m NOME NUGGET
* OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV No. 25NOME ALASKA. FFUDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1953Per Copy—15^
Van Fleet Insists
U.N. Could Break
Korean Stalemate
SAN FRANCISCO, UP — Gen.
James A. Van Fleet insists—and
emphatically — that the powerful
United Nations army could break
the military stalemate in Korea,
if unleashed.
The retiring U.S. Eighth Army
commander, arriving to a hero’s
welcome after 22 months in Kor
ea, declared:
“My Eighth Army can always
advance another step and fire an
other shot.”
The 60-year-old Van Fleet was
given a ticker tape greeting as he
rode through Market Street in
downtown San Francisco after a
17-gun harbor salute.
He was feted at a civic lunch
eon and a reception in which he
was presented a gold - crested
sword by the city.
Van Fleet told the 1,000 guests
“Korea is the front line of free
dom ... a battlefield which, if
lost, loses far more than Korea.
If Korea is lost, Japan and the
rest of Asia would soon follow
suit, and the Pacific Ocean would
be a Communist Highway.”
He indicated he had no particu
lar plans after his retirement, f>ut
expected to “root around the
world for a while” and -do some
big game hunting in Africa and
Alaska.
Major Turnover of
Democratic D.A.’s
Reported In Making
WASHINGTON, (J>) — A major
turnover in the 94 U.S. district
attorneys who served under the
Democratic administration was
reported in the making Friday.
An announcement by Attorney
General Herbert Brownell said
that “Persons nominated as U.S.
attorneys will be required to' give
up all outside law practice im
mediately upon taking their new
positions.”
It added:
“The prohibition against out
side practice also will apply to
all assistant United States attor
neys appointed in the future.
“Each new United States attor
ney also will be requested to ap
ply the restriction as soon as prac
ticable to any present assistant
United States attorneys retained
in office.”
Brownell’s use of the phrase
“any . . . retained in office”
broadly hinted that a great many
m^y not be. His use of the words
“each new” U.S. attorney also was
obviously significant.
JUNK DEALER NABBED FOR
BUYING STOLEN GOV'T WIRE
SAN FRANCISCO, LP) — A 55
year-old junk dealer wanted in
Alaska on charges of purchasing
stolen U.S. government property,
was arrested here Thursday by
the FBI.
Donald K. Brown, FBI chief
here, identified the man as Robt.
B. Patterson.
Indicted in Anchorage, three
months ago on charges of pur
chasing $300 worth of stolen gov
ernment power cables, the junk
dealer told the FBI today he
never knew he had been indicted.
Secretary Dulles Will
Cooperate Congressional
Probes of State Dept.
WASHINGTON, Ufl — Secretary
of State Dulles said Friday the
State Department needs remedial
action from the Republican ad
ministration. He added that con
gressional investigations may help
in this respect.
In a formal statement at his
news confei'ence Dulles said it
will take months to reorganize the
department and get the personnel
situation “in satisfactory shape.”
Meanwhile, he said, congres
sional inquiries will be going on
and he made clear that he intends
to cooperate with them.
He laid down this policy about
defending the department and
its people, which he took over
little more than a month ago from
the Truman administration:
“I am prepared to defend what
I know to be sound and defens
ible. I ain not prepared blindly
to defend a situation which was
ci’eated under my predecessors
and which I have taken office
with a mandate to change.”
Deck Officers Assert
Owners’ Injunction Will
Not Stop Their Strike
SAN FRANCISCO, UP) — West
Coast ship owners Thursday night
obtained a temporary court order
to stop a scheduled strike of deck
officers, but the union maintains
it will make no difference.
“No one can force us to work
for sub - standard wages,” a
spokesman for the AFL Masters,
Mates and Pilots Union said.
Capt. C. F. May, vice president
of the union, said he didn’t see
how a court order could prevent
individual officers from not sign
ing up for work. “If the shipown
ers think . . . they can establish
an unheard-of precedent by mak
ing a master and mate of a ship
sail for less money than the men
for whom he is responsible, they
will be responsible for whatever
consequences result,” he said.
May earlier said union mem
bers were ordered “as of now”
not to sign on West Coast ships,
except those carrying military
cargo and those of firms which
might grant the union’s wage de
mands.
Fairbanks Unions Caution
Workers Coming To
Alaska To Look For Work
FAIRBANKS, W) — Fairbanks
labor and trade unions have is
sued a word of caution to workers
who plan to come to Alaska this
year during the construction sea
son.
At present, one union reported,
half of its members are out of
work, and others have from 20
to 40 per cent on the bench.
When jobs are available, local
men are hired first, the union
said. In addition to the surplus
of men, the construction season is
expected to get off to a late start
due to a freeze recently placed on
military construction.
Before coming to the territory,
workers were urged to contact
their trade unions, as all construc
tion jobs are handled through the
organizations. This includes ser
vice trades, culinary and laundry
workers.
Rep. Saylor Seeks
More Hearings on
Alaska Statehood
WASHINGTON, UP)—Rep. Say
lor (R-Pa) still plans to seek a
White House endorsement of
statehood hearings for Alaska de
spite President Eisenhower’s state
mentWednesday that the northern
territory has not yet proved it is
ready to come into the Union.
The President told his weekly
news conference he was not pre
pared to recommend early Con
gressional action on Alaskan state
hood.
He said he believed the Repub
lican platform said that the Alas
kan situation would bp studied
to determine whether statehood
should be recommended. He said
he did not feel that the Alaskan
case has been proven, and de
scribed the territory as more ‘de
pendent than self-supporting.
Advised of the President’s state
ment, Saylor—head of the House
Territories Subcommittee now
holding hearings on Hawaiin state
hood—said he still will seek an
appointment with the President.
“I don’t plan to ask that he rec
ommend statehood,” the Pennsyl
vanian said, “but I would like
his recommendation that hearings
on Alaska be held to see what
kind of case can be made. I think
they’ve got a good one.”
INCOME TAX EXEMPTION
ASKED FOR NEW INDUSTRIES
TO DEVELOP RESOURCES
JUNEAU, UP)—The Senate com
pleted legislative approval Thurs
day on a memorial to Congress
for a special federal income tax
exemption for new industries en
tering the territory for develop
ment of natural resources.
The memorial introduced by
Rep. Fred Eastbaugh (R-Juneau)
asks, a three and one-half year
exemption after the industry
starts production.
The memorial cites new private
industries as the main hope for
territorial development and says
tax incentives are the best way
to attract new business.
The House had previously ap
proved the memorial.
ALASKA LABOR FEDERATION
ENDORSES LARRY MOORE
FOR ALASKA R.R. MANAGER
JUNEAU, UP) — The Alaska
Territorial Federation of Labor
yesterday announced endorse
ment of Larry Moore, of Anchor
age, for general manager of the
Alaska Railroad.
Moore, formerly assistant to the
railroad manager, also has the
backing of the Alaska Republican
Central Committee. He is the gen
eral manager of the Alaska Gen
eral Contractors and handles
labor negotiations for that group.
LIVING COSTS DROP
WASHINGTON, UP) — The gov
ernment reported Friday that liv
ing costs dropped two-tenths of
one per cent between mid-Decem
ber and mid-January.
The decline, mainly due to low
er retail prices for food and cloth
ing, was reflecting in a new con
sumer price index put out for the
first time Friday by the Bureau
of Labor Statistics.
1,200 Western Democrats !
Pay $100 Apiece To
Hear Adlai Stevenson
LOS ANGELES, (l?) — Adlai E.
Stevenson admonished some 1,200
Democratic austerity diners last
night, “Let us never sow division
when it is so important to harvest
unity.”
They applauded this plea and
his statements that “while we
may be a defeated party, we are
not a beaten party” and—
“I for one hope and pray that
we shall be spared the spectacle
of Democratic orators taking a
leaf from recent history and
mouthing nonsense about ‘Eisen
hower’s war.’ Rather we stay out
of office forever than win it back
that way.”
This was an apparent reference
td Republican cries of “Truman’s
war” in the last campaign.
Adherents of the defeated Dem
ocratic presidential candidate fill
ed the Biltmore Hotel Bowl for a
“Western States austerity dinner.”
The $100-a-plate menu included
split pea soup, corned beef and
cabage, boiled new potatoes, apple
pie with cheese, and coffee.
In The Senate Yesterday
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, UP)—'The Alaska Sen
ate Thursday put its stamp of
approval on a bill to refund the
difference between the $50 non
resident fishing license fee and
the $5 fee for residents.
The refund, which would
amount to an estimated $400,000,
would come from a fund which
the treasurer set aside as the re
sult of a court contest.
A Supreme Court ruling said
the non-resident license was dis
criminatory and invalid.
The Senate moved along all of
Rep. Dorothy M. Prior’s (R-An
chorage) political party and elec
tion procedures bills through the
second reading, which is the
amendment stage, without any
headon clashes.
Thursday morning the House
wrangled over a Senate-approyed
bill to repay banks and indivi
duals $275,000 advanced for the
completion of a new territorial
office building at Juneau.
Members of the Third Division
delegation criticized the board of
administration for selecting a
Juneau site. They argued that
the intent of the legislators last
session was for a site north of
the Gulf of Alaska and that the
board had disregarded the plan.
Originally, Third Division mem
bers two years ago sought the
building for Palmer.
DONALD M. DAFOE NAMED
EDUCATION COMMISSIONER
JUNEAU, UPl — The territorial
Board of Education announced
Thursday the selection of Donald
M. Dafoe, assistant Anchorage
school superintendent, as Alaska
Commissioner of Education.
He succeeds Everett Erickson
who resigned to enter private
business in Portland, Ore.
The commissioner’s salary is
$12,000 yearly but the board has
made an urgent request to the
legislature to raise it to $15,000.
Dafoe has been in Anchorage
since oept. 1951.
Some Criticism
Voiced on Choice
Of Heintzleman
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, —One of the big
questions among Alaska’s legisla
tors as an eventful political week
near an end is:
Will governor - designate B.
Frank Heintzleman suggest any
specific legislation if he comes to
Juneau before the present session
ends?
(Heintzleman said at Washing
ton Thursday that should his
nomination by President Eisen
hower be confirmed by the Senate
next week he plans to return tor
Alaska around March 10 to con
fer with the legislators, if they
are still in session).
Among legislators polled for
opinions immediately after the
recommendations by Secretary of
Interior McKay for governor and
Juneau mayor Waino Hendrick
son for secretary, most praised the
choices.
However, as the week pro
gressed, divergent opinions ap
peared. Now there is far from
unanimity in the praise, although
Heintzleman is generally recog
nized as the least controversial
among the factional choices.
What criticism is being voiced
in corridors and hotel lobbies
seemed to boil down to these
three main categories:
1. Some of the regular party
organization people feel that the
party organization has been let
down through recommendation of
a candidate with a non - political
record.
2. Some critics feel that Heint
zleman didn’t merit the appoint
ment because he has been basic
ally a government bureau man
during his long career in Alaska.
3. Many legislators from other
divisions feel that the most pop
ulous areas of the territory have
been slighted by the appointment
of two Juneau men to top terri
torial appointive positions, and
that neither is widely familiar
with problems outside southeast
ern Alaska.
But one Democrat commented:
“The appointment looks good
to me—too good. They may make
it tougher for us Democrats two
years from now.”
New President Of U. of A.
Will Be Chosen In May
JUNEAU, UP) — Chairman An
drew Nerland of the University
of Alaska board of regents said
Friday no president of the Uni
versity will be chosen until the
May meeting.
Nerland said they had been dis
cussing applications for the presi
dency which are now close to 35
and that others were still arriv
ing. There has not been one from
Governor Gruening.
The governor has said he would
not apply for the position, but
some of his legislative critics have
expressed concern that he might.
The list of applicants, Nerland
said, includes ones from Alaska
and most parts of the United
States. The regents have voted a
maximum salary of $16,000, he
added. Dr. Terris Moore, retiring
president, has been getting
$12,500.