Mount Carmel Item from Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania • Page 1

EVENING If you want happiness why not try enjoying the things yor dislike. VOL. LIII. NO. 37.

MOUNT CARMEL ITEM EXCLUSIVE LEASED WIRE DISPATCHES OF THE UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATIONS MOUNT CARMEL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1940, Eight Italian Divisions Smashed By British ARMY'S MODERN HELEN OF TROY The use of pretty girls in recruiting for army or nayy is as old as Helen of Troy, whose face "launched a thousand ships." The U. S. Army's 1941 model of Helen is pretty Elaine Bassett, above, daughter of a Dallas, Texas, Baptist minister. A New York model, she's been chosen to pose for the U. S.

"Join the Army" posters. FOREST FIRES ARE HELD TO MINIMUM IN THIS DISTRICT Not One Fire Between Here Actress Stricken And Trevorton During the Fall of 1940 the Wyoming forest District of which Northumberland County is a part enjoyed its best forest fire season in many years. A total of 31 fires burned slightly over 100 acres in the entire seven counties. Weather conditions proved to be a substantial aid in minimizing these fire conditions. Extremely gratifying were the condition Northumberland County where ordinarily between 50 to 100 fires burn each Fall.

The extreme hazardous forest fire area in this County lies between Trevorton and Mount Carmel known as the Black Diamond Valley. Separated fires have reduced the valleys and mountainsides to a brushy growth presenting anything but pleasant pictures as one drives through the Valley. R. C. Wible, District Forester says: "We are pleased to announce that not one fire occurred in this Valley during this Fall season.

We give the weather man credit for some assistance but it is believed that our present prevention and detection organization is responsible for the decided improvement in the fire record. Properly trained and supervised NYA youth are used in patroling dangerous areas in the valley. They were also used during the summer months to construct fire breaks and trails, in areas where fires have frequently occurred in the past. In addition, they built a safety trail completely surrounding the Mount Carmel city dump from which a number of forest fires have occurred in the past." With this success resulting last Spring and this Fall, and from this approach to the solution to the forest fire problem, it is planned to continue and enlarge the scope of forest fire control activities particularly the use of NYA. Red Cross Roll Call The Mount Carmel Chapter of the American Red Cross announced that a total of $209.84 has been received in contributions throughout the entire Borough of Kulpmont, under the excellent leadership of John Zarkoski, Kulpmont, Postmaster.

The Committee in charge of 1941 Roll Call extends its grateful appreciation to Mr. Zaroski, and to Miss Ruth N. Schaeffer who was in charge of school enrollments. Sincere thanks are also extended to all those who helped in making the Kulpmont drive a success, and (Continued on Page Five) WEATHER Cloudy tonight and Sunday. No change in temperature.

PRICE THREE CENTS. School District Payments To Be Reimbursed For Expenditures For Transportation Of Children Auditor General Warren R. Roberts today approved the payment of $1,242,393.92 to 1421 school districts throughout the State to reimburse them for expenditures for the transportation of children. While the allotment for the schools, under the provisions of the code, amounts to $2,300,735.15, only 54 per cent of the allotment will be paid at this time for the reason that there are not sufficient funds remaining in the appropriation of 500,000 made by the 1939 Legislature for that purpose. It is probable that the Department of Public Instruction will ask the forthcoming session of the General Assembly to a deficiency appropriation of $1,058,341.12 for the payment of the remaining 46 per cent of the allotment to the school districts.

The allotments together with the amounts to be paid to the school districts in each County includes the following: Total County Allotment Approved Columbia $33,090.10 $17,868.61 Northumberland 25,409.07 13,720.86 Schuylkill 49,463.85 26,710.43 Snyder 10,467.71 5,632.55 DISTRICT THIRD CLASS Mount Carmel 262.06 141.51 FOURTH CLASS Little Mahanoy Twp. 247.50 133.65 Lower Mahanoy Borough 3,707.62 2,002.11 Marion Heights Borough 120.00 64.80 Ralpho Twp. 1,350.00 729.00 Rush Twp. 480.00 259.20 Shamokin Twp. 240.00 129.60 Upper Mahanoy Twp.

634.50 342.63 West Cameron Twp. 2,030.40 1,096.41 Zerbe Twp. 540.00 291.60 The Red Cross Nurse "With loyalty will myself to the welfare of those committed to my care." That pledge will be much in the minds of the 4,000 Red Cross nurses taking up artive duties with the U. S. Army.

Not only with loyalty but also with 8. high spirit of patriotism these young women are breaking off civilian careers to serve the sick among the 1,200,000 men being sent to camps in all sections of the country. Naturally, some have hesitated and asked, "Why should we do this now? Is this the national emergency which was meant when we promised the Red Cross to respond if we possibly could?" The answer is that this is that national emergency. When the situation is explained, the nurses readfly understand the nature of the call. To provide necessary hospitalization for the men selected for military training will require approximately 62,000 beds.

This means an increase of some 40,000 over present facilities and it means the staffing of sixty-five additional hospitals varying in size from 75 to 2.000 beds. Plans for expansion of the Navy's medical plant are not yet definite as those for the Army, but a Navy Nurse Corps four times as large as the present staff is visualized. The Army at present is calling (Continued on Page 8 to and DAYS SHOP to CHRISTMAS SEALS) Little children are not safe from tuberculosis. 11 takes more very young lives theria than or scarlet either fever. diph- CHRISTMAS 1940 Miner Is Killed At Alaska Kulpmont Man Hit By Falling "Sulphur Skull Fractured Bridegroom of only one year, Nicholas Bogush, 25, of 1319 Scott street, Kulpmont, was instantly killed yesterday afternoon inside at the Alaska colliery.

Mrs. Bogush is the former Miss Dorothy Seroski, of Springfield. There are no children Attaches of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company in the compensation office at Pottsville announced that Bogush, on the afternoon shift, was walking along the gangway, enroute his place of work, when a "niggerhead," or "sulphur fell from the roof of the gangway and dropped on him, fracturing his skull. Bogush was brought to the surface of the mine and removed to the colliery office, where he was pronounced dead by Dr. A.

B. Buczko, of this city. Besides his wife, Bogush leaves his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Metro Bogush, of 1419 Scott street, Kulpmont, and the following brothers and sisters: Walter and Michael, Kulpmont; Peter, Shamokin; Della, Nettie, Julia and Rose, Kulpmont; Anne and Sophie, New York, and Mary, New Jersey.

The funeral will be held from the home of his wife's parents in Springfield either on Monday or Tuesday, relatives announced. Tenure Law Fight Looms By Joseph Banks United Press Staff Correspondent HARRISBURG, Dec. 14 (U.P.) -The Public Instruction Department will take a sideline seat at the tug-ofwar over proposed changes in the Teachers' Tenure Law that almost certainly will be staged at the 1941 legislative session by two powerful groups--the State School Directors' Association and the Pennsylvania Education Association. An official of the department said the administration has no plans for sponsorship of amendments to the controverted 1937 act, which is intended to protect public school teachers from indiscriminate firing by school boards, but the two organizations are expected to advocate changes at cross purposes. The expected contention probably will center on the desire of the directors to maintain the status quo or give substance to two of the Act's omissions and the aim of the teachers to have the omitted sections inserted in the act in their favor.

The law fails to give the Public Instruction Superintendent- who is the judge and jury in tenure cases under the act- -jurisdiction over suspension of teachers or dismissal of "temporary" school employes. Thus, school boards have a means of contravening what the teachers consider the "legstlative intent" of the act. For example, the Kulpmont Borough School Board on Wednesday reinstated four dismissed teachers at the direction of Public Instruction Superintendent Francis B. Haas--and then promptly suspended them, achieving their purpose of removing the instructors from the payrolls while blocking their chance of further appeal. The teachers announced that they would re-appeal the case, however, on grounds that their seniority 1 had not been considered.

Though the petition for a new hearing had not yet been leceived by the department, it was believed unlikely that Doctor Haas would grant the appeal, since it is from a suspension, not 3 dismissal, The organizations also are expected to seek legislation of a noncontroversial- or, at least, less controversial-nature. P. O. Van Ness, executive secretary of the School Directors' Association, said he believed the organization's legislative committee, which will meet Dec 18 to formulate plans for the 1941 session, would approve a proposal for amendment of the Tenure Act to provide for supervision of school (Continued on Page Ten) DUKE CONFERS WITH PRESIDENT Seated in a motor launch, the Duke of Windsor leaves Miami to be flown by a U. S.

Navy plane to a Caribbean rendezvous with President Roosevelt aboard the U. S. S. Tuscaloosa. Rebekahs To Celebrate Anniversary Annual Christmas Party Will Also Be Held Tonight Minerva Rebekah Lodge, this city, will celebrate the 49th anniversary of its founding tonight in Masonic Hall.

The program will open at 7:30 o'- clock. A short business session will precede the anniversary festivities. Surviving charter members of Minerva Rebekah Lodge are: Mrs. Eliza Edwards, Eliza Thomas and Martha Brokenshire, of this city; Mrs. Eliza Taylor, of Long Island, and Mr.

and Mrs. William Thomas, of The annual Christmas party and exchange of gifts also will be a part of tonight's festivities. Lothian To Be Buried Monday WASHINGTON, Dec. 14. (U.P)The ashes of the 11th Marquess of Lothian, late British Ambassador to the United States, will be interred temporarily in Arlington National Cemetery, final resting place of America's military and naval heroes.

Burial services, with full military honors, will take place at noon Monday following memorial services at the Washington Cathedral row afternoon and a subsequent private cremation. service at the Church Fort Lincoln. British circles said they understood unofficially that President Roosevelt would attend the Arlington services. But the President, who ends his Caribbean defense inspection tour at Charleston, S.C., today, is going to Warm Springs, and is not scheduled to arrive here until early afternoon. Lothian died suddenly at the British Embassy, early Thursday morning.

arrangements were announced late yesterday by the State Department, disclosing for the first time that Lothian's body will be cremated. The ashes will be placed in an urn and deposited in a vault under the mast of the U.S.S. Battleship Maine Memorial near the Arlington Amphitheater. There they will remain until Lothian's three sisters in Great Britain and the British government decide on the final resting place. The Cathedral services are scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Lothian's body will be brought from the Embassy by Army caisson, escorted by a. squadron of Cavalrymen from Fort Myer, Va. Mrs. Roosevelt told reporters in New York the other day that she would attend the Cathedral rites. High British and American officials, members of the diplomatic corps and Lothian's personal friends also will attend.

HAND INJURED Michael Dwilet, 25, of 119 north Pearl street, Shamokin, was admitted to the Shamokin State Hospital at 7:10 o'clock this morning with injuries of the left hand, sustained while making repairs to the fan belt of his truck. Fascist Army Fleeing Toward Libya, Morale Shattered By Reverses Greeks Advance Despite Heavy Snow In Albania Italians Evacuate Chimara On Coast; Greeks Grab Supplies ATHENS, Dec. 14. (U.P)-Italian troops were reported in Greek dispatches from the front today to be evacuating the Albanian coastal town of Chimara and falling back toward the important port of Valona. Dispatches from the north front said that Greeks also had advanced in the Pogradec sector despite a snow storm and furious Italian resistance, having captured strategically important positions northwest of Pogradec.

Much material, including automatic rifles, mortars and ammunition was reported captured from the Italians. The Greek troops were reported by the Athens press to be advancing slowly along the coastal road toward Chimara in pursuit of the Fascist forces, which retired over a mountainous road toward Valona Bay. The dispatches said that yesterday the Greeks drove Italians from srtnog positions along the road and captured heights north and east of Chimara, threatening to encircle the town. Elbasan, in the north, Klisura and Tepelini in the southeast, and Chimara on the Adriatic coast were their immediate objectives along a 100-mile front curving inward from southwestern to central Albania. The fall of Chimara, 30 miles below the port of Valona, was expected hourly.

Furious battles were reported around Tepelini and Klisura, important road junctions on the lower central front, and the Greeks were said to have encircled an Italian stronghold east of Tepelini that might turn the tide. In the north, two strong Italian counter-attacks were reported repulsed in snowcovered mountains and the Greeks occupied two more villages, reports from the front said. A dispatch from Jan H. Yindrich, United Press staff correspondent with the Greek southern forces, said: "News of the British victory in Egypt has had an enormous effect on the whole Greek front and the battle cry heard now is: 'Let's throw the Italians into the sea before the British take Tripoli' (in western Reports from the Tepelini-Klisura sector indicated that the Italians were manuevering desperately to protect their routes of retreat toward Valona, on the coast, and Berat, to the north; and that the Greeks were daringly trying to cut both those roads in encirclement tactics. Greeks advancing north from (Continued on Page Ten) 700 Tax Liens Are Revived In County Clerks in the office of Prothonotary Ben F.

Tiley are engaged at present reviving 700 tax liens on the county dockets to keep alive tax claims entered against properties five years ago for borough, county, school and poor district taxes which remain unpaid. Under law it is necessary to reenter the liens every five years to keep them legal, and the task now confronting the clerks is a big one at a time they are otherwise busily engaged in year-end activities. Superintendent Of Reliance Seriously Ill From Pneumonia Suffering from double pneumonia, Joseph Brennan, superintendent of Reliance colliery of the P. R. C.

I. Company, was reported as being gravely ill this morning at his home on east Lincoln street, Shamokin. W. L. GOUGER DIES William L.

Gouger resident of Montour of Danville's most respected citizens, at 273 Mill street at 9:10 o'clock. Duce's Own Supplies Used In Pursuing His Battered Forces In North African Retreat Mrs. Samuel Heads Medical Auxiliary Unit Mrs. Simmonds And Mrs. Justin Are Elected To Office Mrs.

E. Roger Samuel, of Mount Carmel, was elected president of the auxiliary of the Medical Society of Northumberland and Snyder counties at a reorganization meeting at the home of Mrs. Charles M. Thomas, Sunbury. After several years of inactivity, the auxiliary was revived through the efforts of Mrs.

Thomas, its former president, and others. A large and representative groups -of wives of medical men of the two counties attended. The meeting was featured by the presence of Mrs. Charles Crouse, of Greensburg, president elect of the auxiliary to the Pennsylvania Medical Society, who spoke on the objectives of the organization, and desirability of wives of physicians finding common interest along lines correlating the activities of their husbands. Mrs.

George M. Simmonds of Shamokin was elected vice-president Mrs. Peter Justin of Mount Carmel, president elect, Mrs. R. B.

MacIntosh, of Selinsgrove, recording secretary Mrs. R. H. Kramer, of Selinsgrove, corresponding secretary, and Mrs. W.

B. Lewis, of Shamokin, treasurer. In the attendance were many from Shamokin, Mount Carmel and Kulpmont, as well as representative groups from Northumberland, Selinsgrove and Middleburg. It was decided to meet once each month and restore all activities of the auxiliary. Flashes COAL SHIPMENTS The Anthracite Institute announced today that hard coal shipments last month totaled 3,396,388 net tons, an increase of tons over November, 1939.

November shipwere 261,488 net tons less than in October, the report showed. KING GEORGE 45 LONDON-King George, who four years ago became King when his elder brother left the throne for "the woman I love," took almost his only day off since the war began today to spend his 45th birthday with his wife and two daughters somewhere in the country. RUMANIAN OIL FIRE BUCHAREST, Rumania- Rumania's second great oil field fire in six days stopped railroad traffic on the Trunk Line connecting Bucharest with Germany, Poland and Russia today. It was indicated that the line would be closed for several days. CHRISTMAS BONUS Christmas bonus totaling more than $250,000 will be distributed Monday to employes of Horn and Hardart Restaurants, it was announced today.

The company has granted a Yule bonus each year since 1888. By Philip Taylor (U. P. Staff Correspondent) CAIRO, Dec. 14.

British Empire forces have smashed eight Italian divisions, totaling some 120,000 men, in their offensive in the western desert and are pursue ing the shattered remnants of five of them, it was reported today. Three divisions of Fascist Black Shirt Militiamen, "Mussolini's Pride;" two divisions of regulars, two native Libyan divisions and the crack armored division of Gen. tro Maletti, one of Italy's foremost colonial soldiers, have been tered, well informed sources said. The British used only two divisions in the initial phase of the tack, according to information here -a mechanized division and one imperial infantry division--in addition to a Free France unit. Fresh British troops are pursuing the remainder of the Italians ward the Libyan frontier, using 6 tremendous store of captured Italian food and fuel to do so.

These stores, brought to Africa from Italy, had been distributed among Italian bases for months in preparation for an offensive which the Italians hoped would take them to the Suez Canal. Information reached Cairo that British casualties in the entire operation had been surprisingly light, Wounded British soldiers who arrived from the battle zone were quoted that neither Italian nor Libyan troops seemed disposed to fight. They gave this as the reason for the great number of prise oner3 taken. Three of five Ita lian Generals among the prisoners arrived here yesterday by plane British advance units were ported today to be pursuing the fleeing Italians toward the SollumBardia bottle neck road on the Libyan frontier while other forces mopped up the approximately 500 square miles of territory the British forces forces had taken. Reports from the frontier area indicated that the effect of the British offensive was serious in Libya as well as in the desert territory of Egypt which the Italians had held.

Pilots of British Hurricane fighter planes who carried out 67 attacks behind the Italian lines in three days reported seeing large fires burning at Sollum, on the Egyptian side of the frontier, and said that they saw a long column of motorized vehicles fleeing back toward Tobruk, Italian naval 75 miles west of the frontier. British planes have been in the air day and night since the offensive started at dawn Monday, Pilots of the eight-gun British fighter planes which have been At Film Preview HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 14. (U.P)-Actress Olivia De Havilland arrived in Hollywood today aboard a chartered plane and was taken at once to Good Samaritan Hospital where it may be necessary to perform an emergency operation for appendicitis. Miss De Havilland, was stricken yesterday N.

where she and a party of film players had gone for a movie preview. Her condition was regarded "not serious" at first, but suddenly "took a turn for the worse" and she was bundled into a TWAI airliner at Alburquerque, N. early today. An ambulance attendant carried the actress from the plane. She was dressed in a ski suit, which was the warmest clothing she had taken with her.

She had planned an outing in the mountains at Santa Fe today. Miss De Havilland, who co-stars with Errol Flynn in "The Santa Fe Trail" was in Santa Fe with 300 other film players and newspapermen to attend the premiere of the picture. She was preparing in her hotel room for a personal appearance when stricken. Dr. Eugene Fiske was called and he ordered her taken to St.

Vincent's Hospital there for observation. Her blood count and pulse increased and worried Warner officials decided to return her here. They failed to charter a plane out of Santa Fe because the field there is not equipped for night flying. At Alburquerque, 65 miles south of Santa Fe, they arranged to charter a Transcontinental and Western Air, sleeper plane and Miss De Havilland was taken there by automobile. Miss De Havilland is one of Hollywood's top ranking dramatic actresses.

She rose to new heights in "Gone With The Wind" playing the part of Melanie. Her sister, Joan Fontaine, also is a prominent actress. Miss De Havilland was born in Tokyo 24 years ago. She left Hollywood Thursday aboard the special 17-car train for Santa Fe. The festivities there were scheduled to end tomorrow.

Miss De Havilland and her sister recently were accused by their father William A. De Havilland of repeatedly ignoring his pleas for financial assistance after anti-British feeling in Japan had ruined his Tokyo legal practice. He said his daughters had refused to answer his appeals because he married a Japanese after their mother divorced him. De Havilland stopped off in Hollywood briefly while enroute to South Amer(Continued on Page Ten) (Continued on Page Ten) British Bomb Kiel, Bremen LONDON, Dec. 14.

(U.P)-Striking through heavy clouds which had grounded most of the German Air Force, British bombers last night tacked targets in Kiel and Bremen, docks and airdromes in Holland and a German submarine base at Bordeaux, France, the Air Ministry said today. "Bremen was almost entirely hidden by a cloud when heavy bombers came over the city early last night," the Ministry said. "They had been detailed to attack railways, factories and warehouses near the harbor. Incendiary and high explosive bombs were dropped. "After the attack the glow of strong fires penetrated and lit up the clouds.

"At Kiel heavy bombers raided docks and shipyards. The weather was as bad as at Bremen but the pilots were certain that many bombs fell in the target area." All the British planes returned. BERLIN, Dec. 14. (U.P) Unfavor able weather conditions yesterday and last night limited the activities of the air force, the high command said today.

83, lifelong county and one widely known and died at his home Thursday evening.