m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No. 15 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1955 Per Copy—15^
U.N. Balked By
Chou’s Boycott Of
Cease-Fire l’alks
By MAX HARRELSON
UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., UP —
U. N. diplomats consulted today
on the next step in their quest
for peace in the Formosa Strait.
They generally agreed the U.N.
can do little in the face of Red
China’s boycott of the proposed
Security Council cease-fire talks.
Three courses appeared to be
open:
1. Make another effort to per
suade Premier Chou En - Lai to
send a representative here.
2. Debate the Formosan prob
lem without the participation of
the Chinese Communists.
3. Try to arrange a conference
outside the U.N. — like the Far
Eastern parley in Geneva last
spring—at which the whole China
could be discussed. This appeared
the likeliest prospect.
In view of Chou’s declaration
that he would not send a repre
sentative to the U.N. unless the
Security Council ousts Nationalist
China and gives Peiping the seat,
many delegates saw no chance for
compromise here. The Council
was expected to stick to its pre
vious firm refusals to replace
Chiang Kai-Shek’s representative.
Chou also was not expected to
back down.
Some U.S. leaders in Washing
ton were more optimistic. Chair
man George <D-Ga> of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee said
Chou’s reply “may be a propa
ganda bluff.” Sen. H. Alexander
Smith (R-NJ), the senior Repub
lican on the Foreign Relations Far
Eastern subcommittee, said the
Red Chinese were “maneuvering
for position” and their answer
was not final.
The reply aroused stronger
feelings in other Republicans. Sen.
Hickenlooper called it an insult,
Sen. Bridges “virtual blackmail,”
and the minority leader, Sen.
Knowland said, “This is a place
to let the Communist Chinese
regime stew in its own juice.”
Scandinavian Airlines
System Plane To Visit
Nome Next Wednesday
A special flight by a Scandin
A special flight by a Scandina
vian Airlines System plane plans
to stop at Nome next Wednesday
for an hour and a half. Aboard
the plane will be a crew of 11
and 10 officials.
The flight is a familiarization
trip which will stop at Anchor
age, Pt. Barrow, Fairbanks, Gal
ena, Nome and Whitehorse.
Regular flights over the pole
were started last year by SAS.
A group of civic leaders are
planning to be at the field to
meet the party and conduct them
on a short tour if they have time.
Committee Asks Probe
Of Eskimos' Rights
WASHINGTON, UP—'The House
Rules Committee Wednesday ap
proved a resolution that would
authorize the House Interior Com
mittee to investigate the rights of
Indians and Eskimos to 400 mil
lion acres of public lands in Al
aska. The resolution is still sub
ject to House .action.
LEWTSTON, Mont., (AV-Reider
Byfuglin of Lewiston took his car
dQwntown at noon. It collided
with another car—damage minor.
His wife used the car.at 5 p.m.
It collided with another car—
damage extensive.
Combined Hawaii
Alaska Bill Faces
Presidential Veto
By WILLIAM F. ABROGAST
WASHINGTON, UP) —Daring a
possible presidential veto, House
Democrats are considering send
ing President Eisenhower a bill
to admit both Hawaii and Alaska
to statehood.
The bill may hit the House
floor later this month. It is the
subject of current hearings before
the House Interior and Insular
Affairs committee.
Originally, separate statehood
bills were planned for the two
territories, but some influential
Democrats suspect that the Presi
dent would sign the Hawaii mea
sure and veto the Alaska bill.
By including the two areas in
one measure, Congress would put
the President on somewhat of a
spot, since he has urged state
hood for Hawaii only.
In his state-of-the-union mes
sage last month, the President
said there was “no justification”
for further delay in bringing
Hawaii into the union, while Al
aska “should expect to achieve
statehood” when its “complex
problems” are solved.
That, in the opinion of many
Democrats, was a thinly veiled
hint by the President that he
would not approve an Alaska bill.
Moreover, the Democrats have
been tipped by top Republicans
to expect a veto.
Freshman Representative
Favors Separation Of
Statehood Legislation
WASHINGTON, UP>—Rep. Ruth
erford <D-Tex> today indicated he
would favor separation of Alaska
and Hawaii statehood legislation.
A new member of the House
Insular Affairs Committee, which
is now considering a combined
statehood bill, Rutherford said in
his weekly “newsletter” to con
stituents:
“I personally feel both Alaska
and Hawaii should stand on their
own merits and not lean on each
other.”
He also indicated he has not
yet been convinced either terri
tory should be admitted to state
hood, declaring:
“The Delegates from Alaska
and Hawaii to Congress have told
us only of the beautiful scenery
in their territories; and while I
am sure this is true, in my way
of thinking scenic beauty is not
sufficient qualification within it
self to allow the territories to be
come states.”
Elmendorf Shooting Was
Result of “Horseplay”
ANCHORAGE, UP — Air Force
investigators said today a shoot
ing which left one man dead and
another critically wounded Tues
day occurred as the result of
horseplay. A military spokesman
said Airman 3/c Welton Gate
wood, 19, accidentally shot Air
man 3/c James A. Haliburton, 21,
and then turned the .45 calibre
automatic on himself.
The two men, both air police
men at Elmendorf Air Force Base
here, bunked side by side and
were described by authorities as
having frequently engaged in
“harmless pranks.”
Haliburton, wounded in the
shoulder, was reported in satis
factory condition.
In The Legislature
At Juneau Today -
J
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, —Only two oppos
ing votes were cast in the Terri
torial House ot Representatives
yesterday as five relatively minor
measures were passed and sent
along to the Senate.
The day also saw a wide var
iety of new proposals in the form
of new bills and memorials in
troduced in both branches.
One of the measures introduced
in the upper branch by Sen. Neal
Foster is aimed to increase the
number of mineral explorations
by establishing four field stations
at which the Territorial Depart
ment of Mines would rent basic
equipment to prospectors.
Along with other items, each
station would have four geiger or
scintillation counters. Foster used
some non-legal language in the
bill to specify that the rentals
would be on a “first come, first
served” basis. The bill does not
make any specific appropriation
for getting the equipment but pro
vides that funds be included in
the general budget.
Sen. William Beltz put in a bill
to provide civil liability and pen
alties for nonpayment of wages.
Seft. Ralph Rivers <D - Fair
banks) dropped in two enabling
acts for cities. One would allow
them to establish and operate
cemeteries. The other would em
power them to set up sewage dis
posal systems.
Other bills introduced in the
House included:
By Rep. Bailey (D-Anchorage),
to provide $100,000 for establish
ment of roadside rest spots and
improvements of historical sites.
By Rep. Warren Taylor (D-Fair
banks), to make the taking of a
vehicle without the owner’s con
sent a misdemeanor. It now is a
more serious crime for which the
penalty can be two years in jail,
a $2,000 fine or both.
By Reps. Dora Sweeney, Vern
Metcalfe, Burke Riley and Tom
Stewart, all of the First Division,
to open the way for group and
health insurance for employes of
the territory, school districts, or
political subdivisions.
By House Speaker Wendell
Kay (D - Anchorage), to provide
for periodic inspections of all ve
hicles. It would allow the super
intendent of Territorial Police to
bar unsafe vehicles from the
highways. The bill proposes an
initial appropriation of $10,000.
Rep. Hubert' Gilbert (D- Fair
banks) introduced a nonsegrega
tion school memorial.
It asks an end to Alaska Native
Service schools, with federal aid
in financing the burden of the
added enrollment in territorial
schools. It also proposes that the
ANS establish living facilities for
native children who would, as a
result, go into Nome, Anchorage
or Fairbanks to attend school.
CENTRAL STATES GET
RAIN, SLEET, SNOW, WIND
Stormy weather, with rain,
sleet snow and strong winds,
swept over wide areas in the cen
tral part of the country today as
a cold wave in the east moderated
a little.
A storm center which centered
in Texas spread precipitation over
much of the plains states.
Farmers in Kansas welcomed
the moisture which may give the
parched wheat fields an early
boost, but the four- to five-inch
fall at Fort Riley was drifting to
depths of four feet.
Airdrop of Emergency Rations Made
To Starving Villagers At Savoonga
- - —-<
50 Pons Surplus
Pood Available To
Starving Villag es
ANCHORAGE, (# — Fifty tons
of surplus food have been order
ed rushed to communities of
hungry natives in Bristol Bay and
other western Alaska communities
hard-hit by winter storms.
An air drop of two tons was
made from Nome for the 300 per
sons at Savoonga, on St. Law
rence island, which has no air
strip.
Edward Fortier, deputy director
of the Anchorage regional Civil
Defense office, announced the
shipments of 111,000 pounds of
food. It includes dried milk,
cheese, shortening, dry beans and
butter.
It is part of the Disaster Relief
Program directed by Territorial
Secretary of Labor Waino Hend
rickson. The surpus food is from
Dept, of Agriculture stocks and is
being distributed through the
Federal Civil Defense Adminis
tration.
At Juneau, Alaska Native Ser
vice director William Olson said
the Savoonga natives had not
stored provisions ahead for win
ter and had to continue their seal
hunting for food.
Gambell, 60 miles from Savoonga
and on the west end of St. Law
rence Island, has already had
emergency rations flown there by
the Army, he said.
Propose Shuffle
Alaska Holidays to
Fall On Mondays
JUNBAU, (iPt — Sen. Ralph
Rivers, a former mayor of Fair
banks and a former territorial
attorney general, proposed today
to reshuffle Alaska’s holiday
dates so more of them will fall
on Monday.
The purpose, he explained in
a bill introduced in the Terri
torial Senate, is to make more
holiday weekends and reduce ab
senteeism from office and school
that results from mid-week holi
days.
The bill cites Labor Day as a I
model. However, it would leave
Christmas Day and some others
unchanged.
His proposal is to shift other
holidays as follows:
Lincoln’s birthday on the sec
ond Monday of February instead
of on the Civil War President’s
actual birthday; Washington’s
birthday on the third Monday in
February instead of on the first
President’s Feb. 22 birthday anni
versary; Seward’s Day on the last
Monday in March instead of on
the 30th; Alaska Day on the third
Monday in October instead of the
18th; and Veterans (or Armistice)
Day on the second Monday in
November instead of Nov. 11.
Memorial Day and Thanksgiv
ing would remain on the dates
set by Presidential proclamation
and New Year’s and the Fourth of
July would remain just where
you might expect—on the first
day of the new year and on
July 4th. *
Alaska Airlines yesterday made
a mercy flight to Savoonga on St.
Lawrence Island, to relieve acute
starvation reported at the island
village.
The food shortage was reported
by ANS official Jack Jenkins, and
is reported due to the continuous
storms which have kept the men
of the village on shore and unable
to hunt. The village is dependent
almost entirely on fish, seal and
walrus for their food supply.
Wm. Olson, director of ANS,
arranged for the airdrop of 3600
pounds of dried rations to the
approximately 300 persons living
at the village. The rations in
clude dried eggs, onions, soup,
cabbage, apples, carrots, potatoes,
and macaroni.
One of the reports stated that
only three seals have been caught
during the period of the storms.
The air drop was made by
an Alaska DC-3 piloted by Capt.
John A. Horning, 1st officer Ed
Slye, 2nd officer Steve Hatch and
assisted by Nome station person
nel Russ Hardy and Roy Tobuk.
Government Will Appeal
Decision Dismissing Big
Anti-Trust Suit
WASHINGTON, GP)—'The gov
ernment announced today it is ap
pealing the decision of the Chica
go federal court which dismissed
an antitrust action against the
E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co.
and members of the DuPont fam
ily.
Atty. Gen. Brownell said the
case will be taken directly to the
Supreme Court. Notice of the ap
peal was given to the Supreme
Court this morning.
The action1 against the DuPonts
and their principal company,
along with General Motors Corp.
and the United States Rubber Co.
was filed in the summer of 1949.
It is generally regarded as one
of the biggest antitrust actions
ever initiated.
The defendant companies have
assets totaling more than 5 billion
dollars.
Chicago W. Judge LaBuy ruled
last Dec. 3 that the government
had failed to prove conspiracy,
monopolization or restraint of
trade “or any reasonable prob
ability of a restraint.”
Soviets Budget Three
Billions For Defense
MOSCOW, lJ*>—The Soviet gov
ernment announced yesterday a
1955 defense budget about 12 per
cent higher than last year’s.
The budget, presented to the Su
preme Soviet (parliament) called
for defense expenditures of 112,
100,000,000 rubles. The increase
was about 12 billion rubles.
The ruble is quoted officially at
four to the dollar, meaning an in
crease in defense expenditures of
about three billion dollars.
Explaining the defense appro
priation, Finance Minister Arseny
G. Zverev told a meeting of the
two houses of the Supreme Soviet
in the great Kremlin palace:
“Our main task in the sphere of
international relations is strength
ening the cause of peace. But
nothing has happened in the in
ernational situation which would
give us the opportunity to reduce
our defensive capacity. That is
why we have to spend so much to
promote the further strengthening
of our military forces.”
*