■ rtMU A Vf V
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. 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. _
Friday, September 14, 1945
LEST WE FORGET
As is ever the consequence the good
must suffer with the bad. The picture
below is an example of a small part of
the cost of war. A Christian church on
Okinawa left in ruins, is only one of
thousands throughout the world which
will have to be rebuilt. The ruins of the
thousands of churches is a very small
percentage of the total damage caused
by the war.
The actual cost of the war will never
be accurately known, but should amount
to quite a few hundred billions of dollars.
The world could well afford to pay vir
tually billions of dollars annually in or
der to maintain peace, rather than be
forced to pay many times the amount to
destroy an aggressor nation.
Unless people get busy and abolish
wars, wars will abolish people.
How about freedom from Europe’s
wants?—Industrial News.
BETTER POSTWAR FIRE FIGHTING !
(Underwriters)
In anticipation of postwar building
and other improvements, city authori- j
ties are surveying their methods of fire
protection and fire prevention, it is re- ,
ported by the National Board’s Commit
tee on Fire Prevention and Engineering
Standards. Many authorities are consid
ering redistribution of men and fire ap
paratus in line with present-day condi
tions and indications of the future growth
and development of their cities. The in
crease in quantity of water used for in
dustrial purposes has emphasized the
need for additional reservoirs in some
cities, involving not only extension of
the water system but also, in some cases,
new sources of supply.
There have been few tests of new mod
els of pumping engines but the manufac
ture of apparatus is being resumed, with
the expectation of needed replacement
of many pieces of out-moded equipment.
As part of its general program as a
public service institution, the National :
Board through its Engineering Depart- !
ment, in the last year has made fire pro
tection and fire prevention surveys in
cities in eighteen States and compiled
reports for the assistance of municipal
authorities. This work will be expanded
after the war, when the Board’s engin
eers return to peace-time duties.
WE RE BEGINNNING TO SEE THE LIGHT__
g. ... ........ - ■
AFTERMATH OF WAR-a gnarled, leafless tree and the ruins of a Christian church tell of
war’s havoc on the Pacific isle of Okinawa.
Dr. Earl Albrecht
Appointed Health
Commissioner
The new Board of Health of
Alaska, created by the last Legis
lature and providing for a full
♦ime Commissioner of Health met
in Juneau last week and ratified |
‘he appointment of Dr. C. Earl Al-j
brecht as Alaska’s first full-time,
Commissioner. Commissioner Al- j
brecht’s salary was fixed at $8,400
for the first year with annual j
raises to meet the $10,000 set by
law at the end of the third year.
Dr. Albrecht was appointed by thej
Governor following his release
from the Army recently in which
service he had been for the last
three and a half years, serving in
the Medical Corps with the rank
of Colonel. Prior to that he had
been in private practice in Matan- j
uska, coming to the Territory in
1935.
The Board, made up of Dr..
Dwight L. Cramer of Ketchikan,
Mrs. Katherine Kehoe of Nome,
the Rev. R. Rolland Armstrong of
Anchorage, George Preston, Sr.,
of Fairbanks, and Governor Er
nest Gruening as Chairman, en
dorsed the programs, budgets, and
proposed plans for the new Health
Department as submitted by the
Commissioner. It also provided
that the Commissioner should
plan formal education in public
health administration as outlined
by the U. S. Public Health Serv
ice within three years.
General policies on health mat
ters as in standard practice
throughout the States was made
the goal of the Department with
the aim of stabilizing Health De
partment employees and drawing
to the service in Alaska more
qualified personnel to remain
permanently with the Depart
ment. The Board commended the
staff of the Department on the
excellent work which had been
done during the difficult war
years and called upon everyone to
assist in the very important peri
od in the immediate future.
Analysis of the various health
laws was presented by Attorney
Ralph Rivers, revealing those acts
which had been repealed by im
plication as the result of the new
law enacted by the last Legisla
ture. The Attorney General in his
opinion revealed that Deputy
Commissioners are no longer pro
vided under the new act and those
who have been serving were to be
notified with special letters of
thanks for the fine service they
had rendered. The health laws
pertaining to the establishment of
local Boards of Health in areas
other than incorporaed towns was
discussed at great length and it
was decided the exisitng law was
excellent to meet the needs of
these areas. The Board recom
mended the existing law be well
publicized to aid communities in
health protection. The Board de
cided that the health laws and
regulations and such other mate
rial as the Commissioner thinks
opportune be printed for distribu
tion because many people do not
realize their contents.
Mrs. Elvira T. Maurstad of
Haines, representing the Hospital
j Association of Haines, presented
the plan of that Association, re
vealing that the Haines commu
nity was now building a small
community hospital to be called
Chilkat Valley Hospital. She ap
pealed for assistance in obtaining
equipment that might become
available through the efforts of
the Board of Healh from surplus
es arising because of the termin
ation of the war. Mrs. Mpurstad
urged the Board give every as
sistance possible to interest a phy
sician to locate in Haines. It was
felt that with the contemplated
highway development an increas
ed population of the Chilkat Val
ley could be expected.
The Board accepted the offer of
he American Red Cross to re
lease to the Territorial Depart
ment of Health surplus supplies
and equipment sent to Alaska cen
ers of population for the establish
ment of emergency hospitals. It
directed the Commissioner to
carry out all necessary negotia
tions and dispose of them as he
sees fit to non-profit organizations
such as community-owned hospi
tals, orphanages, children’s homes,
schools and the Alaska Native
Service.
The Commissioner was author
ized to make every effort to se
cure from the Army, Red Cross,
Office of Civilian Defense and
other government agencies all sur
plus and other available medical
and hospital supplies and any
other equipment to further the
health program in Alaska and dis
tribute them as he sees fit to non
profit groups.
The Board went on record as
supporting the program and co
operative plan of the Alaska Tu
berculosis Association and offered
its whole-hearted support and as
sistance in the forthcoming annual
seal sale.
In relation to the Seward Army
Hospital, for which the last Leg
islature appropriated $14,500 for
the purchase of its equipment, the
Board authorized the • Commis
sioner to immediately begin nego
tiations, wrth various interested
organizations and agencies for
possible lease or sale of hospital
facilities to operate it as a Tuber
culosis Sanatorium, so that it
would not become a burden on
the Territory. The Commissioner
reported several groups already
had expressed an interest in tak
ing over the hospital and it was
anticipated a deal would be made
shortly with no cost to the Terri
tory. It was felt that the Sanator
ium should be ready for operation
sometime this winter.
The Board took up various
other matters, including the pro
posed establishment of a hospital
planning board and establishment
of a crippled children’s associa
tion in Alaska with the aim of
raising additional funds for the
care of crippled children, and
eventually hospitalize them in the
Territory when hospital facilities
are made available. The Board
also voted the Commissioner
should go to Washington soon to
discuss Alaska health matters
with Federal agencies, members
of Congressional Committees and
others who have expressed a de
sire to assist Alaska in carrying
out its health program.
The highest price ever paid for
a single postage tsamp, according
to Encyclopaedia Britannica, was
reputed to have been more than
forty-five thousand dollars. The
one-cent British Guiana issue
from the Arthur Hind collection
sold at auction in the depression
years of 1933 and 1934.