The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, October 29, 1940, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIR VOL LVL, NO. 8555. “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” ————— JUNEAU, ALASKA, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1940. MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS OVER 6,000 HOLD FIRST DRAFT NUMBER Germany Is Massing Force Against DEFENSE OF Steamer Aleska Refloated 'NATION, URGE - From Rocky Beach; Moved NAZI MOVE IS AIMED AT SOVIET Seventy Divisions Report- ed fo Have Been Mov- ed Info Balkan Area ITALY, GREEK FORCES ARE LOCKED IN BATTLE Key Point?fi Mountain Passes Guarded as Brit- ish Aid Is Given 1\550(‘1'\TFD PRESS) any has massed a striking 70 Div! 250,000 soldiers, in the Blankan area to prevent possible Russian in- terference with her plans, military ts report, while Greece is stubbornly fighting to stave off the Italian thrust in southeast Europe. Military many has steadily moved troops into the Balkan trouble zone ever since | France fell, singing the ancient war | “We Will Throw Them Into Sea.” Greek Reservists Active Thousands of Greek reservists have rushed to bolster the Mex- (By he taxas line in the mountain passes in northern Greece. Conflicting reports give an un- certain picture of the 24-hour old fighting between Italy and Greece. Rome claims that the vanguard of the Italian troops, estimated at 200,000 soldiers along the Albanian- Greek frontier, have broken through (Continued on Page Six) % Robert S.Alles D 60 WASHINGTON — Nothing been said about it publicly, but the Defense Commission has persuaded the Army to make a revolutionary change in its purchasing methods. It will mean juicy orders to hun- dreds of factories which never had| a look in before. The new system junks the old procedure of advertised bids and substitutes a modified plan of ne- gotiated contracts. Instead of buy- ing shoes, shirts, or raincoats in huge quantities from a few large concerns, the Army will purchase these goods as far as possible with- in each of the nine corps areas. This means that small local fac- tories will have a chance to obtain a chunk of the Army’s business. The new procedure works this way: When the Army needs 1,- 000,000 pairs of shoes, it will not ask for bids on the total order, upon which only a few of the big- gest firms can bid. Instead, the Procurement Divisions of ‘the nine Army Corps areas will each ask manufacturers in their districts to submit a bid on as large an order as they can fill within a specified time. The manufacturer must also make a statement on the size of his plant, type of equipment, num- ber of employees, wage levels, work- ing conditions, about his methods. At corps headquarters these of- fers are opened on a given day and hour, but not publicly as in the past. Instead, the quoted prices will be kept confidential until the or- ders have been allocated. Each corps abstracts the bids submitted and makes a report o the Quartermaster General n Washington, There the awards are| decided on the basis of lowest price —plus considerations of speed of delivery, labar standards, local conditions and other military fac- (Continued on Page Four) ions, estimated at| experts assert that Ger- has | and other details BRITAIN RUSHING NEW AID London Quarters Say3 Greece fo Get Help in Broadest Sense AXIS COUNTRIES GET NEWS TODAY 'Romans and Greeks Baftle | with Arfillery on New i Front of War (By Associated Press) | Military informants in London re- port today that Great Britain is hurrying “military assistance to Greece in the wildest sense of the term.” It is said, however, that reports | of British troops being landed on the Isle of Crete were merely in all probability circulated by the enemy to justify the Italian actions. | Action along the Greek-Albanian | {border, according to reports received | lin London, were mostly restricted to | |artillery duels, with the Greeks re- |portedly retiring in some instances from posts. Nazi Public Informed ! For the first time, the Italian and | | German public have been permitted | at least an inkling of information on the situation. Hitler’s controlled press disclosed | that Italy had served an ultimatum on Greece and that the ultimatum had been delivered at three o'clock | yesterday morning. | Germans had been kept in the |dark and the new battlefront of the | Rome-Berlin Axis actually developed |in Rome where Mussolini’'s command gave the first official announcement of the invasion in a terse com- munique devoting exactly twenty- four words to Italian troop actions. | British Occupation | A dispatch in the Rome news- I’paper 11 Piccolo, dated Athens, said | the British occupied the air base of | Crete several weeks ago and also were equipping naval and air bases | on the Greek Cyclades, islands near | the Italian Dodecanese islands, in | the eastern Mediterranean. The dispatch also said, “an in- | visible network of British officers from the fleet and the Royal Air, Force has spread all over Greece.” It Is Open Season on Road Signs SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Oct. 29. —The deer and duck hunting sea- sons are not welcomed by the Cali- fornia State Automobile Associa- tion, which erects the official road signs. The period is regularly marked by extensive damage to signs. The as- sociation offers a standing reward for identification of guilty marks- men, U. S. Minister fo (anada Pays Visit To City of Toronfo TORONTO, Oct. 29, — United States Minister to Canada Jay P. Moffatt, has been given a civic | reception here and presented with | the golden Key to the city by the Mayor and City councilmen. ———————— PADGET RETURNS Quincy Padget, of the Post Of- fice Staff in Juneau, who has been vacationing in the States, returned to Juneau aboard the North Sea. THEY DECLARED WAR King Geerge II (right) of Greece, ELECTION YEAR IS LONGEST SINCE 1888; (ONGRESS SPENDING ThirdTerm Is Subject For Willkie 6.0.P. Nomnee for Presi-| dent Just Talks About F.D.R. Reelection LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oect. 29. Wendell L, Willkie, making an ad- dress last night to a crowd of Ken- tuckians and which was broadcast. declared that the two-term tradi- tion is the “common law of the United States” and that “Roose- velt's reelection will mean the de- struction of our two Parties.” The speaker said “the American people will know what it means to repeal the law against the third term, It means the destruction of our two-party system. It means the complete mastery of us all by a single party and that party will be under the order of a single man. The Democratic Party—the real Democratic Party—is thus faced this year with a dilemna. “Registered Democrats must de- cide whether they are going to ad- here to the principles of the Demo- cratic Party or submit to the un- principled rule of its New Deal kid- napers.” Norway Faces Tough Winter —_— | STOCKHOLM, Oct. 29.—Swedcs sponsoring a drive for 700 tons of| clothing for needy Norwegians,de-| clare 30,000 are without homes as a result of the war and may be compelled to spend the winter in tents and roughly constructed huts. | | Bridges Now On Visit, Washingfon | WASHINGTON, Oct, 29. — CIO| _West Coast Chief Harry Bridges ‘has arrived here but it s not known whether he is to visit ‘With John |, L. Lewis during his brief stay in the ‘national capital. OFROOSEVELT Presldeni Charqes Repub- | licans with 'Sabotage’ 1 of U. S. Plans Info Deep Water by 2 Tugs KETCHIKAN, Alaska, Oct. 29.— | Steamer Alaska, which ran on the | rocky beach at Francis Point, Elliott Island, shortly after 12 o'clock Sun- ! day morning, was refloated at high ‘ worried over $300,000 in gold bullion about 11:15 | destined for the Seattle Assay Office tide this forenoon, craped in sliding off the rocks, cording to information received from :(l\(’ Cyane. The underwriters, it is said, are | PRAISE 1S GIVEN T0 o'clock. from the Alaska Juneau Gold Min- | Two powerful tugs from Prince ing Company mine at Juneau. The Russia FDR SAYS ARMY FOR DEFENSE Stimson Pulls Out Historic | Little Blue Capsule Shortly After Noon PACKED AUDITORIUM Rupert, pulied the Alaska off the bullion is in three sacks weighing |in [ (Continued on Page Seven) ‘Declares Army and Air - Corps Must Be Brought | Up for §afeiy NEW YORK, Oct. 29.—President Franklin D, Roosevelt, broadcasting | his major political address from Madison Square Garden last night,| accused the Republican leaders, who| are now complaining about national defenses being neglected, of re- ! peatedly attempting “sabotage” of the past efforts of the Administra-| tion to “increase defenses.” | The President said: “I now brand | as false, the statements now being| made by Republican campaign ora- tors, day after day and night after night, that rearming of Americans is slaw, that it is hamstrung nnd impeded, and that it will never be\ able to meet the threats from abroad.” | The President said that the al- | ternative to his reelection would, be risking the future of the Na-| tion “In inexperienced hands of| acting on the advice of Dictator Premier John Metaxas (left) issued an ultimatum turning down the Axis demand for his abdication, land and bases acquirement and severance of trade relations with Britain and then issued a declaration of war cn Italy and the fight was on. SESSION By ALEXANDER R. GEORGE AP Feature Service Writer b those who in these perilous days are willing and recklessly implying WASHINGTON, Oct, 20. — The that our boys are already on their| 76th Congress started its 1940 grind as a “brief, budget-minded” session but it has turned out to be the un- challenged No. 1 spender in U. S. peacetime history. Originally figured to come to a close in June, the session has con- | tinued later into the fall than any a general election year since way to the transports.” Republican Timidity The President did not refer oy name to Willkie, who recently said | that if the President’s peace prom- | ises are no better than some others, | then the boys might as well be on| transports. ‘ The President called the*Republi- \ 1888. | can leadership record the “same Five months ago, economy-mind-|record of timidity, weakness and ed members voiced apprehension at| shortsightedness which governed the | prospective total appropriations for| policy of confused reactionary Gov-| the year of $7,780,000,00. |ernments in France and England Came the conquest of France. before the war.” | Congress started voting speedy Our Navy and Army and almost unanimous approval| President Roosevelt said that “to- of billions for defense. Appropriations for will run around day our Navy is at the peak of ef- the session ficiency and fighting strength, ship $17,000,000,000.| for ship and man for man. It is| Previous peacetime mark was as powerful and efficient as any $13,351,000,00 set by the same that ever sailed the seas in . the Congress at its session last year. | history of the world. Highest In 1918 “Our Army and Air Forces are Highest wartime mark was $27-|now at the highest they have ever 065,000,000 voted by 50th Con- been in peacetime but in the light gress in 1918, | of existing dangers they are not Scme $12,000,000,000 will go for: great enough for absolute safety of national defense. This does not in-| Americans.” clude future expenditures for the Charge Against GOPers ‘Conunued on Page Seven® two-ocean navy authorized by Con-| President Roosevelt charged that| arranged-for defense outlay to| about $16,000,000,000. | | | provide for military and naval‘SABoTAGE | equipment ranging from buttons| flying fortresses. From June 1 to October 1, Con- rate of $82,536 a minute for every minute, night and day. history by ordering the mobiliza- tion of military manpower on a e . . peacetime. (Claim Is Made Explosive The conscription law called for! Found on Vessel Carry- 00,000 men—every eighth person| in the country—for selective mili- More Income Taxes PANAMA CITY, Oct. 29.—Crew The defense tax law, designed members of the transport Republic | the heaviest Federal tax load on with a time bomb was frustrated | U. 8. citizens since the World War. soon afer the vessel left San Fran- with small incomes will become public was loaded with 3,008 soldiers Federal taxpayers next March 15. and passengers. “super-tax” of 10 percent is added.|tected a “queer smell” as the ship Congress also boosted by 10 per- was just out of San Francisco. He | tobacco, liquor, autos, tires, ra- hold which was found to be loaded dios, etc. | with nearly two quarts of nitrogly- graduated tax of 25-to-50 percent overboard. s Army authorities declined to make gress which would bring the total Thirty-odd legislative measures| to battleships and from forks m: gress voted defense funds at the The 176th Congress also made| ARMY s"lp scale heretofore unapproached in the registration of more than 16,- ing 3,000 U.S. Soldiers tary service. to raise $1,006,000,000 a year, puts said an attempi 0 wiow up the shuu An additional 2,050,00 persons| cisco for the Canal Zone. The Re- | Exemptions are reduced and a| H. F. Dodd, Master of Arms, de- cent most of the excise taxes—on discovered a smoking box in the A “no-war-millionaires” law puts| cerine. He threw the smoking box lany comment. FIGHTING SEA FORCES rocky beach, the cutter Cyane re- porting the event to the Coast Guard | | Headquarters here. now anchored in deep water off there under her own steam. It is undecidea wnere the Alaska will go next as it must be ascer- tained if the bulkheads are sound and how badly the bottom was a total of 200 pounds. The Alaska's passengers, taken to The Alaska is | Prince Rupert by the rescue ship here nearby Kennedy Island, proceedmg | aboard the steamer Yukon and were | transferred to the Aleutian, now en- North Coast, were brought route south to Seattle. The mail aboard the Alaska 15 on the North Coast, due in Seattle | tomorrow morning. RAF BOMBS NAZI AREAS NIGHT TIME Desiruthve Attacks Report- | ed-German-Planes Bagged Today LONDON, Oct. 29.—Large British fighter squadrons bagged eleven Nazi fighters during interception of four attempted raids on London today. The Air Ministry also announces | that last night the Royal Afr Force carried out destructive attacks on | Germany and German-occupied ter- |ritory, striking = especially heavy | blows at oil plants in Hamburg and | Cologne. The Air Ministry communique said | that the air force also scored direct hits in and around the Dueschewerke | shipyards. Meanwhile heavy British bombers |attacked the heavily defended naval base at Wilhelmshaven, striking in waves for nearly an hour. The high explosive bombs dropped were seen to burst on dock sides and barracks. Bombs were dropped in the gaso- line storage area of the naval fort at Emden. An oil refinery at Hamburg was the object of a second attack on the major German seaport. Fires were started at the Hamburg refinery and at another oil plant at Cologne. GERMAN RAIDS REPORTED BERLIN, Oct. 29.—The German news service claims today that a bomb dropped by a low-flying Nazi bomber wrecked a British troop transport train today near Dun- geness, Scotland. The agency said that a bomb dropped by the plane hit the locomotive of the transport train and exploded. Cars behind the locomotive were derailed and tele- | scoped in a tangled mass of wreck- age. Several cars were said to have hurtled down a railroad embank- ment. The Nazi news agency said that German bombers also carried out several attacks gn London today. Buildings were wrecked and fires started by incendiary bombs in sev- eral districts. Several ships have | been struck by bombs and seriously |damaged by a bombing attack on | the port of Ramsgate. The German |news agency said that one British plane was shot down in an aerial engagement over England, while Nazi fliers suffered no losses today. ——————— To Ban French from| Lisiening fo British Broadcasts; Penalties VICHY, Oct. 20—A resShution has| been introduced in Council forbid- ding French citizens to listen to apy British radio broadcasts under heavy penalties, PASSENGERS OFF ALASKA HEAD SOUTH Rumored Crew. Members Smashed Cameras fo Prevent Picfure Taking KETCHIKAN, Alaska, Oct. 29.— Passengers from the wrecked liner Alaska are headed southward again aboard the steamer Aleutian, leat ing here at 2:30 o'clock this after- noon after an enthusiastic welcome )y a crowd of around 500 cheering First City folk who swarmed on! 1 roped off dock. The shipwrecked passengers arc none the worse after their Elliott Island experience except Mabel Knudsen and Jack Coffey, both going to Seattle from Kodiak. The two injured their ankles going from the lifeboats to the island shore after the wreck and X-rays were .taken here. X-rays were also taken of Mrs. R. V. Galloway of Cordova, who was heading south for an opera- tion. No Confusion “There was little confusion or fright when the Alaska struck, because the passengers didn't real- Connor, Department of Labor of- ficial said. O’Connor declared passengers left so hastily that some went bare- footed in their night clothes, and a girl about five years old had not a stitch of clothing, although she| was soon wrapped in blankets. Rocks on the beach were slippery with oil from the receding tide and were covered with a carpet of blankets to furnish a path to the beach, An unconfirmed report was heard here that personnel of the Alaska smashed cameras of passengers try- ing to photograph the landing and permitted no cameras ashore. Bernice Berg, of Seattle, return- ing from Port Vita, entertained on the beach with an accordion. Political Political addresses slated for this afternoon or evening, Pacific Coast time, are as follows: Norman Thomas, NBC, 4:30 o'- clock this afternoon. Ambassador ning. | Al Smith, CBS, 6:30 o'clock this evening. NBC, 7:30 o'clock this evening. Browder, evening. ize the possible seriousness of the situation until daylight,” John 0‘—‘ Broadcasts Kennedy, mystery | speech, CBS, 6 o'clock this eve-| Willkie questions and answers, WITNESSES DRAWING |Mother in Audlence Hears Sons Called - Actor James Stewart Up WASHINGTON, Oct. 26.—An esti- mated 6,175 men holding the draft seriul number 158 will be the first wcnlled up for military service in the Nsuons unprecedented peace-time ‘ The number 158 was first drawn |in today’s historic draft lottery. | Secretary of War Henry Stimson drew it from the big glass bowl at 12:16 p. m., Pacific Standard Time, a minute or so after President | Roosevelt made the opening speech, declaring the purpose of raising a draft army is for “defense of our freedo Stnndln( on a platform in the large Inter-Departmental Auditor- ium, Roosevelt told the audience, which exceeded the seating capacity of 1,300, that “Only the strong may continue to live in freedom and peace.” Numbers Drawn Stimson, blindfolded, was lead to the bowl where he dipped his hand ‘ into the glass bowl filled with var- ious call numbers put separately into cohalt blue capsules in order that no two numbers would be drawn at one time. Number two on the draft draw- ing, pulled out by Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, was announced by President Roosevelt as serial number 192. Number three serial number, drawn by Attorney General Robert Jack- son, was announced by President Roosevelt as 8239. Number four was drawn by Sec- retary of Navy Frank Knox. It was 6620. Secretary of Commerce Jesse F. Jones drew the fifth number, 6685. Each of the serial numbers under 200 or 300 and possibly higher. is held by 6,175 men, one man for each of the country’s 6,175 registration districts. Registration Exact figures for minimum regis- ‘uanon in all areas are not avail- nble. but officials estimated some sparsely settled rural counties would not contain more than a few hun- dred men. The largest registration area is |one in Maryland where registration | reached 7,836. All numbers above that figure are blanks, although registrants may be assigned to them as local draft boards find it necessary. The first number drawn today is 158, exactly 100 less than the first number drawn in the World War. Gets First Knowledge Parents of one Washington reg- istrant who held the figure 158 were | present at the auditorium. They were Mr, and Mrs. Harry Bell. He is a city fireman. His son | Robert is 21 and unmarried. | When the number was read by the | President, Mrs. Bell screamed. “I'm both proud and saddened,” she said later after she had gone up to the |platform and shaken hands with Clarence Dykstra, National Draft | Director. MOVIE BACHELOR DRAWN HOLLYWOOD, Oct. 29. — James Stewart, bachelor, was the first top ranking movie star whose number | was drawn in the draft call. Stewart’s number, 126, was 309th in the list of those drawn. He is a civilian pilot with many hours. | SWAPS ARE BACK Clifford Swap, wife and young son, returned to their Juneau home CBS, 7:45 o'clock this aboard the North Sea after several ! weeks in the States.