The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, September 20, 1949, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LXXIII, NO. 11,303 Stock Market Hit Hard in Trading Today MINING OF (OALSTOPS, 20 STATES Four Hundr_efiighly Thou- sand Miners Qui-Thou- -sands Face Layoffs PITTSBURGH, Sept. 20—(P—The nationwide coal strike, marked by sporadic violence, today idled more than a half million workers in mine and railroad industries. Nearly all of John L. Lewis' 480,000 bituminous and anthracite diggers stayed home for the second day in their “no pension no ' work” revolt, Coal carrying railroads ordered 26,000 employees furloughed. Thou- sands of others face layoffs in allied industries due to choking oft of coal production in 20 states. SWIPE AT LEWIS Violence developed in Kentucky and West Virginia. Governor Wil- liam Tuck of Virginia took a verbal swipe at Lewis. So did two other top coal industry officials. Lewis took it all in. He didn’t say a word. And there was no indica- tion from his United Mine Workers headquarters in Washington whether he will show up for sched- uled resumption of contract talks with Southern coal operators at Bluefield, W.Va. SOUTHERNERS ARE THORNS The Southerners are the thorns in the UMW President's side. Mem- bers of the Southern Coal Producers Association refused to continue pay- ing 20 cents a ton royalties into the union’s pension and welfare fund. Lewis said that refusal had forced the fund to suspend pension and welfare payments to aged and ailing members. Lewis told Southern operators they were wrong in their contention that lapse of the contract June 30| freed them of their obligation to continue royalty payments. | DEVELOPMENTS Those developments brought on | the nationwide work stoppage yes- terday. It wasn't long g@efore industry stepped into the battle. | Joseph Moody, President of the| Southern Coal Producers, called the | UMW fund a “Frankenstein,” ad- ding: “If continued as it has been In the past, it will wreck both the coal industry and the union itself.” 20 SHOTS FIRED Reports of the first violence came from Kentucky and West Virginia. No one was badly hurt but some 20 shots were reported fired at a strip mine truck in Kentucky. And in West Virginia two tipple workers and a truck driver were beaten at a strip mine operation. Thirteen truckloads of coal were dumped. In both instances bands of roving pickets were blamed. In Washington, a source close to President Truman said the Presi- dent has no intention of trying to| halt the walkout for 30 to 60 days. The official, who asked anony- mity, said Mr. Truman is deter- mined to let Lewis and the coal industry “sweat out” their differ- ences. ‘There are about 60,000,000 tons of coal above ground, enough to keep industry going anywhere from 40 to 60 days. Inferior Search Is Extended for Missing Hunter FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Sept. 20.— (A—U. 8. Commissioner Clinton Stewart has been authorized to spend $500 in search of a hunter missing in the Alaska wilderness | shores not far from one of the most | | important ports of the US.SR.s | northern waters.” | Fairbanks Seeking EMPLOYMENT RULING MADE IN WASH. STATE | OLYMPIA, Wash, Sept. 20.—® —The new state board against dis- crimination in employment has Jjurisdiction in some cases involv- ing out-of-state work, Atty. Gen. Smith Troy said today. He said the board has jurisdic- | tion over a Washington employer hiring men within the state for | work outside the state. The opinion was issued for Da- vid E. Lockwood, chairman of the state board, who asked if the board had jurisdiction over a Seattle employer charged with discrimin- ation in refusing to employ a man who applied for work in a fish | cannery in Alaska. Another Yap " From Russia By EDDIE GILMORE MOSCOW, Sept. Soviet publication Red Fleet said exploded and sank “not far from | Murmansk” last month in an 1 American attempt to scout out mili- | tary information. | (A US. Navy statement said the | Cochino sank while on a “routine | cruise outside of Norwegian terri- | tor‘al waters” on Aug. 26. One mem- ber of the Cochino’s crew was lost {and six abcard the Tusk, a sister submarine, perished during rescue operations.) Red Fleet said the place where Soviet authorities. “By this token,” the article con- tinued, “it has become clear to the entire world that United States | Naval circles feel it is pessible to carry out ‘training’ along Soviet The article was headlined: “A new reminder of the aggressive plans of the United States in Europe's northern waters.” ' Housing Authority Loan for 100 Unifs| FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Sept. 20.—| (A—City Council members approv- ed an ordinance yesterday request- ing a Public Housing Authority| loan for constructionsof low rental | units. Harold Byrd, Alaska Housing Au- thority commissioner for the Four- | th District, said the Alaska Author- | {ity would be given an immediate |loan of $40,000 to conduct a sur-; vey, obtain sites, plan the pro- {ject and determine the nature of families to be considered eligible for residence. Additional monies will be receiv- ed to cover cost of the planned | | construction. 'The Washington 'Merry - Go - Round | By DREW PEARSON ICopyright, 1949, by Bell Syndicate, Inc.) ASHINGTON— Over. steak and apple pie, British and American leaders kidded each other merrily the other day at ain off-the-record luncheon given by the Senate For- eign Relations Committee. Senator Vandenberg set the mood by greeting British Foreign Minis- ter Ernest Bevin with .a breezy: | “Hello, Ernie.” | Later Chairman Tom Connally of | Texas pretended to’be solemn, but who showed discrimination while | {the Cochino sank is known to| JUNEAU, ALASKA, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1949 NEW TERROR REIGN FOR CZECH LAND \Dozens of Ro_man Catholic | Priests, Nuns in New Wave of Arrests | { e | PRAGUE, Sept. 20—®— The | Czechoslovak government has jail- | ed dozens of Roman Catholic priests and nuns in a big new wave | of arrests aimed at breaking spread- ing*® resistance to state control ischemes, a statement from church sources said today. An informed church source esti- | mated that the latest wave of ar- | rests brought the number of Cath- olic priests under arrest to more{ | than 200 | | No official comment was avail- iable‘ on these figures. The govern- | ment usually does not announce ar- | rests of priests until they have i been sentenced. 1 Meanwhile reports reached Pra-| | 20 — (7 — The | 8U€ that a local Communist official where.” ‘had been killed by angry peasants' | today the U.S. submarine Cochino|in Moravia, following the arrest| Mwray had shifted his union iof a Catholic priest. i ! The news stirred speculation | | whether fresh peasant uprisings are | | brewing. | | —_—_— | 1949 SALMON PACK INS. E. ALASKA 1§ UP, MILLICN CASES, this year showed a million-case increase over last year. Total pack in Southeast Alaska| | this year has been 2361199 cases.| | Salmon pack in Southeast Alasku] | | Last year's total was 1,232,129 cases. [ A vote by CIO fishermen and can- ‘These figures were released in the FWS Canned Salmon Pack report. { The Ketchikan District had the biggest pack, 1,044,126 cases against 1615485 cases last year® Pack W”]Union. more than doubled in the Wran-| gell-Petersburg district: = 131,885 cases last year; 357,135 this season. Icy Straits region showed the largest increase: from 11378 last year to 77,289 this year. Only the Jyneau-Eastern district | showed a decrease—from 43,952 last | year to 37,810 this year. Although the Alaska total in-| creased from 3,913,040 last year to| 4,217,702 this year, both Central| Alaska and Western Alaska showed | a decrease in pack. Total pack in Western Alaska was balf of last year's—1,374,25¢ last year; 588,550 this year. VICTIMS OF FIERY CRASH OF PLANE IN ALASKA ANNOUNCED i FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Sept. 20— Names of five fliers killed in the fiery crash of a C-47 transport plane at Barter Island, Alaska, last Tuésday have been released by Ladd Air Froce base authorities. The victims and their next of kin: ¥ Capt. Bruce C. Beck, 31, pilot, Linton, Ind., survived by his widow, Adeline, Ladd Field. Lt. Roman C. Kirczow, 28, co-| pilot, Jersey City, N. J. survived| by his father, Theodore F. Kirczow, Jersey City. % Sgt. Richard L. Haynes, 19, flight engineer, Arkville, N. Y. sufvived' by his widow, Bill Jean, El Paso, Texas. S-Sgt. Harold H. Bruss, 28, as-| sistant flight engineer, Pemberton, Minn., survived by his widow, Mar- ian, Fairbanks. Pfc. Edward G. Carr, 19, radio operator, St. Joseph, Mo., survived by his mother, Mrs. Mary Victor | | i No Progress Made, Avert Steel Strike WASHINGTON, Sept. 20—P— Cyrus S. Ching, Federal Mediation Director reported no progress late today in attempts to avert a steel strike Saturday n'ght. As meetings with the represen- tatives of the steel industry and CIO steelworkers union recessed fqr the day, Ching was asked how the situ- ation steod. He replied: “I wouldn't say we've made any progress so far.” Ching called both sides to meet again tomorrow. He said he had asked industry men to come in with any suggestions they might have. Despite Ching’'s words of no pro- gress, there were faint indications of . optimism among some of those wrestling with the problem. Vice President John A. Stephens, ‘n charge of industrial relations for U. S. Steel Corp., when asked his view, said: “The fact that we are meeting tomorrow would seem to injlicate we're getting some- It was announced that Philip| policy committee meeting from Pittsburgh to Washington tomor- oW, The union policy committee, in event no settlement proposal is| worked out, presumably will be called on to lay plans for a walkout Saturday night when the current | strike truce ends. FISHERMEN, ALSO ANNERY WORKERS VOTING ON UNION ASTORIA, Oregon, Sept. 20—(M— | | i nery workers of the Columbia rlver‘ | will determine this week whether | they will join Harry Bridges' Long- GOLD NOW KING OVER ALL WORLD U. §. Has 6fier Cent But Will Buy More at $35- Mining Stocks Boosted NEW YORK, Sept. 20—(®—De- valuation has made gold the.king around the world with the dollar as crown prince. That's because gold still is the yardstick of value for money, and the United States has more gold than anyone else, although you can't exchange your paper dollar for gold. The United States Treasury price for gold is $35 a fine ounce. When the British cut the'r pound to $2.80 frem $4.03, they also raised the price of gold to 250 shillings a fine ounce from 172 shillings 3 pence. That puts the British pound dnd British gold on the same de- valued footing against the Ameri- can dollar and American gold. Other countries devaluing their currencies either have or will shortly raise their gold price mi keep in line. The United States now owns about $24,500,000,000 worth of gold, more than 60 percent of the world’s known supply. And stands ready to tuy gold from all comers at $35 an ounce, Here is why everyuuay is rush:ngd to buy stocks in gold mining com- panies, South Africa, the world's biggest gold producer, before de- valuation sold 1,000,000 ounces of gpld for 172,500,000 South African shillings, “equal to $35,000,000. After devaluation which was the same as the British, 1,000,000 ounces biings 250,000,000 South African; shillings—still worth $35,000,000. Consequently, South African gold miners are reaping a handsome profit in their own currency through increased prices for their golden | MEMBER Al Quiet in U. MAXEY DISCUSSES FRONTIER PHONES ' FORSEATTLE C OF C Equipmentfin Tells Al- aska Committee of Modernization SEATTLE, Sept. 20—(P—William M. Maxey is a modern Johnny | Appleseed of Alaska Communica- {tions who thinks Alaska never can 1‘1xe properly defended until its tele- {phone system is extended and modernized. Like the legendary Mr. Appleseed of American frontier fame, Maxey is becoming a familiar figure in | the Far North. Instead of Apple- | seed, however, he brings telephone equipment to Alaska's frontier set- tlers. In Seattle for two weeks on busi- | ness, Maxey, President of the Alaska | Telephone Engineering Company, Inc., addressed the Alaska Depart- ment of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday. He explained that he had never Leen in Alaska until two years ago; when he was summoned from his home in San Francisco- to install a | six-position switchboard in Fair- | banks after a fire Christmas Day, 1646, destroyed the Fairbanks tele- phone exchange. ¢ g That job completed in late 1847, he took a complete personal survey of Alaskan communications. What he saw appalled him. SSOCIATED PRESS e . Currency Devaluation Now Involving Half of World; S.; ‘(anfda Ads | (By The Associated Press) i Devaluation of currencies Aacross half the world sent traders in ster- lllng scurrying for gold and com- modity stocks today but brought little change jn United Stated amarkets. With France and Canada added overnight ta_the list of devaluing countries, making the total 19, oth- ers had still tc fall in line. West- ern Germany is to reduce the value of its. mark. The Hong Kong dol- {lar fell into the devaluation line- up. valuation rate for the homeland {and Indonesia at about 30 per cent, approximately the same as Britain. The Labor government in Britain closed its ranks for the fight of its life. Parliament is due to meet next week, on the demand of Win- ston Churchill and other opposi- tion leaders. Labor unions were restive at the prospect of increases in the cost of living, set off by rises in the price of bread. London Market Wild London't stock market went wild. Scme gold shares sold for nearly triple last Friday’s prices. Every- where, gold was the toast of the day. One reason: The U. 8. gov- ernment buys gold at $35 an ounce, paying U. S. dollars. That means exporting countries, in getting U. 8. dollars, can turn them ihto more units of their devalued local cur- rencies - than they could before, So gold producers stand to get more. Exchanges in Rome, Milan and Iment. In Italian money markets the lira fluctuated wildly and Ichespened. At Johannesburg, brokers struggled to handle thous- Holland officially set its de-| “Some towns as large as 800—ands of orders for gold pouring product. If you own stock in a shoremen’s and Warehousemen's The balloting began yesterday at Ilwaco, Rosburg, Altoon, Pillar | Rock, Skamokawa and Cathlamet, |increased profits. Voting will be carried on in other | |locals later this week with Astoria! !and Warrenton talloting Thursday. South African gold mining com-! pany, you stand to profit from in- creased dividends payable out of | The proposal to affiliate with thel(A"ADA ups L. S. W. U. was made at the last| fishermen’s convention. . ! s R S oo GoleRI(E . | WEATHER REPORT } . (U. S. WEATHER BUREAU) (This data is for 24-hour pe- riod ending 7:30 a.m. PST.) In Juneau—Maximum, 50; minimum, 46. At Airport—Maximum, 50; minimum, 45. OTTAWA, Sept. 20—(#—Canadian | gold mines will get $38.50 an ounce for gold under the new exchange rates announced by Finance Minis- ter Abbott. Abbott disclosed the new price| at a press conference after making |his announcement in the Com- mons. s He said Canada still will sell the ® | bulk of its gold to the United States ®!for $35 an ounce in U.S. funds,! ® | Lut the new value of the Canadian ® |dollar means a premium of $3.50 an ounce on all sales to the US. ® This is to e passed along to the ® | mines in Canadian funds. '; Abbett declined to comment on ® | whether the government will con-| ® |tinue the gold-mines assistance 2 i program it started in 1947. He said ® | an announcement concerning t will ®|be made in a few days. WOMAN GOES 10 FAIR: HER BODY KETCHIKANWILL | FOUND, BEATEN BOILWATERNOW ... s s r | The decomposed, beaten. body of a FORECAST (Junesu and Vielnity) Mostly cloudy with fre- quent showers tonight and Wednesday. Lowest temper- ature tonight near 48; high- est Wednesday near 53. Southeasterly winds occa- sionally 20-25 miles per hour. PRECIPITATION (Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a.m. today City of Juneau—1.31 inches; sihce Sept. 1, 4.30 inches; since July 1, 1551 inches. At the Airport—1.10 inches; since Sept. 1, 222 inches; since July 1, 9.71 inches. KETCHIKAN, Alaska, Sept. 20— (P—Authorities here have recom- mended boiling of all drinking water. They reported a bacterial| native woman was found today at the end of a little-used farm road three miles south of here, ending a search for Mrs. Peter Toloff, 47, contamination since the early of Anchorage, who disappeared two Craig, Pelican, Hoonah and Homer, | Seldovia, for instance—had no telephone service,” he said. So Maxey organized the Alaska Telephone Engineering Company, Inc., and set about to “ring modern communication to every community |in Alaska. Project No. 1, on which he is presently engaged, involved pur- chase of the Seward, Wrangell and Nenana exchanges and converting them to dial systems, plus installa- tion of systems in Haines, Homer and Seldovia. “My idea is to have a unified, standard telephone system through- out the Terrtory,” he said. “The Army's . Alagka Communication System does a remarkably good job but it needs help.” After two years in the northland, | Maxey says Americans con't know | their own Alaska. He said, for one thing, that climatic conditions are better than many places in the U.3. For another, he added, Americans should rid themselves of the idea that Alaska is a far-flung outpost. He pointed out that it is only 7% kours by air from Seattle to An- chorage, and only 8 to Fairbanks. “Chicago,” he said, “is 8% hours from Seattle. Th's is an air age,” he coneluded, “so why not think in terms of time instead of miles.” HURRY-UP PLAN ON LEGISLATION FOR U. 5. SENATE WASHINGTON, Sept. 20—(®— The Senate Democratic policy com- mittee mapped a hurry-up legis- lative program today aimed at bringing farm legislation up for deate next Monday. This speed up calls for the Sen- ate to vote on the foreign arms aid bill and five pay bills this week. That would clear the way for the farm measure. Democratic leader Lucas of Illi- in from many parts of the world. Government bonds gained in Londoh, but they had suffered severe losses in the last few weeks in anticipation of devaluation. Paris Bars Trading Trading in foreign stocks was ‘barred in Paris, where the franc Iopened about 6 per cent under last week's free market prices. That was at the level sought by the French government. In Moscow, economic observers believed the Soviet ruble will re- tain it present relation to the dol- lar. That will be Moscow's way of saying that its ruble is as sound as U, 8. coin. But Russia is ex- pected to adjust the rate of its ruble in relation to the money of | devaluing countries. Canadian Action Canada, a great gold producer like South Africa, made.a com-| promise devaluation—10 per cent. That means it will cost 110 cents to buy an American dollar in Can- ada. The pound’s worth was set at $3.08 in Canadian funds. Thus the effect was to benefit Britain, since the pound would have been worth only $2.80 if Canadian dollars had remained at par with U. 8. dollars. Over almost all the world, gold was king—and the U. S. dollar grew mightier. Gold Demand Skyrockets In Sydney, Australia, gold was the darling of traders. Twenty thousand shares in eighteen dif- ferent gold companies changed hnands during a bewildering morn- ing session. As news of the world- wide gold increase got around, the demand skyrocketed. Expert opinion, surveying the rise in the value of gold, said that it was not a transient thing but lkely to be permanent. The effects of Britain’s far- freaching 30 per cent slash in the vnlug of her money was felt in the home islands in almost every walk of life. The threat of labor re- bellion and inflation were among the most upsetting. PRICE TEN CENTS HEAVY STOCK SALES Prices Do vmradions fo Around Three Points— Worst Decline of Year NEW YORK, Sept. 20—-(P— Heavy selling hammered stock prices down fractions to around 3 pounds today for cne of the worst declines of the year. About $1,000,000,000 was hacked away from the market value of all | stocks listed on the exchange. Selling never got out of control but the market showed little resist- ance most of the day. Demand in- creased a bit late in the session. Substantial business developed as turnover rolled along at a rate of around 1,300,000 shares for the full session, The bleak outlook for labor peace in the steel and coal industries, i plus a growing fear the world-wide currency devaluation may have an { unfortunate effect on the earning icnpu:u.y of some concerns, were credited with creatng the selling | pressure. Some of the golds hit new peaks for the year at one time but full advances were not maintained. Still up, however, were Alaska Juneau, Homestake and Howe Sound. STOCK QUOTATIONS NEW YORK, Sept. 20.—(®—Clos- ing quotation of Alaska Juneau "YSauth Africa shared the excite-'mine stock today.is 3%, American Can 94, Anaconda 27, Curtiss- Wright, 7%, International Harvest- er 26%, Kennecott 46%, New York Central 10, Northern Pacific 12%, U. 8. Steel 22%, Pound $2.80%. Sales today were 1,350,000 shares. Averages today are as follows: industrials 178.04, rails 45.39, util- itles 37.73. RICHARD DIX DIES SUDDENLY HOLLYWOOD, Sept. 20—A— Richard Dix, 54, star of silent and scund pictures, died today of a heart allment, 5 A frequent victim of heart at- tacks, he suffered his fatal attack in Chicago Aug. 10, while enroute here from New York by train. Hé later was flown here, but had Leen sinking constantly in the past few days. With him when he died were his wife, the former Virginia Webster, fand his physician. The latter said he had been conscious almost until the end. In addition to his widow, he is survived by twin sons, Robert and Richard, Jr, and a daughter, | Sue, 9. For more than 15 years Dix per- sonified the male type dear to the hearts of screen fans. He was the hero of scores of daring exploits in silent flms, and survived the tran- sition to sound to reach even greater ’popul-rm'. TRAFFIC BOOKLET READY i i 1 | New Alaska Traffic Law booklets |are now available at the office (of the Territorial Highway En- ! gineer, Room 129, Federal Building. Prat One consists of the applic- lable laws of Alaska pertaining tq fuse of the highways and licensing | requirements. | Part Two is made up of regula- itinns of the Territorial Board of i Road Commissioners. wie |the twinkle in his eye gave him Despite the | }away, when he called upon Bevin for the usual “few remarks.” Septemher’s heavy rains. Dr. G. weeks ago. MINER SENTENCED Boyes, St. Joseph. Lee Stagg, health officer, reported| A daughter identified the body The twin-engine plane crashed| more than two weeks. No trace of the man, Howard nol.;1 said the schedule may require| o vernment's appeal to hold the night sessions Friday and Satur-|wage line, railway workers began| M. Sivadon of Fairbanks, has been found since Sept. 4, when he is believed te have strayed from his hunting party in the Livengood District, 50 miles north of here. FROM ANGOON George A. Davis of Angoon is registered at the Baranof. SEATTLE VISITORS Mr. and Mrs. M. M. Wilson of Seattle are guests at the Baranof Hotel, | “Whenever the British come over here,” Connally declared in his introduction, “we always feel a |little elevated, a little lifted up, a | little lighter.” This playful reference to Britain's |success at lightening the U. S. | Treasury wasn’'t missed by .Bevin. “I have heard it said that a blood transfusion is good for both the donor and the donee,” he re- (Continued on Page PFour) torted with a wry smile. “It re-| and burned while attempting. a landing at the end of a routine cargo supply flight from Ladd | Field. Visibility at the time was reported poor on the island, just off the northern rim of the con- tinent, 400 miles northeast of here. An Air Force installation is main- tained there the year-around. FROM SEATTLE | Phil Carmichael of the Superior Packing Company, Seattle, is a guest at the Baranof Hotel. 50 known cases of gastro-intestinal illnesses. 1 BENSON BACK FROM TRIP TO WESTWARD Henry L. Denson, Territorial Commissioner of Labor, returned Sunday from a trip which he label- | ed “routine,” to Fairbanks, An- chorage and Seward. | Official work kept him busy| chiefly with workmen's compensa-|by John Stringer, owner of the| tion claims and wage collections. ' |as that of Mrs. Toloff, missing since Sept. 4 when she came to Palmer for the Matanuska Valley Falr. U. S. Deputy Marshal Bill Bow- ens said the woman had been dead for a fortnight, and apparent- ly had been dumped from a car into a ditch alongside the secluded road. Her half-clothed body, near which lay a pair of slacks, was discovered farm, day. The farm bill was drafted by Secretary of Agriculture. FROM PELICAN Fred Wetche of Pelican is regis- tered at the Gastineau Hotel. FROM CHICAGO Harold Weaver of Chicago is a guest at the Gastineau, fa slowdown for more money. STEAMER MOVEMFNTS + Denali scheduled to sail from Se- attle Thursday. Aleutian scheduled to sail from Seattle Saturday. Princess Louise scheduled to sail from Vancouver September 29. Eenator Anderson (D-NM), former Kenneth Bayers, a Canadian min- er from Tulsequah, B. C., has been sentenced to six months in the | Federal jail here. Bayers entered a plea of assault and battery of Ralph Wright of { the Juneau School faculty, at Taku Lodge on June 26. ’ + NELSON TO SEATTLE Ludwig Nelson, well-known jewel- | Steamer Alaska southbound Fri-'er, left yesterday via Pan Ameri- day afternoon. can on a trip to Seattle,