. >> reporter ed scott talks to homesteaders larry and rusty lancashire. >> if alaska controlled theird--at least a large share of it--and if they sold the land, for instance--as long as it gets into somebody's hands that something's going to be done with it. >> alaskans have been on the threshold of statehood for years. 1958 they figure is their big chance. even the territory's politically appointed governor mike stepovich hopes he is the last of the breed. >> i hope that i am the last appointed governor here of the territory of alaska. and i may be talking myself out of a job, as they say, but that's good enough for me because i want statehood. >> another effort will be made in the current session of congress to bring hawaii and alaska into the union. a gallup poll released just today indicates that 73% of the people believe that alaska should be admitted, as against 6% who oppose it. there has been no great public debate on the matter of bringing these two territories into the union. also, the congress has not appeared to feel any sense of urgency about the matter. we have presented

i remember we were in oldham in lancashire once and a lady came in with an object. it was a little bit of a puzzle, really. but no one could exactly identify it. someone picked it up on the junk store and brought it to me and asked me if i was interested because they know i collect ivories. and i said, "yes, i'm very interested. what is it?" so they said, "i haven't a clue." so i thought, "right, i will bring it here and ask anyone here if they would know what it was." 20 years later we were in oldham again, and again the same lady turned up, this time telling us what she thought it was. this is an interesting little bit of "roadshow" history. there's arthur, of course. this is you 20 years ago - on our last visit to oldham. - that's right. and i'm playing angela rippon. arthur: you remember the occasion, do you? i do, because they didn't have a clue what it was, you see? and you've still got it and nobody knew what it was. and did you ever find out? what is it? it's used by elder chinese ladies to pass on their leisure hours. it is a chinese puzzle. - wonderful. -