2£ NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS__
VOL. LV NO. 146NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1953 _ Per Copy—15V
Butler Says Development of Resources
More Important Than Alaska Statehood
By FRANK VAILLE
WASHINGTON, GV-Sen. But
ler yesterday called for changes I
in Alaska land and resources pol
icies to develop the territory’s
“immense possibilities.”
He recommended, in a personal
supplement to the report of his
Senate Interior Committee’s re
cent visit to Alaska:
1. Federal construction of an
adequate basic road network “as
soon as possible.”
2. A complete resurvey of all
federal withdrawals and reserva
tions of resources and of policies
on which they are based.
3. A thorough revision of fed
eral land laws as they apply to
Alaska.
“I cannot help feeling that poli
cies for the development of Al
aska’s resources will prove of far
more importance to Alaska than
any statehood bill which does not
simultaneously require a sharp
change in federal public land pol
icies,” Butler declared.
Butler, saying he believes the
United States should complete
construction of Alaska’s basic
road network, added:
“I also believe the federal gov
ernment should finish the perman
ent surfacing of such principal
roads as the Alaska Highway, per
haps by arrangements with Can
ada, which would be a tremen
dous boon to the tourist industry.”
He suggested such an arrange
ment might necessitate a toll ar
rangement, but declared:
"... In any case steps should
be taken promptly to get this
work under way.”
Butler noted that road construc
tion in the territory is financed
largely by the federal govern
ment rather than the territory it
self. He said Alaska “simply could
not afford to come under the
Federal Highway Act under pres
ent day conditions.”
The Nebraska senator said he
does not believe there is any “in
herrent impossibility” in develop
ing Alaska’s farming to the point
where it could supply all of the
territory’s needs for fresh vege
tables, milk, poultry products and
possibly beef.”
Alaska Airlines Seeks
Permission For Second
Daily Flight To Alaska
WASHINGTON, UPi — Attorneys
yesterday continued cross-exam
ination of Collin H. McIntosh,
Washington aviation consultant,
on details of economic studies he
prepared for Alaska Airlines, Inc.
The carrier is seeking renewal
of its certificate to fly between
Seattle and Fairbanks and the
right to schedule a second trip
daily between the two points by
way of Anchorage.
Alaska’s application, along with
those of eight others carriers serv
ing the territory, has been com
bined for hearing before a Civil
Aeronautics Board examiner with
a board-ordered study on the ad
visability of merging the opera
tions of various carriers operat
ing between the United States and
Alaska.
Diane Wells Seeks Medical
Attention In California
For Oct. 17 Beating
SEATTLE, UP) — Diane Wells,
pretty 31-year-old blonde widow
of the slain man she is accused
of killing, stopped here briefly
yesterday enroute to California
for treatment for “headaches I
never had before.”
Mrs. Wells, able under bail to
leave Fairbanks where she and
Negro jazz drummer Johnny War
ren are charged with the first de
gree murder of Cecil Wells, in
sisted she is innocent of the
charge.
And in proof of her claim she
pointed to her eyebrows and said:
“I have to hide the lumps of
scar tissue with these long eye
brows. That’s where they hit me.
I have a lump on my mouth here,
too.”
“They” were two men she said
invaded the Wells apartment early
the morning of Oct. 17, beating
her into unconsciousness when
she attempted to run for help, and
shooting her husband while she
was unconscious.
“I need medical help to get
over the effects of the beating I
suffered when my husband was
killed,” she said.
She was in Seattle only a short
while before flying to California.
She would not give her destina
tion but had a ticket for Los An
geles.
SUP Charges Communists
Protected By Officials Of
San Francisco City Govt.
SAN FRANCISCO, UP) — The
Sailors Union of the Pacific
charged Monday night the San
Francisco city administration was
protecting “the Communist Party
and its followers” and demanded
the dismissal of Police Chief Mi
chael Gaffey.
The charge against the city and
the demand for Gaffey’s ouster
were unanimously approved by a
S.U.P. mass meeting attended by
more than 1,100 sailors and called
in protest against last weeks clash
between the unionists and police.
Gaffey was accused of ordering
a “vicious attack on sailors and
firemen” of the AFL. union as they
were approaching Pier 39 “peace
fully for the purpose of observing
that no violence was attempted
against brother unionists” aboard
the picketed steamship Aleutian.
Harry Lundberg, secretary and
head of the sailors’ union, told the
meeting that the clash, which hap
pened when he was out of town,
was “the first beef I’ve missed in
a long time.”
“Some people,” Lundberg said,
“may think that those who were
stopped by police” on their march
to the waterfront “were beaten.”
“But,” he added, “they’ll see
that we weren’t beaten at all.
“Because of this beef, we have a
solid front of anti-Commie unions
for the first time in a long time.
And we’ll be united in the future
against the Commie rats.”
Another Setback
To Proposed Alcoa
Plant At Skagway
OTTAWA, LSI—Prime Minister
St. Laurent delivered another ap
parent setback yesterday to the
prospects of the proposed Alumi
num Co. of America plant at
Skagway, Alaska, which would be
dependent on water from Can
ada.
In a speech to the House of
Commons, which covered several
aspects of the far north, he reiter
ated a government stand that
Canadian resources in the north
ern country, particularly water
power, must be retained for Can
adian use.
“Members will remember that
some time ago there was a sug
gestion that Yukon waters, or
much of them, could be diverted
for development in Alaska,” he
declared.
“ . . . While we do not want
to adopt any dog-in-the-manger
attitude about our resources which
cannot be used in our own coun
try, I think that those which can
be used in our country must be
reserved for the generations that
will follow us . . .”
(There have been reports on the
west coast that the prospects of
the American company getting
water rights for the Skagway pro
ject might hinge on a decision of
Canadian interests on whether in
dustrial developments in the re
gion might be feasible).
Barge Load of Cement,
Valued at $300,000 Sinking
In Tongass Narrows
SEATTLE, UP)—A Seattle barge
has turned turtle off Ketchikan,
the 17th District Coast Guard re
ported Monday, with a loss which
may run as high as $300,000.
Weighted down by almost 5,000
tons of cement, the big steel LST
type barge Attu Island is sinking
slowly beneath waters of Tongass
Narrows, the Coast Guard report
ed.
The 328-foot barge, owned by
the Portland Tug and Barge Co.
has an estimated value of $200,000.
The cement, plus six automobiles
and other cargo with which she
sailed from Seattle last week, have
a market value of almost $100,000.
The disaster was touched off
last Friday, according to Coast
Guard information, but reports
have trickled slowly down to Seat
tle from the north. Officials of the
Puget Sound Tug and Barge Co.,
whose tug Hercules was towing
the barge, still insist they have
only rumors of the event.
Ex-Nomeite Gets Post In
U.S. Military Advisory
Group In Ecuador
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, UP, —
Col. Daniel A. Ramney of Nome,
Alaska, was named recently the
first chief of the new military as
sistance advisory group in Ecua
dor.
Ramney is now anti-aircraft staff
officer at Hamilton Air Force
Base, Calif. He is expected to
reach his new post early next
month. He was an artillery officer
throughout World War II.
President Eisenhower’s New Proposal
For International Atomic Energy Pool
Puts Decision Squarely Up To Russia
---<s
Doubts Voiced That
Congress Would Approve
Contribution of A-Material
WASHINGTON, M — President
Eisenhower’s proposal for an in
ternational sharing of atomic en
ergy knowledge and materials for
non-military uses was cheered tcf
day by many lawmakers as a bold
stroke for peace.
But at the same time doubts
were voiced that Congress would
give its approval for any contri
butions to a United Nations atomic
agency unless there was advance
agreement on fool-proof interna
tional inspection within partici
pating nations.
The President himself, in his
speech to the U.N. yesterday, said
his proposal had the virtue of
avoiding the inspection irritations
which have stalled previous at
tempts to get an atomic agree
ment with Russia.
He called for creation of a new
agency to which the U.S., Russia,
and other nations would begin
now and continue to make joint
contributions from their stock
piles of atomic materials.
Sen. Edwin C. Johnson, a mem
ber of the Senate-House Atomic
Committee, said in an interview
he doubts the U.N. is in any po
sition to exercise necessary con
trols over atomic energy informa
tion.
Sen. Knowland of California
said he regards the President’s
speech as a far-reaching proposal.
He said Russia’s reaction “may
finally demonstrate whether or
not that government is bent on
aggression when they have built
up their atomic capabilities and
stockpiles.”
Danforth Says Federals
Snafued His Investigation
Of Cecil Wells Murder
ANCHORAGE, UP — Former
Fairbanks police chief Everett V.
Danforth said Wednesday “inter
ference” by federal authorities
hampered his investigation of the
Cecil Wells murder case.
Danforth, who resigned last
month in the interests of local
harmony, said in an interview
with the Anchorage Times the
federal authorities “prematurely
summoned witnesses” during his
probe of the fatal shooting of the
wealthy Fairbanks auto dealer.
Danforth said he was a “vic
tim of circumstances” in a city
and territorial administration he
said was “wracked was civic,
social and professional petty
jealously.”
The former police chief said
that with the progress he was
making before federal authorities
“interefered” it would have been
a matter of time before he wrap
pd up the investigation.
As it stands now, Danforth said,
“If any investigation is being
done at all, it is probably being
done in a haphazard manner.”
> UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., UP) —
President Eisenhower’s bold new
proposal for an international
atomic energy pool put squarely
up to Russia today a fateful de
cision on cooperation with the
West.
Andrei Vishinsky, chief Soviet
delegate to the United Nations,
said “it is necessary to study” the
President’s proposal. U.N. diplo
mats declared that a favorable
Soviet response could greatly
advance prospects for eventual
control of the atom—while a re
jection would further harden the
East-West deadlock on this life
and-death issue.
Eisenhower, fresh from the Ber
muda conference where he got the
backing of Prime Minister Chur
chill and French Premier Laniel
fof his action, told the U.N. Gen
eral Assembly late yesterday the
United States was ready to join
immediately in secret talks for
setting up an international atom
ic energy agency to- which quali
fied nations would contribute
atomic material for peaceful pur
poses.
But he said Russia would have
to be one of the participating na
tions^ He did not name other na
tions, but it was learned he con
siders Britain, which produces
atomic materials, and Australia,
South Africa, Canada and Bel
gium, which produce uranium,
the raw source material, also
should be included.
The revolutionary nature of the
President’s proposal — the thing
that made many U.N. delegates
think it just might prove accept
able to Russia—was that it would
not require prior agreement of an
acceptable system of international
inspection of atomic plants in all
countries because it avoids for
the moment the whole question of
elimination of atomic arms.
Instead it calls for creation of
a practical operating body under
ithe banner of the U. N. which
would engage in strictly peaceful
use of atomic materials for the
maximum benefit of the greatest
(Continued on Pige Two)
Both Sides Agree To
Mediation And N. Y.
Papers Resume Publication
NEW YORK, U!) — The city’s
biggest newspapers resumed pub
lication today, bringing news and
ads to millions of readers after
the worst strike in the history of
New York journalism.
AFT, photo-engravers and the
publishers agreed yesterday, the
11th day of the strike, to a fact
finding board proposed by federal
mediators.
Under the agreement, the 400
photo-engravers involved will get
a $3 weekly wage increase, plus
75 cents worth of other benefits
—the same package which the
publishers stood on all along, even
while proposing arbitration. The
fact-finding board can recommend
additional amounts. The unic i
had sought originally a $15 pack
age; scaled this down to $7.5.,.