NOME NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
63rd Ye.ir No. 91
NOMH, ALASKA, WEDNI-iSDA'S . Al'Cil'ST I. 1962
Per Co;>v 1 5f
Doctor Testifies
‘Chance’ Withheld
Drug in the U.S.
WASHINGTON ffpt — Dr. Fran
ces Kelsey of the Food and Drug
Administration testified today she
was alerted by chance to the po
tential danger of a German tran
quilizer blamed for deformities in
thousands of babies.
She put up the roadblock that
prevented wide commercial distri
bution in this country.
Dr. Kelsey’s testimony before a
Senate subcommittee, along with
that of FDA Commissioner George
Larrick, brought suggestions from
senators for establishment of ma
chinery for better international ex
change of drug information.
Sen. Hubert Humphrey, (D
Minn), chairman of the Govern
ment Operations Subcommittee,
said “Surface evidence indicates
a lag in, if not a total lack of,
communication” about the side ef
fects of the German drug thali
aomicte.
The tranquilizer has been blamed
for the birth of several thousand
malformed babies in West Ger
many and other countries after
being taken by pregnant women.
However, Larrick testified that
FDA has not found “any deformed
infants associated with the test
ing programs sponsored by U.S.
firms.’’
The drug was not released by
the FDA for commercial distribu
tion in this country, but Larrick
said it was supplied by four sub
sidaries of Richardson, Merrell,
Inc., of New York, to experts for
use in studying its safety for man.
The number of such doctors has
been reported as about 1,200.
Present law, Larrick noted, per
mits a manufacturer to supply
doctors with new drugs for use in
such investigations.
Dr. Kelsey, a gray-haired medi
cal officer for the FDA, testified
that the American firm applied to
FDA for approval of the drug in
September 1960, and that she was
assigned to study the application.
She said that after looking over
the application, she felt more in
formation was required about
whether it would be safe and
asked the company to submit fur
ther data.
While this material was being
assembled, Dr. Kelsey said, she
“chanced” to read a letter to the
editor of a British medical jour
nal that indicated the German
drug was associated with peri
pheral neuritis.
That led her to further inquiry.
Much of her testimony had been
outlined by Humphrey.
RADIOACTIVE INCREASE
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah UP) —
Because of an increase in radio
active iodine content, Utah Public
Health authorities and milk pro
ducers have drafted a plan for
withholding certain milk from the
fresh milk market.
The decision was reached Tues
day after it was learned that the
level of the radioactive substance,
Iodine 131, rose considerably in
several northern counties after
nuclear tests in Nevada July 6 and
July 12.
I1 111
CIVILIANS ON ITDI RAL
PAYROLLRLACHLS
2,496,455—MOST SINCL 1952
WASHINGTON 'T — The num
ber of civilians on the federal pay
roll in June was the richest in 1!)
years, a Senate-House committee
reported today.
The committee found that at
year’s end in June civilian federal
employment was 2,496,455, an in
crease of 77,351 over June 1961.
This, said the committee, was
the highest year end figure since
June 1952, the Korean War peak.
Then it reached 2,596.8000.
Celebrezze Brings Own Bible
WASHINGTON UP) —Anthony J. :
Celebrezze brought his own Bible, I
one plainly showing the wear and
tear of use, for his swearing in
Tuesday as Secretary of Welfare.
Celebrezze told Carson Howell,
White House administrative offi
cer. that it was an old Celebrezze
family bible. Howell administered
the oath to Celebrezze, former
Cleveland mayor.
‘Object’ Causes
Pressure Change
Around Seattle
SEATTLE (/P)—A brilliant, blue
white object that flared in the
western sky about 10:45 p.m. Tues
day caused pressure changes sim
ilar to those noted after large
nuclear explosions, the Weather
Bureau said today.
Needles recording barometric
pressure “jumped” in Seattle, Ol
ympia and Toledo. Wash., observ
ers said. Whether it was a rise or
drop in pressure could not be de
termined without further analysis.
Hundreds of persons in western
Washington saw the object as it
moved horizontally about 35 de
grees above the western horizon.
They said it appeared to disinte
grate after a few seconds, with
pieces breaking off. Then it flared
up even brighter and seemed to
die out.
Robert Gribble of Seattle, a di
rector for the National Investiga
tions Commission on Aerial Phen
omena, said the angle of flight and
the length of time it was visible
indicated the object was neither a
meteorite nor a re-entering satel
lite. He watched it 20 seconds.
FIRST MAJOR STORM
OVER BERING SEA
The first major storm of the
season was reported gathering
over the Bering Sea and the Aleu
tion Islands today.
The double - centered storm has
brought strong winds over the
Aleutians from Amchitka to Cold
Bay.
Fair skies dominated the inter
ior areas of Alaska, while wide
spread cloudiness was reported
along the coastal areas.
Skies over the Panhandle cloud
ed up after six days of scorching
temperatures.
Early morning temperatures
ranged from a low of 35 at Barrow
to a high of 64 at Fairbanks. The
high yesterday was 86 at Fair
banks.
Srmil<‘ (Committee
Oks hut Mauls
JFK’s Tax Bill
By JOE HALL
WASHINGTON -T — After
weeks of hearings, the Senate Fin
ance Committee has approved a i
mauled version of President Ken
nedy's tax revision bill. Rut chair
man Harry F. Byrd <D-Va» said he
would carry to the floor his fight
against its key provision.
The Virginian said today he 1
would try to knock out the invest- !
ment credit provision, designed as ;
an incentive to American business !
to modernize its machinery and j
equipment.
Byrd plans to use as one of his
main arguments the contention
that the bill as it cleared the com
mittee will cost the treasury an
estimated $750 million a year.
As it passed the House, the bill j
was figured to provide a $120 mil- |
lion surplus.
Byrd passed his vote as the com
mittee approved the bill 9-2 Tues
day after struggling with it thru
hearings and executive sessions
since April 2.
Administration Senate leaders
have said they may hold up the
tax measure untii the President
decides whether to seek a cut in
personal income tax rates this ses
sion.
Byrd succeeded during his com
mittee’s consideration of the bill
in knocking out the biggest reve
nue-producing provision in it — a
tax withholding plan on dividends
and interest.
UNEMPLOYMENT LOWEST
IN U.S. IN TWO YEARS
WASHINGTON UP) —Unemploy
ment fell by 445,000 in July, and
the idle rate dropped to its low
est point in more than two years.
The job improvement may take
some of the steam out of the drive ,
in some quarters for an immediate j
tax cut to improve the economy.
Secretary of Labor Arthur Gold
berg said that the employment
situation is only one of a mixed
bag of statistics which the admin
istration is scanning in seeking a
tax cut decision.
The unemployment rate declined
to 5.3 per cent of the labor force.
Employment increased slightly
by 25,000 to 69,546,000. This is a |
record number of Americans at ;
work, over a million more than
in July last year.
Unemployment declined bv 445,
000 to 4,018,000. This is 1.1 million
fewe than July last year and about
the same level as in July 1960.
BIDS ON BUSH FIELDS AT
STEBBINS, ST. MICHAEL
TO BE OPENED AUG. 16
JUNEAU W — Public Works
Commissioner Richard A. Downing
said today bids will be opened
Aug. 16 for construction of bush
airfields at Stebbins and St. Mi
chael.
At Stebbins, the work will con
sist of some IV2 acres of strippin
and embankment work involvin
11,800 cubic yards of earth. At St.
Michael, the job will consist of
embankment work involving 17,
800 cubic yards of earth.
fiJO u
MAY M IX ICO INDIANS
HI QM S I III IJ-1 I RON!
rill pi.A (I CORPS
ACOMA. NAT. .? OtC . !> :
The Acoma Indian Pueblo hav>
asked the Peace Corns for help.
Frank Torivio, governor of the*
pueblo, said specialists in water
development. road construction,
education and public health are
needed.
"We are making application in
behalf of our Acoma people for
Peace Corps members to be as
signed for duty on our Acoma In
dian Reservation,” Torivio said in
a telegram send Monday to Peace
Corps Director Sargent Shriver.
Joe A. Chino, lieutenant gover
nor of the tribe, said there is a
desperate need for development of
water on the reservation, both for
domestic use and irrigation.
Corn, chili and alfalfa are the
chief crops produced by the 2,000
Acomas on the 95,752-acre reser
vation.
President of U.S. Steel Says
Industry Needs Tax Cut
NEW YORK UP> — Roger M.
Blough says a cut in federal in
come tax would help the sagging
steel industry profits by freeing
more money to put into plant mod
ernization.
Blough, board chairman of U.S.
Steel Corp., the No. 1 producer,
also favors a cut in federal spend
: ing. He praised Defense Depart
I merit efforts in this direction.
Ever since major steel compan
ies were balked in an attempt to
make a price rise stick in April,
Blough has argued strongly for in
' creased investment in steelmaking
equipment as an answer to stiffen
ing competition from abroad and
new materials at home.
Newsmen drew out his views
Tuesday after U.S. Steel reported
that April-June earnings of $40.2
million, or (53 cents a share, failed
to cover the regular quarterly com
mon stock dividend of 75 cents.
Filibuster Ends oil
Communications
Satellite Measure
WASHINGTON The Senate
ended the filibuster over the ad
ministration’s communications sat
ellite bill today by sending the
measure to committee and tagging
it for renewed action by Aug. 10.
With the unanimous consent ag
reement assigning the measure to
the Foreign Relations Committee,
leaders won their fight to get the
bill formally before the Senate.
Filibustering opponents won a
temporary delay. They also tri
umphed in their contention that
the Foreign Relations Committee
should review foreign policy as
pects of the proposal.
The agreement put an Aug. 10
time limit on committee action on
the bill.
However, Democratic Leader
Mike Mansfield said he hoped the
committee would act sooner than
that. When the bill is reported
back it will be taken up immedi
ately by the Senate.
There is nothing in the agree
ment to prevent a new filibuster
then.
I Smiting Season
()|Hkns Toda\
JUXEAU — D't r. -Ik. -noose,
mountain sheep and mountain not
all became local game toria; . t-inch
ing off • n fall hunting season in
Alaska
Mountain sheep may ! . ? ken
from Am;. ! through Sept. 20 in
Game Unit; 23. 24. 26 and that
portion of Unit 25 lying north of
th<_‘ Yukon River. The limit is one
ram.
Unit 23 is the Kotzebue Sound
and Noatak River area. Unit 24
embraces the Koyukuk River area
and Unit 25 is the Fort Yukon
area.
The Seward Peninsula is in
Game Units 22 and 23. Unit 22
taking in all the southern part of
the Peninsula. Unit 23 takes in the
northern part of the Peninsula in
cluding the Deering and Buekland
River areas.
Mpose are legal game from Aug.
1 through Sept. 30 in Unit 26 (Bar
row* and those portions of Units
23. 24 and 25 north of the Arctic
Circle. The limit is one bull. There
is no open season on moose on
Seward Peninsula.
The Ptarmigan season in Units
1 through 4 'S.F.. Panhandle* con
tinues through April 15 with a
daily bag limit of 20 birds.
The Ptarmigan season in Units
5 through 26 (the rest of Alaska*
opens Aug. 10 and runs through
April 15.
Gold ... In Them Thar Logs
HILLSBORO. Ohio oF—Howard
Hodge struck gold Tuesday.
The semi-retired farmer found
the gold —15 gold coins—in a log
from a cabin in which he was born
in nearby Rainsboro in southwest
ern Ohio.
Hodge said 10 of the gold pieces
are United States $20 coins, dating
from 1795 to 1305. The other five
appear to be foreign, he said.
Hodge needed some logs to sup
port a piece of farming equipment
in his barn. He chose a log from
among those which he had piled
up several years ago when he tore
(down the log cabin.
He sawed through what appear
ed to be a knot but it was a plug.
When the saw cut through, the
gold pieces tumbled out of a hole.
SOVIETS REFUSE VISA
TO EUGENE JOINER
Eugene Joiner of Kotzebue, who
has an invitation from the village
of Uelen, Siberia, to visit them
and bring news of their many rela
tives living in Alaska, has been in
Nome for the past three weeks
getting his boat in condition for
the trip. Yesterday Joiner received
word from the Soviet Embassy at
Washington that his application
for a visa for the trip has been
refused for the present time.
Joiner had his boat placed in
storage and has returned to Kot
zebue. He says he will make an
other application for a visa this
fall.
In former times there was con
siderable commerce between Alas
ka and Siberia, which is only 50
miles away. However, during the
past 25 years the Soviets have not
permitted Alaskan? to vi-dt their
side of Bering Straits.
COMING FOR A BIG JAMBOREE —
PALL HARPER jZ' WESTERNERS
. . . STARS OF STAGE, RADIO & TELEVISION . . .
RATED NO. 4 WESTERN BAND ACROSS THE NATION
BERING SEA CLUB MONDAY, AUGUST 6 THROUGH SUNDAY, AUGUST 12