m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. LI. No~ 6_NOME,'ALASKA, FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1949 _Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
4 _
JUNEAU, (Ad—The annual con
vention of the Veterans of For
eign Wars Alaska department will
be held June 20-23 at Fairbanks.
The VFW council of adminis
tration announced the choice at
the end of its closing session yes
terday.
AMSTERDAM, i/P)—Borculo, a
town of 6,200 near Nijmegen, has
decided to come to the aid of its
American counterpart of Warren,
Ark. Both places have been hard
hit by tornaodes, Borculo in 1925
and Warren several weeks ago.
A committee has been formed
to raise funds from Borculo resi
dents and to discuss further relief
measures.
NEW YORK, <Ad—A threatened
tugboat strike, that would have
crippled the world’s biggest har
bor, has been averted.
An agreement between employ
ers and the marine division of the
AFL international longshoremen’s
association was reached an hour
before the strike deadline last mid
night.
The settlement is subject to rati
fication by some 3,400 crewmen
on tugboats and barges. A mail
ballot is expected to take about 30
days.
SAN FRANCISCO, (JP) — So
much of the cost of government
is charged to the dead that the liv
ing have no property taxes to pay
in the suburban city of Colma.
This fact was brought out today
in San Francisco Bay area coun
cil report on taxes.
Colma, just south of San Fran
cisco, has several large cemeter
ies. There’s a $1 license fee for
each funeral. City Clerk E. A.
Wisenburger explained revenue
from funerals and business taxes
made property taxes unnecessary.
TROY, Ala. (JP) — Customers
may be sipping beer while they
get their next hairdo at a Negro
beauty parlor here.
The city commission yesterday
approved a license to sell beer.
Operators explained its gets
awfully hot and dry for patrons
sitting under hair dryers.
SEATTLE, (^P> — The steamer ]
Alaska returns to service this
week following annual inspection
and overhaul the Alaska Steam
ship company announced today.
It is scheduled to depart at 11 i
a.m., tomorrow, inaugurating reg-;
ular weekly sailings to Southeast-j
ern and Southwestern Alaska this
year.
JUNEAU, (/P)—The Alaska road
commission said yesterday it has
a report that a five-foot snowfall
has flattened the new Standard
Oil warehouse and several other
buildings at Valdez.
Planes are unable to operate
and traffic to the Tok Cutoff at
Mentasta Lake has been halted
temporarily.
CAIRO, Egypt. </P)—One or two
persons were killed and at least 16
were injured by the explosion of
a bomb in a Cairo square yester
day; - ' \
A cigarette seller was killed in
Internation 1 News
At A Glance —
(By The Associated Press*
Thursday. January 13, 1949
The Chinese communists today
were reported to have set up con
ditions for peace talks amounting
virtually to absolute control of the
country.
Their conquering armies sfent
shells into the great northern cit
ies of Peiping and Tientsin, whit
tled down the survivors of trapped
government armies north of Nan
king and increased by the hour
the threat to that Chinese capital.
The government’s position was
most critical.
A Peiping source said the com
munists demanded the removal of
President Chiang Kai-Shek and
vice president Li Tsung-Jen. They
also demanded punishment of war
criminals, and Chiang heads their
list. They called for scrapping of
the constitution and a coalition
government of five communists,
three Kuomingtang and four poli
ticians of all Chinese political
parties. It would be easy for the
communists to rig such a setup
with their own puppe4s among the
Kuomingtang and independ e n t
members. The terms called also
for a mutual cease fire with both
sides holding their present place.
The Peiping informant said Chi
ang will issue another statement,
possibly resigning.
The United States was reported
consulting Britain and France on
a Chinese government move to
open the Chinese door for a medi
ation of the war by outside pow
ers. Nanking dispatches have re
ported Russia also has been felt
out. The Chinese apparently want
the Big Three or Big Four to vol
unteer their good offices to bring
peace.
Anthony Eden, conservat i v e
spokesman in Britain, expressed
fear of a break with the United
States over Palestine. He said for
eign secretary Bevin, who suc
ceeded him, has handled the situa
tion in a confused manner. He
blamed equally the U. S. state de
partment for failure to declare a
firm policy or take a firm line.
The foreign office announced am
bassador Sir Oliver Franks will
talk with President Jruman this
afternoon about the situation.
Egypt and Israel were getting
set to talk'armistice on Rhodes
under United Nations auspices.
The unrest in Egypt was pointed ,
up by a bomb explosion in a Cairo
Square which killed one or two
persons and injured 15.
Egyptian officials said an im
porant new oil strike had been
made in the Sinai desert area east
of Suez which may become one of
the richest in the world. The Ne
gev desert in southern Palestine,
(Continued on Page Five)
the blast.
Fifteen persons were treated at
the government hospital in the
Kahr El Aini district. Hospital at
tendants said five of these were
wounded seriously.
(Egyptian unrest over the strug
gle in Palestine has been a factor
in several recent incidents in Cai
ro).
HOU se Unanimous
In Approving
Income Tax Bill
—
• By James Hutcheson*
JUNEAU. —An income tax
bill, expected to produce an an
nual revenue of $2,000,000, was
adopted by the Territorial House
late yesterday by a vote of 24 to 0.
The bill calls for an income tax
payment amounting to 10 per cent
of the total paid in federal income
taxes.
Right after its passage, Rep.
Warren Taylor of Fairbanks, in
troduced the administration’s busi-j
ness license tax bill, which pro
poses a $25 fee for all businesses,
professions and services, plus one
half of one per cent of the gross
receipts above $20,000 a year.
He declined to estimate its po
tential revenue, but another legis
lator informed on tax matters said
he thought it would produce near
ly half a million dollars a year.
It would not taxe effect until j
after the repeal of the present I
overlapping license tax legislation. 1
Before passing the income tax
measure, the House voted unani
mous approval of a committee
amendment eliminating a proposed
$45 exemption for year-around
residents of Alaska.
Among other bills introduced i
was one by Rep. Alfred Owen, |
Kodiak Democrat, proposing an i
increase in the lobbyist registra- *
tion fee from $10 to $100.
Passage of the income tax bill
followed a 16-8 vote to suspend
the rules to rush final action. Rep.
Frank L. Johnson, Nome, had
sought to postpone the final vote
until today.
During the day two Republicans
offered a Senate memorial ques
tioning the legality of the Special
Session. Not expected to get far,
(Continued on Page Four*
States Storms Do
Great Damage
(By The Associated Press)
Winter’s January punch has
cost millions of dollars in damage
to crops and property and brought
much misery and hardship to
! thousands of persons.
It’s been a tough 13 days for
much of the country—particularly
in the western half.
An Associated Presse survey to
day showed at least 123 persons
died in the nation since an. 1 be
cause of bad weather conditions.
Stockmen, citrus fruit growers
and utility companies still are
counting up the dollar loss. It will
run into many millions.
Thousands of cattle and sheep
were frozen or smothered inv a
three-day blizzard in the west.
Cattlemen estimated lives t o c k
losses as “the worst since the
doughts of 1934 and 1936.”
Damage to citrus and other ag
riculture crops in California is es
timated at more than $43,400,000.
In Arizona, the citrus crop dam
age is estimated at $2,000,000.
Thousands of telephone and
utility poles weer downed by ice
storms in Texas, Missouri, Kansas,
Arkansas and Oklahoma.
British Confer
With Truman
About Palestine
—
WASHINGTON. (/P)—President
Truman received yesterday from
Sir Oliver Franks, the Brtiish am
bassador, an outline of Britain's
views ’on the Palestine situation.
Mr. Truman and the ambassa
dor conferred for nearly a half
hour at the White House.
Frank said afterwards that he
submitted “the views of my gov
ernment on the Palestine situa
tion.”'
He told reporters these were the
same he had expressed Wednes
day at th state department to un
derscore ary Lovett.
Lovett disclosed to a news con
ference Wednesday that the
United States had expressed con
cern to the British government
over troop movements in the Pal
estine area.
Lovett emphasized at the same
time that American policy is di
rected toward putting across an
effective armistice in the Jewish
Arab fighting.
Presumably, Franks’ visit was a
follow-up to this earlier exchange
with the British government.
The ambassador told reporters
he delivered no note but "quite
literally talked with the Presi
dent.”
Valdez Roofs
Collapse Under
Heavy Snow Fall
VALDEZ, Alaska, (/Pi—A five
foot fall of heavy, wet snow col
lapsed roofs of four buildings here
writh damage estimated at $25,000.
The snowfall, occurrnig Tues
day and Wednesday, caused dam
age to a business building, the city
airplane hangar and two ware
houses. No one was hurt, and re
moval of snow from roofs or other
major buildings was completed to
day.
One of the warehouses damaged
belonged to the Standard Oil com
pany. A portion of the roof broke
under weight of the snow.
Plane travel was disrupted by
the storm, and the Alaska road
commission at Juneau reported
highway traffic t othe Tok cutoff
at Mentaska Lake had been halt
ed temporarily.
*
Many Dead In
Siege Of Tientsin
The following dispatch from
American born Betty Chang, a
nurse married to a Chinese busi
ness man, is the last direct word
from communist besieged Tient
sin, North China’s first industrial
city. She originally came from
Eugene, Ore.)
(By Betty Chang)
TIENTSIN, (/P)—'The loss of life
in the stepped-up communist at
tack on Tientsin is heavy but no
count is possible now.
The thunderous roar of the
shelling was augmented today by
a blast in the former Italian con
‘ * (Continued tin Page Eight) ~ :
Miinz And Jones
Challenge Special
Session's Legality
'Speciu lto The Nugget*
JUNEAU—Two Nome Republi
can Senators introduced a memo
rial yesterday challenging the le
gality of the special session. It
contends the seating of new legis
lators is illegal and that the old
ones’ terms in office don’t expire
until the regular session convenes
anuary 24.
The memorial was introduced
by Charles Jones and William
Munz. It petitions Congress “may
disapprove all purported laws en
acted at such session adn thereby
give evidence to the people of
Alaska of Congress’ adherence to
American principles and standards
of government.”
The memorial is addressed to
President Truman. Congress, Gov
ernor of Alaska and the Delegate
to Congress. It declares there is
no public danger or necessity re
quiring the session.
In view of the eight-eight party
split, the memorial has virtually
no chance in the Senate. The
Democrats stand has been that leg
islators are qualified after their
election has been certified.
Bill Odom Spans
Pacific Non-Stop
In Small Plane
(By Philip Hiaring)
SAN FRANCISCO, bP)—Winter
weather stopped Lanky Bill Odom
a continent short of a flight he
had announced as a non-stop at
tempt from Honolulu to New
York. But it didn’t rob him of a
new world record for light planes.
The 29-year-old flier, dapper in
the grey plaid “lucky suit” he had
worn on two record around-the
world flights, landed his 185
horsepower, single engine Beech
craft Bonanza at Oakland ariport
at 6:30 p.m. last night.
He was 22 hours and six min
utes—and 2,375 statute miles—
from his Honolulu takeoff at 8:32
(Continued on Page Four)
(JO Convention
Passes Resolutions
JUNEAU, (P)—The Territorial
CIO convention approved yester
day the establishment of a CIO
industrial council which would
have jurisdiction over the three
Alaska branch councils and all lo
cals wishing to affiliate.
Delegates voted to submit to the
legislature a proposal for financ
ing accident or sickness insurance
for fishermen. The original pro
posal called for raising the money
by a license system, but the con
vention amended it to provide for
financing the fund with a pound
age tax system at the processor
or handler level.
The convention adopted resolu
tions opposing a Territorial sales
tax, demanding increased teach
ers’ salaries and supporting Alas
kan statehood. %; ,