fV “Ottr Motto is truth and accuracy”
J ES SEn’SMI EE KIV
I "The All-Alaska Weekly"
(RATION A l EDITORIAL —'fS™ INCORPORATED
IasQk£aT|Sn i tu- FAIRBANKS, ALASKA
“For the cause that lacks assistance; /or tiie tcronp that needs resistance
/or the future in the distance, and Vie pood that tee can do.”
Rome Owned, Controlled, and Editcu. Jessen's Weekly was established Jan. 22, 1942.
Published every week at Fairbanks, Alaska; Post Office Box 970. Entered at the Post
Office at Fairbanks, Alaska, as second class matter under the Act of March 3. 1879.
T, F. JESSEN. Publisher; RICHARD J. GREUEL. Editor: E. J. SANDBECK. Business
Manager; MELINDA THOMAS, Office Manager; PAUL t IP• LIEN, Advertising
Manager; HAROLD MANSUR. Mechanical Superintendent; AL NOSKOFF, Press
Foreman. Editorial Department, Phone GL 2-2311; Advertising Department, Phone
GL 6-5292( Bus.ness and Job Printing Departments, Phone GL 6-5192.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES (In Advance)
Local Home Delivery _.60c Per Month
6 Months 1 Year
Regular Mail, Fairbanks and Vicinity_$ 4.00 $ 8.00
Flailed Throughout Alaska and Other States_$4.60 $9.00
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Foreign Countries — On Request
Advertising rates and Job Printing on Request.
Transplant The Buffalo . . .
1 One of the most significant things to happen in this
area in recent weeks has been largely overlooked. It oc
cured at the Fairbanks meeting of the State Board of Fish
and Game.
The Board indicated that it is going to look into the
possibility of transplanting part of the large herd of Buf
falo near Big Delta to other parts of Alaska.
This idea makes sense. It is far superior, we feel, to
the huffalo slaughter of last summer in the Delta area.
•While labeled a "hunt", it could hardly be called that.
The Board of Fish and Game is to be commended for
'seeking a sound alternative-solution to another such Buf
falo "hunt". Certainly there must be other parts of Alaska
where our surplus; Delta Buffalo could grow and prosper.
) Collective Bargaining Best . . .
The recent amicable settlement between Carpenter's
Local 1243 and the Associated General Contractors proved
once again the strength of the American system of free,
collective bargaining.
While we may criticize labor disputes and the occa
sional strikes that result, it is doubtful if the system can
be much improved upon. Our economy may be a rather
costly one, but what other Nation enjoys as high a stand
ard of living?
Support Governor's Stand ...
| Governor Egan is to be commended for his stand
aqainst Japanese encroachment of the Alaska fishery.
Where many would have faltered, he acted in a^ courag
eous and forthright manner.
It is gratifying to see Alaskans of all political faiths
support our Governor in this matter.
Government Encroachment. . .
Recently, the Fairbanks City Council changed the
agenda for Council Meetings. As a result, citizens who
want to speak their mind must wait until near the end of
the meeting.
We can understand the Council's desire to expedite
their meetings. The job of a Councilman, at best, is not
very rewarding. However, when someone seeks onblic
office* he should be prepared to accept the responsibilities
of that office. *
The new agenda will tend to discourage the appear
ance of private citizens at Council Meetings. We wonder
if this is wise?
Government everywhere seems to be getting more
all-powerful, with the rights of the individual citizen suf
fering in the process. The change in the Council agenda
is just another step of an overall pattern.
Somewhere there must be a halt to this process of
encroachment. That halt must be led by the individual
citizen himself.
And if Mr. Citizen does not wake up pretty soon, he
may wake up too late.
Caught Ih
I The Sluicebox
(Continued from Page 1)
You ain’t seen nothing yet.
There will probably be an ALL
Fairbanks GOP ticket to fight
it out with the one from Anch
rudge.
PREDICKSHUN: By the time
May 2nd rolls around, there will
be more republicun governer
candidates then there is now,
and less democrat canfliflrttos
SPECIFIC PREDICK SHUNS:
John Rader and Wendil Kay
AIN’T gonna run for governor
on the Demacrat ticket. (They
has iist returned f-nm a fact
finding trip to Kodiak Island.)
Gittm down to the local scene,
see where Dixie Hall has filed
on the Democrat ticket for the
State senute. (Wonder who the j
republicans will git* to run for j
the seat now that Dixie has an
nounced Senuter Griemann’s re
tirement? )
ANOTHER AIN’T PREDICK
SHUN: Frank Chapados AIN’T
gonna .run. lor the house. Frank
sez since he’s been chairman of
the finance committee, aspirin
tablets don’t cure his headaches
I no more.
i Yep, politics is reach in a fe~
j ver pitch. The Democrats has
! there big pow-wow in Nome this
; weekend. Jessin’s editer is gon
na give the big key note speech.
I offered to write it for him, but
he iist smiled an said “NO
THANK YOU!”
Speakin about our editer, he
better git on the ball. Here the
mudholes has started to dry up
already an he ain’t writ his dust
control editorial yet. He better
git on the ball or our frends
acrosst the crick will beat us
to the punch fer a change.
Talkin about mud au dust■ an
such, we has got to admit that
them storm sewers has helped.
This has bin the driest (so far)
breakup in years. Some of the.
Fairbanks streets has ACTUAL
LY bin passable part of the time.
(A little bumny, but passable.)
Even the Easter bunnies is,
complainin about it. They ain’t
got enough holes to hop over no
more.
Speakin about roads, that
Sam Johnson must feel uirr. *
musical chair by noio. AT LAST
REPORT he was workin for the
highway departmint of the State
agin.
Oh, that sprine air is shore
nice. Purty soon it will be June
an that is alius a good month.
(If it doesn’t rain).
Things is so nice (the flood
a1 n’t hit yet) we feels poetical.
When that happens, ole Buck
fergits about politiks an writes
poetry. SOOOO ....
We has writ a nice little non
politicul pome called . . .
“FIGHT” ... an here it is . . .
POME CALLED “FIGHT”:
When the deadline’s on the filin,
an the ballots full of names, oh,
it’s (hen the parties goes cam
painin an tells there men to
“Fight”. An when the ice is off
the lakes, an them lakes is full
of fish, oh, it’s then the voters
goes out fishin an tells them
fish to “Fight”.
The whole point of this pome;'
which is non-politicul (really
it is), is that smart folks goes
fishin in the summer, an politi
ciuns gives speeches what no
body is around to lissen to. (Til
they traos us on TV the night
before the election.)
Speakin about TV, its about
time for us to watch all the good
shows that we missed last win
ter when they wuz on for the ;
first time.
Ya know, a local radio station
has them things on the air where
a guy says, “I’m an explosives
handler, an I lissen to KFRR
be cause its a real blast” an
things like that? Wal, ole Buck
has come up with one for a
newspaper. It is “I’m an ex
change student from Greece. I
read the News-Miner becuz we
speak the same language”.
r fT
5»" ** ;
2
Pearson reveals inside story on steel industry retreat
from price increase; Kennedy pulled out all the stops to
win battle.
WASHINGTON — The inside*
story of how President Kennedy ;
persuaded the steel executives to
retreat on their price increase can
now be told. The increase obvious
ly had been planned for some time I.
and it required the pressure of pub
lic opinion plus the most adroit
backstage pressure ever mobilised i
by any President to reverse an in
dustry decision.
Manv other Presidents have tang
led with the steel industry, begin
ning with Grover Cleveland, and
including Wilson, Coolidge. Hoover.
F. D. Roosevelt and Truman, None
before has won a clear-cut victory.
To win his victory Kennedy be
gan immediately after Rnc^r
Plough, chairman of giant U.S. i
Steel, walked out of the White |
House on the late aftfernoon of Tues- !
dav. Anril 10.
On the advice of Secretary of l a
bor Arthur Goldberg he first called
Edgar Kaiser, head of the Kaiser
Steel operation at Fontana, Calif.
Goldberg, who had been with the
President during most of the stormy
session with Bloueh, had advised
that Kaiser had bucked the big
steel companies to heln him, Gold
berg, settle the 1959 strike.
Kennedv reached Kaiser in Oak
land. Calif. He immediately prom
ised he would not raise prices. Kai
ser did not make a long-term com
mitment, but he did promise he
would no nothing without further
discussion with the administration.
Ace-In-Hole
This promise was not publicized
It was not even announced until af
ter Inland Steel’s hold-down de
cision was announced. Kennedy kept
the Kaiser pledge as an ace-in-the
hole.
Meanwhile, that same night. April
10, the President told his staff to i
start working on a tough statement j
to be made at his press conferenee |
next day, and also conferred with I
his brother regarding immediate;
antitrust action.
U.S. Steel made the mistake first j
of announcing the steel increase be- :
fore informing the President: sec
ond, of doing so one day before a
presidential press conference. This j
gave the President time to make the i
following strategy: 1. To mobilize
public opinion against U.S. Steel
through his press conference; 2.
Make it clear that the Steel exec
utives were in for real trouble by a
grand jury investigation; 3. Wean
some of the steel executives away
from U.S. Steel.
Looking over the list of steel ex
ecutives, Secretary Goldberg ad
vised the President that Inland
Steel had also been recalcitrant dur
ing the big strike in the Truman ad
ministration when the government
took over the steel industry.
But recently Joseph Block, In
land’s chairman, had served as a
member of the Kennedy administra
tion’s labor-management committee
and publicly supported Secretary
Goldberg's Chicago statement on a
noninflationary wage-price policy.
Joe Block was in Japan, but Gold
berg phoned Block’s brother, Leigh,
while Under Secretary of Commerce
£■<3 Gudeman phoned his cousin
Phil. Gudeman and Phil Block had
grown up together in Chicago.
Call To U.S. Steel’s Bankers
Other cabinet members also got
on the long distance phone. One of
the most effective was Secretary of
the Treasury Douglas Dillon, a Wall
Street banker, who called Henry
Alexander, head of J. P. Morgan.
The Morgan company is the chief
banker for U. S. Steel. Alexander is
considered one of Wall Street’s non
reactionary bankers, one served
with Kennedy’s close friend Ken
neth Galbraith, now ambassador io
India, on the strategic bombing sur
vey to evaluate the results of U.S.
bombing of Germany.
These pressures had begun to taka
effect Wednesday, April 11. so that
by early in the morning, Thursday,
April 12, there seemed so much hope
of a steel industry retreat that an
early-morning telecast by George
Tyson of U.S. Steel and Dr. Edward
Heller, head of Kennedy’s council of
economic advisers, was called off.
At 8:30 that morning Kennedy
called a special cabinet meeting to
discuss strategy. He was due to meet
the Shah of Iran at about nine. No
one was quite sure what Blough
would say at his 3:30 press confer
ence, but the President decided to
continue to apply the pressure. He
was right. Blough reaffirmed his
price hike.
Secretary of Defense McNamara
at this point was preparing an ulti
matum to the steel industry warning
that the government would buy on
ly from those companies which
kept prices down.
But to make sure none of his mil
itary officers crossed him up, Mc
Namara put an urgent message
through all defense channels ask
ing what §teel contracts were about
to be awarded. Adm. Ralph K. James
of the Bureau of Ships came up
with an order for $6,000,000 worth
of steel for Polaris submarines
which ordinarily would have been
split 50-50 between U.S: Steel and
Lukens Steel in Coatsville. Pa., since
they are the only companies making
this kind of steel.
The Climax
McNamara held up the contract,
ordered it to go only to Lukens,
which had not increased the price.
Earlier that morning. Attorney
General Kennedy had called »
grand jury in New. York and at 4
a.m., FBI agents began quizzing
three newsmen about the accuracy
of a statement by Bethlehem Steel c
president, Edmond P. Martin, that
he would not increase prices —
which he later reversed.
By Friday, April 13, the President
was ready with his big ammuni
tion. It was fired within the space
of a few hours — Inland's announce
ment of no price increase, followed
by Kaiser’s announcement which
had been held in reserve, followed
by McNamara’s statement and his
award of steel to Lukens.
Simultaneously the grand jimy
had already started meeting in New
York, while Secretary Goldberg
had flown to New York for a ses
sion with U.S. Steel’s Blough, its
president, Leslie B. Wothington, and
its finance chairman, George Ty
son. The four men were meeting at
3:20 p.m. when word came that
Bethlehem had thrown in the
sponge. After that Goldberg didn't,
have to argue any more. U.S. Steel
threw in the sponge too.
Note—There’s been a lot cf spec
ulation as to why Bethlehem re
treated. White House officials swear
it just came naturally. Nobody ar
gued with them. They just saw the
handwriting on the wall.
POTTED
PLANTS
Sterilized and
Fertilized Sail
Charlie's
Greenhouse
223 Illinois St.
* Dial GL 2-2535