Simeon Oliver
Says Whites W ill
Absorb Natives
(By George Meyers)
(Seattle Times Staff Writer!
SEATTLE, I/P) — The white
man’s society eventually will as
similate the Eskimos and Aleuts
of Alaska, in the opinion of Si
meon Oliver, half-Eskimo concert
pianist, author and lecturer who.
himself, was assimilated many
years ago.
Oliver. 47, was in Seattle last
week en route from his home in
Anchorage, to Los Angeles to be
gin a three-month schedule of lec
tures on the native customs, su
perstitions, legends and folk mu
sic of the Far North.
Packed in Oliver’s luggage are]
wire recordings of hundreds of
Eskimo songs collected on tours
of Arctic villages. The Eskimo
“orchestra” consisted of a half
dozen or more men squatting cross
legged, chanting and beating rhy
thm on a taut hide with a widdow
switch. Some Eskimo musicians
prefer drum sticks carved by
hand from broken oars, Oliver
said.
Oliver, author of two books
about “The Smoky Sea” now is
completing a third book on Alaska
native life.
The vast influx of construction
* workers and tourists into hereto
fore isolated areas of the Arctic is
changing the lives and the cul
ture of the Eskimos,” he com
mented.
Improved educational facilities
for the natives also are speeding
the disappearance of characteris
tics of the purely native social
strife, Aliver said.
A
Marilimr (Commis
sion Yfust Continue
Chartering Ships
TACOMA, i/P)—Rep. Tollefson
<R.-Wash.) told the U. S. maritime
commission Saturday it would be
guilty of a “deliberate flouting of
the intent of Congress” if it can
cels the policy of chartering
vessels to private lines.
In a letter to the commission,
the Tacoma Congressman said he
had been informed that such a
policy now is being followed by
the commission.
He described it as posing a
threat of disaster to Alaska and
as putting many private operators
out of business.
Tollefson said the House com
mittee on merchant marine and
fisheries had studied the practice
of chartering ships to private
lines. It had recommended minor
changes in the program, he said,
but did not suggest discontinu
ance of the charter program.
The suggested change was
merely to eliminate one-trip char
ters, making the charter period
instead four months for liners and
six months in the case of tramp
steamers.
“The problem is perhaps more
critical now than at any previous
time because of the strategic posi
tion Alaska occupies in the na
tional defense picture,” Tollefson
said. “Service to the Territory
must be maintained and not in
terrupted.”
The charter program has been
valuable to operators in the north
inasmuch as it enables them to
handle the rush season without
involving themselves with costly
construction of additional ships.
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Alaska Steam Will
Hire < hitside ()f
“Hiring Halls”
SEATTLE, P) — Employment
in the stewards’ department of the
Alaska Steamship company was in
effect thrown open to all comers
Tuesday.
Since 193fi all employment of
such personnel has been through
the hiring hall maintained here
by the national union of marine
cooks and stewards. CIO affili
ate.
The new policy was revealed at
a National Labor Relations Board
hearing by E. A. Dobrin of Bogle,
Bogle and Gates, counsel for the
steamship company.
His statement followed a charge
by J. A. Jenkins, counsel for
NLRB general counsel Robert E.
Nenham that the hiring agree
ment between the union and
steamship operators is illegal un
der the Taft-Hartley Act.
“The Alaska Steamship com
pany is prepared to accept in
dividual applications for employ
ment in the stewards department
of its vessels and to give such ap
plications bona fide consideration
without reference to the preferen
tial hiring provisions of the agree
ment of December 2, 1948,” he
said.
Dobrin said he was no conced
ing that the contract is illegal as
charged by Jenkins. The new pol
icy was adopted to protect the
company in the event of an ad
verse decision by the National La
bor Relaitons Board.
Union officials withheld com
ment.
Jenkins’ charge was made in his
opening statement at a hearing
on an NLRB complaint of unfair
' labor charges filed against the
CIO union. Pacific Maritme Asso
ciation, American Mail Line and
‘•Jefferson Day**
w
Dinner Raises
SKMLOOO for Demos
NEW YORK, (£>)—Vice Presi
dent Alben W. Barkley started
the Democratic Party down the
road to the 1950 elections Friday
night at a Jefferson Day dinner;
that raised $400,000 for the party
war chest.
The newly-wedded “Veep”
forecast a Democratic Presidential
victory in 1952.
Speaking to 2,600 party leaders I
i nthe grand ballroom of the Wal
dorf-Astoria, Barkley extolled the
Democrats’ program and taunted
the Republicans.
“We arc now told by those who
occupy the position of tree-sitters j
and hitching-post devotees, that
this program is leading us down
the road to the so-called welfare (
state,” he said. “We are being told
that we are now on the last mile,
toward collectivism in America.
“These prophets of pessimism
have not told the American peo-j
pie what part of the Democratic1
program is to be repealed.
“They have not told us how far
back we must go in order to recog
nize Uncle Sam as a complacent
old gentleman sitting astride the
dome of the Capitol, drawing his
j salary and doing nothing.”
Republicans responded with
fresh attacks on President Tru
man’s program.
Senator Bricker <R.-Ohio> said
' that if he had his way the GOP,
would wipe out every vestige of
“me-tooish” and fight the Truman
j welfare state down the line.”
Alaska Steamship Company. The
hearing was scheduled to move
I from the federal office building
I day.
to the federal court house yester
Truman Still \^ks
i >
*
KEY WEST. Fla. (/P), President
Truman moved ahead Saturday
with plans to ask Congress for a
strong civil rights program while
this country speculated >n the
range of his anti-discrimination
policy in federal housing.
The White House gave full en
dorsement to a statement by solic
itor general Philip B. Perlman in
New York that future housing
projects can not expect federal
aid if they write clauses against
tenants of any color or creed.
The full extent of this ruling
aw’aited further clarification.
Meanwhile, the President re
sumed work on the --State of the
Union” message he will deliver to
Congress in January in which he
will renew his demands for:
1. A federal anti-lynching law.
2. Repeal of the poll tax as a re
quirement for voting for federal
officers.
3. A whole series of other laws
designed to ban discrimination
against Negroes and other minor
ity groups.
This same message, to be deliv
ered in person, also will call for
repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act
and the passage of measure* Mr.
Truman advocated in hi* 1943
election campuign.
Joe Flakne, of the Inter; r De
partment. who accompanies Mr.
John Argetsinger head of the pub
lic works appropriation depart
ment, is enjoying a visit with Mr
and Mrs. Fred Kubon. Mr Flakne,
! a graduate of the University of
Alaska, is married to Mrs. Kti
bon’s sister
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