Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. “The News of Hie Day In Pictures** Meml>er O! I he Associated Press
! THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 36. NOME, ALASKA, Wednesday, Mar. 25, 1942 Per C(w **
Navy Successfully Raids Jap Islands
t;» .__
Greening Tesifies Against Surcharge on S. S. Rates
Navy Reports Highly Successful
Raids Jap-Held Wake, Marcus Is.
Marcus Islands Only 950 Miles From Japan
WASHINGTON, March 25 (AP) — The Navy told
of the highly successful raids on the Japanese-held
Wake and Marcus islands, which so disturbed Japan.
Reports from Pearl Harbor said Tokyo’s lights have
» bee blacked out for several nights.
Enemy small boats, seaplanes and numerous shore
installations were destroyed, the Navy said, at both
strategic Pacific islands, the attacking forces meeting
“little opposition.” The Navy lost one plane at each
of the island and no U. S. ships were damaged.
Marcus island is only 950 miles from Tokyo, and so
far as is known the attack there is the closest to Tokyo
^ by U. S. Navy forces with the exception of the Ameri
can subs which have carried the war to Japan.
Several Prisoners Taken
Several prisoners were taken at Wake, picked out
of floating debris after two Japanese patrol boats were
bombed, shelled and sunk.
British Damage Italian DaUleship
In 3-Day Fight In Mediterranean
• _
LONDON, March 25 (AP) — Light British forces
set fire to an Italian battleship of the 35,000 ton Lit
torio class, with gunfire, and rammed her with a tor
pedo amidships; and damaged two Italian cruisers in
a three-day running fight in the Mediterranean, the
Admiralty announced. They acknowledged damage to
«me British cruiser and three destroyers with light
casualties among the crews of a successful escort to
a convoy to the embattled island base of Malta.
> The Rome radio said the Littorio herself took part
n the battle and admitted thaft one of her turrets was
grazed by a medium caliber shell but denied that she
or any other Italian warship was “hit.”
In a later phase of the battle 150 Axis bombers at
tacked the convoy but the assault was beaten off.
.laps Bomb Fortifications Manila
Bay, Indicate Reinforcements Arrive
« j
WASHINGTON, March 25 (AP) A Japanese
aerial bombardment of harbor defenses in Manila Bay,
and Ameriean-Filipino positions on Bataan resulted
today. The War Department reported that continued
enemy ground activities in Bataan indicated the arriv
al of Japanese reinforcements.
The bombing attack was carried out by 27 bombers
* and some smaller planes, the department said, but
there were no reports on the results.
Reports of local skirmishes in which the Philippines
troops were successful, in the vicinity of Davao and
Digos on the west shore of the Gulf of Mindanao were
also received by the Department.
Nelson To Ask Labor Voluntary
Susp ension Of Double - Time Pay
• * _
WASHINGTON, March 24 (AP)-—War Production
chief Donald Nelson asked congress to give him a 30
day time limit to obtain voluntary suspension of
double pay for overtime, through agreement with the
leaders of organized labor, before enacting legislation
on the matter. He promised the House naval commit
tee he would ask for the legislation himself if he is
unable to obtain that agreement, but simultaneously
entered the opposition to the suspension of the federal
maximum hour legislation ban against closed shops in
industries handling Army and Navy contracts. Nelson
g said “The man at the bench is just as patriotic as you
and I. The present law doesn’t prevent a man from
* working more than forty hours a week. It governs
the wages rather than the hours a man may work.’’
Japs Capture
Key Airdrome
m
Central Burma
New Delhi, Mar. 25 (AP)
— Chinese headquarters in
Burma reported that a
force cf a thousand Japan
ese troops captured the air
drome north of Toungoo,
the key to the Allied resist
ance, yesterday. The com
munique admitted the sit
uation on the Toungoo
front “is serious.” Chinese
forces were sent to dis
lodge the Japanese, the
communique said, and a
heavy battle is in progress
this morning.
Dig In At Pvu
i Chinese Field Headquar
ters, Central Burma, Mar.
23 (AP) — Chinese troops
dug in with machine guns
and mortars in the River
side jungles, bare brown
paddy fields and fire-black
ened ruins of Burmese horn
es to hold off new Japan
ese attacks in the vicinity
of Pvu which changed
hands twice in less than 48
hours. Pyu is the main ob
jective of the present Jap
anese offensive.
U.S. Subs Sink
3 Jap Ships
—
Washington, Mar. 23 (AP)
— The Navy announced to
night that 3 enemy mer
chant vessels totaling 18.
000 tons were sunk in Jap
anese waters by United
States submarines. In ad
dition, two freighters were
damaged and one enemy
destroyer or anti-subma
rine vessel attacked and
possibly sunk. The vessels
involved were not reported
in any previous announce
■ ment.
—
Former President
Of Argentina
Passes Away
Buenos Aires, March. 24
(AP) —Mercelo de Alvear
aged 73, president of the
Argentine Republic during
the golden era of 1922 to
1928, and minister to
1 France during the first
j world War, died last night.
He had been ill for some
time.
Germans Declare 13
Ships, SO,000 Tons
Sunk in Atlantic
Berlin, March 24 (AP) —
A German communique de
dared that U-boats off the
coast of North America
| sunk 13 more merchant
I ships totaling 80,000 tons.
Two Destroyers
Listed As Lost
In Java Waters
Washington Mar. 24 (AP)
The Navv reported tonight
that the United States de
stroyers Pillsbury and Ed
sail, missing since early in
M reh, in waters around
Java, must be presumed
lost. Each had a normal
complement of 145 officers
and men. Next of kin have
been notified.
The Pillsbury is believ
ed to h ive met its end in
the vicinity of Bali Strait
between the islands of
Java and Bali, after the
great naval engagement of
Feb. 27.
The last report on the
Edsall placed her in waters
south of Java.
Corregidor Re
pulses Heavy Raid
Washington, Mar. 24 (AP)
—A heavy bombing attack
on the fortress of Corregi
dor and American posi
tions in Bataan by 54 Jap
anese heavy bombers was
reported. The War Depart
metn said only slight dam
age was inflicted. Several
sharp encounters occurred
in Bataan as fighting was
resumed. Three enemy
bombers were downed by
anti-aircraft fire.
American artillery also
laid down heavy fire on en
emy positions in Bataan.
The Department said the
Japanese losses were be
lieved considerable.
WPB Curtails Pro
duction of Razors
Washington, Mar. 25 (AP)
The War Production Board
ordered the production of
safety razors, straight ra
zors and razor blades cur
tailed under the limitation
program. The WPB said it
will allow an average of
one blade a week for each
shaver. Electric razors
were not included in the
restrictions, but WPB of
ficials cautioned “they will
be taken care of in another
order to be issued soon.”
Declare Swedish
Army Completely
Mobilized in North
London, March 23 (AP) —
Tuesday, Military maneu
vers in northern Sweden
are a screen for the com
plete mobilization of the
Swedish army, in the face
, of heavy German concen
| trations along the Baltic
coast, the Daily Express
I foreign editor wrote today.
i
Gov. Asserts that 45 percent Sur
charge on Steamship Rates Will
"Drive Everybody Out of Alaska*
WASHINGTON, March 25 (AP) — Gov. Gruening
repeated before the House Appropriations Committee
hearings on the 1943 Interior Department appropria
tion bill, the assertion that the recent 45 percent em
ergency surcharge on Alaska freight and passenger
steamship rates, will “drive everybody out of Alaska
who is not compelled to stay there.” The Governor's
testimony was made public when the bill was intro
duced in the House. He said m ny pers ins are •; < nding
their families out of the Territory because they can
not support them there any longer.
He said the surcharge ran counter to the govern
ment policy of attempting to stabilize prices and add
ed that a large part of the freight rates, paid by the
government itself, are already being reflected in re
quests for appropriations for the Matanuska colony,
which as a general rule has been successful in finding
a ready market for its products at army bases. He
told the committee he favored construcing the Inter
national Highway along the westerly route through
Prince George.
Delegate Dimond urged the committee to appro
priate funds for continuing the construction of the
PalmerRichardson highway and asked that something
be done for the relief of Seward.
Pilots of American Volunteer Group
Smash 10 Jap Planes. Surprise Raid
KUNMING, March 24 (AP) — The Flying Tigers,
pilots of the American Volunteer Group, smashed 40
planes at the Thailand airport of Chiengmai in a dawn
attack and caught the Japs by surprise it was announc
ed here. Dropping down from the sky. the United
States airmen caught the Japanese pilots as they were
running to the cockpits of their planes and pumped
3,500 rounds of ammunition into both the grounded
planes and personnel. Seven Jap planes were seen
bursting into flames. The remainder of the planes were
riddled by machine gun bursts. Most of the Jap pilots
were reported killed.
The enthusiasm of the returning pilots, over their
success, was dampened by the death of squadron lead
er Jack Newkirk.
Germans Hurl
600,000 Reserves
Into Baltle
Moscow, March 24 (AP)
The Germans hurled 600,
000 reserves into a massive
but futile effort to wrest
the initiative from the Red
army, the Russians report
ed tonight, and a special an
nouncement said 16.000 of
the emeny were killed on
I the Leningrad front alone.
More 40% In
crease Production
:London, March 25 (AP)—
An official British spokes
| man in the House of Com
; mons said war production
: figures have increased
more than forty percent
since September but the
Ministry of Supply “al
ready sees a way to go far
beyond this.”
Rigid 8 pm Curfew
For Jap-Amerieans
In Military Zones
San Francisco, March 23
(AP) — A rigidly enforc
ed 8 p. m. curfew will be
come effective next Friday
for all Japanese-Ameri
cans and enemy aliens in
critical military zones, the
army announced.
Round-up Of
8.000 Alien Seamen
Is Ordered
New York, Mar. 23 (AP)
— A Times dispatch from
Washington said a nation
wide round-up of some
8.000 alien seamen, who
hampered shipment of sup
plies to the Allies by desert
ing their ships, was order
ed by Attorney General
i Biddle.