SHI NOME NUGGET
_ OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
■ VOL. LII. No. 23 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1950_Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
FAIRBANKS, (/P) — Fairbanks
was nearly doubled in physical
size here Wednesday when voters
approved 259-50 a proposal to an
nex 370 acres of adjacent land,
t The vote cleared the way for
building of 400 new homes on the
city-owned land.
The voters also increased the
mayor’s term to two years, and
councilmen will serve three years
hereafter.
WASHINGTON </P). The House
may vote next week on bills io
grani statehood io Alaska and Ha
waii.
Speaker Rayburn (D.-Tex.) said
yesterday he plans to call up the
• two bills Tuesday or Wednesday.
WASHINGTON, (/P)—A loss of
$18,500,000 on its tin inventories
was reported to Congress yester
day by the Reconstruction Fi
nance Corporation.
The agency, which got into the
tin business during the war and
still operates a smelter in Texas,
blamed the loss on devaluation of
European currencies and the re
sumption of free trading in the
t metal in London and Singapore.
It said prices here dropped
within the past year from $1.03 a
pound to 70.42 cents.
The report had one bright spot.
It said shipments of domestic ores,
largely from Alaska and Climax,
Colorado, have increased over
previous years.
SEATTLE, (/P)—It's the annual
“Alaska Night” at the Arctic Club
tonight. More than 500 Alaskan,
former Alaskan and men associ
ated with Alaska industry will
gather for the dinner party. Spe
cial guest of honor will be Capt.
A. J. Goddard and Nathan Kres
gc, veteran Alaskans.
* SEATTLE, (/P)—Alfred A. Cyre
73, retired Anchorage, Alaska,
building contractor, died Tuesday
in Swedish hospital after a short
illness.
He came here from Anchorage
three years ago. Before going to
Alaska in 1932, he was a potato
grower in Yakima. He was born
in Kansas City.
Survivors are his widow. Flora;
two daughters, Mrs. Park West
> over, Seattle and Irene Cyre, Ya
kma; and a son, Hector, Monroe,
Wash.
He was a member of Elks Lodge
No. 1351, Anchorage.
Rosary was said last night in
the winter chapel of Saint James
cathedral and requiem mass was
held this morning also in the ca
thedral.
FORT WORTH, (/P)—Peggy As
, col, 16-month-old daughter of one
of the five B-36 fliers missing off
British Columbia, is in Harris hos
pital with double pneu-monia.
Her condition is “critical.”
Peggy became ill yesterday.
Lieut. Holiel Ascol, veteran of
21 years service, was bombadier
on the last B-36.
The final report of the board
of inquiry probing the loss of the
bomber was prepared yesterday.
(Continued on Page Four)
Wright Takes
Two Heats In Fur
Rendezvous Race
ANCHORAGE, (/P) — Gar a t h
Wright, young Fairbanks musher,
won the first heat of the $3,000
all-Alaska dog sled sweepstakes
Wednesday.
His nine-dog team finished the
grueling 25-mile course in two
hours, eight minutes and 24 sec
onds.
It was nearly six miuutes faster
than the time of the runnerup,
Kotzebue’s Ray Snyder, who pi
loted his team across the line in
2:14.21. Earl Norris, Anchorage,
was third at 2:16.51.
The remainder of the 15-team
field finished as follows: Jake
Cutler, Gulkana; Ken O’Harra,
Gunkana; Danny Ewan, Gulkana;
Dick Mitchell, Anchorage; Charles
Mclnnes, Anchorage; John Save
tilik, Unalakleet: Tom Prout,
Nome; Dale Potts, Anchorage; El
mer Brsbois, Anchorage; Joe
Cross .Anchorage; Ben Taylor,
Anchorage: Chaplain Ray Wilson,
Big Delta. Ilowanl Luke of Fair
i banks failed to finish.
ANCHORAGE, (fP) — Gareth
Wright, 21-year-old Fairbanks
musher, held a five-minute, 17
i second lead going into the third
of hour 25-mile heats today in the
$3,000 all-Alaska sled dog racing
i championships.
Wright finished second yester
'Cont.inued on Page Five)
I elcpliono Strike
(lalied ()ff For At
I^eant Sixty Days
•/ *
(By Sterling F. Green)
WASHINGTON i/P>. The threat
of a nationwide breakdown in
telephone service, scheduled for
today, has been lifted by union
acceptance of a Presidential ap
peal for a 60-day bargaining truce.
“We will bargain every day, 24
hours a day during that period in
seeking a peaceful settlement,”
said President Joseph A. Beirne
of the CIO Communications Work
ers of America.
President Truman asked that
service remain uninterru p t e d
while work goes on under present
wage, hour and other condiitons.
Some Bell System companies
accepted promptly; others were
expected to do so.
Beirne quickly polled his exec
utive board on Wednesday’s White
House proposal. He announced
the decision Wednesday night,
notifying Mr. Truman by wire
that the union recognizes its obli
gation to the “public interest and
welfare.”
“We have a sincere desire to re
solve the issues through collective
bargaining in an open, straight
forward manner,” Beirne said in
a statement.
The strike of 100,000 telephone
workers had been set for 6 a.m.,
local time, today. Another 120,000
phone workers weer due to join
the walkout on March 1, when
their contracts expire; these, too,
are covered by the truce.
Nome High Beats
Valdez 57 to 15;
Wasilla 52 to 15
The Nome High School Basket
ball team played the Valdez High
Wednesday, winning with a score
of 57-15.
Yesterday afternoon they played
their second game against Wasil
la High in the Class B tournament
with the winning score of 52 to 15.
The rooters section for the
Nome team is reported to.be filled
with former Nomeites glad to give
the team splendid support.
The third game for Nome in the
series is scheduled for this after
j noon against Kodiak City High.
Seward reached the finals of
i the annual Fur Rendezvous Class
I A high school basketball tourna
: ment last night with a 10-27 de
, feat of Anchorage's defending
I titlists.
The defeat forces Anchorage
i into a single game with Fairbanks
today, the winner to face Seward
tomorrow night for the tourna
) ment crown. Fairbanks eliminated
Palmer yesterday 50-38.
Miners To Be i)n
I "rial for Contempt
I Of Court Monday
m
WASHINGTON, (A>) — .T u d ge
Richmond B. Keech refused to
drop contempt charges against the
striking coal miners union and
ordered a trial on Monday.
Keech told union attorneys they
could have a jury trial if they
desired.
Welly K. Hopkins, chief UMW
attorney said he would consider
over the week-end whether to ask
for a jury trial.
Assistant attorney general H.
Graham Morrison asked that the
trial start tomorrow. He noted
that since the original court back
I to work order thcer has been no
i increase in production of the bi
tuminous mines of this country.”
Urging the need for speed in
the case, Morrison said:
“At least 20 states have adopt
ed emergency measures to take
j care of the coal supply.
“Virtually all of the nation’s
cities have the same problem.
“If this contempt is established
in appropriate trial then it is the
view of the government that the
full power and majesty of this
court” be used to get the miners
back on tha job.
Hopkins objected to having the
trial start tomorrow.
Judge Keech then set it for
Monday.
The judge denied Hopkin’s for
mal motion that the civil and
criminal contempt charges be
dropped and the proceeding be
ended.
Union attorneys had argued the
court had no right to issue back to
work orders to the miners.
Replying to charges that the
union is in contempt of the court’s
back to work order, the attorneys:
1. Denied the union called the
walkout.
2. Denied the union was respon
(Continued on Page Six)
British Election
Very Close; New
Election Forecast
(By The Associated Press)
LONDON, (A*) — The total of
seats won by the Labor party was i
equal late today to the combined
total run up by the Conservative
and Liberal parties. Only 92 of,
the 625 districts remained to be
accounted for. Thus it was doubt
ful that the Labor party, even if
it emerged with the most seats,
would have a workable majority
in the House of Commons.
The Attlee government and its
j opponents each had won 266
: seats.
j The Conservatives had 260
seats and the Liberals six
Speaker of the House Douglas
i Clifton Brown was re-elected on
the Conservative ticket but is re
garded as a non-partisan. The
number of party seats in the new
House of Commons therefore is
62-? instead of the 625 total.
I The deadlock continued as the
j next two districts were reported.
! This made the standing: Labor
| 267, Conservative 261. Liberal 6.
! At the overnight recess in count
1 ing, the Labor Party led Winston
i Churchill's Conservatives by 61
seats.
Late in the day returns from
506 constituencies gave the La
borites 256 seats, the Conserva
tives ail allied candidate.- 245 and
the Liberals five.
There was 625 House of Com
mons seats at stake. In the old
House of Commons, consisting of
640 seats, the Laborites outnum
bered the Conservatives 381 to 202.
^Continued on Page Tnree)
Committee Hasn’t
Asker For \on
Sehed Air Hearing
WASHINGTON. (/P)—'The civil
aeronautics board said yesterday
it had not yet received a Senate
committee request for a hearing
for a group of independent air
lines.
There was no indication what
the CAB will do about the request
when it receives it.
The committee made the re
quest Wednesday for a hearing of
at least an hour for the lines J
which the seeking authority to1
continue services between Alaska
and the Pacific Northwest.
The committee also delayed ac
tion upon the reappointment of
John Lee, former Democratic Sen
ator from Oklahoma, as a mem
ber of the CAB, which regulates
commercial and civil air services,
including subsidies and airmail
payments.
Chairman Edwin C. Johnson
(D.-Colo.) said the Senate com
mittee asked the hearing for
Amos E. Heacock, president of the
Independent Air Carrier Confer
ence of America. He claims to rep
resent most of the “small busi
nesses in air transportation.”
Thees are the “non-schedulcd”
airlines so-called, to separate
them from the larger lines which
(Continued on Page Three)
Hospital Told To
“Tell Operators to
Sign Contract”
PITTSBURGH, (/P» — Striking
soft coal miners are showing no
inclination to dig coal on an emer
gency basis despite pleas from
fuel-hungry cities and hospitals.
The trickle of coal mined by
non-union diggers is being choked
off by roving bands of pickets
who insist production stand still.
Unemployment in coal-allied
industries is rising by the hour.
That’s the picture in the nation
today as John L. Lewis, head of
the United Mine Workers, contin
ues to slug it out with soft coal
operators in government-prodded
talks to try and get a new con
tract.
The St. Louis Hospital Council
said it got a reply from Lewis to
its urgent plea for him to help
provide coal.
It quoted him as saying:
‘•Suggest you urge coal com
panies he retofore supplying you
coal to sign contract with United
Mine Workers of America, which
will permit immediate resumption
of production.”
The Board of Allegheny County
Commissioners in the coal capital
(Continued on Page Six)
A. V B. Sponsors
"Operation Wolf*
The Arctic N itivo Brotherhood
is sponsoring a project which is
called ‘'Operations Wolf."
In an effort to save big game
against the wolf menace the club
is asking for donations into a fund
for prizes for those who bag the
most wolves from Jan. 1st to June
30th, 1950. Prizes to be awarded
will be determined by the club's
committee as soon as it can be as
certained how much is in the
fund. Anyone wishing to donate
may contact Jerome Trigg or mail
donations to him or the A. N. B.
Donations to date the:
A. N. B., Nome ..$50.00
Reeves Airways . 50.00
Alfred Owen, Jr., . 25.00
Col. M. Marston . 50.00
Czechs Release
Two Missionaries
PRAGUE, (JP) — Two American
Mormon missionaries held by
Czech police since Jan. 28 on
charges of entering a “prohibited
area” were released today and ex
pelled from the country.
The American embassy said the
two missionaries, Stanley E. Ab
bott of Lehi, Utah, and C. Aldon
Johnson, of Idaho Falls, Idaho,
were released from jail in Olo
mouc, central movaria.
They were placed on a train in
the company of two plainclothes
men, brought to Prague, taken to
the airport and whisked off to
Zurich, Switzerland, by plane.
The two missionaries were re
leased at a time when the Mor
mon church is withdrawing all its
American workers here in accord
ance with Czechoslovakia’s new
church law.