2E NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV No. 37 N NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1953 Per Copy—15^
Eisenhower Defends Ammunition
Situation In Korea and Nomination
Of Bohlen As Russian Ambassador
Chinese Drive 7th Div.
Off Old Baldy Mountain
SEOUL, — Chinese Reds
slashed out with new attacks in
western Korea late Thursday,
while Communists holding shell
rubbled Old Baldy, 25 miles away,
took terrible punishment from
U.S. guns and war planes.
One attack by about 750 Reds
was stopped on Bunker Hill, five
miles east of the truce talk village
of Panmunjom, early reports said.
The attack on the Bunker Hill
area could be a Red diversion in
tended to relieve the deadly pres
sure on Old Baldy, almost ob
scured by the dust and smoke
raised by Allied artillery and
mortar fire and bomb bursts
since American troops abandoned
it to victorious Chinese.
All day long the western front
hill rocked under intense fire as
the Americans tried to root out
the stubborn Reds who handed
U.N. troops their worst beating
since they were thrown off the
Kumhwa Ridges five months ago.
The U.S. Seventh Division pull
ed out in Thursday’s early dark
ness, dynamiting their trenches
and bunkers.
The strategic fortress guarding
the Imjin Valley route to Seoul
was left to the Reds and death.
Marines Regain Outpost
Lost to Chinese Reds
SEOUL, M*—OLS. Marines Fri
day night regained outpost Vegas
from fired-up Chinese Reds who
24 hours earlier had wiped out
all leathernecks there in a sur
prise smash.
The Marines recaptured the
western front outpost after 10
hours of - bitter, costly hand-to
hand trench fighting.
The commander of the Fifth
Marine Regiment said that at
9:45 p.m., Friday his leather
necks were in firm control of
Vegas.
The Marines reported they de
stroyed the effectiveness of from
12 to 15 Chinese companies —
more than 2,000 troops — in the
bloody, hand-to-hand fighting.
Withering Red machine gun fire
had ripped at the Marine attack
ers on their way up the slope.
Marine tanks hammered at the
Communist machine gun nests.
JAPANESE CRAB FISHERS
WILL COME TO ALASKA
HOKKAIDO, Northern Japan,
Itf) — A fleet of 13 vessels will
leave soon on the first postwar
Japanese crab fishing expedition
to Bristol Bay, Alaska.
Twelve ships, including six
“catcher” boats, will leave Hako
date next month.
Under the Japan-U.S.-Canada
fishing agreement signed last
year, Japan is permitted to fish
for crabs in Bristol Bay.
It hopes to bring back a catch
of 50,000 boxes of canned crabs
worth 430 million yen ($1,200,000).
> WASHINGTON, UP) — President
Eisenhower said Thursday the am
munition situation in Korea now
is perfectly sound as compared
with the type of operations going
on there.
The President made this state
ment at a news conference during
which he also defended his nom
ination of Charles E. (Chip) Boh
len to be ambassador to Russia.
He said Bohlen, who has come
under fire from a group of Re
publican senators, is the best
qualified man and the nomination
sticks.
Eisenhower’s remarks about
the ammunition situation in Ko
rea were touched off by questions
about the differences between
the Pentagon and General James
A. Van Fleet.
Van Fleet, retiring commander
of the Eighth Army in Korea, has
declared there were serious,
sometimes critical, shortages of
ammunition during his 22 months
in Korea.
Pentagon Denies Shortage Exists
Top military leaders in the
Pentagon denied that but a Sen
ate committee said it agreed with
Van Fleet.
Eisenhower said he had speci
fically checked on the loss of
“Old Baldy” mountain by the
Allies and was told that ammuni
tion was not a factor.
On other matters, Eisenhower:
Announced that he will recom
mend -to- Congress, within a few
days, creation of a presidential
commission to study federal-state
relations in the fields of taxation,
grants in aid and social security.
Declared that if government
employes are not willing to be
entirely loyal to their superioi's,
they should resign.
No Pay For Leave Not Taken
Declared he does not believe
any high government official
should accept pay for leave earn
ed but not actually taken. He
was commenting on recent accept
ance by Truman administration
officials — including eight cabinet
members—of a total of more than
$700,000 in accumulated leave.
The money was paid to more than
215 government officials and em
ployes between Nov. 1, 1952 and
Feb. 15, 1953.
Remarked that he and Secre
tary of Defense Wilson are try
ing in every possible way to get
defense spending within manage
able proportions. Eisenhower
added that deficit spending has a
desperate effect on the economy
and that if military expenditures
can be cut without hurting the
combat situations in the world,
they will be cut.
B-47 STRATOJET CRASH
IN KANSAS KILLS THREE
WICHITA, Has., LIV-An official
board has opened an investigation
into the crash here Thursday of
a B-47B Stratojet bomber.
Three men were killed when
the aircraft crashed in a clear
area on the Cessna Aircraft Co.’s
landing field and burned. The |
plane was heading for the Wichita
Air Force runway a half mile
south of the crash site.
Armed Patrol From Big
Diomede Approached
U. S. Little Domede
JUNEAU, (£’>—An armed three
man patrol which apparently or
iginated on Russia’s Big Diomede
island in the Bering Straits ap
proached to within a mile and a
quarter of American territory two
weeks ago, a National Guard col
onel has revealed.
The incident was reported last
night by Col. Larry Johnson, ad
jutant of the Alaska Guard, who
said the patrol was first sighted
proceeding across the ice toward
Little Diomede Island, owned by
the United States.
Eskimo Scout battalion mem
bers quickly manned defense and
lookout positions, Johnson said,
and the trio returned to Big Dio
mede, three miles distant.
The Eskimos said that two of
the men were wearing white uni
forms and carried a submachine
gun and rifle and the third, in
dark clothing was not visibly
armed.
The incident, which occurred
about 1 p.m., March 12, is the
first such case reported.
Oleo Heir Sentenced
To 3 to 6 Years
NEW YORK, Ul—Minot Jelke,
oleo heir convicted in a Cafe So
ciety vice case, was sentenced to
three to six years in prison.
He was convicted on two counts
of compulsory prostitution—legal
terminology for living off the
earnings of call girls.
General Sessions Judge Francis
L. Valente said it was “unpleas
ant to deprive anyone of liberty”
but that it was necessary in this
case to “orient” Jelke’s thinking.
COST-OF-LIVING INDEX
DECLINES FOR JAN.-FEB.
WASHINGTON, Uf) — Retail
prices as measured by the govern
ment dropped four-tenths of one
per cent between mid - January
and mid - February. It was the
largest price decline in any month
of the past year.
Falling food prices were mainly
responsible.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics
said the retail price of food,cloth-*
ing, housing and hundreds of
other items bought by moderate
income urban families was 113.4
per cent of the 1947-1949 average.
The index for Jan. 15 was 113.9.
Decision On Quianna Club
License To Be Made
Tuesday Morning
Decision on the granting of a
liquor license to the Quianna Club
by Martha Sephenson will be
made Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.
according to Judge Earl Cooper.
A hearing was held this morning
in U.S. District Court.
Decision was withheld this
morning because there were so
many people who had signed both
the petition of Mrs. Stephenson
and a protest petition. In some
cases individuals had signed three
[times: the original petition, the
protest petition and the supple
mentary petition of Mrs. Stephen
son.
Legislature Adjourns After All-Night
Session Provides Record 23 and Half
Million Dollar General Appropriation
Gruening Allows Several
Acts To Become Law
Without His Signature
JUNEAU, —Governor Gruen
ing, continuing a series of lengthy
messages to the legislature, sent
notice Thursday night he is let
ting several acts become law with
out his signature.
They were topped by a bill for
creation of a legislative council to
study government needs between
sessions. He said he is sending it
to the secretary’s office without
signing because of a cloud of
doubt about the legality of legis
lators serving in any position they
created. He quoted from the Or
ganic Act to support his view.
In a move to guard against any
such legal obstacle, the legislature
passed a bill earlier specifically
setting forth that legislative com
mittee service was outside the
Organic Act ban.
Another measure the governor
allowed to become law without
signature was the McKinley bill
abolishing the board of dental ex
aminers and providing for a new
one.
TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
JOIN TO CLEAN UP SCHOOL
DAMAGED BY FIRE
ANCHORAGE, UP) — Anchorage
school teachers and senior high
school students donned their old
clothes Thursday to clean up
^ater-and-smoke damaged class
rooms to ready them for students
who will return to their desks
and books Monday.
Students have been on a holi
day since fire gutted the school
auditorium Tuesday night.
EARTH TREMOR IN CONN.
NEW YORK, UP)—An earth tre
mor was felt in a" large area of
southwestern Connecticut and ad
jacent Westchester County, N.Y.,
at 3:51 a.m. Friday. It wakened
thousands and caused reports of
a terrific explosion. No damage
was reported.
By JIM HUTCHESON
JUNEAU, —Senate adjourn
ment at 9 a.m. today ended the
21st session of the Alaska Legis
lature after an all-night session.
The House adjourned a half
hour earlier, but the Senate de
layed the final gavel until arrival
of outgoing Governor Gruening
to receive notification personally.
House approval of Senate re
visions in a 23Vt million dollar
general appropriation bill and ag
reement on membership of two
interim investigating committees
came shortly before adjournment.
Legislators named to a com
mittee to investigate all levels of
territorial government and boards
were Senators Mike Stepovich,
Howard Lyng and James Nolan,
and Representatives Herald Strin
ger, William Boardman and Alden
Wilbur.
Members named to the legisla
tive council to draw recommenda
tions for the next session on what
government revisions and im
provements are needed were Sen
ators Paul Robison, Doris Barnes
and Charles Jones, and Represen
tatives Fred Eastbaugh, Richard
Greuel and Charles Fagerstrom.
Appointments Not Confirmed
A joint session of the houses
refused to confirm any of the ap
pointments submitted by Gover
nor Gruening for various boards
and commissions. This permits
new Republican governor Frank
Heintzleman to make interim ap
pointments after he takes office.
The appropriations bill as
amended in the Senate indicated
the Territory must dip into the
treasury surplus of this biennium
to pay the next biennium’s bills.
Treasurer Henry Roden esti
mated there would be about
$4,500,000 surplus into which to
dip.
The Senate voted $1,500,000 for
city school construction but the
House failed to act on the bill, so
the only provision for new school
(Continued on Page Two)
Maritime Examiner Recommends
Denial Govt. Liberty Ship Charters
To Alaska Steam, Coastwise Line
SEATTLE, (A — The general
manager of the Alaska Steam
ship Company said Wednesday he
has been notified that a Maritime
Administration examiner has rec
ommended the government deny
the application of the Alaska
Steamship Company and the
Coastwise Line to charter Liberty
ships for the Alaska trade.
“Alaska will be denied the
benefits of favorable government
vessel charters if the recommend
ations are accepted,” D. E. Skin
ner said.
“It would force us to pay about
$10,000 a month hire per vessel,
as opposed to $4,500 for each gov
ernment ship, to replace our two
government Libertys with private
charters. Our present freight rates
do not justify such additional ex
pense.”
Skinner went on to say that
while the examiner’s finding was
“based on his determination that
there were sufficient private
charters available at reasonable
rates, neither of these positions
holds up under close scrutiny.
“First, it is evident that there
is a lack of available private ves
sels in view of the fact that char
ter rates have advanced most ap
preciably in recent weeks, due to
a scarcity of vessels.
“Furthermore, it is clear that
there are no private vessels avail
able that can be chartered at rates
that can be sustained by present
tariffs.”
The final decision on the char
ters will be made by the Mari
time Board.