The Daily Alaska empire. [volume], August 03, 1944, Image 1

About The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964

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THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
“ALL THE HEWS ALL THE TIME’
VOL. XLII., NO. 9720.
JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 1944
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE TEN CENTS
. . , -.■' ...a
Battle For Warsaw Surges on 20 Mile Front
RED ARMY
ADVANCING
ON BORDER
Russian Cannon Shelling
Germain Soil-Dydvizhe
Now in Soviet Hands
MOSCOW, Aug. 3—Fighting to
day raged within three miles of the
East Prussian border as General
Cherniakhovsky’s Third White Rus
sian Army surged forward in a de
termined drive from captured
Dydvizhe, which promises moment
arily to carry the war to German
soil.
Russian armor charged savagely
upon the defenses before the East
Prussian border cities of Schirwindt,
Eytkuhnen and Wehkirchen.
Russian cannon shelled the Ger
man soil as Cherniakhovsky's forces
swirled within 28 miles of Tils, 24
miles from Insterburg, important
rail cities, and Konigsberg.
Fighting is raging near Virbalis
and Wizainy, both three miles from
the frontier.
While the campaign in East Prus
sia intensified, the battle for War
saw entered the fouth day on a
slow, slugging 20-mile front, in
volving the eastern suburbs to which
the Germans cling on a line of fixed
fortifications ringing the burning
city and also the industrial suburb
of Praga on - the jsaat bank of the
Vistula River against a massed bom
bardment from ground and sky.
It is estimated 25,000 underground
Polish fighters are hitting the Ger
mans in a “hard and grim” battle
on the Warsaw streets.
Four Russian groups gnawed at
the trapped thousands of Germans
in Latvia and Estonia. The Rus
sians are closing in on all sides.
The Red Army forces are within
70 miles of Krakow, fifth largest
city in Old Poland.
AUGUST BUSCHMANN HERE
August BU6chmann, well known
oldtime Alaska cannery man from
Beattie, now is in Juneau on a trip
throughout the Territory. At present
he holds an interest in the Hood
Bay cannery.
The Washington
Merry-Go-Round
By DREW PEARSON
iLt. Col. Robert S. Allen now on active
service with the Army.)
WASHINGTON—One of the most
potent and effective lobbies in
Washington is now operating quiet
ly backstage to put the GI Bill,
best legislation ever passed by Con
gress for the benefit of war vet
erans.
The lobby is a combination of
mortgage banks and building and
loan associations, now pressuring to
increase the interest rate on loans
to veterans for building homes, also
to make the Government guaran
tee all these loans so there will be
no risk to the bankers.
Here are the details of what they
are driving at. Section 500 of the
GI Bill has an excellent provision
whereby the Veterans’ Administra
tion can lend money to help vet
erans build or acquire homes at an
interest rate of 4 per cent, with
the Government guaranteeing 50
per cent, or up to $2,000.
Section 505 then provides that
veterans may get second loans from
private institutions with the Gov
ernment guaranteeh / onlv .m per
cent. The interest : aft on - his
atcciwi loan i Li ' o provided,
shall be tfru p > cm.-. ' or
a to.<tl of a per ' i'
Howe *r, 'i* ..afiona. Ho.ning
Admlnistr.iti -■ and the ’'etcfisc. •
Administration are being p ... o. !
by the mortgage lobby to rea n •
section 505 Government ins. .
of the entire second loan. Als<
pressure boys want to raise
interest rate to 6 per cent.
Hitherto, the building and lost
companies did not go in for in
sured loans, but now a bloc of
leaders in the industry advocate
• Continued >n Page Fo -.*•»
DIRECT HITS
ON JAP MILLS,
MANCHURIA
Superfortresses Make At
tacks According to Sec
retary War Stimson
WASHINGTON. Aug. 3. — B-29
Superfortresses struck the Jap steel
mills at Anshan, In Manchuria, and
scored direct hits on the coke ovens
and other factory buildings In im
portant blows to the enemy’s war
making capacity. Secretary of War
Henry L. Stimson, reported.
He said at a news conference that
the attack was carried out by a
“substantial” force of the Army’s
new super-bombers which hit An
shan, also Tangku Port and Tient
sin in occupied China on July 29.
Stimson observed the rapid ad
vance in Normandy within the past
nine days by saying that it was the
“most -satisfying accomplishment
since the successful Allied landings
on the French beaches which over
shadows even the swift envelopment
in the liberation of Cherbourg.”
PHILADELPHIA
ENTERS THIRD
DAY OF TIEUP
(By Associated Press)
Transportation tieups that have
plagued two major cities amid con
tinental labor disputes now have a
number of idle workers which has
exceeded 34,000.
Philadelphia has entered its third
day of a public transport paralysis
and is looking to the President
for some action to end the stop
page.
In Montreal, most of the trams
have disappeared from the streets
as the result of a walkout which
developed after a dispute over
whether a union shop provision
applying to new employees should
be put on a contract between the
traction company and the Canadian
Brotherhood of Railway Employees.
The employment of eight negro
employees as operators was the
spark that ignited not only the
stoppage of the transportation sys
tem but a racial disorder in Phila
delphia which began on Tuesday.
CANADIAN FISHING
VESSELSMAYLAND
IN ALASKA PORTS
According to instructions received
by Collector of Customs J. J. Con
nors. in a wire from Washington,
the Acting Secretary of Treasury
has issued an order waiving com
pliance with the provision of section
4311 R. S. to the extent necessary
for the duration of the calendar
year 1944.
This is to permit Canadian fish
ing vessels engaging in the North
Pacific halibut fishery only to land
their catch of halibut in ports of
entry in Alaska upon compliance
with the applicable customs laws.
The action was deemed necessary
in the conduct of the war.
THREE TRIPS TODAY
FOR ALASKA COASTAL
A trip to Ketchikan today by an
Alaska Coastal plane took Mrs.
Welch, Howard Hennetta, and Earl
. bright to Ketchikan, and Thurston
’’verson, Mrs. Julia Steele and Tony
’le to Petersburg.
M. Olson, Roy Jenson, Mrs.
-m< and Mrs. Ronning were pas
s< ■ to Wrangell today.
:i ig for Sitka were Eugene
' J. T. Durden and James
"c> ns Floe was a passenger
i ulet. Returning were W.
> \ La Point and Ralph
>• Sitka, W. Pekovich
I f H ■' k iiet. and Olaf Olson :
i . from To ee.
TRAPPED NIPS
SENT REELING
IN ESCAPE TRY
Shouting 'Banzai' as They
Charge, Artillery Fire
Cuts Them Down
ALLIED HEADQUARTERS IN
THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC, Aug.
3.—Japan’s banzai shouting troops,
| locked for weeks in the Wewak sec
tor, British New Guinea, tried an
other desperate attempt to charge
their enemy lines and lost heavily.
The Japs tried a series of waves
and were repulsed by American ar
tillery. The shouting attackers were
sent reeling back, leaving their dead
where they fell.
The area for a mile east of the
Driniumor River has been cleared
of the enemy with slight resistance.
NATIONAL BOND
TOTAL IS OVER
TWENTY BILLION
According to a wire received by
the office of the War Finance
Commission, the national total dur
ing the Fifth War Loan drive has
been tabulated at $20,639,000,000.
The national quota was set at $16,
000,000,000.
Of this total, $6430,000 were in
| individual sales and $3,036,000,000
were E bond sales.
$20,OOOREWARD
FOR RECOVERY OF
WEALTHY BOLIVIAN
LAPAZ, Bolvia, Aug. 3.—A reward
of a million bolivianos (about $20,
000) has been offered by the Hoch
schild Company for the recovery of
Mauricio Hochschild, wealthy Bol
ivian tin mines owner, who disap
peared Sunday with Adolf Blum, his
business manager.
The Lapaz Sunday newspapers
suggested that he kidnapped Hoch
schild because he was opposed to
the revolutionary government of
President Villarel.
ESCAPE ROUTE
BEING BOTTLED
UP BY SOVIETS
—
STOCKHOLM, Aug. 3. — Russian
trucks loaded with speedboats, tor
pedoes and mines, are reported here
as speeding up the Soviet’s corridor
to the Baltic Sea, west of Riga, in
an effort to bottle up any waterway
escape for 20,000 or 30,000 trapped
Germans.
By sowing mines between the
island of Osel and the mainland
and by operating speedboats, Ger
man shipping would be hampered
in any evacuation plan.
FLETCHER, BURFORD
GOING ON CRUISE
Two of Juneau's most prominent
business men, Jack Fletcher, popular
manager of the Baranof Hotel, and
J. B. Burford of the company bear
ing his name, will leave Juneau Sat- ;
urday on the latter’s 40-foot boat
Donjac for a two weeks’ cruise in
the waters of Southeast Alaska.
According to Fletcher, the boys are
going to Indulge in “a little fishing"
—enough for eating purposes.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, Aug. 3. — Closing
quotation of Alaska Juneau mine
stock today is 6%, American Can
9f%, Anaconda 26, Beech Aircraft)
914, Bethlehem Steel 5274, Curtiss
Wright 5*4, International Harvester
77 !4, Kennecott 31%, North Am
erican Aviation 814, New York Cen
tral 19%. Northern Pacific 1614,
United States Steel 58%.
Dow, Jones averages today are
as follows: Industrials, 146.29, rails,
41.25; utilities, 24.09.
SOUTH HALF
GUAM ISLE
CONQUERED
Tinian Airstrip Also Occu
pied - One Officer
Congratulated
! UNITED STATES PACIFIC
FLEET HEADQUARTERS IN
PEARL HARBOR, Aug. 3.—Killing
seven Japs to every Yank slain, the
American now have complete con
trol of the south half ot Guam
Island and are slowly and cautious
ly advancing toward the north half.
The airstrip on Tinian Island has
been taken by the Marines and
soldiers.
Lt. Gen. Holland M. Smith, Com
mander of the Marine forces in
the Pacific, congratulated Maj. Gen.
A. D. Bruce for the conduct of
the 77th Division in the Guam op
erations for "marked tactical abil
ity in moving the forces into po
sitions over unfavorable terrain in
the face of great difficulties.”
DRAFTBOARD
ISSUES NEW
LISTTODAY
The following reclassification list
was issued by the local Draft Board:
1-A—Louis A. Delebecque, Howard
E. Mosher, Lawrence Carlson, Ste
phen Hoag, Richard W. Barrett,
John H. Williams, Joseph A. Hell
man, Anthony E. Morris. Solomon
H. Karki, Stanley A. Eneberg, Rich
ard C. Shaw, John Borbridge, Jr.
1- C—Norman E. Bleuler, Henning
N. Johnson, Kenneth H. Loken, Wil
liam C. Spain, John T. Cass.
2- A — Williaom L. Bills, Chester
Willis, Vernon E. Hodges, Wallace
A. Doe.
2-A(Fi—Arthur B. McBride, Wal
lace C. Tykeward.
2-A(L)—Peter C. Warner.
2-B—Robert W. Cowling, William
J. Sheppard, Harold Stephenson,
John Leontowich.
2-B<H)—Lawrence J. Walker.
2-B(F)—Richard L. Schultz, Ver
nal H. Siler, John DeSimone.
4-D—Andrew Gamble. .
4-F—Thomas W. Hall, Bert Jen
sen, Jr., Frank G. SHotter.
DENTISTS' EXAM
NOW BEING HELD
A dental examination is being
held this week in Juneau to enable
those so desiring to procure licenses
for practicing in the Territory. Al
askan dentists on the examining
board are Dr. H. G. Hughes, Mayor
of Fairbanks; Dr. Dorsey, of An- :
chorage; Dr. McKenzie ,of Ketchi- I
kan, and Dr. A. W. Stewart, of this
city. j
Arriving here recently for the ex
amination were Dr. V. N. Lee, of j
Portland, Oregon; Dr. William Har
stad, of Milton, Oregon; H. C. Kim-!
ball, of Portland; Dr. John H. Davis,!
of Sioux City, Iowa; Dr. E. L. Bly,
and Dr. J. L. Wilson, of Seattle.
EVACUATION OF
RIGA REPORTED
STOCKHOLM, Aug. 3.—Refugees
reaching Sweden by sail, motor and
rowboats said German women and
children are being evacuated from
Riga which is said to be like a
besieged fortress as the thunder of
approaching Russian fields guns is
growing louder. They also said the
food situation in Riga is a serious
one.
LOIS MOREY HERE
Lois Morev. of Libby, McNeill and
Libby, has registered at the Bar
anof Hotel from Anchorage.
ROBOTS HIT
LONDON FOR
LONG PERIOD
Fourteen Hours Continuous
Attack Made-At Least
78 Persons Killed
BULLETIN — LONDON,
Aug. 3.—Flying bombs crashed
London and southern England
in salvos for 14 hours, the long
est sustained attack since the
Hermans fired the first across
the channel seven weeks ago.
By midafternoon today the
bombardment slackened. At
least 28 were killed here. Ten
men repairing bomb damage
were hit when a robot hit their
billet next door to a mortuary
containing victims of an earlier
explosion.
BOMIB RAID CONTINUES
LONDON, Aug. 3.—Flying bombs
droned over Southern England and
London in continuation of an un
broken 12-hour assault. Antiair
craft gunners in Southern England
maintained almost a continuous
barrage and some robpts are re
ported destroyed over the channel.
Several hospitals were hit and ten
patients were killed in one hospital.
The London shopping area was
also hit, and a number fit casual*
ties are reported.
One robot punctured a water
tank and rescue workers were
drenched to the skin as they dug
among debris in search of victims.
REPORT ON ROBOT
BOMBING IS MADE;
4,335 ARE KILLED
British Prime Minister W.
Churchill Does Not Look
for Much Relief
LONDON, Aug. 3.—Prime Minister
Winston Churchill has disclosed
that robot bombs killed 4,335 persons
in Britain during a seven-week
period. He said that at the present
time Britain could advance no guar
antee that the robot problem could
be solved speedily as the result of
the Nazi attacks.
Citing the destruction caused by
the bombs during a constant bom
bardment from June 15 to July 31,
he said that 14,000 persons were
seriously injured and many more
received slighter injuries. He pointed
out that 17,000 homes were totally
destroyed and 800,000 partially dam
aged. Many, however, had only the
windows shattered in their homes.
The report further said that per
sons not employed in essential work,
including 225,000 mothers with their
children were evacuated in the sev
en weeks and that 5,340 robots were
launched against England. He said
there was a slightly decline in the
death and injury rate, bearing out
his statement that defenses against
bombing was gaining power by ter
rific poundings given launching
areas by Allied fliers.
BERLIN CLAIMS
BIG RAIDS BY
U.S. BOMBERS i
LONDON, Aug. 3.- More than 750
American heavy bombers from Italy
attacked German industrial targets
near the Swiss border and another
strong American armada from Eng
land is in the skies over Bavaria,
according to a German radio broad
cast picked up here.
RUTH LOFGREN HERE
Ruth Lofgren, of Salt Lake City,
is a guest at the Baranof Hotel.
RAATICANS HERE
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Raatican
are here from Pelican and •ruest*
it the Gasi icsu i-oiri.
Marine Gets Highest Award
Maj. Gen. J. C. Regan (left), presrnts the Congressional Medal of
Honor at Seattle to Marine Pfe. Richard Sorenson of Anoka, Minn.,
who saved five comrades by throwing himself on a Japanese grenade
in the Marshall Islands invasion. Pfc. Robert Foss (right), of Salt
Lake City, Utah, received the Silver Star Medal for other feats.
Sorenson was in Juneau over a year ago and made many friends
during his brief stop. „
Soldiers Discharged
For Offenses Cannof
Gef Records Changed
SPANISH
OFFICIAL
IS DEAD
Foreign Minister Saw'Turn
of Tide' that Allies
Will Win Out
SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain, Aug. 3.
—Ocn. Francisco Gomez Jardana y
Sousa, 68, Spain’s Minister of For
eign Affairs, is dead here as the
result of an attack of the heart.
He was appointed to his office
in September, 1942, when the Ger
mans seemed on the offensive
against the Russian at Stalingrad.
When the Americans landed in
North Africa, Gen. Sousa saw the
“turn of the tide” before others
began to realize the Allies were on
the offensive and urged real neu
trality of Spain and unofficially
asserted the Allies will win the
present war.’
SEVEN ARRIVE HERE .
VIA ALASKA AIRLINE
An outgoing lllght to Yakutat
yesterday of the Alaska Airlines
carried Prank Tucker, Thomas
Dennison, Peter Bond, Walter An
drews, Eli Yovatich, Jack Jackson,
William Ryan, and Forrest Fennesy.
McDonald and Silver were pilots
for the -trip.
In from Anchorage yesterday
were Mrs. C. W. Hufusen, Dolores
Kemer, Neal McDonald, D. J. Ty
ler, Roy C, Anderson, Roy Jensen,
and Mrs. W. C. Short.
Returning to Anchorage the plane
caried M. D. Williams, D. W. Zan
der, Melvin Culbertson, and Helen
Hycz to that c.ty, and Margaret
Hill, Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Hall, Helen
Banruf, and W. E. Duckering to
Fairbanks.
Starr Calvert, of the San Juan
Packing Company, is a visitor in
Jtincatt.
By JACK STINNETT
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 —Some of
the saddest of men must be those
who years ago In some youthful
folly caused themselves to be dis
charged under a shadow from their
nation’s armed forces.
I Service files bulge with some of
I the most pathetic letters ever writ
! ten — pleas that the writers be
j allowed somehow to clear their
I names, and perhaps once again
j serve their country. Here are some
extracts from letters sent to the
i Marine Corps:
The first is from a man who drew
! a bad conduct discharge in 1929
j after being convicted of theft.
! "Since that day I hove felt like a
1 convict,” he wrote, "and when I see
the Marines on parade it makes me
feel like there is something gohe,
1 especially when a man was proud
to wear the uniform of the Marines
as I once was and am still proud
that I wore It.
“Sir, isn’t there some way I can
show you that I am worthy of an
honorable discharge? Don't you
think that I have paid enough for
something that I swear I did not
know I was doing wrong? Can’t you
see how I feel? Won’t you consider
my case and see if you can help
me?”
This is from a man who walked
out the gate of the Washington
Marine barracks in 1924 in civilian
clothes, leaving his uniform behind:
"I want to clear my conscience,
(Continued on Page Two)
LEGION DUGOUT NOW
BEING "DRESSED UP"
Members of the American Legion
here have been going at it “with
hammer and tongs” during the past
four days “dressing up” the interior
and exterior of the American Legion
Dugout together with various al
terations and a new paint Job in
preparation for the coming Legion
Convention to be held here Sep
tember 2, 3, and 4.
Announcement was made today
that on Monday night, August 7,
the Legionnaires will be host to all
the service men of the Gastineau
Channel area. A short business
meeting will be held at 8 p. m„ to
be followed by a buffet luncheon.
All service men are requested to
conie early.
RENNES IS
CAPTURED
IN DRIVE
Bradley's Armored Col
umns Pressing on with
Burning Speed
ST. nazaireTs next
GOAL OF U. S. FORCES
Bewildered Germans Be
ing Stabbed Along
120-Mile Front
SUPREME HEADQUARTERS
ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY
I FORCES, Aug. 3.—Lt. Gen. Omar
Bradley’s armored columns, press
ing at burning speed into the heart
I of Brittany, captured Rennes alter
; a two-day advance that carried
I them 45 miles from Avranches.
i The Americans are pushing swift
■ ly toward the Wold War I base of
i St. Nazaire, 80 miles beyond Ren
i nes, almost in the center of Breton
| Peninsula.
On Dinan Outskirts
Other west-bound columns are
reported on the outskirts of Dinan
after an advtuicc of 35 .miles from
Avranches.
Bradley’s forces have thus open
ed a wedge 30 miles deep and 35
miles broad near Brittany in a ser
ies of open field dashes.
Everywhere along the 120-mile
(Continued on Page Six)
ARMY RACING
AFTER NAZIS
IN BRITTANY
Some Infantry Units Un
able to Keep Pace with
Fastest Advance
By WES GALLAGHER
SOMEWHERE IN BRITTANY,
Aug. 3.—This has ceased to be a
battle and Is a race, with the Am
erican Army moving forward per
haps faster than any army in this
war. It is almost impossible to
keep up with the front.
Daylight can follow the trail of
battle along roads across Brittany,
a trail of burning wreckage, tanks,
88 guns, and horse-drawn vehicles,
but never seems quite able to
catch up with the front line.
A large force is on the move,
not just tank columns and dough
boys, but maintenance units with
munitions, fuel, food supplies, and
other services. Everything is rush
ing into Brittany, though momenta
lost can never be replaced.
There is no pause ever, for greet
ing the local populace, which stands
at every village front and every
farm, hurling flowers. The inhab
itants of Brittany are much more
demonstrative than those of Nor
mandy.
French Are Guides
The advance has been speeded
by the fight of the French in the
interior, who rush lead columns
and report where the Germans are
stationed. They offer themselves
as guides.
“The resistance movement is most
cooperative," said Captain Royce
Weisenberger, Civil Affairs Admin
istrator.
Feeble Luftwaffe
An armored division is spear
heading an unprecedented drive on
many roads, in blaclc moving col
umns, despite the sporadic pres
ence of the Luftwaffe, which for
the first time since the invasion
opened has been putting up a
(Continued on Page Two)