THE “T1
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. LI. No. 15 NOME, ALASKA. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1949 Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
DES MOINES, la., \A>) — Mrs.
Grace Grodt, 52, who said she
broke out in hives when she was
around her husband for an eve
ning, was grnated a divorce yes
terday from John Grodt, 61, in an
uncontested hearing in district
court. Mrs. Grodt told judge Tbm
K. Nuwn she couldn’t continue to
live with Grodt because it made
her nervous to be around him.
“My stomach seems to tie in
knots,” she testified, “and I get
nervous and hives come out.”
ANCHORAGE, f/P) — One per
son died early yesterday in a Ere
at the civil aeronautics authority
station at Naknek.
A1 Hulen, assistant CAA ad
ministrator, left here by plane to
investigate. The CAA withheld
the name of the victim until rela
tives were notified.
The blaze destroyed two apart
ments, the CAA reported.
SEATTLE, (/P)—The University
of Washington seismograph re
corded an earthquake Wednesday
which was believed to have cen
tered in the Aleutian Islands. Vi
brations lasted about half an hour
and were of moderate intensity,
geogoly prof. G. E. Goodspeed
said.
SPOKANE, (iP)—Federal judge
Sam M. Driver sentenced Per
shing J. Fails to three years’ pro
bation yesterday for embezzle
ment. Fails pleaded guilty to tak
ing $340 from a Seward, Alaska,
housing project while he was its
manager.
BALTIMORE, {IP)—A 23-year
old Gypsy fortune teller came up
with a new wrinkle in future gaz
ing—but was pinched by it.
Not finding any bumps on a
customer’s head, she read the
wrinkles on his forehead.
The customer turned out to be
a member of the vice squad. She
was found guilty in police court
yesterday of illegal fortune tell
ing.
WASHINGTON, </P)—'The wea
ther bureau today named O. Ken
neth Anderson to head its Louis
ville, Ky., office.
Anderson recently returned to
the United States after serving as
executive officer of the weather
rehabilitation program in the Phil
ippines.
He started with the bureau in
1928 as a weather observer at
Medford, Ore. His stations since
included Fairbanks and Anchor
age, Alaska.
SEATTLE, (/P)—Charles Luther
(Pop) Wellons, 80, known to thou
sands of baseball fans during the
20 years he was grounds keeper
at the Seattle baseball park, died
here yesterday. Survivors include
Hubert Wellons, Wrangell, Alas
ka, one of three sons.
SEATTLE, <JP) — Two-year-old
Robert Larson of Juneau, Alaska,
native boy whose mother is a pa
tient in Cushman hospital in Ta
coma, arrived here by plane yes
terday in care of Donald Foster,
head of the Indian Service in
Alaska. The lad will stay with a
family in Salem, Ore., while his
mother is in the hospital.
Seattle Seamen
Will Carry Income
Tax Law To Courts
-
SEATTLE (/P)—Protesting tnx
a.ion of Seattle seamen on Alaska
ships under a new Alaska income
tax law, the sailors’ union of the
Pacific declared yesterday it will
carry the fight to court.
The AFL union, however, indi
cated last night that its members
4
would resume signing on Alaska
'ships pending outcome of court
action. Union members earlier had
refused to sign on the freighter
Palisana because of the law.
Bob Dombroff, newly-elected
Seattle agent for the Sailors’ un
ion said the union had received
assurance from the Alaska Steam
ship company that tax money co1
lected from seamen in the interim
will be held up until April 1. This
will give the union time to clarify
the law’s effect on merchant mar
iners, Dombroff said.
Other maritime groups, includ
ing the masters, mates and pilots
and marine firemen’s union, de
clared they were solidly behind
! the S.U.P.
Dombroff said S.U.P. attorneys
would seek a restraining order to
prevent withholding of 10 per
cent of federal withholding taxes
; paid by seamen in the A1 iska
trade under the new law.
The union will establish a te^t
(Continued on Page Five)
i Senate Battles
Over Repeal Of
Taft-Hartley Law
WASHINGTON, </P) — The em
battled Senate labor committee
got into another hot row today
over the Truman labor bill.
The dispute centered on whe
ther the government could get
court injunctions to block “na
tional emergency” strikes if the
Taft-Hartley law’s direct provi
sion for such orders is repealed.
Attorney General Tom Clark in
formed the committee last night
that 'he believes the government
could obtain court orders “in ap- j
P"opriate circumstances” regard-!
less of whether there was specific
legal authority. Clark’s opinion
was in a letter to committee chair
man Elbert Thomas (D.-Utah>.
Senator Donnell (R.-Mo.) and
other Republican members chal
lenged Clark’s statement at a pub
lic hearing last night.
With secretary of labor Tobin
on the witness stand, Donnell
picked up the ball again today.
Donnell charged that the ad
ministration is “trying to allay a
fear all over the United States
that the government’s right to ob
tain an injunction” to prevent
critical strikes “is to be abandoned
by Congress.”
Senator Douglas (D.-IU.) tried
three times to interrupt. But Don
nell refused to yield. He said he
wanted to “preserve the continu
ity” of his argument.
Then Senator Neely (D.-W. Va.)
demanded: “Are we going to let
this degenerate into an argument
between Senators? Certainly all
the members of the committee
have a right to be heard.”
Air Force Testing
Buzz Bombs
Near Fairbanks
FAIRBANKS, (/P)—A speeding
buzz-bomb, believed to be the
first ever fired in the Arctic,
hurtled a distance of 15 miles
Wednesday in the first of a series
of air force experiments in the
Far North.
It was 10 below zero when the
huge projectile, known during the
war as the German V-l, roared
from a mobile launching ramp at
Ladd air force base near here. It
was flanked in flight by a “fight
er escort” of two jet-propelled
F-80’s which had orders to shoot
the missile down if it wandered
from its predetermined course.
The air force reported the wea
pon flew true, however, at an al
titude of 2,000 feet to a harmless
landing on the tundra of the vast
Ladd Field bombing range.
Although the bomb was me
chanically guided by equipment
within its hull, such missiles also
may be controlled from the ground
by radio. The air force calls the
bomb the JB-2.
It was hoisted into the air by
four rocket boosters developing
40,000 pounds takeoff thrust and
i was powered in flight by pulse
jet engines.
The air force said it also plans
to launch a guided missile from a
B-2. Other bombs to be tested in
1 elude the 12,000-pound “Tarzon”
| and the 1,000-pound “Razon.’
The experiments are being con
| ducted by the guided missiles
! group of the air proving ground
i command on temporary duty at
| Ladd Field from the Elgin Base,
Florida.
Wednesdays test was in charge
| of Lt. Ray Adler of Maramec,
Okla.
Internation 1 News
At A Glance —
(By The Associated Press)
(Thursday, February 3, 1949
Josef Cardinal Mindszenty told
a Hungarian peoples court today
“I plead partly guilty, having
committed the majority of those
deeds I am charged with.”
The Cardinal’s former secretary,
the Rev. Ondras Zakar, also
pleaded “partly guilty” but said
he only followed orders of his su
periors.
Mindszenty and six others are
being tried at Budapest on charg
es of treason, sping and black
market dealings. Mindszenty is
the first Roman Catholic Cardinal
ever to be tried by a civil court.
The Hungarian people’s court
opened the session by saying Min
dszenty had offered to withdraw
his opposition to a church-state
agreement if his trial would be
put off. The presiding judge read
a letter to that effect, purportedly
from the Primate.
The letter said Cardinal Minds
zenty admitted “grave errors” in
his fight against a church-state
understanding, promised to give
the Hungarian bishops a free hand
(Continued on Page Five)
LIFTING THE LID
| AT JUNEAU
- ■ - - •
(By James Hulchesor)
(Thursday, February 3. 1949
JUNEAU, l/P)—A bill which its
sponsor said frankly was intended
to keep sailing fishboa's off Bris
tol Bay powered through the Ter
ritorial House behind a unani
mous vote yesterday.
The measure provides a $500
license for each sailboat, regard
less of size. It was introduced by
Rep. C. Carlson, Cordova Demo
crat who explained that all boats
were owned by canneries,
i Power boats are forbidden on
Bristol Bay by fish and wildlife
regulations and the measure’s sup
, porters say the heavy tax would
1 be a means of eventually forcing
: the wildlife service to change its*
rules.
Carlson, a veteran fisherman,
said sailboats should be eliminated
(Continued on Face Three'
:ANS Has No
|
Intention Of
i Reopening Schools
I _
JUNEAU, (/P)—1The Alaska Na
| live Service issued a statement
| yesterday revising an announce
ment by the office of Indian af
fairs in Washington concerning
! planned reopening of native
1 schools.
i Don C. Foster, superintendent
of the Native service, said the
ANS does not plan to reopen
j schools at Bethel, Cordova, Haines
Hoonah. Juneau, Kake, Ketchi
I kan, Nome and Sitka. He said
: these communities have schools
' operated by the Territory and
I that a single school system under
(Continued on Page Five)
Colonel Wrecks
F-80, Distressed
Over Appearance
KODIAK, {JP)—Col. M. D. Ma
! goffin, 32, of Dearwood, Minn.,
piled up his F-80 jet fighter on the
naval air station runway here, but
! walked away from the crash—
unhappy because it had scuffed
; his dress shoes and smashed a
razor case in his traveling bag.
He said it was his fifth wrecked
plane.
Three previous times, he said,
he had engine trouble and the
fourth in a flak-crippled P-47.
The plane which was reported
to be carrying 450 gallons of fuel,
did not explode. Magoffin said he
was coming in low to check the
condition of the runways when his
plane stalled.
He recently was relieved of
duty as commanding officer of the
57th fighter wing, Elmendorf air
force base, Anchorage. He was
scheduled for an early return to
the States.
He was treated for superficial
cuts and bruises, but insisted on
being returned to duty.
Magoffin was flying in from
Anchorage to take part in the
forthcoming navy cold-weath«r
exercises. . • \
Asks A AS Schools
Be Given To
Municipalities
WASHINGTON, f/P) — Delegate
Bartlett of Alaska asked Congress
to permit the interior department
to convey school land and build
ings to Alaskan municipalities.
He introduced a bill which he
aid would enable the Territorial
education department to make use
of schools closed by the Alaskan
Native Service.
He also offered a measure to
place the Alaska Railroad em
ployees under the civil service re
tirement law. It does not include
such employees now under civil
service.
In a third bill, Bartlett pro
posed that national housing au
thorities be permitted to allow
one-third more for construction
of houses in the Territory than in
continental United States.
It also provides that national
and Alaskan Housing authorities
cooperate in pushing a housing
' program in the Territory.
_
Statehood Bill
!
Before Congress
WASHINGTON (jP)—Statehood
for Alaska and Hawaii started on
the second leg of its legislative
journey through the 81st Congress
Wednesday.
I Bills granting statehood to th«
Territories were among the first
offered in both the House and the
Senate.
i Delegates Farrington of Hawaii
and Bartlett of Alaska made state
hood the prime subject of state
ments to the Senate interior com
mittee, although the group is con
sidering only interior department
j activities and not a statehood bill
I itself.
Bartlett told the committee
I Alaska has long been discrimin
ated against in failure of the gov
! ernment to treat it as it has other
Territories and that Congress has
been unfair in enacting legisla
tion which has injured the Terri
tory.
He cited in particular a law
which permits shipment of Amer
ican merchandise to Alaska via
Canadian railroads through the
; port of Seattle but forbids it
through Canadian ports.
| “Alaskans decided statehood Im
the only answer to these discrim-*
inations,” Bartlett said.
PASSENGERS ESCAPE IN
EGYPTIAN AIR CRASH
CAIRO, (aP)—44 passengers es
caped unhurt when a four-engined
Skymaster carrying British army
technicians crashed and caught
fire at Castel Benito airport in
Tripoli, airmen arriving here said.
The plane, chartered to the Bri
tish war office by Skyways, Ltd*
took off from Khartoum, Anglo
Egyptian Sudan.
In London Skyways, Ltd., said
the captain of the plane was killed
but that 51 other persons aboard
—44 passengers and seven creep*
men— escaped. The dead captain
was identified as R. W. K. Kipe
ley.