THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday. Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 618
SI.SO PER MONTH S16.P0 A YEAR
W A. and EMILY BOUCHER.Editors
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943. at the postoffice at
Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, August 21, 1946
INCOME COLLECTIONS
HAVE TAKEN A DROP
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SIX YEARS, internal
revenue collections in the district of Washington
and Alaska have taken a drop, according to the annual
report of Collector Clark Squire.
Collections for the fiscal year ending June 30,
totaled $549, 984, 015.50, as compared to $638,547,819
for the preceding year. That is a drop of 13.9 per cent.
However, this is the third largest collection year
in the history of the office. The total two vears ago
was $624,280,369.
Since 1924 there have been 11 vears in which this
district showed a decrease and as many years in which
it showed an increase. Lowest collection year since
World War I was 1933, the amount being but $5,451,
000. /Since 1933, nine years have had increased col
lections.
A year ago there was a decrease in revenue in
seven states: Masachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut,
Virginia, North Carolina, Nevada and Utah.
The recent decline in the Washington-Alaska dist
rict is due primarily to a drop of 24 per cent in income
and excess profits collections from corporations and
a 12 per cent decrease in collections from individuals,
amounting to about 45 million dollars in each classi
fication. Employment tax collections fell off nearly
four millions, or 14.5 per cent, but miscellaneous tax
revenues increased four and one-half millions, or 9 per
cent.
During the year just closed, corporations paid
$137,871,359 in income and excess profits taxes and in
dividuals paid $336,471,684 in income and withholding
taxes.
WANTED-A COLONIAL POLICY
PROBABLY BEYOND THE INTEREST,or even the
awareness, of many citizens of the United States,
this country is a considerable colonial power. Because
of this tack of interest the United States has drifted
along through the years with only a hazy policy of deal
ing with the people who have come under our flag, ei
ther through successfully fought wars of by purchase
of the territory on which they live. It would seem high
time that Congress set itself to the task of formulating
a long-range plan that would be more in tune with our
principles as a nation than has been the management
of our colonial empire heretofore.
First, to briefly sketch the growth of our colonial
system. In 1898, through the Spanish-American War,
we acquired the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam.
The same year we annexed Hawaii. Previously we
had acquired sovereignty — through treaty with Great
Britain and Germany — over part of the Samoan Is
lands, and had purchased Alaska from Russia for $7,200
000; American Samoa we acquired in 1889, Alaska in
1867. Just before our entry into the First World War
in January, 1917, we purchased the Virgin Islands in
the Caribbean from Denmark for $25,000,000. Through
victory in the Second World War we now occupy the
previously mandated islands of Japan in the Pacific.
In addition to these, we have under perpetual lease
from Panama the territory through which runs the
Panama Canal.
The question of the Philippines is settled. Those
islands and their 16,000,000 people became a republic
on July 4. ,There is little question, either, about the
Territories of Hawaii and Alaska, both of which have
ONE H_OF A JOKE __
almost complete autonomy. Hawaii would like to be
come the 49th State. Elsewhere, however, the record
does little credit either to our good intentions or to our
implementation of them. We have imposed our will
without the consent of the governed, we have taxed
without representation, and in Samoa and Guam our
Navy has governed largely on a line of military necess
ity and sometimes almost by whim of the succeeding
military commanders.
It is not a problem that can be solved overnight.
The various areas have different economic, social and
political problems. But it is not a problem that can
be solved by doing nothing. We are obligated under
the Charter of the United Nations to seek a solution, yet
none is being sought, except by a few individuals. Last
October the President appointed a committee of the Sec
retaries of State, War, Navy and Interior Departments
to formulate a policy for administration of the Pacific
Islands. Yet up until last February, as the former In
terior Secretary, Harold L. Ickes, told the Institute of
Ethnic Relations in Washington recently, the committee
had not met, or even discussed a meeting.
If we try to live up to our ideals as a nation and to
our responsibilities as a member of the United Nations,
this Government should formulate without delay a pol
icy that will express those'ideals and responsibilities,
and rescue our colonials from the neglect to which they
; have been so long subjected. In many ways we have
not been as considerate of our colonials as have Britain,
France, the Netherlands and other colonial Powers
whom Americans are fond of criticizing. Acquisition
of the Japanese mandates has made the necessity fori
a solution even more pressing. It is time we were
doing something about it.
When a man says the world is small, he is not re
membering how big the ocean was when he was seasick.
“GAPA” IS A CHILD
BORN OF WAR
The Boeing Aircraft Co.,
and the Air Materiel Com
mand of the Army Air For
ces last week jointly an
nounced a Boeing super
sonic guided missile prog
ram which will develop pi
lotless aircraft capable of
seeking out and destroy
ing enemy aircraft or miss
iles which might threaten
America's shores in time of
war.
i
In all, sixty Boeing mis
siles will be fired this year
during the initial phase of
a program spanning sever
al years. The Great Salt'
Desert of Utah is serving
as the proving ground. The
project has been carried on
in secrecy until the recent
announcement. Details
are still classified as confi
dential military informa
tion.
jNamed “GAP A,” for
Ground to Air Pilotless Air- j
craft, these pencil slim, 10
foot rockets are just w
the name implies — sn
pilotless aircraft that tr
el at supersonic speeds
“aerial destroyers.” E
ing Aircraft has been c
ducting intensive resea
into supersonic aircraft
fifteen months.
First test models of
new missile are propel
by standard Aerojet roc
units. In the models r
being tested a booster p<
er unit is attached to
tail of the pilotless aircr
which accelerates the n
sile itself to supersc
speeds in a few second'
Believed to be the o
company in the Uni
States doing the entire
of research, construct
and test-firing on sucl
project, Boeing Airci
now has a 30-man staff
Wendover, Utah, doing £
ual testing. Additional
gineering staffs at the
attle plant are engaged
further details of the C
PA missile.
Once problems of cont
and stability are solv
the principles involved
this weapon may have f
reaching effects on the
sign of future passenger
cargo-carrying aircraft.
Government sponsors
of private industry resea]
and development of si
highly technical projects
this have in the past i
abled this country to p
duce consistently bet
products than any otl
country in the world.
Such scientific resea]
as “GAPA” will help rm
it certain that the Uni
States did not lag in 1
future.
Test programs on ctl
forms of guided missi
are now being undertat
in other aircraft compan
and technical organizatii
under Army and Na
sponsorship.
u. s. Opposes Rue
Share Dardanelle
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 —iff
In an historic claim to direct
terest in Black Sea affairs.
United States today formally
dared its outright opposition
Russian demands for a share
military control of the Dardi
elles.
The American note to Mosc
was one of two factors that S'
relations between the United Sta
and countries within the So\
orbit plummeting to a new p<
war low.
The other was this countx
angry protest to Yugoslavia o
the “outrageous performance”
Yugoslav fighter craft which
tacked and forced an Ameri<
transport plane to crash land