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at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879
Nome, Alaska, Friday, March 2, 1951
ALASKA DEFENSES
By Mary Lee Council
“The security of every American home begins in the
snows of Alaska,” Senator Johnson of Texas declared
this week in presenting a Preparedness Subcommittee
report on Alaska defenses to the Senate Armed Servic
es Committee. “A strong Alaska is essential to our secu
rity. Our continental defenses can be no stronger than
our Alaskan defenses.”
The subcommittee agreed with the concept ot the
Joint Chiefs of Staff for Alaska’s defense when it stated,
“It is recognized that it would be impossible to physic
ally hold all of the Territory of Alaska.” In reaching its
conclusion that “It is believed that the military in Alas
ka, within the limit of forces made available to them, is
embarked upon a realistic plan for the Defense of the
Territory,” the subcommittee declared, “. . .its defense
is designed to permit the holding of so-called critical
areas and to defend the balance by air and naval action
or the use of mobile ground forces. It is believed that if
this concept is successfully pursued, then the mission of
defending Alaska will have been accomplished.”
Stating that it “was reluctantly forced to the conclu
sion that it could not place itself in the position of at
tempting to alter the decisions of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff based upon their military concepts for the defense
of Alaska,” the subcommittee particularly noted that
“It appears... reasonable to assume that little could be
done to protect the Seward Peninsula area from either
bombing or actual invasion if the Russians so desired.”
Its conclusions were stated in these words:
“The areas of Alaska which lie outside of the terri
tory which it is proposed to defend by ground action,
and in particular the problems of the Seward Peninsu
la, were studied in considerable detail by the subcom
mittee. Many of these areas are extremely close to Si
beria and undoubtedly would fall quite readily to Rus
sia in the event of an invasion of that part of the Terri
tory. The population of the Seward Peninsula presented
strong testimony to the subcommitte as to the necessity
for a complete defense against possible Russian attack.
It is a fact that little or no provision is being made to de
fend it by ground action. There appears to be no reason
to believe that the Seward Peninsula is not of great po
tential value to the country. The military believes that
the enemy can be denied the use of this area by bomb
NO RIDERS. PLEASE l
\ J<
Lifting The Lid
At Juneau
* t^l »M«
fishing boa is from $4 per ton to
| $2, and .he assessed valuation on
unimproved or deteriorating min
ing claims from $500 to $25.
*tcps. uramv G. Johnson (R -
| Kake) and Wendell Kay (D-An
! chorage) introduced a memorial
to President Truman and Congress
proposing that the Alaska Native
Service and its “federal bureau
crets” be abolished. The memorial
suggested that funds normally al- j
lotted to the ANS be turned over
to the Territory “for use in im
proving the conditions of Alaska's
native residents.”
Rep. W. W. Laws (R-Nome) of
fered a bill which would end the
chance for the election slogan “As
Alas va goes, so goes the nation.'^
His bill would shift the Alaska
election from October to the same j
November date as the states.
i
The Senate spent the afternoon
yesterday hearing witnesses on
the controversial 40-hour week
provision of the House-approved
Wages and Hours bill.
I
Friday, March 2, 1951
JUNEAU, (A5)— The Senate late
yesterday tabled a legislative in
vestigating committee bill which
h«d Stirred one of the session’s
longest controversies before pass-,
ing the House by an 11-5 vote.
The tabling vote on the bill
carrying the name of Rep. Glen
Franklin (D-Boundary) did not
mean the Senate majority was
opposed to it.
It was interpreted as indicating
some supporters felt a suitable
substitute was taking form in a
move to overhaul the Territory’s
financial administration which a
joint session approved in principle
earlier yesterday.
Under the proposed reorgani
zation bill, four members of the
legislature would be named to a
board of administration.
Sen. John Butrovich (R-Fair
banks) moved for tabling after he
hit a snag in trying to postpone
action until next week. He* ex
plained later he felt there would
be no need for a committee if leg
islators are added to an adminis
tration board.
If senators want to take the
measure off the table later it will j
require a majority vote, but sup
porters pointed out it couldn’t
pass anyway unless it got a maj
ority. I
Both Houses spent most of yes- ,
terday afternoon in hearings or
reading bills without taking final!
action.
• The Senate passed a bill by Dr.
R. M. MacKenzie (D-Ketchikan) j
which would impose 5 percent:
progressive penalties for wilful\
failure topay the motor fuel tax
within 30 days after the due date.
The House passed a bill by Rep.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- i
as favorable as it has been,” De.
Smith said.
CODUMBUS, O., {JP)—Clarence
T. Cole's automobile and a toy
..re engine tangled Wednesday,
and Cole came off second best.
The 28-year-old Cole was back
ing out of his garage. Just then
three-year-old Donald Blais ped
alled by on an “emergency run”
in his red fire engine. The toy
cought on the car.
Cole got out to free the engine,
C. Chester Carlson (D-Cordova)
providing care for sick and dis
_ oled fishermen. The vote was
17-7. It was amended to provide
that 30 percent of fishermen’s li
cense fees go into the fund.
- The Senate passed two House
approved memorials to the federal
government— one by Rep. Ed
Locken (R-St. Petersburg) asking
reinstatement of war risk insur
ance in Alaska to give reassurance
o investors, and one by Rep.
Frank G. Johnson (R-Kake) ask
ing a two-year extension for fil
ing of Indian tribal claims with
the Claims Commission.
The House held a hearing on a
labor committee bill to liberalize
workmen’s compensation. Oppo
nents described it as a combina
tion of Alaska’s already liberal
compensation act with features of
the longshoremen’s and harbor
workers’ act. Labor commissioner
Henry Benson described it
“long overdue.”
Larry Moore, representing the
contractors* association, said it
“probably is the most severe meas
ure of its kind ever introduced
and would be disastrous to Alaska
industry.”
He said it would approximately
double contractors’ payments into
the fund.
Senator Gunnard M. Engebreth
(R-Anchorage) introduced a bill
yesterday designed to crack down
stringently on attempts by de
partment heads or employers to in
fluence or “pressurize” legisla
tors. The measure would forbid
their speaking, writing or adver
tising to try to influence apppro
priations or legislation affecting
their department. It would even
forbid sending a letter or telegram
to a legislators for such a purpose.
It proposes a $500 fine or a
year’s imprisonment or both as a
penalty, plus ouster for any non
elective official.
Sen. Frank Barr (D-Fairbanks)
introduced a measure proposing a
top salary of $10,000 for the Vet
erans’ Affairs Commissioner. He
now gets $8,000.
Rep. Steve McCutcheon (D-An
chorage) introduced a proposal hv
which the Attorney General could
qualify for election after three
years of Alaska residence, instead
of five.
ing. 'this raises a problem of fundamental policy iii
which groups of American citizens, admittedly small in
number, have been working in American territory for
many years, have made their homes there, and are now
in a position, as they put it, of being abandoned to the
enemy. On the other hand, from the standpoint of the
military planning and capabilities, it would appear im
possible to defend all of the area of Alaska to such a de
gree as to prevent an enemy lodgment on its periphery.”
The subcommittee points out that military construc
tion in Alaska in recent years has cost approximately
$390 million with $542 million needed to complete the
contemplated long-range program, plus $102 million in
additional miscellaneous projects.
Of the many recommendations, conclusions and state
ments made by the subcommittee, the following ar
highlights: /
but his car still was in gear. It
pinned him against a garage
door, bruising his leg enough for
hospital treatment. Donald wasn’t
even scratched.
ANCHORAGE, </P) — A bird
hunting birdman who was too
heavy to fly out of snowbound
central Alaska was rescued by the
air force Wednesday.
Harold E. Mayo and two com
panions left earlier in the week to
go bird hunting. A heavy snow
fall prevented their light plane
from taking off on the return. So
Mayo stayed behind, with no food
nor shelter.
Weather prevented any search
Wednesday. Yesterday he was
■ found—cold, hungry but in good
condition.
INDIANAPOLIS, (P)— Donald
Jones overslid home yesterday
and broke up a sandlot baseball
game.
Jones, 23year-old student pilot,
was getting a little spring train
ing in the air and made a forced
landing on a baseball diamond in
I Brookside park. His plane crashed
into the backstop, but the players
had scattered and no one was hurt.
TAIPEI, Formosa, (/P)—Foreign
sources said today Dr. William L.
Wallace, American medical mis
sionary, died in prison after he
was arrested on trumped-up char
ges by the Chinese Reds.
The U.S. State Department in
Washington said yesterday the
southern Baptist medical mission
ary died Feb. 10 in jail at Wu
chow, Kwangsi Province.
Dr. Wallace, 42, was superin
tendant of Stout Memorial Hos
pital at Wuchow.
VATICAN CITY, (/P)—-Gold and
white banners of the Vatican
State were flown today to honor a
double anniversary of Pope Pius
XII—that of his birthday and his
election to th4 papacy.
The Pope was 75 years old to
day. Just 12 years ago—on his
birthday—he was elected Pope,
the 261st in the history of the
Catholic Church.
JUNEAU, (/P) — Territorial
treasurer Henry Roden reported
today Alaska’s general fund bal
ance at the end of February was
$1,170,989. The Territory’s “total
balance’* was $4,753,932, but
against this were outstanding war
rants and earmarked funds.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa, (/P)— A
DC-3 mid-continent airline plane
crashed and burned here today
and 14 persons were reported
killed.
A Sioux City Journal reporter
said 14 persons were killed, in
cluding the pilot and co-pilot and
that eight persons survived. The
bound ship was coming in
for a landing when the crash oc
curred. Witnesses said visibility
was fair, but a sudden snow
squall blotted out the plane just
before the crash.
PALMER, (/P^— Palmer will
vole April 10 on whether to incor
porate as a city.
This became certain at Anchor
age yesterday when District Judge
George Folta signed an order for
‘he H°c*ion on a petition granted
lest week.
A previous petition last Sep
tember had been denied by fed
eral judge Anthony Dimond.
Businessmen immediately r a 1
hV fi for a pre-election campaign to
what they said they hoped
would be a favorable return.
Minute Pool Cards at Nugget