Oldest Newspaper In Alaska. "The News of The Da\ In Pictures" Memlier Of Hie Associated lYesa
THE NOME NUGGET
VOL. 44. No. 43. NOME. ALASKA. FRIDAY. .APRIL 10. 1942 P« Copy \u
Japs Overcome Bataan Defenders
U. S. And Australia Take Offensive In The Air
Japs Sink British Carrier
Hermes Off Of Ceylon
9
LONDON, April 10 (AP) — Britain's first aircraft
carrier, the 23-year-old Hermes was sunk in Japan’s
unabated effort to beat down the sea and air shield
against the invasion of India, but the enemy’s total
claims of victory are too extravagant, the British ad
miralty said in a communique. Japanese planes, either
bombers or torpedo craft sank the 10.000 ton Hermes
about 10 miles off Ceylon, pivot of British strength, at
the tip of India, on the western side of the broad Bay
of Bengal.
The Japanese claimed ever greater successes. A Jap
naval communique said besides the Hermes, a 9,100
ton cruiser of the Birmingham class and a 7,500 ton
cruiser of the Emerald class were sunk yesterday off
Trinciomalee naval station, Ceylon. The London ad
miralty countered that the Japanese claim that the
cruisers were sunk off Trinciomalee are known to be
'untrue.”
U. S. and Australia Take Offensive
In Air but Unable Lay Groundwork
MELBOURNE, April 10 (A) — The United States
and Australia have taken the offensive in the air but
are yet unable to lay the groundwork for a total coun
terdrive, it was stressed officially, while the Japanese
consolidated further gains in their'arc of bases facing
this continent. In actual warfare, seven Japanese bomb
ers, fighter escorted, raided the strategic New Guinea
harbor of Port Moresby for the 25th time and are be
lieved to have lost at least one bomber, first reports
-aid, but mentioned no damage or casualties. The at
tackers once more encountered Allied intreeptor plan
es and the defending airmen pitched into them.
Lieut. Gen. Brett, air chief, and deputy command
er under Mad Arthur in the South Pacific, said: “We’ve
taken the offensive against the Japanese in the air and
We’ll continue to increase it."
OWNERSHIP OF HOMES
IS ON DECLINE
WASHINGTON — The 1040
housing census—first ever taken
in the United States—disclosed
that in April of that year there
were 37,000,000 dwelling units
throughout the nation, of which
35,000,000 were occupied.
The Commerce Department
disclosed that the average rent
In fihe country was $30.38 in cities
over 25,000 popuation and $18.35
in rural non-farm homes.
About 43 percent of the pop
ulation own their own homes—
a drop of 4 percent In 10 years.
Eighteen percent of the homes
were in need of major repairs.
The District of Columbia led
all areas in rental values, with
an average of S53 for homes.
New York came next with an
average of $39. followed by New
Jersey. Connecticut, Delaware,
Massachusetts, California, Illin
ois, Maryland, Michigan, Wiscon
sin, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Rents are cheapest in Arkan
sas, with an average for the state
of $12.32 a month for city or
rural homes.
Govt. Is Considering
Registration of Women
From 18 to 65 Years
- ■ — ■
Washington, Apr 10 <AP)
—Presi. Roosevelt disclos
ed in connection with stud
ies of mobilization of man
power in war industries,
that the government con-j
sidered voluntary registra
tion of all women from 18
to 65. Probably within a
week, the President assert
ed, some decision will be
reached how to go about
channeling the man pow
er for war jobs.
One difficulty in register
ing women, he asserted at
a press conference, is in
herent in the number of
persons who will come for
ward to enroll. This will
create mechanical difficul
ties, he said, remarking
that the preparation of
cards, alone is a tremen
dous job. j
SYNTHETIC PRODUC
TION IS STARTED
'
Washington — Commerce
Secretary Jesse Jones an
nounced contracts now
have been concluded to
bring annual production of
synthetic rubber in the
United States to 700.000
tons per year.
The plants will come in
to operation over the next
18 months and all are ex-1
pected to be operating by
the end of next year The
announcement came a few
days after Standard Oil of
New Jersey signed a con
sent leasing its exclusive
patents for synthetic rub
ber manufacture.
Standard Oil of New Jer
sey and 24 other principle
oil. chemical and rubber
companies were given con
tracts for the plants. Two
j or three groups of smaller
1 rubber manufacturers lat
j er are expected to partici
1 pate in the program.
■ -- 1 .
>- I
Black arrows mark the course of Japanese invasion so far. Broken arrows outline
pushes which Japs might attelpt from spingboards established by their conquests
—into China from the south; across Burma into India for a drive to the Middle
East; across the Indian Ocean to Madagascar; or into Australia,
Gen. Wainwright
Is Safe On
Corregidor Is.
Washington. Apr. 10 (APT
— Gen. Wainwright re
ported to the President
from Corregidor that “our
flag on this beleaguered is
land fortress still flies.”j
Shortly before, however,j
the War Dept, reported
that fighting on Bataan
Peninsula apparently ceas
ed.
Roosevelt, talking at a
press conference, said, of|
course, we all feel bady
about Bataan. There was
no further news on this, he
said, except that he rocoiv■
ed what he called a grand
message from Wainwright
in answer to one he had dis
patched to the General
Neither message was re
leased in full. Roosevelt
read only a single sentence1
from Wainwright’s com-,
munication: The Mag still
flies over Corregidor.
The War Dept, reyorted
that American torpedo1
boats sank a Jap cruiser j
ok Cebu one of the central
Philippines.
A communique said Gen
Wainwright reported that
all communications be
tween Bataan and Corregi
dor were cut off for nearly j
24 hours. The Japanese
news agency at 2 a.m. P.
W. T., today said, how
ever, fighting is still in pro
gress in Bataan.
The cruiser reported
sunk was one of a fleet of
five warships and ten trails
ports, the War Dept. said,
and apparently comprised
the invasion fleet for land
ing troops at Cebu.
Corregidor was raided
frequently yesterday byj
heavy bombers and Japan
ese artillery hammered at
the island forts from both}
the peninsula and the*
south shore of Manila Bay.
AYRES GOES TO CAMP
OF OBJECTORS
Los Angeles— Lew Ayres
screen actor who attained
prominence in the film ver-j
sion of “All Quiet on the j
Western Front” has been
granted classifiication as a!
“conscientious objector” & j
is leaving Los Angeles for
a concentration camp in;
Oregon. Ayres is the for-!
mer husband of actress Gin !
ger Rogers.
Ayres who plays the
part of “Dr. Kildaire,” on
the screen was granted do-:
ferrment from military ser!
vice on religious grounds, j
His deferrment was ap
proved by the department
of Justice and the U. S. at
torney General’s office.
Above map shows Bataan Peninsula as the front was
in February. Although Bataan has fallen Corregidor
and other forts guarding Manila Bay still stand
Resistance Exhausted Defenders
Of Rataan Finally Overcome
WASHINGTON, April !> (AP) Overwhelming
Japanese forces in the Philippines, a War Department
communique said, made advances, and indicated the
probability that the “defense of Bataan was overcome”
despite heroic counter attacks attempts In the physic
ally exhausted defenders. Informed quarters hero ex
pressed the growing belief that the stubborn resist
ance by the American and Philippine troop;, who held
part of the peninsula since early Januars. against all
Japanese attacks, has virtually ceased
Army men expressed doubt that large numbers of
surviving troops could be evacuated under lire across
the two miles of open water between the southern tip
of the peninsula and the island fortress of Corregidor,
which is still held by American forces Such an evac
uation operation for a defeated force, they noted, is
notoriously one of the most difficult of all actions
It was pointed out in Gen. Wainwright’s report that
a counter attack by his first corps failed due to ilie
“complete physical exhaustion of his troop.," was an
other factor in militating against evacuation of many
soldiers.
Secretary Stimson reported that (Jen Wainwright’s
force in the Philippines numbered 3(1,853 effective
troops when resistance apparently collap ed He in
dicated at a press conference that the hulk of this
force was either killed or captured The President au
thorized the Philippines commander to make any de
cision deemed necessary in the light of events, Secre
tary Stimson said
He told reporters that the latest reports from the
Philippines indicated that Corregidor and other forti
fications guarding the entrance to Manila Bay, still
stood but declined to make predictions as to how long
they could hold out. “This is only a temporary loss.
We shall not stop until we drive out Hu* invaders of
the islands,” Stimson said.
“No Army Fver Did So Much
With So Little* Says MTArthur
MELBOURNE, April 10 (AID- General MacArthur
said of the defenders of Bataan. “No army ever did
so much with so little. The Bataan force went out as
they would have wished, fighting to the end of its
flickering, forlorn hope. Nothing became it more in
its last hour of trial and agony. To the weeping moth
ers of its dead, 1 only say the sacrifice and the halo of
Jesus of Nazareth descended upon their sons, and he
has taken thorn unto himself.