THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P.O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH x ' $16.00 A YEAR
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the
postoffice at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
A RISE IN CONGRESSIONAL PAY?
The question of higher pay and larger expense ac
counts for all members of Congress is alive once again
in Washington. One of the reasons it has been brought
up at this time is the furore which was caused in the
1952 election campaign when it was revealed that
some of the candidates had accepted money from pri
vate sources.
The question of higher pay and larger expense al
lowances is nothing new in Congress. The Congress
periodically votes itself increases, although there is
some question whether the increases have kept pace
with the increased cost of living in recent years. The
latest raise came only a few years ago and the present
base salary is $12,500 a year for Senators and Congress
men, in addition to an expense allowance of $2,500,
which has been tax-free, but upon which taxes will
have to be paid this year. Thus, salaries this year will
be $15,000, taxes to be paid on all of it.
Members of Congress are given a travel allow
ance, but this does not cover all the trips they make
between their homes and Washington and could be
liberalized with good effect. Some Congressmen sup
plement their earnings by putting members of their
family on the payroll and this adds to the $15,000 in
come earned by these members. It is interesting to note
here that Senators, representing an entire state, incur
more expenses in operating their offices than do mem
bers of Congress, though the salaries are the same.
In any adjustment, it would not be out of line for
the differences in duties of Senators and Congressmen
to be taken into consideration. The $12,000 salary, (or
the $15,000 salary as it stands today) should be main
tained. Expense allowances and travel allowances,
however, should be increased in keeping with the
times. There is no reason some of the expense allow
ance should not be tax-free and this allowance should
be greater for Senators than for Congressmen.
The average voter would probably approve a rea
sonable bill along this line, one which would not in
crease salaries but merely provide these public ser
vants with more practical expense allowances.
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GOP Group Asks
Demo Appointees
To Resign Posts
JUNEAU, UP)— The Alaska Re
publican Central Committee met
Wednesday night to seek an
agreement on a recommendation
for governor but Chairman Elson
Engstrom reported after the mid
night adjournment that the only
endorsement reached was for
Larry Moore for manager of the
Alaska Railroad. Moore is man
ager of the Alaska General Con
tractors.
Engstrom replied to a question
put during the open part of the
meeting that he h^d received a
wire from B. Frank Heintzeman,
Alaska regional forester, that he
will “recognize the Republican
Central Committee” if named
governor.
Reports from Washington, D.C.,
two weeks ago indicated that
Heintzleman’s appointment was
imminent until the Alaska Cen
tral Committee pressed for a voice
in the appointment. Engstrom
said this was the “first I’ve heard
from Heintzleman.”
Other reports have indicated
that party leaders have frowned
on Heintzleman because he has
not been identified with party
activities.
Ray Beach, committee secre
tary, disclosed he wired Secretary
of the Interior McKay at one
stage to delay ap appointment
until after Engstrom’s arrival in
Washington on Jan. 16.
Whether Heintzleman’s wire
would increase his chances of ob
taining committee endorsement
remained conjectural.
In another resolution, the com
mittee called on all appointees of
the Democratic administration to
resign their positions in the terri
tory. The resolution, sponsored
by Rep. Herald Stringer, Anchor
age Republican, said Republicans
did the same after the Roosevelt
election. Beach said there are
about 500 jobs to be filled by ap
pointment in the territory.
Ocean Van Line
Joins Wien Airlines
To Service Nome
SEATTLE, UP)—Ocean Van Line
has joined with Wien Alaska Air
lines to Fairbanks to give con
necting air-rail-ocean service to 69
north Alaska communities, Man
ager T. A. Thronson announced
Wednesday.
Cargo vans shipped north by
sea, starting with the Motorship
Alaska Spruce on Jan. 30, will go
via Alaska Railroad from Seward
to Fairbanks and then the ship
ments will be picked up by the
air line for such points as Nome,
Kotzebue, Point Barrow and the
other areas.
APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS
2 Vi-YEAR SENTENCE OF
ALASKA TAX COLLECTOR
SAN FRANCISCO, UP) — The
Ninth Federal Appeals Court to
day upheld the 2V£-year sentence
of Archie L. Brown, deputy tax
collector in Alaska.
Brown was sentenced in August
1951 for misappropriating $4,350
in office funds. The appeals court
said his contention that the trial
court erred was without merit.
NOTICE
The Nome Skin Sewers Coop
erative Assn., will hold its an
nual meeting Feb. 2, 1953, at 2:00
p.m. at the Nome Skin Sewers
building. All members are asked
to attend. 13
Sens. Lyng, Barnes
Ask Repeal off
Reorganization Act
JUNEAU, UP) — Repealer bills
were the order of the day in the
Alaska Senate Wednesday.
S'ens. Lyng, Nome Democrat,
and Barnes, Wrangell Republican,
introduced a measure to repeal
the reorganization act passed in
the closing hours of the last legis
lature. Lyng opposed its passage
in the Senate in 1951 and Mrs.
Barnes, then a representative, op
posed it in the House.
The reorganization act proposed
eliminating the auditor and treas
urer as elective offices and reor
ganized the Territorial Board of
Administration, but was never put
fully into effect. 9
Eleven of the 16 senators also
joined in introducing a bill to re
peal the general property tax en
acted at the last session. They
were Sens. Lyng; Jensen, Douglas
Democrat; and Republicans Step
ovich, Fairbanks; Robison, An
chorage; Engstrom, Juneau; Lha
mon, Fairbanks; Gorsuch, Anch
orage; Barnes and Coble, Fair
banks; Snider, Wasilla; and Jones,
Nome.
Another bill by Sens. Gorsuch
and Robison would provide an
elective board of education, with
one member from each division
and one elected from the terri
tory-at-large.
SEATTLE, Iff) — Washington’s
commercial fishermen took 69
pounds of seafood for every man,
woman and child in the state last
year. The total landings were re
ported to be one of the heaviest
in 20 years.
Gov. Gruening Says No
General Tax Raise Needed
I Rut Would Raise Gas Tax
!
(Continued from Page One)
in the States and even far below
Canada and that there has been
congressional criticism over “rel
ative lowness of our motor fuel
and truck licensing taxes.”
He added that if such additional
tax funds are marked for roads,
airport and harbor facilities, “I
doubt whether there would be
serious public opposition to the
increase.”
A substantial part of the motor
fuel revenue will come from the
growing traffic into Alaska over
the Alaska Highway and from
fishing boats “down below.”
With emphasis the governor
told the lawmakers:
“This legislature, perhaps more
than any previous one, with a
budget easily balanceable and the
largest surplus in our history, and
with an expanding economy, has
the opportunity to make secure a
; permanently prosperous Alaska
with a widely diversified econ
omy.”
In closing his comprehensive
two-hour message, the governor
admonished the legislators to
“seek to match nature’s bounties
in Alaska with a corresponding
breadth of purpose and vision.
“It is a great challenge, a great
opportunity, a great goal,” he
said. Towards its attainment I
wish you every success and pledge
you my full cooperation.”
Most legislators who'were asked,
for comment said they considered
it much more conciliatory in tone
than most of his previous mes
sages, and a inclusive survey of
territorial affairs.
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