Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 December 1942 — Page 1

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FORECAST:

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Continued cold this afternoon and night with slowly rising temperatures tomorrow forenoon.

VOLUME 53—NUMBER 240

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1942

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

PRICE THREE CENTS |

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OUNTY FEUD PERILS STATE

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State OPA Pleads For Increased Fuel Oil

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As Leaders Studied Fuel Muddle

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ASK 20-GALLON ALLOTMENT ON NEXT COUPONS

Sufficient Inventories for Dealers; Cold Brings

New Demands.

By EARL RICHERT State OPA officials moved today to relieve the critical fuel oil situation in Indiana by asking Washington, through the regional office at Cleveland, to approve the following three-point program: One: Increase. the value of the third period coupons from 10 to 20 gallons and advance the eflective date from Jan. 5-6 to Dec. 19. Two: Permit the rationing boards at their discretion to “bail out” worthy oil companies with sufficient inventory coupons to meet inventory needs. Three: Grant the rationing boards and oil companies, now hopelessly swamped with details, a moratorium

State and county rationing officials met with Gov. Schricker today in an effort to find a way to relieve | on al] fuel oil report until Jan. 25.

the I

it and state fuel oil muddle. OPA at Cleveland, and Alex Taggart, Marion county rationing co-ordinator,

James n. Strickland, state rationing director.

BOSTON HIT BY 3D MAJOR FIRE,

57 _ Firemen Hurt; Two... Blocks Razed.

BOSTON, Dec. 16 (U. ‘P)~—A mysterious general-alarm fire raged through two blocks in the heart of Boston’s shopping district early today, injuring 57 coast guardsmen and firemen and causing damage that may reach $1,000,000. Thirty = businéss establishments were ruined or damaged by flames, smoke ‘or water as Boston experienced its third conflagration within a month. The fire came just 17 days after the Cocoanut Grove holocaust that cost 488 lives, and one month after six firemen were killed dnd more than 40 injured in an East Boston Llaze. Thirty-six coast guardsmen and 21 firemen. were hospitalized for burns, injuries or smoke inhalation during the five-hour battle to control today’s fire. Inquiry Ordered The injured coast guardsmen were among 270 summoned ‘to assist the Boston fire department, whose ranks had been thinned by the draft and casualties suffered in the two prev: fous fires. Fire Commissioner Reilly, who arrived on the scene soon after the first alarm, said there was nothing to indicate what started the blaze, which twice flared anew after appearntly being controlled. . “I have begun an investigation to find out. how this one Reilly said. : Aid was summoned from Quincy, Brookline, Newton, Cambridge, Chelsea, ' Somerville, Everett and Watertown. A dozen specialty shops and professional offices were swept by the flames but major damage was in Sallinger’s, an expensive women’s clothing store where huge Christmas stocks and furs were destroyed.

Boards Ordered to Delay

Coast Guards And]. i

William A.

started,”

Standing (left to right) are Wilson G. Stapleton, representing the

Seated with Gov. Schricker is

Rationing Gripes Threaten To Obscure Real War Issues

By THOMAS L. STOKES

greater discretion for local boards

Times Special Writer WASHINGTON Dec. 16. ~Bimplified "and 'decentralizéd rationing,

and more public education on the

| necessity for rationing, appear to’ ‘be essential if the Targer issues of the

war are not th be obscured by a cloud of annoyances plaguing the still

independent American soul.

Such annoyances, for example, as regulations which, when carried out

to the letter, will catise homes to be cold, farm operations to be impeded, certain types of business to be curtailed © prematurely—all : of which might be reduced to a minimum by a little more common sense

in’ Washington.

This is a conclusion based on samplings of letters to congressmen from Kansas, Missouri and OKklahoma, and samplings of sentiment by personal interviews in the same area. This is a region which furnishes a good cross-section of midAmerica, and at the same time has peculiar problems of its own, rural and urban,

Americans don't like to be regimented, particularly folks in this area. But they are of necessity being regimented, and in a way that moves right into their lives with “don’ts” affecting nearly everything they do. This area is now in the early stages of gasoline and fuel-oil rationing, which’ is more onerous to them than to the East. This is for (Continued on Page 11)

Local Stores

Plan Holidays

The majority of downtown Indianapolis stores. will be closed on the Saturdays following Christmas and New Year's, it was learned today. So far, 30. establishments, including the large department stores, have signified their intention to be closed for two three-day holidays.

18-38 Volunteers for Navy

By ROBERT BLOEM Col. Robinson Hitchcock, state selective’ service director, today notified Indiana local draft boards that despite a Washington order

TIMES FEATURES ON INSIDE PAGES

Jane Jordan. Kidney ...... Men in Serv.. Millett Movies Obituaries ... Pegler ....... Pyle

Mrs. Roosevelt Side Glances Society ... 18, Sports ... 24, State Deaths. Voicé in Bal..

12 24 16 15 15

Amusements. ,: . Cecil Brown.. Comics ...... 27 Crossword ... 23 Curious World 20 Denny ....... 16 . Editorials 16 Financial 22] Forum ..i.... 16’ Freckles ..... 26 Hold Ev'thing 26 Homemaking. 19

permitting men between. the ages of 18 and 38 to volunteer for the armed services up to about Feb. 1, no prospective volunteers for the navy should be accepted until further notice. »

The selective service order from Washington modified temporarily President Roosevelt's order = of Dec. 5 directing that the services obtain all manpower through the draft. Under the temporary setup, men between 18 and 38 would be permitted to volunteer through their local boards. Col. Hitchcock's order pertaining to navy prospects was sent at the request of Comm. R. H. G. Mathews, officer in charge of navy recruiting for the Indiana area. Comm. Mathews pointed out that the Dec. 5 executive order still permits the navy to recruit 17-year-olds and men 38 or over and expressed belief that navy quotas could be filled, for a short time at least, from these groups.

As soon as an outline of pro-

TIPTON COUNTY DIRECTOR QUITS

Terms System a ‘Mess’; Fayette Program Is ‘Near Collapse.’

New troubles poured into the state rationing board today from Indiana communities. At Tipton, the county rationing administrator resigned, proclaiming rationing “a mess,” and at Connersville, Fayette county, officials said their system was Shreatened with collapse. Throughout the state. board chairmen have informed state rationing director James D. Strickland that a general . breakdown is near, unless bureaucratic red tape at Washington is cut and financial aid is forthcoming. Aid Called Inadequate The state's situation has been described to regional authorities at Cleveland by Mr. Strickland. Yesterday, he announced that “some small aid” had been given Indiana, but not nearly enough. The resigned official was F. G. McWilliams, who blamed lack of planning by national officials for confusion in gasoline rationing. In a public statement issued at Connersville, J. Karl Tingle, board president said: “Immediate acition is necessary to bring order out of chaos in the pres-

.| ent emergency.”

Congressional action to relieve the situafion is urged by the Connersville board, if wholesale resignations are to be averted.

LIBERTY SHIPS SET

NEW MONTHLY HIGH;

Building Time Cut by ThreeFourths Since January.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (U. P.). —The maritime commission announced tuday that shipyards set a new monthly high by delivering 68 Liberty ships in November. Average construction time of 56 days from keel-laying to delivery was an improvement of 10 days over T. Liberty ships are now being constructed in one-fourth the time required last January, The average then was 241.3 days.

HIS TERM WAS BRIEF LEEDS, England, Dec. 16 (U. P)). —Arthur Clarke, 62, was lord mayor of Leeds 15 minutes. He collapsed

and died yesterday before he haa)

Governor Calls Conference

The move to obtain relief was revealed by OPA officials in a conference called by Governor Schricker to discuss the fuel oil situation in the state. Irvin Cotton, state fuel oil director, said that there were hundreds of people who had exhausted their supplies of fuel oil already because of the three cold waves that the state has experienced. “We feel that if this program is approved,” he said, “the fuel oil crisis will be cleared up almost miraculously ov t.” The governor called the conference following receipt of a telegram from Governor Green of Illinois in which the Illinois chief executive asked that he join in a request that fuel oil rationing be suspended entirely until Jan. 15.

Seeks Officials’ Views

Governor Schricker asked the rationing officials whether ‘they thought such a move necessary, in view of the situation in this state. ‘Both James D. Strickland, state OPA director, and Mr. Cotton said they did not believe it necessary. Mr. Strickland said that the fuel oil situation “on the whole” in the state was good and Mr. Cotton said that a moratorium “would put us back just where we started.” The governor said that he himself felt that a protest to Washington was unnecessary and that “not a single complaint concerning fuel oil rationing has come to me.” He said that it was necessary for the people to feel and know that fuel oil rationing was necessary to win the war and said that he be(Continued on Page 11)

2 GIRLS OF 19 NURSE INJURED IN LIFEBOAT

See 11 Men Die in 20

Days Before Rescue.

LONDON, Dec. 16 (U.P.).—Two pretty, 19-year-old girls told today how they had shared a lifeboat for 20 days with injured and dying men after the torpedoing of the 14,000ton liner Avila Star. They are Maria’ Elizabeth Ferguson and Patricia Trauntor. Miss Ferguson has been awarded the British empire medal for heroism. They tended the injured night and day, and before they were rescued, saw 11 men die to be buried at sea.

JAPS BOMB CHITTAGONG NEW DELHI, Dec. 16 (U. P.).— Japanese bombers raided Chittagong, India, twice yesterday, inflicting negligible damage and losing three planes in clashes with R. A. F. fighters, an allied communique said today.

(List of Donors, Page Seven)

SINCE JUNE they've waited . . » waited for a check that still hasn’t come. When congress passed that law in June granting allowances to wives and children, father decided it was time he did his part for his country. He enlisted, thinking that in a month that allawance would be taking care of his young wife and four children.

ut the allowance became en-

Fronts

Dec. 16, 1942

NORTH AFRICA — Germans reported withdrawing from advance Tunisian positions near Med jez-El-Bab. British chase Rommel 40 miles beyond El Agheila; allied planes hammer retreating enémy 50 miles farther along coast road.

RUSSIA—Major fighting flares at

Rzhev and Stalingrad; Russian artillery halts new German tank thrusts.

SOUTHWEST PACIFIC — Americans mop up at Buna; allied air force destroying Japanese reinforcements 45 miles northeast of village. Marine divebombers blast two Jap airfields in Solomons.

(Eyewitness stories from New Guinea and Solomons, Page 17; U. S. Communiques, Page 17.)

BIG NAZI ATTACK IN RUSSIA FAILS

Axis, Squeezed Tighter in Africa, Gives Up Some

Tunisian Ground. (Today's War Moves, Page 17)

By UNITED PRESS The allied pincers in North Africa clamped tighter on axis troops today as powerful German tank forces pounded against solid Russian lines in a vain effort to seize the initiative from the Red army. The Naz! panzer forces had evidently- been rushed hwriedly from other fronts for the counterattacks at Stalingrad and Razhev, but they were turned back by the famous Soviet artillery. The major battle at Stalingrad lasted for three days and on the first two days the Russians had been forced to fall back. On the third day, however, the Soviet big guns battered the Nazi salient from both sides and liquidated the German tanks. Moscow reported “three especially big tank attacks” west of Rahev, but said all of them were stopped in bitter fighting.

Axis Troubles in Africa Grow

Allied patrols in northern Tunisia were reported to have discovered that the Germans had abandoned some of their advanced positions under increasing Anglo-American air pressure. A London commentator estimated that the axis now had fewer than 200 combat planes opérating from Tunisian bases. In Tripolitania, Gen. Sir Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth army penetrated to a point 40 miles west of El Agheila in its pursuit of the Afrika Korps. Allied planes, giving the retreating Germans and Italians no rest, were operating 90 mileg

{west of El Agheila. Spanish re-

ports said Marshal Erwin Rommel had arrived in Tripoli to plan the defense of the axis toeholds in Africa.

Dog Wagon Hits Four Parked Cars

FOUR AUTOMOBILES, parked in the employees’ lot at HethertonBerner Iron Works, Kentucky and Oliver aves., were damaged today, when struck by the city dog pound truck. The truckdriver, James Reidy, 25, of 526 W. Norwood st., was arrested by police and charged with drunken driving. Cars damaged were owned by Claudia Wharton, 2522 E. 25th st.; Ernest Brinkley, 703 N. Belmont ave.; Robert P. Long, 1120 Bacon st, and Emmett Brook, 834 S. Belmont ave.

A FLAT NOTE LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (U.P.).— C. Sharp Minor, an organist, was held by police today on a San Francisco complaint charging him with

_|issuing a bad check.

tangled in red tape. The little money that had been saved from his railroad job ran out. The mother wanted to get a job, but after figuring out how much it would cost to pay someone to look after the children and for streetcar fare, she found she would be even worse off. The Red Cross heard about it and offered to help. They could provide only a bare subsistence, money enough for food, rent, heat and ‘only the most necessary clothing.

On the War,

SNOW AND ICE JAM TRANSIT SYSTEM HERE

All Streetcars, Trolleys, Busses in Service.

The city’s transit system, handicapped by sncw-covered ice, struggled with the worst transportation

today. Indianapolis = Railways piece of equipment that would roll and still the crowds piled up on street corners faster than they could be loaded. Hazardous, ice-covered streets “grounded” thousands of automobiles, resulting in a general collapse of the ride-sharing program under gasoline rationing, Use Emergency Cars This threw additional thousands of passengers onto the trolleys and busses. The overwhelming load | coupled with slippery streets, slowed down the rubber-tired vehicles, throwing the whole system off schedule. Some cars were running as much as 20 minutes late but railways officials filled in the schedule gaps with emergency cars rushed into service. On some of the heavy lines there were as many as 25 passengers waiting on one gorner with ‘already loaded trolleys’ “passing them up. Railways officials, however, reported that everybody got to work all right, though thousands might have

been late. They ‘reported last night's jam was worse than this morning due to worse street conditions and minor accidents that paralyzed traffic in some places. Eight persons were injured in falls on the ice, many of the accidents occurring when passengers alighted from trolleys and busses.

Treated for Injuries

Those receiving hospital treatment from more serious injuries suffered in falls and accidents were Ola Ervin, 60, of 724 Blake st. knocked down by a trolley; Miss Anna Weathers, 14, of 2388 Hillside ave., fell in front of her home; Jennie Copeland, 45, of 6180 Marion rd., slipped on sidewalk; I.ovada Cannon, 21, of 1923 Cornell ave., slipped under wheel of truck which crushed her foot; Malene Dicks, 9, of 1441 Kennington st., fell cn ice; Mrs. Jennie Jordan, 41, of 1033 St. Paul st., fell on ice; Opal Richardson, 44, of 2115 E. 45th st., fractured arm in fall on ice; Mrs. Lula White, of 2446 Foltz st., injured when the car in which she was riding was in a skidding collision. A car driven by William A. Schilling, 27, of 5334 Park ave., skidded out of control and crashed into the front of the Segal grocery at Roach and Clifton sts. this morning. The front of the store was caved in, smashing the counters near the door. The driver was not hurt. When one bus skidded into another at New York st. and Keystone ave. this morning, a passenger, Dorothy Hausner, 27, of the Y. W. C. A, 329 N. Pennsylvania st., was injured. She was treated at St. Vincent's hospital for shoulder and back injuries. Lu

CLAIMS TOO MANY DOCTORS IN SERVICE

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16-(U. P.). —Dr. Gilbert S. Osincup, president of the Florida State Medical association, believes the armed forces are heavily oveistaffed with doctors, to the detriment of civilian needs. Asserting that he was “positive the armed forces could cut 30 per cent of the number of doctors they are using,” Osincup proposed to a senate subcommittee that physicians taken into the army and navy be given a brief indoctrination course in military medical techniques, and then allowed to return to their civilian practices until actually needed.

It's the Old Story—Red Tape and Check Is Late

It was the day hefore that recent cold wave and snowstorm began. When it was suggested that the children would need galoshes, the mother hesitated. “No, let's hold off a little while. Maybe the check will come.” Then came the cold. She called the Red Cross, “Maybe I was a little too hasty yesterday,” she said. “The children can’t go to school today. They’ll have to have something to put on their feet.” So the Red Cross asked Clothe to he children

Car-Sharing Breaks Down; |

jam in history here last night and|

officials |: said they put into service every|:

WELFARE

B-R-R-R!

December Cold Is “Rivaling Severe Winter of ’17. By VICTOR PETERSON

REMEMBER THE old song, “Button Up Your Overcoat’? Well, you better. "Tis cold out, it is. Last year people thought it was cold, too. And it was. But it was colder in 1917 and today it looks as though the

Fred Ackelow, weather observer, takes the’ temperature.

weather man is° out ‘to equal or break the ‘17 record. According to the local ‘weather bureau, November of this year ran three degrees above the normal temperature of 42.3. But for the first nine days of this month, the temperature is running nine degrees below normal The average temperature is

23 degrees. e ” ” ”

NO COMPILATION of figures can be given by the bureau for the past seven days of any given time necause of government restrictions. Day by day reports are all right, however. That's why you get the “temps” through(Continued on Page Five) ” ” ” LOCAL TEMPERATURES

14

ARMY'S PURCHASES QUINTUPLE IN YEAR

Amount to 25 Billion in ’42; One Billion in ’40.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (U. P.).— Dollar value of military supplies acquired for the army in 1942, including all munitions and equipment, will amount to $25.000,000,000 compared with $5,000,000,000 worth acquired in 1941 2nd $1,000,000.000 in 1940, Undersecretary of War Robert P. Patterson said today. He said that aircraft alone would amount to $11,000000 this ycar. Other wartiine production figures he gave today to the senate committee investigating the war pro-

12 (Noon) .. 23

gram: More than 23,000 tanks, more than 3000 90-mm. anti-aircraft guns, 9000 40-mm, anti-aircraft puns, more than 300,000 .50-caliber 1r.2chine guns and more than 500,000 machine guns of all types.

STUDY TRANSIT CRISIS SOUTH BEND, Dec. 16 (U. P.) — South Bend’s war transportation committee meets today at the request of Mayor Jesse I. Pavey in an attempt to solve the city’s critical transportation problem. Pavey said transportation difficulties now

threaten the city’s war F Produetion.

have their galoshes now, and mittens and caps with flaps on them to keep small ears warm to and from school.

Already the Red Cross has asked Clothe-A-Child to help in 60 similar cases and is investigating more needing help. In each case the father has gone to war, confident the government would send the money to take care of his family as the law had intended.

Ration

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U.S. MAY STOP $11,000,000 IN INDIANA FUNDS

Impossible Financial Situa= tion Faced if Breakdown Should Occur.

By NORMAN E. ISAACS Unless the long-continuing Marion county welfare de partment tug-of-war comes to

eral government has threat ened to cut off all federal wel=

learned today.

storm center in the state's welfare program and at this moment the state is withholding some $60,000: reimbursement from the county because the department has failed to comply with state regulations. Thousands of individuals—aged,

dren, the %lind and straight relief cases—are affected in Marion county alone. If a breakdown should occur, the county would face an impossible financial situation.

Existing Law Resisted

Marion county situation is in the county welfare board's resistance to the existing law, which giv the state department of ‘public the duty of appointing the eg welfare director, The situation stems back McNutt administration, when thi late Joel Baker, county welial director, objected to the application of the merit law to' welfare ems ployees. During the debate on the law, Wayne Coy (now an admin istrative assistant to Presigent Roosevelt) was slugged in by Peter Cancilla, associate Baker. The legislature held a unique and spectacular trial, removed Baker as welfare director, and altered the state law removing from the county

director. At Odds With State Director

The board is appointed by Circuit Judge -Earl R. Cox. The present board, like past boards, has been

director, Thomas Neal. His recommendations are usually rejected and recently a move was made by the board to cut his salary in an effort to force him to 4 The dispute has broken into the open on many occasions and indis vidual members of the board have publicly expressed defiance of state board. At this time, the welfare depart= ment is 35 employees under the minimum regulations set by the state and the board is in another battle with the director. As a res sult, the state has withheld all re= imbursement since June 1, a total of some $60,000.

Practically a Flat Order The federal government's

cerning the county situation and h now issued what amounts to a order to the state. Thurman Gottschalk, state fare administrator, would mneit affirm nor deny that he had ceived a communication from th government, saying only that ¢ (Continued on Page Five)

By UNITED PRESS Japan announced a new victory over the allies today—th emperor now has a Japanesehorse. The emperor's two horses his ‘enthronement, and those of p vious emperors, had been fort bred, Tokyo radio confessed.

Sill

But it Ie the. ol S008 of ed tape checks

Marion county has long been a :

Statehouse, and seriously Sy i

board the right to appoint its own: i

at odds with the state-appointed is

an end immediately, the feds

fare funds for the state of Indiana—more than $11,000,= 000—The Indianapolis Times 2 ty

ofA

dependent children, crippled chil= |

The core of the difficulty in the