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

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LXXIII., NO. 11,205 Reds March Into Shanghai as ‘Battle Roars "Ameman Falher ol 1949" SOLID SHEET OFICEMAY BE BOMBED Situation on | Kuskokwim Perplexing-Bethel Is Now Threatened FAIRBANKS, May 25 — (A — ‘Whether to try to circumvent na- ture by bombing out a river to prevent further destructive floods was the quéstion perplexing the Alaska Air Command last night. Whatever the decision, the river- mouth village of Bethel was feared in grave danger from the rampag- ing Kuskokwim, which already has pushed over its banks along the 200-mile course from McGrath to Aniak. Bethel, mostly Natives, populated by about 400, is situated where the Kuskokwim—Alaska's second largest river after the Yukon— broadens into an estuary emptying into the Bering Sea. It's “the end of the line” for the destructive downstream journey afI the giant ice floes. | SITUATION AT BETHEL Air Force fliers, after a recon- naissance hop, said water is flow- ing over the ice pack and already is within two feet of flood stage.| In their opinion, Bethel is going to be under water whether the ice is bombed or whether nature is allowed to take her course. Meanwhile, pilots of two B-17s end one B-25 at Ladd Air Force base are awaiting orders to take oft with bomb loads and join the B-26s from Elmendorf Air Force Base at Anchorage in case the bombing tactic is decided the best way to prevent disaster at Bethel. Bad weather kept the bombers grounded more than 48 hours, but skies were reported clearing slightly ! below Aniak yesterday. ! Damage at Bethel could be costly B- 36—Sioppers' 100-mile || solid sheet of ice in the Kuskokwim |} These two Navy ‘phnu, the XF9F-: “Banshee,” (top), and two other Navy fighter planes are capable of intercepting the Air Force’s huge scurces. photo MARGNES SEEKING SPOT IN MAKEUP, UNIFIED SERVICES By EDWIN B. HAAKINSGC WASHINGTON, . May 25— & — Two ex-Marines came out fighting on the Senate floor today to give the Marine Corps more voice in! the unified Armed Services. Senator Douglas (D-Ill) and Mc- Carthy (R-Wis), who served in the Marines during the war, were joined by Senator Flanders (R-Vt) n that proposal. They offered a series of amend- As a result of such claims, the House Armed Services Com- mittee asked for tests to determine whether high-flying B-36 bombers can be attacked successfully by Navy amfl Air Force fighters. (P} Wire- T —— 2, “Panther,’ (bottom) and F2H-1, B-36 bombers, according to Navy REPEAL OF ONE WARTIME TAX IS DEMANDED WASHINGTON, May 25—®— | Representative Walt Horan o | ‘Washington today called for repeai | of the 15 per cent wartime trans-| | portation tax. He said the avoid- ance of the levy-threugh purchase jof tickets in Canada, is — as he| put it — “another example of the folly of retaining excessive taxes| after their purpose had expired.” | He said much business has been | | attracted from this country to trav- el agencies in Cunada, since the | pansion. | licans control of one or both houses. | | long range housing and aid to edu- | cation bills already approved by, Au | pealer. i mum wage level, JUNEAU, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MAY 2! 25, 1949 MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS 70 SHELVE TRUMAN'S PROGRAM Political Hot Potatoes Will Probably Go Over fo 1950 Congress (By JACK BELL) WASHINGTON, May 26.—#— Congress seemed about ready to- day te shelve until 1950 most of the political hot potatoes of . President Truman’s program. Marked for delay until next year —when most of the members will be beating the bushes for re-election— are measures involving civil rights, farm subsidies, health insurance, tax increases and social security ex- Congress made be voting on some of these while primary campaigns | are under way. It probably wili have written its record one way or another on all of them by the time the voters decide in November of next year whether to keep the Dem- ocrats in power or give the Repub- Senator Lucas of Iliinois, the| Democratic leader, indicated to re- porters that the Administration will consider it a job well done if Sen- ! ate action can be finished by July 31 on three major items: House-ap- | proved reciprocal trade legislation, a substitute for the Tatt-Hartley labor law and the North Atlantic treaty. House leaders are trying to round this program out with approval of Senate, as well as Taft-Hartley re’ : Lucas left room for Senate ac-{ tion on some other important issues, | including an increase in the mini- the international wheat agreement and a proposed $1,450,00,000 foreign arms proposall But he made it clear that he| “american Father of 194 WlllllmCasper Peter, 8, (seated front), farmer of Lock Haven, Pa,, is shown with his 10 daughters and eight sons after being named by National Fathers' Day Committee. row (from left), Florence, Pauline, Leona, Peter, Helen and Margaret. Mary, Alice, Bett, Cora and Olive. " Charles. ® wlrephota Back row (from left), Frank, Jesse, Indicment of H arry Bndges ’ Front Middle row (from left), Ralph, Harvey, Harry, Lester, Elery and UNION MAN Reporled Ordered by Govi. UNDER FIRE [} AMBASSADORS ARE NOMINATED BY PRESIDENT Tone Goes fo Hungary Which Sets at Rest Lega- tion May Bejbolished WASHINGTON, May 25—(#— SAN FRANCXSCO. May 257‘%7‘ The CIO Longshore union charged | today “the administration has! ordered” the indictment of Harry | Bridges, the union president. U.S. Attorney Frank Hennessey sald a Federal Grand Jury today would consider an “important in- | ! dictment.” 1 He declined furéher comment ex- cept to say, “I have strict order: from Washington not to say any- thing about this.” The statement issued by the In- ternational Longshoremen’s and ! Warehousemen’s union headquar- ters did not say on what grounds OF GUNMAN 'Shot Through Window| Nearly Takes Life of V. Reuther, Delroit DETROIT, Msy 25 — M~ A stealthy gunman, firing through a window, shot and wounded Victor Reuther of the CIO United Auto Workers Union at his home last night. CHIEF CITY IN CHINA 1§ TAKEN OVER Fierce Figlfin_g Develops Between Reds and Nationalist Forces (By FRED HAMPSON) SHANGHAI, May 25.-(P— Com- munists marched into Shanghai today, and a roaring battle far worse than the siege developed. Retreating Nationalists, trying to fight their way back to Woosung and escape, were blowing up every- thing they tould. At 9 p. m. the whole horizon to the north seemed to explode. ! Apparently the government sol- diers pulling back before the ad- vancing? C unists, blew up the fuel dumps, bs and ammunition installations at Kiangwan airfield. All the while cannonading shook the city as the Reds smashed with everything available at Woosung fortress. The Communists were determined to make the Nationalist escape corridor a bloody avenue it they can.not close it. The Reds, overrunning the world’s most populous country, gave Com- munism_ its largest city by ooeupy- 'ng almost all of Shanghai. Nationalists Stubborn Stubbord Nationalist rear guards held fast at bridges across Sochow Creek. Red mortars smashed up the main city postottice near the Szechuan Road bridge. Even in the. old International Settlement in the downtown area small arms fire crackled as the Reds hunted down small groups of Na- tonalists’ still holded up in build- ngs. Ohviously the Nationalist rear zuard was buying time in last stand tights. They want the bulk of their comrades to deploy on the outer edge of the city for another fight or reach ships waiting in the Badly hurt, the 37-year-old g unionist faces the possible loss ot his right eye, pierced by a shotgun to the entire Kuskokwim basin be-|M€nts to pending legislation to re- cause it is a point of transter for vise the law that unified the Army, President Truman today nominated Nathaniel P. Davis as Minster to Yangtze to take them south. Bridges Barricaded indictment of Bridges had been :won't be disappointed personally if “ordered.” | the Democrats have something fresh Canadian government wiped out its 15 per cent travel tax. He add- cargoes from seagoing vessels to|a'Y and Air Forces. river craft during the summer freighting season. GALENA THREATENED A pilot returning to Ladd after reconnaissance of the Yukon river said the Yukon was was within 18 inches of flood stage at Galena, 300 miles west of here, but was telieved to have reached its peak and should start receding last night. No further requests for assistance have been received from Fort Yukon. The village, on the Arctic Circle, still is under shallow water, | but Natives were expected to start rehabilitation late yesterday. SQUADRON HOPS OFF ANCHORAGE, May 25—#—A Tenth Rescue Squadron C-47 took off for flood-stricken Aniak on the lower Kuskokwim River today with medical supplies and blankets. The Red Cross sent an emergency request for them. Alr Force fliers hoped to be'able to land the planes on the Aniak Airport. If water from the ice- choked river covers the field, para- chute drops will be made. The Washington Merry - Go - Round By DREW PEARSON (Copyright, 1949, by Bell Syndicate. Ine. ASHINGTON— President Tru- man and Vice President Barkley enjoyed some good-natured banter ‘when Secretary of BState Acheson left for the Paris conference. Both went to the airpéort to see Acheson off, Truman ‘arriving first in dark semi-diplomatit clothes, Barkley: a few moments later vurlnz white flanmels; "y tec “Hey, V. P.” said Truman, mu ing the Vice President, “what did you do, forget to put on your pants this morning?” Barkley merely grinned. ‘When the Secretary of State wav- ed from the step of the Paris-bound plane, the President said good-bye, but Barkley shouted “Bon voyage!” “What was that?” asked the Pres- ident, with a kidding look at Bark- ley. “1 um ‘bon voyage!'” Bukley re- plied; W abEOENE b 3 &!flflm French>Ambassador ilznri ‘(Continued on Page Four) One would give the Commandant of Marines a place and vote on the joint Chiefs of Staff whenever that top-level agency was consider- ing a matter involving the Marine Corps or their specialty of am- phibious warfare. Normally only the heads of the Army, Air Force and the Navy are members of the joint chiefs. The Navy represents the Marines. Flanders 'hit at an amendment by Senator Morse which would let the Secretary of Defense shift around functions of military per- sonnel. The Marines fear that fighting duties might be taken frem the Corps. After the ex-Marines’ proposals were offered, the Senate slapped down 46 to 26 Sen. Morse's idea of giving the Defense Secretary a! free hand in shifting personnel among the services. ‘That was a key item in Morse's plan to ‘give the Secretary head- knocking powers. Morse argues that the Secretary of Defense ought to have more authority and be able to “knock some heads together down at the Pentagon.” RITA TO BE TOLD WHEN MARRIED; HER [HUSBAND IS BSS| CANNES, France, May 25—®— Rita Hayworth marries Prince Aly Khan she won't be asked if she agrees to obey him. She'll be told flatly he’s the boss. The French civil wedding cere- mony, which the couple will have, says “the hushband is the head of te_family.” ‘The marriage of the American movie actress and the heir to the spiritual leadership of the Ismaili religious sect is set for Friday. It will be in the newly-white- washed marriage room of the tiny city hal in Vallaurish—a tiny hill- side village about ‘two miles from the Mediterranean. ‘The couple, to avoid crowds, had wanted the ceremony in the Prince’s sumptuous Chateau de L’Horizon. The French government, however, refused to grant the necessary; special permission, Under French law all marriages must be in the City Hall except in cases of grave emergency. ed: “Now American travelers are mailing orders to Canadian border | cities, getting tickets by return mail and picking up the reservations {made at their local ticxet office, | thereby avoiding the 15 per cent tax | they would have to pay it mey‘ bought the tickets in this country. | Another way to beat the tax is sim- | ply to travel by one of the Canad- I ian railroad lines or air lines.” STEAMER HITS SNAG; SINKS IN STIKINE WRANGELL, Aiaska, May 25— (Special to Empire) — Steamer Hazel B No. 3, operated between Wrangell and Telegraph Creek by the Ritchie Transportation Com- pany, sank at 9:30 Tuesday morn- ing 80 miles up the Stikine river from Wrangell. Capt. E&@ Kalkins, crew and one passenger escaped unhurt. Purser Vern Anderson and crew arrived here this mormng in a canoe. Kalkins and the passenger re- mained where the boat hit a snag scuthbound. The vessel owner, A. V. Ritchie, has been operating a river boat on the Taku. WANTS T0 KNOW ABOUT BUYING OF MILITARY PLANES WASHINGTON, May 25— (#®— Rep. Van Zandt (R-Pa) proposes a Congressional investigation of “the nature and circumstances” of military airplane purchases. He introduced & resolution to create a special five-man House committee which, among other things, would inquire into ‘“prior or present” connections of amy mili- tary officials with any company which has received aircraft con- tracts. Secretary of Defense Louis John- son was a director of Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corp. Consolidated Vultee makes the B36, giant bomber on which the Air Force has been concentrating. ito talk to the voters about next| lhave to leave a few good things T0 FORRESTAL year. “We had a program that couldn't | possibly be enacted by any Congress in seven months,” he said. “We until next year.” Chairman Lesinski (D-Mich) said the House Labor Committee wul have another repealer ready for floor action in two or three weeks. LAST HONORS PAID TODAY WASHINGTON, May 25— (P — The nation paid last honors today to James V. Forrestal. Led by President and Mrs. Tru- man, high officials of the govern- ment and leaders in the United States’ business life gathered where the Unknown Soldier lies, in fun- eral services for the first Secretary of Defense. Bright sunshine bathed Arlington National Cemetery for the ceremonies. - Forrestal died in the early hours of Sunday in a leap from a tower at the Bethesda Naval Hospital where he had been under treat- ment after a collapse from over- work. The 57-year-old former Secretary of Defense was buried with high mmtary honors. boom of a saluting gun sounded when his body reached the main gates and continued as it was slowly conducted to the cemetery’s amphitheater. The salutes sounded, one a min- ute, until 19 guns were fired. President Truman stood at the head of the casket as the service was read. Mrs. Fqrrestal and her sons, Michael and Peter, attended private services and were not among those in the amphitheater. After the servicés, which lasted about 20 minutes, the body was again slowly carried to private: burial on a sunny hillside. A bugler blew the solem farewell of “Taps” and the traditional mili~/ tary salute to the dead of 'three: volleys was fired over Forrestal’s|industrials 171.84, rails 4676, util- | al plane today to begin a visit | 1ast resting place. Hungary, wheére this country has had no representation since the trial of Cardinal Mindszenty. The action set at rest reports that this government might not restore its legation in Hungary. Davis, now Ambassador to Costa Rica, will succeed Selden Chapin, who returned to Washington for ‘consultations” following the Minds- zenty case. In a letter to Chapin, released with today’s announcement, Mr. Truman said he expects to assign Chapin to “an important diplomat- ic” post. Three other new Ambassadors were nominated at the same time, as follows: Joseph Flack, now Ambassador to| Bolivia, to be Ambassador to Costa Rica, succeéding Davis. George P. Shaw of Texas, to be Ambassador to EI Salvador, suc- ceeding Albert Nufer, resigned. Pete Jarman ot Alabama, a form- er member of the House, to be Am- bassador to Australia. The post 1s now vacant, 26 ABOARD PNA'S TUESDAY TRIPS Pacific Northern Airlines carried 26 passengers yesterday as follows: From Anchorage: E. C. Hawley, A, F. Ghiglione, Major Gray Tolar, Mrs. Frances Paul. From Gustavus: Mrs. A. F. Park- er. To Cordova: K. Jones, Lee Bray- den, Henry Bowman, N. Nelson, Krist Pederson, Lester Rupe, Martin Ness, George Rust, G. B. Anderson, Carl Welman, Frank Marshall. To Anchorage: Burford Jenkins, A. A. Lyon, Ger- ald Russell, F. A. Rutledge, E. E. Rasmuson, Pvt. L. W. Lowery. To Homer: John Xantros, How- ard Ablan Alp. To Kodiak: Marshall Crutcher. STOCK QUOTATIONS NEW YORK, May 25.—#—Clos- ing quotation of Anaconda today is | 27%, Curtiss-Wright 8%, Interna- tional Harvester 23%, Kennecott 44%, Ney York Central 11%, North-| erp Paclfic 147, U. S. Steel 68'%, Pound $4.03. Sales today were 880,000 shares. i/Averages today are as tollows: ities 35.50, Mr and Mrs. J.} One of the key figures in the 1939 Bridges deportation hearing ar- rived here from Washington. He:is John P. Boyd, Special Assistant to Attorney General Tom Clark. He declined comment on his mission He told a reporter last night, “T'li 0e happy to talk to you tomorrow.” © Bridges, an Australian, was termed an “energetic radical” but not & Communist in findings sub- mitteq to the then Secretary ot Labor Frances Perkins after the 1039 | hearing. He became a U.S. citizen in 1945. Bridges was reported York City. STEAMER ALASKA ON NEW SCHEDULE SEATTLE, May 25 — (M —°The steamer Alaska of the Alaska Steamship Company will inaugurate its 12-day summer cruises today. Its Southeast Alaska ports will | nclude Sitka for the first time ac 1 summer tourist stop for the tirst time since before the war. It “will sall Westward to Cordova, Valdez; and Seward. The Alaska does not call at Juneau, either north or southbound. Capt. Henry Burns will command the Alaska. C. OF C. WILL HAVE FIRST SHOWING OF HOOVER DAM FILM Chamber of Commerce members will be the first to view a motion picture titled “Hoover Dam,” at the luncheon meeting tomorrow noon in the Baranof Hotel Gold Room. ' The film will be shown through | the courtesy of the Bureau of Re- | clamation. Matters of business will also be | discussed at the weekly meeting. President of Brazil Flies, Truman's Plane NEW YORK, May 25—(P-Braz- ian President Eurica Gaspar Dutra left in President Truman’s person-\ m! in New southern states. pellet. Dr. C. R. Lam, surgeon attending Reuther, said at 10 am. (E3T) to- day that his condition was ‘“zood.” There were injuries. of the face and neck as well as the eye from six pellets. Several blood transfusions been made. Thus, for a second time within 13 months, police sought a man, or men, apparently bent on murder in the UAW-CIO's Reuther family. The union’s president Walter Reuther escaped death at the hands of a mysterious assailza~t the night of April 20 last year. UNSOLVED ATTACK That attack remains unsolved de- spite one of the most painstaking investigations in Detroit's police records. Walter called his brother's skooting “another dastardly and un-American trick.” Like his brother, Victor holds nigh dtfice in the UAW. He Is the 1,000,000-member union’s educa- tional girector. 3 The assault. on Victor was strangely similar to that on 'Walter. In each, the gunman crept to a window and fired a shotgun blast shrough® a glass, then fled, wit- nesses said, in a car. In bushes mnear the Victor Reuther home police found a 12- gauge doukle - barreled shotgun. Both hatrels had been fired. Victor Reuther’s shooting fol- lowed by 72 hours the mysterious shotgun slaying in neighboring Windsor, Ont., of a rank and file membeér of the UAW in Chicago. ANOTHER SHOT That victim, Willlam D. Allen, 37, also was shot through a window 0f his home. Allen was an inspector at the Ford Motor Co. of Canada. ‘ Police, however, said they could: ‘establish no connection between Allen’s slaying and the attempt on had tconunued on Page 2) STEAMER MOVEMENTS Baranof scheduled to sail from Seattle Saturday. Princess Norah scheduled to sail from Vancouver Saturday on spec- ial trip to 8. E. Alaska. Princess Louise scheduled to ar- rive at 7 a. m. Friday and sails south one hour later at 8 o'clock Aleutian scheduled southbound. Sunday. Nationalist soldiers barricaded at the Garden Bridge, Chgpoo Bridge and the Schechwan Bridge held up other Red bands. The bridges lead to the only arteries to Shang- hai’s north, = The Communists deployed into abandoned Nationalist fortifications on the Bund. They were forced from their advance positions by rifle, grenades and machinegun fire irom the Garden Bridge Park and i from the third floors of Broadway mansions. When it bécame apparent the Communists could not take the ex- posed targets without considerable loss of life they set up a harass- ing fire. Bullets crackled up and down the famous Bund, in front of the Glen Line bullding housing the American Consulate, in front of the British Consulate and across from the Russian Consulate. Thousands watched the fighting from high bulldings on the Bund. 0000000000 ®* WEATHER REPORT . (U. 8. WEATHER BUREAU This data is for 24-hour pe- riod ending 6:30 a.m. PST. In Juneau— Maximum, 48; minimum, 42. At Airport— Maximum, 50; minimum, 40. FORECAST (Juneaw ang Vietaiy) Mostly fair tonight and Thursday. Lowest tempera- ture tonight near 40 degrees. Highest Thursday about. 63, I‘RICIII’IA'I‘ION (Past 24 hours ending 7:39 w.m. todas In Juneau — .02 inches; since. May 1, 413 inches; since July 1. 111.39 inches. At Afrport — .01 inches; since May 1, 3.35 inches; since July 1, 6391 inches. luoc'nuqo&.oo PETERSBURG VOTES FOR CITY SALES TAX | ! Petersburg cltlxem voted in favor {of a municipal sales tax at the ‘lpechl election held yesterday. ‘The messure passed by a vote of 345 for the tax, 55 against. It will become effective on pas- | sage of the necessary ordinance by | the town council, | Lloyd Swanson was l'ard;q $he telephone franchise by 257 wotes ¢ over John Cushing of Sitka, 147. @900 0s0v00c0svoscncs