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PUBLISHED | Every Week Day Except Saturday. The Oshmua Daily Times PROBS Fair and Cold Tonight | and Part of Wednesday, | Then Moderating, 7 VOL. 27--NO. 118 OSHAWA, ONTARIO, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1940 Single copies 3c CAPTURE TWO MORE LI British Closing in on Base LB YAN FORTS ort of Bardi BRITISH GIVE MANNHEIM SEVEN-HOUR POUNDIN Entire Target Area Mass of Flame When R.AF. Headed Home Great Dye Factory Set Afire -- Aircraft Plant at Neckarstadt Also Ignited R.AF. Also Bombs Six Merchantmen off French Coast and Sub- marine Base--Weath- er Saves Britain London, Dec. 17 (CP) -- Royal Air Force raiders pound- ed Mannheim, important chem- ical manufacturing centre in Southwest Germany, for seven hours last night and early to- day, it was reported authori- tatively today. "Many important were left in flames," sources said. The Royal Air Force at- "tacked a aircraft factory, a dye plant and other targets in targets informed the Mannheim area. The Nazi | submarine base at Bordeaux, France, was also raided, along with six merchantmen off the French coast last night, the Air Ministry announced. Seven-Hour Assauli The communique said Mannheim, "chief industrial centre of the upper Rhine," was subjected to a sustained seven-hour assault: Four British (Continued on Page 10, Col. 1) WARTIME PRICES BOARD WATGHING WAGES AND GOSTS B.C. and Alberta Coal Miners Work Out Good System: Ottawa, , 17 (CP)--The war= time prices a trade board and other government agencies are keeping a sh eye on the rela- tionship betweén wages and prices in the dominiof. The board believes wages are up sporadically over the period of a year anywhere! from five to 15 per cent. The cost of living, according to latest indices of the bureau .of statistics, was up 35 points last October, standing at 107 compared with 103.5 for October of last year. Government officials are watching the relationship between the two be- cause of develcpments in the last war, when prices rose as the pur- chasing power of the people in- creased. For a time there seemed no end to the upward trend. , A trade board spokesman today (Continue on Page 9, Col. 5) | Gas Explosion Fatal BRITISH EXECUTE To Montreal Woman Montreal, Dec. 17 (CP)--One person was killed and three injured seriously when a one-storey house was shattered by an explosion of escaping gas at Tetraultville, East Montreal. Mrs. Ferdinand Menetta is dead, while her husband and two daugh- ters, Lily Menetta and Mrs. Mar- garet Proulx have severe burns and injuries. THIRD NAZI SPY Netherlands St Subject Convicted Same Time as Other Two Spies London, Dec. 17 (CP) --A citizen of the Netherlands was executed at Pentcnville prison as a spy for Germany, the home office an- nounced today. His name was Charles Albert Van Den Kieboom, said to have been born at Takarumuka, Japan, Sept. 6, 1914. The announcement said he was tried at the same time as two oth- ers executed as German agents Dec. 10, and had been associated with them, Those executed Dec. 10 were identified at that time as Jose Waldberg, 25, German citizen, and Karl Meier, 24, a Netherlands sub- ject. Their execution was the first for espionage to be announced in Eng- 18nd since the start of the war, British authorities said Waldberg and Meier apparently entered Bri- tain under German instructions to pose as refugees. They were said to have erected a special, German-assembled radio transmitter in the secluded coun- tryside to send messages to Ger- many. The whole apparatus was described as so light it could be dismantled and carried in two bags similar to camera cases. The announcement of the execu- tion of Van Den Kieboom said he, too, had a portable radio transmit- ting set. His execution was delayed after his conviction, along with Wald- berg and Meier last Nov. 22, be- cause he gave notice of intent to appeal. He withdrew his applica- tion later. CAREER DIPLOMAT MAY BE STATES ENVOY T0 LONDON Norman Armour, Now Ambassador to Argentina Mentioned Washington, Dec. 17 (AP). --Nor- man Armour, ace career diplomat and now United States ambassador to Argentina, was mentioned in in- formed cireles today for the vacant post of ambassador to Great Bri- With no British ambassador in this country following the death of the Marquess of Lothian, President Roosevelt was expected to name a successor soon to Joseph P. Ken- nedy, who resigned the Londen post Nov. 6. Some sources hinted that the president: already had decided on Nazi Bombs Killed 4,588 In November London, Dec. 17 (CP) -- Civilian air raid casualties in the United Kingdom in No- vember were 4,588 dead and 6,202 injured, it was an- nounced officially today. BELIEVE 11 DEAD RESULT OF BLAST IN GINGINNATI Twelve Injured, Three Missing in Apartment Explosion Cincinnati, Dec. 17 (CP)--Mem- bers of four families were blasted from their beds by a pre-dawn ex- plosion that killed eight to eleven | persons and wrecked a three-storey [ downtown building. Twelve are in- | jured, three are missing in a pile of brick, kindling and dust. Eleven children were among the victims. Some bodies were so badly torn they could not be identified im- mediately. Cause of the explosion, which oc- curred soon after 3 a.m. was not im- mediately determined. A woman residing two doors -away told Walter Wahl, a Cincinnati En- quirer printer: "There are 26 people living in one side of the building. I don't know of anyone who escaped." Every available policeman and piece of fire apparatus in the city was rushed to the scene. General Hospital reported soon after 5 a.m. that eight persons had been brought there for treatment, most of them suffering from cuts and burns.. They were not immed- iately identified as residents of the blasted structure. Only a pile of brick and dust re- mained where the twin-apartment building stood. Police and firemen dug into the ruins, aided by beams of utility truck searchlights. Shipping Loss 101,200 Tons, "One Bad Day" London, Dec. 17. (CP)--The ad- miralty announced today 101,200 tons of Brith, allied and neutral merchant shipping was sunk dur- ing the week ending Dec. 8. Nineteen British vessels totalling 86,740 tons, three allied ships' of 12,937 tons and one neutral vessel of 1523 tons were lost during the period. An authoritative source said "one bad day accounted for a good pro- portion". of the losses. These losses made the average weekly loss since the beginning of the war 63,192 tons, exclusive of vessels lost in the removal of troops from Dunkerque. The losses announced today were due to submarines, mines, bombs and surface raiders. Winter wea- ther, with long nights, and the con- centration of many British war- ships in the Mediterranean were favorable to the attackers. The total was roughly double the figure for the previous week and was the highest since the week of Oct. 14-21 when 198,000 tons of merchant shipping went to the bot- tom, Italy Orders Death For Food Hoarders Rome, Dec. 17 (AP) --Food hoard- ers will be punished by déath in "more serious cases," the govern- ment announced today. - The, announcement followed by 24 hours a conference between Mussolini and Fascist Secretary Adelchi Serena, who said his party followers were ready for a "winter (Continued on Page , Col. H battle on the internal front." Hull Warns Britain To Face Disclosure Made to Cabinet Members Fol- lowing British Request for Financial 'Aid -- Need More Ships, Too Washingten, Dec. 17 (CP). --Sec- retary of State Cordell Hull is re- ported to have told defence com- missioners and other United States | government officials that Britain probably would face a series of crises next spring unless present delivery schedules of American war supplies were considerably increas- ed. The disclosure to cabinet mem- bers of this view followed an out- right British request for financial assistance from United States. The details of the appeal have not been made public. Hull is understood to have urged all speed possible in producing arms, planes and other supplies, Similarly, it is learned, the ship- ping situation is being examined to determine whether additional mers chant ships might be available for rushing supplies to Britain, As Mr. Roosevelt returned to the executive offices for the first full day after his two-week Caribbean trip, the belief grew in some quart- ers that some important action might be forthcoming. "Something usually does happen when he comes back here," Com- merce Secretary Jones said in ex- plaining recently that decisions on financial help to Britain could not be reached because "the administra- tion is away." Of the two questions, however, the defence production was rated the most pressing by officials, particu- larly in view of William S. Knud- sen's statement yesterday that the situation was one of "terrible ur- (Continued on Page 10, Col. 3) Crises Next Spring Unless War Supplies Are Increased Urges Arms Speed WILLIAM KNUDSEN Production chief of the U.S. Na- tional Defence commission, former president of General Motors, urges "war-time basis" for industry to speed production of vital defence needs. He told the manufacturers that neither industry nor labor has been "sufficiently sold" on defence, and he called for abandonment of the industrial "blackout" from Fri- day to Monday. Hitler's Deputy in Vichy Learning Story of Laval Ejection From Government With Laval and Petain -- Has Lunches Escort of German Soldiers -- Nazi Occu- pation of All France Possible Berne, Switzerland, Dec. 17. (CP) --Pierre Laval, virtual prisoner of the Vichy government since his ex- pulsion from Marshal Petain's cabi- net, was taken to Vichy at the per- sonal request of German Ambassa- dor Otto Abetz today. Laval, ousted vice-premier and foreign minister of the Vichy gov- ernment, lunched with Abetz and Petain, It was first time he had been seen in Vichy since he was taken away under guard Friday night. Rumors spread there that the Germans want Laval back in his job, but reports reaching diplomatic quarters here said it was more like- ly that Abetz merely wanted to hear Laval's side of the story before making a report to Hitler. Total German occupation of France might be foreshadowed in the Abetz visit, some observers said. Abetz arrived last night in Vichy and visited Petain today. Almost immediately after his ar- rival, it was said here, he asked to ses former Vice-Premier Plerre Laval who, since his ouster from the government Saturday, has been reported under guard at his estate at Wauvergne, or at Pellevoisin near Clermont-Ferrand. Abetz was to talk with several members of the French cabinet, in- cluding Interior Minister Marcel Peyrouton--reported here as being French Key Man PIERRE ETIENNE FLANDIN In a surprise move Marshal Henri Fhilippe Petain, head of the French government, removed Vice-Premier Pierre Laval from his cabinet and replaced him with Pierre 'Etienne Flandin, former finance minister. Flandin is expected to figure largely In Franco-German relations, Laval'g principal cnemy in the cabi- net--and pjerre-Etienne Flandin, | who succeeded Laval as foreign minister, Weygand Stays Away | Nazis Plan British Invasion By Spring London, Dec. 17 (CP) -- Lord Beaverbrook, Minister of Aircraft Production, declared in a broadcast tonight that Germany 'is making prepara- tions for an invasion of England before springtime -- by land and sea, but principally by air." GREEKS CONVERGE ON VALONA PORT FROM TWO LINES Italian Reserves Fail To Stop Advance at Vital Points 5 » Athens, Dee. 17--(AP)--Counter- attacks by crack Italian « reserves were reported today to hate failed to stop two converging Greek drives into the last mountain de- fence line guarding the important Albanian port of Valona from the southeast. snow-clogged passes had reduced the scale of Greek operations, but sald the Greeks still were pushing the Fascist forces toward the sea. A government spokesman made the only specific mention of points involved in the advanced fighting. He raid Italians had been forced to retreat in the Dvinos valley and failed in repeated attempts to oust Greek troops from newly-won posi- tions on the Skivovik heights. (The Dvinos valley extends along the road up which the Greeks have been advancing toward Tepeleni from Argirocastro. At Tepeleni, the road veers northwest and winds down through the foothills to Val- ona on the coastal plain, 26 miles away. (The Skivovik Heights, among the highest peaks midway between Tepeleni and the coastal town of Chimara, dominate the flank of this advance and of a second Greek push up the coast toward Valona by way of Chimara.) fighting, the spokesman sald last night the Italians hurled seven (Continued on Page 10, Col. 5) WINDSORS LEAVE FOR HOME TODAY Sail From Miami This Evening For Bahamas -- Duke Golfs Miami, Fla., Dec. 17--(AP)--The Duke and Duchess of Windsor pre- pared to terminate today their first joint visit to the United States. Happy over the cordial reception they received here, the Windsors planned to sail at 6 p.m. (ED.T.) aboard the yacht, Southern Cross, on the return trip to Nassau, where the duke will resume his duties as governor of the Bahamas. The duchess appeared virtually recovered from the effects of a major dental operation that brought the Windsors to Miami a week ago. Dr. Horace L. Cartee said a "slight complication" that occurred after the Windsors moved from a Miami Beach hospital to a hotel had en- tively cleared up. Dr. Cartee removed an infected molar in an operation that necessi- tated scraping the jawbone. In the duchess' wardrobe on the return trip will 'be - three or four dresses, ranging in price from (Continued on Page 10, Col. 2) Three Ships to Take 'Wheat to G. Britain Baltimore, Dec, 17 (CP)--Three British. ships are here to load Cana- dian grown wheat and United States But Gen, Maxime Weygand, who | grown corn for ports in the United £0Urces here said, was the man Abetz wanted to talk to most, was not in Vichy, He was in North (Continyeq on Page 10, Col. 5) Kingdom. One ship has a dead- weight carrying capacity of more than 8,000 tons and is scheduled to take on a full grain cargo. The Greek high command ack- nowledged that freezing cold and' Testifying to the ferocity of the | All Italian Forces Swept Out Of Egypt; British Invading Libya : Empire Troops Close to Libyan Port But - No Certainty They Are Preparing Attack on Base Point--Forts of Musaid Sidi Omar and Shefeerzan Taken Terminus 12 Miles Capitulation of Fort Capuzzo Leaves... British in Command of Vital Highway South of Bardia -- British Can Reinforce Army With Greater Ease Since Salum Taken port of Bardia 1s of Fort Capuzzo and Salum. ing Italian troops still fighting Salum. Cairo, Dec. 17 (CP) -- Pressure on the important Libyan "steadily increasing' and new British troops are arriving to support those which captured Fort Capuzze, giving British forces their first foothold on Italian colonial seil, a general headquarters communique announced. The communique said two additional forts have been captured in Libya -- Musaid Sidi Omar and Shefeerzan, the forts on the frontier south of Bardia. Offensive patrolling 'on a considerable scale' has been renewed on the Kenya frontier in East Africa, Military circles declared the British are known to be in the vicinity of the Libyan port of Bardia following the capture These sources said it was uncertain whether these units were preparing for an attack upon Bardia itself or were merely, sent to prevent reinforcements from the Bardia garrison reach in the vicinity of Capuzzo and Australians In Fight EXPERT ON BNA ACT RULES DIES William Francis O'Connor Frequently Advised Government Ottawa, Dec. 17 (CP).--Willlam Francis O'Connor, one of Canada's recognized experts on the British North America Act and the legal relationship between the Dominion and the provinces, died suddenly late yesterday as he slept. Mr. O'Connor, law officer and parliament counsel to the senate, was 67 years old. On Saturday he complained he was not feeling well and stayed at home. Yesterday he fell asleep before dinner and died before he awakened. Native of Halifax and a graduate of Dalhousie University where he lectured for a time in international law, he gained a high reputation as a constitutional lawyer, During the first Great War he was called from Dalhousie to Ot- tawa to advise on legal problems facing the government for the first time. He helped draft much war- time legislation, including the War- time Elections Act, under which, in 1917, the votes of soldiers overseas were first recorded in a Canadian election, Mr. O'Connor also gave the gov- ernment advice on other new prob- lems such as expropriation of pro= (Continued on Page 10, Col. 1) Trade Minister Il So Mission Returns Ottawa, Dec. 17 (CP)--Canada's trade mission to the West Indies and Scuth America is returning to Ot- tawa because of the illness of Trade Minister MacKinnon who headed the mission. It is learned from his office that the illness is not serious although it may keep him from government duties for a week or two. Depart- ment officials emphasized the tour has not been abandoned and may be resumed if the minister's condition improves. 'The mission, designed to increase trade with countries in South Amer- ica, and the West Indies, left Ot- tawa, Nov, 20. ~ ge nf The communique said A troops battled an Italian column last night and captured trucks guns, With the fall of Fort Cap British authorities announced capture of Salum, last Italigs stronghold on Egyptian soil, & Fort Capuzzo"s capitulation 1ef§ British forces in control of a highway terminus 12 miles south of Bardia and apparently position for an attempt to oul that base. Bardia holds the key to the coastal road leading westward | the big Italian base at Tobruk, : proximately 70 miles inside the Lib yan border and the springbo from which Marshal Gi armies launched their drive Egypt last September. The British navy and alr tore were reported to be keeping dia under heavy bombardment, parently to soften Italian resistam to attack on the land side. Military sources here said the was little opposition to the Brk tish navy's control of the enting Libyan coast from the Egypfias border to Tripoli, 700 miles to th west, The communique announcing t! fall of Fort Capuzzo and Sal gave no details of the operation except to say "a number" of I 1 aircraft had been seized at Salum, Military men here pointed "BH the capture of Salum, on the cols about five miles from the Libys border, would enable Britain move troops and supplies to th front by sea, thereby eliminating long haul across the desert. 2 These sources believed it wun likely that lengthening lines ° communication would prove enough of an obstacle to prevent Gen. Si azidn Archibald P. Wavell, British Middle East commander, from continuing his westward drive, Reports from the front indicated (Continued on Page 10, Col. 2) Britain Needs Help To Buy Mare In U.S. . 17 (CP)--Hen fl States Treas house approp Frederick Phils y of the British him that Brite more commits of war materia unless fin Washington. D Mergenthau, Uni Secratary, told th tions committe: § lips, under se Treasury, info ain could make 3 ments for purchas in the United 8k 4