The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, February 17, 1939, Page 1

THE DAILY “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” ALASKA EMPIRE VOL. LIIL, NO. 8029. JUNEAU, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 1939. MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS OIL SLICK DISCOVERED, GRAND ISLAND Will They Wed? HAINANISLE OCCUPATION CAUSES STIR Unied States Ambassador Asks Japan Reason for Recent Action | Opening Dafes Ten Days BRITISH, FRENCH ALSO ASK FOR EXPLANATION Foreign Minister Gives Short, Curt Reply, for "Military Purposes’ TOKYO, Feb. 17—United States Ambassador Joseph C. Grew today | asked the Japanese Government for an explanation of the Japanese Navy's occupation of Hainan, Chin- ese island, some 750 miles west of the Philippine Islands. The request was made orally in an interview with Foreign Minister Hachire Arita. The American request followed by- a few days similar requests by | French and British ambassador: It is unofficially stated that Arita | replied to Ambassador Grew the as he did to the French and tish envoys last Monday and Tuesday, that occupation was for military purposes and also to tight- en the Japanese Navy's blockade of the ‘)Am’l coast. British “Waliching Italians Two FIeets_A; Combined on Mediterranean, Sta- tioned at Gibralfar LONDON, Feb. 17. — Ninety—two‘ British warships of the Home and ! Me rranean fleets are nssembled at Gibraltar for maneuvers. 4 Diplomatic quarters said the com- bined naval forces will maintain/ watch for any Italian moves against Tunisia and Corsica. e e ——— | Carole Lombard and Clark Gable Attending a movie premiecre to- | gether in Hollywood, Clark Geble | ind Carole Lombard, screen play- | :rs expected to wed soon, pose for 1 picture at the theater entrance. This is the couple’s first public appearance since Mrs. Rhea Gable announced her intention of estab- lishing residence in Las Vegas, N. M., to secure a divorce from her | actor-husband. { MUSSOLINI DENIES HE IS TARGET ‘Roman Rumor Says Shoot ing Occurred Near Il Duce’s Home ROME, Feb. 17.—Widely varied | rumors of a shooting in front of | Premier Mussolini’'s home brouuht‘ official denial of any attempt re-| | cently made on Il Duce’s life. Officials said: “It is all untrue. | August 16 |from N | July |east of a line 118. | | August | time of {a.m. | new season dates. SITUATION FISH SEASON TAKES SLASH OVER ALASKA Late - Closing Dates Show No Change | SEATTLE, Feb. 17—The office of | the Bureau of Fisheries today an- nounced opening and closing dates | for fishing in Southeast Alaska “ndi Prince William Sound with | opening dates making it apparent | that approximately ten days have| been chopped from the season Most Southeast Alaska packers have been complaining loudly about | the uselessness of opening the sea- | son as early as it has been opened, but had urged that the later open- ing dates be counterbalanced with later closing dates to take in the heavy run of late fish that canners usually only manage to get a few days “crack” at. | New dates follow: | For the Southern District of Southeast Alaska Area, July the | 15 to outh Prince of Wales District 2 to August 29. Clarence Strait, north of a w Point to Ernest Point, | 25 to August 27; between a line from Narrow Point to Ernest| Point and a line from Approach | Point to Camano Point, July 25 to August 24; south of a line from Ap- | proach Point to Camano Point and | down the middle of Strait, July 20 to August| Clarence 23 Eastern District, July 5 to August | Prinr( In s«mthcmt Alaska, there will be a fall seining season as usual, from | ctober 1 to October 15, with the starting and closing at 6 and 6 p.m.. respectively. Taku Inlet, gill netting will May 10, with drift gill nets September 5 to September 30. In open from VERIFIED HERE Warden Clarence Olson, of the { Bureau of Fisheries office in Ju- neau, announced today that com- plete information and verification | has been received here regarding the IN EUROPE O’Daniel’s Daughter Is Queen ALASKA AIR STATION FOR (FRST CLUE COAST GUARD IS SOUGHT | 10 MISSING line | * B Molly O’Daniel Youngest ever accorded the high ter of the governor of Te; Texas to rule over the annuz honor, Molly O'Daniel, 17, daugh- been elected Grand Duchess of i Gras at Galveston, STRATEGICALLY, SPANISH e oo WARMAY BENEARINGEND, BUTDIPLOMATICALLY T MAY BE JU ENTIRE PROGRAM, NAVY AR BASES GIVEN APPROVAL House Comm_iflee Finally ' Ads - Includes Contro- versial Guam lIssue e ORITANI MAY BE PURCHASED, ALASKA ROUTE Negohahons Reported Be- ing Made for Sister . Ship of Ormes SEATTLE, Feb. 17.—W. J. Jones, Traffic Manager of the Alaska Tran- sportation Company, declined today to deny or confirm reports from the south that his company is negotiat- | ing for the purchase of the Steam- | ship Oritana, sister ship of the re-| cently purchesd Ormes for Lhc1 Southeast Alaska service. The Ormes, under charter of the | Luckenbach Gulf Steamship Com- pany, is posted to clear from N(nv‘ Orleans today for Los Angeles Rnd\ Scattle. Tt is expected the Ormes, with a 1,000 ton weight for cargo, will be| ready for the Alaska service by the | middle of April. | LA PR, | | | No attempt has been made on Mus- solini's life.” One rumor said that two ds ago, a man in front of Il Duce’s home, shot®a detective who asked him for his identification. Another rumor circulated today ‘!haL a woman shot a guard but it i |said the reason is.on account of | ‘pmsnml jealousy. ‘ Still another report is that the! | Premier was about to have been| | attacked by a man loitering near his villa. Alert guards arrested the man it is claimed. The attack was timed at about the minute Mussolini ar- }nvnd at his villa, Wednesday night, | |after attending a meeting of the | Fascist (wmnd Council. BRUSSELS SEES INSURGENT WAR | CLOSE AT HAND Pohce Siorm Building io; Take Out Gen. Franco | Sympathizers BRUSSELS, Belgium, Feb. 17.— Belgian police and firemen today | | stormed the Spanish Govemment‘ | Consulate building here and ejected Insurgent sympathizers who seized | it early in the morning. Police climbed fire ladders to get into the building after the invaders | GILBERT WHITE DIES IN PARIS American Arhst Passes Away After Operation | VERY GRAV U.S. Ambassador fo Ger- many Refuses fo An- swer All Questions WASHINGTON, Feb. 17— Hugh R. Wilson, Amabssador to Germany, testified today before the Senate Military Committee on European conditions. After the meeting, at which all Senators were sworn to sec- recy, it was reported authorita- tively that the Ambassador de- clined to answer many “impor- tant” questions on the grounds that the International situation is too grave. WAYNE TAYLOR RESIGNS FROM TREASURY DEPT. { HIGH SCHOOL GRADS Dssagrees wnh Policy o U. S. in Aiding Riv- al§ Present Wars WASHINGTON, Feb. 17.—Wayne | C. Taylor has resigned from a high Txeasury post because it is reliably | reported he felt the United States should not take sides in the war WASHINGTON, Feb. 17. — The House Naval Committee has formally approved the $52,000,000 air base program, including the controversial $5,000,00 item for improvement of aviation facilities at Guam. As finally approved, the bill pro-| | vides for new air bases in Alaska, | the nud Pacific and Caribbean Sea. e L [FRENCH FORCE IS THREATENED Japanese Place Embargo on Food for Conces- sion at Hankow SHANGHAI, Feb. 17. — Reports | filtering through from Japanese- held Hankow tell of a tense situa- tion created there by the Japanese | embargo on food for the French own H H had defied attempts of authoriti and Complications 155 o i empts of sutherities R Eight men surrendered to the po- | PARIS, Feb. 17—Gilbert White, lice and were taken to the Palace | 61, American artist and whose mur- als decorate many State and Federal buildings in the United States, is dead in a hospital here from com- plications following an operation | for intestinal obstruction. kin,’:'s flagpole. of Justice. The men had seized the bufldmg\ and its caretakers, shouting “Vivi, ' Franco!” They raised the colors of | the Insurgent leader from the build- | J "l‘reasury it is asserted. rivalries between Totalitarian Pow- ers and other countries. The fact that the Treasury De- partment facilitated the recent French purchases of American made | ¢k war planes and also buying of sil- V¥ |Hi m gr defense force in the French Con- TURN MOVIE-MAKERS ATLANTA, Ga., Fen. 17.—Imagine a high school commencement with a speech-making. To add excitement, talking movie substituted for let the movie be the senior class’ “production.” That was what the mid - term aduating class at Murphy Junior igh School had for its commence- ent. More than 50 members of the spent three months in pro- ding the acting, costumes, stage ver from Chind, prompted Taylor to broperties, music and camera work resign as Assistant Secretary of for lbake." i their movie, “Lady of The § T BEGINNING By PRESTON GROVER WASHINGTON, Feb. 17. — The| | nearer that the end of the Spanish | | civil War comes with each succes- |sive rebel victory, the nearer comes | the time for settlement of a mass of | problems as difficult as those follow- ing the World War—and ten times more dangerous. Al the end of the World War fur- ther immediate fighting was un- dreamed of. But ending the Spanish Civil War, diplomats here say, wnll“ not insure peace. What price must General Franco pay for the aid he has received from | |Italy and from Germany? If he is willing to pay it (and | that is by no means certain), will| | Prance and England and perhaps | {the United States be willing to let | him pay it? | Will the price be commercial, or | political, or both? | If the concessions Franco is asked to make to Italy and Germany are | commercial, who will be the loser among the other nations? About {a half billlon of foreign capital is | invested in Spain, most of it Brit- ish, Prench and American. Germany is likely to demand a larger share in the control of Span-| ish mines, where formerly Britain | was king. American investments are smaller, but International Telephone and Telegraph, virtually a communi- cations monopoly in Spain, is a Yankee property. Will Spain fall tightly into the German-Italian trade orbit? SPAIN WILL NEED MONEY Doubtless Spain will need reha- bilitation loans. From where will come the money? England, France and the U. 8. can lend. Germany and Italy are well nigh “broke” so far as international exchange is| concerned. Will Pranco yield to German- Italian pressure for barter trade on one side, or to the appeal of loans and trade agreements with the monied democracies? Can he compromise such conflicting pres- sures? What will be done about refugees? Already thousands have been driven across the French border. Still other thousands have fled into Loyalist territory from areas now ruled by Franco. Will the French general staff reconcile itself to a different kind of neighbor across the Pyre- nees? In Morocco? What if Italian troops are not withdrawn promptly. Diplomatic figures here see in those last items the largest seed of (Continued on P;ize' 'F’ive) BY TREASURY DEPARTMENT, coPE PLANE Secrefary Morgenthau Asks (onqress for Appropria- tion for Base, Also for Fiffeen Seaplanes fo Serve Northland; Three New Cutters Also Required for Substance Appears fo Be Fed-Tony Schwamm Reports Find | oning, Purposes ol Nahonal Defense CLARENCE TRUE WILSON PASSES AWAY IN OREGON Fiery Prohibitionist Dies After llIness of Only Three Weeks PORTLAND, Oregon, Feb. 17.—Dr. Clarence True Wilson, 66, interna- tionally known Prohibitionist, died here yesterday at the Good Samar- itan Hospital. He had been {ll three weeks as a result of uremic pois- complicated by heart attacks. Head for 26 years of the Board of Temperance, Prohibition and Public Morals of the Methodist Episcopal {Church, he threw the full force of | work, particularly the fight to ob- tain national prohibition and the a dynamic personality into reform subsequent struggle to retain it. For 20 years of this term from his | ofice in the Methodist Building, al- most within the shadow of the Capitol, in Washington, D. C., and on speaking tours to all parts of the I'country, he waged an unflagging | campaign against liquor, gambling and vice. To charges that he was injuring the prestige of his church and of religion generally by “mixing in CLARENCE TRUE WILSON politics,” he replied that it was the business of the church to fight for laws safeguarding the moral wel- fare of the people. “To imagine that Christianity can fulfill its functions and the church carry on its work without ever touching things of a civic nature is to dream of unrealities,” he said. Was a Republican A Republican, Dr. Wilson sup- ported Herbert Hoover in the 1928 Presidential campaign against Al- fred E. Smith, whom he called a “wet nullifier of the constitution.” But in 1932, when President Hoover was running against Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dr. Wilson created a furore at the Ohio conference of his church when he denounced Hoover as a “deserter from the dry forces the first day he was elected.” He said he was going to vote for Norman Thomas, Socialist eandidate for President. He announced later, however, that he had withdrawn his support of Thomas upon learn- ing there was a “wet” plank in the Socialist platform. Dr. Wilson caused a minor sensa- tion in 1931 when he urged Presi- dent Hoover to call out the marines | to enforce adnerence by New York|joring in the rich citrus districts. and New Jersey to the prohibition | amndment. That same year he be- came the storm center of another controversy when he was quoted by | the press as saying that at the Detroit convention of the American Legion “numbers of staggering drunks disgraced the uniform and yelled for beer.” Personal Friend, Darrow Away from the prohibition arena, i e MY (Continued on Page Five) WASHINGTON, Feb. 17. — The Treasury Department has asked Congress to authorize $2,- 733,000 for a Coast Guard base air station in Alaska, also con- struction of three new Coast Guard cutters, costing $9,000,- 000 and the acquisition of 15 seaplanes costing $2,490,000. Secretary of Treasury Mor- genthau said the facilities would be in the “interest of National Defense.” The station would be built at a site to be selected by the Treasury Department as “deemed the most advantageous to serve the interests of the Coast Guard and National De- fense.” Secretary Morgenthau wrote to Congress: “The need for a Ceast Guard air station in Al- aska is urgent. The extensive and important seal and fish- eries resources of the Govern- ment require it. Law enforce- ment requires it. This has been forcefully emphasized by the recent encroachments upon our salmon fisheries. This makes it imperative the Coast Guard ° must have air facilities along the Alaskan Coast.” Fifteen seaplanes would serve the proposed Alaska station, and other bases. The Secretary said ‘the three cutters would replace obsolete vessels. ——,,—— NAVAL BASE SOUGHT FOR WRANGEL IL. Complete Protection for Alaska Predicted with Four Stations WASHINGTON, Feb. 17. — Representative Melvin J. Maas, of Minnesota, senior Republican on the House Naval Committee, has introduced a bill for the es- tablishment of a Naval Air Base on Wrangel Island. Senator Robert R.Reynolds, of North Carolina, will also intro- duce a similar measure in the Senate. Bases are proposed now at Unalaska, Kodiak and Sitka, and Representative ' Maas as- serted that another Naval Air Base on Wrangel Island will “give Alaska complete Naval air protection.” WIND SWEEPS ‘S0. CALIFORNIA FOR TWO DAYS Two Persomre Killed- Properfy Damage in Cifrus Belt Large LOS ANGELES, Cal, Feb. 17. Raging winds which have lashed Southern California for two days, diminished in intensity today, leav- ing two persons dead, a score in- jured, and an unestimated property damage, much of it apparently cen- Robert Walker, aged 10 years, was killed as he attempted to cross a highway, by an automobile whose driver said his vision was obstruct- ed by dust. Alfronso Guirrez, 26, WPA worker, was killed when struck by a heavy plank which the wind carried 75 feet. CUTTER HAIDA IS NOW. MAKING INVESTIGATION Clear Weafi, with Un- limited Visibility, Is Aiding fiar(hers Trailing patches of oil offered some hope today that the lost Marine Airways plane may be rest- ing in deep water off Grand Island. Flying low over the section early today, pllot Tony Schwamm of Petersburg Air Service saw what appeared to be ofl slick streaming about 150 yards in a northwest di~ rection from a northerly nclnt ofl Grand Island. . It was over this niooohh il’C formation last Sunday that Lon Cope was last heard. At 2:15 o'clock on that day he reported his posi- tion as “opposite Grand Island” with five passengers aboard. The United States Coast Guard cutter Haida steamed to the scene of the oil discovery and at a late hour was investigating the source. Water depth here is estimated at approximately 600 feet.' First indication of the oil was seen yesterday, perhaps a mile from where viewed this morning. Haida Informed At 11:30 o'clock this morning Schwamm again discerned the slick and proceeded down Stephens Pas- sage to contact the cutter Haida which was plowing a wake through smooth wated, headed south. The pilot dropped beside the ship amd requested that a small boat be fi overside. To the officer in charge of n. surf boat he relayed the informa- tion and soon after the Haida came about and proceeded to the locality as sketched by Schwamm. The Haida reached there at ap- proximately 12:15 o'clock and launched into an extensive scru- 'uny of the spot. Grapple hooks may be used in an endeavor to salvage “something” from beneath the water, Probably “Fed” According to Schwamm it is pos« sible that the surface oll is being fed from some source, He saw no water craft around the section this morning, which may otherwise have accounted for the presence of the aiick through the dumping of bilge of A party of six skilers are cover= ing minutely the area off point Arden. Anchoraged off-shore in Doty’s Cove is the gasboat North Light, serving as base camp for the expedition. Yesterday the party covered down the beach from Doty's Cove towards Station Point. They stayed until after dark, being picked up by the gashoat tender with the aid of flashlight. Two Parties Out ~ Two parties went out from the craft this morning and are equipped to stay out overnight if necessary. They are not using skiis or snow- shoes. In the expedition which plans to return early Sunday are Ernie Par- son, Rod Darnell, Bert Caro, Nor- man Banfield, Lee Prescott, Bert Smelcer. In the gasboat today keep- ing watch are Nels Lundin and Herman Acton. Alex Holden, flying high over snow-capped peaks with Martin Feist, has been out most of the day seeking and searching. Shell Simmons was off this It is estimated that 2500 trees morning with Jack Littlepage, Paul have been blown down in various cities. (Continued on Page Eight) Pk | i i i & i ; ,f i B At LR Y AL R