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
wT~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.
Wednesday, October 17, 1945
ALASKA, LAND OF PROMISE
(Daily Alaska Empire)
Alaska is pictured as a land where thousands of un
employed veterans of World War II will be able to se
cure jobs in a recent article written by a Washington
correspondent. The writer bases his remarks on those
made by W. M. Floyd of Unalaska, national commander
of the Regular Veterans Association who says Alaska
still has job opportunities for thousands of veterans.
More than 50,000 of two million discharged service
men have been unable to find jobs and are receiving
readjustment allowances from the Veterans Adminis
tration. This figure does not include veterans unem
ployed after August 25, hence do not reflect the heavy
postwar production setbacks or unemployment caused
by the recent heavy influx of strikes.
The Territory of Puerto Rico has some 4,783 jobless
war veterans but Alaska is reported as having none.
However, a very few of the thousands who are unem
ployed in the States would soon fill Alaska’s require
ments, and we believe it is foolish to encourage the job
less in the continental United States to rush to Alaska. ^
The U. S. Employment Office has a good idea of the
number of workers who can be employed Alaska as well
as the type of work one can find employment in. It
would be a good idea for those who shout about Alaska;
as the land of promise and easy employment to talk to
the U. S. Employment Office first.
Alaska can employ on a year ’round basis only a very
few of the vast numbers of unemployed from the States,
veterans or not. It is foolish to issue misleading state
ments which can cause wholesale migrations to Alaska
and many hardships, not only on the job seekers, but
the permanent residents.
WAGE DEMANDS
(Daily Alaska Empire)
Most of the large unions have already announced
their demands for higher wage rates. In general, the in
creases demanded are designed to offset the reduction
in wartime earnings attending the decline in the num
ber of hours worked, the elimination of premium over
time pay and related factors. Thus the rubber workers
demand a wage increase of 30 cents an hour, the steel
workers 25 cents an hour, and auto and clothing work
ers an increase of 30 per cent. Increases of these magni
tudes would in most instances enable workers to retain
their wartime take-home pay and are apparently de
signed to accomplish that objective.
In effect, the labor unions are insisting that the ab
normal wartime wages represent a legitimate immedi
ate aspiration of their members. They are saying that
the increase in workers’ incomes resulting from the ex
tra work required by our war effort must be retained in
the pay envelope, even though that extra effort is no
longer expended. They are saying that productivity has
increased so significantly during the war that these
wage increases can be made without requiring price in
creases They are in effect saying that a wartime level
of earnings,’ which included huge and abnormal sav
ings must be continued to prevent workers’ living
standards from being impaired. They are in effect say
ing that because large profits were earned as a result
of the abnormally large volume of war business, those
post profits indicate the ability to pay future wage in
creases.
Undoubtedly wage adjustments are desirable in
many cases and are justified on the basis of the ex
pected postwar earning position, the rise in living costs
and changes in productivity. But it is a big step from
such justifiable wage increases to the 30 percent in
I creases now being demanded. Such an increase on top
of the 36 per cent rise in average straight-time hourly
earnings during the war will present industry with a
sharp increase in costs which inevitably will require
sharp increases in price. These price increases in turn
will decrease the buying power of the wages received
and in turn will become the basis for new demands for
wage increases.
In time a sharp increase in the standard of living of
the wage-earners as well as other groups is inevitable.
But to attempt to force in a relatively short period
changes which may be justified at some future date is
to erect a barrier against the attainment of the high
level of employment which will be so urgently required
during the transition period and after.
Marital relations are like a refrigerator. An occa
sional defrosting helps keep things running smoothly,
and the more dishwater a wedding ring sees the longer
it seems to last.
DOCS THAT MAKE IT A BETTER *OtE?
tH
(HWA
CAN THIS BE SAID
OF YOU?
I
Charlie Johnson had his own set
of values—high upon which he
must have placed “life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness.”
These are the principles which
are supposed to be held in high
regard by citizens of the United
States of America. Charlie was
not a citizen—Finland was his
homeland — yet he recognized
these are values worth while; at
least, worth his while to save and
buy War bonds to protect.
Charlie didn’t depend on any
payroll savings plans or quotas to
keep up his bond buying. His plan
was just to buy all the bonds he
could, every month. It was a good
plan and he stuck with it right up
to the month he died.
Charlie operated a little cabinet
shop and did odd jobs of carpen
try and boat repair work in
Petersburg for a number of years.
Before that he knocked about in
Alaska for a lot of years more. He
didn’t have a wife or a family for
which to save. Charlie just got
along all right and when he had a
little extra money he bought
bonds to help protect the way of
life in which he believed.
When Charles W. Johnson died,
following a stroke, at Petersburg
last April, he left an estate of
$9,463.75 to the Petersburg hospi
tal. Of that estate, $5,308 repre
sented the redemption value of
War Bonds Charlie had bought—
and kept.
Charlie started buying bonds
before this country went to war—
back in July, 1941. Missing scarce
ly a month, he nearly always
doubled up the next. In three and
three-quarter’s years he bought
U. S. Savings Bonds totalling
$6,975 in face value—more than
$150 a month average.
Charlie did his part in the best
way he knew how—for a country
that wasn’t even his. Can you say
as much for yourself?
Kate—Bill told me I was the
eighth wonder of the world.
Kitty And what did you say j
to him?
i
Kate—I told him not to let me
ca«.ch him with any of the seven j
others.
army engineers to
HOLD HEARING IN
SITKA, OCTOBER 24
Final arrangements have been
completed for the public heai ing
to be held by the Seattle District
U. S. Army Engineers, October
24, at Sitka, Alaska, to determine
1 what navigation improvements
are desired by residents of Sitka
and Neva and Olga Straits, it was
learned today from Colonel Con
rad P. Hardy, Seattle District En
gineers.
Presided over by Col. Hardy,
who will fly to Sitka via Juneau
on Oct. 23, the hearing will open
at 10 a.m. in the USO Victory
House at Sitka. The morning ses
sion will be devoted to Sitka s
navigation problems, the after
l noon session to Olga and Neva
! Straits’ navigation problems. Geo.
I H. Kurttila of the Seattle Engin
eer District Civil Works Branch
will accompany Col. Hardy.
According to Col. Hardy, “There
is much eagerness on the part of
the residents of these areas to
have navigation facilities improv
ed. Congress has authorized pre
liminary surveys of navigation
needs at both localities. At the
hearing local interests should pre
sent their own plans and wishes
for navigation developments.”
Six types of information for the
hearing are requested by the
Army Engineers.
To determine necessity and de
sirability of federal improve
ments, the Engineers ask for com
plete descriptions of resources, in
dustry and business of the areas
tributary to both waterways, cou
pled with an outline of past and
present waterborne commerce.
Also sought are lists of vessels
with draft and tonnage now using
the waterways, purposes and com
plete physical description of de
sired improvements and evidence
of inadequacy of present facilities
together with difficulties of ex
isting navigation.
"We must have proof at the
hearing,” said Col. Hardy, “that
new developments would benefit
the general public as well as spe
cial interests. We are particularly
interested in the amounts by
which freight rates may be de
creased, the delays in the move
ment of ships that may be elim
inated, or the increase in water
borne traffic that may be expect
ed on account of the proposed
improvements and information as
to whether existing terminal fa
cilities should be expanded.”
The Army Engineers also re
quest local interests to cover the
type of cooperation to be expected
from the localities in helping the
federal government bear the cost
of improvements such as dona
tions of rights of way and ease
ments necessary for construction,
payment of maintenance costs of
any new projects and cash contri
butions toward first costs or tow
ard maintenance.
Oral statements will be heard
but for accuracy of the record,
Col. Hardy requests that written
statements be handed in at the
hearing.
The Sitka hearing is the first of
a series to be held by the Seattle
Army Engineers in Alaska to ob- '
tain the views of local interests
on federal improvements of navi
gable waterways.
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