ms NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL~LVI No. 25 ~ NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1054 Per Copy—15^
Southern Opponent of Statehood
Predicts Strong Move To Give
Commonwealth Status to Territories
WASHINGTON, (#)—A leading
southern opponent of statehood
for either Alaska or Hawaii pre
dicts a strong move to give the
two territories commonwealth sta
tus instead of statehood.
Sen. Smathers (D-Fla> disclosed
the plan yesterday during a news
conference at wThich he outlined
prospective developments for
statehood debate expected in the
Senate next week.
He denied southern opponents
to statehood have any intention
to filibuster but predicted a week
of debate would precede the first
test vote on the legislation.
He said he thought the initial
test would come on an amend
ment to combine Alaska with the
Hawaii bill and predicted “close
to half” the Senate membership
would support such an amend
ment.
Regardless of the outcome of
this vote, however, he indicated
an amendment would be offered
to give either one or both territor
ies commonwealth status.
Under such status, Smathers
said, residents would pay lower
taxes and still have common citi
zenship and all other benefits of a
citizen except voting representa
toin in the House and Senate.
He read from a news story in
which the governor of Puerto Rico
rejected the idea of statehood for
the island in favor of continuing
its commonwealth status.
Under commonwealth status,
Smathers said, citizens pay feder
al taxes, but these are returned to
the commonwealth, making it
possible for the local government
to reduce local income and excise
taxes.
280 Alaskans Join Church
After Evangelistic Crusade
Last Week, Havens Says
Rev. Reeves leavens Jr. re-1
'umed Thursday from a post
ngelistic-crusade meeting in
cho: :.ge of 20 visiting ministers
d laymen from the States and
12 Methodist ministers of Alaska.
The group met with Dr. Gordon
Gould, director of Methodist work
in Alaska, for fellowship and dis
cussion of the crusade held in the
various Alaska communities last
week.
All pastors, Rev. Havens said,
reported values derived from the
crusade in their churches and
communities, with 280 persons
indicating their desire to unite
with the Methodist churches of
the territory either by letter or
on profession of faith.
The 20 men, including the two
assigned to Nome—Dr. Don A.
Morris and Rev. L. Bradley Ha
vens, left Anchorage Tuesday
evening for their homes in the
States.
While in Anchorage the church
men took a scenic trip which in
cluded the 400-acre site on 'the
outskirts of Anchorage where a
new Methodist College will be
built.
»
Seventh-Day Adventists
Released From Stockade
After Three Weeks
ANCHORAGE, UP)—'The com
mander of Ft. Richardson yester
day ordered the release to regular
duty of four soldiers after they
had served only three weeks of a
six months’ sentence for refusal to
perform duties on their Sabbath.
The four soldiers, members of
the Alaska mission ‘ of Seventh
Day Adventists, were sentenced
by a military courtmartial after
refusing to participate in a Satur
day morning alert.
They were freed from the post
stockade on orders of Col. Barney
Daughtry, who said the principal
involved has been established and
he felt it was unnecessary to con
tinue the punishment.
The men will continue to work
Sundays instead of Saturdays,
their Sabbath, except on special
occasions, a military spokesman
said.
Proposals Of Non - Skeds
For U.S. - Alaska Service
Opposed By Regulars
SEATTLE, —Aviation Corp.
of Seattle proposed yesterday at
a Civil Aeronautics Board hearing
here that it be allowed 20 flights
between the Pacific Northwest
and Alaska during any four-week
period.
It was the third non-schedule
carrier to ask the CAB for the
right to provide irregular service
to Alaska, in a hearing that has
been running all week here. The
regular, certificated airlines are
opposing the proposal for more
flight rights for the irregular car
riers. They contend the certifica
ted airlines are meeting Alaska
air service needs adequately and
that there is no need for supple
mental service.
Alaska Airlines, a certificated
carrier, was to present today its
case against any further permits.
Nome Cold Spell
Breakup Seen
Nome’s continued cold spell has
brought a few complaints from
the shivering townspeople, Nor
man Asbridge, Weather Bureau
chief, said today.
Asbridge said the last plus tem
perature recorded in Nome was
on February 16, 10 days ago. Since
then the mercury has been below
the zero mark, frequently linger
ing in the minus thirties at night
time and early morning.
Asbridge said this month’s tem
perature has been considerably
below normal for February, with
only two days remaining in the
month. Precipitation so far this
month has also been considerably
less than usual—.15 inches of pre
cipitation instead of February’s
average of .93.
However, there is good news in
today’s forecast of “slowly rising
temperatures likely late Saturday.
Ralph Lomen Hopeful
U.S. Will Sign Internat’l
Pact To Stabilize Tin
WASHINGTON—Ralph Lomen,
Nome, said here Thursday he is
“very hopoful” that the United
States will sign the International
Geneva Pact for stabilization of
world tin industry.
The American signature is
hoped for soon, as many nations
have already signed, he said.
A sound stabilization program
is a great need of Alaska’s poten
tially important tin industry, Lo
men added.
Development of the tin industry
in Alaska would help make Amer
ica independent of foreign sources
of this vital metal in times of
danger. American imports all its
tin. Malaya, on the other side of
the Pacific, is the world’s princi
pal source of tin.
Lomen and A. W. Ramstad, also
of Nome, are in the nation’s capi
tal representing a tin industry in
seeking a sound development pro
gram.
Naguib Ousted As
Premier Of Egypt
BEIRUT, Lebanon, —One of
the Middle East’s “strong men”—
Gen. Mohamed Naguib of Egypt—
was squeezed out Thursday and
another—President Adib Shishek
ly of Syria—was on a shaky seat.
Egypt’s ruling revolutionary
council dropped Naguib as Presi
dent and Premier of the young
Republic on charges that he was
trying to pull Egypt “back to ab
solute dictatorship.”
The Egyptian President’s ouster
was announced following a heated
session of the 11 young army offi
cers making up the council that
has ruled Egypt since the ouster
of Farouk.
A council communique declared
Naguib was suffering from “a
“psychological crisis” and repor
ted unanimous acceptance of a
resignation it said he had submit
ted Monday.
Friday
Damascus, Syria, UP»—Rebel ar
my leaders sent Syria’s ousted
dictator-president. General Adib
Shishekly, packing into neighbor
ing Lebanon early today and freed
12 political leaders he had arres
ted last month.
Their release was announced in
a communique from the army
chief of staff, Gen. Shawkat Shu
keyr, who last night appealed for
the nation of three million people
—mostly Moslem—to remain
calm.
Anchorage Citizen Group
Launches Campaign For
Elimination Of Vice
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, (51—An
Anchorage citizens’ committee has
launched a long-term campaign
for the elimination of vice condi
tions in this largest city of Alaska.
About 80 men and a dozen
churches have agreed to work on
undercover study of conditions,
ranging from liquor control to
bail bonds and suspended sen
tences. Nine committees were
named but names of their chair
men were not disclosed so that
they will not be handicapped in
their investigations.
McCarthy Refuses To Admit He
‘Browbeat’ Army Witnesses As
Stevens Gets Eisenhower Backing
Loss Count Rises
In Seattle Safety
Vault Robbery
J
SEATTLE, 0P>—Growing reports
of losses in the looting of Seattle’s
oldest safety deposit vault indi
cated Thursday the loss might be
one of the largest in the annals
of crime here.
The Pioneer Safe Deposit Vaults
withstood the big Seattle fire of
1889 but yielded over the Wash
ington Birthday holiday weekend
to one of the most skillful teams
of safecrackers ever to drill a wall
here.
With only about one-third of
the 400 looted boxes checked, the
losses of cash were reported to
total $90,000. Officials said there
is no insurance on losses of cash
from the strongboxes, in which
many people had locked their
savings.
The heaviest known loser was
reported to be an unidentified
Alaskan who reported he had
been keeping $32,000 in his box.
Jack London Home Sold i
OAKLAND, Calif., UP)—A home*
which the late Jack London built
for his mother in 1901 was sold
at auction yesterday for $75.
Built for Mrs. Flora London, the
eight-room, two-story structure
stood on ground needed by the
city for a boulevard widening
project. Leo W. Cumberlich, Oak
land druggist whose bid was ac
cepted, said he would move the
historic home to a new location.
London died at Glen Ellen, Cal
ifornia, Nov. 22, 1916. His mother
died in 1921.‘The home was sold
to a private party that year and
bought by the city last year.
Eisenhower Will
Grant Military Aid
To Pakistan
WASHINGTON, UP) — President I
Eisenhower announced Thursday)
he will grant military aid to Pak
istan to help secure “stability and
strength” in the Middle East.
The President made known this
decision in a formal statement. At
the same time the White House
made public a letter to Prime
Minister Nehru of India assuring
him that “this step does not in
any way affect the friendship we
feel for India.”
The decision to give aid to Pak
istan was taken under authority
granted by the Foreign Aid Law
and requires no further Congres
sional sanction.
Indian leaders had been highly
critical of the idea, previously
discussed, of giving military aid
to their neighbor. One obvious
reason was the possibility that it
would tip the scales in that part
of Asia to India’s disadvantage.
The next step will be to send a
mission to Pakistan to determine
the exact needs of that country.
This will be done shortly, the
White House said.
WASHINGTON, UPt—1There was
no peace today between Secretary
of the Army Robert T. Stevens
and Sen. McCarthy <R-Wis), de
spite a “peace pact” heralded as
settling their official differences
on questioning Army personnel.
Conciliation efforts foundered
yesterday when Stevens issued a
definition of his position, backed
by President Eisenhower, and Mc
Carthy retorted that it contained
a “completely false” statement.
Stevens’ statement was inten
ded (a) to counter the practically
universal impression that he had
yielded to McCarthy on the issue
of the Senator’s handling of Army
officer witnesses, and Ob) to assure
any military personnel interroga
ted in the future of protection
against what Stevens had termed
“abuse.”
Stevens said he was confident
there would be no such treatment
in the future because of “assur
ances which I have received from
members” of the Senate Investi
gations subcommittee McCarthy
heads.
That was the statement McCar
thy immediately termed “com
pletely false.” *
The Senator, who a moment be
fore had been speaking with
newsmen in complimentary terms
of Stevens, said, “absolutely no
concession was made that any
witness was abused.”
To promise they would not be
abused in the future, he went on,
would be admitting they had been
abused in the past.
James C. Hagerty, the Presi
dent’s press secretary, said Eisen
hower approved and endorsed 100
percent the statement in which
Stevens spoke of the “assurances”
and also said:
“I shall never accede to the ab
use of Army personnel under any
circumstances, including commit
tee hearings. I shall never accede
to their being brow-beaten or hu
miliated. I do not intend to allow
them to be depr:ved of the long
established p 'ce that they
have the adv r>; counsel when
the matter u r onsideration is
one of essenti interest to me as
secretary, as was the case with
Gen. Zwicker.”
Thus the Army secretary re
verted to the episode which
plunged his row with McCarthy
to its depth of bitterness—the sen
ator’s questioning of Brig. Gen.
Ralph Zwicker, accompanied by
such remarks as one that Zwicker
was “unfit” to wear his uniform.
Theodore F. Stevens
Named By Eisenhower
For 4th Division Attorney
WASHINGTON, tfff— Theodore
F. Stevens was nominated by
President Eisenhower Thursday
to be U.S. attorney for Alaska’s
Fourth Division in place of Ever
ett W. Hepp, resigned.
Stevens now is filling the office
on a temporary basis. A native of
Indianapolis, Ind., he has been
practicing in Fairbanks since last
year.