Evening Star Newspaper, January 8, 1942, Page 8

|' A—6 %% Chinese Air Force Reported Joining Battle in Hunan Jap Troops, Supplies Said to Have Been Battered Fiercely By the Associated Press. CHUNGKING, Jan. 8.—The Chi- nese air force, in one of its rare offensive opérations, was reported .authoritative tonight to have joined in the battle of Northern .Hunan Province, battering fiercely at Japanese troops and supplies. A Chinese dispatch said a full squadron took part in the attack, causing extensive military damage. A single Chinese plane was re- ported missing after the operations —the first by Chinese planes on the North Hunan front. Chinese Battle Relief Force. An army spokesman declared that Chinese forces had intercepted sev- era] thousand Japanese troops rushed south from their base at Yochow in an effort to relieve some 30000 comrades still hemmed in This is & general view of Bangkok, Thailand’s capital and principal city, which the British raided today, setting huge fires. after being driven from Changsha. | The reinforcements were reported | engaged north of the Milo River.| The forces they sought to relieve were said to be under attack from all sides on a battlefield between the Milo and Laotao rivers just east of | the Canton-Hankow rail line. A Chinese spokesman estimated that Japan's losses in dead and | wounded in the battle for Changsha totaled 35000 men. He declared that the battlefields north and east of the Hunan Province capital were strewn with Japanese dead. With the fight not vet ended, thers has been no accurate tally of the number of Japanese cap- tured, he said. An army source said the Japanese had withdrawn all their troops from Northern Indo-China, near the Chinese frontier, filling the | garrisons there with French and native troops. The Japanese who had been there were said to have been moved south toward the Malaya fighting front. Chinese Go to Northern Burma. ‘This informant said Chinese troops being sent into Burma probably would be stationed Burma. He said further informa- tion regarding the troop movement could not be disclosed. The newspaper Ta Kung Psao, sommenting on Japanese declara- tions they were withdrawing from Changsha after accomplishing their mission, said this was “familiar terminology.” Madama Chiang Kai-shek, wife of the generalissimo, has given Chinese defenders of Changsha & quarter of the 50,000 rupees donated to China's war chest by the Maharaja of In- dore. The remainder was distributed to orphanages and other war relief organizations. | The newspaper China Times urged | expansion of the Chinese war to| Korea, Formosa and even Japan proper when hostilities develop there. War (Continued From First Page.) | | apparently were causing renewed concern in Tokio. There was evidence of this in the enéiny's recourse to the Axis guess- ing technique—the circulation of vague reports designed to elieit val- usble information. Both the Tokio radio and a Ger- man-controlled station co-operated in broadcasting the initial feelers. Tokio was heard reporting an en- gagement between the Japanese and American fleets in the Western Pacific. The Nazi story, aired from Huge Fires Seen for Miles, Pilots Say Attack in Retaliation For Rangoon Assault, British Declare By the Associated Press. RANGOON, Bu .A.F. Raids Bangkok; , Jan. 8—The | in northern | R. A. P left huge fires blazing amid | military objectives at Bangkok, cap- ¢ ital of Japanese-occupied Thailand, ' in the first British counterblow of | & rising fury of air war over the storied road to Mandalay. their attack, which a British an- nouncement said was made last night and indicated was in retalia- tlon for repeated Japanese attacks on Rangoon, capital of British Burma. All British planes were said to have returned safely. (However, a Bangkok dispatch broadcast by the Berlin radio, placed the attack at 4:15 am, local time, Thursday—4 | Wednesday, E. two British planes crashed in res- idential districts. (The Axis listed the Thailand hospital, the French church and the Bank of Indo-China as dam- aged by bombs, and said several civilians were killed. Three fires resulted from incendiary bombs in the raid, the Bangkok dispatch said.) New Alarm in Rangoon. Moulmein. east of Rangoon, was reported bombed yesterday after- noon and Rangoon itself underwent another air alarm, although no raifers appeared. Moulmein is famous in the Kip- ling poem as the place where a Burma girl waited for her British Tommy, in the shadow of an old pagoda, smoking a “whackin’ big| cheroot.” . All of the raiders, whose number was not disclosed, were stated to have returned safely. | Japanese forces entered Thailand | at the outbreak of the war in the | Pacific, occupying the capital and | establishing bases at strategic points | in the country. ‘The British air bases nearest to a gtation in the Netherlands. had | the Japanese attacking two United | States battleships en route to Aus- | tralia and sinking one of them. ‘The Navy Department here de- clined comment on Tokio's sea bat- | tle report last night, and dismissed thé Nazi report as something con- | taining “not an iota of truth.” | Hardly Bear Out Claims. It was noted in passing here, how- | ever, that the reports hardly bore out the repeated Axis claims that the ] Pacific Fleet had been ‘“crippled,” “knocked out” and finally—as one Japanese source had it—“destroyed | to pleces” by the Pearl Harbor at- | tack. 5 | ‘The fog*of war has shrouded most of the naval operations in the Pa- cific, but the concentration of a strong Japanese naval force at the southern tip of the Philippines re- cently wae interpreted here as an indication that the enemy was pre- | paring to launch major scale opera- | tions against the East Indies. The Japanese attempts to obtain information about the United States Fleet, some observers thought, might be motivated by the necessity of get- ting this campaign under way as | soon as possible, but only after the high command assured itself that no immediate naval threat was devel- oping elsewhere in the vast Pacific | theater. l Heavy Demands on Navy. | ‘The far-flung character of Jap- | anese land operations, it was pointed | out, makes heavy demands on the etrength of the navy. The more units that are detached for missions in the South China Sea, the more the fighting power of the main fleet is reduced. This main fleet is be- lieved operating somewhere between the southern tip of Japan and For- mosa. Guarding lines of communi- cation. The stubborn defense of the Phil- ippines has had the effect of tieing up the Japanese naval units sup- porting the invasion, just as it has tied up a large number of troops which Japan could well use in the drive on Malaya. Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s battle- weary troops still held thefr strong positions on the Batan Peninsula, northwest of Manila, despite flerce new enemy assaults yesterday, which had heavy air support. Defenseless Towns Razed. Japanese flyers, however, were not reserving their bombs and machine- gun bullets for strictly military ob- Jectives. Gen. MacArthur reported that the enemy warplanes had wan- tonly razed a number of defenseless towns which had no army installa- | tions or military value. These attacks took glace at vari- ous times during the invasion, the | War Department announced late gesterday. Among the towns mer- | cilessly bombed were Baler, Santa Rosa, Calamba and Tarlac, all of which were destroyed. Many hatives ‘were killed in these attacks. During the last few days civilians in Arayat, Camiling, . San Fernando and other towns were machine gunned in the !Women and Children | the Burma government now WAS | Bangkok lie in Burma, whose capi- | tal, Rangoon, is only 375 miles air- | line from the capital of Thailand. Rangoon has been raided by Japa- nese flyers on a number of occa-’ ions. Singapore, Britain's great naval base in the Orient, is some 900 miles airline south of Bangkok. Sumatra, | the nearest of Netherlands Indies’ territory to Barigkok, is some 600 miles southwest of the Thais' cap- | ital. Hangars North of Rangoon Fired, Japanese Claim ‘TOKIO, Jan. 8 (Official Broad~ cast) (P .—8ix British Spitfire fight- | ers were shot down and hangars| and other military equipment were set ablaze in Japanese air attacks since Sunday on the Mingaladon | airdrome, 10 miles north of Ran- goon, Burma, imperial headquarters declared today. | “All Japanese planes returned safely,” a communique said. | Hangars and other war objectives were said to have been set afire by Japanese pilots in repeated thrusts at airdromes of the Singapore area | since December 29. Burma to Evacuate NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (#.—The all- India radio today broadcast an an- nouncement from New Delhi that| arranging the evacuation to the Netherlands Indies of women and children. | The broadcast, heard by C. B. 8, said restrictions oh ship passages to the East Indies had been withdrawn and that women and children were | ;joube given priority on passenger | sts. Rashid Ali Reported Doomed in Absentia ; By the Associated Press. I | NEW YORK, Jan. 8.—The British | radio quoted a Bagdad report today | saying that “Rashid Ali, the Iraqi| Quisling and former premier, has | been sentenced in absentia to death | by a military tribuna: Columbia Broadcasting System heard the broadeast. Rashid All Al Gailani led the brief Iraq fight against the British last spring and fled the country when | the British won. He was in Berlin | last month and was received by Ger- man Foreign Minister Joachim von | Ribbentrop. communique said. “apparently de- liberately chose Sundays and reli- glous holidays for these attacks knowing that on such days a large | number of civilians would be a | ing church or on the stteets. ¢ & & as was the case in. Manila, the churches in the townk and villages | were made the special objects of attack. Each church is an outstand- ing landmark and its distinctive streets by low flying enemy planes. *“The Japanese,” the department’s s Flames were visible for miles as| the British alrmen returned from | sion here. conference, of which W. C. Hushing | is chairman, tion hearings. | fleulties or cost of acquisition or | will be lost s & result of proposed | Two More Raids THE EVENING STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, THURSDAY, —A. P! Photo. Delayed-Action Bomb Used by Japs Looks Like Tennis Ball By the Associated Press, SINGAPORE, Jan. 8—The Japanese are using a delayed- action bomb with a round rub- ber nose which looks like & tennis ball, it was disclosed today. ‘The bomb is 8 to 12 inches long And the nose is painted white. /It explodes from vibra- tions such as those caused by & passing automobile or through a time mechanism, it was said. Green Asks President To Rescind Order on Moving Agencies A.F. L. Guarantees Men To Put Up Buildings As Fast as Needed By WILL P. KENNEDY. William Green, president of the American Federation of Labor, ap- pealed to President Roosevelt today to rescind the order for removal of permanent agencies of Government from the District. He also sub- mitted recommendations of the A.| P. L. National Joint Legislative Con- ference adopted after a two-day ses- > i The recommendations of the labor | also were submitted | to the House subcommittee which has been conducting decentraliza- | ‘The conference recommended “a thorough survey of local facilities and the possibility of their expan- sion with & view to retention of all pérmanent functions of Government in the District.” Removal Held Unnecessary. Removal of permanent agencies to other cities, the report savs, “is unneecéssary; would entail unwar« ranted and unnecessary expendi- tures; would work incalculable harm to the efficiency of those agencies as well as other agencles with which there is necessity for constant con- tact; and it would be an injustice to thousands of loyal, eficlent em- ployes ahd their families and de- structive of morale.” ‘The conférence said a survey “dis- closes that. there is ample Govern- ment-owned land within the District or adjacent thereto upon which may be erected the building necessary for the housing of the expanding Gov- ernment functions and the addi- tional needed employes.” Attention was called to the 450- acre tract on which is situated the National Training School for Boys; extensive acres within the Soldiers’ Home grounds; many acres in East Potomac Park, Fort Davis Park, the golf course adjacent to Anacostis, “all of which are owned by the Gov- ernment and would require no dif- rental. All of these sites are con- veniently located for water, sewer- age, electricity, transportation and other necessary facilities. Labor Supply Guaranteed. ‘The A. F. L. building trades de- partment advised that temporary buildings furnishing 5,000,000 or if necessary 10,000,000 square feet of office space can be erected in from 90 to 120 days. “We believe that much more time removals and the necessary read-; Jjustments and loss of experienced employes,” the recommendation to the President stated. The A. F. L. guaranteed to furnish sufficient labor to complete all buildings for office space and hous- ing of Government employes within the time specified by the Public Buildings Administration. The building trades department esti- mated the cost of such bulldings would be far less than the $10 per square foot estimated in statements to congressional committees. Chairman Downs announced to- day that he is closing his committee hearings although several out-of- town delegations will be given an opporturiity to testify when they arrive, Tire Thieves Stage Tire thieves struck again last night, according to police reports today. Michael Wolfe, 5418 Thirteenth street N.W., manager of a motor company at 1507 Fourteenth street N.W., reported one new tire, one old one and two used inner tubes were stolen from the establishment dur- ing the night. Allen Leon Bean, 904 New York avenue N.W.,, told police & tire and ube were taken from his automo- bile, parked on Eighth street N.W. between L and M streets. Woman Reports $800 Theft Theft of clothing and jewelry valued at more than $800 from het dparthenit at 3601 Eonnecticut avénue N.W. was reported to police today by Mrs. Annabell Galanty. Her losses were d as & three- uartér-length silver fox coat worth character is teadily apparent, hence | $888, & diamond-studded watch val- the destructioh of places of p | ued at $150, & $100 brooeh dnd & gold was obviously premeditated.” locket 6f undetermined value. Every Fit Man+n U. S. May Get Into War, Draft Aides Told Women May Become Only | Labor Supply, 11-State Conference Informed By the Associated Press. CHICAGO, Jan. 8—Every man fit to fight, no matter what job he | now holds, must face the possibility of eventual service with the armed forces before the Axis is delivered a knockout blow. This was the picture Lt. Col. Jos- eph F. Battley, chief of the liaison | division of the office of Undersecre- | tary of War, gave draft occupational tional advisers from 11 States at a | conference last night. “The day is past when employers | may compete with the Army for | physically fit men. That day end- | ed with the treacherous assault on Pearl Harbor,” he declared. Plants May Get Only Women. It is the responsibility of em- | ployers, aided by the Government | vocational program, to fill war in- | dustry positions with women and men not acceptable to the Army | and Navy, Col. Battley asserted, add- ing this warning: ! “Eventually the only labor sup- ply may be women “Replacements trained,” he sald. must ‘first be “Then, should we | reach the point where war produc- | uary 17 of considerable numbers of | tion levels off and where sufficient | time has been had to effect re-| placements, class 2-B gmen ferred because of employment in| war industry) will be scrutinized.”' JANUARY 8,*.1942. Commissioners Won't Discuss Charges Made by Hankin Crosstown Bus Line Expected to Begin January 25, if Vehicles Are Delivered ‘The Commissioners declined to- day to answer the bitter attack made on them last night bv Chairman QGregory Hankin of the Public Util- ities Commission. Asked it they wished to comment on the complaints made against them, directly or by suggestion, by Mr, Hankin in an address before 4 citizens’ meeting, the Commission- ers shrugged their shoulders and let the issue rest there. Commissioner Young said, “I am simply too busy with District prob- lems to reply to Mr. Hankin's com- plaints.” Brig. Gen. Charles W. Kutz, the Engineer Commissioner and mem- ber of the Utilities Commission, said, “Regardless of what Mr. Hankin has said or may wish to say, I do not care to engage in & public contro- versy with him.” Commissioner Guy Mason said, “There {8 no comment I care to make.” Crosstown Bus Line to Sfart. At the same time, it was stated that the crosstown bus line will be established January 25, as scheduled, provided the Capital Transit Co. gets delivery, as expegted, of suf- ficient new buses. Alleged delay by the Commission- ers in final action on the crosstown bus order was a high light of Mr. Hankin's eriticism. ‘There were suggestions at the Dis- trich Building that reporters look up the record of official actions. The record showed that Mr. Hankin and Gen. Kutz, sitting as the Utilities Commission, on December 17 ap- proved the draft of an order for the establishment of the crosstown bus line January 25. Gen. Kutz withheld what might be called his “official approval” to permit study by the Co-ordinating Committee of engineering questions as to the use of the old Klingle Bridge over Rock Creek.and of nec- essary traffic control measures. Official Order Going Out Today. The record also shows that Gen. Kutz on January 5 transmitted to Chairman Hankin a report by High- way Director H. C. Whitehurst and Traffic Director William A. Van Duzer which provided that no more than one bus should cross the Klin- gle Bridge at one time, that only the smaller buses be used because of the condition of the old bridge and that parking bans should be invoked on some sections of the route because of width of streets and other condi- tions. All these have been approved by the Utilitles Commission and the Commissioners, sitting as a “joint board,” and the official order for the line was being sent to the transit company today. E. D. Merrill, company president, today told The Star he confidently expected to get delivery by Jan- new buses which were ordered months ago and that if they arrived (de- | there was no reason why the new | the Commissioners and the Co-ordi- line should not be operating by Jan- uary 25. Spokesmen for the Commissioners sald there was no foundation for Mr. Hankin's charge that while his nomination was pending before the Senate they had urged President Roosevelt “to nominate another can- didate.” Rather, friends of the Commis- been confirmed by the Senate agents of the President had asked them to sug maining vacancy. On the question of providing more staff, members of the Commissioners’ Bpace Committee have said they granted the agency 45 per cent more space than it now has, that the Commissioners could do no more in view of demands for space for new services, notably the rent control administrator and the District Office of Civilian Defenss and de- mands for more space for growing | District services. . Mr. Hankin made his charges last night before an audience of civic leaders meeting in the auditorium of the Archives Building to discuss pressing utllity problems. Bringing into view a conflict which eral weeks, Mr. Hankin publiclk: charged the Commissioners with hampering the work of the Utilities |1ong as he was chairman the city heads “are not going to control or | sabotage the commission's work.” company officials, including Mr. | eral took the floor to comment. Stull Sees “Revelations.” Harry N. Btull, president of the Federation of Citizens’ Assoclations, | | said he had heard “some interesting | revelations of what goes on in the District Building.” He added that it was always his understanding that | the commission was supreme in util- ity matters, and declared that if its decisions were subject to veto by another agency the condition should be corrected. Louis Obergh, representing the | Utilities Committee of the Federa- tion of Businessmen's Associations, | said his organization would support Mr. Hankin 100 per cent. He warned | Mr, Hankin that “the Commissioners | and vested ihterests are prepared to spend large sums of money to get rid of you” Mr. Hankin began by saying he was “very dissatisfled” with the prog- ress of the commission’s work during | the past month, and then launched into a criticism of #he Board of Com- missioners—and especially Commis- sioners Young and Kutz—the Joint Board of the Public Utilitles Com- mission and the Traffic Co-ordinat- ing Committee, Hostility Charged. 8pecifically, Mr. Hankin accused | nating Committee .with blocking re- quests for hearings on complaints sioners say, after Mr. Hankin had | st candidates for a still-re- | space for the Utilities Commission | | apparently has been raging for sev- | Commission and declared that as More than 40 representatives of | citizens’ groups and several utility Merrill, heard the speech and sev- filed by citizens; charged the city heads with failing to provide ade- quate funds and officé space for the commission and declared that, while his nomination was pending before the Senate, “the Cothmis- sioners, especially Gen. Kuts, were urging President Roosevelt to nomi- nate another candidate.” Later, when he was receiving the oath of office, Mr. Hankin said, he heard Gen. Kutz remark that “if we agree, we'll get along all right, but if we don't, I'm going to ask for another commission member.” Gen. Kutz i8 a member of the Utilities Commission. Taking up the crosstown bus line, Mr. Hankin sald the commission approved the line about a month | ago, and that Gen. Kutz agreed to that action. “The funny thing about the mat- | ter,” said Mr. Hankin, “is that when | Board. Gen. Kutz asked that action | be delaved so that the project could be studled further. As a result, the crosstown bus line received final approval only today. Now we have it, but if we always work that slow, 1 don’t know when we'll get another | one.” ‘Turning to another complaint, Mr. Hankin charged that the elimina- tion of certain streetcar and bus | stops which the Commissioners had ordered “was arbjtrary, unreason- able, capricious and oppressive.” Mr. Hankin said he went through an “ordeal” when he took steps to obtain more adequate office space for his stafl. Listing delays and ex- cuses, Mr. Hankin said the city heads issued an order December 24 granting him some additional space. “I suppose it was supposed to be a Christmas present,” Mr. Hankin sald in a sarcastic voice. “I didn't get the order until last Baturday, but it was dated December 24, and the ink wasn't dry on Commis- sloner Young's signature.” Mr. Hankin complained that each mmissioner has large offices, hile members of the Utilities Commission are forced to occupy worse quarters than the messengers and secretaries of the Commis- sioners.” "Hits Cut in Fund Request. Chairman Hankin also criticized the city heads for slashing some . $18,000 from his request for an addi- | tional $30,000 for the current fiscal | 4, y saying the commission has been forced to operate with insuffi- cient office space and inadequate personnel because of the Commis- sioners’ refusal to grant appropria- tions equal to the amount received in 1934. Mr. Hankin declared Gen. Kutz had blocked hearings on complaints by refusing to act on commission | matters Traffic without consulting the Co-ordination Committee One such complaint, which has been | denied a hearing, he said, is a peti- tion from 1500 Federal emploves for a car stop at Fourth street and Independence avenue S.W. The committee, he said, was opposed to the stop. Approves Flanagan's Appointment. He added that he has just learned the law gives one utilities commis- sioner power to hold a hearing, and that he has established a policy that no one would be denied any request without being given an opportunity to be heard. Mr. Hankin said that after the controversy over his budget re- the plan came before the Joint | Tammany Hall Sale Ordered by Board As Revenues Drop Political Leaders Think Society Will Abandon Name Eventually BY the Associated Press. NEW YORK, Jan. 8.~The Tam- many Tiger is about to lose its den. Members of the Tammany Socie« | ty, owners of Tammany Hall, which has been the home of the New York County Demoecratic Commite tee since 1927, last night authorized its Board of Sachems to sell or | lease the building because of the | society's precarious financial eondi- tion. Citing dwindling revenues. the society said it received only $10,000 a year rent from the political or- ganization for use of the hall, on which the annual taxes are $16,280, ‘The Tammany Bociety itself 18 more then 140 years old, function- ing chiefly as a philanthropic ore | ganization, but Manhattan Demo- cratic leaders have used the name | “Tammany” as their unofficial | designation for years. Political observers said today the soclety’s action in authorizifg or lease of the hall foreshadow | both the removal of the Tammany political unit from the hall and the eventual abandonment York County Démocrats name “Tammany.” quests, the Commissioners asked the President to appoint the third member of the commission to per- mit Mr. Hankin to be overruled by Gen. Kutz and the third member. He | added that he approved the Presie dent’s nomination of James H. Flan- | Agan “because he's the President's | nominee and because he's a man of Integrity and wide knowledge of utile ity matters.” - At the conclusion, the chairman id: “This is a pretty sordid picture, ut it gives you an idea of the con- itions under which the commission has to operate. But as long as I'm chairman, the Commissioners are not, BOIng to control or sabotage its work.” TYLES CHANGE DRY LUMBER DOESNT 4 Call TUROVER 6627 l S ’ -_— “Always Under Cover” Nation's Model Lumber Yard ADAS ISRAEL (FIRST CONSERVATIVE JEWISH) ConsresaTION 6th ond Eye Sts. N.W. Friday Evening Services, 8:15 RARPOICLONOR HoMER” “ZIONIST SABBATH" Visitors Cordially Invited duced for Bvery size and style . . . every famous Florsheim feature, re- and nothing changed but the ptice. Your opportunity to get back on the Florsheim standard! MEN'S"SHOPS: a short time only ... MOST STVLES HAHN 14th & G *3101 Wilson 7th &K *3212 14th Bivd., Arlington, Va. 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