_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. L. No. 148 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1948 PER COPY^f5c
NEWS IN BRIEF
WASHINGTON. i/P) — The air
force is calling in for expert ad
vice man who has done more
surviving in th^ Arctic than most
folks—Sir Hubert Wilkins, 60
year-ol 1 Australian polar ^explor
er.
Wilkins, the air force announced
today, has left for the Arctic in
doctrination school at Nome. Alas
ka.
There he will check and make
recommendations on the air force’s
Arctic survival technique school,
now in it ssecond winter of teach
ing aviators how to live if forced
drKvr. in the -far north.
ASTORIA, Ore. (A3)—Sale of the
Columbia River Salmoh Co., Inc.,
to Superior Packing company of
Seattle and Tenakee, Alaska, was
reported yesterday.
Future plans for the firm will
include activation of the Ilwaco
plant which will process oysters,
crabs, clams, tuna and salmon.
LONDON, {A3)—Foreign secre
tary Ernest Bevin declared yester
day Britain will follow a hands
off policy in communist-menaced
China.
“We have explained to the Chi
nese government, whose position
we understand, that our financial
and economic position precluded
us from doing anything very ma
terial for China,” he told the House
of Commons.
The foreign seci*etary was open
ing a two-day debate on foreign
affairs in which Winston Chur
tchill will speak today.
WASHINGTON, </P)_ President
Truman surprised the President of
Cuba Wednesday night by award
ing him the legion of merit.
The award to Dr. Carlos Prio
Socarras was made at a stag din
ner given by Mr. Truman a few
hours after the Cuban leaders ar
rival here for a four-day visit.
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Walter
Reed hosptial reported yesterday
that secretary of state Marshall,
who underwent a kidney opera
tion Tuesday, enjoyed his break
fast yesterday morning.
A bulletin said: “General Mar
shall had a good night. His post
operative course remains satisfac
tory. The general was up in bed
and enjoyed his breakfast this
morning.”
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Senator
O’Mahoney (D.-Wyo.) said today
he will favor the appointment of
Oscar L. Chapman as secretary of
interior, if the “present capable
secretary” should resign.
Chapman has served as assist
ant secretary and then as under
secretary of the interior for the
past 16 years.
0
YAKIMA, Wash. (/P) — Third
pre-dawn fire to strike Yakima
business district in nine days gut
ted the two-story chamber of com
r merce building early today.
Its cause was unknown. Damage
was estimated at more than $100,
000.
JUNEAU, (IP)—The coast guard
ice breaker Storis, commanded by
Report Of
Grand Jury
*
Nome, *\lasku,
December 3, 1948
To: The Honorable Joseph W. Ke
hoe, Judge of the District Court
lor the Second Division, Terri
tory of Alaska
Sir:
In accordance with your in
struction to the Grand Jury on
November 29, 1948, we herewith
submit our report on the activi
ties of this body in regard to in
dictments presented by the Dis
trict Attorney, the examination of
Federal Offices, and our rccom
mendaitons upon general prob
lems.
Eight indictments were submit
ted to us by the District Attorney
and eight were returned True
Bills.
The following Federal Offices
were visited by the respective
committees and the following re
ports are hereby submitted:
Marshal's Office
The Marshall’s Office was vis
ited and conditions were found to
be favorable. No recommenda
tions.
U. S. Commissioner's Office
The Commissioner’s Office was
e
visited and conditions were found
to be adequate except for proper
lighting.
U. S. Atlorney's Office
The U. S. Attorney’s Office was
visited and conditions were found
to be favorable. No recommenda
’ tions.
Clerk of the Court's Office
No recommendations at present,
conditions favorable.
Federal Jail
The Jail was visited and it was
found that the vent pipe in the
men’s wash room is leaking and is
in need of repair. There is also a
need ifor a urinal or men’s toilet
in the men’s department.
(Continued on Page Seven)
AFL-SUP Can
Strike In 30 Days
SAN FRANCISCO (/P)—Ship
owners planned to meet yesterday '
with Harry Lundeberg to discuss i
pay demands of the AFL Sailos;
Union of the Pacific. The AFL'
sailors have said they want more
than the $21 monthly raises grant
ed CIO and other seagoing unions
at the end of the recent west coast
maritime strike.
Under a contract clause, Lunde
berg’s union could strike after 30 |
days if negotiations failed to pro
duce a settlement.
Shipowners also were trying to
reach agreement covering coastal
steam schooners with CIO marine
cooks and independent marine
firemen.
Dock operations, meanwhile,
were nearing normal after the 95
day strike.
Capt. John R. Kurcheski, arrived
today. It will be based here per
manently.
Meanwhile, a citizens’ commit
tee announced it was having good
success in selling bonds and stock
for a $350,000 headquarters build
ing for the coast guard.
Internation’l News
At A Glance —
• - ■ ■ ■—- ■
<By The Associated Press)
Thursday, December 17, 1948
Chinese army sources said to
day communists threatening Nan
king have wiped out one of the
four nationalist army groups they !
had trapped on the outer ap
proaches of the capital.
The communists asserted they
inflicted 30,000 casualties. Gov
ernment sources said the 16th
army group was about lost. It was
part of the 250,000-man garrison
which tarried too long in outflank
ed Suchow.
Whether Nanking could be held
depended largely on whether the
other trapped troops could snap
th communist ring and take up de
fense '■of the Hwai river line, 105
miles northwest of Nanking. There
were no more governmnt claims
that units of the 12th army group
fought out of an encirclement, as
was reported Wednesday.
The government, which fre
quently tosses out reports which
have no relation to the facts, said
the communists also are suffering
heavy losses and are plaqued by
shortages of supplies and muni
tions.
Israel’s bid for membership in
the United Nations appeared
doomed unti lthe general assem
bly meets again in April. It was
locked up in the security council
which adjourns Saturday night.
The Palestine Arab government,
headed by the exiled mufti and
situated at some unknown place,
announced opposition to Trans
Jordan’s plan to proclaim King
Abdullah as monarch of the Holy
(Continued on Page Two)
LATE FLASHES
(Special to The Nugget)
PARIS, (>P)—Russia tonight laid
the blame for World War II on
Great Britain and the United
States. Andrei Y. Vishins k y.
speaking in the United Nations
general assembly debate on human
rights, said it was the leaders of
the west—not Hitler—who share
the chief blame for the second
world war. Vishinsky argued that
the human rights measure fosters
and protects fascism. Vishinsky
said "Britain supported by the
United States did everything in or
der to open the door for Hitler's
attack on Russia."
■' 1 "I 1 '
GREAT FALLS, Mont., <P) —
The President of the Montana
chamber of commerce announced
today the postoffice department is
sending a ‘repreesntative here to
review the award of a bid for
trucking mail to Alaska. The de
partment awarded the contract for
the Seattle-Alaska route. Montana
claims the Great Falls-Alaska
route would be 1,00 miles shorter.
KETCHIKAN, (/P)_The coast
guard said the 50-foot boat North
Light is missing since Saturday
with three aboard. It was headed
for Petersburg with Mr. and Mrs.
Paul Strongen and Mrs. W. T.
Brown of Tyee. Bad weather is
preventing a search by air.
B-36, Giant Of The
Air, Makes 8,000
Miles Non-Stop
(By William C. Barnard)
FORT WORTH, Tex. i/P)—'The
largest bomber has made its
greatest flight.
The air force announced today
that its giant pride, a B-36, flew i
non-stop from Fort Worth to Hon
olulu and return, breaking its own
record.
At 7 p.m. Wednesday night, 35
hours and more than 8,000 miles
after takeoff time, the great silver
ship touched down at this city’s
Carswell air field.
And it had carried “a useful
i bomb load” to the halfway mark,
j dropping the bombs in the ocean
j off Honolulu.
Brig. Gen. J. B. Montgomery of
the strategic air command made
the announcement were — after
hours of official silence.
‘‘It is the best the B-36 has ever
done, but rt was a routine train
ing flight—well within the capa
bilities of the bomber,” said the
general. “It was in excess of 8,000
miles.”
Crewed by 15 men, the ship flew
from Fort Worth t« Honolulu by
was of San Diego, Calif., and re
(Continued on Page Five)
Heard About The
Roof Garden
George Bodis, who just arrived
from the Kougarok, reports that
all miners in that section have
made plane reservations to attend
the Roof Garden. Dec. 18.
Scotty Paferson, returning from
the States on the last PAA plane,
Isays: “All Alaskan’s I’ve met
around the hotel lobbies in Seat
tle were discussnig the Roof Gar
den.
.Mr. Weaver was herad to ex
claim: “I wish the Roof Garden
was over. My switchboard opera
tors spend too much time answer
ing inquiries about the date, pro
gram, prizes ,etc.” Of course they
tell them to read the Nugget. Date
(Continued on Page Eight)
New Years Game in
Fairbanks Ice Bowl
FAIRBANKS, (A>) — And now
we have another New Year’s Day
bowl game with a strange set ol
rules. It’s the Fairbanks Ice Bowl. I
The University of Alaska and
Ladd Field football elevens will
meet in the first such contest of
its kind seen in the Alaska Terri
tory.
Regulation costume for the frig
id fracas will be fur parkas over
shoulder pads. Mukluks or shoe
pacs will be the footgear. Mittens
will be permitted and, under the
rules, may be removed for pass
ing.
The kickoff time is scheduled
for 11 a.m.—because the sun rises
at 9:53 and sets at 1:54.
But all bets are off if it gets
too cold. The game will be called ,
off if the temperature drops under
35 below.
Pearl Harbor Was
Asleep; “Bombed”
On Anniversary
HONOLULU, </P) — Was Pearl
Harbor caught with its radar de
fenses down on the seventh anni
versary of the Japanese sneak at
tack?
The officer responsible for de
tecting unannounced aircraft ap
proaching Hawaii says:
Radar screens might have plot
ed the B-36 which flew unan
nounced on a round trip from Ft.
Worth, Texas, and dropped “‘a use
ful bomb load” at sea off Hawaii.
The officer, Col. T. W. Black
burn, said yesterday 21 planes
: were picked up by radar in the
tContmued on Faee Three*
SUP Will Picket
Foreign Ships With
Foreign Aid Cargo
SAN FRANCISCO, (TP) — The
Af'L Sailors Union of the Pacific
i threatened today to tie up foreign
ships carrying Marshall plan car
i go if the economic cooperation ad
ministration stops shipping of
bulk relief cargo in American ves
; sels.
Wednesday Paul G. Hoffman,
EC A head, announced he would
end a policy of carrying half of
| all such cargo in American bot
toms beginning January 1, because
of higher freight rates.
SUP executive secretary Harry
I Lundeberg’s threat followed a
, protest yesterday by the Pacific
j American steamship association
| and another by Capt. John A.
| Cross, secretary-treasure* of the
AFL masters, mates and pilots
‘Continued on Page Seven)
Czech Consul Asks
Asylum in U. S.
NEW YORK (/P)—One of Czech
oslovakia’s consuls here has an
nounced his resignation as a rep
resentative of his communist
dominated government and says
he is appealing for asylum as “a
Democratic political exile.”
The consul, Zdenek Smetacek,
announced Wednesday night he
was resigning because “the pres
ent Czechoslovak regime is de
pendent on foreign interests con
trary to the true wishes of the
Czechslovak people.”
He said he was asking U. S. im
migration authorities to allow
him, his wife, their two children
and his mother-in-law to remain
in this country.
f 4 SHOPPING DAYS
1 £ Till CHRISTMAS