m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV No. 42 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 1953 Per Copy-^15^
Lovett Tells Senate Committee Ammo
Production Unsatisfactory When He
“Took It Out of Army Control”
Defer $2 Million
CAA and Weather
Bureau Housing
WASHINGTON, UPi—The Com
merce Department has changed
its mind and deferred a proposed
$2,160,000 expenditure in Alaska
for housing of Civil Aeronautics
Administration and Weather Bu
reau employes.
Testimony made public by a
House Appropriations Subcom
mittee today shows that F. B. Lee,
deputy CAA administrator, had
urged approval of the request on
March 6 as necessary to “induce
people to go to these locations.”
Personnel turnover in Alaska,
he argued then, is about 35 per
cent — roughly three times that
.within the continental United
States. He said this is due in part
to lack of housing facilities.
However, on March 17 — less
than two weeks later—Commerce
Secretary Weeks submitted a
statement in which he said the
proposed projects “have been de
ferred.”
He explained the referment
“may make it more difficult to
recruit and retain personnel be
cause of existing housing condi
tion.” But added:
“However, we felt that suffic
ient employee strength essential
to the maintenance of operations
in Alaska can be maintained.”
He also noted that requests sent
to Congress by former President
Truman for' maintenance and op
eration of public airports in Alas
ka had been trimmed from $1,
100,000 to $1,077,000.
Elimination of a $30 million
item under the Federal Aid to
Airport Act also would effect Al
aska. The original request con
tained $374,255 for Alaska pro
jects.
CAA spokesmen said they could
not say what effect budget revis
ions might have on two other bud
get requests for Alaska—$52,500
sought to provide remote control
of the Haines and Petersburg ra
dio ranges and $552,000 to repair
and protect various Alaska air
port runways against climatic de
terioration.
The deferred housing projects
had envisioned construction as
follows: Weather Bureau, $1,200
GOO total, at Annette Island, Pt.
Barrow, Bethel, Cordova, Galena,
Gambell, Juneau, Kotzebue, Mc
Grath, Nome, Northway and St.
Paul Island; and CAA, $960,000
total, at Skwentna, Aniak, Galena,
Gustavus and Yakataga..
Mining Companies Sue Govt.
WASHINGTON, W — The first
phase of an attempt by a group of
gold mining companies before the
court of claims to find the govern
ment liable for damages caused by
war-time closure of the mines was
nearly completed yesterday.
Except for minor evidence to be
presented for two of the plaintiffs,
Bald Mountain and Ermond Mines
Inc., the hearings are ended.
WASHINGTON, UP) — Former
Secretary of Defense Robert A.
Lovett said today there was a
“definitely unsatisfactory perfor
mance” of ammunition production
for the Korean War and he “took
it out of the Army’s control.”
Sen. Byrd asked him at a Sen
ate investigation: “Who is respon
sible for this ammunition short
age. We want the name of the of
ficial responsible for the failure
to let these contracts.”
Lovett replied that he thought
under the system and procedure
set up in the Army, it was utterly
impossible to identify an individ
ual or a group of individuals as
those personally responsible.
Then he added: “Assign it to the
Army as a whole.”
However, Lovett also told the
committee:
“The Secretary of Defense is
the boss of the department and re
sponsible for the conduct of the
department. You can delegate
authority but not responsibility.
That final responsibility ;s the
Secretary of Defense. And that is
me.”
Lovett told investigating sena
tors that when he took office as
deputy defense secretary in Sep
(Continued on Page Two)
Federal Spending Can Be
Cut Safely, Says Bridges
WASHINGTON, UP) — Senator
Bridges (R-NH) said after a con
ference with President Eisenhow
er Tuesday that federal spending
“can be cut all along the line—in
cluding defense—without impair
ing efficiency or national secur
ity.”
Bridges, chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, had
breakfast with Eisenhower at the
White House.
Newspaper Reports:
Alaska Troops
Saved Taxpayers
$9,000,000 in 1952
WASHINGTON, fll—'The Army
said Monday its troops in Alaska
saved the taxpayers more than
nine million dollars last year
through “increased cost conscious
ness on the part of every soldier
and civilian employee.”
Col. Esthel O. Strouble, Army
comptroller in Alaska, said in a
news release that this is more
than enough to pay the annual
food bill for an Army division.
Strouble said the biggest single
saving resulted from the repair
and re-issue of equipment, the re
placement of which would have
cost six million dollars.
Economies in the use of gasoline
saved $120,000, streamlining of
the Alaska General Depot’s trans
portation operations saved $154',
748, and improved freight hand
ling cut $68,794 from the Army’s
freight bill, the comptroller said.
Vishinsky Urges West To
Meet Soviets “Half Way”
UNITED NATIONS, New York,
Iff) — Russia’s Andrei Y. Vishin
sky today urged western countries
to “meet the Soviet Union half
way just as the Soviet Union is
endeavoring to meet them half
way” in an effort to reach agree
ment on the question of disarma
ment. . •
In a brief speech to the U.N.’s
60-nation General Assembly, Vish
insky claimed that “in an effort
to' reach agreement the Soviet
delegation deems it possible not
to press for adoption of its own
resolution.”
That draft, which the assem
bly’s political committee defeated,
called for immediate prohibition
of the atomic bomb and a one
third across-the-board arms cut
by all the big powers.
Mrs. L. E. Ost, Pioneer
Missionary, Passes On
Mrs. L. E. Ost, well known
missionary of this area, who has
devoted her life to the native
people, and who has been an in
valid with arthritis for many
years, passed away at her home
here early this morning.
In addition to her fervent mis
sionary work, Mrs. Ost endeared
herself to the many who came in
contact with her with her pa
tience, cheerfulness and courage.
Mrs. Ost was born at Red Wing,
Minnesota, Jan. 18, 1886. She
moved to Minneapolis, where she
attended school, later moved to
Ashland, Minn. She was married
to the Rev. Ludvig E. Ost in 1910.
Shortly after, they sailed for Alas
ka to do missionary work under
the Evangelical Mission Covenant
Church.
At first they were stationed at
Golovin, where they operated the
Mission Childrens’ Home. After a
few years they moved to Elim,
where they resided for a number
of years. They lived about 18
years in Council.
About two years ago' she came
to Nome to live with her daugh
ters.
Mrs. Ost is survived by her
husband, Ludvig E.; five sons:
John of Hornet-; Nathan, a mis
sionary in French West Africa;
Joseph, missionary to Africa, but
on itinerary in Canada; Lincoln,
El Paso, Tex.; Daniel, a mission
ary in McAllen, Tex.; and three
daughters, Mrs. Ruth Towner,
Mrs. Betty Doyle, and Mrs. Lois
Mclver, all of Nome. She also has
one adopted daughter, Mamie,
and 32 grandchildren, 11 of whom
are here in Nome.
Funeral services will be held
next Sunday at 2 p.m. at the
Covenant Church.
Eisenhower Wants Another
Year of Reciprocal Trade
WASHINGTON, UP)—The Eisen
hower administration wants a
year of reciprocal trade bargain
ing under the present rules while
it works out its own foreign com
merce and tariff policies.
The President said so yesterday
in a special message to Congress,
asking that the Reciprocal Trade
Act, a legacy from the Roosevelt
and Truman administrations, be
extended a year beyond its ex
piration date, June 12.
Voters Choose C. Glayinovich, Gillis,
Jones and Straub for City Council
-«
Indian Mother with
13 Children Named
Alaska Mother ’53
A genuinely “Alaskan” woman
has been selected as the “Alaskan
Mother for 1953.”
She' is Mrs. Della Hamilton Wat
son, Athabaskan Indian woman
born at Shageluck, and the moth
er of 13 children.
Today, acquaintances of many
years’ standing praised the mother
for the way she had reared and
taught her children in the face of
almost insuperable odds, at the
same time acting as a good neigh
bor in her community.
Now a resident of Mountain
View, Mrs. Watson was the choice
of the judges selected to name
this year’s “mother.” She will now
vie with mothers from all the
other states and territories for the
honor of being selected as Ameri
can Mother of the Year. The an
nual awards ceremonial luncheon
will be held at the Waldorf As
toria Hotel in New York on May
8, and Mrs. Watson will be Alas
ka’s representative there.
Search for the Alaskan mother
began about six weeks ago, when
nomination blanks were sent to
communities throughout Alaska.
Mrs. Watson was left a widow
when her youngest child was just
an infant. Three of the children
died, but she reared the remain
ing ten to be honest, respectable
citizens, many of them leaders in
their own communities.
Other Alaskan women who
were nominated for the title are:
Mrs. Daniel Egan, Fairbanks;
Mrs. Marcus Jensen, of Douglas;
Mrs. Adam Lipke, Seldovia; and
Mrs. M. D. Snodgrass, Palmer.
Wealthy-War Vets
Take Advantage of
•Free VA Hospitals
LOUISVILLE, Ky., UP) — The
Louisville Times said Tuesday
that wealthy war veterans are
taking advantage of inadequate
laws to get free treatment at Vet
erans Administration hospitals.
All they need to do, the Times
said in a copyrighted article, is to
state they are’unable to pay. The
law will not permit an investiga
tion of their ability to pay.
Abuses of the law’s loopholes
have been pinpointed by the U.S.
comptroller general, Lindsey War
ren, in a report to the House
Armed Services Committee, ac
cording to the paper.
It said the report cited exam
ples, included in a cross-section
summary of the financial status of
336 veterans getting free care at
government expense for ailments
in no way related to war service.
More than half of the 336, the
report was quoted, have incomes
of more than $5,000 a year and at
least one is worth between $500,
000 and one million dollars.
Others were shown to have as
sets ranging from $20,000 to $500,
000 in addition to incomes of up
to $50,000 a year.
In the municipal election yes
terday 263 votes were cast with
Jhe highest single vote being cast
for Ben Young, who was unap
posed, for school board member.
The judges, Fred Rohn, Mrs.
Dick Roell, Mrs. Bert McCarthy,
Bill Meals and Mrs. Clyde Godsbe,
•ompleted the official count about
nine thirty in the evening.
Elected for the City Council for
a one-year term was Elmer Straub
with 163 votes and the following
for two-year terms: Carl Glavino
vich, Will Gillis and Dan Jones.
Retiring from the council are
Pete Reader, H. Alexander and
Wallace Mclvor.
The complete list of votes cast
is as follows:
MAYOR—Steve Andersen.229
COUNCILMEN (one-year term)
Philip Lancaster . 79
Elmer C. Straub .163
COUNCILMEN (two -year term)
Fred Cavota . 44
E. W. Eberle .35
Will M. Gillis .153
Carl S. Glavinovich .177
Ernest Gustafson .102
Daniel A. Jones .114
Robert K. Lewis . 45
William Munz . 72
CITY CLERK —
Carrie M. McLain .219
CITY TREASURER—
Alva A. Daue .223
SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER—
M. Ben Young .236
Reds Propose To
Exchange Only 600
Allied Wounded
MUNSAN, Korea, (ff\—The Com
munists today said they are ready
to send home 600 disabled prison
ers of war—a figure that includes
only 150 Americans and other
U.N. soldiers. The chief Allied
negotiator asked for a recount,
and added: “I have hopes we will
get more.”
Rear Adm. John C. Daniel told
the Communists their figure was
“incredibly small,” and asked
“that you have these figures re
viewed.” He said later, however,
that “I have no reason to believe
at the present time that they are
not acting in good faith.”
The U.N. command offered to
return 5,800 sick and wounded
Communists — 5,100 North Kor
eans and 700 Chinese. This is
seven percent of the 83,000 pro
Communist prisoners and four
percent of all prisoners held by
the Allies. The Communist figure
of 600 is 5 percent of the 12,000 to
13,000 U.N. and Korean prisoners
the Reds have said they hold.
The Allied protest on the Com
munist offer was the stiffest- state
ment yet made in the three-day
old conference. It was the first
note of discord in the otherwise
smooth negotiations which Tues
day resulted in agreement in prin
ciple to exchange disabled POWs.
Daniel told newsmen the figure
is “controversial.” “It depends on
what category you put them in,”
he said. “In other words, flow sick
is a man?”