The Daily Tribune from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin • Page 1

THE WEATHER For Wisconsin: Cloudy tonight. Wednesday partly cloudy with little change in temperature. Clothing that your children have outgrown can be sold by Tribune Classified ads. Local weather facts for 24 hours preceding 7 a. Maximum 26; minimum 17.

A CONST RUC I PA Thirty-Third Year No. 10,260. Wisconsin Rapids, Tuesday, December 3, 1946. Single Copy Five Cents ETTJYX 1 i A Anglo American iscsose erger a)irollcs UOoy siS6ic With Attack on Court of German Zones New York () Secretary of State Byrnes, jointly 'announcing With Foreign Minister Bevin a British-American economic merger in Germany, declared today that he would ask the Big Four foreign ministers to discuss peace plans for Austria as well as Germany before ending their New York sessions. Byrnes and Bevin said in a statement that the zone economic merger would become effective January 1, that it should make Germans self-sufficient in three years and that they hoped it would lead to discussions with Russia and France for the economic unification of all Germany.

Byrnes discussed the radical new agreement, which diplomats consider the most important development in allied policy on Germany since the occupation started, at a news conference. It was his first meet U. Please Note Wood county today enjoys the novel experience of being completely free of bonded indebtedness, for the first time in 20 years or more. County Clerk J. A.

Schind-ler drew a check this morning to retire the last $10,000 in highway improvement bonds which were issued June 1, 1939. Interest on this final payment amounted to $62.50. i ing with reporters since the foreign ministers council opened here AFL Strike May Bottle Up Oakland Oakland, Cal. () An AFL-called 'general strike went into effect this morning threatening a tie-up of transportation and industry for 1,000,000 East Bay persons and shutting off commuter service for 120,000 across the San Francisco-Oakland bay bridge. None of the early morning street cars left their barns and those which had operated on overnight schedules stopped running as the deadline approached.

The commuter trains which daily carry thousands to work in San Francisco across the eight and one-half mile bay bridge did not leave their barns. Pickets patrolled around the plants of the Oakland Tribune and the Post-Inquirer as well as factories, stores, bars and restaurants. Alarmed city officials considered a disaster emergency plan whereby citizens would volunteer to bring in food and other necessities. "We don't want trouble but if others do, we're prepared," said Ralph York, acting city manager of Oakland. Oakland's 500 police were put on 12 hours shifts and days off were cancelled.

The jnass walkout stemmed from strikes at two department stores where the AFL Retail Clerks union See OAKLAND Page 9 FIRST WITNESS AGAINST SENATOR BILBO T. V. Wilson, president of the Mississippi Progressive Voters league, (right) is directed to the witness stand in Jackson, past Bilbo. He was the first witness to testify in hearing investigating charges of intimidation of Negro votes in the July 2 elections in Mississippi. Miners and Chief to Be Sentenced Vednesday Washington (AP) John L.

Lewis and his United Mine Workers were held "guilty of contempt of court" today for disregarding an order designed to avert the industry-shattering soft coal strike. Federal Judge T. Alan Goldsborough, who handed down the historic verdict after five days of court proceedings, deferred sentence until tomorrow. The penalties in fines or jail sentences are within the discretion of the court. The law sets no maxima or minima in contempt cases.

Opposing attorneys were directed by Judge Goldsborough to submit their recommendations tomorrow morning. The overnight adjournment was announced after Lewis, making his first public utterance since before the 13-day-old strike, had spoken out against "this ugly recrudescence of government by injunction." He referred to the court's restraining order directing him to withdraw his contract termination notice, which led to the strike. Lewis declared the order deprives the miners of their constitutional rights as American citizens. Pending sentence, Goldsborough directed that Lewis go free of bond, in custody of his counsel. AFL General Counsel Joseph A.

Padway protested indig nantly: "The court did not need to add 'in-custody of counsel'." Lewis, Padway said, will be in court of his own free will at any time the judge orders. In announcing his verdict, Goldsborough emphasized that Lewis was guilty both individually and as president of UMW, and that UMW is separately guilty-Then he said quietly that having found Lewis guilty of contempt, he considered the question of sentence "of course very important." "While it may be somewhat unusual, but certainly not improper," he said, "the court would like to have the views of counsel for the defendants and counsel for the government as to what these sentences should be." Neither the government nor defense lawyers would discuss with reporters the question of penalties. When Lewis was asked for comment, he merely shook his head slightly and turned away. After the judge announced his verdict, Lewis asked for and was granted permission to make a statemnt. "The history of labor injunctions prior to 1932 is a sordid one, Lewis began in somber tones.

It was Lewis' first public statement since before the soft coal strike began on November 20. Lewis stood facing the judge, with his broad back to the crowded courtroom. After reviewing a history of government statutes forbidding courts to restrain strikes, he turned quickly to coal strike issues and inveighed against "the deadly brutal 54-hour work week in American coal mines." Lewis asserted the UMW had been impelled to announced termination of its contract with the government on November 13. This step led to the coal strike and the contempt proceeding against Lewis and the UMW. After his announcement that the contract was ended, Lewis said, the government in violation of the Norris-LaGuardia (anti-injunction) Negro Tells of Beating After Trying to Ballot $3,000 Loss As Creosote Catches Fire Damage estimated at $3,000 or more was caused by fire at the John Murgatroyd residence on Two Mile avenue in the town of Grand Rap ids this morning.

Prompt action by the Wisconsin Rapids fire depart ment, which was called at 9:50, pre vented complete destruction of the house. A pan of creosote, being heated on the kitchen range, burst into flames and, when Mrs. Murgatroyd attempted to carry the receptacle outdoors, the heat caused her to drop it on the floor. The flames spread rapidly throughout the kitchen, then through the bathroom and bedroom. Escapes Uninjured Mrs.

Murgatroyd's hair was singed, but she escaped being burned. Her husband attempted to put out the flames with a hand extinguisher while awaiting the arrival of the department, but to no avail. The burning creosote created such an intense heat that the handle on the door of the electric refrigerator was melted, and all electrical appliances in the kitchen were ruined by fusing of the wires. The kitchen windows were broken by the heat. Walls, Ceilings Blackened Flames spurting through the open front door charred the ceiling of the porch and a portion of the front of the house.

The walls and ceilings in all rooms were blackened by the oily smoke, and the furniture was scorched. The fire department was also summoned at 7:55 this morning to the Joe Jinsky residence, 1651 Apricot street, to extinguish a fire in a wall around a stovepipe. Damage was negligible. As We (So IP Piess FREIGHT EMBARGO PLANNED Washington (P) The Associ-ation of American Railroads today established an embargo, effective at midnight tonight, on rail movement of freight destined for overseas export, with the exception of food and fuel. REPORT STALIN ILL Istanbul, Turkey () Two Istanbul newspapers published assertions today that Prime Minister Stalin of Russia was seriously ill.

WAR VETERAN KILLED Milwaukee (IP) Thomas F. O'Connor, 73, Spanish-American war veteran, was injured fatally last night when he was struck by an automobile near the Veterans' home where he resided. a monui ago. He made these major disclosures: 1. The foreign ministers council, in his opinion, may wind up this week the peace treaties for Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Finland and proceed at once to a discussion of the German question.

2. On Germany, Byrnes intends to insistfas he' had previously said he wouid, on a discussion of Ger many a western frontiers chiefly whether France should get the Saar and have the Euhr international ized (Diplomatic authorities said that, since French President-Premier Georges Bidault is not attending the New York four-power meeting, France would oppose any such im portant talks on Germany here and the Big Four probably will agree to delay the boundary talks.) 3. The United States will ask that the Austrian question be taken up hare. The main issue, diploma' tic informants said, is whether-an arrangement can be made for the early withdrawal of Russian and other Allied troops from Austria 4. Byrnes is adhering strictly to his policy contrary to what the Russians want that the Allied powers should not take any German reparations from current German production.

The Russians are known to want an agreement by which they might collect reparations for many years to come. 5. The probable result of the four-power talks on Germany here wall be the appointment of a commission of deputies to do the spade work for a foreign ministers' meeting in Europe early next year. Byrnes will favor hearings on the German question for Belgium, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Luxembourg, all of which have asked to be heard, but it is uncertain whether any of them will be allowed actually to participate in the German discussions. PreFab Loans Are Increased Washington (IP) The Reconstruction Finance corporation boosted its total of prefabricated housing loans above $4,000,000 today and reopened two more applications totalling but a housing agency spokesman said the government money actually in sight would permit only a fraction of planned production.

Housing Expediter Wilson Wyatt, his plans unaffected by the new RFC loan actions, arranged a conference with President Truman to make his second bid in a week for stronger authority. One thing he wants is power to direct RFC to make loans. Housing officials compared the $4,000,000 in loan approvals with what they described as turn-downs from RFC on applications for some $60,000,000. They said the approved borrowers had plans for less than 20,000 homes while the unsuc cessful applicants had planned prefabricated units. The housing agency's original 1946 prefabricated housing goal was 250,000 units while 1947 plans called for 600,000.

Four Eagle Badges To be Given Tonight Four Wisconsin Rapids Boy Scouts, Peter Bunde, John Baranow-ski, Don Randall and Ronald Kluge, will be awarded their Eagle badges, highest rating in Scouting, during a South Wood district court of honor to be held in the Port Edwards High school auditorium at 7:30 this evening. Other awards and merit badges also will be conferred at the affair, which is open to the public. BROUGHT TO HOSPITAL Carl Adamscheck, 90, Route 5, was brought to Riverview hospital by ambulance early Monday evening, suffering from exposure, after being found in the barn at the farm of his grandson, Andrew Jensen, with whom he. resides. Mr.

Adamscheck, who has been an invalid for a number of years, apparently wandered into the barn and collapsed several hours before he was found. 1 Polar-Bound Ships Tossed In Heavy Sea Aboard the U. S. S. Mt.

Olympus (p) Heavy seas made the going rough today as the navy's Antarctic expedition pushed southward, heading for the Panama canal. Off Hatteras last night swells tolled the four ships of this contingent until dishes were smashed by the dozens. The flotilla, which includes the flagship, a destroyer, a seaplane tender and an icebreaker, is due at Panama Saturday. After traversing the canal, the ships will head southward for a rendezvous with other vessels from west coast ports. The expedition is under command of Rear Adm.

Richard E. Byrd of polar expedition fame. Four months of exploration and scientific-military testing are planned. The departure of these ships from Norfolk, yesterday was without formality and with only one touch of excitement. At the last tvinmorvt it wns diKinvpred that someone had stolen three of five pups which were to be mascots.

French Vote Socialist To Head Council Paris (IP) Socialist Vincent Auriol was elected president of the new French national assembly today, defeating the Communist and Radical-Socialist candidates. Auriol received 284 ballots, Marcel Cachin, Communist, 170, and Alexandre Varenne, Radical-Socialist, 98. Auriol's election was made possible by the support of the conservative Popular Republican Movement (MPR) headed by Georges Bidault, the retiring president-pre mier. The premiership is sought Communist Maurice Thorez. by Elliott Roosevelt May Be Called to Testify by Group Los Angeles (IP) Investigation of alleged subversive activities in Hollywood will be opened today by a house committee on un-American affairs, whose chairman said Elliott Roosevelt, son of the late president, will be subpoenaed, if possible, to testify concerning remarks he is reported to have made in Moscow.

Committee Chairman Rep. John S. Wood (D-Ga.) said he understood Roosevelt will be back in the states December 18, and: "I would like to know just what he said (in Moscow) if anything." Elliott has denied published reports he criticized American foreign poli cy. Wood said a number of film colony figures will be called. The meet ings will be closed, he added, because "the radicals gang up on us with their heckling." ISSUE CALL FOR RESERVES Washington (IP) The army air forces today issued a call for reserve officers specializing in communications, weather, design and development, and procurement to apply for appointments in the regular army.

AAF said officer personnel in. these categories is "critically short." HI NABOR Oil Mill Why a boy that rides a f5 bicycle In city traffic don't least three times a day. I don't know. act asked for a restraining order and without hearing." and it was granted "without notice Sonorously he went on, denouncing "this coercive and all-embracing Ickes Calls Lewis 'Our Own Hitler9 Washington (IP) Describing John L. Lewis as "our own domestic Hitler," Harold L.

Ickes today declared the government played "drop the handkerchief" when it could have been heading off the coal strike. The former secretary of interior, styling himself the "father of the Big and Little Inch pipelines," testified before the house committee investigating surplus property on using the lines to help alleviate the fuel shortage. Ickes said the government could have used the pipelines long ago to set up a competitive situation in fuels that might have discouraged the coal strike. "Today we are not at war with Hitler," he declared, "but we are in a desperate fight to keep our economy with its nose above the water to protect the interests and advance the welfare of our people and repel the assault of our own domestic dictator, a ruthless dicta tor who goes by the name of John L. Lewis." He added: "Adolph Hitler himself was nev er more inconsiderate and brutal than John L.

Lewis who on mbre than one occasion has shown his willingness to be. "The use of the Big and Little Inch pipelines to transport gas from Texas would, by no means, end the use of coal in the northeastern part of the country. It would however, provide a competitive fuel which would help to relieve the rigors imposed upon this great industrial area by the whimsical behaviorism of John L. Lewis." Report Gardner May Get Ambassador Post Washington (IP) Friends of O. Max Gardner said today he has been offered the post of ambassador to Great Britain.

Gardner, a onetime governor of North Carolina, is now undersecretary of the treasury. a distorted and frequently erroneous picture of the military government in Germany. "From information available it appears that the subject matter of the report is based upon unsworn statements and in many cases upon hearsay evidence." The report in question was made by committee Counsel George Header after a trip to Germany. Purported extracts have been published in several quarters. The- Republicans' principal argument for release of the entire report was understood to be that inaccurate impressions have been produced by the piecemeal leaks.

On that premise, they gave copies to reporters yesterday with the stipulation that they could made public Wednesday. Didn't Release Report Kilgore said he did not know how restraining order," which he was accused of ignoring. Speaking "officially a3 president of the UMW and vice president of the AFL "with 8,000,000 members," Lewis. said he could not subscribe to "this ugly recrudescence of government by injunction." Addressing the court, he said: "Your injunction, sir, I respectfully submit, deprives the miners of these constitutional rights, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom from involuntary servitude. Jackson, Miss.

(IP) A Negro veteran, displaying clothing splashed with brown stains, told senate investigators today he was beaten insensible in a jail at Gulfport, July 2 after trying unsuccessfully to vote. The senate committee investigating Sen. Theo G. Bilbo's primary campaign tactics heard this veteran, Richard E. Daniel, after two others testified they had been refused registration after being asked a number of questions on government.

Both said they believed the examination procedure was inspired by Bilbo's campaign advice to local officials for handling would-be Negro voters, quoted as, "Ask them questions they can't answer." Daniel said he tried to vote at the Gulfport city hall but was told "you are in the wrong place." As he was leaving the building, he said, two men named Estes and Allen struak him and said, "Take off that damn hat and don't let us catch you in here with it on." Daniel said all the other men in the room were wearing hats. Daniel, a slight, neatly-dressed man, said he made no resistance and left, but was overtaken a short distance outside the building by the same two men with a policeman named Williams. He said he was $75,000 Damage in Warehouse Blaze Madison (IP) Firemen of four Madison companies fought for two hours today a fire in a one-story warehouse owned by Garver's Supply company, which resulted in damage estimated at $75,000, according to James Carver, firm president. Six companies subleased space in the building which was approximately 35 years old, Garver said. portions of the report had become available earlier to "certain favored members of the press." Published accounts have declared the report contains charges of widespread misconduct by occupation troops, by Negro soldiers and German women; of very high venereal disease rates; of low quality replacement troops; of an influx of large numbers of Jewish refugees into the American zone; and of the refusal of many thousands of displaced persons to be repatriated from the American zone, where their care is being paid for by United States taxpayers.

Plans for hearings in Europe by a subcommittee were w'ell advanced before the open appearance of opposition from the war and state departments which finally resulted in cancellation of the inquiry. taken to jail and that as soon as he arrived there Williams, saying a word, began beating him about the head and body with his fists. "The last lick was in the stomach," Daniel said, declaring he lost consciousness and that when he revived, he was taken to a cell When a lawyer arranged bail several hours later, he said, he learned he had been charged with being drunk and disorderly. The hearing broadened today into an investigation of the handling of would-be Negro voters by local officials. Driver Hurt In Collision Archie C.

Topping, 51, Star route, Pittsville, was taken by ambulance to Riverview hospital for treatment of chest injuries following a traffic accident at the intersection of East Grand avenue and Second street at 5:20 Monday afternon. Topping's car was involved in a collision with an automobile driven by J. M. Shearier, 651 Twelfth street south. Damage to the two vehicles was estimated at $40.

Two other accidents Were reported here Monday afternoon. Cars operated by Donald D. Carlson, 721 Eleventh street north, and Alma G. Frisby, 821 Third street south, collided at the intersection of Eleventh and Wisconsin streets, causing $70 damage. Three cars received fender damage estimated at $45 in an acci dent on Johnson street, involving vehicles driven by Roman P.

Kors-lin, Route 2, and Frank S. Moberg, 630 Ninth avenue south, and a parked car owned by Stephen Oczachow-ski, Route 5. A car operated by Ray Wheir, Route 4, received $40 damage when it ran into a guard rail on Highway 73 two miles north of Nekoosa early Monday morning. Wheir reported his vision was obscured by frost on the windshield. Civic Housing Corp.

To Build Homes For Manitowoc Veterans Manitowoc (IP) Construction of 60 housing units for veterans will begin here as soon as bids are let, Mayor Martin Georgenson said today. Sponsor of the project is a civic veterans housing corporation, headed by the mayor and including representatives of business, labor and World war II veterans. The units, which will sell for about $4,500, will be built on land at present owned by the city but which will be turned over to the corporation. Grading and installation of Rewage and water systems, already is underway. vine miners ana 1 stand upon these constitutional rights as American citizens.

This is labor's traditional position. For the purpose of acquainting the court with the historical position taken by the American Federation of Labor, permit ma to read a paragraph from a report unanimously adopted by the American Federation of Labor at its 1919 convention: 'The fate of the sovereignty of American people again hangs in the balance. It 13 inconceivable that such an autocratic, despotic and tyrannical power can long remain in a democracy. One or the other must ultimately give way, and your committee believes that this convention should de-See LEWIS Page 9 ana G.O.P. Senators Ignore War Dept.

Plea, Reveal Reich Investigation 12 Charred Bodies Taken From Plane In French Alps Eel fort, France (A') Twelve charred bodies have been extricated from the wreckage of a plane that crashed yesterday on the eastern slope of the Ballon D'Alsace peak in the Vosges mountains, gendarmerie headquarters said today. The wreckage was burned so badly that the searching party could not identify the plane, believed to be a French army transport from Germany, nor ascertain the identity, age or sex of the victims, the announcement said. 3 Coal Miners Tired Of Strikes Enlist Clarksburg, W. Three Shinnston coal miners, saying they were "tired of coal strikes," signed up for hitches in the regular army here today. Capt.

J. A. Dries, commanding officer of the army recruiting station here, said the three all former marines told him, they were idled by the current bituminous coal shutdown and that they would be "better off" in the armed services. Captain Dries identified them as Harold Lester Gregory and Kenneth B. Gregory, brothers, and Edward Gregory, a cousin, Washington (IP) A Republican decision to make public a staff investigator's "confidential" report on conditions in the American occupation zone of Germany today widened an already gaping party-line split in the senate war investigating committee.

Chairman Kilgore (D-W. Va.) criticized the decision by the four G. O. P. committee members Brewster Ball Ferguson (R-Mich.) and Knowland He declared it is not a committee report, but one by a committee employe, and is based in part on "hearsay evidence." Patterson is Opposed In addition, Kilgore read report ers a letter from Secretary Patterson expressing the war department's opposition to release, of the report.

"As written," Kilgore quoted Pat terson as saying, "this report gives.