Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 30 March 1943 — Page 1
SCRIPPS THOWARD | . VOLUME 54—NUMBER 16
FORECAST: Continued warm tonight and -tomorrow forenoon.
TUESDAY, MARCH
30, 1943 af
i
Entered as Second cis Matter. at Postoftice, ; Jodianagolis, Tug, “Issued daily ‘except’ Sunday.
FINAL HOME
PRICE FOUR CENTS |
‘BRI ISH DRIVE R(
‘ . 8 8
eg.
Confusion ‘Merely Deepens as Hapless Reporter
~ Queries OWI, OPA and USDA About OPA-839
By HELEN CHA
THIS IS THE STORY of three government agencies, all of which are working with the food rationing program but none of which seems to know what the other ones are doing. 4 I was handed a news release this morning from the OWI. It “~ was one of three or four which came in and was marked “OPA-839,” meaning it was the 839th’ reléase’ from the OWI concerning news about OPA. Mine looked like it was about the 15th carbon copy. Tread it all the way through—once, twice, three times. confused.
I was
» ; IT SEEMED to tell about a new OPA program whereby directors of school lunch programs could buy their canned foods from the ~~ elvilian programs branch of the food distribution administration of the department of agriculture at a bargain price. “Civilian programs branch.” Thai was a new one on me. I opened the phone book and went to work to find out what OPA-839 was about. First, I called OWI. There I was informed that they only processed and distributed the releases prepared by OPA. So I called OPA. The food administrator was out. The public
” » » ® »
relations. director was out. So'I talked to a pleasant woman in the publicity office who had written the release.
» # td
, ANSWERING. MY questions, she informed me that directors of -school lunches would buy their canned goods from this “civilian pro-
grams branch.”
This branch had “acquired” the food from welfare
agencies, the lend-lease administration and other sources. She didn’t know whether they bought it, took it, or talked them
out of it, but they “acquired” it.
Then I asked where the local office of the “civilian programs
* branch” was located. Well, that she didn’t know. She had written the
release ‘last Saturday Rfiernoon when the other government agencies
were closed.
. She and 1 decided. the department of agriculture was my next best
bet. I went down the long list of
branches of the USDA, picked out
the distribution branch of the agricultural marketing administration.
® 5 8
I WAS REFERRED to a gentleman on charge.
brief review of the release, asked
# ® 8
I gave him a him what he knew about it. He
Youmtid on Page Eight) |
Retaking Bur
RELEASE MORE CANNED GOODS
2 Million Cases of Fruit, Vegetables to Go to
Home Front.
WASHINGTON, March 30 (U. P.). ~The .department of agriculture announced today that more. than 742,000,000 cases of canned fruits and ‘vegetables will be released soon” by the food distribution administration to augment ‘civilian supplies.” = The food will include canned tomatoes, pears, plums, apples and peaches, and smaller quantities of other foods. These stocks, most of which - were purchased . from. the | 1941 pack, have been held : to meet emerg war needs.’ The department also ahmounesd the transfer of about 12,000,000 . eases of canned fruits, juices and vegetables — principally canned corn and peas—by the army to the food distribution administration. ‘These supplies will be released later by the FDA in meeting emergency food situations. FDA ‘officials said that changing eonditions, either in war strategy or in the shipping or storage situation, occasionally make possible such releases of government stocks into civilian channels. They said ° that government requirements must include reasonable reserves to meet emergencies that develop.
On the War Fronts
(March 30, 1943)
ZTUNISIA—Allies capture Gabes and El Oamma, pursue. Rommel northward. Axis counter-attacks against Americans in central sector.
AIR WAR—Royal air force smashes heavily at Berlin for second time in 48 hours and attacks Bochum also in what’ appears to be its biggest single night of bombing during the war.
RUSSIA—Red army captures: three| #' hamlets in network of German fortifications northeast of Smolensk, and throws back renewed German attempts to force the northern Donets river,
"SOUTHWEST PACIFIC—Allied bombers set fires visible 15 miles by day at Toeal, capital of Kai and Tanimbar islands. Japanese planes raid allied base at Oro bay on northeast New Guinea coast.
(U. S. Communiques and War Analysis, Page Five)
DENY SOAP RATIONING.
This is the first of a series of
By A. T.
b Bugnt: us ‘valuable, if The seesaw Akyab battle has demonstrated that the reconquest .of Burma, which is the only key to the relief of blockaded China, will
observers had thought. . It has shown that the Japanese are powerfully entrenched, that they cannot be rooted out without smashing superiority in armament, and that they have no intention of giving up any of the invaded territory without a struggle.
Attained One Objective
started the Akyab push with marked superiority of numbers
nullified by atrocious problems of transportation and supply through dense jungles and mazes of interlocking waterways. Snipers were everywhere — at
slowed up to a standstill when heavy Japanese reinforcements were brought in and began counter attacking. The British have, however, attained one important end. They have neutralized Akyab as an advanoe base for Japanese raids on Calcutta and .other important centers in Eastern India. Japanese bombers must fly farther to reach these bases, and with less protection. The big show in Burma will require more planes, more shipping and more heavy ‘arms than are now available "for that theater. Allied military men in Asia gre impatiently awaiting the success(Continued on Page Eight) ~
RUSSIA TO CONFER
WASHINGTON, March 30 (U. P.). —Prospects of more active participation by the Soviet Union in allied councils: appeared enhanced today with the disclosure by reliable fsources that Russia intends to take part in the forthcoming united nations ‘conference ‘on post-war food
A Heart-Breaking Job
Japs Are Well-Entrenched and wil Fight for me Bit of Their Conquered Territory.
front, side and rear. The advance
rma. to Be
eight articles by A. T. Steele, just
returned from the Far East on leave.
STEELE
: Copyright, 1943, by The Indianapolis Times and The Chicago Dally. News, “Ine. It’s no secret—but it’s a fact few Americans seemto ‘realize—that a grim, heartbreaking phase of preparation _8till ‘lies ahead of us before we can take the offensive on . a major ‘scale against the continental strongholds of the Japanese army in Burma and China. :
The difficulties our Anglo-Indian. allies have rw into-in’ against the Burmese port of Akyab—a pinpoint ‘on the map of ‘Asia ~—show what I mean. That action is, in effect, a laboratory experiment preliminary to the much bigger operation of the future. It has already . ‘painful, lessons,
*\
be more difficult than some allied : ; ;
The British-Indian forces !
but this advantage was quickly i
Gen. Stilwell
AIRMEN SET JAP DESTROYER ABLAZE
Yanks Make Damaging Attack on Base.
« WASHINGTON, March 30 (U. P.). —Low-strafing American fighter planes set a Japanese destroyer afire after making a damaging attack on the enemy's seaplane base on Faisi island in the Solomons, the navy announced today. Five ‘to seven: Japanese planes were set ablaze in the foray against Faisi. : Following that attack, the same fighter group fired a Japanese destroyer off Alu island. So low did the American airmen come in over their quarry, that three feet of the wing of one plane
was sheared off by the destroyer’s w
WASHINGTON, March 30 (U,|problems.
mast.
P.) —An office of price administration spokesman today denied the re- . eurring rumor that rationing of soap is imminent. “That one really} has whiskers on it,” he said. “It’s nd soap—about the rationing, Rf : means
The county government faces the prospect of going “broke” before the end of 1943 unless drastic economies are made, County Auditor A report. on the county’s financial
Be — rn + ON INSIDE PAGES
In Indpls. ... Inside Indpls. Jane Jordan.. 18] Men in Serv. ] Millett esases Movies 2803840 Obituaries .
Amusements. 6
Taevencsnee 14
aes 0
Pyle ($esesenee Radio
Fears County Bankruptcy Unless Expenses Are Curbed
requested sn ‘additional. $24,000. to
as outlined in a 1943 law. In view of the financial statement, Addison Parry, council presi-
this efi =
pay wage increases to their deputies]
dent, indicated only a fraction ols 3 Sondition Was made public. upan the) gay
IREPORT ALLIES
MASS FORCES
Observers Predict Invasion May Follow on Heels
Of Tunisian Rout.
,, LONDON, March 30 (U. P.).— Britain, the United States and Canada are massing gigantic land, sea ‘and gir striking forces for invasion of Europe to follow quickly on the axis rout from s. Tunisia, mg oh
and Greece, with possible diversionary thrusts across the English
| channel and North sea into France, | Belgium and Holland and across
the Mediterranean into Italy. - Prime Minister Winston Churchill already has disclosed. that the allies are preparing to launch “invasions”—and it was noteworthy that he used the word in the plural—this year. Men. Pour Info Brifain
Men and war machines are pouring into Britain from North America in endless streams and a similar flow is probably also being maintained to North Africa, the base for any invasion of South Europe. The attacks, if they -are made through Norway and Greece, prob-
4ably would constitute a great pin-
cers movement directed at Germany herseif. Should the allies invade Greece,
¥ | they would find guerrilla forces
g to join them. Hitler Rushes Fortifications
Private advices reaching Norwegian sources in London said Adolf Hitler has asked for another 35,000 Norwegian workers to construct additional fortifications at Narvik and Tromsoe, two of the principal Norwegian ports. Hitler's engineers likewise were
reported to be supervising the con-|'
struction of defenses in Italy, Rumania, Austria, Jugoslavia and Al-
RABBIT TRAP SNARES HOME-LOVING LION
Owner’s Ration Book Saved And Beatty Gets a Pet. KANSAS CITY, Mo. March 30
be embarrassed if he knew he had been caught in a gargantuan figure- : appetite forced his: owner," Mrs.-Mary- Pratt, to- de-! cide to dispose of
him for five years as a pet. It also
Tha ain allied landings, they) believed, may be made in Norway|
R. A. F. DEFIES BAD WEATHER, STRIKES HARD
Plane Loss in Night's Two Operations Heaviest in Months.
LONDON; March 30 (U. P.)— British bombers in strong force flew through some of the worst weather they had faced in many weeks to hammer home the second heavy raid on Berlin in 48 hours, rekindling great fires which lighted up the skies over the German capital, the air ministry announced today. The royal air force lost 21 bombers in the Berlin raid and 12 more in supplementary attacks on war targets in the Ruhr, which apparently constituted one of the heaviest broadside operations of the war.
ran into strengthened German defenses—night fighters, anti-aircraft fire, and clusters of searchlights— which combined to exact the heaviest toll on a raiding fleet since 53 failed to return from an attack on Bremen June 25, 1942.
‘Mushrooms of Flame’
Renewing the bombardment on the second night after Berlin had rocked under the heaviest raid of
Ten . minutes after ‘the hail of bombs was loosed at 1 a. m, the pilots heard a huge explosion which lighted up the of Berlin. Pilots agreed it was “much too large to have been caused by. fourtonner.” Smaller, but still substantial, formations were blasting at the same time the industrial city of Bochum and other points in Germany's Ruhr valley with a loss of 12 planes. The raids carried the resumed Anglo-American pre-invasion aerial offensive through“ its fourth night and followed the second straight
pied Dutch port of Rotterdam, where shipping was hit.
Nazi Tighten Censorship
The German radio acknowledged that British bombers dropped : big explosive and fire bombs on Berlin during a two-hour air raid alarm last night, but mentioned damage only to residential quarters and said civilians were killed and injured. * By clamping on ‘so tight a censorship that Swedish correspondents could not send out even a generalized story of the raid, German officials gave the impression that the had been quite effective. was the 60th raid of the war | Berlin and the seventh this year. Bochum, an important railroad junction, has been attacked only once previously, in 1940.
30-DAY LEAVES FOR. HUSBANDS SOUGHT
CLEVELAND, March 30 (U. P). —Rep. Michael Feighan (D. 0.) said today he would ask Maj. ‘Gen.| Léwis B. Hershey, national selective sefvice director; to extend inducted married men’s furloughs from seven 10.30 days fo avoid imposing hardships. FPeighan, who left for Washington after a week-end visit to his home, said the present seven-day furlough “appears. to be. scarcely|. enough for a married couple to adjust their affairs.’ »
JOE E. BROWN IN NEW GUINEA
n after having|M
SOMEWHERE IN NEW GUINEA, Bs uh Co
day of raids on the German-bccu-|
-
Flames Mushroom’ In Berlin's d Raid In
AB
In addition to the murky clouds] & and icing conditions which impeded | + the big four-engined bombers, they|
Torn from its mast . Glory from one of our downtown
-.
you to shame.
publioshuildings. :
people that: in -these - times they ought to have more respect for the Stars and Stripes. The Scouts, Service club, Chamber’ of Commerce, Building .Manager’s ‘association and Mayor Tyndall asked Governor Schricker to proclaim Saturday and K as many other days as are needed as Flag
Inspection days. The Scouts and Service club
‘members will tour the city noting the condition of flags. If they're not in proper condition the owner will be told about it. And if they're not displayed properly they'll ‘correct the error. Five thousand copies of the American Legion chart on: proper display. will ‘be, ‘distributed. . Flags collected because of disgraceful condition. will be burned later. City hall set an example yesterday.. Two new flags were unfurled, the first displayed there since the first. of the year. Even so, there. , were some Ted faces at the hall. Two flags were] found in a dishevelled condition at the bottom of an elevator shaft. They had been dropped there by a former janitor when he fell down the shaft. It’s time to show real respect for the Stars and Stripes.
‘Daughter Born fo Mrs. Ayres Jr.
‘A DAUGHTER was born to Mrs. Frederic M. Ayres gr- at Methodist. hospital. : Her husband is a sieutenant (j.g.) stationed at Miami, and is a vice president of the Ayres department store. : . Mrs. Ayres Jr. is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Noyes. ‘Hospital officials said mother and Sauget were. doing well.’ .
“LABOR DRAFT VITAL’ WASHINGTON, March 30 (U. Pp). —Enacement of the Austin-Wads-worth labor graft. Bill is necessary
Keep Old Glory Bright
dirty and in shreds . Inspection day and a survey will open for just such BE
If Your Flag Is Worn and Dirty i-Reprimand You
2 ane. dupiaving + arty, worn, tattered Ametican flag, better Xe ‘remove, it of have it cleaned by Saturday . » + or & Boy Scout will put
-Countless flags in such ‘condition are fiying around here, even from
So the By Scouts and other ‘patriotic organizations decided to tell
oe + 80 flies Old public buildings. Saturday is Flag
REPORT WILLKIE SUPPORTS RUML:
Letter to GOP Leaders Is Cited; Plan Attracts ‘New Strength.
By THOMAS L. STOKES Times Special Writer WASHINGTON, March 30.—The Carlson bill with the Ruml pay-as-you-go tax plan was still the favorite and was still. backed by the largest single block of ‘votes, as the house got. down today to the busi
ternatives.
Cal) meantime, said that Wendell | Willkie, ‘Repliblican candidate for president in 1940, has thrown his support behind the Rumi plan in a letter to Republican leaders of the Gearhart, one. of the scattered | Republicans . opposing the: Ruml plan, said “you'll hear plenty of reverberations from that indorsement out on the floor when we get to working on the Rumi plan.” ‘The Carlson bill has stood up surprisingly well under a demagogic four-day battering.
drafted after much labor by Democratic members of the ways and
(Continued on Page Eight) .
RUSS CREEP ON AS
Three More Hamlets on Ssensk Front Fall.
By UNITED REESE
ness of; choosing ‘among various’ al-]¢ Rep. Bertrand. W. Gearhart ®.
Before the house is the measure].
MUD GROWS DEEPER
3 Days
YANKS RESIST HEAVY ATTACK IN WAIST ZONE
Rommel Heads for Tunis Allies Take 9000 of Axis
Forces Prisoner.
By VIRGIL PINKLEY United Press Staff Correspondent | ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, North Africa, March 30.._The British eighth army seized the key Tunisian towns of Gabes and El Hamma and drove Marshal Erwin Rommel’s forces northward today under furious aerial bombardment while American columns in central Tunisia edged for-: ward in bitter battles. The eighth army advance units which broke the Mareth line defenses had Rommel “on the move” north of Gabes on the 84-mile road. toward Sfax despite stiff rear-guard opposition. At the same time, an American column east of El Guettar in the Gafsa sector made progress in hard fightirig against the Germans, who are trying to protect Rommel’s northward ‘communication lines. A second American column at Maknassy pass beat off two enemy
counter-attacks with heavy: losses: Both battles continued with severe fighting in progress as the allied air force dared dust storms and haze to lash at the enemy positions and at retreating columns,
First Army Slowed (Madrid reported that Rommel
| had set up headquarters in the El
Djem sector, on a narrow-gauge railroad some 40 miles north o Sfax and was directing the axis ter-attacks in an effort to keep his retreat corridor open.) In: northernmost Tunisia, - the British first army ‘and Moroccan native troops were slowed down in their push eastward from th Djebel Abiod sector toward Bizerte, but continued to make progress over difficult ground on both flanks, Almost 9000 prisoners have been taken by the allied forces on va~ rious fronts in the past 10 days, including 8000 in the southern area.
Gain in ‘Hot Corner’
While the eighth army vanguard passed through Gabes and con tinued to- press northward in contact with the enemy, the Americans
tion of the Kebili-Giabes road in the “hot corner” foothills south east of Djebel Berda. : Ae Press Correspondent Phil accompanying this spearhead, reported that the American inf: try was about 12 miles a nts
and enfeebled.” But he warned that heavy fighting lies ahead).
|PETAIN ‘RESTLESS,