™E NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LIX No. 33_ NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1957 Per Copy—15^
Suez Canal Talks To Regulate Tolls
Begun With U. S., Britain, France
By JOHN M. HIGHTOWER
WASHINGTON, UP) — The
United States has started consul
tations with Britain, France and
several other friendly govern
ments on Egyptian proposals for
•operating the Suez Canal.
An American reply is expected
to be sent to Egypt in a few days.
Top officials who have been
studying the Egyptian plan in
tensively say privately they do not
like it, but that they see no serious
prospect now of winning Egyp
tian agreement to any counter
proposal.
However, it is yet to be decided
whether the plan will be accepted
or rejected or whether some modi
fications will be sought to make
it more palatable to Western ship
ping nations.,
U.S. Win "Go Slow"
Meanwhile, the State Depart
ment has advised American ship
pers to go slow in resuming use
of the strategic waterway which
is expected to be reopened fully
Klondike Kate’s
Will Is Not Likely
To Be Contested
VANCOUVER, UP) — The will
of “Klondike Kate,” to be “pro- i
bated” at the Klondike Sour- j
dough’s annual banquet here j
Saturday is not likely to be con
tested.
The dance hall queen of Yukon
gold rush days died Feb. 21 in
Sweet Home, Ore., at the age
of 77.
Copies of her “will” are to be
distributed among the nearly 200
Sourdoughs expected from the
Yukon, the northwest U. S. and
British Columbia.
The will is a poem reported to
be Klondike Kate’s last testa
ment to the north. It was written
15 years ago when doctors thought
she was dying and had since been
in the keeping of Lulu Fairbanks,
secretary of the Sourdoughs.
Miss Fairbanks sent it to Van
couver when Kate, Mrs. W. L.
Van Buren, died last mnoth.
It reads:
MY WILL
And all that I can leave you
Are memories of the Past.
The dreams we dreamed together
That were too sweet to last.
To the tired and weary-hearted
Burdened down with all life’s ills
I leave the sunrise on the desert
And the twilight on the hills.
To the lonely and the old folks
Many walks down memory lane
Hand in hand like childhood
swethearts
May we wander once again.
To the boys and girls who told me
When their foolish feet had
strayed
I can leave at least the knowledge
That they never were betrayed.
To the ones who bandied gossip,
Tore my heart with two-edged
swords —
I leave my full forgiveness
To combat the bitter words.
To the friends who were so
faithful
Through my laughter 'and my
tears
I leave peace and contentness
For their declining years.
| by April 10, or a little earlier.
! In London, a foreign office
spokesman said last night the
British government gave similar
advice to British shippers two
days ago.
The Egyptian proposal, which
has not yet been made public
officially, is understood to call
for collection of tolls by the
Egyptian canal authority.
Egypt would set aside 25 per
cent of the tolls for maintenance
and operation and 5 per cent to
compensate stockholders of the
old Suez Canal Co.
Passage for All Ships
Egypt also would reaffirm its
commitment to an 1888 treaty
guaranteeing free canal passage
for all ships. Some provision is re
ported for appeals and arbitration
procedures for any country which
thought its shipping was being
unfairly treated.
The method of toll payment is
one of the issues in controversy
with Egypt now. The Western
powers had wanted to pay the
tolls to some “neutral” agency
like the World Bank or the United
Nations. Under this plan, the neu
tral agency would hold 50 per
cent of the toll money pending a
final settlement of the canal
question.
Two Fires Claim Lives
Of Seven Persons
In British Columbia
Two fires claimed the lives of
seven persons, including four In
dian children, in British Colum
bia last night.
The Indian children, all under
seven years of age, died when
their temporary, cardboard home
at the Cranbrook city dump was
destroyed by flames. Three
adults died in a hotel fire in
Vancouver.
The Cranbrook fire broke out
in the flimsy dwelling while the
parents were away. Cranbrook is
320 miles east of Vancouver.
The hotel fire broke out in the
basement of a six story water
front hotel and raced quickly to
the top of the building, driving
the hotel’s other 52 guests out of
the building.
AFL-CIO Suspend Beck as Officer;
Will Launch Investigation of Union
WASHINGTON, The AFL
CIO executive council today sus
pended teamsters’ boss Dave Beck
as an AFL-CIO officer and or
dered an inquiry into the entire
teamsters’ union.
Beck’s suspension as an AFL
CIO vice president and council
member is effective immediately,
and until the outcome of charges
being brought against him by the
executive council.
The actions were announced by
George Meany, AFL-CIO presi
dent, after a two-hour council
meeting.
Meany said Beck’s suspension
is effective immediately while the
council considers charges against
the teamsters’ chief based on
what he termed Beck’s “actions
in bringing the labor movement
into disrepute” and his failing to
explain “the many charges against
him” concerning use of teamster
union funds before the Senate
Rackets Investigating Committee.
The AFL-CIO council di
rected that the labor organiza
tion’s five-member Ethical Prac
tices Committee investigate the
teamsters’ union “to determine
whether or not the Teamsters’
International Union is substan
tially dominated or controlled by
corrupt influences.”
This latter investigation — sep
arate from the investigation of
Beck — could lead to ouster of
the teamsters from the federa
tion.
The council’s actions are prob
ably the most drastic ever taken
by organized labor in America
against a union leader of so high
a position.
It gave substance to the AFL
CIO assertions in recent months
that it is ready to work with
Congressional committees and
other public bodies to clean every
semblance of corruption from the
15-million member AFL-CIO.
Help Make This
A 100% Year
For the Chamber
As far back as we can look, the
Nome Chamber of Commerce had
taken the lead in any worthwhile
improvement or development in
the community.
The annual membership drive
is now on and publicity program
now in progress should make every
individual and business house
conscious of his duty to share in
some way to make Nome the
kind of a town in which we are
proud and glad to live.
An active membeirship commit
tee is soliciting support for the
many projects now pending to
keep forging ahead.
We urge you business and pro
fessional people to make it a
100 per cent year.
Commonwealth
Status Urged
For Alaska
By FRANK W. VAILLE
WASHINGTON, U*—Rep. Pelly
(R-Wash.) said today Alaska
“would fare much better under
commonwealth status than actual
statehood.”
Such a status, similar to that
of Puerto Rico, he said in a state
ment prepared for the House Ter
ritories Subcommittee, would per
mit exemption from federal in
come taxes and thereby encourage
development of Alaskan resources.
“Then after an agreed period,
industrialized and with an econ
omy built up during the interval
by tax incentives to attract in
dustry, -Alaska would eventually
become a great and wealthy and
self-sustaining state,” Pelly de
clared.
“Except for such procedure, I
am convinced she will be forced
tp over-tax private enterprise op
erating in her borders, and yet
her resources will neither be
properly exploited or properly
.conserved, which will result in
unsound state management and
continued vast federal expendi
tures.”
Pelly was the last witness
scheduled for the House hearings
on the Alaska statehood bill.
Scheduled Road Program for
1957 Season in Nome District
Ringling Circus Starts
Season with New Ideas
In Transportation of Acts
SARASOTA, Fla., UR—The cir
cus took to the road yesterday but
left behind are such familiar
sights as the big top and the gaudy
circus personnel trains.
Instead, a streamlined version
of Ringling Bros, and Barnum &
Bailey set its sights on New York
and a spring tour.
Performers and workers are to
travel on a regular passenger
train. Only the animals are set
ting out on the gaily painted cir
cus cars.
Other circus folks already are
on their way northward in pri
vate autos. Still others, particu
larly European performers, will
join the circus in New York. Cir
cus equipment is being carried in
trucks.
John Ringling North, president
of the circus, thought up the idea
of a new-styled circus after the
show folded its tent in mid-season
in Pittsburgh last July.
North’s plan is to have the cir
cus play in coliseums, inside
large buildings and at larger fairs.
The circus opens in Madison
Square Garden April 3 for a 40
day run.
‘Dave Beck’ Strung Up
In Effigy Near Teamsters
Headquarters In Seattle
SEATTLE, UPi—Suspended from
a wire strung between two utility
poles along a Seattle street late
Wednesday night was a stuffed
dummy bearing a placard saying:
“DAVE BECK.”
The spot was less than a block
from the Seattle—and western
headquarters of the teamster’s
union.
Official List
Of Candidates in
Tuesday Election
On Tuesday the residents of
Nome will vote for their choice
of municipal officers. The official
list of candidates for office is as
follows:
For Mayor: Steffen Andersen.
For Counoilmen (for two year
term, three to be elected):
“Ernie” Bohrer, Keith Hedreen,
Don F. Hungerford, Paul A.
Mandeville, Pete Redder, Silvano
“Mike” Viveiros, Roscoe J. Wilke.
For Ciiy Clerk: Robert F. Scott.
For City Treasurer: William W.
Tuttle.
For Member of School Board
(five year term): George A. Bayer.
Nome Light & Power Utility
Board Members (three year term):
Nels Swanberg Jr.; (for five year
term, one to be elected): William
T. Haley, Stanley R. Morgan.
The polls will be open from 8
a. m. to 6 p. m. at the City Hall.
Qualified voters must have been
residents of Nome for 30 days,
and of Alaska for six months.
HIS JOB: PUT 'EM IN
HAMILTON AFB, Calif., OR—A
new member of the Hamilton Air ;
Force Base Air Police Force is j
Sgt. Joseph C. Klink.
’ Bureau of Public Hoads District
engineers and their assistants
met in the Regional Office at
Juneau last week for the annual
conference. At this time the com
ing program was outlined, the
Engineers brought up to date on
new methods of procedure, and
recent developments pertaining
to highway maintenance and con
struction.
“Mr. Dewey Goodrich, member
of the Territorial Board of Road
Commissioners, paved the way
making it much easier to obtain
approval of the Nome District
proposed program” stated Frank
Morris, district engineer, who at
tended from Nome.
This program includes the fol
lowing work:
1. Construction of a grade from
Nome to the end of the Kougarok
Road.
2. Erection of steel bridges
across Bonanza Channel, replac
ing the ferry at Solomon, across
the Grand Central River, across
the Pilgrim River and across the
Penny River.
3. Routine maintenance is to be
provided for existing roads and is
to be extended to help the City
where these roads pass through.
Details of this work will have to
be coordinated with the City.
4. A survey is to be made of the
Nome Teller Road that this route
cen be readied for construction
the following season.
5. Other surveys to be com
pleted this summer are to Pilgrim
Hot Springs, to the dock site at
Bering, near Teller, and for re
habilitation of the Kougarok
Road.
6. Preliminary reconnaissance is
to be accomplished for a road
from Unalakleet to Kaltag and
from Nome to Haycock.
Execution of this program may
prove somewhat difficult due to
the shortage of qualified engin
eering and supervisory person
nel. Those that we do have will
be worked to their limit.
It is anticipated that the first
contract for surfacing the Nome
Kougarok Road will be ready for
advertising in about two weeks.
This contract is now being held
until the Washington, D. C., offi
cials can make a wage determi
nation.
“We plan to ask for small con
tracts to reinforce our mainten
ance work during the course of
the coming summer. This will in
clude some bridge painting, build
ing painting, reinforcing speci
fied fills, some graveling, etc.,” ,
stated Frank Morris, district
engineer.
FIRST CONVOY
ENTERS SUEZ CANAL
SINCE BLOCKING
PORT SAID iff) — A convoy
entered the Suez Canal today, the
first since the waterway was
blocked last November. All 10
ships — ranging from 7,064 tons
to 1,365 — paid tolls to Egypt.
The convoy was made up of
four Italian vessels, two Russian,
one Greek, one from West Ger
many, one Romanian and one
Finnish.
It entered the southern end of
the 103-mile canal, which Egypt’s
Suez Canal Authority had an
nounced would be open today to
ships of up to 11,000 tons.