THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P* O. Box 313
$1.50 PER MONTH 516.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER Editor
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943. at the postotfiee at
, Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1379.
Monday, December 1945
OPPORTUNITY IN ALASKA
(Daily Alaska Empire)
George Sundborg, former Juneau resident and one
time member of The Empire staff, has written a book
on Alaska which even with in contradictions is one of
the best in recent years. Facts concerning the Territory,
gained during his research work as an economist for the
National Resources Planning Board are well presented
along with some opinions that many Alaskans won t
like.
Alaska, he contends, is the least taxed political entity
under the American Flag and our governmental serv
ices are “wholly inadequate.” While the writer fails to
produce facts to support this contention, he does intro
duce from time to time facts which would tend to prove
that he is wrong. These include:
“The willingness of Alaska to bear the cost of a good
school system is indicated by the expenditure per pupil
in average daily attendance, ranging from $141 to $196
in the 1940 year, as compared with a United States
average of $105.” The Alaska figure would be higher
now due to an increase in teachers’ salaries.
Alaska's “available medical and hospital services are
remarkably good," says Sundborg.
The Alaska Territorial Department of Health carries
on a comprehensive program of public health and med
ical services, says the author.
“In general, the health of Alaskans is not so bad as is
sometimes represented." he continues.
“The average monthly old-age-assistance payment in
Alaska in 1941 amounted to $29.17, in contrast to the
United States average of $21.26,” Sundborg reports. In
1943 this figure for Alaska was $30.02 and it has become
increasingly higher.
Alaska provides a Pioneers’ Home for aged and needy
residents, he states. The establishment of this home was
an act of the First Territorial Legislature in 1915.
Alaska also provides care for neglected children and
other needy and pays unemployment compensation
benefits, he continues.
He points out also that a high cost of living in Alaska j
eats up the income.
But again Sundborg says that “not very much is col
lected in taxes, but even less is returned in the way of1
tax benefits.”
It would be interesting to see how Alaska’s average
per head Territorial tax compares with those of the 48
States. We know that it is twice as high as the State of
Oklahoma and believe it is probably above the national
average per head for all States.
We fail to see how Sundborg can lambast our “inade
quate taxes” and at the same time applaud the results
as above national average. It looks as if Governor Er
nest Gruening has written more than the foreword to
“Opportunity in Alaska.”
The factless tax discussion mars an otherwise good
.factual book.
MINE HOST HAS TROUBLES
(Cincinnati Enquirer)
Among the many business men who met more than a
normal share of difficulties growing out of war condi
tions, have been the hotel proprietors and the restau
ranteurs. They have been making money — most of
them—but they have been giving public service under
the most difficult conditions.
A good businessman never wants to turn a customer
down. Such a refusal, he knows, injures his standing to
some extent even when the action is forced by circum
stances over which he has no control. Yet there have
been hundreds of thousands of instances in recent
months when good customers, customers of long stand
ing. have been turned away from registration desks or
restaurant tables simply because there was no space
left in which to care for them.
There is nothing the industries involved can do about
it. They are glad to be busy, of course, but they often
wish the tremendous pressure of trade could be extend
ed over a longer period of time, rather than crowded
into a few short years. They are doing their best to ac
commodate him in the best possible manner. That this
isn’t always possible is of great concern to the business
as a whole.
Fact is that the job which has been done to date has
been an excellent one. Restaurant menus long were lim
ited. of necessity. Hotel space had to be shifted about
from guest to guest as quickly and as efficiently as pos
sible. Both these things caused inconvenience, but gen
erally speaking almost everyone was cared for. The re
sult has been that eating houses and hostelries have
made good profits. But their proprietors have grown
gray doing it.
We’ve been around the country a great deal during
the war years. We’ve stopped in hotels and restaurants
from one end of the world to the other. Although in the
United States a shortage of workers and material pre
sented unbelievable handicaps, we can say without fear
of refutation that these services were better in this
country than in anv other Allied land. The men who
made this possible deserve great praise.
WASHINGTON
NEWS-LETTER
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L, (Bob) Bartlett,
Delegate to Congress from Alaska
ALASKA MARINE
RATE HEARINGS
Although officials of the Mari
time Commission insisted that the
Alaska marine rate hearing be
held in Seattle on November 27,
they have agreed to Delegate
Bartlett’s request that further
hearings be conducted in Alaska
and in Washington, D. C.
In a conference with Admiral
Land, Chairman of the Maritime
Commission. Delegate Bartlett
urged that the hearings be po t
poned until all individuals and
territorial and federal agenc:es
would have time to compile data
for presentation at any hearing,
Admiral Land assured Delegate
Bartlett that the hearing on No
vember 27 would be entirely pre
liminary in nature.
In line with his belief that the
government should subsidize the
Alaska service if passenger and
freight rates are increased, Dele
gate Bartlett has introduced a bill
in the House giving The Alaska
Railroad authority to operate
steamships in the Alaska trade. In
a long speech on the floor of the
House the day he introduced the
measure, Delegate Bartlett said,
in part, “I do so with some degree
of reluctance. By and large I am
not in favor of extending govern
ment operations to a field previ
ously and traditionally served by
private capital. In this case how
ever, it seems not only desirable
but highly essential. Alaska is now
threatened by an increase in the
already high and almost intoler
able rates which are charged for
both freight and passenger traf
fic. If these increases are allowed,
or if any increases at all are al
lowed, the result will be economic
•
death for Alaska.”
The terms of the bill provide
that The Alaska Railroad would
engage in the business of operat
ing oceangoing vessels between
Alaska and the States, as well as
within the Territory, including the
right to purchase or otherwise ac
quire vessels, and to repair and
maintain them. The Alaska Rail
road would operate the vessels di
rectly or by contract with any in
dividual, company, firm or cor
poration under a schedule of
rates, 'terms and conditions as the
government, acting through its
agency The Alaska Railroad,
would deem proper and necessary.
This measure has been referred
to the House Committee on Terri
tories for action.
EXPLORATION FOR OIL
TN ALASKA
The Navy Department believes
that evidence so l'ar found in con
nection with their exploration for
oil in the Barrow, Alaska, reserve
warrants continuation of this pro
ject on a civilian contract basis,
according to information given
Delegate Bartlett by John L. Sul
livan, Acting Secretary of the
Navy.
Since the spring of 1944 naval
officers and enlisted men have
been on the reserve to determine
whether enough oil existed in
commercial quantities. Now that
the war is over and most of the
experienced naval men will be re
leased from service, qualified per
sonnel from the petroleum indus
try will have to be called upon for
continuation of the work. All geo
logical work will be undertaken
by the Geological Survey, and a
contract will be negotiated with a
contractor from the oil industry
to undertake the geophysical work
as well as the drilling of the wells
and maintenance of all facilities
and equipment. The Navy will
contribute all supplies and equip
ment now on the reserve and pro
vide air and water transportation
with associated facilities as in the
past.
Exploration on the reserve at
the present time, according to the
information given Delegate Bart
lett, has been limited to the east
ern third of the reserve. Th. <•
connaissance field work is a 1 n >st
completed on this third and data
and maps are now being pr oa~ed
l >r the use of surface geological
parties next summer. Acting Sec
retary Sullivan has stated that the
geological work in the southern
section of the area and the geo
physical investigation in the
northern section have "progressed
satisfactorily.” One structure fav
orable to the accumulation of oil
has been located at Umiat Moun
tain on the southeastern border
and a test well is now being
drilled.
In addition, a preliminary pipe
line survey has been completed
for construction and use if oil is
found in sufficient quantities to
warrant the installation of a pipe
line.
"The well at Umiat Mountain is
now approximately 1,900 feet
deep," Acting Secretary Sullivan
stated. "Already five separate oil
bearing sands have been encoun
tered and although none proved
to be of commercial value, their
discovery indicates beyond ques
tion that drilling is being carried
out in an oil-bearing country."
A principal camp was estab
lished at Point Barrow with sec
ondary camps at Umiat Mountain
and Cape Simpson. Supplies and
equipment, totalling approximate
ly 20,000 tons have been landed at
Point Barrow by ship during the
last two summers. Land fields
were constructed at Point Barrow,
Umiat Mountain and Cape Simp
son with emergency strips mid
way between Fairbanks and Point
Barrow, and Point Barrow and
Umiat. Plans for this winter call
for the movement of additional
supplies and equipment from
Point Barrow to the Umiat Moun
tain and Cape Simpson camps in
order to complete the airfield at
Umiat and to continue drilling op
erations at Umiat Mountain in the
spring, and to have on hand at
Cape Simpson sufficient equip
ment to continue the geophysical
work next spring.
Future plans call for the explo
ration or the remaining two sec
tions of the reserve in much the
same manner as has been followed
in the eastern section.
ALASKA SERVICEMEN
Following an increasing number
of complaints from Alaskans now
in the army as to the manner of
their discharge, Delgeate Bartlett
has urged the Adjutant General to
take steps to improve separation
procedure.
Delegate Bartlett has requested
that the local post commander in
the States be directed to deal di
rectly with the Alaskan Depart
ment and thereby facilitate dis
charge of men eligible for separa
tion, rather than awaiting instruc
tions from the Adjutant General,
which takes, in many cases, from
three to eight weeks.
Delegate Bartlett has also urged
that military aircraft be utilized
in carrying men from the Seattle
Port of Embarkation to their sep
aration centers in Alaska, when
available, to save time in the sep
aration process and to save money
because the Army is required to
pay for every man shipped north
from Seattle by steamship.