m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LIX No. 30 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, MARCH 11, 1957 Per Copy—15*
—BULLETIN—
WASHINGTON. L/P) — General
Twining told the committee he
doesn't see any military neces
sity for making any military
withdrawal which would in
clude Nome. Neither, he said,
could he see any immediate
military need to withdraw en
tire area.
Women Awarded $12,500
For Injuries Received
In Freak Accident
SAN FRANCISCO, (A*) — A
housewife who was accidentally
shot in the left thigh while riding
in a municipal bus was awarded
$12,500 last week by a superior
court jury.
Mrs. Anna Asdrubale testified
the bus was passing a gun ex
change when she was wounded.
She charged that the shot came
from a rifle accidentally dis
charged by Howard Spriggs, an
employe of the gun store. She
sued Spriggs and his employer,
Nathan Posner.
Fairbanks Woman
Wins Dogsled Prize
FAIRBANKS, UP) — Tiny Mrs.
Rosie Losonsky was crowned
queen of North American Mush
erettes Saturday, bringing the
big trophy home to Fairbanks
once again. The victory capped
her earlier triumph at the An
chorage Fur Rendezvous races.
Mrs. Losonsky, 28, who weighs
only 115 pounds, captured the
North American Women’s Sled
Dog Derby with a total elapsed
time of 85 minutes and 30 sec
onds for the two 10-mile heats.
She struggled through despite
two crippled dogs whose pads
were sore from early workouts
along a rough trail. One of
her championship team made the
rounds with a special protective
booty over a paw.
The Arctic dog racing queen,
Irene Gallahorn, who won at the
Kotzebue races, ran into hard luck
in the Notrh American. She lost
her 12-dog team in yesterday’s
first heat and pounded in late
with a weary 72:47.
Earthquake Rumblings and Tidal
Waves Hit Islands Throughout Pacific
(By the Associated Press*
The Pacific’s jumpy northeast
ern rim continued to tremble to
day and last might as the result
of a mighty earthquake iin the
Aleutian Islands Saturday.
The restless earth that sent
tidal waves crashing into villages
in Hawaii and Japan rumbled
again at 7:20 p. m. PST Sunday
and the University of California
seismograph at Berkeley was still
registering the shock two and a
half hours later.
Research assistant John Denoy
er estimated its Richter reading at
7, compared with 8 for the great
first quake Saturday morning.
A Richter reading of 7 com
pares with 8.25 for the San Fran
cisco earthquake of 1906.
Meanwhile ihe Coast and Geo- ^
U.S. Suggests
Canada Share in
Sea Radar Watch
OTTAWA, UR — Officials here
say the United States has sug
gested the Canadian Navy share
the burden of keeping a radar
watch off the Atlantic and Paci
fic seaboards.
Informants said Canadian de
fense officials do not favor such
a move, feeling Canada’s navy has
neither the. necessary ships nor
the manpower to assume this task
in addition to other responsibili
ties.
The United States and Canada
share in maintaining radar lines
extending across this country. Un
der the joint defense plans, the
U. S. Navy now stations radar
picket ships off both coasts, par
ticularly iin northern latitudes.
Without the ships, any attack on
the continent from across the
North Pole could outflank the
warning lines merely by flying
over the sea.
Canadian authorities say they
have their hands full building a
naval force to guard against en
emy submarines. They maintain
the submarines could be used to
launch guided or ballistic missile
attacks.
defic Survey ofice in Honolulu
reported that Mt. Vsevidof on
the Aleutian island of Unmak
was belching smoke Sunday af
ter lying dormant fcr 200 years.
In Hawaii, where waves rang
ing from 3 to 9 feet high slammed
up over the beaches Saturday
along northern shores of the is
lands, Gov. Samuel Wilder King
said ater a survey 154 people were
left homeless in two villages of
Kauai while 4,000 others were
isolated by washed out bridges.
Unofficial damage estimates
ranged up to $2,000,000. No di
rect loss of life was reported
because of early warnings.
But Paul Q. Beam, veteran
newsman, and Sarah Park, star
bulletin reporter, were dead in
the crash of a plane photograph
ing the waves.
Gov. Kiing said he was awaiting
full damage reports before ask
ing for federal aid, but had de
clared a 10-mile coastal stretch
on Kauai a disaster area.
Hours after the alert had
ended in Hawaii. nine-foot
waves crashed into fishing vil
lages on Hokkaido, northern
most of the main Japanese is
lands.
The 3Vfc-foot wave that belated
ly rolled into Sam Diego Bay late
Saturday night yhnked an 83-foot
boat slip from its moorings and
caused damage estimated at $5,000.
The wave piled into the bay at an
estimated 281/£ miles per hour.
In Berkeley, seismologist Den
oyer said it was the fifth after
shock of the big Saturlay quake.
All had to 7 Richter readings,
he said.
Mass Okla. Wolf Hunt
Bags Owl and Rabbits
HARROW, Okla., UP) — The
wolves and coyotes must have
been tipped off because the best
350 well-armed men could do yes
terday was spot one wolf, and
kill one owl and three jackrab
bits.
The group staged central Okla
homa’s first wolf-coyote hunt af
ter farmers in the area suffered
livestock and chickem losses to the
predators.
Military Reservations Part
Of N< tw Statehood Proposal
Week Ends With
Brisk Leg, Action
JUNEAU, (/P) — The proposed
increase in the excise tax on
liquor finally passed the Terri
torial Senate Saturday, on a re
consideration of Friday’s vote.
The bill would boost the whole
sale tax on beer, wine and liquor.
It got an 11-5 favorable vote
Friday, but Sen. James Nolan (D
Wrangell) gave notice of recon
sideration.
Saturday, Nolan changed his
vote — and the bill passed, 10-8.
But the emergency clause was
defeated — so the bill goes back
to the House to see if it will
accept the changes. It’s reported
that there will be an effort to
reduce the proposed increase on
the beer tax. It’s now 10 cents a
gallon. The House called for a
boost to 25 cents, and the Senate
upped that to 50 cents. The talk
is that it still may wind up as
25 cents.
The Senate also passed a meas
ure to establish ain agency for the
collection of radiation information
in the territory. The vote was 11
5. This is the same ibill' that was
referred to as a “nuclear snooper”
measure when it passed the House
a couple of weeks ago.
A bill calling for uniform ac
counting procdures in all terri
torial departments and agencies
passed the Territorial House.
The vote on the measure was
20-4, and it now goes to the Sen
ate. The bill would provide for
a new check system of bookkeep
ing, and places all fiscal account
ing in the Department of Finance.
Seaton Predicts Great Development,
Serious Problems Face ‘Alaska State’
WASHINGTON, UR — Antici
pating possible “serious problems
for the new state” in the early
years of statehood, Secretary Sea
ton recommended approval of the
“relatively generous provisions for
land grants and financial assist
ance” ontained in reent statehood
bills.
Major of these would be the
right of the new state to select ap
proximately 103 million acres of
land and to receive 15 million dol
lars for harbors and up to 70
per cent of receipts from the Pro
bilof Islands seal fishery for fish
and wildlife management.
The secretary’s statement took
cognizance of a recent Budget
Bureau recommendation that
some 78 million dollars in high
way grants proposed in pending
bills be eliminated and, if neces
sary, be taken up by Congress
during consideration -of future
highway acts.
He said the department “will
expedite the presentation of am
appropriate highway program for
Alaska in order that Congress may
consider whether the formula for
Alaska participation in the high
way program should be revised.”
The department’s program, he
said, will include recommenda
tions concerning transfer of title
to public roads and trails to Alas
Northwest Alaska Would Be
Subject to Military Withdrawals
By FRANK VAILLE
WASHINGTON, (/P)—Two administration spokes
men today called for statehood for Alaska under
conditions permitting the President to set up military
reservations in sparsely populated areas of the territory.
The proposal was given to a House territories sub
Swedish Philanthropist
Launches $5 Mllion B. C.
Development Project
VANCOUVER, B. C., UP) — Dr.
Axel Wenner^Gren, Swedish" fi
nancier, outlined here yesterday
his $5,000,000 gamble to develop
a remote corner of British Co
lumbia.
In return, he said, “I want
nothing for myself.”
Dr. Wenner-Gren told a press
conference:
He will be “greatly disap
pointed” if his $5,000,000 survey of
40,000-square-mile wilderness area
north of Prince George, B. C..
proves there is nothing to devel
op there.
He is obliged to build a 500
mile railway through the area and
he wants it to be a monorail sys
[ tern — “the most modern railway
system today.”
“But I don’t think the govern
ment would insist we build the
railroad if we find there is nohing
to develop up there,” he said.
The white-haired, 76-year-old
financier arrived here yesterday
from his home in Mexico City to
launch the survey and talk with
government officials.
ka as well as possible financial
assistance for road maintenance
during the transition period.
Seaton said that in his judg
ment “iboth Hawaii and Alaska
have a rightful claim to the equal
status of statehood.”
Alaska’s institutions and its
economy, he said, “are character
istically Amerian,” adding:
“To many thousands of Amer
icans, Alaska is home. It is for
them a place to* live, not a place
to exploit and leave.”
He cited Alaska’s “rapid” eco
nomic and population growth and
the importance of Alaska’s fish
ing industry and mentioned re
cent and proposed pulp mill de
velopments “being made by large,
substantial investors.”
These developments, he said,
“represent faith in the future of
Alaska, its resources and the
American way of life.
“•Such economic development
will, I am confident, be acceler
ated at even a greater pace when
Alaska becomes a state.”
Although noting that “many
large taxpayers doing business in
Alaska file their tax returns else
where,” Seaton said Alaska’s per
capita income tax collections in
1955 were higher than amounts
collected in six states.
> committee by Hatfield Chilson,
assistant secretary of the Interior,
on behalf of Secretary Seaton who
is hospitalized with a 'back aiP
ment.
It was backed up by Gen. Na
than Twining, Air Force chief
of staff and acting chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Seaton said it is the adminis
tration's position "that all ol
Alaska should become the State
of Alaska" but that authority
to set up military reservations
should be granted the President!
north and west of the Porcu
pine, Yukon and Kuskokwin
i Rivers.
Twining noted this is the area
of the United States “closest to
Russia, and to the very consid
erable military installations she
i has developed in Siberia.”
| The proposal, believed accept
! able to most Alaskans, was put
I before the House Territories Sub
! committee as it opened a four
I day hearing on Alaska statehood
: legislation.
Interior Department spokes
men said the new proposal in
cludes several provisions disting
uishing it from that made several
years ago by then Secretary of
I the Interior Douglas McKay.
They said one such provi
sion, given the commiilee but
not spelled out in the Secre
tary's statement, would make
the President's land withdrawal
authority of indefinite duration.
The McKay proposal would have
required that military with
drawals be made prior to state
hood.
The effect of this change, they
! said, would be to permit with
drawals to be made as required,
rather than create a situation in
which the military might make
excessive and unnecessary land
demands in trying to anticipate
future requirements.
Seaton’s statement said the ef
feet of the proposed amendments
would be to “give” the President
the same authority now available
to the federal government in 25
states, pursuant to either the con
stitutions or statute^ of those
states.”
He said, however, lhaf "even
wihin those areas, when with
drawals are established, resi
dents will continue to have the
right to vote in all federal,
state ana local elections; the
functions of any local political
subdivision will continue to be
performed by that subdivision."
Nearly SO per cent of Alaska’s
estimated 212,500 population, he
said, lives south and east of the
withdrawal line.
The area of potential withdraw
al, he said, covers approximately
276,000 of Alaska’s 585,000 square
miles. Its population of about
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