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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 1952)
College Station’s Official Newspaper; Circulated Daily To 90% of Local Residents PUBLISHED DAILY IN THE INTEREST OF A GREATER A&M COLLEGE Number 68: Volume 52 COLLEGE STATION (Aggieland‘, TEXAS, TUESDAY, JANUARY 1, 1952 Price Five Cents Residents To Vote On Charter Jan. 8 Unexpected Guest Hy FRANK DAVIS Battalion City Editor Collo^p Station residents will go to the polls Jan. 8 to vote on a proposed home rule charter pre pared by a charter commission ap- A)oitiled March 12, 3951 by the City Council. Three drafts of the charter were and presented to the city council before the final draft were authorized to be printed in book- i 0)52 Explodes On Korea Front With Artillery Seoul, Korea, Jan. 1—(iP)— The Allies and Reds ex changed explosive New Year greetings today but infantry men took a holiday. United Nations artillery wel comed 1952 with a thunderous bar rage clear across the 145 mile front. A few hours later three old Communist bi-planes bombed In chon and Kimpo air fields near S«>ul. The Allies said the planes did no damage. They escaped de spite spectacular antiaircraft bar rages. Later in the day 70 swift MIG-15 jets and U.S. F-8G Sabre Jets fired at each other, but the U.S. Fifth Air Force said none was damaged. On the ground the U.S. Eighth Army said the only action New Year’s Day up to noon was a 40- minute fight against a lone squad of attacking Reds northwest of Yonchon on the Western front. Reds Lose 3,866 Men Despite the twilight war, the Eighth Army said, the Commun ists lost 3,866 mgn last week, in cluding 2,305 killed, 1,502 wounded and 41 taken prisoner. * Reviewing the work of his Fifth Air Force planes during December, Lt. Gen. Frank F. Everest an nounced “Communist transporta tion and supply facilities were left badly battered at the end of 1951.” During the month, he said, Fifth Air Force pilots destroyed 4,296 Red supply trucks, 1,839 supply and troop buildings, 36 locomotives and 318 box cars. Red rail lines were reported cut 2,461 times. Air at tacks were credited with killing or wounding 1,429 Cmomunist troops. The Fifth Air Force lost 35 planes to the Reds in December. Seven were shot down in air bat tles and 28 by Red anti-aircraft gunners. Allied jet pilots shot down 32 MIGS, probably destroyed five more and damaged 36 other planes, the summary said. The Fifth Air Force flew 18,025 forties in December. Red bombers are seldom seen. jne reportedly harmless New '"‘Year’s Day attack by three planes ivas a comparatively heavy strike for the Reds. , Bi-Plane Glided A single Bi-Plane glided at 300 feet across Kimpo Airfield, 12 miles from Seoul, at 3 a.m. It * dropped a string of eight mortar shells. “They hit no planes, not even a runway,” said Airdrome Officer Lt. I). C. Hamer of Winston-Salem, N.C. After the bombs dropped, the plane’s engine coughed into action. “A few seconds later the ex hausts glowed up and our anti aircraft boys had a target,” Hamer said. The aclc ack was the heaviest seen at the field since the Allies recaptured Kimpo last spring. Ack Ack Patterns lets and mailed to each qualified voter in the city. If adopted by a majority of the voters voting in the election, the charter will become the law of the city of College Station. Although the charter contains no provisions which will cause changes in the existing form of government, it is a symbol of the progress which after a period of 12 years may enable College Sta tion to take its place among the self ruling cities of Texas. College Station has become a long way since early in 1938 when a group of residents timidly ask ed the Board of Directors for the A&M System if they objected to the incoiporation of the city. Such a storm of protest and laughter arose that a list of 12 reasons was prepared by a com mittee of citizens representing the community, explaining the worth while services to be gained. Disagreement Arose Even after the city was incor porated in October of 1938 and city officials elected, a disagreement arose which threatened to dampen enthusiasm for the new project. The question was raised if state employees could hold city offices. The entire administration was com posed of college employees or men connected with the college. In January of 1939, after a de cision by the attorney general, the mayor and city council was in stalled. Two years after its incorpora tion, College Station marched bold ly but with some misgiving into debt. By the purchase of the util ities that served South Oakwood and the area south of the campus, and the water lines that served College Hills, a total expenditure of $31,875 was made. Head Nodding Despite the head nodding that accompanied this transaction, in six year College Station had re duced the debt to $6,700. Five years hence in June of 1951 the combined balance sheet for the city showed a surplus $155,338,84 over liabilities ammounting to $241,- 368.19. A general bond election auth orizing $100,000 for constructing improvements and extensions to the city’s light, water, and sewer system was held in 1950. Although College Station has Rescue Parties Comb Arizona for Lost Plane Second Plane Discovered 14 of the 40 Aboard Alive Selvin Walton, owner of a drive-in cafe in Lub bock, said this isn’t what he had in mind when he opened for business. Walton and his customers were surprised when a car drove into the drive- in causing about $1,250 damages. A woman started her automobile while it was in gear. Teenage Couple Top Vaudeville As Dance Team A teenage dance team which performed Saturday night in the MSC Ballroom was described by an onlooker as better than a vaudeville act. Russian Air Power Tops U.S. In Korea CHS-Kiwanis Cage Tourney Starts Friday The Sixth Annual Kiwan- is-A&M Consolidated High School Basketball Tourna ment will get under way Fri day in the A&M Consolidated High School Gymnasium. Participants in the meet will be given food and drink provided by the Homemakers Club, and guided tours of the College Campus w T ill be conducted Saturday afternoon for tournament members. Eight teams will participate in the tournament. They are A&M Consolidated, Navasota, Caldwell, Snook, Somerville, Rockdale, Cy- pi'ess-Rairbanks, and Hempstead. A&M Consolidated will be fav ored to win their opening game with Somerville, since they defeat ed this team 28-27 in the Tiger’s only game this year. By The Associated Press Search parties checked a new lead to the fate of a missing mili tary plane carrying 28 persons to day after another lost aircraft was found yesterday with 14 of the 40 aboard ( alive. Meanwhile, hunts were continued for three more planes w'hich have vanished with 11 persons. Finding of the wreckage of a non-scheduled C-46 transport in southwestern New York highlight ed yesterday’s mass land-water-air hunts for the five planes from California to the Great Lakes and Arizona to Alaska. Sixty eight rescue planes and a ground party were to renew their search in Arizona today for an air force transport missing since Sunday with 28 aboard, including 19 West Point cadets. Wreckage Sighted A lone man on a search plane yesterday reported sighting the wreckage of an aircraft on 6,075- Navasota, winner of the 19511 foot Iron mountain, but it has By C. YATES McDANIEL Bobby Thompson of Baytown and Miss Camile Kennedy of Bryan went through two dance routines which spectators said had all the smoothness- and polish of Fred Astaire. In fact, Thompson teaches at the Fred Astaire dancing studies in Houston in addition to teaching at his - own studio in Baytown, ac cording to Manning Smith, local a small amound of taxable prop erty, and is a city of Kbmes of moderately salaried people, it has a low tax rate, and is serviced by municipally owned utilities at rates below the average for the state. Property is assessed at 50 per cent of value and the tax rate is "$1 on the $100 valuation. Washington, Dec. 31—'2P)— Ko rea has spelled out the hai*d mili tary fact that Russia has jet fight ers as good as America’s best— and. in ready-to-fight quantities that the U. S. cannot now match, at least in Korea. American air chiefs have drawn this sobering lesson from the Sov iet ability to throw 750 high per formance MIG-15 jets into North east Asia, apparently without'ser iously weakening the top priority security of the homeland or reduc ing the striking power of the Red air force in Europe. Mounting Threat . U. S. leaders began warning square dance teacher and caller. | about Russia’s mounting air threat months before Korea. But those this power except for defensive missions. Superior fighting techni que and training of U. S. and allied airmen have undoubtedly done much to save United Nations ground forces from enemy air as saults, but expects offer two other possible reasons for this state of ■affairs. Either the Reds have insufficient numbers of offensive planes to risk heavy losses in a limited war being fought by satellites, or the Kremlin believes, as does Wash ington, that Europe is the eventual theater of decision. tournament, is favored to repeat last year’s performance. Trophies will be awarded to first, second, and consolation win ners. Members of this all-tourna ment team will receive special awards. O. V. Chafin, L. E. Boze, E. E. Ivy, W. T. Riedel, J. M. Bevans, Horace Schaffer, and L. S. Rich ardson will serve as tournament of ficials. Joe Motherall, high point man of the season for Consolidated will lead a team composed of Bobby Hackson, Jerry Leighton, Gale Klipple, and Bobbly Smith into the opening round. Other members of the team are David Bonnen, Dicky Cboner, and Jimmy Rich ards. been impossible to determine whether it is the missing plane, a C-47. Clearing weather was expected to aid the search for the military plane that vanished in mist and rain near Phoenix. It was on a flight from Hamilton Air Force Base, Calif., to Goodfellow A. F. Base, Texas. Rescue parties reached the crash of the C-46, near Little Valley, N. Y., yesterday after an injured passenger struggled to a farm house. The. Pittsburgh-to-Buffalo Continental Charter Inc. plane crashed Saturday night. Spent Hours in Snow The passenger, George Albert, 30, of Miami, Fla., and the other 13 survivors rested in a hospital today. They told of spending hours in the snow while huddled around a fire behind a makeshift shelter. Heavy sledges pulled by tractors were used to bring the survivors out from the rugged New York area. Another C-46 transport, belong ing to Transocean Airlines, has been missing since Sunday night on a Point Barrow-to-Fairbanks flight in Alaska. The airline said two crewmen were aboard, but that it had not determined whether there were any passengers. Signal Lights Flash Flashing signal lights last night gave hope to search parties. But early today a helicopter pilot, who made a hazardous night flight lip Chena River, reported that the signals were from a trapper in need of food. The C-46 planes are the same type as the craft that crashed at Elizabeth, N. J., a few week* ago with a death toll of 56. In Washington, Civil Aeronautics Board Chairman Donald W. Nyrop said he and CAB investigators would conduct a probe at the scene of the New York crash. A CAB spokesman said Nyrop was con cerned particularly because of th# number of C-46 crashes. The occasion for the performance was a dance for the Christmas Square,. Dance House Party at tended by about 45 out-of-town square dance leaders. About 25 spectators gathered to view the gaily dressed dancers who square danced not only to such pieces as “Alabama Jubilee,” but to “Beautiful Ohio” which is a waltz, and to “Sorrenta,” a tango, The festival which commenced Friday, ended Sunday morning. New Year Rung In With Prayer, Noise By ASSOCIATED PRESS “Ack ack laced the skyline like a pattern of crochet,” said Second Lt. H. M. Smith of Clio, S.C., of military aircraft traffic control. “That pilot was surrounded like a seed in a big red watermelon “It’s a miracle he wasn’t shot down. Amyway, he started the New Y r ear off with a bang.” Two other planes reportedly dropped three bombs around In chon, 26 miles from Seoul. The U.N. command said they did no damage. The 145 mile long U.N. artillery barrage was a planned New Year’s greeting. “In at least one corps area,” an Eighth Army briefing officer said, “every gun fired at least one round at midnight—against pre viously selected targets such as personnel and supplies.” Despite the grimness of world politics, people of nearly all na tions celebrated Tuesday the ar rival of a new year with a toast to peace and hopes for the best. Many Americans observed the coming of 1952 with prayer at church watch night services. Oth ers made merry at moist and noisy parties. The occasion was dimmed by the usual holiday toll of several hun dred auto accidents. The first day of 1952 wore away like any other for soldiers sometimes fighting but often just sitting it out in Korea. Those able to get near a radio heard the tnree teams had agreed to drag their talks on into the new year. Times Square The most concentrated form of celebration anywhere was in Times Square, New York. Tens of thous ands pushed into the neon-bright district for a mass rite of welcome to the new year. In Berlin, police permitted cab arets to stay open all night, both in the east and west zones. Cham pagne flowed abundantly on the west side of the barriers dividing the city, but on the Communist- controlled side of town, the bubb ling beverage was only a trickle compared to beer, schnapps—and vodka. Some 6,000 merrymakers carried on at the notoriously rowdy Chel sea Art Ball in London. England’s Prime Minister Win ston Churchill did his toasting to the new year aboard the great lux ury liner Queen , Mary. He was on a business trip to America to see President Truman. School Recessed One of the biggest-scale obser vances warmed wintry Moscow where the Reds made the holiday count for both new year’s and a sort of Christmas. The Russian Santa Claus, “Grandfather Frost”, doled but toys around decorated green trees. Children got a 10-day recess from school. Pravda, official Communist mouthpiece, said the Russian peo ple greeted 1952 with a lighter heart than they greeted 1951. No world war appeared in the offing, one Pravda article said, because the American “maniacs” in Wash ington have calmed down. Optimistic Predictions Outside the iron curtain, respon sible allied officials made cautious but optimistic predictions of 'a, different sort. The most reassuring words came from Gen. Eisenhow er’s supreme headquarters in France. Top officers of his com mand said they saw probable real ization of their goal in 1952—a defense system stout enough to prevent war. Trygve Lie, secretary general of the United Nations, put into words the serious note that seemed to be a world-wide sigh behind the din of festivities. He said: “The danger of a third world war continues to haunt the hearts and minds of peoples.” earlier warnings were focused on the potential threat of a Red bomb falling on U. S. cities and vital industrial areas. Then as now the U. S. air stra tegy sees its best hope for suc cess in swift and deadly retalia tion bombings of Russia’s sources of military power. U, S. air chief’s are on record as recognizing, how ever, that the Red air build-up in Asia has wrought cignificant and perhaps’ sinister changes in the outlook for American victory through air power. Fast Performer U. S. and allied jet fighter pilots have fought over North Korea against odds as high as four to one. They have met only the MIG- 15, a faster performer at high al titudes than the U. S. F-86 Sabre jet. This country is developing planes that should out-perform the F,86. But many authorities believe that the Red air force already has quantities of jet fighters that are as good as the MIG-15, and may be even better. Five new swept-wing jet fight ers were observed at Russia’s 1951 air show. Soviet aid doctrine has histori cally assigned top priority to the defense of the homeland. The air battle of Korea has also shed light on the pattern of Red air concepts and developments. Al though the Communists have had some 1,500 planes of all types available in Manchuria, they have made few serious efforts to use European War Prevented, SHAPE’S Objective Seen By PRESTON GROVER Paris, Dec. 31 —<A>)_ SHAPE was formed early in 1951 to pre vent a war with Russia. As the new year began, many top officers believe 1952 will see the job large ly 1 done. Some officers believe it already is so well done that Russia would not dare attack even now because of certain defeat. US Warships Attacks Fish Or Submarine Taipeh, Formosa, Jan. 1—(M A U. S. destroyer depth-charged a supposedly hostile submarine Formosa Channel Friday, a reli able source said today, but the target may have been only a por poise. Submarines and porpoises sound alike to a ship’s listening devices. The source said the destroyer, believed to be. the Higbee due in Hong Kong tomorrow, picked up on its sound equipment what ap peared to be a submersible firing torpedoes. Reds to Supply Information On 50,000 Allies Munsan, Korea, Jan. 1—UP) The New Year opened with truce negotiations “in a dead stalemate” on how to super vise a Korean armistice. Communist negotiators did agree to supply more information on 50,000 missing allies, mostly South Koreans, and agreed in principle on repatriating civilians. The repatriation agreement op ened a potential new dispute. South Koreans have charged the Reds “kidnapped” 113,000 civilians. To day for the first time, the Com munists charged the Allies “took away” 500,000 North Korean civ ilians. Simultaneously, Vice Adm. C. Turner Joy, chief U. N. negotiator, said in a New Year’s statement that it will take time, and lots of it, to negotiate “an honorable, equitable and stable armistice.” “Time is the price you pay for progress,” Joy said in the tape recorded statement, broadcast to the U.S. “Unless you come pre pared to spend time, you only short change yourself and cheat those who depend on you.” Joy said the armistice talks have been “painfully slow” but that pro gress has been made. “Our main strength at the con ference table lies in the time that you at home are wise enough to give us. “You have been very generous in the past. We are counting on your support in the future, Gen. Alfred M. Gruenther, chief of staff for SHAPE, or supreme headquarters allied powers in Eu rope, said in a new year’s state ment that “the forecast for 1952 is bright.” Forget Nightmare Gen. Eisenhower told represen tatives of the 12 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries recently they could for get the nightmare of “A great Red horde moving irresistably across Europe.” There are great flaws in the picture, but the progress is easily measured. When Eisenhower came to Eu rope Jan. 7 to look over the pros pects, he found a skinny seven divisions of allied troops in west ern Europe, badly armed, badly coordinated and badly scared. Then, military experts say, the Russian armies could have rolled to the Pyrenees and the coast of Brittany as fast as their vehicles could carry them. Well Armed air supremacy if war starts. Of 50 new air bases wanted in western Europe, only one is in operation and practically no grgound is broken bn the others. Aggie-Exes Set Jan. 12-13 For Officers Meet The annual Club Officers Conference for the Associa tion of Former Students will be held at A&M Jan. 12-13. 'Sponsored by the Associa tion for the benefit of former stu dent club officers, the Club Offi cers, Conference is held each year to give past, present, and potential officers of Aggie clubs a chance to disucss various problems of the club organization, according to The Texas Aggie, Association pub lication. Gen. Gruenther, in his new year’s statement, told of both the bright spots and the storm clouds: “1951,” said Gruenther, “has been a year of great achievement for the North Atlantic Treaty Or ganization and for SHAPE, which was created through the combined efforts of the 12 nations making up that organization. Forecast Bright “The upsurge in morale, in con fidence, in determination, and in actual military strength has been a comfort and a guarantee to free peoples everywhere. The year ends on a note of optimism and the fore cast for 1952 is bright. “Let us make no mistake about it, however—1952 it a critical year, Officers of former student clubs with particular experience with club objectives, club finance, and maintaining club interest and ac tivities will be invited to discuss these topics during the annual symposium. Also to be included in the Janu ary meeting will be a description of the proposed sports coliseum to be constructed on the campus, a discussion of the 1952 Development Fund Objectives, the Chapel Build ing Program, the Football Circu lating Library, and a guided tour of the college campus. The Club Program Committee meeting in the MSC Nov. 10 de cided to have the program. It was the concensus of the program com mittee that student leaders such as the cadet colonel of the corps, sen ior class president, corps chaplain, student senate president, The Bat- By the end of the year there were 23 “combat-ready”'divisions at hand, well-armed and with good morale. Now, according to field com manders at the head of these divi sions stationed in Germany, a Rus sian attack could be stopped at the Rhine. Allied strength will increase 1 during the next year. Eisenhower wants at least 20 more divisions in 1952. He may get only 10. To get even those 10, some terrific problems must be solved. One is the bottleneck in equip ment and munitions needed for 1952—95 per cent of which must come from the United States. De liveries of it are four months be hind schedule. Another is getting German troops into uniform. Such a snarl has developed among the western continental powers on this sub ject that a year may elapse before German soldiers start drilling. 50 Air Bases \ Yet a third is air-strength. Right now it is on the penny-ante level, disastrously far from enough to keep thi Soviets from grabbing a year in which we are confronted talion editor, and head yell leader with decisions of the utmost grav- be asked to participate in the pro- ity. | gram. Student Draft Deferments Numbered 7,817 Last Fall Austin, Texas—A total of 7,817 college and university students in Texas have been deferred by state draft boards during the fall se mester, Brig. Gen. Paul L. Wake field, state Selective Service direct or, revealed today in a letter to college and university presidents. The state draft director in his communication to the educational administrators, said the “college student deferment program is now functioning smoothly on the whole.” He expressed appreciation for the cooperation of colleges and universities. “The continued success of the program will depend very mater ially on the care with which the colleges and universities police it,” General Wakefield wrote the col lege and university presidents. “If a deferred student should leave school for any reason, or fail to pursue his courses satis factorily, it is the obligation of the college to report that fact at once to the local board. “No student must be allowed to drop out of school without the local board’s knowledge and return to his community while continuing to enjoy a deferred status. This would seriously embarrass the lo cal board. “It would create ill will in the community toward the whole stu dent program and might conceiv ably cause the local board to re fuse to grant any further student deferments. “The boards have cooperated very effectively in the plan so far, but they cannot be expected to keep on doing so if the deferment privilege is in any way abused. “I am sure we can count on your continued help in controlling the program and making it the suc cess it deserves to be,” General Wakefield’s letter concluded.