Editorially Speaking:
Censorship: Tool Or Weapon?
Last week a war-long fued between the Churchill Gov-
ernment and the British Press reached its greatest crisis as
the actual subjugation of the London “Daily Mirror’—for
its policies of vigorous governmental criticism—was de-
bated in Parliament. While the position of the ‘Mirror’
itself may not be entirely defendable, since many of its at-
tacks on the British government and military have been
more bitter than well-founded, the issue involved is of vital
concern to every publisher and person in England, and in
all the other Allied countries as well. For when Parliament
debated the outright suppression of a newspaper for its
critical writings, it simultaneously put on trial the Freed-
om of the Press in democratic nations.
Undoubtedly it would be foolish and far-fetched to as-
sume that the muzzling of one newspaper in England will
bring about the wholesale censorship of the press within
all Allied nations, including the United States. But there
are unmistakable trends in that direction, and the very
fact that a newspaper in democratic England can be sup-
pressed for reasons other than sedition means that the in-
dividuality—or freedom—of news publications every-
where is in a precarious position.
In times of war there are certain restrictions which must
necessarily be imposed upon the press. Dispatches which
might disclose movements of troops, stratagems or other
military information of a secret nature must be censored
from general publication. Any material which will tend to
impede the war effort must also be closely edited or per-
haps killed outright. Generally speaking, the discretion of
editors and publishers is sufficient to accomplish these
ends, even without the aid of censor boards. Newspaper-
men and the public alike understand that secrecy has an
important function in days such as these.
But there are limits beyond which the censorship of the
press loses its usefulness and becomes a dangerous weap-
on, rather than a bulwark of defense. A public which will-
ingly forgoes certain of its privileges in order to aid the
war effort is one thing. A public which is kept completely
in the dark on all matters which may be either disturbing
or provocative is another. Reasonable censorship contrib-
utes, in a sense, to the general morale and purpose of the
people. Their lack of complete news coverage on the war
and defense fronts is a small sacrifice, and one readily
made, as insurance for the safety and success of the armed
forces abroad. But the substitution of propaganda for
news—however hazy and incomplete—breeds distrust and
even fear, and the revocation of the right to individual
opinions and criticism can accomplish nothing but discon-
tent.
So long as the people feel they are in the confidence of
their government, they will back it to the limit, as a corpo-
rate enterprise. But once that government has set itself up
as something apart and above the people, keeping its oper-
ations beyond their knowledge and control, it has traded
stability and common determination for the uncertain and
suspicion-riddled structure of a dictatorship. That’s a poor
prescription for efficiency and success under any circum-
stances, much less those of war.
Freedom of the Press is a powerful working force of
democracy, particularly in times of war when any device
which will tend to keep the people and their government
together in common endeavour is an invaluable asset. A
free press is a medium for the participation of the public
in the management of its welfare, and is the mark of a
nation of free men, as against a dictatorship. It has two
principal disadvantages: government may be belabored
and even hampered with criticism, and disasters and re-
verses will become common knowledge. Put 2d news can
be met with courage and resourcefulness, where no news
at all may be met with growing uneasiness, lessening con-
fidence and dangerous rumor. And if open criticism of gov-
ernment causes some bitterness and aggravation, it also
serves to keep the people a part and parcel of the national
administration—and this is perhaps the best defense
against the inroads of totalitarian doctrines, which, in the
long run, are a far greater menace to democracy than the
Axis armies.
FROM
PILLAR TO POST
By Mgrs. T. M. B. Hicks, Jr.
There are times when I wonder if all households run along the same
Sunday track as mine. It is impossible to pry anybody out of bed until
eleven A. M., at which time they assemble in the kitchen in bathrobes
and curlers, or bathrobes and a stubble, depending upon the sex. They
are starved from their long overnight fast, and they fall upon the hot cin-
namon buns and the out-size pot
i i . Th
of coffee with enthusiasm ey Board One Calls Four
Local Men For Service
prop their feet on, chairs and make
Four men from this section were
themselves comfortable while drink-
ing the third cup over the latest
copy of Time or the Sunday paper.
The Mother-of-Four starts the
oven going and begins assembling
the bony framework of the dinner,
stumbling over out-stretched feet as
she goes back and forth from the
pantry to the sink. She bites back
any appropriate remarks that may
occur to her, for after all the in-
stitution of Sunday-breakfast-in-
the-kitchen is her own brain-child.
It eliminates setting the table in
the dining room, clearing it, and
resetting it, all in the short space
of two hours, At twelve noon she
reminds the family that dinner will
be ready in about an hour and a
called for military service this week
by officials of Local Draft Board No.
1 at Wyoming. They have been or-
dered to report to board headquar-
ters Thursday morning, /April 16;
and will be sent from’ there” to
Wilkes-Barre for final physical ex-
amination and induction,
The men called were John Kud-
zinski, R. D. 3, Dallas; Paul Wesley
Mahler, R. D. 4, Dallas; Frank
Pearce Bennallack of Shavertown
and Benjamin Harrison Jones, Mt.
Airy Terrace, Shavertown.
Tue Darras Post
MORE THAN A NEWSPAPER, A
COMMUNITY INSTITUTION
Vol. 52
Special Registration For Back
Mountain Voters Is Held Today
Borough Building Is Open To Local Citizens
For Primary Registration Until 10 Tonight
A special registration of Back Mountain Region voters for participation
on the May Primary Elections is being held today (Friday) in the Dallas
Borough building on Mill street, and provides the last opportunity for local
citizens to register party preference without traveling to the courthouse
in Wilkes-Barre. Conducted by official registrars from the courthouse, the
FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 1942
No. 15
Fleeing From The Terrors 0f War!
registration is open to all people of
the Dallas area, not just residents of
the borough, and is the only special
registration which will be held in
Luzerne County,
The borough building was opened
to voters this morning at 10, and
the first session of registration closes
this afternoon at 3 o'clock. The
clerks will sit again for a three
hour period, beginning at 7 this eve-
ning, in order to give local people
who work out of town during the
day an opportunity to register,
All citizens of this section are
urged to take advantage of the
special registration, which has been
instituted in order to save rural and
suburban residents the time, trouble
and wear on tires entailed in the
trip to the courthouse.
Remember that no voter can par-
ticipate in the primaries next month
unless he has registered his party
affiliation.
Joseph H. MacVeigh
Dallas Bandsmen
Honor MacVeigh
Tribute To Patron
To Precede Concert
In appreciation for the warm in-
terest and co-operation of their
most outstanding patron, members
of the Dallas Borough High School
Band will initiate Joseph H. Mac-
Veigh as an honorary member next
Friday night, preceding their annual
concert in the school auditorium.
Through Mr. MacVeigh’s efforts and
financial assistance, together with
that of several other local people,
the band has been fully uniformed
for the first time in its history.
The concert itself will be one of
the finest ever presented by the
borough bandsmen, with its varied
program of martial, classical and
popular arrangements interspersed
with several novelty numbers and
solos, and routines by the three
talented drum majorettes.
Under the direction of its new
bandmaster, Robert Henderson, the
S51-piece band has been in constant
rehearsal all winter and now ranks
in ability with the best school
bands in the county.
The program will include the fol-
lowing arrangements: “The Star
Spangled Banner’, “Remember
Pearl Harbor” by Reid and Kaye,
“Silver Threads Among The Gold”
by Danks; “Sunbeam” by Oliva-
clote; “Anticipation” by Tiscombe;
“Skaters Waltz” by Waldteufel;
Bennett's “Arline” and ‘Have A
Little Fun”; “On The Mall” by Gold-
‘man; “American Patrol” by Mea-
cham, and “System” by Bennett.
half, and that if they want a bath
as a preliminary to getting dressed,
they'd better get upstairs. There is a
concerted dive, each member intent
upon getting the first bath along
with the hottest water, and the
kitchen clears miraculously.
We rise from the table at two P.
M., replete with roast beef and
baked potatoes. Time was when it
was mashed potatoes, but the de-
fense leaflets all say sternly, don’t
peel your potatoes, so we bake
them in the oven and serve them
on the half-shell in order to pre-
serve the precious vitamins—or is
it minerals? Everybody yawns, con- |
siders taking a nap, turns finally to
the funnies in the Sunday papers.
At half past five there is a stir
of life. The family emerges from its
state of coma and begins looking
hopefully toward the kitchen. Noses
begin to twitch, a la rabbit, hoping
to catch that choicest of all aromas,
After battling five large brush and
forest fires within 48 hours, the
worn and weary score of local men
who. make up the Dallas Volunteer
Fire Crew came home for a much-
needed rest late Tuesday night,
Principal conflagration to which
the Dallas fire-fighters were called
was the huge blaze atop Maltby
Mountain, back of Luzerne and
Swoyerville, Working at top speed
for more than eight hours Monday
night and Tuesday morning, Fire
Warden Grover Jones’ men succeed-
ed in getting the raging flames un-
der control, with the aid of the
Carverton and West Pittston crews.
The Maltby Mountain fire was the
third in succession for the local
(Continued on Page 8.)
|
Dallas Crew Battles Five Big
Forest Fires Within 48 Hours
crew on Monday. First call came
early in the afternoon, when an 18-
acre blaze broke out in Kunkle—
on the Henney, Sweezy and
Schwartz farms. Directly after the
boys came in from Kunkle, they
were sent to White Rock, on the
hills south of the Luzerne Pike, to
battle a rapidly-spreading brush
fire. This was brought under con-
trol just before the brush broke in-
to flames on Maltby.
After 16 hours of continuous fire-
fighting, the Dallas crew was given
a brief. respite Tuesday morning,
only to be called back to White
Rock and another fire shortly be-
(Continued on Page 8)
a
FIFTH POST EMPLOYEE
TO JOIN ARMY TAKES/
PHYSICAL NEXT-WEEK
ng
Five former employees of The
Post will be serving in the arm-
ed forces by next week when
Wilbur Helmbold, a printer
who has worked here for the
past several months, is inducted
through his draft board in
Ashley.
First to go was Alan Kistler,
who entered the army more
than a year ago. Others now
in the service are Norman Ros-
nick, Al Davis and Warren
Hicks,
= — a=
Wilson To Face
Grand Jury On
Liquor Charges
Noxen Inn Keeper
On Trial Monday
At Tunkhannock
Allen “Torchy” Wilson, Noxen
inn keeper whose establishment was
raided week before last by agents
of the State Liquor Control Board
and the State Motor Police, will
face a Wyoming County Grand
Jury Monday in the courthouse at
Tunkhannock,
Wilson will be tried on three
charges—sales of liquor on Sunday,
sales to minors. and minors fre-
quenting premises—with the Liquor
Control Board as prosecutor. He
was arraigned on these charges last
Thursday afternoon before Squire
J. P. Allen of Tunkhannock and
held on $1000 bail for court.
Acting on the complaints of Nox-
en residents, a group of ten, liquor
board agents and State Troopers
raided Wilson’s Noxen Inn on March
25 and found it crowded with
youngsters who were being served
liquor in violation of state laws re-
garding minors. Fifteen of these
were questioned by the agents and
will be subpoenaed to testify be-
fore the jury Monday. Previous evi-
dence had been gained proving
that Wilson had sold liquor on Sun-
days.
If convicted by the Wyoming
County Grand Jury, Wilson faces
penalties ranging from a fine of
$300 to a year in prison. He was
arrested by the State Police in 1924
for violation of prohibition laws,
but his case was discharged without
conviction.
Salvage Week
Is Postponed
Collection Of Scrap
To Be Held On 25th.
The “Salvage for Victory” clean-
up week which was to have been
conducted here next week has been
postponed until April 20th in order
to avoid conflict with the air raid
wardens’ war bond promotion cam-
paign.
Under the new arrangement, all
scrap metal and other articles which
can be converted to useful mater-
ials for industry will be collected
from house-holders on Saturday,
April 25th. Collection will be made
from door to door in Dallas Borough
and neighboring communities by
members” of the American Legion
and Boy Scouts.
Additional orders from the Bur-
eau of Industrial Salvage, a division
of the War Production Board, have
reconstructed the “Salvage for Vic-
tory” drive along more ambitious
lines, Though originally scheduled
to be a one-week clean-up, the
campaign has now been expanded
to last the duration of the war. Fol-
lowing the first general collection
on the 25th, which will be con-
fined only to municipalities, centers
will be established in each town for
the concetnration of additional
the concentration of additional
According to Hugh Ridall, chair-
man of salvage collection in the
Dallas Area, ‘everything except
ashes and dust” can be utilized by
industry and all waste or idle ma-
) terials should be turned in.
Fleeing from the bursting shells and the fires that swept their homes,
thousands of Chinese gather together what little possesions that they
could carry and swarm into Chapei and Hongkew. The upper photo shows
a bridge across Soochow Creek crowded with fleeing refugees, and the low-
er photo shows boats in Soochow Creek loaded with natives fleeing from
the scene of destruction.
Noted Big Game Hunter Travels
In From West To Visit Kiefers
Ernie Miller Buns Famous Mentara Vacation
Ranch, Thinks The West Should Be Kept Wild
Two tough looking hombres from the Far West swaggered into the of-
fices of The Post a few days ago. One of the pair—a stocky baldish char-
acter, his hand never straying too far from the heavy six-shooter slung at
his hip—plunked himself down across from the editor and swung his
booted feet onto the desk top. The other, an unshaven, hard-looking man
with a black cigar clamped between
his teeth, leaned against the door
jam and kept a sharp look-out up
and down Lehman avenue.
“Yuh ain’t seen a posse around
here, have yuh, Brother?” asked
the latter. Assured there had been
no sign of the vigilantes, he relaxed
his guard at the door and took a
chair. “Well,” he said, ‘I'm Fred
Kiefer—they call me ‘Wild Cat’
Kiefer out west of Dallas—and this
here's Ernie Miller, a pal of mine
from Montana.”
“Howdy, pardner,” said Ernie—
and that’s how we came to meet
one of the most colorful characters
who ever bunked at the Kiefer
Ranch up at Shrine View.
Ernie—who refuses to be called
Mister Miller, even in the effete
East—spent most of last week vis-
iting here with Fred and his wife, |
and, although he missed the lone-
some ‘howl of the coyotes late at
night, he felt right at home among
the wide-open spaces of the Irem
Country Club. A high-point of his
visit was an impromptu party last
Wednesday night, given by the
Kiefers to celebrate his 50th birth-
day, and, what with the new friends
he made here in Dallas and the re-
newal of his” companionship with
Mr, and Mrs. Kiefer, Ernie was dog-
goned perturbed when he had to
pack his bags and go on to New
York. He had stopped here enroute
to a meeting of the Conservation
Committee of the Campfire Club of
America.
Was Kiefer Guide
Ernie and the Kiefers have been
fast friends ever since they met for
the first time last fall in the Olym-
pian Hotel out in Seattle, Wash-
ington. As reported in The Post sev-
eral months ago, in the annals of
the Kiefer hunting expedition into
the wilderness of Alaska, Ernie was
outfitter and guide for the local
couple on that excursion. He had
been engaged for the job through
mutual acquaintances in the Camp-
fire Club, of which Fred is also a
member, together with all the other
big game hunters of any account in
the country. And as soon as the
Kiefers shook hands with Ernie,
they knew their hunting trip was
in good hands. And it was, too:
they were after Ovis dalli sheep
the famed Alaskan White Sheep—
and after the expedition was over,
Fred had bagged two of the mag-
nificent animals, his wife had had
(Continued on Page 5)
|
| close friendship in far-off Australia.
Boyhood Pals Meet
Bgain In Australia
Two soldier boys of Lehman—
William Edward Simpson and Alfred
F. Lamoreaux—whose life-long com-
panionship was broken.eff a year
and a half ago when their army ca-
reers took them to separate units
and stations, have renewed their
News of the happy reunion was
received here Friday in a telegram
to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Simpson of
| Hayfield Farm, “Have met Alfred in
Australia,” read Edward's wire to
his parents.
| "Hoth tes’ enlisted in, ithe. Air
| Corps simultaneously in August,
1940, and both are now private first
class mechanics, stationed with
combat units in Australia. Their
| doubtless learned when they met
| last week, was almogt identical—
| just as their boyhood lives in Leh-
] man had been.
Join In Prayer
Members of the George M. Dallas
Lodge, No. 531, F. and A. M., will
join Masons all over the nation in
prayer Sunday morning, May 31st,
to implore Divine guidance in the
restoration of peace and order to
the world.
| progress. in the air corps, as they |
More Sweat,
Less Blood
And Tears!
Air Wardens
Mobilize For
Bond Campaign
“Pledge For Victory"
Canvass To Be Held
Next Thursday Night
Joining thousands of civilian de-
fense workers all over the nation in
the “Pledge for Victory” campaign
to promote the sale of war bonds
and stamps, local air raid wardens
prepared this week for a house-to-
house canvass to be conducted
throughout the Back Mountain Re-
gion.
The canvass, which will be un-
dertaken next Thursday evening,
April 16, in all municipalities and
rural sections of this area, is de-
signed to gain the co-operation of
all local wage-earners in the war
bond drive. Each air raid warden
will be assigned a small territory to
cover, and will carry pledge cards
for the signatures of every citizen
in his route.
Three methods of bond purchase
are open to the signers of the
“Pledge for Victory”: payroll deduc-
tion, direct buying from the Treas-
ury Department or an authorized
agent, and Post Office purchase, In
the case of payroll deduction, ar-
rangements are made with the em-
ployer of the signer to have a cer-
tain amount deducted from his sal-
ary each week for bonds. Many
concerns already have blank bonds
on hand to expedite this method.
No high pressure methods will be
used by the air raid wardens to
make their prospects
pledge cards, and people are cau-
tioned not to sign unless they will
be able to carry out their pledge.
The campaign is supposed merely
to encourage and make more con-
venient the purchase of the war
securities and not to force citizens
to buy.
The signed pledge cards will be
turned into the government and
tabulated for reference by the
Treasury Department.
Wardens of Air Raid Sector No.
1, which covers Kingston Town-~
(Continued on Page 8.)
Local Fanciers
Will Show Dogs
Payne Will Judge
Best Dog In Show
The patriotic motif is behind a
sanction match of Luzerne County
Kennel Club to be held Sunday,
April 19, at Kingston Armory, Pro-
ceeds will be used to purchase ath-
letic equipment for the 109th Field
Artillery, Luzerne County's own
regiment now in active service.
Regimental officers have approved
the benefit show sponsored jointly
by the club and veterans groups in-
cluding American Legion Post 132,
and its auxiliary. Several hundred
entries already have been received
by Mrs. Joshua Byers, secretary,
and Capt. Edward Harkins, club
president.
A 25-inch high liberty trophy will
go to the owner of the best dog
in the show, the judge being W. T.
Payne of Dallas, widely known
breeder. Newton Brown, chairman
of the show, has announced the
judges as follows: Sporting group,
Clyde Heck, Allentown; working
group, Irwin Hollenback, Reading;
terriers, Robert Foulds, Philadelphia;
toy and non-sporting group, Joseph
O’Hara.
Special children’s classes and ex-
hibitions are scheduled as part of
the show, planned to be the largest
ever held by the Luzerne County
Club. Entries can be made starting
at 11 a. m. Judging begins at 2.
A neat, workman-like street
sign went up on the corner of Leh-
man avenue and Huntsville road a
day or so ago as James Stile, public-
spirited carpenter and painter of
Dallas, began a campaign for street
markers throughout the borough.
Impressed with Mr. Stile’s single-
handed effort to bring improvement
to this community, The Post has
joined in his campaign and calls up-
on all house-holders of Dallas for
co-operation,
The Lehman avenue marker,
which is similar to those of Kinggs-
ton and Forty Fort in appearance,
except for a bevelled water shed
which has been added to the top of
the sign board to keep it clear of
rain streaks and bird lime, was
constructed, painted and erected at
a total cost of little more than a
dollar. This sum will be underwrit-
Dallas Painter Begins One-Man
Campaign For Street Markers
ten by residents of Lehman avenue,
each householder donating fifteen
cents toward the cost of the new
sign. A similar arrangement can be
made for every street in the bor-
ough, and Mr. Stile will build, paint
and erect each new marker as soon
as the necessary expense money has
been raised.
The cost of markers will vary
from street to street. In some cases
two or more signs will be needed,
and in others the lack of a corner
telephone pole will necessitate the
erection of a sign post. Individual
donations will be increased where
there is additional expense, but the
average contribution is not expected
to exceed fifteen or twenty cents,
It is suggested that one individual
on each street make collections for
the marker, since no single dona-
(Continued on Page 8.)
sign the.
ship, met Wednesday evening at
en