The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, February 13, 1942, Page 1

CONGRESSIOH WASHING™ “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LVIIL, NO. 8957. J UNEAU, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1942 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS NAZI WARSHIPS ESCAPE FROM BRITISH Singapor INVADERS KEEP UP | ATTACKS Reported Two and One-| half Miles from One Point of City ‘ OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS szvm% Civilians F‘i;;ing fr from Bombing Assaulf, Domei “Claims TOKYO, Feb. 13—Japanese tanks have penetrated the “camps” of | the British Imperial forces de- fending Singapore at a point a, little moredthan two miles north- | west of the city and along lhe‘ northern end .of the race course there, according to a Domei dis-| patch. The same dispatch reported “se- vere offensive and defensive opera- tions have been in full swing be- tween the Japanese and British troops since morning in the nor-| thern suburbs of Singapore City.” The British artillery is said to| be concentrating its fire on the| Japanese from the southern sector in an effort to check ‘the Japa- nese advances, also says Domei, and admits, with some success. Many civilians are reported flee- ing from the city to escape the Japanese bombing. | — e | STEVENSON GOES SOUTH Roger H. Stevenson, Operator-in- | Charge of the Juneau office of the Signal Corps, United States Army,| has left for the south on a brief | trip. i | | WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Mines Tecently received a phone call from an official of the OPM metals and minerals division asking about “brass mines.” “What are you trying to do, kid us?” said a BM expert. “What do you mean, kid you,” protested the OPM-er. “I'm serious, ‘We want to find out all we can about brass mines—how many there are in the country, where located and the total annual production of brass ore.” “Mister, we'd like awfully much to accommodate you,” was the flabber- gated reply. “But any schoolboy can tell you that there just is no such animal as a brass mine. Brass is an alloy made chiefly of copper and zinc.” “Oh,” was the startled gasp from the OPM end of the line. NOTE: Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee, David A. Uebelacker, chief of the copper section of the OPM materials division, admitted that he had no previous experience in the copper industry. “I came to the copper branch without any previous know- ledge,” he said, “other than what general knowledge the average per- son has.” Before coming to Wash- ington, Uebelacker was an engineer. LOUISIANA SENATOR Senator Allen J. Ellender was driving his car in the streets of om| | N0 WORRY S— e 3 I Priorities on rubber needn't af- fect pulchritude on the beaches next summer, if this new form- fitting bathing suit made with- out the benefit of rubber and 'modelhd by Aectress Alexis Smith, is any indication. Tt is made of rayon and moulds the feminine figure just as lastex suits used to do. RADIO SET MAKERS T0 SERVE GOVT Ultimatum —Is;_lssued that Plants Must Be Converted for War Production WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — The War Production Board today an-| nounced that the $200,000,000 radio manufacturing industry must con- vert its entire facilities to arms production within the next four months. If the conversion is not accom- plished within that period, the Board declared that as this notice is virtually an ultimatum, the Government will take over the un- converted plants, break up the or- ganization and shift the equip- ment and labor to “other parts of the economic program where it could be mobilized for war produc- tion.” The ultimatum was laid down, it is learned, at a meeting of the representatives of 55 radio set man- ufacturers by R. R. Guthrie, As- sistant Chief of the Board, Bureau of Industry Branches. - STOCK QUOTATIONS NEW YORK, Feb. 13 — Closing| quotation of Alaska Juneau mine| stock today is 2%, American Can U. 5. NAVY'S - ~ RAID CAUSES - BIG DAMAGE Recent Attack on Pacific | Islands Disastrous : fo Japanese f 'HEAVY TOLL TAKEN OF AIR, SEA FORCES :Vice-Admifalifialsey, I, Pulls Off Sudden As- sault by Fleet ! | i | WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — The | Navy Department announced last | night that the Pacific Fleet's raid on Marshall and Gilbert Islands, on February 1, destroyed a 17,000~ ton converted enemy aircraft car- rier of the Yawata class, one hghtf cruiser, one destroyeri: three large| tankers, two submarines, five car-| go vessels, three smaller ships, two large seaplanes, 15 fighter planes, 11 scout bombers, 10 other bomb-| ers, | Other Damages Several other ships were dam- aged and numerous shore installa- {tions -were .. destroyed, including docks, anti-aircraft batteries, air- fields and fuel dumps. | 1t is also aisclosed the Ameri-| can fleet consisted of aircraft car- riers, cruisers, and destroyers, com- manded by Vice Admiral William| Halsey, Jr., aged 59. | American Losses The American losses were less than 11 planes and few casualties. A small bomb struck one of the | raiding ships, Which was not dam-, aged severely. | The enemy suffered the heaviest | |losses at Kwajalien Island where a | GRUENING REBUKED BY BLAND Alaska Governor Ordered to Temper Govern- ment Criticism WASHINGTON, rep. 13 — Gov.| Ernest Gruening, testifying before the House Merchant Marine and| Fisheries Committee, today was| told by Chairman S. O. Bland (D.-| Va.) to be “more temperate” in! his criticism of government; agencies. i Gov. Gruening, declaring prompt | action is needed to aid Alaska and the Alaskan fishing industry, said high marine insurance rates threat- | ened the Territory and testified that the Maritime Commission re- cently granted 45 percent sur- charges to cover war expenses of | steamship companies. ! After the increase was granted, | a hearing was called, Gruening | peinted out, and termed the in- rease “unscientific and not justi- fied.” The subsequent hearingdem- onstrated the “Maritime Commis- sion went off half-cocked.” “In this war eiiort,” Bland ad- monished the Governor, “there are bound to be some mistakes made. You apparently think you have a right to abuse evervbady who makes a mistake, I think youshould | | be more temperate in your remarks | about other government agencies.” | Gruening urged the committee to| act to .coordinate wartime needs to| enable Alaska to get the food it requires. He testified he believed a| program could be worked out to! Rape case meet Alaskan shipping needs and at the same limv.? pyovide Lrsx.lspox'- Judge George F. Alexander ‘m_l figon of / mimitong. And, .sald l"’ipnscdv sentences this afternoon in believed the government ~should|y;ieq states District Court against provide war risk insurance for fish- ing boats and steamship lines in the Territory. After packing men ! \ and labor| | with ineest, Income Tax Col NotfoBe H lectors ard-Boiled; PaymentsMay Be Made By JACK STINNETT WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — If, come March 15, the size of your 1941 income tax knocks you for a loop, and you “just can't possibly pay it,” don’t blame the Treasury Department. It's no fault of theirs. Theoretically, actually, legally, or any other way you want to put it, the treasury is officially interested in HOW you pay your income tax. It is delegated only with seeing that you DO pay it. And the Treasury Department, through the courts, can send you to the hoosegow and slap on fat fines and penalties and a little in- terest if you don't. That is how the laws say it should be and the laws don't say anywhere that it is any worry on the treasury’s part as to how you raise those dollars to put on the barrel-head. As a matter of fact, this sketch of 8 SENTENCED FOR CRIMES . HERE TODAY Judge Alexander Imposes Heavy Penally in eight prisoners. He sentenced James B. Sullivan, who was charged rape and contributing to the deliquency of a minor, to |fleet was found consisting of. 10,5, representatives urged unifi-|life imprisonment in the peniten- |surface ships and five submarines.| | The seaplane base there was de-| istroyed, also an aircraft carries cruiser, destroyer, three tankers, |[WO submarines, -one cargo vessel, | {lwo seaplanes and three smaller | | aircraft. - -oo — | WARNING IS GIVEN JAPAN BYU.S.NAVY PEARL HARBOR, reb. 13 — Al definite warning that Japan cany expect the same type of sweeping | destructive assaults against her| i | tion against the Japs on P‘ebrunry: 1 “This long distance attack by a United States force has demon- strated how war can be taken di- |rectly to the enemy's doorstep,” | they said, “regardless of distance.” | One officer disclosed that United States ships participating in the 62%, Anaconda 26':, Bethlehem i 1 o sudden blasting of the islands in| g::xe:her?“;' c(c;mx:x_onw;;l;hm E?: the Gilbert and Marshall groups | i, Curtiss Wright %,|, .4 peen at sea more than three| International Harvester 492, Ken- necott 33%, New York Central 9, Northern Pacific 6, pound $4.04. ! DOW, JONES AVERAGES The following are today’s Dow, Jones averages: industrials 106.73,| rails 27.30, utilities 13.80. - weeks, some much longer. | He said the force traveled more | than 10,000 miles. It is only 4,000 miles from Hawaii to Tokyo. | The officer said that all of the| | time spent at sea was not devoted | merely to travelling. The island | objectives were only 2000 miles ation of the effort to keep the fishing industry going during the war, Bland referred the subjects | to a subcommittee with instruc- | ticns to devise a plan for a War‘i Fisheries Board composed of gov- (Continued on Page 8ix) | JURY'S VERDICT FAVORS PERSONAL SERVICE AGENC Opich Must Pay Com- pany $449 Jurors Decided Today | After an hour and a half of delib- | Sam mid-Pacific islands as they visited |eration the United States District‘yeur sentence. Floyd Cr on Pearl Harbor came today from | Court jury this morning brought in|ceived an 18-months’ se: Navy officials as they told a story a verdict directing Sam Opich to!a charge of obtaining property un-| of United States sea and air ac-' bay the Alaska Personal Service der false pretenses. Agents $449.05. | er, Mattie Davis, Mae Howell, Helen | | son, H. O. Adams, and Marie Hend- ricks. The jury was excused until Mon- day morning. Ben Mozee Is Renominated WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — Presi- dent Roosevelt has renominated tary on the rape charge, 15 years on the incest charge. and two years on the last charge, the maximum sentences in each case Nicholas Kitka, against whom 15 years in the penitentary. Dan Henry, charged with com- mon assault against a 72-year old woman, was sentencged to six | months and was given a $500 fine.’ ¢ Samuel Johnson ,who was charg- ed with murder and pleaded guilty to manslaughter, was sentenced o five years in the penitentary. Nicholas A. Dixon was charged with a crime against nature, assault with intent to rape and contribut- ing to the delinquency of a minor. Judge Alexander sentenced him to serve two years in the penitentary on the last charge, to which he had pleaded guilty. Harry A. Hart, charged with bur- glarizing a house, received a five- omwell re- ntence on Wilho Alenius, charged with | Members of the jury were Henry isimple assault, received a total ot“ Meier, Inez Koby, Katherine Hook- 18 months to serve but the sentence o was suspended when the prisoner | V. Friend, George B. Benson, Edwin |told the judge that he planned to | F. Cashel, Vinta Hunter, John Clau- (be inducted . into the army next Friday. Judge Alexander suspend-' jed the sentence pending Alenius’| |induction. If he is not accepted for | the service, he must report every two weeks to the United States {Marshal, for 18 months. | — e i | MISS RUTH REET HERE _BOUND FOR VACATION TRIP 0 ARIZONA, NM. | Miss Ruth Reet, Secretary for! the Treasury Department as the Simon Legree of tax collectors isn't nearly as bad at it is painted— not in many instances anyway. You might not get any Treasur; Department officials to admit it but they do worry about how you are going to pay your tax. Take the 1941 jolt, for example Even before Congress passed the bill, Secretary Henry A. Morgen- thau, Jr. and his staff were out with warnings that 1942 was going to be a solid year of paying and paying and that after that, it prob- ably would get worse. They never passed up an oppor- tunity to hammer home the fact that you and I had better start sav- ing if we expected to breeze through 1942 and years to come with a bal- ance in the bank. Not only that, but they did a (Continued on Page Three) OPA AGENTS TESTIFY AT - RATE QUERY [Increased Revenues Ex- ceed War Costs, Price Men Declare SEATTLE, Feb, 13—The hearing on increased freight and passen- ger rates to Alaska was resumed today with James Curtin,, Wash- ington, D. C., representative of the Office of Price Administration, on the stand, The OPA has taken the position that the 45 percent increase will give the companies revenues in ex- 'cess of added costs due to the war. | John Simpson, also of the OPA, was cross-examined by Albert |the jury returned a verdict of guilty Stephan, counsel for the affected |of manslaughter, was sentenced to steamship companies, and Robert | Furnish, examiner for the Mari- time Commission, which is con- 'ducting the hearing. | After testimony is completed by urtin and Simpson, a rebuttal will be presented by Stephan, who was granted a- two-day continuance o | brepare testingony by representa- tives of Alaska and Pacific North- west commercial interests and ship- ping men, Marked by numerous clashes be- tween attorneys for the steamship companies and representatives of the OPA, the hearing resurhed this afternoon, | Simpson clashed many times with ! Stephan and at one point Stephan | asked Simpson to answer a question !“Yes or No.” “Yes or No!” Simpson answered | exactly, then turned to Examiner | Furniss, | Furniss said he couldn’t account r Simpson being “a smart Alec.” On several other points, Simpson | declined to give specific answers. | He auexppted to qualify what he said by pointing out such informa- tion should be offered by redirect examination, Stephan appealed to the examiner to remind the witness that the hear- ing was a judicial proceeding and | Purniss instructed Simpso nto an- iswer the questions properly. DR. NICHOLSON 15 NOW PAID Nippon Dive Bombers Are GunnedDown MacArthur's Anti-Aircraft in Action - Japs Fire on Own Forces WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — De- struction of two Japanese dive sombers by American anti-aircraft quns during increased fighting n he Philippines is reported in to- iay’'s War Department commu- rque The dive bembers were actively supporting the aggressive enemy »atrol and in the action mistaken- y bombed and machine-gunned their own infantry. The casualties, the communique said, weré' heavy, and the machine-gunned units are believed to have been the 122nd Regiment of Japanese Gen, Nara's 65th Division, -+ EVACUATION OF AMERICAN JAPS URGED | Congression_ar Commitfee Wants Descendants Moved from Coast WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — A Pacific Coast Congressional committee today recommended to the government the imme- diate evacuation of all persons of Japanese lineage, aliens and citizens alike, from strategic areas along the West Coast if their presence is deemed dan- gerous or inimical to the de- fense of the United States. ALASKA DEFENSE . VERY IMPORTANT SAYS GRUENING WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — Gov. 1Ernest Gruening of Alaska talked over war problems with President Roosevelt and said: “We are think- ing in terms of an offensive war and not a defensive war.” Gov. Gruening told the reporters |that in Alaska defense problems are considered extremely important and when asked what he had in mind specifically in the way of ad- lditional defense, said: “We natur- !fllly think offense ought to be bol- stered,” and then asked whethey | more bases were required sald: “We want more of everything” and then added that needs are landing fields of every description in the | Territory. - ‘R, F. POSTON LEAVES ON INSPECTION TRIP On an chikan, Wrangell, Petersburg and of the Division of Public Health ,A‘Cnylnnenn!( and Sanitation, for 1 Health, left Juneau this week. NOME, HERE ON WAY TO SEATTLE FOR MONTH Walsh, City Clerk of inspection trip to Ket-| | Craig, R. F. Poston, Acting Director | {the Territorial Department of | e Artillery Checking Jap Advance 3 GERMAN CRAFTIN BOLD DASH Leave Antfib-rgge at Brest ~Full Speed Through Dover Strait RUNNING BATTLE IS FOUGHT, SEA AND AIR Sneak Flight Successfully Carried Ouf - Now at Helgioland Bight LONDON, Feb. 13—The German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst and the cruiser Prinz Eugn slipped away from their French coast anchorages at Brest with a strong air surface escort, and engaged the Royal British Air Force and Navy in the greatest land and sea battle off the Dover coask since the surrender of France. The German ships were last re- ported escaping to new bases in the Heligoland Bight. The British Admiralty acknowl- edged the loss of 20 bombers and 22 other planes and further sald was not Heavy.” The ' Admiralty placed the Ger- man losses at 18 fighter planes. Murky weather hampered obser- - vations but it is indicated bomb blows were scored on all three principal enemy warships and one torpedo struck a German destroyer. RAF IN PURSUIT LONDON, Feb. 13—It is an- nounced that Royal Air Forces pursued the three mightiest war- ships of Germany, which escaped daringly from the haven at Brest. MORE PARTICULARS LONDON, Feb. 13 — The three German warships which ran the British gauntlet in Dover Strait, left Brest at dusk on Wednesday evening but were not sighted by the British until 11 o'clock yester- day forenoon. After hours of daylight the Brit- ish destroyers finally went into action, an informant said, and they raced through the Germans' own destroyer screen at top speed to launch torpedoes into the fleeing craft. ¥ The torpedoes were delivered at very short range in a last desper- ate attempt to halt the enemy ships, then hitting a top speed of 30 knots. Aircraft also sped to the scene. Apparently the German air forces outnumbered the British but ter- rific engagements resulted. The craft soon outdistanced all surface units and in all probability reached their destination safely. HUGH J. WADE RETURNS FROM KETCHIKAN TRIP Hugh J. Wade, Territorial Di- rector of Soclal Security, returned to his Juneau headquarters this week from a trip to Ketchikan on official business, | | | To04ay's BLOW | *7~ LBERTY, the “casualties on our- destroyers - i " 7 ;Nome, arrived in Juneau this week | jon his way south from the Seward | \ | Peninsula city. Mr. Walsh is well | \ JasHINGRON, peb. 13 — Prest. | ooun' 1y Junean a5 he was for- 1 & merly a member of the Territorial ‘Washington one night when a Negro policeman rushed out in front of his car, ordered him to stop, get out, and abandon his car. “What'’s all the shootin’ for?” said | away. Other operations, however,| Benjamin Mozee as United States|the Lomen Commercial Goapany, were not disclosed. Marshal of the Second Division cf|of Nome is here on her way south| IS HERE SOUTHBOUND Navy officers said that the sea|Alaska with his headquarters at|for a vacation of several faontha:| |action February 1 was one of “leiNome. |She expects to spend most of her MISS DOROTHY SIMPSON who is Miss Dorothy Simpson, largest engagements of its kind; ot (time in 2 exico | paying $3,300 to Dr. Hugh Nichol- . Ellender. ¥ a member of the Civil Aeronautics|in United States history. They GOES TO ENLIST e o oo | san, of Wb Ou, in set. | Board of Sineation Rod made e om?ei an air raid drill,” said the| sutnority office staff in Anchor-|said it ranks in importance with| Gordon Wahto, youngest son of early summer. This is Miss Reet's'tlement of claims for medical se"'\:,:;fig: ‘;:‘;‘"Sm?wl:r‘: r:xll"yu. h;"b(:::; posnig ISR A R R is in Juneau on her way the battle at Santiago, Cuba, Jul.v“Mr. and Mrs. Gust Wahto, sailed| fizst vacation away from Nome for ice to Indians when he was located Mr. Walsh . i to Seailel ianie. Mste-lay S-SR Wetstionad: 1o south for a short vacation. She 3, 1898, when six Spanish ships for the south recently to attempt|four years, and while she is in at Sitka, Alaska. | dr. ma t oy Ku;g Dl boue’ Write wmr]'”w[“) J expects to return to Anchorage Were destroyed or beached by U. 8.t oget into the U. S. air corps Juneau she is visiting with her and will return to Nome in about sailor friends, d - BUY DEFENSE BONDS a month, the early part of March, sea guns, training service, 4 (Continued on Page Four) iclose friends in the city.