THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
Nome, Alaska
Telephone: Main 125 P. O. Box 61H
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 j
at Nome. Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Wednesday, June 2, 1948
‘'FREIGHT RATES LOWER, BY REQUEST"
(AP Washington)
Alaska interests wishing lower freight rates can
now apply to the railroads to give them benefit of
rate cuts on joint rail-water shipments, the Inter
state Commerce says.
Rep. Tollefson (R-Wash) recently wrote the Coom
mission that joint rail-water rates are permitted to
Hawaii, South America and the Far East from Paci
fic coast ports at export rates. These rates, he said,
are 44 cents a hundred pounds on steel in carload
lots while the same steel going to Alaska is charged
$1.10 a hundred pounds.
William E. Lee, chairman of the ICC, wrote Tol
lefson that the fact that "rail rate to Seattle is higher
on traffic destined to Alaska than on traffic destined
to the Orient and other overseas points does not
necessarily indicate any unlawful discrimination."
Whether it is unlawful discrimination, he said,
can only be determined after a formal hearing.
*
Lee said if it eventually was determined to be
unlawful discrimination "the carriers would have
the right to remove that discrimination by increasing
the rate to Seattle on the traffic to the Orient rather
than by reducing the rate on the Alaskan traffic."
He added the railroads might voluntarily make
some reduction in rates to Seattle on traffic for water
movement to Alaska, "although not down to the
measure of the export rates," if Alaskan interests
could convince them this would increase traffic.
"If the carriers declined to act favorably on such
a request, consideration could then be given Alaska
interests to the filing of a formel complaint" with the
Commission, he said.
In the Matter, Seattle seems to be trying to get
some relief for Alaska. At least a loop hole has been
found. Perhaps the advantage can be pressed.
I
YOUR WAGE INCREASES
(Cincinnati Enquirer)
There has been much talk about the liklihood
of widespraed industrial disturbances if there is no
"third round" of wage increases. Has enyone in
high union councils, or elsewhere, stopped to think
that the reduction in Federal income taxes recently
granted by the Republican Congress constitutes a
very material wage or income increase for the av
erage family?
Under the terms of the tax reduction, ‘'take-home
pay" —which after all, is the important thing—is
appreciably higher. The tax cut is effective on all
this year's revenue; lower deductions under the
withholding tax setup became effective as of May 1.
Each individual may gauge for himself or herself
how much of an effective increase in pay is caused I
by the tax reduction. To many millions of workers!
it means being freed entirely from Federal income
tax deductions. In the case of all others it means a
pay check higher by some dollars than they have
been accustomed to getting under the old tax rate, j
Heads of families will find that the community pro
perty feature, which permits halving of reported
income between husband and wife, will be a valu
able boon in saving dollars for groceries and other
THKRE MUST MAN KAMO* VWlT UP
living costs.
One of the biggest advantages of the income tax
reduction is that it increases the effective income
of all—not just those in strong unions, but everyone
who works. There has been a serious element of
relative injustice in many of the previous rounds of
wage increases, in that they benefited some of the
population but actually made the cost of living
worse on others, especially those with fixed incomes
not subject to annual union negotiation.
Perhaps the greatest present economic advantage
of this increase in take-home pay is that it gives ev
eryone more income without of necessity increasing
the cost of goods or living. When a "round" of wage
increases was granted it always involved a cycle
of step-ups in the cost of commodities and products.
Congress insisted upon the-tax reduction despite
the administration's contention that it was bad eco
nomics. The administration, however, always has
favored wage increases. And the present tax re
duction takes the form of a very valuable—and not
upsetting—effective wage increase.
CONNECT MILITARY INSTALLATIONS
(AP Washington)
Army secretary Royall says that "limited capa
city" of the Alaska Railroad and deficiencies in
the present road system in the Territory "jeopardize
the mission of national defense."
He so wrote secretary Krug of the interior de
partment last fall .His letter, made public recently,
was placed before the House Appropriations Com
mittee on the interior department funds during a
hearing on the department's appropriation bill.
Royall urged that improvements be made on the
Alaska Highway, the Haines Cutoff, the Richardson
Highway, the Glenn Highway and the Tok Cutoff.
Extensions of the present roads, if constructed, he
said, should be so routed as to connect military in
stallations.
"An adequate program of highways develop
ment within Alaska and leading thereto from the
United States," he said, "is of importance to the
logistic support of Alaska."
Royall said that as part of the Alaska Highway
and of the Haines Cutoff are in Canada improve
ment of these sections should be accompanied by
area control of the region traverrsed by the roads.
He said the roads are considered essential to the
utilization of the road system as a whole.
A complete system of rail and road highways
should connect all parts of the Territory for the
development of Alaska as a whole.
•
Berlin Gratitude Is
l
Expressed In Letter
To Gov. Gruening
Expressing gratitude to Alas
kans for their part in sending the
Northwest and Alaska Christmas
relief ship to Europe, the follow
ing letter has been received hy
the Governor’s office from the
Maistrate of Greater Berlin:
“His Excellency, The Governor
of the Territory of Alaska,
Ernest Gruening,
Juneau, Alaska, USA.
Excellency,
We heartily welcomed your
heavily-laden “North-West-Good
Will Train” wi.h glad surprise.
It arrived here with plenty of gifts
as if we had wished for it to come'.
Upon its arrival about the mid
dle of March our winter emer
gency programme had just been
fulfilled but the last stocks had
also been exhausted.
Donations from abroad, above
all from the United States, had en
abled us to render additional re
lief during the winter to the fol
lowing groups of our people; 54,
000 aged people without means
of subsistence were provided with
a daily hot lunch out of Cralog
donations during the winter; 24,
000 apprentices in heavy worker’s
! professions received a substantial
supper three times a week; 28,000
undernourished infants took part
in the Swedish meals; 17,000 fe
male building workers who had
held out in wind and weather
received 5 pounds food parcels
from Cralog; the students’ feed
ings were provided with extras
on concentrated food; 5.677 ‘hor
oughly blinded persons and 784
persons with two amputated limbs
as well as families with many
children who were in a special
state of distress were delighted
with half of a Care parcel. In this
way the winter distress has been
visibly mitigated by the gifts of
foreign donors but now we were
faced by springtime which is short
of food, when the potatoes have
been consumed, vegetables are not
available, and the new harvest
is still far ahead.
In this moment your donations
arrived here which were handed
over to us by the representative
of the Territory of Alaska, Mr.
Ralph Bartholomew, of Ketchi
kan, Alaska, in a most friendly
way. With what a deep under
standing for our distress had the
parcels been packed, every single
one being a document of human
kindness. What an immensity of
reflection, propaganda, organiza
tion, and willingness to sacrifice
demanded this huge plan, that the
trairt from the farthest distance
could make its way to us via
mountains, wide plains and the
big ocean.
Mr. Bartholomew who took the
I trouble to make the long journey
will certainly have thanked you
in our name. But we feel it our
duty to thank you, Excellency,
i also in writing in the name of our
City. If you would be able to pub
licly convey our gratitude to all
donors of your country, you would
, fulfill our heart’s desire.
Believe me, Excellency, I re
I main, yours most respectfully
Magistrat of Greater Berlin
M. Ehlert
i
Head of Social Department
L. Schroeder
Acting Oberburgermeister