The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, October 23, 1942, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LIX., NO. 9171. JUNEAU, ALASKA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1942 'MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS DUMP MILLION POUNDS BOMBS ON KISKA Royal Air Force Bombs Italian Cities by Night GENOA HIT HARDESTIN HUGE RAID Big Four-Motored Planes| Slash Ouf at Axis Parfner (By Associated Press) A mighty bomber arm of the Royal Air Force reached across the Alps last night to strike the Italian hom~- land the heaviest blow of the war, hitting Genoa with such a weizht of explosives that even Rome conceded “great damage” was done. Turin, the Fascist arsenal city in the north, was also hit but appar- ently the chief assault fell on the harbor and industries at Genoa. The British Air Ministry an-| nounced this morning that a “strong force of aircraft” made the attack | but did not disclose just how many planes were in the force. The Italian communique, issued at | Rome, however, spoke of a force o[' “notable dimensions” made the night assault, Hitler’s Axis partner now has ap- parently got one sample of the fiery devastation of the four-motored bombers that have been scourging the Reich week after week. Two air alarms, each lasting from 85 to 90 minutes, were sounded last | night at Geneva as the planes, ap- parently the British raiders, passed high in the sky over the city going and coming from the attack on the Itallan areas. The length of the| alarms attest to the large number of bombers the British flung over the section in the great air move- | ment. ‘The round trip flight of the bomb- ing raiders was 1,500 miles across three countries on the continent,| also the highest mountain range. | The British Air Ministry said not | one British plane is missing as the result of the long raiding attack. The raid last night was the first assault on Italy by home-based RAF bombers in more than six months. —————— OPPOSES DRAFTING CHILDREN Senafor Johnson Speaks Against 18-19-Year- Old War Bill WASHINGTON, Oct. 23.—United States Senator Hiram W. Johnson of California told his colleagues to- day he opposed ‘“calling children to fight our battle.” The objection was the first state- ment made by a Senator at the opening of the Senate's opposition to the legislation drafting 18-19-| year-olds. | Senator Johnson was a pre-Pearl Harbor opponent of the Adminis- tration’s foreign policies. Senator Johnson further declared that passage of the legislation meant that many children are going to be sent to death in for- eign parts of the world. The Senate is making a drive for a final roll call before night- fall. LONDON, Oct. 23. — A German broadcast, unconfirmed by any Brit- ish or Indian sources, said Mrs. Gandhi, wife of India's imprisoned Nationalist leader, is dead. The German radio offered no further details nor did the broad- cast say how the report was re- ceived. Mrs. Gandhi was not arrested when her husband was taken into custody. , |also attacked Guadalcanal airfield | Why Did FDR Make Recent Secret Tour? Slmple Answer Given NAZIS RIOT INCANADA SHACKLING Reprisal Measure Against German Prisoners Is Cause of Violence 23.—Minister announces of that OTTAWA, Oct. Defense Ralston both prisoners of war and Cana- dian guards were injured on Octo- ber 10 during a clash at Bowman- ville, Ontario, prison camp, when the prisoners sted shackling by the guards. Ralston said there was mfld re- sistance in one other camp, but no trouble in any of the ether 15 pris- on camps. In the Bowmanville fight, pris- oners barricaded themselves in the barracks and four rifle shots were fired when the prisoners seized and brutally assaulted an officer and guard. Two other prisoners received light bayonet wounds. ——————— JAP ATTACK IS REPULSED INSOLOMONS 8 WASHINGTON, Oct. 23. — US. | Marines and soldiers on Guadal-| "7 canal Island have repulsed a sec- ond small attack by the Japs on their western flank and destroyed at least 12 enemy planes in re- cent days, the Navy announced. The communique said that a small enemy force attacked Ameri- can positions October 21. This was repulsed by the U.S. troops. On the same day, seven enemy bombers escorted by fighters attacked the Guadalcanal air base. ‘ Our anti-aircraft batteries de- stroyed one bomber and damaged two the Navy stated, while our intercepting fighter plahes shot ! down six Jap flighters. Two Ameri- | can fighters were lost. 1 The discovery of additional Jap | landings on the islands near Gua- dalcanal was indicated in the| Navy’s report. | It said that American Douglas| Dauntless dive-bombers attacked the enemy on Russell Island, about | 30 miles northwest of Guadalcanal. Several groups of enemy planes | during bad weather on the after- noon of October 22, but Gruman Wildcat fighters intercepted them and downed one entire group, de- stroying five bombers. The communique also reported a second shelling by an enemy ship of an American position at Espi- | ritu, Santo Island, New Hebrides. ! .- MRS. A. W. FLEEK TAKES PASSAGE TO SEATTLE Mrs. A. W. Fleek left this morn- ing for Seattle where she will join her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Fleek | spent the summer in Juneau but plan now to make their home in| the Puget Sound metropolis. Both are well known in both Juneau and Douglas and visited their fam-, ilies during their stay here. ——— .- NEWLYWEDS TO VISIT Mr. and Mrs. Edward D. Sowell, who were recently married in vu- | one Daylight Raid—s Now Part of | | nounced. | the RAF. | ! By JACK STINNETT WASHINGTON, Oct. 23.— Now that all the tumult and the shout- | ing has died down, let's examine | the for an answer to the| question that generally was! overlooked: Why did President | Roosevelt take that 9,000-mile tnp?‘ Was it to find how the war pro-| duction effort is really ss- | ing? Certainly not. There isn't a time of day or night that the President couldn’t call for certi- fied production figures and give a| more accurate percentage on pro- | duction efficiency than he could by glancing over such plants as he could visit in a two-weeks | for political reasons? | Political tours aren't nmde\ :cy. We have the President’s it that he saw no state chairmen or political candi-| dates; visited with only 11 gover-| nors (four of whom were Republi- cans); made no speeches. If his| visit with former Vice Pn’sl(il‘nw Garner has any political tinge, it could only be that the President and “Cactus Jack” were laying the ghost of an old political feud that| no longer has any meaning. Was it to get a finger en pulse of the people? In some small | measure, perhaps. But traveling 14| days by train, moving on secret| schedules, riding in a closely guarded car, the President is not going to feel many more pulses than he is right here where the mail, visitors, editorial digests, and sum keep him in constant contact | with what is going on OUTSIDE | Washington. Any one or all of these interpre- tations may be tagged onto the President’s trip. Only the President | himself knows really why he went | and he doesn’t need to explain. But the truth of the matter prob- ably is just as simple as some of record Hardly own word for the | vConnnued un Page P‘Ave» RAF HITS HOLLAND, GERMANY British Bombing Program LONDON, Oct 23- —Swlft striking new British Mosquitoes and heavier Lancaster bombers of the Royal Air Force struck in daylight raids today |against targets in occupied Holland and Germany, the British au- They said that Spitfires and U. S. built Mustangs also made low- level attacks on objectives in north- ern France. Such attacks have become a part | of the daylight bombing pattern of JAPANESE, ALLIES IN NEW RAIDS MacARTHUR'S HEADQUAR- | TERS, Oct. 23.—Japanese and Al-| lied bombers exchanged blows to-| day, the Nippons raiding Port Moresby and the Allies bombing | Buin. Meanwhile, Allied ground forces continued to push the Japs back | ions, | dered to hand over |visit the United States neau, left this morning for the South. They will visit Mr. Sowell's toward Kokoda in the Owen Stan- RED FORCES CONTINUING OFFENSIVE Germans Attempt fo Esab- lish Lines as Snow Starts MOSCOW, Russia, Oct. Russians announce the capture of an important tactical position northwest of Stalingrad, and the Germans, although using 22 divis- totaling about 250,000 men in the siege, are reported to have been thrown on the defensive in a number of blocks in the city. Red Army counter-att forced the Nazis to defend newly-won positions in a number | of sectors. The army Red Star said the defenders have | seized the initiative at several points where the enemy has fever- ishly started to fortify its posi- tions in the ruined skeletons of buildings. have Hand Over Clothes Meanwhile, wintry storms swept the steppes and the Nazi prepara- | tions for winter are reported hast. ened since the snow began flying. The newspaper Pravda said that civilians in the German occupied town of Buddenovsk have been ors their clothes to the invasion army. Diso- bedience to the order is punish- able by death. Large Trench Raids The noon communique today re-| ported the conquest for the major position northwest of Stalingrad without details. The drive, how- ever, is in an area where the Rus- sians are conducting a series of large-scale trench raids. Signs of weakening of the Ger- man forces in the Caucasus was reported. Pravda reported that some lines in the Mozdok region now are being held by special troops, such as electricians and engineers. a5 i U. 5. BOMBERS STRIKING IN CHINA REGION CHUNGKING, Oct. 23. — United States Army bombers, striking in the far north of China, have ‘caused serious damage’ when many high explosive and incendi- ary bombs hit the Linsi mine n- stallations in the Hopeh Province. The communique, issued from United States Army headquarters, announces that all American planes returned to their bases. Hopeh Province borders Jap oc- cupied Manchuhia and contains coal deposits in the northern hilly regions. The mines of the Kailan Mining Administration are the largest in the section and prewar capacity production was 14,000 tons First Lady of U. LONDON, Oct. 23—Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the President of the United States, has arrived in Great Britain, to be guest of the King and Queen “in order to gain first hand knowledge of the Brit- ish women’s war activities and to forees in Great Britain.” family in Kerby, Oregon. ley Mountains in New Guinea. Buckingham Palace made the 23—The | their ! wari | Is Visiting Brifain; Makes Trip by P|ane WORK DRAFT NEXT WEEK Senate Occupied Now Teen-Age Draft Bill Delays Problem 23.—Chair- " SABOTAGE CONTINUED WASHINGTON, Oct. man Robert R. Reynolds of the Senate Military Committee today advocated boosting the standard work week to 57 hours, eliminating premium pay for overtime as the immediate solution to labor short- ages. | Shortly after Reynolds was in- |terviewed, his committee, now ab- sorbed in the teen-age draft bill, being debated on the Senate floor, Fully loaded Nazi Am- munition Ship Report- ed Sent Down ' decided to postpone until Monday LONDON, Oct. 23.—The Nether- lands patrols are defiantly continu- ing acts of sabotage despite 15 more executions by the German regime the ment questioning of high govern- officials on the need for National Service Legislation. Sec, of War Stimson is listed as the headliner of next week's wit- H ey The saboteurs have sunk a fully | Reynolds expressed strong oppo- l0aded Nazi ammunition ship in i the Rhine area. One (hs]nurh says sition to the importation of alien labor as “help in harvesting dur- the ship was sent down ne ing emergencies.” heim on the vital Rhine wm-lw‘\y st lto Germany CHARGE MEN | DRAFTBOARD, FOR TAKING * LIQUOR HERE Sealfle Case Involves II- legal Shipping fo Terrifory SEATTLE, Oct. 23.—George Ed- mond, Preece Fletcher and Reed Burgan pleaded guilty on a Federal Court indictment charging them with transporting four cases of tax- paid liquor to Alaska on an Army transport and selling the liquor to soldiers there. Assitsant United States Attorney Tom Durhant suggested probation- ary periods for the men because of the need of manpower. Judge Black, however, condemned the men for profiteering in wartime while hold- ing government jobs and said that they occupied space in the trans-; port with something that was of no | benefit to anybody. He said that there had been gov- ernment expense involved in hauling “We are fhformed that great the liquor to Alaska and if the men | pools of single men still exist in were placed on D""’-’*“;’" because | quchy citles and other congested (‘)’:fizrgeede‘?i;;l;z- ".Lh:()l'ull\:r( 1COUTABE | yreas and no thought is given to i e the induction of e The profiteer men were charged | married men in with having sold the liquor at $20|those cities nor is such a stej a quart after paying $3 for it in [likely for many months to come Seattle. — . 2 s 7t B1G BRITISH NAVALFORCE NEARBURMA REVOLUTION Refuse fo Take Married Men-Protest to Con- gressmen SEATTLE, Oct. 23.—The Seattle area’s 12 Selective Service Boar announced today that they have | to the Army, despite orders from their headquarters in Washington. The chairmen of the local boards Rep. Warren G. Magnuson and Senators Homer Bone and Mon C. Wallgren. They stated: “The boards in this area are de- ermined that the men in Seattle be accorded the same treatment Philadelphia and St. Louis. MR. AND MRS. JEFFREY ON WAY TO WRANGELL Mr. and Mrs. J. 8. Jeffrey passed through Juneau by steamer on their way to Wrangell on a busi- ness trip. Mr. Jeffrey is one of | the well known Alaskan merchan- dise brokers. 2 LONDON, Oct. 23.-The presence of a powerful British battle squadron in the Indian Ocean, including at least three battleships and the air- craft carrier Illustrious, is disclosed here today authoritatively, as a se- quel to Gen. Wavell's declaration that Burma must be retaken from | the Japs. | ‘The squadron is said to consist of the battleship Warspite, the Royal Sovereign and the Resolution, in addition to a large force of cruisers and destroyers. All are under the command Admiral Sir James Somerville. The Ilustrious is one of the most aunouncemem . of the arrival of the First Lady of the United States who was accompanied by her sec- retary, Malvina Thompson Mrs. Roosevelt and the secretary flew to England but the roate is not disclosed. famous ships of the British Navy It is expected Mrs. Roosevelt will and is a veteran of many Mediter- remain two or three weeks and will | ranean battles. She was last re- inspect every phase of the British ported in April in ‘a northern Brit- war effort. | ish vort. of BY DUTCH v talis and others SEATTLE, IN stopped \inducting married men in-| said the decision was made un-| animously in a letter addressed to, accorded men in New York City, | step | 10 DISCUSS Aleutians AreFerfile Land Worth Holding Is Claim Made by Residents By WILLIAM L, WORDEN AN ALEUTIAN ARMY OUT- | POST—(Wide World)—The ques- tion, “What are we fighting for in the Aleutian Islands?” has been | asked many times, and the easiest answers have been negative—there are no people, no trees, practically no animals, few homes, no farms. But an assumption that the Aleutians are barren, worthless rocks immediate opposition among per- sons who* have lived or traveled extensively in the islands. In the first place, the soil is extremely fertile, sandy loam, which as a matter of regularity grows wild pea vines and various grasses—almost all nutritious to cattle or sheep—waist high on a tall man. Wild rye has heads six inches long, various valuable herbs (grow wild, including arnica, dig- centuries lived on the berries of the so-called ptarmigan bush and other food was unavailable. Can-| Ibou and reindeer grow fat on the grass and sport some of the finest horn growths to be found any- | where, National Forest In a few places where soldiers or trappers planted tiny victory gardens as experiments, radishes, lettuce and beets thrive. Some of the soil seems lacking in lime, but that is its only apparent deficiency. Trees are lacking. There are | several explanations why but, wherever trees have been planted, | they thrive. On one windswept isle, | troops have planted a single sap- ling, surrounded it with a tight ‘11-nco and dubbed it the Aleutian National Forest. One small juniper [like tree grows naturally on some islands. It is a dwarf species only {18 to 24 inches tall—but a tree | nonetheless. Contrary to common opinion, the soil is not particularly rocky. True,| volcanoes in places have thmwn huge boulders for miles toward the beaches. True, too, that nearly every island is topped with some kind of fog-bound, forbidding peak. But around the peaks and between the boulders are wild meadows that would make a Missouri mule chor- 4(,nnl.1nm-d on P&ze Four) k3 MAHONEY ON WAY TO KETCHIKAN Mrs. William T. Mahoney left this morning for Ketchikan to join | | U.S. Marshal Mahoney who left | several days ago with the OCeurt party to attend the term of the US. District Court in Ketchikan. e NOMEITES GO SOUTH Norvin W. Lewis, Deputy Clerk of the Court at Nome, accompanied by Mrs. Lewis and their son, Robert, | urived by plane from the North | and left by steamer for Seattle this | morning. MRS. W. ke At ML S MRS. FRANK BEHRENDS AND DAUGHTER LEAVE Mrs. Frank Behrends and her daughter, Ann Marie, left this morning for a visit in Seattle RICH ON WAY TO HOME IN KETCHIKAN Gil Rich, merchandise broker, passed through Juneau last night on his way to his headquarters in Ketchikan. Mr. Rich has been in Sitka for the last week on busi-| ness. GIL - MR. AND MRS. DOLPHIN RETURN TO KETCHIKAN Mr. and Mrs. Fred Dolphin pas ed through Juneau bound for their home in Ketchikan after spending the last week in Sitka on business. Mr. Dolphin is a well known mer- chandise broker. e e The first locomotive ever overafed is unjustified and arouses| Natives have for| TO VISIT IN stnuz‘ HAVE GIVEN * JAPS PLENTY - SINCE JUNE U. . Airmen Hitfing with 12 Tons Every Day on | Aleutian Base HEADQUARTERS ALASKA DE- FENSE COMMAND, Oct. 23.—Am- |erican airmen are about ready to drop their one millionth pound of projectiles on beleaguered lqskn since the middle of June when the aerial attacks began against the | occupied island. | The tempo of our bombings, tor- pedoing and machine gunning has increased steadily until dropping 12 tons of bombs daily has become not at all unusual. Ordnance experts here are sweat- ing under the task of loading the | planes with enough bombs to drop, getting enough bullets for the ma- chine guns to shoot. But they have | kept exact records of the ammuni- tion used and the million pound miark is just now visible. | The exact figures are a subject | r Arn- }un the roots of various tubers when about which the Army prefers to let the Japanese guess. much can be said: If the aerial marksmanship had been spread out instead of con- centrated, there would have been at least one bullet for every 20- yard square in the comparatively | small section of the 40-mile long | Island which the Japanese are us- ing. Similarly, if the bombs had been patterned instead of clustered at specific targets, there would have been one for every 22.15-yard square. But this — ., DRYLAWIS VETOED BY SENATORS Hot Debafems in Nega- tive on Amendment fo Ban Liquor Near Posts WASHINGTON Oct 23. — The dry amendment to the youth draft bill has been sidetracked by the |Senate in a 49 to 25 vote after hot debate in which supporters |called it a necessary safeguard for | soldiers and sailors. Opponents denounced it as an “entering wedge for long, blue nose | prohibition.” The proposed amendment to the 18- 19-year-old draft bill would | have banned the sale of liquor near all military posts PORK PRICE LEVELED AT ~ WHOLESALE Henderson Pufs Ceiling for, | Packers, to Hold Retails Down WASHI.{GTON Oct. 23.—Leon | Henderson today imposed a ceil- ing on all common cuts and types of pork that packers and whole- salers may sell, thus eliminating all possibility of higher retail pork prices. o~ MISS McALISTER IS BOUND FOR SEATTLE Miss Caroline McAlister, who has been on the nursing staff of St. in the United States was bought in Ann's Hosptial, left today for Seattle England. lwhv:re she will visit for some time.