Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 29 May 1940 — Page 1
N SCRIPPS — HOWARD §
TT i
3x’
VOLUME 52—NUMBER
GERMAN
Cloudy Sky dnd Crowd of 1
BRILLIANT FIELD
SET T0 TUMBLE
ALL-TIME RECORD #
Zealously to Prepare
Frenchmen Working
Maserati Entry and It’s ‘Anybody’s
Guess as to Tomorrow’s Winner. By J. B. O'BRIEN : The Weatherman, with an eye on the Speedway, today predicted cool, and cloudy weather tomorrow for the 28th running of the 500-mile Memorial Day automobile race. Although the forecast was for cloudy weather and possible showers this evening, the track is expected to be dry and lightning fast when southpaw Seth Klein waves the 33-car field away on the Se of 10 o "clock tomorrow
morning. | Passable wether: along fastest race|in history, should lure 135, 000 speed enthusiasts to the historic halo of
haste. |
Already today the invasion of Indianapolis was underwdy. Trains emptied hundreds into Union Station. Hundreds of others moved in by plane, automobile and bus or on the humble thumb. This mend rowed hotels, restaurants and tives utilized
ooming houses. Relavirtually every guest, room, wai | strangers’ became neighbors in he numerous trailer “camps that miishroomed overnight. This ‘tempodary ; jump in the population brought with it a citywide carnival spirit, was transfo into’ a midway, where joy-seekers could get everything’ from in checkered flags to newspapers with “headlines bearing their ownimnames. Tonight thig| pre-race celebrating will become more lively—perhaps| | even boisterou Then the millionaires, merchants, and mechagics, after a spot of sleep, will gather at ‘the Speedway| gates for the 6 a. m. opening. + Roberts’ {117.200 Periled Naturally race-eve gossip centered around the likely pace tomorrow, with the general opinion being that the late Floyd Roberts’ winhing average of 117.200 in 1938 would be cracked by this year’s well-bal-anced field. Although Jimmy Snyder's qialitying record of 130.138 was never periled. during this year’s trials, the railbirds. and even the drivers and mechanics estimated -:tomorrow’s victor may come home with an average of 121 to 123 m. p. h. ‘One reason advanced for what seemed slow qualifying times this year was the bad weather, which curtailed practice sessions and - proved a pest as far as carburetion was concerned. ‘More than that, there seemed to he a definite tendency among the candidates for places .in the lineup to take no unnecessary chanees just to post a brilliant lap or 10-mile time.
Mays Holds Pole Position
This was evidenced in: the performances of Rex Mays, the pole winner, and Kelly Petillo, 1935 winrier whose daring has made him a favorite with the grandstand guys. Mays, iwajting until after champion “Wilbur Shaw had qualified, drove the four laps at fractionally better speed and captured the coveted No. 1 position with a 127.850 average. Both Petillo and Mays were included in the group given a good chance to hang up a. 120-mile-an-hour pace for the, five- -century spin. Others were Shaw, whose dependable Maserati won him the second spot in the front row; Ted ‘Horn, Wilbur's : team-mate, ‘and Bob Swanson, _ There are your favorites. But the (Continued on Page 10)
DAIRYMEN VOTE ON
HICAGO, May"29 (U. P.).—Milk producers voted today in a mail referendum on proposéd amendments to an order regulating the handling of milk in the Chicago area. allots were mailed from Chicago to 17,000 Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan dairymen who supply the Chicago market, and a marketing agreement, tentatively approved by Secretary of Agriculture nry A! Wallace, was submitted to milk Biers for signature. - The proosed agreement contained provist ions similar to those which would be contained in the amended order.
TIMES FEATURES ON INSIDE PAGES KS ceseses 6 Movies APPEL ceases 7 Mrs. Ferguson senses 13 Pegler evasene 12 Pyle! csssseses 6 | Questions .... 9 Radio seevaene, B. | Mrs. Roosevelt 6 | Scherrer ..... Serial Story.. 13
Side Glances. 6 Society seeee.4, 5
C { Comics Crossword sss E itorials esse FE nancial “see. OTUIN sssesve { 1 Indpls. ane 3 side Indpls. ne Jotdan. ..
West 16th St, ||
l
with the possiiiliy of the
bry T0 HONOR SOLDIER DEAD
Ein Parade and Rites | At Crown Hill Features Of Memorial Day.
| Indianapolis will join temorrow in paying reverent tribute tc its soldier ead of all wars in the annual Me-
10rial Day exercises. ~The program, as arranzed by the reneral Memorial Assoc ation, will eature a downtown par:de, schedied to march at 9:30 1, m., and % rvices in Crown Hill C:metery at 3 :30 p. m. During the week, volwiteer comfiittees have been decorating the;
cemeteries, James Ahern, parade grand marshal, will be assisted by Willard S. Koyle, chief of staff; Fre K. Myles, chief aide: William H. Ball, first division marshal; Lee K:ng, second division marshal; Paul Gastineau, third’ division marshal, and. Capt. 2 O. Belzer, fourth division marshal. ‘Starting at Meridian and North
'Sts., the parade will pass; south on
Meridian, east on Michigan St. south on Pennsylvania £f.,, west on Vermont St., south on- Meridian St. to Monument Place, circling the Monument and halting upon the north steps of the Monument. As the head of the column reaches Meridian. St., the column will halt during the sounding of taps, and th.en proceed. The service at the Monument will include the invocation by Joseph B. Henninger, adjutant gencral of ‘the G. A. R.; the reading cf “Logan’s General Order No. 11,” jy Charles R. Michaels; an address hy the Rev. (Continued on Page Three)
SPEEDWAY'S LUCK EXPECTED: TC HOLD
Rain Has Delayed bt Never: Postponed Race.
LOCAL TEMPERAT JRES
5t 10 a. n..., 58 11 a. r.... 59 - 12 (Neon), 62 1pirn...
63
64 64 .
According to J. H, s.rmington, meteorologist, Speedway luck will continue tomorrow. It wil be partly cloudy and cool. Never iin the history of the 500-mile race 1'as an allday Memorial Day rain fcrced postponement of the race. It has been delayed. a couple of times, but never rostponed. Moreover, on the Memcrial Days when it has rained since the first year of the 500-mile Trace, 1911, there never has been moe than a quarter of an inch fall. That was in 1931. The next larges: fall was 17 of an inch in 1915; ani the next 15 of an inch in 1917 and in. 1928. Cther amounts in the yzars 1911, 120, 1927, 1929, 1938 and 1939 were trifling. There was no rain aft all the other years. ‘A much different recorc is shown for the years leading up o 1911. Of the 39<year recorc. kept by the Weather Bureau irom 1871 through, 1910, it rainei- on ‘23 Memorial Days. That conpares to 10 times in the last 28 ears. Not only that, but it reined hard a good many of those yeas. In 1874, for instance, it rained 261 inches, more than it sometimes rains in a whole month. In 1881 it rained 1.81 inches and there vere eight other years on which tle rainfall for Memorial Day was more than a quarter of an inch; If there is any ‘explanation for this, the Speedway - offizials are
7 keeping it a closely guaried secret.
An ordinary family takes a great chance with showers whe 1 it makes up its mind a few hours in ad-
dass wssss10, 11
fe
Johns on ve
vance to have a picaig
‘damaged only slightly.
graves of war dead in the various)
‘ing place for the out-of-state cars
A
po
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 1040
SLASH AT
open at 6 a. m., tomorrow for the
the “pole position” holder said, thi
Shipwreck Kel 1
"amiliar symptoms of that rare et
morrow,
from Detroit. The landing gear of landed at Municipal Airport and the plane tilted over on a wing. No one was injured and the plane was
:In the party, besides Mr. Woof, the internationally known speedboat racer and builder, were his sisters-in-law, Mrs. Phil Wood and Renee Renaud. Mr. Wor + was piloting the plane, ° . y # As the dar ae on, more and more license plates fram outsid Indiana were observed on th streets. Scores of motorcycles, us ually bearing: two passengers slithered through the streets to ward the Speedway. ; 2 8 » Out-of-towners - began to claim their reservations in the hotels this afternoon and the bars and cocktail lounges bulged with fans getting primed for the night before the race. The Speedway downtown office, 444 N. Capitol Ave. was the gather-
e eg
»
in five minutes one observer notice cars there from California, Florida Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Vir ginia, Illinois and Wien |
Mrs. Eddie Rickenbacker is here for the race at the Spink-| Arms Hotel. She said her two boys are in a school in the east that is so strict the boys couldn't get leave to attend the race. With her party is Priscilla Dean, the movie actress, who is the wife of Leslie Arnold, former Army Air Corps ace. Mr. Apmvuld is Col. Rickenbacker’s assistant with Eastern Airlines. He flew around the world in an. Army plane in 1924. © 2 2 ” Hotel officials . expect a host of celebrities to arrive tonight. Among those arriving today were J. V. Martindaje, New York, lawbook publisher; Albert Kahn, Chicago, vice president of the Chicago Civic Opera Co., and Mrs. Kahn; George Brewer, New York, head of the firm of Ernst & Ernst, nationally known firm of hotel auditors, and Mrs. Brewer. and Mrs. Ernst, and Nichol Smith, San Francisco, author, and Mis. Smith. Several well-known persons who are connected with the race in various capacities are registered at downtown hotels. They include R. P. Bolton and L. J. Loranger, De~ (Continuecl on Page Three)
developed trouble today and he had to take a hammer to it.
. | British people.
No. 1 Fan Ready
After six weeks of waiting first in line for the Speedway gates to
500-mile race, Francis Carson’s car But, ngs will be right tomorrow and he
will enter the infield, a winner before the race starts. |Speedwayitis—It's Highly Contagious—Sweeps City
Celebrities Begin Influx, Streets Take On New Color and
ly Goes Aloft.
By JOE COLLIER
disease, Speedwayitis; appeared all
Indianapolis today as the crowds from Indiana and other states, highlighted by celebrities, poured into town for the 500-mile race to-
The most spectacular arrival of all was that of Gar Wood and party
their plane fajled to work as they
WAY 1S CLEARED FOR HATCH VOTE
Judiciary Committee 0. K.’s “Clean Poiltics’ Act 16-8; Springer Votes Yes.
- WASHINGTON, May 29 (U. P.).— The House Judiciary Committee today favorably reported the controversial Hatch “clean politics” bill by a vote of 16 to 8. The Committee took this action after several weeks of delay on the measure, during which it once voted to kill the bill and then kept it bot-
.|tled up in Comniittee.
A move had been started to force the measure from the Committee, petition and the bill's sponsor in t
|| House, ‘Rep. Johh J, Dempsey (D.
N. M.), had obtained 150 signatures out of a necessary 218 on such a petition. Immediately after the Committee had ‘recommended the bill today, Mr. Dempsey annouriced that he would try to arrange an early House vote. The Committee wrote many amendments into the bill. The basic intent of the measure is to extend to state employees paid wholly or in part with Federal funds the prohibition now in force against Federal employees indulging. in political activity. Rep. Raymohd Springer (R. Ind.)
‘was among the 16. Committee mem
bers voting ‘in favor of the bill,
CALL GRASSHOPPERS NEW NAZI ‘WEAPON’
ROME, May 29 (U. P.).—Germany is experimenting with a new and ravenous type of grasshopper which devours all kinds of . grain, particularly wheat, barley, corn and rye, it was reported today. : These grasshoppers, it was said, could be flown to the British Isles and dropped by the millions onto farms in an effort to starve the
: FORECAST: Partly Sony tonight and tomorrow ; not much change in- tspersicte
Entered as Second-Class Matter at Postoffice, Indianapolis, Ind.
IDDLED
135,000 Predicted for 500-Mil
8 . #
.3d By Close Shave | Via
Third in line for the opening
Times Pootot. of the gates are Mr. and Mrs. Lee
Franklin, Louisville, Ky., who spent today getting ready for the race. They have been in the line outside the Speedway for 11 consecutive
years. and for six years won second place,
third place by a close shave.
This year they slipped to
MORE DEFENSE FUNDS SOUGHT
$500,000,000 Air Corps Program Given F. D. R.; Tax Bill Speeded to House.
WASHINGTON, May 29 (U. P). —The Army put a $500,000,00Q Air Corps expansion program before President Roosevelt today and it | was indicated he will-ask: Congress
for big additional defense funds within a few days. Meanwhile, Chairman. Robert L. Doughton of the House Ways and Means Committee announced he expected to introduce tomorrow a bill to increase the national debt limit to $48,000,000,000 and raise $656,000,000 in additional taxes yearly. The Air Corps program was a coricrete step toward Mr, Roosevelt's goal of 50,000 warplanes. It was accompanied by War Department requests for more money to put: the Army on wheels; taking advantage
of the European war lesson taught |
by the swift striking German mechanized units. It was said that the new defense estimates would run from $600,000,000 to $1,000,000,000 and might go forward in two or three days.
Defense Board Called
Congress is rushing action now on Army and Navy bills totalling $3,297,009,452—largest defense appropriations since the World War mobilization... - To get the nation ready to fill the defense demands, Mr. Roosevelt called his newly appointed National Defense Commission, headed by industrialists William S. Knudsen and Edward. R. Stettinius Jr. to meet at the White House at noon tomorrow. Mr. Doughton’s committee, and the Senate Finance Committee started work on the new defensefinancing program only this morning. The main features of the hill will be: 1. A $3,000,000,000 increase of the (Continued on Page Three) |
| STOCKS HOLD GAINS WITH TRADING QUET
New York stocks held gains rang-| ing to more than two points in quiet trading today. Steels were strong, coppers firm and small gains were noted in rails, utilities and rubbers. The rise was based mostly on technical factors although demand
for steel was reported increasing,
carloadings were estimated higher and electricity output widened its
year-to-year gain.
DEARBORN, Mich. May 29 (U. PD.) —Henry Ford says ‘he could turn out 1000 warplanes a. day at his gigantic River Rouge plant, and that he is ready to throw the resources of fhis world’s largest factory into national defense. Surveys of the plant already have been made by Army and Navy experts and fight- . ing ships could be turned out at - the . 1000-a-day rate without any new buildings, Mr. Ford said. Production facilities would have to be 'revised, company officials said, but with six months the entire plant, covering, 1096 acres and equip--- ; : ped with rail- Mr. Ford roads, ships, blast furnaces, and more achine mechanics than any other indus-
4! interference
1in the defense program.”
Ford Offers Gigantic Rouge Plant for 1000- Planes-a-Day Defense Schedule
Concentasiadion output of airplanes, engines and parts. : Mr. Ford said the 1000-a-day figure was no “dream.” - He’ recalled when the automotive industry was entering mass production, 1000 cars a day were regarded as an impossible output. At its peak, the Réuge plant has turned out 10,000 a day.
The plant employs 80,000 men.
Mr. Ford, said peak production
foe of governmental ained only if industry.
could ' be at
{| were permitted to manage itself. He
suggested that competen aviation experts such as Col, “Charles A. Lindbergh or Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, president of Eastern 'Airlines and a former auto producer,
dl could be placed in charge of the | mass program, Of the war abroad and its: possi-|
ble repercussions in America, Mr. Ford said that “any American citizen should ‘be willing ‘to participate He said he and his industrial. ‘empire’ would swing into production “whenever the order is given.”
trial concern in the world, could be;
“This country is following - the|Co’s ok
proper ‘course by stengthening its defense in view of the European war,” Mr. Ford said. “It should be remembered, however, that preparations made for defense can be
used for war and there are warmakers who want to push us i the conflict.” Mr. Ford said that one of “the greatest handicaps industry faces as it. steps into the defense program is lack of mechanics. Recent employment reports. in Detroit have indicated an increasing shortage of skilled machinists. . “It takes four years. to train a good tool and die worker or machinist,” Mr. Ford said. “This handicap will be felt as the defense program gets underway.” In Washington, Presidential Sec-
retary Stephen T. Early said Mr. 1} Ford’s claim ‘would be referred to|
William S. ations chief ‘of production e ‘National Defense
on. » Mr. Knudsen is: president. of Gen-
Row on Row— WASHINGTON, May 20 (U.
)— | “In Flanders’ fields the poppies blow “Between the crosses, row on row.” That popular World War poem of John McCrae will not be in order tomorrow-—Memor «1 , lal Day. For the first time since the big: guns were silenced in . Flanders’ fields Nov. 11, 1918, the graves of thousands of American soldiers in that foreign soil will go undecorated. “If ye) break faith with us who
iy shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders’ “fields.” * 3 ;
The ceremonies which each year have marked America’s remembrance of those distant dead have been abandoned. Only .in Paris, as yet removed from the immediate scéne of battle, will official tribute be paid their memory.
ARMY INTACT, BRITAIN: SAYS
Reports Stiff Rear Guard Actions Cover Retreat; Narvik Captured.
LONDON, May 29 (U. P.).—The Allies have captured the Norwegian iron ore port of. Narvik from Ger-
man troops, seven weeks after its occupation in the German Far Northern blitzkrieg, the Admiralty and War Office said today, and authoritative British sources said that the British expeditionary force, izapped in Belgium and northern France, still was intact and fighting stiff rear guard actions. to ~ cover orderly withdrawals. The Admiralty and War Office said that Fagernes and Forsneset, (Continued on Page Three)
MIBS FINALS TODAY IF IT DOESN'T RAIN
4 Knuckle Down at 3:30 In Title Quest.
The City marbles tournament enters its last lap at 3:30 p. m. today at the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza. Four semi-finalists out of -a’ field of approximately 3500, the largest
lin recent years, will knuckle down
lo battle it out for the City championship, two 500-mile Speedway race. tickets and a gold trophy. The final play this afternoon is; however, contingent on the weather. If it rains, the finals will be postponed until 10 a. m. Saturday. ; Tmmediately following the playoffs medals will be presented to sec-
tional, district and runner-up cham-|-
pions and the grand prize to the allCity champion by Mayor Reginald |PO! Ei. Sullivan, Sheriff Al Feeney and other officials. Tournament officials will’ judge the matches. : Today's finalists are George Mildner, 13, of the English Avenue Boys’ Club; Gene Vaughn, 12, of School 10; William Bise, 14, of the Brookside Community Center, and Daniel
Brosnan, 10, of the Rhodius Center.
oe A Souvenir For the latest information, breezy feature stories, mechan“ical descriptions and art of the 500-mile race, turn to . the Speedway Souvenir, second “section of today's Times. A ‘scorecard and other informa; « tion which will help you’ fol;
‘|the Aisne are being strengthened to
"PINAL | | mn HOME |
PRICE ir pr 1
ji |
FR alas
®
’ Cn
Friar int
TEE Be
Berlin Says British| and F and French Squeezed;
Into Ever Tight ning Triangle Are Being {Cut to Ribbons.”
By $e ALEX. MORRIS United Press Foreign News Editor
German air and land forces slashed at remnants of the Allied Armies of the north. today in a triumphant bid for: domination of all Channel ports and all fighting fronts: north of the River Somme, * | %
The great Battle of Flanders was rapidly ending in a German victory, the Nazi High Command declared, with the:
am »
7 a ¥ hed 5
\remaining British and French troops squeezed into a tight:
triangle on the Yser River or being “cut to Hihhone" ands “captured en masse,” The destruction of! the trapped Allied Avrhies testinal originally at probably | 500,000 but now partly evacuated): was speeded, the Germans said, by capture of the Belgian: port of Ostend and the towns of Bruges and Dixmude andy the French city of Lille. In addition, the Germans reported: they had stormed the historic World War’ town of Ypres: and Kemmel, on the French frontier. The Germans took the position that the trapped: British and French could not escape, ‘but. there were indications that: considerable numbers of the original army had been ras; moved, presumably through the French port of Dunkirk which was reported in flames and almost surrounded now by: the Germans, who directed both artillery. and air bombarde{. 5 . ment at this last line of Allied esca 0 pod German military quarters predicted that the remaining} forces would be forced to capitulate within a“fe ‘whours,’
# : Nazis Admit Stubborn Resistance
. If and when the Dunkirk port is cut off by the alvances ing Nazis, the remaining Allied forces will have no choice: but surrender or death under the pounding of German artile: lery, dive bombers and massed infantry attack which admit} _{tedly was meeting the most stubborn. resistance in hand ta hand fighting. =~ | A complete German triumph: in the: Battle of Flanders —and there was little from the Alfied side to indicate” ‘any,3 ; other result—would mean that Adolf Hitler's armies had# i established themselves with a front from Luxembourg alongs : i 8 the River Somme. to the English Channel. This solid pedzgy between France and England would provide the basis Togs striking either at Paris or the British Isles. Responsible Nazi sources: indicated that Hitler woulds 3 choose to hold the Somme frong in France and turn: the full: strength of Germany against England. This, it was argued, would be done begalise the defeat of France would not § necessarily I mean capitulation. of the “arch enemy,” Britains 7 i on Page Three), . »
we
Fon
a
. Loa
Germans Windeds=Paris
L RALPH HEINZEN 71 United Press Staff Correspondent PARIS, May 29 —An| Army spokesman reported today that French forces wiped out three German bridgeheads south, of the River Somme. while forces in the north inflicted heavy losses as. ‘they withdrew in ne face of enemy pressure. 2 The French asserted that the: entire south bank of the Somme ig ¥ now in their control and that French wridgeheads have been’ establised ; at several points on the orth bank. at These bridgeheads might be employed as the spearhead of a coun-ter-offensive should one be ‘ordered. Military sources and the High Command - made plain | that the French lines along the Somme and
3
i
a
fv
Army was winded after three: weeks of effort and that “there was nag military reason-to justify. Leopold he untimely capitulation. 3 a An Army spokesman, describing ¥ the Allied stand'as heroic, told how # little ‘rear guard units, detailed ti bold ‘back attacking German fo i n:any times their number, ‘were
withhold any fresh German. drive south after the action the north
has been completed. An official Frengh ‘analysis claimed
“|| unable to. evacuate from
that the Allied forces had destroyed 2000 of 5000 German tanks thus far engaged .and that. 2000 planes, rep-
line corhbat and bomb or aircraft, had been destroyed. ° The analysis said that the French
resenting half of the German first]
had definite proof that Y e German ;
after day, and then retiring— who were left—to the new
positions, each time farther ‘back; ;
loward the Channel coast. we The situation ‘was again what i had been last week: when the: Ger: mans drove through their wedge-=: {Continued: on Page Three): :
Nazis Claim ‘Ostend; Lille.
BERLIN, May 29 o ported today to have French fortified city of. of the Allied Army of
by air and land alo River and Canal after.
lieved by military sources to. be only choices’ left open to the: maining. Allied. troops if th Li
leaving the Germans. in pos of all territory including Channel ports north: of Somme. ; : i Responsible Nazi m said ‘that in the area: and within the encire; North France the remai
“PP; ¥German: armed forces were. offictally re yptured- .the Belgian ille in a climatic drive that. squeezed remnants; re North into! a small, but fiercely: resisting blog’ south of the threatened English Channel city of Dunkirk. : i 2nd French forces were relentlessly; st attacked
port of: Ostend and ths
“The Belgian cities of Di fone of Ostend, -of Ypres,
= werd War, battleground, and 1
onthe French: frontier, we med. by the ‘Germans, ‘the Higi 1
1e French port: ‘of ! ‘Dunkirk’ was er artillery fire, the: communi
ig{added, and Nazi sources .
J Sircady ave beth ‘ene 2d
{| low the, race are included. | :
forces were being “cut L.In