THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday. Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 610
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. Boucher ..Owner-Publisher
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Nome. Alaska. Friday, April 1, 1949
OUR LAST “ARMY DAY”
Under a resolution passed by Congress in 1937, the
people of the United States are asked to observe April
6th as official Armv Day. Military units will assist civic
groups in appropriate celebrations. It is hoped that in
communities where such displays are unavailable, the
people will give some attention to the day set apart to
pay respects to the Army.
It should be noted that Army Day, 1949, will be the
last one celebrated as such, because, in the future, a uni
fied Armed Forces is expected. Appropriately, the slo
gan for Army Day this year is “the U. S. Army—part
of the team—for security.”
While looking hopefully to* international cooperation,
as explained by General Omar N. Bradley, U. S. Army
chief of staff, the leaders of the* American Army do not
overlook the fact that the United States is the richest
and most powerful of the community of nations. They
know that it is impossible to write off danger by resolu
tions or pacts on paper and, in event of trouble, the saf
ety of this country will depend upon a fighting army.
It is appropriate for the people of this country to give
some thought to the organization of the Army which has
had a glorious past. Not many years ago, millions of
Americans were in the Army of their nation, fighting
on foreign soil, but nevertheless for the protection of
their own country. The record they have written in
arms is worthy of respect and certainlv the people of
this country should pay some tribute to it and those who
made it possible.
While the Army is only part of the team, it is a vitallv
important segment of the defense mechanism of the
United States. No one should overlook the basic fact that
if this country is threatened with invasion, its defense,
security and safety will depend upon the courage and
fighting spirit of armed men and the intelligence and
training of their officers.
So. we feel that it is appropriate in advance of Army
Day, 1949, to call the attention of our readers to the day
set apart for public recognition of the Army. Let us
hope that the Army of the United States will never fail
the people of this country and that the converse is also
true—that the people of this country will not fail the
Army of the United States.
MEDICAL BATTLE GROWS HOTTER
(New York News) j
Looking at the average licensed physician, or neigh- j
borhood doc, you probably assume that he’s one of the
quietest, mildest members of your community. He no
doubt is, too: but nevertbp^ss doc has been dragged
into one of the noisiest political slugfests of the day, and
chances are he won’t be getting out of it in the immedi
ate future.
Cause of the commotion, of course, is the current de
bate about the national, tax-supported health and medi
cine program which the Truman Administration calls
its own; and which it is determined to stuff down the
throats of squawking Congressmen.
Main Truman spokesman in this battle of medical
words is Oscar Ewing, Federal Security Administrator.
Chief debater for the other side is Dr. Morris Fishbein,
editor of the Journal of the American Medical Assn.
Both these sincere and vocal gents have sounded off
in the current issue of American Druggist. Neither have
held back many punches.
Explaining why he was rooting for national health in
surance, Ewing asserted that “fully half of our popula
tion” couldn’t afford adequate medical care, and that
“only 20%” could afford Grade-A specialists, etc.
To this Dr. Fishbein yelped things like “unproved”
and “political.” Furthermore, said Fishbein, no matter
i WHAT THE HECK? IT'S SPRING!
y Ll *“
I
how you sliced it, the Truman health proposal smacked
of Socialism. It would be compulsory and every wage
earner would be taxed for it, “regardless of the ex lent
to which he uses the service.”
Ewing’s answer to this was: “No more Socialistic than
fire insurance!”
Then Fishbein, really warming up, announced that
he had been over to England' to inspect the Labor Gov
ernment’s socialized medical program. It was terrible,
he said. He saw the genuinely sick and the not-sick-at
all fighting for places in queues outside socialized doc
tor’^ offices. The British, he alleged, were “becoming a
nation of hypochondriacs,” afflicted with all sorts of im
aginary and semi-imaginary miseries. Furthermore, he
stated, any socialized medical program here would
lower the quality of medical care, and would turn over
tax money to any quack or dealer tolerated by any
State. Nothing to prevent voodoo doctors or dried toad
specialists from practicing their arts at public expense.
Ewing denied all these unkind remarks, up and down.
So that’s what the angry medical debaters are saying,
and you can pay your money and take your choice.
Uur own opinion at this time is that, no matter how
hot and entertaining these current medical debates get.
they’re still pretty confusing. Maybe, for a while, we’d
all be playing it smarter if we’d take a close look at an
ACTUAL HEALTH REPORT—by the Herbert Hoo
ver Commission, which has come out with a calm, fac
tual survey of a federal health program, as practiced
right now by the U. S. armed forces and the Veterans’
Administration.
The report isn’t kind. Waste, duplication, inefficiency \
and extravagance are some of the adjectives used. Some!
i of this medical snafu hits the unfortunate federal pa
I tients, Hoover’s experts say. Much of it discourages the
doctors involved. It’s all paid for by U. S. taxoayers.
The commission pointed out that in the New York!
City area the Federal Government has planned to spend
! over $100,000,000 on new hospitals—even though the
district already had four Army and Air Force hospitals,
inadequately used. Same thing in Houston, Texas, where
the VA is building a $25,000,000 neuropsychiatric hos
pital, next door to a 10ri -occupied Navy ditto.
Commission investigators found worthy vets lacking
proper care, while gleeful freeloaders monopolized the
beds. Federal hospital patients take two to three times
as long to get cured of any given illness as do paying
customers.
The Hoover task forces didn’t make any references to
the Truman plans for federalizing our whole medical
setup. But they were definitely gloomy about public
medicine as now practiced in this country, and made
lots of recommendations for its reform.
We hope the Hoover urgings do bring better health
service to our vets and their dependents. But, in the
meantime, let’s wait and see how much cleaning-up can
be done on our present federal medical mess, before we
allow another big hunk of take-home pay to be grabbed
for any national, compulsory health program.
CHI iCHES
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Sunday—
Masses at 8 ajn. and 10 a.m.
At the Base Chapel at 4:30 p.m.
Lenten Devotions
Sun. eve. 7:30.Instructions
Wed. eve. 7:30.Instructions
Fri. eve. 7:30, Stations ol the Cross
LAVINIA WALLACE YOUNG *
MISSION
Pastors -■ Rev. H. R. Amundsen
and Rev. Theran McGrew
Sunday:
11:00 a.m. Sunday School.
7:30 p.m. Evening Service.
Wednesday - 3:30 p.m. - Chil
dren's Miracle Book Club.
Thursday - 7:30 p.m. - Prayer
Meeting.
FEDERATED CKUhCH
Sunday
! 10:00 a.m. Sunday School.
PENTACOSTAL ASSEMBLY OF
OOD
Third Avenue West
Pastor A. E. Capener
Sunday— ^
Sunday School 10:30 u.n^
Evening service . .7:45 p.m.
Wednesday—
Bible Study .7:45 pm.
EVERYONE WELCOME
CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
Third and Division
Pastor—Lewis I. Hudgins
Spin carefully, spin prayerfully.tj
but leave the thread with God.
10:00 a.m. Singspiration and Sun
day School classes.
11:00 a m. Morning message.
7:00 p.m. Young People'.' Meeting.
7:30 p.m. Singspiration and special
music.
0:00. p.m. Evening message.
Wednesday: 7:30 p.m. Melody and
Prayer.
Come and bring your Bible.
You are ever welcome to attend
the^e services.
NOME GOSPEL MISSION 4
of
Alaska Evangelization Society
Rev. Vern Rimling, Pastor
Sunday:
2:00 p.m. Sunday School for
boys and girls.
Preaching service in the Eskim*
language by .James Savok.
7:30 p.m. Gospel Service.
Tuesday:
7:30 p.m. Prayer and Testimony
Thursday:
2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Bible Club for
Boys and Girls.
Friday:
7:30 p.m. Bible Study.
Girl Seoul News
Both the Intermediate and Sen
ior Girl Scouts are proceeding to
work on articles for the coming
bazaar. A lot of the work to be
done is on embroidery work al
though there are all kinds of ar
ticles such as: aprons, shirts, dick
j ies, cuff and collar sets, jumper^
jbibs, children’s skirts, potholde;|B
luncheon sets, dresser scarfs,
dish towels and napkins.
These articles are to be finished
by some time in May.
Senior Scout leader, Mrs. Peter
son, is to be absent for about three
weeks and during that time the
Senior girls will meet with Mrs.
Staudenmeyer’s group.
June Dunbar,
Troop Scribe.
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