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THE
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
~VOL~L No. 46. NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, APRILT67T948.PER COPY — 15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
FAIRBANKS,—(>P)—J. B. Shep
hard of the Alaska Road Commis
sion, said yesterday there was lit
tle possibility of opening the Rich
ardson Highway within a month.
Shepard said long stretches of
the road along its 375 miles bet
ween Valdez and Fairbanks am
still impassable because of snow.
His statement contradicted^! re
port from Valdez that the road
would be reopened to through
traffic.
SEATTLE, —(/PI—An eye was
for sale here today for $2,500.
It belongs to Harold Chase, 41
year-old Duwamish farmer, who
said he needs money quickly to
save his 13-acre farm.
Chase said he has been sick
continually since he purchased the
tract a little more than a year ago.
SEATTLE. — (,P>—'The CIO Can
nery Workers Union, Local 7, to
day called a special meeting for
Monday afternoon to consider a
strike against the Alaska Salmon
Industry.
Union business agent, Ernie
Mangaoang said the meeting call
was issued after the union nego
tiating committee walked out of
industry offices here last night.
“We are not breaking off nego
tiations because we have had no
negotiations to break off,” he said.
He also reported that maritime
unions which would be affected
by a strike had been invited to
a meeting with the cannery work
ers’ tomorrow.
NEW YORK, — (/P)—A strike
against the New York Curb Ex
change was settled today with a
10 per cent pay increase and bonus
agreement.
There was no provision for the
union shop demended by the AFL
United Financial Employees when
the walkout began March 29.
The settlement did not include
employees of the New York Stock
Exchange, whose strike continued
in full force.
TOKYO, —UP)—The Army an
nounced today a flight of B-29s
from Spokane, Wash., had arrived
Monday for a month of maneu
vers under simulated combat con
ditions.
The number of bombers was
not given. The flight is com
manded by Lt. Col. Richard D.
Stepp, Woodside, Long Island, N.Y.
SEATTLE, —</P)—Ceferino De
caney, 45, a cannery worker, was
acquitted by a superior court jury
last night of a second degree mur
der charge in connection with the
death of Veo Phillips in a down
town hotel room.
Defense counsel contended dur
ing the trial that Decaney came in
the room as Phillips was attack
ing Mrs. Decaney. and that Phil-,
lips was shot as he charged De
caney.
HOSPITAL NEWS
I
Additional contributions to the
emergency hospital fund:
Blanche Havercamp ' $ 10.00
Teller Com’l Co. 15.00
TOTAL TO DATE$8,810.70
Oppose Proposals
Hauclle U.S. (Cargos
In Canadian Ships
• _
WASHINGTON, —(/P>—Seattle
officials of steamship lines serving
Alaska testified yesterday propos
als to permit Canadian vessels to
serve Alaskan ports would drive
American vessels from the seas.
As wages and other costs of
Canadian vessels are substantial
ly lower than those of the Alas
kan vessels,” S. A. Zeusler, ass
istant to the president of thet Al
aska Steamship Co., said, “It would
seem obvious that this bill will
result in Canadian vessels driv
ing American vessels from this
trade.”
Zeusler, former ' Coast Guard
Admiral, referred to a proposed
amendment to the maritime laws
, which would permit Canadian
vessels to carry passengers bet
ween Alaskan ports. Another bill
would permit Canadian vessels to
carry merchandise originating in
the United States from a Canadian
port to Alaskan ports. This now is
prohibited.
The official opposed both amend
ments before a Senate Commerce
Sub-committee. He said that Am
erican lines are in position to
handle freight requirements of 'he
Territory without difficulty.
21 Candidates For
4th Div. Demand
Taxation Program
i -
I
FAIRBANKS, —(/P) -Twenty
one candidates for Alaska legis
lative posts from the Fourth Div
ision demanded a broad program
of Territorial taxation at an open
public forum here.
Most speakers took a strong
stand for statehood. Charles Her
bert, Democratic candidate for
Senate, urged confirmation of
President Truman’s nomination
of Ernest Gruening for a third
term as governor of the Territory.
He said, “I want no votes from
those opposed to Gruenmg.”
Both parties were represented
at the forum where candidates j
submitted to questions by the aud- (
ience. A total of 36 candidates are
seeking nominations for two Sen-,
ate and five House seats in the |
April 27 primaries.
ACS Plans Expand
In Coming Year
-1 I
SEATTLE, —(j*P)—The Alaska
Communications System plans an
expenditure for civil communica
tions during the next fiscal year
of $2,500,000, . an increase pf 25
per cent over this year.
The figure was supplied yes
terday by Maj. Gen. W. O. Reeder,
deputy chief signal officer for the
United States Army. Gen. Reeder
is in Seattle on a two-day official
inspection trip of the Seattle in
stallations.
At the office of Col. J. T. Tully,
commanding officer of the A.C.S.
Gen. Reeder said communications
in Alaska would keep up with in
<Continued on Page Five)
*
Internat’l Problem
One Big Unsettled
World Issue
UNDATED INTERNATIONAL
BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
A U.S. Congressional Committee
dug deep today into the story of
the uprising in Bogota, Columbia,
last Friday, which interrupted the
21-nation Paji-American confer
ence. U. S. Secretary of State Mar
shall and others have linked it
to world Communism. The com
mittee was told the State Depart
ment had advance warning the
Communists were plotting trouble
in Bogota, but Marshall refused
to be intimidated by "a handful
of communists."
Sixteen nations and represent
atives of Germany's Western Oc
cupation zone adopted in Paris a
! charter creating a permanent or
ganization for European economic
cooperation, designed to assure
efficient use of the $5,300,000,000
the United States has pledged for
the European Recovery Plan.
The charter's preamble says. "A
strong and prosperous European
economy will contribute to the
manitenance of peace.''
But amid this talk, of peace, a
Swedish scientist made a gloomy
prediction—that there will bo an
atom war before 1953 unless in
ternational atom controls are es
tablished. Scientist, Gunnar Knoes.
made the statement in Copenhagen,
Denmark.
United Nations Assembly dele
gates gathered in New York to
take up Palestine's bloody war
; fare, with little prospect that the
i Jews and Arabs would agree to
I a truce to permit solution of their
i problems.
Even as the delegates assembled
| Jewish forces in Palestine claimed
new successes in battles with Arabs
for strategic positions in the Holy
Land. Jewish sources credited
Haganah, the Jewish militia, with
capturing Saris, a strongpoint on
the lifeline road between Tel Aviv
and Jerusalem.
Italy's election campaigning ends
tonight, with communists push
ing hard to regain lost ground.
Voting starts Sunday morning and
(Continued on Pagt Four)
—-t
Floating Mines Are
Danger To Ships
SEATTLE, —(/P)—A new—and
undesired—record is being set al
most daily along the Oregon-Wash
ington coast, the Coast Guard re
vealed today in listing reports of
35 floating mines seen during the
first 15 days of April.
The list already equals the num-:
ber of derilect explosives reported
in March, the previous high month
the Coast Guard said.
Twenty-two of those sighted,
during the month of April have
been destroyed. Three were blast
ed yesterday. Lt. (jg) Don Winslow,
district mine and bomb disposal
officer, blew up his seventh in
four days near Westport, Wash.
Two others were detonated by the
cutter Bonham off Cascade Head
in Oregon and by the cutter Bal
sam near the Columbia River
lightship.
Gov. Grtiening
Says Skinner Has
One-man Monopoly
WASHINGTON, — UP) —Gov.
Ernest Gruening of Alaska assert
ed yesterday that so far as Alaska
is concerned the American Mer
chant Marine “simmers down pret
ty much to a one-man monopoly
originating in Seattle.”
The governor, testifying before
a Senate Commerce Subcommittee,
urged approval of legislation to
permit Canadian vessels to serve
interport passenger traffic in Alas
ka and carry American merchan
dise from Canadian ports to Al
aska.
lie charged that Gilbert W. Skin
ner, president of the Alaska Steam
ship Co., of Seattle also controls
the Northland Transportation Co.,
thereby monopolizing the service
to the Territory.
Skinner later denied his inter
ests were a monopoly and said
no other companies would risk
going into the Alaska trade.
Gruening said Skinner is prin
cipal stockholder of Alaska Steam
ship Co., and his son controls two
thirds of the stock of Northland.
“The effects of this dual control
have been manifest in the efforts
to increase monopoly and to
: squeeze out the only real poten
tial competitor from Seattle and
elsewhere, namely the Alaska
Transportation Co.,” Gruening
testified. “Mr. Skinner has stated
I
to me frankly that he believes in
monopoly, that he would like to
see a complete monopoly estab
lished.”
Gruening said one effect of the
i monopoly was the withdrawal of
1 all advertising of the two lines
from an Alaska newspaper which
(Continued on Page Five>
Truman Disagrees
Willi Symington’s
70-Group Airforce
WASHINGTON, — i;P) —Presi-j
dent Truman said today he does
not know why Air Force Secretary j
Symington is differing with the
administration’s recommendations
on size of the Air Forces.
Asked whether he plans to
“spank” Symington for proposing
a 70-group Air Force, Mr. Tru
man said he will have to answer
that later.
Defense Secretary Forrestal pre
viously had asked for a smaller
force, along with universal train
ing and a draft. Mr. Truman had
called this a balanced program
which the nation can afford.
The president told a news con-!
ferencg he is supporting to the
limit the defense program out
lined by Forrestal.
Symington told the House Ar- j
med Forces Committee Tuesday j
that an Air Force of 70 groups is
more important to the country’s
security than UMT.
House members have shown that
they favor a larger air force than
proposed by Forrestal. They have
begun legislation looking to a 70
group force rather than a 55-group
force the defense department has
suggested.
Military Finger
Points To Alaska
To Increase Forces
MILITARY—By Ellon C. Fay
WASHINGTON, —(/p)—The Ar
my, without a single combat foot
soldier in Alaska today, is borrow
ing from its mobile reserve, to
build up the garrison in that nor
thern outpost next door to Russia.
Anti-aircraft and other ground
combet units from the west coast
and Hawaii will leave for Alaska
shortly “to undergo summer train
ing in conjunction with air units,”
the army said.
The effect of this summer train
ing will be to bolster the present
7,000-man force now there pend
ing action in Congress on the pro
posal of Gen. Omar Bradley, Army
Chief of Staff, to expand the per
manent garrison to 15,000.
The number of troops to be bor
rowed from the Hawaiian Islands
| command and from the 2nd Div
ision at Fort Lewis, Wash., was
not disclosed. The Army announ
l cement last night said only that
they would establish a “balance”
I between air and ground forces in
‘ Alaska.
The 2nd Division is part of the
; small mobile reserve of some 54,
000 troops upon whom the United
States counts to bolster overseas
forces in event of a sudden emer
gency.
The Hawaiian command is not.
1 considered part of the mobile re
j serve, but defense for the islands.
Troops sent from there for train
ing in Alaska are expected to be
anti-aircraft personnel.
The Army’s admission that it has
no combat troops in the Alaskan
command was by indirection.
In announcing the training as
signment, the Army statement
commented that “at present about
60 per cent of the garrison is air
and the remainder Army service
troops.” Service troops are per
sonnel whose job is to maintain
installations, handle supplies, load
and unload cargo at ports—but
not fight.
There was some uncertainty a
bout how many troops and air
force personnel might be indicat
ed in the Army’s statement that
60 per cent of the garrison was
air. A recent table given to a Sen
ate committee by the Army indi
cated 7,000 men were in Alaska.
However, it was not clear whether
this meant 7,000 Army Service
troops or whether the figure in
cluded air. If the figure represent
ed only Army troops, this indicat
ed the air strength is about 10,500
If it is the overall figure, the air.
strength is 4,200.
Army Chief of Staff, Omar Brad
ley, testified before a Senate com
mittee on March 25, that the Alas
kan garrison totaled 7,000 men.
He recommended, as part of a
program to expand the army to
at least minimum requirements,
that the garrison be built up to
15,000 men.
The 4,200 air force figure in
dicated in the army statement pre
sumably does not include air force
groups going to Alaska on rota
tion training missions. Those crews
include B-29 squadrons (ten planes
(Continued on Page Five)