ALEUTIAN CHAIN

New Zealand Herald, Volume 79, Issue 24302, 17 June 1942, Page 4

ALEUTIAN CHAIN

LINK TO ASIAN WATERS MILITARY SIGNIFICANCE The Aleutian Islands chain stretches west-south-west some 1500 miles from the end of tho Alaska peninsula into the waters of Asia. The island of Attn, the most westerly, is about 660 miles from the Japanese naval and air base of Paramushiro, at the northern end of the Kuril© Islands chain. Tho principal islands of the Aleutian chain are Unimak, TTnalaska, which contains Dutch Harbour, and Attu. None approaches in area the island oi Kodiak which is 100 miles long and 40 miles wide. The islands are characterised by numerous volcanic peaks which actually are a continuation of the Aleutian range, in the mainland end of which a great volcanic eruption occurred in June, 1912. The top of Katmai, a mountain that had shown no evidence of volcanic activity, was blown off and about the same time there came into existence in the valley to the northwest a vast number of tiny volcanic vents and fumaroles, the area having been since known as the valley of Ten Thousand Smokes. Treeless but Grassy

The western timber limit in this region is the island of Kodiak. The Aleutian Islands are almost destitute of trees, but are covered with a luxuriant growth of grass and other herbage. Severity of climate does not account for this treelessness. The temperature rarely falls below zero and in the summer rises as high as /5 dcgioes Fr. Probably the explanation lies in the fact that when the seeds of the coastal forests ripen and are released, the prevailing winds west of Kodiak are damp and blow from the south and south-west. The spread of seeds would require dry winds blowing from the north and north-west. The few inhabitants of these islands are Aleuts, who are allied to the Eskimos. They live mainly by fishing. They were partly civilised by the Russians prior to tho purchase of Alaska bv America and are adherents of the Orthodox Greek Church. Fur traders visit the islands for the capture of seal, sea-otter and Arctic fox. Importance Recognised

The awakening of America to the importance of Alaska in defence date?, states the military correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald, from the Hepburn Report of December, 1938, which emphasised the need for air bases. Until then the Americans maintained little more than a small naval _ base supported by land defences, which in the words of one commentator comprised "300 infantry in Chilkoot barracks plus one antique cannon left by tho Russians and now used as a flowerpot." Ic April, 1939, legislation providing for the expenditure of 13,000,(XX) dollars on modern defences was passed and in 1940 the amount was increased to 30.000,000 dollars for three air bases alone. Since then no information has been disclosed, but the presumption is that effort has not governed by financial considerations. Last year the President suspended working time limitations and some supplies were rushed forward by air. Air Route Distances

From the point of view of both defence and attack there is significance in the fact that the air route between Seattle and Japan, via Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, does not now involve a longer "hop" between airfields than 900 mi les. "It is a strange commentary in the light of recent events," says one writer, "that one of the factors making for the acceleration of the work in August, 1940, was the fear felt regarding Russian construction of bases in the Bering Strait, especially on Big Diomede Island, immediately opposite American territory.''

JAPANESE MENACE GRAVITY OF SITUATION YOUTH MUST STIR PARENTS NEW YORK. May 3 Teachers and principals attending Schoolmen's Week at the University of Pennsylvania were advised by Captain Donald S. Leonard of the Office of Civilian Defence to reverse a customary procedure by having sons and daughters counsel their parents as to the danger that the United States might lose the war. If the children could be taught the truth as to the peril latent in the present status of the war, he said, "they would carry this message home, where it is needed to stir adults into realisation of the desperate seriousness of the situation we are in." "Some people still don't realise that we can lose the war; that we are liable to get a knock-out punch while preparing for a long-range defence. Japan, while fighting on six unrelated fronts, is, so far, winning the war, and we should not fool ourselves to the contrary. The minds of children should be impressed with this fact." As to the possibility of bombing attacks on the United States, Captain Leonard said that an attitude of "it can't happen here" would be foolish, but "wo need not go to the extremes that England has employed, however great our need for a. framework which could be expanded swiftly on short notice."

ESCAPE FROM CUSTODY (0.C.) ROTORUA. Tuesday The police are searching for a Maori. John 7?ikiti, who escaped from custody in the Rotorua police station yard. Rikiti had been sentenced on June ]2 to two months' imprisonment. He comes from the To Puke district.