m NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS___
VOL. LIT No. 48 NOME, ALASKA, MONDAY, APRIL 24, 1950 Per Copy—15c
NEWS IN BRIEF
DETROIT, (/P)—Federal media
tors reported a “hopeless dead
lock” in the 88-day-old Chrysler
strike early Saturday and threat
ened to call off peace talks for a
while.
Arthur C. Viat, regional director
of the federal mediation and con
ciliation service, made the bleak
report after a long bargaining
session broke up at 1 a.m. Satur
day.
It put a damper on latest hopes
for a quick return to the job of
89,000 Chrysler workers, whose
strike already is the second long
• est in the auto industry. Its cost
is estimated now at a billion and
a quarter dollars.
FAIRBANKS. (/P)—Seven hard
earthquake shocks were felt here
Saturday between 8:50 and 10:05
a.m.
Buildings shook visibly and
dishes were knocked off shelves.
A geodetic observatory here
said it was "only a slight tremor"
and said the force was because
the center of the disturbance was
only 10 miles from Fairbanks.
BANGKOK, Thailand (Siam),
(/P) — Thailand’s government has
solved a perplexing problem—how
to describe the occupation of King
Phumiphon Aduldet on the mar
riage register.
The King is marrying Princess
Sirikit next month, and like other
Siamese he must sign the regis
ter.
Some government off i c i a 1 s
wanted his occupation listed as
“king.” Others objected. They
wanted him listed simply as “gov
ernment official.”
After a long debate it was de
cided to describe the monarch as
“ruler of the country.”
WASHINGTON, {&)—'The Gov
ernment Saturday reported a
slight rise in living costs, chiefly
due to higher food prices.
The living cost boost was three
tenth of one per cent in March.
Foods went up six-tenths of one
per cent, after having declined for
three straight rr)onths.
JUNEAU. (/P) — Dr. Terris
Moore, the flying president of the
University of Alaska, and his co
pilot wife were honored guests at
a public reception Saturday after
noon in Governor Gruening’s
home.
The Moores arrived here Fri
day in their single engine Piper
plane. They had been forced down
by bad weather late Thursday at
Yakataga Beach, on the Gulf of
Alaska coast approximately 100
miles east of Cordova. They took
off Friday morning and made
brief stops at Yakutat and Lituya
Bay en route to Juneau.
Dr. and Mrs. Moore left Fair
banks April 13 on an extensive
aerial tour of the Territory.
WASHINGTON, (/P) — Govern
ment officials agreed Friday to
review the proposal to pull per
sonnel out of Shemya, the last re
fueling stop in the Aleutian Is
(Continued on Page Seven)
Lively Election
Predicted For
Tomorrow
JUNEAU (/P). Alaska’s voters go
to the polls tomorrow for a primary
election in which only one Terri
tory-wide office has a contest.
It is the office of Territorial la
bor commissioner. Two candidates
are running on both the Republi
i can and Democratic tickets. They
are Henry A. Benson, the incum
bent, and Ray Beach, both of Jun
eau on the Republican side, and
Ross E. Kimball. Fairbanks truck
! or, and Alfred A. Owen, Jr., an
AFL fishermen’s union leader and
member of the Legislature from
Anchorage.
The election comes a day after
the opening of a Senate committee
hearing on Alaska Statehood in
Washington. D. C.
For Delegate to Congress, E. L.
Bartlett is unopposed for renom
ination as a Democrat and Aimer
J. Peterson of Anchorage is unop
(Continued on Page Two)
'• r - - -
j Telephone Strike
On; Railroad
Strike Threatens
(By The Associated Press)
A strike of 10,000 telephone
, equipment workers began today.
I Their walkout in nearly all States
won’t affect the public immedi- j
ately. unless breakdowns require j
repairs.
A raliroad strike, scheduled for j
Wednesday, worried four major
i lines. Freight and passengers may
be tied up on the four railroads
affected.
The 91-day-old Chrysler strike
continued, but talks between ■
management and the CIO AW j
union weer resumed.’
The telephone strike was begun j
by members of Divisiin Six of the
CIO communications workers in
43 states and the District of Co
lumbia. Contract talks in a month
old contract dispute collapsed
Sunday night.
Although the strikers do build- j
ing and maintenance work only
their walkout could have an im
medately paralyzing effect if they
set up picket lines which other
telephone workers would refuse
to cross.
The union announced, however,
no picket lines would be estab
lished before midnight tomorrow
when President Truman’s wage
strike truce in the case ends.
A minor grievance at South
Bend, Ind., was blamed as the im
mediate cause of the strike, but a
wage dispute had been under ne
gotiation since last October.
The South Bend case came to!
[ the surface nationally over the |
weekend and was treated by the |
union as one of the strike issues.
Company spokesmen insisted it
should be submitted to a griev
ance committee.
That dispute stemmed from re
fusal of six men to walk through
a muddy field to their jobs on a
television tower under construe-'
tion.
Chapman and Dimoi
Statehood Today l
•
(By Charles D. Watkins)
<(/P) Special Washington Service)
WASHINGTON, ^(—Secretary
of interior Chapmen said today
that by any standard we apply :
Alaska is eligible for statehood.” :
Chapman presented the admin
istration’s reasons for wanting
Alaska taken into the Union in
testifying before the Senate inte
rior committee.
“I would say that we have an
obligation to admit Alaska,” he
said, “and that if we are to say
‘No’ to the request of the people
of Alaska we must have very good
reasons to justify our actions not
only to them and to ourselves, but
to the world.
“I have heard no reasons which
have substance,” he added.
Chapman testified at the open
ing of a hearing on the House-ap
proved Alaska and Hawaii state
hood bills.
Before Chapman took the stand
Senator Butler <R.-Nebr.), rank
ing Republican on the committee,
told a reporter he does not be
lieve “any of the propositions of
fered Alaska thus far” warrant
the people of Alaska accepting
Statehood under them.
“I don’t think they have been
offered an acceptable proposi
tion,” Butler said. “I am for state
hood eventually.”
Chapman told the committee
that the United States “hys spoken
out loudly and firmly against co
lonialism in the world councils,
but surely to require a people
qualified for the ultimate in self
government to continue in a de
pendent status is to foster colon
ialism.”
He said Alaska has been exer
cising for years the powers of self
government, has an elected legis- !
lature, permitted women to vote
before the United States did, has
protected the right of labor and
in anticipation of increased finan
cial burdens under Statehood has 1
enacted personal and corporation
income tax laws and a real pro
perty tax.
Chapman said Alaska has a
good educational system. He said
the Territorial Legislature is j
evenly divided, thq Senate having
two more Democrats than Repub
licans and the House having two
more Republicans than Demo
crats.
“They want to be able to vote
in Presidential elections and they
want to elect voting representa
tives in Congress,” he continued.
“To this lack of voting repre
sentation may be ascribed such
(Continued on Page Two)
PRIMARY ELECTION
TOMORROW
Tomorrow voters go to the polls
in Alaska for the primaries. It is
not necessary to declare a party or j
to have registered for this elec
tion.
All residents of Alaska who
have been here for a year and
have been in this precinct for 30
days are qualified to vote.
id Speak lor Alaska
U Senate Hearing
r
’ ((/P) Special Washington Service)
WASHINGTON, (JP) — Federal
Judge Anthony J. Dimond of
Alaska told the Senate interior
committee today Alaska can op
>erate as a state on a sound finan
cial basis without oppressive tax
ation.
Dimond, testifying in favor of a
House-approved bill to grant the
Territory statehood, said the ques
tion had been asked whether the
Territory can afford statehood.
“It is much like asking a man,”
he said, “if he can afford to live.
Our visible ability in that respect
is clearer than was the ability of
the Colonies to declare and de
fend their independence.”
He testified that those who op
pose statehood say it is not pru
dent to take on responsibility of
tsatehood.
“That prudence, he continued,
“is just another name for fear.”
Dimond. former Delegate from
Alaska, said the Territory comes
“squarely within the frame of the
Constitution” in asking statehood.
“It is inhabited by a rugged and
industrious people most of whom
already are citizens of the United
States and the great majority cit
izens from birth.” The witness
said, “It is not out of order for
me to say that those citizens are
I loyal to the United States and to
(Continued on Page Two)
High School Play
Thursday Night
As there probably will be a
shortage of baby sitters available
the night of the High School play,
the Girl Scouts have kindly offer
ed to maintain a nursery free of
charge for all pre-school children.
Just bring your children* deposit
them up in the assembly with the
Girl Scouts, and call for them
when the* play is over.
The three-act comedy “The
Boarding House Reach” which is
to be presented Thursday evening
by the high schol students, is a
rip-roaring comedy you won’t
w’ant to miss. The leading part in
the play, that of thirteen-year-old
Wilbur Maxwell, is to be portray
ed by Ray Miller, sopohomore.
Olga Hay as the mother. Dean
Bronson, the father, S h i r 1 e e
Fricke and Martha Markley, the
sisters, make up the entire Max
well family. Donna Miller, and
John Hudert are the pals of the
younger Maxwells, and Alice Mil
ler is a visiting aunt.
The strange assortment of char
acters who are the boarders are
Kitty Bjornstad and Louis Kost
who play the parts of bank rob
bers; Bill Boucher, the tough cop
who finally manages to put the
hand-cuffs on the right parties;
Lois Swanberg, a walking encyc
lopedia; Mary Louise Lyle as si
lent Mrs. Mott, and Irene Gray
and Alfred Sahlin who are box
ing and wrestling champions.
The curtain is to go up prompt
ly at eight o’clock in the High
School gymnasium, Thurs day
evening.
New s of I lie \\ oriel
At A Glance —
Saturday, April 22, 1950
(By The Associated Press)
A court in communist- domin
ated Czechoslovakia sentenced
two Czechs to death today on
charges of high treason and spy
ing for the United States. Another
of six Czechs was sentenced to
life imprisonment and the others
got long prison terms.
During the trial four former U.
S. embassy officials in Prague
were accused of directing the spy
ring. The charges were denied by
Americans as fantastic.
The Czechoslovak development
is part of the pattern of the cold
war which was stepped up yester
day by Russia.
Russia rejected in all categories
an American note which said
Russian airmen shot down an un
armed navy plane over the Bal
tic. It said the plane was a B-29
that violated Soviet territory.
Russia intervened in the Tri
este situation with a thumping
protest and renewed her demands
for special rights in the Darde
i nelles.
Secretary of state Dean Ache
son said this Soviet spring offen
sive is evidence that Russia hopes
to gain by stirring up trouble in
critical areas of the world.
! State department officials
weighed several courses of action
in the war of “total diplomacy.”
Some Congressmen demanded the
U. S. break off relations with Rus
' sia but administration leaders
shied away from such an extreme
I step.
Washington observers said the
United States might deliver a final
stinging protest to Moscow and
then withdraw Ambassador Alan
G. Kirk for consultations and
place the grave Baltis plane inci
dent before the United Nations or
the International Court of Justice.
The United Nations is facing its
most serious crisis due to a Rus
sian boycott over failure of the
majority of U. N. members to seat
communist China’s delegates. Sec
retary-general Trygve Lie sails
for Europe today on a save-the-U.
N. mission which may take him to
Moscow for talks with Prime Min
ister Stalin. Before leaving ho
conferred with President Truman.
The crucial battle for Hainan
island is still raging but the out
come is uncertain due to conflict
ing reports of the Nationalist Chi
nese defenders and the Red in
vaders. A telephoned dispatch to
a Hong Kong newspaper from
Hainan said the communists were
fighting within six miles of Hoi
how, Hainan’s capital. It said Iloi
how was almost a dead city and
the Nationalists had abandoned
their haedquartters.
On formosa, Chiang Kai-Shek’s
island bastion, earlier Nationalist
claims of a successful Hainan de
fense gave way to words of cau
tion.
Monday. April 24. 1950
Chiang Kai-Shek’s island bas
tion of Hainan has fallen to the
Chinese communists.
The decision to give up the 30,
(Continued on Page Three)