NEWS IN BRIEF
LOS ANGELES, </P)—Lawrence
Edward Therkelsen, 68, official
timer of record-seeking flights or
iginating on the West Coast, died
Wednesday of a heart attack.
He timed the start or finish of
more flights than he could re
member. He was best known as
started for the Bendix Air Races
to Cleveland.
Survivors are his widow, Ruth;
a daughter, Mrs. Jane Kreske of
Ketchikan, and a sister, Mrs. Hen
ry Van Duzer of Cleveland.
WASHINGTON, {IP) — Bennett
E. Myers, former major general in
the air force was paroled from
prison yesterday.
Since 1948, he has been serving
time in the federal reformatory at
Lorton, Va., after being convicted
of inducing a civilian associate to
lie about his sideline business ac
tivities during World War II.
He was immediately picked up
by U. S. Marshals to answer a
federal income tax evasion indict
ment pending against him at Bal
timore.
Meyers, removed from Lorton
to the District of Columbia jail,
was later taken before U. S. com
missioner Cyril Lawrence, who
fixed his bond on the income tax
charge at $5,000.
Meyers* associates said the 'bond
would be posted promptly.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. {JP) —11
ispotentially dangerous” men stag
ed a mass break from the criminal
ward of the state mental hospital
Wednesday night and fled into
the snow-covered countryside.
Police threw up roadblocks and
issued a general alarm. Residents
of the area pulled their shades
and locked their windows.
The fugitives, all charged with
felonies, and a mental patient—
later recaptured — overpowered
four attendants in their (break.
VIENNA, Austria </P)—A short
age of elephants in Vienna has
caused a restaurant to close.
Vienna’s “Golden Owl” restau
rant specialized in elephant gou
lash and schnitzel after its owner
purchased a circus mammoth last
year.
The meat lasted a long time and
drew a lot of customers. But said
owner Rudolf Schiener today:
“Taxes took all my profits and
there are no more elephants to*be
had.”
BOSTON, (/P)—William Over
ton, 31, was free today of a charge
that he possessed marijuana.
A state chemist testified in the
municipal court trial Wednesday
that what Overton had was catnip
—not marijuana.
The man said he smokes it to
relieve his asthma.
SEATTLE, (/P) — The Veteran
Alaska Native Service vessel
North Star, Admiral Byrd’s flag
ship on two trips to Antarctica, is
to be sold to the highest bidder.
V. R. Farrell, administrative as
sistant for the service, said bids
will be opened at 2:00 pjn. Feb
ruary 21 in Room 114, 2400 4th
(Continued on Page Two)
Taxes Going Up;
Drinks and Smokes
Will Cost More
WASHINGTON, President
Truman today asked Congress for
a quick ten billkm dollar tax in
crease and said he will ask still
another increase later.
In a message to the legislators,
Mr. Truman set out this program
for raising the $10,000,000,000:
1. A $4,000,000,000 increase in
individual income taxes, already
scheduled to yield a record $26,
000,000,000 in the fiscal year start
ing July 1.
2. A $3,000,000,000 increase in
corporation income taxes. These
with excess profits taxes included,
are scheduled to hit a record $20
billion next year.
3. A $3,000,000,000 increase in
excise (sales) taxes—to be “con
centrated upon less essential con
sumer goods.” They will extend to
| motor vehicles, and gasoline, on
which the rate is now IVi cents a
gallon, whiskey, wine, beer and
cigarettes. The whiskey tax to be
raised from $9 to $12 a gallon. At
| $12 the tax would be about 12 to
15 cents a drink. Whiskey is one
of the biggest revenue producers
in the excise list. These taxes are
estimated to yield $8,222,000,000
next year, under present tax laws.
The schedule outlined would
mean a total tax take of $64,200,
tContinued on Page Three)
Coal Miners Get
Wage Hike Despite
Recent “Freeze”
WASHINGTON, (£>> — A pay
raise in the coal pits went into ef
fect yesterday without interfer
ence from the government, and
eventually the money will show
up on consumers’ coal bills.
Price director Michael V. Di
salle announced that new ceiling
! prices on coal would be set today
and would “probably reflect in
creased costs to the operators as a
result of the wage increase.”
Thus the government cracked!
open its Jan. 25 temporary wage
price freeze for the first time.
Other cracks are certain.
And thus a long period without
coal strikes seemed to be assured,
and the big shadow of John L.
Lewis faded from the wall in the
conference room of the wage sta
bilization 'board.
This board, headed by Cyrus S.
Ching, took several steps yester
day. It exempted state, county,
and municipal employees from
the wage freeze, turning them
over to their governing bodies,
which, the board said, are expect
ed to conform to general federal
wage policies.
In another regulation, the board
gave a blanket o.k. to all wage
and salary increases due to take
effect before midnight Feb. 9, pro
vided they were formally deter
mined and communicated to the
employees” before the Jan. 25
freeze date.
This permitted an undetermin
ed number of increases to groups
or individuals in that class.
Lifting The Lid
At Juneau
* *
(By Jim Hutcheson)
Thursday, February 1, 1951
‘ JUNEAU, </P) — The Lower
Chamber of the Alaska Legisla
ture provided a forum yesterday
for the warmest controversy that
has come inter the open during the
first ten days of the 20th Session.
It was over a printing contract
for 500 volumes of whatever laws
the legislature enacts.
The hearing was on the chal
lenge by William Baker, Ketchi
kan, of a contract obtained by the
Empire Publishing Company, Ju
neau, on a bid of $6,700. Baker is
publisher of the Ketchikan Chron
icle.
The hearing lasted over two
hours and drew a packed gallery.
Baker and his attorney, Mildred
Hermann, contended the Ketchi
kan firm should have received the
contract on a low bid of $4,290.
They insisted the bid conformed
to all specifications set by auditor
(Continued on Page Five) •
Ike Says U. S. Must
Re-Arm Europe
WASHINGTON, (#>— General
Dwight D. Eisenhower told Con
gress members today there is “no
acceptable alternative” to Ameri
can help in rearming Europe.
The five-star general, chosen to
head the Allied Defense Forces
against Russian aggression, pub
licly joined the great debate over
committing US. troops to those
with an address to an informal
joint meeting of the Senate and
House.
He argued:
“We must give Europe assist
ance not only because there is no
acceptable alternative, but be
cause if we were left standing
alone, isolated in a world of com
munism, our system would with
er away.”
Solemnly, Eisenhower had told
(Continued on Page Six)
‘ '# .
Ike Wants No
Restriction On
Number of Troops
WASHINGTON, (/P)— General
Dwight D. Eisenhower’s opposi
tion to a limit of lawmakers de
manding such a ceiling today.
Senator Taft (R-Ohio) told a re
porter he has not changed his pos
ition that Congress ought to tie
down the number of foot soldiers
who could be dispatched to help
man western Europe’s defenses.
However, Sen. Douglas (D-Ill.)
who has advocated that Congress
fix a ratio of American to Euro
pean troops, said he is surprised
at Eisenhower's opposition and
will have to “think the whole
matter over."
Eisenhower has an opportunity
tonight to explain more fully his
position on this point when he re
ports to the nation by radio on
(Continued on Page Three)
Committees For
Session of Alaska’s
20th Legislature
JUNEAU, Jan. 30, {If)— The
first and third divisions share the
lead in committee chairmanships
in the 20th legislature. Each has
an even dozen.
The fourth has nine and the
second five.
The third division, however,
provided the presiding officer in
each chamber — Gunnard Enge
breth of Anchorage, a Republi
can, in the senate and William
Egan, Democrat, of Valdez, in -the
house. Both presiding officers also
were from the third division in
the 1949 session. *
The fourth division has the
“purse strings” chairman for each
house—the head of the committee
that frames the all-important bud
get. They are John Butrovich,
-Fairbanks, Republican, for the
senate finance committee, and
(Continued on .Page Four)
OLD RELIABLE COMES THROUGH
—- ■■ ■ —I i ^__
. .•.
Korean Situation
At A Glance - - -
Thursday, February 1, 1951
A U. N. French-American com
; x . *
bat team was completely encircled
today by banzai-screaming Chi
nese Reds near the juncture of the
central and western fronts in Ko
rea. French troops v were fighting
hand to hand with part of the
force of more than 3,000 commun
ists.
The combat team had pushed
forward cautiously 12 miles north
of Yoju in the eighth day of the
limited Allied offensive which has
eben probing into the enemy’s
main defense lines just south of
the Red-held former Korean Cap
ital of Seoul.
The Reds, streaming out of
hideouts, launched their counter
attack before dawn on three sides
and toward the end of the day
had succeeded in surrounding the
Allied force.
A Tenth Corps spokesman
would not predict the chances of
the encircled regiment fighting its
way out of the trap.
In other sectors, Allied airmen
said they saw Reds withdrawing
across the Han River just on the
outskirts of Seoul. But it could
not be determined whether the en
emy was retreating before the Al
lied drive or was regrouping for
assaults elsewhere along the line.
A special American tank-led
group known as “Task Force
Tony,” pushed forward on the
western front and met only light
•resistance. .
American infantrymen occupied
44 important hills during the day
as the front moved ahead one
half to two ane one-half miles.
The Allied line now stretches
roughly east and west five miles
northeast of Suwon.
While the battle raged, South
Korean president Syngman Rhee
declared: “I hope to be back in
Seoul soon.”
He said he thought the war “is
already coming to an end,” be
cause the Chinese Communist sol
dier “is fighting without spirit.”
Friday, February 2, 1951
U. N. forces chisel away at the
main communist defense lines,
(Continued on Page Six)
TWO GOOD BASKETBALL
GAMES FOR TONIGHT
( Coach Ed Hawkinson of the
Nome School Basketball Team has
announced that there will be only
two more basketball games after
tonight before the team leaves for
Anchorage to participate in the
High School tournament during
Fur Rendezvous.
All basketball fans are urged
to attend these last three games
and give the boys a rousing sup
port from the gallery and let them
know that the town is behind
them when they leave.
The team has been training
hard and considerable improve
ment has been noticed in their
game during the past couple of
weeks, according to reports.
The school's first team plays the
Billikens tonight and the second
team plays the CAP. The first
game is scheduled for seven p.m.