THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943. at
the postoffice at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of
March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, September 19, 1945
PECLINING INCOMES
(New York Times)
Large cutbacks in war production
have already resulted in a decline in con
sumer purchasing power, a decline
which will become much larger in the
months ahead. It is important that we
evaluate these declines in their proper
perspective. The wartime pressure for
price increases has arisen fundamentally
from the large expansion of consumer
purchasing power, financed in part by
,bank credit. Because of wartime needs,
it has not been possible to expand civil
ian supplies to meet this demand. Not
until consumer incomes and civilian sup
plies come back into balance will there
be a significant abatement of the pres
sure for price increases. It is rather par
adoxical, therefore, to find Judge Fred
M. Vinson stating that in the immediatee
future “our task continues to be one of
holding the line without, however, per
mitting a deflationary drop in purchas- |
mg power.
It must be emphasized that not all de- i
dines in purchasing power will be de
flationary. Clearly, if excess purchasing •
power is eliminated, the pressure on '
prices will be reduced and the task of
holding the line will be considerably
simplified. Such a decrease is not prop
erly described as deflationary. If, on the
other hand, measures are adopted to
maintain the wartime volume of pur
chasing power, then it follows that the
problem of holding the line will continue
to be a difficult one.
Some groups are insisting that the |
highly abnormal purchasing power situ
ation during the war must be substan
tially maintained by permitting upward
adjustments which will offset factors
making for a reduction. In other words,
we have had an abnormal situation so
long that some people are beginning to
believe that this is now the normal one
“and that any change would be misfor
tune. A drop in consumer purchasing
power, however, would be a healthy, not
an unhealthy, development, particular
ly to the extent that such a decline repre
sented a reduction in the amount of new
credit created by the banking system.
There is no merit in having a large num
ber of pieces of paper (money), all of
which cannot be converted into goods at
the existing price level.
Of course, if purchasing power were
to fall too far because of an unduly large
reduction in incomes, then a downward
spiral might be inaugurated. But not all
reductions would have this effect. It is a
mistake, therefore, to label all decreases
in incomes as deflationary, particularly
so long as the result will wipe out the
present dangerous excess. Such a prac
tice can only confuse the public mind and
lead to the adoption of ill-advised poli
cies.
IRON AGE DISCOVERIES
(Washington Star)
Now that this “double war” is over,
the British press has opportunity to con
sider other than purely military devel
opments in the area which it most par
ticularly serves, and one of the subjects
to which it has directed attention in re
cent weeks is that of finding a number
of artifacts—including rings, bracelets,
currency bars, bridle bits, a trumpet, a
water clock, a bronze plaque of exquis
ite design—suggesting the existence of
an “early iron age” in Wales prior to the
beginning of the Christian era.
The discovery was accidental and “un
scientific,” but Sir Cyril Fox, an eminent
authority on Welsh archeology, has is
sued a report attesting its importance.
“Some ninety objects,” it is revealed, al
ready have been delivered to the Nation
al Museum at Cardiff, and additional ac
cessions are expected to follow as explo
ration of the site of the find proceeds.
The relics were unearthed—more accu
rately dredged up—in a lake on an island
off the northwest coast of Wales on a
direct line with Chester in England and
Dublin in Ireland.
“Three possible explanations are set
forth in Sir Cyril’s preliminary study. It
is conceivable that the relics were “part
of the debris of an, as yet, discovered set
tlement for which the only other evi
dences are the bones of food animals
thrown into the lake, not necessarily at
the same time as the other objects.” Al
ternative theories involve Druid and Cel
tic riutals of sacrifice. Some of the arti
facts were broken before being cast into
the water, and it has been suggested that
they deliberately were rendered “un
serviceable” in advance of immersion. In
his catalogue of the objects turned over
to the museum, Sir Cyril submits that:
“The time sequence begins with a char
iot horn-cap in bronze of the second cen
tury B. C., and ends with the (two) slave
gang chains and decorated bronze strips
reflecting Belgic work of the first cen
tury A.D., with the bulk of the datable
objects falling into the first century
B.C.” It is stipulated that: “There is no
direct Roman influence discernible in
any of the objects, which suggests that
they were deposited on or before the con
quest of Mona by Suetonius Paulinus in
A.D. 61.”
No final verdict on the discovery is
feasible until further examination of the
site and its environs has been completed.
What is significant is that there now ap
pears t6 be a better chance for “filling
in” the gap in British history between
the age of bronze and the expansion of
Mediterranean civilization northward
nearly two thousand years ago. Ameri
cans are interested in the problem be
cause their culture traces back to the
same sources.
If an island 50 miles long can be com
pletely rid of Nips, you’d think some
thing could be done about the dandelions.
The Post Office Department reports
1,259 unrationed letter carriers were
chewed by dogs during the past year.
—Detroit News
We need a non-skid coin that won’t
slip through our fingers.—Boston Globe.
i HOLLYWOOD
STAR-LITES
By CHUCK COCHARD
ALONG FILM ROW — Af'er
many years of preparation MGM’s
“The Yearling” finally is in pro
duction—and unless we miss our]
guess it should be one of the really
great all-color outdoor pictures.
Mickey Roney has added an
o'her career to his many—he has|
turned writer so William Powell |
informs me — it seems that the
Mick has writ4en a mystery yam
entiled, “Seven Shades of Mur
der” for Bill to appear in on the
screen ... He sent it from Paris.
And speaking of varied careers
—Orson Welles can give Mickey a
run for his money . . . Another
new Welles talent just revealed is
his painting ability — he paints
once a week on canvas—and dur- j
ing the week he appears with
Claudette Colbert in the drama of
today, ‘Tomorrow Is Forever,”
with George Brent. j
The prize role of the week goes
to George Brent — he shall star
with Dorothy McGuire and Ethel
Barrymore in “Some Must Watch”
. . . Following that he co-stars
with Joan Bennett in “Desirable
Woman.”
Don’t say we didn’t tell you—
but some day the screen audiences
will be familiar with the name of
Johnny Coy—he’s the third best
Hollywood in the last 15 years—
dancing male personality to hit
the first Fred Astaire and the sec
ond Gene Kelly—and now a fel
low by the name of Coy . . . You
will see him in “That’s the Spirit.”
More and more musicals keep
coming out of Hollywood — the
latest is “Doll Face” and it will
feature Vivian Blaine, Carmen
Miranda, Perry Como and Martha
Stewart, and Dennis O’Keefe.
Biggest Break of the Month—
went to one Mark Stevens who
has been signed to appear in the
top male role opposite Joan Fon
taine in “All Brides Are Beauti
ful” . . . Mary Martin gets her
best screen role in ages in the
I Cole Porter musical, “Night and
j Day,” with Cary Grant.
Duel in the Sun—David Selz
1 nick’s latest movie with one of the
»
| largest cas's in history has been
i ccrpple'ed ... It will star Jenni
fer Jones, Joseph Cotton, Gregory
Peck, Lionel Barrymore, Walter
Huston, Lillian Gish, Charles
Bickford, Joan Tetzel, Harry
Carey, Otto Kruger, Butterfly
McQueen and Scott McKay.
Those famous Marx Brothers
are breaking in the gags and
scripts with road tours for their
forthcoming movie, “A Night in
Casablanca.”
One of the luckiest fellows in
Hollywood is one Robert Walker
—although for years he blamed
his poor luck on being born on
Friday the Thirteenth—but now
with the brilliant future ahead of
him he has changed his mind
about being born on Friday the
Thirteenth.
Americans at home will appre
ciate the work our boys have done
when they see the latest March of
Time entitled “The New U. S.
Frontier” . . . It’s one of the better
issues.
What the future may bring—
Jimmy Stewart will probably be
| back in civvies before long and
making a film—ditto for Robert
Taylor, Tyrone Power, Robert
Sterling and many more including
WASHINGTON
IN WARTIME
By JACK STINNETT
The Commonwealth of Austrj
lia Information Department
really going to town now in lei
ting the United States know aboi;
what is going on down under.
One of the chief outlets for thi
information is a slick paper mag
azine, not unlike our own Rocke
feller office En Gardia that goe
to South America. It is calle
Southwest Pacific. It is not so pre
tentious as En Gardia but it has
disarming frankness that ofte
takes it completely out of th
realm of publicity or propagand;
The most recent example (
this frankness is an article calle
“An Aussie Looks at the Yanks
written by Bill Smith, an Austrj
lian writer who, I am assurred, h;
lived and worked with the Yanl
fighting the battles of the Soutl
west Pacific.
Smith doesn’t pull any punche
He likes the Americans and he
convinced that most “Diggers” d
That’s his conclusion, and he h;
plenty of proof of it. But on tl
way to that conclusion, he fin<
much to criticize and many di
ferences between these Allies.
He finds the Yanks “soft” <sei
timental to the point of gullibilij
in several respects, especial
toward women. He thinks th
may be because we are still clin
ing to the frontier tradition th
“nothing’s too good for the litt
woman,” but he points out that
has laid the Yanks open to gol
diggers who would never get
first base with an Aussie.
On the other hand, he has foul
the Americans generous almost
a fault. They’ll share their equi
ment, their food, their beer, th<
cigarets and the proverbial shii
off their backs.
Smith asks “is the Digger, as
fighting man, tougher than t
Yank?” He answers, “I doi
know. He certainly looks toug
er.” He thinks however that’s d
to the fact that Yank uniforms £
better cut, of better material a
often much cleaner. Also that t
Yank soldier generally is mu
younger than the Digger. Giv
rough, often ill-fitting uniforr
that jaunty, floppy hat, and ab(
ten years in age and maturity, a
there’s little doubt the Aussie s
dier looks tougher. Smith adi
however: “Personally, I woi
hate to meet a Marine seeing r
and me at the same time.”
Aussies, he says, soon disco\
that they know more about t
United States than Yanks do abc
Australia and find the latter oft
naive about politics.
In concluding, Smith sa;
“Well, Yank, I for one am pleas
to know you. We have a lot
common. You and I belong to t
new world. We’ve found the <
one, its ideas, traditions, politi
a bit on the nose (meaning sti
fy).”
Baseball is more popular
Japan than anywhere else exce
in the United States and Cana<
according to Encyclopaedia B
tannica.
Alan Ladd . . . That’s all for tl
time . . . Now that victory is oi
| let us not forget what our be
went through to win it for uj
we shall not let them down wh
they return home.