m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS__
VOL. LXII No. 148 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1960_Per Copy 15^
B52G Jet Bomber
Makes 10,000 Mile
Nonstop Flight
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE,
Calif. I/Pi — A U. S. Air Force
B52G jet bomber landed today
after a 10,000-mile nonstop flight
without refueling, breaking two
world long-distance flight records,
the Air Force announced.
The eight-jet Boeing bomber
was aloft 19 hours, 45 minutes.
It was flown by a crew from
the 5th Bombardment Wing at
Travis AFB, Calif., on a closed
circuit course to El Paso, Tex.;
Andrews AFB, Md.; Harmon
Base, Newfoundland; E i e 1 s o n
AFB, Fairbanks, Alaska; Phillip,
S. D., and back here.
Lt. Col. Thomas R. Grissom,
36, Rapid City, S. D., commanded
the plane and a seven-man crew
on the historic flight, a mission
of the Strategic Air Command’s
combat ready alert forces.
The swept-wing B52G in today’s
accomplishment weighed 480,000
pounds gross at takeoff. It is 156
feet long. It is from the 23rd
Bomb Squadrin at Travis.
15th Air Force Commander Lt.
Gen. Archie J. Old Jr., said: “The
B52G, combined with the Hound
Dog air-to-ground guided missile,
is one of the most formidable
weapons ever designed.”
“This record flight demon
strated again the versatility of
the nation’s manned-bomber force
and its ability to strike any
enemy target any time from any
where on the globe.”
The B52G has a range of more
than 10,000 miles, flies at 650
miles an hour and can carry two
Hound Dog missiles, one under
each wing. The nuclear-warhead
missiles have a range of more
than 500 miles at supersonic
speeds.
The B52G also can carry a nu
clear payload in its bomb bay,
more destructive power than was
dropped by all the Axis and Al
lied bombers in World War II
combined.
STRIKE IS COSTLY
TO AIR FRANCE
PARIS UP) — The cost of a strike
by crews of Air France’s big 707
longline jets rose to at least $9
million today with no settlement
in sight.
The Air France fleet of medium
range Caravelle jets and general
propeller transports was not af
fected by the long-line jet strike
which began Dec. 9. The crews
walked out in a dispute over fly
ing hours and premium pay.
Company officials estimate the
loss in revenue at the rate of
$1.8 million daily. Much of the
loss has gone to competing air
lines.
Although talks have continued
between the strikers and the line
no sign of a break has appeared.
Alaska National Guardsmen
To March in Inaugural Parade
Marching in the inaugural
parade to represent the 49th State
will be 80 hand-picked Alaska
National Guardsmen, it was an
nounced by Lester Bronson today.
Funds to provide these men
with per diem are being raised
so that each man will get $15.00
per day or a total of $1200. Chair
man of the committee to raise
$200, which is the amount allocated
to the Northwestern Alaska Dis
trict, is Don Foster who will be
assisted by Bob Erwin.
Alaska, New York High
On School Expenditures
WASHINGTON UFl — Alaska
and New York spend more than
any other states for each elemen
tary and secondary school pupil
in average daily attendance. Their
average in the present school year
is $585.
Oregon ranks 8th with an
average expenditure per pupil of
$448. Washington is 12th with
$430. Idaho stands 40th with $285,
lowest outside of the south. Ala
bama is at the bottom of the list
with $217.
The figures for the 50 states
and the District of Columbia were
reported Wednesday by the Re
search Division of the National
Education Association.
Alaska not only is tied for the
highest per pupil expenditure but
pays its teachers more than any
state—an average of $6,600 a
year.
Washington’s teacher-pay aver
age is $5,510, Oregon’s $5,500.
Only 13 states do better. Idaho’s
$4,400 is 36th. The national aver
age is $5,215.
The NEA gave this breakdown
on 1960 enrollment, 1959 and
1960 average teacher salaries, and
1959 and 1960 expenditures per
pupil, in that order:
Alaska $35,000 elementary. $7,
400 secondary, $6,500, $6,600. $570
and $585.
Education Commissioner
Theo Norby Arrives For
Conferences In Nome
Arriving this morning for a con
ference here on the proposed vo
cational school for this area are
Dr. Theo Norby, Commissioner
of Education and Carol Sader,
acting director of Vocational Edu
cation.
Coming on an invitation from
the Chamber of Commerce to
look over two possible sites. They
will meet with the Steering Com
mittee for the school at a no-host
dinner this evening to discuss the
needs and purpose of the school.
New Government Set
Up in Ethiopia
LONDON UP) — Crown Prince
Asfa Wassan announced over
Addis Ababa radio today that
a new government has been set
up in Ethiopia.
The broadcast said the aim of
the new government is to end
“3,000 years of injustice.”
The crown prince, 45-year-old
eldest son of the Emperor Haile
Selassie, declared the new regime
is backed by the army and police.
Diplomatic sources in London
said the crown prince announced
the formation of a new govern
ment consisting of himself, the
army and “educated Ethiopians.”
Arrivals and Departures
Arriving from Fairbanks with
Wien Airlines yesterday were Mrs.
H. O. Clark, Mr. and Mrs. Elkan
Morris, Earl Bott and Harvey
Ellis.
Departing for Kotzebue were
Mrs. Audrey Clark, Fred Miller,
Dean KCttner and Lucy Baldwin
For Fairbanks were Deputy Mar
shall T. R. McRoberts, Isaac
Piendlook, Howard Nunooruk,
Steven Attatayuk, Ray Shields
and Glenn Halmer. Also leaving
were Mrs. Henry Pearson, mother
of Mrs. Bob Harwood; Gene Mor
ris and family; B. Chrestmas; J.
Idom and Viola Ezekemew. Ar
riving from Kotzebue were
Charles Maxwell, C. Tikik and
D. Outwater.
Eskimo Education
Funds Proposed
By ‘Pioneer Pete’
The Pioneer Pete Eskimo Edu
cation Fund, a plan developed to
help Eskimos get a college educa
tion has been proposed by Victor
Rovier of the Pioneer Pete In
surance Agency. The fund is being
backed by the Alaska National
Guard Officers Assn, and Col.
Charles Casper, is oppealing to
officers of all units of the organi
zation to get behind the project
so that the goal objective of $60,
000 may be reached.
The fund will be administered
by a non-profit corporation, in
corporated under Alaska Law.
Arrangements are being made,
stated Casper, with the University
of Alaska, Alaska Methodist Uni
versity, the Bureau of Indian Af
fairs and others. Students will be
nominated by village councils.
These, students upon gradua
tion, will repay the fund for the
amount borrowed to get through
college. They will also agree to
return to the villages for the
same number of years as spent
under the program. This will not
be a charity program. It will af
ford some of these people a college
educational opportunity.
“To us, in the National Guard,
the impact of this program, alone,
is worth every effort we can
make toward it’s success,” said
Col. Casper.
Noted Baritone Singer
Passes Away in Calif.
APPLE VALLEY, Calif. UR —
Death caused by cancer has
silenced the deep, rich voice of
baritone John Charles Thomas,
68, one of America’s most beloved
singers.
The barrel-chested star of
opera, concert stage and radio
died at his home yesterday. Ill
for months with intestinal cancer,
the singer had spent his last days
in a coma.
Although still widely sought for
concert appearances, Thomas re
tired from the circuit in 1953.
Since 1954 he and his wife,
Dorothy, had lived in this desert
community northeast of Los An
geles.
His big, booming voice became
familiar to millions between 1942
and 1947 when he sang regularly
over the National Broadcasting
Co. radio network. He habitually
signed off his program with the
words, “Good Night, Mother”—
a reference to his singer mother,
Anna Dorothea Schnabel Thomas.
ACTOR-PRODUCER RATOFF
DIES IN SWITZERLAND
SOLOTHURN, Switzerland UR—
American actor-director Gregory
Ratoff, 63, died in the Solothurn
Citizens’ Clinic early today of
blood cancer.
Ratoff, who wrote many of the
original scripts of stage plays and
films he directed, was born on
April 20, 1897, in Petrograd, now
Leningrad, in Russia, where he
began his stage career after
finishing commercial college. He
went to New York in 1932 to ap
pear on Broadwa.y
Ratoff had been living in Milan,
Italy, with his wife, Maria Kostes,
a well known singer. He was
stricken last fall and came to
Switzerland for treatment by Prof.
Sven Moeschlin, one of Switzer
land’s leading blood disease spe
cialists, who diagnosed his illness
as Leukemia.
POSTPONE SHOT INTO
THE MOON ORBIT
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. </P>—
Technical trouble today forced at
least a one-day postponement of
an attempt to launch an American
space craft toward an intended
orbit about the moon.
The 338-pound space craft is
intended to become the first lunar
satellite. Its load of electronic
equipment is designed to make
the most extensive study yet at
tempted of the moon’s environ
ment.
The countdown on the 98-foot
Atlas-Able booster rocket pro
gressed to within seven minutes of
the scheduled lift-off time today
when the attempt was called off.
Scientists had only a 21-minute
span—from 2:58 a. m. to 3:19 a. m.
in which to fire the rocket to put
it on the proper course to the
moon, 240,000 miles away. When
it became apparent the trouble
could not be corrected in time,
the shot was postponed.
Today was the second day of
a five-day period in which the
moon is in a favorable position
for the launching. If the trouble
is minor, another launch effort
may be made tomorrow. If the
Atlas-Able does not get off the
ground by Saturday, the shot will
be put off until the next ideal
period, 28 days from now.
Nixon Gains a Little
More on Popular Votes
WASHINGTON UP) — President
elect Kennedy’s popular vote
margin over Vice President Nixon
has been pared a little more by
the official vote count from Mas
sachusetts.
The Massachusetts canvass gave
Nixon 1,256 more votes than in
previous unofficial tallies. That
cut Kennedy’s over-all edge over
Nixon to 113,554 votes, out of a
total of 68,819,348 cast in the
nation.
Illinois and Rhode Island have
yet to turn in official counts.
As it stands now the popular vote
is Kennedy 34,220,496 and Nixon
34,106,942, with 491,910 votes
listed for minor party candidates.
Illinois Electoral Board
Overrides GOP Protests
SPRINGFIELD, 111. (UP) — Illin
ois’ Republican-dominated elec
toral board unanimously overrode
GOP protests and certified the
state’s 27 electoral votes for John
F. Kennedy today.
Some Republicans had sought
to block certification on the con
tention there had been fraudulent
voting and irregularities in the
Nov. 8 election in predominantly
Democratic Cook County (Chica
go).
Kennedy defeated Vice Presi
dent Nixon in Illinois by only
8,489 votes. The electoral board
consists of four Republican mem
bers and one Democrat.
Gov. William G. Stratton,
board chairman, and the other
board members said that suffi
cient evidence to back up vote
fraud charges in Chicago were
not presented at the hearing.
Stratton said he would not have
hesitated to withhold approval of
the Democratic electors on a
“showing overwhelming fraud.”
But, he said “I don’t feel this show
has been made here today.”
WEATHER FORECAST
Continued cloudy with light
snow. Low tonight 15 to 20. High
tomorrow 25 to 30.
Dr. Wm. Wood
States U of Alaska
One of the Best
“The eyes of the world are on
Alaska as it is a new state and
its spirit is that of a young nation
comparable to the spirit which
founded the greatest nation of
this world,” stated Dr. Wm. Wood,
President of the University of
Alaska, speaking at the Chamber
of Commerce luncheon on Mon
day.
Monday evening as main speak
er at a dinner in his honor many
alumni were present as well as
most of the parents of University
students. Also a full city council,
complete with mayor and city
clerk were in attendance.
Never at any time in history
has there been such interest in
higher education, stated Dr. Wood.
America is carrying the brunt of
world progress and higher educa
tion is now regarded as the key
factor in national and interna
tional policy, he explained. The
University has become the instru
ment of molding the future of
America, therefore much attention
is on the graduate school and re
search field.
Dr. Wood emphasized that the
University of Alaska is an all
Alaska institution of higher learn
ing and with its field stations,
experimental stations, as well as
community colleges, all under one
Board of Regents and one budget
has a real advantage over most
of the other states of the union.
He added that work of private col
leges in the state will comple
ment the work being done by our
land grant college and help more
students to learn beyond the high
school level.
Dr. Wood explained some of the
projected plans for the University,
such as a biological research pro
gram which will start soon under
a grant from the National Science
Foundation. Possibly a program
of economic research in business
and government which in turn
will result in bringing more resi
dents and new industry to the
state.
An interesting new program
at the University is the study of
Alaskan languages as there are
7 Indian languages and two
known Eskimo languages which
must be preserved for an insight
in cultural history and are very
important in the research program
of the new state.
President Pearse Walsh called
attention to the mining industry
which started here from a gold
pan with pick and shovel, devel
oped into a hydraulic operation
and then into the complex method
of dredging. Since the cold water
thaw was discovered in 1924 there
has been no progress in methods
of mining, he said. The time has
come to put atomic energy to
peacetime use by trying it out
on the permafrost and cutting the
cost of gold mining production.
The test at Cape Thompson will
open up Northern Alaska, he
prophesized.
Red China to Trade with Japan*
TOKYO UPi — Japan today dis
closed plans to ease curbs on
trade with Communist China. The
move could open the way for the
first direct business between
Japan and the China mainland
in more than 2Vt years.
Peiping cut off trade with.
Japan in anger over an alleged
insult to its flag in Nagasaki in
May 1958.