BE NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VO L. L No. 6 2. • ~NOME7aLASKA, MONDAY, MAY 2471948 15c Per COPY
President Makes |
4-Point Plan For
Alaska Territory
WASHINGTON,— </P> —Presi
dent Truman’s plan to make Al
aska a “strong partner” of the
43 states was welcomed in Con
gress today as a defense move
“against whatever aggressive ac
tion Russia May take.”
While the president mentioned
the need for Alaskan “military
development” only briefly, that
angle was the one stressed most
heavily by members of Congress
commenting on his special mes
sage yesterday. Several of them
added that the development pro
gram should have started long ago.
“We must put Alaska in a pos
ition where we can defend it ag
ainst whatever aggressive action
Russia may take,” said Rep. Craw
ford <R-Mich). “The president is
on the right track this time, but we
are ten years behind right now.”
Mr. Truman urged statehood
for the 80-year-old territory “at
the earliest possible moment.” but
pointed out that other steps also
are needed “if Alaskans are to
achieve steady and balanced in-1
dustrial, agricultural and commun-,
ity growth.”
He asked Congress for speedy
action on the following subjects:'
I. Improvement of air. sea and
land transportation.
2. Federal aid for housing,
health and community facilities,
such as schools, hospitals, and
public utilities.
3. Settlement of land claims by
natives which have complicated
property ownership.
4. Encouraging new settlers.
Mr. Truman noted with approv
al that the House Public Lands
Committee had voted unanimous
ly for an Alaska statehood mea
sure. That bill, however, has been
held up by th£ rules committee.
There was no mention in the
president’s message of Alaska’s
strategic position in relation to
• Continued on Page Eight*
First Boat Sails
For Nome June 3rd
Second, June 17tli.
We have received information
from the Seattle office of the Al
aska Steamship Company, that
the sailing, the second of the sea
son, will be moved up a week
to June 17, because of the heavy
offering of Nome cargo, which
cannot be accommodated on the
first sailing June 3rd. Officials of
the company believe that by mov
ing the sailing up one week from
June24th as previously scheduled
there will not be too much delay
in consignees receiving their mer
chandise even if received hre for
the second sailing.
The announcement stated that
the deadline for ordinary freight
will be 3:00 p.m. on May 28th for
the first boat.
Th first boat scheduled for the
Nome and Norton Sound sailing
is the M/V Jumper Hitch, and in
addition to other ports of call
listed, will call at Ungalik after'
the Golovin stop.
JEWISH STRONG POINT IN JAFFA
i
Jewish soldiers man a strong point on the border of the Jewish occu
pied area of Jaffa, the Manshieh district and the British-held area of
the Arab city, after Irgun Zvai Leu mi forces had attacked the section.
(AP Wirephoto)
I
Fairbanks Flooded
By Cliena River
Loss Over $100,000
■ . -
! FAIRBANKS, — (JP)—'The flood
ing Chena River apparently crested
late Saturday af.er causing dam
! age estimated roughly at near
$100,000.
Despite the leveling off of the
swollen stream, hundreds of per
sons renewed their all-night vigil
behind dirt dikes hastily thrown
up to protect their homes and
various property holdings.
Ppersons driven from homes
prepared to spend their second
night in emergency shelters such
as lodge halls and dormitories
of the University of Alaska.
The bulk of the damage was
in the basements and first floors
of homes in the flood area. Resi
dents looked forward to many
hours of pumping out flooded
basements, clearing property of
debris and repairing damage.
VFW Joins Am.
Legion On Vets’
Legislation
JUNEAU, —(/P)—The Veterans
of Foreign Wars has joined the lo
cal American Legion in urging
Congress to refrain from passing
legislation with more Veterans’
benefits.
Like the Legion post, the VFW
group also urged correctiom of
any defects now existing in the
program of veterans’ benefits.
The resolution said that appro
priations for veterans now amount
to 20 per cent of the Federal bud
get.
Six Nations In
Agreement For
Western Germany
LONDON, — </P) —Respons
ible diplomatic sources say a six
nation agreement has been reached
here to set up a provisional gov
ernment this year for western
Germany.
They reported last night a ten
tative decision has been made
to call a constituent assembly
about Sept. 1, with broad powers
and authority to draw up a con
stitution for that area.
The six nations are the United
States, France and Great Britain,
which share occupation of west
ern Germany, and Belgium, the
Netherlands and Luxembourg,
linked in the Benelux Customs
Union and adjoining Germany as
France does.
Seattle Sending
U of' W Glee Club
‘Gift’ to Alaska
SEATTLE,—A “Gift” to Alaska
from Seattle businessmen com
memorating the 50th anniversary
of the Alaska Gold Rush will sail
from Seattle June 10.
The “Gift” will be the Univer
ity of Wahington Glee Club, 28
strong under the direction of Pro
fessor Charles W. Lawrence, which
will visit 13 Alaska cities to pre
sent performances.
Arriving from Fairbanks by air
Sunday, June 20, the club will
present an evening performance
in Nome and fly to Kodiak the
'Continued on Page Eight)
I Northwest Floods
Causing Great
Loss and Damage
By The Associated Press—Rising
rivers in four northwest states cre
ated tension today in areas be
ing threatened by floods.
Northern Idaho and western
Montana were the first to feel
the force of heavy runoffs from
mountain snow packs, but Wash
ington and Oregon residents al
so were watching the river gauges.
Reports from St. Regis, Mont.,
said the town was partially under
water and the south fork of the
Clark Fork River was threaten
ing a bridge on U.S. highway 10.
The town is 30 miles east of the
Idaho-Montana line.
In Missoula, Mont., some low
lands and roads were flooded and
water poured into basements in
some neighborhoods as the Miss
oula River reached its highest
since the 1908 flood. The river
still was rising.
Bonners Ferry, Idaho, residents
watched the Koot°nai River creep;
an inch an hour toward the top j
of 31-foot dikes guarding the
town and 40,000 acres of land.
The Weather Bureau predicted
the river would reach the 30-foot
mark and go over the dikes in
the next few days. The Army
Corps of Engineers dispatched
220 soldiers from Fort Lewis to
help save the dikes.
In northern Idoho and eastern
Washington, the St. Joe, Snake,
Clearwater and Spokane Rivers
hit new peaks for the year. The
rising tributaries were forcing up
the level of the mighty Columbia.
Cloudbursts in southeastern and
(Continued on Page Five)
Britain Starts New
Move To Halt
Palestine War
By the Associated Press — A
new move to halt the Palestine
war was forecast in London Sat
urday.
Foreign secretary Ernest Bevin
discussed the situation with Lew
is Douglas, U.S. Ambassador. Soon
afterward, diplomatic officials said
the new move, described as im
portant, will come to the United
Nations. Earlier officials said Brit
ain had informed the United
States that Britain must retain
her relations with Arab nations
in the middle east as a “great bar
rier against the flow of Commun
ism.”
On another diplomatic front,
there were signs of a Russian
plan to reduce war reparations
in an effort to tighten relations
with Communist politicians in
Finland suggesting that their gov
ernment ask Russia to cut their
$300,000,000 reparations bill. Such
a letter would not be published
in Moscow without some official
backing for such a plan. A Mos
| cow dispatch pointed out that
i there would be nothing to stop
Romania and Hungary from mak
i ing similar requests if Finland
does so.
British military anthorities at
Haifa announced today that Spit
| fires had shot down four Egyp
tian planes bombing a British
airfield at Ramat David. 35 miles
east of Tel Aviv.
The announcement said three
Britons were killed and six wound
ed in three separate raids on the
field, which is within the Haifa
(Continued on Page Eight)
Southern Demos
Agree To Support
Truman’s Veto
WASHINGTON, — (/P) —Presi
dent Truman had evidence today
that some of the southern Demo
crats who have been battling his
civil rights program still are will
ing to support him on other mat
ters.
The evidence came in the form
] of 27 Democratic Senate votes
which sustained his veto of a bill
which w'ould have permitted Sen
, ators to order an FBI investiga
I tion of key atomic officials.
I Two Republicans — Langer of
North Dakota and Morse of Ore
gon—also went along. But as the
count turned out their votes were
not needed to give Mr. Truman
his first veto victory this year.
GOP leaders had counted on
southern anger over the presi
dent’s civil rights proposals to
help them override the veto.
But only nine Democrats joined
the 38 Republicans voting to over
ride. That was four short of the
necessary two-thirds majority.
Among those supporting Mr.
Truman’s argument that the bill
would invade his executive pow
ers were such outspoken critics
of his civil rights program as Sen
ators Olin Johnson of South Caro
lina, Hill and Sparkman of Ala
bama, and Stennin of Mississippi.