62nd Year No. 39 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, APRIL 3, 1961 Per Copy 15r
Cuban Gunboat
Intercepts
U. S. Cable Ship
GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba UP>
— U. S. Naval authorities said
today the American cable ship
Western Union was' intercepted
by a Cuban gunboat and then
freed after U. S. jet planes and
a destroyer went to her assistance. I
A Naval spokesman said the
cable ship was stopped in inter
national waters Saturday, about
5 miles off the Cuban port of
Baracona on the notheastern part
of the island.
The U. S. destroyer, the John
W. Weeks, did not enter Cuban
waters and the planes did not fly
over them, the spokesman said.
The captain of the Western
Union radioed Guantanamo, said
she had been intercepted by an
armed Cuban gunboat, the spokes
man said.
“Loaded with gasoline and with
a maximum speed of only a few
knots, the Western Union’s skip
per had no alternative but to obey
an order backed by arms,” he add
ed.
Jet planes flew out and located
the Western Union midway be
tween the point of interception
and Baracona. There the cable
ship halted. Four hours later,
when the destroyer arrived at
emergency speed the cable ship
was released by the gunboat and
steamed back on course toward
Key West.
U. N. Assembly Overrides
Bitter Soviet Opposition—
To Dag’s Spending Powers
UNITED NATIONS, N. Y. UPt
— The U. N. General Assembly
today overrode bitter Soviet op
position and approved a tern- |
porary extension of Secretary
General Dag Hammarskjold’s
Congo spending powers.
The vote on the stopgap reso
lution was 51-10 with 22 absten
tions. The negative votes were
cast by the Soviet bloc.
Soviet delegate A. A. Roshchin
challenged the legality of the as
sembly’s action. He said the
United Nations is carrying out the
Congo operation in the interest
of the colonial powers and is
rushing itself into bankruptcy by
actions which violate the U. N.
Charter.
“From top to bottom,” Roshchin
said, “the operation has been
guided by the colonial powers.”
NIXON PLANS TO BUILD
MODEST, ONE-STORY HOME
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. UP> —
Former Vice President Richard
Nixon today made plans for “a
modest, one-story hoome” on a
three-quarter acre lot he has pur
chased in an exclusive subdi
vision of Beverly Hills.
The price was not disclosed.
Lot prices in the area range be
tween $42,000 and $75,000. Sale
of the lot was disclosed Satur
day by a sales agent.
Nixon has engaged an archi
tect and the house is expected
to be ready by early fall. Mrs.
Nixon and their two daughters
are still in Washington, D. C.,
where the girls are in school.
Egan Vetoes Ilis First
Trill of 1961 Legislature
JUNEAU (/P> — Gov. Egan
vetoed his first bill of the 1961
legislative session late Saturday.
Egan said the measure was
apparently “intended to provide
for a materials lien on a new
structure or on the land itself
for materials furnished in the re
moval, demolition or destruction
of an old structure on the same
location.
“The language of the bill is j
such, however, that while pro
viding liens for activities of re
moval, demolition or destruction j
it seems to indicate that such
liens attach to the very object
destroyed.”
Egan said he had discussed the
bill with the author, Rep. Wil
liam H. Sanders and that Sanders
had agreed the present language
would not serve the intended pur
pose, “and that, accordingly, the
Legislature should have an op
portunity to revise the bill’s
language.”
Prosecutor Asks Death
Penalty for Dr. Finch
And Carol Tregoff
LOS ANGELES UPl-A prosecutor
today urged a grim-faced jury to
send Dr. R. Bernard Finch and
Carole Tregoff to the gas cham
ber for the slaying of Finch’s
attractive wife.
The defendants sat glum, star
ing at their hands, as Joe Powers,
deputy district attorney, opened
the climatic day of three trials.
A crowd of more than 300, like
the ones that marked their sen
sational first trial, gathered for
the jury’s decision of the couple’s
punishment: Death or life impri
sonment.
Maxwell Keith, Finch’s attorney,
told jurors that if they had the
shadow of doubt, they should
not impose the death penalty, be
cause:
“Once Dr. Finch is dead, noth
ing can help him.”
Funeral Services Held
For Judge Coke Hill
OAKLAND, Calif. UP —Funeral
services were held today for Ed
ward Coke Hill, 95, former U. S.
District Judge in Alaska and a
practicing attorney in Oakland
since 1952.
Born in Portland, Ore., he was
a distinguished athlete at Cali
fornia. He was admitted to the
bar in 1892, practiced in Seattle
and in 1900 went to Nome.
He mined for gold for two
years, then opened a law office.
He became chief U. S. Attorney
for Alaska and later District
Judge. In 1936 he went to San
Francisco and in 1952, at the
age of 84, came to Oakland as
legal counsel for California Life
Insurance Co.
Surviving are his widow, Ella
Wilson Hill, a brother and a
sister.
Pass Resolution Calling for
Uniform Assessment Procedures
JUNEAU UP — A resolution
directing the Local Affairs Agen
cy to make a study and recom
mendations toward the establish
ment of uniform assessment pro
cedures throughout the state
passed the House Saturday.
Report Possible
Largest Polar Bear
On Record
PORTLAND UP — A polar bear
bigger than an Alaska brown bear
— perhaps the largest bear ever
killed. That’s what Arthur R. I
Dubs, 31, Medford, Ore., brought '
home with him from Alaska.
Dubs says the unstretched hide
measures 11 feet, 4 inches from;
nose to tail.
Preliminary measurements of
the skull, on which bear records
are based, indicate it is larger
than any previous bear killed. The
largest Alaska brown bear meas
ured nine feet from nose to tail,
Dubs said.
Dubs is submitting the matter
to the Boone and Crockett Club
as a possible record.
The bear was killed in the
Bering Strait between Alaska and
Siberia March 3. The hide is
now being mounted by a Seattle
taxidermist, where the preli
minary skull measurements were
taken.
Dubs said he almost missed his
chance at the bear. The bear was
sighted from the air, but it then
was inside the Russian line be
tween Big and Little Diomede
Islands — and Dubs and guide
Tommy Thompson of Anchorage
could not risk landing there.
But the bear turned, swam a
stretch of open water and crawl
ed onto ice inside the American
line. Thompson landed the light
plane on an ice floe and Dubs
brought down the bear with a
.300 magnum rifle.
GIFT GIVING . . .
TOKYO (A31) — A Tokyo depart
ment store has a new idea for
doing away with the white ele
phant wedding gift.
The bride-to-be registers at the
store. Friends deposit the money
they planned to spend.
Ten days before the wedding
the store shows the bride and
groom a list of gift-givers with
the total amount. Then they pick (
out what they really want.
Three of Five-Bill I
Receive Approval f
JUNEAU iJPi — The House to
day passed a bill 22-18 which
would raise the state individual
net income tax from 14 to 16 per
cent of what a person pays in
federal net income taxes.
The measure was the first of
a five-bill, $3.6 million tax plan
proposed by the House Finance
Committee.
Within minutes, another reve
nue bill which would raise the
tax on wine and hard liquor was
approved by the same count.
In each case. Rep. Mark Jen- |
sen (D-Douglas) voted with the
Republican minority bloc.
And in each case, House Mi
nority Leader Bruce Kendall
switched his vote to the prevail
ing side so he could give notice
of reconsideration.
Kendall’s reconsideration no
tice will hold the bills in the
House for another day before they
can be transmitted to the Senate
for action.
Passage of the income tax
measure was preceded by about
a half hour debate.
The Republicans held firm on
their contention that surplus funds
were not needed at this time and
that tax surveys should be com
pleted before taxes are increased.
“We should go back to the
people and put the problem to
them, rather than increase taxes
in the dying hours of this Legis
lature,” said Rep. Harold Strand
j berg.
Rep. Frank Chapados, Chair
man of the House Finance Com
mittee, repeated his statement
made when the bill first came
before the House yesterday that
the measures were necessary to
fill an anticipated $10 million gap
in fiscal 1963.
“We have heard a lot of flowery
speeches against tax increases,”
Chapados said, “but I haven’t
heard one lawmaker say what
services he would want to cut.”
Just before noon recess, the
third measure which would raise
the state gasoline tax from 7 to ,
Larry Westlake Wins Dog Derby
Thirty-five hundred dollars was
given in prize money last evening
at the Mushers Banquet, with
Bob Emmons as toastmaster, fol
lowing the two day Dog Derby
sponsored by the Arctic Club.
Winner for the total elapsed
time was Larry Westlake with
$1,300; Chester Topkok placed
second, taking home a purse of
$950; third, Isaac Okleasik, $650;
fourth, Richard Gallahom and
fifth, Doc Harris each with $300.
Fifteen teams ran the first day
and seven teams the second day.
The trail was soft Saturday and
firm and cooler on Sunday.
The big Arctic Club trophy
which Chester Topkok has had for
the past two years passed on to
young Larry Westlake of Kiana,
aged 23. Ed Punguk, aged 69,
who placed last the first day of
the races received a big hand as
he has participated in races here
for over twenty years winning
many prizes with his teams.
Official time for each team
follows:
1st Day 2nd Day Total Time
Larry Westlake . 1:51.43 1:46.35 3:38.18
Chester Topkok . 1:51.27 1:51.07 3:42.34
Isaac Okleasik . 1:56.37 1:49.30 3:46 07
Richard Gallahorn . 1:53.57 1:58.29 3:52.26
Doc Harris . 1:56.32 1:56.41 3:53.13
Aaron Simon . 2:07.20 2:15.43 4:23.01
Alfred Adams . 2:06.12 2:17.56 4:24.08
Edward Keelik . 2:10.58
Dave Walluk . 2:11.10
Paul Tocktoo . 2:14.36
Ralph Kugzruk . 2:22.39
George Auliye . 2:24.28
Tom Tocktoo . 2:43.28
Edwin Punguk . 2:46.28
ax Increase Plan
roin the House
8 cents a gallon, was approved
23-17.
It was a straight party vote, ex
cept that Kendall again changed
to the prevailing side and gave
notice of reconsideration for to
morrow.
Chapados said the state indi
vidual income tax increase would
mean an annual increase of $25.64
for a single person with an in
come of $7,000 and an increase
of $20.04 for a married couple
wdth the same income.
Rep. William K. Boardman,
however, said that at the other
extreme of the proposed tax plan,
a man with a net income of $1
million would be required to pay
a federal income tax of $859,
640 and an Alaska state income
tax of $137,542.
“That would leave him with
$2,818 in his pocket for a year—
and I don’t think that’s right.
“I think that the state income
tax, as attached to the federal
income tax, has reached the point
of unconstitutionaiity.”
Senate Okays $3.1
Million Boost for
Teachers’ Salaries
I JUNEAU Uf» — The State Sen
1 ate today approved a whopping
| $3.1 million increase in the sal
i aries of teachers in state-operated
| schools. The vote was 15-5.
The Senate had considered the
| bill Saturday and Sunday, but
j on each previous day it had avoid
! ed a vote on the bill, which will
mean an increase of $1 million a
year in state expenditures. All
seven Republican and eight of
the 13 Democrats in the Senate
joined in pushing the increase
through the Senate.
Voting against the bill were
Sens. John McNees, Pearse Walsh,
R. J. McNealy, James Nolan and
W. O. Smith.
There seemed little likelihood
that the bill as amended in the
Senate would receive approval
from either the House or Gov.
Egan.
The Senate boosted the amount
approved by the House by ap
proximately $1 million in state
expenditures alone.
The Senate had been warned
by opponents of the increase Sat
urday that if the bill were ap
proved as amended, it might
mean that teachers would get no
salary increase.
The Senate passed the bill with
only a few words of debate. Most
of the talking had been done Sat
urday, when the amendment
boosting the raise was adopted.
BING CROSBYS EXPECTING
HOUSTON. Tex. UPi — Singer
Bing Crosby and his wife, actress
Kathy Grant, expect another
baby in November.
Miss Grant told reporters while
here to help her father, school
| teacher Delbert E. Grandstaff of
West Columbia, Tex., campaign
as a candidate in Texas’ special
U. S. Senate election Tuesday.
She and Crosby are parents of
a son, Harry, 2, and a daughter,
Mary Frances, 1. They married
in 1957.
ROSCOE WILKE FOR MAYOR
_“ SENSIBLE PLANNING FOR CITY IMPROVEMENTS ”_»*