THE : >AIL¥ ALASKA EMPIRE
“ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME" __
VOL. LXXVI., NO. 11,753 • JUNEAU, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 9. 1951_ MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS^ PRICE TEN_CENTS
Allied Forces Rip Gaping Holes in Red Lines
SCHOOLBOND
BALLOT, DOG
A school bond issue proposition
finally won Senate approval today—
and unanimously.
The vote was 15 to 0 for the Enge
breth bill for a referendum on the
next Alaska general election ballot.
The question on the ballot would
be whether voters desire the Terri
tory to issue up to $12,5000.003 for
construction and repair of school
buildings. Congressional approval
would be required before bond
could be issued.
The bill now goes to the House
which already has approved a pro
posal by Jack Conright to ask Con
gress for the right for the Terri
tory to issue up to $9,3 .0,300 in bonds
for schools.
The Senate twice before rejected
direct proposals for asking Congr^s
to allow bonding. Sen. John Butro
vich (R-Fairbank'-o was abssnt on
today's vote.
Wow to tne Dogs
After the school bond vote the
Senate went to the dogs — literally.
The dogs won one decision and
lost another.
The senators turned down by an
8-7 vote a bill by Sen. Walter Hunt
ley (D-Palmcr) which proposed
branding as “a viciou' .-’og” under
the law any animal wlwh “evince
a disposition which renders it like
ly that it will bite or attack a human
being. ’
The senators decided the look in
a dog’s eye is a bit difficult to pin
down by statute.
Then the Senate approved, 13 to
2, another Huntley bill for keen -
ing roaming dogs, which have be
come a major problem in some
cities. Senate President Enge’oreth
of Anchorage said the amount of
mail received from his division on
the dog nuisance, or menace, has
been exceeded only by letters on
school teachers’ salary increases. He
said the trend has been 50 to 1 for
a crack-down on the roving dogs.
Bill Modified
The bill, which now goes to the
House, was modified sharply from
Huntley’s original stringent version.
It would set the licenses for dogs
which are not licensed by a munici
pality or kept on a leash or in a
dog team at $5 a year for a male
and $10 for a femaile. The original
proposal was $25 for a female.
The bill was modified to provide
impounding of unlicensed animals
for five days, instead of three, be
fore they could be executed. For
retrieving them from the pound
within that period, the penalty was
reduced to $5 from the original pro
posal of $50.
Elton Engstrom proposed the drop
in the penalty from a committee
recommendation of $15 to the $5.
Sen. Joe Coble suggested $15 would
be too steep for a kids’ dog that hap
pened to run out of the house or
yard and get picked up. «
“Make It Stiff”
Sen. Frank Barr, who may already
be developing the heart of a U. S.
marshal, argued: “Make it stiff.
(Continued on Page Two)
The Washington
Merry - Go - Round
By DREW PEARSON
(Copyright. I9il, oy Bell Syndicate. Inc.
(Ed. Note: Drew Pearson is on a
flying tour of Europe and the mid
dle East, surveying the world situ
ation.)
BELGRADE. — If Russia follows
the doctrine of the famous Ger
man war strategist, Count Karl von!
Clausewitz, as it has in the past,
it would seem likely that Moscow
would order an attack on Jugo
slavia some time this spring, fo:
Clausewitz taught that the time to
make war is when you are strong
est and your potential enemy is
weakest. The moment your enemy
begins gaining strength, according
to the war theory followed by the
Germans and Russians for the last
hundred years, then it's time to
strike.
A careful, cold-blooded diagnosis
of Russian strategy in the past
shows rather definitely that they
expected the United States to fall
apart at the seams economically
after- V-J Day in 1940. The depres
(Continucd on Page Foun
Appeal Is
Hade to
The People
House Bill No. 111 — which |
doesn't mean a thing to most of
us until it is explained that HB 111
j is the Reorganization Bill that will
be the first order of business in the
House Saturday morning for third
reeding and passage — is a 41-page
long bill that would reorganize the
whole sei-up of the Territorial gov
ernment.
Why is this bill being rammed
down the throats of the people of
Alaska before they have an oppor
tunity to read and digest it?
Who is it who desires to give the
Federally appointed governor of
Alaska more power than he has j
ever had, in the face of his own
suggestion in his message tc the
Legislature at the beginning of this
session that lie be removed from atl |
Territorial Boards?
The governor, bv the powers
given him in this bill would be the
ezar, the dictator, of the Territorv.
Here i:i Section 6, subsection (b)
of the HB 141, we find:
(b) In executing the powers and
duties prescribed herein, the Com
missioner (the Finance Commis
sioner) shall be subject to the exe
cutive direction of the Governor.
The Governor may in his discretion
seek the advice of the Board of Ad
ministration but shall not be bound j
by it except as provided by law; j
Ilow such a bill could secure the ‘
support that it has in the House of
Representatives after the Governor
has asked to be removed from the
present beards on which he is serv
ing, we do not understand. He was
told during the hearings on bis reap
pointment in Washington in 1819
to leave the legislature alone.
Somebody is behind this move to
completely reorganize the Territorial
government.
The bill abolishes the elected posi
tions of Territorial Treasure and
Territorial Auditor.
Why should the people of Alaska ■
be denied the right to elect these j
important government officials?
Until the next session of the Lcgis- |
lature, the Board of Administration I
will be composed of two men elected
from each House cf the Legislature
and the Governor, and they in turn
appoint a Finance Commissioner.
After the 20th Session of the leg
islature, the President of the Senate
and Speaker of the House; the
chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee and the chairman of
the House Ways and Means Com
mittee will, with the Governor, be
the Board of Administration.
The Finance Commissioner wni
be the treasurer after the present
term of FFenry Roden is coneluded.
The Auditor is elected by the
Legislature for a term of six years.
He will be an Auditor in fact, ac
countable to the Legislature.
Th» Governor is executive direc
tor of the whole works — with the
exception of the Audtor.
It is the Governor who must ap
prove the budget. We find this in
Section 7 of the bill: “It shall be the
duty of the Commissioner to prepare
the budget for all Territorial agen
cies, subject to the approval of the
Governor.”
Why any biil that provides sc
many changes in our government
should not be subject to a referen
dum to the people, we don’t un
derstand. Or, why it should be
forced before the Legislature for a
ouick vote.
Wre wonder if all of the members
of the House who will be voting on
it at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning
have read HB 1«. We wonder it
they are aware that they will be
turning the purse strings of the
Territory over to the governor, a
Federal official, not responsible to j
any of the voters of the Territory. I
Vou the people: Do yru approve
this Reorganization Bill that is |
granting away your elective rignts? j
-|
KETCHIKAN VISITORS
Jason and Eunice Hunsperger of
Ketchikan are registered at the
Baranof Hotel.
----"1—
FROM PELICAN
James Liva of Pelican is at the
Gastineau Hotel.
PELICAN VISITOR
Donald E. Chase of Pelican is a
guest at the Baranof Hotel.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bailis of 1
JCetchikan are at the Baranof Hotel.
I
MERCY FLIGHT TO
SKAGWAY MADE BY
McCHORD AER FORCE
Residents of Skagway credited
the air force with another assist
Thursday when a twin-engine car
go airplane from McChord ait
force base near Tacoma, Wash,
rushed a lifesaving drug 1100 mile,
from Seattle to the Alaskan town
The drug, an anti-toxin for bot
ulism, was ordered by Dr. Alan
Bledsoe for Mr. and Mrs. George
Villesvik, who suffered food pois
oning Wednesday night.
Miss Bledsoe, Skagway’s only
doctor, sent tracers over most of
Alaska in search of the precious
drug which could prvent the poi
soning’s being fatal if it devel
oped into botulism. Failing in her
search, she telegraphed a Seattle
pharmaceutical house Thursday
morning. She explained that it the
drug did not arrive by Thursday
night it might be too late, for the
poison is usually fatal within 24
hours.
While two bottles of the anti
toxin were being hurried to Mc
Chord air force base, the 17C5th air
transport wing readied a crew and
airplane.
The mercy mission was a race
against time. Skagway's airport
has no night landing facilities.
Captain Myron E. Kelly, pilot of
the airplane, landed, or slid, the
craft on the icy runway just at
dusk. A few more minutes would
have been too late.
A score of Skagway’s grateful
citizens rushed to the airplane to
echo the town’s gratitude. Captain
Kelly’s reply was that it was just
a routine flight, but he and mem
bers of his crew were proud to have
been of help.
ART JUDSON VISITS
ON WAY TO INTERIOR j
Art Judson, son of Mrs. F. N. j
Schindler of Juneau and old-time j
Channel resident, arrived here j
yesterday by Pan American plane i
from the states and is visiting with |
members of his family and old i
friends a few days before returning j
to Fairbanks for the mining season.
Judson has been vacationing in
the south since early last January,
and spent most of the time in and
near Mexico City.
' STEAMER MOVEMENTS j
Baranof scheduled to sail from
Seattle 4 p.m. today.
Princess Norah scheduled to sail
from Vancouver March 14.
Denali from westward scheduled
to arrive at 11 a.m. Sunday south
bound.
STOCK QUOTATIONS
NEW YORK, March 9 — Closing
quotation of Alaska Juneau mine
stock today is 3 4, American Can
107%, American Tel. and Tel. 156%,
Anaconda 42%, General Electric
55%, General Motors 52%, Good-1
year 76%, Kennecott 7414, Libby,
McNeil and Libby, 9%,. Northern
Pacific 34%, Standard Oil of Cali
fornia 94, Twentieth Century Fox
23, U. S. Steel 44, Pound $2.80%,
Canadian Exchange 95.56%.
Sales today were 1,610,000 shares.
Averages today were as follows::
Industrials 252.75, rails 84.85, utili-,
ties 43.38 .
---
• •••••*••••
• •
• WEATHER REPORT •
• Temperature lor 54-Hour Period •
• • !
I ending 6:20 oduel: this morning •
• In Juneau — Maximum, *
• 19; minimum, 13. •
• At Airport — Maximum, •
• 21; minimum, 13. •
• •
• FORECAST •
• Continued fair, cold and •
• windy tonight and Saturday. •
• lowest temperature tonight •
• near 15. Highest Saturday •
• near 22. •
• •
• PRECIPITATION •
• <Past 24 hours ending 7:30 a.m. today •
• •
• City of Juneau — None: •
• Since March 1 — .32 inches; •
• Since July 1 — 51.21 inches; •
• At Airport — None; •
• Since March 1 — .41 inches; •
o Since July 1 — 32.38 inches. •
• •••••••••*
INCREASE IN
SALMON TAX
APPROVED
By JIM HUTCHESON
The Territorial Senate voted late
yesterday for a 50 per cent increase
in the canned salmon tax and then
wound up the day with one of its
liveliest scraps.
The vote for the boost in the
salmon tax was 10 to 6. Indications
were that, if approved by the House
and enacted into law, it would add
,700,000 or more a year to the Ter
ritorial treasury on the basis of
:he 1950 pack.
It is the second tax-boosting bill
to pass the Senate. The first was
the bill to hike the cigaret tax to
five cents a pack. Neither bill has
reached the House floor yet.
The Senates closing clash came
over the controversial 40-hour-week
and-then-overtime bill that has
been bouncing around like a hot po
tato for a couple of weeks. It is
House Bill 12.
The Senate received a message
that the House had refused, by a
12-12 split, to concur in the long
list of exemptions the Senate had
written into the Carlson bill.
Sen. Anita Garnick started the
ball rolling again with a motion
that the Senate recede from its
amendments. The move was blocked.
After a squabble over whether a
conference committee should be
named at the same time a message
was sent to the House on the Sen
ate’s refusal to recede from its
amendments, President Gunnard
Engebreth ruled that the committee
should be named.
He named Senators Garnick and
Howard Lyng, from the ranks of
those who voted for the bill, and
William Beltz, representing the
“nay” minority.
Pot Boils
That set the pot boiling. It meant
two opponents of the Senate
amendments, Miss Garnick and
Beltz, would compose a majority
of the Senate committee, although
the Senate majority had voted for
the bill.
Beltz got on the “nay” side by,
changing his vote at the last mo
ment, after having voted "yea” dur
ing the rollcall. He obviously did
it with an eye toward getting on
the conference committee as a “nay'’
voter.
Sen. James Nolan bobbed up to
protest, without mentioning Beltz
by name. He said the representative
of the losing side “should be some
one w'ho had voted the way he
actually thought.”
Sen. John Butrovich also leaped
into the fray with an objection to
Beltz.
“You are, in effect, not following
the rule of the Senate,” the Fair
banks Republican told President
Engebreth. “I disapprove heartily,
although I voted to sustain youi
ruling that a conference committee
should be named.”
Engebreth suggested Lyng was in
the same boat with Beltz, was doing
as Beltz did, but on the opposite
side, with an eye on the confeience
committee. Lyng immediately re
torted that he had said at the time
that his vote was being influenced
“only in part" by that consideration.
Complaints Made
Sen. Steve McCutcheon came to
the support of Engebreth and Beltz
with the contention that it was
nothing new for a legislator to
switch his vote as a conference
committee tactic; that it had been
done often before.
After Elton Engstrom had added
•his complaint to Nolan’s and Bu
trovich’s, Engebreth cracked the
gavel, cited a rule against a sen
ator maligning the presiding of
ficer and declared;
“The chair will not tolerate any
more criticism of its action.”
A motion to adjourn broke up the
scuffle.
(If you wonder why the senators
spend so much time sparring at the
opening of the session about elec
tion of the president, there’s a good
example. It’s his power in ap
pointing conference committees
which are weighted one way or the
other that makes both factions wary
of the opposition getting the chair.
It was Beltz’ vote at the start of
the session that broke the deadlock
and gave the presidency to Enge
breth for the second straight ses
sion).
The salmon tax bill is a substi
(Continued on Page Eight)
Ready for Another Hi!!
Marines use a vantage point atop a hill they have just captured on the central Korean front as they
survey enemy positions on the next objective. The leathernecks climaxed their hill-sweeping job (Mar. 3)
by capturing Hoensong and surrounding enemy hill pasitions. </P) Wirephoto.
PROPERTY TAX
REPEAL BILL IS
STILL ALIVE
A motion to indefinitely postpone
the bill to repeal the Alaska Prop
erty Tax Act was defeated in the
House this morning by a vote of
8-16.
Voting to kill the bill by indefinite
postponement were the seven Third
Division members of the House and
Rep. Metcalfe of Juneau.
A motion to advance tne bill to
final passage by a suspension of
the rules failed on a 14-10 vote, two
short of the necessary two-thirds.
The bill to reorganize the Terri
tory’s financial control structure
was reported out of the Ways and
Means Committee this morning with
a “Do Pass” recommendation by all
members except Rep. Barnes, who
put a “without recommendation"
tag on it.
An amendment to make the Com
missioner of Taxation also the ex
officio Commissioner of Corpora
tions instead of placing those duties
in the office of the Secretary of
Alaska was defeated by a vote of
8-16.
Rep. Miscovich offered an amend
ment to provide that the reorganiza
tion provided by the bill would rot
become effective until approval by
a referendum vote of the electors
was also defeated, but not until it
had stirred up a lengthy debate.
Too Complicated
Rep. Andrew Hope expressed the
view that the bill is too involved to
be submitted to the voters as a
whole and that the entire issue
would be confused by a referendum.
Several other member of the House
agreed with him. ' t
Speaker Egan took the floor dur
ing the debate to tell the House:
"I feel that the only question that
could be put on the ballot would
be ‘Should there be a reorganiza
tion?’ and I think that question has
already been answered by the vot
ers.”
“We would be shirking our jobs
by submitting this bill to a refer
endum,” Rep. Kay asserted. “The
people have expressed their desire
for a reorganization — it is up to
us as their representatives to pro
vide the machinery for it."
Good Outweighs Bad
“I have been apprehensive about
this bill since it first came to us,”
said Rep. Franklin. “After study
ing it, however, I believe that the
good points outweigh the bad ones
and I think we stand to gain by it
inthe long run if it is well admin
i istered, which is the main thing
! with any law.”
“No matter what bills we put
through or how long we work on
them, they’re bound to have some
bugs in them,” asserted Rep. Carl
son. “As for this bill, I’m willing to
take a chance on it.
“The people of Alaska should
have a chance to study and vote on
! a matter so vital to all of us,” said
Rep. Barnes. “This bill was put to
1 gether in a very short time and the
j (Continued on Page Two)
SURVIVES CRASH
Marilyn Woodbury (above), host
ess aboard the Mid-Continent
plane which crashed at Sioux City,
la.', was listed among the survivors.
At least 14 persons were reported
killed, and at least nine otflcrs
survived. The plane, a I>C-3 went
down in a cornfield north of the
airport as it was coming in for a
landing enroute from Kansas City
to Minneapolis. DP) Wirephoto.
NUMEROUS BILLS
BEFORE HOUSE,
DEADLINE NEAR
By BOB DE AltMOND
The House of Representatives in
a three-hour afternoon and a two
hour, evening session yesterday, did
something toward clearing it., long
calendar of bills that must go to the
Senate by next Monday — but no.
much.
In brief, the House passed foui
bills and one memorial, killed one
bill, and heard two bills read in full
and continued them in second read
ing.
Rep. Doris Barnes’ bill to provide
for Territorial licensing of sports
fishing in both fresh water and
salt water was approved by a vote
of 18-4 in the House.
The bill haci previously been
amended to prohibit the sale of any
fish taken under a sports fishing
license and to provide for perpetual
personal use Iishing permits for
Indians, Eskimos and Aleuts.
One of the purposes of the bill
Rep. Barnes explained, is to bring
in revenues that can eventually be
appropriated to match Federal
funds In a program of stocking
lakes and streams with fish. She
said she hopes the program car:
also be extended to the stocking
of game and fur-bearing animals
Tax Department Bill
By a 20-3 vote the House ap
proved a $50,000 deficiency appro
priation for the Territorial Depart
ment of Taxation. Rep. Franltllr
told the members that $27,000 of th(
deficiency was caused by equipmem
purchases not made until a previ
ous appropriation for the purpose
, (Continued on Page Two)
r
UMT WINS
TEST VOTE
IN SENATE
_ i
WASHINGTON, March 9. — UPt—
Universal military training today
won 68 to 20, a test vote, in the
senate.
Turned down by the roil caM
count was an effort to strip tiie
proposed long-term program from
the pending draft-manpower bill.
The provisions aim for an even
tual system under which every
youngster, on reaching 18, would
have at least six months of mili
tary training.
It is part of a measure to expand
i and extend the existing Selective
Service Act, due to expire July 9.
With this major issue out of the
way, leaders expected to beat down
j a number of other pending amend
ments and then finally complete
j passage of the broad Universal
Military Training and Service Act.
Senators Edwin C.'Johnson <D
Colo.) and Bricker <R-Ohlo) spon
sored the amendment to knock out
the universal military training fea
tures.
They argued that it would start
the United States down the road
to militarism which had caused the
downfall of Germany and many
European nations.
Earlier the senate refused to
knock out a plan for draft defer
ments of 75,000 young men each
year to study to be doctors, scien
tists and technicians. It was beaten
58 to 21.
LONELY HEARTS
KILLERS PUT TO
DEATH IN CHAIR
OSSINING, N, Y., March 9.—Wt—
Lonely hearts killers Martha Beck,
31, and Raymond Fernandez, 36,
died last night in Sing Sing Prison’s
electric chair, calm and dignified
and pledging an undying love for
each other.
The 200-pound murderess, her fat
bulging under the straps, was the
last cl four persons executed in
the space of 24 minutes.
She entered the high, bare death
chamber unassisted, squeezed into
the tight-fitting chair with diffi
culty and smiled ever so faintly at
the two attending matrons.
“So long” formed on her lips,
but her voice was silent.
Four minutes earlier, the prison
doctor had muttered "I pronounce
this man dead” over the body of
her partly bald Romeo, her partner
in murder-for-profit.
It was Sing Sing’s first quadruple
execution in four years.
FROM SITKA
D. C. Bradshaw of Sitka is stop
ping at the Baranof Hotel.
FROM KETCHIKAN
Maxines Moore of Ketchikan is
. stopping at the Baranof Hotel. ^
NEW KOREAN
DRIVE NOW
UNDERWAY
By Associated I’rcss
Allied troops ripped gaping holes
in Communist lines as they drove
ahead as much as four miles today
in their big new Korean offensive.
Thousands of Red casualties were
added Friday to the more than 17,
000 killed or wounded in the first
two days of the Allied northward
push.
A. U. S. Ninth Corps spokesman
said “The enemy seems to be high
tailing it^’ along the entire West
Central front.
He indicated a general withdraw
al from the U. S. Eighth Army's
major offensive was in progress.
Ninth Corps troops pushed north
ward up to four miles Friday thru
rough country. They met little re
sistance. This was described as rear
guard action.
U. S. 25th Division troops killed
Chinese in gaining a bitter mile on
the western end of the thundering
70-mile Korea front.
The gain deepened the 25th's Han
River bridgehead to five miles. The
division made three assault cross
ings Wednesday about 15 miles cast
of Seoul.
With air and artillery support,
the 25th Division Doughboys drove
small pockets of enemy from high
ground five miles north of the
river crossing. Red resistance was
described as moderate. American
casualties were slight.
Thirty prisoners captured Friday
said they were short of food and
ammunition. They said ajso that
other Chinese soldiers were eager
to surrender, mainly because their
officers almost invariably fled when
artillery triages nit their defense
positions.
"CORRUPTION,
ROTTENESS"
iS SHOWN UP
WASHINGTON, March 9 ——
Senator Capehart <R-Ind) says the
Senate investigation of government
loans has turned up "corruption
and rottenness” for which President
Truman should “apologize and take
appropriate action."
“A scandal that makes the Teapot •
Dome scandal look like Sunday
school stuff," Capehart told re
porters. ,
Capehart is a member of a Senate
Banking Subcommittee which has
been looking into charges of in
fluence in lending by the Recon
struction Finance Corporation
(RFC).
Hhe said the-Inquiry shows “mil
lions upon millions of dollars" of
public funds have been loaned on
a basis of political favortism “that
traces right back to the White
House itself.”
"It’s time now,” Capehart added,
"for the President to speak out
and act.”
President Truman last month des
i cribed as asinine a .subcommittee
report to the Senate charging the
RFC has been guilty of influence
and favoritism in which White
House Aide Donald Dawson had a
hand.
The committee's inquiry was in
recess today but the members had
new trails to follow from a clue
filled diary of an RFC director. One
entry in it said President Truman
once intervened through an aide in
behalf of an applicant for a big
| loan.
ARABIC PROMOTED
KARACHI. —(>P»— A resolution
passed by the East Pakistan Moslem
League Council urging that Ara
bic be adopted as the olficial lan
guage of Pakistan has been en
dorsed by the English daily, "Eve
ning Times” of Karachi.
The paper said that Urdu is not
spoken by the majority of the peo
ple of Pakistan and that provincial
languages are widely spoken in
rural areas. "We should insist that
Arabic be provided full opportunity
for dissemination and that efforts
be made to allow Arabic to grow
into the system of our life," the
paper said.
Soiled paper lamp shades may be
; cleaned with wallpaper cleaner.
Radiant floor heating is obtained