ss NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. LXI No. 31 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 1959 _Per Copy—15<t
Hawaii Admitted Into Union By Act
Of U. S. Congress, Creating SOth State
By HARRISON HUMPHREYS •
WASHINGTON, UP* — The Ha- ,
waiian Islands will become the!
nation’s 50th state within the year. I
Congress answered the terri
tory’s half-century of pleading for
statehood yesterday with a re
sounding 323-89 vote in the House.
The Senate assented a day earlier
with a 76-15 vote.
President Eisenhower gets the
bill today. His approval is certain.
Presidential Secretary James C.
Hagerty said the President is
delighted.
In four to six months Hawaii
could be a full partner in the
union. It will take that long to
set up elections for the nearly
600,000 people to choose their first
state officers, their two U. S. Sen
ators and one Representative in
the House. Hawaii will qualify for
a second House seat after the
1960 census.
There is a maximum time sched
ule set out in the state constitu
tion which the people of Hawaii,
tired of waiting, adopted in 1950.1
The maximum is 160 days between I
the date the President signs the |
bill and the date of the general j
election. The actual time could be I
less.
Governor William Quinn, 12th
and last Presidentially appointed
Governor of Hawaii, said he is in- j
dined to' favor a schedule on the!
slow side. He said he thought that [
would be preferred by political
leaders of both parties to get good
candiates in the field. Quinn is a
Republican and a potential candi
date for Governor. It is up to him
to set the election dates.
John A. Burns, Hawaii’s Demo
cratic Delegate to Congress, said
he favored the shortest possible
preliminaries to the ultimate pro
clamation of the President for
mally admitting the islands to
statehood.
“Hawaiians are tired of living
under the shackles of the appoint
ive governor system,” he said.
Burns, undoubtedly a candidate
for something, has not said which
office he will seek.
(Continued on Page Two*
Alaska Officials Welcome
New State of Hawaii
JUNEAU, UP> — The Alaska Le
gislature and acting Governor
Hugh Wade took time out from
their duties yesterday to extend
a warm hand of greeting to
Hawaii
Wade sent congratulations to
Hawaii Governor William Quinn
and Congressional Delegate Jack
Bums
The House Was in the midst of
a debate over a bill to amend
Alaska’s foreclosure laws when
the word was brought of Con
gressional action on admitting the
50th State.
Rep. Russ Meekins arose to make
the announcement and excitedly
said :
“The House has just passed the
Alaska statehood bill”
The blushing Anchorage Demo
crat corrected himself amidst a
round of applause and laughter
DEW Line Freight
Being Readied For
Alaska Transport
SEATTLE, UP> — Sixty thous
and tons of petfbleum and dry
cargo will go north this year to
supply the Distant Early Warning
radar line and other defense out
posts, the Army announced yes
terday.
The Puget Sound Tug and Barge
Co. and the United Transportation
Co. will combine to supply
“stretchout” Dewline stations in
the Aleutian Islands and “Mona
Lisa” aircraft control and warning
stations along Alaska’s western
coast and on Bering Sea islands.
Alaska Barge and Transport,
Inc., will supply Dewline bases
along Alaska’s Arctic coast.
The Army in Alaska will ar
range local supply of stations in
the Kuskokwim River section of
Interior Alaska.
This is the second year com
mercial firms have supplied the
Dewline and other defense out
posts of the north.
Dry cargo this year will be as
Army Engineer Facility at Pier
sembled in the Seattle District
37 and loaded on pallets. From
tnere it will be ferried to distri
bution points at Dutch Harbor.
Sales Tax Law Sent To
Joint Committee To
Iron Out Differences
JUNEAU, UP* — A new six-man
Senate and House committee was
named yesterday to attempt to
resolve differences over changing
provisions of Alaska’s local sales
tax law.
A conference committee report
on the much-amended bill pre
sented its recommendation yes
terday but it was rejected by the
House.
The measure, passed in differ
ent versions by the two houses,
would permit additional local op
tion on sales tax levies by muni
cipalities or school districts.
Flustering Flag Fashions . .
NEW YORK, (UP* — Flag makers
are in a flutter.
With the admission of Alaska
to the union, the flag manufac
turers began turning out 49-star
versions of Old Glory at top
speed to have a big supply on hand
when the new flags became offi
cial July 4th.
Now with Hawaii about to be
come a state also, the manufac
turers are in a dither over the
possibility that the 50-star version
will be needed even before those
with 49 can be used.
HAWAIIANS WANT EVERY
LETTER SPELLED OUT . . .
HONOLULU, UP* — Don’t abbre
viate Hawaii, says Postmaster
George T. Hara.
Post Office regulations say the
fledgling state’s name should be
spelled out.
Governor Gains
In-Strength for
Fourth Operation
JUNEAU, UV—Gov. William A.
Egan appears to have gained
about 10 pounds and seems “per
ceptibly -improved” over his con
dition two weeks .ago, Burke
Riley, chief aide in the gover
nor’s office, reports.
Riley was back at his desk on
Wednesday, Riley had had an
other meeting at Seattle which
Egan requested and during which
he gave a general review of the
legislature’s progress.
Egan is now able to take short
walks outside his Seattle apart
ment, Riley said. He is still con
valescing and awaiting a fourth
major operation to remove a gall
stone.
159ers Face Two More
; Weeks of Rugged Motoring
In Wilderness Trek
SHELBY, Mont., UP>—The 59ers
entered Canada today, two weeks
and 2,000 miles of wilderness high
way from their goal in Alaska.
The motorized caravan of for
i mer Detroit residents crossed the
Canada-United States border 40
miles north of here. They will
reach the southern end of the
! Alcan Highway at Edmonton,
Alta., sometime this weekend.
Townspeople and civic leaders
treated the hardy pioneers to a
free breakfast this morning. -
The nearly 50 adventurers are
bound for the Kenai Peninsula,
where they intend to homestead
160-acre tracts of farmland.
They left the Detroit area 10
days ago, and now are two days
behind schedule because of late
winter storms in the Midwest.
Auto and trailer breakdowns have
taken a toll, too.
Their departure this morning,
marked the start of the second
and most arduous half of the voy
age.
The ’59ers were given accom
modations last night in the Civic
Center after a dance.
Michigan Congressman
Opines Homesteads Being
Used For Profiteering
WASHINGTON, UP) — Rep. Wil
liam S. Broomfield (R-Mich) said
today he hopes homestead laws
will be tightened to prevent land
profiteering and speculation in
Alaska homesteads.
Some Alaskan homesteaders, he
said, “are attempting to use their
land for subdivision or resale, ra
ther than or farming purposes.”
He said Rep. Wayne Aspinall
(D-Colo', chairman of the House
Interior Committee, told him that
“Only a very small percentage”
of land homesteaded in Alaska
actually is farmed on a continuing
basis.
Broomfield’s interest in the mat
ter began when a Michigan group
known as the 59ers asked him to
help them on a planned migra
tion to Alaska.
The congressman said he has
urged the House Agriculture Com
mittee to set up a more flexible
surplus food distribution program
to permit use of surplus food
stocks by Alaska homesteaders.
Wade Submits ‘Balanced’ Budget To
Legislators, Advising ‘Hold - the - Line’
Senate Splits
Commerce, Labor
In Reorganization
By WILLIAM J. TOBIN
JUNEAU, WI — A Department
of Commerce was written into the
state government reorganization
bill last night.
The Senate acted unanimously
to split commerce functions from
the Department of Labor. It then
beat back 17 efforts to change
proposed administration of edu
cation and fisheries.
A 16-4 vote on final passage
cleared the bill in the Senate, with
the key measure now calling for
12 executive departments under
the direct control of the Governor.
The Employment Security Com
mission, one of the state’s major
agencies, would be under the
Labor Department.
The roll call ended a 2-hour and
45-minute night session, the first
of the new Legislature. With the
two Senate galleries jammed to
overflowing, the debate touched
off the first heavy oratory in the
Senate since the Legislature con
vened on January 26.
Sen. A1 Owen asserted:
“We’ve had a patchwork form
of government from 1913 to 1957.
We’ve been constantly trying to
shore up \frhat we had. Now the
people of Alaska will welcome a
fresh start.”
“We don’t have to do it all at
once,” protested Sen. John Cog
hill. “This is too big a chunk to
chew at one time. We’re reorgan
izing too fast.”
Said Sen. Ralph Moody:
“Reorganization has long been
overdue in Alaska. We’ve got to
start somewhere, and this is a
good place.”
But said Sen. B. J. Logan:
“This bill is a playground for
political dreamers.”
The our votes against the bill
were cast by Democrats Logan and
James Nolan, of Wrangell and Re
publicans Coghill and Jack Weise
of Bethel.
Road Funds Bill Would
Give 2nd Division New
Shares In Fuel Revenue
JUNEAU, UP) — A bill calling
for expenditure of motor fuel
highway funds in nearly equal
proportions in the four major dis
tricts of the state was introduced
recently in the Alaska Senate.
The measure was sponsored by
two Northwestern District Sen
ators, Democrats John McNees of
Nome and Eben Hopson of Bar
row, and Sen. George B. McNabb
Jr., Fairbanks Democrat.
The present act says the high
way fund revenue should be ex
pended as nearly as practicable
in the division where collected.
The new bill would mean a sub
stantial increase in highway funds
for the old Second Division, if
enacted. *
By ERNIE MORRIS
JUNEAU, — The Legislature
received the first executive bud
get in Alaska’s history today from
acting Governor Hugh Wade.
It called for expenditures of
$26,572,000 during the fiscal year
beginning July 1. Wade estimated
general fund revenues for the
same period at $23,545,000.
The acting Governor called the
measure a “balanced budget, in
tended to provide the highest level
of services consistent with the
state’s forseeable income.”
No New Taxes Required
It would require no new tax
measures, Wade said.
The $27,000 deficit in the bud
get would be covered, Wade said,
from $3,049,108 anticipated as the
unobligated balance in the gen
eral fund at the end of the cur
rent fiscal period June 30.
The 26 Vt million dollar budget
compares with a total of $36,248,
818 appropriated by the last Ter
ritorial Legislature in 1957, to
cover the two-year period now
ending.
Thus, Wade asked for an in
crease in general fund appropria
tions of over six million dollars
more than the approximate
amount for a one-year period
during tjje last territorial bien
nium.
The big increases went to
agencies that already spend the
largest amounts of state money.
Biggest Increase to Education
The Department of Education
got the biggest increase, up about
$2,683,0(H) — nearly a two-mil
lion dollar reduction from what
the Education Department had
sought.
The budget was the first ever
presented to the Legislature by an .
Alaska Governdr. Before state
hood, the budget was compiled by
the Department of Finance from
agency requests, and introduced
by the House Ways and Means
Committee.
The new budget also was com
piled from requests of the various
(Continued on Page Two)
Washington Governor
Expected to Call Special
Session for State Budget
OLYMPIA, UP) — Washington’s
legislature ended its 60-day reg
ular session early today without
acting on a budget or taxes
Democratic Governor Albert
Rosellini immediately called a
special session to start later today.
At the extra sessiqn, expected
to last a week or more, the legis
lature must act on a two billion
dollar spending program submitted
by the Governor, and provide at
least 100 million in new taxes to
balance the budget.
A proposed package tax plan
calls for a boost in the state sales
tax from 3V& to 4 per cent, a 25
per cent increase in the state busi
ness tax and a raise in the motor
vehicle tax. Legislators couldn’t
agree on either spending or new
taxes in the regular session.
ASTOUNDING . . . TERRIFIC . . . COLOSSAL . . . TREMENDOUS . . . STUPENDOUS . . . Words fail us to describe the
GREATEST BASKETBALL SPECTACLE tonight at 7:30 at the school gym
★ FROLICSOME FRAUS versus TANTALIZING TEACHERS * and DIZZY DADS versus TERRFYING TUTORS *
Admission: Adults $1.00 — BENEFIT OF SCHOOL BAND FESTIVAL FUND — Children 50^ (Accompanied hy Parent)