I
2 THE NOME NUGGET Wednesday. March 7. 1951
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, March 7, 1951
NATION NEEDS MORE DOCTORS
Dr. Howard A. Rusk, chairman of the National Ad
visory Committee on Mobilization, says that the nation
faces a deficit of 22,000 physicians by 1954.
* ■ Dr. Rusk proposes that medical, education he expand
ed and accelerated and calls on the medical profession
and the medical schools to undertake the added work
necessary to cope with the sitaution.
. Estimating that there are 178,000 physicians in ac
tive practice today, the doctor says that in three years,
the nation will need 210,600. Under present conditions,
only 188,600 will be available. He proposes that medi
cal training be accelerated by running four nine-month
school years together and completing them within thir
ty-six months.
■ . ■ ■ —
EVERYTHING “FOR DEFENSE”
With the people of the United States acutely attuned
to defense needs, it is interesting to observe the rapidity
with which everything becomes a defense necessity.
It is almost impossible to touch the activity of any
agency, association, organization or group without
hearing that the activity is “vital” to successful defense.
Nearly everybody who wants a law changed or a larger
appropriation for some activity, will overwhelm you
with arguments purporting to demonstrate that na
tional defense will suffer unless the request is promptly
granted.
SOMETHING LAX SOMEWHERE
We read in a metropolitan newspaper that a 42-year
old button manufacturer, accused of evading $105,000
in income taxes, has sold his business, his home and
other possessions and has gone to Mexico with his wife
and three children.
This is not surprising, but what arouses our interest
is the fact that the defendant, already accused of income
tax evasion in such a high amount, was out on $2,000
bail. Facing the possibility of having to pay the govern
ment an immense sum in taxes and penalty, the gentle
man decided that it was more profitable for him to live
in Mexico than in the United States.
IS RUSSIA SO STRONG?
(Oakmont, Pa., Advance- Leader)
Back of the Russians’ bullying tactics and that of their
Chinese stooges is a large quantity of bull and bluff. We
have built a picture of their might and strength in our
minds that is out of proportion to reality.
Russia has its weaknesses even if they are far less ad
vertised than ours. Russia does not have the resources
for war-making that we possess, neither steel, nor oil,
; nor the mechanical knowhow. And Russia has its inter
nal weaknesses as well.
* ** *TS " ** l* T 4 /.» t* a
Korean Situation
At A Glance...
* *•*» *» •*- , . t * jf > . |r /
4 4 ,,
• (Continued from Page One)
‘ statute giving Bonn more freedom
in running its own affairs,
m . ,
Wednesday, March 7, 1951
Korean Fighting Front—U. N.
forces open up general assault on
55-mile central front against bit
ter Red resistance. Reds counter
attack on eastern flank, pushing
south Koreans back one to three
miles. U. S. battalion crosses Han
river east of Seoule. First Marine
division push off east of crossings
along with four other U. S. divi
sions and their allied elements.
MacArthur visits fighting front
JUNEAU, (JP), Bids wejre opened
today on the construction of a
• •
five-story office building to house,
. territorial, offices here. f .
Alaska Publics Works officials
said low bid of $1,333,379 was
submitted by the Carson Constr.
Co., Helena, Mont.'
Other bids included Rushlight
Automatic Sprinkler Co., Port
land, Ore., $1,347,000; and Brady
Constr. Co., Seattle, $1,333,000. A
total of five bids were submitted.
They now go to Washington, D C.,
for final action.
: * m
and predicts “theoretical military
| stalemate”1 unless U.N. does some
thing about Red China’s unde
clared war.
I HE MADE OUR BED—
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control
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Lifting TLe Lid
At Juneau
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i£ontinupd from Page One)
volved most of the day in routine
reading of long bank billd that ri
val best sellers in bulk.
Tightening automobile registra
tion laws was proposed in a
lengthy bill introduced in the Sen
ate yesterday by Sen. W. iL. (Dan)
Lhamon OR.-Fairbanks)* •
The measure also proposes li
cense fees for trucks on a weight
basis instead of a flat rate for all.
Lhamon said a more stringent
registration law is needed because
present statutes, which were writ
ten long before automobiles could
be driven to Alaska, are now full
of holes.
There are many abuses in the
rapid resale of cars, Lhamon said,
and the proposed law will tighten
the law and bring new revenue
through a $2 fee for each title
change.
Sen. Steve McCutcheon (D.-An
chorage) introduced two bills for
new Territorial office buildings.
One was proposed for Fairbanks,
or somewhere! in the Fourth Divi
sion, and another at Anchorage,
or somewhere in the Third Divi
sion, which long has been trying
to block a new building at Juneau
and get it for the Third Division
instead. Each bill proposed a $750,
000 appropriation.
In the House, Rep. Andrew
Hoope (D.-Sitka) introduced a bill
to liberalize treatment of Indians
and Eskimos under the law for
general relief and operation of the
Pioneers’ Home. ...
His bill proposes, repeal of a sec
tion which-bars benefits for Indi
ans or Eskimos who are provided
for by* the department of interior
with federal,
-More than a dozen, bills were
introduced yesterday* the 43rd day
of the* suasion, to beat the 45th
day -deadline for. introduction of
bills. Most of the bills were of a
routine nature. f .
Sens. Howard Lyng and Ed An
derson both Nome Democrats, in
troduce da memorial asking the
Territory to relieve Nome from
the annual $2,500 payment to the
federal government for harbor fa
cilities under a 1016 agreement.
The memorial said the city is in
dire need of such relief.
Wednesday, March 7, 1951
« ,
Two bills to increase unemploy
ment compensation benefits won
approval in the Alaska Senate
yesterday after hearings that last
• ■ *■ ' ' V * • '
ed most of the afternoon.
The Senate first approved in
creased dependency allowances 15
to 1, then voted 13-3 to raise the
weekly compensation to unem
ployed from $25 to $30.
Both measures had previously
passed the House. They now go
to governor Gruening as. the first
major controversial pieces of leg
islation to reach his desk in this
session of the legislature.
The House meanwhile passed
three bills.
The bulkiest one was a compre
*
hensive rewritten banking code
sponsored by the Alaska Banking
Board composed of the governor,
territorial treasurer and attorney
general by adding a .banker and a
non-banker businessman.
The House approved a $40,000
appropriation to the new Alaska
Visitor’s Assn, to help in tourist
advertising. The original bill by
Rep. William Egan (D-Valdez) had
proposed a $60,000 appropriation.
The lower chamber also passed
a bill increasing the boards of
incorporated school districts to
five members. Legislators said the
measure applied only to Palmer
and Kake.
The House received a major
government financial rev ision
measure along with a flood of
lesser bills which had to be intro
duced before the 45th-day dead
line today.
The "finance bill was drafted by
H. Clyde Reeves, Kentucky reve
nue commissioner, who was sent
i to Alaska by the council of state
governments. It was scheduled for
a hearing today before a joint
session of both Houses.
The bill would -create a new de
] partment of finance under an ex
ecutive who would be i^ effect the
general financial manager of the
Territory. It would revise the
powerful Board of Administra
tion to include the governor and
j four legislators elected by the leg
islature. The present hoard is
composed of elective officials and
some department head.
Under the newly approve^ un
employment compensation hills, a
worker with three dependents re
siding in Alaska could draw $48 a
week for 25 weeks for a total of
$1200 compared with the present
i maximum of $625.
i Sen. W. L. (Han) Lhamon, Fair
banks Republican, cast the only
vote against the dependents’ in
crease bill. There was little criti
c i s m of it because dependents
must reside in Alaska to benefit
The bill raising the basic work
ers’ benefit to $30, however, drew
fire because of testimony by offi
cials who said about 45 percent of
the total payments go to workers
who are in the States for the win
ter. They said most of them were
construction workers.
Votes against the increase were
cast by Sens. John Butrovich,
A. F. (Joe) Coble, and Lhamon, all
Fairbanks Republicans.
A Senate majority approved the
.bill after unemployment compen
sation officials testified all indica
tions are the fund will increase
during the year, due to increase
Alaska activity, even if individual
and family payments are higher.
Yesterday, the House passed a
teachers* salary increase bill by a
vote of 19-2 after a wrangle that
brought Reps. Glen Franklin CD
Boundary) and Jack Sea venius CD
Anchorage) close to blows.
The measure provides raises of
$300 annually for First Division
teachers; $400 in the Third, and
$500 in the Second and Fourth. It
was approved after defeat of a
series of amendments calling for
larger increases.
An amendment by Rep. Jack
Conright, <D-Anchcrrage) to raise
the teachers* salaries $500, $650
and $800 a year on the same divi
sional variations failed 14-9. The
* *
nine dissenters included all Third
Division representatives except C.
Chester Carlson (D-Cordova), Am
elia Gundersen <D-Ketchikan) of
the First District; and Frank D.
Degnan (D-Unalakleet and James
Wells (D-Noorvik) of the Second.
Stan McCutcheon .ID - Anchor
age) loosed the 1st political broad
side when he declared:
“I hope the people of Alaska
will note that most Democrats are
for the measure, and most Repub
licans against it.**
Mike Stepovich (R-Fairbanks)
rose in hot response:
“I object to the politics charge,**
he said. “When you start trying
to, make politics out of teachers*
salaries, it’s getting pretty rough.
Our proposal is to follow the
Board of Education’s recommen
dations and we certainly don’t
know their politics.”
The big test carpe, however,
when Frank Barr’s (D-Fairbanks)
amendment was written into the
bill by a vote of 9-7.
It would remove the aeronau
tics commission funds and ear
marked school construction funds
from the proposal, leaving them
on the earmarked basis.
John Butrovich (R-Fairbanks)
and James Nolan (D-Wrangell)
argued that the bill had been re
vised to make sure aeronautics
got not less than one-third on mo
tor fuel tax revenues and the
schools were assured of construc
tion funds equalling receipts from
the presently earmarked tobacco
tax.
However. Barr’s amendment
- - *•".**.. *>• •
prevailed after, he argued that the
“earmarked funds are justified for
assuring construction funds.”
He added that the cigaret. tax
> 'l- #n *w-r. *«►..> i,.1*«;. • " • • *
was approved because it was sla
ted for the construction fund.
A “by request” bill introduced
in the Aiaska Senate yesterday
|by Sen. W. iL. (Dan) Lhomon
would make persons under 21
equally responsible with the bar
tender if they buy or try to buy
intoxicants.
Sen. Amita Gamick, Juneau
Republican, proposed a preferen
tial presidential ballot on the pri
mary billot in presidential elec
tion years. The effect would be to
give Alaskans a chance to record
their presidential preference al
though they cannot vote for presi
dent, even in a general election.