m NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED TRESS_
VOL. L. No. 5 5. _NOME, ALASKA. MONDAY. MAY 3, 1948_PER COPY — 15c
Lewis Faces Two
Pronged Attack In
Contract Confabs
By Harold W. Ward
WASHINGTON. —(/PI —Lewis
today faced prospects of a two
front battle in new contract neg
otiations with the soft coal oper
ators.
The United Mine Workers chief
notified the owners Friday he will
be ready to negotiate and start
talking .matters over May 18. At
the same time he received notice
from the Southern Coal Produc
ers Association that it also wants
to discuss a new pact to replace
the one expiring June 30.
Although the southern group
was included in the agreements
signed last year, it did not take
part as a group in the negotia
tions. Lewis contested the right
. of Joseph E. Moody, head of the
Dixie organization, to sit in on
talks dealing with the disputed
mine pension fund.
If Lewis challenges the right
of the southern association to ber
gain for the 14 big groups in the
rich southern fields, he may be
in for more court appearances.
Moody already has filed a com
plaint with the National Labor
Relations Board, charging Lewis
with an unfair labor practice by
refusing to bargain with him on
the pensions. ,
Supreme Court
Reopens Case On
Movie Campanies
WASHINGTON, — iff) —The
Supreme Court reopened today
the question of whether major
motion picture companies should
be required to dispose of their
hundreds of movie theaters.
A 7-1 decision sent back for
new proceedings in District court
the government’s anti-trust case
against the five top producers and
a long list of other producers
and distributors.
The court’s ruling cancelled
findings by the district court that
the organization and operations of
the big companies did not show
a “purpose” of monopoly.
The majority consistently re
ferred to joint agreements among
the defendent movie concerns as
a conspiracy. The majority said
the agreements “had monopoly in
exhibition for one of its goals.”
Naknek Flier Gets
To Grande Prairie
Three Days Late
EDMONTON, — (/P) —R.C.A.F.
Officials said today that Miles
Vandergrift of Naknek, Alaska
missing in his flight in his light
private plane since Thursday en
route from here to Grande Prairie
Alberta, arrived there this morn
ing.
They said he had been ground
ed 25 miles south of Grande
Prairie by bad weather and until
today had been unable to take j
off again.
Bruce Nominated
Dep. Administrator,
Economic Coop.
WASHINGTON, — (JP) —How
ard Bruce of Maryland was nom-j
mated today to be deputy ad
ministrator for economic cooper-'
ation.
Bruce is a Baltimore industrial
ist. He was for 14 years a mem
ber of the Democratic National
Committee from Maryland.
Bruce would work under Paul
Hoffman, administrator of the ag
ency which handles the European
Recovery Program.
Bruce now is chairman of the
board of the Worthington Pump
and Machinery Corporation and
chairman of the Maryland Dry
Dock Company of Baltimore and
a director of numerous other cor
I
porations.
He was awarded the distin
guished Service Medal for his
services during the last war in
which he served in the Army
: Service Forces. At one time he
i was director of materiel.
—
Temporary Truce
In Holy City, U.N.
Resumes Talks
UNDATED INTERNATIONAL
j By Associated Press—The Jewish
(Army Haganah insisted today ar
mies of Syria and Lebanon have
| invaded northern Palestine but
, an (/P) reporter touring the front
! ier found no sign of an attack.
The Arabs denied there had been
an invasion and said it was un
likely the Arabs would strike un
til May 15, when Great Britain
abandons her League of Nations
mandate.
Palestine enjoyed peace for the
moment. Armed truces were in
effect in Jerusalem and Jaffa,
focal points of battle last week.
The British landed 1,000 troops
in Haifa to deal with what they
called a '“seriously deteriorated”
situation. The British cruiser
Newcastle patrolled off Jaffa. The
United Nations resumed talk on
emergency measures to save Pal
estine.
Arab refugees streaming from
Palestine were critical of their
leaders. Some said the once
vaunted Yarmuk Army of Fawzi
Bey A1 Kaukji really never num
bered more than 3,000 troops.
They said the Jews had 60,000 or
more trained troops, 23,000 of
them wartime veterans in Hag
anah. The Arabs talked of an in
vasion army of only 30,000.
The heavy cruiser Salt Lake
City will be sunk because she is >
radio-active. The vessel was a
target ship in the Bikini Atom
Bomb Test.
Gen. MacArthur told the Japan
ese to guard the freedom promised
in their year old constitution.'
He said the “forces of despotism”
are on the march in every land.
Lt. Gen. John !R. Hodge, U.S.
commander in southern Korea,
said the “north Korean stooges
of Soviet masters” probably will
proclaim shortly a Communist
(Continued on Page Seven)
Fifty Million Amer
icans Get Tax Cut
WASHINGTON, — (JP) —The
$4,800,000,000 a year tax cut be-1
came a hard cash reality for many
taxpayers Saturday.
A boost in retail buying .was
expected as wage earners paid off
Saturday found less money with- j
held from their paychecks re- j
gardless of when the money was!
earned.
Those paid Saturday were the
first of more than 50,000,000 tax
payers getting a take-home pay
raise at government expense.
The law, passed by Congress
last March over President Tru
man’s veto, dates the lower with
holding tax back to January first.
But the Government won’t grant
refunds until final 1948 income tax
returns are filed early in 1949.
The 7,400,000 persons freed
from all income taxes by the new
law will have to wait like others
to get back the money.
The millions of other taxpayers
will get cuts ranging from 12.6
per cent on taxes of $400 a year
or less, down to five per cent on
a tax of $134,000 or more.
The Treasury estimates the re
ductions will cost the government
$600,000,000 in May and June
with over 45,000,000 taxpayers
sharing in that pool.
Longshoremen To
Strike For Hiring
Hall Set-Up
SEATTLE, —(TP)—Strike sanc
tion has been voted by two CIO
Longshoremen’s locals in Wash
ington and two in Alaska, their
leaders said today, if employers
do not permit them to keep their
present hiring set-up.
The locals are in Seattle, Bell
ingham, Juneau and Ketchikan.
The union has demanded a un
ion-elected dispatcher in hiring j
halls. An impartial dispatcher is!
sought by employers.
The probability of a strike was
discounted, however, by M. G.
Ringenberg, president of the Wat
erfront Employers Association of!
Washington.
“We are not anticipating a work
stoppage on June 15,” he said.
Buddy Poppy Gets
5-year-old 50c From
Pres. Truman
WASHINGTON, —(/P)—Blonde
five-year-old Sandra Marie Smith
walked out of the White House
today clutching one of the new
Benjamin Franklin half dollars
in a tiny fist.
It was a gift from President
Truman, she said, adding that
she planed to have it framed.
Sandra called on the president
to present him with the first
Buddy Poppy of the 1948 cam
paign of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars.
The sale of poppies to raise
relief work funds, is held annual
ly by the VFW about the time
of Memorial Day.
1New Landing Gear
Bein<j Tested At
Fairbanks, Alaska
DAYTON, O., —</P) —Landing
gear designed to let big cargo
airplanes down safely either on
concrete of deep snow is being
tested at Fairbanks, Alaska.
The gear is a combination ski
and wheel developed by the air
materiel command and the Fed
eral Aircraft Works of Minnea
polis. The skis can be raised or
lowered electrically in relation
to the wheels.
They were originally made for
use on C-47 cargo planes and used
on the recent naval expedition
to the South Pole. The gear now
has been adapted for use on a
Fairchild C-82 and is the first
electrically operated and the first
using a nose ski in addition to
the two main skis.
The center portion of the skis
are cut out to permit the wheel
to stick through. The‘main skis
are 16 feet long and four feet
wide and have small wings at
tached to keep them in position.
They are almost completely re
tracted during flight.
AMC officers said the ship was
being tested on all types of snow
and ice for take-off, landing dis
tance, and turning radius.
They said the gear would make
it possible to use airfields most
of the year and air transportation
available to Arctic areas.
“The gear will be especially
valuable for transport and cargo
planes in the event of any fut
ure military activity in the polar
regions,” the announcement said.
Democrats Poll
High In 4tli Div.
FAIRBANKS, —I/P)—With al
most three-fourths of the divis
ion’s votes tallied in the Alaska
primary. Democratic candidates
for their party’s nomination for
Territorial administrative posts
continued to draw a heavier vote
than in the Republican primary.
Election officials said it may
be three weeks before all Fourth
Division returns are in from the
far flung precincts.
HOSPITAL NEWS
Donors today to the Emergency
Hospital fund:
Ed Gross $ 20.00
J. M. Powell 20.00
Total to date $9,254.70
Karl Dewey, chairman of the
hospital committee for the Nome
Rotary Club, today announced he
had received a reply to a tele
gram which he had sent to Mrs.
M. Stewart of the Mission Board,
New York.
The Rotary Club has offered
the property for the building site
for the new hospital, and such
was the message sent to the board
in New York and the reply was,
to the effect the board accepted
the gracious offer and that con
struction would begin as soon as
materials were available.
House Committee
Approves Bill For
Selective Service
WASHINGTON, — <Ar) — The
House Armed Services Committee
today approved 28 to 5 a two
year draft bill.
The vote puts the issue for
Selective Service formally before
Congress for the first time since
the war.
Before voting, the Committee
heard secretary of defense For
restal call the measure “excellent.”
“There is an immediate and
imperative demand for something
to augment the size of our armed
forces,” he said. This bill pro
vides it.”
The five Committee members
voting against the bill were Reps.
Short iR-Mu.>, Bishop (R-I11.>,
Philbin iD-Mass.V Havenner <D
Calif.>. and Hefferman <D-NY).
The House provides only for
regular service.
Andrews has been assured by
House lenders that the bill will
be called up for debate next week.
These are the bill’s provisions:
1. It would raise the total au
thorized manpower of the armed
forces to 2,005,882 — Army 837,
000, Air Force 502,000, and Navy
and Marine Corps 666,882. The
present total strength is 1.384.500.
2. Men from 18 through 30
would be registered, with those
from 19 through 25 liable for two
years’ service. Men in the 19-26
group could enlist voluntarily in
the regular army for two years,
but in no other service.
3. Most veterans would be ex
empt from service, but those un
der 31 would have to register.
(Continued on Page Three)
Congress Investi
gating Navy Store
Kodiak, Alaska.
WASHINGTON. — <)P) — The
House Small Business Committee
is sending an investigating com
mittee to Kodiak, Alaska, to
check complaints that the com
missary at the Naval Base there
is underselling the town merch
ants.
Paul O. Peters, investigator,
plans to leave today by plane.
The Navy already has assigned
investigators to look into the com
plaints by Kodiak merchants.
Alaska Dock
Taken Over Bv
Alaska Steam. Co.
SEATTLE, —(JP)—The Alaska
Dock at Juneau was taken over
yesterday by the Alaska Steam
ship Company, F. A. Zeusler,
assistant to the president, an
nounced here.
The steamship company took
a five-year lease on the property
from the Alaska Dock and Stor
age Company. The dock will be
operated by the Ketchikan Wharf
Company, an Alaska Steam sub
sidiary, which also operates docks
at Ketchikan and Cordova.