The Ely miner. [volume], December 30, 1943, Image 1

About The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
On This
Occasion
A Few Observations on Matters
Material and Immaterial
by the Editor
Christmas tree dealers in the largp
cities took an awful beating this year.
Chicago dealers report that they lost
SIOO,OOO. Minneapolis and St. Paul re
port large losses.. While in Duluth over
the weekend, we noticed every gaso
line station that had a stock of trees—
and they all had them —had the larg
est number left over.. While they sold
for as high as $5, Christmas eve saw
thousands of unsold tagged trees clut
tering up the lots. Everyone had an
idea trees would be scarce and every
one loaded up with all their sales space
would hold. The lack of sales is at
tributed to the ban on outside decora
tions and lighting throughout the na
tion and especially in the larger
cities.
m m m
Many of our people will remember
Alvin E. O’Konsky, a gifted speaker,
who made an address to a crowded
auditorium in the city during an anti-
Communist campaign several years
ago. O’Konsky at that time was an
instructor in the Coleraine schools. He
is now the congressman from the tenth
district in Wisconsin, with Ashland as
his headquarters. He is using his head
and his brilliant speaking career tor
the benefit of his district and the
country. In a letter printed in the
Medford Star and News of last week,
he wrote of many matters as fluently
and intelligently as shown in his talks
on the political platform and in Con
gress. His analysis of the social se
curity laws, which he terms as a farce,
was a masterpiece in Bill Conrad’s
paper, as was his address in Congress
on the bill to furnish sustenance to
the returned soldier who was set
adrift after being demobilized and in
structed to turn in his uniform after
a certain time without money enough
to get a suit of clothes and without
cash for sustenance to tide him over
until other arrangements can be made.
O’Konsky is making his mark in the
political world, a mark that will carry
him farther in his public career.
mi im im
There is a story floating about in
the country towns of a slicker who
takes orders for new tires, nylon stock*
ings and whiskey and collects part pay
ment on each. Tires at sll, nylons at
$4 and whiskey at no given prices.
Anyone with any sense would know
that new tires would sell without
chiseling off the serial numbers for
many times the price mentioned and
not be under the necessity of bootleg
ging them. If anyone comes to you
with such a proposition, sign your
name on his head with a baseball bat.
Ml IM IM
Luther M. Bang, former Ely attorney,
is defending Sheriff Eckhart of Mower
county on charges now before Governor
Thye. The sheriff is being hauled on
the carpet because he order out slot
machines from the Elk’s club, the Le
gion club and the Eagle’s club at
Austin. The slot machine situation in
Mower county is not the main issue,
it is claimed, but what happens to the
sheriff in that county is somewhat of
a guage for some 80 sheriffs and
county attorneys whose interest is
also something in the question. Slot
machines are not peculiar to Mower
county alone. We have always con
tended that the machine in a club, set
on a basis to make its playing a
chance, and not a cinch for the club
that owns it, is not any worse than
dice, bridge, keno or other games
where money is a stake. We are ap
posed, however, to the wholesale op
eration by some King of Machines in
every place in town, and especially
where youths congregate and feed
nickles into its rapacious maw set on
a 15 to 85 basis for the machine trust’s
benefit. The club machines are us
ually set on the same basis for the
benefit of the player and the claim
is made that if tne club loses it is still
making 40 per cent on its investment.
Besides only members on their dues
cards have access to the machines.
w m m
A draft registrant in Arkansas
brought his local board a letter to
prove he was married and a father of
seven children and was promptly sent
to the induction station. The letter
read: “Dear United States Army: My
husband asked me to write a recom
mend that he supports his family. He
cannot read, so don’t tell him. Just
take him. He ain’t no good to me. He
ain’t done nothing but raise hell and
drink lemon essence since I married
him eight years ago, and I got to
feed seven kids of his. Maybe you can
get him to carry a gun. He’s good on
squirrels and eating. Take him and
welcome. I need the grub and his bed
for the kids. Don’t tell him this, but
just take him and send him as far
as you can.”
Jll’j Friday Saturday Saturday 11:15 p. m—Sunday—Monday ls< Tneaday —ls c
YgV “ I Doad It ’’ " Johnny Come Lately " „ Dangerous Blondes flgV
Starring James Cagney, Marjorie Main, Grace George “SUBMARINE BASE” Starring flflL
RED SKELTON and ELEANOR POWELL Cagney’s Best Picture in Years Starring JOHN UTEL and ALAN BAXTER Evelyn Keyes and Edmund Lowe
• SPECIAL MIDNIGHT SHOWING FRIDAY NIGHT, NEW YEAR'S EVE, 11:15 P.M“JOHNY COMES LATELY.” WITH JAMES CAGNEY
VOL. 50, NO. 28
Frigid Weather Sends Him to Bed to Keep Warm
Anderson Home From
When Capt. Harry Ander
son of the marine air corps re
turned home last week from a
year’s fighting in the South
Pacific, he wasn’t prepared for
the “frigid” reception awaiting
him.
The change from the 110-
degree tropical summer to the
zero winter weather was so
great that he freely admitted,
“I went to bed for a couple of
days just to keep warm.”
On Christmas day a year
ago he received his “sailing”
orders at San Diego. On Christ
day this year he once again
was in Ely.
During the interim, as a
dive bomber pilot, he saw ac
tion in all major South Pacific
engagements which began with
the driving of the last Japs
off Guadalcanal.
Captain Anderson gave
credit to the navy’s Seabees
for being the “real heroes of
the South Pacific.”
“They can do anything that
is humanly possible,” he de
clared. “If they can’t do it,
nobody can. One air strip that
had been bombed continuously
for eight months was put into
commission in 48 hours by the
Seabeas. They keep right on
working even when bombs are
falling all around them.”
He also praised the Red
Cross field works for distribut
ing magazines, getting emer
gency messages back to home
folks by wireless, and for con
soling any and all who had
troubles to pour into a sympa
thetic ear.
Ely, he declared, is known
throughout the South Pacific
a* THE place to vacation in
after the war.
Local servicemen, apparent
ly working overtime as em
misaries for the Minnesota Ar
rowhead, are responsible for
this, he believes.
He also said that The Miner
was “standard reading” every
where he had gone, with the
little personal items about new
babies, out-of-town visiting ex
cursions, and social events
preferred to big news stories
of the day, probably because
momentarily they brought the
servicemen back to the life to
which they all want to return.
He is the veteran of more
than 35 combat missions.
4th Loan Quota is Set at $246,400
This area has been given a
quota of $246,400 for the
fourth war loan, E. C. Jones,
chairman of the local war fi
nance committee, reveals.
The drive is scheduled to
start Jan. 18 and will last for
one month.
The committees which served dur
the third loan drive will again be
asked to act, Mr. Jones said.
An organization meeting will be con
ducted during the early part of Jan
uary to lay plans for the drive, he said.
The quota for series E bonds —sold
to individuals in smaller denominations
—has not been announced, but it is
anticipated that this figure will be
somewhat higher than that for the
third war loan.
Banks, excluded from the third loan,
will be permitted to purchase bonds
up to 10 per cent of the deposits, but
their purchases will not count toward
the quota assigned any city or district.
This territory had a third loan quota
of $258,400, while the Minneapolis Fed
eral Reserve Bank credited it with pur
chases of $348,000, exceeding the quota
by $89,600.
The series E quota was $65,000, while
purchases were $103,000 more, totaling
$168,000.
W. E. Gustason was in charge of
Winton and vicinity and Waino Stark
man, the township of Morse during the
third loan drive.
CAPTAIN HARRY ANDERSON.
His squadron’s fighting over
Guadalcanal won it a pres
idential citation and its mem
bers have been recommended
for the Air Medal. For the air
support over New Georgia
they were recommended for
the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Anderson and five others have
been recommended for the Oak
Leaf Cluster, equivalent to an
other DFC, for a special mis
sion over Bougainville.
Lt. Jim Mcllvenna of Virginia, An
derson said, was a member of his
group. Mcllvenna is the son of O. J.
Mcllvenna, Virginia school teacher and
prominent in Northern Minnesota civic
affairs.
Anderson enlisted in the navy air
forces in June, 1941, and was awarded
his wings at Corpus Christi, Texas, in
August, 1942. He has just received his
captain’s commission, although he had
been recommended for it some time
ago. He has a 30-day leave, after which
Iran Hottest Place on Earth
The doughboys stationed in Iran
claim it is the hottest place on earth,
reports Sgt. John Starkovich, who says,
“I have seen this proved.”
"During the summer,” starkovteh
writes, “we soak our sheets and mat
tresses two or three times a night and
sleep naked to keep cool.
“When we work we wear gloves in
order not to blister our hands on the
tools we must use.
“The bugler has to put his mouth
piece into water before blowing it. If
you walk across the road to your
neighbor’s tent, you have to carry a
bag of water along so that you won’t
suffer from thirst before you return.
We drink from five to six gallons of
water daily ana eat very little during
the heat of the day. rhe natives live
from 50 to 100 feet underground and
wont work during summer months.
“I therefore claim to be in one of
the hottest places on earth.”
He said that Cpl. Stanley Loushln
Is stationed in the same section.
From the headquarters of the photo
graphic reconnaissance and mapping
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1944 rX 1944
THE ELY MINER
GIVEN CITATION.
Miss Betty Halamik, who is employed
by the government in Philadelphia as
a chief teletype operator, has received
recognition from the war department
for “faithful and efficient service.”
m
IN TEXAS HOSPITAL.
Pfc. Phillip Maki, who recently re
turned to Ely from a rest camp in
the South Pacific after taking part in
the battle of Guadalcanal, is receiving
medical treatment at Waco, Texas.
His address is Waco Annex, box 1910.
CARLSON IN SOUTH PACIFIC.
Cpl. William T. Carlson is stationed
with an anti-aircraft unit in the South
Pacific, where he was recently given
the good conduct medal, his command
ing officer has announced. He is the
son of Mr. and Mrs. Byron Carlson,
West Salem. Wis., former Ely residents.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1943
Pacific
he will return to San Diego to be
come a combat instructor.
Just before leaving the South Pacific,
he met Lt. Edward Buckley of the
marine corps and Lt. Theresa Buragllo
of the army nurse’s corps.
BROTHERS TAKE PART IN
CAMPAIGN ON ATTU
Pvt. Jack Janezich, a veteran of the
Attu campaign, is now at the home of
his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Jane
zich, who reside about four miles east
of Ely. Janezich was injured when he
fell into a Jap dugout. Confined to
a hospital for three months after re
turning to the States, he has been
given a medical discharge.
A brother, Staff Sgt. Joseph Jane
zich, also took part in the Attu cam
paign and is now stationed on Hawaii.
Joe wrote home that at one time he
was only 300 yards from his brother,
but not knowing it at the time did not
get to see him.
FIRST VISIT HOME IN FIVE
YEARS FOR NEW GUINEA VET
Pfc. Rudolph Perushek, who was in
Ely on furlough visiting his mother,
Mrs. Mary Perushek of the Chandler
location, left Monday for Camp Ellis,
111. Perushek was severely wounded by
machinegun in December, 1942, in the
battle for Buna village in New Guinea.
This is his first visit home in nearly
five years. He was given the Purple
Heart award for the New Guinea ac
tion.
THREE ELYITES RETURN
Three Elyites returned from Kis
ka in the Aleutians where they had
been stationed since August. They are
Pfc. Clarenod* Carlson and Pvts. Matt
Sever and George L. Rozman. Carl
son and Sever leave Jan. 9 for Camp
Carson, Colo.
group somewhere in England comes
that Tony J. Za-
verl has been promoted to the rank of
staff sergeant, while Sgt. John F.
Bkradski Writes trom that county, that.
he finds England “a lot different from
the States, and especially living con
ditions under the blackout.” \
Revealing only that he is “out this
way,” although he is believed to be in
the Pacific, Pvt. John W. Priyatel
says that he agrees with the report
last September of Tech Sgt. Jack Pur
dy and Cpl. Frank Stupnik that there
“ain’t no such thing” as the tropical
paradise pictured by Hollywood.
Also writing without .revealing his
station, Pvt. Martin Rodish says, “It
has been a year since I have seen the
U. S. A. We put in 12 hours a day
as airplane mechanics but don’t have
any place to go when we do get time
off. We have natives, usually called
wags by soldiers in Africa and the
Middle East, to do our laundry, shine
our shoes and other K. P. chores, so
the air transport command isn’t such
a bad branch of the service.”
SERVICES SET
FOR NEW YEAR
The young people of three churches
will meet tonight at the Suomi Synod
Lutheran church for a New Year’s de
votional service starting at 7:30 o’clock.
They are the Methodist and Presbyter
ian youth groups who will meet with
the Sumoi Synod Luther league.
The Suomi Synod congregation will
hold a New Year’s eve service in Fin
nish at 11 p. m. Friday.
The Methodist Men's Brotherhood is
sponsoring a watchnight service Fri
day, starting at 8:30 o’clock with a
social hour and being concluded with
a devotional period ending at midnight.
The Bethany Lutheran congregation
will hold a watch night service Friday
at 9 o’clock at the Community Cen
ter. There will be a social hour and
a devotional period.
The Evangelical Lutheran church
will conduct a New Year’s service on
Sunday at 10:30 a. m. in English and
at 7:30 p. m. in Finnish.
The Presbyterian church will con
duct a New Year’s communion at the
Sunday morning service starting at
10:45 o'clock.
m
RETURNS TO SERVICE.
Raymond Slogar left Monday for
New York to resume active duty with
the merchant marine. Previously he
had seen service on the Great Lakes.
Council to Name New
Mayor Monday Night
Volunteers Are Sought to
Make Surgical Dressings
The surgical dressing units will re
sume work next week, and a plea
has been made for additional workers
to help fill Ely’s quota which is just
twice that of this year's.
A shipment of 9,000 dressing to be
made by Feb. 1 has just been re
ceived, Mrs. B. M. Lambert and Mrs.
Edward T. Buckley, who are super
vising the project, state.
Starting in January the surgical
dressing classes will meet every
Tuesday and Wednesday from 1:30
to 4:30 p. m. and every Thursday
FATHER CASES
ARE REVIEWED
Discontinue 3-A Rating for Pre-
Pearl Harbor Parents; to
be Reclassified.
The cases of pre-Pearl Harbor fath
ers in the local district have been re
viewed by the selective service board,
which had received orders, along with
other boards throughout the nation, to
discontinue the 3-A classification in
which this group of selectees had been
placed.
Fathers have now either been re
classified in 2-A or 2-B and deferred
because of employment in essential or
war production industries, placed in
4-F because of physical disabilities, or
tentatively given a 1-A classification
pending a screening physical examina
tion.
The initial group of new 1-A fethers
physicals
additional groups will be examined
from time to time in order to add to
the reservoir of men available to fill
draft quotas.
New 18-year-olds and non-fathers
whose industrial deferments expire or
who may be reclassified from 4-F to
1-A for limited service will toe called
up for service ahead of fathers.
WAC Technicolor Short
Coming to Ely Theaters
The WAC movie short, “Women at
War,” will be shown at the Ely and
State theatres Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday, Lt. Charlotta Evans, in
charge of the Duluth recruiting office,
has announced. The feature Is a
technicolor portrayal of WAC life.
Rationing Office Sends
Out New Truck Coupons
Monday the local war price and ra
tioning office mailed out the new gas
oline allotments for truckers for the
next quarter, which includes January,
February and March. Coupons for the
new allotments come in strips Instead
of books and each coupon has a serial
number.
JM
PRIVATE MARINSEK
IN GILBERTS FIGHT
An Ely marine took part in the
Gilbert islands’ campaign.
He is Pfc. John Marinsek, who sent
word home that he is well and safe.
A veteran of the battle of Guadal
canal, Private Marinsek enlisted in
the marine corps in August, 1942,
and in October he had arrived at an
overseas base in the Pacific.
Cpl. Ojala Dies in Canal Zone
Cpl. Ernest G. Ojala, 32,
has died at Fort Clayton, the
Canal Zone, the war depart
ment notified his parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Anderson
of White Iron.
The cause of death was not given,
but the message said that a letter
would follow.
Corporal Ojala succumbed Dec. 19.
He had been stationed in Panama for
some time. He was employed by the
Evergreen Mines company here when
inducted from the local district, and
was stationed at Camp Wolters, Texas,
prior to being transferred to the Canal
$2.00 PER YEAR INoAOVAKCE
from 7:30 to 9:30 p. m.
Organisations or groups of women
who would like to start a class and
can secure an attendance of at least
25 can make arrangements with Mra
Lambert and Mra Buckley to meet
at any convenient time.
No experience is necessary. All that
is needed, the two supervisors state,
is a elean dress or smock, a head
covering and a pair of willing hands.
The initial bandage making daw
will meet on Tuesday, Wednesday,
and Thursday of next week.
Three Additional Elyites
Enlisted in Nurse's Corps
Additional Elyites who have enlisted
in the cadet nurse’s corps include Miss
La Verne Halamlk and Miss Ruth Yad
losky, student nurses at St. Mary’s
hospital, Duluth, and Miss Josephine
Burja, who Is in training at the Bless
ing hospital, Quincy, 111. Both Miss
Halamik and Miss Yadlosky are here
for a two-week holiday vacation.
Mehle Reelected President
Jugoslav National Home
John Mehle was reelected president
of the Jugoslav National Home at a
meeting held Sunday. Other officers
named include Joe L. Champa, vice
president; Andrew Pirtz, financial and
recording secretary; Frank Tomsich.
Jr., treasurer; John Otrin, Jack Kun
stel and Frank Erzar, trustees, and
Matt Vertin, Mrs. Frank Jenko, and
John Dragavon, directors.
Secretary Pirtz reports that the or
ganization has purchased $9,000 in war
bonds and during 1943 donated $450 to
the Red Cross, the war service fund.
Christmas seals, and similar groups.
IM
Winona Teacher Writes
About Bur nt side Area
A Bumtside lake summer resident,
Robert R. Reed, who is a member of
the Winona State Teachers college
faculty, has written a bulletin “Wild
Rice, America’s First Grain” which is
illustrated with photographs of lotus,
a plant of the water Illy family, in
Bumtside river and of Bumtside In
dians. The bulletin also contains pic
tures of wild rice in various Minnesota
lakes. Mr. Reed is well known here
and he has spoken to an Ely school
assembly.
TWO HURT IN
AUTO ACCIDENT
A passenger car-truck collision at the
intersection of Fourth avenue east and
Harvey street Friday afternoon brought
Injuries to two pedestrians when they
were struck by one of the vehicles.
Injured were Frank Sikala, 77, and
Jack Mulec, Sr. 67. Both were bruised
and shaken and are confined to the
Shipman hospital.
According to a report of the acci
dent filed with the police department,
a car .driven by Sam Norha east on
Harvey street was involved in collision
with a truck driven by Steve Moravetz
north on Fourth avenue. The Norha
car went onto the sidewalk, striking
the two men.
ARE IN ENGLAND.
Pvt. Lloyd G. Bird is now stationed
In England. Pfc. Conrad Tikkala has
been there for some time.
Zone. He was bom in Gilbert.
Surviving besides his parents are
four brothers, Pvt. William Ojala, sta
tioned somewhere in the South Pacific,
Wesley of Gilbert, and Theodore and
Toivo, at home, and two sisters, Mrs.
Carl Robertson, Williams, Minn., and
Mrs. Harry Kuehn, Duluth.
STANLEY GRAHEK HOME
FROM PACIFIC
Stanley Grahek, gunners mate, third
class, is on leave here visiting his par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Grahek
of the Pioneer location, after seeing
action in undisclosed Pacific engage
ment during which he received shrap
nel wounds in the hand.
Three Aidermen Reported
Most Likely to Receive
Appointment.
The city council will holds
its final meeting of the year
Monday night and it appears
probable that a mayor will be
selected at that time.
There is apparent agreement
that a present member of the
council will be named to head
the city government during
1944.
Mentioned as most likely to
receive the appointment are
Aidermen Joseph Koachak,
Edward E. Porthan or Wil
liam R. Harri.
The selection of a new aider
man may be delayed until an
other meeting. The initial ses
sion of the new year will be
conducted Tuesday night, and
will undoubtedly be followed
by an adjourned meeting to be
held later in the week.
Mayor John Kapsch has indicated he
will resign his position effective Mon
day and on the following day he will
begin his term as municipal judge.
His successor to the mayorship will
serve for one year.
Should the council fail to come to
agreement Monday on the selection of
a mayor, which appears unlikely at
this time, Porthan, present acting
mayor, would preside at the council
sessions until a mayor is named. The
city charter provides that he would
hold the office of acting mayor until
his successor is named by the mayor
The initial meeting of the new year
will be taken up largely with reorgani
zation work —filling the various ap
pointive offices and approving the
appointments to be made by the mayor.
The mayor’s appointments, aside from
the standing
mayor, and an auditor to inspect the
city’s accounts for 1943, include the
filling of two vacancies. One is on the
police commission and the other oa
the library board.
With the start of 1944, the city
most operate its finances under the
provisions of the new cash baste law.
This act requires:
1. That all funds be operated ’in the
black,” with overdrafts prohibited.
2. That 5 per cent of each fund (in
Ely’s case) must be carried over to the
following year as a cushion against de
linquent taxes. This will total some
SIO,OOO which will not become avail
able until the start of 1945.
3. That no outstanding warrants be
Isrued. Certificates of indebtedness,
however, may be sold.
4. That quarterly budgets be pre
pared throughout the year.
Some time during January the coun
cil must decide the total amount of
certificates of
be sold in order to obtain money with
which to operate the city until tax ap
portionments are received in June
and July, according to information ob
tained from the city clerk’s office. A
it is received in
April, but larger aportionmenxe are
sent the city during June and July and
again during November and December.
It is presumed that the council will
call for bids on the certificates of in
debtedness. All of them must be re
tired by the close of the year of is
suance.
The city will end the present year
with a small cash balance, according
to the city clerk’s office, but the ex
act amount has not been determined.
TO STAGE KE
FROLIC FRIDAY
The recreation department is spon
soring an ice frolic at the Whiteside
park rink Friday at 3 p. m., with music
provided. Activities will include skat
ing races for boys and girls, broomball.
Ice game* and social skating. Hun
dreds of skaters have enjoyed the
music at the rink during the past
week. Additional skating parties are
being planned
m
9HEGA IN ITALY.
Pvt. John Shega is fighting with the
American forces in Italy.
the acting
that must