THE : >AILY ALASKA EMPIRE
“ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME" '** ,
VOL. LXXV., NO. 11,553___JUNEAU, ALASKA, THURSDAY, JULY 13, 1950_MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS PRICE TEN CENTS
50 Superforts Blast North Korean Target
EARLY MORNING
FIRE DESTROYS
THANE SAWMILL
Loss to Alaska Yellow Ced
ar Company Estimat
ed at $20,000
Flames leaping into the dawn sky
today ate through the Alaska Yellow
Cedar Company mill at Thane,
leaving it totally destroyed.
Loss in stock and machinery was
estimated to be at least $20,000 by
Jack Martin and Norman Durocher,
principal owners of the company.
The fire was discovered soon after
3 a.m. by Larry Pusich, who sighted
the blaze from Mike’s Place in
Douglas. He alerted the Douglas
and Juneau Fire Departments.
A 2-9 alarm was sounded here
at 3:15 a.m.
Fire-fighting equipment from Ju
neau arrived at the scene closely
followed by the fire truck from
Douglas. Firemen said the roof had
caved in by the time they arrived.
They estimated that the fire had
had a two-hour start before it was
discovered. Cause of the fire could
not be determined, they said.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin said this
morning that they had gone to the
mill at midnight last night to see
if logs in the millpond were secured.
They said there was no sign of fire
at that time.
After arriving, the fire-fighters
laid hose lines to an Alaska Juneau
Mining Company hydrant near the
blazing building and succeeded in
confining the fire to the mining
company’s carpenter shop which
housed the mill.
The heat of the blaze wilted
leaves on trees 50 feet away from
the building.
Salvation Army men took coffee
to the hard-working fire-fighters
from Douglas and Juneau.
By this morning, the mill was
charred ruins, and 40,000 board feet
of lumber awaiting shipment was
completely burned.
A cloud of smoke was still rising
from the blackened piling which
had supported. the building, and
water was being played on the hot
ashes.
The building and the equipment
in the mill were only partly covered
by insurance.
The yellow cedar company saw
mill is the second in this area to
be completely destroyed by fire
within one year. The Juneau Spruce
Corporation mill in Juneau was
burned to the ground in 1949’s most
spectacular fire last August.
The Alaska Yellow Cedar Com
pany was organized by Martin and
Durocher last year. It began pro
duction last fall, concentrating on
the sawing of yellow cedar boat
lumber, panels, and furniture lum
ber.
After a three-month shutdown
last winter due to a shortage of logs,
(Continuea on Page rwo)
The Washington
Merry - Go - Round
Bv DREW PEARSON
(Copyright. IBM. t>7 Bell Syndicetc. Inc.)
WASHINGTON—Two Democratic
senators in two widely separated
areas appear to have widely div
ergent views on big campaign con
tributions :
No. 1 is serious-minded Senator
Estes Kefauver of Tennessee who
today opens a big probe of Florida
gambling, including the third of
a million dollars pumped into the
political kitty of Fuller Warren to
elect him governor of Florida.
Warren is a democrat and' so is
Kefauvep, but the senator isn’t
letting that hamper the investiga
tion.
No. 2 is likable, silver-crested
Senator Guy Gillette of Iowa
chairman of a Senate committee
supposed to investigate big cam
paign contributions. When the
easy-going Mr. Gillette is asked too
many questions about his probe,
he puts on his hat and walks
away.
So far this year more big money
has been pumped into senatorial
primaries than almost any other
year in history, both by Democrats
and Republicans. But Gillette
just doesn’t seem anxious to em
barrass either party.
Who Elects Governors
Down in Miami, Senator Kefau
ver’s investigation, beginning today.
(Continued on page Four)
NO PLANS
2ND DRAFT
CALL NOW
WASHINGTON, July 13 — •“ —
The Army said today there "is no
present plan” to issue a second
draft call. It asked last Monday
lor 20,000 draftees.
A spokesman denied there wefe
plans for a second call when told
there were published reports the
Army would ask for 80,000 more
draftees.
At a Pentagon briefing session
for newsmen, a Navy spokesman
said that one British Naval unit
yesterday silenced three out ot
four Red Korean 75mm guns with
which it exchanged shots near
Inchon on the west coast of Korea.
He said the British ship suffered
r.o damage.
Inchon is the principal port for
Seoul.
Briefing officers described the es
tablishment of Eighth Army head
quarters in South Korea as "sig
nificant of the buildup of U. S.
forces.”
EDITORS7ol>OUR
INTO ALASKA NEXT
YEAR FOR LOOK-SEE
SEATTLE, July 13—MWThe Na
tional Editorial Association sent its
president and general manager to
Alaska today to prepare for the
association’s tour of the Territory
in 1951.
J. Clifford Kaynor, publisher of
I the Ellensburg, Wash., Record and
! president of the association, and
I Don Eck. N.E.A. general manager,
| left on the S.S. Denali to visit Ket
chikan. Sitka, Seward, Anchorage,
Fairbanks, Cordova, Valdez, Juneau
and Wrangell.
The N.E.A. plans to charter the
Alaska Steamship Company’s S.S.
Aleutian to take some 300 or 400
members to Alaska the first week in
June. The members will represent
the association’s 5,600 daily and
weekly members. The tour will be
a part of the annual convention to
be held in Seattle.
Kaynor said he and Eck will visit
newspapers, radio stations, cham
bers of commerce and territorial
officials in Alaska to make plans
for the 1951 tour.
They will be in Ketchikan Satur
day: Sitka, Sunday and Seward,
Tuesday. From Seward they will go
to Anchorage and Fairbanks and
then return via Cordova, Valdez, Ju
neau and Wrangell.
FBI CHECKS
ACTIVITIES
OF BRIDGES
WASHINGTON, July 13 — —
Senator Eastland (D-Miss) said to
day the FBI is checking on whether
there are legal grounds for cancell
ing the $25,000 bond of Harry
Bridges, West Coast labor leader.
He said the Justice Department will
seek cancellation if grounds are
found.
Eastland gave that report to
newsmen after a meeting of a spe
cial Senate Judiciary subcommittee
with Peyton Ford, assistant to the
Attorney General. The subcommit
tee has been looking into Bridges'
activities.
• •••••••••a
• •
• WEATHER REPORT •
• •
• In Juneau—Maximum, 57; •
• minimum, 51. •
• At Airport—Maximum, 58; •
• minimum, 49. •
• •
• FORECAST •
• (Juneau and Vicinity) $
• Variable cloudiness with •
• an occasional light shower •
• tonight and Friday. Lowest •
• temperature tonight about •
• 50. Highest Friday near 62. •
• •
• PRECIPITATION*
• (Pnst 24 hours ending 7:30 a m. today •
• City of Juneau—0.13 inches; •
• since July 1—1.13 inches. •
• At Airport — 0.03 inches; •
• since July 1—0.40 inches. •
• ••••••••**
NO THREAT
OF STRIKE
AT SKAGWAY
There is no evidence or a work
stoppage on the White Pass and
Yukon Route at Skagway accord
ing to advices received direct by
The Empire from H. R. Conn, ol
the United States Mediation and
Conciliation service; who was sent
there from Seattle to use his serv
ices in a reported threatened strike.
It is true a strike vote was
taken but the railroad received no
threat announcement. Negotiations
are proceeding on a friendly basis,
Mr. Conn announces, between those
involved and the company and
there is no evidence of a work stop
page.
The railroad operates between
Skagway and Whitehorse.
ELKS WILL RAISE
BIG FUND IN CASE
OF ALL-OUT WAR
Alaska Association Float
Wins First Prize in
Parade at Miami
MIAMI, Fla., July 13—Wl—The
Elks’ 86th National Convention has
voted unanimously to raise more
than $1,000,000 a year to support
the nation in the event of all-out
war.
More than 3,000 delegates cheered
the decision.
The vote was on a resolution
which gave the Grand Lodge
ruthority to lexy a tax o’f $1 per
year on each of the organization’s
1.028,000 members to support the
nation “in the event that the inter
national situation required it."
The Alaska Elks Association took
first prize in the parade last night
with a float featuring a huge polar
bear surrounded by lovely girls.
'TAGGING' TRAP TO
INAUGURATE PINK
SALMON RESEARCH
The pink salmon research pro
gram begun this year by the Fish
and Wildlife Service will get in full
swing July 24 when the first of
25,000 tags will be clipped on South
east Alaska’s money fish.
Two service vessels left Seattle
yesterday, loaded down with tags
and six biologists, who will begin
(heir work near Point Adolphus in
Icy Strait, according to C. Howard
Oaltzo, assistant regional director
for the service.
Approximately half the pinks will
be tagged prior to the opening of
the season, by catching a number in
a trap put up by cooperation of
Malcomb Stockwell, superintendent
of the Todd Packing Company.
This w'ill enable many more fish
to be tagged than would be the
case if the season were opened, and
biologists were forced to pay for
each fish tagged and then released.
The remaining half of the fish
will be tagged and released after
the commercial season gets under
way, Baltzo said.
When the season begins, four
traps will be used for catching the
pinks. They w'ill be brailled out,
and placed aboard the service boats
—the Sablefish and Heron—and
with a minimum of handling, tagged
and then plopped back in the water.
Operations will go on until the
end of the season.
Some experimental work on pink
salmon research w'as done by the
old Bureau of Fisheries about 20
years ago, but no follow-up was
ever made. Research has concen
trated on other species during the
interim.
The tagging will be carried out in
Icy Strait and Chatham Straits.
Carl Ellen, biologist stationed in
Seattle, will be in charge of the
three men on each vessel.
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover re
ported today that American Com
munists have increased their un
derground activities during the past
year. The result, lie says, is the
heaviest work load his agency has
ever handled.
Home-Front Mobilization
Planned by Govt.; Truman
Says Nothing Drastic Yet
MORE MEN,
MONEY FOR
KOREA WAR
— i
President Tells of Plans
Under Questioning at
News Conference
WASHINGTON, July 13 — —
President Truman said today he is
considering mobilizing more men
and money behind the Korean war
effort. He declared he will take any
steps necessary to bring it to a suc
cessful conclusion.
In a mood of confidence and de
termination, Mr'. Truman told a
news conference the United States
will hold on in Korea.
He said we never have had the
tar licked out of us and it won’t
happen this time.
Under questioning, the President
said that among the things relat
ing to the Korean emergency under
consideration for proper action at
the proper time are these:
Calling in reserves, specialists and
the National Guard.
Asking Congress for more money
for military purposes in the near
future.
Mobilization of manpower in
general.
Reports both to the people and
to Congress on the Korean situa
tion.
Mr. Truman said he hasn’t
changed the opinion he expressed
last week that conditions in Korea
are hopeful.
“Are they anything more than
hopeful?” a reporter asked. The
newsman added that queries are
coming all the time as to what re
assurances can be given that we
are not getting the tar licked out,
of us.
It’s never happened to us, Mr.
Truman replied emphatically, and
it won’t happen this time.
He went on to say that we'll be
able to retain a foothold in Korea,
one as far north as the 38th par
allel.
Asked whether that meant there
would be no “police action” north
of that line, Mr. Truman said that
decision would be made when it be
comes necessary.
PULP FINANCIER
ASKS EXEMPTION
TAXES FOR ALASKA
WASHINGTON, July 13 — (tfl —
Roy W. Johnson, Vice President of
the Alaska Industrial Corporation
of New York, urged a Senate com
mittee today to exempt Alaskan en
terprises , from federal corporation
income taxes.
He told the commission his pro
posal would promote devolopment
t of the territory.
Chairman George (D-Ga) of the
j Senate Finance Committee told the
! witness his proposal could not be
| legally adopted as the law requires
i all federal laws apply equally to all
| parts of the country.
Johnson told the committee his
! company has been engaged in an
: effort to finance a pulp mill in
1 Alaska.
I A committee is considering tax
■ law revision.
| STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, July 13 — Closing
quotation of Alaska Juneau mine
stock today is 2%, American Can
93'i, Anaconda 30%, Curtiss
Wright 9, International Harvester
25%, Kennecott 56%, New York
Central 12'j, Northern Pacific 15%,
US. Steel 32%, Pound $2.80%.
Sales today were 2,660,000 shares.
Averages today are as follows: in
dustrials 197.44, rails 53.59, utilities
37.65.
Marie E. Riley of Haines is a
guest at the Baranof Hotel.
WASHINGTON. July 13 — —
President Truman today said the
government has under considera
tion plans for every phase of
home-front mobilization but will
use them only if necessary.
Mr. Truman told his news con
ference:
No food rationing will become
necessary;
No food shortage is in prospect;
and
Hoarding is very foolish.
Mr. Truman said the sharp in
crease in many food prices must be
attributed to profiteering.
He implied he has no immediate
plans to call on Congress for emer
gency powers dealing with price,
wage or allocation controls or with
the conversion of civilian industry
to war production.
All matters relating to the emer
gency are under consideration, he
said, and at the appropriate time
steps will be taken—if they are
necessary.
Earlier Senator Maybank (D-SC)
had said that if the world situa
tion is “as black as it's being
painted,” the government soon
might be forced to slap drastic
controls on the civilian economy.
NO ELECTION
REQUEST OF
FISH UNION
SEATTLE, July 13 — (0) — T/.e
Alaska Fish Cannery Workers’
Union (AFL) asked the National
Labor Relations Board today to re
consider a board decision denying
the union the right to withdraw a
petition for an election among non
resident Alaskan salmon cannery
workers.
An election to determine union
jurisdiction over the 2,000 non
resident workers has been scheduled
by the NLRB to begin about July
27 at 607 First Ave. The workers
will vote as they return from
Alaska.
The AFL union, which originally
petitioned for an election along with
Local 77, United Packinghouse
Workers’ Union (CIO) later sought
to prevent the election by with
drawing its petition. The CIO union
took similar action.
The NLRB denied the withdrawal
petitions in June and ordered its
regional office to go ahead with
plans for the balloting.
John Geisness, attorney for the
AFL union, restated his belief that
circumstances had developed that
would make it impossible to conduct
a fair election in the industry.
Geisness asked the board, should
it refuse to reconsider its previous
ruling, to order that the election be
held at the canneries in Alaska in
stead of in Seattle as the workers
return.
The AFL union, Local 77 (Pack
inghouse Workers) and Local 7-C,
International Longshoremen and
Warehousemen’s Union (CIO) have
been competing for control of the
nonresident workers.
The AFL union and Local 77
sought to withdraw their election
petitions after the Alaska Salmon
Industry, Inc., had signed a con
tract with the ILWU local provid
ing for a hiring hall. Local 7-C had
struck before the contract was
signed.
‘LIFE’ STAFFERS BACK
Miss Ruth Adams, reporter, and
Thomas McAvoy, photographer,
both of the ’'Life” Magazine staff,
have returned from their trip
through the Territory. They regis
tered last night at the Baranof
Hotel, and plan to board the Chil
cotin tonight for a leisurely cruise
on their way back to New York
City.
They have been gathering ma
terial for a comprehensive feature
about Alaska, scheduled for publi
cation in about two months.
The Dun and Bradstreet whole
sale food price index has reached
it’s highest point since Decembei
of 194E. However, the e&rrent fig
ure still is 14.7 per cent below the
record peak set two years ago.
RED FORCES
IN ADVANCE,
NIGHT MOVE
| _
American Artillery Lays
Down Heavy Barrage
on Levee Positions
ADVANCE AMERICAN HEAD
QUARTERS IN KOREA, July 13—
IiTI—Advancing under cover of a
heavy rain shower, Communist
North Korean Infantry started
moving into position tonight on the
Kum river north bank east and west
of the main highway bridge south
of Chichiwon, front line reports
said.
This is the sector held by the
Americans.
(The dispatch was timed 10:03
p.m. July 13, Korean time—4.03 p.m.
July 12, PST).
Associated Press Photographer
Charles Gorry said American artil
lery (including 75 millimeter guns)
mortars laid a heavy barrage on
i the Reds as they moved up to take
positions along the thick high levee
wall. American were well dug in
on the south bank.
Gorry was at the river line when
the Korean Reds started moving
1 onto the levee. Americans blew an
other section of the highway bridge
which they had partially blown up
' last night.
Earlier in the day American artil
: lery poured heavy fire into a Red
tank column which was reported
| advancing southward about six
; miles north of the main highway
bridge.
Subjected to steady aerial pound
ing and artillery shelling. Red tanks
have not been in action against
1 the Americans, who withdrew across
, the Kum river, for two days.
Communist North Korean troops
also started two heavy attacks about
10 a.m. today (4 p.m. July 12 Pa
cific Standard Time) with about
: two divisions against South Korean
forces in the central peninsula area,
a headquarters spokesman said.
First B-29
Is Lost from
Enemy Action
i
j WASHINGTON, July 13 — UP) —
The Air Force said today it had
! received a report that a B-29 super
fortress has been shot down by
enemy fighters near Seoul, the first
reported B-29 loss to enemy action,
j An Air Force briefing officer at
the Pentagon said the report came
from the pilot of an F-80 fighter
who had been in radio contact
■ with the B-29.
Dispatches from Tokyo told of a
! strike by B-29 superfortresses
plas'ering a key North Korean
military target with 500 tons of
' bombs. Tokyo reported, however.
! that all of the planes and crew
/ members returned safely from that
raid without meeting opposition.
The Air Force gave no indication
| as to when or how the B-29 re
ported lost was downed.
The report said the superfortress
! was attacked by an unknown num
ber of enemy fighters and the B-29
crew bailed out.
A superfortress normally carries
| a crew of 11 or 12 men.
Some days ago a B-29 was
•'ditched" off Kyushu after engine
; trouble.
The report on the shot-down
B-29 made no reference to what
happened to the crew after they
parachuted out.
STEAMER MOVEMENTS
Chilcotin from Vancouver due 6
o'clock tonight.
Princess Louise from Vancouver
due Saturday afternoon.
Aleutian scheduled to sail from
Seattle Saturday.
Princess Kathleen scheduled to
sail from Vancouver Saturday.
Princess Norah scheduled to ar
rive Friday morning at 8 and sails
j south one hour later at 9 o’clock.
Alaska from west scheduled
: southbound 9 p.m. Friday.
Baranof from west scheduled
j southbound late Sunday or early
> Monday.
Ominous Lull
On Kum River;
Yanks Dig In
i
MacArthur Issues State
ment Telling of Lashing
Blows on Comijiies
(By Associated Press)
Nearly 50 B-29 superfortresses
smashed at North Korean targets
today, opening mass precision bomb
ing against the Communists. At
the same time Gen. MacArthur
announced that daily the Americans
“reduce the enemy’s relative super
iority in numbers and weapons."
MacArthur said the heroic hold
ing action of American forces down
the Korean peninsula had provided
time for the swift movement of
reinforcements. Exhausted Amer
icans are spread out in a thin line
along the Kum River, last major
barrier before Taejon, facing mas
sed Communists on the north bank,
and an ominous lull settled over
the main battlefront area.
MacArthur's headquarters an
nounced that American casualties
to date have been 488, including
42 dead, 190 wounded and 256
missing.
The announcement then added:
Outnumbered 20-1
“American ground units in Kor
ea are fighting one of the most
skillful and heroic holding and rear 1
guard actions in history. Their
excellent peacetime training is re
flected in the combat record they
are now compiling. They have
been overwhelmingly outnumbered,
in some instances more than 20 to 1
and the casualties inflicted on the
enemy have been immeasurably
greater than those they have sus
tained.
“They have filled a breach with- I
out which the North Korean forces j
would have, long ere this, com
pletely overran and destroyed South
Korea."
Other allied planes continued
lashing blows at Communist con
centrations and at targets behind
enemy lines. Yesterday alone allied
ilrmen reported they destroyed 38
Red tanks and 82 trucks, as well
as much other equipment, in 2*25
combat missions against only token
opposition in the air.
Asiatic iJunKcrquer
On the ground American troops
were deployed 13 miles north of
Taejon, emergency capital of th'e
battered, United Natlons-created
South Korean republic. This may
be their do-or-die line to prevent
an Asiatic Dunkerque. A railroad
bridge and other spaas across ’fhe
river, which Korean rains at any
moment could swell into a raging
torrent, have been destroyed.
Oen. MacArthur, United Nations
commarider, announced the ap
pointment of Lt. Gen. Walton H.
Walker, veteran tank fighter of
World War II in Europe, as com
mander of ground forces in Korea.
He commanded the famous ar
mored "Ghost Corps" of Gen.
George S. Patton’s swift Third
(Continued on Page Eight)
500 TONS
PULVERIZE
RRCENTER
Mightiest Single Punch
Takes Eight Days to Wind
Up-Results Unknown
i
By RUSSELL BRINES
(Associated Press Tokyo Bureau
Chief, Representing the Allied
Press)
TOKYO, July 13—W—Nearly 50
B-29 Superfortresses plastered a
key North Korean military target
with 500 tons of bombs today in
the mightiest single air blow of the
Korean campaign.
The mission' Inaugurated mass
precision bombing by two groups
of Superforts rushed here from
their U.S. West Coast Bases.
World War II trained crews flew
thq four engined bombers from two
Far Eastern bases through rain
and mist for the largest mass foray
of the campaign. The target was a
railroad center north of the 38th
parallel.
All of the planes and their eager,
youthful veterans returned safely
without meeting opposition on the
daylight raid.
It took exactly eight days to de
liver this new punch—from the date
overseas orders were first delivered
and most of their equipment moved
8.000 miles and prepared for an air
blow that meant a round trip of
more than 1,500 miles.
Air officers said this proved the
speed with which strategic bomb
ing assignments could be carried
out throughout the World.
“Joe Will Sit Up
One of the aircraft commanders.
Lt. James T. Patrick of Carnation.
Wash., said it differently: “This
will make Uncle Joe sit up and
take notice."
X was m patriot s plane on an
assignment representing the com
bined Allied press. But a few miles
after shunting our plane—and Its
20,000 pounds of bombs—off the
ground, we had to turn back with
a faulty motor.
The remainder of the sleek bomb
ers made a perfect overwater ren
dezvous and released their bombs
at 1:02 a m. Japan daylight time
Thursday (5:03 p.m. Juneau time
Wednesday) through mist so thick
that radar was used to sight the
target.
MaJ. Gen. Emmett (Rosy) O’Don
nell directed this first mission of
his new command, the Far East
Bomber Command (Provisional).
The 43-year-old two star General,
once a West Point football coach,
led the first World War n B-29
raid on Japan.
Mostly Vets
About 60 percent of the men In
his new command are combat tested,
veterans of thunderous pattern
bombing missions from Germany t<
Japan. They were geared for battk
today with alert, confident eager
ness.
"I wish they had forgotten my
(Continued on Page Two)
j The whole town's
Talking about...
MITCHELL CAIN
Magician Extraordinary
Two Fall Honrs of
Comedy and Mystery
Grade School
1 ■ \
Auditorium
i 8 p. m.