shs NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
VOL. L. No. 6 3. NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, MAY 26. 1948. 15<‘ Per COPY
$9,226,979 For ’49 •
Fish and Wildife
Recommended
WASHINGTON, — (/P) — An
appropriation of $9,226,979 for the
Fish and Wildlife Service in the
year starting July 1 was recom
mended to the House today.
The recommendation came from
• the House Appropriations Com
mittee when it reported the annual
bill carrying funds for the Inter
ior Department. The figure is $2,
644,169 above the current year’s
appropriation.*
The bill includes $1,800,525 for
propagation of food fishes; $1,
025,000 for investigations respect
ing food fishes. $495,000 for com
mercial fisheries; $1,000,000 for
investigation, exploration and de
velopment of Alaskan fisheries;
$325,450 for wildlife resources and
management investigations; $175,
000 for enforcement of the Alaska
game law; $1,210,000 for main
tenance of mamal ahd bird reser
vations;; and $143,000 for the
fishery market news service.
The committee recommended
that in Alaska the forces in charge
of enforcing the game and fish
laws be shifted according to the
seasons in the interest of greater
efficiency.
ACS Observes 48th
Anniversary In
Alaska Service
Today May twenty-sixth marks
the forty-eighth anniversary of the
Alaska Communications System,
which is synonymous to saying
it also marks the forty-eighth an
niversary of communications with
in Alaska.
This organization, which is a
part of the U.S. Army Signal
Corps, had its beginning way back
in 1900 when Congress on May
twenty-sixth passed a bill pro
viding for the construction of a
military communications line in
Alaska (one of the provisions of
this act was that the practicable
commercial business was to be
handled over this network.) At
that time administration of the
military garrisons in Alaska was
extremely difficult as there were
no means of long distance signal
communication. As long as one
year was required at times to
send a message from the interior
of Alaska to the United States
and to receive an answer.
Since that day in 1900 the ACS
known then as the WAMCATS,
(Washing Alaska Military Cable
and Telegraph System) has been
hard at work building up a com
(Continued on Page Seven)
McKinley Park To
Get Improvements
WASHINGTON, — (JP) —The
amount of $51,865 was approved
for Mount McKinley Park in Al
aska, for the year starting July
1 in the House appropriations
committee recommendations an
nounced today.
■ Republican Group
Gets Ready For
McKinley Meet’g
JUNEAU, — (/P) —Attorney
Ralph E. Robertson, one of three
j National Republican Convention
delegates chosen at the so-called
“Rump Session” at Sitka, says he
intends to go to the June 5 con
vention at Mount McKinley Park.
, It has been lebeled the “Territor
j ial Republican Convention.” At
the time it was called, its spon
I sors called it a “rank and file”
party session.
Robertson said the McKinley
convention may select three dele
gates to the Philadelphia conven
tion also.
Robertson insists the Sitka meet- I
ing was not a “Rump” conven
tion.
He said the group which walked |
out of the so-called “White con- !
vention” at Sitka and held their
own separate meeting actually
constituted a majority.
It is understood here that dele
gates also will be named from
Ketchikan for the McKinley con
vention, to attend in person or
by proxies. Robertson intends to
go to Philadelphia to put up a;
fight for recognition of. his dele-'
gation.
Alaska Choristers
To Sing At Church
Assembly, Seattle.
. SEATTLE, — (/P) —The choir
of the Sheldon Jackson Junior
College, Sitka, Alaska, arrived ?n
two small power boats yesterday
to sing at the National General
Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church here. The seven-day as
sembly opens Thursday.
The choristers said they had
some rough weather, but everyone
appeared to be fine on arrival.
Senate
Passes
Seawall
Bill
WASHINGTON — (^—Legis
lation to authorize construction of
a $1,875,000 Seawall at Nome, Al
aska, was passed yesterday by
the Senate. *
The bill goes back to the House
for action on Senate amendments
providing that the 3,350 foot sea
wall be constructed in accordance
with Army Engineer plans.
Other Alaska bills passed by
the Senate would:
Authorize mail power boat ser
vice to the Alaskan Peninsula
and the Aleutian Islands at a cost
of $250,000 instead of $125,000
allowed at present.
Transfer a small area in the
Third Judicial Division to the
Fourth bivision.
Transfer lot one in block 115 in
Fairbanks to the City for school
purposes.
Permit the territorial legisla
ture to increase taxes from one
to two per cent and to to permit
incorporated towns to increase
taxes from two to three per cent.
Extend benefits of the civil
service retirement act to employes
of the Alaska Railroad. The bill
was amended to retirement pen
sions to the regular civil service
amounts.
Of the last five bills, the first
four were sent to the White House.
No Compromise
Arab-Jewish War
As Deadline Ends
UNDATED INTERNATIONAL
By the Associated Press—The Ar
ab League was reported author
itatively to have rejected in ef
fect a cease fire order for Pales
tine. The deadline expired 6 a.m.
Nome time.
Leaders of the seven Arab states
warring on Israel were reported
drafting a note in Amman, Trans
Jordan to the U.N. saying they
would cease fire only if Jewish
immigration is suspended, the
Jewish army dissolved and Arab
areas such as Haifa and Tiberias
returned to the Arabs. An Arab
informant at the League session
said there could be no compromise
on a Jewish state.
The Jews insisted that the two
day extension of the U.N. cease
fire deadline was obtained by the
Arabs to afford Arabs additional
time for an Arab offensive, par
ticularly in Jerusalem. Israel re
considered its original acceptance
of the cease fire because of the
extension.
Fighting went on in Jerusalem
and on other fronts in Palestine.
The Holy City was reported by
Jews to have been bombed for the
first time in its history. Haganah
said high flying planes dropped
high explosives. Further details
were lacking.
An NBC report from within
the battered city said 500 Haga
nah reinforcements were seen
moving into Jerusalem to meet
the expected assault.
Secretary of State Marshall con
ferred in New York yesterday
with high U.N. officials, presum
ably about Palestine.
The British foreign office ap
peared perturbed by the prospect
of a possible U.S. loan to Israel,
saying this might jeopardize Ar
Continued on Page Three
BEGIN RAILROAD NEGOTIATIONS
0%.
Representatives of railroads and unions begin negotiations in Wash
ington toward a settlement of the dispute which forced government seiz
ure. In group are (L to R) H. A. Benton, vice-chairman, southern commit
tees; D. F. Loomis, western committee chairman; H. A. Enochs, eastern
committee chairman, representing the railroads; A. J. Glover, switch
men's union president; Alvanley Johnston, grand chief of engineers,
and D. B. Robertson, firemen's and enginemen's brotherhood president.
(AP Wirephoto)
SHOULD PROVE
IF ALASKA HAS
COAL RESERVES
WASHINGTON, — (/P) —A bur
eau of mines official has warned
a House subcommittee it is im
perative that attempts be made
! to prove whether Alaska has am
1 pie reserves of coal “to meet any
contingency that may arise.”
Dr. James Boyd, director of the
Bureau of Mines, in testimony
made public today, told the sub
committee considering the inter
ior department appropriations bill
for the year starting July 1 that
sufficient reserves to meet such
a situation have not been located.
He said that full scale military
program there would multiply the
normal consumption of coal while
normal peace time requirements
will exhaust presently proved re
serves in a few years.
He said the Wishbone Hill area
appears to have substantial re
serves and the Bureau plans to
investigate that in the coming
year.
“Development of a large reserve
of suitable railroad fuel is essen
tial to continued operation of the
Alaska Railroad, particularly in
times of National emergency when
fuel supplies from the United
States may be cut off, and coal
from the Wishbone Hill area
could be used to supply the rail
road and the entire southern Al
aska railroad area,” Boyd said.
‘‘In the fiscal year 1949, core
drilling will begin in a large de
posit of bituminous coal in the
Wishbone Hill area, southwest of
Jonesville in the Matanuska val
ley.”
He said examination of areas ar
ound Homer also will be under
taken during the year.
A.T A. Reports On
Activities of Year
In a recent report made by the
Alaska Tuberculosis Association,
it was stated that the Association’s
Decentralization Movement, start
ed a year ago, has had splendid
results. Specifically, in all Al
askan towns of any size, groups
have been formed to sponsor the
annual Christman seal sale. The
sponsoring group, by special ar
rangement with the Association,
may retain 20 per cent of the lo
cal receipts for local use in con
nection with tuberculosis and its
problems. Last year Fairbanks,
Ketchikan, Kodiak, Seward and
Wrangell took advantage of this
offer. The funds retained by them
provided transportation for pa
tients entering sanatoria; food and
lodging for the same enroute;
supplies needed in cases of Home
Care; provided clothing for child
ren whose parents were tuber
culosis patients; and by way of
prevention, gave food and vita
mins to undernourished children.
In Seward, among other activi
ties, lunches were given Hope
residents arriving for the Mass
X-ray survey and in addition 24
bed lamps were ordered for Sew
(Continued on Page Three)