as NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PBESS_
VOL. LI1. No. 35 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 1950 Per Copy— 15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
FAIRBANKS, (/P)—A man. his
wife and their 14-month old
daughter are overdue on their
350-mile dog team journey from
Old Crow, in Yukon Territory, to
Fort Yukon on the Yukon River.
Herb Wilson, Fort Yukon com
missioner, told the marshal’s of
fice here yesterday that Mr. and
Mrs. Judson Hughes and their
child set off from Old Crow Mar.
6, expecting to reach Fort Yukon
in 10 to 14 days.
Wilson said he was told that
the family was not well equipped
for the long chill journey, and
that Hughes was unfamiliar with
the route.
CORDOVA, (jP) — Imported flu
bugs were blamed yesterday for
the closing of public schools for
the rest of the week.
Authorities imposed the ban af
ter more than one-fourth of the
number of students were absent.
City health officer Dr. Will H.
Chase said there war a mild epi
demic of flue or virus infection.
He hoped to reopen the schools
next week.
Dr. Chase blamed the epidemic
on the influx of residents return
ing from winter vacations at Seat
tle and other places, bringing
with them the influenza infection.
FAIRBANKS, (/P) — Charles J.
Johnston has withdrawn his can
didacy for Republican national
committeeman in favor of Austin
E. Lathrop of Fairbanks.
Johnston, vice president of the
Goodnews Bay Mining Co., at
Platinum, had been endorsed by
the Fourth Division G.O.P. Club.
John Butrovich, Fourth Division
Territorial Senator, said about 15
members of the club would attend
a Republican meeting at Juneau
next week.
FAIRBANKS, UP) — Samson j
Olai Samonsen, who had been in 1
the Territory for about 40 years,
died of a cerebral hemorrhage
Wednesday night.
The marshal’s office said it un
derstood he is survived by a sister,
Mrs. R. Johnson, of Seattle.
JUNEAU, (/P)— Representatives i
of the United Trollers of Alaska j
and salmon buyers will meet in |
Ketchikan April 4 to discuss min
imum prices for the forthcoming
season’s king and silver salmon.
The meeting was announced
yesterday by Andy Barlow, exec- j
utive secretary of the UTA.
Barlow, who will meet with Pe
tersburg and Wrangell trollers be
fore the Ketchikan meeting, said
he thought a slight price increase
was in store this year.
JUNEAU, (fP)—The- new Alaska
Native Service ship, the North
Star, arriver here yesterday after
its initial shakedown cruise from
Seattle. The vessel will go to Sitka
Friday night, returning here Sun
day before going to Prince Wil
liam Sound.
FAIRBANKS, (/P) — The stom
ach contents of a former Denver,
Colo., woman have been sent to
the federal bureau of investiga
Alaska Reported
Out Of “The Red” i
JUNEAU UP), Territorial treas
urer Henry Roden reported today
a vast improvement in Alaska’s
finances.
The long-used red ink appeared
to be heading out the window, at
least for the time being.
Roden said that all money bor
rowed from private banks has
been repaid and that some $800,
000 in unpaid warrants have been
liquidated.
The board of administration has
released $261,564 in funds which
were “frozen” when the Terfi
tory’s finances were deeply in the
red. The “unfreezing” includes
$25,000 for the statehood commit
tee, at the rate of $5,000 monthly.
Other funds in what is probably
the biggest thaw that spring ever
brought to the Territory included:
$85,450 owed by the University
of Alaska; $25,114 for the Alaska
Housing Authority; $5,000 for the
Alaska National Guard; $50,000
for aid to hospitals and clinics;
$75,000 for the new department of
fisheries; $20,000 for the public
employees’ retirement fund; $750
for the board of dental examiners;
’ $250 for the board of cosmetology.
Roden said around $500,000 will
be left over as tax collections roll
in, thereby enabling a quick' thaw
on appropriations frozen since last
June.
By continued careful manage
ment and strict economy by de
partments, the financial slate will
look greatly improved when the
legislature convenes next Janu
ary, Roden said.
Current expenses of the Terri
tory run around $250,000 a month.
Current income won’t be known
until all taxes are in. It is the first
time several of them have been
collectible.
Congress Defeats j
Government Co-Op j
Housing Bill
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Thrown
out of Congress in a defeat for
President Truman, the $2,000,000.
000 co-operative housing program
bounced "back yesterday as a
warm political issue.
Ignoring a personal plea from
the President, the House rejected
the co-op idea for middle income
housing Wednesday night to ap
(Continued on Page Seven)
---
tion in Washington, D. C., for
study.
A second autopsy performed on
the body of Mrs. Jacob Ayers, 30,
Wednesday failed to disclose the
cause of her death early Sunday.
The cause earlier was attributed
to a clot on the brain. This was
found later to be incorrect.
Mrs. Ayers* husband, an Alaska
Railroad section hand, said she
was taken ill suddenly Sunday
night and died before reaching a
hospital. He told an investigating
marshal’s deputy she had taken a
headache tablet and drank some
tomato juice from an open can.
She came here March 2 from
Denver to join her husband.
Disease, Famine
Devastate Large |
Areas In China
_ i
t
HONG KONG (JP)—Famine and
disease are ravaging sections of
Red China, reports reaching here
say. Hardest hit is Anhwei pro
vince in East Central China.
But indications that an unoffi
cial communist committee would
appeal to the world for relief
faded. Investigators said the com
mittee, now in Hong Kong, was
two men representing only a
small section of Anhwei.
Here are some famine details
from newspapers and travelers:
Ten small villages in Anhwei
reported 1,00 dead between Feb.
17 and March 19.
“North Anhwei farms have f|e
quently been devastated but this
year’s famine and pestilence are
are unprecedented,” a relief mis
sion said.
Floods destroyed spring crops
which were just budding. Farmers
lack seed to replant.
Sight Distress
Signal In Snow
In Northern B. (>.
EDMONTON, Alta. (/P)—A dis
tress signal, reported to be tramp
ed in the snow, drew air searchers
to northern British Columbia to
day.
It was viewed at Canadian air
force headquarters here as a pos-!
sible clue to the whereabouts of a
U. S. Air Force C-54 transport
that vanished with 44 persons
aboard last Jan. 26. It was on a
southern flight from Alaska. The
C-54 is the only plane missing in
the region in recent months.
An R. C. A. F. search plane
was ordered from Fort St. John,
B. C., to investigate.
The crew of a U. S. air force
plane reported sighting the signal!
from the air yesterday near the
Peace River, about 20 miles south
McCarthy Attacks
‘Arrogant Refusal’
To <)pen Files
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Senator
McCarthy (R.-Wis.) today accused
President Truman of endangering
the nation’s security by what he
called the President’s “arrogant
refusal” to release government
loyalty files to Senate investiga
tors.
Actually, Mr. Truman has not
thus far refused to turn the files
over to the Senate foreign rela
tions sub-committee which is
looking into McCarthy’s charges
that communists and fellow trav
elers have infiltrated the state de
pa rtment.
High White House sources have
said the President is considering
approval of limited access to the
loyalty records of persons whom
McCarthy has accused.
A key Democratic Senator
termed McCarthy’s criticism of
Mr. Truman “such a lowly attack
that I can’t think of a fitting re
ply.” He withheld the use of his
name, but added:
“Let the American people be
judge of that kind of criticism of
the President of the United
States.”
Senator Tydings (D.-Md.) chair
man of the inquiry committee,
1 said he had “absolutely no com
ment’’ on McCarthy’s remarks.
The Wisconsin Republican made
his blunt attack on Mr. Truman
in a telegram to the vacationing
President at Key West, Fla.
of Fort John. The area is about
250 miles south of the Yukon-B. C.
border region where the big scale
search centered after the C-54 was
lost.
The Air Force crew reported
sighting the letters “I F” in the
snow, outlined by tree branches.
This is the air forca code for “se
rious injuries, doctor required,
food and water needed.” It was
sighted on the main north-south I
airway route. It is about 350 air
miles northwest of Edmonton.
BUT IT HAS ITS COMPENSATIONS
News of the \\ orld
At A Glance - - -
(Thursday, March 23. 1950)
• By The Associated Press)
The leader of the Greek Liberal
party said today he had sufficient
Parliamentary backing to form an
all-Liberal cabinet and break the
nation’s 18-day-old political stale
mate.
Sophocles Venizelos said al
though his Liberal party had only
55 of Parliament’s 250 seats, he
would be able to remain in power
with the support of the Populists
(Royalists) and other right-wing
groups.
The rightist politicians threw
their support to Venizelos to block
formation of a moderate coali
tion government. It is understood
they agreed to back the Liberal
cabinet by their votes in Parlia
ment for six months although no
rightists will be members of the
cabinet.
Belgium’s political crisis over
the nation’s disagreement on whe
ther exiled King Leopold should
return to the throne is no nearer
solution today. Acting Premier
Gaston Eyskens, leader of the
pro-Royalist Christian Socialists
yesterday threw in the sponge. He
asked an elder statesman and fel
low party member Count Henri
Carton de Wiart to try to solve
the bitter question which has di
vided the nation for months.
Carton de Wiart has called a
council of state to meet today.
The council is made up of 2ft
leaders of parties on both the pro
Leopold and the anti-Leopold
sides. The council meets in times
of national emergency. It last met
in 1914 when the Germans in
vaded neutral Belgium.
French communists stepped up
their strikes against U. S. Arms
aid to Atlantic Pact nations. A 48
hour walkout of port workers in
Tunis, French African possession,
was ordered. It was a demonstra
tion against the expected arrival
there of a French aircraft carrier
transporting U. S. planes.
In Taipei, Formosa, Premier
Chen Chen announced the stream
lining of Nationalist China’s war
machine to give it a more effec
tive punch against mainland com
munists.
Friday, March 24, 1950
Belian Socialists’ wrath against
King Leopold boiled over today in
Brussels, where 15,000 workers
demonstrated against the exiled
king who wants to come back to
the throne. They carried banners
saying “Abdication” and chanted
“Death to Leopold.”
The Socialist labor unions stag
ed a 24-hour strike and were join
ed by workers across the nation.
The Socialists want Leopold, in
exile since he surrendered Bel
gium to the Germans 10 years
ago, to abdicate in favor of his
son, Baudoin, 19.
Despite a police ban against a
parade in downtown Brussels the
workers marched in force. They
stoned streetcars manned by some
transport workers who did not
heed the strike call.
The Belgium nation is a house
(Continued on Page Three)