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Editorial
Credit Hours
For PEM Urgedo.
VOL. LII No. 29-S ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN SATURDAY, JULY 25, 1942
2:15 A.M. FINAL
Rostov
Defenders Stage Last-Ditch Battle
Bill Approved
For Revision
Of Synthetic
Rubber Plans
Proposed Plan Will Use
f Agricultural Products
For Base of Product;
Will ReplacePetroleum
Farm Bloc f]acks
BillFor-Agency
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, July 24.-Disre-
gardIng' forecasts of a Presidential
veto, the House passed today and
sent to the White House a measure
which in effect would require the
government to revise its synthetic
rubber production program and use
a larger quantity of farm products
as the base raw material.
Under the present program, admin-
istered by the War Production Board
and the Rubber Reserve Corporation,
petroleum would be used as the base
for the bulk of the rubber.
Independent Agency
The measure, 'approved earlier in
the week by the Senate, would create
an independent agency with author-
ity to enter into contracts and lend
money to .encourage the manufac-
ture of an increased supply of rubber
from farm products for war and es-
sential civilian uses.
(The douse approved the measure
by a division vote of 104 to 18 despite
last-minute protest from Undersecre-
tary of War Robert P. Patterson that
the agency would create confusion in
the government's rubber program
and divert critical materials from
tanks, airplanes, ships and other vital
war needs.
Vain Efforts .
Vain efforts w re made by some
supporters to write into the bill an
amendment limiting rubber produc-
tion to war needs and to essential
civilian requirements. Sponsors of
the amendment said the bill gave the
agency power to authorize rubber
for "Joy riding" when in fact there
were insufficient critical materials
to produce that amount of rubber.
-A powerful farm bloc lined up sol-
idly behind the bill. Its leader,
Chairman Fulmer (Dem.-S.C.) of the
Agriculture Committee, answered Ad-
ministration opposition with a dec-
laration that the "people want this
bill because the government's rubber
program has failed."
Alli Bob,
Ex-Prisoners Of Japs
Report Grave Privation'
Returning American Nationals Tell Of Hunger, Cold,
Disease,_Beatings Experienced During Capitivity
Nazi
1
Editor's Note: Following are portions
of a composite story on conditions in
Japan.and Japanese-occupied territory
which was written by four, Associated
Press correspondents who have just
arrived at Lourenco Marques, Portu-
guese East Africa, for exchange. Por-
tions of the story are omitted to con-
form with official requests from Wash-
ington that nothing be done which
could interfere in the slightest with
the welfare or repatriation of Ameri-
cans who are still in Japanese-occu-
pied territory. The writers are Max
Hill, chief of the former Associated
Press Bureau of Tokyo; Relman Morin,
who was in Indo-China; Joseph Dy-
nan, who was in Tokyo; and Vaughn
Meisling. who was in Hongkong when
the British Crown Colony capitulated.
* * *
LOURENCO MARQUES, Portu-
guese East Africa, July 23.-(de-
layed)-UP)-Hunger and cold in-
tensified the privations of many
Americans and Canadians in the
Orient who fell into the hands of the
Japanese at the outbreak of the
Pacific war.
Accounts of existence in an enemy
country came today from among
some 1,100 North and South Ameri-
can nationals brought here to be ex-
changed for Japanese diplomats and
their families under the supervision
of the Portuguese foreign office.
They made the trip from the Orienlt
t E
Ho use Group
Rears Charges
Of 'Influence'
Blame Fpr Cancellation
Of Shipyard Contracts
Laid' To Federal Aides
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, July 24.-Charges
that men acting as advisors to high
government officials while retaining
connections with steel and ship-
building corporations= "influenced"
decisions to cancel a contract for a
new shipyard and 200 cargo ships
were made before a House committee
today.
The assertion came from L. E.
Detwiler, assistant to the president
of the Higgins Corporation, New Or-
leans, in testimony before a Mer-
chant Marein subcommittee studying
cancellation of the contract awarded
the Higgins company by the Mari-
time Commission.
Detwiler~ said that Secretary of the
Nevy Knox "is not a shipbuilder, he
is a newspaper publisher and has to
rely on Joe (Joseph W.) Powell, who
came fro mthe Bethlehem ShipbuildZ
ing Corporation." Powell is an assis-
tant to the Secretary of the Navy.
Detwiler also asserted that "influ-
ence" had been used in other quar-
ters. Asked if "those influences
brought about the cancellation," he
replied "Yes."
Representative O'Brien (Rep.-
N.Y.) asked whether he believed the
contract would have been cancelled
"if the Maritime Commission had
been left alone."
Detwiler, asked by the committee
to "get down to brass tacks" in stat-
ing his opinions about the cancella-
tion, asserted that the "shipbuilding
trust" feared competition with the
Higgins production line method of
ship construction.
on the liners Conte Verde and Asamu
Maru.
Americans and Canadians caught
by the surrender of Hongkong board-
ed the Asama suffering from malnu-
trition due to a scarcity of food
which was general, but not deliberate
on the part of the Japanese.
Beri-beri, pellagra, boils and dys-
entery were widespread following six
months of an unvarying diet which
resulted in losses of weight of as
much as 60 pounds, with the average
at 20 pounds.
Prisoners Suffer Severely
Prisoners and internees in the
northern areas of the Japanese Em-
pire suffered severely during the win-
ter months; those in Korea and
Manchukuo were confined to un-
heated cells and houses with tem-
perature below zero.
A score of American priests in
Hongkong described their capture on
Christmas Day, following which they
were marched into a ravine for exe-
cution and reprieved only at the last
minute.
Then they were imprisoned in a
garage for three days, tied in groups
with insufficient water and food.
A dispatch received by the United
Press in New York from its Robert
Bellaire told how he and Joseph Dy-
nan of the Associated Press had been
beaten and choked by the Japanese
when they refused to write certain
statements. Several of Dynan's teeth
were knocked out, Bellaire reported.
His dispatch said in part:
"Officials of the home office ques-
tioned me repeatedly and at great
length in an effort to get me to ad-
mit that my activity as a press asso-
ciation reporter had included illegal
espionage. Since I had done nthing
which I considered illegal I made
no admissions.
Official Demands Statement
"An official who was superintend-
ing the questioning then demanded
that I write a statement to the ef-
fect that I had been well-treated.
This I refused to do until I had been
badly choked. The officer seized my
necktie, pulled it constantly tighter
and tighter until it was impossible
to breathe. I then was forced to
write a statement along lines he dic-
tated.
"Dynon told me that he had much
the same experience. A home office
official demanded that he write a
statement on the subject, 'The Good
Treatment I Received from the Japa-
nese during Wartime.' When he re-
fused he was beaten. He was hit in
the face and several teeth, in a
bridge, were knocked out."
Charged With Espionage
Bellaire said that Otto Tolischus,
chief correspondent of the New York
Times in Tokyo was taken in custody
about the same time as other Ameri-
can newspapermen and charged with
espionage and violation of the Na-
tional Defense Act. His dispatch
continued:
"He was forced to sit, Japanese
style, with his heels against hips,
until wounds opened on his legs. He
was slapped repeatedly during ques-
tioning by police and once was partly
strangled.
"Max Hill, chief correspondent of
the Associated Press in Tokyo, was
threatened with similar treatment
unless he gave information about an
'alleged spy ring'."
Strategy Moves In On Rostov Defendersw
)I
Russian dispatches said that a large orce of German tanks "have attempted to break into" Rostov
(1) object of a three-pronged driveby Nazi armies. Despite German claims that the city has fallen, Mos-
cow asserts that Soviet troops still are holding the city. Another Nazi push reached Tsimlyansk (2) with
the threat of developing into a drive to the Staling rad railway 25 miles farther, and flanking the attack
on Rostov and on Stalingrad (3) already menaced by armies coming down from Boguchar and astride
the Likhaya-Stalingrad railroad.
o4,
13 GUCHAR
Don R.
RASPOPINSK
MLL ROVO
STALI NGRAD
VOROSHILOVGRAD
KAMENSK lgo
UKHA
KOMINTERN4
TSI MLYANSK
POKROVSK 1R
T AG AN G NOV OCIHERKASSK --1
Sea.:f Azov ROSTOVO
S "'BATAISK
YEISK '!RUSSIA
Oil Links Railroads
0 50
TIKHORETSK* STATUTE MILES'
Strafe Bases
lEOf l Daba
British Army Consolidates '
Two-Day Ground Gains
In North, Central Areas
By The Associated Press
CAIRO, July 24.-Allied "airmen
poured 9xplosives on the Axis bases
of El Daba west of El Alamein last
night and today while Britain's Im-
perial Army consolidated its two-
day ground gains which put the Im-
perials firmly atop the strategic
heights in the north and central
sectors of the desert front.
For 45 minutes Allied bombers at-
tacked two Axis airdromes at El Daba
last night and observed ten fires and
one explosion.
Fighter-bombers followed up with
strafing attacks today.
The Navy meanwhile reported offi-
cially that light naval forces again
had bombarded Matruh, one of the
main Axis seaports farther west.
Wednesday night. but said the - re-
sults were "unobserved owing to low
clouds."
Ingersoll Enlists
In Army Service
rYmMm.ih
Michigan Nine
Easily Defeats
Blissfield, 10-2
Wolverines Go On Batting
Spree Getting 15 Hits ;
Vernier Paces Attack
Breaking out with a 15-hit attak,
the varsity nine got back on the vic-
tory trail last night as they defeated
Blissfield in a seven-inning contest
at the latter's home field by a score
of 10-2.
Michigan's 14ats. which have been
none too potent this summer, finally
got going last evening, and combined
with the usual good pitching made
the game strictly a no-contest af-
fair. Bob Vernier led the attack on
the Blissfield moundsmen by bang-
ing out a home run and a brace of
doubles. Howard Wikel also added
weight to the Michigan cause with a
triple and double.
The Wolverines put the game on
ice in the first inning by scoring
five runs before an out was made.
Tommy Higgins started the on-
slaught by singling. In quick order
John Mikulich walked, Bob Chap-
pius singled, Vernier doubled, Wikel
doubled, and Don Lund singled to
send Michigan off to a five-run lead,
Blissfield combined two hits to
score a single run off Don Smith in
their half of the first, but the, Wol-
verines got this run back in the
third when Vernier lined a long
homer to the far corner of left field.
Rev clli Directs
'Concert Today
The final program of the High
School Clinic Band, under the direc-
tion of Prof. William Revelli, will be
held at 8:30 p.m. today in Hill Audi-
torium. As in former appearances,
Mr. Carr and Mr. Fox will act as
guest conductors.
The program will be opened with
the National Anthem, and will in
clude the tone poem "Dedication,"
by Frangkiser: the march "El Cabal-
lero," by Olivadoti: "Scenes From the
Sierras," by Bennett: "Colossus of
Columbia." by Alexander; "Komm
Susser Tod," by Bach: "The Great
Gate of Kiev" (from "Pictures at an
Exhibition"), by Moussorgsky; and
"Stars and Stripes Forever," by
Sousa.
on QanGm
Deduction Of Five Percent On Wages
From Pay Checks Is Defended By
1 1 0 - 41
To Be Taken
Treasury
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON, July 24-A House-
approved proposal to deduct advance
payments on income taxes from the
1943 pay checks of wage earners
drew vigorous criticism before the
Senate Finance Committee today but
was stoutly defended by Treasury
experts.
Senators Taft (R-Ohio) and Clark
(D-Mo) contended the wage deduc-
tion provision, made a part of the
$6,271,000,000 revenue bill by the
House at the Treasury's suggestion,
Corey To Lead
Meeting Today
New Industrial Revolution
Is TopicOf Discussion
Lewis Corey, well-known liberal
author and lecturer, will lead a dis-
cussion meeting on "The New Indus-
trial Revolution" at 2 p.m. today in
Room 302 of the Union.
Corey has for years been one of the
foremost . liberal economists in the
country. A professor at Antioch Col-
lege, he is also the author of several
books and a frequent contributor to
progressive publications such as The
Nation and New.Republic.
As an officer in ;the Union for
Democratic Action he played a large
part in the interventionist move-
ment before Pearl Harbor. He is now
active in the UDA program of fur-
thering the war effort and planning
the peace along liberal, international
lines.
constituted a "double tax" on the
ordinary citizen.
As approved by the House, the de-
duction would be 5 per cent of all
salary on wages above certain basic
exemptions. Taft said the deduction,
combined with 19 per cent normal
and surtax rates which the tax bill
would impose on the individual, would
boost tax payments to a rate of 24
per cent in 1943.
Conceding that this was a severe
jolt for the person who had been
paying much lower rates under the
present law, Randolph Paul Assist-
ant Secretary, said the Treasury re-
garded the collection levy as "defin-
itely important" in its battle against
inflation.
The employers would pay the
money over to the Treasury each
quarter, thus speeding the' Govern-
ment's receipt of funds due it on in-
dividual income tax.
The amount thus deducted from an
individual's salary during the year
would be credited as already paid
to the Treasury and subtracted from
the amount due in 1944 on his reg-
ular income tax.
A table of exemptions would make
this collection levy apply on all single
persons receiving $11 a week or more
and all married persons, without
children, who were paid $26 weekly
or more. In the case of married per-
sons, an additional $8.50 of salary
would be free from the tax for each
dependent.
Starting at 5 per cent on January
1, 1943, the levy-which would apply
also to dividends and interest -
would bring to the Treasury $1,250,-
000,000 in advance" payments the
first year, Paul estimated.
Senate Comrmittee Criticizes
House-Approved Tax Measure
Battered
Russians
Fight On
Germans Claim Capture
Of . Important Russian
Traffic,_Harbor City
Moscow Reports
Great Nazi Losses
By EDDY GILMORE
Associated Press Correspondent
MOSCOW, Saturday, July 25.-
German tdnks and infantrymen were
beating against Rostov, the Russian
bridgehead to the rich Caucasus,
over the bodies of thousands of Nazi
dead, the Soviets announced; offi-
cially early today in one of the most
grave moments in Russian history.
"The approaches to the fortified
districts (of Rostov) are littered with
the corpses of thousands of Hitler-
ites," the communique said.
"However, disregarding their losses
the enemy continues to throw more
and more forces into. battle."
(The German High Command said
Rostov had been "stormed and cap-
tured," although it admitted mop-
ping up oderations were still going
on.)
"Large enemy tank units are at-
tempting to break into the city," the
Russian communique- said, "and in-
tense and sanguinary battles are tak-
ing place."
_ ~120- 1Tie Fight
The supreme fight for the rich
Caucasian oil region, however, raged
for 120 miles along the Don River
to the Tsimlyansk area, the Russians
said, but the communique added:
S"With counter blows our units en-
circled and destroyed the infantry
regiment which had broken through."
German artillery and aircraft
pressed steadily against the Russians
holding the southern bank of the
Don. It was there that Marshal
Semeon Timoshenko was expected to
make a major stand against the Nazi
attempt to sever the Caucasus from
the Russian hinterland and seize its
rich oil and food products.
As h evidence of the heavy Nazi
losses the Russians said more than
1,500 Germans were slain in a single
sector of the Don front during the
last 24 hours.
Still On North Bank
The Red Army also was still en-
trenched on the north bank of the
Don, the communique indicated. It
spoke of fighting in the Novocherk-
assk area, 20 miles northeast of Ros-
tov, as well as in the latter vital city.
The Russians said their Rostov de-
fenders beat off six enemy attacks.
Swarms of. Nazi infantrymen were
supported by artillery barrages and
tank charges, the communique said,
and eight Nazi tanks were destroyed.
Far to the north in the Voronezh
sector the Russians reported another
Soviet crossing to the western bank
of the Don and the destruction of
another Nazi regiment. The Russians
also said that repeated Nazi attacks
in the Voronezh area had bern
smashed.
In a flareup of fighting in the
Bryansk sector in the center of Rus-
sia, the Russians said they knocked
out 20 more Nazi tanks.
Berlin Claims
Capture Of Rostgv
Physical Education Authorities
T oWitness Townsley Program.
Union Officials Explain Wildcat
Strike At Ford's Bomber Plant
By MIKE DANN
Daily sports Editor
Army and Navy health authorities
along with Physical Education in-
structors from the entire midwest will
attend the giant PEM program that
is being given in honor of the late
Dr. Elmer Townsley, Wednesday eve-
ning.
The exhibition is the first of its
kind and will represent new achieve-
ments in the nation's physical fitness
drive.
Inthe words of Athletic Director
Fritz Crisler. "no other University
going it looks as though no one is
going to miss the exercises. More
than 4,000 tickets have been dis-
tributed and the demand is still not
satisfied, according to the committee
in charge of the evening's activities.
Last minute details still have to be
worked out, because of the tremen-
dous size of the undertaking. The
prograni was decided upon early in
the week, but the enthusiasm on the
part of the PEM students for as
much work as possible forced the
committee to revise the scheduler of
events.
By ART CARPENTER
Union officials at the Ford Willow
Run Bomber Plant yesterday sharply
denied that the recent wildcat sit-
down strike was caused by the sus-
pension of telephone communications
to and from the plant.
They- explained that, contrary to
widespread newspaper reports, the
strike started only after the Ford
management had taken away the
union committee room and suspended
"The man named 'Harris' who
was supposedly the union steward
responsible for the strike has not
been identified by any source," he
said.
However, the union officials wanted.
it made clear that the UAW-CIO
was not in sympathy with the strike.
"It's really too bad to spoil such a
good record," Strachan added.
A majirity of plant workers, when
questioned, expressed complete satis-
BERLIN (from German broad-
casts), July 24.-(P-The German
High Coimand announced today
that German Army and 88 Elite
troops and Slovak detachments had
captured Rostov by storm and were
engaged in mopping up operations
there while other German forces
"broke the resistance of Soviet troops
newly brought up" in the Don Riyer
bend.
German forces "excellently assisted
by the Luftwaffe on the whole front,
broke through the strongly-fortified
and deeply-echeloned defense posi-
tions of Rostov, and after hard fight-
ing captured the town, which is
important as a traffic and harbor
center," the communique said.