The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 19, 1940, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASK VOL. LVIL, NO. 8598. 5. WILL SPEED UP DEFENSE PROGRAM Hitler Sending Forces to Aid Mussolint FIFTY ARMY GENERALS WATCH SHOW JUNKERS CROSSING ADRIATIC Huge Boml@flyinq Re- inforcements to I! Duce’s Lines BRENNER PASS LINE CHOKED, NAZI GUNS Swiss Papefi?éporls Ger- man Divisions Pour- ing Info Ifaly (By Associated Press) Germany is reported to have come to the active aid of Italy with fleets of Nazi transport planes shuttling Italian reinforcements across the Adriatic Sea to the Albanian bat- tlefront. Military sources from the Yugo- v-Ttalian frontier said urgent pleas from Mussolini to Hitler re- sulted in Hitjer's sending huge Junkers planes to carry out the aerial reinforcement. [} At the same time, dispatches fr Basel, unconfirmed in either Rome or Berlin, quoted the newspaper Le Democrat of Delemont - as saying freight and civilian traffic has been | suspended on the Brenner Railway | Line to permit passage of German divisions enroute to Italy. Meanwhile, Italian troops were re- | ported abandoning three key towns in the Balkan conflict. | Dispatches from the fighting front i (Continued on Page Four) | 1 WASHINGTON— Toughest prob-i lem facing the next Congress will be whether to open up the gates of American dollar credits to the| beleaguered British, as suggested today by the President. And whether the solons on Cap-| itol Hill want to admit it or not,| real fact is that the situation ex- isting in the country today is almosti identical with that on the eve of | American entrance into the first| World War, as far as loans to Great Britain are concerned. At that time—1916—J. P. Morgan and the big bankers were accused of getting us into war to protect the lcans they already had made to England. Probably much more im- portant, however, was the fact that American industry was geared to a tremendous pitch as a result of British orders, and the defeat of | Britain ‘would have brought chaos to industry. Today, likewise, U. S. industry is so tied up with British business that depression would hit like a ton of bricks after either British defeat or the exhaustion of British funds. This, of course, is looking at the question purely from the hard-boil- ed material viewpoint, and without taking into consideratiun the ‘wide- spread sympathy of the American public for the British. This, in it- self, probably is sufficient to induce the lifting of the Johnson Act. BRITISH GOLD Actually the British will be able to order war supplies in the United | States for at least six months with-; out feeling a bit pinched. For when the war broke out, Britain's total resources which could be used in the United States (gold stocks, dol- lar balances, negotiable investments) totaled about five billion dollars. To Regain Albanian Throne? King Zog, refuree ruler of Albania, his wife, Queen Geraldine, and the:r son, Crown Prince Alexander, leave their London residence for s stroll beiween Nazi air raids. There is a possibility he may regain his throne ¢ Greece continues her successes against Italy and drives the Fascists {vom Albania. lfalians in Precarious Situation, Bardia Secfor; British Bombard .(oasl, GREW IN DEBATE: NIPPONS Ambassador Tells Off Tokyo Minister Be- fore Diners TOKYO, Dec. 19.—Foreign Min- ister Matsuoka pleaded today with the United States to stay out of the war lest the world face “Armaged- don,” and then heard U. S. Ambas- sador Grew take quick exception to his statement that the “fate of China is large a question of Am- erican sentiment.” Ambassador Grew made several points in his remarks after he had listened attentively to Matsuoka's address before the American-Japan- ese Society, holding a farewell lunch- eon honoring Admiral Nomura, new Japanese Ambassador to the United States. Matsuoka said, “The fate of China is largely a question of sentiment for the American, but to us it is a truly vital issue affecting the very existence of our Empire.” Grew answered, “I think I must relieve the minister of his misappre- icans in China is largely sentiment. al” At another point, Matsuoka said, “We believe we have a great mis- sion as a civilizing and stabilizing force.and we stand for peace and order. We shut the door to none of any mations who desire to take a hand in the task. All are welcome.” Grew remarked, “I am glad to learn that in this Japanese program the door is shut nowhere to none British purchases during the first year of the war were $1,800,000,000, ! which leaves a sizeable balance on hand, However, war purchased for the current year have Wd’up to. dre ToRbidden to; vote in 38 states. —eeeeee and this program envisages no con- quest, mo_oppression, no exploita- tion.” —eeo———— hension that the interest of Amer- | | (By Associated Press) A PBritish communique from Cairo today said the situation of the Ital- ! ians still fighting in the Bardia sec- tor “can now be regarded as pre- carious.” . The communique asserted Italian rear guard forces are trapped, with their only exit by way of Tobruk, which city is now under aerial bom- bardment. The British Admiralty reported jalmost daily bombardment attacks |are being carried out on Italian | positions along the Egyptian-Libyan .coast by units of the British fleet in support of the land offensive. A Royal Air Force communique said today at least 18 Italian planes | | were destroyed in the British raid | on Benina Airdrome last night. PILO | | 15 BUSY " ON LOCKHEED RUN UP TAKU Shell Simmons and Alex Holden | took turns flying the AAT Lockheed today to the Polaris-Taku mine. Four trips were made with mail, | passenger8 and general freight, landing in a narrow lead in the river ice at the landing. | However, river water is low, tem- | peratures are continuing downward, |and it was believed that after today, |airmen would have to revert to | wheels and the airfield again after | three days of mid-winter landing | on the Taku River, ARSI 5 L. | | NEW YORK, Dec. 19. — Closing | quotation of Alaska Juneau mine |stock today is 5'%, American Can 186%, Anaconda 25%, Bethlehem {Steel 847%, Commonwealth and |Southern %, Curtiss Wright 8%, |General Motors 49%, International | | Harvester 52, Kennecott 35%, New | York Central 13, Northern Pacific 6, United States Steel 67%, Pound $4.04. DOW, JONES AVE! The following a¥e ’s Dow, , 128,84; [Prime Min@r Churchill | modern equality.” | Eden Patterson “4LL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1940. ENGLANDIS PREPARED; | INVASION Declares Beaches Are Ably Defended AFRICAN CAMPAIGM IS REMARKABLE ONE | War Minister Eden Makes His Official Report to House of Commons (By Associated Press) British Prime Minister Churchill told the House of Commons today that Great Britain is “still only half armed” but he predicted that early in 1941 “we will find oppor- tunities for using our forces in other theatres of war on terms of While warning the nation of a| new threat, the German invasion | of the British Isles is still a su- preme danger, Churchill declared | that “we are not afraid of any blow as our defense of our beaches is complete.” announcement of War Minister| that Great Britain's forces in North Africa captured 30,000 Italians up to December 16 against odds of three, four and five to War Minister Eden, in a short! talk to the House of Commons, said the success of the eleven-day cam-| paign in North Africa against ter- | rific odds has few parallels of such/ achievement in the whole history| of war.” Eden said the British forces suf-| i fered in the eleven-day campaign; only 1,000 soldiers, killed, wounded or missing. Churchill declared that Hitler needs to “do something now, or at any rate within the next two months,” therefore the German in- vasion is still Great Britain’s su- preme danger. Churchill also said that among the captured Italians in the Afri-| can campaign were 1626 officers ranging from Generals down the| line, ; Churchill intimated that the present tapering off of the Ger-| man air siege of the British Isles| might mean “preparation for some| other form of activity against Eng-| land.” He acknowledged that bad weather might be the chief factor for the quieting of the air raids. e ,,— Appointed, New Office WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.—Robert | Patterson of New York, now Assist-| ant Secretary of War, has been| nominated by President Roosevelt | as Wnder Secretary of War. The new position was created by a hill approved by the President recently. BiG COPPER BUY BY U. §. WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.—Federal | Loan Administrator Jesse Jones| announced the purchase today of 100,000 tons of Latin-American cop- per on a basic rate of 10 cents a pound. The companies from which the copper will be purchased are large- ly American copper companies op- erating in Latin America. Anaconda will sell 57,000 tons, American Metal, 10,000, Phelps Jones averages: Indus rails, 27.09; utilitles, 1881, Dodge 5,000, Kennecott 28,000, Churchiil repeated the previous|§ one. |5 EMPIRLE MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS —_——— ] Fifty generals, cream of the commanding officers of the United States National Guard, packed the grand- stands at the huge infantry school at Fort Benring, Ga., to listen to lectures and view demonstrations— all part of an extensive “yefresher” course aimed to kep the commanders abreast of military developments. Théir first ten-hour workday concentrated on use of troops in chemical warfare. This picture shows the Maneuver details were pointed out by instructors chieftains being instructed ir: the on the large map in front of the grandstand. ! A schoofboy from England’s exclusive Harrow school, wearing the tra- ditional school Aat, is shown with the incendiary bomb cases he collected ! for souvenirs after putting out fires started by German bombers om the school >Hero of Han:(;ving' Réid : use of smoke screens. grounds. 10 STOP LABOR STRIKES IN DEFENSE INDUSTRIES; C(ONGRESS By JACK STINNETT WASHINGTON, Dec. 19.—It isn't always true that even the noisiest congressional observers can smell a new law coming. The distance from the point where new legis- lation is introduced to the point where it is written on the statute books is no straight line and even if it were, it would be too great for mortal eyesight. But when bills directed at a single subject begin to drop into the hopper like ticker-tape on a New York hero and when speech- es on the particular subject begin to" sizzle into white heat, you can be pretty sure that Congress Iis blowilg a note you are going to keep hearing. That is just what has been hap- pening in the House of Represen- tatives, and the subject has been: Putting a stop to labor strikes in defense industries. Rep. Howard W. Smith, conser- vative ' Virginia Democrat, chair- man of the committee to inves- tigate the National Labor Rela- tions Board, and author of the NLRB«amendments which passed the . House two-to-one, is also the author of one of the new bills de- signed to elimjnate strikes in de' fense industry. Mr, Smith was one of the mild l CERTAINTOACT est to take the floor in the present| round of denunciation, but speak-| ing of recent strikes in the alumi-| num and airplane industries, he did get worked up enough to ask| the House: “Now, does it strike you as significant that this little| handful of radical ‘reds’ in these| various key matters have been, able to absolutely stop the pro-| duction - of necessary and essential materials in two of the most im-| portant things this country has to| deal with?” | And he drew a generous round lof applause when he concluded | with: “I just urge the Congress| again to wake up and get out of| I the class of Rip Van Winkle and| let us do something about it.” | i | OTHERS SPEAK OUT | Judge Hatton W. Sumners, chair- man of the Judiciary Committee,| to which the Smith bill will go for report to the House, is about as| quiet-tempered and dignified as Representatives come, but He start-| led his colleagues by declaring an- grily that the country is afflicted with “a bunch of cutthroats” who are doing “a dastardly thing” and “preaching force” and that they ‘ought to be given a double dose l (Copynucd on Page Six) Army Ship fis Marion Six men were killed in the crash | of a Boeing B-17 four-motored |and Willam Knudsen, Industrial Army bomber into Marion Moun- | Production Chief of the Defense tain in the San Bernardino Na-.COmmission. BRITAIN'S ~ AID PLAN UNDERWAY Nearly Three Billions in Contracts Now Being i Negotiated ENGLAND GETTING 60 FREIGHT SHIPS | Will Pay Cash for BigFleet -High Command May Be Set_@ Here | WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, — The Roosevelt Administration has au- thoriZed the British government to { negotiate for new war material contracts at once, possibly totalling $3,000,000. Simultaneously the Administra- tion considered establishing a “High Command” defense program. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau, in disclosing White House approval of the negotiations, | said - no - British - contracts will. be actually signed until Congress acts | on Roosevelt's “lease-lending” plan. 1t was . discloséd, however, the British are contracting now for 60 merchant ships which will 'be pald for in ¢ash and therefore'do | not have to awalt approval of the presidential program. Meanwhile, ft whs disclosed the President -has under consideration | at least four or five plans for in- | Jecting speed to the defense pro- | gram. One plan involves a proposal to establish a “High Command” pro- gram headed by Secretary of War Stimson, Secretary of Navy Knox, | | CRASHES, SIX MEN KILLED | Mountain in National Forest Section MARCH FIELD, Cal, Dec. 19.— tional Forest. | The bomber crashed, exploded | RSN Y L i and then burned. The bomber was on a practice flight on the 6,000-foot level of| the mountain. Ground witnesses said the bomb- er circled the mountain first with None Injured, But Freight- er Goes fo Beach- Arkansas Unhurt Mc- the motors missing. The Army men killed are: First Lieutenant Harold Turner. Reservist with six years’ flying ex- perience, of Iowa. Copilot Donald War of Los An- geles, First Lieutenant Vernon Cauley of Riverside, Cal. Engineer Sergeant Thomas Sweet of Riverside, Cal. Assistant Engineer Corporal Frank Jirac of Salem, Ore. Radioman Private James Sessions| NEW YORK, Dec. 19.—The 26,- of Bishee, Ariz. 000-ton battleship Arkansas, and R the freighter Melrose, a fifth her size, collided in the dark hours of early morning off the Jersey coast | today, damaging the smaller vessel |so badly she had to be beached | after limping 40 miles towards, New | York Harbor. | The crash occurred off Seagirt at 3 am, None of the personnel | aboard either ship were injured BERLIN, Dec. 1,—DNB reported in a Helsinki dateline that former ::;:) t};er A;_I:m:;:: t‘h: o:g::&:“:‘:; President Kallio of Finland died practically undamaged . of a heart attack after collapsing | Capt. Tubbs of the Mek ia in the street before his home. altho‘n’:éh the wenmeer ;:u :l:“ The German dispatch said Risto i Ryti, acting President, since Iast'flnd the water smooth, the grey summer, was today elected Presl-i c_olor of the battleships was decep= dent 1o miscsed Kallio, | tive and he had not realized how | close the vessels. were until they | bumped, 2ND TIME DEAD | Reports several weeks ago had| IHe said the Arkansas scraped the told of Kallios “death,” and the Port side of the Melrose, crack- later news would seem to indicate N8 some plates below the water the firs theart attack had no been | !ine. fatal. | ELECTRAS ON INTERIOR RUN| 4 S L . | Louisiana calls them “parishes” | instead of “counties.” Two passengers flew north with a PAA Electra to Fairbanks today | the Interior aboard another PAA ship, and Alfred Nilima, Coming in were| Mrs. Mary Oman, G. McGregor, and four persons are due in from Flying north were E. S. Donmn'l( Irving Thiel and Mrs. M. I Lien. |