THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box file*
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAH
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.
Friday, February 21, 1947
George Washington
(Anonymous)
IRRESPECTIVE of an individual’s brackground, all
courage is great.
There is the gloriously flaming courage of a man who,
in a desperate moment, risks his life to save that of an
other; there is the indomitable heroism of the invalid
who smiles while being carried into the tiny, white
walled room where only he realizes that Death’s years of
stalking approach their awesome finale; there is the icy
courage of a seaman standing alone upon deck, watching
the last rescue boat pull away'from his ship’s side.
The pulse beats faster and the blow seems to tingle
in our veins as we vision such scenes of inspiring brav
ery; in our ears there seems to vibrate the bugle’s stir
ring blast of “Charge!” And yet there is another order
of heroism that is likewise great, although it does not
flash forth in a fleeting second, but great just because
it exacts a toll of endurance and vital energy by day and
by night for interminable years.
Such ENDURING courage it was that made WASH
INGTON great.
Recall his heartbreaking retreat across New Jersey'.
The British forces had left Boston and sailed to New
York, with the Colonial army following by land. Then
ensued that series of unsuccessful encounters about New
York and Long Island, with the result that Washington
finally found himself riding at the head of an army in
full retreat. It was winter. Food and clothing supplies
were inadequate. Militia units began deserting by hun
dreds; veterans refused to re-enlist; the once-proud
army had dwindled to a pitiful handful of despairing
men. Yet Washington carried on, never admitting by
look or word the agony that pierced his heart.
But an even greater trial was in store—Valley Forge.
His followers were living in wooden hovels, sleeping on
straw spread on the icy ground, so weak from hunger
and exposure that whole days passed without guard
mount because enough well men could not be mustered.
Small-pox broke out and added its horrors; the sick and
dying lay unattended, without blankets to cover them.
Had Washington wavered and quit, the glorious pages
of our history might never have been written. But like
a tower he stood, forever fighting off defeat. Great man
that he was, nothing could force him from his indomit
able purpose.
COURAGE, ENDURANCE, FAITH IN THE FU
TURE—THESE, TOO, MUST BE THE ATTRIBUTES
OF THE GEORGE WASHINGTONS OF TODAY.
Skimping The Necessities
(Anchorage Daily Times)
IT IS EASY for those >vho somehow manage to live
within their incomes to find fault with the government
for not doing the same. It is a little presumptuous also,
since the problems of the national budget are not simply
the problems of the family budget on a large scale.
For one thing, few family budgets would exclude any
of the necessities of life. But the planners of govern
ment expenditure often are faced with the choice of do
ing so. Sometimes they take it. A case in point is that of
our postwar operation of transocean passenger ships.
A recent article on the subject reveals that the United
States today has only one ship, the America, in the
20,000-ton-and-up class of liners. Great Britain has 34
in this class, and six more luxury liners are nearing
completion.
Meanwhile, our passenger ship construction has slow
ed down almost to a stop. Two new President liners are
being fitted for Pacific service, and the George Wash
! ington may be reconverted for passenger duty after one
more run for the government. Beyond that there is al
most nothing.
Construction has been stopped on six of nine postwar
liner* authorized by Congress for sale or lease to Amer
ican operators. President Truman took this action on the
advice of Reconversion Director Steelman. In addition
he has ordered that no further construction be under
taken except on commitment to sell. This order is likely
to frighten off a good many operators, since American
shipbuilding costs are far above those of our British
competitors.
! • This retrenchment will save a lot of money. But it
also promises to cost a good deal of business and a lot of
jobs. We shall see almost all passenger business for Eu
rope going to foreign ships, and we shall be in a poor
condition to compete on other ocean routes. This is no
small loss, for ship travel promises to be quite a consid
erable item in spite of the airplane.
Further, this virtual stoppage of passenger ship con
struction along with the drastic slow-down in Navy
construction, is going to shutdown a number of ship
yards and put a good many people out of work.
There also are security angles involved. Many Navy
officers and shipbuilders feel, not without reason, that
it is risky to dissipate shipbuilding skills to such an ex
tent that research and engineering progress cease. Like
wise, they believe that it would be well to have a num
ber of fast liners which could be converted quickly to
troop carriers in an emergency.
Permanent peace is not on tomorrow’s horizon. Nei
ther, apparently, is push-button war. It seems prudent
meanwhile to keep all the nuclei of our complex na
tional defense system in working order, capable both of
progress and of expansion.
That is quite an order. Add it to the problems of stim-|
ulating business, effecting economics, promoting effi
ciency, reducing the national debt, balancing the budget ,
and lowering taxes, and we begin to get an idea of ouri
budget juggler’s job. There are a dozen places at least!
where every dollar might be spent in today’s govern-!
ment as well as household budget.
We householders can’t offer too much helpful advice.
But since, as taxpayers, we have the right to ask the
maximum possibile security and prosperity contingent
with economy, we might put forward the suggestion
that the budgeteers do not exclude some of the necessi
ties of a safe life in their admirable zeal for cutting ex
penses.
3y MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (3ob) 3arlleti, Delegate to Congress 'rom Alaska
ALASKA SHIPPING
The probability of partial and
I indirect government subsidy for
the next 15 months in the opera
tion of vessels in the Alaska trade
i received impetus this week
I through approval by the House
Merchant Marine and Fisheries
Committee of the Jackson-Herter
j joint resolution authorizing the
, Maritime Commission to enter into
j contracts, charters and other ar
! rangements to supply such service
until Juyl 1, 1948.
Action by the House is expected
the week of February 17.
The contracts will allow govern
ment-owned vessels under the
i control or jurisdiction of the Com
j mission to be qualified to supply
! such service,” including charter
hire at a nominal rate, with neces
J sary marine insurance to be pro
i vided by the Comnfission on ves
sels either made available by that
agency or on other ships to be op
erated in the Alaska trade.
The resolution further provides
that the operators will retain up
to 10 per cent, before taxes, of op
eation receipts, and any amount in
excess will be appl ed, first, to
meet the insurance expenses of
the Commission, with any balance
to be applied as may be provided
by the terms of the contract
However, the Commission will re
ceive no less than 75 per cent of
that balance, as additional char
hire.
Senator Magnuson also plans to
introduce a similar resolution for
action by the Senate.
The Maritime Commission will
enter into contracts upon approv
al of the resolution by Congress.
The House Merchant Marine
and Fisheries Committee has also
approved Chairman Bradley’s res
olution which provides for con
tinuation of government operation
of vessels until July 1, 1947, seek
ing to extend by four months the
authority given the Maritime Com
mission to operate ships until
March 1 of this year.
These legislative actions will in
no way preclude hearings on any
proposed tariffs which must be
submitted to the Maritime Com
mission by the operators who may
enter into the interim contracts
provided in the resolution.
ALASKA DEFENSE
Declaring Alaska “may be to
morrow’s Pearl Harbor—with far
more disastrous consequences,”
Congressman Robert Sikes of Flo
rida spoke recently on the floor of
the House urging strong defense
installations in the Territory for
the welfare of the whole nation.
Mr. Sikes is a member of the
Aimed Services Committee and
was a member of a sub-committee
of the former House Military Af
fairs Committee which inspected
a number of Pacific military es
tablishments last summer, includ
ing Alaska.
Stating that 9000 American air
planes were delivered to the Rus
sians through Alaska to the east
ern front, Congressman Sikes said,
“They can come back the same
way. But let us consider tomor
row’s war. I am not one of those
who anticipates early conflict or
who feels that another war is in
evitable, but I decry the habit of
hiding our heads in the sand and
refusing to admit its possibility or
its consequences . . . Alaska and
the Aleutians offer sites as im
portant as any in the world. There
are powers which appreciate the
importance of these sites. Appar
ently we are not one of these, for
we are doing little or nothing tow
ard their development. Yes: Alas
ka is now one of the key points in
America’s defense, a key point
which is thinly held and easily
isolated. It may be tomorrow’s
Pearl Harbor—with far more dis
astrous consequences.”
Declaring that the supply lines,
such as Ladd Field, Fort Ric lard
son and the Alaska Highway, arc
“barely adequate for comparative
ly light peacetime requirements,”
Mr. Sikes urged that a study be
made of the possibilities of devel
oping facilities at Teller, stating
his belief that there is located the
best harbor on the entire Arctic
Coast.
SECRETARY PATTERSON
Delegate Bartlett received a dis
tinguished visitor this week when
Secretary of War, Robert P. Pat
terson, called on him as a member
of the House Armed Services Com
mittee.
The national defense and Alas
ka’s role were subjects of their
discussion.
DISABILITY COMPENSATION
ON THE ALASKA RAILROAD
Th Interior Department has
aken action looking toward in
creasing the existing maximum of
SI 16.66 per month which is per
mitted under existing legislation
for totally disabled employees who
are entitled to benefits under the
United States Employees Compen
sation Act.
Following conferences with Col
onel J. P. Johnson, General Man
ager of The Alaska Railroad, Act
ing Secretary of the Interior Gard
ner has urged that remedial steps
be taken to correct what he terms
“inadequate compensation.”
Such remedial steps, according
to Administrator Miller of the
Federal Security Agency, whose
counsel has been sought, cannot be
taken through adminstrative ac
tion but must be taken through
legislative relief. The matter has
been referred for report and rec
ommendations concerning amend
ments to the present rates.
, Delegate Bartlett heartily en
| dorses any proposal which will en
large disability payments and will
do all he can in support of any
proposal advanced.
HOME RULE
FOR ALASKA
[ Two bills have been introduced