m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS_
VOL. LII No. 12NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 1950 Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
KETCHIKAN, (fl») —Although
no relief from the cold weather is
in sight, Ketchikan’s threatened
water power shortages reased Sat
urday.
Operation of a pump on Ketchi
kan Lakes, which is lifting water
from the second lake across a bar
into the first lake reservoir has
relieved the problem.
Utilities also are preparisg two
diesel engines which can provide
a small amount of power as stand
by.
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Adm.
Forrest P. Sherman was sworn in
Saturday as chief of navy opera
tions and given a documented
commission to show his legal
rights to the job.
Sherman hes been serving in
the navy’s top post since the oust
er of Adm. Louis Denfield more
than two months. But his formal
induction into office has been de
layed by a Congressional row
over Denfield’s dismissal.
EDMONTON, Alta., </P)
Gordon Besder of Billings, Mont.,
successfully accomplished the dif
ficult feat of making an airplane
landing on a 50-foot-wide logging
trail Wednesday. Bender made
his forced landing near Grande
Prairie, Alta., 240 air miles north
west of here.
He resumed his flight from
Billings to Fairbanks, Alaska, af
ter driving into Grande Prairie
for fuel.
TAIPEH, Formosa, (/P) — Na
tionalist China Saturday pro
claimed invalid any secret or open
agreement fhich may be signed
between the Soviet Union and
communist China.
The Nationalists also said the
Russians would be held responsi
ble for “any and all consequenc
es” arising from violation of the
Chinese-Soviet treaty of 1945.
This stand by the Nationalists
was announced in a formal state
ment issued by foreign minister
George Yeh.
SEATTLE, . (JP)—A herd of fur
seals, sighted on4a beach near
Tahkenitch Cree, north of Reeds
port, Ore., was being placed un
der coast guard watch.
The check, being made by the
Cutter Balsam, will be for the
combined purpose of protection
and to study migration habits.
JUNEAU, f/P) — An air com
pressor and drills will be shipped
to Wrangell soon to help citizens
there get their frozen water mains
to start flowing. Only recently
two large pumps were sent to
Wrangell to aid the water supply,
as the town has been frozen up.
JUNEAU, (/P) — The millsite
property of the Juneau Spruce
Corp., has been purchased for an
unannounced sum.
A group headed by J. R. Mur
phy, Millman; B. C. Canoles, con
tractor, and Robert Boochever, at
torney, made the purchase. It in
eludes vfharves, powerhouse,
sheds, booming ground and ma
C-54 Plane Missing
With Forty-Four
On Board
EDMONTON, Alta., (/?) — A
United States aif force C-54 with
36 passengers and eight crew
members aboard has been un
heard from since Friday afternoon
! R.C.A.F. officials announced.
The four-motored plane was
| enroute from Elmendorf Field at
\ Anchorage, to Great Falls, Mont.,
] and last reported its position at
5:09 p.m., over Snag, Yukon. Snag
I is 1,300 miles northwest of Ed
monton.
I _
WHITEHORSE </P)—More men
and machines were poured today
into the search for the missing U.
S. air force transport and its 44
occupants.
Pace of the two-nation hunt,
already ranking as the largest in
the history of the frozen north,
was stepped up as it entered its
; fourth day with reports of sub
: zero temperatures bringing new
fears for the survival of any of
the plane’s occupants.
Temperatures at Snag, a tiny
weather station 20 miles inside
' the Yukon Territory from Alaska
over which the huge transport
made its last contact with the out
side, were 10 below zero last
night. Even colder readings were
in prospect before morning.
The big,four-engine C-54 jradi
oed its position from Snag about
, two hours after leaving Anchor
i age, on a non-stop flight to Great
Falls, Mont.
Aboard were 34 servicemen re
turning on furlough or for re
assignment, an expectant mother
j and her two-year-old son, and
} eight crew members.
The search has been dubbed
i “Operation Mike,” a name taken
; from the missing plane’s com
mander, 1st Lt. Kyle E. McMich
j ael, 28, whose wife lives in San
(Continued on Page Four)
i
--—
Missing C-54 May
Never lie Found
1 PITT SBURGH, </P) — Father
Bernard R. Hubbard, noted ex
plorer of the frozen north, said
last, night he does not think there
is much hope for the 44 passen
gers aboard the air force C-54
transport missing in the Yukon.
1 Father Hubbard, now auxiliary
' chaplain of the Tenth Rescue
‘Squadron which is searching for
the missing plane, was in Pitts
burg for a lecture.
He said the area where the
plane is down is covered with
thousands of miles of impenetra
ble forest.
‘If the plane is lost it’s like a
fly in a blast furnace,” he said.
‘‘They may never find it.”
chine shop.
They plan to erect a small mill
and swing into production by
April 15 with 24 men employed
,on each of two shifts.
The new plant is to replace the
mill which was destroyed by fire
last August.
Judge Pratt Issues
Injuiietion Against
Property Tax Law
FAIRBANKS, I/P) — District
Judge Harry E. Pratt issued a
temporary injunction Saturday
restraining further collections un-'
der the new Territorial property i
tax law.
He acted in a test suit brought 1
1 by Luther Hess of Fairbanks and
j the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mining
I Co.
His action technically restrains
the tax commissioner from col
lecting taxes from the plaintiffs,
but its indirect effect is expected
to place in abeyance general col
lections under the new law pend
ing outcome of a suit for a perm
anent injunction outlawing the
statute.
j The judge set bonds for the two
plaintiffs at $1,000 each to cover
possible government loss of $1,236
tax payment and costs of the suit
pending its outcome.
The suit was filed jointly Dec.
6, 1949, by attorneys H. L. Faulk
ner, Juneau; Charles J. Clasby,
Fairbanks, and Edward S. Med
ley, Seattle, in behalf of the two
plaintiffs.
They ask the court to void the
Continued on Page Four)
Alaska Airlines To
I Transport Teams
To Fur Rendezvous
The Alaska Sled Dog and Rac
ing Association has issued a cor
dial invitation to mushers all over
the Territory of Alaska to enter
the $3,000 Alaska Championship
races to be held in Anchorage
Feb. 22 through Feb. 25th.
The races, which will be held
i in conjunction with the Anchor
age Fur Rendezvous, will be run
; over a 100-mile course which will
, simulate actual trail* conditions.
! The race will definitely not be a
speed trial. The teams will race
I over a 25-mile course on four con
secutive days, with the final fin
ish line being in front of the city
i hall, on the main street of An
chorage.
First prize will be one thousand
dollars, second prize will be seven
hundred dollars, and third posi
j tion will take five hundred dol
lars. Fourth place winner will
get three hundred dollars, fifth
position will draw two hundred
fifyt dollars, and sixth place will!
i take one hundred fifty dollars.,
The musher finishing in seventh
place will win one hundred dol
lars.
All estries must be in on or be- i
fore February 15th. Mushers
| wishing to enter the race should
write either Earl Norris, secretary
of the Alaska Sled Dog nad Rac
ing Assn., Box 93, Anchorage, or i
Ben Taylor, jublicity director of'
the Alaska Sled Dog and Racing
Assn., General Delivery, Anchor-1
age, Alaska.
Manager Paul Spurlock of the
Alaska Airlines stated today that
the Alaska Airlines has offered to (
carry qualified dog teams from
this Division gratis to enter in the
event.
Record Enrollment
In Basketball
Tournament
ANCHORAGE, (/P)—A record
number of entries is indicated
for the annual Fur Rendezvous
interscholastic basketball tourna
I ment to open here Fesb. 22.
There will be class A and B di
| visions. The tourney is held annu
ally to determine the Southwest
. ern Alaska school champion. The
i winner meets the Southeastern
titlist in a three-game series for
the Territorial crown. This year’s
title games will be played in the
Southeast.
Anchorage is the defending
class A Territorial champion, and
Kodiak’s city high is the defend
| ing Class B champ.
Other B entries will be the Ko
diak naval operating base, Nome,
Wasilla, Cordova and Valdez.
. With Anchorage in class A will be
Seward, Palmer and Fairbanks.
The clas B winner has the right
to challenge the class A champ
I for the southwestern title.
_
Truman Uncertain
I About H-Bomb
| Development
WASHINGTON, (A*)—The dis
| pute over whether this nation
should produce a hydrogen bomb
went on unabated Saturday fol
lowing President Truman’s state
ment that the decision, his to
make, is still hanging fire.
Mr. Truman’s news conference
comment Friday was his first pub
lic acknowledgement that a new
and terrible atomic weapon, per
haps 10 to 1,000 times more po
tent than the present atomic
bomb, is under consideration.
Mr. Truman’s references to the
H-bomb at the news conference
were brief. He said the decision
on whether to start developing
one in this country rests with him
alone, and that he has not yet
made up his mind.
CARL GLAVINOVICH
NAMED NEW MANAGER
FOR U. S. SMELTING
Carl Glavinovich, new manager
of the U. S. Smelting Co., returned
home last week from a confer
ence with heads of the company.
; Mr. Glavinovich, who replaces A.
M. Hartford who died in Seattle
‘ last month has been with the
company here since 1§25 and in
recent years has been closely as
sociated with the former mana
ger as general superintendent.
Mr. Glavinovich has worked
in the various departments of the
company and is well qualified to
assume his new position.
CLOSING OF MARKS AIR
FORCE BASE TO BE REVIEWED
The following telegram was re
ceived by Mayor Steve Anderson
on Saturday:
"Advise interested parties that
Secretary Symington at Delegate
Bartlett's and my request is hav
ing the decision to abandon Marks
Air Force Base reviewed.
I
Ernest Gruening
News of the W oriel
At A Glance - - -
Saturday. January 28. 1950
(By The Associated Press)
United States officials in Ber
lin said today the western powers
may impose a counter-blockade
against Eastern Germany to break
the “creeping blockade” imposed
by the Russians at Helmstedt,
East-West truck check point.
These officials predicted some
sort of economic reprisal would
be threatened against the Rus
sians in order to break the stran
glehold on Berlin, lying deep in
the Soviet zone.
A second sharp protest yester
day from American, British and
French officials against the slow
down at Hclrpstedt was apparent
ly ignored by the Russians.
Moves to end the Russian slow
down of trucks will probably wait
the return of U. S. high commis
sioner John J. McCloy.
MeCloy, on a flying visit to tne
United States, said yesterday that
if the Russians again clamp down
a complete blockade the Allied
airlift will roar again.
The United States wants the
future of the border area settled
in the final German peace treaty.
American officials said that un
less the West German Republic
and France can resolve their dif
ferences over the Saar all plans
for European unity may be
wrecked.
The newly bom United States
of Indonesia, plagued by a revolt
of Indonesian deserters from the
Dutch army, took what comfort it
could today from the surprise
recognition of the U. S. I. govern
ment by the Soviet Union. Indo
nesia plans to play a neutral role
I between the American and Rus
, sian camps similar to that played
i by India.
At Lake Success western pow
er diplomats predicted Russia
would put a big and alert Soviet
mission into oi land rubber rich
Indonesia to do more than a dip
lomatic job for Russia. A com
munist uprising in central Java
was put down by Republican forc
1 es in 1948 but not until the Reds
had seized the republic’s third
largest city.
In Rome, Premier Alcide de
Gasperi completed a cabinet and
presented it to President Luigi
Einaudi. It was the sixth coalition
government de Gasperi has form
ed since 1945. His own party, the
Christian Socialists again domin
ate the cabinet.
Washington reports said the
United States is speedily assem
blying small arms shipments to
go to Western European nations
as the vanguard of the huge bil
lion dollar arms aid program.
These initial supplies are intended
as ‘psychological boosters” for
i El/rope an countries concerned
over the long delay in getting the
much-wanted military supplies
moving. The aid project was ap
proved by Congress last October.
Eight European nations signed
agreements in Washington yester
day which set forth the terms of
the project.
In New York, Dr. Harold C.
(Continued on Page Two>