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_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. LI. No. 114 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1949 Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
NEW YORK, iff*)—Daylight sav
ings, the summer dividend of an
extra hour of evening recreation
for some 50.000,000 Americans,
ends this Sunday.
The official time for turning
back the clock an hour in nearly
all “fast time” zones is 2 a.m. Sun
day.
Thus the hour of sleep lost last
April 24 will be regained this Sat
urday.
DETROIT, UP) — Nash Motors
yesterday announced price reduc
tions ranging from $73 to $140.
The reductions apply to the
company’s new 1950 model cars
which went on display in dealer
showrooms today.
The cuts are possible, George
W. Mason, president and board
chairman of Nash-Kelvin a t o r
Corp. said, largely because of re
duced production costs resulting
from a freer flow of materials.
CHICAGO, CP) — Miss Joan C.
Gunderson, 21-year-old stenog
rapher, will change a letter in her
name today.
She will become Mrs. Gunder
sen, wife of Melvin C. Gundersen,
26. vice president of a construc
tion company.
Not only do their names sound
the same—they also have the same
birthday, Oct. 26.
SEATTLE CP)—The 28th Boeing
Stratocruiser — 21-ton, 60 to 80
passenger plane—was completed
Wednesday, the company an
nounced. It marked the halfway
point in the contracts for 56 planes.
SEATTLE. CP)—A “write your
Congressman” drive among all
Pacific Coast and Alaska Legion
naires is being started by the
Washington department of the
American Legion, state command
er Herbert A. Davis said Wednes
day night.
Its purposes is to “force the is-,
sue” in obtaining strengthened
military defenses for the area be
fore Congress adjourns.
CORDOVA, (JP) — “Civilization”
has come to Cordova.
The newly organized Kiwanis
club will receive its charter to
night—putting an end to Cordo
vans claims that this is probably
the only city under the American
flag without a luncheon club.
FAIRBANKS, (iP) — Salvati o n
Army Maj. C. Clitheros is seeking
a suitable location for new head
quarters here.
“I feel there is a great need for
our services as this city is the cen
ter of large construction projects
and has the same problem of
transients as Anchorage, where
^Continued on Page Five)
Call Parliament
| To Consider
Devaluation
- «
LONDON, bP) — Prime Minis
' ter Attlee’s cabinet agreed today
1 to call parliament back from its
vacation next Tuesday to debate
devaluation of the pound.
Meanwhile, speculation increas
ed that devaluation may compel
Attlee to call a general election
soon. One well-informed pro-labor
informant said the chance of an
early election now seemed about
50-50.
Labor rank and file remained
restless and fearful of higher liv
ing costs to come from devalua
tion.
But railway workers, bowing to
union discipline, spurned -a call
for a paralyzing slow-down strike
on London subways yesterday
morning. They instead were await
ing devaluation deveopments.
(Continued on Page Five)
U. S. Has Instru
i merits To Detect
i Atomic Explosions
(By Frank Cacey)
•i/P) Press Science Reporter)
WASHINGTON. bP)—'The evi
dence of an atomic explosion in
Russia probably was picked up by
radiation-detection instruments —
or just possibly by earthquake re
cording devices.
While neither President Truman
nor the atomic energy commission
offer an explanation of how the U.
S. got wind of the explosion re
ported by the White House, these
are known facts:
1. Atomic scientists have instru
ments, such as geiger counters, for
spotting rays coming from the
ground or in the atmosphere.
But how far radiation from an
atomic explosion can be detected
has never been made public.
2. Earthquake-recording instru
ments called ‘seismographs” are
able to record disturbances in the
earth’s crust. But this must be re
membered: an atomic bomb explo
sion doesn’t begin to compare with
the energy of an earthquake.
Thus, if seismographs actually
did decord evidence of an explo
sion in Russia, they necessarily
would have had to be quite close
to the scene.
Detection by radiation-spotting
instruments is by far the most
likely possibility.
Conceivably—although there is
no official word to back this—air
planes bearing such devices might
have been operating close to Rus
sian territory. If so, airborne par
ticles of radioactive dust might
have come within the range of
these instruments.
Senate < )K’s
Foreign Arms
Aid Program
—
WASHINGTON, (£>)—’The ad
ministration chalked up an impor
| tant victory in foreign policy to
day on the strength of the Senate’s
55 to 24 approval of an overseas
arms program.
The Senate reached its decision
■ late yesterday to re-arm friendly
nations after beating down all
moves to make a $200,000,000 cut
in the $1,314,010,000 arms bill.
The measure came through the
Senate with onyl two minor chang
es. This was in part a personal
triumph for Senator Connally (D.
Tex.) and Senator Vandenberg (R.
Mich.). the two party leaders in
' foreign affairs who led the fight
! for the aid program.
19 Republicans joined 36 Demo
I crats in voting for passage. Ten
Democrats and 14 Republicans
, voted against it.
In the debate, Senator I alt m.
Ohio>, contended that the program
contemplates arming every nation
in the world that might be oppos
ed to Russia. This, he said, “is
likely to incite Russia to war,”
But Vandenberg argued that the
goal is “stopping aggression be
fore it reaches us.”
The Senate’s vote pledged Con
gress to a foreign arms program
since the House already has ap
proved a similar military aid bill.
The amount of money to be au
thorized remains in doubt.
The House voted $869,505,000 to
carry out the arms plan—which ■
$444,505,000 less than the Sen- i
ate figure. Senate and House
members will work out their dif- i
ferences in conference.
Little Chance For
Coal Strike Peace
WBy Harold W. Ward)
White Sulphur Sprilngs, W. Va.
OP)—Chances for an early settle
ment of the coal strike faded yes
terday even though southrn mine
owners hinted they were getting
ready to make up the back pay
ments to the united mine workers
welfare fund.
The 480.000 UMW members |
walked off their jobs last Monday
after trustees of the welfare fund
voted to halt benefit payments.
The fund was threatened with a
deficit even before some southern
operators began withholding roy
alty payments on the grounds
their contract with the union ex
pired in June.
Northern and western coal op
erators meeting here with John L.
Lewis sparred for time, watching
developments in the steel dispute.
Union sources said the mine own
(Continued on Page Eight)
Steel Strike
Postponed For
Another Week
PITTSBURGH, (/P» — Philip
Murray's CIO united steelworkers
yesterday put off for another week
the nationwide steel strike set for
Saturday midnight.
The million-member union”s
policy making committee joined
industry in accepting President
Truman’s plea for extension of the
strike truce until 12:01 a.m. Sat
urday October 1. to permit re
newed contract talks.
The action came as wildcat
walkouts shut down two Pitts
burgh steel plants and idled 2,400
workers. Pickets carried signs de
manding “strike—not more ex
tension,” and “Strike-—free pen
sions.”
Murray and the industry dead
locked on acceptance of a Presi
dential board’s peace recommen
dations that the steelworkers get
company financed insurance and
pensions. The union accepted. In
dustry objected to footing the bill
and refused to be bound by the
report without bargaining. They
•Continued on Page Six)
China Asks Aid
Against Chinese
Communists
NEW YORK, (/P)—China called
on the United Nations assembly
yesterday to act quickly to pre
vent communism from engulfing
China and the entire Far East. For
the first time. China also charged
that Russia was directing the Chi
nese communists.
China’s chief delegate, Dr. T. F.
Tsiang. told the 50 national delega
tions that the North Atlantic Pact !
had halted the flow of commun- j
ism across Europe, but ther was no
such barrier in the East.
“The Chinese communist party,” |
he said, “is an integral part of the
international communist move
ment. It is as fanatical as com
munists elsewhere. Its propaganda
is always in step with Moscow
propaganda. Its action is always
in step with Moscow’s action.”
Tsiang spoke less than 24 hours
after the Chinese communists pro
claimed at Peiping the establish- I
ment of a communist people’s re
public of China.
Tsiang devoted almost his en
tire speech to an attack on com
munism. 8hen he made his appeal
for help.
He asserted the Soviet Union al
ready had obtained more in Man
churia than Czarist Russia ever
tried to seize. He added:
“In addition, the Soviet Union,
through the Chinese communist
(Continued on Page Five)
Truman Publishes
Statement Russians
Have Secret
(By Ernest B. Vaccaro)
WASHIN GTON. UP) — The
United States has evidence of a
recent atomic explosion in Russia
—news indicating the communists
at long last have learned to make
an a-bomb.
President Truman disclosed this
in a statement today. He then held
an hour-long session with his cab
inet about it.
Mr. Truman said the develop
ment emphasizes the necessity for
“truly effective, enforceable in
ternational control of atomic en
ergy.”
The United States has sought
that through the United Nations,
but has been unable to get togeth
er with Russia on how it should
be carried out.
With a note of reassurance to
the American people, the Presi
said the probability that some
other nation might develop an
atomic bomb “has always been
taken into account by us.”
Quickly after the White House
announcement came word from
the British government in London
that it also has evidence of an
atomic explosion in Russia.
In Washington, the word swept
swiftly around government de
partments and through Congress.
At the Pentagon—headquarters
of the military services — there
were signs of some excitement,
but no official would discuss the
matter.
A spokesman for the atomic en
ergy commission, in reply to quer
ies, said :“We have nothing to
say.”
Reporters pressed secretary of
defense Johnson for more infor
mation when he left the cabinet
meeting.
“Have we made any change in
the disposition of our forces since
this happened?” a reporter asked.
“No,” Johnson replied.
“Does the cabinet know any
more about this than is contained
in the President’s statement?”
“The cabinet knows all about
it.” Johnson said. “It was fully in
formed.”
“Do you have reason to believe
this was the first atomic explosion
in Russia?” Johnson was asked.
He smiled, shook his head, and re
fused to answer.
At the Capitol, Senator McMa
hon (D.-Conn.), chairman of the
joint Congressional committee on
atomic energy, called a meeting
6f the committee behind closed
doors.
In a Senate speech only yester
day, McMahon said that if Russia
had the atomic bomb she could
send the bombs to American ports
on tramp steamers and blow up
(Continued on Page Seven)