The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 22, 1943, Page 1

VOL. XLIL, NO. 9530. “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” HE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE — e ¢ JUNEAU, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1943 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS = - . —_—— ] AIR WAR IN MID-PACIFIC NOW FURIOUS U. AMERICANS, FRENCHMEN IN ADVANCE Gains Reported on Italian Front - Street Fight- ing in Ortona ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN ALGIERS, Dec. 22—The American Fifth Army, bolstered by heavy ar- tillery and mortar fire, has captured several new heights and reached the outskirts of San Vittore on the road to Rome, while the British Eighth Army is battling the Germans with tanks and infantry on the streets of Orona. American and French troops along the northern mountainous sector of the Fifth Army front are reported this afternoon attacking villages of (Continued on Page Three The Washington Next ltalian King 15 MORE RR UNIONS YOTE FOR STRIKE ' | Non-operating_Unions Are fo Strike Dec. 30 with Operating Crews WASHINGTON, Dec. 22. — New complications are added to the rail- road crisis as leaders of 15 non- cperating railroad unions, number- ing more than a million workers, is(‘l December 30, at 6 o'clock in the | morning as the time for the begin- |ning of a nationwide strike | The operating brotherhoods, re- | presenting 350,000 workers have | ready called a strike for the same | date. | Last night they rejected an over- time pay plan advanced by Presi- dent Roosevelt as the basis of a settlement in the wage dispute. The non-operating union } | | | | i WHEN U. S. and British represent- atives conferred with a group of leading Italian political leaders in Naples, the shelving of King Victor | chiefs S. Forces Reach Outskirts of San Vittore | | { 150 —=7 2 S il A i e o > SOLOMON 1S, Bougainville Emmanuel and Crown Prince Humbert in favor of a regency for Humbert's six-year=-old son, the Prince of Naples (above), was | said 98 percent of the membership ! voted in favor of striking for the | wage demands more than a month . PACIFIC BATTLE AREN A—Here are strategic points in 500, 1000, LIBERATORS MILES AT DISTANCES INDICATED ARE i IN_AIRLINE STATUTE MILES | ARE I.OSI 'N HAWAIIAN ISLANDS \?1;\ s 1.1,:, To San Fzran:isco Enemy Taroa Airbase Bombed-Strong Inter- ception Encountered ~... PEARL HARBOR, Dec, 22.—The |rising fury of the air war over the |Mid-Pacific Marshall Islands is | plainly indicated by the report re- leased today. Last Monday, Seventh Army Air 1Pon.-e Liberators raided the enemy’s new Taroa airbase and tangled with |30 Zeros, downing four and probably |five others with a loss of three | Liberators. Tarao is on Maloelap atoll which | Army bombers pounced on the prev- |ious day, downing seven interceptors jand damaging five others, but re- | turning without a loss. | In the latest raid, fires were set land explosions were noted among \’lhv hangars and storage depots. e ~30.Oahu 2300______—-——Pearl Harborr ag Honolulu § P Hawaii | 7 # Palmyra® - \. ~ \ **Makin-“GILBERT IS. % \ yaTarawa ¢ ..... .-.;\'—4‘ Abemama AN \ 5 N o o\ \ Fanning * Christmas ® **. PHOENIX R \ ELLICE 1S *\*Nanumea the “Battle of the Pacific.” Figures along the broken lines indi - cate distances between key points in the Pacific theater where Allied nations forces are battling the Japanese. | |ago. Seaca 1‘ Merry - Go- Round By DREW PEARSON (Mator Robert 8. Allen on sctive @uty.) WASHING 1 ON '+ When popular; hard-working Ed Stettinius éame in as Under-Secretary of State, it was expected that he would soon work miracles of efficiency. Ed had been trained in big busi- ness from the ground up. His fath- er was with J. P. Morgan. He him- self went into the U. S. Steel Cor- poration, quickly became its head. Previously, he had been an execu- tive of General Motors, also a di-| rector of North American Aviatior, General Aviation, TWA, and West- ern Air Express. So it was expected that Ed would oil up the creaking old machinery of diplomacy and make it prance down Pennsylvania Avenue. Ed has now labored mightily and brought forth his first great revolu- tion. Frankly, it is a mouse. One of the things for which the State Department has long been famous is its array of Negro mes- sengers sitting in the corridors out- side the executive offices. These gentlemen are among the elite of Washington's colored community. One was once Teddy Roosevelt's coachman. Another fought with Cordell Hull in the Spanish-Ameri- can War. Many are lawyers and have probably sneaked in a little reading of the law while not ush- ering ambassadors in to see the Secretary of State or distributing coded messages from Cairo and Teheran. A messenger sat at a table just outside the door of the Secretary of State, the Under-Secretary, and each Assistant Secretary. But now Ed Stetinius, as his first great move to streamline the State De- partmen;, has taken these tables out of State Department corridors. Instead of sitting just outside the door of each executive in order to open the door for distinguished visitors, the messengers now sit in what was once the men’s lava- tory. The room has been revamped, but even so, there is great indigna- tion among the colored messengers. From their privileged status as es- corts to ambassadors and Cabinet! members, they are relegated to re- lative oblivion. As far as efficiency goes, it doesn’t matter one way or ‘the other—though it does look prettier. State Department officials are now wondering what the next great move of “Streamlined” Stettinius will be. NORTH AFRICAN DIAPERS The Office of Foreign Economic Administration has now answered Senator Bridges' doubts about dia- pers. They have assured him that American mothers are not being discriminated against in favor of Prench or Arab women in North (Continued on Page Four) proposed. (International) {7 “These Unions (clerks, shopmen, [. " ‘elc ) Tuesday granted permission to i q [] L] L] RECOGNITION s Otfered by " Brotherhood .Depends on Whether "Out-| o side Influences’ Play- 'Railway Unions Draft An- ed Part in Coup other Proposal fo Sub- Ry mit fo Roosevelt WASHINGTON, Dec. 22—Leaders of the five railroad operating broth- erhoods today completed the draft of a counter-proposal to settle a wage dispute and avert a strike called for December 30. | = | LA PAZ, Bolivia, Dec. 22.—The desire for “effective cooperation” between the United States and Bol- ivia in an early settlement of nego- tiations concerning tin and quinine was expressed by the Minister of the new government, Maj. Gualberto Villarroel and Minister of Economy | These brotherhoods originally Gusavo Chacon, who said: 1‘asked a minimum increase of three “I believe that effective coopera-‘dollars a day. This was reduced ‘o tion ought to exist between the sixty-four cents in the counter pro- United States and Bolivia within posal, but added demands for paid the shortest time possible, and we ' vacations and overtime after 40 should face matters left pending by | hours for yardmen away from home the laxness of the former govern-|anq expenses for roadmen. ment, inclding tin and quinine, in| pne oyvertime plan adds three dol- ::1:2;2‘:;251&1 b:(?t‘ Ii(e’ufl:::t‘ke;r Tpk:)es:.z lars and ninety one cents to the Datisd o ¢ | top bracket yardmen, who estimate The Villarroes government turned | ¥2Y from hame fxpaes Average its attention to retributive measures 25 Digh as twenty-five dollars a in what they described as last De- ToPth: cember’s “Catave massacre,” when | Plans were made to gubmit ‘the 19 were killed and 35 injured when | €W Proposal, on @ basis of settle- troops fired on striking tin mine Ment, to President Roosevelt, as workers. | mediator of the dispute as soon The government announced a de- |35 the White House will receive cree providing indemnities for the ' the delegation. victims and said that measures| Fifteen other brotherhoods, re- aimed at determining the culpabil- | presenting more than a million non- ity for the shooting will follow. loperaung rail employees joined the operating Unions in calling a strike WANT FACTS on December 30, but up until early WASHINGTON, Dec. 22. — The |this afternoon there was no govern- United States government, confront- | ment intervention in the “non-oper- ed with the question of the recogni- | ating” case. ¢ \tion of the new government of| £ STOCK QUOTATIONS Bolivia wants to know if any “out- | |side influence unfriendly to. - the| | Allied cagse“ had any part in the! Npw YORK, Dec. 22. — Closing CO“Pd W:“d) overthrew the Pen-iquotation of Alaska Juneau mine ar;‘l;l_a fg‘"’e'd e stock today is 5%, American Can is was made plain when Sec-|g3,, Anaconda .24%, Bethlehem retary of State Cordell Hull was|giee) 561, Curtiss Wright 5%, In- asked to define his attitude toWard | (ornational Harvester 72%, New ‘:‘ifig:;;:{"“ ggntgge;‘:l"i’mf:‘:fr';‘l:‘e‘e;‘- { York Central 15%, Northern Pacifie : 5 " |14, Uni tat I curity of this hemisphere and the:“ O:Jmted Stalol Biaeh i Poung war effort of the United Nations| pow jones averages today are as must have the first impotrance in| ronowe. Industrials, 137.15: rails, jany matter of this or similar char-|g; o3." ypilities, 21.90. [ & lacter, and included in the revelant e considerations is the question of whether outside influence unfriend- ly to the Aliled cause played any part.” CHICAGO, Dec. 22.—Because of the newsprint shortage the Chicago Daily News will publish no adver- tising, except death and legal no- tices, church bulletins and amuse- ment announcements from Decem- ber 23 to January 3, — FORTU) WRITER HER® Miss Jean Potter of New York City, representative of Fortune ma- 'gazine, is a guest at the Barano! |Hotel. Miss Potter has written ar- |ticles about Alaska for the maga- zine. | 5 ARE HELD | ONCHARGES, - (ONSPIRACY Grandson of 7B‘rewery Ty-| coon Jailed-Attempt- | ed Draft Evasion NEW YORK, Dec. 22.—Gert Hans von Gontard, alias George Grant, 37, described by Federal officials as the grandson of Adolphus Busch, late St. Louis brewer, and four others are named in a complaint | charging conspiracy to keep von| Gontard out of military service. Named besides von Gontard in the complaint are Francis Zavier| Grottano, former New York City‘ detective and now a lieutenant in the Army Intelligence at Governor’s | Island; Dr. Arnold Hutschnecker, | New York physician, accused of | faking the medical history that| won' a draft deferment for von Gontard; Michael Mangano, opera- “tor of'a uniform company which makes Army uniforms for the War| Picked as "Periscope Girl” A group of sailors in the Navy's submarine service who lined up their sights on Actress Irene Manning at Hollywood, told her (above) that they've chosen her as their “Periscope Girl.” " CHIEF OF STAFF REDSSMASH v e PACIFIC NAZIssoUTH YIS PACIFIC | oF DNIEpER VAR FRONTS o it i Speculation ; i | l | 'I Bridgehead Destroyed Op- posite Kherson-Vitebsk IS'NOW Surrounded l Gen. ((.::ox“::mgm;ddsrls,;\:fi. Army S |Chief of Staff, has conpleted a (By Associated Press) Iseries of visits to Pacific lines and The Russian Baltic Army, surging conferences with leaders of the anti- forward unchecked have advanced Japanese offensives. another five miles and now stand The announcement was made after only 15 miles from the Nazi fort- Gen. Marshall’s return to the main- ress city of Vitebsk, Reuters re- land and stirred speculation of new rted from MoSCOW. momentous blows. ol | The reports came from Gen. Mac= The encirclement of the city be- arthur and Adm. Halsey’s head= came hourly more imminent, andquarters in Honolulu of the gen- thus, this thrust and the compan-feral’s visit on his return from the ion drive toward the important rafl Cairo and Teheran conferences by junction at Polotsk 60 miles west'transport plane. It was his first threatened the stability of the en- meeting with Gen. MacArthur since tire German line defending the Bal- the outbreak of the war. X tic states. The two met at an advanced A Russian communique earlier re- headquarters island north of New ported the forces of Gen. Bagra- Cuinea on December 15, the day the i mian are within 20 miles of Vitebsk, | Americans landed on New Britain, | From the north through captured |Aboard & combet. plsue, Gen. Murs | Gribali and less than 25 nfiles away shall low SGkwasd 1, the'Dale wherg Department; and John Edward Wil- ! son, chief clerk of Draft Board No. 20. All but Wilson are under arrest. Von Gontard was arrainged before | United States Commissioner Cotter and released on $1,500 bail pending action of the Federal Grand Jury.! ‘Grotuno was held on bail of $1,500 iand the doctor’s bail is $1,000. | | The preliminary hearing is sched- |uled for January 5. The complaint | specifically charged that the five conspired to make false statements jand for being parties to making | false .statements to indicate the non-liability of von Gontard for mil- | itary service. !lining Congress has been taken i Assistant U. S. Attorney Gregan which the folks on Capitol Hill ‘saxd von Gontard, a native of Ger- think has a chance of getting some- {many, became a citizen through the where. | naturalization of one of his parents.I It's the Maloney-Monroney bill, il R | simultaneously introduced in the Senate by Senator Francis Maloney, ‘DISIRI(I (oun' 'S |of Connecticut, and in the House '1 Abmunnm’ jAN.1 by Rep. A. 8. Mike Monroney of | Oklahoma. Briefly it would establish an ab- The U. S. District Court has ad-'solutely bipartisan committee (three journed until January 10, following Democrats and three Republicans !(wo day’s hearings held by Judge from each side of the Capitol) to 5Creorge F. Alexander. /study ways and The court party returned last gest legislation for overhauling the |week from Ketchikan, where a ses-, creaky congressional machinery. sion of court was held during the)Broadly, the objectives would be to past two months. whittle the unwieldy committee sys- ———— |tem into an effective legislative in- KINNEYS IN TOWN |strument and to establish a better |working relationship between Con- Mr. and Mrs. Chester Kinney of 8'ess and the executive depart- Excursion Inlet are staying a few Ments and bureaus. days in Juneau as guests at the EVer since we entered this war Baranof Hotel, iuu-r« has been growing alarm on Streamline BY JACK STINNETT WASHINGTON, Dec. 22—For the first time a step toward stream- Steps Are Taken fo : Present System Creak means and sug- ! i ! - | Gen. MacArthur and his aides were [to the east his troops, storming !gi ecting the New Britain offensive. {down from Nevel yesterday, blasted | rpne yisits are interpreted in {their way through a 50-mile gap washington.as meaning that Gen. deep into the German defenses, ngarshall is carrying details of the |capturing more than 100 villages high strategy as it is unlikely that land leaving 1,600 Germans dead in he would have undertaken the haz- their wake. ardous Pacific flights merely for an Congress; At the extreme southern end of inspection. |the 800-mile long battle front ARy Py 7 od meanwhile, Russian armies liqui- dated the Nazi bridgehead on the south bank of the Dnieper River opposite Kherson near the river's ‘the Kill at the ineffectiveness of mouth, and dispatches said a full] | the legislative branch. Frequently, scale atack against the city itself | Congress has stumbled over its own |is expected momentarily. big feet and it has been pretty ap-| et XA parent that the reason was be- Gee Whirz; Big Boost In Salar cause it is wound up in the red tape | of outmoded customs, rules nnd‘EAS | self-regulations. 1 WASHINGTON, Dec. 22. — The | i i | House Territories Committee has . | reported favorably on House Reso- | Nearly every member of the ET READY 4 | ; Lt o 4 byt 4| lution 3362, increasing the salary | House and Senate has recognized of the Secretary of Alaska from |this state of affairs, but every ef-| fort to improve it has been tos sd! into the discard by Congressional!, leaders who are afraid reorganiza-| tion would hack off the privileges!' S and predtige they enjoy now. SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 22, | For example, what members "f;fCoacheh Andy Kerr, of Colgate, | the Military and Naval Affairsjand George Hauser, of Minnesota, | Committees would be willing to see led a squad of 24 Eastern [o()tbfi"t their present rickety box cars nmdvipluyers into town today to begin | over into tear-drop six-: ers in preparations for the East-West char- which only a few of them could ity football game here on January 1. | | ride? | The Western squad will be coached How far in the wrong direction by Orin Hollingberry, of Wnshim{-I our government has gone is point- ton State, and L. T. Shaw, of Santa | ed out by Congressman Monroney Clara. They have their players all | - |assembled and have worked out briefly. $5,600 to $7.200 yearly, FOR JAN. 1 | (Continued on Pn’v.ev Three) i