OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—»
)EB ASSOCIATED PRESS
6*rd Year No. 46
—.. .
NOME, ALASKA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 1961
— .— .. , _
Per Copy 15*
KENNEDY
Cancels Court
Martial Order
Of Guardsman
WASHINGTON — President
Kennedy announced today that “in
the spirit of Easter Week” he has
canceled court-martial proceedings
against a National Guardsman who
complained against the President’s
call-up of reservists.
At a news conference carried to
the nation over live TV and radio,
Kennedy said that gripes by a small
number of reservists were more
misguided than anything else.
So he said he got in touch with
the Secretary of the Army and
arranged for dropping of the
charges against Pfc. Larry Chi
dester, 24, of Salt Lake City, who
is stationed at Ft. Lewis, Wn.
Kennedy also announced he was
freeing Pfc. Berras Owen, 23, of
Seadrift, Tex., a reservist on duty
at Ft. Polk, La. Owen was found
guilty on March 27 of a charge
similar to that against Chidester.
Owen was sentenced to six months
hard labor and ordered to forfeit
$50 a month pay while in the
stockade.
I"1 UT5P O rtOl 1 CArl tTlrtl o4
ing the uniform code of military
justice by encouraging fellow sol
diers to sign a letter critical of the
President.
Sent to Sen. Wallace Bennett, j
(R-Utah), the letter asked whether
Kennedy “liked expenditures of
great proportions which he allo
cates freely or does he think the
jobs left open by our call-up will
re-elect him on the basis of low
unemployment.”
Kennedy’s mood throughout the
news conference appeared to be
genial and buoyant — in contrast
to his obvious anger a week ago
over the steel price rise which he
hammered down.
He said there is no residue of
ill will from the three-day battle
between big steel and the govern
ment on any company or industry.
In response to a question about
the future of the New York Fed
eral Grand Jury investigation of
the steel industry, the President
said that matter was in the hands
of the jury which would, of course,
continue to see whether any viola
tion of anti-trust laws or price
fixing statutes had occurred.
Kennedy denied that he had set
the price of steel. What he did, he
said, was to set the national in
terest before the steel companies.
It was this, he said, plus competi
tion, that set the price — not the
President.
GUARDSMAN IS HAPPY
FT. LEWIS, Wn. W — Pfc. Larry
Chidester said today “I am very
happy” that President Kennedy
canceled court martial proceedings
against him, but still contended he
had the right to write his senator
a letter.
“I’m very happy about this,”
said Chidester in a telephone inter
view. He repeated the phrase over
and over.
“Regrets? I actually don’t have
regrets. I believe I have the right
to write a letter to my senator.
Perhaps there were things that
were somewhat critical, but many
have criticized the President much
mere than I have done.”
Although Chidester was accused
of encouraging his fellow soldiers
to sign the letter, he said “there
was a question as to whether I
asked them to sign it or whether
they asked me to let them sign it
because they thought the letter
would do some good.” ** * > 4
GOV. EGAN SIGNS STATE
EMPLOYES PAY RAISE BILL
i
JUNEAU (fl) — Legislation which
calls for an increase in salaries for '
most state employes was signed ■
into law by Gov. Egan today.
Under the provisions of the bill
state employes in pay ranges 2 :
through 20 would receive pay
boosts amounting to an average of 1
about 5 per cent. Employes in pay
ranges 20 through 26 would get
salary increases through in-grade
adjustments.
Egan also inked his name to a
companion measure which pro
vides $956,000 to pay for the pay
raises.
Another measure approved by
Egan boosts the salaries of most
state , commissioners and sets a
salary of $19,000 for the Commis
sioner of the new Department of
Highways and $17,000 for the Com
missioner of the new Department
of Economic Development and
Planning.
House Okehs Peacetime
Record Military Budget
WASHINGTON OP) — The House
voted today a peacetime record
$47,839,491,000 to bolster and de
ploy American military might
around the world in the coming
year.
The vote sent the government’s
biggest money measure to the Sen
ate for its consideration.
The total is $67,509,000 less than
President Kennedy requested for
the year starting July 1, but is
jjn,ott,aaa,(wu more than was pro
vided to the armed services for i
the current year.
Carpenters - AGC
Agree on 3-Year
Work Contract
FAIRBANKS UP) — Local Car
penters Union 1243 voted last night
to ratify a new three-year agree
ment with the Associated General
Contractors.
By a secret ballot vote of 127 for
ratification and 4 against the union
agreed to contract terms agreed
upon by negotiating committees a
week ago.
The difference between the con
tract offered by contractors and
turned down by the union previ
ously is a pension plan to begin
next year. Beginning next March i
15, seven cents per hour will be
put into a pension fund. In 1964, (
there will be a 2-cent an hour in
crease in the amount paid into ,
the fluid. —'
Here is the basic money package .
which will be included in the new
contract:
First year: 24 cents per hour in
crease in wages plus, a 2 cents
per hour increase in health and i
welfare benefits.
Second vear: Room and hoard *
5 cents per hour increase in wages,
plus 7 cents per hour to be placed ^
h a pension fund. «
Third, year: 23 cents per hour in- 1
:rease in wages, room and board, c
md 2 cents per hour additional
5aid into the pension plan. *
Over the three-year period, the "
noney package is 18 cents more 1
ban that included in a three-year
igreement between carpenters and t
contractors in the Andfft£ge area. 1
THE WEATHER l
Variable cloudiness with an ex- t
>ected low tonight of 15 to 20 andf s
i high tomorrow of 25. s
In the past 24 hours: highest r
emp. 22, lowest 2. Sunrise at 4:14 *
urn., sunset at 7:49 p.m. t
It was 37 above and cloudy at a
Zenana today. c
Railroads Will
Consider Alaska
Rate Reductions
WASHINGTON UP — American
’ailroads, a spokesman says will
lave to consider freight rate re
iuctions to meet increased com
petition for the Alaska trade.
Thomas Maguire of the Western
rraffic Assn., in testimony before
a Senate Commerce Subcommittee
yesterday, urged that the group
mot approve a bill that would “put
a strait jacket on us.”
“Give us a chance to work out
aur own salvation on this,” Ma
guire said.
He referred to a bill introduced
by Sen. Ernest Gruening that would
declare it the policy of Congress
that shipments for the 49th State
would be charged no higher rates
than those imposed on cargoes
destined for overseas Pacific ports.
Gruening contends Alaska is dis
criminated against because Alaska
destined rail shipments are charged
higher domestic rates while ship
ments bound for other Pacific
Ocean ports travel under the lower
export-import rates to West Coast
ports.
Maguire said there is a plan for
Canadian rail-barge service to Alas
ka and another proposal for rail
ship service by the Alaska Steam
ship Co. between Seattle and
Alaska.
Western railroads are not going
to let Alaska traffic be siphoned
told the committee.
Domestic railways may not only
have to come down to the Jevel
of present export-import rates, he
said, “but may even have to go
lower” to meet competition for the
Alaska trade.
Rupert Murphy, chairman of the
Interstate Commerce Commission,
said he opposed the bill on the
grounds it would not clearly spell
out the position of the Commission
in its rate-making authority.
Malcolm Miller, Deputy Commis
sioner for Transportation of the
General Services Administration,
i»tificd in support of the bill.
Seek Information on Boilomfish
SEATTLE UP) — Seeking infor
mation on the abundance and size
Df bottomfish in the Gulf of Alaska,
the research vessel John N. Cobb
sailed from Seattle this week on an
5-week cruise.
The Bureau of Commercial Fish
eries said the Cobb will operate
!rom Cape St. Elias to the general
ricinity of Portlock Bank. Sonic
equipment will be used to survey
he bottom of the sea.
A commercial otter trawl net
vill be towed ova- the promising •
ireas to assess the fishing potential. ■
OWELL THOMAS JR. }
ULES FOR US. HOUSE SEAT :
JUNEAU UP) — Lowell Thomas i
r. filed his declaration of candi- <
lacy today for the U.S. House of 1
tepresentatives, on the Republi
an ticket.
Thomas is the second to file for
he state’s lone seat in the House. '
lie other is the incumbent, Ralph '
livers, a Democrat. i
Thomas, 39, is married and has 1
wo children. He makes his home
i Anchorage. j
Thomas said his travels as a ]
hotograher, producer and lecturer 1
hroughout Alaska has given him 1
n understanding of the state’s
pec*al problems and needs, “fore- 1
tiost among which are a better, ]
more accurate understanding by i
he rest of America and the world, t
nd an accelerated pace of econ- i
mic development.” i
AIR FORCE IS MUM ON
SUPER - SECRET SATELLITE
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE
BASE, Calif. — A super-secret
satellite ■— one the Air Force re
fuses to talk about — is apparently
circling the earth.
Where it is and what it’s doing
the Air Force wouldn’t say. It was
launched from this big rocket and
missile base yesterday. About all
the Air Force would say was that
it was “a satellite employing a
Thor-Agena B booster combina
tion.”
This combination is used to hurl
the Discoverer satellite series into
orbit, but the Air Force wouldn’t
say whether today’s was a Dis
coverer-type operation.
Discoverers contain instrumented
capsules which detach from the
orbitting rocket and are supposed
to parachute into the sea near
Hawaii. A number have been re
covered this way.
JFK Will Proceed
With Nuelear Tests
In Pacific Ocean
WASHINGTON UD — Presiden
Kennedy asserted bluntly toda:
that “we shall proceed” with tb
impending new round of nuclea
weapons tests over the Centra
Pacific unless Russia drops its op
position to international inspectio
as part of a test ban agreement.
Kennedy told a news conferenc
that indications for a Russian r<
versal are “negative.” Tests ai
expected to begin in about a wee!
Kennedy acclaimed a new Ui
disarmament treaty proposed a
vxeneva toaay as a "major eixor
to achieve a breakthrough” in ne
gotiations with Russia and othe:
countries on abolition of nationa
arms and armed forces by stage!
under strict safeguards.
In response to a question Ken
nedy said no exact date had beer
set for the first test shot, but froir
other sources it was learned the
first explosion is due, subject tc
weather conditions, in about one
In response to another question
Kennedy said the United States
still would prefer an agreement to
end all tests explosions under an
international inspection system. His
offer to that effect, made March
2, is still open, he said.
But he added that “the chances
of securing agreement now seem
negative” in view of the stand
taken by Soviet Premier Khrush
chev in rejecting any international
inspection whatever.
DEMOS LAY PLANS
FOR STATE CONVENTION
A group of Democrats gathered
ast evening at the Seaview Room
’or the pre-organizational meeting
n preparation for the State Demo
cratic Convention which will be
ield in Nome on April 28 and 29.
-n. meeimg nos Deen cauea ior
F:30 Friday night at the City Hail
jvhen the committees will be chosen
;o handle the details of the con
tention organization. All Demo
crats and persons interested in
lelping are urged to attend.
A group of Democratic women
ire meeting tonight at the City
Sail at 7#0 to prepare distinctive
apel identification badges of
aimed reindeer skin.
The Young Democrats of Nome
lave scheduled a Alaska State
Democratic Convention Dance on
Saturday, April 28 at the ANG
Umory. They plan on having live
a door prize. Tickets
vill go on sale in a day or two.
Delay Formal
Court Action on
Japanese Captains
KODIAK UP) — Arraignment of
three Japanese fishing boat cap
tains, accused of poaching in waters
Alaska claims as its own, was due
in Superior Court today after a day
of delays due to the language bar
rier and wrangling over legal
technicalities.
The three captains, arrested Sun
day in Shelikof Strait, between Ko
diak and the Alaska Peninsula,
appeared in court yesterday for
arraignment, but formal action was
postponed.
The three were arrested and their
vessels taken over by Alaskan
state agents in a weekend crack
down on what the state terms
violations of its territorial waters.
The boats were fishing for her
ring with a production objective of
3,000 metric tons of herring roe,
a highly prized delicacy in Japan
which commands a price of $2,780
to $4,070 per metric ton.
Gov. Wm. Egan charged in Ju
neau that the Japanese sent the
fleet into Shelikof Strait to deter
t mine what the state and federal
t governments would do.
» At one point yesterday, it was re
r ported, the Japanese agreed to
1 take their fleet — a mother ship
- and five catcher boats —* out of
a Alaskan waters and return to
Japan, pending a settlement. But
e this was strongly opposed by Oscar
Dyson, member of Hie State Fishk
•e and Game Board, whose agents
1.1 made the arrests, and several local
l l fishermen who called for on-the
t soot settlement.
t Language barriers caused par
. ticular difficulty at the hearing.
• Charges were interpreted by Sue
[ man Moon, a Korean bom in
i Japan, who read them in Japanese
to the three defendants.
The state asked that the men
post $500 bail each for their release
but defense council strongly ob
jected and asked that the men be
released on their own recognizance.
Superior Court Judge James Fitz
gerald said he would agree that
the boats be freed and allowed ta
lay outside a 5-mile limit until an
opinion could be handed down.
PAA AND PILOT ASSN.
REACH AGREEMENT . . .
WALKOUT CALLED OFF
WASHINGTON M — President
Kennedy announced today that
both Pan American World Airways
and the Air Line Pilot Assn, have
agreed to binding arbitration of the
issues which had threatened to
cause a strike.
Announcing agreement to a pro
posal he had made, Kennedy ex
tended his congratulations to both
parties in the dispute.
Union agreement today com
pleted the plan for arbitration. The
airline management accepted last
night, and the union agreed then,
nnlir A A «vtmi,4An __- J_: i.
*»****v*i*vo wv^uiv. a uuvuugiib
deadline, to defer indefinitely the
walkout by 1,400 pilots.
The dispute also involves the
Flight Engineers International
Assn., since die question in dis
pute is Pan Ain’s program to re
duce the crew on each jet airliner
from four men to three.
One of the four has been an en
gineer. The Engineers’ Union was
not a party to the pact which pro
vides final and binding arbitration
by a three-member Presidential
Board. It is understood, however,;
that an engineer will have prefer
ence for the third seat on the plane,
if he has the required qualifica
tions.