THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE
• "ALLXH&XSES "ALL THE t/W£~
VOL. LXXVIIL, NO. 11,812
JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1951
MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PRICK TEN CENTS
New Offensive Started By Hordes Of Chinese
_■ ■ - A . s l^'M £1
NEW INFO
ON FIRING
MacARTHUR
Truman Had Considered
Acction Year Before
Dismissal Taken
• ■
WASHINGTON, May 17 — (M —
President Truman said today he had
been considering firing Gen. Doug
las MacArthur off and on for a
year before he finally dismissed
him.
The President told a news confer
ence he made up his mind to oust
MacArthur when the Pacific com
mander issued his March 24 call
for the Chinese Reds to halt the
war.
Since Senate hearings began on
MacArthur’s dismissal, there has
been testimony from administra
tion men that this upset plans
President Truman had been work
ing out to propose a cease fire.
Mr. Truman told reporters that
Secretary of State Acheson had not
urged the dismissal as some Repub
licans have contended. He said
Acheson actually urged caution at
an April 6 meeting when he dis
closed his intention to top ranking
advisors.
Political Fuss
Acheson, the President said, ad
vised caution on the ground it would
stir up a political fuss.
It did, the President said with a
wry grin; he w'as right.
When saying he had been consid
ering the ouster of MacArthur for
a year, Mr. Truman recalled the
tAtter MacArthur v re* » f® t&J* V. *•
erao$ of Foreign Wars.
That was last August. The letter
took issue with some phases of ad
ministration policy in the Far East.
President Truman ordered MacAr
thur to withdraw it and the general
did.
However, the letter had been given
to newspapers in advance and the
recall was too late to stop widespread
publication.
For the first time, the President
spoke with little hesitation at his
weekly news conference about some
of the events leading up to the dis
missal of MacArthur.
He said that at the April 6 meet
ing at the White House, he told his
associates the country needed a new
general in the Far East.
FERRY CHANGED
INTO FLOATING
CANNERY, ALASKA
SEATTLE, May 17, —UR— The
ferry Lincoln, which was on the
Seattle-Vashon Island run until a
few months ago, definitely will be
come a floating cannery in Alaska,
the buyer said today.
S. Einstoss, pho purchased the
boat from the state toll bridge au
thority for $10,000, provided aji in
spection in dry dock showed it to
be satisfactory, said he had accep
ted her. It will leave for Ketchikan
in about a month.
U.S.G.S. MEN HERE
F. G. Fisher and H. W. Bell of
the U. S. Geological Survey from
Denver are at the Gastineau Hotel.
The Washington
Merry - Go - Round
By DREW PEARSON
(Cosrrlsbt. 1MI, or Bell Syndicate. Inc.
(Ed. Note—This is the second
column by Drew Pearson on Greek
shipping.)
TrASHINGTON. — The Ameri
can public has shown its ability to
take the bad news along with the,
good and therefore has a right to
know about our worst disaster of
the Korean war. So far the facts
have not been released at the Pent
agon.
Last month, however, 40 B-29
Superfortresses, escorted by jet
fighters, bombed the International
bridge connecting Sinweju. North
Korea, with Antung, Manchuria.
The B-29s were hugging so close
to the Manchurian border that
one side was exposed and approxi
mately 100 Russian Mig-15 jet
iContlnued on Page Four)
%
An Assist for the General
Chairman Richard Russell (U.-Ga.) straightens the necktie of Gen. Omar Bradley, chairman of the
joint chiefs of staff, before the start in Washington of the military leader’s testimony at a hearing
into the firing of- General MacArtliur by the combined Armed Services and Foreign Relations commit
! tees. Sen. William Know-land (R.-Calif.) is at center. (#) Wirephoto.
900 WORKERS
WALK OUT IN
WU PROTEST
* -_
By Associated Press
Nearly 900 Western Union em
ployes quit work in the San Fran
cisco Bay Area today1 to protest the
training of supervisory personnel in
certain jobs.
In the East, some 800 employes
also have walked off the job in
Philadelphia and Cincinnati, crip
pling service in eight states.
A Western Union spokesman at
San Francisco said it was a "work
stoppage, not a strike:"
Only certain government, press
and emergency messages were re
ported being handled on schedule.
Other messages were accepted sub
ject to delay.
The AFL-Commercial Telegraph
ers Union said the workers were
idle in a protest against supervis
ory personnel doing work assigned
to union members in the Western
Union-CTU contract.
A company spokesman at Phil
adelphia replied that it has been
Western Union policy to train and
re-train its executive and super
visory personnel from time to time
to keep them abreast of the latest
developments fh operations. This
was being done When the union
members walked -off the job, he
' added.
In New York, Western Union said
in mid-day it will halt a supervis
ory training program in an effort
to end the walkouts and meet un
ion objections.
PAN AM BOYS GO
FISHING, FLYING
Pan American World Airways
representatives here for a sales
conference this week, knocked off
to go fishing on the Hyak today
to sample some of the wares they’ll
be selling. This afternoon, a trip
by Alaska Coastal Airways was
planned for over the Juneau Icecap
and a stop at Taku Lodge for cock
tails before returning to Juneau.
Tomorrow the party will visit
Sitka, Petersburg, Wrangell and
wind up at Ketchikan where they
will be guests of Bob Ellis at a
dinner.
Last evening the visiting and lo
cal Pan American employees were
guests of the Baranof Hotel at
a cocktail party followed by a
duck-and-wild-rice dinner.
FOWLER MARTIN HERE
Fowler Martin of the Pacific Na
tional Bank of Seattle is in Juneau
on his annual spring trip. He is at
the Baranoi Hotel.
I
PRODUCERS
OF STEEL
MUSTCUT
Larger Share of Output Is
Ordered Into Mounting
Defense Demands
WASHINGTON, May 17 — —
The government today ordered steel
mills to set aside sharply increased
quantities of steel products for July
delivery on defense orders.
In telegrams, the National Pro
duction Authority notified the iron
and steel producers that ‘an even
larger share” of their output may be
reserved for priority buyers in Au
gust to meet mounting defense de
mands.
The action apparently is part of a
move to make deeper cuts in civilian
use cf steel and other strategic
metals later this summer. Plans for
chat cutback will be unfolded to auto
makers and other producers in 57
industries at a meeting here tomor
row.
NfA said today’s order states that
more than half of all blooms, slabs
and billets, reinforcing bars, hot
rolled sheets, wire loop, and other
standard items must bo reserved for
defense.
The set-asides range up to 75 per
cent of carbon steel plate, 68 per
cent of heavy structural steel shapes
and steel piling, 80 per cent of high
grade electrical sheets and straps,
and 95 per cent of wheels and axles.
STEEL CUT ANNOUNCED
WASHINGTON, May 17 — (#! —
The government announces that
steel supplies for autos and other
consumer "hard goods” will be cuti
about one-third below pre-Korea
levels on July 1.
This will mean reductions rang
ing from 10 to 15 per cent below
present civilian levels.
Copper and aluminum will be
somewhat tighter than steel, Edwin
T. Gibson, acting defense produc
tion administrator, said.
Gibson told a news conference
that about 2.000,000 tons of steel will
be available for refrigerators, pas
senger cars, washing machines and
other household appliances in the
July-August-September quarter, as
against 3,000,000 tons on the average
before the outbreak of fighting.
STEAMERMOVEMENTS
Princess Louise from Vancouver
due to arrive Saturday afternoon
or evening.
Baranof scheduled to sail from
Seattle Friday.
Denali scheduled to arrive from
westward Sunday southbound.
JOB SEEKERS
WARNED STAY
OUT, ALASKA
OLYMPIA, Wash., May 17 —lAt—
The State Employment Security
Department warned job seekers to
day against going to Alaska to look
for work.
J. H. Robertson, Employment Se
curity commissioner, said the Terri
tory is now flooded with workers
iooking for jobs.
He said Alaska manpower offic
ials have notified him that the flood
of migrants has presented serious
housing problems, particularly in
Anchorage.
The Alaska officials said there
were more than enough workers
now in the Territory to fill all la
bor needs at least through June,
Robertson added.
Robertson urged all persons in
terested in working in Alaska to
contact any local'Employment Se
curity Department office before at
tempting the trip.
P-TAFAREWELL
MEETING NEXT
MONDAY NIGHT
Farewells and goodbyes will be
said to members of the Juneau
Public School faculty at the final
meeting of the Parent-Teachei As
sociation Monday. The group meets
at 8 p.m. in the grade school audi
torium. Farewells will be said to
a number of the local staff who
have resigned their positions. This
group includes Dr. James C. Ryan.
Commissioner of Education, who is
resigning from his position July 1
Goodbyes and happy holidays will
be said to the teachers who are
leaving town on vacations.
The music for the evening will
be by the Junior band directed by
Lyle Manson. Two numbers will
be sung by the eighth grade mixed
chorus, With Miss Marjorie Iverson
in charge.
The officers for the coming year
will be installed at this meeting.
A committee of eighth grade
mothers will serve refreshments at
the close. *
COLONEL NOYES
RETURNING SUNDAY
Col. John R. Noyes, commissioner
in the Alaska Road Commission, is
returning to Juneau Sunday, it is
announced by officials of the Ju
neau office.
He has been in Washington, D.
C„ attending Senate budget hear
ings.
I 1
BRADLEY NOT
REQUIRED TO
TESTIFY, MAC
Senate Investigators Up
hold Refusal Testify on
Private Talks, Truman
WASHINGTON, May 17 — (iW —
Senate investigators upheld today
the refusal of Gen. Omar N. Brad
ley to testify about President Tru
man’s private talks with his ad
visers on firing Gen. MacArthur.
Senator McMahon (D-Conn) said
the vote was 18 to 8.
The action sustained a decision by
Senator Russell (D-Ga), chairman
of the joint Armed Services and
Foreign Relations committee, that
Bradley had a right to keep silent
on the talks.
Bradley declined on Tuesday to
tell the committees , in response to
questions by Sen. Wiley iR-Wis),
what was said at a White House
conference April 6 which led to the
President’s dismissal of MacArthur
as Pacific commander on April 11.
A vote to overturn Russell’s rul
ing could have led to a formal
demand that Bradley answer the
questions or face possible charges
of contempt of Congress.
For two days, the Senate Mac
Arthur inquiry has been stymied by
the argument over what attitude
should be taken toward the refusal
by Bradley, chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, to tell who said
what to whom at the April 6 White
House meeting.
Sharp words and charges of*play
ing politics came ipto the debate.
By and large, the argument of
those upholding Bussell’s decision
was that the constitution’^ division
of powers between Congress and the
Executive Department denied to
Congress the right to demand “con
fidential information" from the
President.
The decision cleared the way for
the committee to go back to actual
hearings. There had beer: talk of a
session Friday with either Admiral
O. Sherman or Gen. Hoyt Vanden
berg as the witness. They are the
Chiefs of Staff members for the
Navy and Air Force, respectively.
But Russell announced he had de
cided not to have another hearing
session until Monday when Bradley
will return to the stand.
Big Catch
Of Halibut,
B. C. Coast
VANCOUVER, B. C„ May 17 —
—Capt. Sig Trelvik demoted himself
to deckhand and made it pay off
today.
A herring fisherman for years,
Capt. Trelvik knew nothing about
halibut. But he learned the hard
way—working on deck with numb
fingers at the bait tanks.
He arrived back in port yesterday
on his 62-foot diesel seiner Western
Monarch with a catch of 80,000
pounds of halibut, biggest catch ever
taken off the British Columbia coast
by a single boat.
An old friend, Capt. Ostein Han
sen, was at the helm of the seiner
during the 11-day fishing trip. Capt.
Hansen is a veteran halibut skipper.
Capt. Trelvik and his eight-man
crew brought home enough fish to
fill three railroad cars.
GAMES TODAY
Final scores of baseball games
played this afternoon In the major
leagues are as follows:
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Pittsburgh 12, New York 7.
Chicago 7, Brooklyn 0.
Cincinnati 6, Boston 5.
One night game.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Chicago at Boston, cold.
Washington 11, Detroit 6.
New York 1, Cleveland 0.
One night game.
Miss Hawaii of 1951
Claire Heen (center), 18-year-old Hawaiian girl of Irish, Hawaiian
and Chinees descent, poses with her runners-up in Honolulu after
she won the right to represent Hawaii at the Atlantic City Miss
America contest. Second was Gloria Kaneraura (right) who has
Japanese, English, German and Scotch blood. Blonde Joan Scott
(left), a Caucasian blend of English, Irish and French, was third.
(#> Wirephoto.
ALASKA
COURTS
UPHELD
Anti-Trust Indictments in
Steamship and Liquor
Cases Sustained
SEATTLE, May 17 — Wl — The
right of the U. S, District Court in
Alaska to file anti-trust lndictments
against the Alaska Steamship Co
and six wholesale liquor dealers wa^
upheld yesterday in Federal Cour
here.
Federal Judge Dal M. Lemmon
denied the defendants’ motions tr
dismiss the suits because the Alaskt
court lacked jurisdiction.
Judge Lemmon did not cite evi
dence in the short opinion with
which he upheld the Alaskan in
dictments returned last June against
the steamship company, five liquor
wholesalers wtth Seattle headquart
ers and one with Anchorage main
offices.
Other mptlons are pending or
the cases and trials may not be held
for some time.
The suit against the Alaska
Steamship Co. accuses it of con
trolling 90 per cent of the watei
transport between Alaska and th<
States and of using that control tc
force shippers to give the company
their exclusive business.
K and L Distributors, Inc., Odom
Co., Lang and Co., Meherin-Mertel
Distributors, Inc., West Coast Dls-.
tributors, Inc., and the Anchorage
Cold Storage Co. are charged with
fixing prices on 10 million dollars
worth of alcoholic beverages they
wholesale annually in Alaska.
WEATHER REPORT
Temperature for 24-Hour Period
ending 6:20 o’clock this morning
In Juneau — Maximum,
48; minimum, 43.
At Airport — Maximum,
50; minimum, 42.
FORECAST
Mostly cloudy with inter
mittent light rain tonight
and Friday. Lowest temper
ature tonight about 43. deg.
Highest tomorrow about 52.
PRECIPITATION
(Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a m. today
City of Juneau — .45 inches;
Since May 1 — 1.80 inches;
Since July 1 — 69.85 inches.
At Airport — .29 inches;
Since May 1 — 1.19 inches;
Since July 1 — 40.46 inches.
PRESIDENT
LASHES OUT
ATSENATOR
Doesn't Mention Taft by
Name But Attacks His
Korean Viewpoint
WASHINGTON, May 17 — l/P) —
President Truman lashed out at
Republican Senator Taft of Ohio to
day for seeking, as the President
put it, to have this country "go for
an all-out war In China all by our
selves.”,
Mr. Truman virtually discarded a
written speech prepared for the Na
tional conference on Citizenship.
He told his audience that one week
of all-out war would cost this coun
try "10 to 20 times” what it is cost
ing to rearm and contain the fight
ing in Korea.
"We must have friends in this
troubled yorld,” the President ex
temporized. "Some senators and
some other people would have us
to it alone."
Indirect Reference
This was an indirect reference to
testimony by Oen. Douglas MacAr
thur, whom he ousted from the Far
Eastern commands last month.
Mr. Truman, appealing for
strengthened price and rent con
trol legislation, said there was no
question that Cqngress will vote a
two-year extension of controls ex
piring June 30.
He said the decision he and Con
gress will make on this, on defense
rearming and on foreign aid "ought
to be above petty politics, because
the welfare of the country depends
on them.”
Mr. Truman was greeted witn
standing applause as he entered the
Presidential room of the Hotel Stat
ler with Mrs. Truman.
Makes Plea
He pleaded for consumers to put
pressure on Congress for strong
price and rent controls and for
higher taxes.
“Never was there a time when the
right decisions were more necessary
than at this time," he said.
Even in departing from his text,
the President did not refer to Sen
ator Taft by name. In his prepared
speech Mr. Truman hung an “in
vitation-to-war” tag on the Ohio
senator’s proposal to reduce the
Armed Forces’ manpower goal by
500,000 men.
FW8 MAN HEBE
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Adams are
registered at the Hotel Juneau. He
is with the Fish and Wildlife Ser
vice,
LINE OF j
BATTLE
ABLAZE
—
Waves of Communisfs At
tack on Wide Fronf
UN Defenses Hold
By Associated Press
Main United Nations defenses held
fast today against the onslaught of
waves of attacking Chinese Com
munists on the East-Central Korean
front.
Chinese troops streamed through
a gap torn In South Korean lines
south of Inje, but Allied forces rush
ed up to plug the hole by night-fall.
Hordes of Chinese stormed U. S.
positions on the Central front but
came off second best in many a hill
top action. Every time the Ameri
cans lost ground they counterat
tacked and regained it.
The Chinese threw in 96,000 men
in the 25-mlle length of the East
Central sector that was the hottest
in today’s fighting.
The new Chinese drive had all the
earmarks of a fullscale offensive.
Purpose of Drive
AP Correspondent Nate Polow
etzky said there were three possible
reasons why the Reds began their
attack in the mountainous East:
1. It was a diversionary attack
to hide their main purpose—a blow
at Seoul.
2. Or it was the beginning oi a
chain reaction that would explode
all the way across the peninsula in
the biggest Communist push yet.
3. Or it was Intended merely to
drive UN forces out of North Korea
on the east coast, the only place
where they have a toehold.
Battle Lines Ablaze
Field dispatches said the battle
lines were ablaze all the way from
the east coast to Kapyong. near the
center of the peninsula. South Kor
eans in the east fell back swiftly,
then closed ranks for a more de
termined stand.
The heaviest blow was in the Inje
Chunchon area where the Chinese
were using six divisions numbering
about 50,000 men.
AP Photographer Ed Johnson re
ported a reinforced Chinese Com
munist regiment was cut to pieces
when it attacked U. S. forces high
in the mountains south of Chon
chon. The battle, 45 miles east of
Seoul, lasted three and a half hours.
The Chinese withdrew leaving 100
dead.
CLOSUREDEADLINE
FOR HAIIBUTERS IN
TWO AREAS, MAY 28
SEATTLE, May 17 — W— The In
ternational Fisheries Commission
announced a closure deadline today
for halibut fishing in the waters
from Cape Blanco, Ore., to Cape
Spencer, AlaBka.
It is effective at midnight. May
28. It applies to areas 2-A and 1-B.
In making the announcement, the
commission said the catch limit of
25.500,000 pounds for ared 2-A is ex
pected to be reached by the dead
i ime. Area 1-B closes automatically
with 2-A.
It will be the shortest season on
record for the coastal region. Fishing
started May 1. A commission spokes
man said the fishing fleet has been
larger and the fishing good thi;
season.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, May 17 — Closing
quotation of American Can today is
109 i American Tel. and Tel. 155.
Anaconda 42%, General Electric
53%, General Motors 51. Goodyear
81>._,, Kennecott 74, Libby, McNeill
and Libby 9, Northern Pacific 38%.
Standard Oil of California 47%,
Twentieth Century Fox 19%, U. S.
Steel 43%, Pound $2.80%, Canadian
Exchange 94.06%.
Sales today were 1,370,000 shares.
Averages today were as follows:
Industrials 254.57, tails 81.66, utlli
ties 42.41.
FROM EXCURSION INLET
Mr. and Mrs. O. S. Syre of Ex
cursion Inlet are at the Bnranof
Hotel.