m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA —MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS *_.
VOL. LI. No. 33 _NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1949_Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
WASHINGTON, <tf») — Old man
winter froze up the gold mines of
the western states and Alaska in
January.
As a result, the bureau of mines
said yesterday, gold output that
month was 21 per cent lower than
in December and 29 per cent be
low the monthly average for 1948.
January gold production was
118, 875 fine ounces. Including:
South Dakota, 31,591; California
30,060; Alaska, 12,657; Washing
ton, 5,800; and Oregon 350.
GLENDALE, Calif. iTP)—This is
the story of a wolf in no clothing.
Miss Veda Davis, 23-year-old
nurse, told police that a youth
drove his car along the curb last
night, and asked her politely,
“Which way is Montrose?” At first
noticing only that he had a crew
haircut she replied: “About two
miles that way.”
Then she saw that a crew hair
cut was all the young man had on.
He started climbing out of the car,
apparently more interested in get
ting to Miss Davis than Montrose.
She dashed into a nearby house
and called police. The nudist had
fled by the time the law arrived.
SEATTLE, (/P)—'The lost and
found department of the Seattle
Transit system reported a tele
phone call from a woman who
said she had left a package con
taining a brassiere on a transit
system bus.
“What bus?” said the transit
company employee.
“Size 36,” replied the woman.
ANCHORAGE, (/P) — The
search for an unidentified Eski
mo reported adrift on an ice floe
about 25 miles north of Cape
Krusenstem, above Nome, was
joined yesterday by a B-17 from
Elmendorf Field.
Natives in the area said the
formation on which the man is j
believed stranded could be seen!
from shore, but there were no
signs of life.
SEATTLE, <#*) — The Santa
Ana Steamship company today
announced the sailing of the•
steamship George Olson from
Seattle for Goodnews Bay and j
Bethel, Alaska, at the opening of
navigation season in the Kusko
kwim River district, approxi
mately May 25.
J. D. Reagh, manager, said an
agreement has just been conclud
ed with Oliver J. Olson & Co., of
San Francisco, owners of the;
vessel, for its use in the Good
news Bay and Kuskokwim river
trade during the 1949 season. A
second sailing in August is ex
pected.
SEATTLE, {IP) — How long
does it take for a 700-pound
chunk of glacial ice to melt?
That will be guessed at by per
sons passing a downtown jew
elry store starting tomorrow
morning, with a wrist watch go
ing to the one guessing the clos
est.
The Juneau chamber of com
merce had the ice chunk from
Mendenhall glacier flown here,
with the claim that “million year
old” glacier ice melts much
slower than commercial ice.'
First Boat Sails for
Nome June 4
SEATTLE, (/P) — Bering Sea
sailing schedule for ships of Alas
ka Steamship company was an
nounced today by H. N. Peterson,
general traffic manager.
Four freighter sailings are listed
for June 4, July 8, August 12, and
September 30. The ships have not
yet been named.
The June 4 saling will include
shinments for Unalaska, Nome,
Solomon, Golovin, St. Michael,
Unalakleet, Moses Point, Savoon
ga, and Gambell; July 8, for Un
alaska, Nome, Teller, Wales,
Shishmaref, Deering, Keewalik,
Kotzebue; August 12, for Unalas
ka, Nome, Solomon, Golovin and
St. Michael; September 30, for
Unalaska, St. Michael, Unalakleet
and Nome.
! Peterson asked all shippers to
place orders early.
SS. Stewards Ask
For NLRB Election
I
—
SEATTLE. HP)—A petition for
an NLRB election among steward
department personnel on Alaska
ships was filed Wednesday by the
Sailors Union of the Pacific. AFL.
The CIO marine cooks and stew
ards union currently holds collec
tive bargaining rights for steward
personnel on all ships operating
out of Pacific Coast ports. The pe
tition was filed on behalf of the
Pacific Marine Stewards Union, a
division of the SUP.
A previous petition was denied
on the grounds that the Alaska
Steamship Co.—as a member of
1 the Pacific American Shipowners’
; association—bargains on a coast
wide basis.
The affidavit supporting the pe
tition contended however, the
I company was “coerced” into en
i tering the coastwide agreement,
i The affidavit also charged the
Marine Cooks and Stew ards
Union spent union funds for com
munist-front groups in Seattle.
The affidavit was signed by Dan
L. Rotan, international organizer
for the Pacific marine stewards.
Archie Ferguson
Asks Certificate
For Air Service
The application of A. R. Fergu
son of the Kotzebue Air Service
will be the subject of a pre-hear
ing conference in Anchorage on
March 22, the Civil Aeronautics
Board announced today .
Ferguson has applied for a cer
tificate of public convenience and
necessity, or an exemption order
permitting his airline to engage in
air transportation in western Arc
tic Alaska, including Kotzebue,
Nome and Fairbanks.
The conference will be conduct
ed by Examiner Lloyd Buchanan,
beginning at 10 a.m. in the CAB
office in the Loussac-Sogn build
ing in Anchorage.
Press agents for the local ice in
dustry and Pan American Air
ways immediately got together
on the promotion angle.
Atlantic Treaty
Binds All Members
To Resist Attack
I
'
(By John Hightower)
WASHINGTON, (/P) — The At
lantic pact powers today made
public their security treaty, offi
cially disclosing this big point:
The United States would be found
automatically to counter any at
tack on any ally, perhaps even by
the use of “armed force.”
In a news conference, secretary
of state Acheson went a little fur
ther than the bare words of the
proposed treaty.
Asked about the extent of the
obligation to fight in event of an
attack, Acheson explained it this
way:
If in the judgment of the United
States government, armed force
would be necessary to restore the
security of the North Atlantic
area, then there would be an ob
j ligation to use it under the treaty.
The treaty will become effective
[only after ratification which in the
United States means it must be
approved by the Senate.
The “parties” referred to in the
pact are the nations signing it.
These will definitely include the
United States, Canada, Norway,
Britain, France, Belgium, the
Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In
addition Iceland, Portugal, Den
1 mark and Italy have been invited
i and are expected to sign.
Some Senate criticism is expect
ed by administration officials but
(Continued on Page Seven)
International News
At A Glance —
Thursday* March 17. 1949
(By The Associated Press)
Four more nations were expect
ed today to line up under the
North Atlantic Defense Alliance,
details of which will finally be
made public tomorrow.
Denmark, Iceland, Portugal and
Italy were invited today to join
the United States and seven other
nations in the pact—a treaty de
signed to curb aggression. .
Inclusion of Italy would be a
triumph for France and the United
States.
Britain, abetted by Canada and
the low countries, has objected
that Italy’s entry might extend the
alliance too far southward and ex
pose the members to unnecessary
risk.
The American and British gov
ernments contended that Italy’s
pro-western outlook and her stra-!
tegic position make it necessary to
include her.
In Rome, communist members
of the chamber of deputies held
up a vote on the treaty with an
all-night talking marathon.
Demanding their right to speak
as they voted, each communist
and extreme left winger assailed
the pact, which has been bitterly
opposed by Soviet Russia.
Seven nations originally formed
the nucleus of the proposed alli
ance; Belgium, Canada, France,
Luxembourg, Holland, Britain and
the United States. Norway joined
I (Continued on Page Five)
“Antis” And “Pros”
Both Plan to Fly to
Senate Hearing
— • i
ANCHORAGE, i/P) — Learning
that persons opposing the con
firmation of Governor Gruening to
another four-year term were con
sidering flying 30 Alaskans to
Washington to protest the action,
the Governor’s supporters came
up with a “topper” yesterday—
1
They announced plans to hire a
chartered plane and fly 50 per
sons to Washington to testify in
behalf of the governor.
Confirmation action will be
heard by the Senate interior com
mittee.
Buell Nesbett, Anchorage attor
ney, said he is advising Sen. Jos
eph O’Mahoney, committee chair
man, that supporters are ready
and willing to appear before the
i Senators if the committee is in
I terested.
Nesbett said interest in making
the trip has been expressed by Es
kimos from St. Lawrence island,
Nome and other communities; the
: Bristol Bay fishermen’s union,
businessmen and others.
Otto Geist, paleontologist at the
i University of Alaska, said Eski
mos on St. Lawrence Island have
expressed concern over Senate de
lay in confirming Gruening.
(In Juneau. Governor Gruening
said if he could find out where to
send the invitation, he would in
vite opponents to stop at the Alas
ka capital enroute to Washington
and be his guests for dinner in the
Governor’s mansion).
Although both opposition and
(Continued on Page Three)
i ■ ■ __
LIFTING THE LID
AT JUNEAU
—1
Friday. March II. 1949
JUNEAU, (/P)—The House com
pleted legislative approval yester
day of Lyng’s memorial to Con
gress for an ok. on army engineers
request for $1,020,000 for Nome
[seawall and harbor work. It was
sent to the Governor for signing
and transmittal to Washington.
The House voted unanimously af
ter Rep. Rydeen explained the
hazardous position of the town
and air base.
An 8-8 Senate vote yesterday
killed a House-approved bill
which would have put Alaska’s
seasonal industries on a 40-hour
week.
The measure also carried a $1
hourly minimum wage, but there
was no clash over that portion of
the bill.
The fight over the issue of over
time after 40 hours centered on
the rush of the salmon-canning in
dustry when the fish are coming
in. Opponents of the bill pointed
out the industry was exempt from
the federal fair labor standards
act because of its seasonal nature.
Howard Wakefield, Port Wake
field herring packer, testified a
40-hour week would mean about
$126 additional pay monthly to
his employees. He predicted “if
the law is enacted I’m sure the
herring plants can’t operate.”
John Weise, CIO fishermen’s
(Continued on Page Six)
Army Engineers
To Study Alaskan
Water Power
Potentialities
SEATTLE, f/P) — Alaska’s vast
potential water resources are to be
studied by army engineers with a
view to long-range development
and attention to “national security
and the strategic importance” of
the northern territory.
Col. Theron D. Weaver, North
Pacific division engineer at Port
land, announced the project today.
He said the survey would result in
a coordinated plan for Alaska wa
ter resource development, com
parable in scope to the three-bil
lion-dollar Columbia basin pro
gram completed by the engineer’s
corps last October.
Because the whole survey of
Alaska’s 586,000 square miles may
take several years, Weaver said
the studies would be undertaken
(progressively by sub-areas. First
work will be done in areas where
I “rapidly increasing populati o n
: and possible industrial expansion”
have created pressing problems—
I such as Fairbanks, Anchorage and
Juneau.
I Weaver said the survey would
“plan for development to meet
the needs of Alaska’s rapidly ex
(Continued on Page Three)
Statehood Would
Bring Alaska Full
(Fisheries Control
(By James Hutcheson)
JUNEAU, <7P)—Alaska’s salmon
: fisheries, in the event of state
■ hood, would come completely un
I der the proposed Alaska fisheries
department under a bill which was
only one step short yesterday of
reaching the Governor’s dask.
Rep. Alfred Owen, Jr., Anchor
age Democrat, the ardent sponsor
of the-bill, said he would advocate
immediate House concurrence in
Senate amendments when the bill
returns to the House.
One section of the bill says:
“On Alaska’s assuming state
(Continued on Page Seven)
Four Arrested For
Selling Shamrocks
LOS ANGELES, (JP)—Bet this
[ would never have happened with
New York’s police force — four
men were arrested here for selling
shamrocks on St. Patrick's Day.
The arresting officers were not
Clancy or Murphy but R. R. Fusi
ler and J. L. La Monica. The men
were charged with violation of a
city ordinance in selling on a side
walk without a license.
Attorney Patrick Joseph Cooney,
candidate for state attorney gen
eral, immediately called it an
“outrage” and said he would de
fend them for free.
“The sacredness and observ
ance of St. Patrick’s Day and the
dignity of the Irish must be up
held at all costs. Imagine arrest
ing men for selling shamrocks.”
j None of the men arrested has an
Irish name.