THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by The
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
■mm. Alaska
Telephone: Mein 125 P. O. Box 618
•140 PER MONTH 516.00 A YEAR
W. A. and EMILY BOUCHER..Editor*
Entered as second class matter October 14, 1943, at the postoffice
et Nome, Alaska, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Friday, June 13, 1947
Two Prescriptions i
(The Rocky Mountain News)
A GROUP of economic doctors, hea'ded by Chester
Bowles, has given the country a 15,000-word prescrip
tion for what they say ails it. «
In the group are Leon Henderson, Paul Porter, Rob
ert R. Nathan, Lauchlin Currie and other advanced
thinkers who took part in planning and directing the
government’s efforts to manage the national economy
before, during or just after the recent war.
Most of them are now laboring in other vineyards.
But they don’t like the way things have been going
since they left public service. And so they have volun
teered this big budget of advice about how to mitigate
a deflationary recession, which they believe now can’t
be avoided and prevent a disastrous depression a few
years hence. •
The many measures they urge all have one purpose
—to increase purchasing power, here and abroad. They
want prices cut about 10 per cent, under guidance of a
government-appointed board. At the same time, they
would spread the 15-cents-ari-hour wage-rise pattern
widely and rapidly; extend wartime support of farm
prices; increase the benefits and coverage of unemploy
ment insurance; give tax relief in the lower-income'
tax brackets; start a public housing program of 500,000 i
rental units a year; provide federal guarantees for an-!
other 1,500,000 housing units a year; lend eight and one
half billion dollars a year for economic reconstruction
in other countries, etc., etc.
With all deference to the brilliant Mr. Bowles and his
learned associates, we still think the country would do
well to heed another economic adviser who, by the rec
ord, has proved wiser than any or all of them. We mean
Bernard M. Baruch.
Long before Pearl Harbor, he told, Congress that, if
prices were to be controlled successfully, a ceiling first
must be placed over them all, including wages and farm
prices. But Mr. Henderson didn’t believe that was ad
visable at the time. So wages and farm prices got a long
head start in the spiral race that’s been going on ever
since. , ;
Before World War II ended, Mr. Baruch predicted
high employment would follow it. But Mr. Nathan and
others of the Bowles groups sold President Truman the
theory that the government must encourage big general
wage rises without price increases or see six to eight
million people jobless by the spring of 1946. You know
how. well that turned out.
Mr. Baruch’s present advice is summed up in a short
word that we find emphasized nowhere in the Bowles
program: Work.
The world, he says can’t be set right by borrowing
money. It war’s ravages are to be repaired, if we are to
aid recovery abroad, if we are to have steadily rising
living standards, economic health and national security
“men and women will have to work longer and harder
for some time to come.”
That’s not such a pleasant prescription. It’s too old
fashioned for some of our great new-style economists.
Its one advantage is that it makes sense.
This country can maintain high employment. It can
have higher wages and lower prices. It can escape re
cession and depressions.
But it can’t have these blessings without constant im
proved tools of production and enpugh plain, hard work
to keep the volume of production rising, the unit costs
of production failling and the markets expanding.
Friday The Thirteenth
(The Denver Post)
TODAY IS Friday the Thirteenth”—a combination
of ill omens that has long terrified those of us who are
never apt to walk under ladders, take a third light from
a match, or argue right-of-way with a black cat.
Since Biblical times, Friday has been considered the
unluckiest day of the week. This association with bad
luck probably arose, it is said, because Jesus was cruci
fied on Friday. In the middle ages, Friday was known as
“Hangman’s day” because that day of the week was set
aside for execution of all criminals.
The association of “thirteen” with bad luck dates
back many centuries, probably to Sanskrit times. The
presence of thirteen at the Last Supper—Christ and His
twelve disciples—confirmed the number as unlucky.
No wonder mankind had huddled closer to his hearth
on Friday the Thirteenth! He’s a wary animal by na
ture, and feels always that he’s tight-rope-walking on a
slender thread of luck.
Whether or not we are superstitious, we must admit
that thoughts are real, and that superstitions have been
sending tingles along our spines ever since the first
brute, sitting around a flickering campfire, optimistical
ly called himself Man.
Ghosts and elves and witches probably have influ
enced our lives as much as most other things we’ve only
read about and haven’t seen.
Superstition, of the kind that has hurried the steps of
most of us at least on a few walks down lonely stretches,
is a part of the lore of mankind—his fringe religion.
And so who may say ill omens are not real?
' * — ~ i
_• JUST WATCHING_
By MARY LEE COUNCIL
Secretary to E. L. (Bob) Bartlett, Delegate to Congreu from Alaska
_/
AIRPORT BILLS
The proposal for construction of
two airports in Alaska has receiv
ed impetus with the introduction
of bills in the Senate similar to
those introduced in the House the
latter part of May.
Senator Magnuson has offered
a companion bill to the measure
which would authorize the Ad
ministrator of Civil Aeronautics
to construct an airport af Fair
banks and any public highway or
bridge from the city to whatever
location may be selected. Both
bills carry authorization for the
appropriation of $5,000,000 for
the construction of the project.
Senator Cain of Washington has
introduced a bill identical with
►
the House version to empower the
Administrator of Civil Aeronau
tics to construct and maintain
within the Territory an airport
“adequate for the needs of the
air-transportation services and
air commerce of the United States
serving the Territory of Alaska
and foreign countries by way of
points within the Territory of
Alaska.” Authorization is sought
in this legislation for the appro
priation of $8,000,000 for the pur
pose.
Both House bills were sponsor
ed by Evan Howell of Illinois.
Eleven members of the House In
terstate and Foreign Commerce
Committee, which will take ini
tial action on the bills, are ached
uled to leave Washington for
Alaska on an inspection trip about
June 16. Those believed to be go
ing on the trip are: Charles A.
Wolverton of New Jersey, chair
man of the committee; Eval How
ell of Illinois, sponsor of the bills;
J. Percey Priest of Tennessee;
Dwight L. Rogers of Florida;
Marion T. Bennett of Missouri;
John B. Bennett of Michigan;
Hugh D. Scott, Jr., of Pennsyl
vania; James I. Dolliver of Iowa;
Virgil Chapman of Kentucky; Al
fred L. Bulwinkle of North Caro
lina; and Lindley Beckworth of
Texas.
PARCEL POST RATES
Real and early dividends for
Alaskans seem assured by the re
cent establishment in the Terri
tory of a regional office of the
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic
Commerce in Juneau.
M. W. Goding of Skagway, head
of the Alaska office, discovered
pay dirt during the course of a
survey he made to assemble facts
for presentation to the Post Office
Departmgnt in connection with
parcel post rates within the Ter
ritory.
Ever since parcel post service
was extended to Alaska, 8th-zone
rates only have been applicable.
Thus, it has cost as much per
pound to send a parcel post pack
age from Petersburg to Wrangell
or Anchorage to Palmer as it has
to send one from Key West, Flo
rida, to Nome. Despite the unfair
ness of this policy nothing has
been done.
During the course of his re
search, Mr. Goding discovered an
obscure point of law which leaves
the Post Office Department no dis
cretionary power in this situation.
This was called to the attention of
appropriate officials in Washing
ton by Mr. Goding, and as a con
sequence Joseph T. Flakne, Chief,
Alaska Section, Division of Terri
tories and Island Possessions, De
partment of the Interior; James
Fletcher, formerly on the Univer
sity of Alaska faculty and now a
member of the Department of
Commerce staff in Washington;
and Delegate Bartlett took the
matter up with the Post Office
Department. Assurance was given
that a new parcel post zone sys
tem would be established in Alas
ka soon. Mapping will first have
to be accomplished and coopera
tion in this will be given the Post
Office Department by the Interior
and Commerce departments.
FOOD FROM CANADA
It will no longer be necessary
to appeal to Washington for au
thorization to obtain food for im
port into Alaska from Canada, ac
cording to a recent relaxtion of a
war food order of the Department
of Agriculture.
Heretofore import licenses were
required from the Agriculture De
partment and export licenses from
the Canadian government to bring
commodities into the Territory.
John O. Mallot. administrator of
War Food Order 63. has informed
Delegate Bartlett that the blanket
authorization for imports into
Alaska does not eliminate the
necessity of obtaining Canadian
export licenses. The shippers in
Alaska should have their suppli
ers obtain the necessary permits
from Ottawa«a few dyas in ad
vance of the desired date for ship
ment
The favorable action has been
taken by the Agriculture Depart
ment in recognition of the desir
ability of relaxing the war {ood
order as far as Alaska is con
cerned, a relaxation of regulations
long urged by Delegate Bartlett