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Alaska to Take Its First, Hesitant
Step Into Borough Government Oct. 1
JUNEAU (A — The State of
Alaska takes its first, hesitant
step into borough government on
Sunday, Oct. 1.
Directed by the Constitution but
ducked by the Legislature for
three sessions, borough govern
ment will mean little if anything
to the man in the street—or in
the bush—immediately.
On Oct. 1, as outlined by the
1961 statute implementing the
local government article of the
Constitution, Alaska will become
one, huge unorganized borough.
The statute also provides for
the creation, by local action, of
organized boroughs.
Through organized boroughs,
Alaskans outside of cities would
receive, for the first time, gov
ernment on a local level, through
locally elected borough as
semblies.
Nstdi are Myriad
The needs which exist in rural
areas, satellite communities and
areas outside of existing school
districts are myriad, Rodger W.
Pegues, Director of the State
Local Affairs Agency, said.
There is no regulation of land
use. Public health services and
controls are lacking. There are
no provisions for the construction
and maintenance of access roads.
Fire and police protection are in
adequate or absent. Water and
sewage and power facilities are
needed.
Yet, with the new provision for
local government, only two areas
of the state, according to Pegues,
have made any concrete moves
toward achieving self-rule through
the organized borough.
The Fairbanks area embarked
shortly after the borough law was
approved on an exhaustive study
of its school system, its rural and
urban problems and its tax po
tential.
The area being studied in the
Fairbanks district as the base for
an organized borough extends
generally from standard, on the
railroad, somewhat beyond Col
lege and southeast down the high
way to Harding Lake.
A similar study is being con
ducted in the Matanuska and
Susitna Valleys.
The communities and school
districts of Wasilla and Palmer
are cooperating informally in the
Matanuska-Susitna study, Pegues
said.
me region proposed to be in
eluded in this organized borough
includes the area around Knik
Arm, from Eklutna to Big Lake
and perhaps as far as Sutton on
the Glenn Highway.
School and city officials in the
Ketchikan area have made in
quiries about the steps to be taken
toward the creation of an organ
ized borough, Pegues said, but as
far as he knows, no studies have
been started.
Anchorage Takes No Steps
“Strangely,” Pegues said, “the
Anchorage district, which needs
area government more than any
other section of the state, has
taken no steps to my knowledge
toward borough government.
“Anchorage is a study in dis
organized urban sprawl. As the
city expands toward the moun
tains, drainage, for instance, is
becoming a major problem with
the land denuded for new con
struction.
“There is absolutely no regu
lation of land use.
“There is a definite need for a
catalystic agent to get the An
chorage district started in the
direction of an area government
which is capable of confronting
the problems which exist there.”
Pegues emphasized the need for
local action in such areas as An
chorage.
“The people in these areas are
the only ones who know what
they really need,” Pegues said.
“We can’t tell them from the
state level what it is they need.
“Once they determine they have
problems which can be solved
through local government, it is
up to them to gather all of the in
formation possible and present i
intelligently to the people livinj
within the boundaries of the pro
posed borough.
“The Fairbanks group is mak
ing just such an effort.”
Pegues said the Fairbanks studj
group plans to report its findings
to the public Sept. 28 under the
auspices of the Fairbanks Area
Action Committee.
Pegues said no petitions for
actual creation of an organized
borough have been filed with his
office, as required by the borough
statute, and thait he didn’t anti
cipate any filings until after Oct.
1.
He estimated, however, that
Alaska would see its first organ
ized borough before another year
has gone by.
i ..■■...mi _
Hammarskjold’s Body
Lies fas State Amid Flowers
NDOLA, Northern Rhodesia
—The bqdy of Dag Hammarskjold
lay in state today before a simple
altar flanked by flowers from
peoples whose quarrels he tried
to ease.
A curtained hoarse bore the
body of the U.N. Secretary-Gen
eral to a neat, modem church in
this sunbaked African township.
An honor guard gently lifted
the mahogany coffin and marched
down the red-carpeted aisle to a
catafalque draped in purple and
black.
Four men of the Northern
Rhodesian armed forces — two
white, two black. -— took vigil at
the corners.
The flag of Sweden, Hammar
skjold’s homeland, covered the
coffin.
The church, built only two
years ago, is brightly painted
outside. Inside its walls are partly
plain brick.
Hammarskjold’s nephew, Knut
Hammarskjold, placed a wreath
from his family. He stood a few
moments in meditation, then
walked out into the blazing sun.
Others following him in and
out.
4th District Demos
Approve Hellenthall
Being Ousted as Chairman
ANCHORAGE — Democratic
Central Committee Chairman
Wendell Kay of Anchorage said
Monday he has learned that the
Fourth District Democratic Com
mittee has unanimously approved
the Central Committee’s ouster of
John Hellenthall and the suc
cession of Kay.
Kay said the vote was 30 to C
to sustain the action of the Cen
tral Committee. He emphasize<
■ this is unofficial and he had no
r yet received written notice of th<
! vote.
Each district committee ha<
. been asked to meet and conside
the action taken by the Centra
Committee, Kay said.
“There have been no advers<
votes yet,” he said although offi
dal word is yet to come in frarr
the districts. Kay said he had
heard the Ketchikan and Sitka
areas voted unanimously in favor
of the Central Committee’s action.
Nome has not yet been heard
from and the Third District Com
mittee will not meet until its
Chairman, Steve McCutcheon, re
turns from a trip to Canada, Kay
said.
ALICE RYDEEN PASSES
Word was received this morn
ing by (M. J. Walsh of the passing
of Alice Rydeen, wife of Aimer
Rydeen at their home on Mercer
Island, Wn., where they have re
sided since leaving Nome sev
eral years ago.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Rydeen were
very active in work of the Pio
neers of Alaska and instrumental
in the building and furnishing of
the present Pioneer Igloo, which
was built after the fire of 1534.
Burial has been announced for
Saturday. They had no children.
Their address is 7104 East Mer
cer, Box 564, Mercer Island, Wn.
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Episcopal Bishops Give
Approval for Plan to Seek
A Broad-Scale Merger
DETROIT UP) — Episcopal
bishops today gave quick astonish
ingly unanimous approval to a
plan to seek a broad-scale merger
with four other Christian de
nominations.
“I’m quite speechless,” said the
church’s presiding bishop, the Rt.
Rev. Arthur Litchenberger, after
the bishops affirmed the action
■without debate, or a dissenting
voice.
The move calls for talks look
ing toward “an eventual united
church truly catholic, truly re
formed and truly evangelical.”
The Polish National Catholic
Church as well as possible others,
were added to the original pro
posal for negotiations with Metho
dists, United Presbyterians and
the United Church of Christ.
Rita Angnaboogok Featured
In Magazine Section
The Dallas Times Herald, maga
zine section, recently featured
Rita Angnaibookgok in an article
called “Baked Alaska”.
Rita is in Dallas on the BIA
relocation program and is em
ployed in a shop repairing leather.
The article states that she likes
the south, but not the heat and is
hungry for fried walrus liver. The
clipping was sent to the Nugget
by Mrs. James Porter of Moses
Point.
■ -
Alaska State Chamber
Convention to Be Held
In Ketchikan Oct. 12-14
JUNEAU UP> — The Tacoma and
Seattle Chambers of Commerce
are planning special trips to the
Alaska State Chamber of Com
merce’s 1961 convention in Ket
chikan Oct. 12-14, General Man
ager Don Dickey of the Alaska
group said today.
The State Chamber’s 2nd an
nual meeting will open with reg
istration on the 12th. Convention
work will actually get under way
the following morning.
H. G. Vesper, president of
Standard Oil Co. of California,
Western Operations, Inc., will
report during a luncheon address
on the 13th on his firm’s plans for
construction of Alaska’s first oil
refinery.
On Saturday, Roy L. Morgan,
Director of the Office of Field
Services for the U.S. Department
of Commerce will speak on “help
ing America grow.”
New state officers and members
of the Chamber’s Board of Direc
tors will be installed on Saturday
night, Oct. ,14.
Dickey estimated that the con
vention will attract some 225
delegates.
“Women do not find it difficult
to behave like men, but they
often find it extremely difficult
to behave like gentlemen.”
—Compton MacKenzie
The Insurance Department
of the Miners and Merchants Bank
is pleased to announce its association with the
[ Mutual Life Insurance Co.
of New York
J Better known as Mutual of New York (MONY)
1 Mr. James Power, manager for Alaska, will be in Nome
Wednesday through Friday. Lmi us help you
with an adequate life insurance program.
Contact Don Perkins at work or at home
NEW SCHEDULE
Effective September 18,1961
Monday & Friday Fit. 309/310
Lv: Fairbanks 8:00 a.m. Ar: Kotsebue 8:50 a.m.
Lv: Kotsebue 9:30 a.m. Ar: Nome 10:20 a.m.
Lv: Nome 2:40 p.m. Ar: Fairbanks 6:25 pm.
Wednesday Fit. 309/310
Lv: Fairbanks 8:00 a.m. Ar: Kotsebue 9:20 a.m.
Lv: Kotsebue 10:00 aon. Ar: Nome 11:00 a.m.
Lv: Nome 3:50 p.m. Ar: Fairbanks 7:35 p.m.
Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday
Flight 311/312
Lv: Fairbanks 8:00 aun. Ar: Nome 9:05 a.m.
Lv: Nome 10:00 a.m. Ar: Kotsebue 10:50 a.m.