zs NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LV No. 72 NOME. ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, 1953 Per Copy—15^
Fifty Thousand Workers Riot In
East Germany Against Red Rulers
j C
BERLIN, (fl’l — Fifty thousa
rioters exploded a four-hour
volt against Red rule in East Ber
lin Wednesday. Soviet troops,
backed by tanks and armored
cars, fired on the workers, and
the Russian authorities declared
\martial law.
-- The East Berliners hauled down
and burned the Red flag, mauled
German Communist officials and
shouted “Ivan go home.” But the
drastic military action dispersed
the crowds and ended the vio
lence.
At the height of the rioting Otto
Nuschke, deputy prime minister of
the East German government, ap
peared at a West Berlin police
station and police reported he had
deserted to the West.
Nuschkfe later said, however, he
had been forced over the frontier
by angry rioters and that he
wanted to return to the Soviet
sector.
After East Berlin police vainly
battled to stem the tide of riot
ing, green-helmeted Soviet troops,
amounting to a regimental com
bat team (perhaps 3,000 men)
were called in.
Tanks deployed against the
workers. Gunfire echoed at sev
eral places where the biggest
crowds were gathered. The peo
ple attacked tanks with stones,
and disabled at least one with a
log jammed into the treads. But
the mobs had to give way. The
core of the demonstration was
scattered.
The revolt in Berlin, 100 miles
inside the Soviet occupied zone of
Germany, started Tuesday as a
stage-managed parade in which
5,000 workers marched to the
>
East German government head
quarters demanding lighter work
ing schedules.
Apparently the government in
tended to show its new - found
policy of freedom and democracy
by allowing the workers to dem
onstrate. The movement got out of
hand. Everybody with a gripe cast
caution to the winds Wednesday
and workers began calling a gen
eral strike.
CONGRESSMAN WOULD
IMPEACH JUSTICE DOUGLAS
WASHINGTON, UP—Represent
ative Wheeler (D - Ga) told the
House today he would introduce
a bill “within an hour” to im
peach Supreme Court Justice
Douglas, who granted a stay of
execution to atom spies Julius
and Ethel Rosenberg. Cheers and
applause greeted Wheeler’s state
ment.
* Wheeler said: “I cannot sit
idly by without seeking to do
something about it.” He was re
ferring to Douglas’ stay of execu
tion.
DEPUTIES FOR ALASKA
COMMISSIONERS APPROVED
BY HOUSE INTERIOR GROUP
WASHINGTON, UP — Appoint
ment of deputies to assist U. S.
Commissioners in Alaska was re
commended Wednesday by the
House Interior Committee.
The committee’s approval fol
lowed amendment of the bill to
provide that the deputies would
be appointed by the U.S. District
Court Judge rather than by the
commissioner.
Bill Beltz - Nugget Suit Dismissed
And Facts Are Hereby Set Straight
The libel suit filed by Bill Beltz
against the Nome Nugget last fall
during the political campaign for
territorial offices will be dis
missed by mutual agreement of
the parties.
The cause of the libel suit was
a paid advertisement placed by G.
R. Goshaw in a series of adver
tisements headed by the slogan,
“An Alaskan Republican Says.”
The statement causing the libel
suit was, “Ask Senator Bill Beltz,
* now living in Fairbanks and not
in the Second Division where he
is supposed to reside, why he filed
his expense traveling voucher
from Dime Creek to Nome then
from Nome to Juneau, when he
only traveled from Fairbanks to
Juneau?”
The Nugget has stated its policy
many times as being non biased
in its politics and when challenged
by Beltz on this statement which
he denied took steps to' verify the
statement by notifying the adver
tiser who was on his way to
Washington D.C. and also through
Juneau. However before the facts
were completely rounded up and
all parties interested located, the
suit was filed.
Actually Senator Beltz made the
following trip to attend the 1951
session of the Alaska Legislature.
He arrived in Nome in December
1950 for the holidays and left
Nome on January 4th enroute to
Juneau to attend the Legislature
convening January 20, 1951. It has
also been confirmed that Senator
Beltz worked for Gaasland Con
: struction Co. in 1950 at Cape Lis
| bourne and was entitled as a Sec
ond Division senator to voucher
for his transportation from Nome
to Juneau.
The democratic principle of
freedom of speech is not to be
taken lightly and is in our opinion
one of the most important liber
ties that Americans should cher
ish. We do not censor ads unless
they are indecent or libelous and
wish our paper to reflect the ex
pressions of the peoples it serves.
•
We received the ad from a per
son who acted in good faith be
lieving his information was based
on facts and he joins with the
Nugget in making the correction
to the public with this statement,
removing any reflection it may
have cast on Senator Beltz whd
has a good legislative record and
has served Second Division well.
Had the suit not been filed the
same statement would have been
made.
Lemmings Migrate
Into Arctie Ocean
At Point Barrow
POINT BARROW, UP) — Hun
dreds of thousands of lemmings,
said to face a “starve or drown”
choice, are choosing drowning
again in a mass migration into the
Arctic Ocean’s frigid waters.
The migration started here early
this week and the little furry
footed rodents with the short tail
and odd teeth have been pouring
out from shore onto the sea ice
in a continual stream since then.
There is no food on the ice
either — just death by cold or
drowning as they scamper off the
floes into the water. Some have
been observed as far as 25 miles
from shore, still scampering over
the sea ice.
Dr. John Buckley, biologist for
the University of Alaska in Fair
banks, said science can’t fully ex
plain the periodic suicide migra
tions of the lemmings in the Arc
tic.
. But, he said, “When they ex
haust their food, they haven’t got
much choice. They either starve
on land or go out to sea and
drown.”
The lemmings feed on roots,
and the scarcity of such forage
in the bleak Arctic coastline
seems to bear out Dr. Buckley’s
explanation.
They migrate to their death
periodically. The last time was in
1949.
Lemings are found in the cold,
northern extremes of North Am
erica and Europe a"hd in both
places are noted for their self
eliminating migrations.
Bill In Congress Would
Halt Fraudulent Mining
Claims To Get Timber
WASHINGTON, Of)—The House
Interior Committee has approved
a bill to halt the filing of fraud
ulent mining claims for the pur
pose of getting access to timber.
The bill would bar mining
claims based upon the discovery
of sand, common stone, gravel or
cinders.
Congressman Regan (D - Tex)
said it has been estimated that
only 3 per cent of all mining
claims are legitimate mining en
terprises. He declared there are
243 pumice claims in national
forests in Oregon aimed at getting
the timber on the lands.
He said such claims are dis
rupting operation of the national
forests. However, the committee
deleted a provision to extend the
prohibition to claims on pumice.
ICC Authorizes 36 Pet.
Increase in Parcel
Post Zone Rates
WASHINGTON, The Inter
state Commerce Commission Wed
nesday authorized a 36 per cent
increase in parcel post zone rates.
The rate advance is to be ap
plied on a date fixed by the Post
Office Department. The increase
is expected to add about 150 mil
lion dollars to charges for handl
ing packages in the postal service.
Parcel post zone rates cover the
vast bulk of the package mailing
service used by the general public.
otiators Agree
On Truce Line To
To Divide Korea
WASHINGTON, (£) — United
Nations and Communist negotia
tors have agreed on the truce line
to divide the armies in Korea
after an armistice, it was reported
here today.
The agreement was made under
secrecy restrictions covering the
truce sessions at Panmunjom at
this stage.
The demarcation line laid out
by military staff officers in sev
eral intensive sessions was de
scribed as based upon the present
battle line.
There was no immediate infor
mation, however, as to' whether it
took into account the impact of
the latest Red offensive upon the
United Nations position.
The impression of the officials
here was that this Communist as
sault had not made enough real
difference in the battle position to
materially affect the truce ar
rangements.
The line runs mostly north of
the 38th parallel although it
drops south of it in the extreme
western area.
The agreement was understood
here to have removed the last
major item standing in the way
of a final, full understanding on
a truce.
Nonetheless, it was indicated
that for reasons pot fully appar
ent at the moment it may be sev
eral days before a final truce
agreement is signed.
Wage Dispute Ties Up
750 Boats On East Coast
NEW YORK, UP — A shipping
tie-up gripped American vessels
in Atlantic and East Coast ports
Wednesday in a wage dispute.
“Nothing, but nothing, is mov
ing and nothing will move until
a contract is signed,” said Joseph
Curran, president of the CIO Na
tional Maritime Union.
Foreign vessels are not affected.
American ships in foreign ports or
on the high seas will be affected
only after they reach ports in this
country. In all, about 750 vessels
are subject to tie up.
The union, claiming about
40.000 members, traditionally fol
lows a “no contract, no work”
policy. Curran estimated that the
stoppage immediately affected
20.000 to 24,000 union members.
CANNERY WORKER DROWNS
KODIAK, UP—Doime S. Maki, a
cannery worker from Poulsbo,
Wash., drowned in Shelikof
Straits Tuesday when he missed
his hold in attempting to leap
from one fishing vessel to an
other.
The two bogts were being towed
by the Talkyra, a self-propelled
barge when the accident occurred.
There being no communication
between the barge and the small
vessels, it was two hours before
the barge could be notified and
stopped.
Coast Guard planes made a
fruitless search for Maki in the
waters near Talki Island.
Chinese Drive
In Korea War
Conies to Halt
SEOUL, Iff)—The fighting died
abruptly early today on the Kor
ean front in the wake of a re
ported agreement at Panmunjom
on a cease-fire line.
The hills of eastern Korea,
which had ro'cked for a week to
the greatest Chinese Communist
offensive in two years, were quiet
except for the occasional clash of
patrols and the crash of artillery.
It still was too early to say
whether the fighting was dying to
zero as the hour of armistice ap
proached, but another 24 hours
probably will tell the story.
Communist correspondents at
Panmunjom had suggested that
everyone watch what happened at
the front—an apparent reference
to a halt of the Red attack.
A U. S. Eighth Army spokes
man said the new Pukham River
line established after a two-mile
withdrawal by the South Koreans
Sunday and Monday appeared
“out of the fluid stage now and
stabilized.”
Rosenbergs Win
Stay of Execution
WASHINGTON, (iP—Julius and
Ethel Rosenberg won a stay of
execution from a single Supreme
Court Justice today but the gov
ernment immediately moved for a
reversal by the full court.
Atty. Gen. Brownell, in an
nouncing the appeal to the entire
bench, described as “unprece
dented” the action of Justice
Douglas in granting the indefinite
stay to the atom spy team.
The Court on Monday had re
jected by a 5-4 vote the Rosen
berg’s plea for a stay of execu
tion and a review of their trial.
Douglas based his action today
in granting the stay on the ques
tion of whether the* Rosenbergs
were tried and sentenced under
the proper law.
In a statement accompanying
his decision, Douglas said that
he has the power to grant a stay
after the Supreme Court itself re
fuses to do' so, only if it is on
grounds not before considered by
the Court.
He noted that he based his
action on a point not previously
raised in appeals to the high
court.
Douglas said he has serious
doubts whether the judge who
sentenced the couple had the right
to send them to the electric chair
because they were not tried under
the law dealing specifically with
atomic espionage.
The Atomic Energy Act was
passed in 1946. It provides that
the death sentence can be imposed
only on the specific recommenda
tion of the jury and when it has
been found that the offense was
made with an attempt to injure
the United States.
TAFT'S CONDITION GOOD
NEW YORK, UP—The condition
of Sen. Robert A. Taft, undergo
ing examination and treatment for
a hip ailment, was described as
good Tuesday.