22 NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IS ALASKA
»7IWt7l
3EB ASSOCIATED PRESS
63rd Year No. 35
NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1962
Per Copy 154
Sam Johnson Resigns Highway Post
Three Other Officials Fired
» • •
By Ward Sims
Associated Press Staff Writer
JUNEAU — Sam E. Johnson,
State Commissioner of Highways
since March 15, resigned yesterday
and Gov. Egan announced the dis
missal of three other top state of
ficials.
The resignation of Johnson and
the dismissal of Assistant State
Engineers Donald Roser and A. G.
Gardner were termed by the gov
ernor as part of a major reorganiza
tion within the newly created High
ways Department.
The governor also announced
that Public Works Commissioner
Richard Downing had fired his
Deputy Commissioner, Lawrence D.
Wilson.
Johnson’s resignation and the
dismissal of Roser, Gardner and
Wilson were all effective at the
end of the working day yesterday.
Johnson, whose reason for re
signing was not detailed, will re
turn to his former position as Asst.
State Construction Engineer with
in the Department of Highways at
Anchorage, Egan said.
Gardner had already given no- |
tice he was resigning his position
on April 30.
Downing told Wilson he was
being terminated because of reor
ganization of the Public Works De
partment following the elevation of
the Highways Division to full de
partment status.
Wilson came to Alaska from New
Mexico, where he was in charge
of that state’s highway program for
four years. He was appointed De
puty Commissioner of Public Works
April 1, 1960.
Roser and Gardner joined the
state highway organization in late
1959, while it was being organized
under the direction of Thurman D.
Sherard, who was fired last Jan. 25.
Johnson was named to succeed
Sherard at that time as Director of
the Division of Highways.
The shakeup of top personnel in
the highway organization came
quickly on the heels of a request
by Johnson, made Monday, that the
governor okeh the reinstatement
of Sherard as chief Highway Engi
ASSEMBLYMAN BOOKED
FOR FALSE BOMB REPORT
SACRAMENTO. Calif. W — As
semblyman Charles Chapel, tense
and pale, surrendered to Sacra
mento police today on a felony
charge of falsely reporting a bomb
was aboard an airliner.
He was booked in the city jail,
fingerprinted, then released on
$1,000 bail.
The assemblyman, something of
a firebrand in the legislature, has
said the bomb scare was all a mis
understood joke
Immunity from arrest as a leg
islator does not extend to felony
charges. Chapel, an assemblyman
for 10 years, voted for the state
law that makes a false bomb re
port punishable by up to three years
| in prison.
Senate Okehs Expenses of
960,055 to Cover Legislative Session
JUNEAU (ffl — The Senate gave
its approval today to a bUl appro
priating $60,055 to pay the ex
penses of the Legislature through
the 80th day of the 1962 session.
The measure now goes back to
the House for concurrence in a
ate amendment doubling the
at of the appropriation. As
came over from the
neer.
Johnson made the request in a
personal letter to Egan, which be
came public knowledge. Egan ad
vised Johnson yesterday morning,
that he could not agree to the re
instatement of Sherard to a posi
tion of responsibility.
Sherard was a key witness in a
month-long inquiry by a special
Senate Highways investigating
Committee into the state’s road
program.
The committee’s report, recom
mending that the Highways Di
vision be made a full-fledged de
partment, was issued last Friday,
the day after Egan issued an ex
ecutive order making the same
change.
Egan said Wilson and Roser had
also indicated a desire to leave
state employment.
No successors for the four men
involved in the shakeup were an
nounced.
House Approves
$3,963,299 Million
For Highway Dept.
JUNEAU WP> — The House to
day passed a bill authorizing a
supplemental appropriation of $3,
963,299 to the Department of High
ways to carry out the state’s road
program for fiscal 1961 and 1962.
The vote was 32-6, with two
absent, the opposition votes all
were cast by Republicans.
The measure, which cuts some
$45,000 from the initial administra
tion request of $4,008,333, moved
along to speedy passage after the
House shouted down an amend
ment by Rep. Donald Harris, (R
McGrath), which would have cut
the appropriation by about $1.7
million.
“I feel that much of the need
for the supplemental appropriation
can be blamed directly upon poor
management,” Harris said. “I do
not feel that we should provide
more funds for more poor manage
ment.”
Rep. Harold Strandberg, CR
Anch.), a member of the House
Finance Subcommittee who worked
on the supplemental appropriation
request replied:
“I, too, had hopes tha this sup
plemental appropriation could be
cut. But after many hours of work,
the subcommittee came to the
conclusion that we could not re
duce this figure and still fund the
program for fiscal 1961 and 1962.
“The simple fact is that the High
way Department is broke — and it
needs this money quickly.”
Strandberg was backed up by
Finance Committee Chairman
Frank Chapados.
“We could spend the rest two
weeks lint-picking on this matter,
but I say that if ever there was a
time to have faith in the work of
these men, this is the time.
“To cut this appropriation now
would do more to curtail the high
way program of the state than
anything that has happened since
its inception.”
*Tm willing to go along on,
faith,” said Rep. R. J. Stratton, (R-i
Spenard), “but with the Highway
Department in such a turmoil, Fd
like to know who we’re putting our
faith in.” j;
Stratton referred to resignation
four top highway
announced
Verne O. Martin
Lashes at Egan
Administration
Verne O. Martin, Republican
candidate for governor of Alaska
arrived yesterday from Anchorage
via Kotzebue accompanied by his
wife and campaign manager Lynn
Thomas.
He came to Nome at the invita
tion of the Young Republicans and
spoke at their dinner last evening.
Martin, an attorney who came
to Alaska in 1952, attended the
University of Denver and West
minster Law School and passed the
Colorado Bar examination in 1950.
He has been in Nome before, while
he served as referee in bankruptcy.
The Martins have six children,
two of whom are students at the
University of Alaska. They will be
remembered by many as the family
who had the first foreign exchange
student (Elana Orlandi) in their
home. She graduated from Anchor
age High in 1960.
Martin launched a blistering at
tack on the Egan administration,
charging that Gov. Egan has failed
to keep his promises to residents
of Alaska’s northwest district. He
said the Nome and Kotzebue areas
still lack school facilities, roads'
and other state aids promised by
the state administration.
Miss Gail Mclver, club president,
presided over the near overflow
crowd at the Seaview Room. A toy
elephant donated by Martin as a
door prize, was won by Mayor
Roscoe Wilke.
They departed this morning on
their return to Anchorage in their
chartered plane piloted by Bernard
Shaw.
Continued on Page 6
FORD MAY INTRODUCE
A SMALL-SMALL CAR
DETROIT UP} — Ford Motor Co.
broke a two-year silence today and
confirmed it has a small-small car
which it may introduced in the
fall as a 1963 model.
Although reams have been writ
ten in recent months about such
a car, Ford had steadfastly refused
to admit its existence in anything
other than experimental form.
The showdown came when the
company had to file a prospectus
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission in Washington in con
nection with the proposed public
sale of additional Ford stock by
the Ford Foundation.
SEC rules say a company must
make full disclosure of its plans
and so, buried in the fine print,
there appeared this paragraph:
“For some time the company has
had under development another new
car that would be part of the Ford
line and would be smaller and
lighter than any other car pre
sently manufactured in the United
States by the company or its com
petitors. The company currently is
considering introducing such a new
car as a 1963 model late in 1962,
but changes in market conditions,
or other factors, may cause these
plans to be altered.”
WEATHER OUTLOOK
Continued fair and cold. Little
_ in temperature. In the last
hours: High of 14, low of -10.
Max. wind 10 mph from the east
Sunrise at 5:48 ana., sunset at 8:28
p.m. Temps, a year ago today:
High of 18, low of 8. Extremes on
this date since 1807: High of 32
and the
50-Cent Pieces Would Mark
Alaska’s 100th Anniversary
WASHINGTON — Alaska’s
congressional delegation joined yes
terday in sponsoring legislation to
provide for the minting of 100,000
special 50-cent coins commemor
ating the 100th anniversary of the
1867 purchase of Alaska from Rus
sia,
The coins would be legal tender
under bills introduced simultane
ously by Sens. E. L. Bartlett and
Ernest Gruening, and Rep. Ralph
Rivers.
The legislation would permit is
suance of the coins only upon re
quest of the Alaska governor and
allow for their disposition at a
premium with the net proceeds to
be used by the state to help pay
expenses of any commemorative
ceremony.
In introducing the bill, Bartlett
commented in the Senate that “our
acquisition of Alaska from Russia
was negotiated and accomplished
in peace and without any aggres
sive intent.”
“This peaceful acquisition was
an important occasion,” he said, “it
should be commemorated.”
Black Bear Tests I
Ejection Capsule
Of B-58 Bomber
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE
Calii. iff* — An escape capsul<
popped out of a high-flying B-58
A parachute opened and driftec
toward the Mojave Desert with
ground crews in pursuit.
Fortunately, it landed on the
base. It might have caused some
concern among the civilian popula
tion if it had missed — because
when crews reached the capsule,
out came a bear.
It was a 2-year-old, female, 108
pound, American black bear.
She works for the Air Force.
She rode to earth in the same
type capsule previously tested by a
man and a chimpanzee.
“Medical officers say they can
tell more from a bear than they
can from a chimp,” an Air Force
spokesman explained after the test
yesterday. “It has something to do
with a similarity between spinal
structure and internal organs.”
The bear rode in what is called
a Clamshell Capsule. She was un
strapped and taken to an Edwards
laboratory to see how she fared
on the trip. She seemed unharmed
by the experience, which lasted 7
minutes and 49 seconds, from plane
to ground.
The bears capsule was the same
type used last month by Chief War
rant Officer Edward Murray, al
though the bear’s leap was more
spectacular.
Murray ejected at 20,000 feet and
565 mph; the bear was ejected at
35,000 feet and 870 mph. The Air
Force said a man may be next to
attempt the higher, faster ejection.)
Extreme speeds achieved by the j
B-58 make it unsafe for a man to
bail out in the usual jet plane
ejection seat. The clamshell seat
has doors which close around the
occupant before a power charge
blows the seat out.
It also provides the occupant
with oxygen on the way down.
ONE NEW FILING TODAY
There was one new filing to
day in the coming city election:
Peter E. Larsen for the Council.
Previous filings are: For mayor,
Don Hoover and Roscoe Wilke; for
the Council, Fred Cavota and Bob
Herman.
The deadline for filing is at 5
pm. Monday, March 26.
Rusk Accuses
Reds in Blocking
Test Ban Treaty
GENEVA Ut) — Secretary of State
Dean Rusk accused the Soviet
Union today of blocking a nuclear
test ban treaty while presumably
planning a new series of atomic
weapon explosions.
Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei
Gromyko sharply denied the charge
and blamed the United States for
the failure to reach agreement on
a test ban.
The clash came in the 17-nation
disarmament conference when the
United States, Britain and the So
viet Union reported collapse of
their efforts to start new negota
tions on a test ban treaty.
Gromyko said the United States
is to blame for the failure because
it has scheduled a new series of
atmospheric nuclear tests and does
not want a test prohibition,
Rusk said President Kennedy
had emphasized the United States
would stop all tests if the Soviet
Union would sign a treaty with ef
fective controls against cheating.
Kennedy has ordered the tests to
I start in late April unless such a
I treaty is signed.
1 British Foreign Secretary Lord
Home said the Western powers are
1 prepared to work out a control sys
l tern on the most objective scientific
. \ basis possible. Home promised min
L \ imum controls to Gromyko earlier
" in the week but Gromyko rejected
j any kind of international controls
l which would put foreign observers
inside the Soviet Union.
Gromyko renewed the Soviet
charge that the West wants to set
up an espionage system. He brush
ed aside Rusk’s charge of new So
viet test plans by saying it was a
pretext to cover known American
test plans.
Rusk said the Russians three to
four years ago had approved sci
entific plans for international in
(Continued on Page 6)
(SLEEPING QUARTERS
I NEEDED FOR OPERA TROUPE
Mrs. Jim Blanning reports that
housing for university students who
are coining here on April 7 to take
part in the operetta which is sched
uled to be given that evening at
the school has been assured for
11 persons todate.
It is urgent that places be found
for the rest of the cast as soon
as possible.
Anyone having an extra bed for
one night are requested to phone
Mrs. Blanning at 2592 without de
lay and confirm the reservations.
Seattle’s Two Dailies Provide
Wage Increases for Reporters
SEATTLE Iff) — A new two
year contract with Seattle’s two
daily newspapers providing general
wage increases up to $10 a week
and raising top minimums to $150
a week was approved Wednesday
night.
The contract covers about 525
editorial, business and circulation
employes of the Seattle Times and
Seattle Post-Intelligencer who are
represented by the Seattle-Tacoma
Newspaper Guild.
A Guild spokesman said approval
of the agreement, worked out in
5Vfe months of negotiations, was
overwhelming.
The boost in the minimum for
journeymen reporters, photograph
ers and display advertising sales
men will amount to $14.50 a week
on the Times, where present top
scales are $135.50, and to $15.50 a
week on the P-I, where the top
I is $134.50.