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
Emily Boucher .Local Editor
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943, at the postoffjce
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, February 9, 1949
AN URGENT MESSAGE
#
There is one wav in which Alaskans can help the tu
berculosis campaign. If voters will write the legislators
from their Divisions and ask that they support the Ter
ritorial Board of Health in its request for $715,000 for,
the hospitalization of Territorial beneficiaries, then 140;
new patients can be cared for in the coming bennium. |
This means a rate of $7.00 per day to hospitalize 140:
Territorial beneficiaries for two years. Elsewhere, in,
the States, the rate is usually $9.00 and $10.00 per day,!
so $7.00 is a most conservative estimate. Paying at these!
rates mean costs ranging from the minimum of $210.00,
per month to $300.00 per month. Let us consider how
many wage earners can take that sum from the monthly
pay check and still have enough left to keep the rest of
their dependents from starvation. Some men may en
deavor to make this costly sacrifice but for most person^
to provide care in any appreciable degree, would mean.
pauperization. Calamity strikes some tax-payers and
not others, but in one way or another we all pay taxes
into the melting pot of the government treasury. So do
you not believe it right that some portion be reserved \
to helo those tax-pavers who are so desperately in need
of aid?
Alaskan beneficiaries are paid for by the government i
as administered by the following departments; the Alas
ka Health Department, the Alaska Native Service and |
the Veterans’ Administration. The Alaska Health De-1
partment is responsible for the Territorial beneficiariesj
under which is classed all white patients, with the ex
ception of veterans; and native women married to white
men, with their children.
Territorial beneficiaries are cared for, usually at Sew- i
ard Canatorium and at Riverton and Laurel Beach San
atoria in Seattle. Because of the shortage of Territorial
funds, the cost accruing for patient care has been but
partially covered since August, 1948, and the above
named hospitals are providing care for Territorial bene
ficiaries on credit. This is a grave state of affairs. Hospi
tal expenses are heavy and creditors must be paid. In
particular, Seward Sanatorium cannot possibly afford
to extend this credit much longer.
Based on the recent Mass X-ray Surveys, there are
about 3500 and 4000 Alaskans with pulmonarv tubercu
losis. In about two years, or before the end of the bien
nium, there will be nearly a thousand new beds ready
for ocupancy. The Alaska Native Service and the Vet
eran’s Administration will speak for most of these beds,
but we are hoping that at least 140 of them will be re
served for our Territorial patients.
SHORTCUT TO STATEHOOD
fit I 1 i * J -■ i*. ti J .'.'J - i<l«J if i*
(Anchorage Daily Times)
National attention will be focused on plans of the Ter
ritorial Legislature to speed the achievement of state
hood by proceeding in that direction regardless of Con
gress.
The Legislature hopes to call a convention for the
purpose of drafting a state constitution which will be
followed by the election of federal and state officials for
the new member of the federal union.
If the program is followed sucessfully it may result in
the election of two Senators and a Congressman who
next January will be knocking at the doors of the two
legislative bodies at Washington seeking admission as
full-fledged and voting members.
This speedy and dramatic procedure is not without
precedent. It has been pointed out that 14 of the 48
states drafted their constitutions before Congress had
enacted the enabling legislation.
THE ALL-TIME SUCKER
*
__
California, even more spectacularly, went virtually
from the status of an independent Republic to that of a
state by acting when Congress failed.
California requested that it be organized as a Terri
tory of the United States. When Congress adjourned
without acting on the request, California organized as a
State, sent its Congressional delegation to Washington
and won acceptance as a State.
Doubtless, the Legislators are hopeful that Alaska
can win the same recognition.
Statehood for Alaska is no longer a controversial is
sue. Residents of the Territory have shown their over
whelming endorsement by a referendum vote. They are
ready, able and willing to undertake the duties and re
sponsibilities that go with sovereignty.
Too, leaders of the nation have found that the bene
fits that will accrue to the United States make statehood
highly desirable. Endorsements have come from numer
ous departments, including the Interior and the Nation
al Defense Establishment. But, most important, Presi
dent Truman has taken a definite stand in favor of
statehood.
Both major political parties have viewed it with fa
vor. Bills introduced in Congress have been approved
by a House committee after exhaustive investigations.
Many members of both houses have made public state
ments favorable to statehood.
The nation’s press has favored statehood time and
again as the legislation was considered in Congress. La
bor organizations, educational groups, the State Gov
ernors and others have voiced their approval.
It seems that only the intricaies of partisan politics
have been sucessful in slowing the progress of statehood
legislation. To American citizens in general, and Alas
kans in particular, this is not a good reason for delaying
something that is eminently just, proper and inevitable
Alaska will be rendering the nation a service by be
coming a state as quickly as possible. It is to be hoped
that the legislature will enact a good and proper basis
for the procedures under which statehood may be
achieved speedily.
One of the first things the Alaska delegation to Con
gress could do for the benefit of the nation is to bring
continuity in consideration of national defense needs.
The fact that the $42 billion dollar budget now before
Congress includes only one million dollars for military
construction in Alaska is an amazing demonstration of
the need of continuity.
Two Senators in the upper house would be the most
powerful team for seeing that national interests in mili
tary construction are not longer delayed or overlooked.
The legislature will be acting in the best interests of
all by taking advantage of any proper short cut to state
hood. But caution must be exercised to be sure that the
procedures for the constituional gathering and the vari
ous elections demonstrate adeptness at self government.
There must be no frivolity on a subject so dear to the
hearts of Alaskans and important to every citizen of the
nation.
v
' Internation 1 News
! At A Glance —
(Continued from Page One)
day its reply to Norway’s ques
I tions about the price of admission
to the Atlantic Security Alliance.
Amid mounitng Soviet criti
cism secretary of state Dean Ache
son personally gave Norway’s for
eign minister Halvard M. Lange
his first official look into the
heretofore secret defense pact.
Russia is trying to tie Norway
up in a non-aggression pact.
China’s dormant civil war flar
ed up again today when govern
ment patrol boats attacked a flo
tilla of communist supply craft
west of Wuhu on the Yangtze.
Several Red craft were sunk and
junks captured, along with a few
communist prisoners.
Wednesday. February 9, 1949
Angry reaction to Josef Cardi
nal Mindszenty’s treatment at the
hands of Red-dominated Hungary
surged to new heights today.
The Vatican made public a let
ter from Pope Pius XII bitterly
condemning the Hungarian pri
mate’s arrest. The letter was writ
ten to the Hungarian bench of
bishops and exhorted Hungarian
Catholics to have courage.
At the same time it was an
nounced the Pontiff will address
“a secret and extraordinary con
sistory” of the Cardinals here next
Monday.
Vatical informants said it was
virtually certain the Pope will
speak on Mindszenty’s trial.
Francis Cardinal Spellman call
ed on Americans to push their
protests against Cardinal Minds
zenty’s conviction by removing
“every communist cell within our
own government.”
Nine Hungarian officials in the
United States quit their posts yes
terday in protest over the Minds
zenty case.
Heading the list was Bela Ba
lassa, acting consular general in
New York and a Hungarian diplo
mat for 22 years. Four members
of his staff resigned with him.
In Congress demands were
raised that the U. S. sever diplo
matic relations with Hungary.
Herbert V. Evatt of Australia,
president of the United Nations
general assembly, said the Minds
zenty case may come before the
April meeting of the U. N.
Meantime progress was report
ed in bringing Scandinavia into
the North Atlantic pact.
Diplomatic officials in Washing
ton said Denmark intends to fol
low Norway in looking into the
terms for joining the defense al
liance.
The Danish ambassador, Hen
rik de Kaufman, was reported
ready to go to the state depart
ment to submit his country’s ques
tions as soon as secretary of state
Dean Ache&on gives him an ap
pointment.
Danish foreiyn minister Gustav
Rasmussen told the parliament in
Copenhagen he had not given up
hope of establishing a common
Scandinavian defense system.
Sweden said today Norway has
rejected a 10-year military pact
with her because it would keep
Norway from joining a stronger
group such as the Atlantic Alli
ance
Russia lashed out at the Atlan
tic pact in a 900-word resolution
before the security council yester
day.
The Soviet Union also demand
ed that the United States tell the
U. N. by March 31 how many
atomic bombs the U. S. has.