ffii E NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS _____
VOL. LXII No. 15 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1960 _Per Copy 154
President Stands Behind Gen. Twining,
See. Gates’ Faith in U.S. Missile Strength
WASHINGTON, (/PI — President
Eisenhower today called Amer
ica’s missile development record
quite gratifying. He rejected pro
posals for an around-the-clock
bomber alert.
The President sided vigorously
with Secretary of Defense Thom
as Gates and General Twining,
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, in their differences with
Gen. Thomas Power, head of the
Strategic Air Command.
Eisenhower rejected Power’s
call for a continuous airborne,
bomber alert, and also the gen
eral’s contention that the United
States faces the danger of having
its retaliatory striking force
knocked out by Soviet missiles.
Eisenhower seemed to be a bit
irritated when talking of Power’s
differences with Gates and the
Joint Chiefs.
Too many of these generals
have all sorts of ideas, he said.
The President warmly praised
Gates and Twining and added
that he has complete trust in both.
Eisenhower said further he be
lieves he spent enough time in the
military to know what he is talk
ing about — and not to be dis
turbed by what he termed the pa
rochial viewpoints of those who
say the bosses know nothing
about it.
The news conference dealt also
with these matters:
Politics — Eisenhower spoke
warmly once more of Vice Presi
dent Nixon, but again withheld
specific endorsement of Nixon for
the Republican Presidential nom
ination. However, the President
added he wanted to make it per
fectly clear that he is not dis
satisfied with, as he put it, the
individual who looks as though he
has the nomination.
That was a clear allusion to
Nixon, now regarded as a shoo-in
for the GOP standard.
Constitution—Eisenhower came
out for amendment of the Consti
tution to provide for election of
members of the House of Repre
sentatives to four-year terms in
stead of the present two years.
He also called for a Constitu
tional change which would give
Presidents power to veto individ
ual items in appropriation bills.
At present, if there is an ob
jectionable item in an appropria
tion bill, the President’s only
choice is to veto or accept the
entire bill, including the objec
tionable item.
House Hassles Over Gatz’
Rescinded ‘No Checks’
Ruling for Auto Licenses
JUNEAU, UR — The Rouse
Rules Committee of the Alaska
Legislature held a session on the
controversial question of collect
ing license plate fees.
State Revenue Commissioner
Peter Gatz told committeemen
yesterday his department plans
to seek legislation authorizing
penalties for persons who buy
automobile license plates with
bum checks.
Gatz’ policies on collecting li
cense plate fees were questioned
by Rep. Peter Kalamarides, House
Majority Leader. Kalamarides
protested in November • after the
Revenue Department banned pur
chase of new license plates with
personal checks. The order was
later rescinded.
The Majority Leader said that
the temporary no-check policy
penalized 98 per cent of the
people who buy auto tags by check
just to get two per cent who might
pay fraudulently. Gatz replied
that he was trying to perform his
duties as efficiently and economic
ally as possible.
Missile Sites Withdrawal
Canceled by Air Force
WASHINGTON, UR — The Air
Force has canceled its request to
withdraw from the public domain
five missile sites in south-central
Alaska. The Air Force said it no
longer needs the sites.
Rep. Ralph Rivers had asked
for an explanation for cancella
tion of the withdrawal requests
for sites at Girdwood, Eklutna,
Eagle River, Pioneer Peak and
Bird Creek.
Rivers said he has been as
sured by the Defense Department
that there is “no planning what
soever to discontinue Ladd Field
as a military base.”
However, he said he was told
“There might be a reduction in
force in the course of events.” I
Bureau of Fisheries Denies
Undue Delay in Turning
Equipment Over to State
WASHINGTON, Wt — A con
tention that government is drag
ging its feet in turning over cer
tain equipment to Alaska was dis
counted yesterday by an official
of the Bureau of Fisheries.
A. W. Anderson, assistant direc
tor, said the bureau wants to ex
pedite the transfer of equipment
as provided in Alaska statehood
legislation.
Asked about foot-dragging alle
gations attributed to Walter
Kirkness, head of the Alaska
Commercial Fisheries Division,
Anderson cited steps he said had
been taken recently.
Under the Statehood Act, he
said, equipment used in the man
agement of fisheries is to be
turned over to Alaska. Under her
omnibus act, surplus property is
to be transferred during a four
year period.
“We have submitted a list of
property used for the manage
ment of fisheries and are ready
for the transfer,” Anderson said.
“But we find the state is not
ready to receive it.”
The list, he added, includes
such items as 218 small boats,
nine larger vessels, 311 outboard
motors, 17 vehicles and 28 radios.
The bureau is ready to go, as
far as this equipment is con
cerned, Anderson said.
As for a transfer under the om
nibus act, he said, procedures for
declaring property surplus and
other technical arrangements are
still being worked out.
“We have been working closely
with the state people,” he said.
“We want to make the transfer as
direct as possible and that is tak
ing a little time to do.”
KICKED ABOUT THE ROAST
PATERSON, N. J., UPl — Jayne
G. Dersch has won a divorce. She
testified her husband, William,
kicked a barbecued chicken along
the street, and later rubbed a
pound of chopped meat in her face
MAGISTRATE JONES
RESIGNS; GILBERT
NAMES ST. AMOUR
JUDGE Hubert A. Gilbert an
nounced today the appointment of
James G. St. Amour to the posi
tion of District Magistrate, Sec
ond Judicial District at Nome, in
the place of Bert M. Jones, re
signed.
.The effective date of the ap
pointment is determined by the
Administration Office, Alaska
State Courts, and is expected to
be a few days prior to the trans
fer of the court system, at which
time Mr. St. Amour will come to
Nome for duty.
St. Amour was born in Great
Falls, Montana, is 35 years of age,
and is an attorney in good standing
of the State Bar of Montana. He
is married, has one child, and has
been a resident of Anchorage,
since 1954, and is an Air Force
veteran of World War II.
Eisenhower Wants
To Make Atoms
Available to Allies
WASHINGTON, UP — President
Eisenhower said today the law
should be changed to make nu
clear weapons available to re
sponsible U. S. allies.
Eisenhower told his news con
ference he has always been of
the belief that this country should
not deny to its allies atomic in<
formatio nalready possessed by its
potential enemy.
That much represents a long
standing Administration view but
Eisenhower went beyond it to
speak of custody of actual weap
ons. Mentioning the law against
transfer of bombs, he said that
since we are allied with other na
tions for defense, we ought to
arm them in the best possible
manner to strengthen their de
fense.
The Atomic Energy Act now
prohibits divulging certain infor
mation to any foreign country.
Eisenhower said this law should
be made more liberal so that nu
clear information could be given
to countries classified as compe
tent to contribute substantially to
free world defenses.
The President said U. S. allies
should not be regarded merely as
junior partners without a voice
in defense decisions.
As matters stand, Eisenhower
said, this country cannot even
give away information that it
knows the Soviet Union already
has. He added it is hard for him
to understand why we do not
make this information available.
Giersdorf Lost Key Posts
In Double-Switch
JUNEAU, Uf) — State Rep. Rob
ert Giersdorf’s brief stay in the
Senate has cost him at least one
key post and possibly two in the
Alaska Legislature.
Before Governor Egan ap
pointed him to the upper chamber
in December, Giersdorf was in line
to be chairman of the powerful
State Affairs Committee. The post
has since gone to Rep. James Hur
ley of Palmer.
By resigning from the Senate
last week, because of disclosure
that he was a few weeks shy of
the minimum age of 25, Giersdorf
gave up his membership in the
Legislative Council.
Egan reappointed Giersdorf to
the House yesterday and ap
pointed Rep. Ed Orbeck to the
Senate to succeed him.
Three U.S. Constitutional Amendments
Approved By 70-18 Senate Majority
By JOHN CHADWICK
WASHINGTON, UP! — A three
in-one Constitutional amendment
proposal, including a ban on poll
taxes, has cleared the Senate.
Action now shifts to the House,
which five times in the last 23
years has passed legislation to
eliminate poll taxes by act of
Congress, only to have the bills
•blocked in the Senate by southern
opponents.
The measure approved by the
Senate late yesterday by a 70-18
vote has two other parts that
would:
1. Empower state governors to
fill vacancies in the House tem
porarily if more than half of the
members should toe wiped out by
an atomic attack or other disaster.
Governors already can make tem
porary appointments to fill Sen
ate vacancies.
2. Permit the residents of the
District of Columbia, now vote
less, to vote in Presidential elec
tions and to elect as many dele
gates to the House as the nation’s
capitol would be entitled to if it
were a state. The delegates would
have such powers as Congress
conferred on them.
Although contained in one reso
lution, the three parts could be
acted on separately toy the House
and by the states, which have
final say on ratification.
The Legislatures of three
fourths of the 50 states would
have to ratify it within seven
years to make it effective.
Twice before, in 1954 and 1955,
the Senate has approved the Con
stitutional amendment sponsored
by Sen. Kefauver (D-Tenn) to let
governors fill House vacancies in
case of a disaster. Each time the
House has ignored it.
Seward Longshore Union
Chief Protests Blaming
ARR Rate Hike on Wages
ANCHORAGE, UP) — Seward
longshoremen have protested to
Senator Bartlett that they should
not be blamed for proposed Alas
ka Railroad freight rate increases.
The protest was made in a let
ter from Raymond C. Lee, presi
dent of the International Long
shoremen’s and Warehousemen’s
Union Local at Seward.
The increase was proposed by
Robert Anderson, ARR general
manager, on freight crossing the
Seward dock. He said increased
wages for longshoremen was the
reason for the needed hike. How
ever, the rate increase has since
been postponed until a hearing
can be held here, following an
order Ijy Secretary of the Interior
Fred Seaton.
Man hours have been reduced
more than 100 per cent since 1953,
Lee wrote.
Ships discharge freight in Sew
ard in far less time than former
ly, he added, although tonnage is
increasing yearly.
He added, “It is interesting to
note that the Seward longshore
rate of $3.56 is 51 cents per hour
less than laborers’ wages, and dif
ficult to imagine as being respon
sible for the increase in freight
rates.”
MacArthur Improves
NEW YORK, OP) —- General
Douglas MacArthur’s morale, as
he continues to improve at Lenox
Hill Hospital, seems to be good.
His favorite arm chair was
brought from his hotel apartment
to his hospital room. A new bath
robe with the West Point varsity
“A” also was brought to him.
Both reportedly pleased the 80
year-old general, who earned his
letter in 1903 as a baseball play
'er at the Academy.
MacArthur has shown steady
improvement during treatment
for an enlarged prostate gland.
'JUST FOOLING'
HOLIDAYSBURG, Pa., UPi — A
bandit wearing a red bandana
mask entered the Laurel Inn here.
He met the owner, Ida Shaw,
holding a rifle.
He dropped his gun and ran —
so fast Mrs. Shaw couldn’t catch
him.
It turned out the bandit’s gun
was a toy pistol — and Mrs.
Shaw’s rifle wasn’t loaded.
Variety of Measures
Creates Heavy Traffic
In State Legislature
JUNEAU, UR — The Alaska
Senate yesterday killed a bill to
set up special funds within the
state general fund for revenue
from state motor, airplane and
marine fuel taxe^.
The vote was 14-6. Opponents
argued the measure would violate
a Constitutional provision pro
hibiting earmarked funds. It had
passed the House earlier.
The upper chamber voted to re
quire only a simple majority, in
stead of 65 per cent as at present,
for passage of bond issues in
future elections. The measure
must still pass the House.
Another bill passed by the Sen
ate and sent to the House would
prevent placing consumer sales
tax proposals on the ballot more
than once in 9 year. Another
would ratify all past bond issues
of the state’s political subdivisions.
The House passed and sent to
the Senate bills to require medi
cal examiners’ testimony before
coroner’s juries, prescribing terms
of bonds for independent school
districts and lower license fees for
small clubs from $400 a year to
$200.
A bill appropriating $241,000 for
expenses of the Legislative Ses
sion was cleared by the Senate
for the signature of Governor
Egan.
Mixed-Up Texas Politician
Pledges to ‘Do Nothing’
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas., UR
— Attorney Roy Scott who filed
as a Democratic candidate for ithe
Legislature withdrew from the
race yesterday because a Repub
lican friend wouldn’t lend him
the filing fee.
Scott, who filed for .the office
Monday, said he asked “a prom
inent Republican friend of mine
to lend me $75 for my filing fee.
He wouldn’t lend it to me. There
fore I am withdrawing from the
race for representative.”
The fee does not have to be
paid at the time a candidate files.
“If elected, I promise I will do
absolutely nothing — because ev
ery thing they do up there in 1
Austin costs us a lot of money,”
Scott said when he filed.
“As to politics', I’ve run as a
Democrat in the primary in order
to have a voice in local govern
ment. I’ll vote Republican in
November,” Scott added. ^