m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVI No. 48 " NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1954 Per Copy—15c
3rd Division Republican Committee
Asks Replacement of Chippenfield
ANCHORAGE, UP—Members of<
the Third Division Republican
Committee asked governor Heint
zleman Monday to declare the
office of territorial land commis
sioner vacant and appoint a “com
petent replacement.”
The office is now held by W. A.
Chipperfield.
In the first meeting of the 23
member committee since it was
formed at Palmer last month, a
resolution passed urging the re
moval of Chipperfield said the
land commissioner acted in con
tradiction to the purpose of the
land registration act, passed by
the last legislature.
The resolution said the law
was meant to obtain title to aban
doned parcels of land on which
no record of ownership existed.
Chipperfield instead, the com
mittee charged, stated in a news
release at the time he took office
and “without consultation with
the attorney general” that “no
foreclosure for failure to file land
ownership would be made.”
The resolution also charged that
Chipperfield “wilfully and negli
(Continued on Page Four)
GOP Committeeman
McKenna Endorses
Candidate Hickel
FAIRBANKS, UP—In a surprise
political move, R. J. (Mickey) Mc
Kenna of Fairbanks announced
last night he will resign as Re
publican National Committeeman
for Alaska if Walter Hickel of
Anchorage is elected to the post
in next Tuesday’s primary elec
tion.
Hickel is opposed by Territorial
Sen. W. L. (Dan- Lhamon of Fair
banks on the party’s special pri
mary ballot.
National committee members of
both major political parties will
be elected for the first time under
a law passed by the 1953 legisla
ture. They have been named here
tofore by the territorial conven
tions of the parties.
McKenna’s statement endorsed
Hickel.
There have been predictions in
the past that the National Repub
lican party might not recognize
the elected committee members
until after the terms of the pre
sent committeeman and commit
teewoman, Mrs. Albert White, ex
pire.
Van Fleet To Survey
Military Assistance
Programs In Far East
WASHINGTON, UP — President
Eisenhower has asked Gen. James
S. Van Fleet, former 8th Army
commander in Korea and now re
tired, to survey the military assist
ance programs in the Far East,
especially in Korea and Formosa.
This announcement was made
today by Secretary of Defense
Wilson at his weekly news con
ference.
Wilson said Van Fleet, Assistant
Secretary of Defense W. J. Mc
Neil and a small staff of civilians
and military personnel will leave
Washington about May 1.
»
Chipperfield Says “Little
Research” Done Before
Calling For His Dismissal
ANCHORAGE, UP—W. A. Chip
perfield, territorial land commis
sioner, said Tuesday the Repub
lican Divisional Commitee appar
ently had done “little research”
before calling for his dismissal.
The land commissioner said
that despite the resolution he
would “still do my duty to the
best of my ability.”
George Milligan, head of the
Anchorage Employment Security
Office, said such charges are un
warranted.
“Checks are no more delayed
this year than in the past,” Milli
gan said. He said delays are
caused because claims must be
processed in Juneau and it usual
ly takes from three to five weeks
before a claim can be paid here.
“It would be impossible to get
a check to a claimant any fast
er,” he said.
Accountant Arrested
For Incorrectly Made Out
Alaska Tax Returns
FAIRBANKS, UP—A Fairbanks
public accountant, William Hart
nett, has been arrested on charges
of submitting more than 100 in
correct or falsely made out terri
torial tax returns to the tax com
missioner.
At the same time, Karl Dewey,
the tax commissioner, has sum
moned 67 taxpayers to appear for
questioning in regard to returns
filed for them by Hartnett. Of 37
who have answered te summons,
seven have made out affidavits,
Dewey reported.
Hartnett’s bail has been set at
$1,000. He maintains he is inno
cent. Dewey said no charges are
contemplated against the taxpay
ers themselves at the present
time.
Court Flies To Interior
Villages To Dispense
Justice In Local Courts
FAIRBANKS, l/P — Law en
forcement is being flown from
village to village through the
remote regions of interior Alaska.
In past years, persons accused
of misdemeanors were flown to
Fairbanks for prosecution. Now,
the Territorial Police and a U.S.
district attorney fly from place
to place to prosecute cases before
the U. S. Commissioner in each
community.
The traveling agents advise the
commissioner concerning the case
and prepare the case against the
offender. This results in saving of
considerable money formerly
spent in transporting accused per
sons and witness to the Commis
sioner’s Court in Fairbanks.
UK. Atty. George Yeager and
3 men are making the flight with
police officers. He prosecuted his
first case — a drunken driving
charge—in Big Delta last week.
The flying prosecutor is using
Fish and Wildlife Service planes
now but police hope to soon have
1 their own airplane.
US Ferry French
Paratroops From
Paris to Indochina
PARIS, (jII—The U.S. Air Force
is ferrying French paratroopers
to Indochina for later dropping
into Dien Bien Phu.
This was confirmed today here
and in Washington. Charles Wil
son, U. S. Secretary of Defense,
said the 8,500-mile operation “is
in line with present United States
policy and in conformity with our
existing military assistance pro
gram.” He added it was under
taken at the request of the French
government.
The parachute troops are being
flown from France to Indochina
in C-124 Globemasters. The big
Douglas planes belong to the Air
Force Tactical Command. They
will return to home bases in the
United States, the Air Force said.
The troops are to be landed in
non-combat areas. Planes piloted
by French airmen or American
civilians wil shuttle them to the
besieged fortress of Dien Bien
Phu. Rains were upsetting air op
erations there today.
The troops — number unspeci
fied but believed to number at
least 1,000 — were flown from
Paris’ big Orly airfield Saturday.
Bartlett Denies Reports
He Instigated Action
Against Salmon Industry
WASHINGTON, UP — Delegate
Bartlett Wednesday denied what
he said were reports circulating in
Alaska that he was a “prime
mover” in the recent action
brought by the Federal Trade
Commission against the Alaska
Salmon Industry.
In a statement, he said the
“rumor . . . probably had its
origin in an interview published
in an Alaska newspaper in which
the Alaskan who was quoted said
he and I have been responsible
for bringing about intercession by
the federal agency.
“I promptly denied this, and
herewith repeat the. denial.”
Bartlett said that what actually
occurred is that the Alaskan,
whom he did not identify, sent
him material for relay to the
Trade Commission.
“Naturally I accede to these re
requests,” he said. “As I see it, I
do not have the right to set my
self up as a censor to judge which
views of which constituents shall
be placed before which executive
departments of government.
“In exactly the same manner, I
have on many occasions transmit
ted material from constituents op
posing statehood although it is
generally as well know that I
favor statehood as that I have
been aligned with Alaska fisher
men through the years.”
POSTPONEMENT ASKED FOR
SHIFTING OF TROOP PORT
FROM 'FRISCO TO SEATTLE
SAN FRANCISCO, UP—R e p.
William S. Mailliard OR-Calif) told
a news conference Monday he has
asked Army Secretary Stevens to
postpone shifting of the major
Pacific-Alaska troop port from
San Francisco to Seattle, pending
further study.
Heintzleman Says Partition Proposed
Because He Felt Statehood Doomed
Unless Something Drastic Advanced
ANCHORAGE, UP)—Gov. Heint
zleman advanced his proposal to
partition Alaska for statehood
with “the greatest reluctance” he
said in a letter released here
Tuesday.
The letter was written to Har
old E. Pomeroy, Civil Defense di
rector, and its contents released
after approval was received from
Heintzleman, who is in the east.
The governor said he suggested
partition “only after I felt sure
that we could not get statehood
now unless something drastic was
advanced.”
This, he felt, offered an oppor
tunity for “statehood now for half
the territorial area and the chance
to admit the outside area in the
not too distant future.”
He said he anticipated “the first
reaction would be extreme oppo
sition to the idea,” and added:
“You may be sure I didn’t ad
vance it without the greaest re
luctance and ... to break the
stalemate that has existed in the
House on Alaska statehood. As
you know, no one has been able
to get the House bill released by
the Rules Committee — and in
addition, the President had said
six months ago that he was not
convinced that Alaska is yet ready
for statehood.
He quoted President Eisenhow
er’s recent remark that “he didn’t
believe the barren reaches of the
territory on the north and west
should be included in the new
state of Alaska.” This objection,
Heintzleman said, might be satis
fied by the partition plan.
“My new and unpopular ap
proach to the matter at least car
ried it off dead center,” the gov
ernor wrote. “It may result in
some decision in favor of state
hood for at least part of Alaska,
whereas we might otherwise go
along another 10 years without
any chance” unless action is taken
by the present Congress.
With at least a portion of the
territory a part of the union, the
governor wrote, “our transition
period from territorial status to
statehood would of course be eas
ier with .the smaller area.”
The governor said the new state
he proposes would be 35,000
square miles larger than Texas,
an “extremely large state on
which to get started with state
hood.”
For sentimental and other rea
sons, Heintzleman told Pomeroy,
he hoped the excluded area could
be called “Frontier Alaska” or
“Alaska Outpost” until it is fully
absorbed into the state of Alaska.
Says Interests Trying
To Crucify Committee
For FHA Investigation
WASHINGTON, UP) — Senator
Capehart (R-Ind) today accused
the National Association of Home
builders of “trying to crucify this
administration” and the Senate
Banking Committee for their
probe of multi - million dollar
housing scandals.
Capehart, chairman of the
banking committee, told R. G.
Hughes, president of the Home
builders:
“We are not going to permit
you or any other person ... to
fleece the American people.” He
said he did not believe in your
trying to beat the brains out of
a committee (which is) trying to
do an honest job.”
Capehart’s outbreak came just
after he read a statement issued
by Hughes last week when the
housing scandal broke.
That statement cautioned
against a “circus atmosphere”
which would “give the Federal
Housing Administration a false
reputation” and stated, according
to Capehart, that “investigations
make big headlines.”
Hughes, on behalf of the Home
builders, disputed charges that
the government is millions of dol
lars out of pocket and that too
high rents have resulted from al
leged widespread abuses under
the government’s own insurance
program.
The committee is investigating
allegations that some apartment
builders raked in “unconscion
able” profits by obtaining over
size loans through either dishon
esty or inefficiency on the part
of FHA officials.
Sergeant Relates
Dickenson Refused
Food to Sick POW
WASHINGTON, OB — An ex
prisoner-of-war said today Cpl.
Edward S. Dickinson pushed a
sick POW down some stairs after
the ailing man had asked Dickin
son for food.
This incident was described by
Staff Sgt. John A. Davis of Ni
agara Falls, N.Y., who stared at
Dickinson with unmasked hate
during his appearance in the wit
ness chair. It was third day of
Dickinson’s court martial on
charges of collaborating with the
Chinese Communists while a POW
Davis said Dickenson worked at
the sick compound as a cook at
the Red POW camp at Pyoktong
along the Yalu River and “I saw
him trade off chow for tobacco
and candy.”
At one point, Davis said he saw
a sick POW go up to Dickenson
“and ask for chow. Dickinson
said there was no more. I, per
sonally saw some chow in the
chow pot.”
The witness said there was “a
little argument” and he saw Dick
enson push the man down three
stairs. “The man’s legs were para
lyzed for a day,” 'Davis said.
Guy Emery, counsel for the de
fense, drew from Davis a confes
sion that he could not remember
clearly the incident of chow trad
ing.
Emery asked the short, stocky
sergeant: “Was it at this time that
you began to hate the accused?”
“Yes, sir,” Davis said. ,
“And you still do?”
“Yes, sir.”