Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 25 February 1943 — Page 1

SCG

during the last few days include:

| and hinted at other city administra-

in the issuance pf the $1000 check,

| sitiop of the Democrat minority.

| week.

" Freckles .\... Hold Ev'thing. 15

FINAL

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1943

PRICE FOUR CENTS

P. Factions Staging Slugfest | I n Gombng Raids

* a 8

BERLIN ADMITS TUN

8 x =

® ‘sa 8 ’

House Maneuver Breaks Dea

SE —————

JOCKEYING FOR POWER SEEN IN LOTTERY DRIVE

Mayor Clamps Down on Pools; Race News Publishing Firm Closed.

By NOBLE REED The biggest gambling cleanup here in more than 20 years today became a spectacular slugfest between rival G. O. P. factions for suprémacy in political prestige through law enforcement. Like two prize fighters jockeying for position to strike the knock-out

to conserve automobiles and fires.

blow, city hall Republicans and the James L. Brddford Republicans (prosecutor’s office) have been

| staging mass’ raids of unparalleled! intensity during the past week, try-|last December, Mr.

ing to trap each other's reputed: henchmen. And it looks like some of them! may have been squeezed uncomfortably already. |

Orders Pools Closed Developments in the gaming feud

1. Mayor Robert H. Tyndall .ordered more than|a score of popular lottery pools closed immediately, ending widespread operations that grossed hetween § weekly. 2. Police Chiet Clifford Beeker last night raided the Capitol City Publishing Co. offices, in the Lemcke bldg., which Chief Beeker says is Midwestern headquarters for horse race betting syndicates which have been operating here since 1921. ‘3. Prosecutor Sherwood Blue linked a $1000 check confiscated in. his raids on’ Emil Rahke’s alleged lottery firms to |a city hall official

tion connections, Mr. Blue questioned Rahke yesterday on a transaction involved

and reported that Rahke “discussed the transaction, but gave us no satisfactory explanation.”

~ Novelty Firm Raided

4. Chief Beeker raided the Speedway Novelty Co. on Massachusetts ave, whose owners are said to include a key political boss in the regular G. O. P. organization that has been Bghiitg Mayor Tyndall's forces. The combined raids have struck at the vital “nerve centers” of nearly all forms of gambling in Indian- . (Continued on Page Five)

OVERRIDE VETO ON EMMERT BILL

The state senate today overrode Governor Schricker’s veto of the Republican-sponsored bill to give Attorney General James Emmert the power to appoint all deputy attorhey generals. | : The bill was passed earlier in the session by the Republican majorities in both houses over the oppo-

The house overrode the veto last

The senate vote was 34 to 11.

‘lon the state highway commission. He was on the commission staff | from 1919 to 1939.

‘Polytechnical institute, is a member

50,000 and $100,000

_ |missed.

Stop and Go

New Engineer to

Revise Tra | ¢ Rules To Suit DT.

ONE OF THE FIRST tasks to be undertaken by J. T. Hallett, appointed city traffic engineer yester-|. day by Mayor Tyndall, will be that of revising traffic ; regulations here in compliance with a recent ODT request. Issued by Joseph Eastman, ODT head in Washington, the directive demanded drastic modification of mu-gE Ee: nicipal stop-signal™ systems in a move J. T. Halleit “We intend to give immediate attention to any federal requirements,” Mr. Hallet said. Successor to James E. Loer who resigned the $3600-a-year position Hallett recently was with the Charles H. Hurd.Construction Co., builders of Camp Atterbury. He formerly had served two years as traffic engineer and 12 years as assistant chief engineer

Mr. Hallet, a graduate of Rose

of the Indiana Society of Professiohal Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers. 3 He resides at 102 S. Gladstone ave., is married and has four ~hildren.

170 ARE FREED IN VICE CASES

Net 95 Convictions;

Cases Pending.

By SHERLEY UHL

This story might b entitled, “Did Justice In the case of the police ment’s anti-vice drive, Will

lieves it did. Court records showing that of more than 350 persons tried on vice charges between Jan. 16 and last Tuesday, only about 95 convictions so far are construed by some to indicate otherwise. Up to Tuesday about 170 of those picked up in raids had been disMost of the offenders’ cases were continued,

Remy Sees Curb

Mr. Remy bases his opinion on results obtained by the campaign” which he cites as: A greatly diminished volume of gam: bling and other nefarious activity within the city; a consequential ebb in the Indianapolis crime rate. The “joker” in most wholesale raid prosecutions of course is “evidence.” Interpretation of various laws of evidence pertaining to gaming devices by different judges is often at odds, court records show. What constitutes damaging evi-

~ (Continued on Page Five)

Julietta fo Be Completed.

Architect's

The county |council today instructed county commissioners to take immediate action toward getting the Julietta inAmary project completed. Construction | on Julietta was

TIMES FEATURES ON INSIDE PAGES

20

Amusements. . Ash ......... Bl BOOKS ........ 16 ‘Comics ...... Crossword. ... 23

Editorials .... rex 18

Inside Indpls. 15 Kidney =.... 16 Jane Jordan... 1 Men in Service 13 - 16 20 Obituaries ... 9 Pegler ....... Poltics . Radio

weaves 3 26

Forum vss -sas' 161Side- Glances. ‘16 “25/80 : 19

Gardens .. 14

16}

3 |Mrs. Roosevelt 15]

Advice Sought

started five years ago on an original | cost estimate of $263,000, but nearly $500,000 has been spent on it and it is still far from being completed. Several weeks ago the council asked commissioners to get detailed estimates on the cost of finishing it, but nothing had been done up to today.

William Bosson, county commissioners’ president, explained that they could not proceed with estimates because the architect on the project, Everett I. Brown, had left the city for duty with the armed forces. Councilmen today authorized Mr. Bosson to contact another architect to determine fees to prepare plans and Specifications for completing the five-year-old project. Addison Parry, council president,

350 Trials Since Jan. 16

Remy, safety board president, be-]

“cleanup go;

mss ——

PRESENT LAW

Hands Governor Job of

Naming New One.

By ROBERT BLOEM

The Republican leadership today broke the intra-party deadlock over the merit system issue by a legis-

| lative maneuver which in neatness

of execution equalled the way the

:G. O. P.-controlled state senate

killed the local option liquor bill last Saturday. Republican house members, headed by Rep. Earl Teckemeyer (R. Indianapolis), took a minor senate bill ready for final passage in the house, struck out all of the old bill and substituted a mew bill which would abolish the present personnel board and recreate a new personnel board. The bill repeals the present merit system law and then re-enacts it with only two changes in. the old law covering the merit system.

Name Is Altered

One of those changes alters the name of the state personnel board to the Indiana personnel board and another gives the personnel board the power to remove the director by majority vote. * Under the present law, the director can only be removed by the filing of charges and a public hearing. The measure was passed by a vote of 84-to-1, the Democrats voting with the Republicans. Only senate concurrence in the. amended bill now is necessary to send it to the governor. Today's action .has the effect of satisfying both the large group of Republican legislators who ‘want Rowland : Allen, personnel : board

personnel board director, out of office and the group of party leaders headed by State Chairman Ralph Gates who want the merit system retained.

Funds to Be Restored

In re-creating the personnel board, the Republican legislature will -.dump squarely in the lap of Democratic Governor Schricker, who has the appointing .power, the responsibility for makeup of a new board. ‘He can either reappoint Mr. Allen or leave him off the new board. And it will be his responsibility from the makeup of the new board as to whether Mr. Johnson 1s re-employed or not. ‘Members of the present personnel oard who will be out of office if the bill becomes law .are Mr. Allen, William C. Birthright, Earl Beck and Edmond Foust. Republican senate members were ready to go along on the deal and were prepared to restore a great (Continued on Page Five)

BOMBS AGAIN RAINED ON WILHELSHAVEN

Rome Reports Night Raid. On Naples.

LONDON, Feb. 25 (U. P.).—The royal air force raided the German naval. base of Wilhelmshaven last night for the fourth time this month, leaving great fires glowing through the clouds at the end of a block-buster bombardment concentrated into 20-odd minutes. (The official Italian communique, unconfirmed in allied quarters, reported an allied raid on Naples during the night. “Unimportant damage” was done to buildings and several persons were wounded, Rome said, Isolated machine-gunning attacks on southern Italy and Sicily also were reported.) ¥ Despite German defenses strengthened since the: last attack on Wilhelmshaven, all .the long-range

‘Canadians.

said “we must complete this project in the most economic way possible.”

LOCAL TEMPERATURES 6 a. m. 10,28 10 acm... Tam .., 2 11 a. m. 8am ...26 12 town)

27

: Sam ..28 1p m..

« German night fighters were out to

intercept the raiders, but the clouds over the target area made evasion | fairly easy.

(The German radio said British

: 30 planes slightly damaged buildings and caused civilian casualties in

5 | northern and ‘western Germany.)

KILLED, THEN I$ RE-ENACTED

Abolishes Personnel Board,

1st Day of Tunisia Fight— ‘Every Jeep on lts Own’

By ERNIE PYLE THE TUNISIAN FRONT, Feb. 25 (By Wireless) .— On the morning the big German push started against the | American troops in Tunisia, our forward command post in | the area was hidden in a patch of cactus about a mile from the town of Sidi Bou Zid. It had been there more than a week, and I had visited there myself only three days_ previously. forward ‘troops in the hills, and I knew most of the officers.

a unit. In this case a brigadier general was in command. His staff included intelligence and planning officers, unit commandgrs, a medical detachment, kitchens and various odds and ends. A command post of this size has several score vehicles and two or three hundred men. Its work is all done in trucks, half-tracks or tents. It is always prepared to move, when at the front. And it does move every few days, so the enemy won’t spot it. ; Sr 2 8 » : ae : THIS SPECIAL command post was about 10 miles back from the nearest known enemy position, Our artillery and infantry and some tanks were between it and the enemy. : I am describing all this because I will use the men of this com=mand post as characters in our story as I try to picture the tragedy of that first day’s surprise push. That Sunday morning hordes of German tanks and troops came swarming out from behind the mountains around Faid pass. We didn’t

Ernie Pyle

Germans were. either, for our patrols had been - bringing | in mostly Malian prisoners from. their raids. (Continued on ‘Page One, Second Section)" «+

Lettuce and Spinach Prices

I had svent a. lot of time with our"

A command post is really the headquarters of

know so many tanks were back there, and didn't know so many |

Frozen, Fish May Be Next

. sw

nN

IAN RETRE

* =

® & 8

dlock Over Merit

| AMERICANS IN TUNISIA ‘MAD, PROVE ABILITY

Blow ‘Blow Failed to,

Rommel Break Yank Morale,

Stimson Says.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (U. PJ). —American troops took everything the battle-hardened Germans could throw at them in Tunisia and, after suffering substantial losses, ‘“coun-ter-attacked with great vigor” to administer a clean-cut repulse to |the enemy, War Secretary Henry L. Stimson said today. He said at a press conference that American planes and troops were inflicting unceasing punishment on retreating German forces. He praised the reaction of untried U. S. soldiers to their first taste of fighting for keeps against the enemy’s finest veterans.

with great vigor,” he said, adding .{that Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower {had reported them “thoroughly mad and‘ready to fight.”

Russians Regain Rail Network

fronts, Secretary Stimson said:

casus, the Don valley and the Donets basin, and the Germans are ‘ltrying “to keep open the corridors of escape to the Dnieper.” 2. The Russian drives from Leningrad will tend to isolate Finland

“Our forces were not broken by 2 the Germans and counter-attacked |}

2 of a Kind

Twins Entered Army Together, Both Are Officers.

Capt. Leo Oldham

Concerning fighting on other ||

"1. The Russians now control vir- | tually all rail systems in the Cau-|

from Germany and may account|

member, and W. Leonard Johnson, |

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (U. P)— The prices of lettuce and spinach were frozen today as the OPA considered placing a price freeze on the few remaining items of food outside governmental control. - The new ' emergency. crackdown last hight—the second this week on skyrocketing fresh vegetable prices | —brought nearly 96 per cent of all foodstuffs under price control. The only important items not controlled are fresh fish, apples, pears, caulifiower, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, celery and a few other fruits and vegetables. Apples probably will be next and officials said OPA is studying price ceilings for fresh fish, although the complexity of the job precludes immediate action. Sweet potatoes have reached 88 per. cent of parity and officials indicated that a price ceiling would be clamped on them as soon as they reach parity. Although the monthly rate of increase in the price of lettuce has been less sharp this winter than a year ago, labor department statistics show that on Jan. 12, 1943, the average price of lettuce was 134 cents a head—45.7 per cent above

the price last May when price ceilings went into effect on hundreds of other food items The average price of spinach on Jan. 12, 1943, was 11.8 cents a pound, 59.5 per cent. above last May’s quotation. The temporary ceilings placed on lettuce and spinach are the highest price at which individual sellers sold them during the five days ending yesterday. - Spot checks here revealed that lettuce was selling at 15 and 20 cents a head yesterday. On Tuesday, OPA imposed a similar 60-day price freeze on tomatoes, snap beans (green and waxed), carrots, cabbage and peas. Both actions were taken as a sequel tp the freeze on sales of canned goods from Feb. 22 to March 1. In a companion action to the emergency price freeze, OPA Dpermitted its local offices tq increase in certain circumstances individual sellers’ prices on the seven vegetables which were “frozen” this week. OPA asked consumers to make their own automatic check on the new price ceilings today by scruti-

(Continued on Page Five)

the job.” . Those are the conclusions of Dr.

Pool of Plant Physicians Sought to Cut Absenteeism

“Every male worker in industry will lose nine days of work a year from sickness, Every female worker will lose an average of 12 days on

Carl M. Peterson of Chicago, secre

tary of the council on industrial health for the American Medical asso-

Health Hygiene conference at the

~ |Indiana University Medical center.

One of the indirect objectives: of

ciation, who is in Indianapolis today to assist with Indiana's Industrial

F. D. R. ILL, GANGELS

to make peace.

axis shipping and resources. Few Lost on Transports

convoyed thus far with very light losses.

flying cargo to China.

and shipping.

lines, he, added. #2 8 #8

(Feb. 25, 1943) TUNISIA — Rommel

and French planes.

RUSSIA—Soviet troops crack Poltava defense lines; advance slowed; creep north,

raid on Naples.

ASKS PRISONERS FOR

for reports that Finland would like |

3. Allied air forces from Britain and North Africa are wearing down

4. Despite axis submarine activity —emphasized by the sinking of two American ships with the loss of more than 850 lives—the navy has 1,500,000 men overseas |

6. The army is steadily building up air strength in China and increasing the number of transports

6. U. S. air forces in the south and southwest Pacific are inflicting heavy damage on, Japanese bases

Mr. Stimson said that though] American losses-in the past 10 days in Tunisia had been substantial, they probably have not been as large as first expected. Several| American units which were cut off have made their way back to our

On the War Fronts

"retreats through Kasserine pass, pounded by swarm of American, British

Red army’s spring thaws

.|AIR WAR—R. A. F. bombs Wil- : helmshaven, Rome reports aliea| Leaders Threaten to Cut

the conference is the teaching of preventive care to the industrial workers in order to cut the absenteeism rate, which is increasing rather than decreasing. It’s something of a pioneering job which Indiana’s physicians are doing through the conference. The doctors realize that industry has a medical procurement problem. They are fully aware that the large numbers of men needed in the armed services have somewhat de-

Intestinal Says Secretary.

‘Little

ALL ENGAGEMENTS

Upset,

PAROLE SUGGESTIONS

MADISON, Wis., Feb. 25 (U. PJ. —A Wisconsin legislative committee invited prisoners in the state peni-

?|tentiary today fo submit suggestions

for making the state's “more fair and just.” “The assembly judiciary committee

parole laws

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (U. P). decided to consider the prisoners’ —President Roosevelt is ill from what the White House described io. convince inmates that the laws

recommendations after Warden John C. Burke testified that he had

British bombers returned safely to base. ‘Nearly all of the airmen were

pleted the ranks of doctors needed for work in war plants, as well as in civilian life. So the Indiana doctors are at-

they can assist plants in securing and giving training to physicians for. industrial health programs. The plan envisages two distinct| needs: (1) To train part-time physicians, who service about 80 per cent of Indiana's industry, and (2) to supply industry with trained medical men when requested. To supply the first need, an intensive post-graduate course is be- . (Continued on Page Five) :

tempting to develop a plan whereby |p,

His ajlment is not regarded as serious, the White House said. A White House secretary, William , Hassett, said the president “will have to remain quiet for a few days and see how things shape up “Mr. Roosevelt, Hassett said, has canceled all engagements and will not "receive any callers until his condition shows some improvement. |

less than one degree of fever. Hassett said he did not know whether

throughout the day.

The president this morning. had :

today as “a little intestinal upset.” |were just “when I know theyaren't.”

‘Medical Magic , | On the March—

The part the Eii Lilly & Co! is playing in the postwar world is dramatized today by David Dietz in his fourth article of a series, “Forging the Future.”

Turn to Rage Is.

Mr. Roosevelt would remain in. bed

- |possible successor ‘to

‘ Lieut. ‘Leon Oldham.

' ONE OF THE few differences between Leon and Leo Oldham,

Mrs. F. C. Oldham, 3014 Gladstone ave., is that Leo is a captain in the army and Leon is a lieutenant. Otherwise, their cases are practically identical. Both graduated from ‘Technical high school, Both were employed ™ International Harvester Co. Both entered the: service: in: January, 1041, with the National guard. .Leon is a commanding officer of a signal corps construction company somewhere in the South Pacific and Leo is the commanding officer of an infantry company at Ft. Houston, Tex. And to top it off, Leon’s wife's name is Annita and Leo’s wife's name is Anna. The former resides at the Oldham residence while the other lives at 3903 E. 34th st.

DEMAND DISMISSAL OF NUTT, PERKINS

Off Appropriations.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 (U. PJ). —Influential members of congress said today they would attempt to cut off all “appropriations for the labor department and the war manpower commission until’ President Roosevelt. appoints Tew heads of ‘those agencies. i The temper of many members of congress, though perhaps not a ma-

when the house appropriations committee denied comparatively small appropriations requests made by Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins and WMC Chairman Paul V. McNutt. One congressional group was

~ |quietly advancing the name of Su-

preme Court Justice William O. Douglas to head a reorganized labor department that would include the} ‘manpower commission, the war labor board and the national labor relations board. Another name mentioned as a both ‘Miss Perkins and McNutt is that of John

jority, was demonstrated yesterday}

BAY SUSANNA

ALLIED PLANES POUNDNAZISIN MOUNTAIN GAP

Axis Victory short-Liveils Axis Forces Withdraw In Bottleneck.

~ BULLETIN The Berlin radio acknowledged today that axis forces in central: Tunisia had withdrawn “to positions enabling them to control the area of the enemy forward movements.”

(War Moves Today, Page 12)

By VIRGIL PINKLEY United Press Staff Correspondent

ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, NORTH AFRICA, Feb. 25.—Marshal Erwin Rommel’s defeated army was tumbling back through Kasserine pass today under punishing allied blows by air and land, his short-lived -success {in central Tunisia giving way

{to rapid retreat. a .' American and British land forces... a

were hammering the hroken end of Rommel’s spearhead back into the

vital gap, while light bombers and | = [fighters raked the corridor with bul- RR

lets and explosives,

try to make a stand, but one thing = is clear—it will not be in the area immediately west of the Kasser« ine pass. Advanced units of the

| American and British forces have:

forced him out of that section and’ back into the gap, so he has no’ choice but to continue his retreat, until he can get out of the bottleneck. : _ American planes swept back and: 78 forth across the gap, showering. bombs on enemy gun positions and the retreating column of Germans who had failed in a bold bid to.. roll up the aliied line by Sapurg Thala. Patrol Activity Increases

Meanwhile a new threat appeared . to the German positions in central ‘Tunisia as allied patrols pushed forward in the Sbiba area, north= east of the Kasserine pass. Their: activity was a menace to axis forces between Shiba and Sbeitla and the Germans showed that they recog= nized the danger by opening up with artillery against the patrols. Today's allied headquarters coms "fmunique included for the first time * | a mention of the British eighth * army, which now has moved info the sphere of action commanded by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. The communique reported patrol active ity on the part of the eighth east of the Maret line, and the im pression here was that Rommel now would attempt to tighten his lines to meet the double threat of the allied forces to his west and the eighth army to the south. 5

Airmen Get Credit

The Germans now are en cleared from the area west of | Kasserine pass. Much of the ¢ for the action goes to American and British pilots .who took - vantage of clearing weather to give valuable support to ground op tions. The royal air force bon and machine-gunned the ge: el area around Kasserine, Feriana Gafsa, while Americans concentr ed on the Kasserine pass itself, A French squadron, joining allied aerial assault for the time, bombed Nefta, southwest Gafsa, and reported good results. =

field at Tunis yesterday and score hits among enemy planes parked the ground. A number of them seen to be burning. Seven fighters and a ranspon Plane

‘ishot down.

Six allied planes are missing fn all operations and one plane w Al previously was Teported. ¥ safe,

cinnati, today wa justice

It is uncertain where Rommel will