122 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. L. No. 72._NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 1948_15c Per COPY
Work Begun Today
On Hospital For
Nome People
The materials and supplies for
construction of the new hospital
for Nome is aboard the second
boat which sails for Nome this
week.
The information was received
from Harold Foss, of the Juneau
firm of architects, Foss and Mal
colm, who planned the building.
Mr. Foss stated that the con
tract was let to the Carson Con
struction Company of Helena,
Mont., after George Hite, local
contractor, gave up the job but
agreed to assist the Carson Comp
any in fulfillment of its contract.
The hospital, a completely mod
ern, reinforced concrete, two-story
building, will accommodate 34
(Continued on Page Five)
Russia Proposes
Meeting Be Held
In A Soviet State
WASHINGTON,— {JP) —Sov
iet Russia has accepted an Am
erican proposal to hold a ten-na
tion conference July 30 to ar
range for free international navi
gation on the Danube River.
In a reply announced by the
State Department Russia also
withdrew previous opposition to
Austria’s taking part in the con
ference. Moscow said it is will
ing to invite Australia to send
representatives in a non-voting
capacity.
The Soviet note, dated June 12,
said Yugoslavia advised it would
be difficult to provide facilities
for holding the conference at
Belgrade.
Russia proposed instead that it
be held in the capital of one of
the other Soviet bloc of Danube
states.
FLOOD WATERS
RECEDING IN
PACIFIC N’WEST
PORTLAND, — (JP) — Colum
bia River flood waters from the
rookies to the Pacific are reced
ing at all river gauges today.
The river will still flood for
three weeks while inching down
ward. The danger now is that
weakened levees may collapse af
ter 25 days of pounding.
There are 41 known dead in
the wake of the region’s greatest
disaster in the 1,000 mile long
river valley.
Some 60,000 are homeless in
the U.S. and Canada flood zones.
Damage is in the multimillions.
Still a mystery is the exact
toll in the Memorial Day destruc
tion of the flimsy-built war-time
apartment homes of 18,700 at Van
port, Ore. Five bodies have been
recovered, but the Red Cross has
(Continued on Page Eight)
%
Flood Contro Bills
|
| WashingtoirOre*
To White House
II
WASHINGTON, — (/P) —Ore
gon and Washington projects
would receive $40,235,500 under
terms of the record $573,000,000
appropriation bill for flood con
trol and navigation approved by
the Senate yesterday and sent to
the White House.
An additional $1,038,400 is set
| aside for the Wrangell Narrows
project in Alaska and another
$851,000is provided for two Ida-;
ho flood control projects.
Largest Northwest project in
cluded in the bill is $22,000,000
for McNary Dam on the Columbia
River.
i
May Not Extend
Plan Alaska Serv’c
I j
S After June 30th
WASHINGTON, — </P) —Sen
ator Magnuson <D-Wash) said to
day he has given up hope that
Congress will extend the present
temporary plan for steamship ser
vice to Alasfta.
The law, which permits the Mar
itime Commission to charter ships
at a dollar a year to three Seattle I
shipping companies, expires June
30. It was designed to give lower
freight rates to the Territory at
a time the companies said they
would need 85 per cent increase
(Continued on Page Five)
Draft Bill May Be i
Passed Today
WASHINGTON, — (/P) —House
leaders today announced they
had given up hope of passing
a draft bill last night and aimed
for passage today.
House Republican leader Hal
leck <R-Ind.) told newsmen “This
bill is too important and too far
reaching to be rammed through in
one day.”
Halleck said he is asking the
House to meet early today so the
bill can be disposed of then sent ,
to a Senate-House conference.
Debate opened yesterday on the
bill, with a plea by the chairman
of the rules committee for its
defeat.
The lead-off speaker, Rep. Al
len <R-I11>, told the House he is j
sure that arguments during the
debate will convince the members
“that this is not a necessary or
a good bill.”
“We all want national security,
Allen shouted. “The question is,
do we want national security by
the American way or by coer
cion, compulsion, regimentation
and control.”
JUMPER HITCH IN ICE FIELD
30 MILES SOUTH CAPE NOME
The M/S Jumper Hitch is re
ported to be caught in a solid
field of ice, 30 miles due south of
Cape Nome.
Bill Wood, Alaska Steamship
agent here, stated that he made
an extended flight with Bill Munz
and although they circled many
times, the area near the vessel, he
could not locate a lead or open
ing in the ice field.
Truman Blamed i
For Failure In
Rail Labor Talks
WASHINGTON, — (/P) —A. J. |
Glover, a railroad union leader, j
today blamed President Truman
for the failure of negotiations to
settle the railway labor dispute.
Glover, president of the AFL
Switchmen’s Union, told a con-1
gressional committee that pres-;
idential assistant John R. Steel
man told union chiefs at a White
House meeting on May 7 that'
Mr. Truman insisted they must!
accept the recommendations of;
an emergency board.
Appearing before the joint com
mittee on labor management rel
ations, Glover said: “We think!
a settlement could have been made
in these mediatory conferences
with Mr. Steelman, except for the
attitude of the President.”
To prevent a strike by the
engineers, firemen, and switch
men, Mr. Truman seized the rail
roads on May 10 and the govern
ment got a court order against
the walkout.
Mozees Visiting
In Washington
WASHINGTON, —Mr. and Mrs.
B. B. Mozee of Nome have called
on Delegate E. L. Bartlett of Al
aska while in the east on a ve
cation tour throughout the United
States. Mr. Mozee is United States
Marshal for the Second Division.
S S GEORGE WASHINGTON
The S. S. GEORGE WASHINGTON, new flagship of the Alaska Trans
portation Company fleet, made its inaugural voyage from Puget Sound
to Alaska the first week in June. The modern, up-to-date ocean liner has
three passenger decks, capable of carrying 270 people, in ocean travel
comfort.
Anchorage Gets
Appropriation For
New Airport
WASHINGTON, — l/P) —Con
struction of an $8,000,000 civil
ian airport at Anchorage, Alaska,
was recommended today by the
House Appropriations Committee.
The House is scheduled to vote
today on the measure, the defi
ciency appropriations bill carry
ing the money.
The committee said $3,000,000
of the apropriation is for direct
spending and $5,000,000 for con
tracts. President Truman asked
for $13,000,000.
The group added that testimony
indicated “the present volume of
traffic at Fairbanks could not
justify the request for $5,000,000
for a civilian airport at that point.
However, it said, “The commit
tee fully appreciates the import
ance of civilian air travel in Al
aska and should conditions with
respect to air travel in the Fair
banks area alter to an extent
that an additional airport can
be more definitely justified, the
committee will be glad to con
sider a request for this purpose
after Congress convenes in Janu
ary.
“Civilian operations at the Ar
my landing field at Fairbanks av
eraged up per day, —Take-offs
and landings by principle com
mercial planes averaged 115 per
month or 3.8 per day.
Russians Building
lireat Empire
Delegate Bartlett
WASHINGTON, — (7P) —Dele
gate Bartlett <D-Alaska> said yes
terday that Russia is building a
“great industrial empire” in So
viet Russia across the Bering
Strait from Alaska.
He said in a speech prepared
for the House that while Russia
is making “great advances” the
United States is neglecting to for
tify Alaska as one of its most
vital outer defenses.
Russian accomplishments in Si
beria, Bartlett said, are “simply
astounding.” He added:
“We do not know everything
that is being done, but the record
is clear that a great industrial em
pire is rising across the Bering
Strait and great farming areas
are growing up.”
Bartlet said, “a defenseless Al
aska imperils the entire nation.”
“We are in effect making the
same mistake we did before the
assault by Japan,” he said. “Per
haps we are compounding that
mistake.”
“Then the United States did
nothing at all to prepare this
highly strategic area against ag
gression from Asia. Now we are
doing just enough to make Al
aska a more tempting prize than
ever.”
Bartlett cautioned that if air
bases in Alaska were seized by
(Continued on Page Eight)
«