— NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALAlSKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LIX No. 28 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 1957 Per Copy—15^
Senate Passage of Mideast Resolution
‘Assures Independence of Nations,’
Says Secretary of State Dulles
_-<8
Burand to Open Nome
Assay Office in April
The Territorial Department of
Mines has announced that Willow
Burand of Manley Hot Springs
will fill the Nome vacancy in the
Territorial Mines Office.
According to the release, Mr.
Burand was for three years a
mining engineer at Haystack
Mountain Development Company
uranium mine near Prewitt, New
Mexico.
He will open the Nome assay
office in April.
$135 RING IS STILL ROLLING!
. PITTSBURGH, UP) — Anna Mae
Alwine had a story to tell police
last night and if it seems funny,
it wasn’t to her.
Officers said Anna Mae dropped
into a tavern and, when a custo
mer at the bar voiced admiration
of her $135 diamond ring, she re
moved it and handed it to him
for closer inspection.
Anna Mae said the man pre
tended to drop the ring, made be
lieve he was following it across
the floor and rolled it right out
of the tavern door and he van
ished into night, aong with the
ring.
FISHERMEN BATTLE
GIANT MANTAS WITH
HARPOONS AND AXES
SAN PEDRO, Calif., UP — The
crew of the fishing boat Pioneer
told yesterday of a desperate
three-hour battle with harpoons,
axes and knives against three
giant manta rays caught in their
net.
The Pioneer was fishing for
tuna about 250 miles off the coast
of Baja California when the man
ta rays were snared.
Each of the rays weighed about
three tons and had a “wingspread”
of 30 feet.
With guns virtually useless
against the huge creatures, the
Pioneer’s 12-man crew harpooned
the rays, pulled them alongside,
chopped off their deadly sting
ers and then hacked them to
death.
Sailors said it is not unusual
for one manta ray to be caught
in a net but it is almost unheard
of for three tp be snared at one
time.
The crew’s battle saved the
, Pioneer’s huge $25,000 purse
shaped net from severe damage.
'CHICKEN FEED' LEFT TO
KEEP CHICKENS OUT OF POT
LOS ANGEES, UP — The old
age of for pet hens has been pro
vided for by the will of a spin
ster, who set up a chicken feed
to save them from the stew pan.
Miss Claudia M. De Vail, 79,
a piano teacher, died last Feb. 13,
and left $200 in trust to a neigh
bor, Mrs. Wilma Althouse, with
these instructions:
“Please see that my pet hens
get a home. If one cannot be
found, have them put to sleep. I
don’t want them eaten.”
The rest of Miss Du Vail’s
$12,000 estate was left to the
Union Rescue Mission, a “skid
row” charity.
WASHINGTON, Uf) — The Sen
ate passed its version of Presi
dent Eisenhower’s Middle East
resolution 72-18 last night.
The resolution, already passed
in another form by the House,
serves notice on the Kremlin
that America will fight, if need
be, against Communist attack in
the strategic Middle East, and
gives the President more leeway
in use of up to 200 million dollars
in military-economic aid for that
area between now and July 1.
The House first passed the reso
lution 355-61 on Jan. 30 almost
exactly as Eisenhower requested.
The Senate put in a number of
changes in a lengthy debate which
delayed passage for two months
after Eisenhower’s original ur
gent request.
Secretary of State Dulles last
night gave quick approval to the
Senate version, saying “the sub
stance is the same” as in the
House bill.
“It is now clear,” Dulles added,
“that the Congress of the United
States has, by an impressive, non
partisan majority joined with the
President to assure the peoples
of the free nations in the Middle
East that the United States stainds
ready to join with them to build
up their strength and, if need be,
help them defend their national
integrity and independence
against Communist armed aggres
sion.”
James P. Richards, former chair
man of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, conferred with Eisen
hower and Secretary of State
Dulles today regarding a mission
to the Mideast which Richards
will head.
Eisenhower announced plans
for the special mission when he
outlined his Mideast program to
Congress Jan. 5. The Richards
group will explain to affected na
tions the purpose of the Eisen-1
bower program.
Hopson Wins
House Support for
Village Armories
JUNEAXJ, — The command- '
ing officer of Company D of the
First Scout Battalion, Alaska Na
tional Guard, made his first
speech in the Alaska House yes
terday.
It was a plea for passage of a
memorial seeking construction of
prefabricated armories for 51 vil
lage units of the far north mili
tary units.
The speech by the Barrow Dem
ocrat, Rep. Eben Hopson, de
scribed the scout battalions as
“the eyes and ears of Alaska along
the defense lines facing Soviet
Russia.”
The scout battalions are com
posed largely of Eskimo and In
dian natives. Hopson said units
of his outfit are spread over 750
miles. ‘They are very happy to
perform their duties as Alaskan
citizens of the far north.”
Hopson said the scout battalion
units in the villages need “a
warm place to drill and train,
and a safe place to keep their
weapons.” The memorial, speed
ily approvd after Hopson’s speech,
requests the federal government
to supply the armories at govern
ment expense.
Community Will
Observe W orld Day
Of Prayer Friday
The special services on the
World Day of Prayer will again
be held this year at the Nazarene
Church. This is sponsored by the
Nome Ministerial Association, and
will extend from 12 noon until
2 p. m. this coming Friday, March
8 th.
There will be four half hour
periods of prayer, with each of
the periods opening up with sing
ing. The following pastors are
designated to preside at- each
period:
12 Noon .Edgar Bibb
12:30 p. m.Willard Mechlenberg
1:00 p. m.Roald Amundsen
1:30 p. m.Thomas Knudsen
The offering taken will be giv
en to the new missionary worker
of the Alaska Native Hospital at
Anchorage. Alice Green, who has
been a missionary on St. Law
rence Island for many years is
this new visitation worker at the
hospital.
Correct Alaska
Road Building
Figure $22,009,090
JUNEAU, UR — The Alaska
Highway -budget has been boosted
to $22,0-09,000 for the first full
year of Territorial participation
under the Federal Aid Program.
The Department of Commerce
stamped “approved” on Alaska’s
highway system of primary and
secondary roads, and it was first
announced the total construction
and maintenance for the first
year, starting this July 1, would
be $21,459,000.
Then it was discovered the orig
inal announcement was in error.
The corrected budget adds $600,
000 to the appropriation for the
First Division — including an ad
ditional $300,000 in Forest Service
funds.
Highway Engineer Irving Reed
says $50,000 has been taken out
of the -proposed budget for the
Valdez district of the Third Divi
sion. Reed says the error in tabu
lation resulted from a clerical
mistake.
I
Israel Moves Army Out of Gaza on the
Strength of U. S. Peace Promises
By ERIC GOTTGETRU
JERUSAEM, UPi — Israel began
moving out of the Gaza Strip and
the Aqaba Gulf coast today.
Premier David Ben - Gurion
crushed Parliamentary opposition
to the pullout, winning over
whelming votes of confidence. He
said there will be peace “if the
United States and other powers
will keep their promises to us.”
Arab disturbances and an Is
raeli suspicion that the U. N.
emergency force planned to re
store Egyptian administrators in
Gaza interrupted, the flow of ma
teriel from the strategic area for
a few hours.
Authoritative repofts said the
pullout was resumed this after
noon.
The Israeli army announced an
Arab civilian and an Israeli sol
dier were killed and two Israeli
soldiers were wounded during an
outbreak: of sniping and attempted
WHAT KIND OF A TAX
DO YOIJ WANT?
By RUTH McLEAN
At the regular weekly meeting
of the NWA Chamber of Com
merce President Jim Walsh asked
Russell R. Hermann of the Legis
lative Committee to lead a discus
sion of current bills before the
legislators itn Juneau. Mr. Her
mann pointed out that some sort
of tax program seems inevitable—
a territorial sales tax, an export
tax, or a property tax; and the
Second Division legislators are
asking for opinions from home.
As Sen. John McNees has writ
ten to the Chamber, they will ap
preciate hearing of the most
“painless” form of taxation, if
there is such a thing.
Mr. Hermann continued the dis
cussion by pointing out that a ter
ritorial sales tax could raise the
tax in Nome to 4 percent. This
causes alarm among our merchants
for two reasons: it gives a decided
advantage to Outside sellers and
puts the local businessmen in the
role of tax collector.
The amount of tax on local peo
ple will depend on how the bill is
written, if a territorial sales tax
is decided upon, and it is impor
tant that Nome people express
themselves.
Judge Walter H. Hodge com
mented on the possibility of a
property tax and stressed the fact
that the $500 arbitrary assessment
on mining claims should be pro
R.A.F. Transport Crash
Takes 17 Lives in England
CRAYTON, England, UP) — A
British Royal Air Force transport
plane crashed into two farm
houses near its base today and the
Air Ministry announced 17 per
sons were killed.
Fifteen were airmen and two
were occupants of the wrecked
dwellings.
Six police dogs aboard the plane
also perished.
It was making an approach
about two miles from the Abing
don RAF Base, 75 miles northwest
of London, when it smashed into
the farm houses and burned.
Three of the airmen were thrown
clear and escaped with injuries.
looting.
Ben-Gurion slashed at Egypt’s
President Nasser in his speech
■before Parliament preliminary to
the votes that overwhelmed his
foes — the Nationalist Herut, the
Communists and the conservative
General Zionists.
“If the United States and other
powers will keep their word to
us, there will be peace,” Ben
Gurion said. “If they will not
keep their promise and if they
shrink before the Egyptian dic
tator’s threats that he will not
allow Israeli shipping in the
Aqaba Gulf, there will be no
peace.”
Ben-Gurion had reiterated that
Israel rejects the Egyptian-Is
raeli armistice of 1949 as the basis
for the future status of the Gaza
Strip. He held the armistice is
null and void on the ground
Egypt violated it by continued
belligerency.
tested.
The Chamber’s Board of Direc
tors will draft a report on local
reactions to potential tax mea
sures which will be sent to the
Second Division legislators.
Continuing the discussion of
current bills, Wilbur Arnold re
viewed one that proposed to di
vide Alaska into districts and pro
vided for mutual fire-fighting
benefits between districts.
The balance of the meeting per
iod was devoted to a discussion of
the way in which 1957 funds will
'be spent in this area by the Bu
reau of Public Roads. Frank Mor
ris pointed out that the funds
have not yet been received; how
ever, when be returns from a
meeting to be held soon in Juneau
he will have more definite infor
mation on how the money is to be
spent this summer.
P. D. Reader states that small
contractors are anxious for infor
mation on how the funds will be
set up in the beginning of the
master road-building plan for the
Territory. It is likely that the
original plan will be followed dur
ing the succeeding years.
Richard Dee credited Dewey
Goodrich 100 per cent with ob
taining road funds for the Second
Division. He asked the Chamber
to sponsor the suggestion that the
BPW confine its work to the main
tenance of existing roads and not
become involved in building new
roads. Frank Morris stated that it
was the endeavor of the BPW to
contract road work whenever
practical.
Jerry Manning has been asked
to prepare an outline of the Cham
ber’s views on the subject.
Stan Morgan, past president of
the NWA Chamber has re
ceived a letter from Secretary of
( Continued on Rage Two )
Bill in Senate to
Limit Business Tax
To Real Profits
By WILLIAM J. TOBIN
JUNEAU, UP)'— An amendment
making the Alaska gross business
tax applicable only to firms show
ing a profit—regardless of the
amount of gross revenue handled
—was tacked onto a bill in the
Senate yesterday.
The bill would permit the ap
plication of professional associa
tion fees to offset part of the
Territorial business license fees.
The Alaska gross business tax
levies one-half of one per cent on
the first $20,000 worth of business
done by any firm in the Terri
tory. An additional one-quarter
of one per cent is imposed on the
gross receipts above $20,000. Un
der the existing law, the tax is
due whether any profit is made
or not.
The mental health commitment
bill — recognized as a “must” —
was put before the chairmen of
the Senate and House rules com
mittees yesterday.
A bill calling for big boosts in
taxes paid for gill nets and stake
nets for salmon fishing was intro
duced in the House.
The bill would amend a license
tax on the nets — now collected
at the rate of $2 for each 100
fathoms of net. A fathom is 5
feet.