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Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Dec 26, 1939
Page
2
The Gazette reports rising national tolls from holiday traffic accidents with 633 total deaths by Tuesday afternoon and 397 from automobile crashes. It notes Iowa’s fatality record, calls for four lane highways with barriers, and describes ongoing public concerns over safety and government policy.
Des Moines senator Clyde L. Herring warned that bootleggers are bringing contraband liquor into the state after the liquor commission raised state store prices. He cited shipments of 200 cases and alleged undercutting of state stores by Chicago retailers. He charged store managers with pushing certain brands and distributing liquor samples to influence sales, calling it illegal under Iowa law. He also noted inconsistent accountability among store managers including retention despite accounting shortfalls.
Des Moines Iowa Liquor Control Commission Chair M L Curtis a Republican said Tuesday he had no comment on Senator Herring s attack on liquor commission policies.
London dispatch says Royal Air Force security patrol planes operated over the German Helgoland base on Monday with no reports of anti aircraft fire. The confirmation came from British aviation circles in London.
Mayor signs informations against North Western and Rock Island lines for violating city ordinance on careless Fourth street railroading. Council members criticize railroad moves and blame signal operators in lower Fourth street, urging firm local action.
U S officials in the Canal Zone granted the Dusseldorf clearance for Jamaica after a German protest over hospitalization of Hans von Appen. Major General David L. Stone said the protest was not entertained and the ship proceeded to sea under a British flag and crew. Von Appen was ill and refused operation at Gorgas hospital, leading to transfer to a Panama hospital. The case drew a reference to a possible subterfuge and was sent to Washington for fuller comment.
Cedar Rapids police chief banned tavern owners from serving Tom and Jerry drinks during Christmas and New Year. He invoked state law prohibiting liquor with beer sales and warned operators to forgo free hard drinks to avoid legal trouble. Local taverns had sought permission but were refused.
Soviet long range shells hit Viipuri and surrounding areas as fires razed homes and bombproof shelters filled with residents. Finnish troops pushed toward Murmansk railway while clashes and recon patrols extended into Russian territory near Lieksa and Suomussalmi with several air raids reported on Helsinki Riihimaki Porvoo Tampere and other locations.
City council imagines a Cedar Rapids with little street parking, indoor facilities, and elevated roads as police urge tighter oil station driveways to 25 feet. Chief Vlach cites growing complaints and overtime parking woes while engineers note 20 foot alleys still accommodate trucks.
Adolf Hitler stood on French soil at the western front on Christmas Eve in an official report. He crossed into the Saar sector near Spichern heights and toured emplacements, meeting soldiers and promising eight corporals who were cited for bravery promotion, before returning to headquarters.
Letters from English friends reveal wartime routine and resilience. Blackouts frustrate families while radio remains a rare link, schools run in shifts, and Sunday classes meet at teachers' homes. A vicar family recalls a bomber event with curious calm and no panic.
Henry Wallace, 76, of 1121 Sixteenth Avenue SW, narrowly escaped serious injury when his 1926 Model T was struck by a Milwaukee motor train at the Ninth Avenue and Third Street crossing. Dragged 185 feet, Wallace received a sprained left leg and was treated at home. The crossing lacks signals. city officials had urged a wig wag or watchman, and railroad officials are considering electric signals in the 1940 program.
President Roosevelt issued a proclamation restoring the quota system for sugar under the 1937 law. The program had been suspended after the war in Europe began.
President Roosevelt designates Joseph E Davies American ambassador to Belgium as special assistant to the secretary of state to tackle war emergency problems and international trade talks. Davies returns from Brussels to brief the state department and White House before a successor to Brussels is named. Reports link George H Earle with possible diplomatic posts.
President Roosevelt received assurances from Pope Pius VII that Myron C Taylor will be cordially received at the Vatican to aid in world peace. A letter from the apostolic delegate conveyed the Holy See’s approval and gratitude for Taylor’s appointment.
A 30 000 word study by the Cleveland chapter of the American Association of Social Workers, with 29 agencies, found hundreds went hungry for days amid a relief crisis from Nov 15 to Dec 15. It documented illness rises, attempted suicides, and mental breakdowns among 374 cases.
A Christmas morning collision four miles north of Oskaloosa killed three people and injured five. Victims include Annebelle Pilgrim Templeton 22 of Oskaloosa Bernadine Butterey 17 of Knoxville and Melvin Deruther 23 of Knoxville. The Meloys' infant was uninjured. Sheriff Fritz Genderen said the headon impact occurred on Waterworks Hill at 2 am and drivers were not yet identified.
Chester Lane 21 private in U S Army stationed at Rock Island arsenal is arrested on a technical charge for leaving the scene after his automobile struck and killed Mrs. Mary Jane Gray 78 at a street intersection Monday night. Lane says he honked and swerved to avoid her but brakes were not good. An inquest is set for Tuesday night.
The Cedar Island exchange reports aid to 1010 families, over 4000 people, via gifts and food baskets during Christmas. Miss Sadie Warner notes all applying families were served after social agency review. Forty seven groups plus individuals channeled gifts through a central clearinghouse to avoid duplication. Mrs. Carl R. Kirwin praises agency cooperation and urges expanded next year.
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