2 THE NOME NUGGET Wednesday, October 1, 1947
THE NOME NUGGET "
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
. • Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 p. O. Box 618
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER Editors
$1.50 PER MONTH $16.00 A YEAR
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943. at the postoffice
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3. 1879.
Wednesday, October 1, 1947
“Closing Of Native Schools Tragic
Juneau Empire)
THE CLOSING of native schools in Alaska is nothing
less than tragic that a whole generation will grow up in
ignorance and illiteracy, writes John B. Bentley, bishop
of Alaska, Protestant Espicopal church in Alaska, to
Dr. James C. Ryan, commissioner of education with his
headquarters in Juneau. Bishop Bentley appeals for
opening of schools in the interior and also says that he is
convinced that “our entire educational svstem should
be under one head.” „
Bishop Bentley’s letter to Dr. Ryan, written from the
Office of the Bishop, Missionary District of Alaska of
the Protestant Episcopal Church, the Bishop’s Lodge,
Nenana, dated September 17; is as follows:
My Dear Mr. Ryan:
I appeal to you on behalf of the children of Ft. Yukon.
As you know, the Alaska Native Service School at Ft.
Yukon is closed. I suppose that it was closed because
of cuts in the appropriation. I have written to the Alas
ka Native Service to ask that the school be reopened.
What they will do, or can do, I do not know. Meanwhile,
I appeal to you, though I realize that you, too, are lim
ited by the appropriation you have received.
The situation throughout the interior disturbs me a
great deal. As far as I know, the Native children at
Eagle, Circle, Ft. Yukon, Fishhook, Beaver, Stevens
Village, Itokrineo, and Koyukiik will hflvp no opportun
ity to attend school this winter. In addition, there are
enough children of school age at Hughes and Cut Off
Village on the Koyukuk to warrant schools in these
communities.
It is nothing less than tragic that a whole generation
will grow up in ignorance and illiteracy. I know some
thing of the problems facing the Alaska Native Service,
and I appreciate your own difficulties in dealing with
this situation with the limited .appropriation you have,
but I must appeal to someone, and I appeal to you for'
these children.
I may be wrong, I often.am, but to close these small,
one-room schools, the ONLY opportunity the children
have to receive even the barest, simplest education,
seems to me to be nothing less than tragic. How can we
find excuse in years to come for the illiterate genera
tion growink up?.What must be the result of such a pol
icy and program? I am deeply distressed, and I know
that you, too, are even more concerned.
I am writing to ask you to do everything in your
power to have the Ft. Yukon school reopened at the ear
liest possible moment. That is of immediate concern.
But I write, also, to ask you to let me know what I can
do to help you in your program. I believe and am con
vinced, that our entire educational system should be
under one head, and that your office is the proper head,
school system and program turned over to your of
school program and program turned over to your of
fice. This is “on the record.” I make no bones about it.
But we can’t expect you to take over the whole educa
tional program of Alaska without the funds to carry it.
What can I do? That is what I want you to tell me. I ap
peal to you for the reopening of the Ft. Yukon school,!
but far more important than that is the long-range pro-1
gram that will prevent the closing of any school and
will the opening of many schools in communities where
they are so sorely needed.
Please believe me when I say that this letter is in no
way a reflection on you or your office, but an humble
and sincere appeal for help, and a similar appeal for in
formation that will enable me to help hold up yours and
do the work that is on your heart and mind.
I LATEST ON THE FARM BELT
_
Absentee Ownership
(Anchorage Daily Times)
AT FIRST GLANCE the attitude of Alaskans toward
absentee capital seems incongruous. Many of their com
plaints are directed at absentee owners who they charge
are milking the Territory, leaving nothing and thrawt
ing proper economic and political development in the
north. Yet they cite the need of more capital from the
States to make possible the development of new indus
tries and the new sources of employment that will build
a greater population.
Alaskans can find in their history books the study
of powerful interests which have deterred development.
The fur industry that existed in Alaska at the time of
the purchase from Russia was one of them. The salmon
industry was another. The mining corporations, ship
ping lines and other big business enterprises have been
among others.
These industries have opposed many elemental devel
opments to bring civilization to the north. They have
viewed population, government and laws as undesirable
because they would lead to regulations which could log
ically be expected to limit their unrestricted use of the
natural resources. Political power at Washington was
brought into play to delay and obstruct considerations
of the two Organic Acts under which Alaska has oper
ated, the creation of the office of Delegate to Congress,
and creation of the Territorial Legislature.
There is evidence that these same forces are still at
play today in the affairs of Alaska. These are the forces
which Alaskans consider obnoxious and undesirable.
Meanwhile, Alaskans struggling to see the Territory
overcome the handicaps of limited employment, high
transportation costs and sparse population deem new
capital from sources in the States as essential.
They recognize that London financed the early Amer
ican colonies; that Boston financed the early settlers in
Chicago; that Chicago financed the development of the
midwest. One of the complaints frequently heard on the
West Coast is that Eastern interests are throttling de
velopmen, milking the West of its resources to the glory
and selfish advanage of the East.
While Alaska complains that Seattle, San Francisco
and other financial centers in the States hold tight con
trols over the north, they admit it is desirable to entice
more capial into the Territory for investment.
Thus Alaskans may seem to appear to be holding out
one hand to welcome more absentee capital while in the
other hand they hold a whip with which to beat it on
the grounds that it is obnoxious.
This apparent incongruity is dispelled, however, with
a more careful consideration of the facts involved.
It is obvious that the mere presence of absentee cap
ital is not obnoxious to Alaskans. They find no fault
with it on that basis. In fact, they swell with pride when
Outside capital finds this area worthy of sizeable invest
ments. In short, they love it.
Alaskans are also well aware that with the invest
ment comes controls that must be maintained from the
point of origin of the capital. It
would be childish to expect the
control of capital to be placed iri
local hands when the responsibil
ity and accountability lies in Seat
■ tie, San Francisco, Chicag > or
elsewhere.
There are many absentee enter
prises in Alaska that bring no
complaints from residents. The
airlines have expanded into full
fledged air carriers through ab
sentee capital. Big buildings cie
being erected in Anchorage on
capital obtained from remote
points. Federal operations, of es
pecial importance to Anchorage,
are all controlled from Washington.
. V/hat makes absentee ownership
undesirable? The answer to this
question seems to lie in the meth
od the remote controls are used.
It is unquestionable that the lo
cation of the headquarters of an
enterprise in Alaska, instead of in
some remote city, encourages loy
alty and support of Alaskans. The
mere fact that headquarters are in
Alaska gives the organization an
Alaskan characteristic that is de
I sirable.
Local autonomy, to what ever
extent is sound for proper econo
mic operation and accountability,
also bolsters the status of the firm
i nthe eyes of Alaskans. It is well
established that decisions made
within Alaska usually fit the local
needs more adequately than do
those made from swivel chairs in
ivory towers in the States.
But most important of all« is
probably the social responsibility
the absentee firm recognizes in its
relations with Alaska and its peo
! pie. Any firm can endear itself in
, the eyes of Alaskans by carrying
' its part of the burden in meeting
present day needs and remedying
1 the problems at hand.
Those enterprises (government
! as well as privte) that make their
! operations contribute to the gener
; al welfare and growth of the Ter
ritory are rarely the subject of
complaint. In fact, those enter
prises maintaining proper public
* relations with Alaskans and lul
j filling their obligations as an inte
1 gral part of life in Alaska, come
to be depended upon by Alaskans
not only for the services they nor
mally render but for advice and
counsel in planning for the future.
Alaskans are notably arrogant
, and haughty, yet they are among
1 the most hospitable people in ihe4
world. They view with disdam
those who pity them, regard them
, with a subservient attitude or seek
to use them. But they welcome in
to their hearts the friendship that
comes with equals who are stand
ing with them, in spirit as well as
in fact, as they build Alaska into
the great economic unit that they
desire so keenly.
The salmon industry, the large
gold mining corporations and the
shipping companies—all absentee
corporations—have failed in rec
ognizing their social responsibil
ities and have brought upon them
selves the opprobrium that Alas
kans express so freely.
In inviting new capital to the
Territory, Alaskans hope and ex
pect that it will not make the same
mistake.
One Man’s Opinion
Not to change the subject, but
things are tough in Tin Pan Alley,
too ... a scientist say that the
liver, not the heart, is the seat of
affection. . . . The feeling is that
the hit parade will never be hit by
a song titled “She Crept Into My
Liver as I Saw Her by the River.”
— And I don’t know what happens
when “Be Still My Heart” gives
way to “Don’t Quiver, My Liver.”