SSI NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. XLIX. No. 86 NOM'eTaLASKA, FRIDAY, JULY 18, 1947 PER COPY — 15c
NEWS IN BRIEF |
|
— —
WASHINGTON. </P>—H. Free
man Matthews of Maryland was.
nominated yesterday by President
Truman to be minister to Sweden.
Matthews, a foreign service of
ficer, is now director of European
affairs for the state department'
with the rank of career minister.
He accompanied President Tru
man to Potsdam for the “Big
Three” meeting there and has long
been a consultant on European
matters.
■ -
OAKLAND, Calif. i/P> — One
fireman was killed and three
others injured early Thursday in
a blaze that swept a half-block in
West Oakland’s warehouse area
before being brought under con
trol.
Assistant fire chief Manning
Basch said damage would amount
to $100,000 at least. Owners of
property consumed by the flames
said the loss would run much
higher.
Fireman Louis Cetraro, 27, was
killed. Spectators said they saw
him fall into a burning building
when the roof collapsed. His body
was recovered.
SALT LAKE CITY. (/P)_Gov.
Thomas E. Dewey, his Presiden
tial stock obviously boosted during
§ the national governors conference,
left last night on the third leg of
his vacation-political tour of the
west.
The New York chief executive
will confer with Republican lead
ers of Montana. Idaho and Wyo
ming during a week’s sight-seeing
tour of Yellowstone national park
and nearby scenic meccas.
SEATTLE, (TP)—To commemo
rate July 17 as Alaska Day, Mayor
William F. Devin asked every
ship in Seattle’s harbor to sound
its whistle at 11 a.m.
The day marks the 50th anni-.
versary of the arrival here of the
steamer Portland from Alaska
with the first shipment of gold
from the Klondike.
‘ LONDON. (/P) — Three London
newspapers said today that in
keeping with the times King
George VI and the British govern
ment might order a relatively
small semi-private wedding for
Princess Elizabeth and Lt. Philip
Mountbatten, despite apparent
public desire for an elaborate af-j
fair.
Both government and Bucking
ham Palace spokesmen, however,
denied they knew anything to sub- j
stantiate the press reports.
—
JUNEAU, (/P) — Atty. Norman!
Banfield was authorized by the J
chamber of commerce yesterday!
to go to Washington, D. C., to tes
tify before Congressional hearings
in support of measures to unlock!
Alaskan timber for sale to the pa-1
per pulp industry.
The action followed assertions
og “misstatements” regarding the
4 situation in the testimony of
Southeast Alaska Indians who re
cently appeared before various
committee in support of the Indi
ans' aboriginal claims to the re
gion and its timber.
Immigrant Jews
Battle British
JERUSALEM, (/P)—Some 4,500
angry Jewish immigrants aboard
a refugee ship used tear gas,,
smoke* bombs, steam jets and other
weapons today in a vain battle
against a 50-man British boarding
party off the Palestine coast, Brit
ish authorities announced.
Five British destroyers escorted
the vessel toward Haifa, where
the refugees will be transhipped
to troopships for transfer to de
tention camps in Cyprus.
The announcement said no fa
talities were suffered by either
side, but that three members of
the boarding party were injured.
The British announcement said
“small arms fire was used by one
of his Majesty’s ships against one
man who was threatening to de
capitate one of the boarding party
with an axe. and against another
man who was about to use a
rifle.”
“It is believed the fire missed in
both cases, but it was effective:
the two men took fright and drop
ped their weapons,” the announce
ment said.
The refugee ship was identified
as a former American vessel, the
President Warfield. Renamed by
the immigrant Exodus, 1947.
Many Missing
When Ship Sinks
BOMBAY, India, </P) — About
620 persons were missing today
from the coastal steamer Ramdas,
which capsized under two enor
mous waves and sank swiftly in
the Arabian Sea 12 miles south of
Bombay yesterday.
R. D. Thathi, traffic manager of
the Bombay Steam Navigation Co.,
said there were at noon, “about
100” survivors of the 721 persons
aboard the 400-ton vessel, which
was but a dozen years old.
He said search parties had
picked up 20 bodies and that sur
vivors were brought to Bombay
and taken to the villages Rewas,
Dharamatar, Karanja and Pirwa
di.
The ship went down in five
minutes. Most aboard appeared to
be Indians, although three Euro
peans were reported among the
passengers.
Most passengers were en route
to Ratnagiri village in the district
from which Bombay draws a large
number of laborers.
Air Carriers Appeal
CAA Ruling
ANCHORAGE, tf*)—Atty. John
Hellenthal said yesterday 18 non
scheduled Alaskan air carriers
would appeal a recent civil aero
nautics authority order notifying
them that unless they hold cer
tificates of convenience and ne
cessity, temporary authorization
or an exempted order from the
CAA they could no longer be
granted operators’ licenses.
A total of 45 operators were af
fected by the order, Hellenthal
said, but only the 18 had been
notified to date.
Alaska Broke; i
Tries To Find
More Revenue
(Reprinted from Anchorage Daily
Times, issue of July 12>.
The territorial government’s fi
nancial condition took the brunt
of another backhand comment to
day when Robert Ellis. Ketchikan
mayor and chairman of the Alaska
World War II veterans board,
.
called upon board members to re
fuse a request that the group re
pay the territorial general fund
$350,000 advanced last year to* fi
nance a revolving fund for veter
ans loans and bonuses.
"I see no reason why veterans
should be asked to bail out other
departments from the predicament
the legislature left them in." Ellis
said.
The request was sent the veter
an group by Atty. Gen. Ralph
Rivers, acting for the Alaska
board of administration, follow
ing an emergency meeting of the
board called because of Alaska’s
serious financial situation which
found t4he general fund with only
$8,000 after June commitments
were met.
Meanwhile, commenting on the
territorial fiasco, Victor C. Rivers
chairman of the Senate commit
tee on taxation and revenue, to
day denounced legislators who
failed to endorse a tax program
which would allow the territory
sufficient operating revenues.
“In the last session, working
; with the tax commissioner, attor
ney general, treasurer and other
competent officials,” Rivers said
in a special interview with the
Times, “I prepared and introduced
a broad general tax program
which was very moderate and,
non-discriminatory in its applica-J
tion. This program consisted of'
three phases,” Rivers pointed out. I
“The phases being a modest in-1
come tax, a general property tax
and a privilege or business license
| tax. The first two of these bills
failed in the senate by a 7-9 vote, j
the third was killed in the house,”
Rivers stated.
Complimenting Alaska civic
groups, but flaying certain mem
bers of the legislative body, Riv
ers said, “I wish to state that it is
'to the credit of Alaska’s citizens,!
its chambers of commerce, civic
I organizations, labor unions and
other groups that they did not ac
tively oppose, and in most in- j
stances actually endorsed this tax
program, knowing that the need
was critical. It is evident that the
people of Alaska did not oppose
necessary taxes to meet the needs.
You will then ask, ‘Why were
there nine members of the senate
who voted against such a program
and who were they serving if not
the wishes of the territory’s peo
ple?’ The answer is self-evident
and I leave you to arrive at your
own conclusions.”
Urging that tha territory get by
with a "minimum of functions un
til the next session of the legisla
ture, Senator Gunnard M. Enge
breth told the Times. "Unless
there has been a change of think
ing in some of the senators, a spe
cial session now is a waste of the
(Continued on Page Five)
Dewey Favors
New Labor Law
(By Henry Leader)
ENROUTK WITH DEWEY </R>
Thomas E. Dewey was quoted by
a group of young Republicans to
day as having told them lie fa
vored the controversial Taft-Hart
ley labor law.
The New York governor declined
to confirm or deny the report.
The young Republicans said the
New York governor told them yes
terday that he favored the law
and that he predicted within a
year its operation would demon
strate it is not so bad as depicted
by its foes.
At the same time it was learned
that a delegation of 19 Republi
cans from Washington State will
urge Dewey to take Eric Johnston
of Spokane as his vice presiden
tial running mate if he wins the
1948 Republican presid ential
nomination.
Dewey, en route to West Yel
lowstone, Mont., with his wife and
two sops to combine a week’s
sight-seeing of national parks with
political huddles with GOP lead
ers of Montana, Idaho and Wyo
ming, declined to confirm or deny
the report of the young Republi
cans. There was no doubt in in
formed quarters, however, that he
had endorsed the Taft-Hartley act.
The disclosure came as a .sur
prise, for shortly after leaving Al
bany July 4 on the first lap of his
four-week western iunket. Dewey
was asked for comment on enact
ment of the law and said, “I dont
intend to lecture Congress from
afar.”
Congress Hones to
P a
Adjourn July 26
WASHINGTON, bP> -r Senate
leaders today added legislation to,
permit cashing of veterans’ ter
minal leave bonds to their pread
journment list but clung to July
26 their hoped-for quitting date. ;
Chairman Taft 'R.-Ohio> report-;
ed fhe Senate policy committee
decided to rush through a vote on
President Truman’s second tax
cut veto today, press for a probe
of last year’s Kansas City Demo
cratic primary, and push through
a series of veterans benefit bills.
“If necessary we will hold night
session next week,” Taft said. “I
see no reason why we should not
finish next week.”
At the same time he said a de
lay in adjournment still is a po£- [
sibility.
—
NAVY OFFICIALS
VISITING NOME
A group of navy officials from
Washington, D. C., are visiting in ,
Nome today. The tour is under the1
guidance of Commander Roberts, l
who is in charge of the naval oil
operations at Barrow, Alaska.
Members of the group are offi
cers Anderson, Frisco, Whaley,
Backland, Gillispie, and party,
who arrived by plane early this
morning from Fairbanks.
House Overrides
Truman’s Veto Of
Income Tax Bill
W ASHING TON, i/P> — The
House voted today to override
President Truman’s second veto
of the Republican-backed $4,000,
000,000 tax cut. But indications
are that the Senate may sustain
the President and thus kill the
bill.
Chairman Taft <R.-Ohio> told
reporters the Republican policy
policy committee will press for a
vote later today on the veto.
A powerful Republican-Demo
crat coalition rolled up in the
House the more than two-thirds
majority necessary to ^overthrow
the veto.
The House roll call showed a
substantial shift of Democrats in
support of the measure, which
provides for tax reduction effec
tive Jan. 1. 1948. The chamber
previously had voted 268 to 137—
two short of the required two
thirds—to sustain Mr. Truman’s
veto of the first bill which would
have made the cuts effective last
July 1.
Just as he did in vetoing the
first bill. Mr. Truman again said
the tax legislation provides the
“wrong kind of tax reduction at
the wrong time.”
If rfie Senate should upset pre
dictions and vote to override, the
bill will provide cuts ranging
from 30 per cent in the lowest
taxable incomes to 10.5 per cent
on incomes over $302,000.
Republicans virtually conceded
the Senate will pitch the new
measure in the scrap heap. The
chamber voted 60 to 32 to pass the
bill—two votes short of two-thirds
majority that will be required to
make the bill a law and override
President Truman’s veto.
GOP leaders say failure of the
Senate to override will erase all
prospects of relief for 49.000.000
income taxpayers next year. They
promised to throw the tax issue
into the 1948 Presidential cam
paign.
Mr. Truman said in his veto
message that when the time comes
to lessen the wartime tax burden
it should be reduced “on a basis
that is fair to low income groups
as well as to high income groups.”
He did not specify when he
thought the time would be ripe
for cutting taxes, but added:
(Continued on Page Four)
Airlines Denied
Tokyo Privileges
MANILA. (/P) — An informed
source said here tonight that the
Northwest Airlines plane Shang
hai had been denied privileges
for landing passengers and mate
rials in Tokyo on orders of Gen
eral MacArthur’s headquarters.
The Shanghai, in its inaugural
great circle flight to the Orient via
Tokyo, was scheduled to arrive in
Manila Saturday morning. No
reason for the denial of privileges
in Japan was given, the inform
ant said.
Northwest Airlines opened its
office here with a reception at the
staff house tonight.