™s NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_^
VOL. LX No. 152 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1958 Per Copy—154
ESC Recommends
Changes In
Alaska Law
JUNEAU, UB — Two major pro
posals were among 12 changes
the Employment Security Com
mission has recommended in
Alaska’s jobles insurance pro
gram.
The 10 minor recommendations
were approved unanimously by
the five-man commission, at a
week-long meeting that ended
here Saturday.
The two major proposals, which
will go before the first State Leg
islature next year, passed on split
votes — without the support of
the two labor members of the
commission.
The lack of labor support cast
doubts on the possibility of ap
proval of the major recommenda
tions by the Democratic-controlled
lawmaking session
The major recommendations in
cluded one that an experience
rating system be made part of the
Alaska act. Such a system would
mean that employers would pay
varying tax rates, with the low
est levies imposed on those with
stable employment records.
Also approved without a una
nimous vote was a proposal that
would change the qualifying pro
vision of the act. In effect, the
change would extend the length
of time a person would have to
work before becoming eligible for
jobless benefits.
Part of the proposals were that
both employer and employe pay
taxes to the ESC on total annual
wages paid to the workers.
The recommendation called for
a tax rate for employes of one
half on one per cent of total
wages, instead of the present rate
of one-half of one per cent on a
maximum of $4,200 a year.
The proposed tax rate for em
ployers would vary from a min
imum of two per cent of the em
ploye’s total wage up to an un
specified maximum.
The recommendation said the
maximum rate should be set at a
sufficient level to insure that the
present program would be ade
quately financed, and with an ad
ditional yield of one million dol
lars a year to be used to pay off
an eight million dollar debt the
jobless fund owes to the federal
government.
G O P To Hold
Des Moines Meeting
WASHINGTON, UP) — Repub
licans will meet in Des Moines,
Iowa, next month to pick a 1960
convention site and start working
on that year’s election campaign.
The five-day series will include
meetings of a convention site com
mitee January 19-20, the GOP
executive committee January 21,
and the full Republican National
Committee January 22-23.
The site committee will re
ceive bids from interested cities
and may make a recommendation
for action by the national commit
tee later in the week. The meet
ing comes a week after a Demo
cratic site committee receives for
mal bids at a New Orleans meet
ing January 16. The Democratic
group will report to its full com
mittee on February 27.
Seven cities already have sub
mitted informal bids for the Dem
ocratic convention, and all are re
ported interested also in the Re
publican meeting They are Chi
cago. Los Angeles, San Francisco,
Miami Beach, Philadelphia, New
York and Atlantic City.
First Day of Winter
Starts With Cold Wave
(By The Associated. Press)
Paralyzing cold gripped much
of the northeast as winter arrived
today.
The mercury plunged to Arctic
depths in the mountains of New
England, New York and Pennsyl
vania. Unofficially, Bloomingdale
in the Adirondacks 'bid for low
honors with a report of 38 de
grees below zero.
Winter’s start in the central and
western parts of the country was
much more subdued. Although it
was quite chilly in northern mid
west areas.
It was below freezing in the
eastern Gulf states and readings
were in the 30s in the extreme
northwest Florida and through
most of the states from South Car
olina and Georgia to> central
Texas.
Killed in Auto Accident
Ann Dwyer Smith
SEATTLE, CP! — Graveside serv
ices for Mrs. Anne Dwyer Smith,
52, will foe held here today in
Holyrood Cemetery. Mrs. Smith
lived for a number of years in
Name. She was killed Thursday
in an automobile accident here.
Her husband, Robert L. Smith,
was injured critically.
FORGOT CORNERSTONE
HOUSTON, Tex., UP) — Cere
monies marking the placing of the
cornerstone of the new one mil
lion dollar First Christian Church
were held up momentarily. Dr.
John C. Knowles, pastor, said
someone forgot to bring the cor
nerstone.
STOP THAT YAWN!
LONG BEACH, Calif., UP> —
James L. Cocrell, 24. should have
stifled that yawn.
He stretched so prodigiously in
yawning that he dislocated his
right shoulder and had to be hos
pitalized.
The yawn came while Cocrell
was attending a class in consumer
education at Long Beach State
College.
Cocrell is a school teacher,
himself.
Inauguration Set
For January 10
JUNEAU, UPl — Formal inaugu
ration ceremonies for Alaska’s
first elected governor and secre
tary of state were set today for
Saturday, January 10.
The ceremonies here are ex
pected to follow by about a week
Alaska’s formal admission into
the union
The decision on the date was
announced by Felix J. Toner,
chairman of the Democratic Na
tional Committee and head of the
inaugural committee.
The date set for the ceremonies
means that Egan probably will be
sworn into office privately some
days before the public ceremony.
Statehood will come on a pro
clamation of President Eisen
hower, presumably about January
3. Certification of the election re
sults, necessary before the pro
clamation can be issued, will not
be made before December 26.
The issuance; of the proclama
tion before the inaugural cere
monies means that Egan would
have to be sworn in immediately,
with the public festivities to fol
low as scheduled.
Egan Discharged
From Hospital
JUNEAU, OR — Governor-elect
William Egan was discharged from
St. Ann’s Hospital Saturday. He
had undergone minor surgery two
weeks ago.
The work schedule planned by
the 44-year-old Democrat has not
been announced, but the Gover
nor-elect was not expected to put
in heavy office hours before
Christmas.
It appeared likely Egan would
hold a number of informal con
ferences, including discussions
for arrangements ushering in the
new state government
The inauguration will coincide
with a Presidential proclamation
admitting Alaska to the union as
the 49th State.
French Frogman Swims Raging
600-Mile Fraser River Through B.C.
NEW WESTMINSTER, B. C.,
UP) — Biting cold had puffed his
face, his lips were twice the nor
mal size and his forehead showed
ugly scarss, pu,t there by jagged
but an attempt to prove the frog
man Louis Lourmais was not
beaten.
“I am mad like ’ell at thees
river,” said the former under
ground fighter yesterday after be
coming the first man ever to swim
the mighty Fraser River from
Prince George to the coast.
Swimming -the nearly 600 miles
through wilderness rarely seen
by man, the solid 200-pounder
from Brest, Brittany, often had
to smash through ice with his
fists during the 17-day swim.
But the 38-year-old frogman
who once led a party that blew
up 200 German ammunition trains
during World War II, appeared in
excellent condition when h e
stepped ashore here to the cheers
of hundreds. He was greeted by
his two daughters and local and
provincial officials
His wife Lillian, '35, swam part
of the way with him but traveled
the final, comparatively easy, 15
miles downstream alongside in a
dinghy.
It wasn’t adventure, insisted
Lourmals, that prompted the epic,
but an attempt to prove the frog
man’s usefulness is not restricted
to warm water. He did.
Air temperatures were often
below zero and the water temper
atures read 32.4 degree# as Lour
mais battled the turbulent river
in a foam rubber lined suit. He
rested ashore at night.
He passed the most dangerous
stretch of the river last Tuesday.
It was Hell’s Gate near Hope,
B.| C., where the Fraser becomes
a churning, boiling demon as its
icy water smashes ' violently
through a narrow canyon.
Waves tossed him 20 feet high
Rocks and ice smashed his heavy
protective helmet Lourmais tore
through the foaming rapids in 30
minutes. He came ashore bleeding
but alive, the first man ever to
swim through Hell’s Gate. And
he muttered:
' . ‘ad to fight like ’el. . . .
Waves were hard as concrete ”
Waves were hard as concrete.”
WEATHER FORECAST
Cloudy with Intermittent snow
tonight and Tuesday. Little
change in temperature.
‘Winner’ of Election Drawing In
Ketchikan, Caught On First Try
KETCHIKAN, UP> — One of 49
capsules in a glass bowl contained
a piece of paper on which was
printed “Winner.”
Papers in the other 48 were
blank.
Republican William K. Board
man and Democrat W. O. Smith
tied in the November 25. General
Election in a race for a two-year
term in the first Alaska State
Senate, were to draw alternately
until one picked the “Winner”
capsule.
Smith called the flip of a coin
to determine who would have the
say about drawing first or second.
He chose to let his Republican
opponent start.
Boardman put his hand in the
bowl, stidred the capsules with
a finger, and picked one out.
On the very first draw in the
ceremonies at the Ketchikan Elks
Club Saturday night, Boardman
selected the capsule that declared
him to be the winner of the race
that had wound up in a 1,953-to
1,953 vote tie.
A doubter in the audience called
for a check of the other capsules.
All contained blank pieces of
paper.
Smith, who had hoped to be
come the 18th Democrat in the
Senate when it convenes for the
first time on January 26, said he
would ask for an official recount
of the election returns.
Boardman, who will boost the
GOP minority in the Senate to
three if he wins the seat from the
Ketchikan-Prince of Wales Dis
trict, probably would have called
for a recount had Smith drawn
the winning ticket.
The draw, under terms of an
executive order that governed the
November balloting, was neces
sary to break the tie and provide
a loser among the two Ketchikan
candidates. Only the loser can
demand a recount of the results.
A simple drawing of straws
could have been arranged to
break the tie.
However, the 49 capsules —
representing the 48 older states
and Alaska’s 49th star that soon
will join the nation’s flag — were
used as a dramatic opener to a
joint Junior Chamber of Com
merce and Elks Club benefit
Christmas show.
The benefit was scheduled to
aid west coast native villages of
Southeastern Alaska’s panhandle.
The drawing was broadcast and
televised locally.
Goldfine Sentenced
BOSTON, Iffi — Federal Judge
Charles E. Wyzanski Jr sen
tenced New England industrialist
Bernard Goldfine to three months
in jail today for contempt of court
in failing to turn over company
records in a tax probe.
Miss Mildred Paperman, his
secretary for many years, was gi
ven 10 days in jail. Sentences will
start January 7. Both were re
leased in personal recognizance of
$1,000.
Their convictions were handed
down Friday by Judge Wyzanski.
The Judge' told Goldfine: “I
have no wish that you spend the
season in jail and I wish to give
you adequate opportunity to pre- I
sent this case to the court of ap
peals.”
A look of dismay crossed the
67-year-old Goldfine’s face. Miss
Paperman sagged a bit as the
judge passed sentence.
Judge Wyzanski said he based
his decision on the fact that Gold
fine and Miss Paperman were “in
timate with tribunal proceedings
and were well aware of the penal
ties for flouting the authority of
his court.”
Goldfine, gift-giving friend of
former Presidential aide Sherman
Adams, and Miss Paperman were
convicted of criminal contempt
Civil contempt charges were dis
missed.
Mexican Bus Plunges
Into Ravine, Killing 70
OAXACA, Mexico, UP\ — A
speeding bus plunged into a ra
vine near here, killing 70 persons
Sunday in one of Mexico’s wors^
highway accidents.
The only two survivors were cri
tically injured
The bus was’ crammed with vil
lagers returning to San Dionisio
from Sunday market day at near
by Tlaeolula. It had a legal capa
city of 40, but people were rid
ing on top and on the rear bumper
and hanging from te dors.
The driver apparently lost con
trol on a curve and ran off the
road.
Ingrid Calls Cops
To Keep Privacy
PARIS, UPl — Ingrid Bergman
called the cops today so she could
honeymoon in peace with her new
husband, wealthy Swedish busi
nessman Lars Schmidt.
The Swedish actress, 43, and her
third spouse, who is 41, eluded
pres and public Sunday and were
married in a quiet civil ceremony
in London.
By the time the press tumbled
to the marriage, the couple had
flown to Paris and taken refuge
in a little walled farm Schmidt
owns 15 miles from Paris.
By dawn, the farm was 'be
sieged by newsmen and photog
raphers, who began mounting the
wall. Miss Bergman called the
gendarmes from the nearby vil
lage and they ordered the press
off the wall.
In marrying again, Miss Berg
man defied the Rome Court of Ap
peal, which is considering a state
prosecutor’s contest of a lower
Rome court’s decree annulling her
marriage to Italian film director
Roberto Rosellini.
The actress’ London attorney,
Ambrose Appelbe, said the ap
peal against the annulment “is
just a put-up job” and that her
new marriage is legal in Sweden,
Britain and France.
BABY BOY BORN TO
DENNIS CROSBYS
SANTA MONICA, Calif., UP) —
Dennis Crosby and his showgirl
wife, Pat Sheehan, are the par
ents of an 8-pound, 13-ounce baby
boy
The baby was born yesterday at
St. John’s Hospital.
MRS. K. MORFORD DEAD
SEATTLE, UPL-Mrs. Katherine
Morford, 87, who walked the Gold
Rush Trail in 1898 and 1899. died
Saturday in a nursing home.
Mrs. Morford was bom in Coun
ty Galway, Ireland, and went to
Alaska in 1898, crossing Chilkoot
Pass on foot. She and the late
Judge S. O. Morford, Territorial
Judge at Seward, left Alaska in
1899. She lived in Tacoma and had
lived in Seattle the past 25 years.