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
at Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Nome, Alaska, Wednesday, November 29, 1950
DOOM FOR PROSPECTORS; SMALL OPERATORS
(The Alaska Weekly)
Proposed changes in the mining laws have been un
der secret discussion by Department of Interior officials
for some time. In its Sunday issue of November 19, the
Los Angeles Times printed a facsimile of a memoran
dum upon the head of which appeared the legend,
“UNITED STATES, DEPARTMENT* OF THE INTE
RIOR," Bureau of Land Management, Portland 18, Ore
gon." There followed the word “CONFIDENTIAL” and
the statement, “NEITHER THIS MEMORANDUM
NOR THE INFORMATION IT CONTAINS IS TO BE
MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.” It was ad-1
dressed to Division Chiefs and all field officers, from
the Regional Administrator, and its subject was
“Amendment of the Mining Laws.”
A reading of the proposed amendments which fol
lowed furnished ample evidence of the Department’s
desire to keep the public from knowing ti its plans to
further deminate the mining industry and hamstring
the prospector.
In its story exposing this departmental conspiracy the
Los Angeles Times said in part: “A prophetic warning!
of the attempt being made by the Interior Department
to get control of mining in the West was sounded in
June, 1949, by Senator Malone of Nevada. He was talk
ing at the time about the extension of the government
moratorium on mining claim assessment work. “The In
terior Department is continually pressing to get control
of mining areas,’ Senator Malone said. ‘One of these
days it will come in with a bill that will do just this.’ By
coincidence, the proposed changes now disclosed by the
Times were being considered by regional heads of Sec
retary Chapman’s Bureau of Land Management at that
very moment. It is understood that the secret sugges
tions have been discussed within the confines of the de
partment ever since then.”
The Times properly does not disclose the identity of'
its informant but quotes him as saying: “The Taylor,
Grazing Act is being used to tighten the grip of the1 In
terior Department over mining affairs. Land set aside
under the grazing act is administered under such con-:
ditions that a prospector is classified immediately as a;
trespasser. By having both administrations — mining j
and grazing—under the Interior Department’s rule it is!
possible to use one to gain domination over the other.”
Last week we ran an excerpt from an atticle from the;
pen of Herbert Hoover in which he lamented the tragic
decline of mining in the West and the fact that the pros-;
pector and small operator had been practically driven
from the field by government restrictions, regulations,
and taxation. We should like to hear what this great
mining authority would have to say about this effort
to reduce that valiant remnant of prospectors and small
operators still remaining to the vanishing point.
That the prospector would be doomed under the sug
gested revisions is a certainty. Combine with that threat
the effort to tighten control over the 120,000,000 acres;
of land either under the control or subject to the control,
of the Taylor Grazing Act and the prospector is doubly i
doomed.
Down the drain also will go the small operator who
could not meet the requirements of the new law from a
financial standpoint.
The only possible explanation for such a revision is
the insatiable lust for power which characterizes the
Interior Department in connection with every industry
over which it holds any measures of authority.
The Los Angeles Times is to be complimented for
rendering a distinct public service in unearthing the
facts and making them known to the mining industry
and the public.
What we need today is encouragement for men will
Korean Situation
At A Glance —
(Continued from Page One)
there was no doubt that the Mac
AYthur-planned all-out offensive
to end the war by Christmas had
failed. The United Nations com
mander acknowledged this. He
said: The strength of the Chinese
Red forces in Korea “has shatter
ed the high hope we had that the
intervention . . . was only of a to
ken nature on a volunteer and in
dividual basis as publicly an
! nounced.”
United Nations intelligence of
ficers have identified 14 Chinese
communist divisions along the
northwest Korean front. Field dis
patches show the Chinese are con
tinuing to* pour across the fron
tier in great numbers.
On the far west front, the U. S.
24th Division, having withdrawn
from Chongju, because of heavy
Red pressure on the Eighth Army’s
right flank, was fighting against
a vastly strengthened communist
Chinese foe.
U. S. Marines, wheeling west
ward from the Changjin reservoir
in an attempt to bring pressure to
bear on the communist flank were
stalled only four miles fro*m the
jump off point at Yudam.
Wednesday, November 29, 1950
Badly mauled United Nations
troops streamed south today in a
retreat under pressure of a three
pronged attack by 200^)00 Red
Chinese in Korea.
The Allied forces poured across
icy Chongchon River in northwest i
Korea to* escape a communist en
circling movement. This was' the
point where Friday General Mac- >
Arthur launched his ill-fated end
the-war offensive. ;
The retreat was carried out in
near-zero weather. Helicopters
shuttled back and forth removing
the seriously wounded from the
front.
I
Field dispatches said withdraw
al of the Eighth Army’s eastern
flank was all but completed. But
there were no immediate reports
of the fate of the 24th Division on
the extreme west front. It was
last reported in the Pakchon area
north of the river.
Lt. Gen. Walton H.' Walker,
back at the front after an emer
gency top-commander conference
with MacArthur in Tokyo, said
the assault launched by his Eighth
Army five days ago “probably
saved our forces from a trap
which might well have destroyed
them.” He implied the early at
tack by the Allies threw out the
time schedule of the communists
who have another 200,000 troops
being readied on the Manchurian
border.
At Kunu on the south side of
the Chongchon River, Allied units
were being driven back by tank
led communist assaults. This was
| the first mention of armor being
ued by the Chinese.
U. N. forces held virtually noth
ing east of Kunu. Contact with
the U. S. 10th Corps in northeast
Korea was broken.
Hordes of Chinese continued to
pour through the Tokchn gap in
the center of the peninsula. From
here, the enemy has launched a
smash designed to cut otf Allied
forces. Spearheads were aimed at
points south and southeast of Ku
nu. The Eighth Army rushed up
tanks and troops in an effort to
hold ope nan escape corridor to
Pyongyang, former North Korean
capitafT
Military observers said there
was hope of salvaging enough Al
lied manpower and materiel to
set up a winter defense line some
wher in North Korea.
In Washington high U. S. de
fense officials expressed the belief
MacArthur has enough machines
and firepower left to prevent a
military disaster. It was up to the
United Nations to decide whether
the supreme commander will be
given sufficient men and broad
ened orders to smash the Chinese
offensive.
In the U. N. Security Council j
yesterday the Communist Chinese
made it clear they have no inten- \
tion of withdrawing from Korea.
A six-power resolution demand
ing that the Red soldiers of the
Peiping regime get out is expect- ]
ed to be defeated by a Soviet veto.
Then the matter will come before
the veto-free Assembly for action. |
U. S. chief delegate Warren R.
I
ing to go into the field and prospect for vital minerals
and aid, even to the point of some form of subsidy, for
the small mining operators willing to undertake the:
initial development of prospects. Instead, merely to fur-!
ther entrench itself, the Interior Department would j
strangle both. v !
..
HARDLY CHILD’S PLAY !
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WOMAN'S SOCIETY PLAN
CHRISTMAS PARTY MEETING
A very interesting program is
planned for the annual Christmas
party meeting of the Woman’s So
ciety of the 'Federated Church ac
cording to Mrs. Earl Clark, presi
dent of the group.
A beautiful Christmas pageant,
“Tree of Life,” includes a large
cast of prominent people; Mrs.
Dorothy Gallagher, Hazel Hanson,
Ruth Gumbinsky, Esther McCoy,
Omie McCarthy, Mildred Har
wood, Mary Nelson, Helen Fager
strom. Bertha Fiscus, Rose Bron
son, Eilene Uttech, Lennie Mae
Nerland, Freda Larson.
Special music will feature a
trio “How Lovely Now the Morn
ing Star,” sung by Marguerite
Glavinovich, Carrie McLain and
Bertha Fiscus.
Carols will be directed by Car
rie McLain and accompaniment by
Emily Boucher.
Another interesting feature will
be Pinata (Christmas fun bor
rowed from Mexico).
Mrs. Clark states that this is an
open invitation to* any woman in
Nome and the party will be held
at the home of Mary Treat with
Bettie Anderson assisting hostess,
Friday evening, Dec. 1, at eight
o’clock.
H. F. HARPER NAMED
DIRECTOR OF CIVIL DEFENSE
The director of civilian defense
was named today by Mayor Steve
Anderser* to be H. F. Harper. Mr.
Harper was highly recommended
for the important position as his
record with work in the Chamber
of C9mmerce, Rotary and other
civic groups has been outstanding.
He will meet with department
heads named iast week, and com
mittees will be formulated next
Wednesday evening, according to
a Chamber of Commerce an
nouncement. after which plans
plans will really begin to shape
up for this important phase of
civic protection.
Austin said the resolution “repre
sents the conscience of the people
of the world.” Then, turning to
Red Chinese representative Wu
Hsui-Chuan, he asked whether
the People’s Government in China
recognizes this world conscience
as “something it ought to give
weight to.” Wu did not answer
the question specifically.
In his address Wu ignored 20
questions put to him by Austin.
He said the Chinese people are
offering in great numbers to aid
the Koreans and his government
sees no reason to prevent the
“volunteers” from going to the
front.
Austin charged: “It is apparent
to anyone that an operation of
this kind is not organized in a few
days or weeks.”
The non-communis t world
steadied itself for grave decisions
that must be faced. Its press told
the people that the international
situation is fraught with danger.
In Paris, the independent So
cialist newspaper said the “Third
World War has begun in the Far
east between the United States
and communist China.”
It asked: “Can Europe escape
catastrophe”
France was in the throes of a
political crisis. Premier Rene Ple
vin is asking a vote of confidence
in an effort to save his govern
ment tottering from a communist
brewed storm over defense minis
ter Jules Moch.
In London, Prime Minister Att
lee and his cabinet met in emer
gency session to discuss the Ko
rean Crisis. Attlee then held a pri
vate conference with Labor mem
bers of Parliament.