m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS _
VOL. LXI No. 41 HOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, APRIL 6, 1959_Per Copy—15*
Alaska Senate Unanimously Endorse
Planning Hiway 97, ‘With All Dispatch’
_.*
10-Year Federal
. Road Program
Outlined For State
By FRANK W. VAILLE
Associated Press Special Service
WASHINGTON, (if) — A 300
million-dollar federal program of
highway development for Alaska
was outlined today by Senator
Ernest Gruening.
The 10-year program was
worked out in collaboration with
chambers of commerce and others
in Alaska and with representatives
of the Bureau of Public Roads.
Gruening will present the pro
gram to the Senate Public Works
Committee tomorrow and urge
that it schediJe hearings in Alas
ka this summer.
The program would connect
most population centers in Alas
ka. Major features:
A ferry service from Prince
Rupert, B. C., to Skagway via
Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg,
Juneau and Haines; completion of
the Fairbanks-Nome highway;
completion of the Fairbanks
McKinley Park-Anchorage road;
completion of othe Copper River
Highway from Cordova to Chitina
with extension via McCarthy to
the Alaska Highway; an Anchor
age-Nome highway via Talkeet
na, McGrath and Ruby; comple
tion of the Fairbanks-Chena Hot
Springs road; construction of a
Hydabuig-Hollis road via Craig;
closing of the Eagle-Circle link,
and a connection of the Glenn and
Denali Highways- via Lake Louise.
roils Open lues.
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tomorrow is city election day,
with the polls opening at 8 a.m.
Unlike State elections, when
the polls remain open until 8 p.m.,
city election polls close at 6 p.m.
Nome’s “perennial mayor,” Stef
fen Andersen, is running unop
posed for his eighth term of office.
For the one-year term of Coun
cilman, voters have a choice of
one out of three candidates: they
are Everett Bachelder of the Nome
Gospel Mission: Axel Edman,
businessman, and Verna Mickel
son, housewife.
For the two-year term of office,
three Councilmen are to be elec
ted from a group of seven candi
dates. They are: Jack Blattler,
who runs the meat department of
the U. S. Merc; Charles Casper
son, night patrolman for the city;
Fred Cavota, businessman; Allan
Doyle, employed by Federal Elec
tric Co.; Clinton Gray, head of
mechanical department of The
Nugget; Keith Hedreen, business
man, and Gordon Osborne, bank
teller.
Running unopposed for City
Clerk is Robert Scott.
There are two candidates for
the five-year term of the School
Board: Ash Craft of the U. S. Wea
ther Bureau, and Edgar Bibb, pas
tor of the Church of the Naxarene.
Two businessmen are running
for the 5-year term on the Utility
Board: Elmer Straub and Letter
Keller.
D. J. Reader, who was running
for the Council, withdrew in favor
of Keith Hedreen.
This will be the first year that
19-year-olds will be voting in the
city election.
► JUNEAU, UP — The proposed
Highway 97, major goal of Alas
kans who seek a road link from
Fairbanks to Nome and the tip
of Seward Peninsula, was en
dorsed Saturday by the Senate.
After the failure of earlier
measures that specifically would
have directed construction of the
long-awaited highway, tne Senate
gave unanimous endorsement to
a resolution calling for federal
and state planning and building
of the road “with all deliberate
speed.”
Northwestern District legisla
tors said their long fight in the
first session had focused attention
on the highway problem.
The resolution committed no
funds for the project and did not
ensure it would be added immedi
ately to planning programs. But it
amounted to more official pro
gress on the road than had been
accomplished in some time.
"The construction of the Fair
banks-Cape Prince of Wales
Highway would benefit both
the nation and the state." the
resolution said. It added: "Such
a highway should end the land
connection isolation of the vital
air defense and communication
installations at Galena and the
numerous White Alice sites
along or adjoining the proposed
Fairbanks-Cape Prince of Wales
route."
The resolution was sponsored
by the Senate Federal Relations
Committee, headed by Sen. Lester
| Bronson of Nome.
House Ends Week With
Approval of Kenai Grants
To Longtime Settlers
JUNEAU, If) — The House dis
pensed with a passel of memorials
and resolutions Saturday and then
adjourned for a weekend of rest.
Three measures won approval:
a memorial urging Congress to ap
prove pending legislation granting
oil and gas rights to homesteaders
on the Kenai was passed.
The legislation will not bring in
a gusher for the recent influx of
homesteaders, however. The bill
would apply only to those who
settled the area before the Swan
sin River oil strike. Since the
strike, the area has been classified
as potentially valuable oil and gas
land by the U. S. Geological
Survey.
Approval also was given to a
resolution directing the Legisla
tive Council to study state build
ing and adoption codes and to a
resolution in support of pending
bills to create state merit and re
tirement systems. These measures
are not expected to be passed at
this legislative session.
Another matter was delayed
when the House approved a Senate
resolution to refer air transpor
tation legislation to the new State
Department of Commerce for
study. The department will sub
mit its findings to the next Legi
lature.
BERKELEY, Calif., If) — A
moderate earthquake jarred a sec
tion of coastal Northern California
for two minutes Sunday night. No
damage was reported.
The University of California
seismograph registered the tremor
and placed its epicenter 155 miles
northwest at the San Francisco
Bay area.
This corresponded to the Red
wood ValHy in Mendocino County.
Soviets Charge U.S.
High-Flying Jets
Will 6Wreck’ Talks
MOSCOW, Oft — The Soviet
Union has charged that the United
States deliberately violated alti
tude regulations in the West Ber
lin air corridor to wreck the forth
coming East-West talks.
U. S. informants in Washington
said the United States had no
such intention when it sent a
Cl 30 transport into West Berlin
at 20,000 feet last week.
The U. S. Embassy in Moscow
received the latest accusation in a
diplomatic note. Meanwhile, U. S.
officials in Germany turned down
a Soviet complaint that the plane,
which was buzzed by Soviet
fighters, became a safety hazard
when it flew into Berlin March
27. The Soviets claim Allied planes
in the corridor are prohibited
from flying above 10,000 feet.
The note said it was difficult
“not to consider the premeditated
violation by American aircraft of
the established order of air com
munication with Berlin as other
than the intention of the United
States to worsen conditions for
| the foreign ministers’ meeting, if
ndt to wreck altogether the al
East-West talks.”
The Soviet newspaper Izvestia
warned that for successful talks
“all the interested parties should
show will and desire, and also put
in their place those who through
inertia or evil thinking continue
to poison the atmosphere with a
miasma proclaiming the policy
from a position of strength.”
The U. S. position is that there
is no legal ceiling in the Berlin
air corridors and that planes can
fly at any altitude desirable in
ferrying supplies for the Allies.
The issue did not arise with
older, propeller-driven planes
which stayed below 10,000 feet.
But the C130 is a turboprop air
craft which operates most effici
ently at high altitudes.
The Soviets say they reserve
the air space above 10,000 feet
for their jet fighters patroling the
corridors and surrounding air
space.
Final Federal
Spending In Alaska
Before Ini. Depl.
WASHINGTON, (JV-The House
Interior Committee will be asked
this week to approve a plan de
signed to speed consideration of
the Administration’s proposed
Alaska omnibus hill.
The plan involves hearings on
the bill by the full committee ra
ther than by the Territories sub
committee.
Committee aides said the re
quest is expected to be made by
Chairman Wayne Aspinall (D
Colo) at the full committee meet
ing Wednesday. If the request is
approved, as expected, hearings
on the bill could begin April 15.
If not held by the full commit
tee, the bill would go to the Ter
ritories subcommittee which is
not scheduled to meet until May
4 and 5.
Early action on the omnibus bill
bill is strongly desired by Alas
kans because the measure includes
authorization for a five-year pro
gram of grants totaling 27Vi mil
lion dollars. Of this amount, 10 Vi
million dollars would be for the
fiscal year starting this July 1.
No move to obtain the appropria
tions could be made until the bill
has passed at least one house.
Appropriations Bill Is Most Important
Of Pending lltli-Hour State Legislation
JUNEAU, — It appears the
drive to end the first state legis
lative session by Saturday is fail
ing. Funds to carry the Legisla
ture through to April 15 have
been approved and as the 10th
week of the session drew to a
close, it seemed apparent that date
was more likely as a curtain
closer.
Most important of the dozen or
so major bills remaining before
the legislators is the general fund
appropriation.
The appropriation measure, a
substitute for " the administra
tion’s bill, is expected to call for
expenditures of about 26 million
dollars for 1959-60.
* The Senate Judiciary Commit
tee held a public hearing on a bill
to amend Alaska’s employment
security act, considered one of
the major pieces of legislative
business.
Two basic changes have been
proposed. One would apply unem
ployment insurance taxes to total
wages, eliminating the present
$4,200 ceiling now on the levy. The
other would raise the employes’
tax rate to seven-tenths of one
per cent.
One “must” item ran into a
roadblock whe nthe Senate refused
to concur in House amendments
to the proposed new workmen’s
compensation act and shipped the
measure off to a conference com
mittee.
New Liquor Bill
Senators were presented with
a new bill of major importance.
It would establish -a new Alaska
alcoholic beverage control board.
The bill would create a three
member board with each member
to serve a three-year, over-lapping
term.
The Governor would appoint
board members, one of whom must
be'" actively engaged in the alco
holic beverage indutry. The chief
executive also would name a di
rector as executive officer of the
board.
Rules and regulations govern
ing the sale and licensing of alco
holic beverages would be estab
lished by the board.
The present board is composed
of the Governor, the Director of
Finance, the Highway Commis
sioner, the Attorney General and
the Treasurer.
While the senators were begin
ning consideration of a new liquor
board, acting Governor Hugh
signed a bill permitting waitresses
to serve drinks in established res
taurants.
Women have been banned from
serving cocktails. The new law
does not apply in bars or taverns
where meals are not a substantial
part of the business.
Hotels and restaurants wanting
waitresses to serve drinks must
receive a permit from the Board
of Liquor Control, according to
the new law.
Longshore Union
Seeks to Reduce
Work Week Hours
SEATTLE, — West Coast
longshore leaders came out today
for a 35-hour work week, reduced
retirement age, higher minimum
wages and other measures they
said would help meet “displace
ment of men by machines.”
Officers of the International
Longshoremen’s & Warehouse
men’s Union said in a convention
report that labor can help main
tain employment in seeking “to
force reductions in the work week
without reductions in pay.”
The report to the ILWU’s 13th
biennial convention opening to
day was signed by Harry Bridges,
president.
The report also advocated more
and longer unemployment pay,
easier disability pensions, medical
benefits for social security bene
ficiaries, a national health service,
and action “to reduce the burden
of taxes, both federal and state.”
The ILWU officials urged con
tinued opposition to all forms of
labor control legislation “no mat
ter how moderate.”
The report to the independent
union said little help or labor
can be expected from the present
Congress, however.
“These conclusions would not
be so negative,” it added, “if the
AFL-CIO were less concerned
about its respectability and more
concerned about fighting for jobs
and security.”
It said the AFL-CIO leadership
“joined in the clamor for restric
tive legislation” involving labor.
Bridges and his colleagues op
posed what they tailed “the spate
of proposals to reduce the effec
tiveness of the Supreme Court, or
to reverse, any of its good deci
sions in the field of civil liber
tie*.”
Canada Says Alcan
Hiway Paving Plan
Is ‘Unacceptable’
ANCHORAGE, Oh—A unilateral
approach by the United States to
the problem of paving part of the
Alaska Highway that runs
through Canada may result in the
failure of the program, a Canadian
' official said Saturday.
1 Eric Neilsen, Member of Parlia
menf from Whitehorse, leveled his
criticism at a bill introduced by
Sen. Richard Neuberger (D-Ore).
The measure calls for joint U. S.
Canadian financing of 1,221 miles
of the highway at a cost esti
mated at approximately 66 mil
lion dollars. ✓
Neilsen, who said he spoke for
Alvin Hamilton, Minister of
Northern Affairs and National Re
sources, said the Canadian govern
ment had not been consulted.about
the bill.
‘*if the bill is passed by Con
gress, as is expected,” he said,
Canada would be asked to accept
it as a fait accompli without modi
fication and without having had
an opportunity to negotiate.”
The bill is “quite unacceptable”
to Canada, Neilsen said. He indi
cated the highway program would
not get started under the terms
of Neuberger’s bill.
Neilsen was in Anchorage to
address die minerals confemce
being sponsored by various en
gineering groups.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.,
— 12-year-old Richard Allen Wil
son had something any boy would
give his eye teeth to own — a
home-made lawn-mower-powered
midget car and a paved circular
track in a vacant lot to race it on.
Sunday, as his father watched,
Richard’s little car spun off the
track at 35 miles an hour and.
hit the Wilsons’ parked truck.
| Richard was killed.