™i NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. L. No. 27 NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1948 PER COPY — 15c
NEWS IN BRIEF j
COOS BAY, Ore. </P) — The
coast guard cutter Bonham has
exploded the >14th Japanese mine
found floating off the Oregon
Washington coast this winter.
The cutter spotted the mine 28
miles off Bandon. It was reported
by the tanker Scofield Sunday.
ROCHESTER, Mass., (/P) — Po
lice chief William Jenkins won’t!
have to worry about balancing his
budget.
He doesn’t have ony.
The chief asked for $1,500 for
running his department. The town
meeting cut that to $300, then to
$100 and then voted it out alto
gether.
VATICAN CITY, {/P) — Papal
banners flew yesterday from Vati
can City in honor of Pope Pius
XII’s 72nd birthday and the ninth
anniversary of his election as Pon
tiff. Both events will be observed
formally on March 12, annivers
ary of the Pope’s coronation, with
a Papal mass in the Sistine chapel.
SHARON, Mass., (/P) — Cham
pion Red Shadow is mothering a
litter of 17 beady-eyed Irish Set
ters today. The owner, Fred Shaw,
said he believed it was the largest
litter of the type ever born in the
United States. He estimatd the
value of the puppies at $4,000.
The father is Red Star of Holly
wood. The parents hold Obedience
Show badges.
BOSTON, (/P) — A man who
identified himself as a horse race
bettor filed his state income re
turn by mail at the office of tax
commissioner Henry F. Long, yes
terday.
In an accompanying letter he
explained briefly why he wasn’t
enclosing a check:
The letter said:
“Henry, I’m short, so it will be a
long time before I can pay.”
_ l
NEW YORK, (/P)—Platinum ad
vanced $3 an ounce yesterday for
the second time in a month.
Scarcity of the metal due to lack j
of Russian offerings was given as J
the cause for the hike to $72 an
ounce wholesale and $75 retail.
______________
WASHINGTON, (/P)—New bills
and resolutions include: by Dele-!
gate Bartlett: to place Territories
on the same footing as States in j
judicial review of rejected civil;
aeronautic board applications.
TROY, N. Y. (/P)—The fire de
partment of Poestenkill wants
residents to fork over $50 when
they call for fire fighting equip
ment and $25 for each hour of use.
The department posted the rates
last night, declaring the town
board has shown “continued disre
gard” of a need for additional
funds.
SEATTLE, (JP)—All primped up
and ready for action, the Alaska
passenger steamer Denali came
out of a three-week layup today.
She is scheduled to sail from Seat
tle Saturday.
During her respite from the rig
ors of the Alaska trade, the Denali
underwent annual inspection, got
British To Battle
j
Either Aggressor
In Palestine
JERUSALEM, </P) — British
troops battled beside Jews yester
day against Arab snipers dug in
on hillsides commanding the Jeru
salem-Jaffa road, a Jewish agency j
source said.
The British vowed last night to
use their weapons henceforth “im
partially against whichever side is
firing.”
The informant said both British
police and Tommies moved into
the area, about 12 miles outside
Jerusalem.
A large-scale battle appeared to
be under way. Heavy automatic
weapons and grenades were
heard, and the Jews were believed
to be bringing up mortars.
The British crack-down order
in Jerusalem came from Brig. C.
P. Jones, commander of the Brit
ish garrison, who declared that
force must be used impartially
against whichever force is firing
in the area.
His statement followed one by
the British Mandate government
which charged the Jewish agen
cies with condoning terrorism.
The government’s charge all but
severed relations with the Jewish
agency, political representatives of
Palestine’s 700,000 Jews.
Seeks Greater
Taxing Power
For Territory
i -
Delegate Bartlett has introduced
legislation, H. R. 5477, which
would allow the Territorial legis
lature to alter, amend, modify or
repeal a 48-year old law of Con
gress which he believes is out
worn and should be discarded.
In 1899 and 1900, trade and oc
cupation license tax acts were
passed by Congress, with later
amendments, allowing only certain
businesses to be taxed by license
fees. Such taxes as levied and col
lected by the federal government
are now deposited in what is
called the Alaska Fund and are
disbursed by the federal govern
ment for construction and repair
of roads, school maintenance and
relief of the indigent in the Terri
tory.
Delegate Bartlett in presenting
H. R. 5477 to Congress reiterates
his belief that the Territorial leg
islature should be allowed increas
ed power in taxation matters now
curtailed by existing federal laws, i
including the Organic Act.
I
I
\
a new fire sprinkler system, and
had her staterooms and galley re- j
modeled.
Capt. Ben Aspen will be on the
bridge as usual when the Denali
heads north again.
_
FORT MYERS, Fla., (>P)—John
L. Lewis came to town yesterday
and answered “no comment” even
when asked if he’d been fishing.
The United Mine Workers pres
ident is vacationing at the remote
Pine Island resort. He had a sun
burn that indicated long hours of j
fishing.
Reds Prepare To
Take Over Finland
(By Edwin Shanke)
HELSINKI (/P)—Finland’s Com-!
munists yesterday began organiz
ing factory and trade union meet-1
ings to support a military pact j
with Russia.
The Communist organ Tyoekan
sas Sanomat said workers favor a
freindship and assistance treaty
with the Soviet Union because it;
is the best way to guarantee the!
interests of Finland and the cause
or peace.
The first of the factory meetings
being organized by the commun
ists were held Monday at Turku
and Tempere, two of Finland’s
most important industrial centers.
Political leaders held closed ses
sions to discuss whether Finland
should negotiate with the Russians
and what the consequences would
be, particularly in the west. They
hoped to have their answers ready
for President Juho Paasikivi to
day.
Bullitt Insists
On Military Aid
For China
WASHINGTON, (/P) — William
C. Bullitt, former ambassador to
Russia, advised Congress yester
day to vote $100,000,000 for “mil
itary supplies to China.”
Bullitt testified to the House
foreign affairs committee which is
considering the administration’s
request for $570,000,000 aid for
China.
The administration’s program
contemplates only economic help
for the Chinese—money to finance
food and other consumer imports
and for improvement of railroads,
roads and factories. Some Con
gress members have urged that
the program be broadened to in
clude weapons the Chinese gov
ernment can use in fighting com
munists.
Bullitt accused the state depart
ment, which drafted the aid pro
gram, of “blindness and apathy”
toward China.
“China is the key to the entire
Far East,” he said. “If our govern
ment should permit the Commun
ist to take over China, it would
have failed to bar the way to at
tack on our country by over
whelming masses of Stalin-driven
slaves.”
U. S. Must Arm
Greece and Turkey
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Secre
taries Marshall and Forrestal told
Congress today there is “grave
danger” Greece and Turkey can
not remain free unless they get
more military aid from the United
States.
The two cabinet members testi- j
fied joinly to the House foreign
affairs committee in support of the
administration’s request for $275,
000,000 to be spent on guns, planes
and other weapons for the two na
tions.
Secretary of state Marshall said
that arming the Greek and Turks
would be “discouraging” to fur
ther aggression against their coun
tries.
Deny Report Benes
Has Resigned
LONDON, <>P) — The London
Evening News said yesterday Ed-1
uard Benes had resigned as Presi
dent of Czechoslovakia, but a
Czechoslovak embassy offi c i a 1
speedily denied it.
The newspaper’s story was tele
phoned from Prague.
Benes, at 64, is in frail health.
He agreed last week to communist
demands giving communists com
plete control of the government
under premier Klement Gottwald.
“Last week he put his signature
to a formal declaration relinquish
| ing his title as president of the
Czechoslovak republic,” the Eve
ning News said.
“Communists have not yet al
lowed the regisnation to be made
public for fear of a violent reac
tion among the people.”
PRAGUE, (/P) — President Ed
uard Benes remains under the
care of his personal physician, and
his scheduled return to Prague
Thursday still is uncertain, the
ministry of information said yes
terday.
A ministry spokesman termed
“stuff and nonsense” a London
Evening News story ‘that Benes
had resigned and that the com
munists now are in control of the
government and were keeping the
resignation secret.
Benes, 64 and frail, is at the
presidential country home at Sezi
movo Usti, the ministry said. His
physician is a Dr. Klinger, who
i long has attended him.
Situation Tense
In Costa Rica
—
(By Reginald Wood)
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, (/P) —
President Teodoro Picado ordered
all Costa Rica’s banks closed yes
terday and today as tension heigh
tened in the nation’s political cri
sis.
Gunplay broke out here Monday
night shortly after Congress had
annulled the victory of newspaper
Otilio Ulate Blanco in the Feb. 8
presidential elections. Yesterday
the nation awaited a general
strike order by Ulate’s union na-!
cional party.
Picado said he would suspend
civil rights and invoke martial
law if the party goes through with
the strike.
The government bank said it
had sent 1,000,000 colones ($200,
000) to Limin, on the Atlantic j
coast, to check heavy withdrawals
there.
Two customs guards were slain
in a gunfight at the home of Car
los Valverde, a newly elected dep
uty and an ardent supporter of
Ulate. Valverde was said to have
been wounded so seriously that he
is not expected to live.
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, (/P> —
Otilio Ulate Blanco, whose elec-,
tion as president was voided by!
Congress, is in jail today charged:
with complicity in the killing of
two custom^ guards.
Ulate may be tried, may go free,
(Continued on Page Eight)
Rep. Jackson Says
Alaska Freight
Rates Too High
(By Charles D. Watkins)
UA') Special Washington Service)
WASHINGTON (/P)—Rep. Jack
son <D.-Wash.) said yesterday
Alaskan shipping rates are too
high and the maritime commission
should find a way to reduce them.
He wrote the commission that it
should make a careful study of the
capital structure of the various
shipping companies operating un
der the Alaska interim steamship
service law.
This law provides three Seattle
companies shall operate the serv
ice to Alaska with ships chartered
to them at a nominal rate by the
government.
I Jackson said:
, “With the government provid
ing practically all of the invest
ment for present operation of dol
lar-a-year ships, it is quite evident
that the only investment required
by the companies, with the excep
tion of a very few vessels owned
by the Alaska Steamship company
and «the Alaska Transportation
company, is furnishing operating
capital in an amount necessary tu
carry on the business.
“The amount of capital for rate
making purposes therefore should
be held to an absolute minimum.
“In addition careful investiga
tion should be made of the operat
ing efficiency of the various com
panies.
“A substantial saving can be
made by modernization of loading
and unloading facilities.
“With the reduction of operat
! ing costs and a careful determina
tion of capital structure for rate
making purposes, I am sure there
^Continued on Pag'_ Four)
Finnish President
Impatient With
Parliament
(By Edwin Shanke)
HELSINKI UP)—President Juh<
Paasikivi was described by re
sponsible sources today as grow
ing impatient at parliament’s de
lay in informing him of its view
on a suggested military pact witl
Russia.
Political leaders are said to b
in favor of negotiating on the pac
but emphasize that acceptance c
prime minister Stalin’s proposi
would not necessarily follow.
The 78-year-old president, wh
has had years of experience i
dealing with the Russians, w;
said to fear that undue dels
might irritate them and destroy
favorable basis for negotiations.
Last night the Finnish “Popul;
Front” of Communists and e
treme left-wing socialists issued
statement urging acceptance
the pact. The powerful combi
which has 51 of the 200 seats
parliament hailed Russia as “t
most powerful power on our cc
tinent.”
It has been estimated that thi
are between 28,000 and 45,C
communists among Finlan
3,775,000 ciitzens.