121 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No. 27 _NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 4, 1955 Per Copy—15*
Missing Scientist
Turns Up Working
For The Russians
By Richard Kaischke
MOSCOW, — Prof. Bruno
Pontecorvo held the center of the
stage* for an hour and 40 minutes
at a news conference today. He
disclosed little except that he has
been a Soviet citizen since 1952.
He declared he is working only
on a peaceful atomic project.
The scientist was born in Italy
but fled to the west in 1950. His
whereabouts had been a mystery,
but Pravda last weekend revealed
his presence in the Soviet Union.
What prompted Soviet officials to
arrange today’s news conference
—a rare thing in this country—
was not exactly clear.
Asked by a western corres
pondent if he would change over
to atomic military work in case
of a direct threat to the Soviet
Union, Pontecorvo answered:
“I am a Soviet citizen and to
gether with all Soviet people I
am ready to serve the people to
the -best of my ability.”
This seemed to be an elaborate
’ way of saying yes.
His voice broke and words
c^me slowly as he sent greetings
„ to the physicists with whom he
had worked in England.
Ponecorvo said that many of
these physicists are “honest, cap
able people who are blinded by
the yellow press. Only thus can 1
explain their opinion about the
Soviet Union.”
Pontecorvo, who was given
British citizenship for his work
in World War II, disappeared in
1950 while working at England’s
top secret Harwell atomic re
search station. He now is about
45 years old.
The dark-haired scientist an
swered questions of 75 reporters
from both the Communist and
hon-Communist world at the con
ference, arranged by the U.S.S.R.
Academy of Science.
He proclaimed firmly his be
lief that “Soviet science and So
viet physics hold the first place
in the world.”
He cited as proof the creation
in the Soviet Union of what he
called the world’s first atomic
powered electric station. But he
added he was not connected with
work on the station, which Russia
said was established for industrial
purposes.
$4,400,000 Dock To Be
Built At Seward, Alaska
WASHINGTON UP)— Construc
tion of a $4,400,000 dock at Sew
ard is scheduled to begin this
summer, the Department of In
terior has advised Sen. Magnuson
(D-Wash).
William C. Strand, director of
the Office of Territories, men
tioned the dock plans in a reply
to Magnuson’s inquiries concern
ing the Alaska terminal of pro
posed railroad car-truck ferry
service to the territory.
The inquiry had been prompted
by protests by J. E. Roth of the
Seward Chamber of Commerce
against making Whittier the Al
aska terminal of the operation.
Strand informed Magnuson the
department has nothing to do
with selection of> the terminal but
that the choice would be made by
promoters of the project.
He added the department in
tends to complete rehabilitation
of the Alaska Railroad from
Seward to Portage.
!
Senate Bill Proposes
Increase In Allowance
For Dependent Children
JUNEAU, (#> — An increase in
the allowance for the care of de
pendant children was proposed in
a new Senate bill Thursday.
A bill by Sen. Doris Barnes <R
Wrangell) and Howard Lyng <D
Nome) proposes to increase the
territorial assistance to $80 a
month, from the present $60, for
an adult and one dependent child.
The measure would leave the
allowance for each additional
child at the present $30.
The bill was No. 123 in the
Senate, breaking the record of
122 bills in the 1953 Senate.
An act to provide for the pre
vention, clearance and redevelop
ment of slums and blighted areas
in cities was introduced in the
House by Rep. Richard Greuel
(D-Fairbanks>. It would authorize
the cities to take action against
run-down vicinities.
A memorial to the federal gov
ernment heads and the Alaska
Road Commission asks for a
highway link between Nome and
Wales and the Alaska Highway
system at Fairbanks. Introduced
by Rep. Lester Bronson iD-Nome)
it emphasizes the important min
eral and oil areas which would
be opened by such a highway.
House Passes Legislation
Makes Prostitution Illegal
JUNEAU, (/P—A bill to make
any act of prostitution illegal in
Alaska passed the House Thurs
day on a 23 to 1 vote.
Legislators explained that exist
ing territorial law was aimed only
against bawdy houses and pro
curers.
The lone vote against the mea
sure was by Speaker of the House
Wendell Kay (D-Anchorage) who
told the House he would vote for
it if the male was made jointly
guilty under the act.
He told the House members
they were “just kidding your
selves if you think this will elim
inate prostitution.”
Some other attorneys express
ed the belief the bill, as written
would make it more difficult to
obtain convictions than under the
present practice of prosecuting
under the vagrancy law, because
testimony would be necessary to
obtain convictions.
Rep. Ken Johnson (D-Anchor
age) suported his arguments for
the bill by getting a Jan. 8 edition
of the Anchorage Times from the
Territorial Museum files and
quoting an editorial pointing out
how such a bill has been defeated
in previous sessions and contend
ing the need for it, especially in
areas outside of city limits, would
be a challenge to the 1955 legis
lature. The bill was passed after
previous unsuccessful attempts to
sidetrack it. It now goes to the
Senate.
Northwest Seeks Permit
For Cold Bay-Tokyo Route
WASHINGTON, (tf—Northwest
Airlines has informed the Civil
Aeronautics Board there will be
a considerable activity at Cold
Bay, next summer which will re
quire special air service between
that 'point and Japan.
Northwest did not indicate the
nature of the activity. It applied
for permission to provide air
service between Cold Bay and
Tokyo. ,
The airlines has authority to
operate between Seattle and Tok
yo by way of Anchorage, with
operational stops in the Aleutians. [
Nanooks Win
Two Games
ANCHORAGE — The Nome
Nanooks basketball team beat the
Cordova team Wednesday by a
score of 57 to 51. Milton Willoya
scored 32 points in the game.
On Thursday the Nanooks won
over Wasilla 73 to 49 even though
Willoya and Herman fouled out
in the fourth period.
The Nanooks play the Kodiak
Naval team again tonight. They
lost their first game to Kodiak
on Tuesday 64 to 47.
Coach William Ullrich said the
Nanooks are in fine spirits.
Courts To Test Legality
Of Coast Guard Fines On
Ketchikan Charter Assn.
SEATTLE, —Operations of
the Ketchikan Merchants Charter
Assn, will be freed of heavy Coast
Guard fines until the courts test
whether the vessels are carrying
cargo illegally for hire, Niels P.
Thomsen, general manager, an
nounced Thursday.
There will also be no interrup
tion of the service its three char
tered ships provide between Seat
tle, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Juneau
and way points, the retired Coast
Guard captain added.
A memorandum of understand
ing has been reached with Vice
Adm. Alfred C. Richmond, Wash
ington, D.C., to hold the fines to
a “nominal amount” until the
courts decide the issue, he re
ported.
Earlier this week a federal
judge at Washington refused to
temporarily enjoin the Coast
Guard from imposing such fines.
Admiral Richmond has ruled that
the Association is carrying cargo
for hire and is therefore subject
to inspection requirements and
fines.
The Association insists it is a
cooperative group chartering
boats for cargo only for its 400
members. In weekly sailings, its
boats average moving 1,500 tons
of general cargo a month north
bound for members and bring
bulk frozen fish back south which
otherwise could not move, Thom
sen said.
Its boats comply with all rules
of safety and since July 1952,
have logged over 400,000 miles
without an accident, he added.
Legislators Disagree On
Day-Costs Of Session
JUNEAU, UP* — Democrat and
Republican floor leaders in the
House of Representatives are at
sharp variance on how much a
day’s work—or lack of it—by the
legislators costs the taxpayers.
Rep. Joseph McLean (R-Ju
neau), in accusing the Democrats
of wasting time by bringing in a
surplusage of side issues, quoted
a figure of $1,200 an hour the
other day.
Rep. Richard Greuel (D-Fair
banks) arose Thursday to report
that he had done some figuring
on his own and had come up
with a figure of about $1,200 a
day for the House over-all cost
during a 60-day session, including
the cost of printing all the jour
nals and session law books. He
cited a total legislative session ap
propriation of about $150,000 for
all costs—which seemed to come
pretty close to supporting his
figures.
To which Speaker Wendell Kay
quipped: “That makes me feel
better about having given you the
privilege of the floor for those
two minutes.”’
Danes “Sensitive” About
American Contacts With
Eskimos of Greenland
WASHINGTON, UPi—'The Dan
ish government has built and is
operating a navigational aid sta
tion this country had planned to
put on Greenland because it did
n’t want American contact with
Eskimos there.
Vice Adm. Alfred C. Richmond,
commandant of the Coast Guard
testified before the House Appro
priations Committee recently that
Americans man two such stations
on Greenland. But plans for a
third were abandoned, he said,
because the Danes “felt the pres
ence of the Coast Guard or United
States citizens there might be a
bad influence on the natives.”
The proposed third station, he
said, was to be near an Eskimo
village and the Danes offered to
build it themselves because they
are “very sensitive to the outside
influences on the Eskimos of
Greenland.”
The United States, he added, is
reimbursing Denmark for the
costs of maintaining the third sta
tion. He said this was the only
way to get it built and expressed
belief the arrangement “will
work out satisfactorily.”
The Greenland stations are part
of a global network of 44 such
stations maintained by the Coast
Guard, he said. They provide
radio beams and other naviga
tional aids to ships and aircraft.
Maj. Gen. Dean And Wife
Arrive On Alaska Visit
FAIRANKS, —Maj. Gen. and
Mrs. William Dean arrived here
today by plane to visit Alaska,
their daughter and son-in-law and
two grandchildren. The Korean
war hero’s son-in-law is Capt.
Robert C. Williams, who is sta
tioned with the 4th Infantry Regi
ment at Ladd Air Force Base.
The general is on leave from
his duties as deputy commander
of the 5th Army at the Presidio,
San Francisco.
American Catholic Priest
Expelled From Russia;
No Reason Given
MOSCOW, WV-With the tears
streaming down his cheeks, an
American Roman Catholic priest
bade farewell to his weeping con
gregation yesterday as he con
ducted his final Mass before ex
pulsion from the Soviet Union.
Americans, Britons and other
members of Moscow’s western
diplomatic colony came to the
service in the chapel adjoining
the apartment of the Rev. Geojge
Bissonnette of Central Falls, R.I.,
the only foreign Roman Catholic
priest in Russia.
Soviet police told Father Bis
sonnette Wednesday his passport
was being lifted and he must get
out of the country by Saturday.
No reason was given.
The U.S. Government protested
that the ouster violates an agree
ment in the 1933 Roosevelt-Lit
vinoff Pact granting American
recognition to the Soviet Union.
U.S. authorities contend the pact
gave Americans the right to have
a clergyman, priest or rabbi, in
Moscow to serve American citi
zens.
Western observers speculated
that the expulsion order might be
in retaliation for the return from
New York City of Metropolitan
Boris of the Russian Orthodox
Church. The Orthodox prelate
had complained that the U.S. gov
ernment made it impossible for
him to stay in America.
E.S.C. and Salmon
Taxes Occupy
The Legislature
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, (/Pi—The clash of the
sharply conflicting views of the
Senate and House on Alaska’s
Employment Security benefits
program was definitely nearer to
day.
By a 9-7 vote, the Senate passed
its bill which would sharply re
strict such payments yesterday
afternoon. The House, however,
returned its own more liberal
measure to its Labor Committee
after numerous technical amend
ments were proposed from the
floor.
Officials have estimated that
the Senate bill, if enacted into
law, would cut off almost two
thirds of the persons who drew
benefits last year from the now
almost-depleted fund.
All the speaking on the bill—
and it was bi’ief when the final
vote neared after long days of
wrangling over amendments —
was done by Democrats.
Sen. Marcus Jensen, of Douglas
one of the sponsors, lauded it as
an attempt to keep the program
on a firm footing and avoid heavy
payroll taxes that might scare
away venture capital for the new
industries expected for southeast
ern Alaska.
The House, before going into a
night session, passed a bill in the
afternoon to impose a graduated
tax on big salmon catches, 19-4.
The bill provides that the tax
would not apply against any sal
mon catches up to $20,000 in
value by a fisherman or firm. A
two per cent tax would start at
the $20,000 level and would
mount steadily until the levy
would be at a six per cent rate
above $60,000.
Mrs. Edith Bullock said she
would like more information on
the situation; that she had heard
the fishing industry described as
a “sick one” and that it already
was pyaing a raw fish tax above
3Vz million dollars per biennium,
plus $750,000 in trip taxes.
Speaker Wendell Kay answered
her inquiry from the chair with
the remark, “One reason it is a
sick industry is because of the de
pletion of salmon runs by traps.”
McCutcheon declared it is “the
modest fisherman who really is
sick.” He said the proposed new
tax is a revenue measure, and if
the trap owners want to avoid
the extra taxes they can buy
their fish from individual fisher
men instead of taking them in
traps.
The bill now goes to an uncer
tain fate in the Senate.
“Brainwashed” Spies
Enroute To The U.S.
HONG KONG, tW—Mrs. Adele
Austin Rickett, 35, held by the
Chinese Reds for 3l/z years, sail
ed for San Francisco today aboard
the freighter Pine Tree Mariner.
She and Malcolm Bersohn, 29,
were expelled from Red China as
spies. Both proclaimed their guilt
in statements experienced report
ers said showed evidence of thor
ough Communist brainwashing.
Bersohn, whose home is in New
York, had taken passage earlier
aboard the freighter California
Bear. Both ships are due in San
Francisco on or about March 24.
Mrs. Rickett’s husband is still
held by the Chinese. They are
former residents of Seattle, Wash.