THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
“ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME'
VOL. LXXV., NO. 11,593
JUNEAU, ALASKA, TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1950
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICE TEN CENTS
-1_
Senator Taft Causes Walkout at Steel Plant
OPERATIONS
HALTED WHEN
VISIT MADE
One Hundred CIO Workers
Protest - 1500 Men
Temporarily Idled
YOUNGSTOWN, O., Aug, 29-4ft—
One hundred CIO-United Steel
workers walked off , their jobs at
Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co.,
today because U. S. Sen. Robert A.
Taft (R-Ohio) visited the plant.
They went back to work about two
hours after Taft’s automobile left
the main gate, amid some boos and
catcalls. All but about 10 of the
workers returned to their jobs.
Policemen stood by at the plant
gate where the unionists gathered,
but there was no disturbance. The
Senator said some of them smiled
at him when he waved to them on
entering the plant lor an hour-long
tour.
The walkout virtually halted fin
ishing operations of the company’s
huge Campbell works.
Although about 100 union mem
bers walked off their jobs, about
1,500 employees were idled.
Senator Taft said some pickets
smiled at him when he waved and
“many seemed glad to meet a notor
ious person.” During an hour-long
tour of the open hearth and mach
ine shop divisions of the plant, he
chatted and shook hands with some
workers. He made no speech.
The protesting unionists are mem
bers of the CIO United Steel Work
ers Union.
“Senator Taft is not a friend of
organized labor and we are organiz
ed labor,” one union member said.
—
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, Aug. 29—Closing
quotation of Alaska Juneau mine
stock today is 2%, American Can 97,
Anaconda 34, Curtiss-Wright 10%,
International Harvester 30%, Ken
necott 65%, New York Central 14'*,
Northern Pacific 16%, U. S. Steel 38,
Pound $2.80%.
Sales today were 1,490,000 shares.
Averages today are as follows: in
dustrials 218.29, rails 63.32, utilities
39.87.
Hie Washington
Merry-Go-Round
(Copyright. 1950. by Bell Syndicate. Inc.)
By DREW PEARSON
Washington—Cabinet Changes
—Some people around the White
House have been angling to get
Secretary of State Acheson and
Secretary of Defense Johnson out
of the cabinet, but the angling
hasn’t come from Mr. Big himself.
The other day a White House as
sistant approached Senator Styles
Bridges of New Hampshire with the
idea that he become Secretary of
State. The proposition was hedged
with such reservations as “I’m only
talking for myself, you understand,
but—." . . . Bridges said he wasn’t
interested ... undoubtedly the
assistant told the truth when he
said he was only talking for him
self, because Truman invariably
freezes his cabinet members when
they are under attack . . . What
bothers him most is the fact that
these two particular cabinet mem
bers are at each others throats.
You can’t talk ten minutes with
Louey Johnson's staff—or some
times even with Johnson himself—
without hearing a crack against
the Secretary of State.
Ambition Burns Eternal—A friend
was talking to Secretary of Defense
Johnson. He said: “Mr. Secretary,
a lot of people are talking about
you for President.”
“Oh, I’m not interested in that,”
said Louey condescendingly.
A minute later, however, he
asked:
“Were they important people?”
Balloons To Russia — Soviet
spokesmen are livid over the prop
(Contlnued on Page Four)
Longshoremen's Union of
Bridges Is Expelled al CIO
Executive Board Meeting
MacARTHUR
GETS NOTE
BY TRUMAN
American Policy on For
mosa Explained-Gen
eral Is Commended
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 — —
President Truman today sent Gen.
Douglas MacArthur a statement of
American policy on Formosa, and
also a commendation of the gen
eral's direction of the Korean cam
paign.
Mr. Truman's move, following up
his weekend order for MacArthur
to withdraw a statement on For
mosa, appeared to have a two-fold
purpose although there was no of 11
cial comment.
1. To clarify MacArthur’s own
understanding of the whole situa
tion and give him an implied re
minder not to get out of step again.
2. To ease the sting of the in
cident to the general and also help
maintain MacArthur’s prestige in
the Far East.
Presidential Secretary Charles G.
Ross gave out Mr. Truman’s mess
age without comment and refused
to answer questions as to why Mr.
Truman sent it.
Text of Letter
The text of Mr. Truman’s letter:
“I am sending you for your in
formation the text of a letter which
I sent to Ambassador Austin dated
August 27. I am sure that when
you examine this letter, and the
letter which Ambassador Austin
addressed to Trygve Lie on August
25 (a copy of which I am told was,
sent your headquarters that night), j
you will understand why my action ;
of the 26th in directing the with
drawal of your message to the Vet
erans of Foreign Wars was nec
essary.
"General Collins and Admiral
Sherman have given me a compre
hensive report of their conversa
tions with you and pf their visit'
to the United Nations forces now
fighting under your command in
Korea. Their reports were most
satisfactory and highly gratifying
to me.”
The letters Mr. Truman enclosed
were those officially stating Amer
(Continued on Page Two)
Republicans Make
Complaint on Adm.
(By Associated Press)
The Republican National Commit
tee charges that Adminstration pol
icy in the Far East has boomeranged
disastrously.
In a 20,000-word white paper
supplied to Republican candidates,
the committee says:
“Korea and Formosa must be add
ed to China as instances where the
boomerang of Far Eastern policy
has met itself coming back.”
In addition, the Republican com
mittee charges that Republicans had
not been consulted about decisions
in the Far East.
STEAMER MOVEMENTS
Aleutian from Seattle in port and
scheduled to sail for westward at
5 o’clock this evening.
Susitna due to sail from Seattle
today.
Alaska due to sail from Seattle
Thursday and is due to arrive here
Sunday, Sept. 3.
Baranof scheduled to sail from!
Seattle at 11 a.m. Monday.
Until further notice there will
be no sailings of Canadian vessels.
I
WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 — UPI —
J The CIO executive board today ex
pelled the last two of 11 unions it
marked for purge a year ago on
charges of hewing to the Commu
nist party line.
They were the West Coast Long
shoremen’s and Warehousemen's
Union, headed by Harry Bridges,
and the Marine Cooks and S'tew
: ards, headed by Hugh Bryson.
I Bridges’ union was kicked out
i first by a 41 to 2 vote. The dis
senting votes came from J. W
Robertson, Vice President ol
• Bridges' union, and Bryson.
Next Bryson’s union was ousted,
141 to 1, with Bryson casting the
j only opposition vote,
j Bridges and Bryson could appeal
the executive board action to the
CIO convention in Chicago Nov. 20,
but it is highly unlikely that the
convention would upset the board's
move.
The convention last year author
ized the removal of all leaders and
unions found to be following Com
munist policy.
Longshoremen Ouster
Included in the ouster of the
75,000 longshoremen was the re
moval of the Fishermen and Allied
i Workers, headed by Joseph Jurich,
of Seattle, which had merged two
months ago with the Bridges union.
A three-man committee investi
gated Bridges’ activities of the past
several years and decided that he
had adhered to Communist party
policies at the expense of CIO pro
grams. The committee, recom
mending ouster, told the executive
board that the Communists had
been “highly successful’’ in control
ling the ILWU.
Bridges, who is free on bail pend
ing an appeal on a perjury convic
tion, did not know how to defend
himself at the executive board
meeting. Robertson represented
him.
Bridges was convicted of lying
about Communist party affiliations
in applying for naturalization pa
pers.
8 Unions Expelled
In the past, Bridges has resisted
removal from the CIO, and asserted
he was merely following good trade
union tactics.
The CIO already has expelled
eight unions charged wtih following
the Communist line at the expense
of CIO policy. Another, the United
Furniture Workers, cleared itself in
convention by getting rid of offic
ers charged with Communist sym
pathies.
The house cleaning began 10
months ago at the CIO convention
in Cleveland.
PENNSYLVANIANS HERE
Mr. and Mrs. E. W. Mill* of
State College, Pa., are registered at
the Baranof Hotel.
DON DAVIS HERE
Don Davis of the P. E. Harris
Co. of Seattle is registered at the
Baranof Hotel.
• •••••••••a
• •
• WEATHER REPORT •
• Temperatures for 24-Hour Period •
• ending 6:20 o'clock this morning •
• In Juneau—Maximum, 53; •
• minimum, 50. •
• At Airport—Maximum, 53; •
• minimum, 48. •
• a
• forecast a
• (Juneau and Vicinity) •
• Variable cloudiness with •
• occasional showers tonight •
• and Wednesday. Little a
• change in temperature with •
• lowest tonight 50 and highest •
• Wednesday near 58 degrees. a
• PRECIPITATION a
a (Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a.m. today a
• City of Juneau—.35 inches; a
a since August 1—4.71 Inches; a
a since July l- .i4.64 inches. a
a At Airport—.22 inches; a
a since August 1—4.85 inches; a
a since July 1—11.89 inches. a
aaaaaaaaaaaj
RADAR NOT
WORKING AT
COLLISION
Important Testimony Is
Brought Out at Hearing
of Sea Disaster
SAN FRANCISCO. Aug. 29—
A witness told a Coast Guard board
of inquiry today the freighter
Mary Luchenbach’s radar was not
working when it collided last Friday
with the Navy hospital ship Benev
olence off the Golden Gate.
Martion E. Dayton, mate of the
freighter, was the first witness call
ed as the hearing opened.
Dayton testified the freighter’s
direction finder was working, but
the ship’s radar was not. He said a
repairman had worked on the radar
while the freighter was in dock, but
added it was his “understanding"
that the radar still needed some ad
justments.
Dayton testified as the Navy was
holding another hearing on Yerba
Buena Island in San Francisco Bay.
This hearing ws closed to the pub
lic.
Dayton estimated the collision
with the hospital ship occurred at
5:02 p.m., with fog limiting visibil- |
ity at the time to only 1,000 feet.
“The Mary Luckenbach required
no assistance,” Dayton testified.
“The first indication I had that the
Benevolence was in serious difficulty
was when we heard yelling over our
starboard bow.”
In a legal action, the Government
has asked $14,000,000 damages from
the Luckenbach Steamship Com
pany.
WORKERS TO
DECIDE NEXT,
OUSTER MOVE
Work Stoppage Suggested
by Union Official
Bridges Talks
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 29—(AT—
Morris Watson, longshoremen’s
press representative, said today the
union’s locals would have to decide
whether to hold stop work meetings
to discuss their ouster from the
National CIO.
There was no indication of such
a stoppage at noon, Watson said.
Watson quoted from action taken
at the recent caucus of the Inter
national Longshoremen’s and Ware
housemen’s Union at North Bend,
Ore.
He said the "caucus reaffirmed its
position denouncing the ‘kangaroo
trial' given the ILWU by the Na
tional CIO and recommended that
in event of expulsion by the CIO
the locals stop work to consider
the matter.”
"We are far better off out than
we ever were in,” longshore offic
ers commented on the National I
CIO action.
The union’s President, Harry
Bridges, was not available for per
sonal comment. However, head
quarters of the ILWU issued a
statement.
In an interview last Friday, after
he was released from jail on $25,
000 bail, Bridges said:
"The National CIO is all set to
kick us out next Tuesday. That
will save us a lot of headaches,
being free from that lousy outfit.”
TODAY’S LANDINGS
One of the season’s largest land
ings was made today with E. O.
Swanson’s Elfin II bringing in 45,
000 pounds of salmon for the Alas
ka Coast Fisheries . Peter Lunde’s
Attu landed 1,800 pounds for Eng
strom Brothers.
Watery Grave
The red cross painted on side of the l!SN Benevolence shows through the water as waves sweep over the
stricken hospital ship. The vessel sunk following a collision with the freighter Mary Luckenbach in a
dense fog off San Francisco’s Golden Gate. A Coast Guard boat patrols the area searching for possible
survivors, iffI Wirephoto.
Damaged Freighter
The crumpled bow of the freighter Mary Luckenbach shows what happened when it plowed into the
side of the hospital ship Benevolence in a heavy fog aff the Golden Gate. The freighter, fully loaded, was
outward bound. The Benevolence, with more than 500 aboard sunk. The Navy said 18 are known to have
lost their lives. «*) Wirephoto.
Alaska Mayors Are
Meeting, Anchorage;
Public Works Is Issue
ANCHORAGE, Aug. 28—<*>—'The
first Alaska Mayor's Conference
opened here yesterday.
The first topic of discussion was
the Alaska Public Works program.
A forecast was made that more
authority would be granted Alaska
Public Works field officials to en
able them to give Alaskans an-,
swers when they need them.
Philippine Force
Is Going to Korea
(By Associated Press)
A 10-man vanguard for the 12
hundred man Philippine Army force
destined for Korean service has left
Manila for Tokyo.
Headed by Colonel Jaime Velas
quez, the delegation will confer with
General MacArthur on plans for di
recting the Filipinos against the
North Korean Communists.
SALMON PACK,
COOK INLET, IS
REPORTED UP
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 29—
MB—Fish and Wildlife officials said
that the salmon pack at Cook In
let this year exceeded the 10-year
average by 52.9 percent.
An influx of gear during the Red
salmon season and improved weath
er conditions were given as rea
sons for the heavy increase in the
total catch during the season which
ended Aug. 12.
Sixteen Inlet canneries reported
canning 392,227 cases of one pound
tall cans. Four Kodiak Island can
neries packed 49,460 cases of tall
cans of Cook Inlet salmon.
MRS. BERLIN RETURNS
Mrs. Margaret Berlin, who has
been south for several weeks re
turned to Juneau aboard the Aleu
tian.
Airliner Is
Chartered for
Flight of Two
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 29—Ufl—A
40-passenger Convair airliner was
chartered by a New York stock
broker last night to take himself
and his wife, a model, to a fashion
show at Lake Placid, N. Y. today.
The plane carried a pilot, cd
pilot, and stewardess in addition to
the New York couple and their
French poodle. It returned to
Weir Cook airport 15 minutes after
the takeoff to pick up a cosmetics
bag the wife had left behind. Then
it took off again for Lake Placid.
Airport attendants estimated the
cost of the charter at $1,800.
EARLY MOK.M.VO BLAZE
The City Fire Department was
called out at 2:15 a.m. to extinguish
a mattress fire in a small cabin at
the rear of the City Cafe. The bed
was burned and the cabin badly
smoked up, Chief Minard Mill re
ported.
W. R. MCRAE HERE
W. R. McRae of Vancouver, B.C., j
is stopping at the Baranof Hotel.
PRESSURE
ISRISING
EACH HOUR
UN Forces, However, Beat
Back Heavy Red Attacks
-Giant Offensive Plans
(By Associated Press)
Blazing battles erupted today at
both ends of the curling 120-mlle
battle perimeter in South Korea.
United Nations forces beat back
heavy Red attacks on both ends
of the line, but the Communists
were reported building for a giant
offensive—their supreme bid to drive
the UN forces into the sea.
On the East Coast anchor of the
flaming 45-mile northern front,
Red forces knifed three miles south
west of United Nations lines and
set up a. threatening roadblock on
the vital highway connecting the
Port of Pohang with Yongchon. But
the Pohang sector still was con
trolled by American and South Kor
ean troops, who have pushed back
elements of the 20,000 attacking
Reds in the Kigye sector, nine miles
to the northwest of the port, and
have retaken Kigye.
Heavy Pressure
While the Communists exerted
heavy preiiure all along the north
ern front, the southern front flamed
with furious action. American Negro
Infantrymen and South Korean
troops turned back a North Korean
bayonet charge in hand-to-hand
combat. Red bayonets wiped out one
American machine gun nest.
The battalion of Reds assaulted
bald Sobuk Hill west of Masan.
After two unsuccessful attacks, the
Reds surprised the American troops
and a wild battle ensued—so close
that U. S. supporting weapons could
not be used for fear of hitting Al
lied troops. A portion of the defend
ing force was cut off for four hours,
but reinforcements got through and
at noon Tuesday the mountain top
remained in Allied hands.
Blaze With New Fury
While the Korea war blazed with
new fury, Washington worried over
the conflict between the UN com
mander, Gen. MacArthur, and Presi
dent Truman over Formosa policy.
The President today sent Mac
Arthur a statement of U. S. policy
along with a commendation on the
General’s direction of the Korean
campaign. He appeared to have two
purposes in this: To clarify Mac
Arthur's picture of Far East policy,
and to ease the sting of the with
drawn statement incident.
In Korea, meanwhile, Communist
Pressure appeared to be rising hour
ly.
(Continueu on Page Two)
WAR GAMES
IN INTERIOR
ARE FOUGHT
FAIRBANKS. Alaska, Aug. 29—
—Army and Air Force troops at
Ladd and Eielson Air Force Bases
were engaged today in testing if they
could stand off a theoretical enemy
who has held portions of Alaska
since Aug. 15.
The war games stretch to the
edge of the Arctic Circle. The
jroblem, as devised by military strat
egists, involves the capture of Nome,
Galena and McGrath by airbourne
forces of the "enemy.”
Now the enemy is grouping his
forces for an all-out push on the
two strategic air fields. The role
ot the aggressor forces is being fill
ed by Army troops dressed in green
uniforms and wearing special head
gear. Parachute dummies dropped
from the air represent enemy para
troopers.
Umpires will decide the success or
failure of both enemy and defending
forces as the large-scale maneuvers
continue.