The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, March 3, 1942, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE VOL. LVIIL, NO. 8972. “ALL THE NEW'S ALL THE TIME” JUNEAU, ALASKA, TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 1942 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS U.S.DESTROYER TORPEDOED, SENT DOWN Allies Beating Off Japanese Invasion Forces HIGHEST TAX IN HISTORY IS PROPOSED Secrefary H. Morgenthau ; Gives New Bill to Congress WASHINGTON, March 3—A $9- 610,000,000 war tax program which | would be “felt in every American | home” was laid before Congress and | the nation today by Secretary of | the Treasury Henry Morgenthau.| He told the House Ways and Means | Committee “the new taxes will be severe in their impact. They will be felt in every American home.| War is never cheap, but it is a mil- lion times cheaper to win than| Additional taxes he proposed would by themselves be greater than ever collected by the Federal Government in a single year prior to 1941, As a down payment for victory, Morgenthau asked for the doubling of most persons’ individual income tax' rates, so stiff than a single man making $2000 a year would pay $230 tax. If he made a mil- Hion, he would only be allowed to keep . about $100,000. Part of the tax probably would be deducted from pay checks. ‘Higher taxes for corporations, phigging the so-called were recommended. New, higher excise taxes on 15 items such as soda pop and cigarettes would ex- ist. Stiffer estate gift taxes, plus (Continued on Page Two) WASHINGTON—A highly in[er-l esting transaction whereby the Re- publican National Committeeman for Oregon sold the Government a big tract of land for a new Govern- ment aluminum plant has just come to the attention of the Justice De- partment. Officially the name ‘'of Ralph H. Cake, Republican National Commit- teeman, did not appear in the trans- action. However, the records show that Ralph Cake, who owned the tract of land, deeded it to the Portland Mortgage Company, of which he is president and chief owner, for the nominal sum of $10. Later the Port- land Mortgage Company sold the land to the Government for $80,000. One other interesting phase of the whole business was the fact that the Interior Department was dead op- posed to this location of the new aluminum plant. The plant is one of the wartime aluminum factories built by the Government, but to be operated by Alcoa for the produc- tion of emergency aluminum. It will get power from Bonneville Dam. The Interior Department, which operates Bonneville Dam, proposed that the plant be located near the! dam. This would save expensive power transmission lines, also would put the plant further lnlnnd away from coastal attack. The Interior Department put up a vigorous argument on this point. But the Alcoa people, plus certain interests in the War Department argued for the other side. The de- bate continued some time. But in the end, Mr. Cake's Mortgage Com- pany made a lush sale. NAZI SABOTAGE In fixing blame for the Normandie | fire and other suspicious tragedies, | it might be well to review the| sabotage fire at Kingsland, N. J., in | 1917, for which an international | | | loopholes, | On Maneuvers o b 300N 4 A machine gun crew from Fort Francis E. Warren, Wyo., in winter togs, trains its weapon on an objective in Rocky Mountain maneuvers. Left to right: Sergeant Benjami n Barnts, Springfield, Ore.; Corp. Luther Wininger, Austinx, Tex., and Setgeant James Crows, Lubbock, Texas. Immediate Workon' Highway Construction Is Recommended Now BOOK TALK__cCount Movie Actress Evelyn Keyes among those supporting the nation’s V for Victory drive, to garner in reading_matter for sailors, sol« diers and marines. N b BURMA FOR(E: STILL WAITS JAP ASSAULT LONDON, March 3.—The defend- ers of Burma, now under the direc- tion of General Archibald P. Wavell, today are rveported holding fast along their line on the Sittany River and bracing themselves for the full scale assault which the Jap- anese are believed preparing to launch from the bases they already have won. - NICK KOLOFF DISCHARGED FROM ST. ANN'S HOSPITAL ] WASHINGTON, March 3 — The i |American and Canadian Joint De- fense Board, at a meeting in New York last week, decided to recom- 'mend immediate start of construc- tion of the Alaska Highway, it is reported here, The recommendation will go ‘to Canadian Prime Minister Macken- | zie King and President Rooseveit within a few days. Meanwhile the United States War Department is completing engineer- ing plans to rush completion. The Board, it is understood, makes no . recommendation on the route, but |the War Department, it is under- stood, favors the line roughly par- | allelling the chain of airfields con- | | structed last year by the Canadian | Government north from Edmonton to Whitehorse. It is planned to start work by |April 1 on a combined suryey job and rough road and it is hoped to| have this completed this aeason INDIA MAY - CHANGETO Shift of Wavell fo His For- mer Post Is Latest Indication LONDON, March 3—The trans- fer of General Sir Archibald P. Wavell from the United Nations | command in the southwest Pacific, | back to his former post as com- mander-in-chief of India, may be the forerunner of a British offer of dominion status to India, well- informed sources said here. Dutch circles here said the Gov- | ernor-General of the East Indies, Dr. A. W. L. Tjarda Van Starken- borgh Stachouwer, now will assume | DOMINION DEFENDERS HOLD FAST, [ _ JAVA ISLE {"Situation Remains Well in' Hand on All Fronts,’ Says Statement BULLETIN — BANDOENG, Java, March 3. — American, Dutch and other allied ground forces are late tonight pressing heme a counter offensive against the Japanese invaders while the United Nations naval and air units are seeking to cut off the en- emy’s sea lanes for a retreat or possible reinforcements. Dutch bombers struck some heavy blows at the fleet that put ashore troops near Rembang, northeastern Java. It is reported that only five ships remain of the 12 originally making up the concentration. | | (By Associated Press) | The Dutch defenders of the island |of Java, aided by American and other Allied trocps, are late today officially declared holding fast against Japan’s invasion hordes as the three-day battle in the Dutch | East Indies appeared taking a bright- er turn. | The authorized Dutch spokesman |said “it can be stated without res- |ervation that the situation remains Presndenl Emphasizes Effed of War AP, 3 \ Peinting to the southwest Pacific area on a map in the oval room of the White House, President Roosevelt emphasized in his speech the effect of far-away battle upon American life. In his third fireside chat of the war the President mlnted a pmlure of a world a.l war. Deslroyer Truxion losl in Storm ‘wnll in hand on all fronts." i | No Jap Advance | The Netherlands East Indies Headquarters, in a late statement today said the Allied troops are “showing a splendid offensive spirit” in close contact with the invaders {and the Japanese have made no ad- ' vance since Sunday on any of the | three landings in Java areas. The official communique says a | Dutch submarine sunk a big enemy | |tanker off the coast of the em- | | bamcd island. | Bandoeng Air Raided The communique says Japanese bombers, escorted by fighter planes, | | pounded the Dutch headquarters in Bandoeng for an hour and one-half | inflicting a heavy toll of killed and | | wounded. | It is said that 42 enemy bombers |and 18 fighter planes were counted | overhead at one point and a hand- ‘Yul of Allied fighters roared up to meet the raiders with “fair” results. Late afternoon advices from Lon- | don repeat the early morning report that a huge new Japanese invasion armada of between 70 and 80 troop- ships is bearing down on Java under a violent assault of American and Amed bombers The destroyer Truxton, an uld World War type, and the naval merchant ship Pollux, were pounded to pieces off the rocky east ccast of Newfoundland after running ashore in a roaring gale. At least 189 officers ind men were lost on both ships. HUGE FORCE Draftfor Womenfor - ONADVANCE JAVAISLAND | American Flying Forfresses Give Battle fo Japanese Fleet of Troopships LONDON, March 3—Dispatches |from Batavia early today said a huge new Japanése invasion ar- mada bearing down on Java is be- ing met by continuous relays of United States flying fortresses and other Allied Nations’ bombers. The Japanese armada is believed to consist of from 70 to 80 ships, despite the heavy casualties already inflicted on the enemy vessels. te be accompanying this new stream | {of troop - supply ships. | A dispatch early this morning! from Bandoeng, Dutch Army Head- quarters, to the London Dally Ex-| press, says Allied Nations warships; are believed to have gone into ac-| tion against the armada cocperat-| |ing with the air forces but noth- ing indicates how the attack Is Nick Koloff, who has been re.-commlnd of all forces in the Dutch | progressing. ceiving medical treatment at St. court held Germany responsible. The Kingsland Plant was making | shells for Russia at the rate of 3,- 7 (Continued on Page Four) Ann’s Hospital, left the hospital, yesterday afternoon. — - BUY DEFENSE STAMPS | Possessions. | British naval, military and air ‘commnndern will remain in chxtge} Unofficial reports said the Japan- \ese fleet is expected to attempt landing of its main invasion forces Army Now Proposed; Two Cruisers 0fU.S. Sent i | ! Bill Is Expecled Soon, Down,Report BY JACK STINNETT WASHINGTON, March 3—Almost as soon as this is written, a Dbill may be speeding toward the White | House to bring women into the ar- my. The WAAC (Women's Army Aux-| iliary Corps) will probably star off with something like 12,500 wom moment (women) velunteers being employed for critical phases of the aircraft warning service, on which the security of the coast lines of | the United States depends. We are ‘deeply appreciative of the wo | being done by these volunteers, but |T am convinced that in such vital matters the uncertainties of purely Japanese Imperial Head- quarters Issues Com- munique on Java TOKYO, March 3—The Japan- ese Imperial Headquarters today en, working principally as coastal| yolunteer personnel are a danger-|issued a communique claiming 23 air defense workers, stenographers, telephone operators, chauffeurs, etc, But that will just be the begin- ning. From England, our has learned that many of duties Many Japanese warships are said can be performed by women Just|ginary private’s pay and up, as well, if not better, than by men The Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers (Mass.) bill has had some critics But one thing that practically clinched the idea that women would come into the army was the in- sistence of Gen. George C. Mar- |shall, chief of staff, “that I regard the passage of this bill at an early date as of considerable importance.” | Peinting out that Congress had NOT failed to give the army prac- tically everything it had asked for of the British forces in Java, it 1S on the Island of Java within a)in recent months, the general con- indicated, few hours, ) tinued: “There are at the present, army | | ous risk.” Under present plans, women be- | tween the agcxs of 21 and 45, will be acceptable, They may be mar- They will get or- de- pending upon rank. Unless they live at army cantonments, there will be additional subsistence pay. |ried or single. In spite of all the setbacks that ! Civillan Defense has taken in Washington—and some of then have been the worst kind of com-| ic opera stuff—nearly 49,000 per- |and more than 15,000 have alreacy | been through their training courses. Washingtonians who know (Continued on Page Two) the sons have volunteered for the work | | United Nations warships, including the 9,000 ton United $tates Cruiser ;Hou\ton were sunk in the battles | ofi Soerabaja, the Dutch strony- held on the Island of Java, | tne 1ast The communigue also identified ianother heavy Unitea States cruis- | during weekend. er sunk in earlier naval action; off the Java Coast as the “Augus-| [ta” a 9,000 ton vessel. | - D d LUCHA RETURNS ployment Service, returned to his home here last night after a' month’s visit in the States. He resumed his duties today, Percy O. Lucha, director of the, Juneau office of the Federal Em-! ENEMY SUB - STRIKES OFF EAST COAST ‘American Navy Craft Sunk | with Heavy Loss of | Officers, Men ONLY ELEVEN PERSONS REPORTED SURVIVED ' Forward and Affer Parfs of Vessel Are Blown Up Just Before Dawn WASHINGTON, March 3 — The Navy Department . officially an- nounced today that the United States destroyer Jacob Jones was sunk by an enemy submarine off Cape May, New Hampshire, just before dawn last Saturday, Feb- ruary 28 and only eleven men of the destroyer's crew are known to |have survived. ‘The number of officers and men lost, including Commanding Offi- {cer Lieut. Comdr., H. D. Black of Oradell, New Jersey, is not given loul. but the casualty list is more i than 100 since the normal war time [ complement of the old destroyer s ‘nound 145 officers and men. i Two Torpedoes Make Hit | Two torpedoes hit the destroyer Jacob Jones. | The first torpedc blew up the' bow and apparently killed all the | personnel on the bridge as well as imen sleeping in th. forward lving | quarters of the destroyer. | The second torpedo blew up the |stern and all depth charges. | The 11 survivors consist of nine |enlisted men of the engine room and two apprentice seamen. The Navy Department’s statement 'said neither the enemy submarine nor the torpedo was sighted prior |to the first hit. i —— | | | | SSIANS MASS FOR BIG SMASH Concentrating Enorm ous Forces for Large Scale Attack on Germans BERN, Switzerland, March 3 — The Russians are massing almosi unheard of forces all along the front for what is believed to be |a large scale attack. ' Reports originating in official !Berlin, and received here, said ob- ,servers on German planes saw great columns of fresh Soviet troops {and enormous supply trains mov- ing up behind the Red Army's ad- vance lines. At some points, Russian attacks are already underway and these 'attacks are described by the Ger- man military spokesman as being on a “scalé not reached hitherto in the war.” A Berlin correspondent of a Zur- ich newspaper says Russian troops are attacking German positions with 40 or 50 successive waves show no hesitation and are attack- ing regardless of the cost. This correspondent says it is believed the 1Sonet.s are massing forces for a '!antuuc effort to bring about a | decision.” 1 Hitler's headquarters acknowledge the Red Armies are unleashing pow- | erful new assaults along the entire 1200-mile front. It is also acknowledged that the | Russians are making strong attacks, on the Crimean and Ukraine fronts. Soviet soldiers are moving up /many 52-ton tanks and long-range Jguns and assaulting German posi= tions in the Donets Basin,