The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, April 21, 1949, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LXXIIL, NO. 11,176 Communist Forces Sur HIRING HALL DECISION TO BE TAKEN UP Eastern CI0 Leaders Takei Stand-Bridges on Coast | Makes His Reply (By The Assciated Press) CIO maritime leaders are pre- paring to appeal a decision by the National Labor Relations Board which outlaws the hiring hall sys- tem of employing seamen. The hiring hall is a sort of employment agency through which a union supplies workers. Last Tuesday, a legisintive reprepentative of Yhe CIO maritime committee, Hout | Haddock, told Congress that unless | the issue is settled by June 15th, there will be a strike. In San Francisco, Harry Bridges has discounted Haddock’s authority to speak for his West Coast long- shoremen. Bridges wired Senator Claude Pepper of Fiorida and said that neither Haddock, nor anyone else, has authority to say that| his ILWU will support such a strike. In New York a National mari- time union official, Jack Lawren- son asserts his organization will coptinue to use hiring halls, regard- less of the NLRB ruling. Leaders of C.1.O. maritime work- ers have threatened to strike if necessary to preserve the mrmg\ hall system, tut in a new decision, the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that hiring halls are illegal under the Taft-Hartley Labor law. Furthermore, it is against the law to strike—or even to threaten a strike—in demanding a hiring hall provision i contracts: This is the second time the NLRB. has ruleq out the union hiring halls. The bodrd last Au- gust outlawed such contract pro- visions on the Great Lakes. The new ruling was directed against the union hiring plan now in use on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. C.I.0. maritime officials intend| to appeal the decision, just as they are doing in the case of the Great | Lakes decision. CHILDREN KILLED, MOTHERS INJURED BY SKIDDING TRUCK NEW YORK, April 21—A»—Two children, being wheeled by their mothers in btaby carriages, lost their lives and four other persons were injured yesterday when hit by a one-ton truck in the Bronx. The truck skidded out of control on wet cobblestones and plowed into a group of women and child- ren as they were crossing an inter- section, Dead were Janet Gotesky, 2, and Barry Levy, 2. Their mothers, and another child and woman were in- jured. The baby. buggies were smashed, and on of them dragged 50 feet. Police planned further question- ing today of the driver, Giuseppi Vendett, 48. The Washington Merry - Go - Round By DREW PEARSON (Copyright, 1949, by Bell Syndicate, Inc.) ASHINGTON — It won't be announced officially, but the State Department has taken a secret and highly significant step to try to stop the three-year-old civil war in French Indo-China, Indo-China is a long way from the USA, but in these days of glo- bal cold war, what happens there can influence the spread of Com- munism in the Philippines, the Malays and India. Therefore, Ambassador Caffery, acting on careful instructions from Secretary of State Acheson, has told the French Foreign Office that the United States considers it ab- solutely necessary to stop this fight- ing in order to keep it from play- ing into the hands of the Commun- ists. Catfery said he was authorized to pledge the full support .of the (Coo!lnued on Plgc Pour) | | . ’ WENATCHEE APPLE QUEEN — Pportia Thornton (above), 18-year-old high school gir!, will rule as queen over the Awle Blossom Festival at Wenatchee, Vush Mny 5-% JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSPAY, APRIL 21, 1949 I,ZE MBER ASSOC I \(I~ D PRFSS | | | Joan THREE ARE GUILTY IN ‘POLK CASEIs Accepled Death Sentence for Two, Life Imprisonment for Another-In Greece SALONIKA, Greece, April 21.—; —Gregory Staktopoulos, a Greek newspaperman and former Com- munist, was sentenced to life im-| prisonment today for complicity in the murder last May of George Polk, American correspondent for the Columbia Broadcasting System. Staktopoulos’ 68-year-old mother, Anna, was acquitted on the same! charge, as requested by the prose-| cution. The prosecution had asked a sentence of only 10 to 20 years for Staktopoulos, who admitted in court that he was with Polk on the night of fhis death. He contended : he was an innccent dupe of the Communists. | Adam Mounzenides, the man the prosecution said fired the gun which killed Polk, got a death sentence, as, did his helper, Evangelos Va. vanas. Neither Mouzenides nor, Vasvanas, who are Communists,, have been apprehended and both! were tried in absentia. 1 Polk, correspondent for the Col- umbia Broadcasting System in the United States, was found shot in Salonika Bay last May after tell- ing friends he was on his way to interview Markos, Vafiades, then the leader of Greece's Communist guer- rillas. Polk, 34, had spent two years ln the Middle East as CBS chief cor- respondent. He was born at Fort Worth, Texas, and attended the Virginia military institute. Before the war he worked as a newspaper- man in Alaska, Shanghai and Paris as well as in the United States. American Fighfer Planes Collide in German_ljaneuvers BERLIN, April 21 — (® — Two American fighter planes have crashed in maneuvers near Ham- burg. One airman was killed. The death was the first in the American Army War Games near the Czech- oslovakian border. It occurred after a F-47 Thunderbolt lost its propel- lor. The plane was being escorted by another Thunderbolt, which hit; i ference he has not yet decided up- ee000seeescccscsgscoccscecsano 'HERE TO SET UP LAB Reflgnallon 0f War Secy. WASHINGTON, April 21—®— | President Truman today acceptedl | the resignation of Secretary of Lhe‘ Army Kenneth Royall. The President old a news con- on a successor to Royall. Royall, 54, intends to return to the practice of law. His home s Goldshoro, N. C. His resignation had long been anticipated. He reportedly his sought to be relieved of the post for some time. A D ST WEATHER REPORT (U. 8. WEATEER BUREAU This data is for 24-hour pe- riod ending 6:30 am. PST. In Juneau— Maximum, 52; minimum, 38. At Airport— Maximum, 52; minimum, 34. FORECAST (Jumeau and Vieinity) Mostly cloudy with occa- sional showers tonight and Friday. Little change in tem- perature with lowest tonight 38 and highest tomorrow 48. PRECIPITATION (Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a.m. today In Juneau .05 inches; since April 1, 1751 inches; since July 1, 104.85 inches. At the Airport — Trace; since- July 1, 321 inches; since July 1, 59.61 inches. I FOR TESTING LIVERS Earl E. Hawkins, chemist for Washington Laboratories, arrived here yesterday by PAA to set up laboratory facilities for testing fish livers for the coming season. Hawkins did similar work in hali- | but and black cod liver testing here last year. He is accompanied by his wife. The couple comes trom Bellingham, Wash, —————— FROM SEATTLE Registered at the Baranof from {Seattle are Jack W. Klumb, Charl- es L. Dick, Frank L. Mechew and C. H. MacDonald. — » ON CITY GRID The It, owned by Bob Hmlm and the Viking are on the City| a high tension wire. The pilot was killed, Grid for painting between squalls jand tides, | possible to ELECTION IS | Workers of the Pacific, the Na- 42 BRITISH ARE KILLED, CHINA FIGHT Official Report Is Made on| Attack by Communisfs on Four Warships By FRED HAMPSON SHANGHAI, Apri! 21.—®— The known dead from Chinese Com- munist attacks on four British warships reached 42 -tonight. British naval authorities said the cruiser London had 15' dead and 20 wounded, and the sloop Black Swan had five wouned. ’ These two latest wessels to be hit by Communist™ artillery on the Yangtze River near Nanking arrived back in Shanghai late . tonight. Behind them they left the erip- pled sloop Amethyst which they | had sought to aid. The Amethyst | had some 20 dead and 30 to 40 wounded aboard, survivors ~who reached here said late today. Among the Amethyst wounded was | her captain. In port here undergoing repairs irom yesterday's battle'is the des- troyer Consort, which discharged 16 wounded and 10 dead. At least 30 British dead have been reported. Some 100 wounded have been counted in reports from the four ships. The London and Black Swan are feared to have several additional dead among their cas- ualties. The London’s captain ordered withdrawal of the cruiser and tEe Black Swan from the vicinity the damaged Amethyst. He said: “All signs of peaceful intent hed | been disregarded and -heavy. % | opened from batteries near Bates| Point and on the southern end of of Beaver Island (koth in the vic- inity of the A ). This fire was effectively replied to but under such conditions (it is) clearly im- | bring the Amethyst downriver.” The British consulate said it had received messages from both ships saying they had been damaged. ->e GRANTED IN ALASKA CASE Non - Resident Can nery Workers' Petition Giv- en Okeh by NLRB SEATTLE, April 21—(®—-On pe- tition of the Alaska Fish Cannery tional Lator Relations Board issued notice today it election among non-resident Alaska cannery workers. Ed Coester, business representa- tive of the Seafarers International Union (AF. of L) with which the cannery workers union is affiliated, was mailed the notice. Earlier, representatives of the |Food, Tobacco and Agriculture Workers Union, Local 7, had been refused the right to intervene in hearings on the election petition. John Geisness, attorney for the cannery workers union, said ex-| clusion of the F.T.A. meant that| only the Alaska Fish Cannery Workers Union would appear on| the ballot. Workers will vote yes or no on representation by that union. More than 3,000 persons are | involved. Geisness said workers will be asked to vote before going north for the May 1-Aug. 1 cannery sea- son. The outcome, he said, prob-| ably will not be known during the| 1949 season, but no work interrup- | tion is expected. Bruce fo Be Named As Amb. fo France WASHINGTON, April 21.—(®— | President Truman today announced he is appointing David K. E. Bruce 1l conduct an| jcan't afford to build a four room | house. |authority for slum clearance loans |farm housing program. roving ECA ambassador; ECA Adn Sen.ue Foreign Relations Commi SUPPORTS HOUSING Senate Beais Down First Attempt fo Change Ad- ministration Bill WASHINGTON, April 21 —(@®— The Eenate beat down today the first attempt to make a major change in the administration’s pro- posed housing program, By a vote of 55 to 21, the Senate defeated an amendment by Sena- tor Cain (R-Wash) to ban putlic housing projects in any community unless approved by a referendum vote of the people. Cain explained that under this amendment mno low-cost housing program could be undertaken *against the wishes of the people.” Next the Senate rejected, 53 to 7, an amendment by Senator Bricker (R-Ohio) which would have prohibited federal, state or local governmental employees from liv- ing in subsidized low-rent units. The Senate got down to voting shertly after Senator Taft (R- Ohio) told his colleagues 45 per- cent of the people of the nation He figured the cost around $7,000. Urging approval of a pending housing measure,- the Ohioan said he thinks Congress must act speedily on housing aid. “It is one of the most important social and economic problems be- fore the people of the United States,” he said. The pending measure would authorize the government to help finance the building of 819,000 public housing units ‘during the next six years. It also carries and grants, as well as a four-year - STOCK OUOTATIOIIS NEW YORK, Apnl 21,—~M—Clos- ink quotation of Alaska Juneau mide stock today is 3%, American Can 92, Anaconda 30, Curtiss-| Wright §%, International Harvest- er 21's, Kennecott 44, New York Cen‘ral 10%, Northern Pacific 14%, U. S. Steel 70%, Pound $4.03%. Sales today were 1,300,000 shares. Averages today are as follows: industrials 173.24, rails 47.33, util- ities 35.64. > PAA MAN HERE Irving Tague, Pan American Air- ways man from Fairbanks, is regis- | |as Ambassador to France, tered at the Baranof Hotel. » PRBGRAM vonel in the Afr Force President Truman signs the $5,580,000,000 European Recovery Authorization bill. House ceremony are (I-r): Howard Bruce, ECA deputy administrater; Rep. Kee, (D.-W. Va.) House Foreign Affairs Committee; William Foster, deputy ECA representative; ministrator Faul Hoffman; Sen, ttee, and Secretary of State Dean Tom Connally Witnesses of the White chairman, Harriman, chairman, W. Averell (D.-Tex.) Acheson. P “’irtphotn‘ Pilof Huycke Went Outof Plane Door Like Bullet Is ANCHORAGE, April 21—(P—"He went out the door like a bullet, Im-;nlm Rudy Billberg of Fairbanks said today in describing the acei- dent which killed Dave Huycke, Sourcough Air Transport Company crewman, yesterday. Billberg was standing only about three feet away from Huycke when the plane’s third pilot was “sucked” out of the cm!t early yesterduy REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS DIES, JET PLANE CRASH Robert lewns Coflee I of Pennsylvania, Is Killed in Accident ALBUQUERQUE, N. M, April 21. ing jet fighter plane carried Rep. Robert Lewis Coffee, Jr., (D-Pa) to death here late yes- terday. The crack-up or his F-80 Shoot- ing Star was tentatively laid to a partial power failure. A thorough nvestigation was ordered. Coffee, a 30-year-old wartime nero and first termer in Congress, had landed at Kirtland Air Force base to refuel. " His ship rose only 25 feet, wavered and plunged into an arroyo as he took off on the |1inal leg of a flight to March Field, |s Calif. ‘The Johnston, Pa., flier was on a cross-country training flight, un- dertaken while the House is in recess. He held the rank of Col- Reserve. A helpless witness to the was Lt. Col. William Ritchie, friend and companion of Coffee in Europ- ean air combat during World War| 1. Ritchie, taking off behind Coffee in another F-80 was compelled to| mcre water than land at the point | circle overhead for an hour. This| was to use up fuel in the wing tanks, necessdry before he could land, R BE. AUIC()M.BI:R SAILS Leaving at 4 o'clock this after- noen, the M. V. Beachcomber makes all ports of call for both reg- ular runs. They are Hoonah, Gus- tavus, Pelican, Tenakee, Angoon, Saook Bay, Patterson Bay, and Bitka. Stops will be made at An- goon and Hoonah on the return trip. The freighter is expected back on Thursday " [ shortly crash | Report Made of Tragedy - after 1eaving Annette Island, near Ketchikan. Huycke's home was Los Angeles. The plane arrived here last night and was to continue on to Fair- banks, Billcerg, who served as co-pflot on the flight from Seattle to An- nette, turned the job over to Huycke at Ketchikan, “After the takeoff from An- nette,” Billberg said, “Huycke walked past me saying he was going to stop that draft coming in the door. I went along with him how it could be done. “I saw him start to turn the handle. Before I could yell a warn- ing he disappeared. There was an awfyl draft and I thought for a moment I might follow. I got out of there awful fast and told the pilot (Edwin Brenner, Seattle) what had happened.” Billberg said Huycke had tried to fasten the blanket to the door by turning the handles. The door opens down and out with built-in steps, the handles acting as bolts, he said, Brenner said he thought the plane had developed engine trouble. “There wgs quite a jolt,” he said. “I 1eturned to Annette as soon as Billberg told me what happened.” Tre door remained hanging from | the plane until the landing, but was damaged and had to be re- | Placed before the flight here last | night, | “We were worried the door would rip off in the wind and smash the acilizer,” Brenner said. The pilot” said the plane was llying at 7,000 feet over Island when the mishap occurred. Only two of the plane’s 10 pas- | sengers knew of the accident im- }mrulnlely and the view was blocked by RBillberg. Others, sitting forward, were not aware of the | tragedy until the plane landed at Annette, dotted with islands, but there is the plane was from Annette Is- ]land The accident occurred four jminutes aiter the takeoff. The Coast Guard said the cutter 1 Citrus s searching for Huycke's | body. smmn'ri&vmms from Vancouver Saturday after- Princess Louise is due to arrive noon or evening. Alaska scheduled to sail from Se- attle Saturday. Baranof scheduled Monday. southbound; to ‘the back of the plane to see| Gravina | ‘The area where Huycke fell is| ge Against Nationalists | President Signs the ECABIll RED FORCES ARE MOVING | Successful C—r;ssin gs of Yangtze Are Reported by Communists By SEYMOUR TOPPING NANKING, April 21—(#®—Com- munist forces attempted today to consolidate newly won mpositions :oum of the Yangtze as the river attle drew four British war: into the fight. b Chinese government spokesmen said successful Communist crossings of the Yangtze, which separated been made at Tikang, 80 miles west of the capital and at Wuhu, 60 miles inland from here. Government troops were counter attacking. A few planes and gun Loats were pressed into the battle * by the tottering government. Three Armies Landed Top level Ministry of National Defense sources said the Commun= ists were believed to have landed three armies at the Tikang bridge- head. This would be a total of about 60,000 troops. Communist reinforce- ments were sald to be pouring across the river under the cover “|of darkness. Nanking garrison headquarters aild contact with Kiangpu, seven miles southwest of Nanking on the north bank of the river, had been lost. i “Liberate All China” Red leadér Mao Tze-tung and his army chief of staff ‘exhorted their troops to “liberate all China” am ey e S ing. participants in the Yangtze tattle. Four vessels, the 10,000 ton cruiser London, the destroyer Con- sort and the sloops Amethyst and Black Swan suffered casualties. The joint communique broadcast by the Communist radio was addressed to both Communist regu= lars and Red guerrillas operating in South China. No mention of the attacks on the British ships was made. Negotiations The announcement by the Com= munist chieftains left some room for negotiation on the basis of Red surrender terms rejected yes- terday by the government. It stipulated that if any local region is willing to make peace on Red terms it will be accepted. The announcement also charged the Nationalists refused to accept the peace terms because the Nan- king government still “obeys Ameri- can imperialists and Kuomintang (government party) chieftain Chiang Kai-shek.” POSITIONS ARE SEIZED Chinese Communists in great force surged across the Yangtze river today to the south bank 80 miles southwest of Nanking and seized north-bank positions directly opposite this quaking capital. Flight of the government offices remaining in Nanking began to- night, with all bound for Canton except the National Defense Minis- try and the president’s office, which were going to Shanghai. A yovernment spokesman tonight said elements of three Communist strength) had crossed at many points around Tikang, 80 miles up the river from Nanking and had rapidly unified their bridgehead. RED FORCES EXPANDING Neutral military experts and other government quarters said the first crossing was by 8,000 to 10,000 men, but the Reds were rapidly expanding and reinforcing the south-bank position during the night. Government sources reported other crossing in the general area of Wuhu, only 50 miles upstream | from Nanking. Confusion at na- | tional defense headquarters pre- vented confirmation of this. Six hundred miles to the north- west, the isolated Shansi province capital of Talyun was reported of- ficlally to be aflame, with hand-to- hand fighting in progress just out- been lost, and the city Was ex- pected to fall at any momem e John Greenleaf Whmler was first inspired to write verse, when, as a boy, his teacher loaned him a copy of Robert Burns' verse, ONRIVER Nationalist territory from Red, had, armies (60,000 men if at normal side the widlls. All its airfield had _ ¥