sss NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LVI No. 23 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1954 Per Copy—15*
Hawaii Delegate
Sure Statehood
Bill Will Pass
WASHINGTON, UR — Delegate
Farrington expressed hope Sun
day night that the Hawaiian peo
ple will be able to elect mem
bers of the United States Senate
and House of Representatives
next November.
He made his statement in a
radio interview.
Farrington said that although
he foresees “some very bitter and
determined opposition” in the
Senate to the statehood bill” I
am sure that if the measure is
brought to a vote that it will be
passed.”
To questions about the extent
of Communism in Hawaii—one
of the big argument used by op
ponents of statehood—Farrington
replied:
“I don’t think that the facts
support the allegation that Com
munism constitutes a political
threat in Hawaii. And on the con
trary it appears that those who
made that charge are a lot more
afraid that we will elect Repub
licans than we will elect Com
munists.”
He denied arguments against
statehood based on Hawaii’s dis
tance from the mainland, saying
that with modern transportation
Hawaii is closer—in travel time—
to Washington than was Philadel
phia when the District of Colum
bia was chosen as the national
capital city.
Petition Would
Bring Alaska
Bill Before House
WASHINGTON, UP—Rep. Dodd
(D-Mass) has signed a petition to
•bring the Alaska statehood bill
before the House, although he
says he will vote against it.
The statehood bill has been
approved by the House Interior
Committee but the Rules Commit
tee has not scheduled it for House
consideration. The petition is to
move the bill from the Rules
Committee to the House for ac
tion.
Dodd voted against the Hawaii
statehood bill passed by the House
last session.
He said in a statement that he
signed the discharge petition
simply because of the interest in
the bill and to enable the House
to have an opportunity to act.
Dodd said he opposed state
hood for the territories because
he believes the United States
should limit its membership to
the present 48 states.
“We are big enough now. Our
government is already very large,
cumbersome and unwieldy,” Dodd
contended. “We have all we can
do within the continental United
States without extending state
hood, particularly to distant is
land and territories.
“As I read history, nations that
have extended themselves too far
have sown the seeds of their ulti
mate weakness and destruction.”
Government Plans To Transfer
Anchorage and lair hanks Airports
To Territory or Municipalities
WASHINGTON, W) — The fed-1
eral government plans to with
draw its support of two Alaskan
airports—at Anchorage and Fair
banks—as soon as it can transfer
them to the territorial or munici
pal governments.
Robert B. Murray, undersecre
tary of Commerce, and Fred B.
Lee, administrator of Civil Aero
nautics, disclosed this in testi
many before the House Appropri
ations subcommittee a month ago.
Rep. Rooney (-NY), a commit
tee member, had this to say of
the airports:
“We jiust finished building
them. Are we going to give them
away.”
“This committee apropriated all
the funds for those airports. We
thought we were going to get
some revenue out of them. Never
at any time was there discussed
the matter of turning them over
to the territory or the municipal
ities for the benefit of private
interests.”
Lee explained that legislation is
being prepared for the transfer
of the airports to the territorial
government, and will be submit
ted to the Alaska legislature at its
next meeting, in 1955. He said
existing legislation does not per
mit the Territorial Aviation Com
mission to take control of the air
ports.
He estimated revenue from the
airports at $650,000 in the cur
r
rent fiscal year — $486,850 from
Anchorage and $163,050 from
Fairbanks — and $811,000 in the
next fiscal year — $594,720 from
Anchorage and $216,280 from
Fairbanks. He estimated operat
ing costs at $496,000 for the cur
rent fiscal year and $650,000 for
next year.
Rep. Bow (R-Ohio) asked what
justification there was for the
transfer, since the airports were
profiting.
Lee said an airport operation
logically is a local municipal re
sponsibility, and the federal gov
ernment should not concern itself
with local airport operation ex
cept in special cases such as the
Washington National Airport. Un
der questioning he added that nei
ther the territory nor the cities
had contributed to the construc
tion cost.
Bow asked whether any consid
eration had been given to reim
bursement of the federal treasury
by the cities or the territory.
Lee said this had been consid
ered, but added that in negotia
tions with the territory it appear
ed that Alaska was not financially
capable of investing “any sub
stantial amount of funds in the
airports.”
“After listening to this I do not
have a question,” Rep. Rooney
said, “I am aghast.”
ARC Head Confident
Alaska Will Get 10 Million
For Road Construction
JUNEAU, UP> — Alaska Road
Commissioner A. F. Ghiglione
says he’s confident there’ll be an
appropriation of $3,100,000 fof
construction of 23 miles of the
Copper River Highway.
This will extend the Cordova
road system to the developing
Katalla oil area.
Ghiglione, back from Washing
ton, D.C., says there is a good
chance the territory will get 10
million dollars for road construc
tion.
Dog Sled Races
Kotzebue Dog Races
KOTZEBUE —The winners of
the women’s Arctic Dog Derby
10-mile race were Winifred Dives
of Kotzebue. Her time was 40
minues, 20:1.2 seconds.
Maggie Curtis placed second
and Mabel Henry third.
Dan Snyder of Kotzebue was
the winner of the men’s 20-mile
race in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 22
seconds. Richard Gallahorn of
Kotzebue took second place 52
second behind the winner.
Steven Sampson of Noorvik
placed third and Sam Reed of
Kiana fourth.
All-Alaska Sled Dog Race
ANCHORAGE, UR — Raymond
Paul of Galena appeared virtually
certain of victory in the annual
Alaska Championship Sled Dog
Race as the teams lined up today
for the final 25-mile lap of the
100-mile event.
He led the field in the third lap
Sunday to take a lead of 22 min
utes over his nearest competitor
in the big event of the Fur Ren
dezvous.
Clem Tillman of Knik, the 1953
winner, was in second place; Earl
Norris, Anchorage, third; Charles
Maclnnes, Anchorage, fourth, and
Gareth Wright, Fairbanks, fifth.
Paul’s Sunday time was 1 hour,
58 minutes, 22 second for a 75
mile total of 5:47:47. The other
Sunday and total times were: Till
man 2:07:33 and 6:09:58; Norris
2:05:25 and 6:17:30; Maclnnes
2:04:21 and 6:18:01; Wright 2:15:
54 and 6:31:33.
Wright, the 1950 and 1952 win
ner, dropped from third place
when he trailed the finishers on
Sunday. Dick Mitchell dropped
out after failing to finish Satur
day’s race.
North America Dog Derby
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont.,
—Lamar Hunstman, Ashton, Ida
ho, won the 35th running of the
North American Dog Derby
Championship at West Yellow
stone Sunday.
Hunstman’s time over the 10
mile course was 44 minutes.
Ronald Goff, West Yellowstone,
celebrated his 13th birthday by
winning the Junior Dog Sled Race
over a half-mile course.
Scheduled Monday are a mixed
breed dog race, freight pulling
contest and cutter races.
Teams from California, Wash
ington, Utah, Idaho, Montana,
Colorado and British Columbia
competed in the dog derby.
Army Secretary Stevens Summoned
By Senator McCarthy To Explain
Army’s “Coddling” of Communists
-i
Americans Drive Off
South Koreans Trying
Halt Trainload of Indians
SEOUL, UP) — American troops,
jabbing with bayonets, chased off
without apparent bloodshed 200
300 South Koreans who early to
day tried to halt a train carrying
homebound Indian soldiers, the
U.S. 8th Army said.
South Korean police said three
Koreans were slightly injured by
the American’s rifle butts.
The Koreans were cleared from
the tracks after some minor jab
bing and shoving, and the train
continued to Inchon port without
incident, said an 8th Army spokes
man.
However, Kim Chang Heung,
vice chief of South Korea’s na
tional police, said American tanks
were called to the scene. He de
nounced what he called the 8th
Army’s “heavy counter-measures”
against “ a righteous move by in
dignant men.”
The incident was the first show
of intereference which South Kor
eans had threatened against the
Indians.
A South Korean police official
who said he was present reported
that some of the group were for
mer prisoners of war turned loose
by Indian custodial troops last
month.
About 1,000 Indian troops still
in the neutral zone, were sched
uled to move out soon to board
the Indian ship Jalburza at In
chon today.
California Editor Named
Director Public Relations
National GOP Committee
WASHINGTON, UP)—James Bas
set, 41-year-old political editor of
the Los Angeles Mirror, today
was named director of public re
lations for the Republican Nation
al Committee.
Bassett, who was Vice President
Nixon’s publicity director in the
1952 campaign, succeeds Robert
Humphrey, who was promoted to
campaign director, a new job.
The shifts were interpreted by
party spokesmen as an effort to
step up the 1954 Congressional
election campaign by relieving
Humphreys of what was termed
“double duties” in recent months.
Also, the appointment of Bas
set by Chairman Leonard W. Hall
was looked on as reflecting, in
some measure at least, the rising
prestige in the party of Nixon.
Both Nixon and Bassett are Cal
ifornians.
Alaska Received Federal Grants
In 1953 Amounting $50 Per Capita
JUNEAU, UP) — The territorial
government has a report that Al
aska received $6,616,841 during
1953 in various federal grants-in
aid programs. This figured out to
$36.41 per capita, if you include
the military. Without the mili
tary the per capita would ibe
closer to $50.
' WASHINGTON, UP) — Secretary
of the Army Robert T. Stevens
and Sen. McCarthy, fresh from a
running clash over McCarthy’s in
terrogation of Army officers, meet
face to face on the issue tomor
row before a nationwide audience.
Turned down twice in two days
on demands he made to the Army,
McCarthy has summoned its civ
ilian head to appear before his
Senate Investigation subcommit
tee here tomorrow.
He said Stevens would be asked
to explain what the senator term
ed an attempt by the Army “to
coddle and promote Communists.”
Stevens said he received no of
ficial notification, but would be
glad to gppear. That was after he
had ordered two generals not to
comply with calls for their ap
pearance before McCarthy’s sub
committee.
Objecting to the humiliation he
said was inflicted on one of them
at a hearing by McCarthy last
week, Stevens said “I cannot per
mit the loyal officers of our
armed forces to be subjected to
such unwarranted treatment.”
On Friday the Army let go by
a deadline McCarthy had set for
it to produce the names of all
personnel connected with the pro
motion and honorable discharge
of a reserve officer who had de
clined to say whether he was
ever a Communist.
McCarthy said in New York
yesterday that the reserve major
involved, Dr. Irving Peress, a
dentist, was “commissioned, pro
moted, saved from overseas orders
and awarded an honorable dis
charge, all despite an open record
of active membership in the
Communist conspiracy.”
McCarthy said in New York,
“Stevens is a loyal man, but ap
parently is being made a dupe
by holdovers fro mthe previous
administration.”
Cancer Specialist Advises
Heavy Smokers To Get
Chest x-rays Twice Yearly
WASHINGTON, UP—'The Am
erican Cancer Society’s statistical
research director said today a
heavy smoker “is very foolish if
he does not have a chest x-ray
taken twice a year” — although
there is no proof smoking causes
cancer.
Dr. E. Cuyler Hammond, the dir
ector, gave the advice in a copy
righted interview with the maga
zine U.S. News and World Report,
port.
And the magazine described
him as smoking during the inter
view.
Dr. Hammond said a heavy
smoker should take the recom
mended precaution “so long as
there is even a strong suspicion
that smoking causes lung cancer.”
But he also said everyone, es
pecially those over 45, should
have an x-ray at least once a year
and he added:
“If you are a timid soul, then
you should also give up smoking
at least until the facts are
known.” /
/