m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXII No. 30NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1960 , Per Copy 15tf
Bay State’s Senator Kennedy Walks
Away with First U. S. Primary; GOP
Candidate Nixon Tops Record Vote
By RELMAN MORIN
MANCHESTER, N. H., UP) —
Sen. John F. Kennedy’s Presiden
tial stock skyrocketed to new
highs today as a result of his
record-toppling performance in
the New Hampshire primary.
Vice President Richard Nixon,
unopposed on the Republican bal
lot, also smashed the GOP record.
With the state’s entire 300 pre
cincts reported from yesterday’s
primary, the Massachusetts sen
ator polled 52,969 votes in the
Democratic preferential poll. This
more than doubled the total any
other Democratic Presidential as
pirant received in other years.
Kennedy’s only opponent, Paul
Fisher, Chicago manufacturer, got
6,784 votes, and there were 375
write-in votes for Sen. Stuart Sy
mington.
Nixon’s complete total reached
65,077. The previous high, 56,464,
was established in 1956 by Presi
dent Eisenhower.
Despite Nixon’s record vote,
Kennedy broke down the tradi
tional 2-1 Republican margin of
superiority in the state. The ratio
in yesterday’s election was about
3-2.
Two significant results of the
election were immediately appar
ent:
1. Nixon’s spectacular showing
should go a long way toward dis
pelling the last remnants of any
Nixon-can’t-win talk. The Vice
President did not come to New
Hampshire to campaign person
ally. Top GOP leaders in the state
carried the burden of his cam
paign.
2. Kennedy, already considered
one of the leading Democratic
Presidential candidates, if not the
front runner, moved closer to the
center of the spotlight. His most
enthusiastic supporters had not
darod go above 38,000 in their
forecasts of his poll in the “beau
ty contest.”
A break-down of the returns
from New Hampshire’s 13 cities
showed that Kennedy pulled more
than twice as many votes there
as Kefauver had in 1956.
The cities, although largely
Democratic, gave Nixon 19,362
votes, topping Eisenhower’s total
of 13,556.
,The dimensions of Kennedy’s vic
tory took on added significance
by comparison to the last two
New Hampshire primaries.
In the 1952 primary, the Re
publicans cast about 77 per cent
of the total vote. Four years later,
they racked up 65 per cent. The
spread in yesterday’s election
was about 55-45 per cent be
tween the two parties, with the
Republicans on top.
Telegram to Governor
Egan Reports New
‘Strange Objects’ Sighted
JUNEAU, UPi — “Strange ob
jects once again sighted off coast
of Seward Peninsula at Nome,
Teller, Unalakleet and other
points.
“Bright flash in sky sighted 8:15
p.m. March 6. Followed by noise
of an explosion. After flash,
bright object seen drifting to the
west from the east.” The tele
gram was received by Governor
Egan yesterday from Pearse
Walsh, airline official at Nome.
At Anchorage, the Alaska Air
Command said it had forwarded
the gist of Walsh’s report to the
North American Air Defense Com
mand at Colorado Springs, Colo.
Three weeks ago Walsh re
ported that many observers had
seen what looked to them like one
or more speeding aircraft of an
unknown type over several points
off the Western Alaskan coast.
The object sighted was later
listed as a white hot meteor by
the North American Air Defense
Command, the Alaska Air Com
mand and Dr. Christian Elvy, di
rector of the Geophysical Insti
tute of the University of Alaska.
Yesterday a NORAD spokesman
at Colorado Springs said the re
port had been received by the
air defense agency, but routed to
U. S. Air Force headquarters and
the Secretary of Air in Wash
ington.
“This is more in the nature of
an intelligence item than an op
erations problem,” the spokesman
added.
SUES FOR DIVORCE
LOS ANGELES, UP>—Josephine
Encinas is suing Louis J. Encinas
for divorce on grounds he is a
convicted bank robber now in a
federal prison.
Mrs. Encinas is serving a 1-10
year sentence for forgery.
GOP Governor of Utah
Mistakenly Invited To
Share Democrat Spotlight
SALT LAKE CITY, UP) — Re
publican Governor George D.
Clyde of Utah was invited to be
the principal speaker at the an
nual Truman Day dinner in Se
attle on May 9.
He accepted with delight, sap
ing this must mean the Washing
ton State Democrats and former
President Harry S. Truman “have
seen the political light.”
In a letter of acceptance yester
day Clyde said he would speak
on the principles of Abraham Lin
coln, Teddy Roosevelt, Herbert
Hoover and Dwight D. Eisen
hower, which, he said, “must
guide us through the critical days
ahead.”
But in Seattle, Democratic
State Rep. John Marvin Jonsson,
who extended the invitation to
Clyde in a letter, said apparently
his secretary sent the invitation
through “an unaccountable error.”
Jonsson said Clyde could “at
tend the dinner artd be enlight
ened,” but no speech.
HOUSE OKAYS TAKING OF
HERRING SPAWN IN ALASKA1
JUNEAU, u?) — A bill to per
mit taking of herring spawn,
passed by the Alaska House Mon
day, was brought back for recon
sideration yesterday. It passed by
a bigger margin than before.
Rep. Charles Jones (D-Craigj
asked for reconsideration after
the original 25-15 vote. The sec
ond rollcall came out 29-8.
Before passing the bill the sec
ond time, the House amended it
to give the Fish and Game Board
power to regulate the taking of
the spawn. It originally gave this
power to the Fish and Game Com
missioner.
The bill, approved by the Sen
ate earlier, must go back there
now for concurrence in the
amendment.
Oregon Senator
Neuberger Dies
PORTLAND, Ore., UPl — Death
by cerebral hemorrhage claimed
Senator Richard Neuberger early
today. It was an ironic fate for
the 47-year-old Oregon Democrat
who had just won a fight with
cancer.
The senator was stricken at his
home yesterday afternoon. He
lapsed into a coma and gradually
became weaker. Death came at
1:30 a.m.
Neuberger had been home since
January, trying to shake off a
series of virus infections and an
attack of shingles. Last week he
filed for re-election to the Senate.
His death cuts the Democratic
total to 64 against 35 Republicans
but a Democrat must be appointed
by Republican Governor Mark
Hatfield to fill out his term.
A state law that Neuberger him
self authored while in the Legis
lature requires the Governor to
appoint a successor from the same
political party as the senator or
Congressman leaving office.
Haste will be needed by both
Republican and Democratic lead
ers in lining up someone to com
pete in the May 20 primary. Fil
ings close at 5 p.m. Friday.
Neuberger’s health had not been
robust for many months.
He became ill in the summer of
1958. That August he underwent
an operation for cancer. Five
months later he was smiling
broadly as he told a news confer
ence he regarded himself a cured
cancer patient.
He said there was no recurrence
of cancer but he failed to shake
off colds and other virus infec
tions and then suffered an attack
of shingles.
In January he came home to
recuperate. He said he was get
ting better and last week he filed
for re-election.
So strong was his support in
Oregon that the Republicans had
groomed no one of stature to
oppose him.
Eisenhower Calls Off
Plans for Resuming High
Level Flights to Berlin
WASHINGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower has decided against
having U. S. planes make high
level flights to Berlin in defiance
of the Soviet Union’s objections,
Secretary of State Christian A.
Herter disclosed today.
Herter said the United States,
Britain and France are fully
agreed they have a right to make
flights aibove 10,0000 feet, which
Russia insists is an agreed ceiling.
But, he said, the U. S. govern
ment has now decided there is no
technical necessity for such
flights and therefore the President
has ruled against them.
Herter made this disclosure
when asked at a news conference
what he thought about a state
ment by Soviet Premier Khrush
chev recently that the great pow
ers sould do nothing now that
might hurt prospects for the May
summit conference in Paris.
Later, Herter said the high
level flight decision had nothing
to do with the summit.
He also denied that a firm de
cision ever had been made to re
sume flights above 10,000 feet,
although 10 days ago high offi
cials here said the United States,
Britain and France had agreed
on such a move.
House Okays 18%
Interest Rate for
Small Bank Loans
JUNEAU, — — The House of
Representatives yesterday ap
proved a bill which would per
mit an increase in the maximum
interest rate on bank loans of
$1,000 or less from 8 per cent to
18 per Cent a year.
The measure now goes to the
Senate for reconsideration.
The bill was approved on re
consideration late yesterday after
its chief proponent, Rep. John S.
Hellenthal, told the House the
present law is “forcing the public
into the hands of loan sharks.”
The measure was approved on a
25-15 vote of reconsideration.
The bill had failed during a
morning session for lack of a ma
jority of House membership, al
though the vote then favored the
bill, 19-17.
Four House members who were
absent at the first roll call were
present when the next vote was
taken.
The bill passed after adoption
of an amendment to make the
maximum inter - Alaska bank
loans \Vi per cent a month, 18
per cent for 12 months. That was
just half of the interest rate pro
posed originally in the bill.
Opponents of the bill main
ained it would hurt the consumer,
who buys household appliances
on time. But Hellenthal said the
new rate would be only permis
sive and that bankers can be ex
pected to charge rates well below
the maximum, except on bad
risks.
Rep. Robert Blodgett called
the bill “an attempt by bankers
to muscle in on the loan sharks.”
Rep. Russ Meekins said it means
“the guy who borrows the small
est amount of money pays through
the nose.”
Rep. Richard Greuel told Hel
lenthal “the proper way to put
loan sharks out of business is to
pass a law to that effect.” He
called the measure “a tight money
bill” and said he was “shocked
Democratic members are joining
Hepublicans in supporting it.”
Rep. Robert Giersdorf, called
the bill “the worst piece of legis
lation I’ve seen.” Hellenthal
asked in reply why Giersdorf
signed the Judicary Committee
report endorsing the bill.
Giersdorf said arguments in the
floor debate caused him to change
his mind.
The House approved and sent
to the Senate earlier a bill lower
ing the maximum interest rate
which small loan companies may
charge. The interest on loans of
less than $300 would be scaled
down from 4 per cent of the un
paid balance, to 3 per cent.
SENATE EXPECTED TO
BEGIN THRASHING
OUT ESC LEGISLATION
JUNEAU, UP! — The State Sen
ate was scheduled to begin floor
consideration today on the contro
versial employment security is
sue, the key item before Alaska’s
1960 lawmakers.
Floor action had been set for yes
terday on an administration bill
to amend the state’s jobless in
surance program. The matter was
carried over because of the ab
sence of Sen. Frank Peratrovich,
who was ill.
The Senate is expected to pass
the bill with only minor changes,
but extensive rewriting is likely
to be attempted in the House.
Ike Calls for Firmer
Bonds with South,
As Castro Storms
By JOHN M. HIGHTOWER
WASHINGTON, UB — President
Eisenhower says relations between
the United States and Latin Amer
ica have reached “an all-time
high.”
But a growing diplomatic storm
with the Fidel Castro government
of Cuba provided a sharp excep
tion to the general picture Eisen
hower painted in a nationwide
television address last night.
Eisenhower made no reference
to Cuba as he reported to the
American people on his 15,560-mile
tour of four South American
countries. Despite the excellent
relations he reported, he said
there were some notable excep
tions.
“An even firmer partnership
must be our goal,” he added.
Shortly before he spoke, Cuba
rejected as insulting a statement
toy Secretary of State Herter
Monday denouncing implications
by Castro that U. S. sabotage may
have been involved in last week’s
explosion of an ammunition ship
in Havana.
Herter had called the accusa
tion “baseless, erroneous and mis
leading,” and said it raised ques
tions of the Castro regime’s de
sire for better relations with this
country.
Cuba fired back last night a
protest “against the aggressive
tone derogatory to our national
dignity.” Foreign Minister Raul
Roa insisted that Cuban repre
sentatives must be addressed with
“absolute respect . . . without de
scending to offensive utterances
of a personal character.”
45th Day of Session Ends
Limit for Individual
Introduction of Measures
JUNEAU, urI — After today,
only committees can introduce
bills under the rules of the Alas
ka Legislature.
This was the 45th day of the
session. From now on, lawmakers
must find committee sponsorship
for measures they want intro
duced.
They usually are able to do so.
In the first 44 days of the ses
sion, there were 175 bills intro
duced in the House and 99 in
the Senate.
Twenty-seven of them became
law.
Three were added yesterday.
They were a legalized gambling
bill passed over Governor Egan’s
veto and two bills signed by the
Governor.
He signed measures changing
from July 2 to Sept. 1 the date
on which annual assessments of
work on mining claims must be
filed with the state and requiring
the state to furnish superior
court clerks with lists of Alaska
corporations.
POPE JOHN BLESSES DRIVERS
VATICAN CITY, UFi — Pope
John XXIII today blessed thous
ands of automobile drivers who
called him to his window by
honking their horns. The motor
ists gathered in &t. Peter’s Square
after having had their cars blessed
at Rome’s Church of Santa Fran
cesca Romana, near the Colis
seum, an annual event on this
date. The Pontiff appeared at his
window and blessed the crowd.