The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, January 20, 1950, Page 1

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE “ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME” VOL. LXXIV., NO. 11,406 JUNEAU, ALASKA, FRIDAY JANUARY 20, 1950 MEMEER A SSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS New Leads Uncoveredin Nation’s Big Robbery RAIN PELTS DOWN NOW, PACIFIC NW (Cold Grasp Is Broken But Fear of New Threat, Floods, Raised SEATTLE, Jan. 20— (® —Rain pelted down on most of the Pa- cific Northwest today, bringing mingled feelings or relief and ap- prehension The accompanying rise in tem- peratures meant at least a tempor- ary end to the bitter cold that has locked Oregon, Washington, Idaho and cross-border British Columbia in its grasp for more than a week. But it also brought fear of a new danger—floods—to lowland re- dy in Oregon, the Kilchis River had left its banks and covered the Coastal Highway (U.S. 101) with a foot and a half of water near Tillamook. Washington National Guard units were ordered to prepare for flood emergencies. Pelice Use Shovels In Seat police were armed with shovels and ordered to free all street drains as miniature floods blocked intersections. The Weather Bureau said today's rainfall would be accompanied by freezing conditions similar to yes- terday region. Yesterday's near silver thaw sent numerous areas into virtual isola- tion as the weight of ice felled utility lines and poles. Telephone Lines Down Telephone company officials at Forest Grove, Ore, said it would be six weeks before all lines snapped there could be repaired. Ten Ore- gon communities around Portland were without service. In Washing- ton, communications were disrupt- ed at Aberdeen, Battleground, b=- tween Spokane and Walla Walla, throughout Skagit and Snohomish Counties and on the Olympic Pen= insula. Crushed to Death Two new deaths were added to the storm toll, bringing the total since last Friday's blizzard to 17. Herman Husen, about 60, a farmer near Eugene, Ore, was crushed fatally when the roof of a shed collapsed beneath the weight of sodden Snow. A second victim was tentatively identified as Loyel Johnson of the Grants Pass, Ore., area. He ap- parently collapsed on the snow- blocked Oregon Caves Highway. Flying Service Off Most flying service was curtailed or shut down. A rescue crew reported it had either in scattered spots of the| Duck Grandpa Winged To Alaska Before Regular | Airlines; Finally Shot the life expectancy oi vided it avoids hunters And just how far does it fly? The surprising answers in the case history of one adult male sprig were given today by Eguert Jones, Modesto district duck bander. At the Newman Duck Club on Oct. 1, 1933, Jones banded this particular bird. X On Sept. 22, 1949, in Ugashik, Alaska, 3,750 air miles away, John V. Struck killed the same pintail Struck noticed the band number He sent it to the U.S. Biological Survey. In due time, the Survej esta:lished the number had been put on the duck by Jones. Jones, who had banded hundreds of ducks, says this sprig is tht oldest by far of which he has a record. And it was the longest interval Letween band‘ng and kill- ng. Jones estimatcd the duck was at the ripe old age of 18 years when it got into the way of the Alaska hunter’s shotgun. JOHNSON PLEADS FOR DRAFT RENEWAL "TO HALT RUSSIA” WASHINGTON, Jan, 20—(#—De- fense Secretary Johnson asserted |today that the draft act was “one of the decisive factors in stopping |the spread of Communism in Eu- |rope.” Pleading for extension of the law now due to expire next June, John- son told the House Armed Services Committee: “Termination of Selective Ser- vice could well ke interpreted aboard as an indication that this {country does not consider the in- | ternational situation as serious as | previous arguments in favor of the Foreign Military Aid Program and the North Atlantic Pact indicated.” He suggested also that failure to extend the draft law “might ser- jously undermine the position of the military establishments of other signers to the North Atlantic Pact. | Those countries have their own draft laws. He said the law 1s a prop te peace, “showing the continuing in- tention of the world’s greatest na- tion to protect the peace.” Johnson said the United States | Ambassador to Mcscow had report- ied the passage of the peacetime draft act in 1948 “came as thunder- ous shock to the men of the polit- buro.” He credited it with boosting morale of the free nations of Eu- rope, and helping lead TItaly t |vote down Communism in 1948. | REPUBLICAN SENATORS NOT TO SEEK SEATS Nerland and Collins of Fairbanks Say Won't Run for Reelection FAIRBANKS, Alask —Two veteran Alas Republican Senators have announced they will not se2k reelection to the Legisla- ture They are Andrew Ernest B. Collins. Both of them have been in the Legislature ior nany years and both were formsr Speakers of the Hous2. Both are ormer Fairbanks Mayors. Nerland and Coliins announced their decisions at a meeting of the ion Republican Club. withdrawals makes the Division’s natorial races a wide pen scramble. The Division’s two hold-over Senators are John G Butrovich, Republican, and Frank Bar:, Democ Nerland sel 13 the Legislature. He was Speaker in 1921 and Senate Presi- dent in 1947. He has been described as the islative Father” of the Uni- ty of Alaska. He sponsored the ill for its creation in 1917 and the appropriation kil for it in 1919. The University opened in 1923. Nerland has teen Chairman of the Board of Regents since 1934 and » member of the board since 1927. He was Mayor of Fairbanks in 1914-15. He is a long-time mer- chant. Collins, now a retired attorney, was a member of the first Alaska Legislature in 1912. He was the only slator ever elected Speaker of the House for two consecutive ses- Jan. 20— Nerland and { sions (1912 and 1914). He was elected to the Senate in 1921. He later resigned to accept appointment as Assistant U.S. At'l torney in the Fourth Division. He signed that post to enter private 1law practice in 1933. He was elected Fairbanks Mayor in 1935 and again n 1937. He was elected to the Senate again in 1946. He was one of the most outspoken critics of Governor Gruening's administration and Democratic policies in the 1949 special and regular sessions. 5 ROBBERS OF AGA KHAN FOUND, BUT JEWELS ARE NOT LEGISLATIVE RACE IS SLOW AND LOPSIDED 0f 35 Candidates, Only Four Republicans-Third Division Tops Race With scarcely more than a week remaining for those who seek seats in Territorial offices and the legislature to place filings, only four Republicans and 31' Demo- crats have declared intentions ot running for 38 seas and otfices. | i | Cf these, the Third Division— with Anchorage for a base—leads the parade, with 10 men seeking House seats, and two in the Sen- ate. All are Democrats, with not a lf{rpul)]ll‘all so far in the ring. That division seats seven legislators sides the two Senators up from each division. Twenty-four House seats, eight Senate seats, and three Territorial offices are on the block. The primary election is to be held April 25. Filings close Febru- ary 1. Five names were wired to Secre- tary of Alaska Lew M. Williams by | the Third Division clerk, with no party affiliation mentioned. All are new candidates, and Williams was unable to recognize the names to place their party. Six Democrats and two Republi- cans have filed intentions in the i Eirst Division (Juneau and vicinity) to seek House seats, four of them havinz never held oftice before. This district has eight seats on the block. On the Senate side, two Demo- crats, one a new man, filed for) this division, with no Repu:licans | as yet. ONE FOR EACH Filings for offices, of which the | Labor Commissioner and Terri- torial Treasurer are up this time, | are sought by two Democrats. both | of Juneau. Alfred A. Owen, Jr., has filed for Labor Commissioner, and Henry Roden for Treasurer. Roden was appointed to the office last May, and sat in the first Ter- | ritorial Senate in 1913, from Idita- rod 1 Belief was current in political circles that Henry A. Benson, Re- | puklican now holding the office, | would file for reelection, and that | on the same ticket one of his bit- ter opponents would also enter his | name. E. L. (Bob) Bartlett has riled‘ for Delegate to Congress on the| Democratic ticket, with no oppo-| sition so far in sight. | The Second Division, with Nome as its “capital,” has a Democrat| | | | J | Snow Storm Buries Auto Henry Gray, Dunsmuir, Calif,, service station operator shovel snow away from his car after a storm de- posited it in one of the most severe storms of the season to hit the Pacific. Gray is faced with doing the job all over again as a new storm approaches the coast from the West. (P Wirephoto. TEMPERATURE KEEPS COAL SUPPLIES UP (By the Associated Press) ome American cities are faced with coal shortages which threaten to become critical soon. A nationwide survey indicates the shortages are regional. 2 The weatherman is the biggest ingle factor which has kept the nation from suffering. A severe drop in temperature could result | in all-out emergency conservation neasures, Both soft and hard coal shortages we reported in various sections. There's no accurate estimate on the amount of hard coal availa:le. But New York City, which hard coal, reports a 12-day supply m hand. The best estimate of the amount of soft coal above ground comes irom the Southern Coal Producers 1t 22,000,000 tons. That's the lowest n the past 15 years. Coal rationing already has been put into effect in at least four arge cities. They are Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh. Officers of the retail coal mer- .li;S.-Bngér-i_a | Ties Weaken; May 0K Spain (By A-sociated Press) It appeared lkely today that |the United States will soon sever |its diplomatic link with Communist- | dominated Bulgaria. | At the same time it was prodicted |at Lake Success that the United States and a big majority of the 159 United Nations will lift the ‘ban on full recognition of Franco’s iSpain. The repeal on the ‘ban is expected to be voted at the next |General Assembly. ; American-Bulgarian relations have been growing steadily worse. |The Bulgarian charge d' affaires at { Washington, Dr. Peter Voutov, yes- terday demanded the withdrawal of the U. S. Minister at Sofia, Don- ald R. Heath. Charges Made Charges were made last Decem- Ler in Bulgarian courts that Heath | | | Association which puts the figure had received secret government in-|pegin next Tuesday. !formation from Traicho Kostov, former Deputy Premier. Kostov was convicted of spying for the United iStates, Britain and Yugoslavia and Ilnm‘,ed. Heath denied he ever met 1Kostov. Bulgarian newspapers con- ftinued day after day a C (OPLONTO FACE JURY, SPY CHARGE Gubichev Must Also Stand Trial as Federal Judge Makes Degision NEW YORK, Jan. 20—(—Fed- eral Judge Sylvester J. Ryan ruled today that Judith Coplon and Val- entin A. Gubitchev must stand trial on spy conspiracy charges. The ruling came after six weeks of hearings through which the; brunette ex-government girl and the Soviet engineer sought to get the indictment against them dis- missed. Ryan denied defense mot.ons to throw out the charge on the ground that the government’s case de- pended solely on wiretap evidence. The judge ordered that the trial i | | ! "WETTEST SPOT” GOES DRY; PAPER GUN GANG IS SOUGHT IN NATION Important Conference Held of Man Hunters—Raid -Money Bags Found BOSTON, Jan. 20—(P—Massa- chusetts’ Attorney General Fran- cis E. Kelly revealed today inves- tigators had uncovered “new leads” in tracking down the gun gang which robbed Brink's, Inc., money transportation company, of $1,- 50C,000. Kelly refused to give even a nin! of what the new leads were tut said only “they concern both in- dividuals and incidents.” The Attorney General’s statement to’ newsmen came after a three hour conference with the heads of virtually every law entorcement agency in the commonwealth—a conference that Kelly himself called “unprecedented.” Even as he made his statement, riot-gun-armed police raiders swooped down on a reputed gang- ster's apartment in another section of the city. And the head of the money express company reiterated a previous demand for the “blood” of the rotbers. There was no one in the apartment. OUT FOR BLOOD Brink’s president John D. Allen arrived here from Chicagc and re- peated that his company is “out for blood when our employees are endangered.” He added: “We tell our employees that we'll give $1,000 reward if they kill & man in . holdup or $500" i they get him alive. That's in the case of the robbers engaged in an actual holdup.” The conference of law enforcers followed a suggestion from FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover that a cen- tral clue-sifting agency be set up. MONEY BAGS FOUND Two more money bags — the tifth picked up since the robbery— were found in Milton early today. Police said one Lore the wording “Property of and should be re- turned to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.” The other bore no lettering. Boston police said they would pick them up as possible clues in the Boston holdup. They were found in a driveway by two Milton policemen. NATION CRISS-CROSSED Directives from Hoover’s office criss-crossed the nation to FBI tranches in key cities in the hunt for nine bandits who seized a mil- lion dollars in cash and a half million in checks at the Brink's armored transportation company and Republican filed for the Sen-| ate, but no one has entered the| House race there as yet. Four seats | are to be filled from that sector.| PARIS, Jan. 20—(P—Raids in the | underworld slums of Marseille and | Paris have netted five of the bold | zang who ambushed and robbed hants' association in Pittsburgh |campaign against Heath. ay only 9,000 tons are on hand for retail distribution, Last year they; reached the snowbound Cape Horn | country 25 miles east of Vancouver | in southwest Washington. The party, garage Tuesday night. The seizure of a New Jersey ex- convict with $1,762 on his person PLATES IN OFFING The Washingion g of State False Charges H S. Undersecertary which had to ski in after a snow weasel broke down, said none of the 50 families in the area were in distress although one had been running low on supplies. CITY MANAGER OF KETCHIKAN QUITS; SALES TAX IS UP KETCHIKAN, Alaska, Jan. 20— (P—City Manager L. M. McConnell resigned Thursday night after failing to persuade the Ketchikan City Council to boost his pay from $700 monthly to $800. He has been manager nearly two years. He was previously City Clerk. He will leave March 1. The Council introduced a new sales tax proposal. Councilmen hope for its enactment by the city’s vot- ers before April to finance public works with Federal matching money. The proposed rate is one percent, with exemptions on pur- chases under 50 cents. STOCK quouious NEW YORK, Jan. 20—Closing quotation of Alaska Juneau mine stock today is 3%, American Can 113, Anaconda 29%, Curtiss-Wright 8'i, International Harvester 277%, Northern Pacific 14%, U. S. Steel 27%, Pound $2.80%. Sales today were 1,440,000 shares. Averages today are as follows: industrials 200.13, rails 55.26, util- ities 41.75. | { | Merry - Go-Round Bv DREW PEARSON | (Copyright, 1950, by Bell Syndicate, Inc.) ASHINGTON—A modest little man who looks like a small-town hardware merchant has completely | won the heart of cynical Capitol | Hill in less than year. He is Frank P. Graham, former Fesident of the University of North Carclina, now Senator from that State. Graham is as friendly and disarming as a puppy, has a lively twinkle in his dark eyes, and ha: sparse gray hair that looks as though he’'d just come in from a windstorm. When Dr. Grahap was appointed to the Senate lasts March, John Bricker, right-wing Republican, rais- ed the clamor that the newcomer was a “radical.” | Sen. Forrest C. Donnell of Mis- souri, consientious conservative,| asked his GOP colleague, Wayne Mcrse, “what kind of a fellow is Graham? You served with him on the war labor board.” To the deeply religious Donnell, Senator Morse replied, “Forrest, I {have often said you were the mos Christian man I know. Frank Gra-| ham is the most Christlike man| {I know.” One American ambassador not |likely to stay long at his present | post is delightful, garrulous George Wadsworth, U. S. envoy to Tur- key. Wadsworth follows a hedule that runs his staff ragged. He plays the Aga Kahn last August, French pelice announced today. The leader of the gang and his sweetheart, police said, have been murdered, apparently in a falling out among the thieves. But two of the gang still are Shor #snd with them the loot— $500,000 in jewels stolen from the Aga and his wife, the Begum, in wue daring aaylight holdup of Aug. 3 near Cannes. Police say they knew the identity of the two—Paul Leca and Charles Vinciniolli. The investigation led them through the tough dockside nangout of Marseille, to the Is- land of Corsica, to the criminal dens of Paris—and to a villa next door to the Moslem leader, where his jewels apparently had been buried for days while police vainly hunted. The bandit chief, Roger Senaned, and his girl friend, Renee Remy, have been slain, police said, ap- parently by their accomplices. The | bodies have not been found. The 72-year-old Moslem Ruler, one of the world’s wealthiest men, and his wife, the Begum, were held up by tommygunners as they drove from their villa near Cannes on the Riviera on their way to visit the Aga’s son, Prince Aly, and daughter-in-law, movie actress Rita Hayworth. . STEAMER MOVEMENTS Baranof scheduled to sail from Seattle Saturday. & Princess Norah scheduled to sail from Vancouver, January 28. Denali from west scheduled (Continued on Page “Four® southbound early Monday. The Fourth Division, its center Fairbanks, has two Democrats and | one Republican in the lists for House seats, and one Democrat fo: a Senate seat. Five House mem- ers are to be elected from that district. | Two prominent Republican Sen- | ators from Fairbanks have an- nounced they will not seek reelec- tion, leaving the race there some- what lopsided as the picture looks now. | Names of those who have filed| to date are: ‘ FIRST DIVISION For Senate—C. E. Almgquist, Ju neau, last year in House, Democrat; | Frank Peratrovich, Klawok, re-elec- | tion as Democrat. | For House—Amelia A. Gunder- | son, Ketchikan, reelection as Demo- | crat; Doris Barnes, Wrangell, re-| election as Republican; Walter O.| Smith, Ketchikan, Democrat, new filing; Benjamin D. Stewart, Ju- neau, Democrat, new filing; Ci O. Peterson, Ketchikan, Republi- can, new filing; Marcus F. Jensen, | Juneau, reelection as Democrat. | Anita Garnick, Juneau business- | woman, and Dr. R. M. MacKenzie, Ketchikan, are Senate holdovers this section. SECOND DIVISION For Senate,— Charles D. Jones, Nome, reelection as Republican;| Charles A. O'Leary, Nome, Demo- | crat, new filing. | THIRD DIVISION | For Senate—Z. J. Lousaac, An- chorage, Democrat, new filing; Victor C. Rivers, Anchorage, Demo- crat reelection. | For House—C. A. Pollard, Kasilo!, (Continued on Page Six) | the Pacific aid the stockpile was 64.C0C tons n January 2¢. Frank Reed, president o the Chicago coal merchants’ association, ays the nation's second gest city is on a “hand to mouth basis nd there are no coal stockpiles o all practical purposes. The big Commonwealth Edison Chicago, says it has a 30-day supply | compared to a normal 75-day stock. - ADRIFT 43 HOURS, FISHERMAN SAVED WHO'DIDN'T PRAY’ SAN PEDRO, Calif,, Jan. 20— Weekend fisherman Charles James Cooper, 53, weathered wind nd wave for 43 hours adrift' on with his overturned skiff, and never uttered a prayer. He was rescued yesterday after a Coast Guard plane spotted him 10 miles off shore. His 14-foot boat capsized Sunday. He spent the hours clinging to the boat or rest- ing across its keel. “I hadn't put in a special re- quest to the Almighty tor a long time,” he said, “so I didn't pray. I thought it would be sacrilegious to resort to prayer at this late date.” Brought here by a Coast Guard patrol boat, the Bell Gardens man, was treated for shock and exposure. FROM ANGOON Herbert Johnson of Angoon is a guest at the Baranof Hotel. '\V('bl; charged recently that Am- rican Legation officials in Bul- ':ul'm had been subjected to in- | dignities, restrictions and false i\'hurg(‘s. ! The United States has also ac- Bulgaria .of aiding the Greek Iul illas and violating her peace treaty guarantees of fundamental | company which furnishes power to|human rights. Spanish Situation Secretary of State Dean Acheson fdisclosed last night thpt the Unit- ed States has changed its mind (and is willing to go along with other nations in a proposal to retur: ambassadors to Madrid. The diplomatic snmb of Spain was taken to protest the undemccratic government of Generalissimo Fran- cisco Franco, who was helped to ipower by Hitler and Mussolini. Acheson said the snub was sup- posed to jolt Spain into putting her house in order, but it hadn't work- ed Washington observers said mii- tary strategy lies at the base of the changed American decision on Spain. Diplomatic officials sald western military leaders have long favored bringing Spain into the western defense system. Spain is sealed off from the rést of Europe {by the Pyrenees Mountains. Because of this wall, many milita; men believe Spain is the safest western toe-hold on the continent in the event of a Russian offensive. NOTE IS SENT + WASHINGTON, Jan. 20—(®—The United States threatened today to {break diplomatic relations with Bul- lgaria unless that Communist coun- I KETCHIKAN, Jan. 20—®—Ket- Lin Miami, Fla., yesterday as a pos- chikan has moved into the water worry class with two other settle- ments that are famed for their fish markets — New York and nearby Petersburg. The ironic twist to Ketchikan's worry is that it is the fown that had 202 inches of rain last year— Lelieved to be a record for North America. Cold weather is to blame for the concern over the water supply. The own's public utility manager and mayor have been conferring watch- ing the situation closely. Utilities Manager John Weir describes the water and power outlook as “not co good.” He said the situation might become serious if the cold spell lasts beyond Jan. 25. The water supply has been “bled” in recent weeks by the public’s practice of leaving faucets run- ning to prevent freezing. Residents of North Third and Fourth Avenues were reported get- ting only a' spasmodic water suppiy. They planned to use paper p'mu’s‘ and disposable diapers until the | shortage ends. | Mate Visits Camp 0f Nudists; Doesn't Refurn; See!(iDivorte JERSEY CITY, N. J., Jan. 20— lp—Mrs. William J. Nickerson ob- {tained a divorce on charge of de- sertion yesterday. She said her husband went for a weekend at a sible suspect was knocked down by local police, Boston Deputy Supt. John F Daly said, after talking with Miami police, that the man apparently had no connection with the local holdup. The FBI automatically enlisted the aid of millions of civilians, banks and business establishments last night by putlishing serial numbers of 24,050 bills totaling $98,000 of the $1,000000 taken in the robbery. WEATHER REPORT In Juneau—Maximum 28; minimum 15, At Airport—Maximum 20; minimum -4. FORECAST (Junesa and Vielaity) Continued fair but with some high cloudiness tonight and Saturday. Little change in temperature with lowest tonight 12 above in town and near zero in outlying . areas. Highest temperature Saturday near 20. PRECIPITATIONGS (Past 24 nours ending 7:30 a m. todas @ City of Juneau—None; since Jan. 1—1.08 inches; since July 1—55.02 inches. At Airport—None; since Jan. 1—65 inches; since July 1-36.34 inches. S0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 SITKAN HERE nudist camp two-and-a-half years Jago and never came home. William W. Simms of Sitka is registered at the Baranof Hotel.