The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, May 13, 1944, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. XLIL, NO. 9651. U NEAU, ALASKA, SATURDAY, MAY 13, 1944 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS ALLIED FORCES MAKE GAINS IN ITALY American Bombers Blast Europe 29th Day FORMATIONS STRIKE DEEP INTO REICH Berlin Says Heavy Air Bat- fles Taking Place-Rail Centers Bombed LONDON, May 13. — German broadcasts sald strong American bomber formations thrust as deep as the Berlin area amid heavy air| battles this afternoon on the 29th| day of the aerial offensive, men- tioning the invasion officially for the first time. The communique by the High| Command declared: “Persistent strong attacks by British and Am- erican bombers against the occupied western territorias may be regarded as preparatory to invasion.” The Royal Air Force threw up to 750 bombers last night into the raids on the Belgian rail cities of (Continued on Page Two) The Washington Merry - Go- Round WASHINGTON—TIt has been said| that oratory is on the wane in America, that great figures who dare to speak out on the Senate floor have disappeared, that the real power of the Senate is now exercised in committee by strong, ' silent men with no grace for speech. Those who heard Tennessee's Senator Kenneth McKellar haran- gue his colleagues on the subject of this columnist the other day are wondering if. this is true. Opinion is divided. But both sides agree that the gentleman from Tennessee hit the high watermark for gorgeous invective. Ordinarily, this columnist doesn’t consider himself worth forty-five minutes of the Senate’s time and twelve columns in the Congressional Record but, since Senator McKellar is anxious to get circulation, this column is delighted to oblige. So we give you Senator McKellar of Tennessee speaking on the Senate floor in rebuttal of a Merry-Go- Round report of his feud against the Tennessee Valley Authority: NO MOUNTAINEER McKELLAR “Mr. President, I have been shown an article by one Drew Pearson, a so-called columnist. I wish to read from that article and comment upon it. “Pearson says: ‘For 32 long years in Congress, blustery mountaineer Kenneth McKellar * *. * “I digress long enough to say that I do not know Mr. Pearson, but really he is an ignorant ass, is he not? (Laughter.) I was not born in the mountains. Yet this ignorant, blundering, lying ass seems to think there is something dis- creditable about mountains. The| truth is that it is not a dishonor to be a mountaineer. Only a blat- ant jackanapes would have made a point of that. “He is just an ignorant liar, pusillanimous liar, a peewee liar. understand he and Lilienthal (David Lilienthal, Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority) are great friends. They are two of a kind. What is fitter than two liars standing up for each other? “His further statement is that I am famous for my patronage. That is simply a willful, deliberate, malic- ious newspaperman’s lie, out of whole cloth. That is all it is, “I read more of the article: ‘When it comes to temper, the Sen- ator from Tennessee surpasses any other man on Capitol Hill’ “No one could tell about that, because that is a matter of opin-| ion, on which probably no two per- sons would agree. It may be that I have a temper. “I read on: ‘Most of his colleag- ueg remain in awe of McKellar's lashing tongue; some even in fear. “Is my judgment, that is a will- (Continued on Page Four) 'SYNTHETIC OIL "|Fortresses and Liberators with es- 96 TONS OF BOMBS LAID, | TRUK ATOLL Fierce Air Battle Ends in Downing of Six Jap Interceptors ADVANCED ALLIED HEAD- QUARTERS IN NEW GUINEA, May 13. American Liberators fought off 30 Japanese fighters and shot down at least six on Wednes- day, pressing the 96-ton bombing of Truk, key enemy base in the Cen- tral Pacific, headquarters announced today. The results of the 35-minute run- ning air battle are given in a re- capitulation of the raid announced | on Friday when headquarters said one Liberator was lost. The Japa- nese defenders of the big Caroline Islands base paid for the destruc- tion of the American Liberator with six and probably eight interceptors, and two other enemy planes were smashed on the gorund at Eten Island in Truk atoll. The raiding force was described as “sizable” and also laid bombs on Dublon, a town on Truk, and a single Liberator reconnaissance plane over Palau Island damaged a 1,000-ton Japanese freighter. This is the first mention of air patrol action from Southwest Pacific bases in the area of Palau, which is 1,175 miles west of Truk. | Emblem Club Will Hold Last Meeting Tuesday Evening The final regular spring meeting of Juneau Emblem Club No. 90 is to be held next Tuesday evening, May 16, at 8 o'clock in the Elks’ Hall. Because of the club’s summer vacation, the next regular meeting will not be until September 5. As a practice, the club has set aside the second meeting in each month for its social activities and ordinarily a party would be on/ the calendar for next Tuesday night. The members decided, however, to “throw” a big party in May and have made arrangements with the| Elks Lodge to have the hall for this affair on May 27. Next Tuesday'’s meeting will, therefore, be devoted to making final arrangements for this party. The co-chairmen for May 27 are Mrs. Louise Blanton and Mrs. Louise Shattuck. They have made ten- tative arrangements for the party and will make their report to the club members on Tuesday night.' The club’s President, Mrs. Daisy’ Fagerson, requests all members be present next Tuesday so that the plans can be thoroughly discussed and completed. This party will in- clude all Elks and their ladies as well as Emblem Club members and their escorts, so it will take a bit of planning. Mrs. Fagerson urges all Emblem Club members to be on hand Tuesday night to help make the party a real “affair.” i 1i PLANTS OF NAZIS HIT BY BOMBERS LONDON, May 13. — American bombers yesterday attacked four major synthetic oil plants in the Leipzig area, Germany, and one at Brux, inside old Czechoslovakia, in the mounting campaign to paralyze the German war machine ahead of the western invasion. A great armada of nearly 2,000 corting Fighters carried out the| stunning blow against the very heart of Hitler'’s mobile fighting force. According to running Berlin radio accounts, the armada battled the German Air Force all the way across Germany to reach their tar- gets. Fragments of Shell Injure RR Workers SAN MARIA, Calif, May 13— More than a dozen shell fragments pierced the dining car unit of the Southern Pacific Daylight Limited | enroute to San Francisco from Los Angeles, injuring two Negro Wu-‘I men dishwashers, one's arm being severed at the shoulder, and the| other suffered face cuts. Witnesses said the fragments were apparently from an Army 105 mm. shell. Witnesses on the train told railroad officials the shell appar- ently was launched from the land| side and went over the train, strik- ing the nearby beach. Fragments| then hit the dining car, and all the| {holes were made on the coastal side | of the northbound train. | Army officials at nearby Camul Cooke withheld comment until a| complete mvestlgauon is made. LIBERATORS STRIKE TRUK EARLY MORN PEARL HARBOR, May 13.—The| Navy announces Truk was dealt a| 62 ton blow at dawn Thursday dur- ing a two-way strike. Bombs were dropped by Libera- tors, cratering airfields, starting fires and causing explosions. One Japanese interceptor was downed and possibly two. All Am- erican planes returned. The raid was the sixth month, | | this — e ENEMY BASES IN CENTRAL PACIFIC GIVEN BATTERING WASHINGTON, May 13—Strik- ing through the Jap held Caroline Island area in the Central Pacific, American bombers battered landing strips and other enemy installations on at least four Jap bases Wednes- day. Search planes roving the area also made two other attacks, hit- ting Kusaie, southwest of Truk, and Murilo in the Hall Islands, 40 miles north of Truk. MAHONEY BACK FROM SITKA WITH PRISONERS U. S. Marshal Wiliam T. Ma- honey, returned to Juneau this morning with two prisoners, taken into custody at Sitka. Both arrested for being drunk and disorderly, Barbaretta Van Erman will serve a term of 90 days in the Federal prison and David Bailey, 120 days. INDIAN AFFAIRS MEN ENROUTE T0 KETCHIKAN Leaving this morning for Ketchi-| kan, Don Foster, General Superin- tendent for the Office of Indian Affairs, will spend the next sev- eral days on official business in the First City. Foster was accompanied by V. R. Farrell, Supervisor of Arts and Crafts, and LeRoy Arnold, Director of Forestry for the Indian Service. ——.e— — LEAVES FOR SOUTH Mrs. Ruby A. Council and her small daughter, Carol Anne, left this morning for a vacation in the States. They will spend most of ‘the time with Mrs. Council’s par- ents, Mr, and Mrs. H. Apland at Arlington, Washington, stopping en- .route at Petersburg for a week's stay with Mrs. L. E. Elkins, JAPS DRIVE 10 CUT OFF CHINA ARMY Have Cut Lunghai Railway at Two Points to Iso- late Huge Force CHUNGKING, May 13.—Barring| the main retreat line for several hundred thousand Chinese troops, the Japs are driving down from Shansi and have cut the Lunghai Railway in at least two points more than 40 miles west of beleag-| ured Loyang. Field dispatches reported heavy |fighting on the outskirts of Loy- |ang, where the Japs are said to be| using 200 tanks to storm the city. The Chinese have acknowledged the loss of Mienchih on the Lung- hai Railway, 42 miles west of Loy- ang. CARDS, BROWNS KEEPING AT TOP OF IWO LEAGUES Associated Press) 'rfle"'St“ tained their lead in the National |League by winning a night game' from Brooklyn last night, and the Philadelphia Phillies moved into second place when they turned back the Chicago Cubs. The St. Louis Browns popped lhack to top place in the American League by blasting out 15 hits to defeat the Washington Senators. Detroit Lefty Hal Newhouser, the first left- hander to beat the Yanks this sea- Jowa during the House debate o | son. Two home runs were made by both sides in the game. The Boston Red Sox pounded out 14 hits for 25 bases to break a six- game losing streak and to beat the Cleveland Indians. Bobo Newsom let the Chicago White Sox down with five hits and the ‘Philadelpia Athletics won the first night game of the season. The New York Giants finally won 2 victory yesterday, the second in 12 starts, defeating Cincinnati. A homer by Napoleon Reyes, replacing Joe Medwick, with one on in the second gave the Giants a margin The Boston Braves pounded out 12 hits, including two homers, to beat Pittsburgh. Chuck Workman and Damon Phillips hit the round- trippers. 32 PERSONS LEAVE TODAY FROM HERE A vessel arriving in Juneau early | this morning brought the following Passengers from Sitka: Mrs. J. Byers, Willlam Mahoney, Mrs. D. W. Mahoney, Walter Klost- | erman, Mrs. L. Gimmell, L. J. Gim- mell, Lioyd Blake. Charles Wright, Grace Tringali, Agnes Schlosser, John Melkild, Leon- ard Taylor, Marie Hadlund, John Byers. Persons embarking here for Seat- tle were Esther Mueller, Effie Rech- | in, Ruby A. Council, Carol Anne Council, Emily Schmitz, William Schmitz, J. L. Gray, Julia Well- sandt, R. C. Storie, R. C. Richard- son, M/S C. L. Everetts, USA, John Halm, Mrs. Halm, Mary Halm, John Byers and Mrs. Byers. Passengers for Ketchikan were O. S. Sullivan, H. DeLand, V. R. Far-! rell, H. Arlowe, Mrs. J. Shep- ard, Dr. R. N. Hester, Lt. L. B. Smith, USCG, Huga Schmolck, C.| B. Knox, USCG, C. Forward, D.| W. Zander, Don Foster, LeRoy Ar- nold and W. E. Donaldson. Mary McCormack was listed for | Wrangell anéd M. F. Klepser for! Petersburg. ————————— = L . . . WEATHER REPORT _(U. 8. Bureau) Temp. for Friday, May 11 Maximum 62; Minimum 44 ® 0 0 0000 00 tofis Cardinals main- ! OFFENSIVE IS STARTED BYSTILWELL gpa Major Drive Believed Op- ened in North Burma on Japanese Bases i | | KANDY, Ceylon, May 13—Stil-| well's Chinese troops have opened up what appears to be a major drive on the north Burma bases of Kamaing, Mogaung and Myit- kyina in attacking along a two mile front. Stilwell’s action is supported by tank, dive bombers and artillery. The new offensive against the Japs was launched a mile south of |Malakawng. The official communique says the advance columns are holding Man- |base at Kamaing. — e, — 'WARVETSTO BEFINANCED, GOVT.LOANS | | | | | WASHINGTON, May 13.—A mil- lion American war veterans will be in the market for government backed loans after the war, the House was told, but none wants “charity.” This estimate of the number of| temporarily cooled the men and women who will nvau‘ threat of the rampaging New York themselves of the loan provisions of | Yankees by winning 10 to 4 behind the GI Bill of Rights was given by| Rep. Cunningham, Republican of| the overall veterans measure. It is| expected to pass with few dissent-| ing votes late next week. Cunning- ham said the estimate came from| veterans in the administration who will administer the bill. U. 5. SUBS SINK JAP DESTROYER, THIRTEEN SHIPS WASHXNGTON‘ May 13. — De- struction of one Japanese destroyex and 13 Japanese merchant vessels by American submarines battering 'steadily at the Nipponese supply lines in Pacific waters, is announc- ed by the Navy. ‘The sinkings bring to 709 the number of ships sunk, probably isunk or damaged. The Navy's list |gives 558 ships known to have been| |sunk, 36 probably sunk and 115 damaged. STOCK QUOTATIONS | NEW YORK May 13.—Closing |quotation of Alaska Juneau mine| stock at today's short session of the| |New York stock exchange is 5%, | American Can 88, Anaconda 25%,| | Beech. Afrcratt 8%, Bethlehem Steel 57%, Commonwealth and Southern %, Curtiss-Wright 5%, Interna-| |North American Aviation 8%, New York Central 17%, Northern Pa- {cific 15, United States Steel 51. | Dow, Jones averages today are as follows: industrials 138.60, rails 138.62, uuuues 250, HEALTH COUNCIL T0 | | i The Gastineau Channel Health Council will meet at the Health Center Monday night at 8 o'clock for the lasi meeting before summer vacation. A good attendance is re- quested as the nominating commit- tee will report and election of offi- cers for the year 1944-45 will be held. pin, only 10 miles above the Jap| tional Harvester 72, Kennecott 30%, MEET MONDAY NIGHT BeEnded; OPA ACCUSED OF ASSUMING \GREAT POWER | | WASHINGTON, May 13. — The |fish section of the OPA has been accused by a Congressional com- mittee of abrogating powers never granted by Congress. The accusa- tion was made in a brief presem.ed‘ to the House Banking Committee now considering OPA extension leg- islation by the Merchant Marine subcommittee which studied the ef- fect of OPA regulations. The report said the price ceilings| compelled changes in business prac- tices in the industry “contrary to| the express provisions of the law.” The report said that the OPA has set seafood not to prevent inflation but| \lo discourage fishing of these spec- |ies, and it has adopted an inquisi- Itional right to examine the books and records of any firm.” STRIKE IN PACKARD FACTORY 'Plant Closes Last Night as 39,000 Workers Are ldle | DETROIT, May 13. — The big | Packard war factory, makers of; Rolls Royce aircraft engines and !PT boat engines, stood idle as the |result of a strike of 3,000 war plant' |foremen, with more serious conse- \quences from management. The |plant was closed last night. the same hour the War La- |bor Board declined to go on re-| {cord with any assurance that strik- ers would be protected from any management reprisals if they re-! ork. The Packard local CIO Uuh.ed Automobile Workers, | which is taking no stand in the dis- | pute, said that 39,000 are idle, = | e e FISHERIES VESSEL TEAL INPORT, ENROUTE WES Enroute to Anchorage, the Fish |and Wildlife vessel Teal, Capt. Ray ‘Cole. is in port today, arriving from Seattle. l Aboard the boat are Fred Hadlee, k Inlet Agent for the Service, {and the two Yakutat district em-| ployees, Emil Myrboe and Chris i Martenson. Buys House While Waiting Year for OPA Rent Ruling SALT LAKE CITY, Utnh May 13. —More than a year ago &' house- | holder asked the Office of Price | Administration to check whether he was being charged too much for rent. Recently he bought the house | to escape eviction. Still no OPA ruling. TIDES TOMORROW High tide— 5:38 a. m., 148 feet. Low tide—12:33 p. m., P8 feet. High tide— 7:12 p. m., 132 feet. { “depression prices on certain | jand Miss Ruth {ections on her accordian. Dr. Halibut Fleet Tieup May Proposal Made WASHINGTON, May 13.—Repre- sentative Henry M. Jackson an- nounced a plan to end the six week tieup of 600 halibut vessels on the North Pacific has been agreed up- on at conferences on Fisheries and representatives of the halibut in- dustry. Jackson said it was agreed to re- commend the fleet return to sea pending the outcome of the survey to determine the cost of production and distribution of fish and after completion of the survey confer- ences will be resumed by producers making recommendations for changes in halibut ceiling prices. Jackson said representatives of |the Vessel Owners and also Deep Sea Fishermens' union agreed to submit the plan to the fleet and recommend adoption and it was be- lieved the proposal would be accept- ed. BRPOUIES DI METHODIST SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS HAS MOTHER'S BANQUET Girls and boys of the Junior De- partment of the Methodist Sunday School entertained their mothers at a banquet last evening in the social room of the church. A toast "to the mothers was given |by Jack Boddy and a toast by a mother to the juniors was given by Mrs. H. R. Sprague. Piano selec- tions were presented by Joan Lesher Brooks. Readings entitled “The Mother of Today,” “A Boy's Mother,” “Mother,” and “My Mother,” were given by Doro- thy Robards, Jim Sprague, Sylvia Lister and Lily Mae Allen, respec- tively. Charlotte Mason and Sylvia Lister sang “Mother,” by Morse, and Joan Rhodes entertained with three sel- Ber- neta Block gave a most sparkling iaddress on “Being Faithful” weav- ing the mother theme into the add- ed charm of her Korear stories. Each junior presented his mother with a gift in token of his love and appreciation of her. The com- mittee in charge of the banquet was composed of Captain and Mrs. Jo- seph Alter and Rev. and Mrs, W. H. Matthews, Jr, with the gener- ous help of the juniors themselves. o (CEILING ON FISH PRICES REDUCED WASHINGTON, May 13. — The |OPA announced reductions averag- ing about 20 percent on ceiling pric- es for frozen Pacific Coast fish at Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. The retail ceiling on Pacific sole fillets dropped from 52 to 42 cents a pound, Pertrale sole fillets were ,reduced from 54 to 46 cents, and true cod fillets from 45 cents to 35 cents a pound. — - JOHN HALMS ENROUTE SOUTH Mr. and Mrs. infant daughter left this morning for California where they will lo- cate. Several parties have been departure. —————— BROKERS TO PETERSBURG J. 8. Jeffrey and L. M. Carrigan passed through Juneau this morn- ing from Sitka enroute to Peters- burg. —— .o — BICKLER IN TOWN Jack Bickler has arrived here {from Whitehorse and is registered at the Baranof. ——-—— GRADY WALKER ARRIVES Grady Walker, Baranof, has arrived from Skagway. .- — HERE FROM DETROIT E. R. Van Hulle, of Detroit, Mich- igan, is a guest at the Baranof. - — in Juneau . TIDES MONDAY Low tide— 1:01 a. m., 5.6 feet. High tide— 6:52 a. m., 13.7 feet. Low tide— 1:44 p. m,, 15 feet. High tide—8:27 p. m., 135 feet. KENNETH HERE William J. Kenneth, a guest at the Baranof, is a recent arrival from Gustavus. John Halm and | given for them previous to their| a guest at the| BIG ATTACK " 15 MADE ON ' GUSTAVLINE Hilltop Strongholds Wrest- ed from Enemy-Tanks Help Ground Troops ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN NAPLES, May 13.—American and French troops, assaulting the Gus- tav line, captured three towns and numerous hilltop strongholds in the new offensive launched on the Ger- imans and the Eighth Army forces |below Cassino have formed a bridgehead across the Rapido. It is officially announced that gains from a mile to a mile and a half have been made and advanc- es of two to three miles in other sections of the 25-mile front are reported. Fierce counter-blows have been beaten off in other sectors. Army, area, seizetl Ventosa and one n there is severe fighting in by hills of the town mile further south. Tanks are first line of German defenses. This {mountain is midway between Cas- telforte and San Ambrogio, below Cassino, Rapido Is Crossed ‘The Eighth Army has crossed the iRlpldn and the communique de- clares the Initial assault is “driving in on the enemy outpost line.” The Berlin broadcast declares “several heights changed hands sev- eral times on the Italian front and both sides are throwing in fresh forces into the fighting” continually mounting in violence, the Allies us- ing tanks on a very large scale. The German commentator sug- gested the present offensive is only a diversionary operation and anoth- er attack is coming up elsewhere on the Italian peninsula. Order Of Day Gen. Sir Harold Alexander, Com- mander of the Allled Forces in Italy, and Lt. Gen. Mark W. Clark, Cemmander of the Fifth Army, promised in Orders of the Day to destroy the German armies in Italy. Alexander told his men they have been chosen to strike the '“first blow in the final battle to crush the enemy once and for all” and added (significantly that from “east, west, south and north, blows are about to fall with the result of final de- struction to the Nazis that will bring freedom again to Europe and hasten peace for all of us and Italy is given the honor to strike the |first blow.” 'NEW AMERICAN DRIVE IN ITALY TOLD BY GERMANS LONDON, May 13.—The Berlin radio finally located one of the main American blows in the Ital- {ian offensive as near Castelforte, |13 miles south of Cassino. The radio announcement said the iattack on the Gustav line, made by |Americans was short lived. The Am- leric-ns gained ground but “were |then defeated before they were able to settle down.” ‘The German account pictuved the Fifth Army attacks as along the |general line south and southwest from San Ambrohio, a town some seven miles below Cassino, to the |coast near Minturno and Castel- forte, due south of Cassino and .ubouz six miles inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea, about two miles west of the Garigliano river. I D (RS POLICE COURT FINE John E. Booth was fined $25 to- day in the City Police Court on a drunkenness charge. |