23 Dec 1939
Page 1
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Newspaper
Somerset Daily American
Location
Somerset, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Date
Dec 23, 1939
Page
1
Eagles, Legion and Lions plan to glide happiness to children today and Sunday with treats and gifts. Local groups unite to distribute meals and toy packages to about 1500 youngsters in community event.
Somerset gears up for a quiet Christmas Monday as three local organizations host large charity events for children. Edgewood Eagles will treat 1000 plus youngsters at 2 pm with Santa, Legion posts invites 500 underprivileged children, and Lions Club distributes gifts via a Santa truck. Other groups arrange home visits, hospital meals, and prison and asylum support, with festive decorations, meals, and religious services at St Peter’s, St Paul’s, and Old Trinity.
In accordance with a 1929 custom the newspaper will not publish Monday morning Christmas Day. All employees will observe the full holiday and Tuesday morning's issue will carry up-to-date local national and international news plus a record of weekend events.
Harrisburg Dec 22 Governor James declares he will harass and embarrass the WPA until Pennsylvania receives a square deal. He charges Col F C Harrington with misrepresentations and says WPA projects approved but not started would employ 18 576 relief workers. He questions why Republican states bear the WPA reductions while defending state rights and project funding.
Bethlehem hosts a tranquil Christmas as peace returns after three years of military presence. Soldiers, sandbags, and armored cars are gone from the Nativity area, replaced by pilgrims and visitors on a peaceful path from Jerusalem. Bells will ring midnight signaling Peace on Earth.
With three inches of snow on the ground and subfreezing temperatures, Somerset is forecast to have colder weather Sunday night as Santa Claus uses his traditional reindeer sleigh for the annual visit at midnight.
Brady township tax collector Robert Dickinson, 46, was found dead from a rifle wound at his home in West Liberty. Coroner M. E. Headland reported a note in Dickinson's room reading Forgive me for doing this. Authorities investigated a possible suicide.
Two western Pennsylvania school districts in financial distress will receive 11700 from the state in payments approved today by Auditor General Warren R. Roberts. The districts Shade township Somerset county and Rovins township Washington county receive 10000 and 1700 respectively.
Two more contributions to the Finnish Relief Fund in Somerset bring the total locally to 58 dollars with prior 55 dollars and small gifts from Major E V Cook and Rev J F Messenger. Officials note every donation counts, from pennies to millions, and lists may be published in the Daily American. Donations can be delivered to the Daily American office or mailed to post office box 190.
President Roosevelt said the Wagner health bill and Harrison health measures discriminate against poorer states. He proposed cheaper federal grants to needy communities for medical centers funded mainly from existing programs, as a starting step not replacing a national plan. He noted wealthy states would still benefit less than under the proposed legislation.
Two express trains collide in Germany causing seventy deaths and about one hundred injuries, marking the eighth railway wreck since the war began. Emergency crews rush to the site as rail authorities investigate the disaster.
Berlin reports a deadly crash at Genthin as two express trains on the wartime Berlin Cologne line collide in fog. Seventy dead and about a hundred injured, with toll likely rising. Officials note strained wartime service and blackout conditions contributing to accidents.
In Callander Ontario on December 22, British Tommies and French Poilus on the western front sent ornaments for the Dionne quintuplets Christmas tree. The silver coin gifts come from a New York women’s organization, which had sent blankets knitted goods and cigars to the men. The quintuplets reportedly contributed $1,000 to the Canadian Red Cross fund, drawing appreciation from the soldiers.
Harrisburg December 22 Governor James accepted an invitation to formally open the Pennsylvania farm show in its 24th annual exhibit January 15 through January 19. The farm products show commission led by Secretary of Agriculture John H Light approved the display program. Opening night will feature speeches by Light and Louis J. Ta bor master of the national grange.
Pittsburgh city council increased the 1940 tax levy by about 12 percent after cutting 1,15,728 from Mayor Cornelius D. Scully’s budget. The new rate stands at 23 mills on land and 11.5 mills on buildings, up from 20.6 and 10.3 mills respectively.
Mrs Earl O Houpt wife of Dr Earl O Houpt Stoystown and former Philadelphia school dramatics teacher spoke at the Somerset Lions Club meeting in the Reformed church. She described work aiding blind children through corrective treatment and school programs to match sighted peers, stressing home support and parental prayer.
A mother and her 16 month old son were saved today in western Alaska after their Nome bound plane diverted by bad weather left them marooned in snow. Mrs. Jeffords and baby were unharmed, while two other passengers Hampers and Walterson, plus pilot Jack Jefford, were to fly out later. Hans Mirow, another pilot, remained missing after setting out to find them last Wednesday.
In Waynesburg Charles H. Fike, 61, killed himself by jumping into the Monongahela River less than 12 hours after the death of his wife Lois Guesman Fike. The couple planned a double funeral on Christmas Eve in Stringtown. Coroner Raymond C. Adamson ruled the death a suicide with no inquest.
Greenville rail shops will resume full time operations January 1 after months of part time schedules. Superintendent Guy M. Gray announced today that the Lake Erie and Semer shops will return to full capacity, signaling a planned workforce restart.
Moscow reports that Russia faces serious difficulties in the Finnish invasion but denies progress is off schedule. The Mannerheim Line on the Karelia isthmus is deemed strong, comparable to Germany’s Siegfried Line, with no major new gains reported for three days. Speculation grows over Finnish leadership and possible scapegoats, including Zhdanoff and Kuusinen, amid sparse congratulations on Stalin’s 60th birthday.
London dispatch reports the Royal Air Force has suffered 512 casualties since the war began, including 380 known dead. The air ministry notes this count excludes Navy air arm losses. The daily communique lists 24 killed, seven of the dead on active service, eleven missing or believed killed, and three others missing.
Finnish troops have begun counter attacks against Russian invaders on the Karelian isthmus. No official reports of movements or changes in the renewed fighting were available from Helsinki, though Russians had pressed the Finnish line for three weeks in vain.
Federal maritime authorities seek to determine if a neutrality violation occurred in the Florida episode involving the German freighter Araeca outrunning a British cruiser to reach Port Lauderdale sanctuary. The master said a warning shot was fired across the bow inside U S waters after leaving Vera Cruz Mexico several days earlier.
Finnish officers said the Red army advance into central Finland was halted before reaching the border, with motorized Russian units moving up to 60 miles in days. Russians neared Kuolajarvi and Savukoski before being driven back toward the frontier as Finns pursued, while the Petsamo and mid eastern sectors showed limited action and the Karelian isthmus remained vital.
The air ministry reported two British aircraft and one German Messerschmitt fighter were shot down in a western front air combat. Four Messerschmitt 109s dived on a British patrol. a second German plane was driven down but not confirmed as crashing.
Montevideo reports Uruguay will intern the German merchantman Tacoma, supply ship for the Graf Spee. Armed guards placed aboard to prevent protests and possible reaction. Tacoma to remain in the inner harbor for the duration of the European war, after Graf Spee incident near Uruguay.
Premier Daladier told the Chamber of Deputies France will continue aiding Finland in its war against Russia. He noted France has already done its duty within the League of Nations framework after Russia was expelled as an aggressor. He cited 1,434 French casualties by Nov 30, with 1,136 in the army, 256 in the navy, and 42 in the air force, averaging under 16 deaths per day, and he contrasted this with World War I losses.
New York reports an all time mail record in Manhattan and the Bronx with 27,925,675 letters yesterday. The prior record stood at 17,508,033 letters established the previous Wednesday.
Harrisburg Dec 22 The state decided today to carry its fight for an alien registration law to the United States Supreme Court.
On December 22, Finnish reports said Russian forces were pressed back on two fronts with heavy losses noted on the Karelia and Salla sectors. Finnish air power disrupted enemy columns and dumps, with 11 planes officially downed and 350 Russian warplanes reported over Finland in renewed raids.
Western Pennsylvania will see increasing cloudiness on Saturday with snow or rain and a moderating temperature Saturday night into Sunday. Eastern Pennsylvania expects fair Saturday, then increasing clouds Sunday with a rise in temperature and rain or snow. West Virginia rises to more clouds, snow turning to rain in the northeast Saturday night, then snow changing to rain in the west and south by Saturday afternoon or night, with warmer conditions Saturday night and rain on Sunday.
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