THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 6io
11.50 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, July 20, 1949
THE WAY TO PREVENT A DEPRESSION
(By Hugo S. Sims)
Speaker Sam Rayburn, of Texas, has doubts about
the existence of a recession.
The Texan says that when 58,000,000 people are em
ployed in industry and 30,000,000 farmers have money
to buy what they need, he does not see how anybody
can call it a “recession.”
There is something to what Mr. Rayburn says. Un
doubtedly, the nation will not go back to its pre-war
level but, just the same, it will not maintain its econo
mic level close to the top of the wartime boom.
While there are many economists who predict a seri
ous depression for the United States, one should not
overlook the difference between conditions today and
those that existed after World War I. The Government
continues to spend billions of dollars and the people of
the nation have managed to set aside “something for a
rainy day.”
We do not think that a depression is impossible but
we believe that it can be avoided. This will not be ac
complished by penny-pinching economy or by tav re
complished by penny-pinching economy or by tax re
ductions designed to persuade timid business men to go
ahead with progressive program. It centers around in
nomic conditions that will boom international com
merce higher than ever before.
NO SEIZURE CAESAR
(By George Peck)
There are proposals before the Congress that the Fed
eral Government be granted authority to seize plants,
facilities, and mines in labor disputes. Such proposals
are contrary to all principles of a free economy. They
violate every concept of fair play. Government seizure
does not solve labor problems, as a matter of fact, it
further complicates it; it leads to more seizure—more
Government in business and ultimately to complete so
cilization. Definitely this is not “The American Way.”
All freedom-loving Americans have reason to be
gravely disturbed by these proposals which would con
fer upon the executive branch of the Federal Govern
ment authority to seize and operate industrial plants or
mines whenever the President sees fit to certify that a
labor dispute and cessation of work are jeopardizing the
public health and public welfare.
The Founding Fathers, in drafting the Constitution
for this nation, wisely set up safeguards against the
granting of such unbridled power to any individual,
whether he comes from Missouri or any other State.
They intended this nation to be a Republic, not a totali
tarian dictatorship.
Innocent though these proposals may sound, they are
a potential danger to our American way of life, in that
they would lead to the destruction of private enterprise,
which has contributed so much to the strength, pros
perity, and growth of our country.
The very suggestion of Government seizure as a de
vise of resolving labor disputes is an admission of weak
ness. At best it would be a temporary expedient. Under
our Constitutional form of Government there is cer
tainly a better way of terminating or overting work
stoppages than by the arbitrary seizure of the private
property of a non-offending party.
The owners and operators of the nation’s bituminous
coal mines know from bitter experience the fallacy and
unfairness of Government seizure. Under war powers,
their properties were seized five times by the Govern
ment. On all five occasions the mine owners were forc
ed to make concessions to the Union on all the essential
points at issue that were uneconomic and contained the
seed of future trouble, as the price for having their
IS THIS A JOKE T
;
mines returned to them.
In other words, these seizures were made for one pur
pose—to have the Government take over and grant the
Union demands—which the owners and employers had
refused to grant.
Union workers and union labor leaders should be in
the vanguard of those opposing proposals for peace
time Government seizure. Under Government seizure,
workers become Government employees, therby for
feiting the freedom of action which prevails in a free
economy.
Government seizure of plants or mines is temporary
nationalization of industry—just one step short of per
manent nationalization. Nationalization, as has happen
ed in every country that has embarked on such a pro
gram. would lead to lowered production, less efficient
distribution, abolition of competition, higher costs, ex
pansion of bureaucracy, lowered standard of living, loss
of personal freedom for both worker and employer, and
ultimate destruction of representative government.
We cannot afford and dq not want policies fraught
with such unhappy consequences. This nation can solve
its labor problems without the so-called cure of “seiz
ure” which is bound to prove worse than any disease it
is supposed to correct.
This nation requires no seizure Caesar.
TRUMAN S “WELFARE STATE”
(Mullins, Ga., Enterprise)
In 1913 the population of the United States was 96,
000,000; now it is 144,000,000 an increase of 50', .
In 1913 there were 400,000 civilian workers in feder
al employ; today there are 2,000,000, a 400', increase.
In 1913 federal revenues totaled $725,000,000; today
it is at the rate of $43,000,000,000 a year, an increase of
5,840',.
In 1913 the federal debt was $1,150,000,000; now it is
$223,300,000,000, an increase of 19,317' < .
Here you have a picture of President Truman’s famed
“welfare state.” Take a look beyond it, and you will see
first the regimented state, then state socialism, then an
economic collapse and finally dictatorship. It’s the same
old road recorded by history, one littered by the bones
of nations that have traveled that way to extinction.
_
THE TAFT-HARTLEY LABOR LAW REPEAL
(Brookhaven, Mississippi, Leader-Times)
That strikes do not always pay is seen in the fact that
workers in the Ford strike at Detroit lost $18,000,000 in
wages and gained very little.
If the Taft-Hartley law is kept intact we may get
some comfort out of the fact that the Government of the
United States will bring many strikes to a dead end be
fore they get going to far.
The repeal of the Taft-Hartley law is one of the
“musts” on the Truman agenda, so it will be a long and
hot contest. However, a coalition of the Republicans
and Southern Senators ought to settle the matter
against and the labor lords.
Health Certificate
Now Necessary To
Get License to Wed
The laws passed by the recent
legislative session requiring a
standard serological blood test be
fore marriage and for the expect
ant mother went into effect June
17. HB 72, concerning the premar
ital tests, states that on and after
June 17, 1949, before any person,
| authorized by law to issue marri
| age licenses, each applicant there
I for shall file with him a certifi
[ cate from a duly licensed physi
cian or surgeon, which certificate
shall state that the applicant has
been given such a physical exam
ination, including a standard sero
logical test for syphillis, as may
be necessary for the discovery of
syphillis or other venereal disease.
The examination and blood test
must be made within thirty days
prior to the date the marriage li
cense is issued.
Usual Case
me usual case win ioiiow xms
procedure: <1) The applicant for
a marriage license consults a phy
sician for an examination and
blood test. The physician sends the
specimen of blood to an approved
laboratary, designating that it is
for a premarital test. (2> The lab
oratary makes a confidential re
port of the results of the test to
the physician and to the Alaska
Department of Health and trans
mits the certificate to the physi
cian. <3> The physician completes
L the certificate form and gives it to
the applicant. <4» The applicant
dgns the certificate at the bottom
of the form and gives the complet
ed form to the U. S. Commission
er or U. S. Marriage Commission
er who then issues a marriage li
cense.
i The results of the test are held
in absolute confidence and a se
vere fine or jail penalty or both
are provided for any medical offi
cer or public official who wilfully
violates this confidence.
Exception
On joint application by both ap
plicants for a marriage license, a
i IT. S. Commissioner in the judicial
division in which the license is is
sued is authorized to waive the re
quirements as to medical examin
ations, laboratory tests, and cer
tificates, and issue the license, if
i all other requirements of the mar
riage laws have been complied
with, if the commissioner is satis
fied by affidavit or other proof
that an emergency exists by rea
son of the absence from the pre
cinct of a licensed physician to
make such physical examination
or that such examination or test is
contrary to the tenets or practices
of the religious creed of which the
applicant is an adherent, and that
the public health and welfare will
not be injuriously affected there
by.
Prenatal Examination
HB 73 requires that every li
censed physician or graduate
nurse in the Territory who is at
tending a pregnant woman, must
’ cause to be taken, a sample of
blood of such woman at the time
of first professional visit or within
ten days thereafter, unless such
serological test is contrary to t ie
tenets or practice of the religious
creed of which she is an adherent.
The blood specimen thus obtained
shall be submitted to an approved
laboratory or clinic for a standard
serological test for syphillis.
Absolutely Confidential
The results of these tests, l:'.e
those of the premarital tests, are
never available to the public.