I
Gov. Gruening Going East
This Month To Protest
Employment Non-Alaskans
The Juneau Empire of Decem
ber 22, in reporting the plans of
Governor H. E. Gruening to go
to Washington to protest against
the employment of non-Alaskans
on naval projects in the Territory
say that he plans to make the
trip during January.
The Governor said he would
make a vigorous and continued
protest to the Navy Department
against the contractor’s attitude.
He disclosed he is planning a
trip to Washington this month
and said he would take the mat
ter up personally there with the
new Secretary of the Navy.
Contractors on the Sitka and
Kodiak project are the Seims
Spokane Company, Johnson,
Drake and Piper. Inc., and the
Puget Sound Bridge and Dredg
ing Company.
! The Governor’s statement was;
as follows:
“Ever since complaints from
the Territory concerning discrim
ination against Alaskans on the
new projects at Sitka and Kodiak
sponsored by the Navy Depart
ment began to reach me—and
they began in Washington this
fall while I was Director of the
Division of Territories and Is
land Possessions—I have been en
deavoring to ascertain the facts
on the basis of which I could
more effectively bring the mat
ter to the attention of the proper
authorities.
"Delegate Dimond and I called
on the Acting Secretary of the
Navy and found him most ap-;
preciative of our position. The ■
Acting Secretary was unaware |
that any discrimination had tak
en place or was intended, and
eager to see there should be
■none.
“Since coming to the Territory j
I have made repeated efforts to!
get the facts. These efforts were
answered only by generalities
and elusive statement of good in
tentions not to discriminate
against Alaskan workers, state
ments directly contradicted by
such facts as came to me from
other sources. I decided to go to
Sitka and see for myself.
“I found, despite the state- J
nients of good intention, the gros
sest kind of discrimination
against Alaskan has been and is
being practiced on the project.
“I consider this kn outrage. I
consider it a nulification of the
Administration’s purpose to in
crease the population of Alaska
by making it possible for those
who have settled here to have
the opportunity for making a liv
lihood to which they are justly
entitled.
“I found that the contract sign
ed between the labor unions and
contractors and approved by the
Navy Department (which today
has the right to cancel or alter
es much of the contract as it
sees fit), to contain the following
discriminations:
“First, in addition to the fore
men and supervisors who are
brought up from the States, the
irst man in every craft is specif
ically to be hired from the Unit
ed States. There is no reason
whatever for such discrimina
tions. In fact, if there is to be
discrimination, it would be log
ical the contract would provide
that the first man in every craft
should come from Alaska.
“The implications of this dis
crimination go beyond the hir
ing of the single individual. The
fact that'the first man in effect
comes from the Seattle and that
he is presumably an active union
leader, means inevitably that he
will induce his friends and those
he knows in the union to come
up after him for other jobs as
they become available. The im
plications are, therefore, that not
just the first man in each craft
will come from the States but
that only if and when no more
men from Seattle and other
points in the United States want
jobs in the Territory, then Alas
kans are given consideration for
employment.
“Secondly, this discrimination
is further emphasized by the fact
that the contract provides that
all workmen from Seattle get
transportation paid up and back.
Men hired in Alaska have to pay
their own way to either Sitka or
Kodiak, although the cost of this
transportation from the nearest
Alaska city to the project is in
evitably less than the fare from
Seattle.
“The third discrimination evi
dent to me is the contract pro
vision that if one of those hired
in Seattle and brought up is tak
en sick while on the job he is en
titled to transportation back. Al
askans enjoy no such privilege.
“Thus it works out in effect &
practice -‘-though I was unable
to get the facts I desired despite
repeated requests at Sitka—that
the policy with which the Navy
Department declared itself sym
pathetic, allegedly the policy un
der which the work is being con j
ducted, and allegedly the policy I
referred to in the labor contract
where I find the words ‘provid- >
ed that bonafide residents of Al
aska, who are qualified for the
work, will be given preference of
employment,’ is being completely
disregarded.
"The assumption underlying
this violation of the declared pol
icy of the Navy Department
seems to be that qualified Alas
kan labor is not available. This
is unqaulifiedly false but no ef
fort has been made by the con
tractors to ascertain its truth
or falsity.
"I intend to make a vigorous
continued protest and agitation
against this discrimination and
intend to communicate what I
have learned to the Acting Sec
retary of the Navy in person
when I return to Washington the
latter part of January.
“I consider this problem sec
ond to none in Alaska. It is not
news that there has been for
many years discrimination of this
sort in the Territory. But when
it takes place on a government
contract I can see no excuse for
it whatever.
"In this rgeard I make no crit
icism of the Navy Department.
It has stated its position. But I
am very critical of the conract
ors and place the blame directly.
on their shoulders."
The Governor added that
while in Sitka he visited the Pio
neer’s Home and was happy to
see that Superintendent Eiler
Hansen was up and about again
following a recent illness.
Gov. Gruening discussed with
the Mayor and Sitka Council a
number of problems which have
resulted from the current boom
due to the Navy construction
work.
The Governor was accompan
ied on his trip by Director
Joseph T. Flakne of the Alaska
Territorial Employment Service
and Director Walter P. Sharpe
of the Unemployment Compensa
tion Commission.
A
H E R I T A C E—Talent for the
stage must run in this family,
for Lawrence Tibbett, .Jr.
(above), son of the opera bari
tone, is now appearing in a
Broadway hit show.
BOY WHO MADE G O 0 D—With ample reason does Sen.
Robert A. Taft (left) of Ohio put enthusiasm into his singing of
college airs at Nick Roberts’ barn party at Montclair. N. J. Sena
tor Taft was awarded the 1939 Yale bowl given annually to a
Yale graduate who’s making his “ ‘Y’ in life.” With the Ohioan is
the host of the party, Nick Roberts.
WHERE BRITISH CRUISERS BATTLED NAZI SHIP
, ::*k
o
.; 0
■' •: •»
o
V
O
*
A 14-hour running sea fight between the three British cruisers—
the Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles—and the German pocket battleship
Admiral Scheer ended with the badly-hit German warship taking
refuge in the neutral port or Montevideo about 150 miles southwest
of P mta del Este. Map shows approximate location of battle.
HAPPY END—JUST LIKE STORY
_____—.—
•• J
Honey-haired Lucille Wilds the girl in the tooth paste ads will be
able to wed the handsome fellow on the next page P»:I Kent (left)
25, sales clothes mode! without paying $10,000 to her agent AV'alter
Thompson (center). The marriage of the two models was threat
ened by a clause in Miss Wilds’ contract saying slie must pay
Thompson 810,000 i.' she went to the altar. Faced wi a suit,
Thompson dropped all objections to the match.
( OFFICIAL PUBLICATION )
REPORT OF THE FINANCIAL CONDITION
OF THE
Miners and Merchants Bank of Alaska
Located at Nome, Alaska, Territory of Alaska, at the ci- .-e of
business on the 30th day of December, 1939.
RESOURCES
Loans and discounts . $ 273,111.22
Loans on real estate .. 105,924.60
Overdrafts .... 536.46
United States bonds owned . 178,055.32
Other bonds and warrants owned . 233,578.25
Banking house, furniture and fixtures ... 35,937.68
Other real estate owned . 2,365.50
Checks on other banks and other cash items .
Exchanges for clearing house .
Cash on hand and due from banks . 349,291.58
Other resources, judgements, claims, etc.— -
Expenses in excess of earnings .-.
Gold Bullion on hand . 3,131.14
Fuel oil . 459.27
TOTAL. $1,182,421.02
LIABILITIES
Capital stock paid in ..-.— .—. $100,000.00
Surplus fund ...-.-.-.. 25,000.00
Undivided profits less expenses paid . 103,763.15
Dividends declared but unpaid . ....—.
Due to other banks—deposits .-.—
Due to other banks—overdrafts... ..
Individual and savings deposits . 504,523.76
Demand and time certificates of deposit .-. 449,134.11
Cashier’s and certified checks .-.- —.—
Notes and bills rediscounted .—.-.——
Bills payable (including certificates of deposit) for —.
money borrowed .—.-.—. -
TOTAL. $1,182,421.02
I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, )
Territory of Alaska, : ss:
Second Division. )
I, H. G. GABRIELSON, cashier of the above named bank, do
' solemnly swear that the foregoing statement is true to the best
j of my knowledge and belief..
H. G. GABRIELSON, Cashier
( NOTORIAL SEAL ) ( CORRECT ATTEST )
Subscribed and sworn to before me this IRA D. ORTON
2nd day of January, 1940. G. R. JACKSON
Directors
JEANNE C. MOZEE
Notary Public in and for the Territory of
Alaska. My commission expires Sept. 24, 1943.
I _
'
j CIO NOT REI) DIES REPORTS
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3 — The
Dies Committee on un-American
activities estimated not more
than 1,000,000 Americans are ser-j
iously affected by subversive act
ivities which, it was said, are de
clining rapidly because of the
international situation.
In reporting to the House on
its two years investigation of un
: American activities the commit-1
tee said:
“The time may come when
they will cease to be seriously re
garded by anyone in the United
States." In a 15,000 word sum
mary of its hearings signed by
ail seven members, after a
stormy meeting, the committee I
drew these major conclusions:
t. An overwhelming majority
of CIO members including Presi
dent Lewis are not communists
or communist sympathizers, but
leadership in one-quarter of
CIO unions is "more than tinged
with communism.”
2. It has omitted from the list'
of "communist front” organ iza-1
turns the American Youth Con
gress which Mrs. F D Roosevelt I
had upheld, as a witness before
the committee which had decrib
ed the organization as a front
j group.
3. The Soviet-Nazi pact help- j
ed to protect constitutional dem j
ocracy by “making more clear I
the real nature of all dictator-!
si lips by revealing the similarity |
between Hitler’s nazisrn and com
munism.
Bund and Communist parties in
Bund and Comunist parties in
the United States, agents for for
eign powers, should be control
led.
, -
| That unique and humorous,
; ind typical Alaskan stationery—
j “Sourdough Roadhouse Letter
heads and Envelopes”, have beer
(■’•ought strictly uptodate, and are
now available at the Nugget offl
jce.
I
For Quality Service
and
Prompt Delivery
Call
Modern Cleaners
—■■■—■i ..mi in —
I
EAT AT THE
North Pole Bakery
Anti Bestanranl
BAKERY GOODS
ALWAYS FRESH
FOOD ALWAYS GOOD
Lyous & Orton
Attorneys At Lew
Rooms 918-921 Alaska Building
Seattle, Washington
rbos. R. Lyons Ira D. Ortoa
’(MAS. CAVEY
Has Opened A Liquor Store
Carrying an Assortment
of Fine Liquors, Win
es, and Beers.
FRONT ST. NOMB.
L. O. O.
No. 1413
Meets first and third Mondays
of each month
Odd Fellows Hall, 8 p m.