ss NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXI No. 30 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 1959 Per Copy—15tf
Washington Congressman Criticizes
Seaton’s Fish Trap Ban as Hasty Action
WASHINGTON, MV—:Sen. Mag
nuson <D-Wash> sharply criticized
the Interior Department for its
“precipitous action” in ordering
an immediate ban on fish traps
in Alaska.
He also expressed fear at what
the department may do in manag
ing other resources such as tim
ber and minerals in the new state.
“Hasty action in either field
might well be disastrous for the
struggling new state’s economy,”
Magnuson declared.
He said his recommendation
that fish traps be “phased out over
a reasonable period” had been
disregarded by Secretary of the
Interior Seaton.
Magnuson remitided Seaton in
■a letter that he had always been
a staunch advocate of Alaskan
statehood but when Congress
voted the new state into the union
it expected an “orderly phase out
of fish traps.”
“The national interest cannot
be served by precipitous action
jeopardizing the livlihood of 2,317
workers and chaos in an industry
which creates a major part of
Alaska’s gross product and con
tributes importantly to state rev
enues,” he wrote.
“Fish traps, in truth, were
doomed to abolition by the Con
gress through passage of the
Statehood act. It could not be
i otherwise since the people of the
state had already and unmistak
ably expressed their intent to
abolish traps if and when such
decisions were within their con
trol.
“The Congress, however, pro
vided a clear mandate to imple
ment the abolition decision
through a reasonable and busi
nesslike transition. This was
achieved by withholding imme
diate state control.
Magnuson told Seaton that the
North Pacific salmon industry
faced difficult problems even be
fore the issuance of the order to
abolish all fish traps except 11
operated by Indians.
The combined and cooperative
effort of every person in the in
dustry is necessary to meet the
enormous problems which are al
ready apparent,” he continued.
“As a dramatic example, a so
lution must be found to the inter
national fishing problem or the
Japanese treaty may expire five
years from now with nothing to
prevent the Japanese from fishing
three miles from Sitka.
“In addition to destroying jobs
for 2,317 workers with an annual
payroll of $4,072,000 and forcing
closure of at least nine canneries,
the order lowers state revenue by
at least $1,160,000 annually.”
Road Employment
Will be Handled
Thru Civil Service
Now that Alaska is a State, em
ployment with the Bureau of Pub
lic Roads is strictly through Civil
Service, advised L. E. Hough, Dis
trict engineer.
A list is being posted for en*
gineer aids in all grades and will
be located at the Post Office bul
letin bord. Positions now open for
temporary and permanent posi
tions include GS grades 1 through
11, engineering aids.
Mr. Hough advises that residents
wishing work must fill out .appli
cations on Civil Service forms,
which must be sent to Anchorage
Civil Service headquarters.
Engineering aids include per
sons interested as rodmen. chain
men, instrument, transit and of
fice calculators, and other similar
catagories.
The personnel of the BPR office
in the Post Office Building will
be glad to assist with the forms,
and give advice where needed.
Those pplying may specify
where they prefer to work, and
give other information helping
placement in the work for which
they are applying.
WEATHER FORECAST
Fair and Cold. Low tonight, -25,
high tomorrow -12 to -15. Sun
rise at 6:35 a.m., sunset at 5:50
pm.
Reorganization Bill
Hearing Cancelled
By Heavy Snow
JUNEAU, liR — Heavy snow
forced cancellation last night of
a Legislative hearing on one of
the controversial areas of the
state reorganiation bill.
A number of witnesses who
were to be heard by the Senate
State Affairs Committee on the
proposed new Department of La
bor and Economics failed to ar
rive when planes could not land
here.
The reorganization bill, passed
by the House last week, would set
up a new labor and economics
department to take over duties
now performed by the Department
of Labor, the ESC and other func
tions related to business. Acting
Governor Wade has indicated he
favors continuance of the separate
departments.
A new bill to amend the pres
ent ESC act, by including an ex
perience rating system as part of
the state’s jobless benefit fund,
was introduced in the Senate yes
terday.
Next year, under terms of the
bill, employers would start pay
ing taxes into the unemployment
compensation fund or. a variable
scale, ranging from two to three
per cent of the total wages paid
to workers. No change would be
made in the one-half of one per
cent rate now paid by employes,
but workers also would be taxed
on total wages.
An earlier labor-backed bill in
troduced in the Senate would ap
ply the jobless fund taxes to total
wages of both employers and em
ployes, but made no provision for
an experience rating system.
Observers said they believed the
Legislature would extend the ESC
taxes to cover total wages, but
doubted if the experience rating
system would be approved.
Passage Of New
Executive Salaries
Bill Seen Likely
JUNEAU, R — The long dis
pute over salaries of Alaska’s
Governor and Secretary of State
appears about over.
With virtually no debate, bills
to give the Governor $25,000 an
nually and the Secretary of State
$18,000 were passed by the House
yesterday 36-3, and sent to the
Senate. Senate approval is pos
sible by Friday, legislative ob
servers said.
Another bill passed by the House
and sent to the Senate yesterday
would empower the Legislature to
decide the fitness of the terri
tory’s governor to continue in of
fice if he were absent from it
six month or longer. Ten votes
were against passage.
The new salary bills would give
the Governor the same amount a
House-Senate conference commit
tee recommended and the Secre
tary of State $500 less than the
committee decided on. Previous
salary legislation this session died
in the House last Saturday when
it refused to accept the House
Senate conference committee
report. ■
The salaries dispute has been
under way all session, and neither
Governor Egan nor Secretary of
State Wade, who has been acting
Governor during Egan’s long ill
ness, have received any pay since
taking office 2Vz months ago.
Rep. John Hellenthal, Anchor
age Democrat, was the only speak
er against the Governor’s disabil
ity bill. He said it would be an
“improper infringement of the
Legislature on the executive” and
that the measure had not been
given enough thought.
Hellenthal argued that a com
mission made up of representa
tives of'all major branches of
government should decide the
question of disability. The bill’s
supporters said the elected rep
PNA Reports Record
1958 Earnings
SEATTLE, UP) — Pacific North
ern Airlines, Inc., yesterday re
ported record operating revenues
of $10,368,000 for 1958, as com
pared with $10,030,332 in 1957.
Net income for 1958 was $716,000,
a gain of 37.5 per cent over 1957.
PNA President Arthur G. Wood
ley described the firm as “the
largest air carrier of passengers
and freight into Alaska,” and pre
dicted 1959 would show a further
increase in operations and earn
ings.
Preliminary figures indicate
PNA’s 1958 income after taxes
will equal 34 cents per share on
the 1,068,109 share of common
stock outstanding. Net income per
share in 1957 was 24 cents.
Alaskans Will Be Honored
At Virginia’s Apple
Blossom Festival
Two Alaskans will take active
roles in the Shenandoah Apple
Blossom Festival when Miss Elaine
Atwood of Anchorage will be
crowned Queen Shenandoah
XXXII and Senator Bartlett will
act as Minister of State. Miss At
wood is the dughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Robert B. Atwood.
The famed event, which has
been held in Winchester, Virginia,
since 1924, will take place on
April 30 and May 1. Secretary of
the Interior Seaton will crown
Miss Atwood Queen during the
festival which will have as its
theme the welcoming of the new
est state into the Union by the
oldest.
resentatives of the people should
do so.
A procedure similar to an im
peachment would be set up. The
Senate would determine the basis
for the disability and the House,
by a two-thirds vote after a public
hearing on the Senate charges,
could find the Governor disabled
and declare his office vacant.
Free World Won’t Become Hysterical
J
Over Berlin Crisis, Says Eisenhower
WASHINGTON, GW — President
Eisenhower said today the United
States has no intention of fighting
a ground war in Europe.
At a news conference, however,
he declined to say flatly that nu
clear weapons would be used by
American forces in the event the
Soviets start shooting.
He said firmly the United States
will do whatever needs to be done
to protect its rights and responsi
bilities in West Berlin.
This government, he said, will
never back up in the face of So
viet pressure there.
At the same time he said the
free world is not going to become
hysterical and go off half-cocked
over the Berlin crisis.
Eisenhower said he believes the
American public is more soberly
aware of dangers in the Berlin
situation than a lot of people
around Washington.
A reporter had asked the Presi
dent if he feels that the people
recognize the dangers in Soviet
Premier Khrushchev’s demand for
the withdrawal of Allied troops
from West Berlin by May 27.
The country knows how serious
the situation is or it wouldn’t be
voting all the money that is being
required for defense, Eisenhower
promptly replied.
Should Have Courage To
Back Higher Taxes for Defense
He added, however, that those
who are advocating still greater
defense spending should have the
courage to back higher taxes to
pay for it.
Eisenhower was asked if he
thinks the Soviets should be given
a plain warning that nuclear war
might result if the Communists
cut off access to West Berlin.
He replied that he doesn’t know
how you can free anything with
nuclear weapons. He said that if
there is any push in the direction
of real hostilities over Berlin it
is going to come from the side of
the Soviets.
Eisenhower said he can’t believe
that anybody is going to make
hostilities of this kind a reality.
Symington Says Army Is
'Neither Modern nor Mobile'
Spearheading an attack on Ad
ministration defense policies, Sen.
Stuart Symington told the Senate
yesterday that recent statements
of Secretary of Defense McElroy
indicate the Administration is re
lying on massive retaliation rather
than preparing for a possible lim
ited war over Berlin.
Symington said McElroy seemed
to have taken this position “be
cause the Army is neither mod
ern nor mobile.”
Dean Acheson, who served as
Secretary of State under former
President Truman, told a news
conference that Eisenhower is re
fusing to spend enough money on
missiles. He called this a form of
national suicide.
In New York Adlai Stevenson,
twice the Democratic Presidential
nominep, disputed the contention
of Republicans that Eisenhower
knows best what the country’s
defense needs are.
“Military men can make as
many, if not more, mistakes than
non-military men in office,” Ste
venson said. But he joined Eisen
hower in opposing any general
mobilization of military forces
because of the Berlin crisis, i
Missionary and Companion Rescued
After Night’s Vigil in Sub-Zero Cold
BARROW, L-P) — A flying mis
sionary and his Eskimo companion
were plucked from the Arctic
wilderness yesterday after surviv
ing 40-below zero blasts in a tent
sown by the minister’s wife.
The Rev. John Chambers, 29,
former Scotia, N. Y., clergyman,
who now serves the Presbyterian
Mission here, and Jesse Ahgook,
appeared in good condition despite
their 24-hour ordeal. They were
picked up by bush pilots beside
their downed plane and flown
to the village of Umiat.
Rev. Chambers was able to send
out a radio distress message when
his single-engine Cessna 170 was
forced down about 175 miles
southwest of here. Then he and
the Eskimo made camp beside
the downed craft and stayed snug
in a tent Mrs. Chambers had pre
sented her husband as a surprise
gift just before takeoff.
“I’m so thankful,” she said. “I
don’t know whatever made me
think of it.”
In addition to his missionary
duties, he is Associated Press
correspondent in this Arctic area.
Rev. Chambers encountered
trouble while flying to the Eskimo
village at Anaktuvuk Pass in the
Brooks Rranke 300 miles southeast
of Barrow. Ahgook is the Pres
byterian elder at the settlement,
having been ordained in 1954 by
the Rev. William Wartes.
Rev. Wartes was instrumental
in bringing religion to the natives
at Anaktuvuk and helping them
build a log church before he ended
his seven years’ service in the Arc
tic parish last summer.
Umiat, near where Rev. Cham
bers had to make his forced land
ing, nestles in the rolling foothills
of the Brooks Range halfway be
tween Barrow and Anaktuvuk
Pass. #
Anchorage Woman
Rescues Mother from
Flames on Seattle Visit
| SEATTLE, UP) —' Mrs. Marie
Hamren, 62, was pulled to safety
from her burning bedroom by her
daughter, Mrs. Adrianna Wise of
Anchorage, about 1 o’clock this
morning.
Mrs. Hamren suffered arm, leg
and hand burns. After Seattle
firemen administered oxygen to
her, she was admitted to Cabrini
Hospital.
Mrs. Wise, 34, told Fire Chief
David Martin she stayed with her
mother last night. Mrs. Wise had
been to Hawaii and was returning
to Anchorage.
Mrs. Wise was sleeping in an
other bedroom when she was
aroused by her mother’s calls for
help. When Mrs. Wise reached
her mother, Mrs. Hamren had
rolled from her burning bed to
the floor.
Mrs. Wise dragged Mrs. Ham
ren to a rear porch. Chief Martin
said Mrs. Hamren apparently set
her bed afire by a lighted cig
arette.