2£ NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LX I No. 13 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1959 Per Codv—15<r
Alaska Court System Bill Introduced
J
JUNEAU, UP) — One bill was in- I
troduced in the State Senate yes- j
terday which would set up Alas- !
ka’s court system by July 1 and
three appropriations measures
were brought into the House.
Separate legislation was also
introduced in .each branch which
would determine who Alaska’s gov
ernor would be in event of the
death or incapacity of both the
Governor and the Secretary of
State. They differed as to who
would get the Governor’s job.
In all, six bills were submitted
in the House yesterday and seven
in the Senate. Only two bills had
been introduced in both branches
the first three days of the session.
The court system bill, drafted
by governors of the Alaska Bar
Association, proposed:
A three-man State Supreme
Court, as outlined in the State
Constitution. The Chief Justice
would get a $27,500 annual sal
ary and the two associate Judges,
$25,000 each.
Supreme Court Justices would
have to be citizens, residents of
Alaska at least three years, and
have had eight years of law prac
tice in Alaska.
BULLETIN
The Nugget has received word
from Senator Gruening that the
contract for the 50-bed Public
Health Service hospital at Kotze
bue has been awarded in the
amount of $2,861,000 to the firm i
of Chris Berg Inc., of Seattle.
No mention was made, however,
as to where the court would nor
mally sit. There had been specu
lation either Anchorage or Juneau
would be picked.
Provision for superior courts
was also made. The Constitution
said only that there should be
superior courts.
Four District Courts
The bill would set up one su
perior court, with four districts
and eight judges. Two of the
iudges would serve in the First
Judicial District, for Southeastern
Alaska; one in the Second, or
Nome and Bering Cdast area;
three in the Third, which covers
Anchorage and south central Alas
ka, and two in the Fourth, sitting
for the Fairbanks and Arctic
areas.
A salary of $22,500 annually
was proposed for superior court
judges. Their qualification would
be the same as for Supreme Court
judges except that the required
minimum legal practice in Alaska
would be five years, instead of
eight.
All judges would be nominated
by the State Judicial Council and
appointed by the Governor for an
initial term of three years each.
At the end of that time, the
name of each one would go on a
non-partisan ballot for approval
by the voters. Unless rejected at
the polls, the Supreme Court
judges would hold 10-year terms
(Continued on Page Two)
Two Air Force Test Pilots In Alaska
Candidates For fcFirst Man* In Space
FAIRBANKS, UP> — Bewildered
but proud, two veteran Air Force
test pilots were trying to digest
today the news that they might
soon swap their super-sonic jet
planes for a spaceship.
Capt. Tom Bogan, 35, and Capt.
William Bradbury, 33, were in
formed yesterday that they had
been chosen with 108 other men
as candidates for man’s first ven
ture to outer space.
Their names were the first to
be released after the spaceman
program was announced Tuesday
by Keith Glennan, United States
space chief.
“It was pretty hard to believe,”
Bogan said, and Bradbury nodded
in agreement.
The two pilots were interviewed
yesterday by news director Ken
Conner of Radio Station KFRB,
who had learned of the men’s se
lection for the space project from
an undisclosed news source. Air
Force officials confirmed it.
Bogan and Bradbury are on
temporary duty at Eielson Air
Force Base near here from Wright
Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio.
It was an ordinary working day
for the two young pilots yester
day. Bogan tested his F106 in sub
zero temperatures while Brad
bury shattered the sound barrier
in his F101B.
But when they landed they
were stunned by the news that
may well change the course of
their lives.
HAD NO SPECIAL TRAINING
Bogan, of Goodland, Ind., and
Bradbury, who hails from Hous
ton, Texas, told Conner they have
had no special training as yet for
the space venture. But both have
more than double the required
1,500 flying hours and are within
the maximum height of 5 feet,
11 inches.
The two pilots are married, but
their wives do not yet know of
their husbands’ candidacy as
United States spacemen.
Will Bogan and Bradbury ac
cept the chance to view the earth
as a tiny globe?
“I would have to know more
about the project,” Bradbury said.
He pointed out that the 12 final
ists would have a chance to de
cline. Both said they don’t know
too much about the project. “You
seem to know more about it than
we do,” Bradbury told Conner.
Neither pilot had an idea of
what training program might lie
ahead.
“I have heard that the best
space traveler would be a wo
man,” Bradbury commented.
Bogan and Bradbury said they
saw little possibility in being
chosen as the man who will fi
nally be propelled into space.
Glennan’s announcement Tues
day said the 12 final space candi
dates are expected to have been
selected by late March.
“I would like to be the first man
to go into orbit around the earth
because it will be valuable to the
Air Force, Bradbury commented.
In a more somber tone he added:
“It will be of great help to
mankind.”
Governor Egan Walks
Through Hospital Corritor
SEATTLE, UP — Governor Wil
liam A. Egan of Alaska was al
lowed to walk up and down a cor
ridor briefly this morning outside
his room in Virginia Mason Hos
pital.
Egan, 44, underwent abdominal
surgery at the' hospital on Jan
uary 20.
The hospital said Governor Egan
was progressing satisfactorily, al
though he remained on the cri
tical list.
Canadian-Alaska
Affairs to be Given
Consideration
SEATTLE, UP> — United States
and Canadian government offi
cials appear to be giving top-level
consideration to a variety of is
sues affecting Alaska, Cyril Coyne,
Mayor of Skagway, said in Se
attle today.
Coyne is returning from a trip
to Washington in behalf of a
Skagway-Carcross Highway. The
proposed highway is one of four
suggested connections between
Alaska and Canadian systems.
Coyne said such questions as
new highway connections, the pro
jected paving of the Alcan route,
the establishment of a Canadian
: “corridor” across the Alaska Pan
handle, and joint development of
1 Yukon River power resources ap
| pear to be bound up together.
Skagway citizens, in an advis
ory ballot, have indicated their
strong support of either a “free
port” or a corridor, the mayor
said.
Skagway serves as a port for
shipment of lead-zinc-silver con
; centrates from the Yukon to Van
I couver, B. C. The proposed Skag
! way Carcross highway would
roughly parallel the White Pass
& Yukon Railway route.
Coyne said he hoped the Alaska
Legislature will avoid excessive
expenditures and large bond is
| sues, which might increase taxes
and discourage risk capital.
Skagway, Coyne said, has re
duced its property tax in each of
the last two years.
The mayor said he would favor
an annual salary of $10,000 for
Alaska’s 60 legislators, with iill
time duty, in preference to a per
diem system of compensation. *
The legislators, Coyne said,
should be independent of the pres
sures to be foreseen as the new
state completes its governmental
organization.
Testing Successful With
A-F Titan ICBM
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., UP> —
The Air Force has conducted a
highly successful static engine test
with the powerful Titan ICBM,
paving the way for a launching
in the near future.
The 90-foot war rocket, the
newest and potentially the might
iest weapon in the U. S. arsenal,
blasted out fire and smoke dur
ing the static test Thursday.
Success came after three appar
ent failures to fire the missile on
the groun4 during the month.
WADE PROPOSES 15-DEPARTMENT
EXECUTIVE BR ANCH FOR ALASKA
By WILLIAM J. TOBIN
JUNEAU, Eh — A proposal to
put the day-to-day operations of
Alaska’s new state government
under 15 executive departments
was handed today to a joint ses
sion of the Legislature.
Acting Governor Hugh Wade, in
what he called his State of Alaska
message, advanced the proposal
as part of an administrative pro
gram to meet “the sobering re
sponsibility of stateh’ood.”
The 4,000-word message was a
bold expression of the powerful
executive authority provided for
in the Constitution of the 49th
state.
Wade said it was “only through
the tragic circumstance” of the
illness of Governor William A.
Egan that he spoke before the
joint session as Acting Governor.
“We are all cheered by the news
of Governor Egan’s continued re
covery,” he said.
Wade told the lawmakers he had
been guided in his message by
Egan’s “thoughts and plans in all
matters where his views were
known to me.”
In other matters, he said to the
Legislators who crowded into the
House chambers, his own decisions
were reflected in the message.
“If my position does not agree
with his, Governor Egan will,
upon his return, by. executive or
der or by necessary legislative ac
tion, reshape policy in line with
his thinking,” Wade said.
He recommended early legisla
tion establishing a State Supreme |
Court. But he proposed it initially
be given only authority to draft
a State Judicial Code.
In the meantime, he said, he
was confident that authority of
the present Alaska courts would
be upheld and that they would
continue functioning under fed
eral sponsorship until the full
state court system had been or
ganized.
Calls For 15 Departments
Wade’s proposed bill called for
these 15 departments:
Administration, Law, Revenue,
Education, Health and Welfare,
Labor, Commerce, Employment
Security, Military Affairs, Public
Works, Public Safety, Local Gov
ernment, Fish and Game, Li
censes, and Natural Resources.
He said his bill would go be
fore the Legislators within the
next day or two. He asked for
Civil Service Comm. Holds
Cost-of-Living Allowances
At Previous Rates
WASHINGTON, Eh — Cost-of
living allowances given federal
workers in Alaska, Hawaii, Puer
to Rico and the Virgin Islands will
be unchanged during the coming
year.
The Civil Service Commission
announced yesterday that on the
basis of a new study of living
costs it has decided to keep the
present rates in effect.
The premiums are: 17Vfe per cent
of base pay in Puerto Rico, 20
per cent in Hawaii, and 25 per
cent in Alaska and the Virgin
Islands. !
early approval, to clear the way
for his executive order.
Until both the organization bill
and the executive order have re
ceive favorable action, Wade said,
consideration of an appropriation
bill “will necessarily be delayed.”
He added:
“It must be obvious that no
sound budget presentation can be
made until we know for what we
are budgeting.”
The message made clear the ad
ministration’s feeling it was the
Legislature’s job to provide “a re
organization plan in broad terms.”
In the hands of the Governor,
Wade said, should be left the task
of “filling in the framework.”
The early days of the new state
government, Wade said, do not
“require the elaborate adminis
trative structure proposed” in
some recommendations on how
the executive branch should be
organized.
Proposals Differed
In that respect, the Acting Gov
ernor’s proposals differed widely
with recommendations made by
the Public Administration Serv
ice, and to some degree with those
advanced by the Legislative
Council.
The Public Administration Serv-.
ice issued a series of reports call
ing for 11 executive - departments
staffed by more than 2,000 em
ployes.
The Legislative Council, an in
terim committee of the Legisla
(Continued on Page Two)
Sen. Green Resigns
As Foreign Affairs
Committee Head
WASHINGTON, UP) — Ninety
one-year-old Senator Theodore
Francis Green (D-RI) today sub
mitted his resignation as chair
man of the Senate Foreign Rela
tions committee. He gave failing
eyesight and hearing as his
reason.
Green wrote Senate Democratic
Leader Lyndon Johnson that
“while I have the physical stamina
to carry on as chairman, I am
forced to conclude that it will be
a long while, before my eyesight
has been fully restored and this
handicap removed.”
The Providence, R. I., Journal
had called editorially Thursday
for Green to step down. The edi
torial said it believed Green
lacked the physical strength and
was too old to hold the important
post at this time.
Green’s letter to Johnson said
“As we both well know, my de
cision to resign is not based upon
misleading newspaper articles or
slanted editorials by a few callous
newspaper writers.”
Green underwent an eye opera
tion last fall for the removal of
a cataract.
The next' ranking Democrat on
the committee — Green’s prob
able successor — is Senator Wil
liam Fulbright of Arkansas.
At present Fulbright is chair
man of the Senate Banking Com
mittee.
Pioneer Card Series STARTS SATURDAY ! I
Games Start at 8 p.m. at Pioneer Hall ^ PRIZES — Each Evening, Door and GRAND ^ Admission $1.25 _ Season Ticket $6