__OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATE!) PKESS_
VoT~ Li. No. 40 ~ NOME, ALASKA, MONDAYTa^PRIlT 47l~949 Per Copy— 15c
MASS !\ BRIEF
Moses Lake Air Force Base.
Wash., (#*)—A plane of the 323th
all-weather fighter squadron
crashed here Friday, killing two
men. Their names were withheld
pending notification of next of
kin. It was the first fatal accident
since the base was re-activated
last Dec. 1.
WASHINGTON, '/P> — Oscar R.
Kreutz, head of the National Sav
ings and Loan League, said Sat
urday Americans are saving their
money in record breaking
amounts. If 1949 end.- as it has
started, he said savings and Io n
associations probably will have
their largest savings inflow in his
tory.
> _
NEW YORK. </P) — The New
York World-Telegram said Satur
day the New York Giants and the
Brooklyn Dodgers would a n -
nounce a trade within a few days
in which John Mize would go to
the Dodgers for Eddie Miksis.
Mize, now 3d. is a first baseman
and has tied for National League
home run honors the past two sea
sons. Miksis, a 23-year old utility
infielder, is primarily d second
baseman.
ANCHORAGE, (/P) — Mr. and
Mrs. A. T. Martin, longtime resi
dents of Anchorage, were killed
Saturday in a collision with a mail
truck on the Alaska Highway near
Northway.
They were returning by car
from a six-month vacation tour of
the States. Martin formerly oper
ated a dairy here.
Their only son. Dr. Asa Martin,
Anchorage, is expected to fly his
private plane to the civil aeronau
tics station at Northway where
his parents’ bodies were taken.
CHICAGO. -f/P> — The National
Congress of Delta Sigma Rho,
honorary debating society, went
on record Saturday favoring state
hood for Hawaii and Alaska.
The Congress’ bill, passed by ac
clamation on the assembly floor,
was prepared by Hideto Kono and
Revoca+o Medina at the Univers
ity of Hawaii where both are stu
dents. It was introduced yesterday
and amended to include Alaska, in
Medina’s committee on citizen
ship. It was carried unanimously
in committee.
PORTSMOUTH, N. H., —
The USS Pickerel, a new stream
lined “Snorkel” submarine named
for the first U. S. underwater craft
lost in World War II in the cen
tral Pacific, will be christened
and commissioned today at the
Portsmouth naval base.
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. (^—Wil
liam Lawrence (Bill) Osley, 51,
president of the San Antonio base
ball club of the Texas league, died
of a cerebral hemorrhage late last
night.
HOLLYWOOD, (£>) — Olivia de
Havilland is seriously ill today,
her studio disclosed, and every ef
fort is being made by her doctor
to save a baby she expects in Au
gust.
Thfc academy award-winning
U. of A. May Regain
Land Grant College
Appropriation
1 rVt Special Washington Service)
WASHLN GTON, </P> — The
House appropriations committee
recommended today restoration to
tlie University of Alaska of its
land grant college appropriation
of $42,500.
The committee also recommend
ed an appropriatio nof $075,000 to
enable the agriculture department
to carry on agriculture research
.jointly with the university.
Two years ago Congress discon
tinued the land college grant ap
propriation and transferred use of
lands, buildings and eqirprr.ont of
‘hf Territorial experiment station
to the agriculture department.
The committee reported today
that the administrator of the agri
culture research administration
had leached a satisfactory agree
ment with university officials.
It is not probable, the commit
tee said, that “administrative defi
ciency which characterized past
conduct of the station will occur
again.”
International News
■! A Glance —
Saturday, April 2, 1949
<By The Associated Press*
America’s leading role in the
erection of a world-wide barrier
against the spread of communism
was underscored today by three
developments.
Foreign ministers of the 12
North Atlantic pact powers assem
bled for their first meeting in
Washington to set up machinery
for defense of the non-communist
western world.
Democratic leaders in the Sen
ate predicted approval of the full
$5,580,000,000 asked for the sec
ond year of the Marshall plan af
ter beating dowm a move to cut
European recovery spending 10
per cent.
Harold E. Stassen, university of
Pennsylvania president, urged in
a speech at Boston that the United
States launch a billion-dcllar-a
year plan for “bolstering" Asia
against communist expansion.
No decisions on strategy were
expected at today’s metting of the
12 foreign ministers clearing the
decks for the formal ceremony of i
signing the Atlantic Treaty Mon - i
day in Washington.
The last of the 12, Denmark’s
foreign minister Gustav Rasmus
sen, arrived last night. Other na
tions represented are the United
States, Canada, Britain, France,
Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg,
Norway, Italy, Iceland and Portu
gal.
Following Winston Churchill at
the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology convocation, Stassen
said the United States must “move
promptly to bolster the southern
<Continued on Page Three)
I
actress has been confined to her .
bed for the past two months. Her j
physician said he doubted if she .
would be up again before the in- t
fant’s arrival.
Congress Works on
Alaska’s Business
License Tax
WASHING TON, (/P) — The
House public lands committee Fri
day recommended Congressional
action to clear the way for Alas
ka’s newly enacted business li
cense tax law to take effect.
The House committee approved
the bill to authorize the Alaska
legislature to amend or repeal cer
tain business taxes.
The legislature, however, al
ready beat Congress to the punch.
It enacted the new law with a pro
vision that it should take effect
on the first January 1 after Con
gressional authorization. The pres
ent business license under the old
Congressional act has been de
scribed as “hodge podge” by Alas
kan supporters of the revision.
If the House and Senate follow
through on the committee recom
mendation, the new Alaska law
would levy a $25 license fee on all
businesses and professions, with
one-half per cent on gross receipts
between $20,000 and $100,000 a
year and one-fourth per cent
above $100,000.
Another bill approved by the
House committee would permit
the Governor of Alaska to fix fees
for rental of polling places and
other services in connections with
elections.
DR. FRED LANGSAM ARRIVES
TO TAKE OVER HOSPITAL
Dr. Fred IVI .Langsam arrived
today from Bethel to replace Dr.
J. B. Tucker who is leaving soon
for the States.
Dr. Langsam is already an Alas
kan having been with the ANS in
Bethel for seven years at the Bur
eau's hospital and for a year in
Anchorage and Southea ster n
Alaska.
Dr. Langsam received medical
training at the University of Co
logne in Graz, Austria, and his de
gree in 1938. After receiving his
degree in medicine and before
coming to Alaska he was house
physician in the Hotel New York
er, New York City. Dr. Langsam
is not married.
ELECTION NOTE
'By the Editor)
Since there are several more
contestants for the city offices
than will be required for the op
eration of city business, there falls
a choice to the electors of our fair
city.
It is enjoyable to live in a com
munity which is run properly,
therefore along with this oppor
tunity and privilege comes a duty
to participate in the city govern
ment.
This duty calls for consideration
of the needs of good government
and the men and women responsi
ble for its operation.
Now for the civic participation,
it behooves each and every citizen
to go to the City Hall on election
day, tomorrow, April 5th, and
cast your vote for good govern
ment.
Friends And Foes Give Heated Pro And
Anti-Gruening Arguments At Hearing
WASHINGTON, (/I3)—Rival groups exchanged fire
before the Senate Interior Committee Friday on the ap
pointment of Governor Gruening. Rep. McCutcheon,
speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, testi
fied when Gruening became Governor nine years ago,
Alaska was “completely stagnant” with poor schools,
health facilities and roads. Now, due to Governor
Gruening’s efforts, Alaska is a thriving community
“that wants to go ahead and wants to keep Gruening in
Alaska, he said. Earlier the com-,
mittee heard opponents say Gruen
ing had established a political dic
tatorship in the Territory. Rep.
Marcus Jensen, Douglas merchant
said he believed that Greuning
was “striving for personal power.”
He said the governor buttonholes
legislators and is continually lec
turing them if they oppose mea
sures he favors.
Rep. Frank Angerman, Fair
banks machinist and Democrat,
said he opposed the confirmation
because the governor influenced
legislators improperly.
Capt. A. E. Lathrop said Gruen
ing's policies, “almost without ex
ception, have been motivated by
personal or political considera
tions—certainly not by a construc
tive and sincere interest in Alaska.
WASHINGTON, (VP)—The Sen
ate interior committee Saturday
weighed arguments for and
against confirmation of Ernest
Gruening to continue as governor
of Alaska.
Chairman O'Mahoney <D.-Wyo.»
indicated that a decision will be
made soon—possibly within a mat
Sen. Jones Uses
Plain And Fancy
Speech At Hearing
(CP) Special Washington Service'
WASHINGTON, CP)—Territori
al Senator Charles D. Jones, of
Nome, has fancy and plain words.
He prefers the latter.
Appearing before the Senate in
terior committee to protest the re
appointment of Governor Ernest
Gruening of Alaska, Jones who
served in the first Alaska legisla
ture in 1913, presented a state
ment which said:
“You have already heard or will
hear, of his 'Gruening’s) lobbying
antics . . . When all else fails, he
'plies the legislators with cocktails'
and cultured conversation in the,
Governor’s mansion amid sur
roundings more luxurious than
most of these unpretentious Alas
kans from mining and fishing
communities and Eskimo villages
have ever seen.”
But he told the committee that
language wasn’t exactly the kind
he uses; that a secretary of Capt. i
A .E. Lathrop of Fairbanks had
polished up the statement for him j
and that he would like to put it
in his own words.
“Well, how would you put it?” (
inquired Senator Anderson <D.-N.
M.).
“He takes ’em up and gives ’em
plenty of booze and lots of con
versation,” Jones replied. *
ter of a few days.
The committee worked late Fri
day to wind up in one day its
hearing on the nomination. Mem
bers heard these charges made
and denied by delegations of
Alaskans:
1. That Governor Gruening had
used dictatorial methods. and
sought unduly to influence legis
lators in favor of his program.
2. That he campaigned among
Alaskan natives with favored
candidates for the Territorial leg
islature.
3. That he hindered the develop
ment of Alaska by his stand
against “absentee ownership.”
Gruening took the stand to deny
the charges himself.
He said he had pressed for en
actment of his program for the de
velopment’ of Alaska, but was in
no sense a “dictator.” and had no
power to be if he had wanted to
be.
“I have come to the conclusion
that it is my duty to tell the peo
ple what I think.” he informed the
committee.
He added flatly that he had not
campaigned with officials of the
Alaska native service to >ponsor
certain candidates.
His entire program has been
aimed at the development of Alas
ka for the benefit of Alaska,
Gruening said. He emphasized
that he has insisted on a balanced
budget, and for the first time this
year has had enacted a tax system
“worthy of the name.”
A delegation of 44 supporters of
the governor flew to Washington
in a chartered plane, and nine of
these testified in his behalf.
An opposition group of seven
from the Territory asked the com
mittee to reject Gruening.
Much of Friday's hearing cen
tered around a short piece of side
road built across national forest
land to the governor’s summer
home near Juneau.
The road was brought up by
Marcus Jensen, a Democratic
member of the Territorial legisla
ture, one. of the opposition wit
nesses, who said it was “one of
those things which is mentioned
in whispers whenever the conver
sation dwells on the governor of
Alaska.”
Jensen said it was usually re
ferred to as “that private road,’*
and that “nobody in Alaska has
even gotten a satisfactory explana
tion of how a short piece of side
road came to be built to Govern
or Gruening’s summer home and
charged off as a Territorial ex
pense. The road cost slightly un
der $3,000, Jensen said.
When he took the stand, Gruen—
fContinued on Page Two>