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i OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVI No. 12 i ■ i ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1954 ~ Per Copy-^15c
Win. H. Olsen
Named Director
Of The A.N.S.
WASH INGTON, (iP)—Secretary
of the Interior McKay announced
today the appointment of William
H. Olsen of Anchorage as director
of the Juneau Area Office of the
Indian Bureau, sometimes known
as the Alaska Native Service.
“The job of area director for
the Indian Bureau in Alaska,"
McKay said in a statement, "is
one of the most difficult and chal
lenging assignments in the field
service of the Department of the
Interior.
“It covers a tremendous geo
graphic area and involves many
complicated problems in the fields
of health, education and resources.
“In selecting William H. Olsen
for this assignment, the decision
was made to have the post filled
by an Alaskan fully qualified by
his background of knowledge of
the territory to fulfill the duties
of the office.
“Under Mr. Olsen’s direction I
am confident that the Alaska Na
tive Service will develop among
the native peoples an outstanding
citizenry prepared to make its
contribution to the future growth
and progress of Alaska.”
Olsen, 33, and a former munici
pal judge at Anchorage, has prac
ticed law there since 1945. He suc
ceeds Hugh J. Wade, who was re
lieved of the responsibilities as
area director last November. Don
Foster has been acting head of the
.
service.
Nome's $585,000 School
Appropriation Not Cut
ANCHORAGE, (iP*—The City of
Anchorage will receive $743,000
of the five million dollar Alaska
ublic Works budget outlined by
President Eisenhower last week.
A breakdown of the President’s
proposed federal expenditures in
the territory in the next fiscal
year, received by city officials
Tuesday, showed that was the top
item remaining after the Interior
Department’s original 10-million
dollar request was sliced approxi
mately in half.
Juneau took the biggest cut —
nearly two million dollars for a
high school.
Among other projects for which
funds were proposed, was the
school for Nome with a $585,000
appropriation.
Trade Commission To
Investigate Coffee Prices
WASHINGTON, (£> — President
Eisenhower said today the Federal
Trade Commission will make an
inves ligation of rising coffee
prices.
The President told a news con
ference the commission launched
a preliminary inquiry Jan. 13 and
already has discovered enough to
warrant a full investigation.
Such an inquiry, he added, is
going to take place.
Retails prices for coffee have
lately jumped above $1 a pound
and wholesalers have predicted a
further rise.
The Trade Commission’s investi
gation will be aimed at determin
ing whether any laws have been
violated.
City Will Soon
Fake Over Light
And Power Co.
The Nome City Council met
Monday evening and spent most
of the evening on problems con
cerning the turning over of the
Northern Light and Power Co.
to the city. ,
Whether or not a special elec
tion will be held for the election
of a five-man utility board, or
whether the board would be elect
ed at the I'egular municipal elec
tion in April, was left undecided
until the next regular meeting.
It was voted to maintain the
same power rates until the new
organizations gets under way.
Other problems and details con
cerning the transfer involves
agreements with the Alaska Tele
phone and Telegraph Co., as well
as with the U.S. Smelting Co.
Mayor Steve- Anderson is sched
uled to leave for the States Fri
day with the bonds. As soon as
the bonds are signed and turned
over, meters will be read and the
city will assume the operation of
the power company.
The name of the city plant will
be the Nome Light and Power Co.
The report of Public Health
Nurse Margaret McDonald was
read for the month of December.
It showed three patients had been
sent to the ANS Hospital at An
chorage, one patient had returned
from hospitalization, 37 x - rays
had been taken and only one
communicable disease case re
ported.
The- city voted to pay its share
of the cost of the Jeep Pumper
acquired through Civil Defense.
The city’s share, or 15 per cent of
the cost, was S871.34, the total
cost being S5,804.
Mary Anderson rendere-d a re
port on the Community Christmas
Tree celebration showing that 650
stockings were filled and distrib
uted as well as 20 good-cheer bas
kets. A total of S737.75 was col
lected for this annual celebration
and the total cost was $688.11.
The council praised chairman
Anderson for the businesslike way
in which she handled the finances
and the efficient manner in which
she had performed this task.
Jet Pilot Crashes Into
Trees to Avoid Hitting
Residential Suburb
PORTLAND, Ore., UP — ' Two
men died yesterday when a jet
pilot guided his powerless plane
into a grove of trees to avoid
crashing into a residential sub
urb here, the Air Force reported.
The pilot, 2nd Lt. James Ken
nedy of Richmond, Va., and his
radar observer, 2nd Lt. O. A. Reid,
Peoria, 111., both 22, were killed
outright when the plane struck a
tree and exploded.
The blast hurled parts of the
plane over a three-block area and
at least six houses were damaged.
Hemingways To Continue Tour
ENTEBBE, Uganda, UP—Novel
ist Ernest Hemingway, recovering
here from slight injuries received
in two weekend air crashes, says
he plans to get another plane so
he and his wife can continue their
1 East African tour.
Albert White Files
For Delegate As
Independent
i By the Associated Pri:ss>
Filing of Albert White as an
independent candidate for Con
gress gives promise of the liveli
est Alaska congressional delegate
race in many a year.
In the many years of White’s
strong hand in Republican affairs,
his numerous critics, in and out
of the party, have said a lot of
harsh things about A1 White but
they never have said the party’s
rough-hewn “general counsel”
couldn't be a colorful campaigner.
The immediate question raised
by White’s filing as an independ
ent was what effect it may have
on Republican hopes of unseating
Delegate E. L. Bartlett, the long
time Democratic incumbent.
The first conclusion of observ
ers certainly is that most votes
polled by White would be drawn
away from the Republican candi
date.
The question of what candi
date or candidates wrill even seek
the Republican nomination for
Delegate is still up in the air.
White long has been a contro
versial figure in the Republican
party, for which his wife still is
national commjtteewoman. The
cleavage wTas so sharp for many
years that there were blocs of
“White Republicans” and “Black
Republicans,” both holding con
ventions.
His present action in filing as
an independent came after a year
in which his influence in the leg
islature and in central committee
affairs reached a new low7.
White is a long-time Juneau
resident but the 250 signatures on
his petition of candidacy were
from the Third Division. His filing
was sent from Monrovia, Calif.,
where ho spent much of his time
in the past year or two.
Four Servicemen, Seventh
Day Adventists, Refuse
Duties on Their Sabbath
ANCHORAGE, UP) — Four Fort
Richardson servicemen, members
of the Alaska Mission of the Sev
enth Day Adventist Church, are
in the post guardhouse for re
fusing to perform duties on Sat
urday, their religion’s Sabbath,
the Anchorage Times said Tues
day.
The Times said it learned a
fifth military man, an officer
•‘presumed to be the ringleader,”
was under house arrest and re
stricted to quarters.
The newspaper said it was first
reported the men would be charg
ed with mutiny but a military
spokesman, confirming the arrests
said a lesser charge was thought
to apply.
The arrests came after the
men’s refusal to go into the field
last Saturday to take part in a
practice alert. They told their sup
eriors they “could not” work on
the Sabbath the spokesman re
ported.
Informal investigation indicated
that although the men discussed
the matter among themselves,
each was moved by his own re
legious belief, the Times said.
Senate Interior Committee Agrees
To Vote On Alaska Statehood
Legislation ‘No Later Than Feb. 4’
---<
Propose New
Formula to Admit
Stales to the Union
WASHINGTON, (/PI—A constitu
tional amendment providing a
new formula for admission of
states to the union was proposed
today by Rep. Dodd (D-Conn).
New states now may be admit
ted by act of Congress.
Under the amendment proposed
in a resolution by Dobb, admission
would be by vote of three-fourths
of the states.
Actually admission would be
on vote of three-fourths of the
state legislatures or of state con
ventions called to consider the
subject.
The same procedure now ap
plies to adoption of amendments
to the Constitution.
Dodd said in a statement that
discussions he had last year on
measures to admit Hawaii and
Alaska to statehood convinced
him the seriousness of such moves
is not sufficiently understood by
most people.
“The admission of a new state
to the union is a matter of grave
importance,” Dodd said, “And
should have the sanction of the
state legislatures, not merely the
congress.”
First of Relief Supplies
Being Distributed To
Needy Alaska Fishermen
JUNEAU, UP) — Distribution of
relief supplies to hard-hit fisher
men of the Juneau-Douglas area
was started Tuesday with 500 ap
plicants expected to receive allot
ments.
Mayor Bert McDowell and a
Juneau - Douglas committee were
to divide the 8,000-pound ship
ment of food supplies on a basis
of relative need. The mayor said
there is no prospect of any fur
ther government - financed relief
shipments for the area for 60 days.
At Wrangell, where a ton of
the packaged foods from the De
partment of Agriculture were
dropped off, the Rev. Paul Evans,
secretary of the General Relief
Committee, commented after dis
tributions to 41 families:
“We are deeply appreciative of
what has been done, but such a
supply will not last our families
for two months, as indicated.
Meanwhile, the M.S. Nadina is
in Alaska waters on her way to
Seward to unload about 40 tons
of relief supplies for westward
Alaska.
Territorial Secretary Waino
Hendrickson said last weekend it
is believed the food cargoes will
be ample to supply the needy resi
dents in the Bristol Bay area
through the late winter and early
spring months, when the need is
greatest.
Jim Downey, fisherman’s union
leader in the area, has been insist
ing in a series of statements to
the press and public that the need
is more acute than the authorities
are representing it to be.
> WASHINGTON, (.?) —The Sen
ate Interior Committee today ap
proved a Hawaii statehood bill for
Senate- consideration.
Chairman Butler said the com
mittee action came on a 12-3 vote
after it had divided 8-7 on an
earlier motion separating the
Hawaii legislation from an Alas
kan statehood proposal.
. He said the committee agreed
unanimously to vote on the Alaska
legislation “no later than Feb. 4.”
A meeting will be held Feb. 3,
Butler said, to permit all com
mittee members to offer amend
ments, if desired, to the Alaskan
bill now being worked over by
the Territories subcommittee.
Prospects of a Hawaii-only bill
— with assurances that similar
legislation for Alaska would fol
low shortly—developed yesterday
when Sen. Dworshak (R-Idaho)
told the committee he had changed
his mind and would vote to sep
arate legislation for the two ter
ritories.
Dworshak’s sudden reversal
drew sharp comment from Sen.
Smithers (D-Fla), a member of
the committee and opponent of
statehood for either territory.
He said the statehood question
“obviously . . . has become en
shrouded and confused in the
overthrow of partisan politics,
therefore neither should be
brought out at this time.”
Butler, who had expressed
grave misgivings about Alaska
statehood, told the Senate Mon
day that he felt “a workable and
honorable” formula for Alaska
statehood can and should be writ
ten “Now, not in the indefinite
future.”
Governor Heintzleman is sched
uled to be the final witness before
the subcommittee in its quest for
information before getting down
to the actual task of rewriting the
Alaska bill.
Butler said he could not speak
for the subcommittee but that he
personally favors giving Alaska
“A large scale, if not practically
all, of its natural resources” in
order that the proposed state
could make a financial success.
Walter J. Hickel Files For
Post GOP Committeeman
ANCHORAGE, W — Walter J.
Hickel, president of the Anchor
age Republican Club and one of
13 party members who fired a let
ter of protest at Gov. Heintzle
man, will be a candidate for Re
publican National Committeeman
from Alaska.
Decision of the Anchorage con
tractor and hotel owner to seek
the post was announced Tuesday
at a meeting of local Republi
cans. A spokesman said it is ex
pected that Hickel will be opposed
in the primary by a candidate
representing what he termed the
conservative wing of the party.
A statehood advocate, he ap
peared as a witness at Senate
committee hearings here last Aug
ust.