Tundra times. [volume], October 21, 1963, Image 1

About Tundra times. [volume] (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1962-1997

Image provided by: Alaska State Library Historical Collections

                
.•* Cttnlira Cunc0 icc
Den« Nena Henash The Land Sveno, ■
I I Tlingit
y —| Ut kdh neck Informing and Reporting
PnUngang Toononktakuks The Aleuta Speak
— ' - N<>' 2-Monday. Oct. 21, 1963 ~ Fairbanks, Alaska
ACLU PROBES UNIVERSITY
Pruitt's Case
Sparks Probe
The Academic Freedom Commit
tee of the American Civil Liberties
Lnion is reported to be investigat
ing charges of violations of aca
demic freedom at the University
ol Alaska. The charges have re
sulted from the release of Dr. Wil
liam O. Pruitt Jr„ who led a fight
against nuclear radiation hazards
in the northland.
I ho investigation was revealed
Inst week by the University of Al
aska student newspaper, "Polar
Star.”
This is the second group to in
vestigate the situation. The Ameri
can Association of University Pro
fessors is reported to have made a
similar investigation, without find
ing the University guilty. However,
no previous fcrmal statements on
the investigation or the outcome
have ever been made by University
officials.
Stems From Chariot
The entks case stems from Project
Chariot, the planned nuclear blast
on Alaska’s northwest Arctic coast,
that was opposed by many persons,
including Dr. Pruitt, who was hired
by the University to conduct bio
logical studies, under an Atomic
Energy Commission grant.
The charges against the Univer
sity stem from Pruitt’s contention
that his work was altered, and his
letters censored, when he tried to re
veal that nuclear testing, includ
ing the planned “Chariot" shot, was
contaminating the important and
unique Arctic food chain.
He learned that lichen, a plant
algae combination, on which cari
bou feed, is absorbing and hold
ing radiation at a high level. Men,
and particularly native populations,
eat caribou and reindeer, thus con
taminating themselves he reported,
in objecting to the shot.
Montana State University, which
had agreed to hire Dr. Pruitt last
spring, then suddenly changed its
mind, is also implicated in the in
vestigation, according to the "Polar
Star."
Refused
It has been charged that MSU re
fused to hire Dr. Pruitt, who had
been terminated at the University of
Alaska, after talking to U of A and
AEC officials.
The investigation was reported
ly sparked by the Sept. 13 issue of
TIME magazine, which stated that
Dr. Pruitt had been fired from the
school which was under pressure
from the AEC.
Dr. William R. Wood, president
of the University of Alaska, denies
that Pruitt was fired.
Dr. Wood is reported to have told
the “Polar Star” that Dr. Pruitt
was smiply not rehired in the Dept,
of Zoology because there was no
longer an opening for a man of his
qualifications and background.
Readers: Please respond to our
advertisers. They support the paper
that is supporting your viewpoints
. . . The Tundra Times.
W1E.N
aiwiivf FMPIOVS FAMILY—Sisters Irene Tooyak, top left, and Mae Shroyer, top right, are bellig employed by Wien Alaska Airlines
a ^ni .L '"rd World Travel Congress and American Society of Travel Agents convention in Mexico City. October 20-26. They are passing
during the -*rd World^ iravei congress "r<> lo lh ,e af the meeting. They were born at Point Hope to Helen luzroyluke. now
St-S H.l„ ..vjrt.*oj,»», left ^ -S
Alaska.
Barrow Getting New Houses
With Aid of the Red Cross
Tke American Red Cross hopes to
have 26 storm destroyed or dam
aged homes at Barrow rebuilt and
repaired before Dec. 1 it has been
reported by W. H. Woodward, Red
Cross field director at Elmendorf
Air Force Base.
“Any disaster involving five or
more families rates Red Cross at
tention," Woodward said “The fa
milies provided new homes at Bar
row will not have to repay the Red
I Cross.”
Beginning Next
Issue: 'Life On
The Koyukuk'
Starting next issue . . The first
of a two part first person history
of the early days along the Koyu
kuk River.
Read how an Indian woman de
cided her child need schooling,
| just because she mistook a white
man's conversatlorf . . . and
thought he said "bear when he
said "horse,” both words similar
in the Athabascan tongue.
The story is by Edv:in Simon,
of Huslia. He tells of his child
hood meeting with Archdeacon
Hudson Stuck. And of the miner
who was lost for a whole summer.
Beginning next issue.
Woodward said $100,000 is the |
probable amount of Red Cross funds j
needed to providg homes for storm j
victims. He rated the Oct. 3 storm,
which was followed by a blizzaid,
as the biggest disaster the Red
Cross has faced in Alaska in many
years.
Woodward said that a decision on
the types of homes the Red Cross
j will purchase for Barrow will be
j made soon. He explained they must
| be pro-fabricated and packaged for
air delivery to the northern town.
Eldon Bush of San Francisco, as
sistant disaster director of the Red
Cross and John Scheldt, Red Cross
building consultant are now in Bar
row attempting to got homeless
families rehoused before the worst
of winter sets in.
At least one firm, National
Homes Corp. of Lafayette, Ind. has
stepped into the housing void cre
ated in Barrow.
A representative of the firm
which manufactures low-cost FHA
approved prefabricated 600 square
feet houses, has been in Barrow
studying the situation.
The firm, through Alaskan rep
resentation, has been planning to
distribute the homes in Alaska for
as little as $75 down, and $35 a
month, for the past several months.
The storm has hastened their
plans, it has been learned.
Fur Seal Processing Pact
Disallowed by Accounting
Office; New Contract Due
The federal General Accounting , ■
Office has ruled invalid a contract I
between tlie Department of the In
terior and the Supa-a Fur Co. of
Chicago, under which the firm was
to process Pribilof Island fur seal
pelts, it has been announced by
the Alaska Congressional, delega
tion.
It was reported that the Office of
the Comptroller General, after in
vestigating the contract awaided
last March, stated. "The contract
does not constitute a \slid or en
forceable obligation of the govern
ment and . • • the award action
should be rescinded."
A new contract to process this
year's fur seal catch ha.' not been
announced.
The former contract was held for
many years by the Fouke Fur Co.
Tiiat contract was cancelled by the
Department of the Interior in 1961
when the firm moved its offices
from St. Louis, Mo. to Greenville,
S. C.
Alaska interests had hoped the
new contract might come north.
However. Alaska does not have fa
cilities for handling the large seal
catch, which is sold on a world
market.
Under provisions of the Alaska
Statehood Act the state receives 70
Secretary of the Interior Stew
art L. I'dall is expected to an
nounce this week the details of a
new Pribilof Island iur seal pro
cessing contract.
It is reported from Washing
ton that the Secretary has been
waiting word from his aides on
the ecntoversial topic before mak
ing his announcement.
k.X'X*X*X*X-X'X'X*X'X*X'X*X X
per cent of net proceeds of sale? of
skins produced from the Pribilof
Island, located in mid-Bering Sea.
Revenues for Alaska were $313.
919 in 1959; $1,030,002 in 1960 and
$536,809 in 1961. The 1962 total has
not been announced.
The contract between the Depart
ment of the Interior ind the Supara
Co. was protested by the outgo.ng
Fouke Fur Co., which also re-bid
on the project.
Part of the objection stated that
the Supara Co. was not in the fur
business at the ume it bid on the
contract. The Supara Co. is a joint
venture firm.
The Comptroller General's Office
also noted there were not a clause
for cancellation of the Supara con
tract if fur processing standards
(Continued on Page 7)