The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 2, 1944, Page 1

> '3 & & - & N £ ¢ Al ‘,Om “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” "~ THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE VOL. LXIV., NO. 9823 JUNEAU, ALASKA, SATURDAY, DECEMBI:.R 2, 1944 ___MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS YANKS MAKE GAIN IN TORRENTS OF RAIN NINTH ARMY PRESSES ON LINNICHNOW Two GermaTTowns Also Recaptured from Nazis PARIS, Dec. 2—United States Ninth Army troops battled into the Roer River bastion town of Lin- nich today, shoving the northern arc of the Cologne Plain battle to within 15 miles of the Rhine- land factories of the twin cities of Rheydt-Munchen and Gladbach. Ninth Army men also hit back into Roerdorf and Flossdorf, lost to vicious Nazi counter charges, and the First Army, farther south, chopped slowly through fierce re- sistance toward Duren on the Roer. Tanks of the Third Army leng- thened the front on the Saar River opposite Merzig to 10 miles. Lt. Gen. George S. Patton’s armor and men are massing in striking posi- tions along the Saar Valley, On the right flank of this assault hase Third Army forces are within two miles of Saarlautern and, further east, Doughboys are but eight miles southwest of Saarbrucken. Seventh Army troops, exploiting what seemed to be a definite col- lapse in the German line across northern Lorraine, drove to the outskirts of Haguenau and, in a sweeping flank attflck, reached a point 10 miles northwest of the city, which is within 10 miles of the Reich Eorder. RATIFICATION OF 'ANGLO AMERICAN PACT IS DOUBTED WASHINGTON, Dec. 2.—Chair- man Connally today predicted the Anglo-American oil treaty, now pending in the Senate Foreign Re- lations Committee, will “never be ratified. It is my view the treaty is unfair to the American oil in- dustry and not necessary to the gen- eral welfare.” The proposed treaty, sent to the Senate several weeks ago for ratifica- tion, provides for collaboration be- tween the American and British gov- ernments to develop the world’s petroleum resources. NEW YORK 10 BE WEAPON TARGET LONDON, Dec. 2—A Stockholm dispatch quoted Nazi Labor Chief ‘Albert Speer as saying the new German V-3 weapon may be ready for firing against New York by the end of December. No intimation was given as to the nature of the V-3, if such a weapon has be=n perfected. RATIONING SOON ON CIGARETTES WASHINGTON, Dec. 2—Ration- ing of cigarettes will be in effect next week in the Interior Depart- ment Cafeteria, serving thousands. Cards will be issued to employees, | who may buy two packs a week, more if. stocks are available. JAPS WITHDRAW IN NORTH SOUTHEAST ASIA AT KANDY, Dec. 2. — trained Chinese troops their hold on the nort stronghold of Bhamo tod: a thousand encircled Jap tr annihilation. Except for frontage on the river, all ex to the town have been blocke Elsewhere in north Burm Nipponese continued a general drawal, abandoning former s points to the British. ————————— KING HERE W. R. King is staying at " Barknof Hotel. 'The Washington 'Merry - Go-Round By DREW PEARSON Col. Robert S. Allen_now on active service with the Army.) (Lt (Editor’s Note — Drew Pearson today awards the Brass Ring, good for one free ride on the | Washington Merry-Go-Round, to |. Secretary of State Edward Stet- i tinius, Jr., whose appointment to | the Cabinet puts him in a key job for shaping the peace of the world.) WASHINGTON — The career of 44-year-old Ed Stettinius, Jr., illus- trates how energetic and charming mediocrity can work wonders—if you have the right people behind you. Ed Stettinius has been blessed with four powerful supporters—the President of the United States; the man who sits at the President's right, Harry Hopkins; and idola- trous former executive of General Motors, John L. Pratt; and, push- |ing Stettinius quietly but very | skilfully, the most powerful banking firm in the world, J. P. Morgtn & Co. Once before, a J. P. Morgan part- FIVE OF TOKYO RAIDERS ESCAPE WASHINGTON, Dec. 2—The lat- est heard from Lieut. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle’s Tokyo raiders, the five| who landed in Russia, is that they| “escaped” through one of the world’s best-guarded borders ang returned, safely to the United States. The inside story of the adventure, disclosed by the authorities, stated the men were pampered “‘captives,” After prolonged boredom they fi- nally made an easy escape after being finally sent to Ashkhabad on of the Caspian Sea where, as the Russians put it, they could be warmer and “usefully employed.” border in a truck and never return- ed. Soviet officials never drew the attention of the United States Em- bassy to the “escape” and the Am- Second Lieut. Nolan Harndon, Sul-| phur Springs, Tex.; Sgt. Theodore Laban, Kenosha, Wis.; and David Pohl, Wellsley, Mass. ner, Robert Bacon, who did not fit into the banking business, was deftly steered into the job of Sec- retary of State. And today it is| ironic that Roosevelt, the man who | in his. first inaugural address| promised “to drive the money- changers from the temple,” now at the threshold of his fourth term (has put a J. P. Morgan man in the No. 1 Cabinet job which will affect the finances and peace of the world for half a century. LONG BACKED BY FDR | Not many peopfe kinow it, but| Stettinius had the backing of F. D. Roosevelt long before Ed '.houghu of entering the Government. Roose- | |velt dropped a suggestion to his close friend Myron Taylor, then head ‘of U. S. Steel, that he hoped industry would recognize promising young men like Ed Stettinius. This ihim was dropped as Roosevelt was | taking Taylor out of U. S. Steel to make him Ambassador to the Vatican, so Stettinius was made chairman of U. S. Steel at the amazing age of 37. Roosevelt had come to know | young Stettinius when the latter’s| father became Assistant Secretary of War in the Wilson Administra- | tion. The' elder Stettinius had been J. P. Morgan’s representative for | the purchase of all British-French war supplies in the United States, later supervised war supplies in the War Department and thus came in close contact with young Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy. That background, plus the per-| sonal plea of Harry Hopkins, is why the President turned down the recommendation of 30 Con- gressmen that Jimmy Byrnes be Secretary of State and, instead, appointed his old friend Ed Stet- tinius, Jr. So definite was the expectation that Jimmy Byrnes would be Sec- retary of State that Byrnes' legal counsel,- P-a Cohen, turned down an appointment to the U. S. Court of Appeals in order to be Byrnes’ counsel in the State Department. So when the Hull resignation became known, Senators Connally of Texas and George of Georgia hustled down to the White House to clinch the Byrnes appointment. The President arranged to see them lat 2 p. m, but sent Stettinius’ name to the Senate at 1 p. m. (Continued on Page Four) Sport Shorts In a basketball game played last {night, Utah defeated Montana State, 78 to 28. The following are final scores of sotball games played Friday: Usa 48, Miami 2; Camp Beale 6, llege of Pacific 2; Maryland 8, zinia Military 6; Willlam and y 30, Richmond 0; Morgan » 6, Virginia State 3; Tennes- ‘tate 19, Wilberforce 18. homa Aggies closes the foot- | 2ason with a clash with n Methodist. Dame and Great Lakes —————— 'PRODUCTION OF CIVILIAN GOODS SUDDENLY CUT WASHINGTON, Dec. 2—The gov- ernment, in a drastic new order, slowed down the program for putt- ing segments of industry back into |civilian production. The measure | was d.eslcn;d to Wl’ lagging war | productmn The Army, Navy, War Production Board and the War Manpower Com- mission directed that in areas of an| acute labor shortage no new civilian | production could be authorized under the “spot reconversion” plan, for a period of 90 days, ‘That only the localities where war production was on schedule and where labor was adequate to meet military needs or where labor was not qualified for war work can any request for civilian ‘production be| made under’the spot program and; such request has to be approved under “the spot” plan. Regional boards have been em- powered to permit civilian produc- tion in areas where there is man- power and facilities deemed avail- able for such purposes. —————— COBLENZ RAIL YARDS ARE HIT IN AIR ATTACK ,LONDON, Dec. 2.—More than 250 American heavy bombers attacked three rail,yards at Coblenz on the Germant front, and at least 22 Ger- man planes were shot down when 550 escorting Thunderbolts and Mustangs tangled with 200 enemy fighters. FAIRBANKS MAN ROBBED, SEATTLE SEATTLE, Dec. 2—The theft of $2,000 In cash, one gold ring, 11 dia- monds, one platinum setting, five cut stones, a gold chain, knife, and two pieces of gold quartz from the safe of the Gowman Hotel has been reported to the police by the Hotel Auditor, C. M. May. Fairbanks, Alaska. STOCK QUOTATIONS NEW YORK, Dec. 2. — Closing quotation of Alaska Juneau mine Anaconda 28'%, Beech Aircraft 13%, Bethlehem Steel 62, Curtiss-Wright 67%, International - Harvester T77%, Kennecott 35, North American Av- iation 87, New York Central 19%, Northern Pacific 18, U. S. Steel 57%, Pound $4.04. Dow, Jones averages today are as follows: industrials, 147.50; rails, 43.37; utilities, 25.40. ——————— DURBAN, South Africa — Whale here and housewives bought five ng football this afternoon Bend, Indiana. liked it. RUSSIAN PRISON| the Soviet-Iranian border, just east| One day they drove across the| ericans never mentioned it to the Russians. The men are Major Edward York, | San Antonio, Tex.; First Lieut.| Gabel Emmens, Medford, Ore.; ‘The missing cash and jewelry be-' longed to H. R. Baird, jeweler, Ofl stock today is 6, American Can 89%, | meat has been put on the market | tons the first day. Their families’ Pearl Harbor Officers Not " To Be Tried [ Secretaries of War and| Navy Say No Trial for Men Involved WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 — Court martial proceedings against any army officer involved in the Pearl |Harbor disaster was ruled out today |by the War Department and by Navy Secretary Forrestal. | There are plans for further in- (vestigation but Forrestal announc- ed the evidence now available|. “doesn’t warrant general court Imartial proceedings against any person or persons in the Naval service.” Findings of the special Army and Navy inquiry boards, which have taken secret testimony since late summer, will not be made public for the duration of the war. | Like Forrestal, Secretary of War Stimson also said he is continuing |his own investigation “until all facts are made as clear as pos- sible and until the testimony of every witness, in possession of ma- terial facts, can be obtained.” He 'said “his present decision will be reviewed when the investigation is completed.” STRATEGIC B! ROADTOW" CHUNGKING, Dec. 2—Chefang, Inext to the last Jap-held town on the Burma Road -in China, has |been captured, Command announced today. American China Training and Combat Com- mand and U. S. warplanes of the Fourteenth Airforce assisted Chi- nese detachments in the seizure. |which left only about 24 miles of | |the Burma Road to be taken be- fore the assault om the border city of Wanting. ficially that the Japs had pene- trated Kweichow Province in Southern China and told of skir- |mishes at Limingkwan. A commentator for Domei, Jap- |anese news agency, said the Japs had seized control of the province’s main communications arteries, threatening its “very existence.” o FAENZA TAKEN BY 8TH ARMY TROOPS: ROME, Dec. 2—Indian troops of the Eighth Army, fighting against bitter German opposition, 'seized the village of Alberto, five miles northeast of Faenza, Allled Head-, quarters announced today Faenza fell to the Fifth Army without a struggle. Farther west, on the Fifth Army front, several German counter- attacks were beaten back in the vicinity of Bombiano, 25 miles southeast of Bologna. ANOTHER DEATH IN PLANE CRASH LOS ANGELES Dec. 2. The death of Merchant Seaman Harry Gay, 30, of Long Beach, brought to eight the death toll of the TWA crash yesterday. There will be an inquest, as soon as the survivors can testify, of the Inccident which occurred when the Transcontinental Western Airlines | passenger plane crashed in a heavy fog as it was near Burbank. Seventeen other passengers were severly injured. 300 HUNGARIAN TOWNS CAPTURED LONDON, Dec. 2—Premier Josef Stalin - announced tonight in his Order of the Day, that Talbukhin’s Army has captured more than 300 iplaces in southwest Hungary, in- cluding the strong points of Kaps- ovar, Dumbovar, Paks and Szegszard. the Chinese High liaison units of the| The command also admitted of- | PRESSURE ON DOOMEDCITY ISINCREASED Germa ns_l%paring for Strong Stand in Buda —Pest Evacuated | The Sixth War Bond Drive Com- mittee announces that on December 10 from 2 to 5 in the afternoon at the Elks Hall, a huge bond auction will be held. This event will be con- ducted along the lines of similar auctions in Anchorage, Fairbanks, i M OSCOW, Dec. 2. — Russian|geattle, and many other towns and, tfoops, crossing the Mecsek Moun-|cities throughout the country, said tains southwest of Budapest, headed | Bob Martin, Chairman of the Bond today onto the plain stretching Lo}Auchn Committee. | the border of Austria, 90 miles away,| Goods and services donated by if an expansion of Marshal Feodor|merchants and business men will be I. Tulbukhin’s offensive west of the auctioned off to the person bidding Danube. the highest bond. ’The Third Ukrainian Army over-| Each of the organizations listed Tén more than 60 towns and villages | have appointed active committee to laml increased the pressure on the — Hungarian capital from the rear. The German radio announced COUNIERFE“ERS | Pest was being evacuated to meet { {the Russian threat. Pest is the |major part of Budapest, on the east/ oF GAS (oupo“s side of the Danube. ol A Berlin broadcast said the ARE ARRES]‘ED bridges were clogged with both eivil- fan and military traffic, but the Germans were preparing for all-out| SEATTLE, Dec. 2—Six men were résistance in Budapest on the west|arrested here today in what the bank of the Danube. Office of Price Administration and ‘Tulbukhin’s troops pressed in Lwo‘Unued States Secret Service men directions yesterday, northward to said was just a beginning of the the outskirts of Szekszard, 74 miles | break up of a vast conspiracy, deal- south of Budapest and already had! ling in counterfeit gasoline ration a. stronghold that outflanked the coupons over the western two-thirds other units that hammered north- Of the nation. westward toward Lake Balaton, cap-| George Masury, Special Agent, turing the fortified highway junc- Currency Division OPA, termed the -2 amA the village of arrests a break-up of Lhe ‘Washing- - Canal, 37 ton State outlet for “a flood of 3 | counterfeit gasoline coupons pro- duced and distributed as part of a ‘J::,v swegox.gd"m! conspiracy. , the Ondava River on a 30 mue n-ont and probed to within 20 miles of the | important. railway and highway cen- ERIC EICHEL FOUND | ter of Kosice | e The body of Eric Eichel, 54-year- old Juneau painter, was found early 11 ARRESTS ARE ‘last evening by City Police in his M.ADE Bv poll(E |cabin, located in the Nelson addi- | ‘uon of Starr Hill. Eichel, a natur- | alized American citizen, born . in | FOR(E, NOVEMBER Wilhelmshaven, Germany, had been | missing for several days. The room of the deceased was in a wild state of disorder and ap-| peared to have been ransacked, according to United States Com- missioner Felix Gray, who was called to the scene at 7 o'clock last night. The case, now in the hands of| the U. S. Marshal’s Office, is being ' investigated by Chief _of Pclice Monagle, Assistant District Attor-' ney R. L. Tollefsen, Deputy Mar- | shal Sid Thompson and an agent | from the Federal Bureau of In- vestigation. e g A total of 77 arrests were made by the Juneau City Police Depart- ment during the month of Novem- |ber, of which drunks accounted for |16; drunk and disorderly, 22; dis- jorderly conduct, 12; drunk and vagrancy, 2; vagrancy, 14; gambl- ing, 5; petit larceny, 1; investiga- tion, 2; robbery, 1; issuing checks ! | without funds, 1 During the month police ans- wered 488 calls, answered and in- vesuxated 32 complaints, sent 14 |persons to the city health doctor for examination, and sent five| persons to the hospital. The cases of three girls, Martha | e, “miassenr - snaratana TURKEY SHOOT !Julia Gamble, were turned over |with Martha Golley later returned S(HEDUI.ED FOR {to the Aleut Colony at Killisnoo. | Six persons were reported missing | during the month, but all were lo- Each year the members of Ju-| Juvenile Report Pollcewomn“n ehflb(:';; Hartung |Peau Elks Club hold a turkey shoot !sent 27 children home during the |In anticipation of the Christmas month, zworted two home, investi- |holiday. This year the shoot ‘s "° | homes, issued two juvenile passes,’b‘" is being sponsored by the Em- |turned two cases over to the wel- |blem Club rather than the Elks. fare department, and sent me: The committee in charge of the juvenile um of a bar. evening’s affair is headed by Mrs. | w(ellow members to try the “turkey shoounz 4 The shooting will not, of ccurse,‘ Dm Duklm NovEMBE be done with shotguns; but in# | |Elks have handled their annual | Building permits for the month turkey shoot. Also as, ususl, the of November fell off, due probably shooting will not be confined to |to many contractors and OWDEIS members of the Elks and Emblem |to the Bureau of Indian Affairs,| MONDAY NIGHT icated, the report showed. gated thiee cases, visited three D¢ held as usual in the Elks H Florence Holmquist, who urges h .| BUILDING PERMIIS HERE, stead will be carried on as the thinking the present code Was DOt Glubg, The public is invited to at- Big Bond Auction Is Scheduledfor Dec. 10; Bob Martin Gives Dope | America, DEAD LAST EVENING ; SUNDAY AFTERNOON These have been con- solidated into one big committee with a mutual purpose — to sell bonds. Any club that hasn't been contacted and wishes to participate will please call Jack Fletcher or Bob Martin at 800. | The sponsoripg organizations al- ready included are: Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, National Federation of Federal Em- ployees, American Legion, Beta Sigma Phi, Elks e, Rebekahs, Girl Scouts, Emblem Club, Business and Professional Women's Club,| American Legion Auxiliary, Moose | Lodge, Leages Lodge. Daily Alaska Empire, Station KINY, Filipino Club, Juneau Fire Department, Douglas Fire Depart-| ment, Native Brotherhood, Native Sisterhood, Catholic Daughters of Douglas Eastern Star, Douglas Woman's Club, Sub Port of Embarkation, United Service Or- ganization, American Federation of Labor, Independent Operators, Odd Fellows, | Beginning at 9 o'clock Monday morning Juneau-Douglas merchants and business firms will be contacted | for their donations of goods or ser-! vices. The following teams have! been appointed to do this work: | Lisle Hebert and ‘Cop’ Copstead; Lynn Forrest and ‘Blackie’ Black- bery; Claude Carnegie and Bruce Kendall; Cliff Nordenson and Carl Huer; Doc Merritt and Ed Schaffer; Les Sturm and Tony Belford. The results of the effort of these' teams will be listed from day to ggo work on this. | or the donors and the items donated. Other committees will be appoint- ed to handle other phases of the! uction and their names will be an-| nounced as the work progresses.| Watch the Empire and listen to| KINY for day to day accounts of| plans and progress made for this big | bond auction. It’s new! 1t's different! of fun for all! It’s Juneau-Douglas| chance to take our proper place in the current bond drive in Alaska| as always and as is expected first | place, says Bob Martin and inci- dcnmlly. it will sell lots of bonds. SEINERS CONVENTION HELD AT PETERSBURG Alaska Seiners are now holding a convention at Petersburg, ac- cording to A. B. Hanson, Secretary, The session, - which opened this morning, will close Monday. LA oL ARRESTED ON CHARGE OF PETTY LARCENY William A. Hand, who arrived in| Juneau several days ago, was ar-| rested by Federal Agents on a charge of alleged petty larceny. | Hand is alleged to have stolen a ring from Victor Anderson, with whom he has been staying. He was arraigned yesterday and is now confined in jail in default of $500 bond ANNUAL MEMORIAL SERVICES OF ELKS | It's lots | The annual Memorial Services of | the Elks Lodge will be held Sunday | afternoon at 2 o'clock in the Elks| Hall and the public is invited to join with the Elks on this occa- sion. \ The Elks ritual will be spoken | ever, Mayor A. B. Hayes pointed have to be taken out. | Total traffic fines collected for the month amounted to $86 and po- lice court fines came to $1187, the| City Clerk’s office reported. .. — DE LAND BACK | Harry B. De Land, Field Auditor {of*'the Unemployment Compensa-| ing the past week. . |out that an ordinance passed in frw 11913 states permits for construction |Holmquist. “Eight o'clock in the |Elks Hall, Monday night, December 4. Come out and shoot with us.” |legal, only $16 being collected. HOW- tong and join. in the fun. “So, remember the time and place turkey = stalking,” said Mrs. - eee FROM ANCHOBAGE Mrs. Jessie E. Welch is registered e MOTHER'S CLASSES Any woman wishing to register by the officers, Ernest Ehler will| sing two selections, accompanied by Mrs, Eugene Nelson, and the Rev. Robert Webb will give the eulogy. The services are held for the following deceased Elks: Dr. George F. Freeburger, Mort Truesdell, Russell R. Hermann, W. R. Gar- ster, Oscar Harri, H. R. Shepard at the Baranof Hetel from An-_,and Donald W. Hagerty. chorage. i o — ) |SITKA GOES OVER TO | | IN WAR BOND DRIVE| Word was recelved this mumlnm tion Commission of Alaska, has re-}lor the Mothers' Classes ‘at the in Juneau that Sitka had gone turned by plane from Ketchikan, Juneau Public Health Center, may over the top in the War Bond where he transacted business dur-'do so Monday from 1 to '3 p. m. Drive. The drive is still continuing, in room 108, Territorial Building. however, in that city. JAPS SUFFER HUGELOSSES, LEYTE FIGHT [Long Phili?p‘ineS Cam- paign Foreseen as Battle Enters Seventh Week GENERAL MacARTHUR'S | HEADQUARTERS IN THE PHIL- IPPINES, Dec. 2—Fighting in & continual torrent of rain, the U. S. 32nd Division scored a slight gain on the northern end of Leyte's Ormoc Valley, while the Seventh Division | south of Ormoc Bay beat off vicious Japanese counterattacks, headquart- ers reported today. The Seventh Division has been ad- vancing slowly northward to the coast below Ormoc and was last re- ported to be holding the Palanas River line, 13 miles south of the port Numerous night attacks have been repulsed in that area. The divis includes veterans of the Aleuti campaign. Today's annoncement said the tack was hurled back with he enemy losses. Thus the battle of Leyte ente its seventh week. Dogged Japai !resistance and unprecedent: heavy rains combined to smo the hopes of an early crushin end the central Philippines ¢ paign. Japanese casualties in the des ate fighting and in daring but attempts to prop the battered | rison approached 100,000 men, emmy xraund cuuamea passed ' ten days 1 day i the Brptre. giving mflnfi"‘mmm annou}tt&!’ e T | then reported “terrific” enemy es and added to this toll are | 26,000 Nipponese troops which quarters estimated were lost at west, of Ormoc, in the destructic seven inbound convoys. Pr—p— ARMY WIN! BULLETIN — BALTIMORE, |2—The Army defeated the Na the great football classic an,emmm by a more of 22 to HEAD OF COMPAN: DOING WAR WORK CUTS HiS THROAT PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 2. — The Elastic Stop Nut Corporation of America, whose President, William Hedlund, committed suicide Wednes- | day, reported a $693,000 operating loss for August, September and Oc- tober, blaming “government regula- tions” and termination and cut- backs of government contracts. The commission, Wednesday, tem- porarily suspended trading on the company’s common stock, nine hours after Hedlund. 45, was found with his throat slashed in his home at Summit, New Jersey. PROCLAMATION IS NOT CARRIED OUT SUPREME HEADQUARTERS OF THE ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCES, Dec. 2—Maj. Gen. Le- Clerc’s anti-sniping proclamation, threatening the execution of five | German hostages for every French soldier killed by snipers would be {shot at Strasbourg, was never car- ried out. ’ : Headquarters announced official- {ly that hostaxes were never taken. e Although it has its own Parlia- ment, Northern Ireland is political- ly a part of the United Klngdoln. 17 il ehishas £