Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 March 1943 — Page 1
FORECAST: Continued warm this afternoon and evening, followed by considerably cooler with thundershowers late | tonight and tomorrow forenoon.
Entered as Second-Class Matter at Postoffice, Indianapolis, Ind. Issued daily except Sunday.
iin MARCH 81, 1943
THE SAVING IN shipping will be tremendous. It is estimated that ships going through the Mediterranean will
be able to make twice their present number of trips to India, three times the number to Alexandria and Haifa and 50 per cent more to Australia. : Nazi concern with these possibilities is illustrated by the stream of reports from axis radio reports showing they realize the allies will soon be in position to strike almost anywhere in the Mediterranean and possibly at several points simultaneously. The reports include one by the Transocean (German) News Agency about a new type of 400-man landing barge and about inspections of coastal defenses of Bulgaria and Greece. :
German spokesman acknowledged that the cres(Continued on Page Four)
- By HARRISON SALISBURY United Press Staff Correspondent
..LONDON, March 81,—There are multiplying indications that the Nazis are urgently improvising and shoringup their defenses from the Black sea to the French Mediterranean coast, obviously fearing that an allied Mediterranean blitz will be the opening phase of the battle of Europe. The allies naturally are not tipping off their hand but the Germans are reacting as though they expect a general attack at such points as Crete, the Aegean coast, Greek islands, Sicily and even J ugoslavia. Informed sources here believe that Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is acting under specific orders to hang on and inflict as many casualties as he can in order to delay an attack on Europe’s “soft underside.”
IF THIS THEORY is correct, Rommel probably will not attempt a Mediterranean Dunkirk but will fight as long as he can hold any ground in Tunisia. Additionally, Rommel well knows he would be able to evacuate only a small fraction of his forces in any attempted Dunkirk which would occur under the massed attack of allied air and sea power. It would be possible for Rommel to call on the Italian fleet to protect the evacuation but it is doubted that he has much faith in that kind of protection in view of the Italian record. Lacking fleet protection, he would have to depend largely upon Nazi fighter planes from Sicily. However, it is regarded as certain that allied strategic plans for an offensive against Mediterranean Europe have been drawn up with full consideration of Rommel’s probable bitter-end tactics.
THE ALLIES have large forces available in the Mediterranean theater in addition to those fighting Rommel. There is Lieut. Gen. Mark Clark’s growing American fifth army as well as the ninth and 10th British armies based in Egypt, Iran and Iraq: Axis radios have reported the arrival of many ‘thousands of American troops in this area but these reports have not been confirmed in allied quarters. : ‘With the ouster of Rommel from Tunisia, the allies are partially reopening the Mediterranean to traffic, cutting thousands of miles from shipping routes and enabling shore-based ‘fighters to cover the ‘passage of shipping through the Pantellaria gantlet. This will make possible the speedy regrouping and transfer of forces along the whole North African coast:
< MOST 1870 38 “NON- FATHERS
CLASSIFIED 1)
Hitchcock to Seek Guidance On Dads at Parley in Capital. BY EARL RICHERT
Indiana draft boards are fast]
getting to the point where all men below 38 in their respective areas, except fathers, have been classified for military service. Col. Robinson Hitchcock, state draft head, reports that an average of one draft board a day is now
notifying state headquarters that it|.
has completed classification in all dependency. categories down to fathers. ~~ Two Marion county boards have reported that they are nearly through :
This completion of classification does not mean, however, that fathers will be called next week or next
+ month, it was pointed out.
_ June Calls Possible
Suk to tap a Hip group next.
Seis Youths kL
This tapping, judging from the ” present heavy rate of calls and bari ring any changes in draft regulé2) ,, will begin at least by June, a Hitchcock anticipates. io 5 The state draft head, however, is
: not, ordering any draft boards to be- :
gin clasification of fathers for military "service, pending orders from
‘And no orders are expected to be received until after : the national : conference of state draft directors in Washington on April 5 and 6, which Col. Hitchcock will attend.
. Seek Definite Procedure
is expected tnat some very definite procedure for drafting fathers will be worked out at the Washington conference. It is possible. that it may be decided to call fathers in age groups or on the basis of the number of their children. : Under the present regulations, the fathers engaged in non-essen-tial industries will be called before those engaged in essential industries. The fathers in non-essential industries would ‘be called, under present regulations, on the basis of
garded 2 selective service as de-
The. inal rule that children born. after Sept. 8, 1942, are not to be regarded as dependents for draft Purposes still stands, be said.
Military Police
Halt Downtown Jay-Walking|
Traffic dodgers here—and according to police there are too many of them—will henceforth be asked. to ' ‘forego their daily maneuverings be-, tween swerving automobiles. ‘Police today launched an “educaSonal”. program to make citizens
TIMES FEATURES ON INSIDE PAGES
Land Army Opposed Here
“This Sactor cost me $1100,” said c. Ww. Schmoll
“I can’t get
As ‘Nuisance’ on Farms
1 i
' By ROSEMARY REDDING
: Central Indiana farmers are ‘almost unanimously opposed to any land army of city youths and women for general farm work. ~ A survey by The Indianapolis. Times of farm operators. in. this area today ‘brought forth only one man willing to consider such assistance but even he: qualified his vote with “ifs” and “buts.” The general tenor of the farmers is that where general forts work
is concerned, city-bred boys; girls and women would be’ more of “a
‘nuisance” than an aid.
They indicated they "would ‘consider such assistance «only for per-]
ishable crops, like picking tomatoes|
or peas, a practice they have followéd many years.
‘There are dozens of farmers in
Marion county alone ‘who are un-| alterably oppesed to using any re-
cruits from the city. A similar condition prevails in adjoining coun-
‘ties, spot -checks with grain dealer
operators indicated. The . farmer's. viewpoint can be summed up as follows: 1. One experienced farm hand is worth five or six untrained youngsters. 2. Recruits from the city cannot be trusted with farm equipment and livestock. 3. The average farm operator cannot possibly meet the: average. wage for even messenger service in the city. One of the most outspoken critics of the land army proposal is C. W. Schaekel, R. R. 9. He farms. 300 acres, raises 75 head of hogs and beef and some dairy cattle. “They (the city-bred students and
(Continued on Page Four)
Will Help
realize there are such things as pedestrian trafic rules.
GIRLS’ SCHOOL HEAD RESIGNS POSITION
Adeline Lehman Returns to
Law Practice.
Mrs. Adeline Lehman has resigned as superintendent of the Indiana girls’ school at Clermont, effective April 15, it was learned this afternoon. The resignation has been accepted. Mrs, Lehman has sought to resign several times in order to return to. her law practice in Washingtoh, Ind., but each time has been prevailed upon by the board of trustees and the governor to remain. Governor Schricker said that Mrs. Léhman had done a very fine job at the girls’ school and that he deeply regretted her leaving. In the two years she has been superintendent, she has made ex-| tensive changes in the institutional{
procedures. and. her. work has been| |
praised by observers as ReleveI®L Gave Them Privileges
Instructors in the pedestrian law] pps
enforcement movement ‘here will be those military ‘police you've : seen downtown. Bo, if they ask you to stop, relax and wait for that green light, be-
fore darting across the street—re-|
Member Shelr action is. sponsored by the police traffic division and it’s for
your own good.
a Sudrey Jacobs, traffic head, ot ners ate bethg policed pairs of M. Ps from Ft. ised by
. Manisements: 8, o| Jane Jordan. . 15 Ash ...ooneees 16 i fy
| hitch-hiking. in cafeteria court.
10
One ' soldier directs automotive wage while anole: guards pedes-
against pedestrians found jay-walk-ing, crossing against red lights, orf Fines would be paid |’
Mr. Coombs reports, however, that
12| safety officials who have studied the| th
oo wary ot pig 1 tag 804 1X0 “They believe the spirit of
"new. sin-point program 0 ¢ ; oliands’ Bf “men” ‘elassified by|
s| motorists who naven't had your tires ‘the 3 ce ving She 1843. taxes 1 could an}
U.S. WILL PUSH OVER-AGE MEN INTO WAR JOBS
Boards Begin Tomorrow Classifying Non-Essen-tial 18:37 Workers.
WASHINGTON, March 31 (U. P). —The government tomorrow begins to drive men into activities essential
= {to the. war effort: coincident with &
Back Where They Started
By THOMAS L. STOKES "Times Special Writer WASHINGTON, ‘March 31. —Congress is back where it started two months ago on tax legislation—which is nowhere. But ‘one thing stood out from | the mad melee in the house yesterday—when that body first defeated, by a narrow margin, the Carlson bill with its Ruml pay-as-you-go plan, and then sent the administration measure, with no pay-as-you-go, back to the ways and means committee which conceived it, in complete repudiation. What stood out was that the’ house must, in the end, ops.
selective service as over-age ‘and
work, especially farming. Although compulsion presently is
through 37, there were hints that the maximum’ age would be boosted to 45 in order to force men over 38 to: return to the farm or take a job in an essential industry if they now are employed in the activities and occupations designated Feb. 2 by war manpower chief Paul McNutt as “non-deferrable.” Draft boards will start tomorrow to classify for induction men aged 18 through 37 who are still in nonessential jobs. Simultaneously, they will begin to reclassify men aged 38 through 45 who have been in class 4-H, the overage group.
Dairies Need Men
Meantime, McNutt and War Food Administrator Chester . C. Davis, who has charge of the farm labor problem, were preparing to carry out the new program announced
velt. The first concern is dairy farming which now has an’ lated manpower shortage of 50, men. Short of being a national orYioe program, the steps announc a nau by Mr. Roosevelt, who had been: in conference with Davis and other farm leaders, are
‘1. Discharge of men in the army who are 38 or older ends today and beginning tomorrow such individuals will be: transferred to inactive status ‘in ‘the enlisted reserve prothey ask such a transfer for the purposes of entering an essen-
physically disabled into: important ;
limited to men in the: draft age, 18].
late yesterday by President Roose-|
] 8 oy-us-you-go system.
‘ that defea cated the ‘ad- ; youED hat bill.” Tt ‘Was ‘the pay-as-you-go feature which accounted for the strength of the Carlson bill, in spite of terrific pressure by administration leaders and the | bath of demagoguery by. Demmocrats witnessed in the house | in- Fmny a gap:
HOOSIERS 8 T0 3 FOR RUM TAX BIL
La Follette Joins Two
Democrats in Opposition.
WASHINGTON, March 31 (U.P). —Indiana’s delegation in the house voted eight to three in favor ‘of tke Carlson-Ruml bill in losing vote for adoption of a pay-assyou-go: tax plan. : Rep. -Charles Marion La Follette was the only Republican from Indiana to oppose the measure, casiing a negative vote along with Reps. Louis Ludlow and Ray J. Madden, Democrats. Voting for the ‘Rumi pian were Reps. Charles A. Halleck, Robert A. Grant, George W. Gillie, Forest A. Harness, Noble J. Johnson, Gerald W. Landis, Earl Wilson and Raymond S. Springer. “I believe that a better pay-as-you-go plan now can be worked out in ‘the ways and means committee,” Rep. La Follette said today: “Instead of cancelling the 1942 taxes, as the Ruml plan proposes,
Se and they should be amortized over a
3 | five-to-10-year period. It was the
many
, complete ‘abatement feature and not pay-as-you-go to which I was osed. - That is true of .the other blica. voting ‘against the Carson amendment and I believe of the Democrats. “I look for a better bill next time. The committee bill was nothing at all and the Carlson amendment for-
| LOGAL TEMPERATURES am ...5 Bam... m. ...-55 . 11 a.m. m. os ... 51 12 noon). oe
. 68 1.a. N 8a 9a
yesterday's}
AIR
TAX ON SALES FEARED AFTER RUML DEFEAT
Republicans Promise : New Fight for Plan With
Forgiveness.
' WASHINGTON, March 31. P) —Republican leaders, promising @ ‘new drive ‘for adoption of the modified Rumi tax plan, today said
that: sate. of “the house: to act : inde out ation en
ers] I
2 the Pousiiiiy-
author of the Carlson-Ruml bill to forgive a year’s income taxes, which
tax bill. to raise the $16,000,000,000 in new revenue requested by President ‘Roosevelt. +“ “The tee will be unable to bring out another tax bill ‘without the ' whole question of pay-as-you-go being considered again,” Carlson said. “I have just begun to fight. Need Money Quick “Without forgiveness and a withholding at the source feature, the treasury will be unable to collect sufficient funds to carry on the war unless a ‘national sales tax is levied. They've got to gel more money and get it quick.” Democratic leaders insisted that the house's 215 to 198 vote against the Carlson-Ruml plan reflected a demand for a. suitable compromise between the total forgiveness proposal and the non-abatement plan for a 20 per cent withholding at the source recommended: by the ways and means committee. "Action Now Delayed But ‘there was considerable sentiment among the Democrats, and some Republicans, to leave the whole question of collection methods rest. This came from members of the ways and means committee who are anxious to begin work on "| bills to extend the Guffey bituminous coal commission act, which expires: April 26, and the president's authority over reciprocal trade agreements, expiring June 12. - The urgency on these measures, they said, might delay the pay-as-you-go issue indefinitely.
LOPEZ, FBI HEAD, IS TRANSFERRED
J. M. Lopez special agent in charge of the FBI in Indiana, has been transferred to San Juan, P. R,, as agent in charge, it was announced
; in Washington today.
Mr. Lopez said here that he probably will leave for the .new post Saturday. He came here from Washington in April, 1042. His suc-|
sessor bias ot vel, best announced
“The Indians unemployment fund: wrote Mr. Biggs, 4 inveded
trust
= Challenge fo Times Shows u. S. Floawing
ovement pasa: to th vie wt
me already has credited Indi-
w.|
i Brenk Garison ® Easy|
J {was approved then rejected by the] { |house yesterday; indicated that the| drive would come when. the house| begins consideration of the general|
ways and means commit-
‘Our Fault!
Rime Davis
WASHINGTON, March 31. (U. P.).—Elmer Davis, director of the
today that the . 1, cause of the meat shortage , on Monday was. the b “run” of last’ week-end when he said, so many of us. “went out whole hog for the last steak.” Davis added that’ the general impression that we are running out of meat is . ‘definitely not true.” ‘ :
COMPLAINT FILED
Two Men Charge They Were Beaten.
Charges that three Hidisnapolis policemen were guilty of misconduct in their treatment of occupants of a tavern at -25th st. and Martindale ave., were lodged with the ‘safety board yesterday. Two negroes who were in the tavern Saturday afternoon when police entered the place, alleged the officers “struck occupants and emptied their liguor in a sink” without provocation. “The protests were filed by Ted Hood, 1120. Cornell ave., who was custodian of the house during the recent session of the legislature, and Dave Jackson, 812 W. Michigan st., a plasterer. Hood charged that police first asked for draft registration cards of those present, and then singled" out: several occupants for further questioning. As he was being led from the tavern, he alleged one of the ‘officers hit him on the side of the head with his fist. A hearing on the incident was scheduled by the board for April 7.
U. S. AND RUSSIAN TALKS ARE HINTED
President Declares He's Still Hopeful.
By LYLE C. WILSON United Press Staff Correspondent
Comprehensive plans for a series! of united nations conferences on post-war economics problems were]! spiced today by intimations that the
the very near future.
office ‘of war information, . said
AGAINST OFFICERS
WASHINGTON, March 31.—|
United States and the Soviet Union|
“poident Tomes: i prs
FLEEING ROMMEL MAULED IN WAR'S GREATEST
BLIT
IN ON BZERTE
From Big Base: Yank Columns Gain.
By UNITED PRESS
Allied armies tightened Tunisian trap around Mars Rommel’s weakened forces
dai bi driving the
bottleneck and syst town of Sedjenane only miles from the Bizerte 1 base in the north,
In ei press. reports North Africa, the air action. called “the greatest air is in
‘| whiole history. of the war,
anything the British had to cg with at Dunkirk, Crete, Greece Tobruk.” : Advance In Noeth :
Throughout the day light. 3 ers carried out the pattern b plan .in which the planes fly strict formation, covering .a gi area in such a mahner that tually every yard of ground share of bombs. : As the triumphant British army rolled northward on the he of the Afrika Korps, Lieut. . Kenneth A. N. Anderson's’ first struck a telling blow at
base in North Tunisia.
(Map of Tunisia, war ar Russian fighting and other news, Page nine.)
bY
A sudden thrust: by Ande: forces in the northern coastal s recaptured - Sedjenane, 128 1 southwest of Bizerte. The drive the Djebel Abiod atea recla territory held by Col. Gen. Ju Van Arnim for nearly a month. |
C1
encountering little opposition Rommel’s rear guard as it northward beyond the 12-mile ridor between the sea snd the lake. Metoui and Oudrey, in the b neck just north of Gabes, fell to advancing eighth army.
Yanks Push Forward ;