THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618'
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER .Editors
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1913, at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, December 17, 1947
We May Get Slapped
(Anchorage News)
A THREAT by the powerful Alcoholic Beverage In
dustry of the United States to use its influence to have
Territorial or other laws of limitations enacted for the
control of liquor in Alaska was made public recently.
It must be that Alaska’s reputation for hard drinking
is more than meets the local eye when the people who
make the liquor that Alaska drinks thinks it is time to
call a halt.
This unusual threat came to the city council in the
form of a recommendation from the Alaska Retail Li
quor Dealers’ Association who asked that no more li
censes be granted in Anchorage.
Alaska’s consumption of liquor, according to the A. R.
L. D. A. which quoted figures from the National Acohol
ic Beverage Association, is four times as high per thou
sand as it is in the United States proper. That is bad.
It would indeed put us in the category of naughty lit
tle boys if the Alaska Liquor dealers, at the insistence of
the Alcoholic Beverage Industry should take it upon
themselves to spank us if we don’t behave but that is
exactly what they say they will do.
Perhaps we should take a strong hint.
Treasurers Report
TERRITORY OF ALASKA — TREASURER’S OFFICE
Juneau. Alaska
STATEMENT OF CONDITION
Close of Busness—November 30. 1947
Bank Balance as of November 30, 1947.$2,187,862.95
Less Outstanding Warrants .. 563,577.41
Treasurer’s Net Cash Balance as of November 30, 1947 $1,624,285.54
Less Special Funds and Funds incorporated in
the General Fund which are not available for the
general operation of the Territory:
Public Schoql Permanent .$12,558.98
University of Alaska—Permanent . 392.50*
Smith-Lever . 8 944.36
Engineers’ and Architects' . 4,575.25
Museum Bequest and Donation . 1,651.04
Pioneers’ Home Trust . 12,698.81
Radio—Telephone . 2,164.16
Teachers’ Retirement . 112,990.53
Vocational Education .Federal 7,029.85
School Lunch Program . “ 2,895.82
Forest Reserve . “ 75,151.64
Old Age Assistance—Grants . “ 9,999.19
Old Age Assistance—Administration 8,644.62
Child Welfare Services . “ 6,460.88
Allowances to Mothers—Grants. “ 439.24
Allowances to Mothers—Administra
tion . “ 9,220.12
Unemployment Compensation Com
mission . “ 53,814.91
Control of Tuberculosis . “ 17,702.63
Emergency Maternity & Infant Care “ 9,434.51
Maternal & Child Health, Crippled
Children, Venereal Disease Con
trol and General Health . “ 61,375.20
Hospital Survey .r.. “ 5,043.79
Fisheries Experimental . “ 15,077.07
Veterans’ Administration .Special 745,654.89
Alaska Tuberculosis Association . “ 1,855.64
Vision Conservation . “ 498.99
Dental Care . “ 6.50
Motor Fuel Oil Tax . “ 292,043.10
Drivers’ Licenses . “ 22,876.81
Teachers’ Salaries—Kodiak Naval
Base .Federal 1,328.00
Amount certified available to U. S.
Treasurer for Old Age Assistance “ 96,957.50
Amount certified available to U. S.
Treasurer for Aid to Dependent
V Children . “ 12,487.50 $1,611,974.03
Balance of Cash in General Fund.—.$12,311.51
i F
_44HERE, CATCHl»_
France Is Sick, But—
(Rocky Mountain News)
ONCE AGAIN THE Communist minority has forced
the fall of a French government.
The aged Leon Blum, thrice premier, has failed to
form a new cabinet, following the resignation of his fei
low-Socialist Paul Ramadier. But even if Blum had
won a parliamentary majority, his regime would not
likely last long.
The reasons are personal, political nad economic.
Blum is a scholar and a gentleman, a respected elder
statesman. He has integrity and selfish patriotism.
He is most hated by the Communists, because his
brand of democratic Socialism—like that of the British
Labor Party—is the opposite of Red totalitarianism. But
even in his prime, Blum was not a forceful political
leader, and is much less so now at 75. He is an older Att
lee without a Bevin-Cripps backfield.
On the political side, Blum support is not broadly
enough based. The problem is to get a stable coalition
of center parties, which represent a majority of French
men between the Communist left and the extreme right.
The basic trouble of course, is economic. Inflation on
top of wartime destruction and demoralization, has cre
ated chaos in which the black market is supreme and
the desperate people are cynical.
This is the Communist opportunity. Though unable to
win at the polls, the Reds find it easy to pull out half
a million workers in key industries, as they have done.
So far, there is no government in sight strong enough
to stop inflation, blast the black market, break up farm
hoarding, collect elusive taxes, and keep the factories
and mines producing despite Communist sabotage.
Nevertheless, the French situation is not as discour
aging as it seems. There are three factors which must
not be- forgotten. One is the great material and moral
benefit which can accrue to France from the Marshall
plan if it comes in time and is properly applied.
Second is the possibility that the Communists may
overplay their hand—Red violence may be the one thing
which finally will arouse the French majority to needed
discipline, teamwork and spirit. Third is the fundamen
tal democracy and courage of the French people.
If we Americans remember these things, we shall not
say that France is hopeless, that it is too late to help—
which is just what Stalin is trying to make us think.
— ' ' ■■■■■■ — ■! .
One Man’s Opinion By Walter kiernan
President Truman is a precedent smasher and even
the Republicans know it. — One Republican said “no
president in office ever has failed re-election but watch
Harry bust that one.” ... Of course the Republicans are
just jealous because Harry was picked as part of a per
i feet man by ten New York models. . . . The girls said
their perfect man would have Cary Grant’s chin, Tyrone
Power’s ears and Mr. Truman’s bow tie_If they want
their perfect man to get out of the house they had better
also give him Menjou’s pants.
That’s That
By BRUCE GUSTIN
I
Henry Wallace followed the
Communist party line in his Lou
isiana university speech. “It really
calls for sacrifice today to join the
resistance movement against
American Fascism, but thank God
| we can now operate above
ground,” he said. “Tomorrow it
may be necessary to use the basic
, political right of revolution to re
store democracy.” That revolution
talk is right down the Communist
alley.
I This is a good time to remember
! that taxes are just as important an
i item in the high cost of living as
anything else. In fact, the Ameri
! can people pay out more for (gov
ernment than they do for food.
When food prices go up, they have
to pay. Two things, we are told,
are inescapable in this life—death
and taxes.
Deputy Soviet Foreign Minister
Vishinsky says “the Soviet econ
omy based on the public and state
ownership precludes in the Soviet
Union a possibility of crisis ' and
unemployment, this true scourge
of modern capitalistic society.’’ Of
I course, there is no unemployment
under a slave system. If this suits
| the Russians, that is their business.
But there is no room in the United
|
i States for such a system. Ameri
i cans believe in individual free
dom.
You can see from what has been
! happening in France why the
j Communist strategy is to infiltrate
and, if possible, get control of la
bor unions. Revolution and over
throw of existing governments are
Communist aims. Paralysis of a
! nation’s economy endanger its
I form of government. In France,
| Communist-led strikes precipitat
■ ed a crisis which forced a reor
ganization of the government.
Neither industrial nor political
peace is possible in France while
the Reds have control of powerful
labor unions.
Why talk about Canada offering
an “incentive bonus” of $7 an
ounce for increased gold produc
tion should cause alarm in the
United States is a mystery. If Ca
nadians increase gold production,
' they can buy more American
goods. Suppose most of their gold
I does flow into the United States.
I
i That would be nothing for us to
cry about. Gold is the one “money”
which always is good. Anybody
who has plenty of gold can buy
anything, any where, any time.
According to World Report of
• Nov. 11, “the French people are
| facing hunger this winter because
of a government farm policy that
did not work.” This year’s wheat
crop in France was the smalles*
since 1815, amounting to only
3,200,000 tons as compared with G
and one-half million ton* last year
and an average of 8 million tons a
year during the 30’s. Bad weather
was partly to blame, but World
Report declares “responsibility for
the extent of this year’s crop dis
aster rests jointly with the govern
ment and wheat farmers."
Wheat prices in France are con
trolled by the government. In
terms of gold francs, World Report
states, 1947 wheat prices were the
lowest since 1895. So farmers re
duced their wheat acreage by
nearly one million acres. They
used more wheat for livestock and
poultry feed and sold their poul
try products and meat in black
markets. France’s exper i e n c e
should be a lesson to those who
want the United States govern
ment to buy up and dole out the
, whole American wheat crop next
year.