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VOL. LI No. 122
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 1943
PRICE FIVE CENTS
i
Russians Capture
Nazi Stronghold
In Smolensk Drive
Red Troops Repulse German Efforts
To Crack Defensive Kharkov Line;
More Villages Taken on Central Front
By The Associated Press
LONDON, March 26 (Friday)- Russian troops have overpowered
another German strongpoint and captured additional villages in the central
front drive toward Smolensk while repulsing Akis efforts to crack their
defensive line east of Kharkov in the Ukraine, Moscow announced early
today.
One Soviet column pushing on Smolensk was near Dukhovschino, 32
miles northeast of the central front
SCHOLARS CONVENE:
Michigan Academy To
open Session Today
American
Troo s
Take
Last Mountain Obstacle
anchor, and another was operating
mear Dorogobuzh, 50 miles east of the
big base, but the midnight communi-
que did not locate the areas in which
the villages were seized.
The bulletin, recorded by the Sov-
iet Monitor, said one Soviet unit out-
flanked a Nazi strongpoint, knocking
out its garrison in a short skirmish
which ended in the capture of an
undisclosed number of prisoners, an
ammunition dump, three guns, and
a quantity of rifles and hand gren-
ades.
German Attacks Collapse
In the Belgorod-Chuguev sectors
above and below Nazi-held Khar-
kov, the Russians said German at-
tacks had collapsed.
Around Belgorod, 50 miles north
of -Kharkov, the communique sai&d
more than 100 German automatic
riflemen were - killed when a Nazi
company of' them attempted to cross
a water barrier. Soviet artillery also
disabled five tanks, five anti-tank
guns, and dispersed and annihilated
part of-an enemy infantry battalion.
Nazi Tanks Lost
North of Cbuguev, 22 miles south-
east of Kharkov along the Russian-
held Donets River defense line, the
RussiaZs %id tho mortars disabled
or set afire seven Nazi tanks -
five self-propelled guns when the
Germana threw 20 tanks and a regi-
ment of infantry into an attack.
"Our troops repelled the eneoiy
attk and held their positions," the
The noon communique yesterday
hadannounced the capture f sev-
eral more charred settlements on the
central front, one a strongly fotified
village where the Germans left 100
dead on the field after hand-to-hand
fighting.
Colorado Halts
Army, Inductiont
Of Farm Labor
Showdown Foreseen
By Gov. Vivian over
Labor Shortage Issue
DENVER , March 25.- 0)- Colo-
rado's Republican Governor, John
C. Vivian, projected a showdown in
the farm labor shortage question
today by ordering immediate halt to
military induction of Colorado men
actually engaged in farming, stock
raising and dairying.
The governor, who recently
blamed government "procrastination,
inefficiency and corifusion" for an
"alarming and critical" farm labor
shortage in Colorado and the nation,
cited as the basis for his action a
line in the national Selective Service
Act which reads: "The governor of
each state shall have charge of the
administration of the selective ser-
vice law in his state."
Vivian, a World War I Marine, di-
rected Brig. Gen. H. H. Richardson,
Colorado selective service director,
"to notify all draft boards of Colo-
rado to immediately cease ordering
to duty boys actually engaged in.
farming, stock raising or dairying."
General Richardson was not im-
mediately available for comment.
Washington Selective Service and
War Manpower Commission head-
quarters also had no immediate com-
ment.
Some Selective Service attaches in
Washington, however, said a gover-
nor could give orders so long as he
did not interfere with National head-
quarters directives to local boards.
They added that local boards had
been told earlier this month that
Congress had provided for deferment
of registrants engaged in agricul-
tural occupations or endeavor essen-
Al lied Airmen
Blast Two Jap,
Cargo Vessels
Liberators Rain Tons
Of Bombs on-Rabaul,
Amboina in'Two Raids,
By The Associated Press
A .LIED .HADQUARTERS IN
AUSTRALIA, March 26. (Friday)-
Allied aimen attacking two oif the
stron'gest Japanee basesinthe
southwest Pacific scored hits on two
enemy cargo ships-at*Ambbina, and
dumped a'. great, weight of explosiv es,
includingIone-ton bombs, on Rabaul
where six hours later smoke. plumes
were still-rising 3,000 feet above the
burning wreckage, theAllied com-
mand announced today.
tibrators were u asd in both at-
tacks, and thesmash at Rabaul
dfound the four-motored bombers
raining explosives on the base fr
two hours ithout encountering any
fighter intercetiton although an-
ti-aircraft fire was intense.
"arge firesand heavy explosives
Were seen ralsgthe northern Short
of the, harbor 'the communique said
of this raid.
"Six hours later one of our recon-
naissanceplanes over the area ob-
served smoke and flames from water-
frontI ires rising to 3,000 feet."
The New Britain base of Rabaul
northeast of Australia was the target
for a mass raid three days ago when
54 tons of bombs were dropped on
250 Japanese planes found parked on
three" airdromes there." A substantial
number of the planes were believed to
have been destroyed or damager in
that raid.
A At Ubili, New Britain, a heavy
bomber harrassed the area at night
for three hours and at Gasmata, on
New Britian's south coast, direct hits
were scored on the wharf and adja-
cent buildings.
What are the ruling values of
our society and -what method can be
employed to discover them?
These questions and related topics
will be explored in a panel discussion
at 10 a.m. tomorrow in 225 Angel
Hall as part of the Michigan Academy
of Science, Arts and Letters whose
two day session opens today.
The panel is the feature event on
the program of the Literature and
Language division of the Academy.
Prof. Julio del Toro of the Romance
Languge department, the division's
chairman, explained that "this panel
is especially timely since we are now
fighting for our American culture."
"We must be aware of what we are
fighting for to make our battle a
successful one. If we don't realize
what our culture is, its moral and
ethical bases, we shall be fighting
blindly."
This discussion will be the first of
its kind in the 48 year history of the
Academy and was organized on an
interdepartmental basis by the lan-
guage, psychology, sociology, English'
and anthropology departments.
Professors del Toro, Burton
Thuma, Richard Fuller, Louis Bred-
void and Mischa Titiev of their re-
spestive departments will present the
opening arguments in the panel.
All meetings of the Language and
Literature division of Academy will
be held in 225 Angell Hall, not in
2029 as the program indicates.
This panel will feature the Satur-
day session of the Academy which
Japs Russians
Agree to New
Fishing Pact
Protocol Will 0Increase
Nipponese Rights; Both
Nations Still Friendly
By The Associated Press
LONDON, March 26 (Friday)-
Japan an jd Russia, not at war
against each other but fighting on
opposite sides in. the world struggle,
have signed an agreement extending
Japanese fishing privileges in Soviet
Far Eastern waters, it was an-
nounced today.
A Moscow broadcast recorded by
the Soviet Monitor said, however,
that Japanese fishing companies
must pay between four and five per
cent more than during last year. The
payments are to be in gold as before.
Under the 1942 agreement which
ended last Dec. 31 the Russians had
exacted a 20 per cent increase in
rentals over the price paid by the
Japanese the previous year.
S. A. Lozovsky, vice-commissar for
Soviet Foreign affairs, and Naotake
Sato, Japanese ambassador to Rus-
sia, signed the 1943 protocol in Kuib-
yshev yesterday, the Moscow broad-
cast said.
is holding its 48th annual meeting
here. Scholars from all over the state
of Michigan have come to Ann Arbor
to focus attention on the latest de-
velopments in the fields of science
and letters.
Dr. H. R. Hunt, chairman of the
zoology department of Michigan
State College will deliver the presi-
dential address to the delegates and
public at 8 p.m. today in the Ampi-
theatre of the Rackham. His topic
will be "Population and Peace."
More than 250 specially prepared
papers will be presented at 17 dif-
ferent sectional meetings covering
the fields of anthropology, economics,
fine Arts, forestry, geography, geolo-
gy, history and political science, phil-
osphy, psychology, sociology, and zo-
ology.
(Schedule of Meetings on Page 6.)
FDR APpoints
Chester avis
New Food Czar
Move Made in Reply
To Attacks on Present
War Food Program
By The Assdciated Press
WASHINGTON, March 25.-Pres-.
ident Roosevelt today drafted Ches-
ter C. Davis, 55-year-old Federal
Reserve banker with an agricultural
background, to head a new food pro-
duction and distribution set-up in
what was widely interpreted as a
reply to charges of confusion in the
wartime food program.
In another farm move, Price Ad-
ministrator Prentiss M. Brown un-
dertook to halt the movement -in
Congress for higher farm prices, de-
claring that enactment of the Bank-
head and Pace bill would send food
prices up 17 to 18 per cent, cost con-
sumers $3,750,000,000 and destroy
the anti-inflation program by com-
pelling relaxation of wage controls.
Both measures are aimed at increas-
ing farm prices.
Pace Bill Debated
The measure by Rep. Pace (Dem.-
Ga.) to include labor costs when fig-.
uring parity prices for farm crops
came up for debate in the Senate to-
day where Senator Lucas (Dem.-Ill.)
read Brown's declaration, made in a
letter to congressional leaders. Lucas
moved to send the measure back to
the agriculture committee for hear-
ings, and after lengthy debate a vote
on this motion was deferred until
tomorrow. I
The President established the new
farm agency within the agriculture
department as the "Administration
of Food Production and Distribu-
tion." The White' House announced
that all food production and distri-
bution activities would be centered
in it, including the agricultural ad-
justment administration and food
distribution powers and farm labor
recruitment activities transferred
from the War Production Board and
the War Manpower Commission.
Davis Starts Monday
"The President announced that he
had drafted Mr. Chester C. Davis to
serve as administrator," the White
House statement said. Davis, presi-
dent of the Federal Reserve Bank at
St. Louis, will take a leave of absence
from that post and begin his new
duties on Monday.
At St. Louis Davis said his new
task is going to be a "tough assign-
ment."
"I would a whole lot rather be
tackling it as of two years ago than
now," he said. "A fellow had a clean
sheet of paper to write on then. Now
there are so many complications
that teamwork will be quite a job."
Davis was noncommital as to his
food production policies or what he
hoped to do with the problem of
farm labor supply. He said he had
not seen the executive order creating
the administration.
Congress Proposes
To Swap Ceilings
WASHINGTON, March 25.-(P)-
Congress figured today to swap ceil-
ings with Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In effect, it told the President that
it would lift the national debt ceiling
if he would forget his executive order
for a $25,000 net salary ceiling.
The deal was up to the President
after the Senate passed a tandem
measure lifting the national debt
ceiling to $210,000,000,000 from $125,-
In
Drive
Japanese Destroyer Dodges Bombs
An already damaged Jap destroyer tries unsuccessfully to dodge
bombs bursting at her bow during ihe battle of the Bismarck Sea, leav-
ing "ong " oil slick (left) 'in her wake.
FROM COVERT TO KHAKI*
Advanced ROTC Unit Returns
To Campus as Army Students
J.
Towards
Coast
MICHIGAN VARIETIES:
'Most Outstanding Array of
Talent' Presented in 'M Night'
By MARGARET FRANK
Special To The Daily
DETROI, March 25.- Michigan
Alumni acclaimed the annual "U of
Md Night" program presented last
night in the Masonic Temple "the
most outstanding array of talent
ever seen in a University show."
Bill Sawyer, director of the show,
recalled nostalgic memories to the
former students out front with his
opening fanfare on themes from
"Varsity" which set the stags and
acclimated the audience for the col-
legiate program to follow.
'Terrific' MAedley
Masquerading under the simple
title "The Yellow and Blue, Dec. 7,
1941," Sawyer's orchestra played the
most bombastic medley of Michigan
tunes so combined as to show the
chaotic state of campus since the
bombing of Pearl Harbor. The audi-
ence called the number "terrific" as
tune followed tune, and sometimes
melody overlapped melody. Al Burt,
'42, arranged the score for this num-
ber.
The Woman's Glee Club provided
a nice contrast to the intense num-
bers on the program with their more
classical selections: Ferde Grofe's
"On the Trail" and a series of relig-
ious numbers.. Judged to be one of
44-.a finocfn r.An n' &1 a n. 4in .hp~
particularly well received by the
audience.
After winning fame on its own
account the Glee Club allowed itself
to be joined by a select chorus of
Michigan. men. These combined
By STAN WALLACE
Men who were civilian students in
the Advanced Corps of the ROTC one
week ago returned to campus yester-
day as soldier students.
The unit, 168 strong, was ordered
to Fort Custer seven days ago to be
inducted into the regular Army. They
left and were -processed and the only
part of their civilian life that remains
is their individual academic pro-
grams. But this is not the whole
story.
Processing Difficult
Processing and living in an induc-
tion center is not a simple process,
the boys will tell you. Physical ex-
aminations and medical examinations
and mechanical aptitude tests form-
ed the major part of the first few
days' activity.
Then came the real chores, clean-
ing the barracks and cleaning the
Change in Point
Values To Be
Given S unday,
WASHINGTON, March 25.-P)-
The Office of Price Administration
announced tonight that a new table
of point values for processed fruits
and vegetables-believed substantial-
ly lower than present coupon costs-
will be announced in Sunday morning
newspapers.
The disclosure was made in a
statement advising storekeepers,
wholesalers and others in the food
business to apply at their post offices
Monday morning for copies of the
new chart, which will go into effect
April 1.
While OPA officials declined to
discuss just what changes have been
made, they indicated that numerous
reductions will be made in the point
values of various kinds of cans, bot-
tles and packages- especially fruits
and large sizes of other products.
Engineering Collge
Elections Are Today
Elections for senior class officers
in the College of Engineering will be
held from 9 a.m. to 12 and from 1 to
3 p.m. today over the Arch in the
West Engineering Building.
Since-there are only three candi-
dates for the senior offices, Robert
grounds and the Army's pet joy for
all its men-KP.
Te Advanced ROTC company -is
no longer a group of college students.
They were in the Ariny and they did
their KP.
Most of the men did their share.
They were roused from bed at 3 a.m.
.- cooked, served, washed dishes,
cleaned, and fifty other things made
up their day which ended at 9 p.m.
There were 18 hours of hard work for
the boys, but it was all right with
them.
One new soldier said last night
that "the work was tough, but we
didn't find it to be as bad as every-
one seems to think it is."
Now that the men are back on
campus, they will be barracked in the
Allen-Rumsey House of the West
Quadrangle. They will live under
strictmilitary discipline and study
under supervision.
Routine Army Life
Life in the barracks will follow that
of any Army post. First call is at
6 a.m. and reveille sounds at 6:15
a.m. These men started Army life at
6 a.m. this morning.
Definite plans as to former campus
life have not completely developed,
Captain Roland Kolb, their com-
manding officer, said yesterday. Ac-
cording to present plans the upper-
classmen will be permitted to con-
tinue their extra-curricular activities
within specified liberty hours. These
hours willube arranged according to
the schedule of each soldier.
The men will be allowed weekend
liberty beginning at 3 p.m. Saturdays
until 7 p.m. Sundays.
One week has changed 168 Univer-
sity students into 168 Army men in
training for war.
House Leader Blasts
Rumi Plan; Calls It
'Super Monstrosity'
WASHINGTON, March 25.-()-
The battle of the Ruml plan opened
on the House floor today in a storm
of adjectives and invective, with the
skip-a-tax-year proposal alternately
praised as the only "fair and practic-
able" pay-as-you-go plan and con-
demned as an immoral "tax heresy."
Rep. Doughten (Dem.-N. C.), 79-
year-old chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee, lambasted the
Ruml proposal for two hours with all
the words and wit at his command,
at one time calling it a "super-super
monstrous monstrosity." It bears the
same relation to sound tax policy, he
British Forces
Fight Artillery
Duel With Axis
In Mareth Line
By The Associated Press
ALLIED HEADQUART E R S IN
NORTH AFRICA, March 25--A"eri-
can troops throwing a cordon, around
Marshal Rommel's besieged Maret
Line forces were reported today 'lo
have won control of the last mountaii
barrier overlooking the Axis coastal
lifeline only 28 miles awy.
Field dispatches said the troops of
Lieut.-Gen. George S. Patton Jr.,
were fanning out on both sides of
the highway a few miles short of
Mezzouna, whose airfield already has
LONDON, March 26 (Fridy)--
()- On the eve of the battle now
surging along the Mareth Lne,
General Sir Bernard L. Montgoni-
ery sent a message to his Eighti
Army troops declaring that the
action about to begin would-"mark
the close of the campaign In No0th
Africa," Reuters repoted. togy.
"We will not stop nor let' YA
until Tunis has been captiged and
the enemy ether hawVIVenipli
struggle or been pushed into'4the
sea," Montgomery was quoted -a
saying. .
been pounded by American
Toms," the 155-rnillimetr rifles.
Seventy-five - miles- to ut-
east in the Mareth Line, Axis J-
lery was duelling -with British
Army guns in an apparents,
after German- troop - wip
a large part of earl
tions of an offensive begun lasts
Urday night.
On Monday German tanks'and -
fantrymen launthed a powerti4 colla
terattack w*hichb Ten&YhW
erased a 100-yard Briih r
thrown across the Wadi igzg5U it
the eastern end of the I4f.yetl Lie
delayed dispatch from -Dn White
head, Associated Press Correslod
with the British, disclosed tha
setback had prevented the:)
Army from exploiting its
breach into the Mareth fortllicati '
Axis Retreat .
(The Vichy radio quoted Berlin r-
ports late tonight admitting an o
retreat at an unspecified poin$ say-
ing the Germans were then attacke
by British forces "coming frohe etle
desert." This announcen1ntjp -yre-
fer to the El Hanmmansectr ' re
northwest of the Wdi g-
where one British column h o
flanked the lower end of the Mare
Line.
(This broadcast recorded by. the
Associated Press said American
troops also had penetrated Nazi po-
sitions in the Maknassy region, bt
claimed Axis counterattacks rewoi
the lost ground.)
Coal Subsidence
Destroys Schol
Four Block Area Hit;
No Casualties Known
PITTSTON, Pa., March 25.(i4)-
A four-block mine subsidence-wr t
disturbance of its kind ii years i
the Pennsylvania anthracite feld&,.
stopped today after causing 4l
loss of a $400,000 high school bUildiig
damaging 80 to 90 homes and ul-
ling streethpavements ands
With the four-block' Ae oi1d
by Broad, Fulton, Carroll and q I,
streets roped off by police a i ith
several deep cave-ins' grin evide
of the mine "squeeze" that startedat
7:30 p.m. last night, Mayor ,e ilt
Reilly and the school board stiAtid
an investigation "so that the trtie
conditions may be brought to:lght."
"We intend to see," declated
Thomas J. Hennigan, secretary-(C)
of the Pittston School Board, ii.
statement, "that reckless ,minin h
any coal company shall never, ocbur
again. The people of Pittston hhve
been very patient. Their homes
churches and schools . have bien
damaged. But that patience has nio*
been exhausted."
BILL SAWYER
groups sang for the first time in its