patrol trader mechanical spreader box. bnlldoztr. tractor scraper and other equipment to be used in the repairs. plus common labor. The bids must be accompanied by a bend or certified check for SM.

No Stalin Bid Received By Pres. Truman White House Soys No Invitation Os Any Kind Received Washington, Feb. 2 — (UP) — President Truman has received no invitation from Soviet premier Stalin to a meeting of any kind, the White House said today. Presidential press secretary Charles Ross said that as far as he knew the latest word from Mr. Truman on any such proposal was that he would be glad to meet with Stalin in Washington. Ross made the statement to reporters after confering with Mr. Truman this morning. Ross said that all Mr. Truman knew about the report that Stalin offered to meet with Mr. Truman in Poland, Czechoslovakia or Russia was what he had read in the newspapers and heard on the radio. He had no official word on the subject, nor had the president heard anything from Stalin, Ross said. Ross was asked, "would the president go to Poland or Czechoslovakia, or ?” Before the reporter could say Russia, Ross snapped: “No comment period. That ends the subject.” Mr. Truman will hold a news conference at 3 p.m. CST tomorrow when he will be asked about Stalin's reported willingness to meet with Mr. Truman. Unless there has been some sec--ret and radical change in Mr. Truman’s position, he will either decline comment or reiterate his willingness to see Stalin but here in the capital. iMr. Truman on two occasions invited Stalin to make a personal visit to Washington, but in each case, the invitations were turned down for reasons of health. In his latest reported offer, Stalin said that because of his health he could not make a sea or air voyage. Persons familiar with Mr. Truman's thinking were certain that (Turn To Page Six)

Veteran's Funeral Sunday Afternoon Albert J. Brunner Rites Are Planned Final tribute will be paid Sunday to T-5 Albert Joe Brunner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Brunner. of St. Mary's township, who was killed in action with the U. S. army on Luzon March 31, 1945. Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the home neat Wren, 0.. six miles east of Decatur on the Piqua road, and at 2 o’clock at the Bobo United Brethren church, of which he was a mem ber, the Rev. L. A. Middaugh and the Rev. Argo Sudduth officiating. Services will be conducted by the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, with burial in the MRE cemetery at Berne. , The body will arrive in Decatur late Thursday evening and will be taken to the Zwick funeral home, from where It will be removed to the residence Friday morning. The war veteran was born in Jefferson township July 29. 1922. and was an employe of the Adams county highway department when he entered service Nov. 27. 1942 An overseas veteran of nearly two years. Brunner served in Australia. New Guinea, the Admiralty islands. Leyte and in Manila. Surviving in addition to his parents are two brothers. Bill Brunner of. Decatur and Lester of St. Mary’s township, and a grand father. Emil Brunner, of St. Mary's township. Winchester Man Is Killed In Accident Alexandria. Ind.. Feb. 2 —(UP* A 24-year-oid Winchester man was killed on Ind 9 north of here last night when his automobile skidded off the road and over an embankment. The victim waa William C. Thornhill

ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER IN ADAMS COUNTY

Decatur, Indiana, Wednesday, February 2, 1949

Goodby To Army After 43 Years Mm J i * I 'MU BMs* '' Sli f llfefe • A’WI ENDING 43 YEARS of Army service. Gen. Courtney H. Hodges and his wife wave farewell at Governor’s island. New York,! after a reception and mi itary seview in his honor. Now 62, the commander of the wartime First Army, first to hit the Normandy beachhead, and Mrs. Hodges are vacationing in the south.

Wholesale Prices Again Decreased Food Prices Again Show Index Drop New York, Feb. 2.—(UP)— Wholesale food prices dropped again last week to the lowest level since October. 1946, when wartime price controls still were in es- 1 feet. Dun and Bradstreet, Inc., reported that its food price index dropped three cents last week to $5.88. That is the lowest level for the index since Oct. 8, 1946, when it was $5.40. The index represents the total of the price per pound of 31 foods in general use and for the week ended Feb. 1 was 20.1 percent below the all-time high ot $7.36 reached on July 13 last year. It also was 17.6 percent under the year-ago level of $7.14. A week ago the index was $5.91. Os the foods used in compiling the index, prices for 14 were low er, while five advanced and 12 held unchanged. There were advances in the price of lard, cocoa, peas, flour and butter. Lower prices were reported for wheat, corn, rye, oats, barley, beef, ham. sugar, cottonseed oil, beans, steers, milk, lambs and raisins. Those unchang ed were bellies, cheese, coffee, tea. peanuts, eggs, potatoes, rice, molasses, currants, prunes and hogs. Arrest Young Woman On Kidnaping Charge Confesses 'Taking' Child In Pittsburgh Macomb, Hl.. Feb. 2.—(UP)— Authorities hoped today to learn i the of an 18-month-old girl whom Mrs. Joan Brokus, 22. ad mitted “taking” from a couple in 1 Pittsburgh more than a year ago. I Mrs. Brokus confessed yesterday that she picked up five children in various parts of the country dur- i ing the last five years, and used them as decoys for bogus rescue mission work, state's attorney Roger Hayes said. She was charged with kidnaping, but denied the crime. She told officials that she “took" the children l because "1 just love them and ( want something to shower my love on." . Hayes said that Mrs. Brokus. whom he described as “untidy" and ! missing most of her teeth, had the ' girl and six-year-old Richard 1 Strickler with her when she was 1 arrested in Denver last week. The boy was the son of Wesley Strickler. 45. Ryan. la., whom Mrt. Brokus planned to marry before 1 she disappeared with the child from a hotel here last Sept. 30: while the couple was en route to ( lowa. Hayes said , Question Susoect ', Pittsburgh. Feb. 2— (UP)— A , woman h»ld in Ma comb. Hl. will be questioned about , the kidnapping of the 17-month old daughter, of Mrs. Ann Payer, 33. Pittsburgh, police said trday. Chief identification officer Jame’ O'Connor said he wired Macomb (Tin Te Put Slx»

Groundhog Sees His Shadow, More Winter Six weeks of winter are in store for tills area, if the groundhogs antics this morning are any indication. The little fellow stuck his head out of the front door at dawn today, glimpsed his shadow, and returned to hibernation. Or maybe the frosty 10 degree temperature turned the trick. Six Germans Hanged As War Criminals Hangings Conducted By American Army t Landsberg, Germany, Feb. 2 — (UP) — Six Germans were hanged here by the United States army today for crimes committted against allied fliers and concentration camp inmates. They were: S.S. Capt. Helmuth Vetter, physician at the Mauthausen concentration camp. His subordinates injected gasoline into the inmates. Indalecio Gonzales, Mauthausen inmate who became a camp supervisor and killed at least a do?pn other inmates, seven of whom he helped push into a latrine pit Karl Schroegler, 'Mauthausen trusty credited with killing 10 men by throwing cold water on them atfd jumping on their chests. Maj. Albert Heini, who ordered two American fliers shot after they parachuted from a crippled plane. Corp. Ludwig Hollacher. who shot an American flier in the back aftsr he parachuted. Coup. Friedrich Metz, involved with Hollacher in the killing. A seventh man. Gustave Heigel was given a last-minute stay when the army department cabled that i it was forwarding material bearing on his case. The six dead all had been tried ' at Dachau before an allied military i war crimes tribunal. Their sent- : ences had been approved by Gen. Lucius D. Clay, American military governor in Germany. Five-Year-Old Girl Drowns At Waterloo Waterloo, Ind.. Feb. 2 —(UP)— Sharon Wilson, five-vear-old darghter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wilson, was drowned in Cedar Creek yesterday when her sled struck the stream's bank and she was thrown into the water. An uncle of the girl recovered the body aliout 200 feet downstream. Portland Railroad Worker Is Killed Portland. Ind.. Feb 2 — (UP)— George Valentine. 27. Portland, section hand for the Nickel Plate railroad. was killed today when he was crushed beneath a 15.000-gallon water tank at the railroad yards here. The wooden tank collapsed while Valentine was checking the water, railroad oflciale said He died shortly afterward of a compound | skull fracture.

Norway Declares Desire To Join North Atlantic Pact As Security Move

New Labor Law To Repeal Stale Ads Nullify Many Anti Closed Shop Laws Washington, Feb. 2 — (UP) — The national labor relations board said today that President Truman’s labor bill would largely repeal state “little Taft-Hartley acts." NLRB chairman Paul >M. Herzog told the senate labor committee the administration bill to repeal the federal TafDHattley law also would nullify state anti-closed shop laws except where strictly local enterprises were involved. Herzog would not say whether he thought a provision affecting state laws was good or bad. His testimony was delayed 40 minutes while Democrats and Republicans on the committee wrangled public'y over a speedup in hearings on the labor bill. Other congressional develop ments: Taxes — A Democrat on the house ways and means committee predicted it would be at least May 1 before congress gets around to President Truman's request for sl,100,000,000 in new taxes. The Democrat asked not to be identified. "1-A"— A recovery official told the senate banking committee this country has a top secret list of materials it hopes to keep out of Russian hands. He said the list, dubbed "1-A materials," was prepared by the military. The United States, he added, is trying to get friendly European nations to promise not to ship any materials on the list to Russia or her satellites. The official was Samue) Anderson, director of the industrial division of the economic cooperation administration. Foreign trade — The house ways and means committee approved a bill to continue the reciprocal trade act to miid-1951. Threat — -Comptroller genera! Lindsay C. Warren told a senate committee the executive branch o’ (Turn To I‘nirr Six) Kenneth Runyon To Head City Campari Decatur Chairman Os Red Cross Drive Kenneth Runyon, well known insurance agent of thie city, has accepted the Red Cross chairmanship for Decatur, in the annual drive that will be launched March 1. The appointment was made by Phil Sauer, county chairman, whe also announced that Mrs. Mildred Smith of Geneva, would head the drive in Geneva. Earl M. Webb, school superin tendent. is the chairman for Berne. The national Red Cross drive for $60,000,000 will get underway next month. Adams county's quota is $7,070. The county chapter's budget is $4,340 and the national Red Cross will receive $2,730. The total is $2,000 under the 1948 goal, which was oversubscribed by more than SI,OOO. Mr. Runyon served as Decatur chairman last year. He will name assistants and co-chairmen for the business and industrial districts. Lyman L. Hann, county superintendent of schools, will again di rect the campaign in the townships. Mayor Pro Tem Is Named At Portland Portland. Ind.. Feb. 2 — fl'P) — City councilman Hugh Miller became mayor pro tem of Portland today, succeeding Fred B. Jones, who died Monday night. Miller was elected at a meeting - of the city council yeaterday. He will until the council within the next two weeka apnointi a permanent successor to Jones tn fill out his nnexpired term ending Jan 1. I»S2 Services will be held for Jones tomorrow.

Rush Medical Aid, Food To Dying Redmen Report Thousands Os Indians Near Death From Cold By United Press The army and air force nished medical aid and food supplies to thousands of starving, pneumoniaridden Indians in Arizona and South Dakota today. Part of the vast haylift and bulldozer operations fighting the west's big snowdrifts to reach 5,500.000 head »of livestock were diverted to carry relief to the dying redmen as rapidly as possible. -Meanwhile, the Dixie states endured their third day of freezing weather and landowners in Texas Louisiana and Georgia feared that their citrus, strawberry, vegetable and peach crops would be wiped out. Agricultural experts said it appeared that vegetable growers were suffering worse in Texas than the citrus orchardists. Fruit grow ers debated whether ft) impose em bargo to prevent freeze spoiled crops from reaching the out-of-state markets. All of the nation, except the extreme tip of Florida, shivered in sub-normal temperatures. Il was 27 below at International Falls. Minn., at midniight and 26 below at Pern liina, N. D More and more tales of human misery unfolded asiMaj. Gen. i.ewis A. Pick's mechanized “army” of giant bulldozer, weasels and snownlows bucked through the snowdrifts of the northern plains to -anchhouses that had been isolated for weeks. A flood struck along the Ouachitr river in Arkansas and virtually the ’ntire population of Calion, about 150 families, fled as water ’pilled over a 25-foot levee. -Some refugees were housed at Eldorado, Ark., but others huddled around campfires waiting for Red Cross aid. The fourth air force reported that its planes have flown 155 haylift fights that carried 1,310.086 pounds of feed to Nevada livestock. At San Antonio, Tex., however. (Turn To Piixr Two! Joseph E. Gerber Dies This Morning Funeral Services Friday Afternoon Joseph E. Gerber. 53. a native ot French township, died at 4:30 a. m. today at the Clinic hospital following a heart attack suffered at noon Sunday at his farm home, one-half mile east of Uiuffton on state road 124. He was horn in French township April 25. 1895. a son of Jeff and Elizabeth Baumgartner - Gerber, and was married to Sophia fseh Nov. 20. 1921. He was a member of the Apostolic Christian church and was a veteran of World War I. I Surviving in addition to his wife, are his father; one son. Donald I Gerber, with the army st Camp; Breckenridge. Ky.: a daughter. Miss Phyllis Gerber, at home; four brothers. Samuel 11. Gerber of Decatur rural route. Aaron o( near Berne. Eli of Go-hen ami Jack, of Bluffton, and three sis ters. Mrs. J. J. Fiescher of near ' Craigville. Mrs. Amm Steffen of Mi ford and Mrs. Amos Dubach of near Bluffton. One brother is de-| •ceased. Funeral services will be held at! ■ 1:30 u tn Friday at the home and lat 2 o'rlock at the Apostolic J Christian church, with burial in the church cemetery. • The bodywill be removed from the Jabn ’ funeral borne to the residence at < 5 o'clock this evening.

Price Four Cents

Norway's Reply To Russia Is Defy To Soviet Opposition To Atlantic Pact Oslo. Feb. 2.—(UP)— Norway joined the western powers in their cold war with Russia today by declaring officially that it wished to join the proposed north Atlantic defense pact for “increased security.” The government ot the tiny constitutional monarchy of 3,000,000 inhabitants assured Russia that no foreign power would be permitted to establish bases on Norwegian soil "as long as Norway is not attacked or subject to threats of attack ” But. said Norway, the United Nations is not yet strong enough to provide full protection. Therefore. “as a typical seafaring country," Norway was hoping to join a regional defense pact of Atlantic nations. This tremendously significant declaration of policy was contained in a short government reply to Russia's recent request for information on Norway's attitude toward the Atlantic pact, in this request Russia noted that the Soviets have a common boundary with Norway. The reply meant that Norway under the pressure of the cold war has abandoned her traditional (Scandinavian neutrality to defy Russia and side with the western powers. At the same time Norway's ambassador to Washington, Wilhelm Morgenstierne. announced that he would leave Oslo for Washington at the end of this week. He was called to Oslo to advise his government on the American attitude. May Induce Others Washington, Feb. 2— (UP)— Diplomatic officials hoped todaj that Norway's interest in the norfl Atlantic security pact might induce Denmark and other nations to join. They warned, however, that Norway’s determined reply to Russia that she intends to ‘‘investigate” the pact may increase the Soviet propaganda campaign against it. Official reaction to Moscow's criticism of the proposed defense alliance may be forthcoming later today at secretary of state Dean Acheson's news conference. Acheson also was to be asked for his views on Soviet Premier Josef Stalin's expressed willingness to join President Truman in a now-war pledge. . Diplomatic officials believe Soviet denunciation of the north Atlantic pact will increase as the midMarch deadline for completing the final draft approaches. The seven drafting nations—The United States. Canada. Britain, France. Belgium. Luxembourg and the Netherlands—will invite other nations soon to participate in the alliance. Among those expected to get invitations are Norway, Denmark. Portugal. Iceland. Ireland and Italy. Officials said they should know in 10 days or two weeks which nations will accept. Norway's reply to Moscow that she intends to study the conditions of the pact was regarded in diplomatic quarters here as a favorable sign for the western powers. They are known to want Norway's strategically-located defenses as a cornerstone of the alliance. I Detroit Woman Dies Here This Morning A Detroit woman, stopping for the night at the Dick Burdg home. 634 Mercer avenue, died of a cerebral hemorrhage at 7:45 a m. today. Mrs. Bertha Johnson, aged about 60. was driving with her husband. Clarence, from southeast of Columbus. 0.. to Detroit last evening | when she was first stricken The i couple were forced to interrupt ■ their trip and stop at the Burdg home. Mrs. Johnson, formerlv of Indianapolis. was born in Owensboro. Ky.. and was a member of the Methodist church. Surviving are one brother and one sister. Burial will be at Indianapolis.