Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 176, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 1, 1942 Page: 1 of 6
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IIPPP 9
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W 3L.
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OF JAP
'Personnel Of Sweetwater Civilian Defense Council Named
Americans Are Not
Running Off, Says
Secretary Stimson
41ayor Langley
And Eight Others
d^ill Form Group
Organization Will Direct
All War Alert Activities
# Under City Responsibility
MA West Texas' Leading City H More Tfaan 15,000 Readers
Sweetwater Reporter
t
Reds Advance
I
Bitter Fighting
S o
On Moscow Front
BUY IT IN SWEETWATER
'West Texas' Leading Newspaper"
Dedicated to service
45TH YEAR SWEETWATER, TEXAS, THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 1942
NUMBER 176
Organization of the Civilian
Defense Council of Sweetwater,
authorized by city ordinance re-
cently, was announced today by
Mayor Lee Langfey. The council
is the official group in charge
of all local civilian defense work
and coordinates activities of the
city fire and police departments,
fund voluntary groups.
Under the approved govern
ment plan, Mayor Langley as
chairman, and eight others will
make up the Council personnel,
and these men later will name
^committees and direei various
phases of the work.
Those named to the council
are: R. C. Hoppe, Rigdon Ed-
wards, Dalton Moore, Irving
Loel), John Schriever, R. M
^Simmons, Ed Mays and T. P.
Johnson.
Date on which the group
will convene first has not been
set, according to the mayor.
-.Roth he and City Managar llop-
™ pe are coordinating the local
group's efforts with those of
state and national agencies.
The city commission two
weeks ago authorized the set-up
-of the Defense Council under
■'ordinance introduced by the
city manager, following the gen
eral pattern adopted by other
cities over America.
The mayor was empowered to
* name the council personnel, an 1
* direct its activities.
KI-IKKS OK THIS AREA
FORM DEFENSE I N IT
Aviators of the Sweetwater
•Vdistriet have offered their ser-
vices and planes as a unit of the
Texas Defense Guard air corps
in the 10th district of the 13
in the Texas defense set-up.
At least one wing, consisting
a personnel of about 13 may
1 be officially inducted into the
state's defense service alxntt the
middle of the week, it was an-
nounced here today by E. A.
Parker, following a conference
*}With the district squadron com-
^mander at Abilene.
The fliers by voluntary action,
have led the way in forming this
new arm of local civilian de-
fense, but success will depend
©largely on support by local or-
ganizations and the public, it
was pointed out. Some liitle fin-
ancing may he required, as all
of the 13 will work without pay
unless actually called out on ac-
tive duty for storm patrol or
'reconnnaisanee of military na-
ture.
All planes from towns Iik<•
Colorado City, Rohco< Itobj
Rotan, anil others us.ng the
(Sweetwater airport are in-
cluded in the Sweetwater
area; and are counted upon
to help form the one or
more wings to be .establish-
ed here.
Parker, who operates the fly-
■ ing service at Sweetwater air-
port, was chosen by his asso-
ciates as captain of the wing.
He was spokesman for TDG air
project Tuesday night when
-.the group made application be-
■ 'fore Major Ellis Hall, squadron
commander. Others who went to
Abilene are: Pete Watson, J. W.
Herndon, J. T. Wilson and J.
W. Norred.
Speedy organization .of the
C1See FLIERS Page 2
v
v Motorists Warned
filo Guard Tires
A warning to auto owners to
keep spare tires locked to park
their cars, particularly over
night, in lighted or otherwise
..safe places, was issued today by
Police Chief J. A. Bland. Owners
were urged to record the serial
numbers of their tires.
There has been no series of
tire thefts in this city yet. hut
v~)cities around Sweetwater have
reported several thefts and are
watching out for petty thieves
seeking to profit by increased
prices of used tires.
Police also advise boys, some
/%of high school age, who have
"" been brca
light bull
stop th(
action.
— —v
OWeother Forecast
WEST TEXAS—Mostly^ clou-
dy with occasional snow in the
Panhandle and south plain] and
rain or snow east of tht Pecos
.river this afternoon
Sweetwater Joins In Prayer For Peace
As Climax To Thoughtful New Year's
Flics With RCAF
Hilly Mitchell, sergeant pilot
in the Royal Canadian lt .val
Air force, is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. \V. M. Miteliell. He
received his w ings and com-
mission Dec. I at Yorktown,
Saskatchewan, and spent part
of the holidays at home on a
furlough. He was ordered to
Halifax. Nova Scotia, l)ec. 21,
from where h.1 was to have
sailed Dec. 2.1 for foreign ser-
vice. At the time Hilly was
not notified whether he'd join
the American Hagle squadron
in Fugland or the RAF in the
Far Fast.
10-Year Record In
Building Set By
City During 1941
Building in Sweetwater con-
tinued to pile up a higher total
since passing 1940 figures early
in December, to set a new 10-
year construction record for the
«i
Considerably
: 'ion dollars
more
was
than
spent
new building in Sweetwater m
'he last six years.
Building permits, issued in
the offices of the city comp
troller, W. H. Whaley, totalled
$188,080 midway of December.
The 1040 total was $185,120.
The last half of December has
See RECORD Page 6
Coldest Weather
Of Season Arrives
With New Year
PEARL
Oahu, T.
Sweetwater and Nolan county
folk who watched Old 1941 slip
away and 1012 come in at mid-
night last night could have ob-
served also that the New Year
was coming in on a cold north-
ern breeze. As a matter of fact.j.n .
it brought the coldest weather'--• '■
of the season with temperatures
at sub-freezing for the first
time.
The temperature was drop-
ping pretty fast about that
time, and rather weirdly, was
continuing to drop New Year's
morning despite valiant efforts
of a bright sun in a cloudless
sky to bring Indian summer
back.
See WEATIIKR Page ti
Union Services
Held While City
Closes It Doors
Celebrations Of 1042
Arrival Restrained In
Face Of War Effort
,
"T he new patriotism every- j
one needs is not love for his |
country, but love for his fellow-
men," the Rev. T. M. Johnston,
First Methodist pastor, told a
Prayer-For-Peace union service
congregation at the First Bap-
tist church this morning.
The service, during which
Sweetwater stores and offices
closed, was held in conformity
with the request of President
Roosevelt that the nation set
aside an hour of New Year's
day to pray for a victorious end
I to the world struggle in which
this nation has been plunged.
The church was crowded
for the services at Iti o'clock.
The service Was an appropri-
ate climax to the. thoughtful
| manner in which Sweetwater
I greeted the New Year. Even
Cee UNION SERVICE Page I
ROOSEVELT AN1>
CHURCHILL AT SKRVICFS
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1—(UP)
—President Roosevelt *and Brit-
ish Prime Minister Winston
| Churchill sat together in George
Washington's old church pew at
Nearby Alexandria, Va., today
and asked God to stretch forth j
"thine mighty army to strength- j
en and protect" the armed fore-1
es of their allied nations.
Attending New Year's day!
prayer services at the historic,
169-year-old Christ church, the
two war leaders heard a youth-
ful Episcopal rector criticize
America's "great sin of interna-
tional irresponsibility" of pre-
war days and pray for strength
to beat down Nazism.
The Rev. Edeard Randolph
Welles preached a blunt sermon
to 250 parishioners and the pre-
sident and the prime minister,
who sat heknv the pulpit in
white, straight-back pews where
George Washington once wor-
shipped.
After the services, Mr. Roo-
sevelt and Mr. Churchill drove
through a misty rain along the
fog-blanketed Potomac river to
Mount Vernon, Va., home of
America's first president.
t—v
Navy Determined
To Keep Sea Lanes
Open, Says Nimitz
Numerous Villages West
Of Capital Reported
Taken In New Drives
MOSCOW, Jan. 1 — (Official
Moscow radio broadcast record-
ed by the UP In London) —
New Red army gains on the
Moscow front and bitter fight-
ing on all fronts were reported
war communique
British War Chiefs In Washington
I
in a Russian
today.
Following yesterday's com-
munique reporting Russian re-
capture of the important city of
Kaluga and the routing of 26
German divisions, the Russian
supreme command said today
that numerous villages west j orders
of Moscow had been retaken.
More than (>00 Germans were
reported "annihilated" in the
latest fighting.
"Last night our troops fought
the enemy on all fronts," the
communique said.
By Mack Johnson
United Press Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Jan. I.—(UP)—The overwhelmingly outnum-
bered American-Filipino defenders of Luzon are in strong posi-
tions and inflicting "heavy losses" on the Japanese in a major
battle now raging north of Manila, Secretary of War Henry L.
Stimson said today.
Paying tribute to the "masterful" command of Cen. Douglas
MacArthur, Stinison said that the American people must never-
theless face the fijet that the Japanese troops are well-disciplined,
well-equipped fighters.
Stimson gave few details of the battl;- on the northern Lu/.on
front and did not mention the southern sector, where another
Japanese column has been pushing toward the Philippine capital.
Stimson's summary of the military situation was based on the
war department's .'{full communique, issued as of K:.'Ml a. m. < ST.
H • said thai the department had not given MacArthur any
the Philippines j
Three war leaders from AmJfw.t* mdii.i ,i.;.e- <>n
front steps of British embassy in Washington. Members of
the group accompanying Prime Minister Churchill to the U.
S„ they are, left to right: British Field Marshal Sir John Dill,
Fleet Admiral Sir Dudley Found and Chief Air Marshall Sir
Charles Portal.
"Beat The Japs"
New Year's Theme
By the United Press
The nation entered 1042 today on a dual keynote of "Happy
New Year" ami "Beat the Japs."
It was America's first wartime New Year's day in 24 years
and explosive celebrations across the country reflected a belief
that future observances of the holiday will call for greater re-
straint until the war has ended.
Even this year, 25 days after the outbreak of war, thousands
:>f workers stayed at their jobs in booming factories and welcomed
bottles and old
on city paving to
ractice or face police
Engineering On
New Unit Finished
Engineering work costing
s.j|,000 preliminary to building
of new troop facilities at Cam >
Barkley ins been completed by
I \V. lleretta Engneering, Inc.,
of Han Antonio.
The construction to follow
will provide facilities for 10.000
additional medical replacement
training center troops. No date
on awarding the $7,000,000
building contract has been giv-
en.
HARBOR. Island of
H„ Dec. 31—(UP)—
—Admiral Chester W.
Nimitz, commander in chief of
the Pacific fleet, warned today
that Japanese submarines might
at any time shell any port but
said the navy was determined
to keep the sealanes open and
do its best to counter enemy
submarine activity.
Commenting on the signifi-
ficance of renewed Japanese
shelling of outlying islands in
Hawaii, Nimitz said:
"1 believe the Japanese cap-
tains desire to make the utmost
use of their weapons. When
they lack targets for their tor-
pedoes it is relatively safe and
simple to rise to the surface
See NAVY Page I
v
One Killed, Score
Hurt In Tornado
THEODORE, Ala.. Jan. 1 —
(fpl — One man was killed and
a score injured early today
when a tornado swept through
this small south Alabama town,
causing heavy damage.
Japanese-Speaking
Senator \ arns
Nippon Of 1943
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1 —
(UP)—The Japanese people to-
day received from the only Jap-
anese speaking member of con-
gress, Sen. Elbert D. Thomas,
D.. Utah, a new year's warning
that the "little temporary ad-
vances your forces have made
will all be swept away by
1943."
Thomas' statement was broad
cast by shortwave to Japan last
night and will be repeated on
Jan. 10, the Japanese new year.
He lived in Japan for seven
years as a Mormon missionary:
has a daughter with a Japan
ese name. Chiyo, who was born
in Tokyo, and is considered the
best informed member of con-
gress on Far Eastern affairs.
H. Blancett Dies
Suddenly At Noon
II. Blancett 54, long time em-
ploye of the U. S. Gypsum com-
pany and a resident of the
Sweetwater since 192:!. died sud-
denly at his home, (>1-1 Pease,
near noon today.
The body is at Yates Funer-
al home but no arrangements
for burial had been made ear-
ly this afternoon.
Survivors include his wife: t
daughter, Mrs. Sam Jones >>f
Baton Rouge, La., and a ..-on,
Richard student at I iardin Sim-
mons university.
The daughter In Louisiana i -
not the wife of the governor •'!'
Louisiana, although the namps
are identical.
1942 from the production bat-j
tie front.
Everywhere signs of gaiety
were mixed with signs of war.
There were 1,600 air raid war-
dens in New York's Time Square,
perennial scene of the most riot-
ous New Year's celebrations. At
the stroke of midnight, the voice
of Lucy Monroe, singing the
Star Spangled Banner, went out
over a loud speaker system. A
hush fell over the crowd; then
it joined in the national anth-
em, which echoed through
brightly lit square
"As result of stubborn
fighting in one sector of
the western front our
troops captured several lo-
calities and much booty, in-
cluding one gun, 12 mach-
in< guns, 85 bicycles, more
than 1,000 sheets and great
quantities of other war ma-
terial. Over 600 (iermans
were annihilated,"
(In London a British mili-
tary commentator said that lat-
est Russian successes were es-
pecially significant. He said that
the recapture of Novoyekirishe.
60 m'es outheast of Leningrad,
was jVipoitatu because of rail
junctions west of the Volkhov
river and because it cut the
supply by rail of German troops
on the Leningrad front. Recap-
ture of Kaluga also was describ-
ed as important because of its
position as a railway junction.)
The Red army communique
said that in taking the town of
Kozelsk, five railway trains an 1
200 trucks loaded with food, am-
muntion, guns and uniforms
were captured by the Russians
"On the southern front our air
force in one day's fighting des
troyed over 200 cars, one omni-
bus, 43 machine guns and six
guns and killed over 1,800 Ger
man officers and men," the
communique said.
"In a battle for the village of
Troiskoie our forces captured 57
trucks loaded with hand grena-
des and four enemy machine
guns."
v
R&NW Railroad
Operation Ends
the
When the New Year
Victim of paved roads, sim-
plifying transportation, and
long since removing Roby's iso-
lation, its railroad, the Roby &
Northwestern, beginning today,
January 1, 1942, is no more.
Its motor cars and tracks
are to be junked, and possibly
may go into cannon for use in
America's defense.
The railroad has played a
big part in Fisher county's de-
arrived i velopment and has been oper
on the Pacific coast three hours
later, the war note was even
more apparent. There were no
throngs in the street to greet
1942 with a rendition of "Auld
Lang Syne." There were no
bright lights to serve as bea-
cons for Japanese bombers.
But parties in homes, clubs
and theaters maintained the
usual note of hilarity Police
said they didn't want to stop
funmaking but to push it in-
doors.
Many cities on both the east
land west coasts prohibited noise-
I makers, sirens and blowing of
j factory whistles. It was feared
| that air raid alarms might be
lost in the din.
v
Deathless Days
Stretch To 859
Not a life has been lost in
traffic accidents in the city of
Sweetwater since way hack in
\ugust. 1939, or for N5!) days, to
be exact.
New Year's day finds peopic
"f this area launched well 0.1
the third year without a fatality
from collision, or any other au-
to mishap inside the city limits.
ating at a loss for some time,
largely due because of sentimen-
tal opposition to its removal.
It was built in 1915 by L. C.
and Herman Eastland, was tak-
en over in 1023 by the West Tex-
as Utilities Co., and was doom-
ed last Nov. 1, when the Inter-
state Commerce Commission
ruled that the line could be
abandoned December 31.
Price Campbell, head of the
utilities firm, who drove the
first train of 1923 when the
company took it in charge, al-
so worked the throttle on the
final trip.
Brenda Gavle Vi ai-
ls Sweetwater's'
Here she is! Sweetwa'
1042 baby.
Meet Brenda
brunet daughte
Mrs. Lennis E.
sixth street. Bt
scales at seven p.
.ees at the S\\ i
ital where she
New Year al 3:56 a.
Brenda's father is a
the board plant of tl
Gypsum company, where
to leave
in event of a collapse ol the j
Manila defenses.
(Tokyo broadcasts reported;
Japanese belief that the Philip-
pine commonweath government
had gone to Port Darwin, Aus-
tralia.)
Without citing any figures,
Stimson told reporters that cas-
ualties among the Japanese must |
be heavy because they are on :
the offensive and are meeting j
stout resistance.
Stimson said that the Am-
erican defenders had done
no running away, indicating
that retreats to new positions
have been orderly and ac-
cording to plan,,
War and navy departments i
began New Year's day with the ,
resolution that should Manila
fall to the Japanese the United 1
States would restore it to thej
Filipinos eventua 11 y.
The last word received from;
Gen. Douglas MacArthur, com j
mander-in-ehief of the U. S. Far
Eastern forces, did not mention i
the status of Manila. He did re-1
veal that all wounded have been j
evacuated to Australia, indicat-
ing the graveness of the situa
tion.
The rest of the communique |
merely said that MacArthur's j
forces were continuing their j
"stubborn resistance."
Officials here have been pre-1
pared for the worst for several |
days. Lights burned into the j
New Year at both the war and
nifvy departments, last night.;
Until well after midnight re |
porters expected another com j
munique. But nothing was forth
coming and at 1:30 a. m., weary ,
officials went home.
During the noisy New Year's ;
celebration here, the war cast a!
dark shadow. All feared that to <
i lay — the beginning of a New
Year, a year of war—might bring i
tl>e news of the fall of the first j
major American city to the Jap- [
anese.
All day yesterday that was ex- j
pected. Private and commercial
communications had been silent I
for more than 24 hours. Only j
the army and navy were in com- j
munication with the besieged is- j
lands which ushered in the New!
Year at 10 a. m.. (Eastern Stand-
ard Time) yesterday.
Then at 5 p. m., the
part ment issued th'
fr< m MacArthur i'
N.i. 38. It left a
American and
tr« ops were
ba> k-to-the w
dkated, and
do;is odd)'
ag. nst
their -tr
cordam
fense
Ai
poi
t
British Battle
To Vtipe Out Axis
\ nil In Libya
Heavy Bomber Attacks
Carried Out On Athens;
Hits On Factories Claimed
By Walter Collins
CAIRO. Jan. 1 — (UP) —
British Imperials battling '.o
knock out German and Italian
forces trapped near Agedaria, 90
miles south of Benghazi in
Libya, maintained steady pres-
sure on the enemy although
here has been some reduction,
in the intensity of fighting,
British general headquarters for
he Middle East said today.
A separate RAF communique
••eported heavy British bomber
attacks on Greece and Crete
uesday night, declaring "di-
ed hits were scored in muni-
ion factories and a submarine
>ase" in assaults on Pirateus,
'he port of Athens, and the is-
and of Salamis, 100 miles
vest.
(Rome radio broadcast a hign
immand assertion that British
lares had raided Athens).
(German and lutlian war
cc mm uniques broadcast by
See BRITISH Page 2
< 14191 Tires Are
VIlotted For Sale
^urintf January
WASHINGTON. Jan. 1 —(UP)
—Two counties in the United
States will receive no new tires
or tubes for sale tq. civilians
during January
of the sjpvev
ing pr<
count ic
(1)
-t>
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Sweetwater Reporter (Sweetwater, Tex.), Vol. 45, No. 176, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 1, 1942, newspaper, January 1, 1942; Sweetwater, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth282471/m1/1/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sweetwater/Nolan County City-County Library.