The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, March 4, 1943, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LX., NO. 9282. JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 1943 MEMBE R ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS 22 JAP SHIPS SUNK; 15,000 JAPS KILLED Red Army Now In Pursuit Of Fleei RUSSIANS ADVANCING ONBASTION Plow Forwar—d. Menacing | Orel Between Central and Southern Fronts (By Associated Press) The Moscow communique says the Red Army continues to pursue the German forces who fled from the defense of the citadel Rzhev and under appalling weather con- ditions Soviet troops plowed for- ward west and northwest of Kursk to heighten their menace on Orel, hinge bastion between the central and southern fronts. A Berlin radio broadcast reported at noon today the Russian forces have made “local breaches” in the | Axis positions that flank around | Orel, 200 miles south of Moscow, besides .endangering the Orel oper- ations northwest of Kursk and also 80 miles south of that city. These operations point to a' spearhead toward Bryansk, which has been the Nazi's main supply base on the central front opera- tions. The capture of (Continued on Page Three) The Washington‘ Merry - Go- Round By DREW PEARSON (Major Robert 8. Allep on active duty.) e Dmitriev and FOOD CHIEF_ Wearing his work clothes during a visit %0 his Camden, Ind., farm, is Sec- getary of Agriculture Claude Wickard, new national food ad- ministrator. ALLIES PUT PINCERS ON AXIS FORCES Both Ends of Tunisian Front Being Closed- Confact Patrols WASHINGTON.—Gradually more details of the State Department’s policy of cooperating with Vichy appeasers is leaking out, and un- fortunately it does make good reading. Latest untold chapter is how the big bankers in Paris knew in ad- vance all abdut the American land- ing in North Africa and trans- ferred their funds there to the tune of 25 billion francs or $350,- 000,000. Then, after sneaking this sum out of France, the French bankers, with the aid of their friend, U. 8. Minister Robert Mur- phy, brought pressure to raise the exchange rate on the franc. Finally they succeeded. This sim- ple transaction increased the hold- ings of the State Depar'.ment‘s banking friends to $525,000,000. ‘The story seems almost unbeliev- able, but here are the sordid de- tails. Ever since the fall of France,| Ap11ED HEADQUARTERS Germany has been taking over val- NORTH AFRICA, March 4—Unit- uable French property from the o gtates patrols are now in con- Jews, labor unions, and refugees y,.¢ with the Germans three miles who had fled from occupied coun- |from Faid Pass, tries. In doing this, the Germans iplace for Rommel's obviously were preparing for a ary offensive long-term, throttle-hold on France, so they went about it very care- fully. Apparehtly they wanted to avoid litigation in French courts after'_ . the war so they arranged these Eigtaly Avmy, deals through certain French banks.| Allied airmen have also turned The Jewish, labor union and refu- bombers against the transport and gee property was ordered taken fOrtifications in the Mareth Line over and given to the banks. Then area in an offénsive which has the Germans bought the property also embraced attacks against six from the banks, paying in francs. \Tumslan airdromes of the Axis. However, the francs were taken German and Italian troops today out of the “Occupation Francs” Struck anew at both ends of the which the Bank of France paid to Tunisian front, seeking to delay Germany every day, for the cost of | the closing Allied pincer movement, occupation; so actually these deals |Tield dispatches said. did not cost the Nazis anything. | British Forced Back The British First Army line has HUGE FRENCH PROFITS {been forced back four miles in the The French bankers were per- Sedjenane sector of Northern Tu- mitted to keep the purchase price bisia. However, the authorities said of the property, so they amassed that the Axis gain was attained huge profits, and it was these|only at the cost of heavy casual- profits which were transferred to|ties and that it failed to threaten North Africa before the American the Allied pesitions seriously. landing. The British have launched a The banks doing business with small counterattack in the regioa the Germans were: the Banque de of Hunt's Gap, northeast of the Paris et de Pay Bas, the Banque town of Beja and 22 miles south de I'Indo-China and the Banque of Sedjenane. ‘Wurms. The disclosure that the Ameri- Despite their close cooperation can patrols were back before Faid Continued on Page Four) abortive Febru- Rommel’s surviving armored units are reported massing along the Ma- reth line area to the south against {the mounting threat of the British i (Continued on Page Three) ¥ IN Pay-As-You-Go Plan 0f Canada May Help I, . Income Tax Case WASHINGTON, March 4 — The Canadian plan to forego 50 per- | cent of the 1942 taxes earned from personal income, is viewed as a DEATH and DESTRUCTION: Actual War Scenes From Russia possible pay-as-you-go compromise in the United States by some lead- ing opponents of the Ruml to abate all of one year's taxes. Joining with the Congressional Tax Staff, it has been requested that Ottawa furnish Washington with more details of its plan, Chair- man Doughton of the House Ways and Means Committee said. Canada’s action on a similar sug- gestion he had already made, break the deadlock on the ques- tion of how much taxes should be abated, in an easy transition to the pay-as-you-go plan. However, Rep. Carlson, author of legislation ~ embracing the Ruml plan to by-pass a full tax year, said that he could accept no plan that required collection of more than cne year’s taxes within one year, in the swap-over iection. PAY RAISE TO BOEING plan would | | THESE SPECTACULAR PICTU! cameramen and included in the S, taken by Russian soldier- March of Time's “One Day of War,” show a Russian city being bombed and a German bomber to current col-| | EMPLOYEES ‘Labor Representatives on War Labor Board Protest Rate WASHINGTON, March 4. A | «eneral increase of four and a [halr cents an hour to 30,000 work ers building Boeing Flying Fort. | resses in Seattle, and an average | lm‘c” and a half cents an raise to approximately 222,000 em- ployees of eight Southern Califor- nia air frame companies was ‘gmnwd last night by the War :Labox Board The schedule was adopted over the strenuous objection of five of | the 12 members of the WLB whn 'avured higher rates. he vote, culminating eighz month effort to | wages on the West Coast, |seven to five in favor of the rate | plan - originally written by Chair- | {man William H. Davis, labor mem- ' bers, and Wayne L. Morse, one of the public representatives who dis- sented vigorously. Morse described the majority de- cision as “stabilization bungling” in the jumping- -off |&nd the labor members expressed‘ im%mmem at the part they said! Stabilization Director James cision. The labor representatives |all of the workers should have re- | raise. 5 BOMBING RAIDS MADE JAP BASES Enemy Held Pdsitions in| Solomons Smashed by Allied Air Forces WASHINGTON, Maich 4—Five bombing raids on Jap held posi- tions in the Solomons, including the 82nd attack on Munda is reported today by the Navy. Fires were started in Mupda but| results of other raids are mnot re- | ported, hour | an | stabilize | was | F.| Byrnes played in framing the dc-1 said | |ceived a flat 10-cent an hour| | | | | | | ENEMY SHIPS ARE SUNK BY BRITISH SUBS |Seven Crafl'i;\iflediterran- ean Destroyed-Oper- ate Close to Shore | LONDON, March 4—British sub- marines in the Mediterranean, have | destroyed seven enemy vessels and | Admiralty announces today. | One of the subs surfaced in the !Gulf of Genoa near the Italian ccast and fired at a shipbuilding | yard, reporting she “scored several hits with high explosives on two vessels in the stocks.” | Another submarine, operating iclose inshore, shelled a tarin on a bridge. - ATH TERM TERM! | WASHINGTON, March 4—Some the Democratic National Com- mmee members broached the idea |of a fourth term with the Presi- 'dent at the White House today but Chairman Walker said it was not a serious presentation, also it received “no response” from the President. - | The teeth of flying foxes are used for money by the natives of Rennell Island in the South Pa- I cifie, NEW ALLIED WEAPON prnpelled howitzer, a relatively new damaged nine others, the British RAFT BOARDS MUST GO SLOW, CERTAIN MEN Must Not Induct Men Who Have Dependent Chil- dren, Says McNutt March 4 WASHINGTON Cor- recting an earlier siatement, Paul V. McNutt today said that local draft boards are still under orders rot to draft men with dependent children until the Board received horization from the. National Selective Service Headquarters. - ROTTERDAM ISBOMBED IN DAYLIGHT U.S. Flying Fortresses Alsc Make Raid on German City of Hamm LONDON, March 4.-U. S. Fly- ing Fortresses bombed docks and warehouses at Rotterdam and the freight yards in the German city of Hamm by daylight today Five bombers failed to At least 14 German planes return were | destroyed during air attacks. furiously blazing after being hit the Russian front. All aboard t Russian cameramen filmed the war scenes. | g PASSES AXIS w RECK—A U, S.-made 105mm. self- weapon, is driven past a wrecked Axis tank in African desert, POWER OF AIRCRAFT INDICATED Smashing of 22- ship Jap Convoy One Indication of What Can Be Done WASHINGTON, March 4-—Jap- anese plans for “coming campaigns in the South Pacific’ have been disrupted by the smashing of the 22-ship convpy in Bismarck Sea, said Under Secretary of War Pat- terson today. Patterson said the the Japanese flotilla was indication of what aircraft can do and of the: increasingly important part they aré geing to play in the fortunes of this war.” D victory over just one 'NEW RATIONING IN STATES SET FOR APRIL ONE WASHINGTON, March 4—Meats cheese, butter, cooking fats and oils will be rationed in the States beginning Apxil 1. Meat rations will probably run about one and three- quarters of a pound per person per week. Red coupons in No. 2 ration book will be used. Price Administrator Prentiss Brown also announced today that a uniform community-wide dollar and cent ceiling price on pork and beef will be established shortly in an effort to break up the black | markets, during a raid somewhere along he bomber died. At total of 160 (International) AABSENCES CAUSING BIG LOSS ‘Time Lost Through Abse | teeism Greater than o Strikes, lockouls n. WASHINGTON, March 4—Secre-; ltary of Navy Frank Knox, testi- fied he has received reports that |time lost in war plants due to ab- centeeism “is many times greater {than the time lost due to strikes and shutdowns,” and such a loss of time in production is “increasing |during the past year rather than | decreasing.” The Navy Secretary appeared be- fore the House Naval Committee during consideration of the bill to curb absenteeism by requiring war contractors to report work absences to the draft boards with a view of | inducting into military service, men |who willfully stay away from war u)!udu(’blun Jjob | | WASHINGTON, March 4—Chair- |man of the Maritime Commission, ‘Emm‘y S. Land, today testifiedy | that there is “illegitimate absen- [ teeism” among _shipyard workers ((A&lulu an estimated 100 liberty \uhlps annually, and endorsed leg- islation designed to curb absentee- ism by requiring shipyard foremen to report to the local draft boards names of workers absent without sufficient cause, with a view toward their possible induction into the armed forces. » Opposition to legislative action was voiced by N. P. Alifas, presi- dent of District 44, International Association of Machinists, who tes- tified that not all absenteeism is willful, saying that fatigue caused by long hard work often made it ne ary for a man to stay home. xecutives may claim they, put in 14 hours daily, Alifas said, but “they are merely out of bed that - Prayers §a|d By President WASHINGTON, March 4—Presi- dent Roosevelt observed the tenth anniversary of his elevation to the Presidency by praying at special services that God “grant us grace to fearlessly contend against evil and to make no peace with oppres- sion.” The services were East Room of the High officials of the held in the White House, Government and friends and members of the White House Staff were present. ng Germans BIG (ONVOY WIPED OUT, SEABATILE {Ten Warsh%,_ 12 Trans- ports Sent Down in Bis- marck Sea Fight |ALLIED AIR FORCE IS CREDITED WITH VICTORY Major Dlsasler fo Enemy, | Dislocating Entire Cam- paign in Solomons | ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN | AUSTRALIA, March 4.—Ten war- |ships and 12 transports in the | New Guinea bound Japanese con- | voy have been sunk or rendered lin a sinking * condition by Allied ! planes, the High Command offici- | ally announces. 1 Fifty-five Jap planes, seeking to |afford cover to the convoy, have | been shot down. The sinkings of the Japanese convoy fleet cost the Jap losses an estimated 15,000 men of ground forees, The estimated 15,000 men des- tined to attack In New Guinea | “have been sunk or killed almost to a man,” Gen. Douglas Mac- Arthur's communique said. Major Disaster | Gen. MacArthur termed the ac- tion a major disaster to the Japs, | disloeating jthe enemy’s campaign. | Our losses.were light, one bomb- er and three fighter planes shot |down. Others were damaged but they returned to their bases. The officlal communique says: “The Battle of Bismarck Sea has now been decided. “We achieved a victory of such completeness as to assume the pro- portions of a major disaster to |the enemy. “The ertemy's entire force was practically destroyed. His navil component consisted of 22 vessels comprising 12 transports and 10 warships, cruisers or destroyers.” This is an increase upon earlier reports which placed the convoy toll at 14 ships (Continued on Page Threel GREAT ROUT CHEERED BY AUSTRALIANS MacArthur's Alrmen Given Due Credit for Defeat of Jap Convoy CANBERRA, Au.stranm March 4 —The Australian House of Kepre- sentatives broke into . prolonged cheering today when Prime Min- ister Curtin read Gen. Douglas Mac- Arthur’s communique announcing the rout of the big Japanese con- voy On behalf of the Australian Com- monwealth, Prime Minister Curtin expressed pride in the achievement of Gen. MacArthur's airmen and declared the war will not be lost because of deficiencies of the Al- lied fighting forces or lack of skill on the part of their leaders. ® o 0o 0 0 0 0 0 o DIMOUT TIMES Dimout begins tonight at sunset at 6:35 o'clock. Dimout ends tomorrow at sunrise at 7:44 am. e Dimout begins Friday ® sunset at 6:37 p.m. 0 ec 000000 at