Evening Star Newspaper, January 22, 1940, Page 1

. ¢ Foening Star ‘WITH SUNDAY MORNING EDITION Weather Forecast Fair and continued cold tonight and tomorrow; lowest tonight about 18; continued cold Wednesday and Thurs- day. Temperatures today—Highest, 38, at 2 pm.;-lowest, 17, at 5:30 a.m. From the United States Weather Bureau report. Full details on Page A-2. Closing New York Markets, Page 18. Established in 1852 Most pecple in Washington have Tte Star delivered to their homes every evening and Sunday morning. @b 88th YEAR. No. 34,964. Dies Committee Extension Voted By Rules Group Proposals for Certain Curbs Rejected in Stormy Hearing BI-PARTISAN SUPPORT develops for further cuts in emergency de- fense appropriation bill. Page A-2 BREAKDOWN OF ARGENTINE trade pact negotiations blamed on Hull's insistence for quota on canned beef imports. Page A-2 FINNISH AID ACTION held up until after Senate committee meeting Wednesday. Page A-2 NEPHEW OF COHEN, New Deal adviser, got N. L. R. B. post, al- though held not qualified. Page A-3 BULLETIN. A few minutes after the House Rules Committee had voted for continuation of the Dies Commit- tee on Un-American Activities, Representative Hook, Democrat, of Michigan placed in the Con- gressional Record charges that Chairman Dies had actively as- sociated with “‘a prominent col- laborator of the Christian Front.” The Hook statement said Mr. Dies frequently associated with Merwin K. Hart, whom the Michigan Representative de- scribed as an energetic “fellow traveler” of the Christian Front. By J. A. O'LEARY. Official Washington gathered in the Senate chamber today and bowed its head in reverent farewell to Senator William E. Borah, of Idaho, whose death last week endied ?lf notable career in American public e. President Roosevelt, the Cabinet, the Justices of the Supreme Court, the diplomatic corps and high rank- ing officers of the military service Jjoined with members of the House and Senate in the simple, impres- sive state funeral. In the chamber that so often had resounded to the eloguent voice of the veteran statesman as he battled for what he thought best for his country. there was silence and sor- row today as his colleagues faced the flower-covered casket in front of the Vice President’s dais. The Rev Z. Barney T. Phillips, chaplain of the Senate, recited the ?) M WASHINGTON, D, C, MONDAY, JANUARY 22, 1940—THIRTY-TWO PAGES. %%k Impressive Rites for Borah Joined by Roosevelt Chaplain of Senate Leads Officials In State Funeral of Statesman Episcopal burial office, preceded and followed by the singing of hymns by Mrs. Henrietta Bagger Plum. Surrouhded by a group of rela- tives and friends, Mrs. Borah sat near one of the north entrances to the chamber, not far from the cas- ket, but secluded from the view of the crowded galleries and the as- sembled dignitaries. It was 33 years ago this month that Senator Borah's State sent him to the Senate, and the record he made as a courageous, studious law- maker will live long after him in the annals of Capital Hill. A wreath of red roses adorned the vacant desk from which the “Lion of Idaho” had taken part in memor- able debates. The presiding officer’s rostrum was banked with other fioral (See BORAH, Page A-3.) Seven Sfiips Sunk In Week End Spurt 0f War at Sea Destroyer Grenville One Of 4 British Vessels Lost; 3 Neutrals By the Associated Press. The House Rules Committee, after 8 brief but stormy hearing and de- bate, unanimously approved and sent to the House today the resolu- tion to continue for another year the Dies committee investigating un- American activities. Administration leaders previously had agreed that the resolution would be called up for passage tomorrow. The committee rejected pleas of Representatives Dempsey, Demo- | crat, of New Mexico, and Casey, | Democrat, of Massachusetts of the Dies group, that the resolution be amended to provide certain restric- tions on procedure of the investi- gators. Proposed by Voorhis. Representative Voorhis, Demo- | erat, of California had proposed | such changes, suggesting that the | Dies Committee meet behind | closed doors to go over prospec- tive testimony and evidence, that no member make a public state- ment about evidence unless it had been approved by the full com- mittee and that efforts be made to give persons accused a chance “as soon as possible” to reply. The case for re-creation of the Dies Committee, which expired Jan- uary 3, was presented chiefly by | Acting Chairman Starnes, al- though all other members spoke briefly except Chairman Dies, ill | at his Orange (Tex.) home. Mr. Casey opened the hearing by | saying he represented a district | where “there is no opposition” to | the Dies Committee. But he said | he wanted to offer a few sugges- | tions to make certain that the' in- | quiry would be “more analytical and less unfair.” After recommending that the committee study proposed testi- mony and evidence in advance, Mr. Dempsey suggested that procedural step should be considered by the committee itself. “Yes, but I don’t think they will do that,” Mr. Casey said. Called Most Powerful Agency. Representative Cox, Democrat, of Georgia, interrupted to say that the Nation would consider proposals such as Mr. Casey made as “a lever to hamstring the committee.” Mr. Voorhis then asserted the Dies Committee was “probably the | most powerful agency in the coun- try as far as the public is con- cerned.” He added that “the more | orderly its procedure, the more val- | uable it will be.” After reading his proposed amendments to the resolution to re-create the committee, he said he was “perfectly willing” to take his share of the responsibility for what- ever mistakes the committee had made. “If it’s been so infernally lousy, how can it be so powerful?” Mr. Cox asked. Representative Mason, Repub- lican, of Illinois, another Dies Com~ mittee member, said that, although some mistakes had been made, it | would be wrong for the House to attempt to establish a precedent by setting forth rules and regulations for the conduct of investigations it authorizes. “If the committee is continued, it will adopt the proper procedure,” he promised. Woman Plunges fo Death From Eighth-Floor Room A woman of about 60 plunged from an eighth-floor hotel room to her death pn the sidewalk below early today. She was identified as Mary Louise Meabon of Rochester, N. Y. She had registered at the Bellevue Hotel, 15 E street N.W., last Friday. Hotel employes recalled that she was well dressed and quiet and said they no- ticed nothing unusual in her man- ner. About 3:40 a.m. today K. A. Hill, night clerk at the hotel, heard the sound of a crash outside. He inves- tigated and found the woman’s body on the sidewalk and summoned po- lice. The window of her front room on the eighth floor was open. Police said her body apparently had struck a storie coping over the hotel en- trance as it fell. A Casualty Hospital ambulance doctor pronounced her dead on the scene, and the body was removed to the morgue. No notes were found in the room, but she had left an envelope containing $2.75—covering the cost of the room for one day— on her dresser. Coroner A. Ma- gruder MacDonald was investigat- ing. > BY the Associated Press. LONDON, Jan. 22.—Four British ships, one of them a sleek destroyer, were sent to the bottom in a wave of week end shipping losses. Three neutral victims also added to the heavy toll of men and ships, especially in icy waters around the British Isles, which some sources blamed on a sharp increase in mines. The 1,569-ton Norwegian steamer Maurita also was presumed lost when a naval vessel brought the| bodies of two men who were believed members of her crew into port. The bodies were picked up on a raft in the North Sea. Sinking of the destroyer Gren- ville, 1,485-ton flotilla leader, “by a mine or torpedo,” was announced by the admiralty yesterday. She was the fourth British destroyer sunk in nearly five months of war and Britain's 21st acknowledged loss to her fleet. When she sank was not disclosed. 81 Dead Are Listed. The admiralty said 118 officers and men had been saved, but “8 are known to have been killed and 73 are missing and must be pre- sumed to have lost their lives.” Among survivors landed at an east coast port were some gravely wounded and the commander of the warship, Capt. G. E. Creasy. Capt. Creasy at first had been reported | of the Japanese nation against | among the lost. To Britons the disastrous week end was a sad sequel to words of Winston Churchill, first lord of the admiralty, who declared Saturday, “Things have never gone so well in any naval war.” But they found consolation for their losses by citing the fact that hundreds of warships and merchant- men were moving in and out of British ports with a steady flow of supplies and food and Churchill's assurance that the chances against a convoyed ship | being sunk are 500 to 1, Besides the Grenville, grief to these eight other ships became known during the week end: The 7,807-ton British tanker Ca- roni sank suddenly Saturday after an unexplained explosion when she was only 20 minutes out on a trial -un after refitting. Her crew of 55 was saved. but many were (See LONDON, Page A-5.) Edwin Carewe, Noted Film Director, Dies By the Associated Press. HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 22.—Edwin Carewe, noted director of the silent film era, was found dead in his bed today An ambulance surgeon said his death was caused by a heart at- tack. s Mr. Carewe, who would have been 57 next March, was born in Gaines- ville, Tex. He was on the stage for several years until 1915, when he joined the Lubin Film Co. He directed scores of films, the pest remembered being “Ramona,” “Resurrection” and “Revenge.” To a large extent, he was respon- sible for the rise to fame of Dolores Del Rio, Francis X. Bushman, Gary Cooper and Wallace Beery. in Mr.|- Japénese Profest British Seizure of Nazis on Liner Removal of 21 Germans ‘Serious, Unfriendly Act,’ Says Official By the Associatec Press. TOKIO, Jan. 22—Japan today protested formally to Britain against halting of the Japanese liner Asama Maru and seizure of 21 Germans who were passengers on their way"| home by way of Japan and Siberia. | The incident was characterized as | “a serious unfriendly act” by the vice foreign minister, Masayuki | Tani, in an interview with British | Ambassador ~ Sir Robert Leslie | Craigie. A foreign office communique said Sir Robert, summoned to the foreign | office, was told that Japan attaches | “the greatest importance” to the occurrence. | The Asama Maru, bound for Yoko- | hama from San Francisco, was halted Saturday by a shot across | her bow. A British boarding party | removed the 21 Germans who for- merly served on Standard Oil Co. ships in Central and South America. Forcifle Measures Charged. The Japanese protest declared “forcible measures” were used to re- move the Germans when the Asama Maru's captain, declined to surren- der them. Demanding that Britain “prompt- ly furnish a full, valid explanation,” Japan reserved the right to demand feturn of the German seamen and | warned that any repetition would | “aggravate all the more sentiment | Britain.” i “From the broad viewpoint of the future relations between Japan and EBritain, the Japanese government requests the British government to pay serious consideration to the matter,” the protest said. Japan, declaring the Asama Maru was halted about 35 miles off the Japanese coast, laid stress on the vessel's position, close to Japanese waters, in making the protest. Approach to U. S. Planned. Meanwhile, Yakichiro Suma, for- eign office spokesman, reported that Japanese Embassy officials at Washington would approach the State Department on “technical matters” regarding Japanese- American trade relations. The com- mercial treaty between Japan and | the United States expires Friday. “The trade situation not only 1s uneasy for the Japanese, but also for the Americans and we deem the State Department should consider this thoroughly,” Suma declared. Suma declared the government was watching with “grave concern” the next moves in the negotiations, which he said would be decided in Washington. Incident Termed “Regrettable.” The spokesman termed the re- moval of Nazi seamen by a British warship as “very regrettable” be- cause the “search and arrests took place so near our shore.” Passengers aboard the ship said the liner was stopped about 35 miles off the Japanese shore and within sight of land off Yokohama. Passengers said the Nazi prisoners were among a group of 40 men formerly seamen on Standard Ofl tankers who were being sent home at the company’s expense because of the war. They said the warship, apparently (See TOKIO, Page A-3.) Summary of Page. Page. Amuse- Obituary ___A-12 ments .__B-6-7 Comics .B-10-11 Editorials - A-10 Finance ____A-17 Lost, Found B-8| Page .._. A-13 Foreign Japan weighs counter measures for British ship incident. Page A-1 Beven ships are sunk in spurt of war at sea. Page A-1 Liner flames destroyed lifeboats, survivors say. Page A-1 Repeated Russian attacks repulsed, Finns report. Page A-1 Allied pressure on Argentina factor in U. S. pact failure. Page A-2 China expected to protest Italian note to Wang. Page A-6 Chinese reported tightening lines around Canton. Page A-6 National Soap executive highest corporation salary listed for 1938, Page A-1 Bipartisan support seen for defense bill cuts. Page A-2 Louisiana legislature speeds passage of Long’s 20 bills. Page A-2 Fish urges prompt Congress action to aid Finland. Page A-2 . L8 < »e Today's Star Washington and Nearby. McNutt to broadcast for Mile o Dimes_today. Page B-1 Sports Record list of 139 nominated for Preakness jubilee. Page A-14 Ruth, fat, contented, gives up hope for baseball berth. Page A-14 D. C. varsity athletes promise win- ter of keen competition. Page A-15 Demaret beats Goggin; takes lead in golf money race. Page A-15 Barnard 'Stakes at G. P. O. thrown open to all pinmen, Page A-16 Editorial and Comment This and That. Answers to Questions. Letters to The Star. David Lawrence. Alsop and Kintner. Frederic William Wile. Charles G. Ross. Jay Franklin, Miscellany Girl at' the Front. Nature’s Children. Bedtime Story. Crossword . Puzzle, Letter-Out. Winning Contracts. Uncle Ray’s Corner. City News in Brief. Page A-10 Page A-10 Page A-10 Page A-11 Page A-11 Page A-11 Page A-11 Page A-11 Page B-5 Page ‘B-8 Page B-10 Page B-10 Page B-10 Page B-11 Page B-11 Page B-¢ ] Dpieces, Reds Repulsed Repeatedly, Finns Claim Attempts to Crack Isthmus and Eastern "Lines Reported PRESSURE OF ALLIES on Argen- ¢ina factor in_U. 8. pact fail- ure; domestic thterests here also blamed. Page A-2 CHINA 1S EXPECTED to protest Italy’s message to Wang Ching- | wei; telegram interpreted as| virtual recognition. Page A-6| CHINESE REPORTED TIGHTEN- ING lines around Canton; Japa- nese wounded said to be streaming into metropolis. Page A-6 By WADE WERNER, Associated Press Foreign Correspondent. HELSINKI, Jan. 22.—Hundreds of Russians have been killed, the high command reported today, in each of a number of futile attempts to crack Finnish resistance on the Karelian Isthmus and the eastern front. On the isthmus, where the Finns have reported almost daily attacks, the army said the invaders sought to give effect to their drives by ioud- speaker exhortations that the Finns surrender under the threat that the Germans were coming to help their foe. Reviewing developments in the | conflict yesterday, the high com- mand reported in its regular evening communique: In the Taipale sector of the ;Karclmn frent, “about 120 enemy | dead were counted in our foremost positions and on the ground in front of our lines were the bodies of several hundred others” after | Russian attacks were driven off. Attack North of Lake Repulsed. On the eastern front, northeast of Lake Ladoga, the Finns replused | | the Russians, who left “three officers | |and about 120 men killed.” Further north, but still on the lower eastern front, in the Loimola sector, the Russians were driven | back with “about 450 men killed” | and five tanks destroyed. In tie far north, above the Arctic Circle, where Russians earlier had | been reported bracing after with- ‘dmwlng to Lake Marka, the army said there was “nothing new.” In slight air activity yesterday, it was announced, only four persons were known to have been wounded. Text of Communique. The high commard communique issued tonight follows: “Land: “On the (Karelian) isthmus, {chiefly harassing artillery fire on January 21. -Our own artillery si- lenced & few enemy batteries. In the late afternoon the enemy began concentrating for a new attack at Taipale. The atack was halted in | its infancy. | “In the course of the day our | | troops destroyed two tanks. After | yesterday’s fighting about 120 enemy dead were counted in our foremost | positions and on the ground in the| | front of our lines were the bodies of several hundred others. “The enemy tried to give effect to his attacks by loud speakers mounted in his positions which ex- horted our men to surrender, de- claring that Viipuri would be taken within 48 hours and threatening that Germans were coming to help him and would kill all Finns. “Northeast of Lake Ladoga our troops, fighting successfully and re- pelling the enemy, left three officers and about 120 men killed; further, five enemy tanks and two armored | cars were destroyed. Five Tanks Destroyed. “In the direction of Loimola the | enemy attacked our positions at | Kollaanjoki. The attack was re- | pulsed, the enemy losing about 450 | men killed and five tanks which our men destroyed. “Farther north the enemy at- tacked at several points at Aittojoki and in the direction of Ilomantsi. The attacks were repulsed. On the Kainuu and Lapland fronts there is nothing new. “At sea: Nothing to report. “Air: The enemy air activity was lively on January 21 only in the war zone. In the home area, Oulu (Uleaborg) was bombed and a few buildings set on fire. New air raids took pMmce at night during which men working to extinguish fires were machine-gunned from the air. Ac- cording to reports so far four people were wounded in the raids.” Attack Across Ice Seen. Freezing of the Gulf of Finland from the Estonian to the Finnish shore has confronted Finland with the possibility of an over-ice attack from Soviet Russian bases in Es- tonia. Foreign military observers specu- lated on the chances of suc- cess for such a thrust, but Finns insisted they were well prepared to meet it. The coasl, iIn some sections at least, has been fortified and barri- caded with barbed wire. The frozen beach at Hanko, for example, is laced with barbed wire. Hanko, Southernmost Finland, lies at the tip of a Gulf of Finland peninsula, 55 miles. northwest of Baltiski, Soviet Russia’s Estonian air base. 9 Almost as though in anticipation of such a Russian move, Finland was reported to have struck at Rus- sian aviation bases on one of the (See FINLAND, Page A-5.) SR S Rescued Fares Better Than His Rescuers By the Associated Press. . SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., Jan. 22.—William Dootson, 19, fell 3,000 feet down a mountainside and lay unconscious 16 hours. But he fared much better than his rescuers. Dootson. was severely cut and bruised, but went home affer emer- gency treatment. Deputy Sheriff Harry R. Heap 'Browder, Arguing 'Rights as Cifizen slipped and broke a leg trying to rescue the youth. Two other depu- ties dislocated a knee each. 4 Own Case, Demands Could Not Be Barred Because of lilegal Passport, He Contends By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, Jan. 22.—Earl Brow- | der, Communist leader, argued be- fore a Federal court jury today that it must acquit him of passport fraud charges unless it wished to set a precedent that “a citizen may be exiled from his own country.” Although he had engaged George | Gordon Battle, one of New York's best known lawyers to defend him, Browder chose to sum up his own case, explaining to the jury that he was a correspondence school lawyer. Moreover, he said, he was “intimate- | ly familiar” with all the facts. What he had done, the general | secretary of the Communist Party | in the United States asserted, was| merely to return to his own country | on his own passport after travels abroad in 1937 and 1938. Defense Moves Dismissed. Browder_had traveled in foreign lands previously on passports issued in the names of Nicholas Dozenberg, George Morris and Albert Henry Richards and in applying for a pass- port in his own name, according to the prosecutiony had written “none” in reply to a question asking where his “last passport” was obtained. Browder argued the word “none” meant simply that no passport was being attached for cancellation. It | did not mean, he declared, that he had never before received a pass- port. Browder began his summation | after Mr. Battle vainly. moved for dismissal of the indictment on the ground the Government had failed to prove its charges. He offered no defense testimony. Rights As Citizen Cited. Browder cited his American birth and said: “There is no such thing in the law as an illegal entry of a citizen of the United States.” | “Did this display of the passport gain entrance into the United States for me? It did not. The display of the passport informed the inspec- tor that he could not keep me out. * * * I received the passport under my status as a citizen which is un- challenged here.” The American Communist leader and former presidential candidate, who admittedly used names not his own on passports and then pleaded innocent after his indictment, ex- pected his case to go to the jury quickly and dissolve immediately afterward. ‘That might permit him to go to Madison Square Garden as princi- pal speaker tonight at a rally furthering his candidacy for the seat left vacant by the death of Representative William Sirovich of the 14th congressional district. It was pointed out passport appli- cations carry a line reading, “My ‘last passport was obtained from * * * office on * * * date and is sub- mitted herewith for cancellation.” The Government -says Browder wrote “None” in the first blank in 1934 when he applied for a passport under his own name after previously using passports made out in others’ names. It was on interpretation of the word that Browder gambled his chances of acquittal—or conviction which could carry 10 years’ impris- onment and a $4,000 fine. 200 Die in Ship Crash CHUNGKING,, Jan.. 22 (A)—A collision between two Chinese ships in the swollen Yangtze River today claimed more than 200 lives, all Chinese. A downstream craft carry- ing 300 passengers, including 30 high school girls foundered after striking an upbound ship below Chungking. Bali Air Crash Kills 8 BATAVIA, Netherlands East In- dies, Jan. 22 (#).—Five passengers and the crew of three were killed today when a transport plane of the Batavia-Australian service crashed into the sea after taking off from the Island of Bali. North Irish Flyers Killed BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Jan. 22 () —Three Northern Ireland fiyers were killed and one was in- jured today in an Irish Sea airplane k | ties for traffic offenses to avoid any | Houston their first snow in 10 years, Schulte Asks Uniform Penalties| For District Traffic Violations Would Avoid Possibility of ‘Favoritism’ Being Shown Persons The House District Committee was urged today by Representative Schulte, Democrat, of Indiana to propcse a uniform system of penal- possibility of favoritism being shown | persons of “social standing.” Mr. Schulte, who directs the traf- | fic affairs of the committee as chair- | man of its Subcommittee on Streets | and Traffic, made the recommenda- tion after reiterating his recent charges that Police Court judges are not giving proper co-operation to the Police Department in the en- forcement and prosecution of traffic violators. “Drunken drivers get the maxi- mum sentence in other cities, why ciated Pr THREE CENTS. of ‘Social Standing’ not here?” asked Mr. Schulte. “We had a spectacle here last year in the case of a woman arrested on a charge of driving while drunk being tried on a reckless driving charge. | The charge was reduced because she had ‘social standing.’ | It's common gossip around City Hall that some lawyers try to get traffic cases postponed until a leni- | ent judge is on the bench in Traffic | Court. We should have a uniform system of penalties which should apply to all persons alike. If that is done, we would get real enforce- ment and a reduction in the traffic | accident rate.” | Mr. Schulte, incidentally, paid (See SAFETY, Page A-3.) Cold Snap Confinues, | Weatherman Warns As Mercury Climbs Quick Rise Temporary, With No Real Relief In Sight, He Says The temperature moderated more | hours in Washington today, but the | Weather Bureau warned that the | rise would be only temporary and predicted continuation of the cold | snap for several days. Slight relief from the intense cold which brought 10-foof snow drifts in Western New York and increased flood dangers in Pennsylvania dur- ing the week end was experienced throughout the Northeastern States, but they, too, were in for more frigid temperatures. Meanwhile, winter swept into Texas and brought San Antonio and according to the Associated Press. Other Southern points long accus- tomed to bland January weather were encrusted by freezing rain. A blizzard swept all the way to the Gulf. Crop damage was reported exten- sive in Texas, particularly among fruits, vegetables and small grains. At least 231 had died from causes attributable to the harsh weather prevailing over the land for virtu- ally a week. Low Readings Plentiful. Although some easing of winter’s rigors appeared here and there on the domestic map, temperatures generally remained low, and fore- casters indicated a wide continu- ance of severe weather. Low mercury readings were plen- tiful; Craig, Colo., —35; Rock Springs, Wyo., —26; Fort Peck, Mont., —24; Leadville, Colo., —13; Sheridan, Wyo., —13; Butte, Mont., —16. Thé descent in Iowa was to 12 degrees below zero. Florida suffered a cold wave at 27.8 above. Agriculturists said that tender crops such as beans and peas apparently had been destroyed in the State’s muckland region. Citrus growers reported their crop stiil undamaged, but were fearful of indicated colder weather. Schools were closed in Miami and West Palm Beach. The mercury here shot from a low of 17 degrees at 5:50 this morning to 37 at 2 o'clock this afternoon, but the weather man advised: “Don’t let this temperature rise {nalia, are in jail in lieu of $50,000 | Brooklyn would cover the activities | | had burned through the ropes. Father Coughlin Aids | "Christian Front’ as "Friend of Accused’ Jackson Broadens Probe of Reputed Plot To Overthrow U. S. By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, Jan. 22.—A broad-| ened grand jury investigation was| promised teday in the Government's revolution conspiracy case against 17 “Christian Front” defendants, as the Rev. Charles E. Coughlin, calling himself a “friend of the ac- cused,” came to their defense. The 17, arrested last Sunday in| raids that also netted arms, ammu- nition and bomb-making parapher- bail each. Each says he is innocent | of any attempt to overthrow or| sabotage the Government. Attorney General Jackson said | in Washington last night that the | grand jury meeting this week in| “of any individual or group, wherever located, who may have aided, abetted, | directed, financed or incited” the defendants. Jackson Calls for Evidence. “I have asked United States Dis- trict Attorneys John T. Cahill of New York and William J. Campbell | of Chicago to co-operate by furnish- ing all helpful evidence in their possession. These instructions do not constitute an accusation against any person involved, but only call for a thoroughgoing inquiry in accord- ance with our traditional grand jury system,” Mr. Jackson said in a statement. He said the investigation also was aimed at supporters “of any other subversive group working for similar unlawful activities.” Father Coughlin explained in his regular Sunday broadcast from De- troit that “I do not belong to any unit of the Christian Front; never- theless, I do not disassociate myself from that movement. Therefore, I reafirm every word which I have said in advocating its formation. I encourage Christians of America to carry on its formation. “Insofar as the public press—not the Department of Justice—has placed the Christian Front on trial, insinuating that it is a radical move- ment and asserting that it is com- posed entirely of crackpots, I take (See WEATHER, Page A-3) 1938’s Top Corporation Pay Drawn by Soap Executive By the Associated Press. A soap manufacturer shoved aside all the fabulously paid motion pic- ture colony to rank as the Nation’s highest paid corporation employe in 1938. The $469,713 salary and bonus of F. A Countway, president of Lever Bros. Co. in Massachusetts, topped all others in last year's ocorporate income-tax returns. Under & new law the Treasury made public today the names of those who received more than $75,- 00v, instead of $15,000 as in past years. This change cut the list from 50,000 to an even 400. The list was not, however, a “400” (S8ee COUGHLIN, Page A-5.) of the Nation’s wealthiest people, because it excluded income from dividends or other sources not called “compensation.” Thus names like Henry Ford and John D. Rocke- feller, jr., do not appear at all. Thomas J. Watson, head of In- ternational Business Machines Corp., ranked second on the national list with $453440, and not until sixth place did Actress Claudette Colbert's $301,044 appear as the best that Hollywood could do. An unexplained technicality, how- ever, excluded from the list all the wealthy executives and artists of Lowe’s, Inc, and its subsidiary, (See SALARIES, Page A-4) & 4 Liner's Flames Took Lifeboats Survivors Say All 412 Passengers Saved, Italian Officials Report By the Associated Press. o MARSEILLE, France, Jan. 22.— The fire which burned through the 11,669-ton Italian motorship Orazio off the south of France yesterday spread so fast that Trearly all the lifeboats went up in flames before they could be launched, survivors disclosed upon arrival here today. Despite the speed of the fire and heavy seas which tossed lifeboats Paul van Zeeland, Reported Aboard, Found in Barcelona Bs the Associated Press. BARCELONA, Jan. 22.—Paul van Zeeland, former Premier of Belgium, who had been re- ported as among the passen- gers of the burned Italian motorship Orazio, was located here today. Van Zeeland had planned to poard the vessel for South and Central America at Barcelona today. He said he probably would leave tonight for Lisbon and sail from there. He arrived here yesterday from France. high, however, all 412 passengers and all but a few of the 231 crew members were rescued, the line an- nounced. Previously the line had announced that 104 persons, includ= ing 40 passengers, were missing. Forty-eight survivors brought here aboard a French warship in- cluded 25 women and three small children who were hurried to two hotels which were converted into emergency hospitals They told harrowing stories of their escape from death. Fire Followed Explosion. The Orazio’s second officer, Capt. Giorello, said that the fire followed an explosion in the engines. He said the cause of the blast was unde- termined “The fire was fanned by the wind,” he said, “and spread with such rapidity that one can say that when we sent out the SOS—and it was quite soon—we had almost no lifeboats left.” * Capt. Giorello said there was no panic. Some of the passengers, other survivors said, threw them- selves into the sea to be gflcked up, while others huddled on "deck and were lowered into lifeboats sent by rescue ships. Bound for South America. Frau Blanche Weisskopf, a 52- year-old German, said she was in her third-class cabin when the Orazio, which was one day out- of Genoa bound for South America, “seemed to leap with an explosion.” Frau Weisskopf was severely burned and suffered several frac- tures. She was carried off the French warship on a stretcher. “I started to rush on deck at once,’ she said, “and was about halfway up when flames spurted out at me from an open doorway. I stumbled and fell and was drag= ged from the flames by two sailors. “We huddled together in the cen= ter of the boat because the flames were sweeping both the front and rear decks, “I managed to be lowered into & lifeboat from the French warshi] but I saw another boatload, includ= ing women and children, spilled into the water when one of the Orazio’s lifeboats was launched. The flames They were all picked up, however.” Explosion Started Fire. ‘The missing crew members were feared to have been killed outright by the explosion, which occurred about 5 a.m. yesterday. The vessel still was purning today. The captain said he thought that no more than four or five members of the engine crew were killed oy the explosion. Most of the survivors were res= cued by the 23,350-ton Italian liner Conte Biancamano. Others were saved by the steamer Oolombo and smaller vessels, The commander of the French warship said that his lifeboats made four trips through the storm-tossed sea to take off passengers and crew members after most of the ship’s own lifeboats burned. Several sur- vivors said only two were un- damaged. The Orazio was 38 miles south of Toulon when the first SOS went out at 5:12 a.m. yesterday. Diplomats Aboard. The Italian Minister to Panama, Renato Firenze, and several lesser members of the Italian diplomatic service were aboard when the vessel sailed from Genoa. Refugees from the abandoned South America-bound liner said the (See LINER, Page A-5) Senators Discuss Civil Service Senators Carl A. Hatch, Demo- crat, of New Mexico and James M. Mead, Democrat, of New York will be the speakers tonight on the National Radio Forum over WMAL at 10:30 o'clock. Both speakers will discuss Civil Service regulations. Senator Hatch will deal with the current move- ment to extend the political ac- tivity ban to State employes, and Senator Mead will discuss recent plans for extending Civil Service. The National Radio Forum is arranged by The Star and is heard over a coast-to-coast nmetwork of the National Broadeasting Co.