THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome. Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box fli*
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W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER..Editor*
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943, at the postottw
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Friday, May 2, 1947
Now Is The Time
(Rocky Mountain News)
THIS COUNTRY'S chances of escaping a wave of
strikes in big industries have improved remarkably in
the last few days.
Thanks to the CIO Electrical Workers’ bargained
agreements with General Motors and Westinghouse
and 1947 wage-rise pattern was fixed at about 15 cen4
an hour. The CIO Steel Workers have settled with U. S.
Steel on much the same basis. The CIO Auto Workers
probably will agree to something like that.
Of course, there’s always John L. Lewis. Naboth
knows what he may try to do when the coal mines gc
back to private owners July 1. But if the Republicans in
Congress will stop their transparent scheming to put
President Truman in a political hole, they can send hint
a fair labor bill containing no justification for a veto and
giving the government adequate authority to deal with
Mr. Lewis.
Uncertainty as to the wage future has been an obsta
cle to price cuts on manufactured goods. Much of tbs'
uncertainty now is being cleared away. Industrial wage
are going up, but not as far as CIO talked of driving them.
The wage rises will lower the present high level of
profits. In many cases, though, we think there still wdl
be a margin for price reductions, and we hope these wT.
now come quickly.
11 major strikes are avoided—and now that a steel
agreement insures a steady supply of steel—a lot of in
dustries can maintain high-volume production as a firm
basis for reasonable profits.
It’s true that farm and food prices have risen much
further than manufacturing prices, and have much more
to do with the cost of living, which hit a high March 15.
But it’s also true that, contrary to the usual trend at
this time of year, food prices dropped slightly between
mid-March and mid-April. Their tendency to fall would
be encouraged by industrial price reductions.
Some industries, and concerns within industries, are
honestly unable to cut prices. The large profits are not
evenly distributed. But everybody who can possibly let
any inflationary gas out of the price balloon had better
do that fast, before it bursts in the stratosphere and
dumps cargo and passengers with a dull, sickening thud.
Every company should be its own judge of whether it
can afford to lover prices, and if so, how much. However,
the almost unanimous economic warnings that the coun
try is in peril of a painful recession suggest that the real
question facing a great many companies is whether they
can afford not to lower prices now.
THE NEWBURYPORT IDEA—-the plan of merchants
in a small Massachusetts city to cut all prices 10 percent
for 10 days—is spreading across the country.
Wisely managed, it can do much good in the present
situation. Merchants who find that lower prices mean
more sales, even at a sacrifice of immediate profits, will
put more pressure on jobbers and wholesalers to reduce
prices. Jobbers and wholesalers will put more pressure
of manufacturers. All along the line there will be keener
realization that prices must come down, not just for 10
days, but to stay, if trade is to continue brisk and fac
tories stay busy.
But the price-cutting must be genuine. Taking a $2
shirt that was marked up to $4.35 and offering it at $3.89
as a great example of compliance with President Tru
man’s appeal for lower prices—that isn’t going to help.
Customers are getting pretty smart these days. More
an4 more of them are paying attention to values, learn
ing to recognize real bargains, shopping around and
making comparisons. Don’t try to kid them.
This Peace Must Stand Test Of History
(The Denver Post)
TH*1 RESTRAINED HOPES which Secretary of
S4ate Marshall carried to the Moscow conference of for
eign m:n ste^s appear now. in the discouraging perspec
p<;;?e past two months, to have been the veriest
•:p*:mirm.
"-'iprv Marsha'! warned at the outset that a c m
German peace treaty was not to b° exuded f-'orn
thi ; conference. He thought, however, we could rt lomf
>o!' "n*" o Austrian peace settlement end for ompress
;r bavin-' the basis of the German te ms. Bu4 h-^ was
4 o be disaproin ed. The hopes of the was e^n w w’d M’erc
Kr~k~r or the rock of Russian obstinacy-*--* s'ubV n
which, in the light of growing pessim sm. seems to
vor.oai tpe uncompromising nature of Ihe conflict be
'V'oen the worlds of democracy and totalitarianism.
Tf Secretary Marshall can salvage anythin? from the
•”ve kage of th° conference it may be the reflection on
e acccmplishemnts:
First, that the pattern of Russian demands has become
ir>a,’easingly clear; and, although we have discovered
4 '? in th? way of general agreement, we at least know
whrt the major points of conflict are. Through ini ensi
led negotiations this spring and summer, preliminary*
to ihe next meeting of the Big Four, it may be possible
to reduce these conflicts.
F^ccnd, that there has developed a closer association
among the United States, Britain and France, which
ird themselves in general agreement on the design for
peaceful Europe. If the conflicts with Russia do prove
iU?mselves insoluble—if we must resign ourselves to
two worlds—then this co-operation of the democratic
powers will surely become our most hopeful reliance.
Two weeks before the end of the conference, Secre
tary Marshall summarized in eloquent terms what
America wants in the way of a new Europe. Those words
hon'd now be recalled, as the peace conference ended
n ailure, for they express our unselfish purpose. The
secretary said:
“Our task is to make a peace settlement which as a
whole the people of Europe will want to maintain and
io break. We want a peace settlement which in fu
1 ere years will become as it were self-enforcing. We
v ent a peace settlement which will encourage the peo
ple of Europe to work together peacefully. We want a
settlement that will live and that history will approve.
“We want above all to avoid a solution which will cre
ate a highly explosive situation through congestion and
l°ck nf food and other resources essential to modern civ
lizaUon ...
“The Allied nations have now the power to impose
*?*w boundaries. But, I sincerely hope, not boundaries
whose only claim to permanency is force. Such a rettle
ment cannot be a good foundation for peace.”
In those words, Secretary Marshall told why we could
not compromise with the hysterical vindictiveness of
Franco which sought to cut the industrial heart out of
Germany; whv we cannot yield to Soviet demands which
would make Germany an economic province of Russia
~nd which would despoil Austria: and why we are anx
ious about the dismemberment of eastern Germany by
Russia and Poland.
Secretary Marshall refused to sacrifice future peace
for transitory agreement. If eventually we find an ac
commodation between democracy and Communism—so
that we may live at peace in our world—we will live to
thank this soldier-statesman.
looxiivu
r AHEAD
n GEORGE & BENSON
k PrcuJcut —Manila/ MU*
■ Scare/. Arkaaaaa
CLEAR THE DECKS
During a recent trip to the na
tion’s capitol, I found the air filled
with talk of reducing the budget.
Many legislators are now becoming
economy conscious. However, one
item of the budget—national de
fense—has been given a respect
able detour by many Congressmen.
Although its proposed $12,700,000,
000 represents almost one-third of
the 1948 budget, most legislators
seem content to economize only on
the other two thirds.
National defense has been given
a “halo” of untouchability. Current
thought trends believe that any re
duction of defense appropriations
would crinpple our military and
naval potential. John Q. Public
will gladly pay through the nose to
avoid the unpreparedness experi
enced in the early stages of World
War II. Estimates of defense cost
by the military forces are accepted
without question.
Waste Hangover
However, there is every indic
tion that wartime waste and ex
travagances still exist in peacetime
operation of the armed forces.
During the war the overall annual
cost for each fighting man was
$6960. This included everything
consumed in combat—ships, guns,
p*anes, and ammunition. The pro
posed budget calls for an annual
average of $6790 per man in uni
form. Only $170 less for the peace- *
me soldier than when he was
n aintained in a round-the-world
conflict.
In January, 1947—the third year
)i peace—the Army and Navy had
06G.577 civilian employees. Two
milians for every three soldiers.
wring World War II there were
.wo civilian employees for every
.'ifteen soldiers—this during the
most wasteful war in all history.
The civilian employees represent a
yearly outlay of $3,000,000,000. k
‘here should be no room in an ef
iieient fighting force for a costly
oureaucracy.”
Excess Baggage
No sane admiral or general
would take his force into battle
\vi hout making it as efficient as
possible under existing conditions.
> 'fusion and inefficiency within
his own ranks are more deadly
v n any enemy. He must clear his
lee :s of anything which will get
in the way and keep the guns from
i.ing smoothly. We must now use
ihe same technique in peacetime
> fight financial suicide.
The armed forces have every
thing to gain in pruning away their
’radwood. The result will be a
more efficient and effective de
fense force. Also, this will promote
tap confidence of a public that
nows its tax money is being wise
ly spent. A future forced cut might
come at a time to really cripple de
fense operations.
Fighting Weight
It is not a matter of cutting ap
jropriations that would result in a
weakened army and navy. The re
verse is actually true. First, effi
ciency must be created within the *
operations themselves. Then the
•'ath is open for expenditures more
in line with sane economy. Effi
ciency of operation, public confi
dence, and sensible financing all
depend upon each other. None can
s.nnd alone.
This is one of the first steps in
bringing our wayward economy
back to earth. In our zeal to spend
recklessly for national protection,
we should acknowledge the pres
ence of more than one type of en
emy. It is sure folly to pour an
endless stream of money into a
wasteful machine to protect our
selves from an outside aggressor,
only to result in financial chaos
within our own borders. A good
deal of economizing can be done
within the services without crip
pling our defense.
Dr. Catherine Sherwood
To Serve With Territorial
Dept. Of Health
Dr. Catherine S. Sherwood, ped
iatrician from Santa Paula, Calif
ornia, has arrived in Juneau to
serve as Director of the Division of
Maternal and Child Health and
Crippled Children’s Services in the
Territorial Department of Health.
Doctor Snewood is filling the po
sition vacated by Dr. N. Berneta
Block last fall.
Dr. Edith Sappington. regional
director of District No. 5, U. 3.
Children’s Bureau, is making an
annual visit to the Territorial De
partment of Health to discuss plans
and programs relating to maternal
and child health and crippled chil
dren.
Doctor Sappington and Doctor
Catherine Sht^wood, the flew di
rector of Tnaternal and child health
and crippled children’s services,
are now working out tly? details of
the joint Territorial and federal
child health programs.