THE
OLDESTJSIEWSPAPER IN ALASKA —MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
62nd Year No. 32_ NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 1961 Per Copy 15<
Nome-Fairbanks Road Proposed
Officially Added to Highway System
JUNEAU Ij'P) — State Public
Works Commissioner Richard
Downing, in a report to the Legis
lature, proposed officially today
that the Nome-Fairbanks Road be
added in the future to the state’s
highway system.
The proposed 500-mile road
would take off from the western
terminus of Route S-680 at Tanana
and continue westerly via Birches,
Kokrines, Dulbi River, Kateel
River and Haycock to a junction
with S-141 at Shelton.
In a report outlining future
problems of the state’s highway
program and a tentative program
to correct some of the problems,
Downing proposed a revised state
federal aid highway system of ap
proximately 4,012 miles.
The system would consist of
2,434 miles of primary highway
system roads, including the Nome
Highway, and 3,954 miles of sec
ondary “A” highway system roads,
including 1,936 miles involved in
long-range plans.
Some 933 miles of secondary
“B” highway system roads now
under the federal aid highway
system would be dropped from
the federal aid network.
The primary system would in
clude the 351-mile ferrry route
between Ketchikan and Skagway
to be traversed by the proposed
Southeastern Alaska Ferry Sys
tem.
The secondary “B” system mile
age dropped from the federal aid
Youth Authority
Will Re-Establish
Ohl Cliilkoot Trail
JUNEAU UP — The old Chil
koot Trail, the man-killing route
the prospectors used in their mad
rush to the gold of the Yukon at
the turn of the century, is going
to be reopened.
The State Division of Youth and
Adult Authority disclosed today
it plans to send a team of some
10 boys from its Wasilla Youth
Camp to work on the old gold
rush trail this summer and each
summer thereafter.
“The boys are going to clear
away brush and landslides and
build foot bridges so tourists can
hike the trail and see the many
points of interest which, until
now, they’ve been unable to get
to,” Charles Pfeiiffer, director of
the division, said.
“One of the points of interest
is an old ghost town, another, as
a reminder, perhaps, that this was
the area where Soapy Smith
and his gang operated, is an old
grave, marked only ‘killed in the
hills.’
“The trail is a foot and a half
deep in some places, pounded
down by the thousands of feet
that moved over it during the
gold rush. When the boys get
through with their work, it will be
a rough trail to follow, still, but
you’ll be able to hike it.”
Pfeiffer said the boys, 16 and j
17 years of age, will be accom- j
panied by a counselor from the'
Wasilla Youth Camp. The group
will drive to Haines in a camp
truck and then ferry to Skagway. j
“Once we open the trail to the
border, we are hoping the Cana
dians will do something on their
side toward restoring the trail,”
Pfeiffer said.
L
highway system would be classi
fied as local use highways. They
would be turned over to political
subdivision of the state “as rapid
ly as it becomes possible for them
to assume the responsibility, fi
nancially and physically.”
Downing said the road program
outlined in the report “will help
place the state in a position where
it can meet the financial obliga
tions of its road program.
“. . . A pertinent regulation
governing the use of federal aid
funds is the requirement that all
federal aid system roads must be
adequately maintained to protect
the expenditure of federal funds
therein.
“Failure to comply by the state
may cause the withholding of all
federal aid highway funds. . . .”
Downing said the state will have
to assume on July 1, 1962, the full
cost of a highway maintenance
program of $6 million a year,
which is presently being paid
through the use of federal funds.
“The first logical answer to the
financial burden is to consider
reduction of the milegae we must
maintain” Downing said.
Downing said any changes will
have to be reviewed by the Bu
reau of Public Roads and the
I “changes not be undertaken until
some form of local government
I is organized and financially cap
able of maintaining the existing
roads to be dropped from the fed
eral aid highway system.”
The 1,936 miles of highway
which Downing proposed be added
to the secondary “A” system in
the future would include among
them the following routes:
Unalakleet-Kateel River Road,
from Unalakleet, via Kaltag and
Nulato to a junction with the
Fairbanks-Nome Road near the
mouth of Kateel River, 190 miles.
Haycock-Kotzebue Road, from
a junction with the Fairbanks
Nome Road at Haycock via Buck
land River and Baldwin Peninsula
to Kotzebue, 150 miles.
From Unalakleet to Shaktoolik,
36 miles.
JFK Borrows Green Tie
From Irish Secretary
WASHINGTON UP) — President
Kennedy, wearing a borrowed
green tie .celebrated St. Patrick’s
Day today by receiving a scroll
with his family coat of arms em
bellished especially for him.
Thomas J. Kiernan, Ambassa
dor of Ireland, presented it at a
White House ceremony, which was
almost pure Irish.
Everyone wore something green
except the ambassador. He wore a
black suit and dotted blue tie.
“I am green all over,” Kiernan
explained.
The Kennedy coat of arms, as
officially registered in Ireland,
now shows at the top of the crest
two olive branches surrounding
an armored arm holding four ar
rows. The emblem otherwise dis
plays three helmets within a
shield encircled by red and pale
blue scroll work.
Kennedy wore a green tie deco
rated by the emblem of an arm
grasping a saber, but confessed he
borrowed it from Kenneth O’Don
nell, his appointments secretary
and, obviously, a wearer of the
green.
Alaska Would
Operate Mines to
Create Work
JUNEAU UP — Legislation
which would authorize the state
of Alaska to operate gold mines
in an effort to cut unemployment
in the Interior was introduced
in the Senate today.
The bill was sponsored by Sen.
George McNabb.
A state gold mine commission
would be created under the terms
of McNabb’s bill and the com
mission would be empowered to
operate gold mines at the break
even point, or even at a slight loss,
in order to create new jobs.
“The state would not seek to
make a profit,” McNabb said.
“The state would sponsor gold
mining operations at a break
£ven point simply to give Alas
kans a source of employment,
and to give the state a valuable
export.
“Even jf a gold mine lost a
little money, the state would get
I this money back through state
j income taxes through savings
achieved by taking people off the
relief rolls and through savings
in unemployment compensation.”
The bill contains a provision
I which would require the state to
, lease to private industry any gold
! mine which showed a substantial
j profit.
“The purpose of the state opera
tion would be to put people to
work, not to make money,” Mc
| Nabb said.
McNabb said he had been as
sured by mining men that there
are many locations in Alaska
where the state could operate gold
! mining camps.
The Gold Mining Commission
would consist of seven members,
appointed by the governor. Four
j would represent the four major
! senatorial districts and three
would be named at large. Four
i would have to have mining ex
perience and one would have to
j be a member of the United Mine
! Workers of America.
Quadruplet Girls, Born In
Philadelphia, Are Fine
PHILADELPHIA — The
quadruplet girls born to Arlene
Cutaiar, 24, of suburban Malvern,
today were reported in fine con
dition by an attendant at Delaware
County Memorial Hospital.
The four girls were born pre
maturely within seven minutes of
each other Wednesday night. They
were weighed for the first time
yesterday. Their weights, in order
of birth, were 3 pounds, 3 ounces;
2 pounds, 13 ounces; 3 pounds
3 ounces and 3 pounds, 1 ounce.
Dr. Ernest Noone, director of
pediatrics at the hospital, said
the babies “won’t be out of dan
ger for some weeks.”
LEGISLATORS' PAY SLASH
GOES INTO EFFECT TODAY
JUNEAU UP) — Lawmakers’ per
diem allowances and salary cuts
went into effect today without the
signature of Gov. Egan.
Legislation which reduced the
per diem allowance from $45 to
$35 for all Alaska lawmakers ex
cept those who live in District 5,
where the allowance is $25, and
the annual salary from $3,000 to
$2,500 was transmitted to the gov
ernor Feb. 27.
Egan had announced earlier
that he would allow the measure
to become law without his sig
nature.
Kennedy Wants Boost
In Postal Rates
WASHINGTON Uf) — The Ken
nedy Administration wants a one
cent increase in the present post
age rates for letters, postcards and
airmail, and boosts for other class
es of mail.
Ralph W. Nicholson, assistant
postmaster general-designate for
finance, said yesterday the re
quest for the across-the-board in
crease would be made soon, aimed
at bringing in an additional $831
million a year.
Nicholson said the increased
rate for letters, postcards and air
mail would bring in an estimated
$430 million, while the other
boosts would bring in another
$401 million.
Saudi Arabia Will
Not Renew U.S.
Lease on Air Base
By John M. Hightower
WASHINGTON UP) — By sud
den decision of King Saud, the
United States must give up its air
base rights a year from now at
strategic Dhahran airfield on the
Persian Gulf Coast of Saudi
Arabia.
The State Department, disclos
ing the setback last night, em
phasized that United States in
j tends to continue “close and
1 friendly cooperation” with Saudi
I Arabia in spite of this incident.
The field development goes
: back 15 years and has cost the
j United States many millions of
dollars. But it has long been treat
| ed by both governments as a Saudi
! Arabian field used by the United
I States under terms of a formal
I agreement and subject to the jur
i isdiction of the Saudi government.
Dhahran has been a major base
for operations of the Military Air
Transport planes through the Mid
dle East, some of them around
the world flights. It also has been
the operating base of an Air Force
air-sea rescue team. Officials said
that no combat planes have been
operated out of Dhahran. But it
is understood that under the
agreement the base presumably
could have been used in time of
war for combat aircraft.
U. S. officials here said that j
King Saud, long known as a good '
friend of the United States, ap- I
parently had decided to serve 1
notice of “non-renewal” of the j
Dhahran agreement because of in- j
ternal political forces in his coun- >
try.
I
GIVING UP AIR BASE WILL
NOT AFFECT OIL SHIPMENTS
NEW YORK UP) — King Saud’s !
decision that the United States
must give up its air base rights
at, Dhahran next year will not
have any effect on oil shipments I
from Saudi Arabia.
This was the opinion today of
oil experts who pointed out that j
oil has been shipped out of Saudi
Arabia by tanker and pipeline.
One spokesman said ‘since the
decision appears aimed at mili- !
tary use of the airfield, it is like- 1
ly that the base will still be used I
for the transportation of civilian j
employes of oil firms.”
—
THE WEATHER
Partly cloudy with N.E. winds
10 to 20 mph. Lowest temperature
expected tonight -15, the high to
morrow 0.
In the past 24 hours: highest
temp. -4, lowest -29. Sunrise at
6:13 a.m., sunset at 6:09 p.m.
In Nenana today it was clear
with a temperature of -15.
Slilire, an* it was
A Grrand Day
In Dublin, That Is
By Colin Frost
DUBLIN, Ireland UP> — St.
Patrick’s Day today brought a
labor truce to the streets of Dub
lin and legal drink to the throats
of celebrating Irishmen.
For the first time since the
proclamation of the Irish Repub
lic, bars were open — legally
that is — on the feast day of Ire
land’s patron saint.
“Drowning the shamrock this
way doesn’t quite seen the same,”
said the man in Mooney’s Bar.
One Irishman’s privilege —•
and favorite sport — on St. Pat
rick’s Day was flouting the law
to get a drink. He stole into the
small back bar and drowned the
shamrock with an extra pleasure
that always accompanies a blow
for freedom.
Thirsty Dubliners rode to the
bars today after six days of walk
ing because of a bus strike that
turned into a lockout. The Dublin
Busmen and the Government
Transport Board declared a truce,
and the green doubledeckers roll
| ed through the capital’s streets
| again.
| But only for St. Patrick’s Day.
I The strike lock-out resumes Sat
! urday.
The busmen walked off the job
last Saturday, demanding more
money and said they would strike
every weekend until they got it.
When they showed up at work
Monday, the Transport Board
said they didn’t want them back
and the dispute turned into a
j lockout.
_
To Ask For Bids On
Construction at Barter
Island and Ft. Yukon
WASHINGTON Ufl — The Air
Force is authorizing the Army
Engineers to advertise for bids
on $3,690,000 in military con
struction in Alaska, the state’s
congressional delegation was told
yesterday.
The funds will be used to build
long range radar transmission
facilities at Barter Island and Ft.
Yukon, the Air Force said.
20 Adventuresome Young
Swimmers Get In Trouble
Visiting Disabled Ship
LONG BEACH, Calif. UP> —
Twenty adventuresome young men
decided to swim through 100 yards
of pounding surf and board the
wrecked Greek freighter Domina
tor last night.
Three made it to the ship. The
others turned back, cut and
bruised after they tried to rest
on jagged rocks.
A Marine helicopter rescued
five of the daredevils on suspicion
of violating a statute barring
sightseers from a disaster area.
The 44-1-foot vessel han aground
Monday in a dense fog. Her 30
man crew was evacuated by the
Coast Guard yesterday.
U. S. BUCK IS CLEANEST . . .
PARIS Uf) — The newspaper
France Soir, nosing around on a
French project to disinfect bank
notes, found with laboratory tests
that the American dollar is the
cleanest money in circulation.
Tests of banknotes picked at
random showed, in order of
cleaniness: American, French, Ka
tanga, French African. Moroc
can, Argentine, Spanish, Nation
alist Chinese and Greek.