m NOME NUGGET
_OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. L. No. 136 NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12,'~194~8 PER COPY—15c
* NEWS IN BRIEF
HOUSTON, Tex. (/P) — Will L.
Clayton, back home in Houston
after serving as top administra
tion official in Washington for
eight years, emphasized that he
was home permanently.
His resignation as ecenomic as
sistant to the secretary of state
was disclosed Wednesday.
WASHINGTON, {/P)—The num
ber of federal jobholders dropped
in September for the first time
since last December.
Senator Byrd <D.-Va.>, reporting
this yesterday as chairman of the
joint committee on reduction of
non-essential federal expendi
tures, said however, the 5,876 de
crease still left 2,114,994 persons
employed in the executive branch
of the government.
NEW YORK, </P)—Domestic se
1 curity and commodity markets
were closed yesterday in observ
ance of Armistice Day. Markets in
Canada were closed for Remem
berance Day while those in Eu
rope operated as usual.
PARIS, (i^P) — Warren Austin,
American representative on the
United Nations security council,
spent the day in bed at the Ameri
can hospital in Paris* recovering
from a heavy cold.
Hospital authorities said he
should be out very shortly.
TOKYO, (/P) — Armistice Day,
30th anniversary of the end of
the first world war, passed quietly
with American occupation troops
taking a holiday. There was no
speech making and no parade.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (/P) — Fire
early today destroyed a university
of Kentucky landmark, 55-year
old Norwood Hall, with a loss es
timated at $200,000. Origin of the
• blaze has not been determined.
•___
PLAINFIELD, N. J. (&)—Mrs.
Winifred Eaton, 74, wife of Rep.
Charles A. Eaton, died today at
Muehlenberg hospital. She had
been ill for some time and in the
hospital since election day.
PEIPING, (£*)—Cigarettes were
1 banned in the northwestern pro
vince of Ningsia today.
Gov. Ma Hung-Kwei banned
them under an austerity program.
He gave dealers 15 days to get
their stocks out of the desert pro
vince. Foreign tourists may smoke
cigarettes if they bring their own.
* LIVERPOOL, England, (/P)—A
twin-engined plane carrying six
passengers and a crew of two
plunged into the Hersey Tidal Ba
sin last night and sank. All but
one of the eight persons aboard
are believed to have been killed.
BATAVIA, Java. (/P) — The
Dutch army said yesterday 47
persons were killed, 46 abducted
» and 18 wounded in 305 terrorist
incidents in Java in the last two
^ weeks.
The report said the incidents
ranged from shooting into military
camps to sabotage, looting and ar
son.
Internation’l News
At A Glance —
Thursday, November 11. 1948
<By The Associated Press)
The greatest battle in Chinese
history raged on the outer ap
proaches of Nanking today, this
anniversary of the first world war
armistice.
A Chinese government spokes
man said the communists had
thrown 21 armies of 500,000 men
| into the battle around Suchow, 170
miles from the capital. He said the
battle is bigger than any fought
in the war with Japan. The fate of
north central China hinged on the
result and the spokesman said
outnumbered government troops
already are making successive
wit hdrawals to “shorten their
lines.”
The Chinese communists said
they have bottled up 350,000 gov
ernment troops in the Suchow sec
tion. Rigid censorship was clamp
ed on. Martial law was declared in
Shanghai and Nanking to stop
food rio s.
While this perhaps decisive bat
tle was being fought, the United
States loaded what was described
as the first shipment of American
guns and munitions for* China
since the communists won Man
churia.
The U. S. navy was checking
the possibility a foreign subma
rine was operating within a few
1 miles of Pearl Harbor. The sub
marine rescue vessel Bluebird re
! ported a possible contact nine
! miles south of the great base.
The last men who started trou
ble there—Japanese wartime pre
mier Hideki Tojo and 24 associ
ates—heard an international court
i blame them for 1,000,000 war
1 atrocity deaths.
American and British planes
flew the airlift to blockaded Ber
lin despite a new Russian threat
to force down planes straying out
of the 20-mile-wide corridors.
Gen. Lucius D. Clay, U. S. mili
tary governor, said “We will keep
them flying.” Some officials term
ed this Russian threat a move in
the “war of nerves.” A senior
American air officer said it looked
like a Russian bluff and “we
Icalled it.”
i
The U. S. and Britain warned
Russia the Soviets would be held
responsible for any action they
take. Both the U. S. and Britain
have said in the past they would
use fighter escorts if needed. Pi
lots, however, said they have
standing orders to obey any Sov
iet fighter plane seeking to force
them to land.
President Truman at Key West
kept a close watch on the Berlin
moves. He gave continued study
to the need for an agreement to
ease American-Russian tensio n s.
The White House made it clear no
Truman-Stalin meeting is planned
and. that Truman has no intention
of going to Moscow, but prime
minister Stalin would be welcome
if he should come to Washington.
H. V. Evatt, president of the
United Nations general assembly,
predicted the east-west log jam
will “be broken very soon.” Secre
(Contlnued on Page Three)
Hoover Gives
Streamlining Plans
For Government
WASHINGTON, (A3) — Former
President Herbert Hoover yester
| day urged a “strengthened” labor
department and the removal of
20 000 pos masterships from poli
tics. He also advocated the crea
tion of a better-paid career serv
ice in government.
Hoover spoke as chairman of the
12-member bi-partisan commis
sion on organization of the execu
tive branch. He gave reporters
several tentative findings of the
commission’s “task forces” on
s reamlining the federal govern
| ment.
(Continued on Page Eight)
- -- -
Globe Girdlers
Reach Cold Bay
ADAK, (yP)—Mrs. Richard Mor
row-Tait, British round-the-world
flier, hopped up the Aleutians
chain from Shemya to Adak Wed
| nesday to put herself 500 miles
j closer to home. She and her navi
gator, Michael Townsend, arrived
here in their single engine plane
at 5:02 a.m. <PST).
That report said a B-17 of the
air force 10 rescue squadron would
escort the British aviatrix on her
flight. The dispatch said she ex
pected to stay over night here and
then depart for Cold Bay, a mili
tary establishment near the end of
the Alaska Peninsula, or Naknek
near the base of the Peninsula.
COLD BAY, Alaska </P)—After
completing her flight up the Aleu
tian Island chain with a 700-mile
hop from Adak to this “end-of-the
line” community, a British round
the-world aviatrix planned today
to continue to Anchorage.
Mrs. Richard Morrow-Tait and
her navigator, Michael Townsend,
arrived here in their single-engine
plane shortly after 5 p.m. Pacific
time yesterday.
Pensacola Rests
In Watery Grave
______ *
SEATTLE, </P) — The heavy
cruiser Pensacola, a survivor of an
atomic bombing, took every punch
the navy could throw for six hours
and 30 minutes Wednesday and
then went down quietly bow first..
The gallant old veteran of 13
battles with the Japanese when
her guns were good and she could
fight back was listing far to port
and her nose was taking water.
Then, as if tired of taking further
punishment, she slipped into the
grey water of the Pacific, leaving
behind hardly a splash. The time
was 2.28 p.m.
“Destruction through progres
sive damage,” was the navy’s term
for the maneuver. Air and surface
units were given equal chances to
test their weapons on the lightly
armored ship. The Pensacola wore
her guns out fighting in World
War II.
Built in New York at a cost of
$11,100,000, she joined the fleet as
a first-line cruiser in 1930.
U. S. Observes
Armistice Day
'Round The World
<By The Associated Press*
A prayer for peace girdled the
globe yesterday as Americans
throughout *he world paused at
the 11th hour in silent tribute to
the nation’s war dead.
On the 30th anniversary of
Armistice Day the veteran sons of
doughboy fathers stacked arms
before flower-strewn graves while
military and civilian leaders call
ed for renewed dedication to uni
] versal peace.
The center of the nation’s ob
servance was the tomb of the un
known soldier in Arlington Na
tional cememtery. Three scores of
patriotic and civic groups once
again readied wreaths for the hal
lowed site across the Potomac
from Washington.
Sounding a preparedness theme,
Secretary or Air Symington issued
this holida peace challenge to the
nation:
“If it takes patience, let us be
patient; if it takes humility, let us
(Continued on Page Five)
GOP Pledges To
Help Friendly
Nations Recover
WASHINGTON, (/P) — A new
GOP pledge to help friendly na
tions regain their feet defensively
raised administration hopes today
for Republican backing of the
forthcoming arms-for-Europe pro
gram.
In a declaration aimed pointedly
at Moscow, Senator Vandenberg
of Michigan put his fellow Con
gressional Republicans on record
—as nearly as any one man can—
in favor of helping Western Eu
rope to defend itself.
The Michigan Senator, who
steps down in January as chair
man of the Senate foreign rela
tions committee; told the reserve
officers association in Philadel
phia last night:
“While never neglecting pru
(Continued on Page Five)
London Unveils
Second Memorial
To Roosevelt
LONDON, </P)—The second me
morial to the late President Frank-1
lin D. Roosevelt dedicated this
year in London will be unveiled
in Westminister Abbey today.
The specially designed plaque is
a more modest symbol of remem
brance than the heroic statue un
veiled in Grosvenor Square last
April by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt.
It will, however, be an unusu
ally significant memorial in that
the late President will be the first
head of a foreign state ever so
honored in Westminster Abbey.
Furthermore, the plaque will oc
cupy the last remaining niche in
the Abbey.
The Roosevelt niche is above the
roll of honor of civilian casualties
in the last war.
East Coast Joins
West Coast In U. S.
Maritime Tie-Up
New Strike Paralyzes
New York Harbor;
Gulf Coast Out Soon
1 _
NEW YORK, UP)—A major part
of America’s shipping was crip
pled yesterday by longshoremen’s
strikes on the east and west coasts.
| The Port of New York—fore
most in the world’s commerce—
was almost paralyzed as thou
; sands of men stood idle.
The blitz also hit the important
. harbors of Philadelphia and Bos
4 ton, where other thousands joined
a rank-and-file protest against a
wage settlement negotiated by
' | AFL union leaders.
| Spread of the walkout to addi
j tional ports from Portland, Me., to
Hampton Roads, Va., was feared.
A Gulf Coast stoppage has been
% • promised if the east coast strike
' | becomes official and complete.
A crippling west coast strike of
CIO unions has idled ships and
men from Alaska to Mexico for
many weeks.
No dock workers were available
as the liner America, queen of the
U. S. passenger fleet, ai rived at
her Hudson river pier yesterday.
The 997 passengers carried their
own hand luggage as they disem
barked.
The British liner Maurentania,
which has been due here today
with more than 1,000 passengers
(Continued on Page Eight)
I Bartlett Will Push
Statehood And
Fish Trap Bills
•
(By Charles D. Watkins)
UA') Special Washington Service)
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Delegate
plans to push two Alaskan bills in
the new Congress that faced some
stiff opposition this year .
He has notified his office here
that he plans to re-introduce his
bill in January to grant Alaska
{statehood and will p ush for its
quick enactment by the 81st Con
gress.
I He said he also will re-introduce
a proposal to outlaw fish traps in
Alaska over a ten-year period.
I The statehood bill was approv
, ed unanimously by the House pub
I lie lands committee last year. It
was. however, snagged in the
(Continued on Page Eight)
WXLN TO BROADCAST
"STATEHOOD"DEBATE
Station WXL.N announces that
the debate on “Statehood for Alas
ka" will be broadcast Sunday
night, Nov. 14 at 9:00 p.m.
This debate features John Mc
Nees arguing for Statehood and
Karl Dewey against Statehood,
with Sgt. Johnnie Mock as moder
ator.
Everyone is invited to attend
the debate at the Service Club, but
for the benefit of those who can
not attend the program will be
broadcast.