NUGGET
OLDEST NEWSPAPER IN ALASKA—MEMBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
64th Year No. 62
NOME, ALASKA, FRIDAY, MAY 24, 1963
Per Copy 15$
Egan Scotches
Rumors of Four
Way Job Switch
By Ward Sims
JUNEAU UO — Gov. Wm. Egan
today publicly scotched rumors of
a four-way job switch involving
himself, U.S. District Judge Walter
Hodge, U.S. Rep. Ralph Rivers and
Secretary of State Hugh Wade.
There have been persistent ru
mors in the state capital that
Hodge, who has reached retire
ment age, plans to step down.
Upon Hodge’s retirement, so the
rumor went, Rivers would be ap
pointed to the vacancy, Egan would
appoint himself as Rivers’ suc
cessor in Congress and Wade would
step up as governor.
Commenting on the rumor to
day, after acknowledging that he,
too, had heard the report from sev
eral sources, Egan said:
“Mr. Rivers will be there at the
end of his current term and I hope
he will be there when the next
term starts.
“I have no aspirations to be a
congressman.”
Rivers, on a number of occa
sions, has remarked to close friends
that he would welcome a judicial
appointment.
While Egan took himself out of
the picture, insofar as the job
switch rumor was concerned, an
other source indicated that should
Hodge retire from the federal court
bench, Rivers would be the No. 1
candidate as his replacement, after
serving out the balance of his term.
This same source indicated that
should Rivers receive a judicial
appointment, his seat in Congress
would be sought actively by George
Sundborg. administrative assistant
to Sen. Ernest Gruening.
In the background is Egan’s fu
ture political plans, if any, which
the governor has steadfastly re
fused to discuss, with 3Vz years
of his second term remaining.
The state constitution limits the
tenure of a governor to two, full,
successive terms, but Egan would
be eligible to run again under
a technicality.
The constitution provides that
the term of office of the governor
is four years, beginning at noon
on the first Monday in December
following his election.
Egan wasn’t sworn in for his
first term until Jan. 3, 1959, the
day Alaska became a state. His first
term ran from then until Dec. 3,
1962, 31 days short of a full four
years.
At Anchorage Judge Hodge had
this to say:
“I have not reached retirement
age. I have 2Vi> years to go and
have no intention of stepping
down.”
MT. EVEREST CLIMBERS
SUFFER SEVERE FORSTBITE
KATMANDU, Nepal W — The
American Everest expedition asked
today for an emergency helicopter
flight to take Barry Bishop and
William Unsoeld to a hospital in
Katmandu. They got to the top of
Everest Wednesday, Bishop by the
South Col, Unsoeld by the west
ridge.
A radio report from the base
camp said they were frostbitten
on all their toes during a night
spent without shelter 28,000 feet
up on the mountain following the
summit climbs.
Thomas Hornbein and Luther
Jerstad escaped serious frost bite
so far as he knows, expedition
leader Norman Dyrenfurth radioed.
Report Heavy Soviet
Troop Movement in Cuba
MIAMI, Fla. MP1 — Heavy move
ment of Soviet troops in Cuba’s
Oriente Province, which lies just
across the windward passage from
troubled Haiti, was reported today
by one of 751 refugees arriving
in Florida on the cargo ship Morn
ing Light.
Ramon De La Torre, a farm
worker from near Holguin in
Oriente Province, declared that in
some areas “you see two Russians
for every Cuban.”
It is general knowledge in Hol
guin, he said, that the Russians
have a submarine base near the
city of Puerto Rico Beach and Rus
sian subs are frequently seen in
the waters there. The Soviets, he
added, have erected hundreds of
oil tanks in the area.
Another refugee, who declined
to permit use of his name because
he has a son in Havana, said homes
in the heart of Havana have been
without running water for months
because of a water plant break
down.
In Havana’s fashionable Ved
dao section, where he lived, he said
people get water from street fau
cets.
“There is not enough electric
power to pump water into the
homes,” he related. “There are no
parts to replace those that wear
out, and sabotage may have con
tributed to the trouble.”
JIMMY DOOLITTLE
INVITED TO VISIT NOME
James (Jimmy) Doolittle, one
of the world’s greatest aviators who
attended school in Nome and be
came famous when he led the
famed Doolittle raid on Tokyo in
World War II, is guest speaker at
the U of Alaska commencement
exercises.
An invitation has been extend
ed him to visit Nome while he is
on his Alaskan visit, following the
ceremonies in Fairbanks.
He is at present director of
Shell Oil Co., and director of
Space Technology Laboratories,
Inc., and a director in Mutual of
Omaha.
Justice Dept. Paves
Way for Injunctive Action
Against Governor Wallace
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. UD — The
federal government invoked its
sovereignty today in a move to
block Gov. George Wallace from
preventing the enrollment of a
Negro at the University of Ala
bama.
A complaint by the Justice De
partment opened the way for pos
sible injunctive action against the
defiant governor who has pledged
to bar personnally any Negro who
attempts to enroll at the state in
stitution.
U.S. District Court Judge Sey
bourn Lyne ordered Wallace to
appear before him June 3 in Bir
mingham to show cause why a
preliminary injunction should not
be issued.
“This action is brought by the
United States in its soverign ca
pacity to safeguard the due ad
ministration of justice in its courts
and the integrity of its judicial
process,” said the complaint filed
by Atty. Gen. Robert Kennedy.
The show cause order quoted
Wallace’s public statement that he
was invoking “the sovereignty of
this state and I will be present to
bar the entrance of any Negro
who attempts to enroll in the Uni
versity of Alabama.”
Americans Traveling
From Sweden are
Warned of Smallpox
WASHINGTON UP — The Pub
lic Health Service today advised
all Americans who have returned
from the area of Stockholm, Swe
den, in the past three weeks to see
their phyiscians at once if they
should become ill.
Health authorities have reported
12 cases of smallpox in Stockholm
since April 6, with one death.
The Health Service said particu
lar symptoms for travelers to
watch for are fever, aching, ma
laise, or a rash.
The service said local health of
fices have been given the names
of returning travelers.
The Swedish capital is having
its first outbreak of small pox
since 1932. Swedish authorities have
traced the outbreak to a Swedish
seaman who returned to Stockholm
from Indonesia during the last
week of March.
NATO Agrees to
Beef Up Nuclear Power
OTTAWA UP) — The North At
lantic Treaty Oraginzation nations
today ended a three-day parley
with an agreed program to beef
up the nuclear power of their
forces.
A communique approved by the
North Atlantic Council of Min
isters also expressed disquiet about'
continuing Communist pressures in
Cuba, Laos and Berlin.
The declaration warned the pre
sence of Soviet military personnel
in Cuba is producing repercus
sions throughout the Caribbean
area which still gives cause for
concern.
The ministers reaffirmed their
resolve to defend West Berlin
against any outside attack, just as
if the divided and isolated city
were part of their own territory.
A four-point program set forth
in the communique heralded a
new phase of North American
European cooperation in nuclear
weaponry.
St. Mary’s Mission
Receives Badly Needed
School Books and Clothing
SEATTLE (ffi — Through efforts
of the Sodality *at Seattle Univer
sity, Alaska Airlines and the Alas
ka National Guard, 1,100 pounds
of badly needed books and cloth
ing have been flown to St. Mary’s
Mission School in southwestern
Alaska.
A fire March 26 destroyed the
boys’ dormitory, post office and
the school’s radio equipment, and
the girls’ dormitory was badly
damaged.
Father James Poole, S.J., the
missions principal, asked Seattle
University to help collect the books
and clothing to replace some of the
fire-destroyed items.
Maureen Gruber, a Seattle Uni
versity freshman whose parents are
at Elmendorf Air Force Base, ob
tained agreement from Alaska Air
lines to fly the articles to Anchor
age. free. John Peyton, Seattle Uni
versity sophomore and son of Mr.
and Mrs. John Peyton of Anchor
age, who is a ham radio operator,
contacted his mother through the
Anchorage hams. She arranged to
have the Alaska Air National
Guard take the shipment on to
the mission.
New Orleans claims to be the
birthplace of both opera and jazz
in the United States.
Equal Pay for Women
Is Close to Becoming Law
WASHINGTON (/P> — Congress
has approved the principle that
women should be paid the same
wages as men for equal work and
it is close to becoming the law of
the land.
It has taken 16 years of plugging
to get this recognition of “simple
justice,” Asst. Secretary of Labor
Esther Peterson commented after
House passage of the equal pay bill
Wednesday by voice vote.
The Senate passed a similar bill
a week ago. Now, if both chambers
can iron out minor differences
in the measures sponsored by Rep.
Edith Green, (D-Ore.>, and Sen.
Pat McNamara, (D-Mich.), it will
be headed for President Kennedy’s
signature. And Kennedy is for it.
The measure will become effec
tive a year after the President
signs the bill. In cases where col
lective bargaining agreements are
involved, it may be two years.
The bill would prohibit discri
mination because of sex in the
payment of wages to some 27 mil
lion workers now covered by the
Fair Labor Standards Act which
includes minimum wage laws.
Agriculture, hotel, motel, restau
rant and laundry workers are ex
cluded along with professional,
managerial and administrative per
sonnel.
$560,000 IN GOLD
LONDON (A1) — Three masked
men slugged a watchman today and
got away with 40 bars of gold
worth $560,000.
The robbery occurred at the
warehouse of a London bullion
firm, Sharps Pixley and Co., in
the northeastern London borough
of Finsbury. The thieves escaped
in a car.
Each of the stolen bars weighed
28 pounds. Thus the total weight
of the loot was more than half a
ton.
Overdue for Retirement
LONDON UP — Flight Sgt.
Maisie Wilson of the Women’s
Royal Air Force was advised today
she is eight years overdue for re
tirement.
Maisie, a 63-year-old grand
mother, joined up in 1941 and
should have been retired at 55,
but her age was not revealed be
cause of a clerical error.
Luther Dunbar
Suffers Fatal
Heart Attaek
Luther Dunbar passed away this
morning, following a sudden heart
attack, at Lopez Island, Wn., where
he and his wife were building a
new home, according to informa
tion received here by his daughter,
Mrs. Pete Hahn.
Luther Dunbar lived in Nome
for over 30 years, coming here as
teacher in the Nome School and
was later superintendent. For sev
eral years he was manager of the
Alaska Telephone Co. and before
his retirement was with the state
jail system.
He was a member of the Pio
neers of Alaska, past patron in
the Order of Eastern Star and
past master of Anvil Lodge
F & A M, No. 140.
He is survived by his wife,
a retired teacher from Nome, and
three children, Mrs. Pete Hahn,
June Dunbar and Robert Dunbar,
his stepmother and two brothers.
Burial will be at his family
home in Pateros, Wn. Mrs. Hahn
will be leaving today to be with
her mother.
f
Rep. Wiggins Says
Tourists Unhappy
With Ferry Trips
ANCHORAGE UP — A legisla
tor said today tourists are “not at
all happy” with the Alaska ferry
system and he fears they will
spread their impressions as “un
happy and dissatisfied customers.”
The criticism came from Rep.
Wm. Wiggins, (R-Anch.), in a let
ter to the Anchorage newspapers.
He said he had talked with several
“very disappointed tourists while
returning from a trip to four west
ern states via Prince Rupert and
the Southeastern Marine Highway
system.
“All in all, the tourist who is
supposed to be paying for our fer
ries is unhappy and dissatisfied,”
Wiggins wrote. “He feels he has
been ‘taken’ on the cost and is dis
appointed in what he has seen.
“He made the trip once but
‘never again.’ Unfortunately, his
voice of experience is the voice
which will receive the attention
of our potential customers.”
From his own experience, Wig
gins said, he would specifically
criticize:
The ferry dock at Prince Rupert,
which he said is difficult to find
with only a few small signs to
direct the tourist. He said the
ticket office was unoccupied and
no schedule wets posted.
Rates, which he called extremely
high.
Location of docks, which he said
generally were located miles from
the center of town.
Service facilities, said Wiggins:
“The dining salon is understaffed,
meals very expensive. The snack
bar is inadequate and the money
changer machines do not seem re
liable.”
In Juneau, Public Works Com
missioner Richard Downing said
the prepondence of comments re
ceived by his office on the ferry
system in general has been highly
favorable.
Downing said there had been
some “constructive criticism which
we are trying to correct as soon
as possible.”
The ferry terminal docks in five
of the eight cities served by the
system are within the corporate
limits of the communities in
volved—Prince Rupert, Ketchikan,
Wrangell, Petersburg and Skag
way.
The Haines terminal is three
miles from town. The Sitka ter
minal is about seven miles from
town and the Juneau terminal is
some 13 miles out. A new ter
minal is to be constructed in
downtown Juneau bv the city, for
lease to the state.
PIONEERS HOME WILL
MARK 50TH ANNIVERSARY
JUNEAU UP)—Ceremonies mark
ing the 50th anniversary of the
State Pioneers Home have been
scheduled at Sitka for June 2,
Gov. Wm. Egan said today.
Egan said the date set for the
observance coincides with the 99th
birthday of Emmett Koons, for
merly of Juneau, who has lived
at the home since 1953 and is its
oldest guest.
YESTERDAY'S BASEBALL
American League
Baltimore 6, Washington 0
National League
St. Louis 1, Chicago 0
Cincinnati 2, Milwaukee 0
Pacific Coast League
Dallas-Ft. Worth 10, Oklahoma 3
Portland 1, San Diego 0
Denver 12, Salt Lake City 6