122 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
„ VOL. LX No. 23 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1958 Per Copy—15?
New Spur For Statehood Action
A new movement to spur action in Congress on
statehood for Alaska started in Fairbanks this week
with everyday Alaskans taking personal action by
writing or wiring Washington, D.C., petitioning for
statehood.
Many Fairbanks people crowded the ACS office
to send wires and many airmail letters have been sent.
All this was done following a phone call from
Delegate Bartlett who applauded the efforts of the
citizenry of Fairbanks.
The idea has spread to Nome, Juneau, Ketchikan,
and other towns are following suit. Those persons in
Nome who like the idea are directing their communi
cations to Sen. Lyndon Johnson (D-Tex), Senate ma
jority leader; Sen. William Knowland (R-Calif) Sen
ate minority leader; Rep. Sam Rayburn (D-Tex), the
Speaker of the House, Rep. Joseph Martin (R-Mass),
minority leader in the House.
Other members of Congress to whom messages
urging statehood action should go as recommended by
Delegate Bartlett include: Rep. Charles Halleck, as
sistant minority leader in the House; Rep. John Mc
Cormack, House majority leader; Rep. Howard Smith,
chairman of the House Rules Committee; other mem
bers of the Rules Committee; Rep. Wayne Aspinall,
acting chairman of the House Interior and Insular
Affairs Committee; Rep. Leo O’Brien, chairman of the
Territories subcommittee, and two other members of
that subcommittee, Reps. A1 Miller and John Saylor.
Your individual effort will make you a part of
the statehood you seek!
ITALIAN LUXURY LINER,
CHRISTOFO COLUMBO,
HITS 60-FOOT WHALE
NAPLES, Italy, GP>—The Chpis
ofo Columbo, Italy’s 29,600 - ton
luxury Atlantic liner, arrived an
hour late today because of a 60
foot whale.
Officers reported that the ship
shuddered under a terrific blow
last night enroute to Naples from
Genoa. Speed was cut and crew
men rushed to see what the ship
had struck.
There, badly injured by the
prow, was the big whale, thrash
ing in the water. The liner had
to reverse its engines to pull free.
Midwestern GOP
Want Ouster of
Secretary Benson
WASHINGTON, UP>—Midwest
ern congressional Republicans
served notice on Secretary of Ag
riculture Benson today of their
belief a change in administration
farm policy is in order if Re
publicans are to win next fall’s
election.
The word was carried to Ben
son by Rep. Miller (R-Neb) and
Rep. Judd (R-Minn) at a confer
ence at Benson’s office.
Miller and Judd spoke for some
30 or more GOP House members
from the Midwest who met yes
terday to consider ways out of
the political difficulties they con
sider themselves in as a result
of Benson’s handling of farm
problems.
Miller told reporters Benson
was “receptive as he listened” to
views expressed at yesterday’s
meeting. “He said he would con
sider them most carefully,” Miller
added.
Miller said: “We did not ask
for his resignation. We left that
up to him after weighing all the
pros and cons.”
He said one of the remedies
suggested for the “farm trouble”
was Benson’s resignation.
U.S. and Russia To
Exchange Students
NEW YORK, UR—The first re
ciprocal exchange of students be
tween the United States and the
Soviet Union takes place this
summer.
Forty American students go to
the U.S.S.R. and 20 Soviet stu
dents will come to America for
five to six weeks.
The exchange was facilitated
by the recently signed cultural
agreement between the two na
tions.
The Soviet students will be
taken to American homes, schools
and colleges, factories, student
meetings, museums and concerts.
Students going to Russia will j
stay at sports camps, a tourist
camp for youths, a student rest!
home and a students’ industrial ]
establishment. They will also vis- j
it collective farms, religious cen- j
ters, and universities. '
President Tells Demo Governors
‘‘Don’t Rock the Economic Boat’*
THOMASVILLE, Ga., (^—Pre
sident Eisenhower says any shak
ing of confidence in America’s
economic future could turn the
business slump into “a deep and
protracted decline.”
And that is the only thing that
could do it, the President said in
a telegram yesterday to 11 Demo
cratic governors.
The telegram, dispatched from
Eisenhower’s vacation headquar
ters, was in reply to one from
the governors last week. They
said “only federal action can pre
vent the recession from feeding
on itself and deteriorating further
into a depression.”
The governors urged the Presi
dent to put into effect a six point
anti - recession program. They
called for a public works pro
gram, welfare and educational
expansion, further easing of
credit, and possibly a tax cut
“directed to low income families.”
Eisenhower again expressed
confidence “the underlying
growth factors in the economy re
main vigorous, and every indica
tion is that they will re-assert
themselves later in the year.”
He said the federal government
already has taken many steps to
combat the recession. He added
he will “continue to take, or pro
pose to the Congress, such steps
as can contribute effectively to
the health of the economy and
the welfare of our people.”
The President in substance told
the Democratic governors they
should refrain from rocking the
economic boat — doing anything
to undermine long-term confid
ence.
Grand Jury Brings
In 3 Indictments
The Grand jury now in session
returned three indictments yes
terday and one, no true bill.
Indictments included:
Albert Martin, charged with
disorderly conduct. He will be
arraigned on Feb. 24.
Roland Beaver, charged with
larcenry of the Wien warehouse
in Kotzebue, was arraigned this
morning. Jim von der Heydt was
appointed as his attorney and
plea set for Feb. 25.
Jack Hudson was indicted on
two counts of assault with a dan
gerous weapon, and assault and
battery. He is to be arraigned on
Feb. 28.
Fred Cleveland, charged with
misappropriation of money, was
arraigned yesterday and pleaded
not guilty. Trial was set for
March 31.
Sam Bolls, who had been
bound over to the grand jury,
waved indictment on a charge of
statutory rape and was arraign
ed on information. He pleaded
guilty and was sentenced to two
years in prison, suspended after
90 days. Fred Crane was his
attorney.
Raymond Menadlook was • ar
raigned on two counts of burg
lary in a dwelling and his plea
was set for Feb. 24.
The no true bill was brought
in on Fred Flood of Kotzebue,
who had been charged with being
an accessory in breaking and
entering. The case was dismissed.
Eugene Price, who was con- j
victed of assault and battery in
the justice court, filed an ap- j
peal this morning.
Temperatures Abate In
Eastern States But
Danger of Floods Arise
(By The Associated Press)
Sections of New York State
still felt the effects of winter’s
worst storm and cold today but!
mostly fair and warmer weather
was the outlook in the eastern
two-thirds of the nation.
New York State and other
parts of the snow-covered north
east also were warned by the
weather bureau in Washington
there is a potential flood situ
ation. A sudden thaw, with wide
spread rains, could raise river
and streams to dangerous levels.
It was freezing again in south
ern states, with temperatures in
the 20s in parts of Alabama, Geo
rgia, the Carolines, Kentucky and
Tennessee.
Chamber Insists Northwest Alaska
Needs One-Carrier Thru Service
To Insure Economic Development
Alaska Bids For
Direct Service,
Seattle to Nome
SEATTLE, —Alaska Airlines
applied yesterday to the Civil
Aeronautics Board for permission
to extend its Seattle - Fairbanks
route to Nome.
President Charles F. Willis Jr.
said Nome is totally dependent on
air transportation for necessities
of life nine months of the year.
He asserted present Fairbanks
Nome service by Pan American
Airways and Wien Alaska Air
lines is inadequate for Nome’s
needs.
Wien’s Tourist
Flights To Come
Direct to Nome
Bud Hagberg, vice president in
charge of traffic for Wien Air
lines, while in Nome Thursday
announced that the summer
schedule of daily tourist flights
from Fairbanks will bring the
Super C-46’s directly to Nome in
stead of by way of Kotzebue as
has been done in the past.
Tourists will be given the op
tion of a five-hour visit, or a
24-hour layover in Nome.
Wien Airlines, said Hagberg,
will be handling their own tours
this summer, providing a full
time tour director. This practice
has proved successful at Kotze
bue. Because of this improved
service, cargo will be transferred
directly from PAA planes to the'
Wien planes with a minimum of
handling, as the Super C-46 has
special cargo compartments.
All plans for the tourist pro
gram will be in cooperation with
the Chamber’s Tourist Committee
the Nome Chamber’s recently ap
pointed Tourist Committee, Hag
berg stated.
Court Rules Union Strike
Benefits Taxable Income
MILWAUKEE, UP\-—In a deci
sion that could involve millions
of dollars for thousands of union
members in the nation, U.S. Dis
trict Judge Kenneth P. Grubb
ruled yesterday union strike
benefits are taxable as income.
The decision reversed the find
ings of a jury which last Novem
ber held strike benefits were ex
cludable from income as gifts and
thereby tax free.
Spokesmen for the union said I
they regarded the decision as a
“temporary development” which
would not halt the union’s cam
paign to have the benefits con
sidered non - taxable. The union
added it was considering an ap
peal.
The action was brought by
union member Allen Kaiser, 29,
of Sheboygan, Wis. He said he re
ceived $565.54 in assistance from
the union in 1954, and listed the
amount on his income tax re
port as a gift.
After paying a government
assessment of $108 he filed suit.
Ed Swofford, regional director
for Pan American Airways, with
headquarters in Seattle, arrived
here yesterday with Bud Hag-'
berg, vice president in charge of
traffic with Wien Airlines, to
meet with the NWA Chamber of
Commerce and explain the plans.,
jointly, of their two companies,
in connection with the proposed
withdrawal of PAA from Nome.
According to board members,
present at the meeting, these two
airline representatives explained
how plans were being made to
“bridge the gap” by a better con
nection between the flights of
Pan American from the States
to Fairbanks and the Wien flights
to Nome. They hoped that the
Nome Chamber would withdraw
its opposition to the suspension
of Pan American service.
However, the new board of
directors of the NWA Chamber,
who took office Tuesday, were
firm in their stand that “one
carrier service” from the states
to Nome is vitally important to
the economic progress of all of
northwestern Alaska. Nome has
had this service ever since Pan
American first began flying here
in 1932.
Board members made it plain
they did not doubt the sincerity
of the interest of Wien Airlines
and their all-out effort to be pre
pared to assume the entire res
ponsibility of year-around handl
ing of all the cargo now routed
through PAA for northwestern
Continued on Page Two
Reds Offer Return
Any of 34 People
But There’s Catch
TOKYO, —The Communists
today offered to give up anyone
from the South Korean airliner
that flew north Sunday who
wants to quit North Korea. But
it hedged toy demanding that the
South Korean government nego
tiate the release directly with the
North Korean regime.
Previously the South Korean
government had refused to deal
with the Communists on the is
sue, maintaining their legal posi
tion that the Red regime is an il
legal government which the Seoul
government does not recognize.
The 34 people aboard the plane
included the two American pilots,
a West German couple and 30
Koreans.
The broadcast said those aboard
the Korean National Airlines
DC-3 have been “hospitably re
ceived. We have . . . been treat
ing with kindness the guests who
came to us.”
The U.N. Command in Korea
had demanded the return of the
plane and all those aboard. The
South Korean government had
appealed to the International Red
Cross for help in getting the 34
people back.
U.S. and South Korean officials
are certain Communist agents
j slipped aboard the plane as pas
I sengers and took it over at gun
j point or forced the two Ameri
! can pilots to fly north.