VOL. LXI No. 153 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 1959Per Copy—15$
Government Tags
Barrow Gas Well as
Restricted Supply
By FRITZ WITTI
WASHINGTON, UR — There
appears to be little hope now that
residents of Barrow will be able
to get gas from nearby govern
ment wells to heat their homes.
Representative Ralph Rivers
said today he has received infor
mation from the White House out
lining problems involved in sup
plying natural gas to non-federal
locations in the village of 1,800.
State Senator Eben Hopson of
Barrow last month sent a plea to
President Eisenhower for help.
Coal costs S42 a ton at Barrow.
“All my village friends and rela
tives have inadequate heating,”
Houston said.
Rivers made public a reply
from Gerald D. Morgan, Deputy
Assistant to the President, which
included a memorandum from the
Defense Department outlining
natural and legal bars to provid
ing gas to Barrow civilians.
Hopson had told the President
a gas line which goes by his house
supplies fuel to nearby federal
offices but that he had been un
successful in appeals to govern
ment agencies for the villagers.
A memorandum outlined the
position of the Office of Naval
Petroleum Reserves, which is re
sponsible for Petroleum Reserve
No. 4 in Alaska, as follows:
Production from the two wells
in the South Barrow field must
be restricted. The supply of gas ‘
may last an estimated 12 to 30
years. It was decided that what
ever gas is available in the field
should be maintained for defense
and other governmental uses.”
The memorandum added that
legislation under which the Navy
administers the reserves provides
that they bd operated only for
“protection, conservation, main
tenance and testing of reserves
and to the extent they are needed
for national defense.
The memo calls attention to
(bills now before Congress by
Rivers and Senator Bartlett which
would make the Reserve No. 4
area “available with minor reser
vations for leasing to commercial
activities.”
Riveds said he will continue to
work for passage of the legislation
that would transfer from the Navy
Department to the Interior De
partment jurisdiction over public
lands in the reserve.
Good Cheer Baskets
Given to 51 Families
With 250 Children
Verna Mickelson, chairman of
the Community Christmas Good
Cheer baskets, announced this
morning that baskets were sent to
51 families, which included 250
children. Distribution was made
by the members of the Nome
Police and Fire Department. The
baskets contained meat,- vege
tables, candy and fruit.
The chairman states the mer
chants and individuals who con
tribued were most generous in
making this Christmas cheer
possible for needy families and
Bill Benshoof, butcher of the
Merc Meat, deserves a special
word of praise as he cut and
packaged all the meat for the
baskets. Names of the contribu
tors will be published in a later
edition of The Nugget.
U.S. Army In Europe
Entertaining 75,000 In
‘Operation Good Cheer’
HEIDELBERG, Germany, iff) —
The U. S. Army in Europe is en
tertaining 75,000 Germans, Ital
ians and French at Christmas par
ies Friday.
“Operation Good Cheer” goes
into effect for the needy, rang
ing from baby age to old folks.
Thousands of dollars of volun
tary contributions from Army per
sonnel are financing the project,
in which every Army insallation
on German, Italian and French
soil is taking part.
Lord Halifax, British
Wartime Ambassador,
Passed Away Today
YORK, England, UP>—Lord Hali
fax died at his country home in
Yorkshire Wednesday night. The
gaunt, shy British statesman who
helped swing the might of the
United States against Nazi Ger
many in World War II was 78.
Former Viceroy to India, For
eign Secretary and wartime Brit
ish Ambassador to Washington,
Halifax had been bedfast two
days with a chest complaint. His
son and heir, Lord Irwin, said
his father “was just completely
worn out.”
In Washington, Acting Secre
tary of State Douglas Dillon paid
tribute to the wartime ambassa
dor.
“He was ever a staunch friend
of this country,” said Dillon, “and
during his years of public life
contributed greatly to the
strengthening of Anglo-American
relations.
A conservative, deeply religious
man, once called an appeaser of
Hitler for his association with the
Munich peace policy of Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain,
Halifax went on to serve Winston
Churchill’s campaign that tri
umphed over the Axis powers.
He went to the United States
in 1941 as Ambassador. His mis
sion was to persuade Americans,
then on the sideline, to wing their
sympathies toward Britain, fight
ing alone against Hitler.
Halifax paid his own private
price in the war. His second son,
Peter, was killed in action in
North Africa. His third son, the
Hon. Richard Wood, now Minister
of Power, lost both his legs in
Libya.
Youth Who Killed His .
Father, Absolved of Blame
And Is Returned Home
CINCINNATI, UP) — “I’m going
to give your boy back to you for
Christmas,” Judge Benjamin S.
Schwartz told Mrs. Onie New, 38.
The boy, mild-mannered Nor
man New, 16, was released Wed
nesday by the judge, who relieved
him of all criminal blame in the
fatal shooting of his father early
last Sunday.
The shooting occurred, the
judge was told, when the father,
Osborne New, 39, was beating
Mrs. New and threatening to kill
her four-monhs-old daughter,
Leona.
Norman said “I love that baby
so much I would do anything for
her.” '
The judge, while decreeing that
Norman remain under court jur
isdiction for rehabilitation, said
of the youth: “He has a warm,
emotional heart and loves his
family.”
Santa — Look Out
For Satellites !
IOWA CITY, Iowa, UP> — Scien
tists at the State University of
Iowa are trying to get in touch
with Santa Claus at the North
Pole to aid him in his flight
through the sky Christmas Eve.
He can reach the United States
by riding the signal of the satel
lite Explorers VII which will
sweep down over the tip of Alaska
and cross the northern California
coast at 8:30.
Dr. James Van Allen, discoverer
of the Van Allen radiation belts
around the earth, said if Santa
wants to use this navigational aid
he can tune in his radio below
20 megacycles and pick up the
Explorer signal.
“This will emit, a sound resem
bling a foghorn mixed with the
jingle of sleighbells,” Van Allen
said.
By staying well below 100,000
feet with his toy-filled sleigh and
eight reindeer, Santa will be
clear of any auroral radiation and
remove any chance of bumping
into any of the satellites encir
cling the earth.
EARTHQUAKE ROCKS SICILY
CANTANIA, Sicily, Utt—Strong
earth tremors shook Sicily Wed
nesday, shattering windows and
causing thousands of city resi
dents to flee into the streets.
There were no immediate re
ports of injuries or major dam
age, though building cornices were
toppled into the streets in Catania.
Palermo, Agrigente, Ragusa,
Messina and Enna felt the shock.
WEATHER FORECAST
Fair tonight and Friday. Low
tonight -20, high tomorrow -10.
Nome Data Last 24 Hours
(as of 7 a.m. today)
Temperatures: highest 6, lowes't
-13. Maximum wind 20 miles an
hour from the north. Sunrise at
10:03 a.m., sunset at 1:59 p.m.
Temperatures a year ago today:
high 9, low 3. Extremes this date
since 1907: Highest 37 in 1935,
lowest -28 in 1954.
British Foresee No Clash
Between Iraq and Iran
Over Disputed Border
LONDON, UP> — British diplo
matic sources said today there is
no indication that Iraqi and Ira
nian forces are about to clash
despite angry demonstrations on
both sides of the disputed Shattal
Arab River.
British authorities confirmed
reports from Tehran tha Iranian
jef fighters have been moved into
the vial Abadan oil region o sup
port tanks and artillery sent in
earlier this week.
Iran’s military buildup in the
area followed a series of angry
verbal attacks by Iraqi Premier
Abdel Karem Kassem and reports
that Iraq had concentrated five
armored brigades close to Iran’s
southwestern border.
Iraq is claiming a strip of ter
ritory on the Iranian side of the
Shattal Arab near the big West
ern-operated Abadan oil refinery.
Iran maintains that Iraqi terri
tory does not extend beyond the
middle of the riVer, a dividing
boundary between the two coun
tries established in 1938.
The frontier dispute flared into
the open last week when an Iraqi
patrol fired on Iranian sailors and
civilians, killing two and wound
in three.
4Open and Peaceful Partnership* Is
Theme of Ike’s Christmas Message
By JOE F. KANE
WASHINGTON, UP) — Mankind
needs an open and peaceful part
nership instead of a bare co-exist
ence, President Eisenhower has
told the world in his annual
Christmas message.
iThe best way America can con
tribute to such a goal, he said, is
to give needy nations the right
sort of spirit.
The President delivered his
message of peace and good will
Wednesday at ceremonies opening
the annual Christmas Pageant of
Peace. As part of the observance,
he pressed a switch illuminating
the nation’s Christmas Tree in a
park adjoining the White House
grounds. The program was broad
cast by television and radio.
Speaking 18 hours after his re
turn from a trip that took him
to Africa, Asia and Europe, Eis
enhower addressed his remarks
to his fellow countrymen and
“workers for a just peace wher
ever you may be in the world,
whatever your race or flag or
tongue or creed.”
The President said “Our concept
of the good life for humanity does
not require an inevitable conflict
between peoples and systems —
in which one must triumph over
the other. Nor does it offer mere
ly a bare coexistence as a satis
factory state for mankind.
“After all, an uneasy coexist
ence can be as barren and sterile,
joyless and stale a life for human
beings as the coexistence of cell
mates in a penitentiary or labor
camp.”
Eisenhower said the leaders
and the “humble men and wo
men” with whom he talked during
his tour share a common faith
that America will help lead the
way toward a just peace.
“They understand that we look
and work toward the day when
there can be open and peaceful
partnership — communication —
interchange of goods and ideas
between all peoples; toward the
day when each people will make
its maximum contribution toward
the progress and prosperity of the
world.”
Steelworkers Union Files
Claim For 4-Cents Hourly
Increase In Federal Court
PITTSBURGH, UP)—'The United
Steelworkers Union went into
court today with a claim its mem
bers in the basic steel industry are
entitled to a four-cent hourly cost
of-living pay increase.
Union attorneys filed a peti
tion in U. S. District Court asking
that the pay increase become ef
fective January 1.
At the same time the union re
quested that benefits under any
new contract finally negotiated
be made retroactive to November
7. That’s ‘when 500,000 steelwork
ers ended a 116-day strike and
returned to work under a Taft
Hartley Act injunction.
The 80-day injunction, issued
by U. S. District Court Judge Her
bert Sorg, specified that work
was to be resumed “under the
terms and conditions of all agree
ments in effect last June 30.”
The old contracts with steel
companies contained provisions
for a cost-of-living pay adjust
ment January 1 based on the La
bor Department’s consumer price
index for November.
The union contended that the
cost-of-living clauses remain in
effect during the injunction
period and steelworkers should
get a four-cent raise based on,
the higher price index.
Typhoons Cause Serious
Food Shortage In U.S.
Controlled Ryukyu Islands
NAHA, Okinawa. W — Three
autumn typhoons have caused a
serious food shortage through
three areas of the U. S.-admin
istered Ryukyu Islands and put
140,000 persons on short rations
until spring.
“It is serious,” a spokesman for
the U. S. Civil Administration
said.
“But there is no starvation or
famine. People are on short ra
tions. This is expected to con
tinue through next May 5.
He said nearly 14 millions
pounds of relief food has been or
dered from the United States.
Russia Agrees To
Negotiation Payment
For WWII Lend-Lease
WASHINGTON, (41 — Russia
has agreed to start negotiations
here January 11 on a settlement
on its 15-year-old lend-lease debt.
The United States considers the
negotiations a test of Soviet in
terest in resolving East-West
issues.
A State Department announce
ment Thursday disclosed that Am
bassador Mikhail A. Menshikov
will be returning to his post here
after more than two months in
Moscow. There had been specula
tion he might be reassigned.
The State Department assigned
Ambassador Charles Bohlen, a
special assistant to Secretary of
State Herter, to negotiate for the
United States. The designation of
Bohlen indicated the importance
which Herter and President Eis
enhower attach to the negotia
tions.
Arkansas Newspaper and
TV Chain Buys Juneau
Daily Alaska Empire
FORT SMITH, Ark., UR — Don
ald W. Reynolds, newspaper pub
lisher and television and radio
station operator, today announced
purchase of the Alaska Daily
Empire at Juneau.
Reynolds, president of the Don
Rey media group, acquired the
publication from Prescot Allen,
Laredo, Tex., publisher, and will
take possession January 1.
It will be the 15th newspaper
in the Reynolds’ organization,
which operates in Mississippi, Ar
kansas, Texas, Oklahoma and
Nevada. It has five radio stations
with an application for another
pending and four television sta
tions with another to go into op
eration May 1 at Hot Springs,
Ark. The group maintains an east
ern headquarers here and west
ern headquarters at Reno, Nev.
ACS Holiday Hours
Alaska Communications Service
Office will be open on Christmas
Day from 8 a.m. ’til’ 5 p.m., and
on New Year’s Ray, from 4 p.m.
until 5 p.m.