THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 61 x
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W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943-, at the postoffi***
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Friday, March 21, 1947
New Back Door Of U. S. Defense
Must Be Guarded
♦
(The Seattle Times)
FROM FAR FLORIDA comes as stirring an appeal
in behalf of Alaska, the development of its resources, the
realization of its scenic grandeur and particularly for its
fortification, security and defense, as the American
people have heard in recent times.
In an eloquent speech in the national House of Repre-1
sentatives, Congressman Sykes, of the Everglade State,!
warns that if war should come to us again, “Alaska may*
be the first battleground. Changed factors of warfare
have made it the new back door of American defense.
Today that door is open. Tomorrow such a condition!
may be fatal to the security of this nation. A relatively;
undefended Alaska, even in times of world peace and
apparent security, is an intolerable condition.”
Whoever controls Alaska and the Aleutians, Con
gressman Sykes reminds us, controls the North Pacific.
“The mortar is barely dry in the magnificent post Pearl
Harbor fortifications, but there is little likelihood that
they will ever be subjected to attack by enemy nations.,
Alaska and the Aleutians now hold the spotlight.”
Though he hails from the diametrically opposite cor
ner of the United States, the Florida Congressman
speaks with knowledge and authority. He was a member
of a Congressional committee which visited the northern
Territory after adjournment of the 79th Congress. He
found Alaska “strange and silent and filled with scenic
grandeur—a land of magnificent harbors and one of the
world’s most important air outposts.”
That Alaska thus should have so ardent an advocate
from across the whole contingent is significant. Hisi
words carry more weight, perhaps, than those of a
spokesman closer to the picture. They should be given
full heed in the formulation of the future national pol
icy for Alaska.
■■ —
Our Education Problem . j
(Daily Alaska Empire)
A LETTER TO MAYOR Waino Hendrickson of Jun
eau from the Secretary of Interior Julius A. Krug con
tains the following statement by the Secretary concern
ing the education of Alaska natives in Territorial
schools:
“I am in accord with the view that where the Natives
are ready (as, for instance, in Southeastern Alaska) to
enter the Territorial schools and to benefit by the in
struction given in those schools, the schools for Natives
should be consolidated with the Territorial schools into
a single school system.
“The question as to whether the Territory should as
sume the full burden of educating the Natives is one
that requires careful study.
“The amalgamation of the two school systems should
be gradual and should extend over a period of years.
Action on the claim of the Territorial Commissioner of
Education for reimbursement to the extent of $200,000
annually for the education of Native children in the
Territorial schools, will necessarily depend upon the
availability of Federal funds for this purpose.”
The paragraph which we have emphasized above is
something which requires not only careful study by the
Interior Department, but by the present Legislature.
Commissioner of Education Ryan has facts and figures
showing to what extent the natives of Alaska already
%
are being added to the educational load carried by the
Territory alone.
Commissioner Ryan traveled by special license last
year to Washington to present his request for tuition
payments where native children are being educated in
Territorial schools, but was turned down—turned down
in spite of the fact that the tuition payment practice is
common in all of the States.
Already more than 25 per cent of the children in Ter
ritorial schools are natives. The transition is hardly
gradual. Needless to say, if this trend continues, the lack
of sufficient funds will soon show in lower educational
standards for our children. This is a burden which not
even the various states can assume without Federal aid.
Yet the Federal government expects Alaska to as
sume it.
Before it is too late the Territory must show with
more positive action than holding out the hat for tuition
funds that we expect the Federal government to con
tinue to provide for its wards.
Formerly the Federal government assumed full re
sponsibility for the education of the Alaska native. Now
it is apparent that the Territory is expected to do the
job alone. It can’t be done.
THAT’S THAT By bruce gustin
i
.
*- <s
A lot of economy promises were
made in the 1946 campaign. Amer
ican taxpayers are in process of
finding out how much of this talk
about slashing federal spending
was sincere and how much was
merely vote bait. If many mem
bers of Congress who were so eager
last fall to swing the economy ax
are getting cold feet now. That isn’t
the first time sue ha thing happen
ed. Remember the economy pledg
es of the 1932 campaign and what
happened thereafter?
The lower House of Congress is
on record favoring a 6-billion-dol
lar slash in President Truman’s i
37-and-one-half-billion-dollar bud-'
get. The Senate has voted to hold
the cut to 4 and one-half billions.
A compromise figure in the neigh
borhood of 5 billions probably will
be agreed upon. That will be mere
ly a goal. It will neither bind Con
gress to reduce appropriations by
that amount nor limit the cuts
which are made. Whatever slash
ing is done will be done as the va
rious appropriations bills are acted
upon.
Differences of opinion over the
amount by which federal expendi
tures can and should be cut is not
a partisan matter. While House Re
publicans sponsored the 6-billion
slash program, one of its staunchest
advocates is Congressman Dough
ton <Dem.) of North Carolina,
former chairman of the House
ways and means committee. “If
we are ever to check profligate
spending on the part of the gov
ernment,” he contends, “the time
| to act is now when incomes are
high, and the need for relief ex
penditures is low. It is only through
such fearless action that we can
maintain the credit of the country
and make a sizable reduction in
our national debt.” That makes
sense.
A federal budget slash so deep
that national defense would be
jeopardized would be folly. As
Senator Vandenberg said, “This
year of all years when the chips
are down, we dare not present to
the world the picture of a pacifist
American retiring into its vulner
able shell—a picture of Uncle Sam
with a chip on each shoulder and
both arms in a sling.” But it
1 should be borne in mind that the
6-billion-dollar budget slash pro
posed by the House does not neces
sarily mean any radical reduction
in outlays for national defense.
There has been sometalk that a
6-billion-dollar budget cut would
involve a 2-and-one-fourth-billion
*
dollar reduction in appropriations
for the armed forces. But there is
nothing certain about that. When
the army and navy appropriation
requests are considered, it may be
that they can be trimmed some
without any impairment of na
tional defense.
Recently it was reported from
Washington, D. C., that the army is
spending $180,000 on construction!
of a special suite of rooms at the
Walter Reed General hospital for!
use of the President, members of!
his family and other high govern
ment officials who may require
hospitalization. This is a duplica
tion of facilities which already ex-i
ist at the navy medical center at!
Bethesda, Md. In a budget of bil
lions, $180,000 is a trifling sum.
But this hospital project can hard
ly be called “national defense.”
The sugar allotment of the
United States has been increased
enough to permit an increase in
the individual ration to 35 pounds
—10 pounds more than last year.
It is still doubtful that we are get
ting the share to which we are en
titled. In an article in a recent is
sue of the Saturday Evening Post,
an army wile describes food con
ditions in Berlin. She mentioned
that an American’s dog there, by
direction of a veterinarian, had
1 been put on a special diet which
included one-half poun'd of sugar
a day. If we can send enough sugar
to Germany to supply one-half
pound a day—the equivalent of
182 Vi pounds a year—for a dog,
surely the American people are en
titled to more than 35 pounds a
year.
FAIR NOTES
Children parades have always
gone over well in the past, and
with the apparent numerous chil
dren in Nome this winter, a color
ful parade just for them is a must.
Under the supervision of Mrs.
Helen Nordlind this department
should receive much applause and
provide some interesting enter
tainment,- with entries ranging
from the most comical to the most
attractive, and prizes being award
ed to the lucky winning partici
pants.
The parade will be conducted on
the stage of the high school gym
on the night of April 18, so you
parents should start grooming your
little offspring for the big night,
as you know very well how proud
you would be to see your child
carry off the honors for the event!
; School News
, ■■ — .
j
i GRADES 4 AND 5
The 4th grade children have
' b :.en busy in their history class
; listing all the wild animals that
our early pioneers might have met
as they made their journeys from
the east to the western part of our
country.
The 4th grade has just begun
studying about fractions. The 5th
grade is still in the midst of their
study of fractions.
GRADES 7 AND 8
St. Patrick’s Day has passed and
with it the long awaited party. The
wearing of the green was manda
tory and a trial by jury was held
for those accused of neglecting to
wear the colors of the day, and as
punishment, had to provide every
one with entertainment of some
kind. Double helpings of ice cream
sundaes, eookies and candies left
everyone in a happy mood; even
those who were on the clean-up
committee.
Two half holidays, because of
the cold, gave many people a good
chance to catch up on work in
which they were behind. A few
took advtantage of the opportun
ity.
HIGH SCHOOL
Tonight is the big event of the
high school in which they will pre
sent “He Couldn’t Marry Five,”
the 3-act comedy. During the in
termission “The String Instru
mental Band” will play three num
bers and Juanita Fagerstrom will
give several piano solos. Don’t
miss it.
Cellanese Corp. To
Build Plant At
Prince Rupert
Announcement of plans of the
Cellanese Corporation of America
to establish a cellulose plant at
Prince Rupert was hailed today by
George Sundborg, general manager
of the Alaska Development Board,
as one more -indication that the es
tablishment of the pulp industry
in Southeast Alaska is not far off.
‘.The new development repre
sents a 150-mile northward move
of the industry on the Pacific
Coast,” Sundborg said. “With an
other such northward extension,
the pulp and paper industry will
have arrived in Southeast Alaska.”
News of the new plant was an
nounced this week at Victoria, B.
C. It is to be built at a cost of $15 -
000,000 to produce from 200 to 400
tons of pure white cellulose daily
for conversion into yarns. The
plant will employ 1000 men. Its lo
cation is on Watson Island, eight
miles southeast of Prince Rupert.
The advantage which northern
British Columbia .still has over
: Southeast Alaska, Sundborg said,
j is chiefly one of more economical
j shipping costs. A plant located at
j Prince Rupert, even though oper
ated by a United States corporation
and even though it will market its
products in the United States is
able to utilize Canadian shipping,
a thing which a plant located in
! Alaska would be prohibited to do
' by terms of the Jones Act.
The new development was also
! said by the Development Board
manager to be a timely illustra
tion that taxation is not the con
trolling factor in industrial loca
tion which it is sometimes repre
sented to be. Taxes on the new in
dustry in British Columbia will be
many times as high as any which
have even been proposed in the
Territory of Alaska, Sundborg
said.