is NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXII No. 35 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 21, 1960 _Per Copy 151
Harry Arend Is
Egan Choice for
High Court Seat
JUNEAU, UP) — Harry O. Arend,
presiding judge of the Fourth Dis
trict Alaska Superior Court at
Fairbanks, today was appointed
to the State Supreme Court.
The appointment of the 56-year
old Democrat was made toy Gov.
Egan. The announcement was
made minutes after a telegram
had been sent to Arend notifying
him of the appointment.
Judge Arend will succeed
Judge Walter H. Hodge, who re
signed from the State Supreme
Court to become judge of the U. S.
District Court in Alaska.
The appointment to the $22,500
a-year Supreme Court post will
toe effective, Gov. Egan said, at a
date mutually agreeable with
Judge Arend and Chief Justice
Buell Nesbett, and Associate Jus
tice John Dimond.
The new Associate Justice’s
move to the Supreme Court prob
ably will toe delayed briefly, the
Governor explained, to permit
completion of work now facing
him on the superior court.
The Governor said Arend was
one of three Alaska lawyers nom
inated for the Supreme Court va
cancy by the seven-member Alas
ka Judicial Council. The names
of the other two nominees have
not been disclosed.
The action will create a new
vacancy on the eight-judge Su
perior Court bench, and will re
quire another Judicial Council
meeting to nominate a successor
to Arend.
Arend will serve an initial Su
preme Court term extending
through the primary or general
election of 1964, when he must
. stand on a non-partisan ballot for
approval. If confirmed at the elec
tion, Arend then will receive a
10-year term on the high court
bench. •
' Governor Egan Scans
Measure Governing State
Personnel Problems
JUNEAU, UfI — Gov. William
Egan has before him today the
comprehensive merit personnel
system for state employes ap
proved by the Legislature.
The House agreed Saturday to
a number of changes made by the
Senate, including one which
would give the Governor author
ity to put into effect this year a
pay schedule for state workers,
subject to legislative review in
1961.
The civil service bill estab
lishes three classes of employes,
classified, partially-exempt and
exempt. One Senate amendment
would permit the Governor to
place a division head in either
the classified or partially-exempt
category.
Jet Arrives Minus Door
LOS ANGELES, UP) — After a
■big jet airliner made a perfect
landing, mechanics discovered that
it wasn’t quite all here.
A 10-by-3-foot aluminum door
was missing. The door covered
the planes air conditioning com
partment.
Airline officials said a resident
near Idlewlld International Air
port at New York — where the
Trans-World Airlines flight orig
inated Sunday ■L- found the door
in his backyard. John E. Gleason
said it bounced off his roof just
after the plane went overhead.
*
Engineer Will
Explain Power
Problems Tonight
The City Council>and the Util
ity Board have arranged a public
meeting tonight at 8 o’clock at the
Multi-purpose Room with Mr. Roy
Johnson of Seattle. Mr. Johnson
is a consulting engineer of Seat
tle who has been retained by the
Nome Light and Power Utility
Board to make a survey of the
electric rate structure in Nome
and also of the generating plant
and distributing facilities.
Mr. Johnson extended his stay
here so that ■ the public meeting
could be held tonight to clear up
much of the misunderstanding
and many of the problems be
tween the townspeople and the
utility boar^i.
This open meeting, it is hoped,
will give everyone with questions
a chance to find out just how the
power and light utility should op
erate efficiently.
GAMBELL GUARDSMEN
REPORT SIGHTING RED
JETS, SUBMARINE
Wien Airlines are bridging in
Alaska National Guardsmen from
Gambell today. A spokesman for
the group stated that Russian jets
fly over Gambell frequently, and
last week while the Alaskan
hunters were out in an oomiak,
they saw what must have been a
Russian submarine. The hunters
at first thought it was another
boat, but when they approached,
it submerged.
Guardsmen from King Island
were brought in yesterday by
Munz Airways. Because of the
open water, the Munz Piper
Pacer, with Martin Olson as pilot,
landed at the island and relayed
the eight passengers to the Stin
son Gullwing, which had to land
on the moving ice field. This plane
was piloted by Bill Munz.
EARTHQUAKE ROCKS JAPAN
TOKYO, Uf) — An earthquake
centered in the Pacific Ocean
rocked northern Japan today and
sent a small tidal wave into sev
eral coastal cities, but no major
damage was reported.
The Central Meteorological
Agency said the epicenter was in
the Pacific about 350 miles east
of Tokyo. The quake was barely
felt in tjie capitol.
“If the center of the quake had
been on land,” an official said,
“it might have caused consider
able damage.”
AMU Dinner to be
Held Here On
Thursday Night
The Alaska Methodist Univer
sity no-host dinner will be held at
the North Star Seaview Room on
Thursday evening at 6:30, states
Rev. Gerald McCray, co-ordinator
for the Methodist University Dor
mitory Fund drive.
The dinner meeting is open to
the public, and all persons inter
ested in the development of the
new college are urged to make
their reservations by Wednesday.
Local chairman for the drive,
which is being conducted in all
cities of the State, is Robert Reed,
with Rev. McCray acting as co
ordinator.
Team captains are Mr. and Mrs.
L. E. Hough, Mr. and Mrs. Robert
Grant, and two more captains are
to be announced later
Treasurer is Robert Baldwin;
publicity is handled by Mrs. Emily
Boucher and Maxine Book, can
vases chairman.
During this “ drive, $1,000,000
is expected to be raised for the
dormitory, whioh is to be ready
for the fall semester.
Surprise Bill Gets
Into Act in House
ESC Controversy
JUNEAU, Iff! — Another factor
was injected in the controversial
employment security issue yester
day when the House Commerce
and Labor Committee brought out
a third bill dealing with the
problem.
The surprise bill, which won a
4-3 vote in committee, embodies
virtually the same provisions
contained in the original jobless
pay measure introduced by Gov.
Egan.
The Administration bill under
went several changes in the Sen
ate before winning the upper
houses approval. The rehashed
version was before the House
committee as was a bill proposed
by Rep. Richard Greuel, chairman
of the Rules Committee.
The Labor Committee’s report
rejected the Senate’s version of
Egan’s bill and failed to mention
Greuel’s measure.
The House will be asked to
adopt the committee report Tues
day. Should the report contain
ing the new bill be rejected, the
House will have before it the
Senate-approved employment se
curity bill.
HELLENTHAL HONEYMOON’ AMENDMENT TO
ALLOW STATE PRISONERS TIME OUT FOR HOME
JUNEAU, (/PI — An amendment
providing what one solon called
a “Hellenthal honeymoon” for
certain Alaska ' prisoners was
adopted by the Senate Saturday.
The amendment is to a previ
ously approved measure which
would allow wives and husband^
of prisoners to visit their* spouses
for 24-hour periods every six
weeks.
The amendment, offered by
John Hellenthal, chairman of the
House Judiciary Committee,
would permit honor prisoners —
either married or single — to
leave prison for one-week visits
with their families every six
months.
Expenses of the visit would be
borne by the prisoners. The priv
ileges' would be accorded only
prisoners serving terms of more
than one year and would be reg
ulated under rules adopted by tht
State Commissioner of Health and
Welfare, who administers prison
and parole matters.
Thb amendment, adopted on a
voice vote, prompted Sen. R. J.
Logan of Cordova, to say the pro
vision “is designed to perpetuate
in history the name of a member
of the lower house of this Legis
lature, and if passed we will have
added to our language the expres
sion, ‘Hellenthal honeymoon’.”
Hellenthal termed the proposal
a forward step to protect the
families and homes of prisoners.
After adopting the amendment,
the Senate passed thfe bill for a
second time on an 18-2 rollcall.
The bill was sent bafck to the
House where it originated for con
currence in the amendment.
House Proposes Alaska
Constitution Amendment
JUNEAU, UR — The House Fi
nance Committee has proposed an
amendment to the State Constitu
tion which would permit Boun
dary Commission Recommenda
tions to become law only if ap
proved by the Legislature.
The proposal was made Satur
day after the Senate cleared tfce
way for the controversial Fair
view annexation at Anchorage.
At present, commission recom
mendations become law if not
disapproved by the Legislature
within 45 days. Under this sys
tem, Fairview and Government
Hill became a part of Anchorage
Saturday midnight, and "the water
shed area of Kodiak was annexed
to that city.
The Finance Committee resolu
tion, if passed, would direct the
proposed Constitutional change
be placed on a state-wide elec
tion ballot.
Helen Keller’s
Secretary - Aide
Dies at 75
BRIDGEPORT, Conn., UPl —
Polly Thomson, 75, for many
years the eyes and ears of Helen
Keller, died last night in Bridge
port Hospital after a long illness.
Miss Thomson became secre
tary-companion to the blind and
deaf writer in 1914. The job
evolved into a lifelong friendship.
She lived with Miss Keller at the
latter’s home in Easton, Conn.
Describing how she interpreted
to Miss Keller, Miss Thomson,
once explained: \
“Miss Keller holds my' right
hand loosely with her right hand
and I *form letters with my fin
gertips. Sometimes, of course, she
reads with her fingers on my lips.”
They frequently attended the
theater together. Miss Thomson
was able to interpret at the rate
of 85 words a minute, giving es
sentials of the dialogue and de
scribing the stage settings and
movements of the players.
Miss Thomson was the second
of Miss Keller’s boon companions
to die. The first was her teacher,
Mrs.' Anne Sullivan Macy, who
passed away in 1936.
The three women once formed
a household that functioned nor
mally despite varied handicaps,
including Mrs. Macy’s failing eye
sight in her later years.
Reading the morning newspaper
was a three-way proposition.
Miss Thomson propped the news
paper in front of her at the break
fast table and read from it. Mrs.
Macy listened and passed on the
news to Miss Keller with -her
fingertips.
Today at the breakfast table
Miss Keller learned of Miss Thom
son’s death. A member of the
household said the news was
withheld from Miss Keller, now
79, until this morning on the ad
vice of her physician.
Mrs. Evelyn Davidson Seide,
Miss Keller’s secretary, said the
news was a shock but Miss Keller
had known her ailing companion
“could not get better.”
CENSUS JOBS GO BEGGING
WASHINGTON, UFi — Census
enumerator jobs are going beg
ging in the nation’s -big cities.
Officials disclosed Friday the
average pay of $65 a week, the
drudgery involved, and a tough
qualifying test were making it
hard to hire enough enumerators
in urban areas.
Sparkling Spring
Weather Smiles on
Junior Miss Girls
MOBILE, Ala., UP) — Smiling
prettily and with eyes sparkling
in the bright sunshine, 43 contes
tants seeking the 1960 America’s
Junior Miss title, arrived yester
day.
It was a typical first day of
spring in Mobile and the teen
agers soon saw millions of azalea
blooms.
The Junior Miss from Hawaii,
entering the pageant for the first
time, and the Junior Miss from
Alaska, each flying more than
4,300 miles to 'Mobile for the
third annual event, said almost
in unison that they “hadn’t
dreamed it could be as wonder
ful as all this.”
The contestants seek $10,000 in
scholarships and the crown. They
embarked on a week of activities
including three nights of prelim
inary judging. The winner Will be
crowned Saturday night.
The Alaska entrant is Lorena
Nershak, 18, an Eskimo girl from
Nome, and the daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Richard Nershak. A
pupil at Nome High School, Lor
ena hopes to win a nursing schol
arship to Mount Edgecumbe,
Bureau of Indian Affairs School
at Sitka.
White Police Shoot
Into Crowds of
South Africans
VEREENIGING, South Africa,
UV) — Twelve thousand African
Negroes protesting the white gov
ernment’s compulsory pass sys
tem besieged a police station to
day. Officers inside opened fire
with rifles and machine guns.
Eyewitnesses said the front ranks
of the - crowd went down like
tenpins.
Unofficial reports placed the
number of dead at 34. Brig. C. J.
Els of the Witwatersrand Police
gave a figure of 30 dead and 100
wounded — and said that was a
conservative estimate
Later, police officials upped the
estimate of dead to “nearly 50.”
The barrage drove back the
crowd, leaving dead and wounded
in the streets. Police called in
armored cars and jet fighter
planes to break up the demon
stration.
It was part of a national cam
paign billed as nonviolent and
aimed at abolition of the passes
that all nonwhites in South Af
rica must carry.
But violence erupted at Sharpe
ville, a native quarter near Ver
eeniging, which is 30 miles south
of Johannesburg.
The rioting was part of the
start of a Negro passive resist
ance campaign to tie up the na
tion’s commerce and industry.
Demonstrators in Johannes- ■
burg, Capetown and other cities
marched to police stations with
out their passes and dared police
to arrest them.
Drastic measures were taken in
Vereeniging after tear gas failed
to break up the crowd, enraged
by the killing of one African
leader and the wounding of at
least four others.
WEATHER FORECAST
Continued fair and colder with
N.E. winds 20 to 30- mph.
In the past 24 hours: highest
temp. 32, lowest 2. Max. wind 35
mph from the N.E. Sunrise at 5:59