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

l THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LX.. NG. 9222. JUNEAU, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1942 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS AXIS VESSELS SUNK IN RAID BY ALLIES BRITISH HIT JAPCAMPON SUMATRA IS. Planes Are Launched from Ships in Bay of Ben- gal, Is Report (By Associated Press) British naval forces are boldly thrusting at the backdoor of Ja- pan's South Seas zone of conquest and are officialy credited with sending planes in a heavy sssauu against Jap military targets on the northern tip of Sumatra in the | Dutch East Indies. This was the first attack there since March. A British communique reported that naval aircraft launch- ed from warships operating in the Bay of Bengal made an attack last Sunday on Sabang. at the! north end of the 900-mile-long is- land. Start Fires “Large explosions followed and fires were observed,” the commu- nique stated. London quarters said that the| planes were probably launched from Britain’s 23,000-ton carrier Tllustrious. Sabang lies about 800 miles east of Ceylon, the nearest British na- val base. The raid challenged Ja- pan's claim of several months ago in which the Nippons claimed con- trol of the Bay of Bengal. The raid was carried out without any (Continued on Page ‘flnrec) The Washmgton Merry - Go- Round By DREW PEARSON Major Robert 8. Allen on active duty.) WASHINGTON—High naval of- ficials, following the “third round” of the Solomons battle, make this appraisal. of present relative strength of Japanese and United States forces: The naval battles of summer and fall have resulted in such heavy losses on both sides that the long range effect is a war of at- tritlon in which the winner even- tually is the one who has some- thing left after the heavy sink- ings. This should make the United States definitely superior, if only because of her superior produc- tion ~facilities. Even supposing every unit of the U. S. fleet, as of December 7, 1941, were sunk, to- gether with every unit of the Japanese fleet, the odds would be in our favor. This is because our production ratio ranges between 6-1 and 10-1. In other words, even those U. S.| naval units which are being pro- duced most slowly are being pro- duced six times as fast as similar | units of the Japanese, and those being produced most rapidly are| being produced ten times as tnst. as the Japanese. In fact, new U. S. naval vessels are being completed | as rapidly as the Navy has per- sonnel to man them. Today the U. S. Navy has accu-| rate information about Japanese production facilities. This is be- cause Japan relled largely on Am- erican engineers and industrial | consultants, and these American | experts have now been summoned to Washington, where they serve as | advisers to the military high com- mand. This war or attrition, together with the fact that our major effort is concentrated in EuErope, means that the victory may not come in the Pacific for some time. In fact, some naval experts think it may be décided more by U. S. ships not yet commissioned than by those now serving in the Pacific. NOTE—The Navy notices a re- duction in quality of both Japa- nese flyers and Japanese planes. As one officer puts it: “They are now playing with their second tearn.” Best Jap aviators probably were. lost when four Jap carriers were sunk at Midway. It takes montns of training to produce a good pilot in anybody's country. DEMOCRACY IN U. 8. ARMY In the spruce wilderness of the Yukon Territory, distinguished guests w itnessing the opening of OPA ISSUING CONFLICTING TURKEY PRICES | Merchants Decide fo Abide | by First Regulations Issued Here | | | | Regulations regarding the price to | be charged for turkeys by merchants {of Southeast Alaska issued by the | Office "of Price Administration on | December 21 were superceded late yesv.erdav by new regulations on prices merchants could charge for | the birds, issued by Mrs. Mildred | Hermann, OPA Director, who re- turned yesterday from Washington, | iD. C. The new regulation, No. 288, which | was received too late for publication in The Empire yesterday, establishes ceiling prices on turkeys sold in Alaska at considerably below prices heretofore charged under OPA authorization. As fixed by the latter schedulo received by wire from ‘Washinton, | D. C, and confirmed by Mrs. Her- | mann, maximum prices for turke\s |in Ketchikan, Petersburg, Wrange! ell, | Juneau, Douglas, Haines, Skagway and Sitka are as follows: Schedule ALLIES GAIN Honors for [RAIL LINES SOME GROUND NEW GUINEA Japs F|ghhng Back Hard! from Narrows Beach Positions | ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN NEW GUINEA, Dec. 23. — Allied | troops chalked up small gains yes-|die Rickenbacker, who was recent- |tries many terday, hammering at the Jap| |forces trapped in the Buna sector Gen. Douglas MacArthur's head- | {quarters said the Japs are hgh(-v ing desperately from mlnmm.‘ thoroughly prepared positions” along a narrow stretch of beach. >ee OUT-DOOR TREES ARE | ~ APPEARING | | Committee, Rickenbacker Are Planned Turns Down Dinner Cele- bration - War Bonds, Stamps Proposed NEW YORK, Dec. 23 ly rescued after floating on the| plane was forced down, and who! has arrived on the east coast for| further treatment following his| harxowmg experience, has informed | his many friends who sought to| |honor him at a dinner, that such| a celebration is not “quite in order at this time” and asked them '.0‘ abandon the idea. 3 Another means of honoring Capt. Rickenbacker and his plane crew, is proposed by the Cabell County,| W. Va, War Bond and Stamp| which has inaugurat- | ed a campaign to send him d"'; fense stamps on Christmas cards, | addressed in care of the T ury | HITBY RAF IN FRANCE Big Sweep- Over Channel Carried Out by Brit- ish' Fliers Dec Throughout | LONDON railroads are bluck(‘m and vital German military trans- the result of widespread ngnu- |and light bomber operations the Royal Air Force last mgm Sweeping over the enemy terri- tory under a full moon, the Brit- ish pilots smashed at many ran» way targets, damaging loLomouvns and other hard-to-replace equip-| ment, Authorities here indicated that this was one of the largest sweeps across the channel in many weeks The Air Ministry disclosed that | the raiders included Hurri-bomb- | ers, Whirlwinds, American-made | Bostons. The attacks were made on the | 100 |vellow bus loaded WhenSlide 21 War Workers Killed (rashesBus HITTING AT ENEMY LINE AsitRounds Road Curve 70 N. AFRICA Dec ice 23 A Pa Snow suddenly ALIQUIPPA, wall of rock feet high, thaw, plunged with ing war. workers early night as the bus rounded a mile east of here, killing at least onto a big homecom- Tuesday a curve by a Capt. Ed- | northern France and the low coun- |y o the occupants Chief of Police Trevor sald apparently only four of KISKA SUB BASE UNDER NEW ATTACK loosened Jenkins ap-| |Pacific for three weeks after his |port facilities are smoking ruins— H\m‘(mmlel'v 30 passengers left the One died later Two' huge boulders of solid rock mashed the bus like a paper box after it had been pushed across the narrow highway against & steel guard rail which prevented the machine from tumbling duun a 30-foot embankment onto railroud track Dan Krapin, 27, driver, is among death REDS NEAR ROSTOV IN bus alive, of Fair Oaks, the | | | OFFENSIVE Bombers, anhiers Score |Capture German Winfer Hits on Jap Post . Warehouses, Dis- those crushed to| Regular or dressed: 16 pounds or ! under, grade A, prime, 56 cents; | grade B, choice, 55 cents; grade C, Outdoor Christmas decorations | | commercial, 52 cents. Twenty pounds (are beginning to appear in Ju-| or under, grade A, prime, 55 cents; neau and several lighted trees nru grade B, choice, 52 cents; grade C, now shining out nightly with more commercial, 47 cents. Over 24 pounds, | expected to be lit tonight or grade A, prime, 53 cents; grade B, morrow. choice. 52 cents; Grade C, commer-| Up the hill, on East First strect cial, 47 cents. !is a pretty colored lighted uec‘ Oven-ready: 14 pounds or under,|that shines out most brightly. This | grade A, prime, 70 cents; grade B, (ree j5 lighted by Mrs. Irene Pow-| choice, 67 cents; grade C, commer- o.¢ cial, 62 cents. Seventeen pounds Of | gun peldon has his tree alight| under, grade A, prime, 69 cents;|,. ooy his home and the Feldon | grade B, choice, 65 cents; grade C.| . commercial, 61 cents. Over ‘17| partments on Calhoun Avenue. | “Whoopee” were a few of the con- Department, Washington, D.C,, m|ra11 yards near Ghent, Saint Lo, 1se “as he deems be: | Abbeville, Le Report, Saint Pol and Fa ng |La Chapelle. | All planes taking part WHOOPEE TIMEIS ™ © ™.l HAD AT AM. LEG., returned GEN. WALDON AUXILIARY PARTY | N ] U R E D | N‘ Piano solos, songs, a skit, booj ! ic and Lillian Uggeus ‘ L] L3 wocgie | singing - playing version of | Sunday ‘ fribute Stores WASHINGTON, Dec. 22.—Delay-| MOSCOW, Dec. 23 Russia’s ed)—American planes heavily bomb- middle Don River offensive thrust ed Japan’s submarine base at Kiska | to within 130 miles of Rostov today Island Sunday, the Navy Depart- despite counter-attacks by the re- ment reported, while Flying Fort- | inforced Naz troops. resses executed new raids on the| The Russians said that more than enemy airfield at Munda on New 2300 prisoners have been added to Georgia Island in the Solomons. the 20,000 previously reported cap- In describing the Kiska raid, the ' tured last week in the area betwsen communique said: “On December 20, ' the Don and Donets rivers. United States bombers escorted by | The latest gains brought several fighters executed a heavy coordin- | | ated attack on the Jap shore bat- the Red banner. These are said to dozen towns and villages back under | - pounds, Grade A, 68 cents; grade B, ! 63 cents and grade C, 60 cents. Additional Charges For turkeys, individually packaged | in cartons by the wholesaler, an additional charge of 20 cents per bird, regardless of weight, may be added. This charge should, however, | be listed as a separate charge on the sales slip, Mrs. Hermann stated. | It was also stated by Mrs. Her-| mann that since November whole- sale prices for turkeys throughout | the country have been frozen under |~ Schedule 269 and retailers are ad-‘ vised that all Seaftle wholesale | prices are fixed on a graduated scale based on the weight of the turkeys and prices charged Alaska ! retailers are exactly the same as| those charged local retailers, no premium being added for the Al- aska trade. All Alaska dealers were advised | concerning the revised price sched- | ule issued yesterday and will be | held to strict compliance with its | provisions, Mrs. Hermann stated. Meat Dealers Comment In commenting on the attitude of | the OPA, the meat dealers of Ju- neau point out that they received | from the OPA, on December 21, a | memorandum reading as follows: From: Calvin E. Pool, Assistant Al- aska Director. Subject: Turkey prices. The Office of Price Admin- istration in Juneau has received a | prevailing turkey prices were an- nounced before Thanksgiving. As you recall, we made ‘a study of turkey prices in Juneau at that time, intending to put into effect a turkey | price schedule which would fix a defniite ceiling for each grade of bird. “This turkey schedule has arrived, but its complete application would result in great hardships to Juneau | retailers. We are, therefore, asking that you follow the formula pro- vided in MPR 194 (November, 1942, mark up) instead, and price your turkeys accordingly. eration in this matter.” The following statement has been made by the dealers: “This memorandum means that the dealers would be permitted to charge the November prices for turkeys—that is the prices at which they were sold for Thanksgiving. This memorandum was received by all dealers on December 21, and the dealers proceeded to act in accord- ance with the memorandum and probably half of the turkey sales have already been made at the prices allowed by the memorandum, and the turkys delivered. Some have ! been sold on credit, but many have been sold for cash, and ,in some instances, without any record of the | name of the purchaser. Change Is Made “Now, late in the evening of De- | (Conti nued on Page Four) " (Continued on Page Three) 4 Commissioner He first joined the Ju- “To: All Juneau Meat Markets. | number of complaints since the time | “We shall appreciate your coop- | Down on Twelfth Street, Floyd Fagerson has a lighted tree on his/ porch and Earle Hunter also has! la tree that shone out last night. | Christmas trees are beginning to{ shine out indoors from residences | and scores of windows have light- | ed candles, wreaths or stars glow- |ing forth. 'NEWARK L. BURTON HAS PASSED AWAY [ | Newark L. Burton passed awn}= sterday at his home in Gardena, Calif., accoring to advices received |today by M. H. Sides, Secretary of | | the Elks Lodge in Juneau. Funeral | services will be held tomorrow after- | | noon at 2 o'clock at the MacMillian | Funeral Chapel in Gardena. i Mr. Burton was a former attorney jof Juneau and also United States | neau Elks Lodge, being initiated on \Anril 15, 1908. He was born July | 28, 1870, ai, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, in | | England, and came to Juneau short- | !ly after the Klondike rush and resided here until about 20 years {ago when he left for California. SEND PLANE T0 SEARCH FOR MAN MISSING ON ICE The Governor’s Office has au- thorized that a plane search, be made for Rex Tuzroylk, 33-year-old Point Hope Eskimo who has been missing on the ice near Point Hope since December 21. The plane will take off from Kotzebue. Searching parties have been out on the ice for more than a day but have found no trace of the native. CARGO CARRYING PLANES WILL BE BUILT BY HIGGINS| WASHINGTON, Dec. 23.—A con- tract under which Andrew Higgins, New Orleans shipbuilder, will build a “large number of cargo carrying airplanes” for the Army was today |formally announced by the War { Department. Neither the number of planes nor the estimated value of the contract is disclosed by the De-| partment, the announcement sim- ‘ply saying only planes will be built at cost-plus on a fixed fee basis. The total outlay amount is fnore | lieved, | irrangements {tributing numbers that made the| American Legion-Auxiliary party {Monday night a marked success. With about 125 guests present, many of them service men, at the Christmas party in the Odd Fellows Hall, Miss Kathleen Carl- son opened the entertainment by playing a piano solo, followed in enthusiastic succession by several carols sung by Lieut. Roger Chris- teson's group of service men, a quartet composed of Corps. Terry, Smith, Shupert, and Sgt. Powell; a second quartet which included Sgt. Newman, Privates First Class Wolf and Featherstone, and Pvt Saeter. Featured as a “Boogie-Woogie Pianist” was Pvt. Russ; while a somedy skit was performed for the | edification of the audience by Sgt Smith and Harrington, PFC, quar- | tered at the Home Boarding House. Santa Claus, too harrassed by |the war emergency to be present in person, sent Mrs. Claus—in this instance Mrs. Bert Lybeck,—to dis- tribute gifts for all those present. Refreshments were served about 11 o'clock, with the table beauti- fully decorated in Christmas greens, candles and a Christ-child scene 1s centerpiece. Committees in charge of party were Mrs. Mattie Bixby, Mrs. Bert Lybeck and Mrs John McCormick for the Auxiliary, and Claude Carnegie, Bert Bixby, Bert Lybeck and Al Zenger, the American Legion. ———————— R. E. SANFORD IS BACK FROM TRIP THROUGH INTERIOR | District Engineer R. S. Sanford | of the U. 8. Bureau of Mines, re- turned to his Juneau headquarters | yesterday after a trip to Fairbanks, | Fort Yukon, Anchorage and way | points, during which he interviewed | mine operators with the view of| switching their operations from the production of gold to enter the! war mineral field. Sanford, who is in charge of | war mineral exploration work of | the Bureau in Alaska, left Juneau on November 16. During the trip | he also inspected many active pro- | jects of the U. S. Bureau along the way and formulated plans for many new projects, making pre- for iparations to start some jobs im- mediately He reported that his interviews with gold miners in connection with their shifting to production of war minerals was very success- ful and said that many of them will make immediate preparations cember 22, theOPAanempt‘ tomake |y . five million dollars, it is be- to go into the vital war mineral field this spring. o WASHINGTON, Dec. 23—Brig. Gen. Albert Waldron, 50, has been wounded seriously in action in the southwest Pacific. He is the sec-| ond general to be wounded seri- ously in that area recently, the other being Brig. Gen. Hanford MacNider who was hurt from spllnters from a hand grenade. | B.B. TONIGHT Twig Houblehpider baskotblt games arc to be played on the| channel tonight. In Juneau, thm JHS meet the St. Louis Blues and{ the Moose meet the Falcons. In| Douglas, the the Sigacs and Beavers go agail the Waacs. "SABOTAGE" PARTY| IS WIPED OUT, SAYS GERMAN COMMAND (By Assodated Press) The German High Command re-| ports that a British sabotage party was wiped out at Bordeaux De- cember 17 “before carrying out a task.” b No report of such an operation, inferred by Berlin as pn-fiumahly‘ a Commando raid seeking to de-| stroy operations near Bordeaux, | big sub base, has come from thrl Brmsh 'WAR SUPPLIES | OF MALTA RE l'(EINH)R(ED1 LONDON, Dec. 23.-—Large rcm- | forcements of war supplies materials have been landed in Malld | “without major interference by the| enemy.” The Admiralty also announced that one U-boat was destroyed dur- ing the operntiom THOUSAND DIE st | IN EARTHQUAKE: ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 23 About 1,000 persons were killed and many more injured in an eathquake last Monday that de stroyed the town of Erbaas, Tur- key, near the Black Sea port of Samsun, teries at Kiska. Hits were scored and heavy ex- | plosions were observed in the vi- cinity of the sub base at the camp. Buildings were bombed and strafed. All of our planes returned.” R Hi-Jinks of Elks Coming The annual Hi-Jinks of the Elks will be given as usual on New Year's Eve, December 31, in the Elks' Club and Ballroom. ‘This event is exclusively for Elks and their ladies, according to the announcement made today by Leon- Bruins clash with | ard Holmquist, who is committee chairman in charge of the big affair H-he Elks membership has grown so much recently the spacious club and lroom are hardly adequate at \hal to take care of those attending the festivities. For that reason | the Hi-Jinks only and is not a publAc affair | MEETING OF PUBlI( WELFARE BOARD 1§ OFF UNTIL SPRING The regular fall meeting of the | Territorial Board of Public Welfare, originally scheduled for late Novem- | ber or early December in Juneau, has been Russell G. Maynard, Welfare rector, announced today. The postponement was made nec- postponed until spring, Di- essary because of congested travel ath- and the present overcrowded conditions, adverse traveling wi er, housing conditions in Juneau Maynard said. Mr Members of the Board of Public | Welfare are Gov. Ernest Gruening, chairman; John H. Walmer of Ju- Howard Lyng, Nome; Mrs McCutcheon, Anchorage J H Rivers, Fairbanks, " NINETEEN LEAVE FOR WESTWARD ne.m, TUESDAY NIGHT : Beul Peacock, Jennie Erickson, Dorothy | around the city to see Grimes, Arthur Rviko. Alfred McManus, J. A. Coldicott, sgt. C. J. Bagsert, James Ryvan, Gene A, |servance Paige, Anson Covich, Charles Davis, Donald Payne, Irma L. Payn | and Madeline Baker. is limited to members and Aubra Smith, James | be of high quality value, some con- taining airfields from which the Germans have been flying troops to the Stalingrad area, and others linking the Nazi communications system along the Rostov-Moscow rail line between Millerovo and Vor- onezh. Altogether, on the middle Don front, the Central front west and northwest of Moscow, the Russian offensive is said to have won back more than 900 miles of wital rail lines. At least 450 miles of this total is said to be in the Don bend, the middle Don and Stalingrad sec- tions. In this latter area, the Russians are reported to have advanced with such speed they have captured Nazi winter warehouses, driving on des- pite heavy snow and huge drifts which hamper operations. After capturing some of these warehouses, the Russians messaged back from advanced fronts, “We are distributing Dutch chocolate and Rhine wines to our fighers.” PREMIER OF MANCHOUKUO KILLS MANY Chinese Géfierél, Head of Jap Puppet Government, Slgys, Suicides CHUNGKING, Dec, 22 The Chinese High Command reports that Gen. Chang Ching Hui, Pre- mier of Manchoukuo, poisoned all| members of his family, shot anc killed the Japanese Adviser and five high ranking officials of his puppet government, and then sui- cided The Premier of Manchoukuo left | stating he was “unable tc longer the Japanese op- a note stand pression.” I'he Chinese High Command at- tributes this information to a re- ort made by the Chinzse Intelli Service. gence - Passengers leaving here for the Westward last night were: P For Valdez- Robert Richardson For Seward—MTrs. Mrs. Jack Norgordon, Mrs. Donaldson, Arthur Pallagi, STREET LIGHTS CHECKED Befween | morning. in special calls early this the night Police Patrol- the prowler L | men car glowing to for the |lights were city bright r—— e BUY DEFENSE BONDS e | went| if all street make the Christmas ob- ‘Brmsh Amencan French | Are Ready fo Close Tunisian Vice " |EIGHTH ARMY NEARS VITAL TRIPOLI BASE | Vanguards Reported Only ' 180 from Import- fant City LONDON, Dec. 23. — Two Axis | warships and eight enemy mer- chant vessels are reported to have been sunk or damaged along the Mediterranean supply routes to the remaining German and Italian strongholds in North Africa. Allied planes, British subs and light surface vessels cooperated in the slash at the arteries of Axis reinforcements for Rommel’s troops. Meanwhile, it is announced that British, French and American sround troops are ready for their final tightening of the Libyan- Tunisian_vice. Allied Air Superiority Allied aerial superiority is indi- cated in the Tunisian theater as well as in Libya where British and American planes .range the skies virtually unchallenged by Axis fighters in their smashes at the Axis in Afriea.. - Vi A spokesman for American head- quarters said that Allled warplanes recently had seized the upper hand fn the Tunisian campalgn despite .he handicap of muddy airdrome runways and a shortage of good | llelds.. He said Allied fighters are 10w more able to cerry on a wide- ;pread offensive against the Ger- man ground troops. Persons familiar with Tunisia snid the rainy season might con- inue until the end of January, nterfering with both ground and Ar operations. British Move On At the same time, vanguards of he British Eighth Army are re- sorted to be nearing Buerat ei isun, only 180 miles from Tripo- i, in pursuit of”the remnants of he fleeing Rommel forces. A Cairo communique, which re- sorted this, didn’t include the geo- sraphical positions, but said Brit- sh patrols continued to harrass he withdrawing enemy troops, ommenting that the “work of nine clearance and road rgpair continuing satisfactorily.” FIREHAZARD WARNINGBY FIRE CHIEF Householders are warned by hief of the Juneau Volunteer Fire department, V. W. Mulvihill, to wary of fire hazards through- ut the holiday season, particular- the use of easily inflammable iecorations, and disposal of pack- 1ge Wrappings. Hotels and other public places | re particularly urged to use every srecaution during the holiday per- iod by using care in the selection | nd placing of flimsy decorations 5 5 that rio possibility of rire exists, hief Mulvihill stated. Overheated stoves and furnaces e particularly hazardous at this me of the year and all are arned to pay special attention > their heating systems, he stated. Shopping Zflag hll Christmas