THE
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS _
62nd Year No. 21 NOME, ALASKA, MONx A\ BRUARY 20, 1961 _Per Copy 15<
President Proposes a $5.7 Billion
Aid-to-Edneation Program Designed
To Set a New Standard of Excellence
By G. K. Hodenfield
WASHINGTON UP) — President
Kennedy today proposed a $5.7
billion aid-to-education program
designed to set “a new standard
of excellence in education” avail
able to all who are willing and
able to pursue it.”
In a special message to Con
gress, the President called for:
A three-year program of out
right grants to the states for use
in building classrooms or raising
teachers’ salaries. It would pro
vide an average of $19.75 for each
child in average daily attendance
in public elementary and second
ary schools the first year, increas
ing to an average of $24.22 the
third year. Total cost : $2.3 bil
lion.
A five-year program of college
scholarships, averaging $700 each
with an additional $350 to col
leges and universities for each
scholarship winner enrolled. There
would be 25,000 scholarships the
first year, 37,500 the second, and
50,000 thereafter. Total cost:
$577.5 million.
Continuation of the 10-year-old
program of long-term, low inter
est loans to colleges and univer
sities for dormitory construction,
at a rate of $250 million a year
for five years. Total cost: $1.3
billion.
Establishment of a similar loan
program for the construction of
college classrooms, libraries, la
boratories and other academic
facilities, at the rate of $300 mil
lion a year for five years. Total
cost: $1.5 billion.
No funds were recommended
Two Airlines
Shutdown; 74,000
Face Layoffs
NEW YORK UP) — Two big air
lines ordered a complete shut
down today under the impact of
a wildcat strike by a relatively
small union. Operations of four
other lines were heavily curtail
ed. About 74,000 employes faced
layoffs.
The staggering effects, build
ing up from a four-day-old walk
out of flight engineers, forced
one of the most widespread stop
pages in commercial aviation his
tory.
American Airlines and Trans
World Airlines, two of the na
tion’s biggest air carriers, an
nounced they will halt all flight
operations at midnight.
They sent furlough notices to
most of their 44,000 employes —
only those needed for house
keeping functions were to be kept
on.
Pan American also said it was
laying of all its 20,000 employes
in a move that will shut down all
its flights — except possibly two
Tuesday. The tide of layoffs plan
ned by three other airlines would
bring the total to 75,000.
The union itself, the Flight En
gineer International Union, has
3,500 members.
The engineers are protesting a
Feb. 6 decision by the National
Mediation Board ordering them
and another union, the Air Lines
Pilots’ Assn., to hold an election
for a single bargaining agent.
The engineers, outnumbered by
pilots, claim the decision could
wipe out their union — and pos
sibly their jobs.
for constructing schools or pay
ing church school teachers’ sal
aries. But no distinction was
made between public a"d private
institutions regarding c o 11 e e e
scholarships and loans to colleges.
Senate Minority Leader Everett
Dirksen announced he was ready
with a Republican substitute for
Kennedy’s education program.
Dirksen’s measure is a four-year
$2 billion proposal. Federal aid,
to be matched by the states, would
be limited to construction of class
rooms.
House Speaker Sam Rayburn,
opposes contributions to teachers’
salaries.
The President told Congress,
“this is a modest program with
ambitious goals.”
It does, indeed, fall far short
of the recommendations he re
ceived from his special task force
on education last month, and short
even of the aid to education bill
which died in Congress last year
after passage in the Senate.
Kennedy Proposes
Another Increase
In Social Security
WASHINGTON UP> — President
J Kennedy today proposed still an
other increase in Social Security
taxes to provide more benefits in
some cases and to extend cover
age to additional workers.
The changes Kennedy proposed
would require an increase of one
fourth of one per cent in Social
Security taxes levied against both
workers and employers.
Kennedy did not estimate the
cost of the suggested tax increase.
Kennedy recently proposed an
other increase of the same amount
to finance the new administra
tion’s plans for health insurance.
Kenedy proposed:
1. Increase from the present $34
a month to $43 the minimum
benefit payable.
2. Reduce the age at which men
are eligible for retired benefits
from the current 65 to 62. The
benefits for those who claim them
before the age of 65 would be re
duced.
3. Change the proportion of
time which an insured person
must work under Social Security
to be eligible for retirement bene
fits. This would be liberalized
to provide that workers put in one
quarter of each year, or three
months, in covered work for each
four quarters.
Four Young People
Confess to Two Robberies
Last Friday Night
Two business houses were
broken into on Friday night by
having the front doors broken
down. From Mazonna’s on 1st
Ave. a cash register was carried
outside and about $80.00 removed.
At Pop’s Drive-In six cartons of
cigarettes were stolen.
Two juveniles have been appre
hended by the city police and are
being turned over to the juvenile
authorities. Formal charges are
being made against two 18 year
olds.
About $60.00 taken from Ma
zonna’s has been recovered stated
Police Chief Bob Oliver.
Chief Oliver said this after
noon that all four had confessed. ,
Labor Fc.; c
Approve Minimum
Wage Increase
JITVFAU forces
Sahirdav u^o” ‘ •vrv">roved
a n-onosed a--' ••-> +bo s*ate
minimum waffp ‘SLSO to
SV75, but some re
luctance over px'""'’!’'-! overtime
provisions to 1c v—v- olds.
Labor ret)veso”tativr>s made up
the bulk of witnesses armearing
before the House r’ornmerce and
Labor Committee at a oublic hear
ing on a proposed wages and
hours bill.
The measure, submitted by Rep.
Henry Pratt of Anchorage, would
raise the minimum wage to $1.75
and make employes 16 years of
age and over eligble for overtime
pay
Employes currently exempted
under the Fair Labor Standards
Act also would be included under
the overtime section of the bill.
The principal group in this cate
gory would be retail sales clerks
and culinary workers.
Statements in opposition to the
measure were read to the com
mittee by Rep. William Board
man of Ketchikan.
One, from Ketchikan Chamber
of Commerce President Robert
Ellis, said that the measure would
tend to curtail the part time em
ployment of young people. The
other, from Wingren Food Stores,
said that the existing laws are
“adequate” and that change would
lead to inflationary conditions.
The only other person to speak
against the bill was theater
operator Jack Abbott, of Juneau.
He said that the legislation would
force an increase of 57 per cent
in his labor costs and could “force
the majority of theaters out of
business.”
Henry Hedberg, legislative re
presentative of the State Federa
tion of Labor, told the commit
tee that unions of the state were
strongly in favor of raising the
minimum wage to upgrade those
people who are now making sub
standard wages.”
He estimated that some 6,000 to
7,000 persons would benefit un
der the terms of the bill.
‘This bill should pass because
the people affected most by low
wages and inadequate overtime
pay are the native people to the
westward, many of whom are
being taken advantage of by gyp
po contractors and employers in
outlying areas.
“Talk about new frontiers —
this is it,” Hedberg said. “No one
can justify $1.50 an hour as a
decent rate of pay.”
Lou Dischner, representing the
Teamsters Union, said that his
union was in favor of the bill, al
though Teamsters would not be
affected by it.
Henry Benson of Anchorage, a
representative for the Carpenters
Union, also spoke strongly for
wiping out some of the acts ex
emptions.
He said, however, that he be
lieved the bill would tend to
equalize the competitive field so
that employers with union con-!
tractors would be protected
against employers paying sub
standard wages.
TOO MUCH NOISE . . .
MALNARDVILLE, Tenn. UP) —
Because its revival service was
too noisy, Kenneth Hatfield told
police, he tried to burn down a
church near his home. He pleaded
guilty to a charge of arson Thurs
day and was sentenced to five
years in prison. J
egislature
Into
I»s Fift1' Week
JUNFATT tm — The 1961 Legis- 1
lo*-.--, Wi4’-> rough hurdle be
1 ' A ’* and another one just
abound the corner, headed into its
TTrMle jp both parties
h'UH fast, to predictions the solons
would be aAl" to complete their
worv in 60 days or less, the score
to date was:
N«w pi^es of legislation intro- i
duced, 249. Number of bills
signed into law, 6.
Coming up this week in the
House, probably Thursday or Fri- j
day, is the Ferry Bond Bill, which
is not expected to find the same
reception a legislative pay bill
encountered Saturday.
Rep. Morgan Reed Chairman of
the States Affairs Committee,
indicated backers of the measure
will attempt to soothe some of
i its opponents with a companion
I bill to establish an operating au
1 thority.
i As it stands now, under the
j terms of HB44 the governor would
have the final say in all phases
j of the ferry operation.
! Various opponents of the bill
have indicated that at least some
of their fears might be erased
if an operating authority, per
haps patterned after Washington
State’s Toll Bridge Authority,
were created.
Establishment of the operating
authority would be designed to
take ferry operation out of the
realm of politics and place it un
der a bi-partisan board or au
thority which would represent all
sections of the state.
The House gave its approval to
the legislative pay cut bill Sat
urday with no fuss and no muss
and whisked it along to the Sen
ate, where it is expected to get
the same slick treatment.
The House Finance Committee,
with four legislative pay cut bills
tossed at it in the first few days
of the session, came up with a
substitute which cut annual pay
to $2,500.
The bill also trimmed per diem
for lawmakers from the 5th Dis
trict from $40 to $25 and for all
other legislators from $40 to $35.
Special annual allowances for the
Speaker of the House and the
President of the Senate were cut
from $600 to $500.
The committee restored some of
the annual pay cut in the form
of a yearly allowance of $300 for
postage, stationary, stenographic
services, etc.
The actual pay cut for each
legislator, other than the Speaker
of the House, the President of the
Senate and those lawmakers from
the 5th District, would amount to
$500 a year, from $5,400 to $4,900,
based on a 60-day legislative ses
sion.
Only six members of the House,
four Democrats and two Republi
cans voted against the bill.
It was extremely apparent from
the gallery when debate started
on final passage of the bill that
opponents in both parties had
been whipped into line, with the
exception of the six who voted
“nay.”
Would Repeal Bounty Laws
JUNEAU, UP)—All laws pertain
ing to bounties on wolves, coy
otes, wolverines and hair seals
would be repealed under terms of
a measure introduced in the
House today by Rep. C. M. Bink
ley of Fairbanks by request.
Seward Cops
Class B Basketball
Tournament
The Western Alaska Class B
Basketball Tournament was con
cluded on Friday evening in a
playoff game between Kodiak
a^d Seward with Seward the
champions and winners of the
beautiful individual trophies. The
score was 59-43 in an exciting
game with Seward in the lead
all the way. Bob Stanton was
high point man for the team with
21 and Buckingham headed the
Kodiak team with 14.
The banquet which was held
Friday night was planned and
cooked by Miss Sharon Lichten
berg, Home Economics teacher.
She was assisted by ten volun
teer ladies of the community and
some students. One hundred and
forty persons attended. Clever
programs with the basketball
theme were souvenirs of this
event.
The King Island Dancers under
the direction of Paul Tuilana
performed for the guests.
The presentations planned to
follow the dinner were made after
the play-off game. Mayor Steffen
Andersen presented the Seward
team with the Welcome Banner
which had been across Front St.
all week and the managers of
each team received Gold Mining
Certificates. Awards were made
by Wm. Zahradnecik, of the State
High School Activities Assn, and
executive secretary of the West
ern Alaska High School Activities
Assn., who stated that this tour
nament was the best he has par
ticipated in for many years.
This morning Conrad Potter,
superintendent, expressed appre
ciation to the city, the school staff
and everyone in the community
for their fine support in putting
over the first basketball tourna
ment in the Nome School.
The following were selected to
the All-Star Tournament Team:
Russell Murkoski, Seward;
Danny Olson, Kodiak; Robert
Stanton, Seward; Don Bucking
ham, Kodiak; Ross Cooper, Kenai;
Gordon Brown, Nome; Mike Tre
vethan, Seward; Dave LeBlanc,
Eielson; Erick Thompson, Kenai;
and Dave Watsjold, Seward.
Most valuable player award
went to Russell Murkoski, Sew
ard. Homer was awarded the
Sportsmanship Trophy.
Following the game the Nome
High School Seniors, Class of
1961, sponsored a Valentine Dance
and after the dance many of the
students attended a midnight
movie to round out the last eve
ning in Nome.
The visitors were at the Nome
Field by 6:30 Saturday morning
for take-off for Anchorage.
Propose Hydroelectric Study
On the Tuksuk River
JUNEAU — A joint resolu
tion asking the Army Corps of
Engineers to undertake a study
of a proposed hydroelectric de
velopment on the Tuksuk River
near Teller was introduced in the
House today.
The bill was sponsored by Reps.
Robert Blodgett of Teller, Jacob
Stalker of Kotzebue, Arthur John
son of Nome and Segundo Llo
rente of Alakanuk.
NOTICE
Federal and State Offices as
well as many of the local stores
will be closed on Wednesday, Feb.
22. This is also a Post Office
Holiday.