Juneau
, Alf’SKa
"News of oAmencas Last Frontier”
PRICE 10 CENTS
SOL. 4 NO. 28
KODIAK, ALASKA NOVEMBER 18, 1944
Award Goes
To Local Boy
Captain Walter Kraft, with
the 47th Infantry, is now “some
where in Germany” according
to his last two letters to his
father, Ben Kraft, of this city,
and was recently the recipient
of the Purple Heart and two
Oak Leaf Clusters. Captain
Kraft has been in action in
France since the start of the In
! vasion, and reports her* indicate
he was twice wounded in action
in that country. No details are
: available yet but his injuries
were said to come from shell
fragments during fighting in
France and papers accompany
ing the awards were being for
warded here.
Captain Kraft entered the
service in January, 1942 and
went overseas first in 1943. His
first foreign duty was in North
Africa, from where he went to
Sicily. From Sicily he was trans
ferred to England and with the
start of the Invasion went into
action in France.
His last two letters, post
marked in October, are both
headed “somewhere in Ger
many”. Necessarily restricted
by what he can tell he says his
outfit has been in “continuous
action” and that he often needs
a shave and a shower. At one
j place in France during the
American advance he tells of
eatiDg in a French home and of
the host telling him that the day
before at the same table they
I “fed the Germans”.
In another letter he says: “I
couldn’t begin to describe what
is going on—the going has been
rough. One sees very unpleasant
sights each day. Some have been
very good friends of mine. Some
one is guiding over me I am
quite certain of that. There are
no heathens over here, not any
more.
“After this is over with I
wouldn’t want to hear a fire
cracker go off.”
Captain Kraft began his edu
cation in the Kodiak school and
completed it at the Brown Mil
itary Academy at San Diego.
He received his basic training at
Fort Benning, Georgia,
Solution
The fire at the Kodiak Mer
cantile company a week ago was
caused by neutral wires that be
came "hot” from faulty connec
tions, it was reported this week.
Meeting Monday
A school board meeting will
be held next Monday evening at
the school house at 7:30 pm.
Any interested members of the
Public are always welcome, the
board said.
Christmas Seals
Chritmas Seals go on sale in
Kodiak this week. For details on
the drive and use made in Alaska
of funds so raised see pages 7
and 11.
Recommend New
Airline For Kodiak
Anchorage—A recommendation
that the Woodley Airways be
granted authority to operate
from Fairbanks to Kodiak has
been made to the Civil Aeron
autics Board by Raymond
Stough and Robert Barton, ex
aminers. If the recommendation
is adopted by the CAB it will
result in an extension of ser
vice by Woodley. The new or
der would place Woodley and
Alaska Airlines in competition
between Anchorage and Fair
banks, but Woodley could make
only as many trips between the
two as made to Kodiak.
By Associated Press
Philippines—Infantry of the
24th Division & dismounted
cavalry 1st Division is tighten
ing the grip on the Jap salient of
Limon, 4 miles south of Carigara
bay. American long range art
illery “continues its havoc”
throughout the Ormoc corridor.
Other Yank infantrymen have
consolidated positions in central
mountain ranges east of Ormoc
corridor. Reconnaissance patrols
“combing an intricate network
of trails in the mountains scat
tered enemy parties.” Heavy
tropical rains are restricting
operations.
l.ondon —Six Allied armies
battered out gains along 400
miles of muddy front in a mas
sive test of German staying pow
er. Perhaps 2 million men are
engaged on both sides in what
may be the last great battle of
the war of Western Europe. 1st
& 9th armies are fighting
shoulder to shoulder In sectors
28 to 31 miles from Cologne.
The wedge in the Siegfreid line
is deeper by 1 to 2 miles. The
(continued on page 4)
Battle Hurricane
Four members of the crew of a
U.fe. Coast Guard tanker battle
for their lives as 60-foot waves
swamp over their heavily-loaded
craft during 90-mile hurricane
winds north of Cuba. The ship
survived a three-day battering
in the storm. Bottom to top are:
Coxswain Elwood Donahue,
New Orleans; Coxswain Thomas
Burroughs, Cranston, R I.; Sea
man Nick Mustappa, Belling
ham, Wash., and Warrant Boat
swain Maurice Chaplin, Miami,
Fla. (JP wirephoto)
O PA Settles
Erskine Suit
A settlement regarding cer
tain violations of the maximum
price regulations of the Office of
Price Administration has been
reached by the W. J. Erskine
Company and Dorothy D.
Tyner, OPA attorney, according
to an announcement made to
day from Anchorage.
A release on the agreement
states:
“By the terms of the agree
ment, the W. J. Erskine Com
pany paid into the Treasury of
the United States the sum of
$1750 in settlement of a treble
damage claim by the Adminis
trator of the OPA. Mr. Erskine
further consented to the enter
ing of a court order restraining
any further violation and direct
ing compliance with the Emer
gency Price Control Act.
“It was further agreed that
the District Court would be re
quested to dismiss an action
previously filed by the Adminis
trator of the OPA against the
W. J. Erskine Company.
Dorothy Tyner stated that the
W. J. Erskine Company is co
operating with the OPA and she
feels that they will be in com
plete compliance with the Act
and the regulations within a
very short time.
“On November 10 an in
junction was entered in the Dis
trict Court at Anchorage and,
the case previously filed there
was dismissed, completing the t
agreed settlement.”
Proclamation
In keeping with the traditions
of America since Colonial days
the President of the United
States has proclaimed Thursday,
the 23rd day of November, 1944,
as a day of Thanksgiving for the
nation and designated it as
Thanksgiving Day.
Therefore, I, Lew M. Wil
liams, Acting Governor of the
Territory of Alaska, in conform
ity therewith, name November
23rd as a day of thanksgiving
and recommend that upon that
day all people of the Territory
of Alaska unite in returning
thanks to God for His gracious
gifts, for the ever present op
portunities for service and for
the priceless good fortune of
United States citizenship which
we all enjoy.
Wage Raises To
Cost Employers
Seattle (JP)—Income tax dis
allowances of more than $200,
000 against 65 Alaska firms said
to have violated wage stabiliz
ation rules is recommended by
Royhe Jackson, chief enforce
ment attorney of the Seattle re
gional office of the War Labor
board. Many of these firms vol
untarily made stipulations as to
amounts of their illegal wage
payments, Jackson said.
“We found employers raising
wages in order to keep employes
and to meet increased payrolls
employers raised prices to keep
pace. As a result we found true
inflation underway in Interior
towns of the Territory,” Jack
son reported.
Local Quota
Is $24,000
With a quota of $24,000 for
Kodiak, the 6th War Loan drive
begins next Monday and contin
ues through December 16.
With $15,000 of the total as
signed to Series E bonds, the em
phasis is again being placed on
individual purchases to enable
Alaska and the nation to attain
the goal.
This year the Treasury De
partment in its bond drive is
faced with an increasing optimism
and resulting belief that bond
purchases are not so necessary as
in the earlier days of the war.
Yet with all factoi s considered;
officials point out, the war may
well continue for as long a per
iod as it has so far and may well
require greater expenditures for
the same period.
War Bond purchasers are ask
ed to ponder this: More B—29
Super Fortresses that cost 1600,
000 each are needed. More
P—47 Thunderbolts that cost
$50,000 each. More amphibious
tanks—more aircraft carriers—
more gasoline and oil than it
took for the invasion of Europe.
For one small graphic example of
war cost, to lay a smoke screen
on one beachhead costs $80,000
Right now the war is costing
over 7 billion dollars a month.
That’s why you should buy at
least one EXTRA $100 War
Bond during the 6th War Loan.
Chaplain Arrives
Father J. T. Walsh arrived
here yesterday to assume his
new post as hospital chaplain of
the Griffin xMemorial hospital,
recently taken over by the Grey
Nuns of the Sacred Heart, of
Philadelphia.
He will also be in charge of
Catholic services in Kodiak, and
will conduct his first at the Or
pheuru theatre Sunday morning
at 10 am.
Father Walsh came here from
Anchorage where he was chaplain
at the Providence hospital.
Aid Sought
A large bottle with almost $50
in it, donated for the help of
tubercular children, is receiving
contributions at the Club Liquor
store. Ray MartiD said the mon
ey will be turned over to the
local public health nurse.
Frank Marshall, president of
the Alaska Territorial Federation
of Labor, left this week for Fair
banks where he has a week’B
work before returning to Juneati.
A eheck-up on health cards of
food handlers was being made _
this week by the City Health
Committee.