m NOME NUGGET
_1_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVII No, 153NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1955Per Copy—15^
Constitutional
Hearing At School
Tonight At 8 p.m.
President Fred Langsam of the
Chamber of Commerce turned the
regular noon meeting Tuesday
over to Mildred Hermann, dele
gate at large for the Constitu
tional Convention.
Mrs. Hermann explained to the
members and guests present the
importance of the work of this
body and stressed the need for
each and every Alaskan in Nome
and those interested in the fu
ture status of the territory to be
present at the hearing tonight.
She said that she was particu
larly interested in having the
younger generation, including
high school students and people
of high school age attend because
they will be the ones to live under
tlie constitution when it is
adopted.
John McNees arrived today
from Fairbanks to assist Mrs.
Hermann with the hearing.
The meeting will be held to
night at 8 o’clock at the Nome
High School auditorium.
Ham Fisher, Creator Of
Comic Strip Joe Palooka,
Found Death In Studio
NEW YORK, UPl—Ham Fisher,
creator of the popular comic strip
hero, Joe Palooka, was found dead
last night in a friend’s studio.
Nearby were two notes indicating
suicide, police reported.
Fisher, 54, whose full name was
Hammond Edward Fisher, wrote
in the note of failing eyesight and
a diabetic condition. He said that
he had swallowed some pills.
“May God and my beloved ones
forgive me. I have provided for
them amply.”
Fisher, whose strip was syndi
cated at the time of his death in
some 800 newspapers, was a self
taught cartoonist. He practiced his
art in spare time while working
as a reporter and advertising
salesman on his hometown news
paper, the Wilkes - Barre, Pa.,
Record.
Charles Me Adam Jr., son of the
president of the McNaught Syn
dicate, said the Joe Palooka comic
strip will be continued by other
cartoonists.
The Joe Palooka strip was
started in 1930. Joe began as a
not-to-bright and guileless boxer
•but later developed in a gentle,
well - spoken chap devoted to
sportsmanship and fair play.
JOHN SALENJUS GETS OK
FOR MERCHANT MARINE
(North Star)
SEATTLE, Dec. 22. tP — John
Salenjus, son of Capt. and Mrs.
Charles Salenjus of Seattle, has
received a full time appointment
to the United States Merchant
Marine Academy at Kings Point,
New York.
34 Deaths Listed In
California’s Worst
Flood In History
SAN FRANCISCO, I*—North
ern California faced the hercu
lean task of cleaning up after the
worst floods in its history today
as threats of further danger dim
inished before the first generally
fair weather in two weeks.
But the rising toll of known
deaths was up to 34 today, and
no one could say how many more
bodies might be found. Estimates
of those missing and possibly dead
ranged from 19 to 35 more.
Heroic work by Army, Navy,
Air Force and Coast Guard men
who manned boats, trucks, am
phibians, helicopters and planes
cut the loss of life by hundreds as
they worked constantly during
the long siege.
Damages estimates rose to 150
million dollars as receding flood
waters permitted new assessment
of the inundated areas. The Army
Corps of Engineers said that at
the peak of the floods more than
1,000,000 acres were under water.
The Weather Bureau last night
in its weekly summary reported
that as much as 31 inches of rain
fell last week in north coastal
California and that Hoods all the
way from the Oregon line to Vis
alia 500 miles south of here were
the worst the state had ever ex
perienced.
Soviet 1956 Budget Shows
Cut In Defense Spending
MOSCOW, UR—Delegates to the
Supreme Soviet Tuesday sat thru
six hours of speeches, all in praise
of the Kremlin’s 1 9 5 6 budget
promising a cut in defense spend
ing. Six more hours of speechmak
ing were heard last night.
Although the delegates praised
the budget, several voiced com
plaints against prices, shortages of
goods and lagging deliveries.
The budget, slightly higher than
•that outlined in February for 1955,
estimated expenditures at 568,
800.000. 000 rubles and revenues at
591.900.000. 000. The 1955 budget
put expenditures at 563,482,000,
000 rubles and revenues at 590,
192.000. 000 rubles.
Eugenia The Dungong, Or Rather
Eugene the Dungong, Passes On
SAN FRANCISCO, tfV-Eugenia
the Dugong, believed to have been
the only living sea cow in cap
tivity, died yesterday at Stein
hart Aquarium.
Veterinarian William Mottram
and Dr. Robert Orr of the Cali
fornia Academy of Science said
death resulted from pneumonia.
They also blamed a bone infec
tion, possibly started when the
animal was speared and captured
in the Palau Islands.
An autopsy showed also that
Eugenia should have been named
Eugene.
Comet III Jet Sets
Atlantic Record
For Civil Aircraft
LONDON, (#)—Britain’s glitter
ing Comet III jetliner streaked
nonstop across the Atlantic from
Montreal to London today in 6
hours, 8 minutes. The plane’s
builders immediately claimed a
North Atlantic record for civil
airliners.
The 74 - ton, four - jet aircraft
covered the 3,350 miles at an aver
age speed of 548 miles an hour,
whizzing through overcast skies
to touch down at London Airport
for a tumultuous welcome.
Strong tail winds boosted the
plane’s speed over the Atlantic to
more than 640 miles an hour at
times.
The trip ended a 35,000-mile
round-the-world proving flight by
Capt. John Cunningham and his
crew of 10 which began Dec. 2.
The plane’s actual time from
the Montreal takeoff to the Lon
dno landing was 6 hours 18 min
utes, but for record purposes the
•flight was figured to tht time of
crossing the airport beam.
The Comet III is forerunner of
Britain’s newest bid to take the
lead in commercial jet aviation.
Japanese Housewives
Unhappy Over Scarcity
Of Herring Kazunoko
TOKYO, Uf)—Millions of Japa
nese housewives are unhappy
about the distressing scarcity of
herring roe.
Herring roe (eggs) has been
served here for ages on New
Year’s Day. The popular name
‘for it is “Kazunoko,” meaning
“many children.”
This is going to be a New Year
without Kazunoko for most
homes, because Japan’s herring
catch this year hit an all - time
low.
It’s like American Thanksgiving
without turkey.
Kazunoko isn’t a fancy food
like caviar, but what there is
fetches caviar prices, or three
times what you’d pay for good
beef or chicken.
Already housewives are mut
tering in food stores about “bad
merchants” who “comer the mar
ket.”
Government fishery experts ex
plained that sea temperature
around the main herring fishing
grounds off Hokkaido has risen
and the herring have gone north.
BUSTER KEATON HOME
FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS
HOLLYWOOD (^—Buster Kea
ton, the frozen-faced comedian
who has been critically ill, re
covered sufficiently to spend the
Christmas holidays at home.
Keaton, 59, was stricken with a
gastro-intestinal ailment Dec. 6.
He was in a semieoma and near
death for several days.
Hoped School Lunch Program Will Be
Self-Supporting Except Free Tickets
Traffic Deaths
Hit Record 599
Over Weekend
(By the Associated Press*
1 The loss of life in traffic acci
dents in the nation’s long Christ
mas weekend broke all holiday
records.
The final tabulation yesterday
showed 599 traffic deaths. There
were 67 deaths in fires and ‘150
from other accidental causes. The
over-all total was 771.
“How much longer,” asked the
National Safety Council, “will a
civilized nation endorse such mass
mayhem?”
It expressed the hope the stag
gering statistics will flash a go
slow signal to motorists in the
New Year weekend.
The old record for traffic deaths
during any holiday period was es
tablished during the longer four
day celebration in 1952. It was
556.
The 1955 Christmas weekend
also set a new record for the num
ber of accidental deaths of all
types during a three-day Christ
mas period. The former record
was established in 1950. It was 734.
The counting period for the
Christmas weekend this year be
gan at 6 p.m. (local time) Friday
and ended at midnight Monday.
It is reckoned as three days, al
though the actual time was 78
hours.
The all-time record for acciden
tal deaths of all types of all types
was set in the three-day Indepen
dence Day holiday period this
year. The total was 805.
Two European Airlines
Buy 87 Million Dollars
Worth of Boeing 707 Jets
SEATTLE, LT) — Two European
air lines, Air France and Belgian
Sabena World Airlines, announ
ced purchase of 13 Boeing jet
transports Wednesday for nearly
87 million dollars.
Air France bought 10 of the
Boeing 707s for about $71,500,000,
and also signed an option for an
undisclosed number.
Sabena purchased three for
$15,450,000.
The two companies, first for
eign carriers to buy Boeing jet
transports, both ordered the long
range Intercontinental model.
The new orders boosts to 72
the number of jet transports on
order from Boeing, and increases
the company’s commercial plane
backlog to about 382 million.
Douglas Aircraft Corp., the
other American firm competing
for jet transport sales, has sold
98 DC8s at an estimated 600 mil
lion.
=- » ~
> The. School Hot Lunch Commit
tee met at the Kozga building last
Wednesday to complete plans for
starting the School Lunch Pro
gram next Tuesday, Jan. 3.
There had been some lack of
clarity about the committee’s re
sponsibility. The committee is def
initely responsible to the School
Board and works in cooperation
with Mr. William Angell, school
superintendent.
Attending the meeting were Mr.
Angell, Miss Esther McCoy, Miss
Margaret McDonald, Mrs. Bob
Emmons, Mr. and Mrs. William
Barber, Miss Mary Elizabeth Jol
ley, Mrs. Pearse Walsh, Mrs. Arv
Saario, Mrs. Gilmore Asitonia,
| Mrs. Job Kokochuruk, and Mrs.
Arthur Nagozruk.
The School Board has set aside
$2,000 in a revolving fund for the
School Lunch Program. Funds
have been raised for some free
meal tickets, and it is hoped that
the program will be self-support
ing with the exception of the free
tickets donated.
The following contributions have
been received:
The W.S.CjS. of the Methodist
Church, $25; the Sisterhood of the
Community Methodist Church,
$20; the Lavinia Wallace Mission,
$125; Home Arts Club, $170.
This money will be used for
free meal tickets only. It is hoped
that many more organizations and
(Continued on Page Two)
Help Will Still
Be Available for
Filling Tax Form
WASHINGTON, UP—The Inter
nal Revenue Service stands ready
to fill out your income tax re
turns for you next year, as in
years past.
Russell C. Harrington, the new
Internal Revenue Commissioner,
yesterday countermanded orders
which would have barred such
help to all but the illiterate, the
physically handicapped and per
sons unable to read English.
The original orders were issued
to all regional and district tax of
fices last Oct. 17 at the direction
of Harrington’s predecessor, T.
Coleman Andrews. They had
evoked some protests in Congress.
Those instructions said the tax
payer assistance program should
be limited to showing citizens how
to prepare their returns, but
should not furnish unlimited ser
vice to all taxpayers.
Harrington told his subordin
ates yesterday the Revenue Ser
vice’s policy is “to provide all tax
payers with all of the advice and
assistance they need in prepar
ing their returns . . .” He said
the previously-issued instructions
were “too restrictive.”
All Alaskans Sagers Open Meeting Tonite 8:00 P.M. at SCHOOL
URGED TO ATTEND on Alaska’s Constitution AtDlTORIUM
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