m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LIX No. 31 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY,. MARCH 13, 1957 Per Copy—15tf
IN ALASKA’S LEGISLATURE
By WILLIAM J. TOBIN
PIN BALL MACHINES
JUNEAU, iffI — The judiciary
committee of the Territorial
House has reported out two bills
regulating pinball machines.
One of them defines various
types of coin-operated devices,
and would set new tax levies,
ranging from $10 a year on music
machines up to $200 a year on
slot machines.
The other is a bill to limit the
number of pin ball machines to
four in any one establishment. It
also would make it illeegal for
anyone under 21 to operate any
coin device other than a vending
machine or a music machine.
Opponents of these restrictions
charge they are aimed at so-called
arcades — business establishments
with dozens of varieties of coin
operated devices.
The bill setting the taxes on the
pin ball machines was put on the
House calendar. But the so-called
anti-arcade measure was sent back
to the judiciary committee, pend
ing a formal report on it by the
full committee. *
* * *
LIQUOR EXCISE TAX
The bill boosting the xecise tax
on alcoholic beverages came back
to the House Monday and the
lower chamber refused to accept
Senate amendments to the meas
ure.
The House had passed the bill
two weeks ago, calling for an in
crease in the wholesale tax on
beer from 10 cents to 25 cents a
gallon, on wine from 25 cents
to 50 cents a gallon, and on liquor
from $3 to $3.50 a gallon.
The Senzfte boosted the tax on
beer another 25 cents — up to
50 cents — and knocked off the
emergency clause, in a vote Sat
urday.
The House voted 18-6 not to ac
cept the Senate version of the
beer tax — an unanimously re
fuse to accept the deletion of the
emergency clause.
Without the emergency provi
sion, the new taxes would not be
come effective until 90 days after
enactment.
The House will ask the Senate
to rescind its action in raising the
beer levy, and to restore the emer
gency clause.
Hawaii and Alaska
Statehood Supported in
Colorado State Senate
DENVER, iffi — Colorado’s state
senate passed a memorial to Con
gress yesterday asking that Alas
ka and Hawaii be granted state
hood.
“It is time we recognize the
people who stand at our fron
tiers today and probably will re
ceive the first blow in the next
war,” said the principal sponsor,
Sen. George Wilson (D-Nucla).
“Only selfish interests stand in
the way” of statehood for Alaska
and Hawaii, declared the co-spon
sor, Sen. Neal D. Bishop (D
Denver).
... mi... 11 I
JUVENILE CODE
A new juvenile code for Alas
ka passed the Senate on a 14-2
vote.
The new code broadens and
spells out procedures for handling
I juvenile delinquents and young -
| sters who become wards of the
, territory.
j It puts most juvenile cases in
I the hands of justice courts and
| is designed to eliminate conflicts
between the handling of cases be
I tween local magistrates and U. S.
j commissioners. The bill now goes
j to the House.
Along the same lines, the Sen
| ate passed, 13-3, a resolution to
\ transfer $15,000 from general sup
1 port of juvenile homes for the
i current biennium. The money will
i go to make up i a deficit in the
[ construction of a juvenile home
at Ketchikan — at an estimated
cost of $76,692.
* * ❖
LAME DUCK BILL
j The so-called lame duck bill
now has passed the Senate for the
second time — and is enroute
again to the governor’s office. The
bill will change the starting dates
j of the terms of office of three j
j top territorial officials — from
j April 1, after their election in
October.
It applies to the attorney gener
al, the treasurer and the territor
ial highway engineer.
t
* * *
45th DAY OF LEGISLATURE
Today is the 45th day of the
Legislature, and the last regular
day for the introduction of bills
other than revenue measures. Af
ter today, it will take a two
thirds vote of either house to get
a new bill in.
Yesterday 18 bills were intro
duced in the House and two in
the Senate. They raised to 209 the
number introduced in the House
in the first 44 days of the Legis
| lature, and to 113 the number
put in the Senate.
That’s not counting dozens of
resolutions and memorials — as
well as another couple of dozen
committee substitutes for various
other bills.
Soviets Develop ‘Flying
Whale’ Transport Plane
LONDON UR — Soviet designers
are developing a new transport
plane already nicknamed “the fly
ing whale.”
Moscow radio quoted one of the
designers, Oleg Antonov, as say
ing:
“To compare this machine with
the whale is apt. The plane re
minds one of an amiable whale.
A town bus could easily drive in
through the rear doors of the air
craft. In its use of fuel the “fly
ing whale” is twice as economical
as any of our present transport
aircraft.”
The broadcast gave no other
i details.
Plans for New
Radio Station Told
In City Council
Everett Bacheldor announced to
the City Council the plans for
the 50,000-watt radio station
which he terms an “iron curtain”
broadcasting station which is in
the planning stage and which is
scheduled to start developing rap
idly h\the near future. Bacheldor
told the council that the station
beamed on countries behind the
iron curtain would be a non
profit commercial station with a
solid schedule of good programs
and music.
Continuing pre-bonding working
on the water and sewerage dis
posal project was discussed and a
letter from the APW informed the
council of interest and possible
maintenance cost on a $600,000
project now in the planning. The
(Continued on Page Two)
Eisenhower Tells Congress It’s Their
Job to Make Desired Budget Cuts
WASHNGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower said today he will be
as helpful as possible but it is
up to Congress to determine how
and whether the Administration’s
$71.8 billion budget can be cut.
The President also told a news
conference he has abandoned ten
tative plans to go to Florida for
his health.
He said that instead he plans
to leave probably tomorrow night
for Bermuda by Navy cruiser.
Eisenhower will open four days
of talks in Bermuda with British
Prime Minister Harold McMillan
March 21. The President said he
plans a leisurely cruise to Ber
muda.
Eisenhower’s remarks regard
ing budget cutting were in reply
to a request for comment on House
passage yesterday of a resolution
asking the President to point out
where the Administration’s bud
get can be cut “substanially.”
Asked what he plans to do
about that House call for advice,
Eisenhower said anew he would
have no objection to re-examin
ing the budget, and added he will
be just as helpful as h can in
trying to find ways to cut spend
ing.
But he went on to say it is
Congress which authorizes spe
cific projects and provides the
money to finance them, and for
Pilot in Airlines Crash
Leaves Large Estate
SEATTLE, GP) — Lawrence F.
Currie, the Alaska Airlines pilot
who crashed into Washington’s
Olympic mountains recently, left
a sizeable estate.
A probate statement submitted
in Seattle yesterday showed he
left $72,000 worth of life insur
ance, and a $26,000 estate to his
widow, Helen Marie Currie. Five
died in the crash of the plane
near Port Townsend.
Teamsters Union Head Will Object
To Congress Probing Personal Business
JAMES HUTCHESON
SEATTLE, (fft — Is Dave Beck
a millionaire, as he oft-times has
been described
The teamsters’ union president
wouldn’t say yes and he wouldn’t
say no to newsmen here last
night.
“It’s as easy to say Beck is a
millionaire as it is to say he has
$200,” said the voluble one-time
truck driver in answering ques
tions about his financial status
as head of the nation’s largest
labor union.
Then, at his first news confer
ence since his hurried flight home
from Europe under the pressure
of Senate investigators, he listed
some 'of the real estate deals that
he said had brought him a tidy
fortune.
He did it while asserting that
that reason it is up to Congress
to decide where any cuts should be
made.
Eisenhower made one suggestion
—that Congress move to eliminate
the Post Office Department’s defi
cit by providing for greater mail
revenue.
This was Eisenhower’s first news
conference since he announced at
his meeting with newsmen last
week that he had developed a head
cold which had temporarily im
paired his hearing.
Asked today how he was feel
ing, the President replied he feels
some better. He went to Walter
Reed Army Hospital yesterday for
a new physical checkup. He said
the doctors told him he was in
good shape.
if the special Senate committee
for investigating alleged labor
union rackets tries to pry into his
^personal financial affairs, he is
prepared to invoke the 5th amend
ment unless his attorneys advise
him otherwise.
Beck said he had “much busi
ness” outside the union, much of it
in association with other persons
; “far removed” from the union.
“I desire not to take the 5th
Amendment,” he said, “•but I
might,” if the committee ques
tions him about personal finances.
Beck did not explain on what
specific grounds he* might take
the 5th Amendment.
As to union affairs, including
the union’s purchase of his swank
Lakeside home for $163,000, Beck
said he will be ready to testify
freely “the minute they tell me
of a date” to appear in Washing
ton.
He insisted his record as head
of the union and as a financier
are clean.
But,' he delared, any probing
into his personal finances would
affect other people — his asso
ciates and his wife — and “it is
far removed from union affairs.”
Bill by von der Heydt
For Party-line Offenses
JUNEAU, UP) — A bill was intro
duced in the Territorial House
yesterday making it a misdemean
or for a person to refuse to give
up use of a party line telephone
in case another party needs the
line for an emergency call.
Th bill, sponsored by Rep. James
von der Heydt (D-Nome), is sim
ilar to laws passed by a number
of states. It defines as an emer
gency a situation in which prop
erty or human life are in jeopar
dy and a time when prompt sujn
moning of aid is essential.
House Statehood Hearing Hears
Testimony by Alaska Delegation
By FRANK VAILLE
WASHINGTON, UP)—Considera
tion by the full House Interior
Committee of a possible threat to
House action on statehood for
Alaska and Hawaii temporarily
sidetracked today a subcommit
tee’s hearing on Alaska statehood
bills.
The subcommittee hearing was
rescheduled to follow discussion at
today’s full committee session of a
resolution requiring statehood bills
to be cleared through the House
Rules Committee.
Gruening, Rivers, Egan
On tap to resume the statehood
testimony were Alaska’s three
member provisional Congressional
delegation — “Sens.*’ Ernest
Gruening and William Egan, and
“Rep.” Ralph Rivers.
In his prepared statement, Egan
said he is convinced that history
contains a “wealth of recorded
evidence to sustain the reasoning
of those citizens who maintain
that statehood for Alaska was long
ago officially committed as the
ultimate heritage for Alaska.”
All the Rights of Citizens
He said it was “no accidental
terminology” that the treaty of
cession, toy which the United
States acquired Alaska from Rus
sia in 1867, provided that resi
dents of Alaska “shall toe ad
mitted to the enjoyment of all the
rights, advantages and immuni
ties of citizens of the United
States. . . .”
“That part of the sentence,”
£gan said, “was inserted because
the great men of that time, in
cluding Secretary of State William
Henry Seward, meant to leave
no doubt that Alaska’s destiny was
to one day become a great state
in the American union.”
Seaton in Hospital
Meanwhile, it appeared possible
( Continued on Page Two )
St. Patrick’s Day Party
THURSDAY EVENING, 8:00, PIONEER HALL, ADMISSION $1.25
MUSIC ^ SINGING ^ ALASKA’S FAVORITE GAME —Sponsored by the Women of St. Joseph’s Church