The Gazette and Daily from York, Pennsylvania • Page 1

rfce Yeather Eastern Pennsylvania Partly cloudy and somewhat The Gazette and Daily All war news censored. Vft print latest accurate news available, but not rumors or hearsay warmer. Vol. 113 No. 18376 York, Friday Morning, March 24, 1944 Forty-Eight Pages Price 3c 15c a Week Hon te'Hsi Dependents Get Mustering-ln Pay Washington, March 23 UP) Dependents of soldiers and sailors get an initial allowance payment to tide them over the period between induction and the time when the first regular allowance is due.

This is the "mustering-in-pay" which W. Rae Long, Massachusetts State Commissioner of Veterans and Pensions, said at Worcester last night is being made to the families of newly drafted fathers. At the war and Navy departments it was explained today that this procedure has been followed since las fall when legislation amending dependency allowances was approved. The legislation provided for immediate payment of a full month's allowance to a family even though a man enters the service in the middle of a month. This payment is not taken out of the subsequent regular monthly allowance.

Parsons Case Be Dropped I Mayor Snyder says "there's no ue digging up the past" in disposing of case of man or- i dered jailed three days on suspicion of having tried to grab woman's purse, despite his already having been 'cleared by woman. Mayor John L. Snyder indicated I I yesterday he would not take any I disciplinary action against a pa-jjtrolman whose failure to tell a ff police court magistrate the com-tlplete circumstances surrounding I I the holding of a purse-snatching I suspect led to the latter's being de-' tained without cause. The magistrate, H. Gellard Fick-iJjs.

-sitting in police court Sunday, ordered Joe Parsons, 29, of 229 I West Church avenue, committed to jail for three days until the woman -IJtoetim of the attempted purse-ff "snatching could try to identify him. What the magistrate was not told I I at the police court hearing was I that nearly nine hours before po-' I lice court the woman, Miss Evelyn i Spielman, 154 West Philadelphia I street, had been summoned to city 'I hall to see Parsons and could not identify him. I Interviewed yesterday. Mayor Snyder said he knew nothing about I the case until Wednesday when The Gazette and Daily disclosed that Parsons had been held to await identification although the only witness in the case had al-; I ready failed to identify him. The mayor said he felt "there's no use I I to dig up the past," and that he did not know just how it had hap-; pened and that, he didn't think 32 Jap Ships Sunk By U.S.

Air Raiders Attack centers on Muschu and other islands off Wewak and vessels destroyed included two freighters, seven smaller ships and 23 barges. Eight heavy gun positions destroyed. Activity in Central Pacific Allied Headquarters, Southwest Pacific, Friday 24 UP) Fifth Army air force bombers and fighters, intent on making the Japanese in northern New Guinea helpless on land and sea, pressed their attacks on gun positions, shipping, grounded planes and buildings in the Wewak air base. The attacks Wednesday were centered on Muschu and other islands off Wewak, where the bulk of the enemy's shipping was found. Besides destroying two freighters of 1,000 and 1,500 tons, the airmen smashed seven smaller vessels and 23 barges, Gen.

Douglas MacAr-thur's communique said. A powerful fleet of Liberator heavy and Mitchell medium bombers, Boston attack planes and every type of fighter swept the coast from Aitape 90 miles eastward to Wewak with 200 tons of bombs. Eight heavy gun positions were destroyed, a number of parked planes were destroyed and numerous buildings demolished. The enemy put up no aerial interception against the assaults, but anti-aircraft fire was met and one of the Allied planes was miss- (Continued on Page Forty-Six) See Pacific Front Wage Stability Tied To Subsidies War Labor Board chairman, sticking by Little Steel Formula, says any fixing of pay rates depends on maintenance of subsidy system. Would change formula only in case of "gross Washington, March 23 UP) The War Labor Board intends to adhere firmly to the "Little Steel" formula, its chairman assured Congress today, unless the members become convinced it causes "gross inequities and injustice." WLB Chief William H.

Davis told the Senate Banking committee emphatically, however, that this measuring rod for allowable wage increases would have to be discarded if Congress abolishes consumer food subsidies. "We couldn't hold present wage scales," he said. The committee is considering 'extension of the price and wage stabilization act, now due to expire June 30. Foes of subsidies have talked of writing a ban on them into the measure. The Little Steel formula is under attack by labor unions.

Originated by the board it has been incorporated into an executive order by President Roosevelt and the board has no authority to change it. The board could, however, recommend a change and Davis told the Senate committee that if he becomes convinced the formula causes injustices to workers, "I'm going to say so." Davis appeared before the committee in behalf of the administration's position that the stabilization act should be continued without any change in the provisions dealing with wages. He said any attempt to limit the "take home" earnings of workers, an idea which has been discussed, might prove "disastrous to the war effort." It would amount, he declared, to "imposing maximum hours of work, precluding promotions and upgrad-ings, restricting productivity under incentive and preventing the shift of workers into industries." Wage controls now apply only to hourly or basic rates of pay and Davis acknowledged that most workers are taking home fatter pay envelopes because of overtime pay. But the WLB stabilization program, he said, has kept basic hourly wage rates substantially unchanged since October, 1942. Oefras Smash May Trap Nazis Up As Far As Vinnitsa Area First Ukraine Army drives directly' between hard German defenses at Tarnopol and Pros-kurov and swirls right and left in maneuvers designed to encircle those cities and thus smash pivot pins on which Nazis' Ukraine forces depend.

Capture 32 miles of railway running south from point three miles south of Tarnopol to junction of Kopchintse. In another slashing stroke on way to Kremenets Podolsk 25 towns are freed. London, (Friday) March 24 UP) The Russians last night announced a 37-mile-deep breakthrough in the stubbornly defended Tarnopol hinge area of the eastern front. The announcement came 24 hours after Berlin had reported the offensive, describing it as a powerful flanking maneuver to the south to meet Russian forces on the Dniester. Such a thrust could trap large German forces pocketed to the northeast up as far as the Vinnitsa area.

The Russian daily communique broadcast from Moscow tonight disclosed that the First Army had driven directly between the hard German cores of defense at Tarnopol and Proskurov and swirled right and left in maneuvers designed to encircle those cities and thus smash the pivot pins on which the Nazis' Ukraine forces depend. With Tarnopol already cut off on the north, east and south, the Russians said they had taken 32 miles of the railway running south, from a point three miles south of the city to the junction of Kopchintse, 35 miles south of Tarnopol. Besides Kopchintse, captured railway stations included Trem-bovlya, Nikoltsy and Grzhimalov, plus 200 town and villages taken in the past three days, the Soviet communique stated. The Russians related that after (Continued on Page Forty-Five) See Russian Front Willkie Warns Republicans Kenosha, March 23 UP) Wendell L. Willkie asserted today the reason the Republican party failed in 1940 was its.

opposition to greater American participation in the war effort at that 'The reason I was not elected president in 1940 was because I had to lug the load of members of" my party opposing selective service, transfer of 50 destroyers to Great Britain, more and more aid to Britain," the candidate for the nomination this year told a luncheon audience. And the Republican party "wont prevail in 1944 if it pursues a similar course," he said, adding: "I want you to remember that on this day, March 23, 1944, in Kenosha, Wendell Willkie said that if the Republican party adopts a platform and nominates a candidate concerning whose record, in the minds of the people, there is the slightest doubt on these great issues, the Republican party is certain to be defeated in 1944." TpD Hull Says U. 5. Hopes Finland May Still Break With Germany Washington, March 23 UP) A lingering hope that Finland will get out of the war forstalled tonight a complete break between the United States and that northern fighting partner of Germany. Secretary Hull told a news conference the American government still hopes Finland may finally work away from Germany, adding that, so far as he knew, Russian-Finnish armistice negotiations have not been terminated.

A diplomatic break between this government and Finland is regarded as inevitable if the peace negotiations collapse completely. The Finnish government was notified days ago that the United States is reconsidering' relations with that The United States has retained its diplomatic friendship with Finland in spite of the latter's military cooperation with Germany because leaders in this country thought the friendship would be an aid in getting Finland out of the war. Ankara Says Nazis Occupy Rumania Telephone communications between Bucharest and Sofia interrupted. London says Prince Cyril and Regent Bogdan Phi-lov of Bulgaria have been ordered to Hitler's headquarters next Monday. London, March 23 UP) In a desperate demonstration of Nazi power, Adolf Hitler, holding Hungary under his thumb today, launched a campaign of bullying the other southeastern European nations into a stand-or-perish position with Germany against the onrushing Red army.

A strongly-supported Ankara report said that German troops began the formal occupation of Rumania early today. Telephone communications between the Rumanian capital of Bucharest and Sofia in Bulgaria were interrupted. (A London broadcast said a dispatch from Switzerland declared that Prince Cyril of Bulgaria and Regent -Bogdan Philov "have been ordered to the headquarters of Hitler next Monday." This broadcast was reported by CBS.) Germany's present moves apparently were designed to stem the rising tide of peace sentiment in that section of war-weary Europe and prevent temporarily at least a repetition of the disintegration which led to Germany's down fall in 1918. Even as Hitler rode herd over Hungary through a new, quisling premier, there were indications that all Nazi satellites were being given the choice of providing complete military cooperation under Nazi direction, or of being occupied by Nazi Some London quarters maintained the Hitler pressure could only delay and would not prevent the ultimate collapse in the Balkans. It was elsewhere indicated that Hitler was preparing to "kidnap" Rumania to shore up his tottering Balkan edifice.

There were widespread rumors that Premier Ion Antonescu had been summoned to Hitler's presence as Admiral T'oh-ContinUed on page forty-seven See Ankara Says OPA Benefits Real Bargain While price control agency cost each person $1.14 a year, it saved him $69 in expenses for the same period. New York, March 23 The A-l bargain of the year for American consumers is the Price Control law, which cost each person only $1.14 but saved him $69 on his expenditures for the year, according to a statement by Lydia Alt-schuler, of the New York City Consumers' Council speaking before the group at their regular monthly meeting recently. Miss Altschuler warned that consumers should lose no time in mobilizing for the fight to renew the life of the Office of Price Administration. Already powerful OPA foes in Congress are getting ready for the kill, although not until June 30th will they have a chance to vote on the OPA appropriation. "There are still plenty of people who don't know what OPA is or what it has done for them," declared Miss Altschuler.

"For example, in the last war the cost of living went up 110 per cent. This time, it's gone up 40 per cent, according to figures compiled by the CIO. While that is still too much, we can" thank OPA that it's no more. Some people claim that OPA has stifled production; others are worried over the so-called restriction of "free enterprise." Fact show these claims to be without justification. War production has increased, profits are tremendous, and small business is doing better under price control.

Business failures are at a record low this year." These are the facts you should hand out to those who criticize the Price Control law." Miss Altschuler listed the things that consumers should ask their congressman for, in addition to supporting the renewal of the Price Control law. They are: 1. Remove the restrictions on grade labelling, so we know the quality of what we buy 2. Extention of dollars-and-cents ceilings. 3.

Consumer and labor participation of OPA. 4. Allow OPA to sue for damages in small claims court. 5. Extension of price control through the period of reconversion after the war.

6. Support of food subsidies, "et your congressman know that he will be re-elected only if he supports price control. He'll sup port it," said Miss Altschuler. 7 Merchants Appeal City Tax License Only seven from approximately 2000 merchants appeared at City Hall Wednesday afternoon to appeal their 1944 City License tax. The board, consisting of Mayor John L.

Snyder, chairman; City Treasurer Edwin C. Resser, Mayor's Clerk C. Kenneth Shana-man, and Finance director Theodore F. Freed heard the appeals. SI anything would be done about it.

Parsons had been picked up Saturday midnight 21 hours after the attempted purse-snatching by Continued on page forty-seven See Parsons Case Largest Single Day's Receipts $16,043 reported yesterday brings Red Cross War Fund total to $109,349. Planning committee meets today. Contributions of $14,670.57 to the county division of the Red Cross War Fund drive brought the daily total up to $16,043.12 yesterday, the largest single day's receipts since the beginning of the campaign. Donations now amount to $109,349.04, according to Mrs. A.

L. Horton, secretary for the drive. Division of contributions are as Industrial, $27,333.64 mercantile, residential, county, organizations, $3,522.60, and residential representatives, $383. Philip B. Deane, chairman of the drive, will meet with the planning committee this afternoon, 4 o'clock, at Red Cross headquarters, 38 North Duke street, to discuss results of the drive to date 'and endeavor to find ways and means of meeting the quota.

Three Restaurants Give Day's Receipts To Red Cross Fund Three restaurants in York, Hanover and Gettysburg yesterday raised a total of $432 for the Red Cross War Relief drive. Receipts from sales from 10 a. t6 10 p. were counted in the total. The restaurants and the amount each raised follow: Star Texas Lunch, 287 West Market street, York, Gus Marros, proprietor, $132; Famous Hot Weiners, Broadway, Hanover, Nick Mavros, proprietor, $167, and F.

T. restaurant, Gettysburg, Chris Fourlas, proprietor, $133.80. 1 1 1. 1 i i J'- i.