m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No. 28 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 7, 1955 Per Copy—15^ •
Prospect Likely for New Taxes
To Bolster Alaska General Fund
By JIM HUTCHESON i
JUNEAU, UP)—The unhappy
duty of imposing new tax burdens
to replenish Alaska’s General
Fund loomed larger and larger
before Alaska’s lawmakers today,
with only 17 days of the session
. Remaining.
But what taxes—that’s the big
problem.
A general property tax measure
has passed the House but it ap
pears a dim prospect. Sponsors ad
mit it seems unlikely it would
bring in more than half a million
dollars during the biennium above
the cost of collection in the vast
areas outside cities and taxing
districts, where it could not be
levied.
Suggestions of some form of
territorial sales tax have also been
made but it would certainly face
strong opposition as it woVild be
pyramided atop the city sales
taxes which now are two percent
in some communities.
Chairman Ken Johnson (D-An
charage) of the House Ways and
Means Committee predicted flatly i
an additional three to four million j
dollars may be needed in the Gen
eral Fund to balance the budget
the coming biennium.
Sen. John Butrovich (R-Fair
banks), chairman of the Senate
Finance Committee, told the As
sociated Press Alaskans had bet
ter start “bracing” themselves at
the prospect of more taxes.
The additional revenues would
be on top of anything extra raised
through gasoline or tobacco taxes.
Those levies are earmarked for
special purposes and do not go
into the General Fund where they
would be available for legislative
appropriations.
As an example of needs, Sena
tor Butrovich said the territorial
school budget, a multi-million
dollar affair, was one difficult to
trim without impairing school
functions. The Department of Ed
ucation and public schools’ re
quested budget runs around 16
million dollars, about three mil
lion dollars over the appropria
tion two years ago.
A gap of about 12 million dol
lars existed between the budget
request of the many offices and
departments and estimated rev
enue when the legislature con
vened, and Johnson said commit
* tee interviews with department
heads has failed to show any great
excess of what the legislators call
(Continued on Page Three)
Pilot Lands Safely
After Losing Cylinder
And Part of Cowling
CHICAGO, <#)—1The pilot of a
shuttle service plane landed safe
ly at O’Hare Field Friday after
losing a cylinder and part of the
cowling of one motor in flight.
The 10 passengers and two
crewmen escaped injury.
The pilot of the two-engine
Lockheed Electra, George Her
bert, 35, said he made a “normal
one-engine landing” and his only
trouble was in getting taxicabs
for the passengers afterwards.
Enroute from Chicago’s Mid
way Airport to an airport at sub
urban Park Ridge, the plane blew
the cylinder oyer the city’s heav
ily populated northwest side.
Both the cylinder and the cowl
ing piece crashed through the
roof of an auto agency, but no one
was hurt.
$50 Million to Boost
College Teachers' Pay
NEW YORK, UP!—The Ford
Foundation has set aside 50 mil
lion dollars to help private col
leges and universities raise their
faculty salaries.
The project was announced yes
terday by Henry Ford II.
Ford said the schools “will be |
asked to match the gift with
funds raised from other sources,
with varying ratios of matchings.”
U.N. Charges Israel
Is “Brutal Agressor”
In Clash With Egypt
JERUSALEM, UP!—Israel stood
charged by the U.N. mixed Ar
mistice Commission today as a
“brutal” aggressor who deliber
ately attacked Egyptian forces in
the Gaza strip a week ago. The
armistice group said the bloody
assault in which 38 Egyptians and
8 Iraelis died, violated the 1949
Palestine truce agreement.
The commission’s ruling yester
day heightened speculation at
U.N. headquarters in New York
that the Security Council would
vote similar censure against Israel !
when it takes up the explosive is
sue again next week.
Maj. Gen. Edson L. M. Burns of
Canada, U. N. Palestine truce
chief, was expected to leave for
i'tfew York in a few days to give
the Security Council a personal
report on the Gaza incident,
which has strained relations in
Palestine to the breaking point.
At yesterday’s meeting on the
Egyptian resolution declaring the
Gaza attack Feb. 28 “was commit
ted by Israeli regular army forces
against an Egyptian regular army
force.”
The commission brushed aside
an Israeli counter-complaint that
an Egyptian unit had ambushed
an Israeli patrol, starting a run
ning fight that took' the Israelis
into Egyptian territory.
Biggest Atomic Blast in 1955 Series
Dazzles Observers in Several States
LAS VEGAS, Nev., (*>—'The«
largest atomic device tested in the j
1955 nuclear series exploded to- j
day with a predawn brilliance
that dazzled observers in several
western states.
The blinding flash of the bigger
than average A-weapon startled
observers on a mountain peak 55
miles away and lit up skies brief
ly like an early sunrise over
southern California, 250 miles
away.
The detonation from a 500-foot
tower, highest ever used in a
Nevada test, packed a wallop
considerably greater than the
standard A-bomb, but its shock
apparently bounced on uninhab
ited areas. Las Vegas, 75 miles
from the Yucca Flat test site, did '
not feel the blast.
The 20-second fireball attested
to the size of the device. The pre
vious three explosions in this ser
ies failed to produce fireballs of
more than six or seven seconds’
duration.
The flash was reported seen as
Threat of More Volcanic
Outbreaks Continues
On Hawaii Island
PAHOA, Hawaii, OP)—The threat
of violent new volcanic outbursts
hung like a dark cloud today over
the danger-filled lava fields of
eastern Hawaii sland.
Earthquakes of diminishing in
tensity jolted the area throughout
yesterday. They rumbled along
the 20-mile slope from Kilauea
Crater to the active volcano fields
on Puna Peninsula.
Volcanologist Gordon A. Mac
Donald said Pahoa—its villagers
packed and ready to run if a big
eruption burst forth—“is still not
out of danger, but things are def
initely looking better.”
A week of fiery eruptions has
driven 600 persons from their
homes. Lava flows have closed
around at least nine dwellings
and caused an estimated two mil
lion dollars damage to rich cane
and and timber lands.
Four villages have been evacu
ated.
A fountain of lava burst out of
a cane field a week ago near Pa
hoa. Since then eruptions and
earthquakes have scored a four
mile stretch across the heart of
the Puna Peninsula on the eastern
tip of Hawaii Island.
All Escape First Crash
Of Huge 10-Engine B-36
In Snowstorm Landing
LIMESTONE, Maine, (jT)—Swirl
ing, drifting snow downed a giant
“global bomber” but paradoxical
ly saved its crew last night in the
first crash of a 10-engine B-36 at
Loring Air Force Base.
The Wz million dollar aircraft
crashed on a landing run and
burned with spectacular fury, but
officials said all 11 crewmen
.“walked away” from the wreck.
Five suffered burns.
Col. Jackson W. Lewis, Loring
AFB commandant, said the super
bomber cracked up on a snow
choked runway when a northeast
snowstorm interfered with its set
down approach. But, Lewis said,
snowdrifts cushioned the crash
impact and delayed spread of
fires until all hands scrambled to
safety\ The plane was returning
from a routine training flight.
far as Klamath Falls, Oregon—
nearly 550 airline miles away. It
was seen in San Francisco, Salt
Lake City, Phoenix, Ariz., and
south of the border in Mexico.
Clear weather conditions gave
Los Angeles its best view of any
atomic test. This was the 35th
shot at the Atomic Enerby Com
mission’s Nevada site.
More than 100 planes—Air
Force, Navy and Marines—took
part in the test, with 66 of them
coordinating in a simulated at
tack mission on the target area.
The AEC said 77 planes were
airborne at the time of the blast,
accounting for vapor trails high
in the sky above and to the side
of the fireball.
A contingent of 500 soldiers and
25 Marines huddled in trenches
5,050 yards away from Ground
Zero and then moved forward in
another maneuver of Exercise
Desert Rock VI. Their command
ing officer, Brig. Gen. Fred W.
Sladen, said there were no casual
ties.
Nome to Play V aldez Again Tonight
In Class B Championship Playoff
Canadian Ice Hockey
Team Still World Champs,
i
Beating Russians 5-0
KREFELD, Germany, [JO—The
world amateur ice hockey cham
pionship is back in Canada today
and the Russians can be mighty
happy they’ll not have to meet
again the Penticton Club from
British Columbia which blanked
them 5-0 in the final game.
Next year the championship
will be decided at the Olympic
winter games in Cortina d’Am
pezzo, Italy. The winner becomes
both Olympic and world cham
pion. At least six of the Penticton
players are former professionals
and thus ineligible for Olympic
competition.
The United States wound up
fourth, one point back of Czecho
slavakia, but gained one position
on the all-star squad when Don
Rigazio of Cambridge, Mass., was
selected by the coaches as the No.
1 goal tender. Canada, with six,
and Russia, with four, dominated
the all-star selections.
Delegation Asks
Pay Increases for
Alaska Teachers
JUNEAU, (iP)—A delegation of
Anchorage teachers flew here
Saturday to testify in behalf of
bills before the legislature for
teachers’ pay increase, for a new
teachers’ retirement act and for a
bill to put restrictions on dismiss
als or demotion of teachers unless
for cause.
The delegation of about two
dozen appeared in the House
chamber for a hearing before the
members of the House and Senate
Education Committees. They rep
resent the American Federation!
of Teachers (AF1A
The chief spokesman at the
hearing was Charles Solomon, the
group’s regular representative in
Juneau during the session. Speak
ing primarily for the “fair dis
missal” act, he said it was drawn
not only to prevent abuses of
teachers’ tenure provisions but to
safeguard against any discharges
without justification, which he
said are prevalent in some school
systems outside Alaska.
“The teachers do not want to
protect incompetents,” he told the
legislators, “but they want to
make sure good teachers are not
ousted.”
He said it is based on a year
by-year contract basis so that it
does not propose long - term
“freezing” of teachers in their
jobs.
The teachers also expressed op
position to a bill which proposes
to provide for a two-year teacher
training plan.
Solomon said “experience has
shown that lowering standards to
meet a teacher shortage acts in
reverse by driving out the good
teachers.”
An Anchorage school teacher,
Mrs. Elladean Bittner, was called
to the stand at a legislator’s re
quest. She spoke in support of the
Senate bill to increase the School
Tax to $10 a person, from the
present $5. She expressed the
opinion “most people are willing
to pay more.”
> ANCHORAGE, UFl—-Anchorage
and Palmer and Nome and Valdez
will take curtain calls tonight in
the Class A and Class B, respec
tively, championship games of the
Western Alaska High School
Basketball tournament.
The tourney, originally planned
for five days, was thrown into an
extra day Saturday night when
both Palmer and Valdez suffered
their first defeats. Anchorage top
pled the Palmer Moose 55-50
while the Nome Nanooks defeated
the Valdez Bucanneers 67-53 be
fore a record crowd of 2,200 fans.
Both Anchorage and the Nan
ooks had suffered early-round
set-backs. Anchorage is the de
fending Class A titlist, while
both Nome and Valdez are pre
tourney long shots. Ndme has won
the Class B crown twice previous
ly but Valdez has never been in
the finals since the tournament
was begun back in 1946.
Nome won it first in 1949 and
then came back to annex the
laurels again in 1951. Palmer lost
to Anchorage in the 1947 series '
34-32 and has not gained the finals
again until this year.
Nome’s victory Saturday night
was highlighted by Milton Will
oya’s second 32-point performance
of the competition. Bob Herman
was runnerup for scoring honors
with 19 points. Nome led at half
! time 42-20. Douglas Latta was
high for Valdez with 18 points. *
Anchorage led at halftime
against Palmer 25-23 but the
score was tied twice in the final
quarter and the lead changed
hands four times before Anchor
age pulled ahead to victory—its
sixth game in eight days. Jack
Worlerge, Palmer forward, scored
12 points.
The winner of the Class A
crown will host the southeastern
district champion in a best-of
three-game series for the All
Alaska Championships on its own
floor, starting March 17. Last
year, Anchorage traveled to Sitka
and Sitka won the all-Alaska title.
Welterweight Champ
To Defend Title April 1
BOSTON, (1ft—Welterweight
champion Johnny Saxton Satur
day signed to defend his boxing
title against Boston’s Tony de
Marco in a 15-round match at
Boston Garden April 1.
Promoter Sam Silverman, an
independent operator, said the
tight will be neither broadcast
nor televised.
Bullock Casts Lone Vote
Against Constitutional
Convention In November
JUNEAU — A bill calling for
an Alaska statehood constitution
al convention in November won
approval in the House of Repre
sentatives on a 23 to 1 vote
Friday morning.
It sailed through despite a
move by two leading Democrats
to delay final action until after
noon, to provide time for further
conferences on possible revision
of the delegate apportionment,
and over the objections of a lone
Republican, Mrs. Edith Bullock of
Kotzebue, that the expense is not
justified at the present time.
Her vote was the only one
against the bill on the final roll
call.