22 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No. 34NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 21, 1955Per Copy—15#
Attempt Fails To
Increase Cigaret
Tax To 7 Cents
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, UPl—An attempt was
made in the Alaska Senate yes
terday to increase the tax on
cigarets from 5 cents a pack to
4 cents, but it failed on a 13 to 3
vote.
The proposal came while the
Senate was passing a House-ap
proved measure to remove the
special tobacco tax from cigars
and other forms of tobacco and
concentrate it only on cigarettes
under a sharply tightened collec
tion law.
The Senate passed the measure
and sent it back to the House
after amending it to provide that
wholesalers would be entitled to
keep one per cent of the tax
collections they make as com
pensation for their added trouble.
The tobacco tax monies go
entirely to the school construc
tion fund.
Estimates were made the new
law — which is aimed even at
stopping individuals from ship
ping in their personal supplies of
cigarets tax-free from stateside
dealers — would add close to a
million dollars in added collec
tions during the biennium.
In proposing to raise the tax
to 7 cents a pack, Sen. Butrovich
said it could add another $900,
000 for the biennium, but the 13
to 3 vote against the proposal
came after merchants in the Sen
ate protested that cigaret taxes
already are too high.
12 Persons Killed, 23 Hurt
In Crash of Airliner
SPRINGFIELD, Mo., UP — An
American Airlines plane thread
ing its way through darkness and
rain toward a landing field crash
ed last night, killing 12 persons
and injuring 23.
The twin-engine Convair crash
ed in a pasture about two miles
north of the Springfield' airport.
Wreckage was scattered more
than 300 feet. The plane carried
a three-member crew and 32 pas
sengers. All the survivors were
injured.
Jack Pripish, of Chicago, the
pilot, was the only member of
the crew to survive.
The airport control tower had
given final clearance for the
landing. As the craft approached
Carl McCrary in the tower saw
a flash. Then the plane disap
peared and he gave the alarm.
Robert Browning, 15, of Chap
pague, N.Y., an injured passenger,
said there was a “terrible vibra
tion” before the crash.
“I was on a Clipper plane last
summer and I read some instruc
tions on what to do in case of a
crash,” Browning related. “They
said to put your head down be
tween your knees. And I did that
when I felt the vibration. The
next thing I knew I was lying on
the ground about 15 feet from the
plane.”
OLD-TIME RED-HATER
DIES IN EXILE HOME
VENCE, France, UP — Count
Michael Karolyi, former president
of Hungary, whose off-and-on
feud with the Communists span
ned two world wars, died at his
home in exile here Saturday. He
was 80.
A descendant of one of Hun
gary’s richest noble families, Kar
olyi had a stormy political career
in which he twice chose exile in
preference to Communism.
House Trims Public Works
And Road Monies From
Funds For This Year
WASHINGTON, (JV—The House
Appropriations Committee today
cut $9,024,000 from requested ap
propriations in the Interior De
partment fund bill for territories
during the year beginning July 1.
Of this amount five million
dollars was trimmed from re
quests for Alaskan Public Works
and three million dollars from Al
aska road construction.
President Eisenhower’s budget
had recommended five millions
for Alaska Public Works for the
coming year compared with $9,
500,000 this year.
The committee, in disallowing
the entire request, said it ap
proved the program submitted
but that unobligated balances of,
funds previously appropriated
should be sufficient to carry on
the work proposed in 1955-56.
For the same reason, the com
mittee slashed three million from
requests for construction of roads
in Alaska. It approved $4,800,000
for that purpose compared with
this year’s appropriation of eight
million and the budget recom
mendation of $7,800,000. It said it
also approved that program.
| Pan Am and Northwest
i Trade Verbal Punches
Over Great Circle Route
SAN FRANCISCO, l/Pt— North
j west Airlines and Pan American
World Airways, competing for
great circle flying to the Orient,
traded verbal punches Saturday
in a meeting of western states
airlines and Chamber of Com
merce officials.
Ed Floan, Northwest vice presi
dent, circulated a five page state
ment accusing Pan American of
“besieging” newspapers and
Chambers of Commerce with
“biased presentations” of the
great circle argument.
The Civil Aeronautics Board
has granted Northwest exclusive
right to the route and deferred a
Pan American request to fly it
until it has developed jet plane
equipment. »
Floan said the Pan American
statements urge that “immediate
grant of the great circle pro
posal is imperative to reduce
government subsidy and elimin
ate waste of taxpayers’ money.”
Col. Clarence M. Young, Pan
American’s Pacific-Alaska chief
told the conference he wanted to
make “a passing reference to the
paper passed out to you.”
Pan American, he said, has
distributed statements “for legiti
mate support” and “to show what
the economic effect of a wrong
decision would be.”
The Western States Air Pol
icy conference, after the great
circle flurry, approved resolu
tions asking permanent certifica
tion for local service airlines and
speedier CAB hearings.
The conference also favored in
creased air transportation of first
class mail and elimination of the
10 per cent transportation tax.
TV SET AND BEDSPREAD
CARRIED OFF DURING NAP
DENVER, ti—Alvin Vigil told
police today he lay down on a
bed at his, home to watch tele
vision, dozed off, and woke up
to find both the TV set and the
bedspread gone.
A neighbor, Mrs. Martha Kim
ble, said she saw three men carry
ing a suspicious looking box down
the street. A bedspread was
draped over it, she added.
Alaska Basketball
Champs’ Plane
Blown To Seattle
SEATTLE, MB — An ill wind
blew Alaska’s high school cham
pionship basketball team right
into Seattle last night.
Their “detour” celebration trip
will also keep them away from
home two days longer than ex
pected. Instead of flying back to
Juneau today, they planned to re
main here and return home to
morrow.
The jubilant Juneau Crimson
Bears, fresh from winning the
title in a double overtime victory
at Anchorage Saturday night,
41-39, left Anchorage Sunday
morning by plane.
At Juheau, territorial Governor
Heintzleman, the mayor and the
whole town was ready with a
rousing welcome. But a 50-mile
blizzard, with snow, was also
blowing.
So over Southeastern Alaska,
Pacific Northern Airlines pilot
Dave Schirmer just decided to
keep right on going — south.
The detouring plane set down
here at 6 p.m. and the team pour
ed out, hoisting a cheer leader,
Susan Blanton, to their shoulders
and greeting an impromptu “wel
coming committee” with “When
do we eat?” and “Let’s challenge
Garfield (Seattle and Washington
State high school champion).”
Coach Bill Ordway settled that
shortly.
“One,” Ordway said grimly,
“there’s a rule about post-season
games. Two, our superintendent
of schools is along, in case you’ve
forgotten. He might have some
thing to say about your classes
tomorrow.”
Flagging spirits were raised
when a Pacific Northern Airlines
official informed the team, and
the other detoured passengers,
they would be guests at a down
town hotel.
The Juneau ski team also came
in for the welcome, too, although
they had come off second best in
their match with the Anchorage
school. Coach Pete Bibb sniffed
the chill wind appreciatively and
said:
“Good ski weather.”
When they arrive back in Ju
neau there should still be a cele
bration for the athletes who won
a championship and then flew up
wards of 1,500 miles out of their
way to celebrate.
Delegates’ Statehood Plea
May Get Support From
House Rules Committee
WASHINKTON, (*>—A plea by
delegates from Hawaii and Alaska
for favorable consideration of a
bill to make the territories states
brought the first inkling of sup
port from the House Rules Com
mittee Friday.
Rep. Bolling iD-Moi told Dele
gate Bartlett: “Your statement
has reinforced my long-held view
that both territories are ready for
admission.”
Bartlett emphasized the need
for statehood to permit Alaskans
to develop the territory’s resourc
es. He noted that “after 88 years
as a territory, the federal govern
ment still controls 99 percent of
Alaska.”
COLD START FOR SPRING
RANDERS, Denmark, —The
temperature fell to 13 degrees be
low zero in this north Denmark
city today, the first day of spring.
Democrats In Legislature Reject
22 of Heintzleman’s Appointments
In The Legislature
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, (£*>—Another attempt
to revive the bill for a special
election referendum on statehood
or commonwealth status died in
the Senate yesterday afternoon as
both branches Jcept hard at work.
Reports from the committee
room where the House - Senate
conference committee on employ
ment security legislation has been
hard at work were that definite
progress has been made toward
a compromise on the bill.
Budget-framing lawmakers are
also putting finishing touches on
the general appropriations bill,
which is reported around the 31
million dollar level, but still sub
ject to cutting if new revenues
are not provided.
However, there appeared to be
increasing doubts whether the
Senate would agree to any fur
ther tax measures, which Demo
crats said would mean a sure
curtailing of the budget for sev
eral departments and institutions.
A highlight of the Sunday ses
sion was Senate passage of a bill
to provide $561,000 for aid to
hospitals and health centers in
territory.
Other bills approved by the
Senate, all of which had previous
ly won House approval, included:
An act to outlaw the distribu
tion of so-called comic books of
the horror and over-sexy type.
A bill to create an Alaska
Safety Council. The governor
would appoint the council from
the field of territorial, federal or
city officials directly concerned
with problems of highways and
safety. It also could include pub
lic members.
The Senate also joined the
House in approving a memorial
asking Congress to amend the
Organic Act to allow the legisla
ture to meet every year, instead
of every two years.
The House had proposed a 60
day session every year. The
Senate amended it to propose a
30-day session in the years be
tween the regular sessions, after
arguments that a session every
two years just is not enough any
more to handle the increasingly
complex territorial affairs.
Plans Completed For
Transfer 15,000 Federal
Jobs To Civil Service
WASHINGTON, UP — Plans
have been completed to transfer
to competitive civil service ap
proximately 15,000 positions in
Alaska and 22,000 overseas, chair
man Philip Young of the Civil
Service Commission has disclosed.
He discussed the transfer re
cently before a House Appropria
tions subcommittee in supporting
a request for an estimated $80,000
appropriation to carry out investi
gative work required.
Young told the subcommittee
most of the| positions are in the
Defense Dept.
“I believe this extension of the
competitive service is a signifi
cant improvement, which will
provide better qualified person
nel and reduce wasteful turnover
in overseas positions,” Young
said.
“It also makes possible an ex
tension of the career concept to
overseas jobs.”
JUNEA'U, — A Democratic
legislative leader said today his
party’s liaison committee plans to
confer with Gov. Heintzleman
about replacements for the big
batch of appointments rejected by
the legislature Saturday night.
This is how the Republican gov
ernor’s 76 appointments to terri
torial posts fared in the hour
long session:
Confirmed, 44. Rejected, 22. De
ferred, 10, of whom five are de
partment heads.
Much of the voting was on
party lines. At the outset Repub
lican speakers protested against
some of the rejections, but after
a few futile complaints they gave
up and accepted the inevitable.
The Democratic axe fell most
heavily on the Territorial Police
Commission. All three of the
members were rejected on
straight party line voting, 32
Democrats to 7 Republicans.
The rejected Police Commission
trio were former Sen. E. B. Col
lins of Fairbanks, J.S. MacKinnon
Sr. of Juneau and William B.
Healy of Anchorage.
The Police Commission vote
brought a brief political flareup
in which Charles Jones, 80-year
old senator from Nome, walked
out of the chamber after the re
jection of Collins, with whom he
had served in the first territorial
legislature in 1913.
He stalked out when, after sev
eral time - consuming rollcalls,
i Rep. Stanley McCutcheon moved
to expedite matters by suspend
| ing the rules, omitting the roll
calls and recording in the journal
that all Republicans voted for
confirmation and all Democrats
against.
Jones protested as he walked
angrily out that “if we don’t even
have a rollcall, there’s no use of
staying here.”
On the appointments on which
the Democrats were agreed, the
action was taken quickly by un
animous consent without rollcalls.
Aside from the Police Commis
sion, the boards which suffered
the heaviest casualties were the
Board of Road Commissioners,
the Board for the Care of Sick
and Disabled Fishermen and the
University Board of Regents.
The Democrats vetoed three out
of four appointees to the Board of
Road Commissioners. They were
Ben Young of Nome, Harold
Strandberg of Anchorage and
| Maurice Johnson of Fairbanks.
• •
Congress Must Approve
Money For Four Alaska
Public Works Projects
WASHINGTON, The head
of the Alaska Public Works pro
gr?m says construction will be
gin this year on four territorial
projects if Congress approves re
quested appropriations.
In testimony just released, J.
W. Huston, program director, said
the projects would be a school at
Douglas, the Anchorage water
system, a University of Alaska
dormitory and a Ketchikan high
school addition.
Other projects for which funds
are asked would be started in the
1956 building sesason, he said.
These would include a school at
Homer, a hospital at Seward,
school additions at Anchorage, an
incinerator at Ketchikan and
sewer and street projects at
Wrangell, Cordova and Skagway.