2 THE NOME NUGGET Monday, August 27, 1951
' THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
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NOME, ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Brx 618
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Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Monday, August 20, 1951
, rUNNYWHEJ^^QUIRRE^OESIT
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS —WHAT ARE THEY?
Dr. Wm. S. Wilson, Acting Director of the Geo
physical Institute, return recently from “The Confer
ence on Auroral Physics” at London, Ontario. Dr.
Wilson reports that this was the most impressive
conference ever held on the Northern Lights. In at
tendance at the Conference were over 140 specialists
working on the nature and cause of the Northern Lights
or we should say Aurora, as the language of the Con
ference was far from that of the layman. Extended
discussions and lectures using the basic language of
spectroscopy, quantum mechanics, electromagnetic
theory, radio propagation, astronomy, etc., were part
of the program.
Among the prominent participants were ur.
Sydney Chapman, now Advisory Scientific Director
at the Geophysical Institute; Dr. Louis Herman and
Dr. Franklin Roach, Visiting Fellows at the Institute;
and Dr. Henry Booker of the Advisory Committee. Dr.
Carl Stormer of Norway, grandfather of auroral re
search, now 77 years old, was the honored personality
of the meeting. Extended discussions of Chapman’s and
Alfven’s theories of the aurora, the nature of the lights
coming from the night sky and modern experimental
and theoretical attacks on what causes the aurora
highlighted the Conference.
Many of the scientists present at the Conference
remarked, “the aurora—do we yet know what it is?”
Definite knowledge of the aurora contributes much
to our knowledge of the earth and natural conditions
thereon. Today many phases of the knowledge of this
seemingly mysterious phenomena which occurs in a
limited area in the Arctic has very definite applica
tions in matters affecting our national security and
in rado propagation. Many phases of the essential
knowledge are yet incomplete. This adds definitely to
the importance of the work at the Geophysical Insti
tute and the contribution it is making and can make
to the national defense and to the knowledge of our
immediate surroundings.
Corporate profits, if anybody wants to know, are
breaking all records despite the “drift to Socialism”
which orators so often decry.
_ #
This is the time for all subscribers whose accounts
are in arrears to come to the aid of the Nome Nugget.
Eight Alaska
Petitions Before
ClaimsCommission
<AP Special Washington Service)
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, (£>)—
At least eight petitions are pend
ing before the Indian Claims Com
missicrn on behalf of Alaska’s In
dians and Eskimos.
The list was compiled in a
check of attorneys described by
commission as representing a “big
percentage” of the Alaska claim
ants. The commission itself has no
geographical breakdown of claims
filed.
While most cases seek compen
sation for lands and waters alleg
edly seized by the white men, at
least two—filed on behalf of the
Aleut community and tribe on St.
Paul Island in the Pribilofs—ask
additional pay for sealskins which
the islanders brave sold to the Uni
ted States under a monopoly
agreement.
The claim dates back to this
country’s acquisition of the is
lands from Russia in 1868. It is
being handled by Marvin Sonosky
of Washington, D.C.
None of the actions ask a speci
fied amount of compensation. In
most of the cases, several attor
neys said, investigations still are
under way and the .amount to be
sought is not yet completely de
termined.
The deadline for filing claims
passed at midnight Aug. 13. The
Senate has not acted upon a House
approved bill to extend the filing
period another year. If it does, at- j
torneys predict a new burst of i
claims.
“The Alaska Indians have been
too busy fishing,” one attorney
explained, “but when the word
reaches them about the recent
$27,000,000 award to the Ute Indi
ans, they’ll take a renewed inter
est.”
The Interior Department said
last month it knew of 15 Alaska
tribes interested in filing claims
but who had not retained an at
torney. Some of these undoubtedly
were in the last minute flood of
claims received by the commission.
James E. Curry, of Washington,
D.C., attorney who has five Alaska 1
claims pending before the com
mission, said the principal differ
ence between claims of Alaska
and U.S. Indians is the absence of
any original payment to the for
1 mer.
“In most cases in the United
States the lands were bought for
sums which the Indians now con
; tend were inadequate. But in Al
aska,” he contended, “not one
dime was paid to the Indians for
any land.”
He said the Alaska 'claims in
volve no treaties “except possib
ly that with Russia in which the
United States agreed to look out
for the Indians’ well-being.”
Curry’s major claim involves
some 18,000 members of the Tling
it and Haida tribes now living in
the southwest Alaska villages of
Angoon, Craig, Douglas, Hoonah,
Yakutat, Sitka, Kake, Klawock,
Wrangell, Hydaburg, Juneau, Ka
saan, Klukwan, Haines and Sax
man.
Others involve the Nisgah tribe
in the Portland Canal area at
Hyder and the Eskimo villages of
Shungnak, Gambell and Unala
kleet.
The Tee-Hit-Ton Indians, loca
ted in the inland passage area of
southeast Alaska and represented
by James Craig Peacock, also of
Washington, seek compensation
for 850,000 acres of land and 150
square miles of water.
The last claim received by the
INDIA'S FOOD CROPS
9 690 miles
To Discuss Again
Soviet Lend-Lease
$11 Billion Bill
WASHINGTON, (fP) — The:
United States has arranged a j
meeting of Russian and American
experts here next Tuesday to take
another look at Russia’s six-year
old $11,000,000,000 lend-lease bill.
The meeting was Moscow’s idea.
Without advance warning, the
State Department said Saturday, a
Soviet Embassy translator popped
into a department official’s office
last Wednesday and announced
that Moscow wants to talk lend
lease again.
Department official George
Truesdell said translator Mychkov
ignored a question whether Rus
sia had anything new or “con
structive” to offer in way of set
tling the dead-locked lend-lease
account. Standing stiffly at atten
tion, the Russian announced sim
ply that a new meeting of lend
lease experts was requested.
Nearly five years of on-again,
off-again talks were broken off
last May 7 with the two sides
still more than half a billion dol
lars apart on a settlement.
The U.S. had offered to settle
the account for $800,000,000, but
Russia refused to offer more than
$240,000,000. Not enough, said the
U.S.
Furthermores Russia bluntly de
clined to consider returning to
the U.S. 672 lend-lease naval
ships, including 84 merchant ves
sels, 556 small naval craft and 30
military water craft such as
barges and tankers.
Fish and Wildlife Service
To Hold Annual Hearings
In Alaska For First Time
JUNEAU, OP) — For the first
time in history the Fish and Wild
life Bureau will wind up its an
nual hearings in Alaska instead
of Seattle. The hearings are held
to determine rules and dates for
the following season.
The schedule call^ for hearings
at Kodiak Sept. 17, Anchorage
Sept. 20, Cordova Sept.-24, Ketchi
kan Oct. 13, Kakutat Sept. 26,
Cragi Oct. 15, Wrangell Oct. 17,
Petersburg Oct. 18, Sitka Oct. 20,
Seattle Nov. 7, Juneau Nov. 15.
commission was filed by William
Olsen, Anchorage, on behalf of
the natives of Palmer, Alaska.
They seek compensation for the
lost use of the rich farm lands of
the Matanuska valley.
Duck Season In
Second Division
Opens Sept. 1
According to Robert Baker, Fish
and Wildlife agent stationed at
Kotzebue, the following 1951
waterfowl regulations are now in
effect:
“The duck season will open
Sept. 1 and continue to Oct. 25
in the Second and Fourth Divi
sions according to the new 1951
Migratory Game Bird regulations.
“The daily bag limit for ducks
will be four and the possession
limit eight. Shooting hours for
ducks, geese and brandt will be
the same as last year, from a half
hour before sunrise to an hour
before sunset.
“For geese the bag limit is two
Canada geese or its subspecies or
two whitefronted geese, or two
brandt, or one each of any two
of these three kind, with a pos
session limit of not more than two
each of any two of these kind.
In addition there is a daily bag
limit of four snow or emperor
geese singly or in the aggregate
of both kinds with a possession
limit of not more than eight
singly or in the aggregate.”
“All hunters over sixteen years
of age, including Eskimos, In
dians and Aleuts must have in
their possession a properly signed
migratory bird hunting stamp of
current sisue on his person.
“On September 1 season will
open at 12 o’clock noon.”
Italy Will Prosecute Two
Americans “In Absentia”
TURIN, Italy, i/P)—The general
prosecutor of Turin Province said
Saturday an Italian court will try
two former American soldiers “in
absentia” for the slaying of their
wartime commander, if it is un
able to bring them to Italy to
stand trial.
The Americans are former Lt.
Aldo Icardi of Preakness, N. J.,
and former Sgt. Carl G. LoDolce,
named this week by the Defense
Department in Washington as the
slayers of Maj. William Holohan
in a behind-lines, cloak and dag
ger drama in 1944.
Both Icardi and LoDolce have
denied they did away with their
leader on a secret OSS mission
behind enemy lines. LoDolce said
he will be proved innocent when
the “complete, true story” is given
out by authorities.