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
•t Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, October 19, 1949
TIME TO TRADE GOODS FOR GOODS
Now that devaluation has come to Great Britain and
other countries of Europe, the experts are speculating
about its effect upon the United States.
About the best way to find out is to wait and see what
happens. Certainly, until other nations manage to cut
down our huge surplus of exports over imports, there
is no serious menace to the United States.
As our readers know, the United States has, for the
past two years, shipped millions of dollars worth of
products to other countries without receiving anything
in return. Could it be disastrous if these nations, in ex
change for our goods, managed to get some of their
products into the United States where the American
peoole could use them?
There has been much talk about one world and the
desirability of reducing barriers to international com
merce. However, whenever one nation attempts to take
some forward step, the beneficiaries of the barriers
arise to denounce the government and to lament the
ruin of the national industry.
I he cry is raised, ot course, that the manutacturers
of the United States cannot compete with the “cheap
labor” of other areas. This might be a telling argument
if it were not for the fact that, in the United States, the
cheapest labor is found in the South and this section
is the most backward to industrial development.
Certainly, the forty-eight American states enjoy free
trade. If all industry followed cheap labor, one would
expect to find most of the American industries in the
Southern States. The fact that they are not, and that
huge industries multiply in other regions, is positive
proof that the “cheap labor” argument should be dis
counted.
The reader should not overlook the fact that economic
conditions creat discontent among the peoples of the
world. While we are not in favor of giving money to
other peoples, in order that they may loaf and enjoy
themselves at our expense, we think it is wise to open
up the avenues of opportunity. This will permit people
to work, to earn their competence and to enjoy life.
Nor can we find anything immoral with the idea that
if the people of one country can make a certain product
cheaply, they are entitled to sell it on the world market
to the best advantage. This would mean the implemen
tation of competition on an international scale. Inas
much as the protagonists of the American way of life
loudly sing the praises of competition, there should be,
general suuport of the idea in this country. |
20 BILLIONS FOR WORLD WAR II VETS
The United States, as the richest nation in the world,
can afford to be generous to those who fight in its de
fense. The records of the Veterans’ Administration dem
onstrate that the country has been generous to the
World War II veterans, their dependents and heirs.
Already, the Government has paid out more than
$20,000,000,000, wih the greatest expenditure going for
education and training under the G I Bill. This totals
nearly $8,000,000,000. The so-called 52-20 program of
unemployment benefits cost nearly four billions. Pen
sions or compensation added more than four billion, Na
tional Service Life Insurance nearly four billion. These
were the major items of expense to the government in
connection with its effort to “take care’’ of its fighting
men.
There were, in addition, education and training bene
fits for disabled veterans, at a cost of less than one bil
lion, automobiles for disabled veterans and housing for
paralyzed veterans. These latter programs cost less than
$40,000,000 and the loan-guarantee program less than
$200,000,000.
In view of the figures given above, which represent
;Will Streamline
Tax Collections
Plans for streamlining the col
lection of income tax withholding
and Social Security tax were an
nounced today by Collector of In- j
ternal Revenue Clark Squire. Reg- I
ulations will be issued late this
! month covering the new proced
! ure, which will be effective Janu
ary 1, 1950.
The plan includes a new com- j
bined Form 41, which will re
j place Form W-l, income tax with
holding, and Form SS-la, Social
Security tax withholding, present- ;
ly in use. This consolidation cuts
in half the number of such returns J
that used |o be filed by employers ;
with the collector’s office. It also
permits employers to pay both !
taxes with one check, if desired. |
According to information re- |
ceived by Collector Clark Squire
from Commissioner George J.
Schoeneman, the proposed changes
are expected to save the Treasury
Department well over $1,000,000
per year in interest costs, and sub
stantial savings' in clerical costs
for the department and employers
| generally.
Fur Prospects
Not So Bright 1
WASHINGTON. (A*)—'The U. S.
fur trade is “still far from heal
thy,” the fish and wildlife service
said yesterday.
Frank G. Ashbrook, the agency’s
chief of wild fur-animul investiga
tions, put it this way:
"The outlook for trappers this
season is a trifle brighter than it
has been for two or three seasons,
but it is still not sufficiently en
couraging to create a rush for
trapping licenses and traps.”
Ashbrook, in an introduction to
the service’s abstract of trapping
laws of 1949-50. said prices paid
ot trappers for furs last season
were so low that many gave up
trapping after two or three weeks.
"For some of the furs harvested
there was no market whatsoever,” |
Ashbrook said.
"Storage houses are bulging
with quantities of not-wanted furs,
such as raccoon, opossum, skunk,
fox and coyote.
"Wanted furs, like muskrat,
mink, squirrel, marmot and Per
sian lamb, have advanced 10 to 15
per cent from former seasons, but
the U. S. fur trade is still far
from healthy.”
the grateful appreciation of the nation to its veteran
population of 15,200,000, it is difficult to find justifi
cation for any general pension at this time.
—
ANTI TRUST LAWS FOR UNIONS
Thurman Arnold, former official of the Department
of Justice, has been an advocate of strict enforcement of
the anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws. When he was in
charge of the anti-trust division in the Department of
Justice he undertook to put some teeth in enforcement
policies of the division.
Mr. Arnold, now engaged in private practice, con
cludes that labor unions should be under the federal
anti-trust laws. He points out that the Supreme Court,
in several cases, has virtually exempted unions from the
operations of the laws and that, without a change in
them, it would be easy for unions and management to
get together and do “the very things which the anti
trust laws forbid."
The observations of Mr. Arnold deserve the attention
of those who favor unions as well as those who dislike
them. It would be a dangerous thing, as he says, “to per
mit unions to monopolize the labor supply without ;:nv
curbs whatsoever." Along this line we should take cog
nizance of the effort of a House sub-committee to initi
ate legislation designed to make the management of all
unions responsive to the rank and file of the member
ship.
MIDSTREAM MANEUVER
Mil mjit Ar i- . JL A / a**'
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DISTRICT LAND OFFICE
For those who are interested in
Mining Laws, the Nome District
Land Office wishes to state that
the proposed changes in the pres
ent Mining Laws given to The
Nome Nugget for the September 9
issue were not changes proposed
by the Bureau of Land Manage
ment and were for discussion only.
The Director of the Bureau of
Land Management has sent a
Discussion Draft Bill which is on
file in the Nome District Land Of
fice and is available to the public.
According to the Director, the
Bureau does not advocate a per
mit system for sub-surface explo
ration. It does suggest changing
annual assessment work from $100
to $300, and increasing annual as
sessment work to $600 if patent
hasn’t been applied for within five
years after the enactment of the
proposed bill, or the location of
the claim, whichever is later, for
each of the following years until
patent has been issued. Also the
Bureau did not adopt in its Dis
cussion Draft the suggestion that
claims be invalidated where pat
ent or production of minerals is
not accomplished within five
years, five year, after location of
the claim or the passage of the
proposed bill. It is considering the
suggestion that measures be taken
to require silt be kept out of
streams but this has not been in
cluded in the Bureau’s proposed
draft.
Bureau of Land Management
Helen M. Bockman,
Acting Manager.
Rand Many Ducks
In Alaska In 1949
A record number of 2629 ducks
and geese were banded in Alaska
this summer according to Clarence
J. Rhode, regional director. Fish
and Wildlife Service at Juneau.
“We are pleased with the banding
operations in Alaska this sum
mer." said Mr. Rhode, and “If
hunters and others are cooperative
in returning bands we will learn
much about migrations, popula
tions, and other information neces
sary fo rwaterfowl management."
Banding work was conducted
on the Colville River. Buckland
River, Innoko-Idita’-od Rivers .and
the lower Yukon-Kuskok w i m
Rivers.
“We hope eventually to band
enough of the important game
ducks and geese in each of Alas
ka’s important breeding grounds
to know where and when these
birds go following the nesting sea
son. Assuming a normal return of
bands of 5 to 8 per cent, we should
secure enough returns from Pin
tails in the Innoko-Iditarod nest
ing areas to give us the picture
on this species. Perhaps too many
of us in Alaska forget that most
ducks and geese spend only 4-5
months here and spend the rest of
the year in Canada, the States and
Mexico. It is just as important to
protect the birds in the wintering
grounds as on the nesting
grounds.” said Mr. Rhode.
Work this year was under the
direction of Urban C. Nelson, lead
er Federal Aid work in Alaska
from funds provided under the ex
cise taxes on arms and ammuni
tion.
Nelson worked on the Arctic
coast. Refuge manager David L.
Spencer at Kenai worked in the
lower Yukon and Edward F. Cha
telain and Robert F. Scott, assist
ant leaders federal aid at Anchor
age worked in the Innoko-Iditarod
Buckland areas.