™s NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
- VOL. LV No. 46 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 1953 Per Copy—15^
President Eisenhower’s Challenge
To Russia Is Only Opening Round
Of An All-Out ^Peace Offensive”
Pan American to Replace
DC-4’s with New DC-6B’s
On Alaska Schedules
SEATTLE, Wl — Pan American
World Airways reported today it
will increase its Alaskan service
by 22 per cent May 1, with daily
flights scheduled between Seat
tle and Juneau.
Ralph Johansen, district sales
manager, said the line also will
replace its present DC-4 Alaskan
fleet with new DC-6B airliners.
This change had been scheduled
earlier but the needs of the Ko
rean airlift and a slowdown in
plane deliveries forced a postpone
ment.
Pan-Air has a major problem
in putting the new planes on the
Juneau run, as the Juneau air
port lacks a runway long enough
to accomodate heavily loaded
DC-6B’s.
Ketchikan will have 8 flights
a week instead of the present 7.
All-cargo service from Seattle to
Fairbanks will be stepped up to
six flights from the present five.
Counties the Size of Texas
If Alaska Gets Statehood,
Texas Opponents Told
WASHINGTON, ItfV—No oppos
ing witnesses have appeared so
far before the House Interior sub
committee holding hearings on Al
aska statehood, but individual
congressmen have raised several
points of objection.
Principal opponents appear to
be Representatives Pillion (R-NY),
Regan and Rogers (Texas Demo
crats).
Although Regan and Rogers also
opposed statehood for Hawaii, one
witness Wednesday commented
that he was not surprised at oppo
sition to Alaska from the two
Texas congressmen.
“One of the first things we’ll
have to do when Alaska becomes
a state is to cut it into counties
the size of Texas,” observed Bruce
Kendall, Cordova hotel operator.
35 DEAD OR MISSING IN
- CHICAGO NORTH SIDE FIRE
CHICAGO, UP) — The toll of
known dead in a North Side fac
tory explosion and fire rose to
22 today.
Twelve other perscns, known to
have been in the plant when it ex
ploded in flames, were listed as
missing. Firemen picking their
way through the debris more than
24 hours after the fire broke out
believed some of the missing were
trapped and burned in the base
ment of the factory.
A search for possible other vic
tims continued, with wrecking
crews working around the clock
to remove tottering walls so the
hunt could proceed with safety.
> AUGUSTA, Ga., W> — President
Eisenhower’s challenge to Russia
on world peace and armament
reduction is only the opening
round in an all-out “peace offen
sive.”
A White House official, who
■ asked no't to be named, told re
porters today the administration
already has launched “the great
est drive it possibly can” to bring
pressure on the Soviet Union to
subscribe to an effective plan for
' world peace.
The President yesterday called
I on Russia to back its talk of peace
[ with action by (1) Agreeing to an
| immediate armistice in Korea, (2)
Ending the cold war, (3) Cutting
world armaments, and (4) Putting
the savings into a global fund to
fight “the brute forces of proverty
and need.”
The other choices to Soviet ac
ceptance, the President said, are
atomic war at the worst—at the
best—a continuing cloud of threat
ening war — “humanity hanging
from a cross of iron.”
i Talking to newsmen after Eisen
| hower returned to his Augusta va
cation headquarters, a White
House official summed up the
President’s address this way:
“We laid it on the line. We
asked some questions—what, for
example, is the Soviet Union
ready to do? We are now await
ing the answers.”
The Eisenhower speech was de
scribed as a carefully planned
“peace offensive” which a White
House official said was discussed
in advance with GOP congression
al leaders and with such free
world governments as Great Brit
ain and France.
NON-SKED ASKS FOR MORE
FLIGHTS IN ALASKA SUMMER
WASHINGTON, UP) — Aviation
Corp. of Seattle, doing business as
Westair Transport, asked the Civil
Aeronautics Board today for au
thority to operate up to 24 round
trip flights a month, from May 1
through Aug. 31, between Fair
banks and Anchorage and Seattle.
The airline said that because of
the “peculiar circumstances” in
Alaska—the great -increase in air
travel demand during the short
summer—it should be relieved of
strict compliance with the rule
that non - scheduled companies
must operate on an irregular and
infrequent basis.
CAA Allots $18,750 For
Gambell Landing Strip
WASHINGTON, (A») — The Civil
Aeronautics Administration ap
proved allocation of $18,750 for
the Gambell, Alaska, airport. It
must be matched locally. The job
includes preparation for tha, land
ing strip installation of a steel
landing mat.
[
Liaison Teams To Discuss
Resumption of Suspended
Korean Armistice Talks
MUNSAN, UP—The United Na
tions and Communists Friday ag
reed to hold a liaison meeting Sun
day to discuss resumption of the
long-suspended Korean armistice
talks.
The agreement came less than
15 hours after the U.N. told the
Reds it was ready to reopen the
talks providing the Reds do no
stalling on the last big obstacle
to overall exchange of prisoners—
the last big obstacle to an armis
tice.
Allied spokesmen said the liai
son groups probably would do
little more than discuss the tech
nical details of resuming full
scale armistice talks.
Allied agreement {o get the
truce talks underway came as a
Communist convoy carrying dis
abled American and British pri
soners neared Kaesong, just six
miles from the Panmunjom neu
tral area where the exchange of
sick and wounded captives begins
Monday.
The Communists said another
20-truck convoy of non-Koreans
will leave the Red prison camp
at Pyoktong Sunday and arrive
at Kaesong Tuesday.
Eisenhower Recovering
From Food Poisoning
ATLANTA, Ga., l/P — President
Eisenhower was reported today to
be feeling better after an attack
of food poisoning but he kept to
his bed at his vacation headquar
ters.
Eisenhower was stricken yester
day with what James C. Hagerty,
press secretary, described as “a
slight case of food poisoning.”
The attack developed before
Eisenhower flew to Washington
for a major foreign policy speech
and then on to Salisbury, N. C.,
for an informal talk.
Hagerty said he will remain in
bed throughout the day and will
not play golf.
Sen. Byrd Hints Truman
May Share Responsibility
For Ammunition Shortage
WASHINGTON, UPt—Sen. Byrd
(D-Va) hinted Thursday that top
level policy-makers all the way
up to the White House under Har
ry Truman may yet be found to
share some responsibility for am
munition shortages in Korea.
Byrd based his position on the
argument that a directive from the
Secretary of Defense—then Gen.
George C. Marshall—on Sept. 27,
1950, amounted to a virtual “slow
down” order to the armed services
in the war effort. That was just
three months after the Korean
War began.
“I assume that pilicy was not
decided without the White House
being consulted,” Byrd said in an
oblique reference to former Presi
dent Truman. “We will do all we
can to get at the facts.”
Sundborg Says Alaska’s Popoulation
Up 77% 1940-50; Compares to 14%
Gain in U.S., 53% in California
17 Jeep Fire Trucks For
Civil Defense Awaiting
Shipment to Alaska
SEATTLE, UP)—Seventeen jeep
fire trucks for Civil Defense in Al
aska are at an Alaska Steamship
Company dock awaiting shipment
to towns and communities from
the southeastern area to the Arc
tic.
Manufactured at Toledo, Ohio,
the small fire trucks are fully
equipped with pumps, hoses, lad
ders, portable fire extinguishers
and tank trailers to carry a fire
fighting chemical.
The first three will go north
Friday aboard Alaska Steamship’s
Flemish Knot to be delivered to
Ketchikan, Klawock and Hoonah.
The others will be shipped later
to Petersburg, Skagway, Wran
gell, Cordova, Homer, Seldovia,
Craig, Mt. Edgecumbe, Nome, Ko
diak, Nenana, Palmer and An
chorage.
Federal Policies Have
Thwarted Development of
Alaska, Says Gruening
WASHINGTON, UP) — Governor
Gruening, last witness in the Al
aska statehood hearing, said the
territory “won’t get any readier
by waiting.” He charged federal
government policies have thwart
ed the development of Alaska,
discouraging homesteading, new
business, town expansion.
Many Alaskans attended the
four-day hearing but not one op
posed statehood. Chairman Saylor
concluded Alaska sentiment was
almost unanimous now for state
hood.
BILL IN SENATE TO SELL
LAND TO ALASKA BISHOP
WASHINGTON, UP)—House pas
sage has sent to the Senate a bill
to clear the way for purchase of
462 acres of land by the Catholic
Bishop of Northern Alaska.
The acreage is near the Alaska
Highway, about 200 miles from
Anchorage, and would be used for
a mission school for Indian chil
dren.
The bill, by Delegate Bartlett,
would permit the Secretary of In
terior to sell the land to the bishop
for not less than $1.25 an acre.
Violinist Heifetz Slugged
For Playing German Music
JERUSALEM, UP)—An unidenti
fied assailant slugged violinist
Jasche Heifetz with an iron bar
early Friday, injuring his right
hand. It appeared he might have
to cancel the remainder of his
recital series here.
Heifetz was struck shortly after
he played a sonata by German
composer Richard Strauss.
Strauss’ music is unwelcome in
Israel, because of the Nazi ban
on works by Jews.
i, By FRANK W. VAILLE
WASHINGTON, UB — The case
for Alaska statehood was virtual
ly completed today as the House
Territories subcommittee went
into its fourth day of hearings.
Chairman Saylor said he hoped
to complete hearings today and
begin committee deliberations on
the bill next week.
Alaska’s self-government advo
cates got a measure of satisfaction
Thursday when Chairman Butler
of the Senate Interior Committee
told them the Senate would go
along with a bill to permit Alas
kans to elect their own governor.
They made it clear, however,
they would much prefer all-out
statehood.
Fred Axford, Anchorage coun
cilman, told congressmen that Al
askans realize statehood will bring
responsibilities but like anyone
undertaking a new job “they will
learn to handle it.”
He predicted that a poll today
would find a far greater percent
age of Alaskans in favor of state
hood than in 1946 when a refer
endum carried some 9,00Q to 6,800
George Sundborg of Juneau,
general manager of Alaska’s De
velopment Board, brought the ter
ritory’s case up to date with stat
istics.
77% Population Increase *
Between the government cen
suses of 1940 and 1950, he said,
Alaska’s population increased 77
per cent as compared with a 14
per cent gain in the United States
(Continued on Page Three)
Anchorage By-Pass Road
To Be Built In Preference
To Cook Inlet Farm Road
WASHINGTON, UP — A pro
posed 20-mile road along the west
shore of Cook Inlet in South cen
I tral Alaska apparently won’t be
built this year.
In recent hearings before a
House appropriations subcommit
tee, chairman Jensen (R-Ia) told
A. F. Ghiglione, Alaska Road
Commissioner:
“I wish we could give it to you,
but I am afraid we can’t.”
Jensen’s remarks followed testi
mony by Ghiglione that he con
sidered construction of a six-mile
Anchorage by-pass to be the most
important new construction facing
the Territory.
Most traffic originating south
of Anchorage now passes through
the city, Ghiglione said, and com
bined with normal city traffic,
builds up a load of some 22,000
cars and trucks a day. Standard
for a two-lane highway, he said,
is about 6,000.
The Road Commissioner said
the Cook Inlet road was resigned
to open up farming land and give
access to fishing areas and the
beach.
COMING NEXT FRIDAY!
“DPOT S C!OT TPUn” A Comedy In 3 Acts
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