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. 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, Wednesday, November 30, 1949
IS NOME “GOING TO THE DOGS?”
Nome has always been a dog town, with probably
more dogs per capita than any other town in the Terri
tory. In addition to the many pets and work dogs, there
now seems to be a menace of packs of loose dogs with
out owners which must be eliminated for the protection
of small children in the community. The City Council
urges all dog owners to purchase dog tags at the Fire
Station so that they may be protected and returned to
their owners. The city will endeavor to dispose of all
dogs which are not properly tagged.
NOME AND THE ALASKA PUBLIC WORKS ACT
Alaska, so frequently called the stepchild of Uncle
Sam has at last been smiled upon with the passage of
Public Law 2G4, known as the Alaska Public Works Act
which gives all active communities in the Territory a
chance for better, modern living, and for those things
that are taken for granted in communities in the States.
This important appropriation makes it possible for
communities such as ours to put in a permanent mod
ern sewage system, water system, improve our streets
and our schools, as well as establish recreational facili
ties which from dreams can become reality.
To formulate the necessary plans to receive our share
of the appropriation it is necessary that our various
civic groups work together, complete the plans, present
them immediately so that work can start immediately
in the spring.
Only by immediate action can we hope to achieve the,
installation of these conveniences and improvements.
We cannot hibernate, but must lay the ground work
now!
TAXES AND YOU
(By George S. Benson, President Harding College)
As citizens of the biggest taxpaying country in the
world, we have as individuals largely ignored the fiscal
problems of the nation. In other words, we have culti
vated in our thinking the idea that “taxpayers” cant’
mean us, but refers to somebody else. The other fellow,
maybe somebody rich, we suppose, is the poor goozer
who has to foot the bills that Uncle Samuel duns up.
L et ’em soak the rich! Blood doesn’t come out of tur
nips, we think.
Well, here in America today, we have the highest
taxes .in our history. Those sums the government col
lects run the biggest spending organization in the world.
Our national budget is described in billions, not just
millions. In fact, President Truman has made proposals
that if adopted eventually would increase the tax load
by nearly $40 million in coming years—just about doub
ling what the tax burden is now. That’s your welfare
state!
But, already the government takes more than 25
cents out of each dollar of national income. Not out of
your income, you say? Possibly not directly, but con
sider what your wages or your income might be, with
out that 25 per cent levy upon your actual earning
power. If you were able to keep 100 cents on the dollar
of the portion of national income that is yours, it would
mean that your living standards would be considerably |
higher than they are now.
Consider your taxes another way. On the whole, the
American people spend more for taxes than they do for
food. And food, in the average household, is most al-,
v/ays the item that takes up the bulk of the pay check.
Taxes, then are an importtnt item in the lives of each
of us. Just the federal part of our tax burden averages
$282 apiece for every American and $1,128 for every
American family of four.
In other words, if you are a consumer you are also a
payer of tax. Consumers are not one group and taxpay
ers another. Contrary to ideas of some of the socialist
CUB SCOUTS
Last night was a memorable
occasion for twelve Cub Scouts.
Assisted by Den Chief Rev. Treat,
and in the presence of the Cub
Scout committee, Den mothers and
their parents, the Cub Scouts
proved that they had rightfully
earned their first badge—the Bob
Cat.
Under the able guidance of Mrs.
George Madsen and Mrs. VVm.
Munz, the boys who fulfilled the
necessary requirements for the
Bob Cat badge are as follows:
Jimmy Foster, Paul Glavinovich,
Charles Haberman, Peter Madsen,
Eugene Newman. Donald Munz,
Bruce Russel, Robert Russel,
Wayne Russel, Charles Steinwan
del, Paul Tveter and William Wil
loya.
These boys have a right to feel
proud for, not only are they the
first to earn the Bb Cat badge in
Nome, but the first in all of the
Second Division to be so honored.
Another meeting of the commit
tee, parents and Cub Scouts will
be held Tuesday, Dec. 27. Plans
CITY COUNCIL
1 ______
The Nome City Council met in
regular session Monday evening
with Steve Anderson, mayor, pre
siding.
Councilmen Joe Hunt and Les
j ter Bronson reported that they
;conferred with Engineer William
(Brown and that the City would
] assist in cleaning up debris in the
j path of the breakwater.
The Sales Tax Committee re
i ported that the Ordinance was
about complete and would soon
be read.
In reference to the City’s obli
gation of $833.33 to the Territory
for a share in the harbor improve
ments, it was agreed to pay the
amount with the understanding
that the City would get a rebate
on the $2500.00 already advanced
are now under way for a party in
January.
The Cub Scouts are the recipi
ents of seventeen model planes
which were contributed by Mr.
Fred Cavota. Thank you, Mr. Ca
vota.
minded government planners, it is impossible for us to
dream up a scheme that will make American consum
ers better off by having them subsidized by taxpayers.
After all, taxpayers are consumers, and consumers are
taxpayers. Money for subsidies doesn't come out of thin
air, you know.
If the government spends billions, these billions have
to come from somewhere. A government cannot run
counter to the laws of economics by spending billions
of dollars without ever showing the money. If things
done by the government, federal and state and local,
cost money—then obviously, it is the people who pay
this money in order that government may have it to,
spend. Of course, the money may be borrowed money.
If it is debt, somebody will have it to pay.
The hiding of taxes is an old art. Down through the
ages, the despots and tyrants got that way by fooling
| the the people one way of another while taxing them, i
If we care to look about, we today can watch our stand
ard of living go down as taxes go up and as our freedoms
are one by one turned over to the welfare state. It’s in
teresting how thes things are: the more we are taxed bv
government the less we are able to do for ourselwves.
The Tax Foundation has counted up 116 different j
taxes in an inexpensive suit of clothes, all hidden away
in the purchase price, and this count did not include lo
cal taxes. So many taxes are hidden that they’re hard to j
find. A good statistician can surprise you about how
much of the money you spend goes into taxes. But ev
ery dollar of those billions being spent by government
needs to be watched. We’ve got to start looking at this
tax problem as if it were our own. It is our money be
ing spent by the government.
WELL-IT STILL RUNS
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to the department this year.
Public Health Nurse, Lois Mor
gan reported that 225 beds would
soon be available at Mt. Edge
cumbe hospital and that thirty
cases of tuberculosis in Nome
have applied and have been turn
ed down due to the fact that there
was no opening. She urged the
city to write to Mt Edgecumbe
and make application for at least
30 beds for Nome patients.
The City Clerk reported a total
of 16 applications had been re
ceived for Chief of Police. The
committee has chosen from these
the application of Noel Robinson
of Anchorage at the salary of
$400.00. The new chief is single
and will be lodged in the quarters
over the Fire Station.
Councilman T. McAllister re
signed due to the stress of his
business.
Elmo Miller of the ANS report
ed that two of the quonset huts
which had been given to the King
Islanders by the ANS have been
moved to their location but he has
been notified that they are situ
ated on patented mining ground.
He asked for the City assurance
that should it be necessary for the
huts to be moved that the City
would take the responsibility.
The Council agreed to do ;o
with the help of the King Island
ers.
The question of loose dogs was
brought up by Councilman Bron
son and it was agreed to post a
notice that all dogs running loose
without the city license tag would
be disposed of.
A. Polet brought up the matter
of the Alaska Public Works Act
which was approved by the Con
gress in August 24th, 1949. and is
known as Public Law 264, which
appropriated $120,000,000 to help
develop Alaska. $70,000,000 of
which is a direct appropriation.
This money was given for the
purpose of better living in the
Territory and is to be used for
such basic things as water supply,
street improvements, sewage dis
posal, facilities for culture and
recreational development such as
libraries, schools, etc.
He called attention to the tact
that a team from the General
Service Administration Bureau of
Community Facilities have al
ready opened offices in Juneau
and would arrive in Nome soon to
find out our needs.
He pointed out that the Federal
Government realized how retard
ed the Territory was due to high
costs and with this law offers not
only to pay half of the cost but
will apportion the cost at the ra
tio of 25 to 75% in accordance to
the need and ability of the com
munity to pay.
He urged the Council to take
immediate action and engage a
reputable engineer to look after
the welfare of the community and
formulate our program so that
when the committee arrives Nome
will be ready to show its needs
! and ask for its share of the appro
priation.
Mr. Polet called attention to
the fact that several years ago
the City of Nome submitted a very
limited program which served as
the beginning of this movement
but is now inadequate.
He stressed the fact that Alaska
is favored as this is the only act
of its kind now in force in the
United States and an opportunity
♦hat Nome will never get again
for nublic improvement so sorely
needed in the community.
The Mayor is appointing a
committee to be known as a Civic
Planning Committee to take the
necessary steps in this important
issue.