m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA*—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXI No. 19 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1959 ~ Per Copy— 15<g
NWA Chamber
Drive Reaches 20
Percent at Start
Fifty members have paid $1265
in dues to the Northwestern Al
aska Chamber of Commerce in
the first 24 hours of the 1959
membership drive which began
with a kick-off breakfast yester
day morning. Twenty-five mem
bers met with chairman Roy
Walker for sourdough hotcakes
and set the campaign in motion
to interest businesses and indiv
iduals in pooling their efforts for
the good of the Seward Peninsula
area.
Mr. Walker said that neighbor
ing communities will be invited
to join the NWA Chamber, as
they have in the past.
Chairman Walker estimated to
day that 20 percent of the goal
of the membership drive was
achieved in the first 24 hours.
Last year the membership in the
chamber was 59 and they hope
to double it this year.
Canadian Pilot
Relates Misleading
Bv Russ Signals
SARNIA, Ont., IP) — A former
Royal Canadian Air Force ferry
pilot said today his Sabre Jet and
three others were almost diverted
into a North Atlantic grave 2Vz
years ago by a radio signal ap
parently coming from a Soviet
ship.
The pilot, Kenneth V. Hagerty
of Sarnia, said he was at the con
trols of one of the planes follow
ing a radio beam into Kinloss,
_ Scotland, when a new and strong
er radio signal was superimposed
on-tlie beam.
The signal came from a different
direction, he said, and nearly sent
the whole flight winging north
into the Arctic.
The Sabres are short-range
planes and transatlantic flights are
worked out carefully.
The Sabres did not alter course
and were able to distinguish
enough of the Kinloss signal to
complete the flight without
trouble, he said, and the pilots
were told not to mention the in
cident.
Hagarty said it was overcast
and the pilots could see nothing
below, but the Royal Air Force
later sent out scout planes and
sighted what they described as
“foreign” snips in the area.
U. S. Icebreaker, Other
Ships In Trouble With
Antarctic Ice Pack
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, tP)
— Three ships, including the
U. S. icebreaker Glacier, were re
ported in trouble today with pack
ice in the Antarctic.
The Glacier and the Belgian
supply ship Polarhav were hav
ing difficulty trying to escape
from ice off the Belgian base be
low South Africa.
The British Antarctic supply
ship John Briscoe was held in
heavy ice near British bases on
the Grahamland Peninsula, oppo
site the tip of South America.
r—......-.—
Alaska Court
System Bill Is
V
Still in Committee
JUNEAU, UP) — The Legislature
could set the course of Alaska’s
new court system within two
weeks, the Chairman of the Sen
ate Judiciary Committee said
yesterday.
But Ralph Moody would make
no prediction on the final form
the judicial bill might take.
Moody said his committee was
considering introduction of a sub
stitute bill to one sponsored by the
Bar Association. That bill, intro
duced in the first week of the
Legislature, called for creation of
supreme and superior courts with
full authority by July 1.
Acting Governor Wade has pro
posed the immediate creation of
a three-man Supreme Court. But
he favors giving the high court
original authority only to draft
the rest of the state’s court system
and court procedures.
The Public Administration Serv
ice made a similar recommenda
tion.
Moody said the substitute bill
is still without full support of the
committee, and added it’s too early
to tell if the group will present
the second bill or the original
measure.
Under the substitute bill, the
Supreme Court would have only
limited authority in its early days
but there would be provisions for
the high and superior courts to
start operations immediately if the
present U. S. District Court juris
diction is removed.
Doctors Pronounce Surgery
Successful On Dulles
WASHINGTON, UP) — Secretary
of State Dulles today underwent
a hernia operation which was
pronounced successful, but doc
tors delayed a public report on
whether they found a recurrence
of cancer.
Dulles was operated on in 1956
for removal of a cancerous por
tion of the lower intestine. Doc
tors said in advance of today’s
surgery they had found no sign
of a recurrence.
Word of the success of the op
eration itself was relayed quickly
to President Eisenhower.
About the time of the report to
the White House, Press Secretary
James C. Hagerty again emphat
ically denied reports Eisenhower
is sounding out members of Con
gres regarding a possible succes
sor to Dulles.
Research Director Given
Powers To Overrule All
Other U. S. Defense Groups
WASHINGTON, IP) — Dr. Her-,
bert York, 37, director of defense
research and engineering, has been
given power to overrule all other
defense agencies and services in
the space weapon and missile
field.
Secretary of Defense Neil H.
McElroy issued a directive Thurs
day giving the young official
sweeping powers. York was con
firmed by the Senate less than
two weeks ago in his research and
engineering post.
Okleasik Team
Arrives For Flight
To Fur Rendezvous
Paul Mandeville of the Bering
Sea Club, will accompany Isaac
Okleasik and his dog team to An
chorage for the Chamber of Com
merce, and to assist the driver
with his team.
This Teller team, which won
first place in last' year’s Cape
Nome Derby, arrived recently
from Teller under its own power
and is in excellent condition. His
time last year was one hour, 39
minutes, 11 seconds on a soft
trail, running the 7th of April
over a 20-mile course.
The team will be taken to An
chorage through the courtesy of
the Alaska Airlines, to participate
in the big Fur Rendezvous races.
Dog racing originated in Nome,
and is remembered by many of
the local residents, as the only
means of transportation available
to mining people. The Big Sweep
stake Races, from 1908 to 1916,
created world interest and be
came such a popular sport that it
was taken up in the eastern states,
where there are now kennels
which breed sled racing dogs ex
clusively.
Billy Cameron remembers see
ing the first prize for the Sweep
stake race, which was a trophy
cup filled with $10,000 in 20-dol
lar gold pieces. He states that it
was displayed in the window of
the Alaska Bank on Steadman
Avenue for several weeks prior
to the race, which was a 408-mile
course — Nome to Candle and
return.
The record time for a short race
was made by Fred Ayers in 1915
on December 15, when he covered
the Nome to Fort Davis course,
a distance of six and one-third
miles, in 21 minutes and 29 sec
onds. His dogs were a Scotch stag
hound and malamute strain.
The record time for the 408
mile course was 74 hours and 17
minutes, and was made in 1910 by
John Johnson — the Iron Man —
driving a team owned by Col.
Charles Ramsay.
Eisenhower Will Meet
With Mexico’s New
President At Acapulco
WASHINGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower will spend the night
of February 18 at Bergstrom Air
Force Base, Austin, Tex., enroute
to Acapulco, Mexico, for talks
with Mexico’s new president.
In announcing this today, the
White House said the President
has no plans to visit Mrs. Eisen
hower in San Antonio, Tex., or
elsewhere on the trip to and from
Acapulco. This statement was
prompted by reports in San Anto
nio that the Eisenhowers would
rendezvous there — the city of
their courtship.
Mrs. Eisenhower is now in San
Antonio visiting friends before
going out to Phoenix, Ariz., for
a two-weeks vacation at a health
and beauty resort.
Eisenhower will be the guest of
Mexico’s President Adolfo Lopez
Mateos at Acapulco, February
19 and 20.
Defense Sec. Submits Proposal To
Congress for Sale of ACS Facilities
By FRANK VAILLE
WASHINGTON, OR — Congress
has received the long-promised
Administration proposal for sale
of the Alaska Communications
System and related government
owned communications service to
and from the 49th State.
The proposal, submitted by Sec
retary of Defense McElroy, now
is before the House and Senate
Armed Services Committee. It
has yet to be introduced in the
form of a bill.
The proposal would authorize
sale of any or all parts of the in
tegrated communications system
not necessary for military pur
poses. This would include not
only the Alaska Comunications
System but also facilities owned
by the Air Force and the Federal
Aviation Agency.
McElroy said any prospective
purchaser probably would require
the whole combination in order
to provide a complete long-lines
communications service to the
public, military and other govern
mental agencies.
Because of the impracticality of
describing the affected facilities
in detail, McElroy said the propo
sal woi^d authorize a negotiated
sale without any advertising for
bids.
McElroy said the Attorney Gen
eral would review any contract
before the sale is completed.
Any purchaser would be re
Legislature Tries To Get
Quick Pay For Staff
JUNEAU, UP) — Quick House
action, and possibly a court test,
appeared in prospect in an at
tempt to get pay checks to the
Legislature’s 43 payless staff em
ployes.
Unlike the 60 legislators, who
each got new $680 vouchers Wed
nesday to cover their expense al
lowances the session’s first 17
days, the staff workers went
through another day with no
money. The legislators are ex
pected to get . their first $250
monthly pay checks later in the
month.
The two bills aimed at paying
the clerks, secretaries and other
staff employes were transmitted
to the House from the Senate
Wednesday after the Senate, which
passed them Tuesday, had re
viewed them. One is an appropria
tion bill; the other sets the pay
scales.
King For The Birds . . .
NEW YORK, UP) — Blonde Bra
zilian singer Rosina Pagan said
she placed her 6V£-carat diamond,
ring, valued at more than $7,000
on the window sill of her Man
hattan apartment Thursday while
she polished her fingernails.
Along came a pigeon, she said,
and whisked the ring away.
She said the ring was a gift
from a Texas oil man.
“I’m going to sue the city, I’m
going to sue somebody,” she said,
adding that pigeons never do
things like that in Brazil.
quired to provide without inter
ruption all services now furnished
by the government. Operation of
the system would become subject
to jurisdiction of the Federal
Communications Commission and
any Alaska regulatory bodies
which the state may create.
McElroy said it would be im
possible to estimate .an adequate
price for the system without an
appraisal, but said its estimated
cost to the government less depre
ciation stood at approximately
158 million dollars as of July 1,
1958.
This, he said, included 135 mil
lion dollars for the Air Force sys
tem, 20 million dollars for the
ACS facilities and $2,700,000 for
those of the Federal Aviation
Agency.
McElroy said there' have been
periodic efforts to dispose of the
government facilities since 1913,
but that private industry was re
luctant to acquire them because
of the large investment and small
return potential.
“However, the development of
Alaska has now progressed,” he
said, to a point where the opera
tion of a communications system
would appear to be financially
attractive to private industry.
Furthermore, the citizens of the
State of Alaska should not be de
pendent on the military for neces
sary commercial communications.”
House Acts 36-4
Favoring Governor
Succession Law
JUNEAU, W* — A measure pro
viding succession to the positions
of Governor and Secretary of State
was passed toy the House, 36-4,
yesterday, and was sent to the
Senate.
Under the bill, the office of the
Governor would be taken by the
Speaker of the House if both the
Governor and the Secretary of
State’s offices were vacated. The
President of the Senate would be
next in line to succeed to the
chief executive’s position. How
ever, the person succeeding him
as Governor would serve only un
til the Legislature, acting in reg
ular session, elected a successor.
The measure also provides that
the Governor would fill by ap
pointment a vacancy in the office
of Secretary of State. Under the
State Constitution the Secretary
of State-is the immediate succes
sor to the Governor.
The succession bill was one of
eight pieces of legislation ap
proved by the House yesterday,
the busiest day for the lower
chamber in terms of the total
number of measures approved.
An attempt to amend a meas
ure concerning Alaskan divorces
was defeated and the bill passed
on a vote of 31-9. Peter Deveau
'D-Kodiak) proposed an amend
ment providing an eight-month
residency requirement for all
Alaskan divorces, instead of the
two-year stipulation in the pres
ent bill.
ake Sale
At The N.C. Store BENEFIT SCHOOL BAND FESTIVAL FUND ^