I I Weather Snow flurries; 4bp jD I Editorial Pas Aerican Youth Act .<.Q. VOL. L. No. 123 Z-323 ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1940 I t PRICE FIVE CENTS Two British Ships Are To Up-Anchor For War Activity 'Perspectives' Tells Winners In Competition Welles Brings Europe Peace Tour To End British Planes Blast Nazi Air Base Taking Revenge Will Of In Submit Manuscripts Flanagan And Allen Alli-College Contest Envoy Has Inside Of Dictators' Conference, Is Account Surprise Report Departure Of Queen And Mauretania From New York Mary Seen Soon Smith To Tell Of Hainan Isle In Final Talk Will Carry Anzacs To The Near East NEW YORK, March 19.--(P)-New activity was apparent tonight aboard the British Liners Queen Mary and Mauretania in preparation to up- anchor and slip away from the safe- ty of New York as troopships for the Empire. While crew reinforcements from England enjoyed shore leave, the great ships were hurriedly provision- ed. The Queen was getting a harder- to-see coat of admiralty gray over the lighter drab slapped on her here at the outset of the European war. The deadline on the hurry-up paint job passed at nightfall when smoke could be seen billowing, for the first time in months, from the stacks of the two vessels. Imminent Departure Suggested The perishable nature of the pro- visions loaded aboard and the smok- ing stacks suggested imminent de- parture and the summer white uni- forms taken on for the officers indi- cated the Queen, at least, would take a southerly course, presumably through tropical waters for eventual arrival in Austrialia. Crew members guessed that the $25,000,000 Queen and the lesser but newer Mauretania would go first to Halifax for arming. They believed that both then would head for Austrialia, the Mauretania probably by way of the Panama Ca- nal and the Queen, because her 80,- 000 tons are too much for the canal, more circuitously. The crews brought here yesterday from England speculated on the pos- sibility that the Anzac troops from "down under" would be moved on the two liners to Canada by way of Vancouver, thence overland and across the Atlantic on a route to war already traveled by Dominion troops. Heavy Guard at Pier Extraordinary precautions were taken to guard the ships from any attack by air or water during their last hours here. Policemen assigned to their 'piers were ordered to keep a sharp watch on theradjacent Hud- son River waters "for debris that may consist of floating mines, pack- ages or bombs." They also were told to notify head- quarters at once in case any airplane should approach the ships at an alti- tude of less than 1,000 feet; to report to the Marine Division if any small boat drew near, and to arrest any persons found acting suspiciously in the vicinity of the docks. Furstenburg SpeaksToday Pre-Medical Preparation Is Dean's Topic Preparation of the pre-imedical student for the medical profession will be discussed by Dean Albert C. Furstenburg, of the Medical School, at 8:15 p.m. today in the East Am phitheatre of the West Medical Building. Dean Furstenburg will ad- dress the newly formed Pre-Medical Society, campus group for under- graduates interested in medicine as a career. Since its formation three weeks ago, the Society has chosen a steer- ing committee headed by Vahan A. Kalajan, '41, which has reported on possible activities of the group, and has drawn up the rough draft of a constitution for the consideration of members. Mimeographed copies of the tentative constitution will be dis- tributed at tomorrow night's meet- ing for consideration and sugges- tions by members at the next meet- ing the group. John C. Dengler Talks Here Today "All The World's A School" will be discussed by John C. Dengler, Jr., at 7:30 p.m. today in Room 316 of the Fascinating color motion pictures of the mysterious island of Hainan in the China Sea, where primitive Loi tribesmen still believe the Manchus to be the rulers of China, will be shown by Nicol Smith, young Ameri- can explorer, at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow in Hill Auditorium. Mr. Smith's lecture and film, which is said to be the most remarkable picture of its kind, have received the praise of Graham McNamee, news commentator, and Joseph O'Brien, Universal newsreel editor. It will be the year's final presentation by the University Oratorical Association. Mr., Smith will be introduced by Prof. Robert Hall of the geography department. Tickets for the talk are on sale today and tomorrow at the Hill Auidtorium box office. Hainan, which is more than 14,000 square miles in area, recently made front page news when it was captured by Japan for use as a naval base. The island lies across Britain's defense line between Hong Kong and Singa- pore. Mr. Smith recently returned from a second trip to the island. He will tell of the Japanese fortifications and of the primitive people Liberal Action Club To Hear Address By Tucker Smith "American Labor and Politics" will be discussed by Tucker Smith, re- gional director for the United Retail and Wholesale Employees Associa- tion, who replaces Rev. Owen Geer in the fifth lecture sponsored by the League for Liberal Action at 8 p.m. today in the Natural Science Audi- torium. Smith, a leader in the field of labor education; was director of the Brook- wood Labor College until its dissolu- tion in 1937 as a result of the AFL- CIO split. Since that time he hast served as director and business agent for several United Automobile Work- ers locals. Rev. Geer, whose Holy Week acti- vities interfere with his talk pre- viously announced for today, will speak Thursday, March 28, on "Thet Rights And Responsibilities of La- bor." Two Are Selected From 35 Entries Two University students yesterday took the first step toward possible national writing honors when their manuscripts were selected by Per- spectives, campus literarydmagazine, for submission in a college writers' contest sponsored by "Story Maga- zine." Dennis Flanagan, '40, and Eliza- beth Allen, Grad., took first and sec- nd place respectively in the contest in which 35 manuscripts were en- tered. Honorable mention was given to entries by Shirley Wallace, '42, Alvin Sarasohn, '41 and Harvey Swa- dos, '40. The five stories selected ;vill be published in the next issue ,f Perspectives. Selections in poetry, .:says, and book reviews were also nade and are to be announced. The two stories to be entered in 'Story's" all-college contest as rep- resentative of the University of Mich- gan will be eligible for national awards of $100 and $50. "Story" has also reserved the right to allow re- printing of winning entries in short story anthologies. Manuscripts which do not win may be bought; however, at "Story's" usual terms. The judges in the Perspectives con- test were Edwin Burrows, Grad., Her- vie Haufler, '41, James Allen, '40, James Green, '40, and David Speng- ler, '40; also Prof. Arno Bader, Her- bert Weisinger, Wallace Bacon and Prof. Joe Lee Davis, all of the Eng- lish department. ASU Speaker Considers NYA In.TalkToday Frances Williams To Speak On Proposed Cut, Job' Prospects, Tuition Raise Miss Frances Williams, national administrative secretary of the American Youth Congress, will speak on, "Jobs, NYA, and the American Youth Act," at 4:15 p.m. today in the Natural Science Auditorium, un- der the auspices of the local chap- ter of the American Student Union. The public is invited to attend. An honor graduate of the New Jer- sey College for Women, Miss Williams was student secretary of the Foreign Policy Association from 1935-39. As chairman of the United Student Peace Committee in 1938-39, she has traveled in every part of the country, Ellen Rhea, '41, president of the ASU said. Miss Williams be- came administrative secretary of the AYC in September and is now on a national tour. Miss Williams' address is centered about the proposed one-third cut in college NYA appropriations, the new tuition raise and job prospects for more than five million youths, who are, according to the American Youth Commission, out of school and out of work, Miss Rhea said. Miss Williams will provide an anal- ysis of present legislation affecting' the campus, and an opportunity for student expression on the NYA, Miss Rhea said. Denies Submission Of Peace Program ROME, March 19.-(:)-Sumner Welles finished tonight his swift circuit of war-lashed Europe with the firm declaration that he has neither received nor conveyed any peace plan whatsoever during his 24-day tour; yet he was believed to be in possession of an inside account of what happened in yesterday's meeting of dictators in the Brenner pass. Welles, breaking the silence which he has maintained throughout the tour which brought him twice to Rome and took him to Berlin, Paris and London, said his task had been solely to gather information "for the President and the Secretary of State as to present conditions in Europe." Welles' Statement His statement to the press, issued shortly before he left Rome for Genoa to sail for home tomorrow, said: "In order to allay the flood of rumors about my mission, I wish to state categorically that I have not received any peace plan or propo- sals from any abelligerent or from any other government; that I have not conveyed any such proposals to any belligerent, nor to any other government; nor am I bringing back to the President any such proposal." Consulted Ciano Welles' final fact finding conver- sation was with the Italian Foreign Minister, Count Galeazzo Ciano, who is believed to have given President Roosevelt's investigator information about yesterday's "parlor car" meet- ing between Premier Benito Musso- lini and Fuehrer Adolf Hitler at Brennero. Welles declined to disclose how much Ciano had told him at a lunch- eon arranged by .American Ambassa- dor William Phillips shortly before Mussolini left for Brennero. How- ever, he hold correspondents he had talked briefly with Ciano before the luncheon and "considerably, after- ward." Slavic Society To Be Formed Students Will Meet Today At International Center The University's first society of students of Slavic origin will be formed at an organizational meeting to be held at 8 p.m. today in the In- ternational Center. The club will have as its purpose the gathering of all Slavic students on campus and will attempt to ac- quaint them with the literature, cul- ture, customs and ideals of the vari- ous peoples that make up the race. On the organizing committee are Nikifor Yakovljevitch, Grad., Igor Plusc, Grad, and Tony Bogleff, Grad. In describing the general function of the new society. Plusc said that permanent peace comes only from mutual friendship and that a founda- tion for such friendship lies in the similarities possessed by Slavic stu- dents. Activities of the society will include lectures to the members and interested persons by members of the faculty and others on subjects dealing with Slavic culture and history. Slavic folk dances and songs will be stressed. The group may also give a yearly play. The teaching of Russian lan- guage and history will be sponsored. An election of officers will be held next week. All students of Slavic origin are invited to attend the meet- ings. Here's A Way To See The Arrival Of Spring Here is an astronomical recipe, worker out by Dr. C. C. Wylie of the University of Iowa, by which you may detect today the arrival of spring: Fasten a piece of paper, eight or ten inches square, and with a small hole in it, at the top of a window, so that when the sun is shining, this By KIRKE L. SIMSON The riddle of the Hitler-Mussolini rendezvous in Brenner Pass remains unsolved, despite frantic speculation throughout the capitals of Europe, but one grimly significant revelation stands out. Prime Minister Chamberlain told parliament that the Franco-British allies were resolved to carry on their war with Germany to the bitter end in quest of "a moral peace." He said they neither knew now cared what the Nazi Fuehrer and the Fascist Il Duce said to each other. Chamber- lain's words left no doubt that Pre- mier Daladier echoed that scoffing dismissal of the Brennero conference when he spoke to a closed parlia- mentary session in Paris. Chamberlain's sarcastic references to the Brenner Pass conference were obviously designed to nip in the bud any peace talk which might have been generated there. It is notable also that the Italian papers, which usually reflect Il Duce's attitude, likewise frowned on newspaper speculation in other coun- tries concerning the possible peace role Mussolini might play after the Brennero conference. Fascist editors resented implications that Il Duce, Student Senate Will Fix Date For Elections Cleaning Inquiry, Parley Discussions On Agenda At Meeting Tomorrow Student Senate elections will be definitely decided upon at the meet- ing of the Senate at 7:30 p.m. to- morrow in the Union, in addition to discussion on the current local clean- ing investigation and the general theme of the coming Spring Parley, Arnold White, '41, Senate secretary announced yesterday. Possible dates for the elections were brought up in a meeting of the Ways and Means Committee recent- Iy,, White said, and a majority of Senators approved the Committee's suggestion that'elections be held the week of April 3, just before Spring Vacation. This matter will be set- tled at tomorrow's meeting. Also on the agenda is a report on the "It's Your Life" program, which is in the form of a short playlet illustrating the rights and wrongs of applying for a job. A Detroit de- partment store has agreed to fur- nish clothes and models for the skit, White said. Senator Robert Reed, '42, is in charge of this program and will present the final plans at, the meeting. Senator Daniel Huyett, '42, chair- man of the Senate committee.on the Spring Parley, will give a report on the progress of the plans and will D resent a proposal by Don Treadwell, '40, which suggests a possible out- line for the Parley. This proposal was approved by the General Parley Committee Sunday. Conger Will Speak To Officers Corps' Col. L. N. Conger, Infantry Re- serve, of Detroit, will discuss the new "streamlined" triangular division at the first of a series of six weeklyI meetings of the Officers Reserve Corps at 7:30 today in Room 304 of the Union. Weather conditions forced post- ponement of Colonel Conger's speech which was to have been given March 13. The Officers Reserve Corps will meet weekly on Wednesdays, with the Polish and Finnish Campaigns the topic to be discussed next week. Capt. A. R. DeJonge will be the speak- at Hitler's or any other's behest, would carry an olive branch already frost-bitten by Allied reaction. Virtually all of the speculation that the foundations for a new order in Europe were laid at the conference blossomed from Berlin, not Rome. The essence of Italian press com- ment is that Italy still sees non-par- ticipation in the war as the policy vital to her own interests, and still views with doubt and suspicion the Hitler expedient of taking Moscow into the Nazi-Fascist totalitarian fellowship. Eye witness accounts from Brennero picture Mussolini as smiling, Hitler as thoughtful, as they walked to gether to the German train after the conference. Whatever was the actual objective and result of that Brennero meeting, it has signally failed to encourage hopes of early peace, or to furnish any more definite guide to the trend of the conflict. Mimes Taps 29 Of Union Opera's Cast Twenty-nine men had roles in a spine-chilling midnight show last night as Mimes, honorary dramatic fraternity, came a-tapping, tapping at their doors. The men were chosen for their outstanding work in this " year's Union Opera, "Four Out of Five." Upon their shoulders will fall the task of planning and organizing the, Opera next year. Three honorary members chosen1 were: William Collins, assistant to Director Roy Hoyer, Robert Mellen- -amp, who designed the sets, and1 Stanley Waltz, general manager of the Union. Honorary memberships in the or-t ganization were given to the follow-1 ing seniors: Lawrence Gubow, Roy Rector, Harry Howell, Edward O'- Connell, Jack Reed, Jick Silcott, Al- fred Potts and Robert Parker. The list of active members who will form a nucleus for next year's production includes: Robert W. Ti- tus, '42, William R. Conrad, '42A, Owen Mays, '42, Jack Meyer, '41, James H. Gormsen, '42, Arthur A. Treut, '42A, Seymour D. Shafer, '40, Charles M. Boynton, '42, and Donald' C. Stevenson. % Other actives were: John W. Shields, '42, Gordon B. Laing, '40, Jerry Brenner, James McCracken, '40, Sidney E. Weinberg, '42A, Hervie Haufler, '41, Kenneth W. Summer- felt, '40SM, James R. Duthie, '41E, and Walter W. Laitner, '42. German Essay Contest Opens Students Try Tomorrow For Annual Awards Students of the German depart- ment will compete tomorrow for the Bronson-Thomas or the Kothe-Hild- ner prizes. The Bronson-Thomas prize valued at $39 is open to all undergraduates in German of distinctly American training. It will be awarded on the results of a three hour essay compe- tition to be held from 2 to 5 p.m., 203 U.H. Each contestant will be free to choose his own subject from a list that will cover six chapters in the development of German litera- ture from 1750 to 1900. This award was established by a gift of $1,000 from Thomas B. Bronson, '81, in memory of Calvin Thomas, '74, Pro- fessor of the German Language and Literature here from 1878 to 1896. For Scapa Flow Chamberlain, Daladier Ignore NegotiationsOf Axis Meeting Remarks Intended To End Proceedings Toward Peace; Franco-British Alliance Wants 'Moral Peace' Attacks / British Air Forces Dump Tons Of Bombs On Sylt; Accurate Hits Claimed Early Says Peace Chances No Better LONDON, March 20.-(1)-A Bri- tish air armada, hurling -its might against the Nazis in perhaps the big- gest raid in history on one fortified point, early today was dumping tons of bombs on the German island sea- plane base at Sylt. The raid began last night at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. EST) and an Air Ministry Communique said it was still in pro- gress with the bombers flying in re- lays at 3 a.m. (9 p.m. EST), seven hours later. The first bombers, which led the wave upon wave of Royal Air Force fliers, already had returned, the Min- istry said, and reported the "accur- ate bombing of objectives." Some Opposition Encountered "Some searchlight and anti-aircraft gun opposition was encountered," the Ministry said in its terse communique. The raid was Great Britains' answer to Germany's attack Saturday night on her naval base at Scapa Flow in which the British said only one battle- ship was slightly damaged. (The Germans reported three of Britain's mightiest men-o'-war were believed to have been damaged along with two other warships.) To reach the German base at Hor- num, on the Isle of Sylt, the Armada flew across 350 miles of the North Sea. 82 Bomb Explosions Eyewitnesses on the nearby Danish Island of Romoe said 82 bomb ex- plosions and four tremendous earth- jarring blasts had been heard up to 11 p.m. last night, and that one bomb "undoubtedly blew up an ammunition depot." British news agency reports also said the Hindenburg Dam connecting Sylt with the mainland was bombed; that one British plane was shot down on the north coast of Sylt. The dam was reported hit in a previous Bri- tish raid. Whether was the opening gun of an intense air offensive could only be conjectured, but there was an ominous tone in the warning of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in the House of Commons yesterday afternoon that Germany must bear "responsibility for the consequences" of Saturday night's rai don Britain's Scapa Flow. Stephen Early Sounds Pessimistic Peace Note WASHINGTON, March 19.-(#)- The White House warned Americans today not to let their hopes for peace so'ar too high as a result of a barrage of reports from Europe which fol- lowed yesterday's meeting between Hitler and Mussolini. The warning came from Stephen Early, a presidential secretary, who commented that from authoritative reports to this government, "peace headlines would appear to be very empty." At the same time Early said the reports should not cause Americans to "despair" of peace ei- ther. President Roosevelt later told his press conference that he had no information on the meeting between the German and Italian leaders Soviet Presidium Ratifies Russo-Finnish Treaty MOSCOW, March 19.-.(M--The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet tonight ratified the Russo-Finnish peace treaty, a Tass, official news agency, announcement stated. Just before the ratification the Finnish delegates, Juho Paasikivi and Vaino Voionmaa, arrived in Moscow to exchange ratification in- struments. The Finnish parliament already has approved the peace. Herman To Talk To French Society As the sixth in the series of lectures Congressional Record Presents Tibbitts' Defense Of Census By HOWARD A. GOLDMAN Saturday's issue of the Congres- sional Record, received here yester- day, contains a letter written in de- fense of "the proposed 1940 census schedule in its present form" by Clark Tibbitts, director of the Insti- tute for Human Adjustment of the Rackham Youndation. Senator Prentiss M. Brown (Dem.- Mich.) had the entire letter read into the Record, and he himself added a few pertinent remarks, showing that the Rackham Foundation is "vitally interested" in getting answes to ques- tions such as the forthcoming census proposes to ask. information can easily be "misused," he recalled that Census Bureau knowledge has never been violated. Mr. Tibbitts felt positive that peo- ple would willingly answer the cen- sus questions if they were convinced of the seriousuness of the undertak- ing and if the interrogators make a good, businesslike impression on them. He also noted confidently that no outstanding business group has yet been recorded as opposed to the census in its present setup. The letter indicated that the major problem in connection with such a census would be the selection and training of field workers. It dis-