The Iola Register from Iola, Kansas • 1

4 tT a 4 i A AA XOVAWJW wWW COUP. TOPEKA nn TjT HE VOLUME XLIV. No. 43 Successor to Tbs lots Daily Register, Tb lots Daily Record, and lola Daily Index. IOLA, SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 14, 1940, The Weekly Register, Established 1887.

The lola Daily Register, Established 1897. SIX PAGES Will Graziani Be the Next Italian Scooped Off the News Room Floor The Weather KANSAS Partly cloudy west; cloudy east; occasional light snow flurries or freezing rain southeast and extreme east; not quite so cold extreme west portion tonight; Sunday partly cloudy to cloudy; not quite so cold central and west. Temperature Highest for the 24 hours ending 5 p. m. yesterday, 84; lowest last night, 20; normal for today, 34; deficiency yesterday, excess since January 1, 42 degrees; this date last year, highest, 54; lowest, 32.

Precipitation for the 24 hours ending at 8 a. m. today, total for this year to date, 3425; deficiency since January 1, 2.56 inches. Sunrise 7:31 a. set 5:03 p.

m. Thermograph Readings Ending 8 a. m. Today Pursue Fleeing Italians Rear Guard Fails to Stop British Advance; Greeks Continue Success in Albania (B th Associated Press? Closely pursued remnants of Marshal Grazianis Egyptian invasion army were reported retreating into Libya today after futile rear guard attempts to stop the British advance east of the Egyptian-Libyan frontier. Unconfirmed rumors were circulated at Cairo thaUGen.

Sir Archibald P. Wavells advance units had captured the Egyptian border post of Sal-um and crossed the frontier, driving Italians from Fort Capuzzo. A spokesman said little fighting continued in the parched sands of Northwestern Egypt. The British were believed to be moving up cautiously along the frontier, consolidating far-extended positions and preparing to pounce upon any counter thrust Marshal Graziani might attempt from Libya. Doubt An Invasion Military observers expressed doubt that Gen.

Wavell would try a major drive into Libya until his striking force was reorganized for the next phase of the campaign. Italian prisoners still were being rounded up their number only estimated. Cairo sources said more than 30,000 had surrendered. Meanwhile, other Italian troops on the defensive in Eastern Albania, near Lake' Achrida, were said to be putting up their fiercest resistance of the Italian-Greek war in an attempt to stem the Greek drive toward the central Albanian base at Elbasani, 20 miles from Tirana, the capital. Greeks Push On At the opposite end of the Albanian battlefront the Greeks said their troops were advancing along the coast toward Chimara, while inland forces near Tepeleni were pushing another wedge northwestward through the mountains toward Valona.

Rome spokesmen at home campaigned against defeatists, hoarders, and profiteers, and minimized news of reverses in Albahia and Egypt. London Has Respite London had another respite from German air attacks last night. A brief alert ended before midnight, British bombers were reported to have aimed attacks of their own overnight against Northern Germany and German-occupied territory. They made an intensive raid on the German naval base at Kiel and another on Bremen, as well as attacks on German airdromes and docks in Holland and on the Nazi submarine base at Bordeaux. The air ministry news service said fires were started.

Jucos Win Basketball Opener Howey Stands Out As Devils Trim Jeff City Cagers Here By 41-37 Count Basketball fans about 500 of them on this occasion saw the groundwork laid last night for an lola junior college basketball team that promises to be worthy of representing the school that carries the 1940 Eastern Kansas championship. lola topped Jefferson City 41-37 on the senior high asphalt, after considerable of a struggle. It was the opening gong for the Red Devils tutored by Leo Burger, former junior college star here. Ilowey Shows Well Evidence was seen of effective machifle-like basketball that will come later, but last night it was pretty much Mr. H.

IL The Hurricane Howey who carried the Reds to victory. Howey hooped 26 points to equal just about anything ever done by the great Harley King who set the college circuit ablaze last winter. The Pleasanton boy, a backfield power on the Red Devil football team, picked up the amazing dash and fire he showed on the gridiron and took it all over the senior high court last night, stealing the ball and popping goals from all corners and once from dead center. Missourians Take Lead For three periods the Burger boys were clearly superior, but Jefferson City, paced by McKinney and Agniel, became temporarily hot for the hoop in the second quarter and slid into a 17-16 lead at the rest period, the only time the Black Bear noses were in front. Fog Hamilton jumped in with his only goal just as the third period started, however, and Howey chipped a fielder and a free one and the home lads were off again, never to be caught.

They pulled to an eight-point lead at one time before the Missourians came on at the end. Howey started fast. The first marker was a free toss, and then he netted a difficult side shot. Long Shots Count lola skipped to a 6-1 lead and then a 10-4 advantage at the quarter. Jefferson City out-scored the visitors 13-6 in the second chapter, largely because of being hot on long pokes.

Iolas early burst in the third session cooled the Bears. Howey, a slashing, dashing type of player, collected nine' field goals and eight free throws during the evening, missing only two of the charity brand. Early in the contest it appeared as though he might have too much (Continued on Page 6. CoL 1) Stores to Open In the Evenings lola merchants will begin staying open in the evenings until nine oclock beginning Thursday night, it was announced today by officers of the merchants division of the chamber of commerce. The stores will remain open each night up to and including Christmas eve, to provide plenty of opportunity for the people of Iolas trade territory fo do their last minute Christmas shopping.

Something Big Is Coming Up 99 Bern Switzerland, Dec. 14. (AP) All telephone communication between Switzerland and Vichy, capital of unoccupied France, was cut today without explanation. The Associated Press was momentarily in contact with Vichy before the interruption and heard only the words something big is coming up before the connection was broken. The break in communications also applied to official calls.

Including those of the French embassy here. Oil Blaze Bums 20 Reservoir Boils Over Pouring Flaming Oil On Score of Workmen Texas City, Tex, Dec. 14. (AP) A huge oil tank blaze aided by fires enemy water burned a score of men, five critically, consumed 135,000 barrels of crude oil and a large quantity of gasoline before a midnight shift in the wind made It harmless and the flames were left to exhaust themselves. The men were injured when a crude oil reservoir suddenly boiled over like a coffee pot and spilled its blazing contents over the waist-deep water in which they were working inside a fire walL A 10-inch rain had left water standing so ddep over the storage farm of the Southport Petroleum company that fire-fighting equipment could not be taken close enough to the blazes to battle them adequately.

The men were attempting to lay pipes to shoot a fireextinguishing chemical into the tank at the time of the accident. Fired by Lightning Two of the tanks were fired by lightning yesterday and the blaze spread to two more before a shift in the wind ended further immediate danger. Zolan Davis was standing atop the retaining levee near the tank when it suddenly "boiled over like a coffee pot. The men scrambled out the best way they could, he said, but I only saw one man get out without being burned. He dove under the water and then crawled out on the levee.

The rest of the men were caught unawares and the burning oil poured all over the water. Welfare Work Merit Exams The Kansas Joint Merit System council has announced examinations to be held soon for positions in the public assistance offices of the various counties in the state, and application blanks are now available at the welfare office here. Only positions for which examinations will be given at this time in Allen county are the county welfare director and home visitor. Applications must be submitted on the official application blank to Ira E. McConnell, state merit supervisor, Topeka, before December 23.

All persons now holding positions with the welfare department will be required to take the examination and make a passing grade in order to retain their job. In the event any present employee is unable to make a passing grade, his position will be filled from among those who have made high grades in the examination. Examinations for clerical and accounting employees will be announced later. Full details of all examinations may be obtained at the welfare office here. One Dead As Flames Ruin Plant Jersey Manufacturing: Company Was Active In Defense Work; Huge Property Loss Hoboken N.

Dec. 14. (AP) Fire early today destroyed the plant of the Condenser Service and Engineering Corp, active in national defense orders, with a loss estimated by the company spokesman at $100,000 to $1,000,000, One man was killed. The dead man was tentatively Identified as George Jacobs, of Jersey City, night watchman, who discovered the fire with four other workmen, comprising the night shift at the plant. The other men said Jacobs had apparently been foing back Into the plant office to obtain papers and was trapped by the flames.

Ills body was found near the office. Differ on Estimates Olaf Anderson, of North Bergen, plant executive, estimated the loss at $1,000,000, including valuable Nrood patterns and specially built machines being constructed to fill defense orders. II. C. Evans, company treasurer, said the miUion-dollar estimate was much too high about a tenth of that.

The company built turbines, condensers and other equipment for steamships. Saw Ceiling Flash The plant was a one-and two-story building spreading over half a city square. The men working at the time said they saw a flash near the celling shortly after 2 a. m. and the celling became ablaze.

With Jacobs, they fought the fire but when it got beyond their control they turned in the alarm. The flames spread rapidly through the building, destroying the wooden patterns and a wood and tarpaper roof. The fire was brought under control at about 6:15 a. m. The plant employed approximately 300 men.

Rites Monday For Mrs. Lowe Mrs. Nellie A. Lowe, 6, died it her home at 106 North Cycamore early this morning following a long period of 111 health. Mrs.

Lowe was bom in Ilenry, HL, but moved with her parents to Kansas when she was 15 years old. The family lived at Fort Scott, but Mrs. Lowe, following her marriage to Marshall Lowe, who preceded her in death little more than a year ago, moved with him to Mapletoa where they resided until moving to Gas City in 1903. Mrs. Lowe moved to lola following her husbands death.

She was active in the Gas City Methodist church for many years, having served as organist there until her health failed when she was past 80 years old. 'She is survived by a son, Norman Lowe of lola, and two daughters, Mrs. Pearl Canatsey of lola and Mrs. Florence Grandin of Kansas City. One brother, Chester Mc-Vlcker of Eagle Grove, also survives, besides four grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Funeral services will be held Monday afternoon at 1 oclock at the Waugh funeral home. The Rev. Rqbert Brown will conduct the services and will be at Maple ton. New Trouble Coining For the Printers Lisbon, Portugal, Dec. 14.

(AP) CoL E. Papvassiliou, formerly of the Greek general staff who recently arrived here from Athens, has been appointed Greek military attache at Washington and will leave shortly by trans-Atlantic Clipper on what he termed a special important mission. The Cold To Linger Highways and Streets Icy and Hazardous In Eastern Counties Topeka, Dec. 14. CAP) Frigid conditions will linger awhile in Kansas, the weather outlook indicated today.

More freezing rain, snow or sleet fell to increase driving hazards on streets and highways. The moisture is disagreeable to shoppers and travelers, but good for the wheat crop, asserted Meteorologist S. D. Flora. The moisture fall may continue tonight in eastern counties, the forecast said, but probably will let up early next week.

The cold will continue, however, a blanket of snow remains over the states to the north and west of Kansas. Snow covered the ground in most northern counties to a depth of 3 to 7 inches. Drizzling rain froze on windshields and pavements as it fell this morning at Chanute, Lebo, Kansas City and Topeka. Moisture Reports Topeka had an additional .02 inch moisture from snow and rain, Lebo a trace. Chanute .01, Geneseo 20, Concordia .25.

Wichita .03, Dodge City .05, Salina .18 from two inches of snow, Phillipsburg .17, Ellis .05, and Goodland .03. The mercury skidded to sub-zero levels in western Kansas last night where skies cleared. Goodland recorded the low 9 degrees below zero. Low temperatures were around 10 to 15 in eastern Kansas. The west will have it not quite so cold tonight, with minimums expected to be near zero to 15 above, while the east shivers under 15 to 20 degree minimums.

Some cloudiness will prevail tomorrow, Flora said, as the mercury creeps a little higher in the afternoon to maximums around 25 to 28 generally. FORCED LANDINGS Springfield, Dec. 14. (AP) Ice forming on their wings caused 15 pigeons to make forced landings in downtown Springfield yesterday. Sympathetic merchants provided warmth and soon the birds were in the air again.

Tornado Missed Next week will be Christmas week in nearly all Allen county rural schools, meaning the last week before the holidays and the time for Christmas programs. There are exceptions. A few schools will have only one day of Christmas vacation, the holiday itself. Some will not have their programs until Christmas eve. But the schools are alike in one lespect.

They are all decorating. A few have electricity for the first time, with the arrival- of REA service, and they are taking advantage of that by setting up trees decorated with colored lights. Fireplaces in a few also are being illuminated in Christmas colors. Names are being drawn for gift exchanges among the pupils, an annual event in every school. Practice is underway on the programs.

some of which will be held in the day time, some in the evening. Hundreds of Allen county rural folks will congregate in the school Houses next Friday night, the time the majority will be held. In the Diamond district the school and the church will present a combined program next Sunday night Instead of having separate affairs. At Pleasant Prairie, between La-Harpe and Moran, another different custom is observed. A dinner similar to last-day-of -school dinners is held on the final day before vacation starts.

But regardless of the procedure, its still Christmas on the farm. Add Willis C. Walker to the list of elderly favorites of this department. Hes 89, active, talkative, and a defender of the horse. If every farmer in the county had been around him during a horse vs.

tractor debate at the courthouse yesterday a grand argument would have resulted. Mr. Walker had a pretty good one with a defender of gasoline power, Robert Douglas, retired farmer whose age is in the same neighborhood of WalteV. "Jingle Cole, who was present for a while, sided, with Mr. Douglas, and Charley Wilson came in to support Mr.

Walker, making the score "2 to 2. "I paid $130 for a mare and in four jears time sold $369 worth of colts, was among the many points of argument by Mr. Walker. "Ive got two tractors Ive had four years and I could get $900 for them today, Mr. Douglas asserted in answer to his adversarys contention that, you plow 40 acres with a tractor and it depreciates $200.

The friendly argument waxed warm and long with much gesturing. Until Mr. Walker decided, well Its time to go home and I expect the Missus is wondering where Willis is. Miscellaneous Civic: the police departments new radio equipment, which will permit conven-ation from the police car to headquarters is here. It will not be in use until the periodic new car is acquired within a few weeks.

Military: A few dozen draft classifications have been mailed from the office of the county board. Most of them are for those high on the list and falling in the A-l group. The holiday spirit: The junior high school student council wanted to give the students a Christmas pres-tnt'so engaged a big 6-reel, rootin, shootin. tootin. Western thriller movie yesterday after school, all Utee to all.

A week from today the junior highs have something unique planned. A short while before the Christmas assembly program. doors of all class rooms will be placed ajar. Quiet will reign. Then a designated class room group will sing a carol for all to hear as the students sit In their own rooms.

When the first group is finished another will sing a different one. There will be 12 in all. Then everybody will start singing Jingle Bells and jingle off to the auditorium for the program. Friday the 13th: Ev, the man across the way there from the Scoop department, thinks the city gang got his utilities bill off the calendar. It was due December 13 (Friday).

The bill was No. 1398 on the city books. The amount jvas $13. And 13 cents. Rare facts: A contribution yesterday was nipped by The Register censor.

It was a publicity stint submitted for the colored basketball game last night and shamed the visiting Chanute players bv referring to them as the Bare Cats. And right after relating glowing reports on new uniforms the lola team has. Military Leader By MILTON BONNER NEA Service Staff Correspondent Africa has been Rodolfo Graz-ianis fortune and now Africa may be the undoing of the famous Italian field marshal. He won high place fighting African natives. He may lose high place by taking a shellacking at the hands of the British in Egypt.

Just as the angry Mussolini accepted the resignation of Marshal Badoglio because of the failure of the campaign against the Greeks, so a disgusted Duce may accept the "resignation of Graziani because of the debacle in Egypt. Quickly summarized, Grazianis career reads: forsook the law to enlist as a volunteer in the army which gave Italy the Red Sea colony of Eritrea in Africa. Next in campaign which wrested Tripoli from Turkey. Served in World War, being several times wounded and ending as youngest colonel in Italys army. Back to Africa where his victories won lands which enabled Tripoli and Cyrenaica to be united to Libya.

Commanded troops in Somaliland in campaign which conquered Ethiopia. Made viceroy of Ethiopia in 1937, and was wounded by hand grenades tossed at him by Ethiopians in Addis Ababa. When Italy entered present war he was made chief of staff of Italian forces and commander of the Army of the Po. After Marshal Balbo died in an airplane accident last July, Graziani went to Libya to command all Italian forces in North Africa. Later he was given job of advancing from Libya into Egypt, the ultimate goal being the Suez Canal.

Defense Needs Pep Knudsen Tells Producers That All Is Not Well With the Program New York Dec. 14. (AP) The results of Amercas defense drive to date are not satisfactory enough to warrant hopes that everything is all well. That is the estimate of William S. Knudsen, production chief of the national defense advisory commission.

Knudsen sized up the situation last night in a blunt speech before the National Association of Manufacturers the producers- he termed "the front line of defense." He spoke frankly, said he was not trying to paint the lily. admitted that aircraft output is 30 per cent below forecasts, questioned whether labor and industry have been fully sold on the serious side of their Job, and pleaded for more steam and speed and more speed full time operations of all machines. He did not paint a completely dark picture, however, he saw signs that the good old American ingenuity is coming into its own and predicted that, after the crucial first half of 1941, we are sure to be under way. He expressed confidence that labor, industry and all other groups would unite to help to. prove that a free people are capable of self-discipline and of productive work superior to that of a dictators subjects.

On War Basis In stressing the need for speeded production, Knudsen raised the question whether defense should be put on a war basis. Friday night has become the big night in of our industrial picture, he pointed out. It used to be Saturday night we have cut 20 per cent off our machine time. Can we afford to do this? Cant we stop this blackout this lack of production from Friday to Monday and get more use out of the equipment? We can train the men to operate it. Isnt it possible to put the defense Job on a war basis, even if we are at peace? Elaborating on airplane production, particularly as to bombers, the former General Motors president declared: Frankly, we are not doing anything compared to the forecast of the manufacturers and the defense commission in July; and our hoped-for figures of January 1, of 1,000 planes a month, have to be scaled down by 30 per cent to be correct.

Big guns, machine guns and tanks faced better prospects, he said. Terrill Honn Rites At Pittsburg Tomorrow Funeral services for Terrill G. Honn. well-known former Iolan, whose death was reported in yesterdays Register, will be held tomorrow afternoon at 2 oclock at the Methodist church at Pittsburg. The Rev.

Alpha H. Kenna, pastor of the church, will conduct the services, and burial will be in Highland cemetery at Pittsburg. Topics Club Postponed For 4-II Banquet Current Topics club members are reminded that there will be no meeting of the club Monday evening since many of the members are planning to attend the 4-H Achievement banquet which will be sponsored by the chamber commerce at the Methodist church at 6 oclock. Lou Richter, director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, who was to have spoken at Mondays Topics meeting, will speak sometime after the first of the year, officers said. The next regular Topics club meeting will be on Monday, January 6.

to Resign Post? i Field Marshal Rodolfo Graziani BULLETIN Bern, Switzerland, Dec. 14. (AP) Authoritative diplomatic sources reported today that Vice Premier Pierre Laval of the French government at Vichy had tendered his resignation to Premier Petain. It was not at once learned if the resignation had been accepted. The same reports said that Laval had been in custody and that the Petain gov- -emment had been meeting all day, discussing choice of a successor who would be acceptable to the Germans on one hand and Petain and General Maxime Weygand on the other.

-'i President Heads Home Inspects and Discusses New Sea Bases As Defense Outposts Aboard U. S. S. Tuscaloosa at Sea, Dec. 14.

(AP by Radio) President Roosevelt headed for Charleston, S. today after dscussing with the Duke of Windsor the newly-acquired Caribbean outposts which the president described as stepping stones for U. S. defense. Expressing satisfaction with some bases, dissatisfaction with others, he told a press conference yesterday that the further an attack is kept from the American continent, the safer the continent would be.

That meant, he said, that we wanted to be as far out as possible. Newfoundland, he pointed out, was as far as we could go in the north, and Bermuda as far off the coast. With no island between Bermuda and Puerto. Rico he said, the next best thing was the Bahamas, which would serve also as a stepping stone for the maintenance of the southern end of the outer defense line in the windward and leeward islands. The president said there would be no such thing as an American Gibraltar and that the United States' (Continued on Page 6, CoL 2) Kiwanians Attend Club Meeting at Ottawa Seventeen members of the lola Kiwanis club went to Ottawa last night to attend an inter-club party, and the remainder of the lola members attended a round-table discussion here of the annual Christmas party to be given by the club next Friday night.

Plans for the Christmas party will be announced just as soon as they are completed, club members said today. Those who went to Ottawa, where Harold J. Ingham of Lawrence spoke at the meeting were Carol Hoyt, John Griffith, Dwight McCarty, Elmer Lee, Lee Releford, Bud Anderson, Charles Funk, Louis North-nip, John McNally, Roy Cox, Dave Meily, Beatty Ray, Lawrence Cop-ening, O. V. Kelley, Wayne Frantz, Gordon Mahoney and Bill Wood.

Watch Yule Card Postage Warns the Post Office Washington, Dec. 14. (AP) Several millions of this years Christmas cards will end up in the dead letter office, cm the basis of previous years experience. Postmaster General Walker, in a broadcast address today, explained that cards sent at the third class rate of one and one-half cents could not be forwarded or returned to the sender, if the person for whom they were intended had changed address. For this reason, he said uncounted million of cards fail ever Christmas to reach their intended destinations.

Tom and Martha Slovak Priest-Politician Dies at Belgrade Belgrade, Yugoslavia, Dec. 14. CAP) Father Anton Koroshetz, 68, minister of public education and president of the senate, died unexpectedly today of apoplexy. A Roman Catholic priest, he headed the Slovene Catholic party and once had served as premier. He was a deputy to the old Austrian parliament.

If you miss your Register, call Emerson Lynn, phone 8. before 7 p. m. RATION APS TOWELS Tokyo, Dec. 14.

(AP) Japanese will have to get along on one towel a year, starting in January, under a rationing system decreed by the ministry of commerce, Tokyo newspapers reported today. Before the Dukes Conference With-Roosevelt Tom and Martha Spell of Katy, Texas, saw the twister just in time. They grabbed their old car and held on tightly as the tornado roared around them, smashing their small home to matchwood and scattering the pieces over the whole neighborhood. Tom and Martha have seen trouble before though, and they can take it this time, they reckon. They Ye sitting among the ruins of their home, reading the Bible and giving thank that their lives were spared.

The Duke of Windsor, sometime King Edward Vm of England, in the coast guard speedboat which took him to the navy plane in which he flew to a meeting with President Roosevelt on the high seas. The president and the ex-king talked over the recent lease of British territory to the United States for naval bases in the western Atlantic..