Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 4 December 1942 — Page 1

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FORECAST: Continued cold tonight and tomorrow forenoon. -

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FINAL HOME

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JEFFERS SEEKS FULL POWER IN

GAS RATIONING

Opposes Divided Authority; |

Sees Stockpile Near ‘Disaster Line.”

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (U. P).— Rubber Director William M. Jeffers today disclosed that the construction of synthetic rubber plants is dangerously behind schedule and asked that he be given complete control of gasoline rationing in rder to clear up “confusion” in the public mind. Unless he is given power to coordinate and direct the gas rationing program, Mr. Jeffers said, “publicity stemming from a multiplicity of agencies will cause further confusion and will preclude the possibility of willing acceptance by the public of rationing and co-operation in other phases of the program which are essential to success.” Af present, Price Administrator Leon Henderson administers gasoline rationing through the office of price administration. Mr. Jeflers has authority to direct Henderson about where to ration it to save rubber, but actual conduct of the rationing program is left to Mr. Henderson,

Near ‘Disaster Deadline’

In a “progress report” to War Production Chief Donald M. Nelson, Jeffers asserted that difficulty in obtaining “fabricated components” for synthetic ruiper plants will ‘probably reduce the nation’s rubber istockpile below the 120,000-ton “disaster deadline” set by the BEaruch report. As a result, he said, by the end

~~. of 1943 there “may be no crude left i Se¥afor heavy-duty tires, self-sealing

gasoline tanks and those other military uses which demand crude rubh‘her.” Even if the delays are eliminated, he said, “the vast majority of our motor vehicles must run from now until mid-1944 on the tires now in use.” Warning that “the construction program is behind that envisaged by the Baruch committee,” Mr. Juffers said “any further delay” will cause the rubber stockpile to drop below the minimum set by the Bavs ruch. committee. “Present indications are that, because of other programs, there will be such a delay,” he declared.

Threatens Military Needs

Mr. Jeffers said that in attempting to put synthetic rubber plants into production the chief shortage has not been in raw materials but in “fabricated components,” such as instruments, forgings and valves. “Our studies have emphasized that unless these components for synthetic ‘YTubber manufacturing ‘plants reach the plants as rapidly as they can be installed the resultant delay will cause such a drain on the crude rubber stocks that there may be no crude left for heavy-duty tires, self-sealing gasoline tanks and those other military uses which demand crude rubber,” Mir. Jeffers reported, “The decision as to whether this can be accomplished without too serious delay” rests with officials in charge of ofher programs, such as the building of high-octane aviation ‘gasoline plants,” Jeffers said. “Some of these plans call for the same gritical materials.”

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Jane Jordan . 27 Millett . oo 24 Mrs. Ferguson 26 Movies ....... 36 MOWTer eeces. 23 Pegler ....... 24 Radio 43 Mrs, Roosevelt 23 Side Glances. 24 38! Simms

Amusements . Ash Clapper ...... ‘Comics Crossword Denny ...

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Edson Fashions ...e. Financial .... Forum ....... 24|Soc.. 26,27,28, 20 Freckles ..... 41{Sports ....39, 40 Hold Ev’thing 23 Stone ........ 24 Homemaking . 28|Stoneman ... 15 In Indpls .... 12/ Thornburg ... 23 Inside Indpls. 23| Voice in Bal.. 32

SHOPPING? DAYS LEFT-

jof poison or poisoned arms.

| territory, the article said. The flier | died six days later.

LAKE SULLIVAN OPEN

VOLUME 53—NUMBER 230

WPA ABOLISHED BY F.D.R.

On the War fronts

(Dec. 4, 1942)

NORTH AFRICA—Allies pushed back slightly in Tunisia after

fierce tank battle ends in heavy|.

losses for both sides. Axis hag air control at present, but allies are still confident of eventual victory.

RUSSIA—Stiffened Nazi resistance! d increasingly wintry conditions generally. slow down Russian advances; Germans counter-attack. Cossacks raid cuts railroad to Caucasus.

SOUTH PACIFIC — Japanese task force driven off from Guadalcanal with loss of nine ships; U, S. loses cruiser in battle. Allied: planes destroy 21 Jap aircraft on ground on Timor, sink two troopladen barges off New Guinea,

(U. S. Communiques, Page 14)

JAP TASK FORCE LOSES 9 SHIPS

Another Attempt to Take Guadalcanal Expected Before Monday.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (U. P.).— American naval forces, having frustrated a hew enemy attempt to land troops on Guadalcanal, thwarted what was believed today to have been a desperate Japanese bid for a lightning victory in the Solomons in celebration of their Dec.: 7 attack on Pearl Harbor.

The latest attack was crushed in a sea duel on Monday (Solomons time) night, but the Japanese were expected to make a seventh attempt by sea to'smash American domination on the southeastern Solomons area by the war's first anniversary next Monday. Land action on Guadalcanal has been confined to minor patrol work for the past week. Today’s communique reported five aerial attacks on the enemy and the killing of 14 Japanese by our patrols, Japs Reduce Scale of Attacks

Naval spokesmen here made no claims of a smashing naval victory on Monday night, although the communique revealed that the Japanese failed to make a landing on the island as planned. The Japanese lost nine ships in the battle, which occurred immediately north of Guadalcanal.” To stop the enemy it cost the United States one cruiser sunk and other ships damaged. American casual-’ ties were not given and there was no ‘hint of the type of ships damaged. Enemy ships sunk were two large destroyers or cruisers, four destroyers, two transports and one cargo ship. It was unofficially estimated that about 7000 men may have been | lost from those ships—5000 troops on the transports and 2000 sailors. The battle apparently was on a smaller scale than the two great sea engagements of Nov. 13, 14 and 15, when 23 Japanese warships and auxiliaries were sunk and 10 cthers damaged. Since eniy two of tha enemy's transports were sunk, it was believed (Continued on Page Eight)

BRITISH SAY NAZIS USE POISON BULLET

Fatal Dose of Phosphorous In Pellets Charged.

LONDON, Dec, 4 (U.P). —An article in the British Medical Journal charged today that the German air force is using a new type of explosive bullet allegedly containing a

sufficient quantity of phosphorous’

to cause fatal poisoning. Dr. A, J. Blaxland, senior surgeon of the Norfolk “and Norwich hospital who wrote the article, said research had established that the bullets contained three and onequarter grains of phosphorous, or double the minimum fatal dose, The Hague war regulations of 1899 specifically outlaw employment

Lieut. KX. M, Wheeler of the royal engineers conducted the research after Blaxland operated upon a Canadian flier wounded over enemy

TO SKATERS TODAY

Lake Sullivan and the South Grove lagoon will be open for ice skating at 3 p. m. today for the first time this season. : Fires and benches will be provided, by the city park board, as in past years, and skating supervisors will

"tank, artillery and infantry forces:

pe on dur ae to Frank

AXIS STIFFENS BOTH AT TUNIS AND IN RUSSIA

Holds Absolute Local Air Control Over N. African Battle Front.

(Today’s War Moves, Page 14)

By HARRISON SALISBURY United Press Staff Correspondent

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1942

Missing

Ottenbachers Grieve For Sailor Son but Carry On.

Axis positions both in Africa and, § Russia appeared to be stiffening to-; & day after nearly a month of steady |

allied gains. In North Africa dispatches from the front made clear that the Ger-, mans had won a temporary ad-' vantage in the desperate race for, air superiority and also had succeeded in placing powerful, well-

armed forces ashore in Tunisia. Against the axis air advantage and stubborn fighting by German

the allied spearhead near TunisBizerte obviously had been blunted.

Allies Need Planes

Bitter fighting was going forward | in the Tebourba area, about 18: miles from Tunis, and around Mateur, about 20 miles south of Bizerte. -It was not yet clear whether the allies \would be able to hold their lines |in this area until sufficient planes and reinforcements had been brought up to make possible an allout drive to force the axis out of Africa, Military observers in London blamed poor communications and lengthy supply lines ‘across Algeria and into Tunisia as contrasted with the short axis route from Sicily to Tunisia for the slowing of the allied push. Axis Has Full Air Control However, they regarded the longterm advantage as lying clearly with the allies. A dispatch filed under German fire at the Tebourba front by United Press Staff Correspondent Ned Russell said flatly that the German planes were ranging the African sky virtually without challenge from the allied air forces. His dispatch made plain that allied troops in the advanced areas and along roads leading up to the front are under heavy and repeated bombing and machinegunning. He also reported that the Germans were using mortar fire with great accuracy. On the Rsusian front the pace of operations was slowed by cold and fog which hampered the Russian air force and stiffening German resistance. However, a force of Russian- cossacks were reported making a wide sweep around the German positions (Continued on Page Eight)

REPORT OUSTER OF 34 NAZI GENERALS

By UNITED PRESS Thirty-four field marshals and generals of the German army have been dismissed in the last three

months and some have been arrested, the secret German army anti-Nazi radio station Gustav Siegfried Eins said today. Among those dismissed, the station said, are Field Marshal Fedor von Bock and Field Marshal Ritter von Lieb, formerly among the chief commanders on the Russian front; Col.-Gen. Franz Halder, former chief of staff of the high command; Col.-Gen. Heinz Guderian, the army's chief tank expert, and Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben, who; formerly held a chief command on the western front. Halder has been confined to his home, the station said. Others reported dismissed are Col.-Gen. Ernst Busch, Col.-Gen. Adolf Strauss, Col.-Gen. Hans Reinhardt, Col.-Gen. Lindemann, Col.-

Gen. Schmitz and Col.-Gen. Hubert Weise of the air force.

Samuel E. Ottenbacher « ¢ «

missing,

MRS. SAMUEL G. OTTENBACHER was at work Wednesday at P. R. Mallory Co., Inc. Her husband was busy in his shoe shop in Irvington. It was that afternoon the telegram came . . . “Samuel Ottenbacher, aviation radioman third class, missing in the line of duty.” Yesterday Mrs. Ottenbacher couldn’t force herself to go back to work. She remained home at 120 S. Emerson ave. Today she has resumed her place at the defense plant. “1 want to help. I'm going to work harder than ever now,” she said. : NN » AT 22 Samuel Evans Oftenbacher is the youngest of three sons. A graduate of Shortridge high school, he enlisted in naval service in October, 1941, He was on active duty in the Palific | zone | when reported missing.

» = ®

THE STORY of the Ottenbacher family is one typically American . . , sacrifice and struggle for a way of life. Today, with a son reported missing, they have made a supreme sacrifice. Throughout their lives they have struggled and overcome a personal handicap. Mr. and Mrs. Ottenbacher are deaf. Both are graduates of the Indiana State School for the Deaf.

FULL USE OF NEGRO EMPLOYABLES URGED

‘Imperative,’ Says Weaver, Flanner : Speaker.

“Without question Indianapolis is facing a critical labor situation,” said Robert Weaver, noted Negro member of the war manpower commission, here today for an address tonight at the 24th annual Flanner House founders’ day dinner. “Even when Indianapolis uses all its” available labor supply—women, Negroes, handicapped individuals— there still may remain a probability of a heavier in-migration than this city has yet seen,” he declared. “All this,” he added, “means a diversion of critical materials for housing, schools and so forth... materials which obviously could be used for bullets and bombs and airplanes. “It therefore becomes imperative not only to see that we make full use.of our Negro, employables, but to see to it that Negro men and women are upgraded and trained properly and then placed on production jobs. “It is just as wasteful to have a skilled man pushing a broom as to have him unemployed.” - One of the features of tonignt’s Flanner House observance wiil be the presentation by the city of a 99-year lease of a site for a new Flanner House on 16th st.

Entered as Second-Class Matter at Postoffice, * Indianapolis, Ind. Isstied daily except Sunday.

PRICE THREE CENTS

REMY NAMED HEAD OF NEW SAFETY BOARD

Smiley W. Chambers and Paul Robertson Will Be Other Members.

Appointment of William H. Remy, former prosecuting attorney and present G. O. P. county election board member, as president of the city board of safety was announced today by Mayor-elect Robert H. Tyndall. The other two members of the three-member board who vill serve during the Tyndall administration will be Paul Robertson, vice president and secretary of the Hume Mansur Co., a Republican, and Smiley W. Chambers, veteran Democratic judge of the probate court who goes out of office on Jan. 1, the mayor-elect said. The new safety board will take office with Gen. Tyndall at noon on Jan, 1.

Present Board Members

Present members of the safety board who will go out of office with Mayor Sullivan are Leroy J. Keach, president; Frank B. Ross and Donald Morris, Mr. Keach and Mr. Ross are Democrats and Mr. Morris is a Republican. The safety board has jurisdiction over the police and fire depart-| ments, the city market, the building commissioner's office, the Gamewell division, the weights and measures department, the dog pound a. civilian defense. The president of the board @ safety draws $2500 a year and the

: other two members receive $800

apiece.

CA

ety to seven the number of key appoint ments made so far by the incoming mayor. Sidney S. Miller, attorney, has been named corporation counsel: Roy E. Hickman, automobile dealer, city controller; Edward G. Hereth, a former president of the Indianapolis Merchants’ association, city purchasing agent, and Harry | Calkins, - former local newspaperman, secretary to the mayor. Gen. Tyndall is expected to announce other board appointments shortly. The incoming safety board president has long been prominent in local Republican and legal circles. A graduate of Manual high school. he attended DePauw and Indiana universities ana was graduated from the Indiana Law school in 1815. He served in the infantry during world war I. He is a member of the First Baptist church, the Masonic lodge, city and state bar groups and several other civic, social and fraternal bodies. He has practiced law here for many years and has served two terms as prosecuting attorney. He was an unsuccessful candidate for juvenile court judge in 1938. He is married and has two children. Judge Chambers has presided over the Marion county. probate court since 1930. He was defeated for the Democratic nomination in the primary last May by David Lewis,

Served Overseas in 1918

Born here June 14, 1891, he was graduated from Shortridge high school, Wabash college and the Indiana Law school. ; He was admitted to the bar in 1914 and practiced law here until the outbreak of world war I when he joined the first officers’ training camp at Ft. Harrison in May, 1917. He was commissioned a second lieutenant and served overseas with the 139th field artillery, 38th division. After the war he resumed the practice of law here and was a member of the firm of Pickens, Davidson, Gause & Pickens from 1924 to 1930. He served two years as assistant city attorney prior to (Continued on Page Eight) # »

Direct Police and Firemen Under Tyndall

They Shrug

Off Blitzes

Mr. and Mrs. Gallienne . . . “It’s extremely bad form in England to speak of one’s bombing experiences.”

Bad Form to Talk of Them, Say British Consul and Wife Here

By ROSEMARY REDDING : Mrs. Wilfred Gallienne lived through some severe blitzes in both | Londen and Glasgow. She doubtless has some dramatic. stories to tell. But when she was asked about them this morning, she shrugged

a

p iets ai ‘Said: a was ‘nothing. Everyone has had those

wien PLAN

Officials Now. tow. Think McNutt:

Will Get More Power. WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (U. P.).—

i President Roosevelt today left un-

answered the question of when his new manpower program will be completed and ready for announcement,

Asked at a press conference whether there was anything ‘he could report on. the manpower situation, the president said no but repeated his recent asssrtions that something would develop soon. In response to another questioon, he said something would be announced soon on the appointnient or establisnment of a food administrator. The president was reminded that William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor, said yesterday after a conference with the chief executive that the man-

(Continued on Page Eight)

Another Cold Night 'Is Ahead

ALTHOUGH THE weather bureau forecast slightly warmer weather today, you will have to gos heavy on the coal shovel again tonight. Temperatures are expected to stay far below freezing again tonight, probably in the vicinity of 15 degrees.

‘BIG GUNS FLOWN 1500

MILES TO BUNA FRONT

SOMEWHERE IN NEW GUINEA, Nov. 23 (Delayed) U. P.).—An American 105-millimeter howitzer battery was brought into position today to support the allied attack on the Buna beach head after being flown 1500 miles from Australia. It was the first time, so far as was known, that the army had flown artillery into action. Each two-ton gun, complete with crew, tractor and . ammunition weighing approximately five tons, was ferried in a Boeing flying fortress.

SUEZ TO SINGAPORE—

Cecil Brown's new book, “Suez to Singapore,” has been called the most thrilling of all the war books yet published. The first installment starts Monday, Dec. 7,in

7s

The Indianapolis Times

power announcement would come;

broke in to explain: “It’s extremely bad form in Bngland to speak of ane’s bombing experiences. Those who do are considered. bores. It’s just too common.” The Galliennes . are stopping at the Indianapolis Athletic club. Mr. Gallienne will tell the story of the men and women of Britain at war tonight when he speaks at an 8:15 o'clock meeting in the ‘World War Memorial under the sponsorship of the Indiana Committee for Victory. Lived in 40 Countries Both the British consul and his wife can tell stories of adventure in nearly all parts of the world. (He's lived in 40 different countries in the British consular service.) That is they can—if they can be persuaded to talk. Take, for example, our pressing of Mrs. Gallienne for her reactions in a blitz. “At first. I went to a shelter,” she said, “and then I just staved in bed. to be bombed, I might as well be bombed in comfort.” Or take the story of Mr. Gallien- | ne’s mother. The Gallienne family home is in Guernsey, one of the channel islands. They are only 20] miles from the French coast ‘and were occupied by Germany after the fall of France. This was a bitter blow to the islanders since it was their proud boast that Guernsey had never been conquered.

Relatives Captured Mr. Gallienne’s 70-year-old mother succeeded in reaching England, but his brother and sister are still in German hands. In July, Mr. Gallienne received a letter in Chicago from his mother. She was making two complaints: One, that when she went to donate blood they (Continued on Page Eight)

A STORMY VOYAGE— WALDORF TO BRIG

NEW YORK, Dec. 4 (U, P)— James P, O'Brien, 54, who claims to be a master mariner paying his first visit to the big city, spent the first night in a 50-cent-a-night flop house, the next five nights in a suite in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel, and the next night in jail. He gave the Waldorf checks totaling $70 on out-of-town banks which were returned marked ‘no such bank.” ’

I decided if I was]

ORDER

Ur ————

1943 BUDGET T0 GRANT NO RELIEF FUNDS

Most Projects Must End By Feb. 1, Letter to Fleming Says.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (U. P.) .—President Roosevelt today ordered the “prompt liquidation” of the works project administration. War work had reached the point “where a national work relief program is no longer necessary,’ Mr. Roosevelt said in a letter to Maj. Gen. Philip B. Fleming, federal works ~ administrator, whose agency includes the WPA. He said Mr. Fleming “should report the prompt liquidation of the affairs of the | work projects ad-

ministration, thereby conserving a large amount of the funds appropriated to this organization.”

Proud of WPA

“This will necessitate closing out all project operations in many states by Feb. 1, 1943, and in other ‘states as soon thereafter as feasible,” the president wrote Gen. Fleming. “By taking this action there will be no need to provide project funds for the work projects administration in the budget for the next fiscal year.” The president read the letter to his press conference, emphasizing that he was proud of the WPA. “With the satisfaction of a good

of integrity, the work projects administration has asked for and earned an honorable discharge,” he wrote Gen. Fleming,

From Eight Million to 350,000

The WPA program was established in 1935, succeeding a series of other relief organizations, and in seven years employed approximately 8,000,000 Americans with 30,000,000 dependents. The WPA rolls since the war have dropped steadily and now total about 350,000. “Every employable American should be employed at prevailing wages in war industries, on farms, or in other private or public employment,” the president said. “The work projects administration rolls have greatly decreased, through the tremendous increase in private employment, assisted by the training and re-employment efforts of its own organization, to a point where a national work relief program is no longer necessary. “Certain groups of workers still remain on the rolls wha may have to be given assistance by the states and locality;’ others will be able to find work on farms or in industry at prevailing rates of pay as pri{vate employment continues to increase. Some of the present certified war projects may have to be | taken over by other units of the federal works agency or by other departments of the federal govern=ment. !

“Strengthened the Country”

“State or local projects should be closed out by completing useful units of such projects or by are ranging for the sponsors to carry on the work.” The president said experience had “amply justified” the idea of “providing useful work” instead of doles. The work of the WPA, he said, “has added to the national wealth, has repaired the wastage of depression and has strengthened the country to bear the burden of war.” To the millions of Americans em= ployed on WPA, the president said “renewed hope and courage” resulted. “It has maintained and increased their working skill; and it has enabled them once more to take their rightful places in public or in private employment.” The work projects administration was a lineal descendent of the federal emergency relief administration —FERA—created in the early days of the ‘Roosevelt administration. The FERA was followed by the civil

works administration—~CWA. .

Husbands 8, 9,

10 Appear in

Custody Dispute Over Child

One of the most complicated marriage tangles in the history of Marion county divorce courts, involving a wife, 10 husbanfls and, one child, was being unraveled in superior court 4 today. Husbands Nos. 8, 9 and 10 were in court today at a hearing on a petition brought by Husband No. 8 to get custody of a 6-year-old child who had been In the custody of Husband No. 9 for the last two years The story of the 36-year-old woman’s rapid-fire marital activities gates back about 5, »Jenus,

"According to the evidence in court, the woman changed husbands seven times before coming to Indianapolis about seven years ago from Virginia. : Judge Henry O. Goett said testimony did not go into the status of the woman's first seven husbands. “The wife couldn't remember much about the legal status of her first seven husbands, so the present litigation had to start with husband No. 8” Judge Goett said. The first court record h

job well done and with a high sense -

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