The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, February 25, 1949, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” JUNEAU, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1949 VOL. LXXIL, NO. 11,129 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS 'Sail Boat Tax Bill Gets New Lease On Life Amnesia Yidim HOUSE PULLS SOME TEETH IN PAY BiLL Punitive Clauses Modlhed[ in Equality Bill for Women By JIM HUTCHESON The Territorial House unanimous- ly passed a senate-approved bill yesterday, calling for equal pay for women, but took some of the edge off it. The House modified punitive sec- tions by inserting a clause that an employer must “wilfully and know- ingly” violate the provisions before becoming liable to prosecution and by eliminating a clause for possi- ble imprisonment. The measure now returns to thej Senate for action on House amend-l ments. The House completed action, also by unanimous vote, on Sen. Victer C. Rivers’ bill breadening lien rig‘ms' for labor and materials. Among Senate joint memorials! winning House approval was onej asking the appointment of an Alas-! kan to the first American vacancy on the International Fisheries Com- mission, and expressing opposition to the suggested split halibut sea-; son. | A new bill introduced by Rep. G.{ E. Almquist, Juneau Democrat, pro- poses $1 and $2 taxes on punch- s boards. The women's equal pay bill, in- troduced by Anita Garnick, unlyv woman senator, was the major is— sue among three bills-and eight} memorials ground through thel Banie during the day. . Warren A. Taylor led the nyposmon to the strict provlslunu with the assertion, “We are making | it a crime for every difference of| opinion between employer and em-! ployee.” Rep. Frank Angerman, also ai Fairbanks Democrat, charged opposition was “again trying to de—- stroy a bill which is for r's | benefit.” i One bill fell by the wayside. Rep. C. Carlson's measure for remission of all motor fuel tax receipts fromj boats for a waterfront and harbor! facilities fund polled an 11-10 vote but fell short of the 13 votes re- quired for a full House majority. Among Senate Joint Memorials winning House approval were those: for federal study of the territory's‘ need of' an institution for the in-; sane (by Dawes); asking for bol- stering of Alaskan economy by al- lowing the fullest participation of} Alaska firms and labor in govern-! ment construction and adjustment; of contracts so they can be handled locally (by Rivers). The House passed a total of eight | memorials and three bills yesterday. All were approved unanimously ex- cept the memorial on an institution for the insane. It had one vote| against it. Others approved included: | HB 63 (by Em)—Approprxatmg $2,182 for wolf, coyote and hair seal| bounties which have not been paid because of technicalities. (Continued on Page Five) The Washington Merry-Go- Round| By DREW PEARSON (Copyright, 1049, by Bell Byndicate, Inc.) ASHINGTON—-AH the dlplu-’ mats in Dublin can’t persuade pug- nacious, little Ireland to join the North Atlantic Pact—if it means signing up as an ally of Great Britain. This has been made clear in sim- ple, blistering Irish. ‘Writing to members of the Sen- i ate Foreign Relations Cpmmnwe,l Irish Minister Sean Nunan explain- | ed bluntly that his Government couldn’t enter “any military alli- ance involving joint military action with the state which was respon- sible for the partition of Ireland : (and) which continues to occupy a | portion of the country, with n,s armed force.” In red-pepper language, Nunan continued: “No Irish Government could possibly ‘ expect to ,find the ) neécessary support for a paucy in- volving military alliance with a power that continues to lend sanc- e A i L A (Continued on Page Four) l ’Bmld Makeshift Shack on {on their power barge since Monday, ‘have built a make-shift shack on | & tides, ( get close inshore. Mrs. Hertis Sugden, 27-year-old amnesia-stricken bride, (above right) looks at family album with her mother, Mrs. M. H. Henson, in efferts to bring back memories. Mrs. Sugi den was struck on the head in a Seattle, Wash., theatre by a seat cushion after which she has been unable to remember cvents between 1944 and 1949. (® Wirephoto. BARGE CREW NOW ASHORE ONISLAND Treacherous Grass Island | —Rescue Efforl Fails CORDOVA, Alaska, Feb. 25. —,fl#\ A woman and two men, ground"d‘ treacherous Grass Island, aerial ob- | servers reported yesterday. Mr. and Mrs. Fred Howard and | their son-in-law, Robert Zentmire, waved to the plane from their ply- wood and timbered shelter and in- dicated they were not suffering. { Merle Smith, Cordova Afr Service | president who flew with three ob- | jservers, said a 60-mile north wind | ywas blowing off the Copper River i idelta and holding breakers to a| minimum, although spray from the | combers had iced down the barge, the North Cloud, from stem to | stern. ! He warned that the breakers were picking up in severity due to a ris- ing southeast wind and that the marooned party would “be in bad shape” if a heavy southeaster comes | up, as seas sometimes wash com- ( pletely over the island during high- | The tides were mounting yester- day afternoon and a change of weather was indicated. Tug Unsuyccessful Meanwhile the tug,“fahalo, which attempted a rescue yesterday, gave | up its second try today because of mounting winds and inability to It returned to port here. | The Coast Guard Cutter Cedar 1s | prcceedmv from Kodiak and was expec[ed to reach the wreck scene tomorrow morning. One of the obsarvers in the plane, Martin Anderson, a tricky boatman well acquainted with the waters and flats, left yesterday afternoon in- his boat Lady Jane. He said he believed he could cut through the breakers into a narrow chamnel at the end of the bar and get the trio off. He said . he expected to arrive about the same time as the Cedar and will assist as the Cedar it- sel! will be unable to negotiate the chanml Leonard Holeman, engineer on the barge, who crossed a treach- lerous three-mile ice pack and then "hiked 28 hours to bring news of the grounding to Cordova, is still in & hospital here for treatment of a frozen foot. PROTESTANTS ON ON TRIAL IN BULGARIA Charges Are—Made of Es- pionage, Black Market- ing and Treason (By The Associated Press) Bulgaria put 15 Protestant churchmen on trial today on charg- es of epionage, treason and black marketing and one of them prompt- ly pleaded guilty to crimes against the state. He is Nikola Naumov, a Baptist minister 2nd one of the four main defendants. The Communist gov- |ernment said all 15 had confessed. Naumov spoke for two hours !about his activities, which the gov- ernment ‘claims were ~ treasonable. The clergymen were accused of spy- ing for the United States and Brit- BH] The trial followed by 17 days the life sentencing in nearby Commun- ist-led Hungary of Josef Cardinal Mindszenty on similar charges. SRR 1 Veferan Commie Leader Arrested By Soviet Police|war Minister Takes Legall BERLIN, Feb. 25.—m—"l‘he Sov- iet secret police have arrested a veteran Communist leader in east- ern Germany and taken him to Russia, it was reported today. | RUSS TROOPS "Ike” Speaks fo Chief ON BORDER OF NORWAY NOW Move Appa_r;;fly fo Keep | Country from Joining Atlantic Alliance (By The Associated Press) A high Finnish source said Rugs sia has moved more troops to her Arctic border with Norway, appar= ently in connection with the Soviet attempt to keep the stout little Scandinavian country from join- ing the Atlantic Alliance, now un- der negotiation in Washington be- | tween the United States, Canada, Britain, France and the three low | countries. there is no sign of similar troop movements to the Finnish border. e L .|/NO CHANGE TO BE MADE IN NAME OF DIOMEDE ISLANDS { {Good Old Enghsh Not Rus- sian, Sticks to Posses- sion in Ardic The Board on Geographic nmes The Finnish source said ; | lngton, D. C. (® Wirephoto. .TRUMAN 10 WASHINGTON, Feb. 25—4m—!‘ MAKE TO“R I has ruled out the use in Ame; document’ or maps of the Rumian name for the Diomede Islands. The Diomedes, . between Alaska jand Siberia, are owned in part by Russia, States. The Board voted down a proposal in part by the United | that both the Russian term—Ostro- va Diomida—and the conventional | “Diomede Isiands” be approved for official use. It approved the English 1orm only, and in effect outlawed the Russian. Little Diomede is the name tfor the American Islanc ir Uhe group. Its Russian name is wot used on American maps. The Board ruled that since the | larger island is Russian-owned, it may be shown or listed either in English—Big Diomede Island—or in Russian, Ostrov Ratmanova. Ruled out as Bolshaya Diomida, Book, Ratmanoff or Island. Noo-Nar- Ratmanova Board members were careful to. point out that the decision could not ke considered in any manner a slap at Russia. ‘There was no precedent to follow and there is no similar circum- stance. FRENCH COMMIES CAUSED BIG MINE STRIKE IS CLA'M, Action Against Party for Inciting Revolt PARIS, Feb. 2 P—A high gov- were such variations - OF NATION 'That Is Threat He Gives Out | in Dinner Speech-""Hop tolt,” Says GOPers - [ By JACK BELL { WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.—#— | President Truman's notice that he |may stump the country for his 'legislative program drew a “hop to Hl" response from Republicans to- .‘rifly Mr. Truman, in the down-to- earth lingo he used successfully in {last year's campaign, told enthus- iastic Democrats at Jeffesson-Jack- 1son Day dinners last night that Re- publicans are trying to “‘cripple” la- bor unions and vages to a “starvation level.” ias he declared that “special inter- _{ests” on Capitol Hill may ccmpel him to board a train again soon i“to tell the people how their gov- erninent is getting on.” The Republicans, the President charged, want to destroy the farm price support program and torce (the government into a “do nothing” i palicy which would let the Ameri- can economy “slide into a depres- sion.” ! To this, one answer: Let the President first find out ihow he stands with his own party; most Republicans had Senator Brewster of Maine, chair- man of the GOP Senatorial Cam- {paignJommittee, said the President 1seems to forget that he has a Dem- ocratic Congress. “What's become of his majority in both houses?” Brewster asked. The western-licensed “Der Abend® | ernment source says War Minister [“The 81st Congress must be worse which says it has reliable sources, reported that Artur Fischer, Stral- sund county secretary of the So- cialist Unity party (Communjst) was ‘taken into custody in t i past week. § STOCK QUOTATIONS NEW YORK, Feb. 25.—(P—Clos- ing quotation of Alaska Juneau mine stock today is 3%, American Can 88, Anaconda 31%, Curtiss- Wright 9%, International Harvest- Paul Ramadier has taken legal ac- tion against the Central Commit- tee of the French Communist par- ty for allegedly inciting the army to revolt. < The informant said Ramadier’s complaint is based on statements made in posters and the Commun- ist daily newspaper during the min- ers’ strike last fall. Ramad! complaint was sent to the -Minister of Justice, the infor- ' mant said. The Justice Minister will send it to the Public Prosecu- tors whose job it is to start action against those members of the com- er 23%, Kennecott 45%, New York | mittce who are not members of the Central 10%, Northern Pacific 137%, U. S. Steel 79%, Pound $4.03%. Sales today were 830,000 shares.. Averages today are as follows: industrials 17110, rails 46.34, util- itles 34.43. — oo HERE FROM ANCHORAGE Here from Anchorage and stay- ing at the Baranof are Jack Hen- drickson and C. O. Martin. | | | | National Assembly. — ,,—— STEAMER MOVEMENTS Alaska scheduled to sail from Seattle tomorrow. Princess Norah scheduled to safl from Vacouver Monday. Baranof from west southbound Monday. scheduled {than he said the 80th was.” e — BRITISH AVIATRIX T0 HITCH PLANE | RIDE TO SEATTLE I ANCHORAGE, Alaska Feb. 25—(# |~snu holding hopes of completing her crash-halted ilight around the world, Mrs. Richarda Morrow-Tait, {British flier, said yesterday she plans to hitch a plane ride to Se- {attle Monday. ! After visiting Seattle, the red- haired aviatrix plans to return to Edmonton, Alta., where she has been working several months to 1earn money for another plane. She is in Alaska on a two-week visitor's pass. | Mrs. Morrow-Tait went to Ed« Imonton after her plane crashed near Tok Junction, between here and Pairbanks hold mmimum | And the capacity crowd cheered | then let him appeal to the people. : Gen. Dwight D.. Eisenhower (right) recalled to temporary duty 2s Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has President Truman as an attentive listener as they converse at an air show at Andrews Field, Wash- '6GM Cufs | Prices, ‘Wages Nation’s Biggest Auto Maker Says Living Costs Drop for Fourth Month | By HAROLD W. WARD WASHINGTON, Feb. | General Motors Corperation today cut prices and wages as the cost of living index dropped for the fourth straight month. The price cuts ranged from $10 to $40 on all GM passenger automo- biles and Chevrolet trucks. The wages, tied to the cost of live |ing index, were reduced two cents fan hour for 273,000 production | workers, The firm’s 68,000 salaried employees tcok a flat $10 cut in quarterly living allowances. the nation's biggest auto maker, attributed the price cuts partly to the pay reductions and partly to lower costs of certain ma- terials, The wage reduction was csum&tea to save $9,000,000 to $10,000,000 an- nually in the production workers’ payroil. hese savings, GM said, are being ed along immediately to the consumer. It was GM’s first price cut s'nce the war. The individual reductions on Chevrolet, Pountiac, Oldsmobile, Luick and Cadillac will be announc- 2d later. It was also the first wage slash for GM workers under the corpora- tion’s unusual two year contract with the CIO United Auto Workers. The wages are pegged to the ups and downs of the government's cost of living index. The contract still has more than a year to run. The index showed today that from Dec. 15 to Jan. 15 the re- tail prices yof goods and services purchased by moderate-income city famiiiés declined 0.3 per cent. — e - Drew Pearson, lwo Other Americans fo Get Peace Prizes 25— — GM, OSLO, Norway, Feb. Twenty-three persons and institu- i1tions have been proposed for 1949 Nobel Peace Prize, including three Americans. Americans nominated are Nrs Eleanor Roosevelt, columnist Drew Pearzon, and Maj. Gen. Frank Mc- Coy, chairman and Uniizd States member of the Far Eastern Com- mission. > FROM KAKE Claribel Johnson of Kake register- ed yestarday at the Baranol Hotel, i 25— | | PRE - MARITAL EXAM ASKED, INNEW BILL Two Women Legislators Also Give Birth to Pre- Natal Measure By JIM HUTCHESCN Zwo women members of the House introduced bills today for pre-marital physical examinations and pre-natal blood tests. The measures were submitted by Reps. Amelia Gundersen and Doris Barnes of the First division. The pre-marital bill would re- | quire that the health clearance cer- tificate be attached to the mar- riage license. No marriage could be performed without the clearance except in cases of waivers by U. S. commissioners for special rea- sons. The blood tests of expectant motizers would have to be taken oy doctors or nurses or by who- sver else is attending the case. A fine of as much as $500 or six months’ imprisonment, s provid- 2d in the bill for failure of the doctor or nurse to comply. The House received another bill from Mrs. Barnes this morning and whipped it through three readings to pass it in record time. It would provide $1,000 for trans- portation of Ludwig Wolf and an attendant from Sitka to the Oid 3oldiers’ Home in Washington, D. C. 'The bill now goes to the Sen- ate, Mrs, Barnes explained that the ¢lderly man had suffered a stroke, is eligible for the Soldiers’ Home and- desires to go there. She said the territory is now paying $7.50 1 day fer his care and it would be more economical to pay his iransportation to Washington The House Committee on ‘Werri- torial Institutions introduced a bill for licensing and supervision of | boarding houses, foster homes, nur- series and children’s institutions. It would come under the wing of the Public Welfare Department House Bill 76 was introduced by Rep. Warren Taylor for revisions in the llen law. The House spent 1ts brief morn- ing session passing a Nome-Fair- | banks road memorial and discussing a bill to allow dentists to quality automatically in Alaska 1if they Practiced in thé state and have state certificates. Senator Ed Anderson’s Nome- Fairbanks road memorial was amended to ask for the link be- tween Livengood and Nome instead of Letween Rampart and Council, The change was made after Rep. Taylor argued that a Rampart- Council road, if built, would be hanging In the wildeness without | connections at either end with Nome or Falrbanks. ~ [SENATE FAILS T0 POSTPONE NEW MEASURE Name Change for Unem- ployment Compensation Commission Held Over By BOB DeARMOND Rep. C. C. Carlson's second sail boat tax bill took a new lease on life today when an attempt to scut- tle it as it came through the doors of the Senate, after having passed the House, ended in failure. Senator Frank Barr, who woted against a similar bill last week, an- nounced that he desires an oppor- tunity to vote for this one. A switch jin his vote and one more vote would assure passage of the measure. The bill, to impose a $400 license tax on the owners of sail boats used in the commercial fisheries of Alaska, is slightly different than the bill killed in the Senate last week. It imposes the tax on the owners, rather than the operators, and fixes that tax rate at $400 in- stead of $500 for each Loat. “We have alreagy considered this matter and di of it,” Sena- tor Colling protested. “This is a mere subterfuge to bring it before us again and if we are going to fol- low the practice of allowing that, iwe will get nowhere.” Senator ‘Munz moved that the Senate do not receive the bill but withdrew his motion when it was de- cided it would require suspension of the ruleu and a two-thirds vote. £enator John Butrovich tho\uh: thebiflw by!b' anncunced would :move lor lndeflnlh ponponament ot the measure, which he did. POSTPONEMENT FAILS Voting against the postponement motion were Senators Anderson, Barr, Huntley, Lyng, MacKenzie, McCutcheon, Peratrovich, Rivers and Engebreth and the bill was re- |ferred first to the Taxation Com- mittee, then to the Finance Com- mittee. Another bjll, 8.B. 23, which sailed through on a 15-1 vote this morn- ing, was held over for another vote tomorrow when Senator Jones gave notice of intention to reconsider. Purpose of this bill is to change the name of the Alaska Unemploy- ment Compensation Commission to the Alaska Employment Security Commission, The only reason any of the Sen- ators could give for the change was that the. UCC had requested it. “I know that the UCC compen- sates for unemployment, but does it secure against the unemploy- ment?” Sepator Barr wanted to. know. “Are we giving the name of a rose to a skunk cabtage?” he added. Senator Rivers said he thought such changes are a trend of the times throughout the states. He said he did not know what purpose was served by the change. ONE VOTE AGAINST Senate President Engebreth cast the lone vote against passage of the bill, but after thinking the matter over during a recess, Senator Jones gave notice of his intention to re- consider. “I don't know why we should change the name of the UCC just because they want it chgnged,” Sen- ator Jones told reporters. “If a person wants to change his name, he has to give the court a good reason for it, and we haven't heard any reasons at all.” The only reason the senator could think of for a change was the | |wish to deny that there is any such thing as unemployment in country. “Well, we can’t eliminate unem- ployment by calling it something else,” he commented. “If we au= thorize the change of name, T sup- pose it will cost thousands of dol- lars to reprint all of their various |forms and other stationery.” One other Senate bill, to provide for survival of a cause of action af- ter death of the wrong doer, passed the Senate by a vote of 16-0. At the head of the calendar for the Senate’s afternoon session was HJM. 11, praying that Congress authorize the Territory to bond itself up to the amount of $15,000,000 for school construction purposes. Two new bills were introduced in the Senate this morning, along with memorial. One ol the bills, by Senator Rivers, would broaden the \éuxxl{nued on Pm mu this