m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS__
VOL. LXII No. 23 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY FEBRUARY 22, 1960 _Per Copy 151
Nenana Ice Classic Brought Into Court
In Methodist’s Anti-Gambling Crusade!
u
JUNEAU, OP)—Both the law and
the legislature were wrestling to
day over Alaska’s favorite indoor
sport and recently one of its most
controversial problems — betting
on the Tanana River ice breakup.
The law was brought into the
picture late Friday when the Rev.
Richard Heacock, a Methodist
minister here, signed a complaint
with the U. S. Commissioner
against ice pool activities. Acting
on the complaint, officers seized
3,000 tickets on the lottery and
five types of Nenana Ice Classic
forms from the Juneau company
which prints the tickets and post
ers for the event.
The Rev. Mr. Heacock said he
acted on reports the Nenana lot
tery was illegal under state law,
but that nobody had ever asked
the anti-gambling statutes be en
forced against it. He said he sign
ed the complaint because “gambl
ing is wrong and illegal.”
A decision to prosecute appar
ently will rest with the Attorney
General’s Office and will depend
upon the outcome of pending
legislation.
A special six-man conference
committee is still working on the
law which would legalize the ice
pool and other forms of gambling
sponsored by civic and charitable
organizations.
The committee is working to
tighten the bill, which already
has passed both houses, but has
been criticized by the administra
tion as being too lax in its word
ing.
Sen. John Coghill, a member
of the committee, says the pro
posed bill may be reported out
I for final floor action tomorrow.
Split Faction
Crowds Welcome
Ike at Puerto Rico
By STANFORD BRADSHAW
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, UP)—
Enroute to South America, Presi
dent Eisenhower paused in Puer
to Rico today and told the island
ers they provide a lesson to as
pirng peoples of the world.
As he arrived from Washing
ton, one band of demonstrators at
the airport was clamoring for
complete independence for this
commonwealth while another car
ried banners calling for state
hood. But Eisenhower did not see
them.
“We are happy that Puerto
Rico is a proud, free, self-govern
ing commonwealth, joined to the
United States by her own choice,”
the President said. “Puerto Rico
is truly unique.
“To other people now strug
gling to realize their aspirations
and ambitions, the commonwealth
of Puerto Rico has demonstrated
that courage, persistence and
faith in one’s fellow men and a
God-given destiny can open up
ways through barriers and ob
stacle that might appear to be
insurmountable.”
In welcoming the President,
Gov. Luis Munoz Marin — who
likes Puerto Rico’s present status
as a commonwealth of the United
States — said: “You will find
among us differences of opinion
as to the form that our free union
with the United States should de
velop. But so far as the great
majority of our people are con
cerned, you will find no differ
ences of opinion as to the fact
that that union should be per
manent.”
After the exchange of greetings
the President and Munoz Marin
went into conference briefly at
the airport, bypassing the demon
strators with their banners. They
were at the other side of the air
port.
A crowd of about 5,000 — held
down by tight security precau
tions—was on hand. Thousands
more tried but were unable to get
into the guarded grounds.
The demonstration recalled two
Washington episodes in which
Puerto Rican nationalists figured
—a 1950 assassination attempt on
President Harry Truman and the
1954 burst of gunfire in the U.S.
House of Representatives.
Rep. McSmith Proposes
Alaska Choose Official
Tree, Slogan and Motto
JUNEAU, UPi — A state really
hasn’t achieved full status unless
it has a tree, a slogan and a
motto.
That apparently is the way Rep.
Blanche McSmith feels about it.
The Anchorage Democrat intro
duced a resolution in the House
Saturday asking Gov. Egan to
conduct a contest to select an of
ficial tree, slogan and mptto. She
suggested four members of the
House and four from the Senate
judge the contest and submit their
selections to next year’s legisla
ture for approval.
Mrs. McSmth said she feels Al
aska is embarrassed among her
sister states by the lack of official
accouterments.
Eisenhower Tells the Nation ‘Defense
Is Ample Now; Developing for Future’
By JOE F. KANE
WASHINGTON, (if) — The
United States has forged an in
destructible force as an anchor of
free world security, President
Eisenhower has told the Ameri
can people.
The defensive might is ample
for today and constantly is devel
oping to meet the needs of tomor
row, Eisenhower said Sunday
night in a nationwide radio-TV
address on the eve of his depart
ure for a 15,000-mile Latin Amer
ican goodwill tour.
In an indirect reply to critics
of the U.S. defense program, Ei
senhower said: “We have created
a great deterrent strength — so
powerful as to command and to
justify the respect of the knowl
edgable and unbiased observers
here at home and abroad.”
Most of the defense criticism
has come from announced or po
tential candidates for the Demo
cratic presidential nomination.
Some military officers, both act
ive and retired, also have pro
tested what they called inade
quate or misdirected defense pol
icies.
Two announced candidates for
the Democratic nomination had
more to say Sunday on the de
fense program.
Sen. Hubert Humphrey told a
Democratic meeting at Green Bay,
Wis., that the United States is far
behind the Soviet Union in mis
sile strength. He said “the score
board in 1962 is expected to show
an even greater point spread.”
Sen. John Kennedy said in a
television interview “When men
who have the same information
that the President has come to
exact opposite conclusions and
say we are moving into a posi
tion of peril. I would err on the
side of caution.”
A third Presidential possibility,
Sen. Stuart Symington said in
St. Louis that this country is no
longer “the strongest, most res
pected and most admired country
in the world. We’re not adequate
ly prepared to back up our many
commitments around the world.”
Hut Eisenhower set forth a dif
ferent idea. In backing up his own
appraisal of American power, the
President referred to hundreds of
Air Force bombers deployed
around the world; a powerful nu
clear force in aircraft carriers;
advanced types of missiles, and
the Polaris missile - firing sub
marine.
“Collectively,” the President
said, “this is a force not unduly
dependent upon any one weapon
or any one service, not subject to
elimination by sudden attack,
buttressed by an industrial system
unmatched on earth, and unhesi
tatingly supported by a vigorous
people determined to remain
free.”
“It’' Was a Meteor!
ANCHORAGE, Iff—That object
that hurtled through Alaska skies
last Sunday wasn’t so mysterious
after all. Officials said Friday it
was a meteor.
Dr. Christian T. Elvey, director
of the University of Alaska’s Geo
physical Institute, said angular
computations and the brief length
of the sighting ruled out anything
but a meteor. He said his findings,
concurred in by the Alaskan Air
Command, have been forwarded
to Air Fdrce headquarters.
Civilians who reported the un
identified object flashing over
Nome, St. Michael and Unalakleet
said they believed it to be a man
ned aircraft.
Death of Countess
Mountbatten Dims Royal
Birth Celebration
LONDON, Iff—The Royal Fam
ily’s rejoicing over Queen Eliza
beth’s new son was dimmed over
the weekend by the death of
Countess Mountbatten, Prince
Philip’s aunt and one of Britain’s
best known women.
The 58-year-old Countess —
wife of Britain’s defense chief,
Adm. Earl Mountbatten—died in
her sleep Saturday night at Jes
selton, North Borneo. She was on
a tour of Far Eastern units of
the St. John Ambulance Bridge,
which she headed. The cause of
the death was not announced.
Prince Philip is the son of Earl
Mountbatten's sister, Princess An
drew of Greece, and the Moun
battens raised the prince from
boyhood after his father died and
his mother entered a convent.
Earl and Lady Mountbatten were
such close friends of the royal
family that some political quar
ters complained they exerted un
due influence on the Queen.
Both the Queen and her hus
band were reported deeply up
by the death.
New State Court
System Activated
Saturday, upon proclamation of
the President of the United States
the old court system .of Alaska as
a territory ceased to exist and
the new state court system went
into effect.
Joe Kroninger, who has been ;
U. S. Clerk of the Second Divi- '
sion, left this morning to become
the first U.S. Clerk of the Federal
Court at Anchorage under Judge
Walter Hodge. Replacing him
here as State Clerk of Court is
George Bayer, who has been a
deputy marshal here for many
years. Grace Herman will remain
in that office as deputy.
Judge Hubert Gilbert heads the
court system here as Second Dis
trict Superior Court Judge and a
district attorney is expected to
'be named very soon. Mary Diede
will remain as Judge Gilbert’s
secretary.
In place of the U.S. Commis
sioner and in those offices will
be the new Second District Mag
istrate, James St. Amour, who ar
rived last week. George Bayer
will act as deputy in this office
in the absence of St. Amour who
will supervise ,the work of deputy
magistrates -throughout the Sec
ond District. St. Amour will also
act as city magistrate.
Law and order is now headed
by the State Police officer, Sgt.
Gene Morris whose office is lo
cated in the former Alaska Steam
ship Co. building on Front St.
(The fate of the U.S. Marshal’s
office is as yet unknown). Jack
Reed, formerly with the U. S.
Marshal’s office, has been named
Service Officer for the State Po
lice and has an office in the Fed
eral Building.
Virgil Vochaska, who will take
over the Jim von der Heydt law
practice, is expected to arrive this
week, for private practice which
will make it possible for the
wheels of justice to again be acti
vated.
A swearing - in ceremony has
been announced by Judge Gilbert
at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the court
room.
Bay State Doctor
Takes 2nd Heat In
Rendezvous Races
ANCHORAGE, UP>—Dr. Roland
Lombard, 48-year-old veterinar
ian from Wayland, Mass., won the
second heat of the 1960 Anchor
age Fur Rendezvous Champion
ship Dogsled Races Sunday.
Lombard, who finished ninth
in the opening round Saturday
overcame difficulties on the 25
mile trail to mush across the fin
ish line in one hour, 53 minutes,
49 seconds. Leo Kriska of Koy
ukuk was second, third was Wil
bur Sampson of Noorvik.
Cui Biffelt of Huslia, who won
Saturday’s heat, came in fourth
Sunday. He was followed by Clem
Tellman of Knik, Jimmy Male
mute of Galena, Robert Domoski
of Fairbanks, Chester Topkok of
Teller, Gareth Wright of Nenana
and Dr. Charles Belford of Deer
field Mass.
WEATHER FORECAST
Cloudy today, tonight and to
morrow. Southerly winds 15 to 25
mph changing to the east tomor
row.
Nome data in the past 24 hours:
highest temp. 30, lowest 25. Max.
wind 36 mph from the S.E. Sun
rise at 7:35 a.m., sunset 4:57 p.m.
Fifth Week Of
Legislature Shows
No Work Let-up
JUNEAU, UP) — A half dozen
new measures are before legisla
tors today as they head into the
fifth week of what is expected to
be a 60-day session.
The new bills were introduced
at Saturday’s brief session during
which the Senate approved three
measures and the House acted on
a single resolution.
Two of the bills passed in
volved extension of liquor excise
tax to sales on military bases in
the state. The excise tax on beer
sales was exempted.
It was said the bills would in
crease the state’s excise tax rev
enue by more than $300,000.
The third bill approved would
amend Alaska’s Workmen’s Com
pensation Act to require employ
ers to pay $1,500 into the second
injury fund in those cases where
a deceased employe has no de
pendents.
New bills introduced in the
Senate include one which would
provide $250,000 as a supplemen
tary appropriation for the state’s
medical care program for indi
gent patients.
A measure for accounting pur
poses which would abolish the
special state fund for the Civil
Air Patrol, as it exists in the
general fund. The legislature
would continue to supply money
for CAP activities.
Rep. James Hurley of Palmer
introduced two measures pertain
ing to agriculture.
A bill providing the qualifica
tions for future Commissioners of
Education was introduced in the
House. Dr. Theo Norby, present
commissioner, Would be exempted
from the bill which lists a mas
ter’s degree and three years of
experience in school administra
tion as primary qualifications.
Also introduced in the House
was a bill which would decrease
the interest rate on small loans
and raise the bond requirement
for small loan companies.
CAP In Alaska to Get 10
Surplus Air Force Planes
WASHINGTON, W—Sen. E. L.
Bartlett says 10 single-engine Air
Force planes will be made avail
able to the Alaska Wing of the
Civil Air Patrol before the end
of this month.
Bartlett had urged that the
planes be assigned to the Alaska
CAP after they were declared
excess to the needs of the Alaska
Air Command.
It has been learned that one of
these plane, an L-20 “Beaver”
will be acquired by the Nome
Squadron of CAP.
New East Berlin Travel
Passes Spurned by U. S.
BERLIN, (.?> — British and
French military personnel made
limited use today of the new
passes issued by the Russians for
travel to the Allied Mission in
West Germany, but the Ameri
cans held to their boycott except
in cases of emergency.
The Allies have rejected the
passes as an attempt to win a mea
sure of legal recognition for the
Communist East German govern
ment. Passes formerly used au
thorized travel in “the Soviet
Zone of Germany”; the new
passes are for travel in the “Ger
man Democratic R public,” which
the Allies contei . is an illegal
regime.