m NOME NUGGET
4 OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. L. No. 155 NOME. ALASKA, MONDAV, DECEMBER 27, 1948 PER COPY—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
SYDNEY, Australia, i/P)—Hun
dreds of thousands of Australians
left their cities Christmas for holi
day spots—trying to beat the
Christmas heat.
An estimated 300,000 persons
left Sydney during the day for
mountain or seaside resorts. The
temperature was around 80, and
inland temperatures of 100 degrees
and ibove were recorded.
*
$ LOS ANGELES, <yp)—'Twenty
five chidren got their Christmas
presents ahead of time in the
shape of 25 lively dogs.
Radio comic Alan Young, self
styled “Dog’s best friend.” played
Santa Friday at the animal shel
ter, paying pound and license fees
to unite homeless dogs and dog
less youngsters.
EL MONTE, Calif. </P)—For 16
years a copper Christmas card has
j^one back adn forth between Jack
Newing, Burbanks, Calif., and his
brother-in-law, John Forster, who
lives here.
During the war, the well-worn
• greeting card went all the way
from El Monte to Newing’s army
post in India.
SAN FRANCISCO {/Pi—A large
department store here sent out
Christmas greeting letters to its
personnel, one for regular em
ployees and the other for tempor
ary holiday workers.
The latter letter expressed ap
preciation for “your help during
the rush” and wound up with
‘Maybe we’ll need you next year.”
* The old timers got the wrong
letters.
OTTAWA, (/P)—Canada recog
nized the State of Israel and its
provisional government Friday.
The recognition was of the de
facto type—the same previously
given by the United States and
the Union of South Africa. This
means that a new government is
• recognized as existing in fact.
WASHINGTON, <£>) — Justice
Douglas of the supreme court Fri
day granted a stay of execution to
Jake Bird, of Tacoma, Wash., who
was scheduled to be hanged next
January 14.
Bird, a Negro, was sentenced to
death in the axe-slaying of Mrs.
Bertha Kludt, of Tacoma. The
stay was granted pending the fil
ing of a petition asking the su-*
preme court to review Bird’s trial.
His counsel contends Bird did not ■
have a fair trial. • »
ALBUQUERQUE, 'N. M./ (>)—
The FBI held Leonard Caiamia,
37, under $50,000 bond today to
Gace a murder charge in a San
Francisco gang slaying of a former
A l Capone mobster. * '
Caiamia was arrested here yes
terday. He had held two minor
jobs with the State of New Mexico
and served as an electio nofficial
in November.
The FBI said he is under indict
ment as the fingerman in the 1947
killing of Nick John, alias John
Hj^ssi.
LONDON, Britain had its cold
/Jhit day of the year today. Tern- j
perature^ sank to a low of 28 in
London and to 18 at Mildenhall,
northeast of London. 1
Alaska Buys ‘‘Alaska Prospector**
Statue For Pioneer Home At Sitka
- <
The Territory of Alaska has
purchased the heroic sized statue
of the “Alaska Prospector” created
by the late sculptor, Alonzo Vic
tor Lewis. It is to be cast in
bronze and then placed in front
of the Pioneer Home at Sitka.
The “Alaska Prospector” will
be Ihe- first statue of its size in
Alaska. It is twelve feet high and
three tons of clay were used to
sculp it into the finished form. It
will weigh approximately 6500
pounds when finished in brorize.
Mr. Lewis created ?this statue
after four years of steady work. It
has been highly, acclaimed by all
who have seen itT especially the
art critics who say it is one of the
finest works of art in the United
States.
Several models posed for the
“Alaska Prospector,” but the face
resembles that of the late “Skag
way Bill”. Fonda who posed for
Mr. Lewis.
The board of trustees of the
Pioneer Home, consisting of Henry j
Roden of Juneau, J. J. Conway of
Sitka and Charles Carter of Jun
eau negotiated with Mrs. Zalmain
• Continued on Page Six>
Call For Special
Session Is Valid
Declares Rivers
Asked about the validity of the
recent call for the 19th Legislature
to cenvene in extraordinary ses
sion on January 6 for a 17-day pe
riod immediately to the regular bi
ennial session, Attorney General
Rivers made the following state
ment:
“The question has been asked
"why an extraordinary session prior
to the regular 19th session would
not involve the members of the
18th Legislature instead of . the
members of the 19th. Sec. 4 (a> of
the Organic Act provides,
“The terms of office of each
member of the Senate shall be
four years.'
“Sec. (b) states, ‘the term of of
fice of each Representative shall
be two years.’
“Nothing is said about the dates
for commencement and termina
tion of said terms. Accordingly it
becomes necessary to determine
(Continued on Page Four)
Communication i
From: Llewellyn M. Williams, j
Acting Governor of Alaska,
Juneau, Dec. 17. 1948
To cope with the unprecedented
financial crisis now facing the
Territory, I as Acting Governor,
upon the direction and advice of j
Governor Gruening, am issuing an
official Proclamation summoning
the Legislature to meet in Juneau
at ten a.m., January six next, for
an extraordinary session which
will last seventeen days. This Spe-'
cial Session preceding the regular 1
session is being called under the
authority granted the Governor by
the Organic Act, as amended. This
is your official notification there
of. The Session is being called spe
cifically to enable the Legislature
to consider and pass such revenue
measures as will be required to
correct the distressed condi ion of
the traesury, pay the claims now
in arrears for school, welfare,
health and other authorized pur
poses and defray the cost of Terri
torial government. The Governor’s
reasons for calling a Special Ses
sion and not waiting for action at
the regular session are os follows:
First, the present situation under
which three-quarters of a million
dollars worth of legitimate claims
j against the territorial Treasury
go unpaid because of lack of rev-1
enues is certain to become worse |
if action on revenue measures is j
allowed to be deferred, as experi-1
ence indicates it always has been, j
until the very end of the regular
session in March; Second, the in
dividuals, business concerns, mu
nicipalities and school districts
having claims against the Terri
tory will in many instances face
extreme hardships if payment is
not forthcoming quickly as is tes
tified by numerous telegrams and
letters received by this office and i
all Territorial agencies: Third, the!
public-spirited individuals and
companies which advanced loans
j without interest to the University I
of Alaska to permit its operation
deserve to be repaid as promptly
as possible; Fourth, because of the
immediate need for revenue a
start should be made as early as i
possible on the withholding from !
salaries and wages of a Territorial
Income Tax if that method of tax
ation which has been proposed
should be adopted by the Legisla- i
ture.; Fifth, the taxpayers of Alas-j
should be informed as early as I
possible in the year of the new tax
payments w^ich will be expected
from them-and not made to wait
until a quarter of the year has
passed before receiving this infor
mation which has so direct a bear- ;
ing on business plans; 'Sixth, the i
Legislature itself should know
what the tax revenues of the Ter- I
ritory are likely to be in the com
ing biennium before considering
appropriation requests at the reg
ular session; Seventh, more pro
ductive study probably can be
given to the revenue requirements
of the Territory in a session devot
ed exclusively to that .purpose
than in the regular session where
so many important matters will
compete for the attention of the
Legislature.
Because milage will be paid by j
the Federal government incident
(Continued on Page Seven)
Internation 1 News
At A Glance —
Monday, December 27, 1948
•By the Associated Press'
The battle of the Negev raged
with new intensity today hi Ih.les
fine; the Dutch continued their
campaign against the Indonesian
Republic and the United Nations
wrestled with both problems.
They promised the U. N. a monu
mental headache for the new year.
The Palestine and Indonesian
warring challenged the authority
of the U. N. security cdlincil, re
convened for the announced pur
pose of taking up the Egyptian
Israeli battle in Palestine's south
ern desert.
U. N. observers in Palestine ac
cused Israel of breaking the Holy
Land truce by attacking the Egyp
tians. The report, over the signa
ture of Ralph J. Bunche, the act
ing Palestine mediator, supported
Egyptian complaints that Israeli
forces began the new hostilities
in violation of the council’s truce
order.
"I have no knowledge of any in
cidents which could be claimed
as a provocation for the fighting
in the Negev,” Bunche said.
In the Holy Land, Arab planes
dropped bombs east of Tel Aviv
last night as Israel had her second
night of total blackout. No damage
was reported.
In Cairo, the Egyptian commun
ications minister said the Negev
battle had developed into a gen
eral clash. More Arab nations
were reported pressed by the Arab
League to take up arms anew
against the young state of Israel,
now locked in battle south of
Gaza and near the Egyptian bor
der.
In the Netherlands Indies, a
Dutch army communique said
Dutch forces were continuing
(Continued on Page Five)
13 Fliers Now i
Stranded On i
Greenland Icecap
WINNIPEG (/Pi—U. S. Col. Bert
Balchen expects to take off from
here today for Greenland to aid in
the rescue of 13 United States air
forces men stranded on an ice cap.
The Arctic expert landed at Ste
venson field about 3:15 a.m. EST,
and spent the rest of the night
here. His big C-54 rescue plane
carries a crew of 14.
Col. Balchen flew to Winnipeg
from Ladd Field, Alaska, carrying
glider pick-up equipment and skis
for gliders. He commands a three
man team of the air forces 10th
rescue squadron which 13 days
ago saved- six fliers in the Arctic’s
first glider rescue.
The team snatched a glider from
the flozen crust of the Yukon Ter
ritory’s Steward River. The fliers
were marooned in the sub-zero
cold when their C-47 was forced
down.
Piloting the plane here was Lt.
Col: Eugene D. Strouse. The other
members of the team are Lt. Rich
ard A. Hopkins, glider pilot, and
Sgt. Willie C. Morris, who oper
ates the glider tow reel.