THE NOME f N'UGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the /W
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E. Pi BOUCHER ./.. Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY ... Production Manager
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the
post office at Nome, Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1879.
WHAT WERE YOU EXPECTING ?
t
Labor Lobbyist
Henry Hedberg to
Seek More Benefits
And Wage Increase
ANCHORAGE UP) — State Fed
eration of Labor lobbyist Henry
Hedberg served notice yesterday
that the Federation in the coming
session of the Legislature will
seek, among other things, more
unemployment benefits, an in
crease in the minimum wage, a
wage increase for state employes
and a general state property tax.
The minimum wage in the state
should be $2 an hour, said Hed
berg. .."The present minimum
($1.50) is not realistic In the Al
aska of today and far loo many
persons in the state are taking
advantage of the present law and
depriving homesteaders, natives
and the unorganised of the state
of a decent living and fair wage,
conducive to a standard of living
guaranteeing a certain freedom
from hunger and indebtedness,"
Ite said.
“Natives, homesteaders and
youths just out of school are be
ing hired at the minimum hourly
wage to wx>rk side by side with
other workmen drawing more
than twice as much for the same
day's work,” Hedberg said.
The Federation will seek an in
crease in unemployment insur
ance to bring the basic minimum
weekly benefits up to 50 per cent
of the average weekly wage for
a period of 36 weeks, he said.
The State Departmeiil* of Labor
must be provided With more
funds “so that it may enforce
the many provisions of the (wage,
hour) act which are now being
wantonly flouted by industry and
individuals, who have no regard
Tor the state laws or humanity as
a whole,” he said
In addition to ah across-the
board wage increase for state em
ployes, full time and a half should
be paid them for Work in excess
of the regular Work Week, said
the lobbyist.
Hedberg also called for a “lib
... cralization” of thf state employes
retirement system and “upgrad
ing of the Merit System, now one
of the worst in the nation.”
SUBSCRIBE TO THE HUOGET
;» \ . ■ V ■;
METHODIST CHURCH TO
HOLD POT LUCK SUPPER
There will be a pot luck supper
at the Fellowship Hall of the new
Community Methodist Church at
6:00 this evening as a farewell
to Barbara McKinnis, who has
been active in both the church
groups and the Sunday School.
All friends of Miss McKinnis,
who have not been contacted are
cordially invited to attend. Bring
your own dish and silver.
PROPOSE COMMERCE DEPT.
FIELD OFFICE IN ALASKA
WASHINGTON M — The Com
merce Department will seek funds
next year to establish a field of
fice in Alaska, Sen. EL. Bartlett
said yesterday.
Bartlett said he intends to sup
port the Department in seeking an
appropriation for the office when
the budget for fiscal year 1963 is
before Congress. No specific staiu
was mentioned.
The Senator said interest in
Alaska’s natural resources is in
creasing, and the field office would
serve as a sort of central clearing
hous of information and advice
to foreign and domestic business
interests.
---
TWIST CONTEST . .
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (JB — Pic
ture a huge room filled with
cloth bags, each containing an
angry wildcat. You should get
the same visual effect New Year’s
eve at Freedom Hall.
That’s the date when Wm. King
will sponsor the first National
Twist Contest with several hun
dred squirming contestants and an
expected 15,000 spectators.
Prizes, in merchandise, will
total about #5,000, King says, and
entry is free. So, presumably, is
first aid treatment.
I .Fresh Serpentine River
Herring ,45®
plus fri.
Oogruck Oil Ityith
Dried Meat,. 50®
itf
Walter Nayokpuk
ShishflUasaf, Alaska
'
Atty. Gen. Says
Legislature Cannot
Set Up School
Service Areas
JUNEAU UD — Atty. Gen. Ralph
Moody said Thursday the Legis
lature does not have the power
to establish school service areas
comparable to an incorporated
school district under the provi
sions of the 1961 borough law.
In an opinion for Dr. Theo
J. Norby, State Commissioner of
Education, Moody said the bor
ough law approved by the last
Legislature permits the Legisla
ture to establish service areas
within unorganized boroughs.
Moody said, however, that the
Legislature could not grant the
same powers of fiscal autonomy
to such a school service area as
to an incorporated school district.
Additionally, Moody said the
Legislature would be prevented
by Section 7, Article XI of the
State Constitution from accom
plishing this fiscal autonomy by
authorizing school service areas
to submit their budgets to the
people by referendum.
While Moody’s opinion made no
mention of a recent Ford Founda
tion study of Alaska’s school sys
tem, the use of the referendum as
a means of accomplishing fiscal
autonomy for “school adminis
trative units” the study proposed
was a key point in the Ford
Foundation report.
Moody’s opinion explained that
there is only one incorporated
school district in the state, at An
goon. This district is the only
school district within Alaska
which has the powers of local
taxation and independent fiscal
control.
This form of school organiza
tion wiM end July 1, 1963, at the
conclusion of the transitional peri
od provided by the 1961 borough
law.
The more common independent
school districts lack fiscal inde
pendence because any city of the
first class within such an inde
pendent district has the power
to review and adjust its budget
for the district.
In answer to another question
from Norby, Moody said the Leg
islature could establish school
service areas within unorganized
boroughs and could authorize the
levy of taxes within the service
area, ’but Moody said the Legis
lature could not delegate its tax
ing powers to the service area.
Under the State Constitution,
the state may delegate taxing
powers only to organized bor
oughs and cities, Moody’s opinion
said.
P*ffBT Kelliher left for Juneau
to attend a meeting of the State
Board of Education scheduled to
be held there.
Mr. and Mrs. Bill Burand have
gone to Manley Hot Springs for
the Christmas holiday and plan
to return early in January.
BTOSCBIBg TO THE HPQOET
Pentagon Closes Door on
Question Why U.S. Was
Off Guard at Pearl Harbor
WASHINGTON M — The Pen
tagon considers a closed matter
the question of why the United
States was caught off guard at
Pearl Harbor.
The word yesterday — the 20th
anniversary of the surprise Ja
panese attack — is that no more
official investigations are expect
ed.
Authors continue to write books
debating the issues of that day
when the high command at Ha
waii was surprised by the strike
of 300 planes from six Japanese
carriers and midget submarine
attacks.
But the Defense Department
foresees no more official probes
into the long hotly debated sub
ject of who, if anyone, was to
blame for the tragic moment of
unreadiness.
There have been eight official
inquiries. The first, ordered by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt,
was opened only 12 days after the
attack and was conducted by a
commission headed by Supreme
Court Justice Owen Roberts. When
that inquiry was concluded the
following ifan. 23 the record and
transcripts covered 2,173 pages.
Between then and the end of j
World War II, the Navy and Army |
conducted six more inquiries into j
the over-all subject or phases of j
it. Allegations and testimony at |
those hearings served to foster
more public debate.
RALPH BAKER TO HEAD
FUR 8EAL COMMISSION
WASHINGTON to — President
Kennedy appointed Ralph C.
Baker, Arlington, Va., Tuesday
to be a U.S. Commissioner on the
North Pacific Fur Seal Commis
sion. This is an additional duty
for Baker, who now is chief of
the Division off Resource Develop
ment in the Bureau of Commercial
Fisheries in the Department of the
| Interior.
Sen. Gruening Calls On
Interior Dept, to Set Up
Fur Seal Plant in Alaska
WASHINGTON iff) — Sen.
Ernest Gruening called on the
Interior Department Thursday to
require that processing of Pribilof
fur seals be done in Alaska.
In a letter to Secretary of In
terior Stewart Udall, he noted
that the processing heretofore has
been done by the Fouke Fur Co.,
St. Louis, Mo., and that there
have been objections in the past
to transferring operations from
St. Louis because workers and
their families would be uprooted.
“Now that the company is vol
untarily moving itself to another
location,” Gruening said, “I feel
very strongly that the Interior
Department should demand and
insist that the operations deal
ing with Alaska fur seals be moved
to Alaska, and we hope that you
will insist upon this.
“Obviously, there are many lo
cations in Alaska which are en
tirely adequate to support a fur
processing industry, which have
the necessary space, water supply,
housing facilities, school facilities,
and labor supply.”
He said that, with the exception
of two pulp mills, Alaska has
never had the benefit of the year
round industry required for its
economic development, and that
fur offers an opportunity to im
prove the situation.
THE CHURCH OF
JESUS CHRIST OF
LATTER DAY SAINTS
(Mormon)
Sunday Services 12 Noon
Book of Mormon Class
SUNDAY AT 4:00 PJM.
Robert Johnson Residence
Across From Nome School
Telephone — 2402
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124-Hour Service — Radio Dispatched Cabs
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