THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Pox 618
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER Editors
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Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Monday, April 26, 1948
WHEN OPINION IS FROZEN
It has been plain for some months that efforts to
set up international control of atomic weapons ha^l
reached a dead end. Failure is onlv underscored
by reports that the United Nations Atomic Energy
Commission has reached an open deadlock. For
months Rusia has flatly rejected the American plan
for control—favored by ten of the twelve members
—and now eight members have agreed that the
Rusian plan offers no "adequate basis" for effect
ive international control.
This blasting of the high hopes of two years
ago should jar all of us into renewed effort to deal
with the basic problem of international anarchy.
To keep the record straight it should be recalled
that the American plan for international owner
ship of atomic ores and international operation
of plants using nuclear fuels in dangerous quan
tities was too socialistic—or too international for
Russia. Moscow wanted international inspection to
be limited by a veto-wielding Security Council.
Moreover, it would not agree to set up any control
plan until all atomic weapons had been destroyed.
Out of this failure we can possibly salvage some
lessons which will help in the long-range problem
of dealing with Russia. The Christian Science Moni
tor has repeatedly decried the hate-Russia attitude
and steadily urged more effort to understand the:
Soviet. One way to understanding is to examine
negotiations which have broken down, and par
ticularly to study Russian methods. Dispassionate
and revealing light on Russian diplomacy is con
tained in a speech recently delivered by Frederick
H. Osborne, Deputy American Representative on the
UN Commission.
He cites many examples of the fact that Soviet
envoys are mere errand boys for an inflexible pol
icy, with no power to engage in a free exchange
of ideas or to join in exploring new ways in the
light of new information. He adds startling evid
ence of the Russian system's tendency to collect
only such information as suits predetermined views.
His testimony regarding the effects of this freezing
of opinion contains two warnings.
One is a fresh reminder of the difficulty of com
ing to terms with an iron curtain of fantastic doc
trine. Out of such experiences the non-Communist
nations have developed a sense of unity and a
disposition to stand firm. The hope is that Soviet
leaders, seemingly impervious to reason, will be
able to read actions like ERP and the American
arms program.
Mr. Osborne's account also points up the under
lying weakness of a system which permits no com
petition in ideas. It holds a warning for Americans
who in this time of tension may be tempted to re
strict freedom of discussion. For the willingness to]
face awkward facts and to hear unpopular opin
ions is fundamental not only to free but effective
government. National policy so tested and shaped
will in the end be firmer, sounder and better equip
ped to live in the world as it is—with the atom un
controlled—than a policy which represents closed |
minds and frozen fallacies.
UNPARTITIONING PALESTINE j
As delegates to the United Nations assemble on
New York to consider unpartitioning Palestine, most
of them will have in the back of their minds certain
backstage things which happened when they first
SOLID, MAN |
voted for partition.
For instance, the Liberian government, largely
dependent on the United States and the Firestone
Rubber Co., last winter got a phone call from Har
vey Firestone asking that Liberia vote for partition.
Haiti, also economically dependent on the United
States, got a call from Adolph Berle, former assist
ant secretary of state, now adviser to the presi
dent of Haiti.
The French ambassador, following hints from
the state department friends, urged his government
to vote for partition. The Chinese ambassador did
liewise. Mexico, New Zealand, Colombia—all were
discretely pressured from Washington during the
U. N. debate in November.
Having been told how to vote on Palestine last
year, these nations now don't like to be told to
vote the other way. They consider themselves sov
ereign states, not puppets voting as Uncle Sam
cracks the whip and calls the roll.
AMERICAN HANDSPRINGS
In diplomatic circles, it's discretely stated that
nothing has hurt American prestige more than our
sudden somersault on Palestine. Comparing United
States foreign policy with British policy, diplomats
point out that the British at least are consistent.
Even though you disagree with them, you always
know where the British stand.
But American policy is unpredictable. It is one
thing one day and another thing the next.
For many years western European nations were(
in the habit of following Britain's lead. She was
the strongest nation in the western world. But now,
with the United States the most powerful, they pre
fer to follow us—provided they know where we are.
However, it hurts any nation's prestige to have to
explain that its vote was reversed because the Un
ited States turned a handspring.
Note—Remarked one diplomat: "The United
States is like the banker in a small town. You have !
many mortgages on other people's houses. So we
always tip our hats to you, and usually vote with;
you. But the small-town banker isn't loved by thei
people who come to him for money, and that's why
we don't always love you." I
ROCKETS DISPLACING GUNS
Jane's Fighting Ships has been the authoritative
world directory of naval power for years. !
Consequently, interest attaches to the prediction
of the publisher that rockets will feupplant guns
as the main weapons in battleships in a year or
two." |
The development of rocket fire-power during the
last war was one of the most significant changes
in warfare for decades. Apparently, the new wea
pon meets the requirements of the experts and is
here to stay. * ‘
V LOOKING
f AHEAD
Pry GEORGE S. BENSON
President—Harding College
IB Seareg. Jriar/e s
FALSE EARNINGS
Would a 3,500 per cent increase
in wages or salary interest you?
If your income sky-rocketed like
that, you wouldn’t be much wor
ried about the high cost of liv
ing, would you? Wait a minute.
Are you sure you'd be on easy
street? Perhaps you will be sur
prised to learn that workers in
France have had that amount of
increase in their money earnings
since 1914, and they still lack
the necessities of life.
A brick layer in Paris worked
48 hours a week in 1914. He took
home forty - five and one-half
francs a week, slightly less than
one franc per hour. But today
he gets 35 francs per hour. In
1914 he could buy four quarts
of milk for his franc or a dozen
and a half of eggs. But today for
an hour’s wages he can buy less
than three quarts of milk and
barely 7 eggs—if he can find
them. Both items, plentiful in
1914, are now hard to obtain.
HOLD YOUR OWN?
This means that there are
things more important than in
creases in wages. The consequen
ces of inflation are such that
costs of living manage to keep
a step ahead of wage boosts. The
lesson is this: the average bread
winner cannot hold his own once
the inflation spiral ge*s going.
No matter how often wages are
increased, he gets farther and
farther behind.
Costs always outrun increased
earnings — unless someone stops
the spiral. To stop a runaway
team, you have to do more than
holler Whoa! You have to pull
back on the reins, set your heels
in the dirt, and maybe make
a little sacrifice in terms of dir
ection and effort. Inflation is like
that. Some of us fail to see the
brink of the precipice ahead. We
take our increases, and discount
the dire results.
$10,000 TRIFLE
When I left China in 1936, a
comfortable home could have been
purchased there for 10,000 Chin
ese dollars. Today you’d be lucky
to buy a loaf of bread for $10,000.
Matter of fact, a Chinese friend
of mine recently enclosed a $10,
000 note to me in a letter. The
note was not a gift, nor a re
payment on a loan, nor a sum for
investment. It was merely a sou
venir, virtually worthless.
“Printing-press” money is some
times resorted to by governments,
in an attempt to keep ahead of
problems created by inflation. In
Germany during that period of
financial havoc following world
war I., the values of money in
circulation were changed daily.
Banks had to tally everything at
the close of each business day.
Nobody knew what money would
be worth the next day.
Oh this can’t happen to Amer
ica! Anyone who utters that state
ment is confused, chances are.
Actually it has already been hap
pening to America. The spiral
of inflation has cut down buy
ing power, cheapened our money.
Today, $2 are worth what $1
was worth only a few years ago.
This means that if you have
insurance or a bank account, the
effect of inflation has reduced