his NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
_ ■ , , . .... - ■ . i —■ ... , ■■ , .. ..k
VOL. LV No. 13 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1953 Per Copy—15tf
§1,000 Salary Hike !
Proposed For
Alaska Teachers
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, UP — Salary increases
of $1,000 a year for teachers and
a million-dollar appropriation foT
territorial roads were proposed in
bills introduced in the Alaska
Legislature yesterday.
Bills were introduced in both
houses for higher old age pen
sions.
The Four Horsemen of the
House, the only Democrats in the
lower chamber, joined in intro
ducing the teacher and school
superintendent salary increase
and the proposal to boost old age
pensions from $80 to $100 month
ly. They were: Richard Gruel,
Fairbanks; Wendell Kay, Anchor
age; and Ted Duffied and Charles
Fagerstrom of Nome.
Sen. Howard Lyng of Nome,
proposed spending one million
dollars from the general funds
for roads, bridges and trails, as
nearly divided among the four
divisions as practicable.
A pickup in spending bills in
dicated the legislators were eye
ing the general fund surplus,
which Gov. Gruening said in his
Wednesday message would' be
about four million dollars by the
end of March when the biennium
ends.
Gov. Gruening, in Farewell Message,
Says No General Taxation Increase
Needed, But Suggests Gas Tax Raise
JUNEAU, AP—Governor Ernest Gruening, in his
final message to an Alaska legislature, said Wednesday
afternoon, “I feel we do not need any increase whatever
in general taxation,” but suggested a two-cent^a-gallon
addition to the motor fuel tax for benefit of roads, air
ports and harbors.
He opposed repeal of the terri
tory’s General Property Tax Law.
Repeal was prcfposed in a bill
introduced in the Senate by 11
Senators Wednesday which vir
tually assured repeal. A similar
bill was introduced in the House
Tuesday.
The governor’s “swan song”
was probably the longest message
he ever delivered to a legislature
in his thirteen years as chief ex
ecutive. It ran 90 typewritten
pages and covered a wide range of
problems in a territory which he
described as prospering and “on
the march.”
Gruening’s first message to a
Republican legislature of his reg
ime was conciliatory «in tone all
the way through.
In discussing the proposal for
raising the motor fuel tax he
couched language to say the leg
islature “may wish” to consider
such a step. Then he launched
into a lengthy dissertation on why
such tax increases might be ad
visable for specific vitally needed
construction.
He declared Alaska’s two cents
a gallon tax far below the average
(Continued on Page Two)
U.S. JETS SHOOT DOWN
RUSSIAN-TYPE BOMBER
SEOUL, (ff) — UJS. Sabre jets
shot down a twin - engined Rus
sian-type bomber off North Ko
rea’s west coast today and capped
their patrols by destroying one
MIG jet fighter and damaging
another.
The Fifth Air Force said it
was the second time in the Ko
rean war that Allied fighters had
clashed with Red bombers. Pilots
reported it was a lone, Russian
built TU-2.
Sabre jets destroyed seven TU
2s off the west coast Nov. 30, 1951.
DULLES & HAROLD STASSEN
LEAVE ON EUROPE MISSION
WASHINGTON, Iff) — Secretary
of State Dulles and foreign aid
chief Harold Stassen left on a
special mission to Europe Friday,
carrying with them some last
minute “suggestions and guid
ance from President Eisenhower.”
Before their return Feb. 9,
Dulles and Stassen are due to
visit the capitals of seven west
European nations.
Pioneer Card Series POSTPONED Until Further Notice
Would Make It Illegal For
Contracts Exceed Amount
Authorized by Congress
WASHINGTON, UP) — A bill to'
make it a criminal offense for
a government employe to award
a contract for a construction proj
ect in excess of the authorized
amount was introduced in the
House yesterday.
The bill, by Reps. Saylor (R
Pa) and Eng^e (D-Calif), mem
bers of the House Interior Com
mittee, also would require gov
ernment agencies to inform Con
gress periodically on whether
projects can be built within the
authorized amounts.
The two congressmen said in a
joint statement that such legis
lation is necessary to “return
practical control of funds to the
appropriate authorizing commit
tees of the Congress.”
Their statement added:
“We regret to state that this
legislation appears necessary in
view of actions taken by the
Bureau of Reclamation on the
Ekultna project in Alaska last
year.
“Rising costs on other develop
ments also make it necessary if
Congress is to maintain a constant
check on the feasibility of fed
eral projects.
“One Bureau of Reclamation
project in Montana is now esti
mated to cost five times the esti
mate at the time it was authorized
by the Congress in 1944.”
$15 Million For 21
Public Works In
|
Alaska Proposed
By FRANK W. VAILLE
WASHINGTON, UP) — Twenty
one Alaskan projects are pro
posed in the 15-million dollar
Public Works' appropriation re
quested by the Department of
Interior, officials disclosed today.
The request was contained in
the budget proposal sent to Con
gres earlier this month by Presi
dent Truman.
Department officials declined
to comment on reports that the
Bureau of Budget had sharply
reduced its original request.
It was learned from other
sources, however, that the de
partment had originally asked 25
million dollars to carry out the
program during the 1953-54 fiscal
year.
Department spokesmen said the
15-million dollar request includes
$13,725,000 for construction, $600,
000 for advance planning and
$675,000 for administration.
They emphasized the 21 proj
ects now on the list are subject
to revision in event Congress does
not appropriate the full amount
asked or individual communities
have not completed their part of
arrangement when funds become
available.
The appropriations for schools
included:
Kodiak Independent School
District, high school, $600,000;
(Ruby, school, $150,000; Cordova,
school, $675,000; Anchorage Inde
pendent School District, school,
$1,102,000; Fairbanks Indepen
dent School District, school, $600,
000; and school addition, $587,000;
Sitka, school addition, $662,000;
and Skagway, school addition,
$270,000.
105 Convicted AWOLs
Await Shipment To
Korean Battlefront
CAMP STONEMAN, Calif.,UR—
One hundred and five convicted
deserters and AWOL’s, the
Army’s first mass shipment to
Korea under the new “get tough”
policy, arrived here under guard
yesterday for movement to the
battlefront.
All but two—who had finished
light sentences for being absent
without leave—were confined in
the Camp Stoneman stockade
pending departure aboard trans
ports within three to seven days.
A spokesman said the group,
which arrived by plane from the
stockade at Camp Breckenbridge,
Ky., was the first to be shipped
off to war in a crackdown on
runaways suspected of shirking
combat.
FAIRBANKS, tff)—A fund to be
paid as a reward to any person
giving information leading to the
arrest and conviction of the “Hal
loween mask” slayers of night
club owner Tommy Wright last
Monday reached $950 Thursday.
Contributions still poured in
as all local law enforcement agen
cies joined in the investigation.
Bartlett Tells Legislature
Of Provisions Of New
Alaska Statehood Bill
JUNEAU, (vP) — Congressional
Delegate E..L. Bartlett yesterday
described as generous the land
grants to Alaska in the statehood
bill which appeared before the
last Congress.
Bartlett appeared at an open
conference of the outgoing State
hood Committee. Many legislators
attended the meeting.
Bartlett said he thought he
would insert in the new statehood
bill a request for a federal ap
propriation for Alaska. He said he
thought a request for as much as
50 million dollars wouldn’t jeop
ardize the bill’s chances on the
financial grounds.
He said a case would be made
in behalf of the money on grounds
that several million will be need
ed for land surveys and Alaska is
entitled to a financial sendoff’ be
cause the federal government
would still be keeping by far the
largest percentage of Alaska* land.
“But we don’t need to go as
beggars. We have the makings of
a prosperous state under the
existing statehood bills.”
In response to Republican leg
islator’s questions if Alaska can’t
expect to get more than approxi
mately 22 million selected acres,
which were provided in the 1952
Senate bill, he said it is very con
ceivable Congress might grant
more and he prepared to make a
fight for it.
Some legislators were critical of
the fact that 22 million acres still
is only about seven per cent of
j the vast territory.
Owner of St. Louis Cards
Faces Prison Term For
Income Tax Evasion
NEW YORK, Iff) —Fred Saigh,
owner of the St. Louis Cardinals,
facing a prison term for income
tax evasion, said Friday a com
mitee would be set up to run the
club until he could divest him
self of his stock.
After a conference with Com
missioner Ford Frick and Na
tional League President Warren
Giles, Saigh said he would not
participate in the major league
baseball meetings scheduled here
this week-end.
He added, however, he would
continue to operate the club and
look after business until Feb. 22
when the committee will be ap
pointed.
The Cardinal owner said he
himself would appoirft the com
mittee of civic-minded St. Louis
citizens acceptable to the commis
sioners and the National League.
AMERICAN SOLDIER BEAT TO
DEATH BY N. KOREAN POWs
PUSAN, Korea, (ff) — Three
North Korean Communist prison
ers of war beat an American sol
dier to death Wednesday in a
compound on Koje Island, the
U.N. POW Command said Friday.
The soldier, a private, was
clearing a barracks of prisoners
prior to’ taking a head count when
he was attacked. His name was
withheld.
Bob Reeve Gets
Central Committee
Nod for Governor
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, UPi — Bob Reeve got
the Alaska Republican Central
Committee’s nod for Territorial
Governor today.
Agreement on the defeated Re
publican nominee for the Con
gressional Delegate’s office was
announced by Sen. Elton Eng
strom, Juneau, Central Commit
tee chairman, and Robert Mc
Kenna, Fairbanks, National Com
mitteeman.
The announcement followed a
committee executive session which
ran from seven o’clock last night
until after midnight.
Engstrom and McKanna an
nounced Reeve got nine of 14
committee votes cm the deciding
ballot and that recommendation
will be sent to Secretary of the
Interior McKav.
Other committee members said
unofficially Frank Heintzleman,
U.S. Regional Forester for Alaska,
who once held the favorite’s role
for the job, had four votes on the
deciding ballot and Elmer Rus
muson, Anchorage banker, had
! one.
Republican leaders have said
McKay had assured them he
| would make an appointment
through party channels and trust
ed the Central Committee to come
up with an agreement in the con
troversial field.
However, it was well known
that some Republicans were dis
satisfied with Reeve’s campaign
for Congress and it remains to be
seen whether they might make
protests to McKay which would
have an effect.
It was a warm issue with Re
publican legislators who stayed
up to hear the report after 1 a.m.
A few hours before the commit
tee choice was announced, when
reports pointed to his selection,
Reeves said:
j “I haven’t sought the gover
norship, but I consider it an office
of distinction second only to the
presidency of the United States,
on the North American contin
ent.”
McKay Will Consider
Recommendations By
WASHINGTON, (£) —Secretary
of the Interior McKay said Thurs
day he had told the Alaska Re
publican Central Committee he
would be glad to consider any
recommendations it makes con
cerning appointment of a Gover
nor of Alaska.
In reply to questions, he said
he had not decided on a man for
the governorship. His comment
was made before the GOP Com
mittee, meeting at Juneau, de
cided to recommend Bob Reeve of
Anchorage.
Frank Heintzleman, regional
forester for Alaska, is one of the
candidates far the governorship,
McKay said. But he repeated that
he had not definitely made up his
mind on a recommendation to
President Eisenhower for the post.