is NOME NUGGET
_ OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV No. 22NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 19»&> Per Copy—15^
f —...— I . .. "" " - —
Three Men Will
Pitch Camp Near
Active Volcanoes
ANCHORAGE, W—Three men,
an airlines executive, a park ser
vice, superintendent and an Alas
ka sourdough, were to set up a
base camp in the Valley of Ten
Thousand Smokes Thursday, only
20 miles from the largest concen
tration of active volcanoes in the
world.
Heading the party is Grant
Pearson, the superintendent of the
U.S. National Park Service in
Alaska* a veteran of 30 years ser
vice in the territory.
The others are Ray Peterson,
president of Northern Consolida
ted Airlines, and John Walotka, a
resident of the Valley of Ten
Thousand Smokes for 15 years.
Pearson said the camp will be
set up on the floor of the valley
only 20 miles from the active cra
ters of Mts. Trident, Nova Ruppa
and Katmai, three of the most
spectacular of the volcanoes.
A lava stream boiling down the
_ side of Nova Ruppa, the crew of
a Navy patrol plane reported
Wednesday, is one-half mile wide
and 800 feet deep.
v Nova Ruppa, in a 1§12 eruption
of the volcanoes located in the
valley, spewed forth an estimated
two cubic miles of Volcanic ash.
Pearson and Peterson said the
present eruptions have all the
« makings of another disturbance
paralleling the 1912 eruptions,
which were ranked in the first
order of volcanic disturbances.
The crater of Nova Ruppa was
sealed by lava following the 1912
eruption, but Pearson said fis
sures have again opened and a
substance that Dr. Robert F.
Griggs of the University of Pitts
burgh identified as “incandescent
sand” was being blown into the
air.
Griggs led a National Geographic
expedition to the valley in 1915,
following the 1912 eruptions. In
a book published after subsequent
expeditions and others during and
after the first World War, Griggs
termed the cluster of craters in
the valley the largest concentra
tion of active volcanoes in the
world.
Alaska Fishermen’s Union
Protest Japanese Fishing
In Aleutian Islands Waters
SEATTLE, UR — The Alaska
Fishermen’s Union Friday sent a
letter to the Pacific Fisheries Con
ference, which meets again March
20 and 21, protesting Japanese
fishing expeditions in the Aleu
tian Islands.
A.F.U. secretary George Johan
sen said in a letter:
“Based on past experience, we
think it should be apparent to all
that when one offers the Japanese
a finger, they sooner or later will
get the whole hand. Operators in
the tuna industry have certainly
had that experience, and it looks
like history repeats inself as far
as salmon is concerned also.”
He referred to reported Japa
nese plans for fishing for salmon,
trout, crab and whale in Alaska
waters off the Aleutian Islands.
Sickness Is No Longer
Excuse to Avoid Trial For
Income Tax Evasion
WASHINGTON, UR —A lot of
people who have pleaded they
were too sick to face trial on
charges of federal income tax
evasion in recent years may soon
be telling their stories to a fed
eral judge.
Attorney General Brownell an
nounced Thursday night that the
old ‘‘health policy” in criminal tax
fraud cases, where prosecution
was withheld on grounds that the
defendant was in ill health, is out
so far as his administration is
concerned.
Brownell disclosed that his new
assistant attorney general for tax
prosecutions, H. Brian Holland,
has reviewed all of the cases
where the question of health had
delayed prosecution and has re
ferred these to the federal dis
trict attorneys with a go - ahead
where the evidence warrants.
Social Security Reform
Rill Tied Up In Committee
WASHINGTON, UP)—'The House
Ways and Means Committee Fri
day virtually killed chances of
congressional action this year on
proposals to expand the Social
Security program.
Eisenhower, during the presi
dential campaign, called for ex
tension of the old age and sur
vivors insurance program.to cover
millions of persons not included
now. These include doctors, law
years, farmers and others.
The Ways and Means Commit
tee put the brakes on this plan
by appointing a subcommittee to
make a broad, deep-digging study
of the whole Social Security pic
ture.
Rep. Reed (R-NY), chairman of
the full committee, said he ex
pected this study would preclude
any legislative action this year
on Social Security proposals. He
said the idea is to survey the
entire program and “get the bugs
out of it.”
McKay Still Undecided
On Man For Governor
WASHINGTON, UP) — Aides to
Secretary of the Interior McKay
said Friday no decision is ex
pected before Monday or Tuesday
o'n whether he will recommend
appointment of Frank Heintzle
man to be governor of Alaska.
One factor reported to be in
volved is a dispute between Port
land, Ore., and Seattle, Wash.,
over whether Heintzleman might
favor one city over the other in
connection with Alaskan business.
McKay’s aides would merely
say there are several things in
connection with/the decision that
remain to be cleared up and that
action is not expected until next
week. Monday is a government
holiday—Washington’s birthday.
NATO PLEDGES $224 MILLION
MORE FOR EUROPE DEFENSE
PARIS, UP)—The NATO council
in a surprise move has promised
Gen. Matthew Q. Ridgway $224
million more for 1953 European
military construction — money it
denied him last December. Now
the council has to figure out
which country will pay how
much.
House Bill Would
Give Prospectors
Territorial Aid
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, UP) — Both houses of
the Alaska legislature held only
morning sessions Thursday, turn
ed to afternoon committee work
and prepared for the first night
hearing.
The House and Senate Educa
tion Committees held joint meet
ings Thursday night with the
Territorial Board of Education to
survey an oversize headache on
the Alaska school situation.
The House considered half a
dozen bills. One was introduced
by Mrs. Edith Bullock and would
authorize the territory to loan
materials and equipment to pros
pectors under rules laid down by
the Mines Commissioner.
The measure includes a provi
sion that the commissioner can
take the equipment back from
any unsatisfactory prospector.
Mrs. Bullock said the intent is
to allow the Mines Department to
help and encourage a limited
number of hand-picked prospec
tors in specific areas or on spe
cific projects which the commis
sioner thinks holds good promise.
She said it was desired by the
department and not intended to
spread territorial largesse freely
among any prospectors seeking a
handout.
Board of Education
Recommends $300-a-Year
Raise For Alaska Teachers
JUNEAU, (J>t —The Territorial
Board of Education recommended
Thursday night an sfcross-the
board salary increase of $300
yearly for teachers, plus an extra
$50 for each year’s teaching ex
perience in Alaska.
The highest increase possible
under the proposal would be $900
for teachers with a masters de
gree and 12 years of Alaska
teaching.
Everett Erickson, Commission
er of Education, said 11 years is
the longest record of anyone now
teaching in Alaska.
Erickson said a $100 annual in
crease already provided for
teachers also would remain in
effect.
Possible increases would vary
under the board’s suggestion ac
cording to the amount of school
ing. A teacher with only three
years of college would get the
$50 bonus for a maximum of four
years teaching experience, or $200
atop the $300 blanket increase,
for a total of $500.
The board made its suggestion
at a conference on the school
budget with the joint House-Sen
ate Education committees.
Erickson estimated it would
cost $750,000 for the biennium.
A. H. Ziegler of Ketchikan,
longtime board member, told the
legislators the board felt the ad
ditional increases for years of ex
perience would encourage experi
enced teachers to stay in Alaska.
STORES CLOSED MONDAY
Stores and federal offices in
cluding the post office will be
closed on Monday in observance
of George Washington’s birthday.
Radio Operators and Deck
Officers Schedule Strike
On West Coast Today
SAN FRANCISCO, UP) — Two
simultaneous walkouts on West
Coast merchant ships were sched
uled for 2 p.m. today, as deck
officers joined radio operators in
demanding pay boosts from the
Pacific Maritime Association.
If a strike should occur it would
tie up Alaska as well as other
West Coast shipping.
Capt. C. F. May, head of the
AFL Masters, Mates and Pilots
Union, said the PMA had failed
to grant deck officers a pay scale
equivalent to that on East and
Gulf Coast ships.
“We’re sick and tired of it,”
May said. “Right now, chief en
gineers on most ships get more
pay than the captain. It’s humil
iating.”
May said stop work meetings
were scheduled at 2 p.m. and
would continue “until we get
what’s due us.”
British Oust Argentine
Party From Disputed
Anarctic Islands
LONDON, UP)—The long-stand
ing international contest over
control of the Antarctic was stir
red anew Friday by Britain’s an
nouncement that it has ousted an
Argentine party from Deception
Island, in the disputed Falklands,
and ripped down Argentine and
Chilean buildings there.
The British have maintained a
weather station on the barren
nine-mile wide island for 10 years
but their claims to the region
have been challenged by the two
South American countries. Both
of the latter claim sovereignty
over all territory between their
southern borders and the South
Pole. Britain rules the island
group as a crown colony.
There was no immediate re
action forthcoming from Buenos
Aires to the foreign office state
ment. In Santiago, Chilean inter
ior minister Guillermo del Ped
regal said his country had no per
manent base on Deception Island
but explorers may have built a
temporary shelter there.
Nine Colorado School
Children Missing in Snow
Storm Are Found Safe
DENVER, (£)—A radio report to
the Sterling, Colo., police station
Friday said nine school children
missing since Thursday in the
snow - locked northern Colorado
had been found safe and un
harmed at a farm house.
The bus had last been heard
from at 3 p.m. Thursday when
it made one of its stops between
Sterling and the Mount Hope area,
a sparsely populated section of
small farms.
Deaths of three persons were
blamed on the storm, which push
ed its way into the area Wednes
day with winds that reached 65
miles an hour.
Whistling along the eastern
slope of the Rockies, this storm
shucked off 12 inches of new
snow at Cheyenne and nine
inches at Denver.
“Voice” Employee
Says Broadcasts
Slanted for Reds
WASHINGTON, - A New
York employe of the “Voice erf
America” Friday charged three of
his fellow workers watered down
anti - Communist references in
scripts prepared for overseas
broadcasts.
The employe, Virgil H. Fulling,
told a Senate investigations sub
committee he had encountered
several such instances and had
come to feel he was fighting “sin
ister influences.”
Asked by chairman McCarthy
to name those he considered re
sponsible “for this softening down
or catering to the Communists,”
Fulling called off the names of
Harold Berman, Dcmald Taylor
and Robert Goldman.
Fulling identified himself as
chief of the Latin-American news
service of the “Voice.”
He presented to the subcom
mittee documents which he said
covered a specific instance of
watering down last Jan. 21, the
day after President Eisenhower’s
inauguration.
On that day, Fulling related, he
prepared a script which told of
pro-American demonstrations by
“anti - Communist” elements in
Guatemala.
The demonstrations were a
spontaneous showing of affection
of the American people and grat
ification over Eisenhower's inaug
uration, Fulling said.
However, he said that the de
scription, “anti-Communist,” was
twice penciled out of his copy on
the central news desk of the
“Voice” in New York.
Fulling said the editing was
done by Goldman, an employe on
the desk, at the direction of Tay
lor, a supervisor there.
The witness said he protested
to Taylor withGut avail and that
they took the issue to Berman,
assistant chief of the news branch.
Berman upheld Taylor, Fulling
said.
Taft Says This Admin.
Saddled “Terrific Burden”
Of Truman Budget
WASHINGTON, UP)—Sen. Taft
said Friday the Eisenhower ad
ministration has been saddled
with a “terrific burden” of pro
posed long-range military spend
ing in its efforts to balance the
budget.
But he and Sen. Milliken of
Colorado, chairman of the confer
ence of all Republican senators,
predicted that spending will be
cut and an increase avoided in the
$275 billion dollar legal debt
limit.
“I’m sure we will not lift the
debt limit,” Millikin told inter
viewers. “If we went on the Tru
man budget we would have to in
crease it, but we’re not going on
the Truman budget.”
Supplementing this, chairman
Bridges (R-NH) of the Senate Ap
propriations Committee said there
is a possibility that former Presi
dent Truman under - estimated
spending for the next year by
2Vz billion dollars. That would
put the prospective deficit, by
Truman’s figures at over 12 bil
lions.