The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • 1

INDIAN APO" Weather Forecast LIGHT SNOW Sunrise, 7:37. 6:22. i tin LAST EDITION 7fT YYV NUMBER 61 WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 16, 1944. OC A Entered as Second-Clasi Matter at PoitoHlce, TTnTTP PP.MTQ 0 ii-iVJf JDO Indianapolis 6, Ind. Issued dally except Sunday.

VU1V J.kj UU. XJJU. WHOLE NO 23,183 rn JVJ fa) fo) 151 IT TT TT LIS NEWS 2,800 Tons Are Loosed in Twenty-Minute Raid LONDON, Feb. 16 (AP) The R. A.

F. smashed Berlin Tuesday night with the greatest load of bombs ever dropped on a single target well over 2,800 tons, which cascaded Vat "timfHt 11 1 k. ft i Allies Capture Green Islands, Trap Jap Force Seizure at Northern Tip of Solomons Cuts down in a smothering twenty-minute attack by 800 to 900 heavy bombers. Forty-three aircraft are missing from the night's operations, which included other forays. The R.

A. F. waited two weeks.to deal this crushing blow against the expiring capital of the German Reich. Not since January 30, when Berlin was hit by a force approaching 800 planes, had it made a major attack. The News Acquires Radio Station WIBC The Indianapolis News announced today it has acquired radio station WIBC, subject to the approval of the Federal Communications Commission.

The station, which has its studios in the Indianapolis Athletic Club, was purchased from the owner, H. G. Wall. Pending approval of the FCC, no change will be made in the management, personnel or program policy of the station, it was announced by The News. Through acquisition of station The Indianapolis News will become the first newspaper in Indianapolis to own and operate a radio station.

The News thus will be in a position to bring to its reading and listening public the tremendous developments in many fields of radio after the war. Welfare Board Criticised for Lax Supervision Too Much Authority Given Subordinates, Says Assembly Body Asserting that the state welfare board's control over the public welfare system, now costing about $26,000,000 a year, "has been and Is very weak," the special legislative commission Investigating the welfare program in Indiana issued a report Wednesday condemning the practice of permitting policies to be dictated by employes of the department, "Too much of the actual administration of welfare is left to subordinates whose recommendations are taken at face value without independent investigation on the part of board members," the report claims. "The commission feels that this situation should be corrected and will recommend a revision of the board along different lines," The special commission, composed of members of the Indiana general assembly. Is conducting hearings and examining witnesses in order to report to the 1945 legislature. This report will be the basis for such remedial legislation as the general assembly deems advisable.

Mould Restore Tax Board Right. Restoration to county tax adjustment boards of the legal right lc pass on welfare budgets also is advocated in the commission's report. This legal power, it is ittated, was taken away from county tax adjustment boards by the general assembly of 1937, although county councils retained legal right to review and, if necessary, reduce welfare budgets in the same manner as such county councils pass on other county budgets. Elimination of the parole review board and of much of the secrecy surrounding welfare recipients is recommended in, the commission's report. Changes in the children's division also are suggested.

"An inspection of the foster-homes program of the welfare de-parement, especially in larger cities, leads to the conclusion that many such homes are unfit from a health and sanitation standpoint, It is believed that the armada sent over Germany Tuesday night comprised the greatest number of plsmes ever to fill the Reich's skies in one night, including 1,000 heavy bombers and more than 200 lighter craft. Berlin received the contents of 800 to 900 big bomb bays. Billows of flame swept through the city when the assault was finished. Crevs of reconnoitering Mosquitos reported a very large field of fire, with smoke pluming four miles into the air. Just before Berlin was hit a smaller force of Lancasters made a feint attack on Frankfurt-on-Oder, fifty miles east of Berlin, and Mosquitos bombed targets in western Germany and Holland.

Mines also were laid in enemy waters. The heaviest previous raid on Berlin was on the night of last January 20, when more than 2,578 tons (2,300 British long tons) were dropped within an hour. The R. A. heaviest previous raid on a single target was its attack on Hannover about 2,800 tons (2,500 long tons) last September 22.

Photo by XT. S. A. Signal Corps. KNOWS VALUE OF RED CROSS PLASMA He can't give away his Silver Star, so he says "Thanks." Corporal Martin Hozan at Billings General Hospital, awarded the Silver Star, wishes he could give his citation to some one else.

It would go to whoever provided the blood plasma that saved his life. Since he does not know the donor, all he can say is "Thanks." South Bend Private, Former I.U. Student, Inherits 2 Million LONDON, Feb. 16 (AP) Private Ben R. Violette, 26, South Bend, has just inherited $2,000,000 from an aunt.

Mrs. Marty Martin, of Ontario, Canada, left the estate, a statement issued in Violette's behalf by headquarters of the European theater of operations said Wednesday. He will get the money after four years, when he becomes thirty. The G. I.

millionaire is a former student of Indiana University. He was employed by the Bendix of South Off Troops to South ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC, Feb. 16 (AP) Admiral W'illiam F. Hal-sey's South Pacific forces in a bold surprise move seized the Green islands at the northern tip of the n.T i ouioiiious iviuiiuay, vjenerai j-uug-1 las MacArthur announced Wednes day, closing a starve-or-surrender trap on 22,000 Japanese troops to, the south. American and New Zealand troops, under cover of air and naval surface strength which included cruisers, landed at twilight and met only light machine-gun' resistance.

"For all strategic military pur-; poses, this completes the cam-i paign for the Solomon islands," MacArthur said in a communique. The estimated 22,000 Japanese trapped on Choiseul, Shortland, Bougainville and Buka islands to the south "are now isolated from their sources of supply at Rabaul," he said. "Starvation and disease are certain to ensue from the military blockade which renders their position hopeless. With their airfields destroyed and their barge traffic paralyzed, relief of the scattered garrisons is no longer practicable and their ultimate fate is sealed." The Green islands, also known as the Nissan islands, are forty miles northwest of Buka island and about 120 miles, east of the Japanese base at Rabaul, where the enemy has been taking repeated and heavy Allied aerial poundings. They also are only 230 miles southeast of another Japanese base at Kavieng, New Ireland.

Territory seized by the Ameri cans and New Zealanders is com posed -of a five coral islands forming a horseshoe-shaped atoll sixteen by fourteen miles. There is an interior lagoon and a low coral perimeter. There are a number of flat places suitable for airfields. The operation culminated a series of outflanking maneuvers in the Solomons under MacAr thur's direction and executed by Halsey beginning with the landing at Rendova island last June. It also marked a 750-mile advance northwestward since the Marines stormed ashore at Guadalcanal Au gust 7, 1942.

Daily air attacks on the air fields at Rabaul helped make pos sible easy occupation of the Green islands. The New Britain base re- Continued on Page 4, Column 7 Citizens to Give Housing Opinions Will Express Views on Federal Project The mayor's emergency housing committee was to meet late Wednesday to hear various groups of citizens express opinions concerning plans of federal housing authorities to locate prefabricated houses in the northeast section of the city. The mayor's committee has no power to control locations chosen by government agents, but it is believed its recommendations will carry weight with William K. Divers, head of the Chicago office of the national housing agency, who some months ago told local groups he solicited public opinion regarding proper neighborhoods in which to erect temporary homes for families of colored war workers. The Keystone Avenue and Thirty-fourth Street Civic League, already on record as favoring locations south of Thirtieth street, 1 said Wednesday its representatives will appear at the committee meeting to renew its recommenda- tions and protest against extending the federal housing project northward from Thirtieth street.

An order of the federal court, filed in the name of the federal housing commissioner in Washington, has cleared the way for condemnation of ninety-six build- plained Wednesday this order, however, does not prohibit the exchanging of lots north of Thirtieth street for suitable lots south of that thoroughfare. Representatives of the Civic League expects to show that schools, public utilities, churches, shopping districts and transportation are more advantageous betv een Thirtieth and Twenty-fifth streets than farther north. They also will show that federal housing projects in other cities have resulted in sharp reductions of property values in neighborhoods where elected, and will contend that the Indianapolis project, therefore, should avoid areas already built up by private home owners. 3 ing us up by getting on our flank. Some one had to go out because we were surrounded.

The ser geant was wounded in a foxhole, so I picked them off one by one After I got by a machine gun nest, I saw a German crawl out of a foxhole and head for my sergeant. I didn't know what he intended to do, but I couldn't take any chances, so I shot him. By this time we had done so much damage that I guess the Nazi figured there were more than two of us and they gave up. We captured eight of them and brought them back in." The citation for Corporal Hozan reads: "His action, done in utter disregard for his own safety, re fleets the highest credit on himself and his service." It was after this citation that Corporal Hozan was wounded. "Our outfit was going to the North Shore.

A piece of shrapnel from a German 88 got me in the left leg. Those German 88s have a high velocity and they are ac curate. When you hear the shell ings, there is no time to duck. The stretcher bearers took me to an ambulance, which rushed me to a tent station. Here I was given plasma to enable me to withstand an operation.

Later I was moved to Sicily and then hospitalized for a while in Africa before being re turned by transport to the United States." i 2 Red Armies Move on Pskov Struggle in Cherkasy Trap in Final Stage MOSCOW, Feb. 16 (AP) The Red army made rapid progress Wednesday along the highway and railway between Luga and Pskov toward the communication junctions of Byelaya and Keofi-lova-Pustin while southeast of Lake Peipus other Soviet units struggled through the dense forests and swamps protecting Pskov on the north. Down in the northwest corner of the Dnieper bend the death struggle of the German forces trapped in the Cherkasy pocket entered its final stage. There every ravine, trench and slump of woods was the scene of des perate fighting. Many more Nazis died as the Russian troops closed in, at the same time throwing back repeated rescue attacks by Field Marshal Fritz von Mann-stein's tank brigades.

The advance toward Pskov in the north, however, was more spectacular, for it exemplified Russian fighting tactics as well as any campaign to date the strategy of fighting down highways and side roads rather than attacking on a straight line front. Byelaya is on the Leningrad- Pskov railway between Luga and Pskov and is connected with Gdov to the west by an excellent highway. Keofilova-Pustin is twelve miles east of Byelaya on the Luga- Pskov highway junction for the road leading to the southwestern shore of Lake Ilmen. Units of General Leonid A. Govorov's Leningrad army are withm seventeen miles of Byelaya and less than that from Keofilova- Allies Breach Cassino Line; Lose Aprilia Americans Close In on Enemy Left Holding Blasted Monastery, ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, Algiers, Feb.

16 (AP) American siege guns have opened a con centrated bombardment of Monastery Hill and "breaches" have been opened in that main sector of the German line overlooking Cassino, it was announced Wednesday, but in the invasion beachhead to the west headquarters acknowledged loss of Carro-ceto ten miles north of Anzio. American infantrymen are reported closing in on the ruined Picture on Page 3, Part 1 Benedictine abbey on the crest of Mt. Cassino. Warships again battered the Germans ringing the Anzio beach head and RAF Wellingtons flung down block busters In a night attack. United States artillery opened up on Monastery Hill following the aerial destruction of historic Mt.

Cassino abbey, which the Germans had converted into a fortress. German infantry presumably was still in possession of the key hill, above besieged Cassino, where violent battling swept into its fifteenth day. The fighting increased in intensity as American soldiers who already hold one-third of the town continued the methodical destruc- Continued on Page 4, Column 5 Indianapolis Youth Killed in Marshalls; Gunner Is Missing An Indianapolis soldier was killed in the Marshall islands invasion and an Army air force gun ner is missing following a mission over Germany, the war "depart ment has informed relatives. Pfc. Richard E.

Lutz, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Homer M. Lutz, 2213 North Gale street, was killed in action February 3 on Kwajalein atoll in the Marshalls. Staff Sergeant John D.

Huffman, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. D. Huffman, 4024 Winthrop ave nue, has been missing in action over Germany since January 29 Earlier the Navy department had confirmed the death in action of an Indianapolis Marine and the wounding in action of a sailor irom nere. They are: Corporal John A.

Kraig, with the Marines, killed in action. He was the son of Mrs. Margaret Bennett, 1783 South Lynhurst drive. Karl R. Johnson, motor machin ist's mate first class, wounded in action with the navy.

He is the husband of Mrs. Helen Norene Johnson, 613 Prospect street. Sergeant Huffman, an armored gunner on a Flying Fortress, was wounded on a previous raid over Germany and had returned to his base after receiving treatment In a hospital in England. He has been overseas since November. Young Lutz had entered the army four days after Pearl Harbor and had been overseas since June, 1943, having served at Kiska and Hawaii before being sent to the Marshalls.

A native of Indianapolis, the soldier was a graduate of School 51 and had been employed by his father, who operates Shorty's Paint and Body Shop, before entering the service. Private Lutz was engaged to marry Miss Ruby Hensley, Mun-cie. A brother, Emerson Lutz, petty officer third class, is stationed at Great Lakes, 111. Machinist's Mate Johnson was wounded when his ship was sunk off the coast of New Britain December 27. He was attached to the destroyer Brownson.

A former employe of the Allison division of General Motors Corporation and the Schwitzer-Cummins Company, he is the son of Charles C. Johnson, R. R. 2, Box 426. His wife is an employe of the Three Bold Planning for Jobs Urged Start Now to Solve Problem, Says CED Head Immediate, bold and aggressive planning of ways and means to wage war against unemployment was urged Wednesday by Louis Ruthenburg, Evansville manufacturer and state chairman of the committee for economic development, who spoke at a combined meeting of the Indiana Savings and Loan League and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis held in the Indianapolis Athletic Club.

Mr. Ruthenburg said victories won on the battlefronts will be lost unless "our third war against unemployment also is won." America must win this third war, he said, "in order to regain and keep the people's fundamental freedom of free enterprise which is now all but lost." This freedom of personal opportunity, he asserted, has been taken away from the people in recent years by leaders who promised se curity under conditions of eco nomic and social maladjustments. Mr. Ruthenburg said the fight should be against the underlying disease of which demagogues. and dictators are but symptoms.

Encroaching: Socialism. "Although our country thus far has been too strong and too rich to be engulfed in revolutionary so cialism, as have Russia, Germany and Italy, we are the victims of in sidious, encroaching Socialism and we may as well recognize that fact," he said. "In the degree to which Socialism grows, freedom of opportunity diminishes. "So here is a well-defined target: To regain and to preserve our freedoms we must win the third war against unemployment. The weapon is bold, aggressive and immediate planning.

With the target defined we must start shooting immediately. The business men of America must now trans late the philosophy of the committee for economic development into action. "I am enthusiastically optimistic. I think the golden age of the United States lies immediately ahead of us. I believe this because I know that American business has capacities and abilities never yet measured.

The war supplied American business with a definite target which led to prodigious, apparently impossible accomplishments. Our postwar tar- get now has been clearly defined The most that we can do is the least we dare to do." Greene Gives Report. Tn nnrmai rprmr-t lri cfnt purchased for their own accounts oA tn V. -Jj; nnn nnn Citrus Fruit Cut Ceiling prices on most citrus fruit are reduced a half cent a pound in the OPA price order for the week starting Thursday. The reduction covers grapefruit, lemons and California oranges.

Florida and Texas oranges continue at 8 cents a pound. The order includes the price area composed of Marion. Vigo and Tippecanoe counties. Although the OPA has quoted ceiling prices on a weight basis for the last four weeks, most retail places continue to sell citrus fruit by the dozen or other unit, which is permissible as long as prices to do not exceed i I I If from no other," the report as serts. "It is apparent that too much time, energy and money are spent on caring only for the physical needs of dependent children and that too little stress is laid on ae complishing the avowed purpose of welfare assistance to rehabilitate the individual.

Too much of the welfare department's activity in re card to juvenile delinquency is based on a theory which tends more to coddling than to the correction of juvenile troubles. "The commission believes that if the great amount of record-keening, report-writing and conferring were to be curtailed in conformity with efficiency and good business practice, the staffs in county boards, as well as in the central office, could be somewhat reduced, and that needed welfare workers could give more time to the really essential work of the program." Another revision of present welfare laws advocated in the report is the restoration of the welfare department's right to recover funds in cases where a deceased recipient died the owner of real estate. The commission said it believes it was an error to have abandoned this right of recovery, as was done by an act of the 1941 general assemblv. "No other feature of the present! welfare program has caused such I widespread dissatisfaction," states! the report "Therefore we will! Bend, when he entered the' Army; and became a military policeman. Despite his millions, Violette expressed a hope Wednesday that he could get back his old job after the war.

City Police Open Pedestrian Drive To Educate Public Now; Enforcement Later Aroused by the appalling number of pedestrians killed or injured in traffic accidents thus far in 1944, the police traffic department Wednesday began a campaign designed to make Indianapolis streets safer. The campaign will use educational methods now, but will be followed by strict enforcement. Instructions for the traffic department to take this action were given by William H. Remy, presi dent of the board of safety, following a conference with William H. Book, executive vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce.

The safety record shows that of twelve persons killed in Indian apolis in traffic accidents since January 1, nine have been pedes trians. Of 159 persons injured in traffic accidents, sixty-one were pedestrians. Will Warn Pedestrians. Captain Thomas Schlottman, head of the traffic department, Wednesday instructed his men to begin a campaign of education for pedestrians' Additional and larger Placards warning pedestrians to cross streets at intersections soon bf plaed inthe downtown small cards giving safety instructions will be handed to pedestrians by police as soon tne cards are printed. However, after these methods are used for a time, police will i begin to make arrests if violations continue and particular attention will be paid to motorists who violate pedestrians' rights.

The ordinance that governs pedestrians' rights provides for a maximum penalty of a fine of $300 and 180 days in jail for a pedestrian to cross against a traf- Needless to say Corporal Hozan stands firmly behind the Red Cross, which is collecting the blood from civilians to be processed into plasma for the war's casualties. The Red Cross war fund drive next month for in Marion county will underwrite the blood donor service as well as the various other activities which count for so much in the life of the soldier or sailor overseas. Corporal Hozan, an infantryman back from Sicily, whose home is in Hiles, said life in the infantry is, no sport. He said he figured he had ridden about twenty-five miles over Sicily and walked many, many times that. How did he win the Silver Star? Here is his story: "My sergeant and I tried to knock out three Nazi machine guns that were hold- Final Rush May Top Bond Quota Tabulation for State and County Waited Tabulation of the results of a huge avalanche of bond buying was awaited Wednesday to determine whether Marion county and Indiana went over the top in the fourth war loan drive.

Because of the overwhelming number of orders, Alfred Sihler, vice-president of the Chicago Fed eral Reserve Bank, informed officials of the Indiana war finance committee that tabulation could not be completed until Thursday. Marion county residents crowded into the banks and postoffice in what one bank official described as the greatest wave of bond buying since Pearl Harbor. Crowds waited in long lines at the bank windows and bank employes worked into the night to take care of the sales. Bond sellers at the postoffice were swamped with purchasers. Officials of the Indiana war finance committee said this wave of buying may push both the state and Marion county over the top, but the result can not be determined until tabulation is completed in Chicago.

Sixty Hoosier counties already had gone over the top and war finance committee officials here believed that Marion county's deficit may have prevented the state from making its goal of $230,000,000. The Marion county goal is $65,500,000. Tuesday, February 15, was the date originally set for the bond drive to end but bonds bought until February 26 will be counted against the quota. This extension of time was made particularly to take advantages of purchases by employes already engaged in the pay roll savings plan who are buying extra bonds. Boy Scouts will continue their house-to-house canvass of bond buyers which had been scheduled to end Tuesday.

The Scouts were asked to take their bond orders to their next troop meeting, and all orders taken through February 21 and in the mail and postmarked by that date will be counted in the inter-troop competition for War bond and captured German helmet prizes. School 67 Gets Flag. School 67, 3615 West Walnut street, for the first time Thursday will fly the United States treasury department's Minute Man Flag. It has been presented to the school in recognition of an outstanding War stamp purchasing campaign conducted by pupils during January. A communique said that the bombers "took the offensive' against Geramany in very great strength, flying in all operations over 1,000 sorties." It was the fifteenth major aU tack on Berlin since the R.

A. F. launched its obliteration campaign against the capital last November 18. The flyers said they encountered no more than ordinary anti-air craft fire and only a night fighters, although" enemy Interceptors-sprinkled flares all over the sky. Indicating the scarcity of opposition, thirty-five Lancasters manned by British, Canadian and Australian crews took off from one came back.

Not one a scratch. The attacking force included the largest number of planes of the Canadian bomber group ever dispatched on any single mission. The traffic over Berlin was so congested- as the big planes thundered in on their bombing runs that one pilot reported he had almost bombed another formation of Lancasters beneath him. Prior to last night more than 22,000 (long) tons of explosives had been dumped on Berlin in the current campaign to knock the city out. A Swedish report quoting private advices reaching Stockholm said high explosives and incendiaries showered down on all sections of Berlin Tuesday night.

All bus, tram and underground traffic was reported disrupted. Berlin correspondents of Swedish newspapers were almost completely silenced, but the German-controlled Scandinavian Telegraph Bureau reported from Zurich that the heavy attack started many fires. DNB, German news agency, said in a broadcast: "British air Huns carried out another terror raid on the Reich capital. The raiders were favored by the weather. A layer of dense cloud lay over the city and the enemy took advantage of this to drop bombs at random in several districts.

The terror raiders were met by extraordinary heavy antiaircraft fire. Damage was caused mainly in residential districts." The Swedish newspaper Afton-bladet's Berlin correspondent reported that two houses used temporarily by the Swedish legation were destroyed by fire bombs and that a Swedish church in the southwestern section of the city was hit by incendiaries. 3d U.S.S. Pittsburgh Will Slide Down Ways BOSTON, Feb. 16 (AP) The heavy cruiser U.

S. S. Pittsburgh third United States naval vessel to bear the name of the Pennsylvania city will be launched at Bethlehem Steel Company's Fore river shipyard on Washington' birthday, next Tuesday. NEWS FEATURES David Lawrence Page 7, Part 1 Paul Mallon 7, Tart 1 Comics 6,7, Tart 2 Crossword Punic 6, Part 2 Editorial 6, Tart 1 Financial 8, Part 2 Dr. Brady .6, Part 2 Amusements 4, 5, Tart 2 Serial Story 6, Part 2 Society 2, Tart 2 Sports 10, 11, Tart 1 Radio Program .7, Part 2 recommend that this feature ofjh0iders in the Federal Home Loan the original law be restored with Fred x.

Greene, president proper safeguards against solici- 221 member institutions tation and abuse to prevent owned $75.000.000 of government over-zealous director or welfare obligations at the end of 1943. visitor urging a recipient to apply I Durimj the fourth war loan drive, for aid solely because of the said the savinss and loan ass0. sibility of reimbursement, with in- nt-anti i tv, leresi, upon me aeam 01 saia re- CiPlCnt. Referring to the control of the siaie weiiare program dj proie- Our member institutions at the sional social workers, the commis-jend of 1943 had combined assets sion said it believes more of approximatelv $373,000,000, of even balance should be maintained which $100.000.000 was in cash and between theory and practice be- government bonds," Mr. Greene cause of the recognized fact that rep0rte(j professional social workers are too i often given to the promotion of; their pet theories rather than the anri Prime on carrying out of a practical I I ILCb UII fic signal or against the handling lots between Twenty-fifth and signal of policeman.

I Thirty-thirds streets in the Doug- If a pedestrian starts across the; las park neighborhood. It was ex- a i e- i gram to meet the needs of the indigent." THE WEATHER Indianpolis and Vicinity Occasional light snow tonight; rain Thursday: slowly rising temperature, -lowest tonight 24 to 26 degrees. Indiana Occasional light snow tonight, rain in south and rain or snow in north portion Thursday; slowly rising temperature. Additional weather details en Page 1, Part 2. street legally, according to the; ordinance, he has the right of way over automobile vehicular traffic The motorist must wait until the pedestrian has cleared the intersection and must not turn right or left into a line of pedestrians.

Captain Schlottman said many motorists have been arrested for failing to obey this ordinance, and police will intensify their efforts to prevent these violations. Motorists, likewise, are not permitted to stop at an intersection with their cars across the pedestrian's cross walk, and police were instructed to warn them against this practice. If this practice con- tinues, arrests will follow, Capt. Schlottman said. Pustin.

These two towns are the immediate Soviet objectives before the main attack on Pskov-begins. South and southeast of Gdov, between the southern shore of Lake Peipus and Pskov, the army newspaper Red Star said, Ger- Continued on Page.4. Column 6 the weight-basis ceilings. r- Sisters store. 5.