THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday. Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Ma n 125 P O. Box 61b
W. A. and EMILY BOtPCHEH 1d 1 n
*1.50 PEP MONTH $16.30 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter (October 14. 1943. a! the post of lice
at Nome. Alaska, undj?r the Act of March 3. 1H79.
Wednesday, December 31, 1947
New Y ears Day
IF IT HAD NOT been for Pope Gregory XIII and his
calendar, the western world still might be celebrating
New Year Day simultaneously with Christmas, or o'n
March 25. Jan. 1 as New Year Day is a relativey recent
innovation.
Gregory’s calendar, which set Jan. 1 as the beginning
of the new year, was accepted by many Catholic coun
tries in 1582, by Germany, Denmark and Sweden about
1700, and in 1752 by England. Before that New Year
day was observed on a variety of dates.
. The ancient Phoenicians, Persians and the Egyptians
began their year at the autumnal equinox, Sept. 21. The
ancient Greeks, and the Romans who fell heir to their
culture, set theirs at the winter solstice, Dec. 21. The
Jews reckoned their civil year from the first day of the
Month of Tishri, Sept. 6 to Oct. 5, but their ecclesiasti
cal year begins at the spring equinox, March 21.
Among most Christian peoples ifi medieval days
March 25 was New Year Day. England, however, ob
served Dec. 25 until the Norman conquest when Wil
liam the Conqueror ordered that the year should start
on Jan. 1, because, it is believed, his coronation was ar
ranged by coincidence for that date. Later, however,
England began her year with the rest of Christendom on
March 25 until the Gregorian calendar was adopted.
■ -
'Meat Outlook TOUGH For 1948 j
(By Cecily Brownstone—(/P) Food Editor)
AMERICAN FAMILIES will continue to eat well in
1948. During the last two years food consumption in this
country has been running some 17 to 18 per cent above,
the prewar average. Figures based on our food produc-,
tion goals and the amounts of foodstuffs that will have
to be sent abroad for foreign aid indicate that 1948 will
see food consumption in this country still 13 to 14 per
cent above prewar average.
The big item in food reduction facing Americans is
meat. Altogether it is estimated that the average
amount of meat available per civilian during the com
ing year will run about 146 pounds as compared with
about 156 pounds in 1947. The shortage of meat will be
most pronounced next spring and summer.
More Water in the Stew
Meat reduction can’t merely be figured in terms of
so many less steaks per month. Americans will be urged
to use low grade meats from grass-fed beef; this means
that cuts will be less tender. In order to make them pal
atable, hamburgers, Swiss steak and stew will prob
ably be the order of the day. There will be more fresh!
fish, from all signs, on the 1948 dinner table than there
were in 1947. It is predicted that canned fish supplies
will be larger in 1948; tuna leads the way here with a 20
per cent increase, salmon’s increase will not be as great.
Sardine production is expected to be smaller than in
1947.
More turkeys and fewer chickens is the prediction
when it comes to poultry. Prices of both turkey and
chicken are expected to average higher in 1948. Small
weight quick-frozen turkeys may be a good buy later on
in the year. In the next months housewives will be
urged to use fowl so that new cooks had better learn
how to make old-fashioned fare—fricassees, stews and
pot-pies.
The outlook for the egg a day Americans have been
eating for enjoyment and good nutrition seems fairly
good from now to the spring—although the price of
eggs will be high. If consumers who have eaten more
than an egg a day during 1947 seet fit to complain they
give us a sion f
need to remember that fewer eggs are the result of the
reduction of flocks essential for grain saving and the
feeding of hungry people abroad.
Good news for this nation of milk-drinkers is that
fluid milk will probably be available for consumption in
about the same quantity as it was during 1947. Evapor
ated milk will also be the same as for 1947, with the pos
sibility of more cheese and butter. Lovers of whipped
cream will be glad to know that cream will probably be
as available as it is at present.
Edible fats and oils will be in about the same supply
as 1947 with,the exception of lard, which is expected to
be lower. Gourmets will once again be able to make
their special salads since suplies of olive oil from the
Mediterranean countries will be the largest since 1941.
World fat supplies, however, are still critically short
and consumers will continue to be asked to do their bit
in fat salvaging. This means to save and reuse food fats,
to salvage meat trimmings and dripings and to render,
store and reuse them whenever possible.
An Apple a Day
The fruit and vegetable outlook is good. If Americans
eat more vegetables and fruits, both fresh and pro
cessed, to make up for smaller supplies of other foods,
the national diet will probably be improved in two im
portant vitamins, A and C, which have been low in
many American families in the past.
Apple and pear crops are good and citrus fruits such
as oranges, grapefruit and lemons should be in good sup
ply. Bananas are rapidly approaching prewar supplies
and it is predicted that by next spring monthly imports
may even exceed prewar rates.
There ought to be as much canned fruit available in
1948 as in 1947 with supplies of canned orange juice and
blended orange and grapefruit juice probably even
larger. There also should be plenty of quick-frozen fruit.
Ample and reasonable will be the dried fruits. Raisins
and prunes, which ordinarily make up about four-fifths
of our total dried fruit pack, may even reach five-sixths
of the total. Figs and dates will also be in ample supply.
Dried apricots may be slightly less than in 1947.
Commercial production of fresh vegetables is expect
ed to hold up and campaigns for home gardens will be
pushed. Canned and quick-frozen vegetables are expect
ed to continue in good supply. Supplies of both sweet
and white potatoes are now plentiful but the former are
expected to be below average in later months and the
latter may be no more than adequate next spring
Let ’Ejm Eat Nuts
Nut cracking will be able to go on apace for a while
after the holidays. Close on the heels of a record crop of
walnuts, pecans and almonds are filberts, of the hazel
nut family.
' Peoples in Europe will need to rely on our export of
grains and grain products until next harvest and so
Americans in 1948 will be asked to continue their con
servation program.
4
\LOOXTNl
1 AJff£AD
f* GEORGE 1BENS0
PttMidtal—Marilaa fO*
jj *“«, AruLST*
IRRECONCILABLE
Russia today is firmly oppos
to almost everything and anythi
that America suggests. There
one possible exception, and that
*iid to Russia. This suggests th
Americans, seeing Russia’s prese
attitude displayed at every tur
are not likely to propose mut
help for Russia. But since Russia
cross-purposes with us are so ev
dent, it is natural to ask why sh
got that way. Why does she find
convenient, ever to go out of he
way, to oppose America?
It is not because we did no
help Russia enough during thi
war. Matter of fact, we helpec
Russia then to the extent of $11,.
631.000.000. This was lend-lease,
of which we will expect to get lit
tle or nothing in return. What we
got from Russia in reverse lend
lease. compared with the more
than $11 V£ billion dollars that
went her way, was less than one
fifth of one billion—only $2,213.
000.
Disguised Purposes
Then, when UNRRA decided to
accumulate a big fund to help
needy nations, America gave 70
per cent of the total. Our part was
$2,279,000,000. The Russians did
not put up anything. Yet Russia
has helped to manage UNRRA.
Actually, Russia has so manipu
lated the aid to several European
countries that the people there
thought they were being helped by
Russia rather than by America.
Now. the Marshall plan calls for
additional help for European coun
tries. It proposes that America use
from fifteen to twenty-two b:llion
dollars in an effort to get those
countries on a self-sustaining ba
sis. Not only does Rus>ia oppose
this aid, but she has inspired the
creation of the Communist Inter
national. This organization oper
ates in nine different countries and
is dedicated to complete opposi
tion to anything that resembles
American policy in international
affairs.
No Friendly Words
Despite the all-out ass stance
America gave Russia during the
war ‘which they have admitted at
odd times was responsible for their
ability to stop the Germans in the
heat of the war*, the Sov:et gov
ernment speaks no words of
friendship. In fact, Russia appears
to be our outstanding enemy. She
tries to block every effort on our
part to stabilize the industrial P°*
sition of other countries and cre
ate peaceful conditions in Europe
and elsewhere.
Just why this continued opp >*
-ition from Russia? In my opinion,
it come definitely from the ‘act
that Communism is irreconcilable
to the American way of life- * ■ ^
be observed that Communism '• d
not offer opposition during the
war, it may also be observed that
Communist leaders temporarily
went underground while America
was helping Russia stave ofl dis
aster. All that time. Russia was
trying to get more and more from
America.
Good Neighbors?
As soon as the war was over, as
soon as lend-lease quit flowing to
Russia, the Communists began to
oppose every move for peaceful
I stabilization. They wanted defeat
ed countries to remain defend'd.
■ Peaceful and prosperous countries
j find Communism unattractive, in
(deed. But Russid has now solifi
J fied her opposition to peace. Rus