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PUBLISHED Every Week Day Except Saturday. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA he Oshawa Daily dines PROBS Cloudy and Mild, With Light Rain. Saturday, Partly Cloudy, Colder. VOL. 27--NO. 121 OSHAWA, ONTARIO, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1940 Single copies 3c SIXTEEN PAGES E NAVY UNCHALLENGED ON ADRIATI nk 3 Italian Supply Ships in Libyan Port | PREDICT 29-MILL TAX RATE NEXT YEAR Council Finishes Year With $32,431 Surplus, Treasurer Announces City's Financial Posi- tion Best in Years -- Tax Collections High- est on Record Surplus Result of Re- lief Savings, Large City Land Sales -- Deben- ture Payments Large Oshawa will wind up. its 1940 financial balance sheet with a surplus of $32,431 on the year's operations, due to a great decrease in the relief re- quirements and the sale of con- | siderable city-owned property. This rosy picture of Oshawa finances is coupled with the forecast of a tax rate of 29 mills for 1941 in Treas- urer Peter A. Blackburn's an- nual financial statement which he presented to City Council at | that body's final meeting of the year last night. The 29-mill tax rate is based upon a tenta- tive budget prepared by the various departments and is a reduction of one and one-half mills over the 1940 rate. Numerous Highlights The treasurer's report and state- ment jis featured by an array of highlights which makes it the most gratifying year-end summary issued in the past ten years or more. Tax collections were the best in the city's history, receipts amounting to $903,183 which is $65,281 more than the total taxes levied in 1940. Con- sequently the tax irepresents collec- tions of 107.03 per cent of the levy. Debenture payfents made in the year now drawing to a close amounted to $362,496.21 principal, (Continued on Page 10, Col. 1) NAZIS DISCOVER ALL FRENGHMEN NOT SUBJUGATED Claim "Putsch of Vichy" | Engineered by Enemies of German By LOUIS ! LOCHNER Associated Press Staff Writer Berlin, Dec. -- (AP) -- The French cabinet ® shakeup of last Saturday, known here as "The Putsch of Vichy", 'has taught the German government one great les- son, men-in-theé-know here say. That lesson, they assert, is that there is an influential group at work within tie French government to scuttle, if possible, attempts at a French - Geman rapprochement such as planfged between Hitler and (Continued on Page 16, Col, 1) | Britain Covets Enemy Vessels In U.S. Ports | | | London, Dec. .20. (CP)---Britain's minister of shipping, Ronald Cros cast what he called a covetous eye on "a certain number of enemy ships in the United States" and declared that assignment of these and United States ships to British service, "are the only ways I can see for replenishments of any con- sequence." He said Britain's "real struggle" | With Germany would come in 1941 the statements came in an inter- view with the United States press NAZI SUB NEST GETS TWO MORE OCEAN VESSELS Ships Report Attacks Off Irish Coast--Radio Messages Heard | New York, Dec. 20 (CP)--Two ships were attacked by submarines about 450 miles west of the Irisn | coast today in what appeared .to be the second attack on a convoy in three days. Word of the attack was heard by Mackay Radio which pick- ed up terse messages from the ves- sels. British steamer Carlton, at 8:59. am ED.T. She radioed that a submar- (Continued on Page 16, Col. 5) Canada To Produce 50,000 Motor Units | For South Africa Evans, National Defense Headquarters, | told members of the Engineering Institute of Canada that almost 10,000 units of the forty-seven types of military vehicles produced in Canada are in various parts of the world, serving with the Empire's armies, Major Evans added that many more thousands are in service in Canada, while almost 50,000 are on order for South Africa. Jn a review of the work of Cana- dian factories in their cQ- -operation with the department, Major Evans RAF. SETS FIRE 0 FASCIST PORTS GREEKS PRESS ON | abandcned' Palermo Bay, | the town.of Palermo is situated, in | that | back ROYAL MINT CUTS 'ties at the The first report came from the [well on the way {the | veye |by eight hours, Ottawa, Dec. c. 20--Major M. M. |predicted the mint soon will be op- technical staff officer at|erating on a straight eight-hour said that only one type of military war broke out. Since that time, however, pooling of resources, equipment and per- Motors) had resulted in production | for forty-seven types. vehicle was under production when | sonnel of two large motor compan- money, jes in Canada (Ford and General |age is naturally greater," he said. J Getting Closer to Vital Towns of Klisura and Tepeleni Dec. 20--(CP)--Blazing | e left in new assaults on | tha Albanian ports of Valona and Krionero, the Royal Air Force com- mand announced, while Greek troons were reported battling up | the ccast fromsPalérmo Bay, toward Athens, ruins w Chimara, and tightening their lines around inland 'towns of Klisura : Telepeni Valona, the R.A'F. command hat military barracks, a gaso- , a motor transport park north of the town Great columns of smoke vicinity of the bar- gasoline stores, British the registered on | in the Krionero area and | were building s2en raging after attack. | government spckesman said | that Fascist forces had on which A st night their withdrawal toward Chimara, 10 miles up the coast He added the Italians had been pushed to the outskirts of Tepeleni 1d that Klisura was under Greek | fire. (Renorts reaching Struga, Yugo- (Continued on Page 16, Col. 3) ITS WORK HOURS Has Nearly rly Caught Up On War Demand for More Coinage Dec. 20 (CP) --Authori- Royal Canadian Mint, to providing all coinagé needed in wartime Canada, relaxed today as they se®.- d a daily time-table shortened Ottawa, Around the start of the war the mint went on a feverish 24-hour, three-shift schedule in an effort to kezp pace with' the demand. Re- cently the situation eased and the schedule was cut to 16 hours. But the finance department isn't satisfied yet and one spokesman | | day. "We've got the situation pretty well in hand at last," he said. "For a while we were pretty well swamp- ed but we made sure it wouldn't happen again." Late last year and early in 1940, he said, the demand was so great the mint actually fell behind in its schedule. Warned by this example, officials made sure no such contin- gency would occur again by enlarg- ing their staff and taking other un- disclosed 'special precautions." The spekesman attributed the sudden demand for coinage shortly after the war began to one prime cause--wartime prosperity. "When everybody has more the demand for more coin- "The more people spend the more work they provide for us." Beaverbrook Urges Canada To Increase Plane Production London, Dec. 20 (CP)--The vital matter of warplane production was discussed when Hon, C. D. Howe, Canadian Minister of Munitions and Supply, conferred today with Lord Beaverbrook, - Beaverbrook whose drive as Brit- ish minister for aircraft production has stepped up the United King- dom's output of planes to the pres- ent high level, called on Mr. Howe and members of his party at their hotel. | While details of the conference were not disclosed, it was reported that Lord Beaverbrook is anxious to see Canada's aircraft plants ex- panded to the limit to make up any loss in Britain's production due to axis air ralding. Later Mr. Howe, Vincent Massey, Canadian high comnfissionef, and Hon. J. L. Ralston, Canadian Minis- ter of National Defence, were among luncheon guests of Viscount Cranborne. secretary of state for | near on the United - States | ing-- Expect Knudsen Will Have Place on United States New 'High Command Board Action to Speed Up Ales . Defence Production Miltary Railway Expected as Roosevelt (In Norway Bombed Meets Defence Board | London, Dec. 20 (CP) -- | i British bombers hit the Bergen- | Oslo Railroad in Norway, much | dent Roosevelt's meeting today with | | used by the Germans for mili- | the National Defence Commission tary purposes, in an ov ernight prompted advance forecasts in of- | : Ti ficial circles that definite action is | ¥aid, the Air Ministry reported. | .. NEW ENGLAND I$ SHAKEN BY QUAKE "No Serious Damage Done But People Thrown From Beds Boston, Dec. 20. (AP)--An earth | quake centring in New England and felt from Southern New Jersey | to Montreal, Que." 'eatly today shook heavy buildings, caused | slight damage and threw thousands! of persons into panic. Professor L. Don Leet of the | Harvard University observatory at | Harvard, Mass, said it appeared to | be strongest just south of Lake | Ossippee, NH, and that it lasted | 30 seconds. He timed it at 3.27:29 | am. EDT. Awakened by the rumbling as| their homes swayed, men, women and children in cities as far west Washington, Dec. 20 (AP)--Presi- | speedup problem. These quarters looked for a deci- sion on one of several plans calling for a reorganization of defence ad- ministration machinery aimed at obtaining the "impossible" by step- ping up present production rates to a virtual wartime tempo. It was understood that the meet -the first Mr. Roosevelt has ar- ranged with the commission since returning from his Caribbean trip-- would study proposals for setting up a super-defence council or "high command" with greater authority than the existing body. Various versions of the proposals were current, but all seemed to agre. on one point--that there would be a place in the "high command" for William 8S. Knudsen, the one-time Danish immigrant boy who made his name as a production wizard in the: automobile industry. Knudsen now is the production member of the defence commission. The inter-related questions of arms production speed-up and Brit- ish aid were discussed at length yes- terday in a specially-called three- | = Rochester. and Syracuse, Ned hour cabinet raeeting, it was under- stood, but without any new -deci- arose in alarm J sions. Some New Englanders dashed, | "One official said afterward, how- | *cantily-clad, to the streets. Mahy | ever, that an announcement might Tepored that they thought there be forthcoming soon, at least .on ad been an explosion. Virtually some method for concentrating in whole communities were roused in | fewer hands hic ers "now spread some Instances. Telephone lines | POW 3 | spaper offices e | all over town," as he put it. D_newspaper offices were. clogged | Informed quarters believed the with calls from frightened persons. | In numerous cases, persons re- | (Continued on Page 16, Col. 2) P STATES MAY PUT bes. and In one Inance, a bay | IMPORT CONTROL LAWS IN EFFECT New England bore the brunt of | Hint Given That Such the quake with lighter tremors be- | ing felt in New Jersey, Philadelphia Move Contemplated in Washington o and in the Long Island and valley sections of New York. The shock in Montreal was enough to awaken (Continued on Page 16, Coi. 4) Washington, Dec. 20 (AP).--The possibility of import contrcl by the United States--a hitherto unlooked for step in foreign trade regulation Advantages for All Not Just a Few When War Won - - Churchill --aroused considerable speculation today. The first guarded hint that any London, Dec. 20. (CP) -- Prime Minister Churchill has pledged that such jdea was under ccnsideration came from Col, Russell L. Maxwell when the war is over, "advantages and privileges which hitherto have been enjoyed only by few shall be administrator of export control, during a review of the work done by his six-months old agency in far more widely shared." The promise was made at Harrow School, where Mr. Churchill spoke preventing defence materials from being shipped out of the country. "Many students of the situation, Wednesday. experts in their fields, have pointed Mr. Churchill quoted Hitler as saying Dec. 10, that "Eton College out," he said, "that the control of imports as well as exports, is a and Hitler schools are two differ- ent worlds," and declared Hitler had "overlooked the vast majority of the youth of this country who have never had advantage of at- tending such schools = i snd ir] . | Harrow but who by their s an sles proven Ruling ave prowess have you he admiration This bare one-sentence reference | © e whole world. to the subject occurred at the end | "When this war is won, as it sure of the 2,000 word progress report ly will be," Mr. Churchill declared, he delivered last night. There was no amplification and, with one ex- ception, available government offi- cials professed lack of knowledge un any plans to impose import con- trols. "it must be one of our aims to establish state of society where ad- vantages and privileges which One source, however, said the matter was being given serious study and that, while action Litherto have been enjoyed by only few shall be far more widely shared should not be considered imminent, something might be done in the by men and youth of the nation future. as a whole," R.C.AF, Casualty List He was asked what purpose would be served by such a move, Has 7 Dead, 7 Missing inasmuch as the United States, Ottawa, Dee, 20. (CP) -- Seven deaths and seven men missing are unlike warring nations today, was not under pressure to conserve dol- | | i | Forces 25th. casualty list, bringing the total R.O.A p dead and missing dominions. > reported ince the outbreak of the reported in the Royal Canadian Air (Continued cn Page 16, Col. 1) war to 115. ' | miralty | Supnort of the Britis 100 Tons Shells Rained on Valona As British Navy Sweeps Adriatic; Bardia Burning For Past Five Days Force oF 20,000 Italians Holding Out in Bardia, Thought Sur- rounded by British Italian Claims That British Cruiser Sunk Denied -- Inner Har- bor Penetrated by Naval Units (CP)--The Ad- | announced that British light naval units sank three Italian supply ships in the bombardment | of Bardia, Libya, Dec. 17 (Tuesday) | and added that naval operations in | army in that section "are continuing." The Admiralty's communique dis- posed of Italian claims that a Brit- ish eruiser had been sunk off Bardia by Italian, torpedo-launching air- craft. It said such an attack was mage, buf unsuccessfully, with no | hits" on any' British ship. London, Dez. 20 The Admiralty said extensive fires have been burning in Bardia for five days and that yesterday they "assumed very large proportions." In sinking the three supply ships, | British naval units carried out "a very close range attack, penetrating into the inner harbor (of Bardia) (Continued on Page 16, Col. 3) DEATH OF CUBAN GAUSE OF STRIKE Charge Worker Thrown | From U.S. Navy Launch At Guantanamo Havana, Dec. 20 (AP).--Uncon- firmed reports from Guantanamo early today said that approximately 2000 Cubans working on the United States naval base there had gone on strike in protest over the death of a fellow-worker, allegedly beaten and thrown overboard from a United States navy launch, The reports said the commander of the launch and two enlisted men were detained at the naval barracks pending further investi- gation. Representative Rafael Condis in- troduced in the Cuban house late last night a motion asking punish- ment for persons responsible for the death of the Cuban, Lino Rod- riguez, The unconfirmed reports sa'd the Cuban judge at Guantanamo was investigating the case and that the Cuban cabinet had directed the ministries of justice, defence and state to make a complete inquiry. Cuban authorities have no jur- isdicticn at the naval base, but it was reported that Rodriguez was thrown into the water as the launch was taking workers from the town of Guantanamo to the base, 'British Bag 5 Italian Planes | Cairo; Dec. 20. | fighter planes downed five Italian | | planes over the western desert front | | yesterday without loss to them- | selves, the Royal Air Force com- | munique announced. The communique also described al | heavy rald with "great damage" Wednesday night on Derna, Italian | coastal base 175 miles within Libya. | Bardia, under siege by British land | | forces, was raided heavily the same | | night, CABINET SHAKE-UP LOOMS IN FRANCE 10 APPEASE NAZIS Enemies 4 of 1 Laval May Be Ousted Result of Nazi Pressure | | By CHARLES 8. FOLTZ, JR. Associated Press Staff Writer Berne, Switzerland, D2c. 20 (AP). --French Chief of State Petain was reported in diplomatic circles here today to be considering sacrificing part of his Vichy cabinet in an ef- fort to "sooth" German ire over his ouster of Pierre Laval as vice-pre- mier and foreign ministers. Forecasts of anoth4qr "purge" pos- sibly this week-end, came from Vichy after Fernand de Brinon, re- presentative of the French Govern- ment in German-occupied Paris and an intimate friend of Laval, was re- ported to have given to the Petain government the German govern- ment's views on Laval's removal. D2 Brinon returned to Paris, tak- ing with him, it was said here, the cutlines of Petain's appeasement of- fer suggesting the elimination of some of Laval's enemies from his cabinet. (Berlin reports were that Otto had insisted in Vichy that Laval be returned to the cabinet in some post.) Diplomatic circles said nen they expected to figure in a shakeup in- cluded: Justice Minister Raphael Alibert, (Continued on Page 16, Col. 4) Anti-Nazi Film Cause Of Trouble In Mexico Mexico City, Dec. 20 (AP). --Sev- eral persons were injured last night in one of Mexico City's principal movie theatres when unidentified persons threw stench bombs and scattered powder among the audi- ence and shouted "This is a Jewish film," near the end of an Anti- Nazi film called ' "The World in Flames." It was the third such demonstration in recent days. Nazi Blast on Three-Power Co-operation Plan Forecast Berlin, Dec. 20, (CP)--Nazi sourc- es report that today or tomorrow an announcement will be issued presenting an "interesting prospect of further developments of co-oper- ation between nations united in the three-power pact." Officials were silent concerning contents of the announcement but one general conjecture was that it might contain a rejoinder to Presi- dent Roosevelt's plan for aiding Britain, These sources also expected to- day or tomorrow a release of "con- crete news on further consolidation within the French government " It was intimated German com- ment would become available after Marshal Philippe Petain delivers a promised radio address. No comment was available on report from Struga, Yugoslavia that German transport planes were ferrying Italian reinforcements (CP) -- British | Abetz, German ambassador to Paris, | Raid by British Naval Fcrce Through Narrow Otranto Strait Hits Vital Italian Supply Port in Albania | | | First Penetration of Adriatic Since War Started, Extends Brit- | ish Control of Mediter- ranean to New Quarter London, Dec. 20. (CP)--British / sea pcwer has swept the lower | aaratie, battleships pouring nearly tons of high explosive shells ol the Albanian port of Valona, |" admiralty announced. The raid, through the B50-: mile i Strait of Otranto, was not challénged by the Italian navy and. ro Italian shipping was found, the Admiralty said. Valona is a vital supply port for Italian forces in Southern Albania. Failure of the Italians to engage | the warships was viewed as an in- oicaticn that British domination of the Mediterranean has been extsnde ed to the Adriatic. New evidence of British control of mediterranean itself was found in .the intermittent five-day bom= bardment of Italy's beleaguered Libyan. base of Bardia where, the admiralty announced threz supply | ships were sunk in light force's | penetration of the inner harbor on Tuesday. The admiralty drew no Susi (Continued cn Page 16, Col. LONE NAZI BOMBS LONDON DISTRICT DAMAGE IS LIGHT Bomb Hits Shelter, Empty Because No Alarm Sounded London, Dec. 20. (CP)--One low- fiying German raider dropped bombs on a London district but there was little damage and no casu= alties reported today. One bomb hit an air raid shelter which invariably is occupid during alerts but it was empty because no air raid alarm was sounded. Activity during night was dee scribed in an official bulletin as ine consequential. Despite bad weather, Royal Air Force attacked "several targets in Ruhr and Western Germany "last night, concentrating on oil plants and storage facilities, air ministry announced. Invading raiders dropped a few bombs in south -and southeast Eng- land, the bulletin from the air and hom-= security ministries said, caus- ing ™ ttle damage and very few casualties." During a brief London air alarm: last night, the capital's first in 68 hours, sounds, of gunfire were heard from the subuxbs and a few bombs were dropped) in one section. Grounds of a nufges' home were re- ported hit withouh, causing casual- ties. 'Raids likewisk were reported over Liverpool and kities in the west and northwest. 4 . Coincident with thé raid renew= als, the admiralty mfide public a document found in anitalian sub marine allegedly ting Italian submarine captains tofattack "cer- tain Spanish merchanff ships with. out warning." i The order, signed b) angola, vice admiral submarines, directed to "attack without ish ships belonging and the Pinillos Shipp ies leaving JF Mario Fal ommanding submarines ing" Span. he Yharra zg Compan= 3 Moroced, across Adriatic to Albania. and sailing