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Show Call The Herald The Weather Forecast for Provo and vicinity: " Intermittent showers today and . early tonight, continued mild temperature tem-perature today and tonight. High 60 Low 35 Precipitation 45 tt you dont receive your Heral before 6:30 call , 495 before S o'clock and a copy will be sent to you. ! ' FIFTY-SEVENTH YEAR, NO. 155 PROVO, UTAH COUNTY, UTAH, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1942 UTAH'S ONLY DAIET PRICE FIVE CENTS TELEGRAPH NEWS SERVICE SOUTH OF SALT LAKE J. " " - v CHRISTMAS OBSERVANCE IS PLANED Geneva Works Employes To loin In Holiday Holi-day Friday A world torn by the horror, privation and sacrifice of to tal war will pause tomorrow Christmas day. to revere Jesus of Nazareth, whose humble birth nineteen hun dred and forty-three years ago has wielded a greater in fluence upon man than any other happening. While the war has stripped the 1942 observance of some of its ardor and enthusiasm, the day nevertheless will be the most widely observed festival of the year. Principal mass observance of the day will be in the churches, with civic clubs and other organ izations also sponsoring Yule events stressing the peace theme. Holiday At Geneva, For the first time since the huge Geneva Works steel project began, a holiday will be observed by the thousands of workmen, who will have the day off. Work will be resumed Saturday and will continue on uninterrupted. .New Year's . will not be a holiday on the steel project. One of the major Christmas ob servances will be that of the Pro vo Catholic church, with tradi tional masses tonight at midnight and tomorrow at 7, 7:30, 8, 9 and 10:30 a. m., details of which ap pear elsewhere in today's Herald Tne cnurcn scnooi oi tne Jom munity church is holding a Christ mas eve program tonignt at o'clock at the church. The LDS churches have been holding appropriate observances the past week. Elks To Be Hosts Provo Elks will stage their traditional tra-ditional party for underprivileged children Christmas morning at 10 o'clock, at the Elks home. Santa will present each guest with a gift. as well as"a; ticket" td'trfnatl-nee td'trfnatl-nee at the Uinta theatre. One of the outstanding Christmas Christ-mas parties was the annual fete staged by Wyman Berg, Provo mortician, for children. Held at the Provo high, school gym, the party was a tremendous success, with hundreds of kids on hand to enjoy games, refreshments, and participate in the wholesome Yuletide spirit that always pre-(Continued pre-(Continued on Page Eight) DESK HAT BY THE EDITOR Humanity is pretty sick this Christmas of 1942. The creed of brutality and force drives its millions with the fury of a holy war. The world is sick, and while planes tanks and battleships bat-tleships may save the patient-just patient-just this once again they cannot ever cure the disease. Free men are face to face with a mighty decision. Either they must meet the Black Faith with a great Faith of their own or surrender sur-render to the deluge. The choice is plain. To oppose the fanatic religion of negation and force with the Faith of their fathers. To learn to live by the creed of decency and justice, righteousness, right-eousness, sympathy and -understanding. To find resolution in their belief in the Father of God and the Brotherhood of Man. Or. to deny all hope. It is high time for free America to find again the ideals of its founders. To take pride in moth ering the oppressed. To reach out for the meaning of mercy, sympa thy and love. To share in proud humility a simple belief in God. Perhaps, even now, unnoticed, the ground swell is beginning. We like to think that, quietly, out of these racking times, there may stem a new dignity, never yet at tained, for all mankind; rooted in Faith and flowering, not in mere tolerance and respect, but in kind liness and sympathy: in a. real wish to understand our fellow men.' So, at this time, we wish for all the readers of the Herald our best wishes for a grand holiday season and a Merry Christmas to all! C American Soldiers Chip In" To Buy Gift For Frenchie ALLIED NORTH AFRICAN HEADQUARTERS, Dec. 22 (Delayed) OLE) The adjutant general's department headquarters head-quarters took up a collection today to answer the following letter, written in French: "To the American Santa Claus if you please: "I have been told that the French Santa Claus will be unable to to come this year because of bombardments. So I am writing to you to tell,, you that I would like a real American-made bicycle and a little car. "I suppose you'll come as far as Boghari. It isn't far. My name is Maryse DeL-zangles. DeL-zangles. I am 10 and have a big sister, who is 16, named Heinrette, and' a brother, 18, whose name is Paul. He is in the army. ' "My daddy was in the war with the Americans in 1914 against the Germans. "I forgot to tell you that my sister is a scout in Medea. 'I like Americans very much because they've come to save Algiers. I would also like some American candy. Just Ss see what it tastes like. "I will finish my letter by thanking you so much." President Opens Christmas Season With Radio Talk By HELENE MONBERG United Press Staff Correspondent . WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 U.R President Roo sevolt officially opened the Christmas season late this afternoon when he addressed the nation by radio at a national Christmas tree ceremony in front of the White House. The program to be broadcast began at 4 p. m., EWT. And when he reads Dickens' Christmas Carol to two of his grandchildren this evening, it will mark the 10th Christmas that the Roosevelt family has spent in the White House two more than any other first family in history. ....... - Mr. Roosevelt began his Christmas Christ-mas activities by receiving members mem-bers of his office staff this morning morn-ing and presented to each a present pres-ent from him and Mrs. Roosevelt. The present was a gold-embossed leather folder containing a war saving stamp album and one 25- cent stamp. The White House Christmas this year will t much different mail in pxcviuus yea wucu - Roosevelt clan usually gathered with their famous father fbr the holiday season. All of the Roosevelt Roose-velt sons are serving with the armed forces. In some respects the Roosevelt's Christmas will have some similarity simil-arity to their first in the White House in in 1933. Then depression depres-sion reigned. It was a time of crisis which had only begun to lift after the advent of the New Deal in March. That year the poesident's daughter, Mrs. John Boettiger, was the only one of the five Roosevelt children at the White House. This year not even Mrs. Boettiger Boet-tiger will be with the president and Mrs. Roosevelt. Only the wife of one of their sons Mrs. (Continued on Page Four) Gun Mishap Is Fatal to Boy WENDELL. Ida., Dec. 24 U.P Erwln Brisbm, 13, Hagerman, died in St. Valentine's hospital today from an accidental bullet wound from his own rifle. While out inspecting his trap Mne yesterday, he stumbled ana fell, discharging his .22 rifle, with the bullet breaking his neck ana severing his spinal cord. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Brisbm, ranchers living neai Hagerman. Christmas Around the World With The American Expeditionary Forces BY UNITED PRESS BETHLEHEM American soldiers sol-diers in olive drab mingled with somberly dressed pilgrims on the six mile road from Jerusalem today, to-day, bound for the midnight mass to the Church of the Nativity. Wartime restrictions reduced to only a few the number of automobiles automo-biles on the road from Jerusalem and most of the pilgrims, including includ-ing the doughboys, made the journey jour-ney to the. birthplace of Christ afoot. Others traveled in a strange assortment of horse-drawn vehicles and some made the journey on dnnltevs. War news blared from a loudspeaker loud-speaker in the public square, but the bells of the cnurcn oi iae ROOSEVELT SIGNS BILL RAISING PAY Overtime Pay. Salary Increase Granted U. S. Workers WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 (U.R) President Roosevelt today to-day signed temporary legislation legisla-tion granting overtime pay or salary increases to govern ment white collar workers, and at the same time asked federal agencies to "reduce personnel wherever possible." Mr. Roosevelt also recommended that government agencies estab lish as a minimum work schedule the six-day, 48-hour week for both departmental and field service, in asmuch as the new law makes Saturday a full work day. In a memo to all departments and agencies, the president de scribed the pay act as "a major step toward setting the govern ment nersonnel situation in order." He added that it is necessary for the government "to dispense with every surplus employe. The new law, Mr. Roosevelt said, removes inequities under which many federal employes. heretofore denied overtime com pensation, have been working "and meets the rise in the cost of living by providing increased earnings earn-ings for more and longer hours." "It also recognizes the acute manpower shortage, he added, "and, as a wartime necessity, re moves the peac-tilae luxury of the Saturday half-holiday. Because the longer work week will permit reductions of personnel, person-nel, the president said he expected all department and agency heads to "take immediate steps" to re duce personnel requirements. Emphasizing that the govern ment must concentrate on "win ning of the war" and therefore must measure its activities "against the grim standards of total war," . the president said "many activities, desirable in peace times, must be eliminated." "Although we have made, great strides in converting the govern ment V an all-out war basis I am not satisfied that we have exhausted ex-hausted all the possibilities," he said. The new law effects about 2,-000,000 2,-000,000 civilian employes of the government. Employes affected will receive overtime nav at the rntp of timp anH half f wu 4n hours a week or in cases wmch do not lend themselves to compu- tation of overtime, a flat 10 per cent salary increase. No increases, however, will be granted that would raise any salary sal-ary over $5,000 a year, and overtime over-time pay will be calculated only a base of $2,900.- Persons paid $2,900 or less on a yearly basis will receive overtime or a 10 per cent salary increase. Those who receive more than $2,900 will be paid overtime or a 10 per cent increase only on the first $2,900 of their salaries. Stores Will Be Closed Saturday Provo stores generally will be closed on Saturday as well as on Christmas, Henry J. Heisch, chairman chair-man of the retail merchants committee, com-mittee, reminded today. Government offices, including the city and county offices, post office, etc., will remain open on Saturday, although they will be closed Friday. The Daily Herald will not be issued Friday. The post office will be closed Friday. There will be no deliveries except gift packages, perishables, and special delivery mail. No letters let-ters will be delivered and there will be no window service. Rural deliveries will be finished today and there will be none Friday. S. ' tivity, built on the traditional site of the manger where Christ was born, pealed out the Christmas message in the blackout. JERUSALEM Sightseeing guides experienced a wax boom today with American soldiers, some fresh from sorties over the North African battlefronts, observing ob-serving the Christmas season by visiting the shrines of the Holy Land. ALLIED NORTH AFRICAN HEADQUARTERS American doughboys in North Africa are dreaming of - a white Christmas a year from now. They expect no special ChrLst- Red Aoroy Captaes Geirmaini Diiibnal- Officer, 1.000 Men Presents From Home PRESENTS FROM HOME. Like this Russian front, where three their men comrades, left rear, Allies Hold Edge In Tun isiaStimson WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 (U.R) The Allies have a fairly good margin of superiority over the enemy in Tunisia for the coming struggle to oust Axis retary, of War Henry L. Stimson said today. d Allied air strength in that the War In Brief By UNITED PRESS MOSCOW: Russians capture German division general and 1000 of his men, drive deeper through Axis positions and virtually isolate iso-late Millerovo railroad junction. WITH RED ARMY. Stalingrad Front Maj. Gen. I. N. Christia-kov, Christia-kov, commander on northwest Stalingrad front, declares German army trapped in Don river benl is doomed. ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, North Africa Resumption of heavy ground fighting in Tunisia expected soon with Axis possibly attempting to strike first. LONDON: RAF reports allied air activity in Tunisia this week on considerably larger scale than enemy's. LONDON: Pope Pius' Christmas Christ-mas message deplores bombing of civilians, calls for new world with free choice of government and religion. ANKARA: Pierre Laval reportedly report-edly promised Hitler to send four French "volunteer" divisions to Russia. GEN. MAC ARTHUR'S HEADQUARTERS HEAD-QUARTERS Japanese clinging to New Guinea coast said to be in "desperate" position. mas observance, although one Iowa squadron fattened up two turkeys and a pair of geese in their quarters for Christmas dinner. din-ner. Most of the AEF here, however, how-ever, will dine on cold mutton. "How can there be a Christmas party?" a high ranking general asked. "We might be fighting on Christmas." SIRTICA, Tripolitania American Ameri-can fliers at this desert outpost will have a makeshift Christmas trees, turkeys and a bar for their holiday observance tomorrow. Sgt. Glenn Eme, Jr., 19, of Fort Wayne, ,Ind., already is preparing the Christmas dinners. Enough (Continued on Page Four) winter, Christmas comes early on women soldiers, foreground, and open boxes of food from home. forces from North Africa, Sec ater is mounting and in individual combat our forces are accounting for the enemy at a ratio of two for one, Stimson told a press conference. con-ference. "Both sides are buy brineing in reinforcements and gathering strength for the coming clash," he said.' 'But our side is preparing itself for an offensive to attack and take Tunis and Bizerte, while the other side is trying to stall off, fend or delay that attack. "That is the strategic position in Tunisia. "I don't mean to say we won't get some strong counterattacks there. The Germans seem to be trying to edge down to the south to strike at the flanks of the approaching ap-proaching Allied army." Stimson said he would not undertake un-dertake to say what the German and Italian strength was in Tunisia, Tu-nisia, but added: "As far as we can estimate, we seem to have a fairly good margin for the purposes we are aiming at. "In the. air I'm informed we have accounted for the enemy two to one in individual combat. "The Germans have the advantage advan-tage in existing bases. We have the advantage in the mounting size of our air force, and in the development of new bases. We have encountered much delay from bad weather, but the work is going on. ' "We are constantly improving our lines of communication, particularly par-ticularly in the Mediterraneant which is now far safer for convoys con-voys than before the occupation of North Africa. "The wisdom of the British in holding on to Malta is now bearing bear-ing fruit. Malta now is in the position where she is harassing enemy convoys from Sirily to Tunisia Tu-nisia and doing it very effectively-' Stimson said he would make no prophecy of Marshal Erwin Rommel's Rom-mel's purposes. .He is being very closely ioi-lowed ioi-lowed by the British army," he said. "So far he has been unwilling unwill-ing to stop and fight. The inter ception we heard of the other day did not cut of a major portion of the enemy's forces, although it re suited in considerable losses to Rommel." NO STORY HOUR There will be no Story hour at the Public library until after the holidays, it is announced. U.S. AIR MEN AGAIN BOMB MUNDA BAY Attempt To Knock Out Jap Establishment In Solomons i WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 (U.R) American airmen again bombed and strafed the new Japanese air base at Munda in a continuation of their day-to-day efforts to knock out that establishment in the Solomons, the n a v y announced an-nounced today. The latest attack, the 13th since Dec. 9, was carried out On Tuesday Tues-day (Solomons time) by dive bombers operating from Henderson Hender-son field on Guadalcanal, 150 miles away. Results were not reported. re-ported. The marine force that participated partici-pated in the initial attack on Guadalcanal probably has been replaced re-placed after more than 100 days under fire in hellish tropical heat. Although there has been no official of-ficial indication that those troops have been removed from the island, is-land, naval experts said today that it was hardly likely that the leathernecks who first stormed Guadalcanal's beaches last Aug. 7 are still there. .The chance are that they are spending the Christmas Christ-mas holidays far removed from the Solomons battlefront. (Christmas (Christ-mas day in the Solomons began when it was 9 a. m. EWT, Dec. 24). Experts based their opinion on the comparative lack of any important im-portant combat activity by American Ameri-can forces on Guadalcanal since the end of November. Nov. 30 marked the 116th day of American ocrupation of the island; today is the 140th. It was suggested that the short lived ground offensive by American Ameri-can troops during November was designed to keep the Japanese at arms - length while replacement operations were under way. Thfi experts said that in all probability, only comparatively small groups of the marines could be replaced at one time. It would be militarily imprudent to remove them all at once. The replacement would be gradual, with cadres of battle-hardened veterans remaining remain-ing to instruct new troops. White Christmas Not Likely Here Apparently Provo isn't going to have a "White" Christmas, but you can't say Old Man Weather didn't try. One round of storm after another an-other has fallen today, Christmas Christ-mas eve, but the weather man, ostensibly confused like most everyone else these days, must have pulled the wrong lever, for no snow came only hail and rain. For late December, today's storm was definitely a freak. After Af-ter a light rain in the night, a strong hail storm peppered the roofs and window panes about 8 a. m., and after than more rain came, but still no snow The precipitation during the Moscow manager, in anoiner ex-night ex-night amounted to .13 of an inch, elusive dispatch from the Stalin-The Stalin-The day's storm would push this grad sector, quoted Maj. Gen. I. N. figure up considerably. (Continued on Page Three) Governor Does Hot Have Power to Declare Special Holidays, Ruling SALT LAKE CITY. Dec. 24 (U.E) Gov. Herbert B- Maw does not have the power to declare special state holidays on Dec. 26 and Jan. 2, it was ruled here today by Grover A. Giles, attorney general. gen-eral. Previously. Maw was requested request-ed by Lawrence Malin, county clerk for Weber county, to designate desig-nate these days as holidays so that state and county employes Millerovo Isolated By Russians; 22 Nazi Divisions Trapped Famous Russian Tanks Lead Way in Battering Batter-ing Demoralized Germans; Red General Says Trapped Nazis Are Doomed ; By UNITED PRESS The ix)verful Russian offensive along the middle Don was driving southward and westward today with such speed that Soviet front dispatches said the retreating Germans often were unable to use their intermediate defense lines. The most significant gain apparently was capture of the -town of Suliensky, 20 miles north of the Stalingrad-Kharkov railroad. This meant the Red army virtually had cut the northern half of the Don valley in two, and strengthened further the encirclement of 22 vv- . Axis divisions trapped on the Stalingrad front. This Russian spearhead also steadily approaching the important import-ant railroad junction of Kamensk on the Rostov-Voronezh-Moscow railway and was a potential threat to Rostov, gateway to the Caucasus. Stronger At Dakar London also provided two reports re-ports favorable to the United Nations. The Daily Telegraph in a dispatch from Bathurst, British Gambia, said "American air and army personnel at Dakar. are being be-ing strengthened daily." Civilian experts also have been summoned to exploit the port and air facilities facili-ties ' or Dakar made available to the Allies, the newspaper said. The air ministry, detailing forj the first time the results of the aerial pounding the RAF recently gave northern Italy, reported that at least 70 important industrial factories and workshops were .damaged seriously at Turin in four raids between Nov. 28 and Dec. 9. Aerial photographic reconnaissance re-connaissance showed that 10 units of the huge Fiat airplane and armament works, the military arsenal, ar-senal, ajid the state railways were among war-important objectives damaged. Evidence of the swiftness of the Russian advance was accented by the announcement that a German divisional general and 1,000 of his men were captured at one point, and that at another, 17 German planes were taken intact on an abandoned airfield. The famous Russian tanks Klim Voroshilovs they are called led the way in battering the demoralized de-moralized Germans who have the remnants of 22 divisions trapped in front of Stalingrad. The Russians Rus-sians apparestly were ready to lay siege to Millerfvo after cutting all important highways leading to the city. Communiques and special front dispatches left little doubt that the German retreat was approarh-ing approarh-ing a rout. A mounting number of rifles were reported by the Russians as having been captured, indicating the Germans were throwing away their guns as they fled. Nazis Renew Attempt The Germans renewed their attempts at-tempts to break out of the trap southwest of Stalingrad by throwing throw-ing tanks and motorized infantry against the Russians. The attack was repulsed and in one sector alone the Germans lost 1,000 men. Then the Russians swung into a counter-offensive and captured a fortified point. Sixteen German tanks, 12 field guns and four grounded planes fell to the Red army men. Henry Shapiro, United Press could enjoy two 3-day periods of rest during tne Yule season. Maw ( turned the request over to Giles to determine the legality of anv such action. Giles held that county and state offices must remain open to carry on any legal business that involves a time element. However, Giles said that business busi-ness on these two days, in most cases, could be handled ty skeleton skele-ton staffs. - uazisiviay iry to Beat Allies to Draw in Tunisia ALLIED HEADQUARTERS, NORTH AFRICA. Dec. 23 (Delayed) (De-layed) l'.P) All developments indicated in-dicated today that the battle for. Tunisia will flare again soon and some of the signs led informed military commentators to forecast fore-cast that the Germans may try to Deat tne allies to the opening punch. ...... While the main forces on both Bides were static, the Germans apparently had withdrawn their advanced patrols from the country around Medjez-El-Bab and their air force was peculiarly inactive as if it were being conserved. It was believed in some high quarters that the axis commander, Col-Gen. Walther Nehring, may go into offensive action with the considerable con-siderable forces of men and tanks which have been ferried across the Mediterranean by sea and air during the last few weeks. If he enlarges the German foothold foot-hold in Tunisia, he must act be fore Lieut.-Gen. Kenneth A. N. Anderson's force can strike. The opposing generals have been, jockeying for positions and await- ing the moment when each feels that he has sufficient supplies to permit successful attack. POPE SCORES i GODLESS RIILFx mw mmw wmm wmm mw m m mw wmmt mmmm LONDON, Dec. 24 U.P Popo Pius denounced Godless authoritarian authori-tarian government and "Marxist socialism" today in a Christmas, message to the world. . He condemned racial and na tional discrimination, deplored the bombing of civilians, and called for a new world in which all -men would have free choice of government govern-ment and religion. ? "We are tied impartially to all people and are willing to collaborate collab-orate in any new order which will bring a just peace," he said in a 40-minute speech broadcast from Vatican City. After the message he gave his "Urbi and Orbi" blessing to the world. "Juridical order is necessary for total peace," the pope said. "It is useless to fight without faith in God. "Only through the cooperative efforts of various nations can peace be established in such a way that no further conflict will be possible in future. "Those who aim at peace must aim at thp reintegration of lawful law-ful order, which is at present beting bet-ing altered by the positivism and utilitarianism of various political and social movements." At the - outset of his ' speech, after the college of Cardinals had delivered their Christmas greetings, greet-ings, the pope said he felt compassion, com-passion, according to the motto miserio super turbam (I pity the people). "It is for us a holy trust, in v'iolable and at all times valid," he said. ; The pope appealed to men of good will and generous heart , to carry out a program of social pacification pa-cification of the world. . |