News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 1

I "There is Fort Myers FORT MYERS NEWS- PRESS News Department A. Edison Said: News-Press 'Phones and 90 million people 1 are Advertising, Circulation going it Job Printing 200 to find VOL. LX. NO. 120, 60th Year.

FORT MYERS, THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 16, 1944 FIVE CENTS A COPY AMERICANS DESTROY CASSINO News About Service Men 24 28 20 4p0 T-S Bob Moore, stationed at Camp White, is spending a week with his mother, Mrs. Moore, Another son, Walter Mo. M. M. 2-c, stationed at Key West, is also spending a few days in Fort Myers.

Pm From a Washington paper comes news of Lt. Cmdr. William von Bracht of Washington and formerly of Fort Myers, commander of a Liberator squadron based somewhere in England, whose duty is to maintain patrol of the Bay of Biscay. "The Liberators leave base early and return long after dark. Since the area constitutes one of two routes available to German submarines, the vigil keeps the undersea craft limited in operation.

If the subs remain underwater about eight days is required to clear the patrol either inbound or outbound. Thus, since the subs usually operate, when at all, on a month's cruise, their effectiveness is reduced at once to half time. In this game of shadow boxing neither the subs or Liberators can use radio signals." Pr Cpl. Jimmy Wiltshire, stationed at Niland, arrived yesterday for a visit with his parents, Mr. and Mrs.

Blaine Wiltshire and other relatives in Fort Myers. Pin Cecil Eldred, son of Mr. and Mrs. F. J.

Eldred, has been promoted to Tech. Sgt. He is stationed at Venice. Pen Fo Cpl. Russell Blemke is spending Cha week with his parents He Mr.

and his Mrs. G. H. Blemke. joined wife who has been in Fort Myers for the past two weeks.

Cpl. Blemke, who has been on maneuvers in Louisiana, will report to Camp Van Doren, upon leaving Fort Myers. Pro pen Clayton Meeks, P. 0. 2-c, called his parents, Mr.

and Mrs. J. R. 0 Rexall, from Seattle, to tell them the good news of his returning to the states after being overseas a year. Clayton will be stationed at Seattle and hopes for a visit home soon.

Pfe. William Caraher, stationed at Parris Island, S. is now a drill instructor and in charge of a platoon. A Pfc. and Mrs.

Percy D. Williams have returned to Charlotte, N. after spending a 15 day furlough with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.

E. Williams of Polk street, and other relatives in Fort Myers. Pfe. Williams' address is 34202724 Hq. Hq.

1st T. A. Morris field. 15-Minute Parking Will Be Enforced Following a large number of violations in the last few days, Police Chief Charles Moore warned yesterday that' 15-minute parking in the block around the postoffice will be rigidly enforced. He said that new signs had just been put up, giving ample notice to those not familiar with the parking rules.

"If the public will cooperate, there will be plenty of room for all who have business at the postoffice and enough time to transact in," said Chief Moore. Offenders will be fined upon presenting their tickets at headquarters. The chief said there had been as many as seven cars a day ticketed by Special Officer Joe Sandberg this week. Ralph Kingston, Jr. Wins Disney Prize Ralph Kingston, 14-year-old son of Mr.

and Mrs. Ralph Kingston, has received word that he was the first prize winner in the January Walt Disney contest, and will receive a $25 war bond as his award. Young Ralph answered a quiz contest, appearing in the January issue of "Walt Disney's Comies and Stories," with original cartoons of Disney's characters. Six questions were asked in the quiz, and Ralph answered the questions illustrated his answers with the cartoons. Ralph says that he likes to draw cartoons especially and that it only took him about an hour and a half to draw the ones that won him the $25 war bond prize.

House Passes Servicemen's Vote Measure Roosevelt Immediately Starts Poll of State Governors Before Studying Veto WASHINGTON, Mar. 15-(P) Congress passed a servicemen's vote bill leaning heavily to states rights today but President Roosevelt indicated the matter was far from settled by starting a telegraph survey to find out how many men could vote under it. The chief executive wired all governors an inquiry whether they believed their state laws authorized use of supplementary federal ballots. The president has indicated that the decision on a veto depends on whether more men can vote under new legislation than under existing laws. Proponents of a simplified federal ballot have argued that the bill which passed the house today by a vote of 273 to 111 repeals an existing waiver of registration and poll tax payment for servicemen, and that fewer can vote under it than under present law.

The Bill in Brief The bill provides in brief that service people must make their own applications for state absentee ballots which the services will expedite to them and back to the states, and that the federal short form shall be available for use only by those who apply for the state ballots but do not get them in time, and whose governors certify that the federal form will be acceptable. In his telegram to the state executives, the president asked them to tell him also, so he might form an opinion as to the effectiveness of the measure, whether stepa-sion would be taken to authorize use of the supplementary ballot, if state laws do not now do so. Mr. Roosevelt acted without waiting for the soldier vote bill to reach the White House. The president sent this telegram to the governors: Roosevelt's Message "The congress has passed and there will be submitted to me within a day or two, for my approval or disapproval, the soldiers' voting bill.

"In it are certain provisions, which, in order to be effective, require certification by the governor of a state that the uses of federal ballots provided for by the bill is authorized by the laws of such state. "To enable me to form an opinion as to the effectiveness of this measure I should appreciate it if you could at once advise me by wire: "1. Whether the use of supplementary federal ballots provided for by this bill is, in your judgement, now authorized by the laws of your state, and 42. If the use of these ballots is on Page Finland Rejects Red Peace Terms STOCKHOLM, March 15-(AP)The Finnish parliament has unanimously approved the government's decision to reject Moscow's final proposals for an armistice and the Finns are grimly digging in for continuation of the war, it was learned here tonight. The Finnish disclosure was made in a communique which said parliament considered the government's position as presented by Premier Edwin Linkhomies and "accepted unanimously the motion to return to the order of the day." Under Finnish procedure, this means the government was sustained.

From other sources in this neucapital it was learned the Finns thus had turned down Moscow's terms which offered them a way to abandon the fight alongside the Germans and get out of the war. The official reply to Russia was expected to be forwarded Saturday or Sunday. Edwin Shanke, Associated Press correspondent in Helsinki, reported that everywhere the Finns prepared for resumption of hostilities and in Helsinki work went forward on air raid shelters- -obviously in anticipation of renewed air raid assaults. The action was taken despite American warnings to Finland to quit the war before she was overwhelmed. In Washington the state department described as "disappointing news" reports that Rusisa's peace terms had been rejected.

Owner of Duckeye Grove Volunteers for Police Job Responding to the city's need for police officers, Robert H. "Bob" Davis, owner of Duckeye grove on McGregor boulevard, volunteered, his services yesterday to Chief of Police Charles Moore. The new recruit was accepted forthwith, sworn in and will start work today as a patrolman. Mr. Davis has been a winter resident here for some eight years.

He has been returning to New York City during the summers to look after his real estate office there. Because of his new duties, however, he said he would remain here this summer. He is a member of the Kiwanis club, the fair rents committee, the defense council and the Florida state guard. "Each of us staying at home during the war must do some job," the new officer said, "and I though I might be of some help on the police force." Committee Pares Additional Sums Off City Budget Review Completed With No Major Changes in Original Figures The city council and citizens budget advisory committee last night completed a review of Mayor Sam Fitzsimmons' proposed $609,697 budget for the 1944-45 fiscal year without making any major changes in the original figures. The committee and council will meet with the mayor next Tuesday night for final discusof the budget before a by the council.

Then it will be advertised for public hearing, with adoption by the council following. An additional $500 was tentatively pared last night from the proposed appropriation of $1,000 for interest on gunnery school notes when City Clerk Charley Chandler estimated that the smaller figure would take of the expense based on expenditures during the current year. The group also agreed a cut could be made in the appropriation of $1,000 for expenses involved in codification of the charter and ordinances. Councilman Lee Daniel proposed that the entire figure be eliminated because he thought City Attorney Parker Holt would not find time during the year to direct the work as was the case last year when $500 was appropriated. Councilman H.

C. Case held that the work was necessary and suggested that part of the appropriation be retained. The council agreed to set the figure later. The reductions agreed on last night, combined with a $1,380 cut made Monday night in the public works appropriation, would bring the total amount tentatively shaved from the budget to a little over $2,000. An appropriation of $3,600 aS salary and expenses for S.

0. Godman, special tax deputy appointed by the council to administer the new transactions tax, came in for considerable discussion last night with members of the advisory group holding that the figure was too high even if the trial ordinance survives a court test and a permanent measure is enacted. Something To Cut "'Here's something we can cut," commented A. W. D.

Harris when the item was reached. "That will care of itself," answered Daniel. "If the ordinance stands up, the deputy will be on Page Harry Stringfellow Qualifies for Race Harry Stringfellow, chairman of the county, commission, qualified yesterday as a candidate for reelection from the islands district. He will be opposed in the May primary by Owen L. Keene of Pineland who had previously qualified.

Also qualifying yesterday were George E. Hosmer as a candidate for re-election to the state democratic executive committee; Frank G. Carson, running again for the posts of congressional committeeman from Lee county and county committeeman from the city hall precinct; and J. E. Thompson, who filed as a candidate for committeeman from the Buckingham precinet.

Mr. Davis thus joined Bob Kramer, captain in the state guard and prominent in the golf club and civic work, who volunteered his services several months ago. This brought the force up to six regulars and a negro officer besides the chief and Lt. Bill Jeffcott. Of these, however, Officer Joe Sandberg handles parking violations almost exclusively and Sgt.

Doug Bartleson has passed his army pre-induction examination and is expected to be called to service soon. Two others, Sgt. Charlie Hisler and Officer Julius Carter, will leave Saturday for pre-induction examinations and Henry Jackson, the negro officer, is expected to be drafted in the near future. Also helping out is Bob Leedy, radio technician who has been sworn in as an officer and patrols regularly with the force. The normal complement of Chief Moore's force is 10 men.

Red Cross Drive Goes to Bonita Chips In Food Package for War Prisoners Will Be Displayed Today Yesterday's largest contribution to the Red Cross war fund drive was $250 contributed by the Fort Myers Coca-Cola bottling company. Total receipts from the campaign to date now stand at $15,000, it was announced by cochairman W. H. Reynolds and James B. Kelley.

The drive which npened here on March 6 is still tar short of the $23,000 quota that has been set for Lee county. From the Bonita Springs campaign comes a total of $333 with the following contributions over C. C. Senseman $50; Mr. and Mrs.

Clarence Houts $26; Helen Barnes $25; Bonita school faculty Mr. and Mrs. Frank McLaughlin $16; E. M. Reahard $10; Mrs.

Ruth Baird $10; Bonita Court Mr. and Mrs. George Serapin Mr. and Mrs. Vercil Senseman Bertie L.

Sumner J. M. Hardaway Mr. and Mrs. E.

P. Nutting $5. Pvt. John Kelley now stationed in Australia, writes to his aunt, Mrs. Frank McLaughlin of Bonita Springs: "Please tell everyone to give all they can to the Red Cross.

They made the trip over 80 much better with packages. No one back home will ever know the wonderful work they're doing over here, so please help all you can. on Page ELEANOR IN BELEM BELEM, Brazil, Mar, 14-- -(Delayed)-(AP)-Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, on a visit to this air -naval base, today told United States military personnel that their tasks were extremely important even though they are not dodging bullets and bayonets. The president's wife said the chief executive wanted her to take that message to the men and women in Latin America.

Mrs. Roosevelt arrived here by plane Monday evening. Draft Boards Told to Rush More Fathers Hershey Says Calls Far Below Quota, Would Comb Industrial Deferments WASHINGTON, March 15-(AP) -Selective service tonight called on local draft boards to induct more pre-Pearl Harbor fathers and to comb industrial deferments to obtain men who now can be spared to fight. Selective service has failed to meet the military draft calls by 100,000 men a month for five consecutive months, Director Lewis B. Hershey revealed in a letter to all local boards and appeal panels.

About 1,160,000 men must be supplied to the army and navy for the period from Feb. 1 to July 1, Hershey said, in order to bring the country's military establishment up to the planned strength of 11,300,000 by the mid year. "We must, in the future, make fathers available in increasingly greater numbers to meet induction requirements," Gen. Hershey's message warned. "At the same time we must secure men from other classes and particularly we must secure men, fathers and nonfathers, from the group now deferred in industry and agriculture." Some 9,352,000 registrants now have entered military service, Hershey said, adding: "Those men have the right to expect that the remaining registrants whose services are required by the armed forces will be made available." Need Essential Workers A canvass of available sources of inductees--including all fathers still remaining in class 3-A- sleets that a deficiency of unless men will exist on July 1, deficit is made up by taking those now deferred for "essential" occupations, Hershey said.

"Occupational deferments are a temporary expedient to permit employers to obtain replacements," he added, "and only those registrants whose individual efforts in a critical activity make them virtually indespensible should be considered for occupational deferment." Constant scrutiny of the 000 men in 4-F does not indicate that these "constitute a source of potentially available men," Hershey's letter continued. Of the nearly 1,500,000 men in class 1-A, fewer than one in three will be acceptable to the armed forces, Hershey said. He based this estimate on the past rejection rate. Of the 1,160,000 necessary by July 1, Hershey said, 700,000 represented the net increase in I strength of the armed forces, while the remainder will be needed to replace those discharged between now and mid-summer. Get Men Under 26 "The selective service system will proceed to fill its calls," Hershey concluded.

"Selection of a registrant for occupational deferment must now be more exacting. Those who are not truly necessary should not be deferred and, particularly with respect to registrants under the age of 26 years, only Continued on Page Buckingham Commander Saves Flying Fortress With 1-Wheel Landing Lt. Col. Daniel I. Moler, the manding officer of Buckingham field, brought in a Flying Fortress on one wheel for an amazingly smooth landing yesterday afternoon when the other wheel failed to come down.

Col. Moler, five other officers and four enlisted men were in the plane, and hundreds of Buckingham soldiers were on the line to see the landing. Crash trucks and ambulances were also standing by when the ship came in shortly after 6 o'clock. The difficulty with the Fortress was discovered at about 3:30 when an attempt was made to lower the landing gear preparatory to coming in. When the wheels failed to come down by power, one wheel was cranked down by hand, but repeated attempts to get the other wheels down failed.

The Fortress circled the field for two hours and a half in order to ex- Reporter Sees Awesome Destruction of By LYNN HEINZERLING CASSINO, Mar. 15-(P)-Cassino is dead: it no longer exists as a fortification barring the road to Rome. A pitiless deluge of steel and high explosives cast upon the German stronghold continued until almost twilight, with dive-bombers darting in at the end for their precise stabs, and tonight allied infantry and artillery were poised to exploit the almost absolute destruetion of the ancient town. Cassino's agonies started at 8:33 a. m.

and now, as tall shadows spread across the Rapido valley allied planes still are over the town. Artillery barrages which started shortly after noon still are pouring tons of steel into the ruins and German positions around them. There still are walls standing and there may even 1 be Germans still alive among them but the great German fortress on the road to Rome has been wrecked. This concentration of bombs on an area as small as that encompassed by Cassino is unique in history. The only other comparable bombing perhaps was the German onslaught on a tightly confined area i in the center of Rotterdam.

While the devastation of Rotterdam was terrible to see, it could not Another Income Form Due Soon WASHINGTON, Mar. 15-(AP) So you're glad that's over! Well, mister, do your income tax celebrating in a hurry. The mailman is practically on his way with another form for you. You're on his calling list if you're one of the 15,000.000 Americans who get caught by the estimating procedure of the payas-you-go tax law. They are single persons who earn more than $2,700 and married persons with incomes over high to be covered fully by payroll withholding.

The treasury hasn't taken the wraps off its new forms yetquite frankly to give the paying public a breather after the most complicated returns they've ever struggled with. But they'll be made public Sunday and go into the mails immediately, with an April 15 deadline, just one month after tonight's income tax deaddeadline. LaBelle Man Dies After Auto Wreck Roy Batton, 35, of LaBelle died Tuesday night at the Lee Memorial hospital after being injured in an automobile wreck Sunday on state highway 25 at Fort Thompson, two miles east of LaBelle. Two other occupants of the '37 Ford sedan, Al Manning, driver, and Lee Williams escaped with slight injuries. State Patrolman R.

E. Hamrick, investigator, placed the men under arrest charged with drunkenness. Manning also was charged with driving without a driver's license. The three men said that they were going to Tampa from Belleglade, which they gave as their residence. Sheriff Bill Maddox said that Manning apparently lost control of the car and it plunged into the highway ditch.

Dr. C. E. Weaver, who attended Batton before he was taken to the hospital said that he appeared to be paralyzed from the waist down and that he suffered possible internal injuries. Judge R.

M. Harris fined Manning $50 for "driving drunk" and $10 or ten days for driving without a driver's permit. Williams drew a fine of $20 or 30 days. Both are in jail. Sheriff Maddox notified state Attorney Clyde Wilson and further action is pending his decision.

Fire Department Gives Curb Service After discovering a blaze in the back seat of his Chevrolet, Major F. M. McWilliams of the gunnery school drove to the fire station to have it extinguished. The fire, probably started by a cigarette butt thrown through the rear window, damaged the upholstery but did little harm to the cushions. The firemen also had a busy day putting out five grass fires.

The first was on the corner of Park and Second, the next on Palm avenue, another in Sunset Place and two in East End at McDowell's Grove and Five Points. City Leveled After Massive Bomber Raids compare with the awful destructon of this town, once the home of 000 persons. The air force objective was to knock down every building in Cassino which could conceal a German. While some Germans may have lived through the ordeal they certainly will carry the shock with them the rest of their lives. As the great clouds of smoke which hung over the town and valley during the day lifted somewhat this evening, Cassino looked like a toy town which had been bashed against a wall by a man's hand.

The town seemed to have been poured out of a its mold, with great heaps of smoking rubble filling the spots formerly occupied by familiar buildings. Infantryment already were at work and some tanks could be seen moving from the north into the desolate ruins. Bursts of machine- fire could be heard, apparently from a hill behind the town and particularly from a hill on which the ancient castle rests in ruins. The tanks were hampered by roads blocked with rubble from the terrific pounding, but engineers were at work clearing away the debris and picking out any mines which remained unexploded. Yankee Airforce Hits Brunswick, Loses 3 Bombers Swarms of Fighters Shoot Down 36 Nazi Ships; Target Clipped LONDON, March 15 (P) American Flying Fortresses and Liberators, out on their 13th attack in 17 days, bombed the big German aircraft manufacturing center of Brunswick today protected by a powerful escort of Lightnings and Thunderbolts which shot down 36 nazi fighters.

Few of the Germans were able to break through the escort, an official announcement said, and the allied losses were three bombers and five fighters. The number of German fighters downed by the bombers themselves was not immediately tabulated. The assault was made through heavy clouds described officially as "practically a complete overcast," and the vital aviation targets ineluding Messerschmitt factories, were hit through instrument sighting. The weather apparently prevented the Germans from rising in any great numbers, and big air battles, which the allies like so that they on Page Joseph Eastman, ODT Chief, Dies WASHINGTON, Mar. 15-(AP)Joseph B.

Eastman, 61, wartime director of the nation's transportation system, died today of a heart attack. His death left vacant two offices- director of defense transportation, and a seat on the interstate commerce commission, which Eastman had held for 25 years. The transportation director had been in ill health for a long time and the White House disclosed he had offered to resign Feb. 19 after being ordered to rest for at least two months. President Roosevelt declined to accept the resignation, telling him to take a rest and "get yourself back in good form," because "the job needs you and the country needs you." Death came at Emergenck hospital where Eastman had been a patient nearly a month.

His physician and friends had thought him to be on the road to recovery, but he suffered a coronary occlusion, described as a clot in the artery leading to the heart, and died almost immediately. Mr. Roosevelt expressed "deep regret" and members of the ICC praised Eastman for his "indefatigable industry, sterling integrity, unswerving loyalty, and broad fairmindedness" and called his death "a great loss not only to the commission but to the country as a whole." Funeral services will be at All Souls' Episcopal church here Friday, and interment will be at Binghampton, N. Y. The only surviving close relative is a sister, Miss Elizabeth Eastman, with whom he made his home for many years.

Infantry Moves in as Air Forces Retire: Record Bomb Load Falls On Germans BY EDWARD KENNEDY NAPLES, March 15-(AP)-The allies destroyed stubborn Cassino today, dropping more than 2,500 tons of bombs on the strategic fortress town and targets above it in the greatest aerial assault in history. Tonight American tanks and allied infantrymen were moving into the smoking ruins of the town, long the keystone of the German defenses in central Italy, and a new all-out drive on Rome was under way. Official photographs released late tonight showed there were no buildings left in the town after the virtually all-American air attack, in which nearly every plane of the allied Mediterranean force took part. Making a total of 3,000 trips, the planes dropped 1,400 tons of bombs in the one-mile-square Cassino area alone, and the remainder on towns, bridges and communications centers to the north and northwest. The total load of 2,500 tons was announced by Lieut.

Gen. Ira C. Eaker, Mediterranean air commander. Historic Assault Opens The historic assault was begun by 36 medium Mitchells at 8:30 a. m.

Soon all types of planes, ineluding, the big were four -engined blasting bombers, away. There was a pause at noon after the last of the heavies had finished its job, and then a terrific artillery barrage was poured into the town, lasting nearly three Hours With this big gun cover, the ground forces began to move in. The first American tank entered the northern outskirts at exactly 1:25 p. m. Later in the afternoon medium and light bombers resumed the attack at selected targets.

Nothing Left Of Town By tonight there was nothing left of the town. "Cassino is dead," radioed Associated Press Correspondent Lynn Heinzerling from his position with the fifth army at Cassino. "There still are walls standing" he said, "and there may even be Germans still alive among them, but Cassino, the great German fortress on the road to Rome, no longer exists." Eaker, who watched the bombing from a hillside, said the effectiveness of the air assault would be determined by the extent the ground forces were able to advance. Rain fell tonight, raising a possible barrier to the ground advance. The day-long attack was without equal in any war for blows rained on a single, small target, and the total of 2,500 tons for Cassino and points attacked to the north and northwest was just short of the record 2,800 short tons dropped by the RAF's great night fleet on Berlin the night of Feb.

15, 16. Gen. Eaker observed that the one-mile square town had "felt the weight of more bombs than Berlin has had on any day" in the on Page Attempt to Lift Wage Lid Fails haust the gasoline supply in preparation for an emergency, and the ball turret was dropped into the gulf while the ship was circling. Constant communications between the ship and the ground were maintained by radio with the control tower where Major William E. Waters, the director of flying, was in charge.

By 6 o'clock the gasoline supply was low enough for a landing, and the ship approached the runway from the southeast. The ship came in normally on the runway near the sub-depot, continued down the runway for about 1,000 feet on one wheel and then ground looped toward the ramp, when the wing tip hit the ground. The two propellors for the left hand motors and the wing-tip were damaged in the accident, but otherwise the ship was intact. There was a round of applause and cheers for Buckingham's colonel as the huge bomber came to a stop. WASHINGTON, Mar.

15 -(AP)- Labor's drive to smash or alter the Little Steel wage formula suffered a setback in the war labor board today when a majority coalition of public and industry members voted down three American Federation of Labor motions. The principal motion called on the board to request President Roosevelt to modify the wage celling "realistically." The other two motions provided for public hearings. THE WEATHER In Fort Myers yesterday (Mar. 15): High 82, low 54. Forecast: Mild and cloudy.

Tides at Fort Myers Beach: High Low A.M. P.M. A.M. P.M. Thurs.

5:25 12:31 Fri. 6:18 1:38 Sun rises 7:38, weta 7:39. Moon rises 12.51 a. set 11:50 a. m..